📚 The Christian Standard Bible (CSB) represents a modern English translation that balances word-for-word accuracy with readability through an "optimal equivalence" translation philosophy
🔄 Translation methodology carefully preserves original meaning while ensuring contemporary clarity, avoiding both overly literal renderings and loose paraphrasing
📝 Contains traditional Bible features including theological vocabulary, descriptive headings, textual footnotes, and special formatting for Old Testament passages quoted in the New Testament
🌐 Created by an international, interdenominational team of 100+ scholars committed to biblical inerrancy, with ongoing oversight to maintain accuracy
✝️ Consistently translates divine names (YHWH as "Lord," Elohim as "God") and includes comprehensive textual notes explaining manuscript variations
📋 Organized into 66 books with traditional Protestant verse divisions, complete with supplementary materials including abbreviation lists and measurement tables
🏞️ Garden of Eden established as humanity's first home, featuring the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil, with four rivers (Pishon, Gihon, Tigris, Euphrates) flowing through this paradise
🐍 The serpent's deception leads to humanity's first sin when Eve and Adam eat the forbidden fruit, immediately experiencing shame and hiding from God's presence
⚖️ Divine judgment follows with specific consequences: serpent cursed to crawl, woman to experience painful childbirth and submission, man to toil painfully for food, and both humans banished from Eden
👪 Family lineage develops with Cain murdering Abel, receiving God's mark of protection, and Seth's line continuing through generations including Enoch who "walked with God"
🌊 Human wickedness proliferates until God determines to cleanse the earth through a flood, selecting righteous Noah to build an ark and preserve animal and human life
🚢 Noah's obedience culminates in the ark's construction according to divine specifications, with his family and paired animals entering before the floodwaters cover the earth
the man be came a liv ing be ing. 8 The L ord God plant ed a gar den in Eden, in the east, and there he placed the man he had formed. 9 The L ord God caused to grow out of the ground ev ery tree pleas ing in ap pear ance and good for food, in clud ing the tree of life in the mid dle of the gar den, as well as the tree of the knowl edge of good and evil. 10 A riv er went f out from Eden to wa ter the gar den. From there it di vid ed and be came the source of four riv ers. g 11 The name of the first is Pi shon, which flows through the en tire land of Hav i lah, h where there is gold. 12 Gold from that land is pure; i bdel li um j and onyx k are also there. 13 The name of the sec ond riv er is Gi hon, which flows through the en tire land of Cush. 14 The name of the third riv er is Ti gris, which runs east of As syr ia. And the fourth riv er is the Eu phra tes. 15 The L ord God took the man and placed him in the gar den of Eden to work it and watch over it. 16 And the L ord God com mand ed the man, “ You are free to eat from any tree of the gar den, 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowl edge of good and evil, for on the day you eat from it, you will cer tain ly die.” 18 Then the L ord God said, “ It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a help er cor re spond- ing to him.” 19 The L ord God formed out of the ground ev ery wild an i mal and ev ery bird of the sky , and brought each to the man to see what he would call it. And what ev er the man called a liv ing crea ture, that was its name. 20 The man gave names to all the live stock, to the birds of the sky , and to ev ery wild an i mal; but for the man l no help er was found cor re spond ing to him. 21 So the L ord God caused a deep sleep to come over the man, and he slept. God took one of his ribs and closed the flesh at that place. 22 Then the L ord God made the rib he had tak en from the man into a wom an and brought her to the man. 23 And the man said: This one, at last, is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh; this one will be called “woman,” for she was taken from man. 24 This is why a man leaves his fa ther and moth er and bonds with his wife, and they be come one flesh. 25 Both the man and his wife were na ked, yet felt no shame. THE TEMPTATION AND THE FALL 3 Now the ser pent was the most cun ning of all the wild an i mals that the L ord God had made. He said to the wom an, “ Did God real ly say , ‘ You can’t eat from any tree in the gar den’? ” 2 The wom an said to the ser pent, “ We may eat the fruit from the trees in the gar den. 3 But about the fruit of the tree in the mid dle of the gar den, God said, ‘ You must not eat it or touch it, or you will die.’ ” 4 “ No! You will not die,” the ser pent said to the wom an. 5 “ In fact, God knows that when m you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, n know ing good and evil.” 6 The wom an saw that the tree was good for food and de light ful to look at, and that it was de sir able for obtaining wis dom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; she also gave some to her hus band, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew they were na ked; so they sewed fig leaves to geth er and made cov - er ings for them selves. SIN’S CONSEQUENCES 8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the L ord God walk ing in the gar den at the a 2:2 Sam, LXX, Syr read sixth b 2:2 Or ceased, also in v. 3 c 2:3 Lit work that God created to make d 2:4 Lit creation on the day e 2:5 Or earth f 2:10 Or goes g 2:10 Lit became four heads h 2:11 Or of the Havilah i 2:12 Lit good j 2:12 A yellowish, transparent gum resin k 2:12 Identity of this precious stone uncertain l 2:20 Or for Adam m 3:5 Lit on the day n 3:5 Or gods, or divine beingsGENESIS 2-3 2 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 2 10/26/17 8:59 PM time of the eve ning breeze, a and they hid from the L ord God among the trees of the gar den. 9 So the L ord God called out to the man and said to him, “ Where are you? ” 10 And he said, “ I heard you b in the gar den, and I was a fraid be cause I was na ked, so I hid.” 11 Then he asked, “ Who told you that you were na ked? Did you eat from the tree that I com mand ed you not to eat from? ” 12 The man re plied, “ The wom an you gave to be with me — she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate.” 13 So the L ord God asked the wom an, “ What is this you have done? ” And the wom an said, “ The ser pent de ceived me, and I ate.” 14 So the L ord God said to the ser pent: Because you have done this, you are cursed more than any livestock and more than any wild animal. You will move on your belly and eat dust all the days of your life. 15 I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel. 16 He said to the wom an: I will intensify your labor pains; you will bear children with painful effort. Your desire will be for your husband, yet he will rule over you. 17 And he said to the man, “Be cause you lis- tened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I com mand ed you, ‘ Do not eat from it’: The ground is cursed because of you. You will eat from it by means of painful labor c all the days of your life. 18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. 19 You will eat bread d by the sweat of your brow until you return to the ground, since you were taken from it. For you are dust, and you will return to dust.”20 The man named his wife Eve e be cause she was the moth er of all the liv ing. 21 The L ord God made cloth ing from skins for the man and his wife, and he clothed them. 22 The L ord God said, “ Since the man has be come like one of us, know ing good and evil, he must not reach out, take from the tree of life, eat, and live for ev er.” 23 So the L ord God sent him away from the gar den of Eden to work the ground from which he was tak en. 24 He drove the man out and sta tioned the cher u bim and the flam ing, whirl ing sword east of the gar den of Eden to guard the way to the tree of life. CAIN MURDERS ABEL 4 The man was in ti mate with his wife Eve, and she con ceived and gave birth to Cain. She said, “ I have had a male child with the L ord’ s help.” f 2 She also gave birth to his broth er Abel. Now Abel be came a shep herd of flocks, but Cain worked the ground. 3 In the course of time Cain pre sent ed some of the land’s pro duce as an off er ing to the L ord. 4 And Abel also pre sent ed an off er ing — some of the first born of his flock and their fat por - tions. The L ord had re gard for Abel and his off er ing, 5 but he did not have re gard for Cain and his off er ing. Cain was fu ri ous, and he looked de spon dent. g 6 Then the L ord said to Cain, “ Why are you fu ri ous? And why do you look de spon dent? h 7 If you do what is right, won’t you be ac cept- ed? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouch ing at the door. Its de sire is for you, but you must rule over it.” 8 Cain said to his broth er Abel, “ Let’s go out to the field.” i And while they were in the field, Cain at tacked his broth er Abel and killed him. 9 Then the L ord said to Cain, “ Where is your broth er Abel? ” “ I don’t know ,” he re plied. “ Am I my broth- er’s guard ian? ” 10 Then he said, “ What have you done? Your broth er’s blood cries out to me from the ground! 11 So now you are cursed, alien at ed from the ground that opened its mouth to re ceive your broth er’s blood you have shed. j 12 If you work the ground, it will nev er again give you its yield. You will be a rest less wan- der er on the earth.” a 3:8 Lit at the wind of the day b 3:10 Lit the sound of you c 3:17 Lit it through pain d 3:19 Or food e 3:20 Lit Living, or Life f 4:1 Lit the Lord g 4:5 Lit and his face fell h 4:6 Lit why has your face fallen i 4:8 Sam, LXX, Syr , Vg; MT omits “Let’s go out to the field.” j 4:11 Lit blood from your hand 3 GENESIS 3-4 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 3 10/26/17 8:59 PM 13 But Cain an swered the L ord, “ My pun- ish ment a is too great to bear! 14 Since you are banishing me to day from the face of the earth, and I must hide from your pres ence and be come a rest less wan der er on the earth, who ev er finds me will kill me.” 15 Then the L ord re plied to him, “ In that case, b who ev er kills Cain will suff er ven geance sev en times over.” c And he placed a mark on Cain so that who ev er found him would not kill him. 16 Then Cain went out from the L ord’ s pres- ence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden. THE LINE OF CAIN 17 Cain was in ti mate with his wife, and she con ceived and gave birth to Enoch. Then Cain be came the build er of a city , and he named the city Enoch af ter his son. 18 Irad was born to Enoch, Irad fa thered Me hu ja el, Me hu ja el fa thered Me thu sha el, and Me thu sha el fa thered La mech. 19 La mech took two wives for him- self, one named Adah and the oth er named Zil lah. 20 Adah bore Ja bal; he was the fa ther of the nomadic herds men. d 21 His broth er was named Ju bal; he was the fa ther of all who play the lyre and the flute. 22 Zil lah bore Tubal-cain, who made all kinds of bronze and iron tools. Tubal-cain’s sis ter was Na a mah. 23 La mech said to his wives: Adah and Zillah, hear my voice; wives of Lamech, pay attention to my words. For I killed a man for wounding me, a young man for striking me. 24 If Cain is to be avenged seven times over, then for Lamech it will be seventy-seven times! 25 Adam was in ti mate with his wife again, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth, for she said, “ God has giv en e me an oth er child f in place of Abel, since Cain killed him.” 26 A son was born to Seth also, and he named him Enosh. At that time peo ple be gan to call on the name of the L ord. THE LINE OF SETH 5 This is the doc u ment con tain ing the fam i- ly g rec ords of Adam. h On the day that God cre at ed man, i he made him in the like ness of God; 2 he cre at ed them male and fe male. When they were cre at ed, he blessed them and called them man kind. j 3 Adam was 130 years old when he fa thered a son in his like ness, ac cord ing to his im age, and named him Seth. 4 Adam lived 800 years af ter he fa thered Seth, and he fa thered oth er sons and daugh ters. 5 So Adam’s life last ed 930 years; then he died. 6 Seth was 105 years old when he fa thered Enosh. 7 Seth lived 807 years af ter he fa thered Enosh, and he fa thered oth er sons and daugh- ters. 8 So Seth’s life last ed 912 years; then he died. 9 Enosh was 90 years old when he fa thered Ke nan. 10 Enosh lived 815 years af ter he fa- thered Ke nan, and he fa thered oth er sons and daugh ters. 11 So Enosh’s life last ed 905 years; then he died. 12 Ke nan was 70 years old when he fa thered Ma ha la lel. 13 Ke nan lived 840 years af ter he fa thered Ma ha la lel, and he fa thered oth er sons and daugh ters. 14 So Ke nan’s life last ed 910 years; then he died. 15 Ma ha la lel was 65 years old when he fa- thered Ja red. 16 Ma ha la lel lived 830 years af ter he fa thered Ja red, and he fa thered oth er sons and daugh ters. 17 So Ma ha la lel’s life last ed 895 years; then he died. 18 Ja red was 162 years old when he fa thered Enoch. 19 Ja red lived 800 years af ter he fa thered Enoch, and he fa thered oth er sons and daugh- ters. 20 So Ja red’s life last ed 962 years; then he died. 21 Enoch was 65 years old when he fa thered Me thu se lah. 22 And af ter he fa thered Me thu se- lah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and fa- thered oth er sons and daugh ters. 23 So Enoch’s life last ed 365 years. 24 Enoch walked with God; then he was not there be cause God took him. 25 Me thu se lah was 187 years old when he fa thered La mech. 26 Me thu se lah lived 782 years af ter he fa thered La mech, and he fa thered oth er sons and daugh ters. 27 So Me thu se lah’s life last ed 969 years; then he died. 28 La mech was 182 years old when he fa- thered a son. 29 And he named him Noah, k say ing, “ This one will bring us re lief from the ag o niz ing la bor of our hands, caused by the ground the L ord has cursed.” 30 La mech lived 595 years af ter he fa thered Noah, and he fa thered oth er sons and daugh ters. 31 So La mech’s life last ed 777 years; then he died. a 4:13 Or sin b 4:15 LXX, Syr , Vg read “Not so!” c 4:15 Or suffer severely d 4:20 Lit the dweller of tent and livestock e 4:25 The Hb word for given sounds like the name “Seth.” f 4:25 Lit seed g 5:1 Lit written family h 5:1 Or mankind i 5:1 Or Adam, human beings j 5:2 Hb ‘adam k 5:29 In Hb, the name Noah sounds like “bring us relief.”GENESIS 4-5 4 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 4 10/26/17 8:59 PM 32 Noah was 500 years old, and he fa thered Shem, Ham, and Ja pheth. SONS OF GOD AND DAUGHTERS OF MANKIND 6 When man kind be gan to mul ti ply on the earth and daugh ters were born to them, 2 the sons of God saw that the daugh ters of man kind were beau ti ful, and they took any they chose as wives a for them selves. 3 And the L ord said, “ My Spir it will not re main b with c man kind for ev er, be cause they are cor rupt. d Their days will be 120 years.” 4 The Neph i lim e were on the earth both in those days and af- ter ward, when the sons of God came to the daugh ters of man kind, who bore chil dren to them. They were the pow er ful men of old, the fa mous men. JUDGMENT DECREED 5 When the L ord saw that hu man wick ed ness was wide spread on the earth and that ev ery in cli na tion of the hu man mind was noth ing but evil all the time, 6 the L ord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and he was deep ly grieved. f 7 Then the L ord said, “ I will wipe man kind, whom I cre at ed, off the face of the earth, to geth er with the an i mals, crea- tures that crawl, and birds of the sky — for I re gret that I made them.” 8 Noah, how ev er, found fa vor with the L ord. GOD WARNS NOAH 9 These are the fam i ly rec ords of Noah. Noah was a righ teous man, blame less among his contemporaries; Noah walked with God. 10 And Noah fa thered three sons: Shem, Ham, and Ja pheth. 11 Now the earth was cor rupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with wick ed ness. g 12 God saw how cor rupt the earth was, for ev ery crea ture had cor rupt ed its way on the earth. 13 Then God said to Noah, “ I have de cid ed to put an end to ev ery crea ture, for the earth is filled with wick ed ness be cause of them; there fore I am go ing to de stroy them along with the earth. 14 “ Make your self an ark of gopher h wood. Make rooms in the ark, and cov er it with pitch in side and out side. 15 This is how you are to make it: The ark will be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high. i 16 You are to make a roof, j fin ish ing the sides of the ark to with in eigh teen inch es k of the roof. You are to put a door in the side of the ark. Make it with low er, mid dle, and up per decks. 17 “Un der stand that I am bring ing a flood — flood wa ters on the earth to de stroy ev ery crea ture un der heav en with the breath of life in it. Ev ery thing on earth will per ish. 18 But I will es tab lish my cov enant with you, and you will en ter the ark with your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives. 19 You are also to bring into the ark two of all the liv ing crea tures, male and fe male, to keep them alive with you. 20 Two of ev ery thing — from the birds ac cord ing to their kinds, from the live stock ac cord ing to their kinds, and from the an i mals that crawl on the ground ac cord ing to their kinds — will come to you so that you can keep them alive. 21 Take with you ev ery kind of food that is eat- en; gath er it as food for you and for them.” 22 And Noah did this. He did ev ery thing that God had com mand ed him. ENTERING THE ARK 7 Then the L ord said to Noah, “En ter the ark, you and all your house hold, for I have seen that you alone are righ teous be fore me in this gen er a tion. 2 You are to take with you sev en pairs, a male and its fe male, of all the clean an i mals, and two of the an i mals that are not clean, a male and its fe male, 3 and sev en pairs, male and fe male, of the birds of the sky — in or der to keep off spring alive through out the earth. 4 Sev en days from now I will make it rain on the earth for ty days and for ty nights, and ev ery liv ing thing I have made I will wipe off the face of the earth.” 5 And Noah did ev ery- thing that the L ord com mand ed him. 6 Noah was six hun dred years old when the flood came and wa ter cov ered the earth. 7 So Noah, his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives en tered the ark be cause of the flood wa ters. 8 From the clean an i mals, un clean an i mals, birds, and ev ery crea ture that crawls on the ground, 9 two of each, male and fe male, came to Noah and en tered the ark, just as God had com mand ed him. 10 Sev en days lat er the flood - wa ters came on the earth. THE FLOOD 11 In the six hun dredth year of Noah’s life, in the sec ond month, on the sev en teenth day of the month, on that day all the sources of a 6:2 Or women b 6:3 Or strive c 6:3 Or in d 6:3 Lit flesh e 6:4 Possibly means “fallen ones”; traditionally, “giants”; Nm 13:31-33 f 6:6 Lit was grieved to his heart g 6:11 Or injustice, also in v. 13 h 6:14 Unknown species of tree; perhaps pine or cypress i 6:15 Or 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide, and 30 cubits high j 6:16 Or window, or hatch ; Hb uncertain k 6:16 Lit to a cubit 5 GENESIS 5-7 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 5 10/26/17
🌊 Noah's Flood and Covenant
🌧️ The great deluge covered the entire earth for forty days, submerging even the highest mountains and destroying all living creatures except those safely aboard Noah's ark
🕊️ After 150 days, the waters receded gradually, with Noah sending out a raven and dove to test for dry land before finally emerging onto the mountains of Ararat
🌈 God established a permanent covenant with Noah and all living creatures, promising never again to destroy the earth by flood and placing the rainbow as an eternal sign of this promise
👑 Following the flood, God blessed Noah's family with authority over creation, permitting them to eat animals but prohibiting consumption of blood and establishing the sanctity of human life
🗼 Humanity's attempt to build the Tower of Babel led to divine intervention, with God confusing their language and scattering people across the earth to prevent their unified rebellion
🧓 The text traces the genealogical line from Noah through Shem to Abram (later Abraham), whom God called to leave his homeland with the promise to make him into a great nation
8:59 PM the vast wa tery depths burst open, the flood- gates of the sky were opened, 12 and the rain fell on the earth for ty days and for ty nights. 13 On that same day Noah along with his sons Shem, Ham, and Ja pheth, Noah’s wife, and his three sons’ wives en tered the ark with him. 14 They en tered it with all the wildlife ac cord- ing to their kinds, all live stock ac cord ing to their kinds, all the crea tures that crawl on the earth ac cord ing to their kinds, ev ery fly ing crea ture — all the birds and ev ery winged crea ture — ac cord ing to their kinds. 15 Two of ev ery crea ture that has the breath of life in it came to Noah and en tered the ark. 16 Those that en tered, male and fe male of ev ery crea- ture, en tered just as God had com mand ed him. Then the L ord shut him in. 17 The flood con tin ued for for ty days on the earth; the wa ter in creased and lift ed up the ark so that it rose above the earth. 18 The wa ter surged and in creased great ly on the earth, and the ark float ed on the sur face of the wa ter. 19 Then the wa ter surged even high er on the earth, and all the high moun tains un der the whole sky were cov ered. 20 The moun tains were cov ered as the wa ter surged above them more than twen ty feet. a 21 Ev ery crea ture per - ished — those that crawl on the earth, birds, live stock, wildlife, and those that swarm b on the earth, as well as all man kind. 22 Ev ery thing with the breath of the spir it of life in its nos trils — ev ery thing on dry land died. 23 He wiped out ev ery liv ing thing that was on the face of the earth, from man kind to live stock, to crea- tures that crawl, to the birds of the sky , and they were wiped off the earth. Only Noah was left, and those that were with him in the ark. 24 And the wa ter surged on the earth 150 days. THE FLOOD RECEDES 8 God re mem bered Noah, as well as all the wildlife and all the live stock that were with him in the ark. God caused a wind c to pass over the earth, and the wa ter be gan to sub side. 2 The sources of the wa tery depths and the flood gates of the sky were closed, and the rain from the sky stopped. 3 The wa ter steadi ly re ced ed from the earth, and by the end of 150 days the wa ter had de creased significantly . 4 The ark came to rest in the sev enth month, on the sev en teenth day of the month, on the moun tains of Ar a rat.5 The wa ter con tin ued to re cede un til the tenth month; in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the moun tains were vis i ble. 6 Af ter for ty days Noah opened the win dow of the ark that he had made, 7 and he sent out a ra ven. It went back and forth un til the wa ter had dried up from the earth. 8 Then he sent out a dove to see wheth er the wa ter on the earth’s sur face had gone down, 9 but the dove found no rest ing place for its foot. It re turned to him in the ark be cause wa ter cov ered the sur face of the whole earth. He reached out and brought it into the ark to him self. 10 So Noah wait ed sev en more days and sent out the dove from the ark again. 11 When the dove came to him at eve ning, there was a plucked ol ive leaf in its beak. So Noah knew that the wa ter on the earth’s sur face had gone down. 12 Af ter he had wait- ed an oth er sev en days, he sent out the dove, but it did not re turn to him again. 13 In the six hun dred and first year, d in the first month, on the first day of the month, the wa ter that had cov ered the earth was dried up. Then Noah re moved the ark’s cov er and saw that the sur face of the ground was dry ing. 14 By the twenty-seventh day of the sec ond month, the earth was dry . THE LORD’S PROMISE 15 Then God spoke to Noah, 16 “ Come out of the ark, you, your wife, your sons, and your sons’ wives with you. 17 Bring out all the liv ing crea tures e that are with you — birds, live stock, those that crawl on the earth — and they will spread over the earth and be fruit ful and mul- ti ply on the earth.” 18 So Noah, along with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives, came out. 19 All the an i mals, all the crea tures that crawl, and all the fly ing crea tures — ev ery thing that moves on the earth — came out of the ark by their fam i lies. 20 Then Noah built an al tar to the L ord. He took some of ev ery kind of clean an i mal and ev ery kind of clean bird and off ered burnt of- fer ings on the al tar. 21 When the L ord smelled the pleas ing aro ma, he said to him self, “ I will nev er again curse the ground be cause of hu- man be ings, even though the in cli na tion of the hu man heart is evil from youth onward. And I will nev er again strike down ev ery liv- ing thing as I have done. a 7:20 Lit surged 15 cubits b 7:21 Lit all the swarming swarms c 8:1 Or spirit ; Gn 1:2 d 8:13 = of Noah’s life e 8:17 Lit creatures of all fleshGENESIS 7-8 6 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 6 10/26/17 8:59 PM 22 As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and night will not cease.” GOD’S COVENANT WITH NOAH 9 God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “ Be fruit ful and mul ti ply and fill the earth. 2 The fear and ter ror of you will be in ev ery liv ing crea ture on the earth, ev ery bird of the sky , ev ery crea ture that crawls on the ground, and all the fish of the sea. They are placed un der your au thor i ty . a 3 Ev ery crea ture that lives and moves will be food for you; as I gave the green plants, I have giv en you ev ery- thing. 4 How ev er, you must not eat meat with its life blood in it. 5 And I will re quire a pen- al ty for your life blood; b I will re quire it from any an i mal and from any hu man; if some one mur ders a fel low hu man, I will re quire that per son’s life. c 6 Whoever sheds human blood, by humans his blood will be shed, for God made humans in his image. 7 But you, be fruit ful and mul ti ply; spread out over the earth and mul ti ply on it.” 8 Then God said to Noah and his sons with him, 9 “Un der stand that I am es tab lish ing my cov enant with you and your de scen dants af ter you, 10 and with ev ery liv ing crea ture that is with you — birds, live stock, and all wildlife of the earth that are with you — all the an- i mals of the earth that came out of the ark. 11 I es tab lish my cov enant with you that nev- er again will ev ery crea ture be wiped out by flood wa ters; there will nev er again be a flood to de stroy the earth.” 12 And God said, “ This is the sign of the cov- enant I am mak ing be tween me and you and ev ery liv ing crea ture with you, a cov enant for all fu ture gen er a tions: 13 I have placed my bow in the clouds, and it will be a sign of the cov enant be tween me and the earth. 14 When- ev er I form clouds over the earth and the bow ap pears in the clouds, 15 I will re mem ber my cov enant be tween me and you and all the liv ing crea tures: d wa ter will nev er again be- come a flood to de stroy ev ery crea ture. 16 The bow will be in the clouds, and I will look at it and re mem ber the per ma nent cov enant be tween God and all the liv ing crea tures e on earth.” 17 God said to Noah, “ This is the sign of the cov enant that I have es tab lished be tween me and ev ery crea ture on earth.” PROPHECIES ABOUT NOAH’S FAMILY 18 Noah’s sons who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Ja pheth. Ham was the fa ther of Ca naan. 19 These three were Noah’s sons, and from them the whole earth was populated. 20 Noah, as a man of the soil, be gan by plant- ing f a vine yard. 21 He drank some of the wine, be came drunk, and un cov ered him self in side his tent. 22 Ham, the fa ther of Ca naan, saw his fa ther na ked and told his two broth ers out- side. 23 Then Shem and Ja pheth took a cloak and placed it over both their shoul ders, and walk ing back ward, they cov ered their fa ther’s na ked ness. Their fac es were turned away , and they did not see their fa ther na ked. 24 When Noah awoke from his drink ing and learned what his youn gest son had done to him, 25 he said: Canaan is cursed. He will be the lowest of slaves to his brothers. 26 He also said: Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem; Let Canaan be g Shem’s slave. 27 Let God extend Japheth; h let Japheth dwell in the tents of Shem; let Canaan be Shem’s slave. 28 Now Noah lived 350 years af ter the flood. 29 So Noah’s life last ed 950 years; then he died. THE TABLE OF NATIONS 10 These are the fam i ly rec ords of Noah’s sons, Shem, Ham, and Ja pheth. They also had sons af ter the flood. 2 Ja pheth’s sons: Go mer, Ma gog, Mad ai, Ja van, Tu bal, Me shech, and Ti ras. 3 Go mer’s sons: Ash ke naz, Ri phath, and To gar mah. 4 And Ja van’s sons: Eli shah, Tar shish, Kit tim, and Dodanim. i 5 From these de scen dants, the peo- ples of the coasts and is lands spread out into their lands ac cord ing to their clans in their na tions, each with its own lan guage. 6 Ham’s sons: Cush, Miz ra im, Put, and Ca- naan. 7 Cush’s sons: Seba, Hav i lah, Sab tah, a 9:2 Lit are given in your hand b 9:5 Lit And your blood belonging to your life I will seek c 9:5 Lit any human; from the hand of a man his brother I will seek the life of the human. d 9:15 Lit and creatures of all flesh e 9:16 Lit creatures of all flesh f 9:20 Or Noah began to be a farmer and planted g 9:26 As a wish or prayer; others interpret the verbs in vv. 26-27 as prophecy: Canaan will be . . . h 9:27 In Hb, the name Japheth sounds like the word “extend.” i 10:4 Some Hb mss, Sam, LXX read Rodanim ; 1Ch 1:7 7 GENESIS 8-10 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 7 10/26/17 8:59 PM Ra a mah, and Sab te ca. And Ra a mah’s sons: She ba and De dan. 8 Cush fa thered Nim rod, who be gan to be pow er ful in the land. 9 He was a pow er ful hunt er in the sight of the L ord. That is why it is said, “ Like Nim rod, a pow er ful hunt er in the sight of the L ord.” 10 His king dom start ed with Bab ylon, Erech, a Ac cad, b and Cal neh, c in the land of Shi nar. d 11 From that land he went to As syr ia and built Nin e veh, Re ho both-ir, Ca lah, 12 and Re sen, be tween Nin e veh and the great city Ca lah. 13 Miz ra im e fa thered the peo ple of Lud, Anam, Lehab, Naphtuh, 14 Pathrus, Casluh ( the Phi lis tines came from them), and Caph tor. 15 Ca naan fa thered Si don his first born and Heth, 16 as well as the Jeb u sites, the Am o rites, the Gir ga shites, 17 the Hi vites, the Ar kites, the Si nites, 18 the Ar vad ites, the Zem a rites, and the Ha math ites. Af ter ward the Ca naan ite clans scat tered. 19 The Ca naan ite bor der went from Si don go ing to ward Ge rar as far as Gaza, and go ing to ward Sod om, Go mor rah, Ad mah, and Ze boi im as far as La sha. 20 These are Ham’s sons by their clans, ac- cord ing to their lan guages, in their lands and their na tions. 21 And Shem, Ja pheth’s old er broth er, also had sons. Shem was the fa ther of all the sons of Eber. 22 Shem’s sons were Elam, As shur, Ar pach shad, Lud, and Aram. 23 Aram’s sons: Uz, Hul, Ge ther, and Mash. 24 Ar pach shad fa thered f She lah, and She lah fa thered Eber. 25 Eber had two sons. One was named Pe leg, g for dur ing his days the earth was di vid ed; his broth er was named Jok tan. 26 And Jok tan fa thered Al mo dad, She leph, Ha- zar ma veth, Je rah, 27 Ha do ram, Uzal, Dik lah, 28 Obal, Abim a el, She ba, 29 Ophir, Hav i lah, and Jo bab. All these were Jok tan’s sons. 30 Their set tle ments ex tend ed from Me sha to Se phar, the east ern hill coun try . 31 These are Shem’s sons by their clans, ac- cord ing to their lan guages, in their lands and their na tions. 32 These are the clans of Noah’s sons, ac cord- ing to their fam i ly rec ords, in their na tions. The na tions on earth spread out from these af ter the flood.THE TOWER OF BABYLON 11 The whole earth had the same lan guage and vo cab u lary . h 2 As peo ple i migrated from the east, j they found a val ley in the land of Shi nar and set tled there. 3 They said to each oth er, “ Come, let us make oven-fired bricks.” ( They used brick for stone and asphalt for mor tar.) 4 And they said, “ Come, let us build our selves a city and a tow er with its top in the sky . Let us make a name for our selves; oth er wise, we will be scat tered through out the earth.” 5 Then the L ord came down to look over the city and the tow er that the humans k were build ing. 6 The L ord said, “ If they have be gun to do this as one peo ple all hav ing the same lan guage, then noth ing they plan to do will be im pos si ble for them. 7 Come, let’s go down there and con fuse their lan guage so that they will not un der stand one an oth er’s speech.” 8 So from there the L ord scat tered them through- out the earth, and they stopped build ing the city . 9 There fore it is called Bab ylon, l,m for there the L ord con fused the lan guage of the whole earth, and from there the L ord scat tered them through out the earth. FROM SHEM TO ABRAM 10 These are the fam i ly rec ords of Shem. Shem lived 100 years and fa thered Ar pach shad two years af ter the flood. 11 Af ter he fa thered Ar - pach shad, Shem lived 500 years and fa thered oth er sons and daugh ters. 12 Ar pach shad lived 35 years n and fa thered She lah. 13 Af ter he fa- thered She lah, Ar pach shad lived 403 years and fa thered oth er sons and daugh ters. 14 She lah lived 30 years and fa thered Eber. 15 Af ter he fa thered Eber, She lah lived 403 years and fa- thered oth er sons and daugh ters. 16 Eber lived 34 years and fa thered Pe leg. 17 Af ter he fa thered Pe leg, Eber lived 430 years and fa thered oth er sons and daugh ters. 18 Pe leg lived 30 years and fa thered Reu. 19 Af ter he fa thered Reu, Pe leg lived 209 years and fa thered oth er sons and daugh ters. 20 Reu lived 32 years and fa thered Se rug. 21 Af ter he fa thered Se rug, Reu lived 207 years and fa thered oth er sons and daugh ters. 22 Se rug lived 30 years and fa thered Na hor. 23 Af ter he fa thered Na hor, Se rug lived 200 a 10:10 Or Uruk b 10:10 Or Akkad c 10:10 Or and all of them d 10:10 Or in Babylonia e 10:13 = Egypt f 10:24 LXX reads fathered Cainan, and Cainan fathered ; Gn 11:12-13; Lk 3:35-36 g 10:25 = Division h 11:1 Lit one lip and the same words i 11:2 Lit they j 11:2 Or migrated eastward k 11:5 Or the descendants of Adam l 11:9 Hb Babel m 11:9 In Hb, the name for “Babylon,” babel sounds like the word for “confuse,” balal. n 11:12-13 LXX reads years and fathered Cainan. 13After he fathered Cainan, Arpachshad lived 430 years and fathered other sons and daughters, and he died. Cainan lived 130 years and fathered Shelah. After he fathered Shelah, Cainan lived 330 years and fathered other sons and daughters, and he died ; Gn 10:24; Lk 3:35-36GENESIS 10-11 8 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 8 10/26/17 8:59 PM years and fa thered oth er sons and daugh ters. 24 Na hor lived 29 years and fa thered Te rah. 25 Af ter he fa thered Te rah, Na hor lived 119 years and fa thered oth er sons and daugh ters. 26 Te rah lived 70 years and fa thered Abram, Na hor, and Ha ran. 27 These are the fam i ly rec ords of Te rah. Te- rah fa thered Abram, Na hor, and Ha ran, and Ha ran fa thered Lot. 28 Ha ran died in his na- tive land, in Ur of the Chal de ans, dur ing his fa ther Te rah’s life time. 29 Abram and Na hor took wives: Abram’s wife was named Sa rai, and Na hor’s wife was named Mil cah. She was the daugh ter of Ha ran, the fa ther of both Mil- cah and Is cah. 30 Sa rai was un able to con ceive; she did not have a child. 31 Te rah took his son Abram, his grand son Lot (Ha ran’s son), and his daughter-in-law Sa rai, his son Abram’s wife, and they set out to geth er from Ur of the Chal de ans to go to the land of Ca naan. But when they came to Ha ran, they set tled there. 32 Te rah lived 205 years and died in Ha ran. THE CALL OF ABRAM 12 The L ord said to Abram: Go out from your land, your relatives, and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make you into a great nation, I will bless you, I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, I will curse anyone who treats you with contempt, and all the peoples a on earth will be blessed b through you. c 4 So Abram went, as the L ord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seven - ty-five years old when he left Ha ran. 5 He took his wife Sa rai, his neph ew Lot, all the pos ses- sions they had ac cu mu lat ed, and the peo ple they had ac quired in Ha ran, and they set out for the land of Ca naan. When they came to the land of Ca naan, 6 Abram passed through the land to the site of She chem, at the oak of Mo reh. ( At that time the Ca naan ites were in the land.) 7 The L ord ap peared to Abram and said, “ To your off spring I will give this land.” So he built an al tar there to the L ord who had ap peared to him. 8 From there he moved on to the hill coun try east of Beth el and pitched his tent, with Beth el on the west and Ai on the east. He built an al tar to the L ord there, and he called on the name of the L ord. 9 Then Abram jour neyed by stages to the Ne gev . ABRAM IN EGYPT 10 There was a fam ine in the land, so Abram went down to Egypt to stay there for a while be cause the fam ine in the land was se vere. 11 When he was about to en ter Egypt, he said to his wife Sa rai, “ Look, I know what a beau ti ful wom an you are. 12 When the Egyp tians see you, they will say , ‘ This is his wife.’ They will kill me but let you live. 13 Please say you’re my sis ter so it will go well for me be cause of you, and my life will be spared on your ac count.” 14 When Abram en tered Egypt, the Egyp tians saw that the wom an was very beau ti ful. 15 Pha- raoh’s off i cials saw her and praised her to Pha raoh, so the wom an was tak en to Pha- raoh’s house hold. 16 He treat ed Abram well be cause of her, and Abram ac quired flocks and herds, male and fe male don keys, male and fe male slaves, and cam els. 17 But the L ord struck Pha
🏕️ Abram's Journey of Faith
🌍 Abram's travels through Egypt and Canaan reveal how God guides his chosen servant through challenges, including a deception about his wife Sarai that brings divine intervention
🤝 Family conflict emerges when Abram and Lot separate due to resource scarcity, with Lot choosing the fertile Jordan plain near Sodom while Abram remains in Canaan
⚔️ Divine protection manifests when Abram rescues Lot from captivity during a regional war, demonstrating both his military prowess and God's favor
👑 Covenant relationship with God deepens through multiple divine encounters, including the mysterious blessing from Melchizedek and God's promise of countless descendants
👶 Family complications arise when Sarai's barrenness leads to Hagar bearing Ishmael, creating tension that foreshadows future conflicts between their descendants
✂️ Covenant confirmation occurs through circumcision and name changes (Abram to Abraham, Sarai to Sarah), establishing permanent signs of God's promises including the miraculous birth of Isaac
raoh and his house- hold with se vere plagues be cause of Abram’s wife Sa rai. 18 So Pha raoh sent for Abram and said, “ What have you done to me? Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife? 19 Why did you say , ‘ She’s my sis ter,’ so that I took her as my wife? Now , here is your wife. Take her and go! ” 20 Then Pha raoh gave his men or ders about him, and they sent him away with his wife and all he had. ABRAM AND LOT SEPARATE 13 Abram went up from Egypt to the Ne gev — he, his wife, and all he had, and Lot with him. 2 Abram was very rich in live stock, sil ver, and gold. 3 He went by stages from the Ne gev to Beth el, to the place be tween Beth- el and Ai where his tent had for mer ly been, 4 to the site where he had built the al tar. And Abram called on the name of the L ord there. 5 Now Lot, who was trav el ing with Abram, also had flocks, herds, and tents. 6 But the land was un able to sup port them as long as they stayed to geth er, for they had so many pos ses- sions that they could not stay to geth er, 7 and there was quar rel ing be tween the herds men of Abram’s live stock and the herds men of Lot’s a 12:3 Lit clans b 12:3 Or will find blessing c 12:3 Or will bless themselves by you 9 GENESIS 11-13 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 9 10/26/17 8:59 PM live stock. ( At that time the Ca naan ites and the Per iz zites were liv ing in the land.) 8 So Abram said to Lot, “ Please, let’s not have quar rel ing be tween you and me, or be tween your herds men and my herds men, since we are rel a tives. a 9 Isn’t the whole land be fore you? Sep a rate from me: if you go to the left, I will go to the right; if you go to the right, I will go to the left.” 10 Lot looked out and saw that the en tire plain b of the Jor dan as far as c Zoar was well wa tered ev ery where like the L ord’ s gar den and the land of Egypt. ( This was be fore the L ord de stroyed Sod om and Go mor rah.) 11 So Lot chose the en tire plain of the Jor dan for him self. Then Lot jour neyed east ward, and they sep a rat ed from each oth er. 12 Abram lived in the land of Ca naan, but Lot lived in the cit ies on the plain and set up his tent near Sod om. 13 ( Now the men of Sod om were evil, sin ning immensely d against the L ord.) 14 Af ter Lot had sep a rat ed from him, the L ord said to Abram, “ Look from the place where you are. Look north and south, east and west, 15 for I will give you and your off- spring for ev er all the land that you see. 16 I will make your off spring like the dust of the earth, so that if any one could count the dust of the earth, then your off spring could be count ed. 17 Get up and walk around the land, through its length and width, for I will give it to you.” 18 So Abram moved his tent and went to live near the oaks of Mam re at He bron, where he built an al tar to the L ord. ABRAM RESCUES LOT 14 In those days King Am ra phel of Shi nar, King Ar i och of El la sar, King Ched or la o- mer of Elam, and King Ti dal of Goi im e 2 waged war against King Bera of Sod om, King Bir sha of Go mor rah, King Shi nab of Ad mah, and King Shem e ber of Ze boi im, as well as the king of Bela ( that is, Zoar). 3 All of these came as al lies to the Sid dim Val ley ( that is, the Dead Sea). 4 They were sub ject to Ched or la o mer for twelve years, but in the thir teenth year they re belled. 5 In the four teenth year Ched or la o mer and the kings who were with him came and de feat ed the Reph a im in Ash te roth-kar na im, the Zuzim in Ham, the Emim in Shaveh-kiriathaim, 6 and the Ho rites in the moun tains of Seir, as far as El-paran by the wil der ness. 7 Then they came back to in vade En-mish pat ( that is, Ka desh), and they de feat ed the whole ter ri to ry of the Am a lek ites, as well as the Am o rites who lived in Hazazon-tamar. 8 Then the king of Sod om, the king of Go- mor rah, the king of Ad mah, the king of Ze- boi im, and the king of Bela ( that is, Zoar) went out and lined up for bat tle in the Sid- dim Val ley 9 against King Ched or la o mer of Elam, King Ti dal of Goi im, King Am ra phel of Shi nar, and King Ar i och of El la sar — four kings against five. 10 Now the Sid dim Val ley con tained many asphalt pits, and as the kings of Sod om and Go mor rah fled, some fell into them, f but the rest fled to the moun tains. 11 The four kings took all the goods of Sod om and Go mor rah and all their food and went on. 12 They also took Abram’s neph ew Lot and his pos ses sions, for he was liv ing in Sod om, and they went on. 13 One of the sur vi vors came and told Abram the He brew , who lived near the oaks be long ing to Mam re the Am o rite, the broth er of Esh col and the broth er of Aner. They were bound by a trea ty with g Abram. 14 When Abram heard that his rel a tive had been tak en pris on er, he as sem bled h his 318 trained men, born in his house hold, and they went in pur suit as far as Dan. 15 And he and his ser vants de ployed against them by night, de feat ed them, and pur sued them as far as Ho bah to the north of Da mas cus. 16 He brought back all the goods and also his rel a tive Lot and his goods, as well as the wom en and the oth er peo ple. MELCHIZEDEK’S BLESSING 17 Af ter Abram re turned from de feat ing Ched - or la o mer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sod om went out to meet him in the Sha veh Val ley ( that is, the King’s Val ley). 18 Mel chiz e dek, king of Sa lem, i brought out bread and wine; he was a priest to God Most High. 19 He blessed him and said: Abram is blessed by God Most High, Creator j of heaven and earth, 20 and blessed be God Most High who has handed over your enemies to you. And Abram gave him a tenth of ev ery thing. 21 Then the king of Sod om said to Abram, “ Give me the peo ple, but take the pos ses sions for your self.” a 13:8 Lit brothers b 13:10 Lit circle ; i.e., probably the large round plain where the Jordan River empties into the Dead Sea, also in v. 11 c 13:10 Lit Jordan as you go to d 13:13 Lit evil and sinful e 14:1 Or nations f 14:10 Sam, LXX; MT reads fell there g 14:13 Lit were possessors of a covenant of h 14:14 Sam; MT reads poured out i 14:18 = Jerusalem j 14:19 Or PossessorGENESIS 13-14 10 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 10 10/26/17 8:59 PM 22 But Abram said to the king of Sod om, “ I have raised my hand in an oath to the L ord, God Most High, Cre a tor of heav en and earth, 23 that I will not take a thread or san dal strap or any thing that be longs to you, so you can nev er say , ‘ I made Abram rich.’ 24 I will take noth ing a ex cept what the ser vants have eat- en. But as for the share of the men who came with me — Aner, Esh col, and Mam re — they can take their share.” THE ABRAHAMIC COVENANT 15 Af ter these events, the word of the L ord came to Abram in a vi sion: Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield; your reward will be very great. 2 But Abram said, “ Lord G od, what can you give me, since I am child less and the heir of my house is El i e zer of Da mas cus? ” b 3 Abram con tin ued, “ Look, you have giv en me no off- spring, so a slave born in c my house will be my heir.” 4 Now the word of the L ord came to him: “ This one will not be your heir; in stead, one who comes from your own body d will be your heir.” 5 He took him out side and said, “ Look at the sky and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” Then he said to him, “ Your off spring will be that nu mer ous.” 6 Abram be lieved the L ord, and he cred it ed it to him as righ teous ness. 7 He also said to him, “ I am the L ord who brought you from Ur of the Chal de ans to give you this land to pos sess.” 8 But he said, “ Lord G od, how can I know that I will pos sess it? ” 9 He said to him, “ Bring me a three-year-old cow , a three-year-old fe male goat, a three-year- old ram, a turtledove, and a young pi geon.” 10 So he brought all these to him, cut them in half, and laid the pieces op po site each oth er, but he did not cut the birds in half. 11 Birds of prey came down on the car cass es, but Abram drove them away . 12 As the sun was set ting, a deep sleep came over Abram, and sud den ly great ter ror and dark ness de scend ed on him. 13 Then the L ord said to Abram, “ Know this for cer tain: Your off spring will be res i dent aliens for four hun dred years in a land that does not be long to them and will be en slaved and op pressed. e 14 How ev er, I will judge the na tion they serve, and af ter ward they will go out with many pos ses sions. 15 But you will go to your fa thers in peace and be bur ied at a good old age. 16 In the fourth gen er a tion they will re turn here, for the in iq ui ty of the Am- o rites has not yet reached its full mea sure.” f 17 When the sun had set and it was dark, a smok ing fire pot and a flam ing torch ap- peared and passed be tween the di vid ed an i- mals. 18 On that day the L ord made a cov enant with Abram, say ing, “ I give this land to your off spring, from the Brook of Egypt to the great riv er, the Eu phra tes Riv er: 19 the land of the Ke nites, Ken iz zites, Kad mon ites, 20 Heth ites, Per iz zites, Reph a im, 21 Am o rites, Ca naan ites, Gir ga shites, and Jeb u sites.” HAGAR AND ISHMAEL 16 Abram’s wife Sa rai had not borne any chil dren for him, but she owned an Egyp- tian slave named Ha gar. 2 Sa rai said to Abram, “ Since the L ord has pre vent ed me from bear - ing chil dren, go to my slave; per haps through her I can build a fam i ly .” And Abram agreed to what Sa rai said. g 3 So Abram’s wife Sa rai took Ha gar, her Egyp tian slave, and gave her to her hus band Abram as a wife for him. This hap pened af ter Abram had lived in the land of Ca naan ten years. 4 He slept with h Ha gar, and she be came preg nant. When she saw that she was preg nant, her mis tress be came con- tempt ible to her. 5 Then Sa rai said to Abram, “ You are re spon si ble for my suff er ing! i I put my slave in your arms, j and when she saw that she was preg nant, I be came con tempt ible to her. May the L ord judge be tween me and you.” 6 Abram re plied to Sa rai, “ Here, your slave is in your hands; do what ev er you want with her.” Then Sa rai mis treat ed her so much that she ran away from her. 7 The an gel of the L ord found her by a spring in the wil der ness, the spring on the way to Shur. 8 He said, “Ha gar, slave of Sa rai, where have you come from and where are you go ing? ” She re plied, “ I’m run ning away from my mis tress Sa rai.” 9 The an gel of the L ord said to her, “ Go back to your mis tress and sub mit to her au thor i- ty .” 10 The an gel of the L ord said to her, “ I will great ly mul ti ply your off spring, and they will be too many to count.” a 14:24 Lit nothing to me b 15:2 Hb obscure c 15:3 Lit a son of d 15:4 Lit loins e 15:13 Lit will serve them and they will oppress them f 15:16 Lit Amorites is not yet complete g 16:2 Lit Abram listened to the voice of Sarai h 16:4 Lit He came to i 16:5 Or “May my suffering be on you! j 16:5 Lit bosom 11 GENESIS 14-16 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 11 10/26/17 8:59 PM 11 The an gel of the L ord said to her, “ You have con ceived and will have a son. You will name him Ish ma el, a for the L ord has heard your cry of affliction. 12 This man will be like a wild don key . His hand will be against ev ery- one, and ev ery one’s hand will be against him; he will set tle near all his rel a tives.” 13 So she named the L ord who spoke to her: “ You are El-roi,” b for she said, “ In this place, have I ac tu al ly seen the one who sees me? ” c 14 That is why the well is called Be er-la hai-roi. d It is be tween Ka desh and Be red. 15 So Ha gar gave birth to Abram’s son, and Abram named his son ( whom Ha gar bore) Ish ma el. 16 Abram was eighty-six years old when Ha gar bore Ish ma el to him. COVENANT CIRCUMCISION 17 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the L ord ap peared to him, say ing, “ I am God Al mighty . Live e in my pres ence and be blame less. 2 I will set up my cov enant be tween me and you, and I will mul ti ply you great ly .” 3 Then Abram fell face down and God spoke with him: 4 “ As for me, here is my cov enant with you: You will be come the fa ther of many na tions. 5 Your name will no lon ger be Abram; f your name will be Abra ham, g for I will make you the fa ther of many na tions. 6 I will make you ex treme ly fruit ful and will make na tions and kings come from you. 7 I will con firm my cov- enant that is be tween me and you and your fu ture off spring through out their gen er a tions. It is a per ma nent cov enant to be your God and the God of your off spring af ter you. 8 And to you and your fu ture off spring I will give the land where you are residing — all the land of Ca naan — as a per ma nent pos ses sion, and I will be their God.” 9 God also said to Abra ham, “ As for you, you and your off spring af ter you through out their gen er a tions are to keep my cov enant. 10 This is my cov enant be tween me and you and your off spring af ter you, which you are to keep: Ev ery one of your males must be cir cum cised. 11 You must cir cum cise the flesh of your fore skin to serve as a sign of the cov- enant be tween me and you. h 12 Through out your gen er a tions, ev ery male among you is to be cir cum cised at eight days old — ev ery male born in your house hold or pur chased from any for eign er and not your off spring. 13 Wheth er born in your house hold or pur - chased, he must be cir cum cised. My cov enant will be marked in your flesh as a per ma nent cov enant. 14 If any male is not cir cum cised in the flesh of his fore skin, that man will be cut off from his peo ple; he has bro ken my cov enant.” 15 God said to Abra ham, “ As for your wife Sa rai, do not call her Sa rai, for Sar ah i will be her name. 16 I will bless her; in deed, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she will pro duce na tions; kings of peo ples will come from her.” 17 Abra ham fell face down. Then he laughed and said to him self, “ Can a child be born to a hundred-year-old man? Can Sar ah, a ninety- year-old wom an, give birth? ” 18 So Abra ham said to God, “ If only Ish ma el were ac cept able j to you! ” 19 But God said, “ No. Your wife Sar ah will bear you a son, and you will name him Isaac. k I will con firm my cov enant with him as a per ma- nent cov enant for his fu ture off spring. 20 As for Ish ma el, I have heard you. I will cer tain ly bless him; I will make him fruit ful and will mul ti ply him great ly . He will fa ther twelve trib al lead ers, and I will make him into a great na tion. 21 But I will con firm my cov enant with Isaac, whom Sar ah will bear to you at this time next year.” 22 When he fin ished talk ing with him, God with drew l from Abra ham. 23 So Abra ham took his son Ish ma el and those born in his house hold or pur chased — ev ery male among the mem bers of Abra ham’s house hold — and he cir cum cised the flesh of their fore skin on that very day , just as God had said to him. 24 Abra ham was ninety-nine years old when the flesh of his fore skin was cir cum cised, 25 and his son Ish ma el was thir - teen years old when the flesh of his fore skin was cir cum cised. 26 On that same day Abra ham and his son Ish ma el were cir cum cised. 27 And all the men of his house hold — wheth er born in his house hold or pur chased from a for eign er — were cir cum cised with him. ABRAHAM’S THREE VISITORS 18 The L ord ap peared to Abra ham at the oaks of Mam re while he was sit ting at the en trance of his tent dur ing the heat of the day . 2 He looked up, and he saw three men stand ing near him. When he saw them, he ran a 16:11 = God Hears b 16:13 = God Sees Me c 16:13 Hb obscure d 16:14 = Well of the Living One Who Sees Me e 17:1 Or Walk f 17:5 = The Father Is Exalted g 17:5 = Father of a Multitude h 17:11 You in v. 11 is pl. i 17:15 = Princess j 17:18 Lit alive k 17:19 = He Laughs l 17:22 Lit went up, or ascendedGENESIS 16-18 12 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 12 10/26/17 8:59 PM from the en trance of the tent to meet them, bowed to the ground, 3 and said, “ My lord, if I have found fa vor with you, please do not go on past your ser vant. 4 Let a lit tle wa ter be brought, that you may wash your feet and rest your selves un der the tree. 5 I will bring a bit of bread so that you may strength en your selves. a This is why you have passed your ser vant’s way . Lat er, you can con tin ue on.” “ Yes,” they re plied, “ do as you have said.” 6 So Abra ham hur ried into the tent and said to Sar ah, “ Quick! Knead three mea sures b of fine flour and make bread.” c 7 Abra ham ran to the herd and got a ten der, choice calf. He gave it to a young man, who hur ried to pre- pare it. 8 Then Abra ham took curds d and milk, as well as the calf that he had pre pared, and set them be fore the men. He served e them as they ate un der the tree. SARAH LAUGHS 9 “ Where is your wife Sar ah? ” they asked him. “ There, in the tent,” he an swered. 10 The L ord said, “ I will cer tain ly come back to you in about a year’s time, and your wife Sar ah will have a son! ” Now Sar ah was lis- ten ing at the en trance of the tent be hind him. 11 Abra ham and Sar ah were old and get- ting on in years. f Sar ah had passed the age of child bear ing. g 12 So she laughed to her self: “ Af ter I am worn out and my lord is old, will I have de light? ” 13 But the L ord
🙏 Divine Promises and Judgment
🤝 Covenant relationship between God and Abraham unfolds through divine promises of a son, nationhood, and blessing for all nations
🔥 Divine justice confronts the wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah, while Abraham boldly intercedes, negotiating with God to spare the righteous
👨👩👧👦 Family dynamics reveal complex tensions—Sarah's laughter at impossible promises, Lot's protection of angels, Hagar's wilderness exile, and Abraham's ultimate test of faith with Isaac
🛡️ Divine protection extends to the faithful even amid moral corruption, as seen in the rescue of Lot's family, Sarah's return from Abimelech, and God's provision for Hagar and Ishmael
👶 Miraculous birth of Isaac fulfills God's seemingly impossible promise to elderly Abraham and Sarah, establishing the covenant lineage
🔄 Obedience and faith are repeatedly tested through increasingly difficult challenges, culminating in Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his promised son
asked Abra ham, “ Why did Sar ah laugh, say ing, ‘ Can I real ly have a baby when I’m old? ’ 14 Is any thing im pos si ble for the L ord? At the ap point ed time I will come back to you, and in about a year she will have a son.” 15 Sar ah de nied it. “ I did not laugh,” she said, be cause she was afraid. But he re plied, “ No, you did laugh.” ABRAHAM’S PLEA FOR SODOM 16 The men got up from there and looked out over Sod om, and Abra ham was walk ing with them to see them off. 17 Then the L ord said, “ Should I hide what I am about to do from Abra ham? 18 Abra ham is to be come a great and pow er ful na tion, and all the na tions of the earth will be blessed through him. 19 For I have cho sen h him so that he will com mand his chil dren and his house af ter him to keep the way of the L ord by do ing what is right and just. This is how the L ord will ful fill to Abra ham what he prom ised him.” 20 Then the L ord said, “ The out cry against Sod om and Go- mor rah is im mense, and their sin is ex treme ly se ri ous. 21 I will go down to see if what they have done jus ti fies the cry that has come up to me. If not, I will find out.” 22 The men turned from there and went to ward Sod om while Abra ham re mained stand ing be fore the L ord. i 23 Abra ham stepped for ward and said, “ Will you real ly sweep away the righ teous with the wick ed? 24 What if there are fif ty righ teous peo ple in the city? Will you real ly sweep it away in stead of spar ing the place for the sake of the fif ty righ teous peo ple who are in it? 25 You could not pos- si bly do such a thing: to kill the righ teous with the wick ed, treat ing the righ teous and the wick ed alike. You could not pos si bly do that! Won’t the Judge of the whole earth do what is just? ” 26 The L ord said, “ If I find fif ty righ teous peo ple in the city of Sod om, I will spare the whole place for their sake.” 27 Then Abra ham an swered, “ Since I have ventured to speak to my lord — even though I am dust and ash es — 28 sup pose the fif ty righ teous lack five. Will you de stroy the whole city for lack of five? ” He re plied, “ I will not de stroy it if I find for - ty-five there.” 29 Then he spoke to him again, “Sup pose for ty are found there? ” He an swered, “ I will not do it on ac count of for ty .” 30 Then he said, “ Let my lord not be an gry , and I will speak fur ther. Sup pose thir ty are found there? ” He an swered, “ I will not do it if I find thir ty there.” 31 Then he said, “ Since I have ventured to speak to my lord, sup pose twen ty are found there? ” He re plied, “ I will not de stroy it on ac count of twen ty .” 32 Then he said, “ Let my lord not be an gry , and I will speak one more time. Sup pose ten are found there? ” He an swered, “ I will not de stroy it on ac - count of ten.” 33 When the L ord had fin ished speak ing with Abra ham, he de part ed, and Abra ham re turned to his place. a 18:5 Lit may sustain your heart b 18:6 Lit three seahs ; about 21 quarts c 18:6 A round, thin, unleavened bread d 18:8 Or butter e 18:8 Lit was standing by f 18:11 Lit days g 18:11 Lit The way of women had ceased for Sarah h 18:19 Lit known i 18:22 Alt Hb tradition reads while the Lord remained standing before Abraham 13 GENESIS 18 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 13 10/26/17 8:59 PM THE DESTRUCTION OF SODOM AND GOMORRAH 19 The two an gels en tered Sod om in the eve ning as Lot was sit ting in Sod om’s gate way . When Lot saw them, he got up to meet them. He bowed with his face to the ground 2 and said, “ My lords, turn aside to your ser - vant’s house, wash your feet, and spend the night. Then you can get up ear ly and go on your way .” “ No,” they said. “ We would rath er spend the night in the square.” 3 But he urged them so strong ly that they fol lowed him and went into his house. He pre pared a feast and baked un leav ened bread for them, and they ate. 4 Be fore they went to bed, the men of the city of Sod om, both young and old, the whole pop- u la tion, sur round ed the house. 5 They called out to Lot and said, “ Where are the men who came to you to night? Send them out to us so we can have sex with them! ” 6 Lot went out to them at the en trance and shut the door be hind him. 7 He said, “ Don’t do this evil, my broth ers. 8 Look, I’ve got two daugh ters who haven’t been in ti mate with a man. I’ll bring them out to you, and you can do what ev er you want a to them. How ev er, don’t do any thing to these men, be cause they have come un der the pro tec tion of my roof.” 9 “ Get out of the way! ” they said, add ing, “ This one came here as an alien, but he’s act- ing like a judge! Now we’ll do more harm to you than to them.” They put pres sure on Lot and came up to break down the door. 10 But the an gels b reached out, brought Lot into the house with them, and shut the door. 11 They struck the men who were at the en trance of the house, both young and old, with blind ness c so that they were un able to find the en trance. 12 Then the an gels said to Lot, “ Do you have any one else here: a son-in-law , your sons and daugh ters, or any one else in the city who be longs to you? Get them out of this place, 13 for we are about to de stroy this place be- cause the out cry against its peo ple is so great be fore the L ord, that the L ord has sent us to de stroy it.” 14 So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in- law , who were go ing to mar ry d his daugh ters. “ Get up,” he said. “ Get out of this place, for the L ord is about to de stroy the city! ” But his sons-in-law thought he was jok ing.15 At day break the an gels urged Lot on: “ Get up! Take your wife and your two daugh ters who are here, or you will be swept away in the pun ish ment e of the city .” 16 But he hes i tat ed. Be cause of the L ord’ s com pas sion for him, the men grabbed his hand, his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daugh ters. They brought him out and left him out side the city . 17 As soon as the an gels got them out side, one of them f said, “ Run for your lives! Don’t look back and don’t stop any where on the plain! Run to the moun tains, or you will be swept away! ” 18 But Lot said to them, “ No, my lords g — please. 19 Your ser vant has in deed found fa vor with you, and you have shown me great kind - ness by sav ing my life. But I can’t run to the moun tains; the di sas ter will over take me, and I will die. 20 Look, this town is close enough for me to flee to. It is a small place. Please let me run to it — it’s only a small place, isn’t it? — so that I can sur vive.” 21 And he said to him, “ All right, h I’ll grant your re quest i about this mat ter too and will not de mol ish the town you men tioned. 22 Hur ry up! Run to it, for I can not do any thing un til you get there.” There fore the name of the city is Zoar. j 23 The sun had ris en over the land when Lot reached Zoar. 24 Then out of the sky the L ord rained on Sod om and Go mor rah burn ing sul fur from the L ord. 25 He de mol ished these cit ies, the en tire plain, all the in hab i tants of the cit ies, and what ev er grew on the ground. 26 But Lot’s wife looked back and be came a pil lar of salt. 27 Ear ly in the morn ing Abra ham went to the place where he had stood be fore the L ord. 28 He looked down to ward Sod om and Go mor - rah and all the land of the plain, and he saw that smoke was go ing up from the land like the smoke of a fur nace. 29 So it was, when God de stroyed the cit ies of the plain, he re mem- bered Abra ham and brought Lot out of the mid dle of the upheaval when he de mol ished the cit ies where Lot had lived. THE ORIGIN OF MOAB AND AMMON 30 Lot de part ed from Zoar and lived in the moun tains along with his two daugh ters, be- cause he was afraid to live in Zoar. In stead, he and his two daugh ters lived in a cave. 31 Then the first born said to the youn ger, “ Our fa ther is old, and there is no man in the land to sleep a 19:8 Lit do what is good in your eyes b 19:10 Lit men, also in v. 12 c 19:11 Or a blinding light d 19:14 Lit take e 19:15 Or iniquity, or guilt f 19:17 LXX, Syr , Vg read outside, they g 19:18 Or my Lord, or my lord h 19:21 Or “Look! i 19:21 Lit I will lift up your face j 19:22 In Hb, the name Zoar is related to “small” in v. 20; its previous name was “Bela”; Gn 14:2.GENESIS 19 14 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 14 10/26/17 8:59 PM with us as is the cus tom of all the land. 32 Come, let’s get our fa ther to drink wine so that we can sleep with him and pre serve our fa ther’s line.” 33 So they got their fa ther to drink wine that night, and the first born came and slept with her fa ther; he did not know when she lay down or when she got up. 34 The next day the first born said to the youn- ger, “ Look, I slept with my fa ther last night. Let’s get him to drink wine again to night so you can go sleep with him and we can pre serve our fa ther’s line.” 35 That night they again got their fa ther to drink wine, and the youn ger went and slept with him; he did not know when she lay down or when she got up. 36 So both of Lot’s daugh ters be came preg- nant by their fa ther. 37 The first born gave birth to a son and named him Moab. a He is the fa- ther of the Mo ab ites of to day . 38 The youn ger also gave birth to a son, and she named him Ben-am mi. b He is the fa ther of the Am mon- ites of to day . SARAH RESCUED FROM ABIMELECH 20 From there Abra ham trav eled to the re gion of the Ne gev and set tled be tween Ka desh and Shur. While he was stay ing in Ge- rar, 2 Abra ham said about his wife Sar ah, “ She is my sis ter.” So King Abim e lech of Ge rar had Sar ah brought to him. 3 But God came to Abim e lech in a dream by night and said to him, “ You are about to die be cause of the wom an you have tak en, for she is a mar ried wom an.” c 4 Now Abim e lech had not ap proached her, so he said, “ Lord, would you de stroy a na tion even though it is in no cent? 5 Didn’t he him self say to me, ‘ She is my sis ter’? And she her self said, ‘ He is my broth er.’ I did this with a clear con science d and clean e hands.” 6 Then God said to him in the dream, “ Yes, I know that you did this with a clear con science. f I have also kept you from sin ning against me. There fore I have not let you touch her. 7 Now re turn the man’s wife, for he is a proph et, and he will pray for you and you will live. But if you do not re turn her, know that you will cer tain ly die, you and all who are yours.” 8 Ear ly in the morn ing Abim e lech got up, called all his ser vants to geth er, and per son- al ly g told them all these things, and the men were ter ri fied.9 Then Abim e lech called Abra ham in and said to him, “ What have you done to us? How did I sin against you that you have brought such enor mous guilt on me and on my king dom? You have done things to me that should nev er be done.” 10 Abim e lech also asked Abra ham, “ What made you do this? ” 11 Abra ham re plied, “ I thought, ‘ There is ab- so lute ly no fear of God in this place. They will kill me be cause of my wife.’ 12 Be sides, she real ly is my sis ter, the daugh ter of my fa ther though not the daugh ter of my moth er, and she be came my wife. 13 So when God had me wan der from my fa ther’s house, I said to her: Show your loy al ty to me wher ev er we go and say about me: ‘ He’s my broth er.’ ” 14 Then Abim e lech took flocks and herds and male and fe male slaves, gave them to Abra ham, and re turned his wife Sar ah to him. 15 Abim e lech said, “ Look, my land is be fore you. Set tle wher - ev er you want.” h 16 And he said to Sar ah, “ Look, I am giv ing your broth er one thou sand pieces of sil ver. It is a verification of your hon or i to all who are with you. You are ful ly vin di cat ed.” 17 Then Abra ham prayed to God, and God healed Abim e lech, his wife, and his fe male slaves so that they could bear chil dren, 18 for the L ord had com plete ly closed all the wombs in Abim e lech’s house hold on ac count of Sar - ah, Abra ham’s wife. THE BIRTH OF ISAAC 21 The L ord came to Sar ah as he had said, and the L ord did for Sar ah what he had prom ised. 2 Sar ah be came preg nant and bore a son to Abra ham in his old age, at the ap- point ed time God had told him. 3 Abra ham named his son who was born to him — the one Sar ah bore to him — Isaac. 4 When his son Isaac was eight days old, Abra ham cir - cum cised him, as God had com mand ed him. 5 Abra ham was a hun dred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. 6 Sar ah said, “ God has made me laugh, and ev ery one who hears will laugh with me.” j 7 She also said, “ Who would have told Abra ham that Sar ah would nurse chil dren? Yet I have borne a son for him k in his old age.” HAGAR AND ISHMAEL SENT AWAY 8 The child grew and was weaned, and Abra- ham held a great feast on the day Isaac was a 19:37 = From My Father b 19:38 = Son of My People c 20:3 Lit is possessed by a husband d 20:5 Lit with integrity of my heart e 20:5 Lit cleanness of my f 20:6 Lit with integrity of your heart g 20:8 Lit in their ears h 20:15 Lit Settle in the good in your eyes i 20:16 Lit a covering of the eyes j 21:6 Isaac = He Laughs; Gn 17:19 k 21:7 Sam, Tg Jonathan; MT omits him 15 GENESIS 19-21 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 15 10/26/17 8:59 PM weaned. 9 But Sar ah saw the son mock ing — the one Ha gar the Egyp tian had borne to Abra ham. 10 So she said to Abra ham, “ Drive out this slave with her son, for the son of this slave will not be a coheir with my son Isaac! ” 11 This was very dis tress ing to a Abra ham be cause of his son. 12 But God said to Abra- ham, “ Do not be dis tressed b about the boy and about your slave. What ev er Sar ah says to you, lis ten to her, be cause your off spring will be traced through Isaac, 13 and I will also make a na tion of the slave’s son be cause he is your off spring.” 14 Ear ly in the morn ing Abra ham got up, took bread and a waterskin, put them on Ha gar’s shoul ders, and sent her and the boy away . She left and wan dered in the Wil der ness of Be er-she ba. 15 When the wa ter in the skin was gone, she left the boy un der one of the bush es 16 and went and sat at a dis tance, about a bow- shot away , for she said, “ I can’t bear to watch the boy die! ” While she sat at a dis tance, she c wept loud ly . 17 God heard the boy cry ing, and the d an gel of God called to Ha gar from heav en and said to her, “ What’s wrong, Ha gar? Don’t be afraid, for God has heard the boy cry ing from the place where he is. 18 Get up, help the boy up, and grasp his hand, for I will make him a great na tion.” 19 Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well. So she went and filled the waterskin and gave the boy a drink. 20 God was with the boy , and he grew; he set tled in the wil der ness and be came an ar cher. 21 He set tled in the Wil- der ness of Pa ran, and his moth er got a wife for him from the land of Egypt. ABRAHAM’S COVENANT WITH ABIMELECH 22 At that time Abim e lech, ac com pa nied by Phi col the com mand er of his army , said to Abra ham, “ God is with you in ev ery thing you do. 23 Swear to me by God here and now , that you will not break an agree ment with me or with my chil dren and de scen dants. As I have been loy al to you, so you will be loy al to me and to the coun try where you are a res i dent alien.” 24 And Abra ham said, “ I swear it.” 25 But Abra- ham com plained to Abim e lech be cause of the well that Abim e lech’s ser vants had seized. 26 Abim e lech re plied, “ I don’t know who did this thing. You didn’t re port any thing to me, so I hadn’t heard about it un til to day .”27 Abra ham took flocks and herds and gave them to Abim e lech, and the two of them made a cov enant. 28 Abra ham sep a rat ed sev en ewe lambs from the flock. 29 And Abim e lech said to Abra ham, “ Why have you sep a rat ed these sev en ewe lambs? ” 30 He re plied, “ You are to ac cept the sev en ewe lambs from me so that this act e will serve as my wit ness that I dug this well.” 31 There fore that place was called Be er-she ba f be cause it was there that the two of them swore an oath. 32 Af ter they had made a cov enant at Be er-she ba, Abim e lech and Phi col, the com- mand er of his army , left and re turned to the land of the Phi lis tines. 33 Abra ham plant ed a tam a risk tree in Be er- she ba, and there he called on the name of the L ord, the Ever last ing God. 34 And Abra ham lived as an alien in the land of the Phi lis tines for many days. THE SACRIFICE OF ISAAC 22 Af ter these things God test ed Abra ham and said to him, “ Abra ham! ” “ Here I am,” he an swered. 2 “ Take your son,” he said, “ your only son Isaac, whom you love, go to the land of Mo- ri ah, and off er him there as a burnt off er ing on one of the moun tains I will tell you about.” 3 So Abra ham got up ear ly in the morn ing, sad dled his don key , and took with him two of his young men and his son Isaac. He split wood for a burnt off er ing and set out to go to the place God had told him about. 4 On the third day Abra ham looked up and saw the place in the dis tance. 5 Then Abra ham said to his young men, “ Stay here with the don key . The boy and I will go over there to wor ship; then we’ll come back to you.” 6 Abra ham took the wood for the burnt off er ing and laid it on his son Isaac. In his hand he
🙏 Abraham's Test of Faith
🔥 Abraham's willingness to sacrifice Isaac demonstrates ultimate obedience to God, who intervenes at the critical moment and provides a ram as substitute offering
👰 Isaac's marriage to Rebekah unfolds through divine providence when Abraham's servant prays for guidance and finds her at a well, recognizing God's hand in the journey
🏞️ Land acquisition becomes central to Abraham's legacy when he purchases the cave of Machpelah as a burial place for Sarah, establishing permanent roots in Canaan
💫 God's covenant promises materialize through Abraham's descendants, with blessings extending to "offspring as numerous as the stars" and "all nations of the earth"
👴 Abraham's death at 175 concludes a life of faith, with his sons Isaac and Ishmael burying him alongside Sarah in the cave he purchased, symbolizing the fulfillment of God's promises
took the fire and the knife, and the two of them walked on to geth er. 7 Then Isaac spoke to his fa ther Abra ham and said, “ My fa ther.” And he re plied, “ Here I am, my son.” Isaac said, “ The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for the burnt off er ing? ” 8 Abra ham an swered, “ God him self will pro- vide g the lamb for the burnt o ff er ing, my son.” Then the two of them walked on to geth er. 9 When they ar rived at the place that God had told him about, Abra ham built the al tar a 21:11 Lit was very bad in the eyes of b 21:12 Lit “Let it not be bad in your eyes c 21:16 LXX reads the boy d 21:17 Or an e 21:30 Lit that it f 21:31 = Well of the Oath, or Seven Wells g 22:8 Lit seeGENESIS 21-22 16 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 16 10/26/17 8:59 PM there and ar ranged the wood. He bound his son Isaac a and placed him on the al tar on top of the wood. 10 Then Abra ham reached out and took the knife to slaugh ter his son. 11 But the an gel of the L ord called to him from heav en and said, “ Abra ham, Abra ham! ” He re plied, “ Here I am.” 12 Then he said, “ Do not lay a hand on the boy or do any thing to him. For now I know that you fear God, since you have not with held your only son from me.” 13 Abra ham looked up and saw a ram b caught in the thick et by its horns. So Abra ham went and took the ram and off ered it as a burnt off er ing in place of his son. 14 And Abra ham named that place The L ord Will Pro vide, c so to day it is said: “ It will be pro vid ed d on the L ord’ s moun tain.” 15 Then the an gel of the L ord called to Abra- ham a sec ond time from heav en 16 and said, “ By my self I have sworn,” this is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion: “Be cause you have done this thing and have not with held your only son, 17 I will in deed bless you and make your off spring as nu mer ous as the stars of the sky and the sand on the sea shore. Your off spring will pos sess the city gates of their en e mies. 18 And all the na tions of the earth will be blessed e by your off spring be cause you have obeyed my com mand.” 19 Abra ham went back to his young men, and they got up and went to geth er to Be er-she ba. And Abra ham set tled in Be er-she ba. REBEKAH’S FAMILY 20 Now af ter these things Abra ham was told, “Mil cah also has borne sons to your broth- er Na hor: 21 Uz his first born, his broth er Buz, Kem u el the fa ther of Aram, 22 Chesed, Hazo, Pil dash, Jid laph, and Be thu el.” 23 And Be thu el fa thered Re bek ah. Mil cah bore these eight to Na hor, Abra ham’s broth er. 24 His con cu bine, whose name was Reu mah, also bore Te bah, Ga ham, Ta hash, and Ma a cah. SARAH’S BURIAL 23 Now Sar ah lived 127 years; these were all the years of her life. 2 Sar ah died in Kiriath-arba ( that is, He bron) in the land of Ca naan, and Abra ham went to mourn for Sar ah and to weep for her. 3 Then Abra ham got up from be side his dead wife and spoke to the Heth ites: 4 “ I am an alien residing among you. Give me buri al prop er ty among you so that I can bury my dead.” f 5 The Heth ites re plied to Abra ham, g 6 “Lis ten to us, my lord. You are a prince of God h among us. Bury your dead in our fin est buri al place. i None of us will with hold from you his buri al place for bury ing your dead.” 7 Then Abra ham rose and bowed down to the Heth ites, the peo ple of the land. 8 He said to them, “ If you are will ing for me to bury my dead, lis ten to me and ask Ephron son of Zo har on my be half 9 to give me the cave of Mach pe lah that be longs to him; it is at the end of his field. Let him give it to me in your pres ence, for the full price, as buri al prop er ty .” 10 Ephron was sit ting among the Heth ites. So in the hear ing j of all the Heth ites who came to the gate of his city , Ephron the Heth ite an- swered Abra ham: 11 “ No, my lord. Lis ten to me. I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. I give it to you in the sight k of my peo ple. Bury your dead.” 12 Abra ham bowed down to the peo ple of the land 13 and said to Ephron in the hear ing of the peo ple of the land, “Lis ten to me, if you please. Let me pay the price of the field. Ac cept it from me, and let me bury my dead there.” 14 Ephron an swered Abra ham and said to him, 15 “ My lord, lis ten to me. Land worth four hun dred shek els of sil ver — what is that be tween you and me? Bury your dead.” 16 Abra ham agreed with Ephron, and Abra - ham weighed out to Ephron the sil ver that he had agreed to in the hear ing of the Heth- ites: four hun dred stan dard shek els l of sil ver. 17 So Ephron’s field at Mach pe lah near Mam- re — the field with its cave and all the trees any where with in the bound aries of the field — be came 18 Abra ham’s pos ses sion in the sight of all the Heth ites who came to the gate of his city . 19 Af ter this, Abra ham bur ied his wife Sar ah in the cave of the field at Mach pe lah near Mam re ( that is, He bron) in the land of Ca naan. 20 The field with its cave passed from the Heth ites to Abra ham as buri al prop er ty . A WIFE FOR ISAAC 24 Abra ham was now old, get ting on in years, m and the L ord had blessed him in ev ery thing. 2 Abra ham said to his ser vant, the el der of his house hold who man aged all a 22:9 Or Isaac hand and foot b 22:13 Some Hb mss, Sam, LXX, Syr , Tg; other Hb mss read saw behind him a ram c 22:14 = Yahweh-yireh d 22:14 Or “He will be seen e 22:18 Or will bless themselves, or will find blessing f 23:4 Lit dead from before me g 23:5 Lit Abraham, saying to him h 23:6 Or a mighty prince i 23:6 Or finest graves j 23:10 Lit ears, also in vv. 13,16 k 23:11 Lit in the eyes of the sons l 23:16 Lit 400 shekels passing to the merchant m 24:1 Lit days 17 GENESIS 22-24 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 17 10/26/17 8:59 PM he owned, “ Place your hand un der my thigh, 3 and I will have you swear by the L ord, God of heav en and God of earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daugh ters of the Ca naan ites among whom I live, 4 but will go to my land and my fam i ly to take a wife for my son Isaac.” 5 The ser vant said to him, “Sup pose the wom an is un will ing to fol low me to this land? Should I have your son go back to the land you came from? ” 6 Abra ham an swered him, “ Make sure that you don’t take my son back there. 7 The L ord, the God of heav en, who took me from my fa- ther’s house and from my na tive land, who spoke to me and swore to me, ‘ I will give this land to your off spring’ — he will send his an- gel be fore you, and you can take a wife for my son from there. 8 If the wom an is un will ing to fol low you, then you are free from this oath to me, but don’t let my son go back there.” 9 So the ser vant placed his hand un der his mas ter Abra ham’s thigh and swore an oath to him con cern ing this mat ter. 10 The ser vant took ten of his mas ter’s cam- els, and with all kinds of his mas ter’s goods in hand, he went to Aram-na ha ra im, to Na hor’s town. 11 At eve ning, the time when wom en went out to draw wa ter, he made the cam els kneel be side a well out side the town. 12 “ L ord, God of my mas ter Abra ham,” he prayed, “ make this hap pen for me to day , and show kind ness to my mas ter Abra ham. 13 I am stand ing here at the spring where the daugh- ters of the men of the town are com ing out to draw wa ter. 14 Let the girl to whom I say , ‘ Please low er your wa ter jug so that I may drink,’ and who responds, ‘ Drink, and I’ll wa- ter your cam els also’ — let her be the one you have ap point ed for your ser vant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kind ness to my mas ter.” 15 Be fore he had fin ished speak ing, there was Re bek ah — daugh ter of Be thu el son of Mil cah, the wife of Abra ham’s broth er Na hor — com ing with a jug on her shoul der. 16 Now the girl was very beau ti ful, a vir gin — no man had been in ti mate with her. She went down to the spring, filled her jug, and came up. 17 Then the ser vant ran to meet her and said, “ Please let me have a lit tle wa ter from your jug.” 18 She re plied, “ Drink, my lord.” She quick ly low ered her jug to her hand and gave him a drink. 19 When she had fin ished giv ing him a drink, she said, “ I’ll also draw wa ter for your cam els un til they have had enough to drink.” a 20 She quick ly emp tied her jug into the trough and hur ried to the well again to draw wa ter. She drew wa ter for all his cam els 21 while the man silently watched her to see wheth er or not the L ord had made his jour ney a suc cess. 22 As the cam els fin ished drink ing, the man took a gold ring weigh ing half a shek el, and for her wrists two brace lets weigh ing ten shek els of gold. 23 “ Whose daugh ter are you? ” he asked. “ Please tell me, is there room in your fa ther’s house for us to spend the night? ” 24 She an swered him, “ I am the daugh ter of Be thu el son of Mil cah, whom she bore to Na- hor.” 25 She also said to him, “ We have plen ty of straw and feed and a place to spend the night.” 26 Then the man knelt low , wor shiped the L ord , 27 and said, “ Blessed be the L ord , the God of my mas ter Abra ham, who has not with held his kind ness and faith ful ness from my mas ter. As for me, the L ord has led me on the jour ney to the house of my mas ter’s rel a tives.” 28 The girl ran and told her moth er’s house- hold about these things. 29 Now Re bek ah had a broth er named La ban, and La ban ran out to the man at the spring. 30 As soon as he had seen the ring and the brace lets on his sis ter’s wrists, and when he had heard his sis ter Re- bek ah’s words — “ The man said this to me! ” — he went to the man. He was stand ing there by the cam els at the spring. 31 La ban said, “ Come, you who are blessed by the L ord. Why are you stand ing out here? I have pre pared the house and a place for the cam els.” 32 So the man came to the house, and the cam els were un load ed. Straw and feed were giv en to the cam els, and wa ter was brought to wash his feet and the feet of the men with him. 33 A meal was set be fore him, but he said, “ I will not eat un til I have said what I have to say .” So La ban said, “ Please speak.” 34 “ I am Abra ham’s ser vant,” he said. 35 “ The L ord has great ly blessed my mas ter, and he has be come rich. He has giv en him flocks and herds, sil ver and gold, male and fe male slaves, and cam els and don keys. 36 Sar ah, my mas- ter’s wife, bore a son to my mas ter in her b old age, and he has giv en him ev ery thing he owns. 37 My mas ter put me un der this oath: ‘ You will not take a wife for my son from the daugh ters of the Ca naan ites in whose land I a 24:19 Lit they are finished drinking b 24:36 Sam, LXX read hisGENESIS 24 18 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 18 10/26/17 8:59 PM live 38 but will go to my fa ther’s fam i ly and to my clan to take a wife for my son.’ 39 But I said to my mas ter, ‘Sup pose the wom an will not come back with me? ’ 40 He said to me, ‘ The L ord be fore whom I have walked will send his an gel with you and make your jour ney a suc cess, and you will take a wife for my son from my clan and from my fa ther’s fam i ly . 41 Then you will be free from my oath if you go to my fam i ly and they do not give her to you — you will be free from my oath.’ 42 “To day when I came to the spring, I prayed: L ord, God of my mas ter Abra ham, if only you will make my jour ney suc cess ful! 43 I am stand- ing here at a spring. Let the young wom an a who comes out to draw wa ter, and I say to her, ‘ Please let me drink a lit tle wa ter from your jug,’ 44 and who responds to me, ‘ Drink, and I’ll draw wa ter for your cam els also’ — let her be the wom an the L ord has ap point ed for my mas ter’s son. 45 “Be fore I had fin ished pray ing silently , there was Re bek ah com ing with her jug on her shoul der, and she went down to the spring and drew wa ter. So I said to her, ‘ Please let me have a drink.’ 46 She quick ly low ered her jug from her shoul der and said, ‘ Drink, and I’ll wa ter your cam els also.’ So I drank, and she also wa tered the cam els. 47 Then I asked her, ‘ Whose daugh ter are you? ’ She re spond ed, ‘ The daugh ter of Be thu el son of Na hor, whom Mil cah bore to him.’ So I put the ring on her nose and the brace lets on her wrists. 48 Then I knelt low , wor shiped the L ord, and blessed the L ord, the God of my mas ter Abra ham, who guid ed me on the right way to take the grand daugh ter of my mas ter’s broth er for his son. 49 Now , if you are go ing to show kind ness and faith ful ness to my mas ter, tell me; if not, tell me, and I will go else where.” b 50 La ban and Be thu el an swered, “ This is from the L ord; we have no choice in the mat ter. c 51 Re bek ah is here in front of you. Take her and go, and let her be a wife for your mas ter’s son, just as the L ord has spo ken.” 52 When Abra ham’s ser vant heard their words, he bowed to the ground be fore the L ord. 53 Then he brought out ob jects of sil ver and gold, and gar ments, and gave them to Re bek ah. He also gave pre cious gifts to her broth er and her moth er. 54 Then he and the men with him ate and drank and spent the night. When they got up in the morn ing, he said, “ Send me to my mas ter.” 55 But her broth er and moth er said, “ Let the girl stay with us for about ten days. d Then she e can go.” 56 But he re spond ed to them, “ Do not de lay me, since the L ord has made my jour ney a suc cess. Send me away so that I may go to my mas ter.” 57 So they said, “ Let’s call the girl and ask her opin ion.” f 58 They called Re bek ah and said to her, “ Will you go with this man? ” She re plied, “ I will go.” 59 So they sent away their sis ter Re bek ah with the one who had nursed and raised her, g and Abra ham’s ser - vant and his men. 60 They blessed Re bek ah, say ing to her: Our sister, may you become thousands upon ten thousands. May your offspring possess the city gates of their h enemies. 61 Then Re bek ah and her fe male ser vants got up, mount ed the cam els, and fol lowed the man. So the ser vant took Re bek ah and left. 62 Now Isaac was re turn ing from Be er-la- hai-roi, i for he was liv ing in the Ne gev re gion. 63 In the ear ly eve ning Isaac went out to walk j in the field, and look ing up he saw cam els com ing. 64 Re bek ah looked up, and when she saw Isaac, she got down from her cam el 65 and asked the ser vant, “ Who is that man in the field com ing to meet us? ” The ser vant an swered, “ It is my mas ter.” So she took her veil and cov ered her self. 66 Then the ser vant told Isaac ev ery thing he had done. 67 And Isaac brought her into the tent of his moth er Sar ah and took Re bek ah to be his wife. Isaac loved her, and he was com fort ed af ter his moth er’s death. ABRAHAM’S OTHER WIFE AND SONS 25 Abra ham had tak en k an oth er wife, whose name was Ke tu rah, 2 and she bore him Zim ran, Jok shan, Me dan, Mid i an, Ish bak, and Shu ah. 3 Jok shan fa thered She ba and De dan. De dan’s sons were the As shu rim, Le tu shim, and Le um mim. 4 And Mid i an’s sons were Ephah, Epher, Ha noch, Abi da, and El da ah. All these were sons of Ke tu rah. 5 Abra ham gave ev ery thing he owned to Isaac. 6 But Abra ham a 24:43 Or the virgin b 24:49 Lit go to the right or to the left c 24:50 Lit we cannot say to you anything bad or good d 24:55 Lit us days or tenth e 24:55 Or you f 24:57 Lit mouth g 24:59 Lit with her wet nurse ; Gn 35:8 h 24:60 Lit his i 24:62 = A Well of the Living One Who Sees Me j 24:63 Or pray, or meditate ; Hb obscure k 25:1 Or Abraham took 19 GENESIS 24-25 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 19 10/26/17 8:59 PM gave gifts to the sons of his con cu bines, and while he was still alive he sent them east ward, away from his son Isaac, to the land of the East. ABRAHAM’S DEATH 7 This is the length of Abra ham’s life: a 175 years. 8 He took his last breath and died at a good old age, old and con tent ed, b and he was gath ered to his peo ple. 9 His sons Isaac and Ish ma el bur ied him in the cave of Mach pe- lah near Mam re, in the field of Ephron son of Zo har the Heth ite. 10 This was the field that Abra ham bought from the Heth ites. Abra ham was bur ied there with his wife Sar ah. 11 Af ter Abra ham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac, who lived near Be er-la hai-roi. ISHMAEL’S FAMILY RECORDS 12 These are the fam i ly rec ords of Abra ham’s son Ish ma el, whom Ha gar the Egyp tian, Sar ah’s slave, bore to Abra ham. 13 These are the names of Ish ma el’s sons; their names ac cord ing to the fam i ly rec ords are Ne ba ioth, Ish ma el’s first- born, then Ke dar, Ad be el, Mib sam, 14 Mish ma, Du mah, Mas sa, 15 Ha dad, Tema, Je tur, Na phish, and Ked e mah. 16 These are Ish ma el’s sons, and these are their names by their set tle ments and encampments: twelve lead ers c of their clans. d 17 This is the length e of Ish ma el’s life: 137 years. He took his last breath and died, and was gath ered to his peo ple. 18 And they f set tled from Hav i lah to Shur, which is op po site Egypt as you go to ward As shur. g He h stayed near i all his rel a tives. THE BIRTH OF JACOB AND ESAU 19 These are the fam i ly rec ords of Isaac son of Abra ham. Abra ham fa thered Isaac. 20 Isaac
🌍 Jacob's Birthright Journey
👨👩👦👦 Divine intervention shapes family destiny when Isaac prays for his childless wife Rebekah, who conceives twins (Esau and Jacob) with a prophecy that "the older will serve the younger"
🍲 Jacob strategically acquires Esau's birthright for a bowl of stew, revealing the stark contrast between Esau's impulsivity ("I'm about to die") and Jacob's calculated planning
🎭 Through elaborate deception orchestrated by Rebekah, Jacob disguises himself as Esau to steal his father's blessing, permanently altering the family's power dynamics and inheritance
🏃♂️ Fleeing Esau's murderous rage, Jacob encounters God in a dream at Bethel, receiving divine promises of land, descendants, and protection—transforming his self-serving journey into a spiritual pilgrimage
🤝 God repeatedly reaffirms His covenant through multiple generations, demonstrating His faithfulness despite human deception, family conflict, and moral failings
was for ty years old when he took as his wife Re bek ah daugh ter of Be thu el the Ar a me an from Paddan-aram and sis ter of La ban the Ar a me an. 21 Isaac prayed to the L ord on be- half of his wife be cause she was child less. The L ord was receptive to his prayer, and his wife Re bek ah con ceived. 22 But the chil dren in side her strug gled with each oth er, and she said, “ Why is this hap pen ing to me? ” j So she went to in quire of the L ord. 23 And the L ord said to her: Two nations are in your womb; two peoples will come from you and be separated. One people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger. 24 When her time came to give birth, there were in deed twins in her womb. 25 The first one came out red-looking, k cov ered with hair l like a fur coat, and they named him Esau. 26 Af ter this, his broth er came out grasp ing Esau’s heel with his hand. So he was named Ja cob. m Isaac was six ty years old when they were born. ESAU SELLS HIS BIRTHRIGHT 27 When the boys grew up, Esau be came an ex pert hunt er, an outdoorsman, n but Ja cob was a qui et man who stayed at home. o 28 Isaac loved Esau be cause he had a taste for wild game, but Re bek ah loved Ja cob. 29 Once when Ja cob was cook ing a stew , Esau came in from the field ex haust ed. 30 He said to Ja cob, “ Let me eat some of that red stuff, be cause I’m ex haust ed.” That is why he was also named Edom. p 31 Ja cob re plied, “ First sell me your birth- right.” 32 “ Look,” said Esau, “ I’m about to die, so what good is a birth right to me? ” 33 Ja cob said, “ Swear to me first.” So he swore to Ja cob and sold his birth right to him. 34 Then Ja cob gave bread and len til stew to Esau; he ate, drank, got up, and went away . So Esau de spised his birth right. THE PROMISE REAFFIRMED TO ISAAC 26 There was an oth er fam ine in the land in ad di tion to the one that had oc curred in Abra ham’s time. And Isaac went to Abim- e lech, king of the Phi lis tines, at Ge rar. 2 The L ord ap peared to him and said, “ Do not go down to Egypt. Live in the land that I tell you about; 3 stay in this land as an alien, and I will be with you and bless you. For I will give all these lands to you and your off spring, and I will con firm the oath that I swore to your fa- ther Abra ham. 4 I will make your off spring as nu mer ous as the stars of the sky , I will give your off spring all these lands, and all the na tions of the earth will be blessed q by your off spring, a 25:7 Lit And these are the days of the years of the life of Abraham that he lived b 25:8 Sam, LXX, Syr read full of days c 25:16 Or chieftains d 25:16 Or peoples e 25:17 Lit And these are the years f 25:18 LXX, Vg read he g 25:18 Or Assyria h 25:18 = Ishmael and his descendants i 25:18 Or He settled down alongside of j 25:22 Lit said, “If thus, why this I? ” k 25:25 In Hb, red-looking sounds like “Edom”; Gn 32:3. l 25:25 In Hb, hair sounds like “Seir”; Gn 32:3. m 25:26 = He Grasps the Heel n 25:27 Lit a man of the field o 25:27 Lit man living in tents p 25:30 = Red q 26:4 Or will bless themselvesGENESIS 25-26 20 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 20 10/26/17 8:59 PM 5 be cause Abra ham lis tened to me and kept my mandate, my com mands, my stat utes, and my in struc tions.” 6 So Isaac set tled in Ge rar. ISAAC’S DECEPTION 7 When the men of the place asked about his wife, he said, “ She is my sis ter,” for he was afraid to say “ my wife,” think ing, “ The men of the place will kill me on ac count of Re bek ah, for she is a beau ti ful wom an.” 8 When Isaac had been there for some time, Abim e lech king of the Phi lis tines looked down from the win dow and was sur prised to see a Isaac ca ress ing his wife Re bek ah. 9 Abim e lech sent for Isaac and said, “ So she is real ly your wife! How could you say , ‘ She is my sis ter’? ” Isaac an swered him, “Be cause I thought I might die on ac count of her.” 10 Then Abim e lech said, “ What is this you’ve done to us? One of the peo ple could eas i ly have slept with your wife, and you would have brought guilt on us.” 11 So Abim e lech warned all the peo ple, “Who ev er harms this man or his wife will cer tain ly be put to death.” CONFLICTS OVER WELLS 12 Isaac sowed seed in that land, and in that year he reaped b a hun dred times what was sown. The L ord blessed him, 13 and the man be came rich and kept get ting rich er un til he was very wealthy . 14 He had flocks of sheep, herds of cat tle, and many slaves, and the Phi- lis tines were en vi ous of him. 15 Phi lis tines stopped up all the wells that his fa ther’s ser - vants had dug in the days of his fa ther Abra- ham, fill ing them with dirt. 16 And Abim e lech said to Isaac, “ Leave us, for you are much too pow er ful for us.” c 17 So Isaac left there, camped in the Ge rar Val ley , and lived there. 18 Isaac re opened the wells that had been dug in the days of his fa- ther Abra ham and that the Phi lis tines had stopped up af ter Abra ham died. He gave them the same names his fa ther had giv en them. 19 Then Isaac’s ser vants dug in the val ley and found a well of spring d wa ter there. 20 But the herds men of Ge rar quar reled with Isaac’s herds men and said, “ The wa ter is ours! ” So he named the well Esek e be cause they ar gued with him. 21 Then they dug an oth er well and quar reled over that one also, so he named it Sit nah. f 22 He moved from there and dug an oth er, and they did not quar rel over it. He named it Re ho both g and said, “ For now the L ord has made space for us, and we will be fruit ful in the land.” THE LORD APPEARS TO ISAAC 23 From there he went up to Be er-she ba, 24 and the L ord ap peared to him that night and said, “ I am the God of your fa ther Abra ham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you. I will bless you and mul ti ply your off spring be cause of my ser vant Abra ham.” 25 So he built an al tar there, called on the name of the L ord, and pitched his tent there. Isaac’s ser vants also dug a well there. COVENANT WITH ABIMELECH 26 Now Abim e lech came to him from Ge rar with Ahuz zath his ad vis er and Phi col the com- mand er of his army . 27 Isaac said to them, “ Why have you come to me? You hat ed me and sent me away from you.” 28 They re plied, “ We have clear ly seen how the L ord has been with you. We think there should be an oath be tween two par ties — be- tween us and you. Let us make a cov enant with you: 29 You will not harm us, just as we have not harmed you but have done only what was good to you, send ing you away in peace. You are now blessed by the L ord.” 30 So he pre pared a ban quet for them, and they ate and drank. 31 They got up ear ly in the morn ing and swore an oath to each oth er. h Isaac sent them on their way , and they left him in peace. 32 On that same day Isaac’s ser vants came to tell him about the well they had dug, say ing to him, “ We have found wa ter! ” 33 He called it She ba. i There fore the name of the city is still Be er-she ba j to day . ESAU’S WIVES 34 When Esau was for ty years old, he took as his wives Ju dith daugh ter of Be e ri the Heth ite, and Bas e math daugh ter of Elon the Heth ite. 35 They made life bit ter k for Isaac and Re bek ah. THE STOLEN BLESSING 27 When Isaac was old and his eyes were so weak that he could not see, he called his old er son Esau and said to him, “ My son.” And he an swered, “ Here I am.” a 26:8 Or and he looked and behold — b 26:12 Lit found c 26:16 Or are more numerous than we are d 26:19 Lit living e 26:20 = Argument f 26:21 = Hostility g 26:22 = Open Spaces h 26:31 Lit swore, each man to his brother i 26:33 Or Shibah j 26:33 = Well of the Oath k 26:35 Lit And they became bitterness of spirit 21 GENESIS 26-27 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 21 10/26/17 8:59 PM 2 He said, “ Look, I am old and do not know the day of my death. 3 So now take your hunt ing gear, your quiv er and bow , and go out in the field to hunt some game for me. 4 Then make me a de li cious meal that I love and bring it to me to eat, so that I can bless you be fore I die.” 5 Now Re bek ah was lis ten ing to what Isaac said to his son Esau. So while Esau went to the field to hunt some game to bring in, 6 Re bek ah said to her son Ja cob, “Lis ten! I heard your fa- ther talk ing with your broth er Esau. He said, 7 ‘ Bring me game and make a de li cious meal for me to eat so that I can bless you in the L ord’ s pres ence be fore I die.’ 8 Now , my son, lis ten to me and do what I tell you. 9 Go to the flock and bring me two choice young goats, and I will make them into a de li cious meal for your fa ther — the kind he loves. 10 Then take it to your fa ther to eat so that he may bless you be fore he dies.” 11 Ja cob an swered Re bek ah his moth er, “ Look, my broth er Esau is a hairy man, but I am a man with smooth skin. 12 Sup pose my fa ther touch es me. Then I will be re vealed to him as a de ceiv er and bring a curse rath er than a bless ing on my self.” 13 His moth er said to him, “ Your curse be on me, my son. Just obey me and go get them for me.” 14 So he went and got the goats and brought them to his moth er, and his moth er made the de li cious food his fa ther loved. 15 Then Re bek- ah took the best clothes of her old er son Esau, which were in the house, and had her youn ger son Ja cob wear them. 16 She put the skins of the young goats on his hands and the smooth part of his neck. 17 Then she hand ed the de li cious food and the bread she had made to her son Ja cob. 18 When he came to his fa ther, he said, “ My fa ther.” And he an swered, “ Here I am. Who are you, my son? ” 19 Ja cob re plied to his fa ther, “ I am Esau, your first born. I have done as you told me. Please sit up and eat some of my game so that you may bless me.” 20 But Isaac said to his son, “ How did you ever find it so quick ly , my son? ” He re plied, “Be cause the L ord your God made it hap pen for me.” 21 Then Isaac said to Ja cob, “ Please come clos er so I can touch you, my son. Are you real ly my son Esau or not? ”22 So Ja cob came clos er to his fa ther Isaac. When he touched him, he said, “ The voice is the voice of Ja cob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” 23 He did not rec og nize him, be cause his hands were hairy like those of his broth er Esau; so he blessed him. 24 Again he asked, “ Are you real ly my son Esau? ” And he re plied, “ I am.” 25 Then he said, “ Bring it clos er to me, and let me eat some of my son’s game so that I can bless you.” Ja cob brought it clos er to him, and he ate; he brought him wine, and he drank. 26 Then his fa ther Isaac said to him, “ Please come clos er and kiss me, my son.” 27 So he came clos er and kissed him. When Isaac smelled a his clothes, he blessed him and said: Ah, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field that the Lord has blessed. 28 May God give to you — from the dew of the sky and from the richness of the land — an abundance of grain and new wine. 29 May peoples serve you and nations bow in worship to you. Be master over your relatives; may your mother’s sons bow in worship to you. Those who curse you will be cursed, and those who bless you will be blessed. 30 As soon as Isaac had fin ished bless ing Ja cob and Ja cob had left the pres ence of his fa ther Isaac, his broth er Esau ar rived from his hunt ing. 31 He had also made some de li- cious food and brought it to his fa ther. He said to his fa ther, “ Let my fa ther get up and eat some of his son’s game, so that you may bless me.” 32 But his fa ther Isaac said to him, “ Who are you? ” He an swered, “ I am Esau your first born son.” 33 Isaac be gan to trem ble un con trol la bly . “ Who was it then,” he said, “ who hunt ed game and brought it to me? I ate it all be fore you came in, and I blessed him. In deed, he will be blessed! ” 34 When Esau heard his fa ther’s words, he cried out with a loud and bit ter cry and said to his fa ther, “ Bless me too, my fa ther! ” 35 But he re plied, “ Your broth er came de- ceit ful ly and took your bless ing.” a 27:27 Lit smelled the smell ofGENESIS 27 22 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 22 10/26/17 8:59 PM 36 So he said, “ Isn’t he right ly named Ja cob? a For he has cheat ed me twice now . He took my birth right, and look, now he has tak en my bless ing.” Then he asked, “ Haven’t you saved a bless ing for me? ” 37 But Isaac an swered Esau, “ Look, I have made him a mas ter over you, have giv en him all of his rel a tives as his ser vants, and have sus tained him with grain and new wine. What then can I do for you, my son? ” 38 Esau said to his fa ther, “ Do you have only one bless ing, my fa ther? Bless me too, my fa- ther! ” And Esau wept loud ly . b 39 His fa ther Isaac an swered him, Look, your dwelling place will be away from the richness of the land, away from the dew of the sky above. 40 You will live by your sword, and you will serve your brother. But when you rebel, c you will break his yoke from your neck. ESAU’S ANGER 41 Esau held a grudge against Ja cob be cause of the bless ing his fa ther had giv en him. And Esau de ter mined in his heart: “ The days of mourn ing for my fa ther are ap proach ing; then I will kill my broth er Ja cob.” 42 When the words of her old er son Esau were re port ed to Re bek ah, she sum moned her youn ger son Ja cob and said to him, “Lis ten, your broth er Esau is con sol ing him self by plan ning to kill you. 43 So now , my son, lis ten to me. Flee at once to my broth er La ban in Ha ran, 44 and stay with him for a few days un til your broth er’s an ger sub sides — 45 un til your broth er’s rage turns away from you and he for gets what you have done to him. Then I will send for you and bring you back from there. Why should I lose you both in one day? ” 46 So Re bek ah said to Isaac, “ I’m sick of my life be cause of these Heth ite girls. If Ja cob mar - ries some one from around here, d like these Heth ite girls, what good is my life? ” JACOB’S DEPARTURE 28 So Isaac sum moned Ja cob, blessed him, and com mand ed him, “ Do not mar ry a Ca naan ite girl. 2 Go at once to Paddan-aram, to the house of Be thu el, your moth er’s fa ther. Mar ry one of the daugh ters of La ban, your moth er’s broth er. 3 May God Al mighty bless you and make you fruit ful and mul ti ply you so that you be come an as sem bly of peo ples. 4 May God give you and your off spring the bless ing of Abra ham so that you may pos sess the land where you live as a for eign er, the land God gave to Abra ham.” 5 So Isaac sent Ja cob to Paddan-aram, to La ban son of Be thu el the Ar a me an, the broth er of Re bek ah, the moth er of Ja cob and Esau. 6 Esau no ticed that Isaac blessed Ja cob and sent him to Paddan-aram to get a wife there. When he blessed him, Isaac com mand ed Ja cob, “ Do not mar ry a Ca naan ite girl.” 7 And Ja cob lis tened to his fa ther and moth er and went to Paddan-aram. 8 Esau re al ized that his fa ther Isaac disapproved of the Ca naan ite wom en, 9 so Esau went to Ish ma el and mar ried, in ad- di tion to his oth er wives, Ma ha lath daugh ter of Ish ma el, Abra ham’s son. She was the sis ter of Ne ba ioth. JACOB AT BETHEL 10 Ja cob left Be er-she ba and went to ward Ha- ran. 11 He reached a cer tain place and spent the night there be cause the sun had set. He took one of the stones from the place, put it there at his head, and lay down in that place. 12 And he dreamed: A stair way was set on the ground with its top reach ing the sky , and God’s an gels were go ing up and down on it. 13 The L ord was stand ing there be side him, e say ing, “ I am the L ord, the God of your fa ther Abra ham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your off- spring the land on which you are ly ing. 14 Your off spring will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to ward the west, the east, the north, and the south. All the peo ples on earth will be blessed through you and your off spring. 15 Look, I am with you and will watch over you wher ev er you go. I will bring you back to this land, for I will not leave you un til I have done what I have prom ised you.” 16 When Ja cob awoke from his sleep, he said, “Sure ly the L ord is in this place, and I did not know it.” 17 He was afraid and said, “ What an awe some place this is! This is none oth er than the house of God. This is the gate of heav en.” 18 Ear ly in the morn ing Ja cob took the stone that was near his head and set it up as a mark- er. He poured oil on top of it 19 and named the place Beth el, f though pre vi ous ly the city was named Luz. 20 Then Ja cob made a vow: “ If God a 27:36 = He Grasps the Heel b 27:38 Lit Esau lifted up his voice and wept c 27:40 Hb obscure d 27:46 Lit someone like these daughters of the land e 28:13 Or there above it f 28:19 = House of God 23 GENESIS 27-28 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 23 10/26/17 8:59 PM will be with me and watch over me dur ing this jour ney I’m mak ing, if he pro vides me with food to eat and cloth ing to wear, 21 and if I re turn safe ly to my fa ther’s fam i ly , then the L ord will be my God. 22 This stone that I have set up as a mark er will be God’s house, and I will give to you a tenth of all that you give me.” JACOB MEETS RACHEL 29 Ja cob resumed his jour ney a and went to the east ern coun try . b 2 He looked and saw a well in a field. Three flocks of sheep were ly ing there be side it be cause the sheep were wa tered from this well. But a large stone cov- ered the open ing of the well.
🏠 Jacob's Family Saga
🐑 Jacob meets Rachel at a well where shepherds gather, demonstrating his strength by single-handedly moving the stone covering and watering her flock, leading to their emotional first meeting
💔 Laban deceives Jacob by substituting Leah for Rachel on the wedding night, forcing Jacob to work seven additional years to marry his true love Rachel, creating a complex family dynamic
👶 Rivalry between wives intensifies as Leah bears children while Rachel remains barren, leading both women to offer their servants as surrogate mothers, resulting in twelve sons who become the patriarchs of Israel's tribes
💰 Jacob's wealth multiplies through clever breeding techniques with Laban's flocks, creating tension as Laban's sons grow jealous of Jacob's prosperity
🏃♂️ Divine intervention prompts Jacob to flee from Laban with his family and possessions, culminating in a tense confrontation and eventual covenant between the two men
🛐 Spiritual journey unfolds throughout as God directs Jacob's path, blesses his endeavors, and establishes him as the father of a great nation despite family conflicts and deceptions
3 The shep herds would roll the stone from the open ing of the well and wa ter the sheep when all the flocks c were gath ered there. Then they would re turn the stone to its place over the well’s open ing. 4 Ja cob asked the men at the well, “ My broth- ers! Where are you from? ” “ We’re from Ha ran,” they an swered. 5 “ Do you know La ban grand son of Na hor? ” Ja cob asked them. They an swered, “ We know him.” 6 “ Is he well? ” Ja cob asked. “ Yes,” they said, “ and here is his daugh ter Ra chel, com ing with his sheep.” 7 Then Ja cob said, “ Look, it is still broad day light. It’s not time for the an i mals to be gath ered. Wa ter the flock, then go out and let them graze.” 8 But they re plied, “ We can’t un til all the flocks have been gath ered and the stone is rolled from the well’s open ing. Then we will wa ter the sheep.” 9 While he was still speak ing with them, Ra chel came with her fa ther’s sheep, for she was a shep herd ess. 10 As soon as Ja cob saw his un cle La ban’s daugh ter Ra chel with his sheep, d he went up and rolled the stone from the open ing and wa tered his un cle La ban’s sheep. 11 Then Ja cob kissed Ra chel and wept loud ly . e 12 He told Ra chel that he was her fa- ther’s rel a tive, Re bek ah’s son. She ran and told her fa ther. JACOB DECEIVED 13 When La ban heard the news about his sis ter’s son Ja cob, he ran to meet him, hugged him, and kissed him. Then he took him to his house, and Ja cob told him all that had hap pened.14 La ban said to him, “ Yes, you are my own flesh and blood.” f Af ter Ja cob had stayed with him a month, 15 La ban said to him, “ Just be cause you’re my rel a tive, should you work for me for noth ing? Tell me what your wag es should be.” 16 Now La ban had two daugh ters: the old er was named Leah, and the youn ger was named Ra chel. 17 Leah had ten der eyes, but Ra chel was shapely and beau ti ful. 18 Ja cob loved Ra chel, so he an swered La ban, “ I’ll work for you sev- en years for your youn ger daugh ter Ra chel.” 19 La ban re plied, “Bet ter that I give her to you than to some oth er man. Stay with me.” 20 So Ja cob worked sev en years for Ra chel, and they seemed like only a few days to him be cause of his love for her. 21 Then Ja cob said to La ban, “ Since my time is com plete, give me my wife, so I can sleep with g her.” 22 So La ban in vit ed all the men of the place and sponsored a feast. 23 That eve ning, La ban took his daugh ter Leah and gave her to Ja cob, and he slept with her. 24 And La ban gave his slave Zil pah to his daugh ter Leah as her slave. 25 When morn ing came, there was Leah! So he said to La ban, “ What is this you have done to me? Wasn’t it for Ra chel that I worked for you? Why have you de ceived me? ” 26 La ban an swered, “ It is not the cus tom in this place to give the youn ger daugh ter in mar riage be fore the first born. 27 Com plete this week of wed ding cel e bra tion, and we will also give you this youn ger one in re turn for work ing yet an oth er sev en years for me.” 28 And Ja cob did just that. He fin ished the week of cel e bra tion, and La ban gave him his daugh ter Ra chel as his wife. 29 And La ban gave his slave Bil hah to his daugh ter Ra chel as her slave. 30 Ja cob slept with Ra chel also, and in- deed, he loved Ra chel more than Leah. And he worked for La ban an oth er sev en years. JACOB’S SONS 31 When the L ord saw that Leah was un loved, he opened her womb; but Ra chel was un able to con ceive. 32 Leah con ceived, gave birth to a son, and named him Reu ben, h for she said, “ The L ord has seen my affliction; sure ly my hus band will love me now .” 33 She con ceived again, gave birth to a son, and said, “ The L ord heard that I am un loved a 29:1 Lit Jacob picked up his feet b 29:1 Lit the land of the children of the east c 29:3 Sam, some LXX mss read flocks and the shepherds d 29:10 Lit with the sheep of Laban his mother’s brother e 29:11 Lit and he lifted his voice and wept f 29:14 Lit my bone and my flesh g 29:21 Lit can go to h 29:32 = See, a Son; in Hb, the name Reuben sounds like “has seen my affliction.”GENESIS 28-29 24 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 24 10/26/17 8:59 PM and has giv en me this son also.” So she named him Sim e on. a 34 She con ceived again, gave birth to a son, and said, “ At last, my hus band will be come at tached to me be cause I have borne three sons for him.” There fore he was named Levi. b 35 And she con ceived again, gave birth to a son, and said, “ This time I will praise the L ord.” There fore she named him Ju dah. c Then Leah stopped hav ing chil dren. 30 When Ra chel saw that she was not bear ing Ja cob any chil dren, she en- vied her sis ter. “ Give me sons, or I will die! ” she said to Ja cob. 2 Ja cob be came an gry with Ra chel and said, “ Am I in God’s place, who has with held off- spring d from you? ” 3 Then she said, “ Here is my maid Bil hah. Go sleep with her, and she’ll bear chil dren for me e so that through her I too can build a fam i ly .” 4 So Ra chel gave her slave Bil hah to Ja cob as a wife, and he slept with her. 5 Bil hah con ceived and bore Ja cob a son. 6 Ra chel said, “ God has vin di cat ed me; yes, he has heard me and giv en me a son,” so she named him Dan. f 7 Ra chel’s slave Bil hah con ceived again and bore Ja cob a sec ond son. 8 Ra chel said, “ In my wres tlings with God, g I have wres tled with my sis ter and won,” and she named him Naph ta li. h 9 When Leah saw that she had stopped hav ing chil dren, she took her slave Zil pah and gave her to Ja cob as a wife. 10 Leah’s slave Zil pah bore Ja cob a son. 11 Then Leah said, “ What good for tune! ” i and she named him Gad. j 12 When Leah’s slave Zil pah bore Ja cob a sec- ond son, 13 Leah said, “ I am hap py that the wom- en call me hap py ,” so she named him Ash er. k 14 Reu ben went out dur ing the wheat har - vest and found some man drakes in the field. When he brought them to his moth er Leah, Ra chel asked, “ Please give me some of your son’s man drakes.” 15 But Leah re plied to her, “ Isn’t it enough that you have tak en my hus band? Now you also want to take my son’s man drakes? ” “ Well then,” Ra chel said, “ he can sleep with you to night in ex change for your son’s man- drakes.” 16 When Ja cob came in from the field that eve ning, Leah went out to meet him and said, “ You must come with me, for I have hired you with my son’s man drakes.” So Ja cob slept with her that night. 17 God lis tened to Leah, and she con ceived and bore Ja cob a fifth son. 18 Leah said, “ God has re ward ed me for giv ing my slave to my hus band,” and she named him Is sa char. l 19 Then Leah con ceived again and bore Ja- cob a sixth son. 20 “ God has giv en me a good gift,” Leah said. “ This time my hus band will hon or me be cause I have borne six sons for him,” and she named him Zeb u lun. m 21 Lat er, Leah bore a daugh ter and named her Di nah. 22 Then God re mem bered Ra chel. He lis tened to her and opened her womb. 23 She con ceived and bore a son, and she said, “ God has tak en away my dis grace.” 24 She named him Jo seph n and said, “ May the L ord add an oth er son to me.” JACOB’S FLOCKS MULTIPLY 25 Af ter Ra chel gave birth to Jo seph, Ja cob said to La ban, “ Send me on my way so that I can re turn to my home land. 26 Give me my wives and my chil dren that I have worked for, and let me go. You know how hard I have worked for you.” 27 But La ban said to him, “ If I have found fa vor with you, stay . I have learned by div i na- tion that the L ord has blessed me be cause of you.” 28 Then La ban said, “ Name your wag es, and I will pay them.” 29 So Ja cob said to him, “ You know how I have served you and how your herds have fared with me. 30 For you had very lit tle be fore I came, but now your wealth has in creased. The L ord has blessed you be cause of me. And now , when will I also do some thing for my own fam i ly? ” 31 La ban asked, “ What should I give you? ” And Ja cob said, “ You don’t need to give me any thing. If you do this one thing for me, I will con tin ue to shep herd and keep your flock. 32 Let me go through all your sheep to day and re move ev ery sheep that is speck led or spot ted, ev ery dark-colored sheep among the lambs, and the spot ted and speck led among the fe- male goats. Such will be my wag es. 33 In the fu ture when you come to check on my wag es, my hon es ty will tes ti fy for me. If I have any fe male goats that are not speck led or spot ted, a 29:33 In Hb, the name Simeon sounds like “has heard.” b 29:34 In Hb, the name Levi sounds like “attached to.” c 29:35 In Hb, the name Judah sounds like “praise.” d 30:2 Lit the fruit of the womb e 30:3 Lit bear on my knees f 30:6 In Hb, the name Dan sounds like “has vindicated,” or “has judged.” g 30:8 Or “With mighty wrestlings h 30:8 In Hb, the name Naphtali sounds like “my wrestling.” i 30:11 Alt Hb tradition, LXX, Vg read “Good fortune has come! ” j 30:11 = Good Fortune k 30:13 = Happy l 30:18 In Hb, the name Issachar sounds like “reward.” m 30:20 In Hb, the name Zebulun sounds like “honored.” n 30:24 = He Adds 25 GENESIS 29-30 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 25 10/26/17 8:59 PM or any lambs that are not black, they will be con sid ered sto len.” 34 “ Good,” said La ban. “ Let it be as you have said.” 35 That day La ban re moved the streaked and spot ted male goats and all the speck led and spot ted fe male goats — ev ery one that had any white on it — and ev ery dark-colored one among the lambs, and he placed his sons in charge of them. 36 He put a three-day jour ney be tween him self and Ja cob. Ja cob, mean while, was shepherding the rest of La ban’s flock. 37 Ja cob then took branch es of fresh pop lar, al mond, and plane wood, and peeled the bark, ex pos ing white stripes on the branch es. 38 He set the peeled branch es in the troughs in front of the sheep — in the wa ter chan nels where the sheep came to drink. And the sheep bred when they came to drink. 39 The flocks bred in front of the branch es and bore streaked, speck led, and spot ted young. 40 Ja cob sep a- rat ed the lambs and made the flocks face the streaked sheep and the com plete ly dark sheep in La ban’s flocks. Then he set his own stock apart and didn’t put them with La ban’s sheep. 41 When ev er the stron ger of the flock were breed ing, Ja cob placed the branch es in the troughs, in full view of the flocks, and they would breed in front of the branch es. 42 As for the weak lings of the flocks, he did not put out the branch es. So it turned out that the weak sheep be longed to La ban and the stron ger ones to Ja cob. 43 And the man be came very rich. a He had many flocks, fe male and male slaves, and cam els and don keys. JACOB SEPARATES FROM LABAN 31 Now Ja cob heard what La ban’s sons were say ing: “Ja cob has tak en all that was our fa ther’s and has built this wealth from what be longed to our fa ther.” 2 And Ja cob saw from La ban’s face that his at ti tude to ward him was not the same as be fore. 3 The L ord said to him, “ Go back to the land of your fa thers and to your fam i ly , and I will be with you.” 4 Ja cob had Ra chel and Leah called to the field where his flocks were. 5 He said to them, “ I can see from your fa ther’s face that his at ti- tude to ward me is not the same as be fore, but the God of my fa ther has been with me. 6 You know that with all my strength I have served your fa ther 7 and that he has cheat ed me and changed my wag es ten times. But God has not let him harm me. 8 If he said, ‘ The spot ted sheep will be your wag es,’ then all the sheep were born spot ted. If he said, ‘ The streaked sheep will be your wag es,’ then all the sheep were born streaked. 9 God has tak en away your fa ther’s herds and giv en them to me. 10 “ When the flocks were breed ing, I saw in a dream that the streaked, spot ted, and speck led males were mat ing with the fe males. 11 In that dream the an gel of God said to me, ‘Ja cob! ’ and I said, ‘ Here I am.’ 12 And he said, ‘ Look up and see: all the males that are mat ing with the flocks are streaked, spot ted, and speck led, for I have seen all that La ban has been do ing to you. 13 I am the God of Beth el, where you poured oil on the stone mark er and made a sol emn vow to me. Get up, leave this land, and re turn to your na tive land.’ ” 14 Then Ra chel and Leah an swered him, “ Do we have any por tion or in her i tance in our fa ther’s fam i ly? 15 Are we not re gard ed by him as out sid ers? For he has sold us and has cer tain ly spent our pur chase price. 16 In fact, all the wealth that God has tak en away from our fa ther be longs to us and to our chil dren. So do what ev er God has said to you.” 17 So Ja cob got up and put his chil dren and wives on the cam els. 18 He took all the live stock and pos ses sions he had ac quired in Paddan- aram, and he drove his herds to go to the land of Ca naan, to his fa ther Isaac. 19 When La ban had gone to shear his sheep, Ra chel stole her fa- ther’s house hold idols. 20 And Ja cob de ceived b La ban the Ar a me an, not tell ing him that he was flee ing. 21 He fled with all his pos ses sions, crossed the Eu phra tes, and head ed for c the hill coun try of Gil e ad. LABAN OVERTAKES JACOB 22 On the third day La ban was told that Ja cob had fled. 23 So he took his rel a tives with him, pur sued Ja cob for sev en days, and over took him in the hill coun try of Gil e ad. 24 But God came to La ban the Ar a me an in a dream at night. “ Watch your self! ” God warned him. “ Don’t say any thing to Ja cob, ei ther good or bad.” 25 When La ban over took Ja cob, Ja cob had pitched his tent in the hill coun try , and La ban and his rel a tives also pitched their tents in the hill coun try of Gil e ad. 26 La ban said to Ja cob, “ What have you done? You have de ceived me and tak en my daugh ters away like pris on ers a 30:43 Lit The man spread out very much, very much b 31:20 Lit And he stole the heart of c 31:21 Lit and set his face toGENESIS 30-31 26 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 26 10/26/17 8:59 PM of war! 27 Why did you se cret ly flee from me, de ceive me, and not tell me? I would have sent you away with joy and sing ing, with tam bou- rines and lyres, 28 but you didn’t even let me kiss my grand chil dren and my daugh ters. You have act ed fool ish ly . 29 I could do you great harm, but last night the God of your fa ther said to me: ‘ Watch your self! Don’t say any thing to Ja cob, ei ther good or bad.’ 30 Now you have gone off be cause you long for your fa ther’s fam i ly — but why have you sto len my gods? ” 31 Ja cob an swered, “ I was afraid, for I thought you would take your daugh ters from me by force. 32 If you find your gods with any one here, he will not live! Be fore our rel a tives, point out any thing that is yours and take it.” Ja cob did not know that Ra chel had sto len the idols. 33 So La ban went into Ja cob’s tent, Leah’s tent, and the tents of the two con cu bines, a but he found noth ing. When he left Leah’s tent, he went into Ra chel’s tent. 34 Now Ra- chel had tak en La ban’s house hold idols, put them in the saddlebag of the cam el, and sat on them. La ban searched the whole tent but found noth ing. 35 She said to her fa ther, “ Don’t be an gry , my lord, that I can not stand up in your pres ence; I am hav ing my pe ri od.” So La ban searched, but could not find the house hold idols. JACOB’S COVENANT WITH LABAN 36 Then Ja cob be came in censed and brought charg es against La ban. “ What is my crime? ” he said to La ban. “ What is my sin, that you have pur sued me? 37 You’ve searched all my pos- ses sions! Have you found any thing of yours? b Put it here be fore my rel a tives and yours, and let them de cide be tween the two of us. 38 I’ve been with you these twen ty years. Your ewes and fe male goats have not mis car ried, and I have not eat en the rams from your flock. 39 I did not bring you any of the flock torn by wild beasts; I my self bore the loss. You de mand ed pay ment from me for what was sto len by day or by night. 40 There I was — the heat con sumed me by day and the frost by night, and sleep fled from my eyes. 41 For twen ty years in your house hold I served you — four teen years for your two daugh ters and six years for your flocks — and you have changed my wag es ten times! 42 If the God of my fa ther, the God of Abra ham, the Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, cer tain ly now you would have sent me off empty-handed. But God has seen my affliction and my hard work, c and he is sued his ver dict last night.” 43 Then La ban an swered Ja cob, “ The daugh- ters are my daugh ters; the sons, my sons; and the flocks, my flocks! Ev ery thing you see is mine! But what can I do to day for these daugh- ters of mine or for the chil dren they have borne? 44 Come now , let’s make a cov enant, you and I. Let it be a wit ness be tween the two of us.” 45 So Ja cob picked out a stone and set it up as a mark er. 46 Then Ja cob said to his rel a tives, “Gath er stones.” And they took stones and made a mound, then ate there by the mound. 47 La ban named the mound Jegar-sahadutha, but Ja cob named it Gal e ed. d 48 Then La ban said, “ This mound is a wit ness be tween you and me to day .” There fore the place was called Gal e ed 49 and also Miz pah, e for he said, “ May the L ord watch be tween you and me when we are out of each oth er’s sight. 50 If you mis treat my daugh ters or take oth er wives, though no one is with us, un der stand that God will be a wit ness be tween you and me.” 51 La ban also
🤝 Covenant and Reconciliation
🏔️ Jacob and Laban establish a sacred covenant marked by a stone monument, agreeing not to harm each other and invoking divine judgment as witness to their pact
🙏 Jacob's transformation unfolds through intense spiritual wrestling with God, resulting in a new name (Israel) and identity that reflects his struggle and perseverance
👥 Family reconciliation between Jacob and Esau transcends years of hostility, with Esau's unexpected embrace replacing feared vengeance, demonstrating profound forgiveness
🎁 Gift-giving serves as a powerful mechanism for restoring relationships, with Jacob's strategic offerings to Esau functioning as both appeasement and acknowledgment of wrongdoing
🛡️ Divine protection repeatedly manifests throughout Jacob's journey, with God's angels appearing at critical moments and inspiring confidence in the face of danger
📜 The text establishes the twelve tribes of Israel through Jacob's sons, laying the genealogical foundation for the nation's future identity and territorial claims
said to Ja cob, “ Look at this mound and the mark er I have set up be tween you and me. 52 This mound is a wit ness and the mark er is a wit ness that I will not pass be- yond this mound to you, and you will not pass be yond this mound and this mark er to do me harm. 53 The God of Abra ham, and the gods of Na hor — the gods of their fa ther f — will judge be tween us.” And Ja cob swore by the Fear of his fa ther Isaac. 54 Then Ja cob off ered a sac ri fice on the moun tain and in vit ed his rel a tives to eat a meal. So they ate a meal and spent the night on the moun tain. 55 La ban got up ear ly in the morn ing, kissed his grand chil- dren and daugh ters, and blessed them. Then La ban left to re turn home. PREPARING TO MEET ESAU 32 Ja cob went on his way , and God’s an gels met him. 2 When he saw them, Ja cob said, “ This is God’s camp.” So he called that place Ma ha na im. g 3 Ja cob sent mes sen gers ahead of him to his broth er Esau in the land of Seir, the ter - ri to ry of Edom. 4 He com mand ed them, “ You are to say to my lord Esau, ‘ This is what your ser vant Ja cob says. I have been stay ing with a 31:33 Lit servants b 31:37 Lit What have you found from all of the possessions of your house? c 31:42 Lit and the work of my hands d 31:47 Jegar-sahadutha is Aramaic, and Galeed is Hb; both names = Mound of Witness e 31:49 = Watchtower f 31:53 Two Hb mss, LXX omit the gods of their father g 32:2 = Two Camps 27 GENESIS 31-32 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 27 10/26/17 8:59 PM La ban and have been de layed un til now . 5 I have oxen, don keys, flocks, and male and fe male slaves. I have sent this mes sage to in form my lord, in or der to seek your fa vor.’ ” 6 When the mes sen gers re turned to Ja cob, they said, “ We went to your broth er Esau; he is com ing to meet you — and he has four hun- dred men with him.” 7 Ja cob was great ly afraid and dis tressed; he di vid ed the peo ple with him into two camps, along with the flocks, herds, and cam els. 8 He thought, “ If Esau comes to one camp and at tacks it, the re main ing one can es cape.” 9 Then Ja cob said, “ God of my fa ther Abra- ham and God of my fa ther Isaac, the L ord who said to me, ‘ Go back to your land and to your fam i ly , and I will cause you to pros per,’ 10 I am un wor thy of all the kind ness and faith- ful ness you have shown your ser vant. In deed, I crossed over the Jor dan with my staff, and now I have be come two camps. 11 Please res cue me from my broth er Esau, for I am afraid of him; oth er wise, he may come and at tack me, the moth ers, and their chil dren. 12 You have said, ‘ I will cause you to pros per, and I will make your off spring like the sand of the sea, too nu mer ous to be count ed.’ ” 13 He spent the night there and took part of what he had brought with him as a gift for his broth er Esau: 14 two hun dred fe male goats, twen ty male goats, two hun dred ewes, twen ty rams, 15 thir ty milk cam els with their young, for ty cows, ten bulls, twen ty fe male don keys, and ten male don keys. 16 He en trust ed them to his slaves as sep a rate herds and said to them, “ Go on ahead of me, and leave some dis tance be tween the herds.” 17 And he told the first one: “ When my broth er Esau meets you and asks, ‘ Who do you be- long to? Where are you go ing? And whose an i mals are these ahead of you? ’ 18 then tell him, ‘ They be long to your ser vant Ja cob. They are a gift sent to my lord Esau. And look, he is be hind us.’ ” 19 He also told the sec ond one, the third, and ev ery one who was walk ing be hind the an i mals, “ Say the same thing to Esau when you find him. 20 You are also to say , ‘ Look, your ser vant Ja cob is right be hind us.’ ” For he thought, “ I want to ap pease Esau with the gift that is go ing ahead of me. Af ter that, I can face him, and per haps he will for give me.”21 So the gift was sent on ahead of him while he re mained in the camp that night. 22 Dur ing the night Ja cob got up and took his two wives, his two slave wom en, and his elev en sons, and crossed the ford of Jab bok. 23 He took them and sent them across the stream, along with all his pos ses sions. JACOB WRESTLES WITH GOD 24 Ja cob was left alone, and a man wres tled with him un til day break. 25 When the man saw that he could not de feat him, he struck Ja cob’s hip sock et as they wres tled and dislocated his hip. 26 Then he said to Ja cob, “ Let me go, for it is day break.” But Ja cob said, “ I will not let you go un less you bless me.” 27 “ What is your name? ” the man asked. “Ja cob,” he re plied. 28 “ Your name will no lon ger be Ja cob,” he said. “ It will be Is ra el a be cause you have strug gled with God and with men and have pre vailed.” 29 Then Ja cob asked him, “ Please tell me your name.” But he an swered, “ Why do you ask my name? ” And he blessed him there. 30 Ja cob then named the place Pe ni el, b “ For I have seen God face to face,” he said, “ yet my life has been spared.” 31 The sun shone on him as he passed by Pe nu el c — limp ing be cause of his hip. 32 That is why , still to day , the Is ra el ites don’t eat the thigh muscle that is at the hip sock et: be cause he struck Ja cob’s hip sock et at the thigh muscle. d JACOB MEETS ESAU 33 Now Ja cob looked up and saw Esau com- ing to ward him with four hun dred men. So he di vid ed the chil dren among Leah, Ra chel, and the two slave wom en. 2 He put the slaves and their chil dren first, Leah and her chil dren next, and Ra chel and Jo seph last. 3 He him self went on ahead and bowed to the ground sev en times un til he ap proached his broth er. 4 But Esau ran to meet him, hugged him, threw his arms around him, and kissed him. Then they wept. 5 When Esau looked up and saw the wom en and chil dren, he asked, “ Who are these with you? ” He an swered, “ The chil dren God has gra- cious ly giv en your ser vant.” 6 Then the slaves a 32:28 In Hb, the name Israel sounds like “he struggled (with) God.” b 32:30 = Face of God c 32:31 Variant of Peniel d 32:32 Or tendonGENESIS 32-33 28 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 28 10/26/17 8:59 PM and their chil dren ap proached him and bowed down. 7 Leah and her chil dren also ap proached and bowed down, and then Jo seph and Ra chel ap proached and bowed down. 8 So Esau said, “ What do you mean by this whole pro ces sion a I met? ” “ To find fa vor with you, my lord,” he an- swered. 9 “ I have enough, my broth er,” Esau re plied. “ Keep what you have.” 10 But Ja cob said, “ No, please! If I have found fa vor with you, take this gift from me. For in deed, I have seen your face, and it is like see ing God’s face, since you have ac cept ed me. 11 Please take my pre sent that was brought to you, be cause God has been gra cious to me and I have ev ery thing I need.” So Ja cob urged him un til he ac cept ed. 12 Then Esau said, “ Let’s move on, and I’ll go ahead of you.” 13 Ja cob re plied, “ My lord knows that the chil dren are weak, and I have nurs ing flocks and herds. If they are driv en hard for one day , the whole herd will die. 14 Let my lord go ahead of his ser vant. I will con tin ue on slow ly , at a pace suited to the live stock and the chil dren, un til I come to my lord at Seir.” 15 Esau said, “ Let me leave some of my peo- ple with you.” But he re plied, “ Why do that? Please in dulge me, b my lord.” 16 That day Esau start ed on his way back to Seir, 17 but Ja cob went to Suc coth. He built a house for him self and shel ters for his live stock; that is why the place was called Suc coth. c 18 Af ter Ja cob came from Paddan-aram, he ar rived safe ly at She chem in the land of Ca naan and camped in front of the city . 19 He pur chased a sec tion of the field where he had pitched his tent from the sons of Ha mor, She chem’s fa ther, for a hun dred pieces of sil ver. d 20 And he set up an al tar there and called it God, the God of Is ra el. e DINAH DEFILED 34 Leah’s daugh ter Di nah, whom Leah bore to Ja cob, went out to see some of the young wom en of the area. 2 When She- chem — son of Ha mor the Hi vite, who was the region’s chieftain — saw her, he took her and raped her. 3 He be came infatuated with Ja cob’s daugh ter Di nah. He loved the young girl and spoke ten der ly to her. f 4 “ Get me this girl as a wife,” he told his fa ther. 5 Ja cob heard that She chem had de filed his daugh ter Di nah, but since his sons were with his live stock in the field, he re mained si lent un til they re turned. 6 Mean while, She chem’s fa- ther Ha mor came to speak with Ja cob. 7 Ja cob’s sons re turned from the field when they heard about the in ci dent and were deep ly grieved and very an gry . For She chem had com mit ted an outrage against Is ra el by raping Ja cob’s daugh ter, and such a thing should not be done. 8 Ha mor said to Ja cob’s sons, “ My son She- chem has his heart set on your g daugh ter. Please give her to him as a wife. 9 In ter mar ry with us; give your daugh ters to us, and take our daugh ters for your selves. 10 Live with us. The land is be fore you. Set tle here, move about, and ac quire prop er ty in it.” 11 Then She chem said to Di nah’s fa ther and broth ers, “ Grant me this fa vor, h and I’ll give you what ev er you say . 12 De mand of me a high com pen sa tion i and gift; I’ll give you what ev er you ask me. Just give the girl to be my wife! ” 13 But Ja cob’s sons an swered She chem and his fa ther Ha mor de ceit ful ly be cause he had de filed their sis ter Di nah. 14 “ We can not do this thing,” they said to them. “Giv ing our sis ter to an un cir cum cised man is a dis grace to us. 15 We will agree with you only on this con di- tion: if all your males are cir cum cised as we are. 16 Then we will give you our daugh ters, take your daugh ters for our selves, live with you, and be come one peo ple. 17 But if you will not lis ten to us and be cir cum cised, then we will take our daugh ter and go.” 18 Their words seemed good to Ha mor and his son She chem. 19 The young man did not de lay do ing this, be cause he was de light ed with Ja cob’s daugh ter. Now he was the most im por tant in all his fa ther’s fam i ly . 20 So Ha- mor and his son She chem went to the gate of their city and spoke to the men of their city . 21 “ These men are peace ful to ward us,” they said. “ Let them live in our land and move about in it, for in deed, the re gion is large enough for them. Let us take their daugh ters as our wives and give our daugh ters to them. 22 But the men will agree to live with us and be one peo ple only on this con di tion: if all our men are cir cum cised as they are. 23 Won’t their live- stock, their pos ses sions, and all their an i mals a 33:8 Lit camp b 33:15 Lit May I find favor in your eyes c 33:17 = Stalls or Huts d 33:19 Lit 100 qesitahs ; the value of this currency is unknown e 33:20 = El-Elohe-Israel f 34:3 Lit spoke to her heart g 34:8 The Hb word for your is pl, showing that Hamor is speaking to Jacob and his sons. h 34:11 Lit “May I find favor in your eyes i 34:12 Or bride-price, or betrothal present 29 GENESIS 33-34 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 29 10/26/17 8:59 PM be come ours? Only let us agree with them, and they will live with us.” 24 All the men who had come to the city gates lis tened to Ha mor and his son She chem, and all those men were cir cum cised. 25 On the third day , when they were still in pain, two of Ja- cob’s sons, Sim e on and Levi, Di nah’s broth ers, took their swords, went into the un sus pect ing city , and killed ev ery male. 26 They killed Ha- mor and his son She chem with their swords, took Di nah from She chem’s house, and went away. 27 Ja cob’s sons came to the slaugh ter and plun dered the city be cause their sis ter had been de filed. 28 They took their flocks, herds, don keys, and what ev er was in the city and in the field. 29 They cap tured all their pos ses- sions, de pen dents, and wives and plun dered ev ery thing in the hous es. 30 Then Ja cob said to Sim e on and Levi, “ You have brought trou ble on me, mak ing me odi ous to the in hab i tants of the land, the Ca naan ites and the Per iz zites. We are few in num ber; if they unite against me and at tack me, I and my house hold will be de stroyed.” 31 But they an swered, “ Should he treat our sis ter like a pros ti tute? ” RETURN TO BETHEL 35 God said to Ja cob, “ Get up! Go to Beth el and set tle there. Build an al tar there to the God who ap peared to you when you fled from your broth er Esau.” 2 So Ja cob said to his fam i ly and all who were with him, “ Get rid of the for eign gods that are among you. Pu ri fy your selves and change your clothes. 3 We must get up and go to Beth el. I will build an al tar there to the God who an swered me in my day of dis tress. He has been with me ev ery where I have gone.” 4 Then they gave Ja cob all their for eign gods and their ear rings, and Ja cob hid them un der the oak near She chem. 5 When they set out, a ter ror from God came over the cit ies around them, and they did not pur sue Ja cob’s sons. 6 So Ja cob and all who were with him came to Luz ( that is, Beth el) in the land of Ca naan. 7 Ja cob built an al tar there and called the place El-beth el a be cause it was there that God had re vealed him self to him when he was flee ing from his broth er. 8 Deb o rah, the one who had nursed and raised Re bek ah, b died and was bur ied un der the oak south of Beth el. So Ja cob named it Al lon-bac uth. c 9 God ap peared to Ja cob again af ter he re- turned from Paddan-aram, and he blessed him. 10 God said to him, “ Your name is Ja cob; you will no lon ger be named Ja cob, but your name will be Is ra el.” So he named him Is ra el. 11 God also said to him, “ I am God Al mighty . Be fruit ful and mul ti ply . A na tion, in deed an as sem bly of na tions, will come from you, and kings will de scend from you. d 12 I will give to you the land that I gave to Abra ham and Isaac. And I will give the land to your fu ture de scen dants.” 13 Then God with drew e from him at the place where he had spo ken to him. 14 Ja cob set up a mark er at the place where he had spo ken to him — a stone mark er. He poured a drink off er ing on it and anoint ed it with oil. 15 Ja cob named the place where God had spo ken with him Beth el. RACHEL’S DEATH 16 They set out from Beth el. When they were still some dis tance from Eph rath, Ra chel be- gan to give birth, and her la bor was diff i cult. 17 Dur ing her diff i cult la bor, the mid wife said to her, “ Don’t be afraid, for you have an oth er son.” 18 With her last breath — for she was dy ing — she named him Ben-oni, f but his fa- ther called him Ben ja min. g 19 So Ra chel died and was bur ied on the way to Eph rath ( that is, Beth le hem). 20 Ja cob set up a mark er on her grave; it is the mark er at Ra chel’s grave still to day . ISRAEL’S SONS 21 Is ra el set out again and pitched his tent be- yond the Tow er of Eder. h 22 While Is ra el was liv ing in that re gion, Reu ben went in and slept with his fa ther’s con cu bine Bil hah, and Is ra el heard about it. Ja cob had twelve sons: 23 Leah’s sons were Reuben (Jacob’s firstborn), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. 24 Rachel’s sons were Joseph and Benjamin. 25 The sons of Rachel’s slave Bilhah were Dan and Naphtali. 26 The sons of Leah’s slave Zilpah were Gad and Asher. a 35:7 = God of Bethel b 35:8 Lit Deborah, Rebekah’s wet nurse ; Gn 24:59 c 35:8 = Oak of Weeping d 35:11 Lit will come from your loins e 35:13 Lit went up f 35:18 = Son of My Sorrow g 35:18 = Son of the Right Hand h 35:21 Or beyond Migdal-ederGENESIS 34-35 30 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 30 10/26/17 8:59 PM These are the sons of Ja cob, who were born to him in Paddan-aram. ISAAC’S DEATH 27 Ja cob came to his fa ther Isaac at Mam re in Kiriath-arba ( that is, He bron), where Abra ham and Isaac had stayed. 28 Isaac lived 180 years. 29 He took his last breath and died, and was gath ered to his peo ple, old and full of days. His sons Esau and Ja cob bur ied him. ESAU’S FAMILY 36 These are the fam i ly rec ords of Esau ( that is, Edom). 2 Esau took his wives from the Ca naan ite wom en: Adah daugh ter of Elon the Heth ite, Ohol i ba mah daugh ter of Anah and grand daugh ter a of Zib e on the Hi vite, 3 and Bas e math daugh ter of Ish ma el and sis ter of Ne ba ioth. 4 Adah bore El i phaz to Esau, Bas e math bore Reu el, 5 and Ohol i- ba mah bore Je ush, Ja lam, and Ko rah. These were Esau’s sons, who were born to him in the land of Ca naan. 6 Esau took his wives, sons, daugh ters, and all the peo ple of his house hold, as well as his herds, all his live stock, and all the prop er ty he had ac quired in Ca naan; he went to a land away from his broth er Ja cob. 7 For their pos ses sions were too many for them to live to geth er, and be cause of their herds, the land where they stayed could not sup port them. 8 So Esau ( that is, Edom) lived in the moun tains of Seir. 9 These are the fam i ly rec ords of Esau, fa- ther of the Edom ites in the moun tains of Seir. 10 These are the names of Esau’s sons: Eliphaz son of Esau’s wife Adah, and Reuel son of Esau’s wife Basemath. 11 The sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz. 12 Timna, a concubine of Esau’s son Eliphaz, bore Amalek to Eliphaz. These are the sons of Esau’s wife Adah. 13 These are Reuel’s sons: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These are the sons of Esau’s wife Basemath. 14 These are the sons of Esau’s wife Oholibamah daughter of Anah and granddaughter a of Zibeon: She bore Jeush, Jalam, and Korah to Edom. 15 These are the chiefs among Esau’s sons: the sons of Eliphaz, Esau’s firstborn: chief Teman, chief Omar, chief Zepho, chief Kenaz, 16
👑 Genealogies and Joseph's Journey
📜 Tribal lineages trace Esau's descendants through his wives and document the chiefs and kings of Edom, establishing historical connections between ancient peoples
🌈 Joseph receives a special robe from his father Jacob, triggering intense jealousy among his brothers who plot against him and ultimately sell him into Egyptian slavery for twenty pieces of silver
💭 Prophetic dreams reveal Joseph's future prominence, with sheaves of grain and celestial bodies bowing to him, further inflaming his brothers' hatred
🏛️ In Egypt, Joseph rises to authority in Potiphar's household through divine blessing, only to be falsely accused by Potiphar's wife and imprisoned after rejecting her advances
🔄 The Tamar-Judah narrative intertwines with Joseph's story, revealing how Tamar secures justice and her rightful place in the family line through cunning deception
🔮 Even in prison, Joseph's divine gift of dream interpretation emerges as he accurately predicts the fates of Pharaoh's cupbearer and baker, setting the stage for his future rise
chief Korah, b chief Gatam, and chief Amalek. These are the chiefs descended from Eliphaz in the land of Edom. These are the sons of Adah. 17 These are the sons of Reuel, Esau’s son: chief Nahath, chief Zerah, chief Shammah, and chief Mizzah. These are the chiefs descended from Reuel in the land of Edom. These are the sons of Esau’s wife Basemath. 18 These are the sons of Esau’s wife Oholibamah: chief Jeush, chief Jalam, and chief Korah. These are the chiefs descended from Esau’s wife Oholibamah daughter of Anah. 19 These are the sons of Esau (that is, Edom), and these are their chiefs. SEIR’S FAMILY 20 These are the sons of Seir the Horite, the inhabitants of the land: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, 21 Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. These are the chiefs among the Horites, the sons of Seir, in the land of Edom. 22 The sons of Lotan were Hori and Heman. Timna was Lotan’s sister. 23 These are Shobal’s sons: Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam. 24 These are Zibeon’s sons: Aiah and Anah. This was the Anah who found the hot springs c in the wilderness while he was pasturing the donkeys of his father Zibeon. a 36:2,14 Sam, LXX read Anah son b 36:16 Sam omits Korah c 36:24 Syr , Vg; Tg reads the mules ; Hb obscure 31 GENESIS 35-36 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 31 10/26/17 8:59 PM 25 These are the children of Anah: Dishon and Oholibamah daughter of Anah. 26 These are Dishon’s sons: Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran. 27 These are Ezer’s sons: Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan. 28 These are Dishan’s sons: Uz and Aran. 29 These are the chiefs among the Horites: chief Lotan, chief Shobal, chief Zibeon, chief Anah, 30 chief Dishon, chief Ezer, and chief Dishan. These are the chiefs among the Horites, clan by clan, a in the land of Seir. RULERS OF EDOM 31 These are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the Israelites: 32 Bela son of Beor reigned in Edom; the name of his city was Dinhabah. 33 When Bela died, Jobab son of Zerah from Bozrah reigned in his place. 34 When Jobab died, Husham from the land of the Temanites reigned in his place. 35 When Husham died, Hadad son of Bedad reigned in his place. He defeated Midian in the field of Moab; the name of his city was Avith. 36 When Hadad died, Samlah from Masrekah reigned in his place. 37 When Samlah died, Shaul from Rehoboth on the Euphrates River reigned in his place. 38 When Shaul died, Baal-hanan son of Achbor reigned in his place. 39 When Baal-hanan son of Achbor died, Hadar b reigned in his place. His city was Pau, and his wife’s name was Mehetabel daughter of Matred daughter of Me-zahab. 40 These are the names of Esau’s chiefs, according to their families and their localities, by their names: chief Timna, chief Alvah, chief Jetheth, 41 chief Oholibamah, chief Elah, chief Pinon, 42 chief Kenaz, chief Teman, chief Mibzar, 43 chief Magdiel, and chief Iram. These are Edom’s chiefs, according to their settlements in the land they possessed. Esau c was father of the Edomites. JOSEPH’S DREAMS 37 Ja cob lived in the land where his fa ther had stayed, the land of Ca naan. 2 These are the fam i ly rec ords of Ja cob. At sev en teen years of age, Jo seph tend ed sheep with his broth ers. The young man was work ing with the sons of Bil hah and Zil pah, his fa ther’s wives, and he brought a bad re port about them to their fa ther. 3 Now Is ra el loved Jo seph more than his oth er sons be cause Jo seph was a son born to him in his old age, and he made a robe of many col ors d for him. 4 When his broth ers saw that their fa ther loved him more than all his broth ers, they hat ed him and could not bring them selves to speak peace ably to him. 5 Then Jo seph had a dream. When he told it to his broth ers, they hat ed him even more. 6 He said to them, “Lis ten to this dream I had: 7 There we were, bind ing sheaves of grain in the field. Sud den ly my sheaf stood up, and your sheaves gath ered around it and bowed down to my sheaf.” 8 “ Are you real ly go ing to reign over us? ” his broth ers asked him. “ Are you real ly go ing to rule us? ” So they hat ed him even more be cause of his dream and what he had said. 9 Then he had an oth er dream and told it to his broth ers. “ Look,” he said, “ I had an oth er dream, and this time the sun, moon, and elev en stars were bow ing down to me.” 10 He told his fa ther and broth ers, and his fa ther re buked him. “ What kind of dream is this that you have had? ” he said. “ Am I and your moth er and your broth ers real ly go ing to come and bow down to the ground be fore you? ” 11 His broth ers were jeal ous of him, but his fa ther kept the mat ter in mind. JOSEPH SOLD INTO SLAVERY 12 His broth ers had gone to pas ture their fa- ther’s flocks at She chem. 13 Is ra el said to Jo seph, a 36:30 Lit Horites, for their chiefs b 36:39 Many Hb mss, Sam, Syr read Hadad c 36:43 Lit He Esau d 37:3 Or robe with long sleeves ; see 2Sm 13:18,19GENESIS 36-37 32 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 32 10/26/17 8:59 PM “ Your broth ers, you know , are pasturing the flocks at She chem. Get ready . I’m send ing you to them.” “ I’m ready ,” Jo seph re plied. 14 Then Is ra el said to him, “ Go and see how your broth ers and the flocks are do ing, and bring word back to me.” So he sent him from the He bron Val ley , and he went to She chem. 15 A man found him there, wan der ing in the field, and asked him, “ What are you look ing for? ” 16 “ I’m look ing for my broth ers,” Jo seph said. “ Can you tell me where they are pasturing their flocks? ” 17 “They’ve moved on from here,” the man said. “ I heard them say , ‘ Let’s go to Do than.’ ” So Jo seph set out af ter his broth ers and found them at Do than. 18 They saw him in the dis tance, and be fore he had reached them, they plot ted to kill him. 19 They said to one an oth er, “ Oh, look, here comes that dream ex pert! a 20 So now , come on, let’s kill him and throw him into one of the pits. b We can say that a vicious an i mal ate him. Then we’ll see what be comes of his dreams! ” 21 When Reu ben heard this, he tried to save him from them. c He said, “ Let’s not take his life.” 22 Reu ben also said to them, “ Don’t shed blood. Throw him into this pit in the wil der ness, but don’t lay a hand on him” — in tend ing to res cue him from them and re turn him to his fa ther. 23 When Jo seph came to his broth ers, they stripped off Jo seph’s robe, the robe of many col ors that he had on. 24 Then they took him and threw him into the pit. The pit was emp ty , with out wa ter. 25 They sat down to eat a meal, and when they looked up, there was a car a van of Ish- ma el ites com ing from Gil e ad. Their cam els were car ry ing ar o mat ic gum, bal sam, and res in, go ing down to Egypt. 26 Ju dah said to his broth ers, “ What do we gain if we kill our broth er and cov er up his blood? 27 Come on, let’s sell him to the Ish- ma el ites and not lay a hand on him, for he is our broth er, our own flesh,” and his broth ers agreed. 28 When Mid i an ite trad ers passed by , his broth ers pulled Jo seph out of the pit and sold him for twen ty pieces of sil ver to the Ish - ma el ites, who took Jo seph to Egypt. 29 When Reu ben re turned to the pit and saw that Jo seph was not there, he tore his clothes. 30 He went back to his broth ers and said, “ The boy is gone! What am I go ing to do? ” d 31 So they took Jo seph’s robe, slaugh tered a male goat, and dipped the robe in its blood. 32 They sent the robe of many col ors to their fa ther and said, “ We found this. Ex am ine it. Is it your son’s robe or not? ” 33 His fa ther rec og nized it. “ It is my son’s robe,” he said. “ A vicious an i mal has de voured him. Jo seph has been torn to pieces! ” 34 Then Ja cob tore his clothes, put sack cloth around his waist, and mourned for his son many days. 35 All his sons and daugh ters tried to com fort him, but he re fused to be com fort ed. “ No,” he said. “ I will go down to She ol to my son, mourn ing.” And his fa ther wept for him. 36 Mean while, the Mid i an ites sold Jo seph in Egypt to Pot i phar, an off i cer of Pha raoh and the cap tain of the guards. JUDAH AND TAMAR 38 At that time Ju dah left his broth ers and set tled near an Adul lam ite named Hi rah. 2 There Ju dah saw the daugh ter of a Ca naan ite named Shua; he took her as a wife and slept with her. 3 She con ceived and gave birth to a son, and he named him Er. 4 She con ceived again, gave birth to a son, and named him Onan. 5 She gave birth to an oth er son and named him She lah. It was at Chezib that e,f she gave birth to him. 6 Ju dah got a wife for Er, his first born, and her name was Ta mar. 7 Now Er, Ju dah’s first born, was evil in the L ord’ s sight, and the L ord put him to death. 8 Then Ju dah said to Onan, “ Sleep with your broth er’s wife. Per form your duty as her brother-in-law and pro duce off spring for your broth er.” 9 But Onan knew that the off - spring would not be his, so when ev er he slept with his broth er’s wife, he re leased his se men on the ground so that he would not pro duce off spring for his broth er. 10 What he did was evil in the L ord’ s sight, so he put him to death also. 11 Then Ju dah said to his daughter-in-law Ta mar, “Re main a wid ow in your fa ther’s house un til my son She lah grows up.” For he thought, “ He might die too, like his broth ers.” So Ta mar went to live in her fa ther’s house. 12 Af ter a long time g Ju dah’s wife, the daugh- ter of Shua, died. When Ju dah had fin ished mourn ing, he and his friend Hi rah the Adul- lam ite went up to Tim nah to his sheep shear - ers. 13 Ta mar was told, “ Your father-in-law is a 37:19 Lit comes the lord of the dreams b 37:20 Or cisterns c 37:21 Lit their hands d 37:30 Lit And I, where am I going? e 38:5 LXX reads She was at Chezib when f 38:5 Or He was at Chezib when g 38:12 Lit And there were many days, and 33 GENESIS 37-38 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 33 10/26/17 8:59 PM go ing up to Tim nah to shear his sheep.” 14 So she took off her wid ow’s clothes, veiled her face, cov ered her self, and sat at the en trance to Ena im, a which is on the way to Tim nah. For she saw that, though She lah had grown up, she had not been giv en to him as a wife. 15 When Ju dah saw her, he thought she was a pros ti tute, for she had cov ered her face. 16 He went over to her and said, “ Come, let me sleep with you,” for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law . She said, “ What will you give me for sleep- ing with me? ” 17 “ I will send you a young goat from my flock,” he re plied. But she said, “ Only if you leave some thing with me un til you send it.” 18 “ What should I give you? ” he asked. She an swered, “ Your sig net ring, your cord, and the staff in your hand.” So he gave them to her and slept with her, and she be came preg- nant by him. 19 She got up and left, then re moved her veil and put her wid ow’s clothes back on. 20 When Ju dah sent the young goat by his friend the Adul lam ite in or der to get back the items he had left with the wom an, he could not find her. 21 He asked the men of the place, “ Where is the cult pros ti tute who was be side the road at Ena im? ” “ There has been no cult pros ti tute here,” they an swered. 22 So the Adul lam ite re turned to Ju dah, say ing, “ I couldn’t find her, and be sides, the men of the place said, ‘ There has been no cult pros ti tute here.’ ” 23 Ju dah re plied, “ Let her keep the items for her self; oth er wise we will be come a laugh ing- stock. Af ter all, I did send this young goat, but you couldn’t find her.” 24 About three months lat er Ju dah was told, “ Your daughter-in-law , Ta mar, has been act ing like a pros ti tute, and now she is preg nant.” “ Bring her out,” Ju dah said, “ and let her be burned to death! ” 25 As she was be ing brought out, she sent her father-in-law this mes sage: “ I am preg nant by the man to whom these items be long.” And she add ed, “Ex am ine them. Whose sig net ring, cord, and staff are these? ” 26 Ju dah rec og nized them and said, “ She is more in the right b than I, since I did not give her to my son She lah.” And he did not know her intimately again. 27 When the time came for her to give birth, there were twins in her womb. 28 As she was giv ing birth, one of them put out his hand, and the mid wife took it and tied a scar let thread around it, an nounc ing, “ This one came out first.” 29 But then he pulled his hand back, out came his broth er, and she said, “ What a breakout you have made for your self! ” So he was named Pe rez. c 30 Then his broth er, who had the scar let thread tied to his hand, came out, and was named Ze rah. d JOSEPH IN POTIPHAR’S HOUSE 39 Now Jo seph had been tak en to Egypt. An Egyp tian named Pot i phar, an off i cer of Pha raoh and the cap tain of the guards, bought him from the Ish ma el ites who had brought him there. 2 The L ord was with Jo seph, and he be came a suc cess ful man, serv ing e in the house hold of his Egyp tian mas ter. 3 When his mas ter saw that the L ord was with him and that the L ord made ev ery thing he did suc- cess ful, 4 Jo seph found fa vor with his mas ter and be came his per son al at ten dant. Pot i phar also put him in charge of his house hold and placed all that he owned un der his au thor i ty . f 5 From the time that he put him in charge of his house hold and of all that he owned, the L ord blessed the Egyp tian’s house be cause of Jo seph. The L ord’ s bless ing was on all that he owned, in his house and in his fields. 6 He left all that he owned un der Jo seph’s au thor i ty; g he did not con cern him self with any thing ex- cept the food he ate. Now Jo seph was well-built and hand some. 7 Af ter some time h his mas ter’s wife looked longingly at Jo seph and said, “ Sleep with me.” 8 But he re fused. “ Look,” he said to his mas- ter’s wife, “ with me here my mas ter does not con cern him self with any thing in his house, and he has put all that he owns un der my au- thor i ty . i 9 No one in this house is great er than I am. He has with held noth ing from me ex cept you, be cause you are his wife. So how could I do this im mense evil, and how could I sin against God? ” 10 Al though she spoke to Jo seph day af ter day , he re fused to go to bed with her. j 11 Now one day he went into the house to do his work, and a 38:14 Or sat by the mouth of the springs b 38:26 Or more righteous c 38:29 = Breaking Out d 38:30 = Brightness of Sunrise; perhaps related to the scarlet thread e 39:2 Lit and he was f 39:4 Lit owned in his hand g 39:6 Lit owned in Joseph’s hand h 39:7 Lit And after these things i 39:8 Lit owns in my hand j 39:10 Lit he did not listen to her to lie beside her, to be with herGENESIS 38-39 34 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 34 10/26/17 8:59 PM none of the house hold ser vants were there. a 12 She grabbed him by his gar ment and said, “ Sleep with me! ” But leav ing his gar ment in her hand, he es caped and ran out side. 13 When she saw that he had left his gar ment with her and had run out side, 14 she called her house- hold ser vants. “ Look,” she said to them, “ my hus band brought a He brew man to make fools of us. He came to me so he could sleep with me, and I screamed as loud as I could. 15 When he heard me screaming for help, b he left his gar ment be side me and ran out side.” 16 She put Jo seph’s gar ment be side her un til his mas ter came home. 17 Then she told him the same sto ry: “ The He brew slave you brought to us came to make a fool of me, 18 but when I screamed for help, c he left his gar ment be side me and ran out side.” 19 When his mas ter heard the sto ry his wife told him — “ These are the things your slave did to me” — he was fu ri ous 20 and had him thrown into pris on, where the king’s pris on ers were con fined. So Jo seph was there in pris on. JOSEPH IN PRISON 21 But the L ord was with Jo seph and ex tend ed kind ness to him. He grant ed him fa vor with the pris on war den. 22 The war den put all the pris on ers who were in the pris on un der Jo- seph’s au thor i ty , d and he was re spon si ble for ev ery thing that was done there. 23 The war den did not both er with any thing un der Jo seph’s au thor i ty , e be cause the L ord was with him, and the L ord made ev ery thing that he did suc cess ful. JOSEPH INTERPRETS TWO PRISONERS’ DREAMS 40 Af ter this, the king of Egypt’s cup bear - er and bak er off end ed their mas ter, the king of Egypt. 2 Pha raoh was an gry with his two off i cers, the chief cup bear er and the chief bak er, 3 and put them in cus to dy in the house of the cap tain of the guards in the pris on where Jo seph was con fined. 4 The cap tain of the guards as signed Jo seph to them as their per son al at ten dant, and they were in cus to dy for some time. f 5 The king of Egypt’s cup bear er and bak er, who were con fined in the pris on, each had a dream. Both had a dream on the same night, and each dream had its own mean ing. 6 When Jo seph came to them in the morn ing, he saw that they looked dis traught. 7 So he asked Pha- raoh’s o ff i cers who were in cus to dy with him in his mas ter’s house, “ Why do you look so sad to day? ” 8 “ We had dreams,” they said to him, “ but there is no one to in ter pret them.” Then Jo seph said to them, “ Don’t in ter pre- ta tions be long to God? Tell me your dreams.” 9 So the chief cup bear er told his dream to Jo seph: “ In my dream there was a vine in front of me. 10 On the vine were three branch es. As soon as it bud ded, its blos soms came out and its clus ters rip ened into grapes. 11 Pha raoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes, squeezed them into Pha raoh’s cup, and placed the cup in Pha raoh’s hand.” 12 “ This is its in ter pre ta tion,” Jo seph said to him. “ The three branch es are three days. 13 In just three days Pha raoh will lift up your head and re store you to your po si tion. You will put Pha raoh’s cup in his hand the way you used to when you were his cup bear er. 14 But when all goes well for you, re mem ber that I was with you. Please show kind ness to me by men tion ing me
🏛️ Joseph's Rise to Power
🔮 Dream interpretation becomes Joseph's divine gift, accurately predicting the fate of Pharaoh's cupbearer and baker while imprisoned, then later revealing Egypt's coming seven years of abundance followed by seven years of famine
🌾 From prisoner to prime minister, Joseph's meteoric rise showcases how his wisdom and God-given discernment transforms him from forgotten Hebrew slave to Egypt's second-in-command
🏦 Joseph implements a brilliant resource management strategy, storing one-fifth of Egypt's harvest during the abundant years, ensuring survival during the devastating famine that follows
👨👨👦👦 The family reunion begins with dramatic tension as Joseph's brothers, unrecognized by them but fully known to him, come to Egypt seeking grain and face his strategic test requiring them to bring Benjamin
💔 Emotional complexity permeates the narrative as Joseph weeps privately, tests his brothers' character, and Jacob reluctantly sends Benjamin to Egypt, fearing the loss of another beloved son
to Pha raoh, and get me out of this pris on. 15 For I was kidnapped from the land of the He brews, and even here I have done noth ing that they should put me in the dun geon.” g 16 When the chief bak er saw that the in- ter pre ta tion was positive, he said to Jo seph, “ I also had a dream. Three bas kets of white bread were on my head. 17 In the top bas ket were all sorts of baked goods for Pha raoh, but the birds were eat ing them out of the bas ket on my head.” 18 “ This is its in ter pre ta tion,” Jo seph re plied. “ The three bas kets are three days. 19 In just three days Pha raoh will lift up your head — from off you — and hang you on a tree. h Then the birds will eat the flesh from your body .” i 20 On the third day , which was Pha raoh’s birth day , he gave a feast for all his ser vants. He el e vat ed j the chief cup bear er and the chief bak er among his ser vants. 21 Pha raoh re stored the chief cup bear er to his po si tion as cup bear er, and he placed the cup in Pha raoh’s hand. 22 But Pha raoh hanged k the chief bak er, just as Jo seph had ex plained to them. 23 Yet the chief cup bear - er did not re mem ber Jo seph; he for got him. a 39:11 Lit there in the house b 39:15 Lit he heard that I raised my voice and I screamed c 39:18 Lit I raised my voice and screamed d 39:22 Lit prison in the hand of Joseph e 39:23 Lit anything in his hand f 40:4 Lit custody days g 40:15 Or pit, or cistern h 40:19 Or and impale you on a pole i 40:19 Lit eat your flesh from upon you j 40:20 Lit He lifted up the head of k 40:22 Or impaled 35 GENESIS 39-40 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 35 10/26/17 8:59 PM JOSEPH INTERPRETS PHARAOH’S DREAMS 41 At the end of two years Pha raoh had a dream: He was stand ing be side the Nile, 2 when sev en healthy-looking, well-fed cows came up from the Nile and be gan to graze among the reeds. 3 Af ter them, sev en oth er cows, sickly and thin, came up from the Nile and stood be side those cows along the bank of the Nile. 4 The sickly , thin cows ate the healthy , well-fed cows. Then Pha raoh woke up. 5 He fell asleep and dreamed a sec ond time: Sev en heads of grain, plump and good, came up on one stalk. 6 Af ter them, sev en heads of grain, thin and scorched by the east wind, sprout ed up. 7 The thin heads of grain swal lowed up the sev en plump, full ones. Then Pha raoh woke up, and it was only a dream. 8 When morn ing came, he was trou bled, so he sum moned all the ma gi cians of Egypt and all its wise men. Pha raoh told them his dreams, but no one could in ter pret them for him. 9 Then the chief cup bear er said to Pha raoh, “To day I re mem ber my faults. 10 Pha raoh was an gry with his ser vants, and he put me and the chief bak er in the cus to dy of the cap tain of the guards. 11 He and I had dreams on the same night; each dream had its own mean ing. 12 Now a young He brew , a slave of the cap tain of the guards, was with us there. We told him our dreams, he in ter pret ed our dreams for us, and each had its own in ter pre ta tion. 13 It turned out just the way he in ter pret ed them to us: I was re stored to my po si tion, and the oth er man was hanged.” 14 Then Pha raoh sent for Jo seph, and they quick ly brought him from the dun geon. a He shaved, changed his clothes, and went to Pha- raoh. 15 Pha raoh said to Jo seph, “ I have had a dream, and no one can in ter pret it. But I have heard it said about you that you can hear a dream and in ter pret it.” 16 “ I am not able to,” Jo seph an swered Pha- raoh. “ It is God who will give Pha raoh a fa- vor able an swer.” b 17 So Pha raoh said to Jo seph: “ In my dream I was stand ing on the bank of the Nile, 18 when sev en well-fed, healthy-looking cows came up from the Nile and grazed among the reeds. 19 Af ter them, sev en oth er cows — weak, very sickly , and thin — came up. I’ve nev er seen such sickly ones as these in all the land of Egypt. 20 Then the thin, sickly cows ate the first sev en well-fed cows. 21 When they had de voured them, you could not tell that they had de voured them; their ap pear ance was as bad as it had been be fore. Then I woke up. 22 In my dream I also saw sev en heads of grain, full and good, com ing up on one stalk. 23 Af ter them, sev en heads of grain — with ered, thin, and scorched by the east wind — sprout ed up. 24 The thin heads of grain swal lowed the sev en good ones. I told this to the ma gi cians, but no one can tell me what it means.” 25 Then Jo seph said to Pha raoh, “Pha raoh’s dreams mean the same thing. God has re vealed to Pha raoh what he is about to do. 26 The sev- en good cows are sev en years, and the sev en good heads are sev en years. The dreams mean the same thing. 27 The sev en thin, sickly cows that came up af ter them are sev en years, and the sev en worth less, scorched heads of grain are sev en years of fam ine. 28 “ It is just as I told Pha raoh: God has shown Pha raoh what he is about to do. 29 Sev en years of great abun dance are com ing through out the land of Egypt. 30 Af ter them, sev en years of fam ine will take place, and all the abun dance in the land of Egypt will be for got ten. The fam ine will dev as tate the land. 31 The abun dance in the land will not be re mem bered be cause of the fam ine that fol lows it, for the fam ine will be very se vere. 32 Since the dream was giv en twice to Pha raoh, it means that the mat ter has been de ter mined by God, and he will car ry it out soon. 33 “ So now , let Pha raoh look for a dis cern ing and wise man and set him over the land of Egypt. 34 Let Pha raoh do this: Let him ap point over seers over the land and take a fifth of the har vest of the land of Egypt dur ing the sev en years of abun dance. 35 Let them gath er all the excess food dur ing these good years that are com ing. Un der Pha raoh’s au thor i ty , store the grain in the cit ies, so they may pre serve it as food. 36 The food will be a re serve for the land dur ing the sev en years of fam ine that will take place in the land of Egypt. Then the coun try will not be wiped out by the fam ine.” JOSEPH EXALTED 37 The pro pos al pleased Pha raoh and all his ser vants, 38 and he said to them, “ Can we find any one like this, a man who has God’s spir it c in him? ” 39 So Pha raoh said to Jo seph, “ Since a 41:14 Or pit, or cistern b 41:16 Or “God will answer Pharaoh with peace of mind.” c 41:38 Or the spirit of the gods, or a god’s spiritGENESIS 41 36 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 36 10/26/17 8:59 PM God has made all this known to you, there is no one as dis cern ing and wise as you are. 40 You will be over my house, and all my peo ple will obey your com mands. a Only I, as king, b will be great er than you.” 41 Pha raoh also said to Jo seph, “ See, I am plac ing you over all the land of Egypt.” 42 Pha raoh re moved his sig net ring from his hand and put it on Jo seph’s hand, clothed him with fine lin en gar ments, and placed a gold chain around his neck. 43 He had Jo seph ride in his sec ond char i ot, and ser vants called out be fore him, “ Make way! ” c So he placed him over all the land of Egypt. 44 Pha raoh said to Jo seph, “ I am Pha raoh and no one will be able to raise his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt with- out your per mis sion.” 45 Pha raoh gave Jo seph the name Zaphenath-paneah and gave him a wife, As e nath daugh ter of Po tiph era, priest at On. d And Jo seph went through out e the land of Egypt. JOSEPH’S ADMINISTRATION 46 Jo seph was thir ty years old when he en- tered the ser vice of Pha raoh king of Egypt. Jo seph left Pha raoh’s pres ence and trav eled through out the land of Egypt. 47 Dur ing the sev en years of abun dance the land pro duced out stand ing har vests. 48 Jo seph gath ered all the excess food in the land of Egypt dur ing the sev en years and put it in the cit ies. He put the food in ev ery city from the fields around it. 49 So Jo seph stored up grain in such abun dance — like the sand of the sea — that he stopped mea sur ing it be cause it was be yond mea sure. 50 Two sons were born to Jo seph be fore the years of fam ine ar rived. As e nath daugh ter of Po tiph era, priest at On, bore them to him. 51 Jo seph named the first born Ma nas seh f and said, “ God has made me for get all my hard ship and my whole fam i ly .” 52 And the sec ond son he named Ephra im g and said, “ God has made me fruit ful in the land of my affliction.” 53 Then the sev en years of abun dance in the land of Egypt came to an end, 54 and the sev en years of fam ine be gan, just as Jo seph had said. There was fam ine in ev ery land, but in the whole land of Egypt there was food. 55 When the whole land of Egypt was strick en with fam ine, the peo ple cried out to Pha raoh for food. Pha raoh told all Egypt, “ Go to Jo seph and do what ev er he tells you.” 56 Now the fam ine had spread across the whole re gion, so Jo seph opened all the store houses and sold grain to the Egyp tians, for the fam ine was se vere in the land of Egypt. 57 Ev ery land came to Jo seph in Egypt to buy grain, for the fam ine was se vere in ev ery land. JOSEPH’S BROTHERS IN EGYPT 42 When Ja cob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, “ Why do you keep look ing at each oth er? 2 Lis ten,” he went on, “ I have heard there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us so that we will live and not die.” 3 So ten of Jo seph’s broth ers went down to buy grain from Egypt. 4 But Ja cob did not send Jo seph’s broth er Ben ja min with his broth ers, for he thought, “Some thing might hap pen to him.” 5 The sons of Is ra el were among those who came to buy grain, for the fam ine was in the land of Ca naan. 6 Jo seph was in charge of the coun try; he sold grain to all its peo ple. His broth ers came and bowed down be fore him with their fac es to the ground. 7 When Jo seph saw his broth ers, he rec og nized them, but he treat ed them like strang ers and spoke harsh- ly to them. “ Where do you come from? ” he asked. “ From the land of Ca naan to buy food,” they re plied. 8 Al though Jo seph rec og nized his broth- ers, they did not rec og nize him. 9 Jo seph re- mem bered his dreams about them and said to them, “ You are spies. You have come to see the weak ness h of the land.” 10 “ No, my lord. Your ser vants have come to buy food,” they said. 11 “ We are all sons of one man. We are hon est; your ser vants are not spies.” 12 “ No,” he said to them. “ You have come to see the weak ness of the land.” 13 But they re plied, “ We, your ser vants, were twelve broth ers, the sons of one man in the land of Ca naan. The youn gest is now i with our fa ther, and one is no lon ger liv ing.” 14 Then Jo seph said to them, “ I have spo ken: j ‘ You are spies! ’ 15 This is how you will be test ed: As sure ly as Pha raoh lives, you will not leave a 41:40 Lit will kiss your mouth b 41:40 Lit Only the throne I c 41:43 Or “Kneel! ” d 41:45 Or Heliopolis, also in v. 50 e 41:45 Or Joseph gained authority over f 41:51 In Hb, the name Manasseh sounds like the verb “forget.” g 41:52 In Hb, the name Ephraim sounds like the word for “fruitful.” h 42:9 Lit nakedness, also in v. 12 i 42:13 Or today, also in v. 32 j 42:14 Lit “That which I spoke to you saying: 37 GENESIS 41-42 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 37 10/26/17 8:59 PM this place un less your youn gest broth er comes here. 16 Send one from among you to get your broth er. The rest of you will be im pris oned so that your words can be test ed to see if they are true. If they are not, then as sure ly as Pha raoh lives, you are spies! ” 17 So Jo seph im pris oned them to geth er for three days. 18 On the third day Jo seph said to them, “ I fear God — do this and you will live. 19 If you are hon est, let one of you a be con fined to the guardhouse, while the rest of you go and take grain to re lieve the hun ger of your house holds. 20 Bring your youn gest broth er to me so that your words can be con firmed; then you won’t die.” And they con sent ed to this. 21 Then they said to each oth er, “Obviously , we are be ing pun ished for what we did to our broth er. We saw his deep dis tress when he plead ed with us, but we would not lis ten. That is why this trou ble has come to us.” 22 But Reu ben re plied: “ Didn’t I tell you not to harm the boy? But you wouldn’t lis ten. Now we must ac count for his blood! ” b 23 They did not re al ize that Jo seph un der - stood them, since there was an in ter pret er be tween them. 24 He turned away from them and wept. When he turned back and spoke to them, he took Sim e on from them and had him bound be fore their eyes. 25 Jo seph then gave or ders to fill their con tain ers with grain, re turn each man’s sil ver to his sack, and give them pro vi sions for their jour ney . This or der was car ried out. 26 They load ed the grain on their don keys and left there. THE BROTHERS RETURN HOME 27 At the place where they lodged for the night, one of them opened his sack to get feed for his don key , and he saw his sil ver there at the top of his bag. 28 He said to his broth ers, “ My sil ver has been re turned! It’s here in my bag.” Their hearts sank. Trem bling, they turned to one an oth er and said, “ What is this that God has done to us? ” 29 When they reached their fa ther Ja cob in the land of Ca naan, they told him all that had hap pened to them: 30 “ The man who is the lord of the coun try spoke harsh ly to us and ac cused us of spy ing on the coun try . 31 But we told him: We are hon est and not spies. 32 We were twelve broth ers, sons of the same c fa ther. One is no lon ger liv ing, and the youn gest is now with our fa ther in the land of Ca naan. 33 The man who is the lord of the coun try said to us, ‘ This is how I will know if you are hon est: Leave one broth er with me, take food to re lieve the hun ger of your house holds, and go. 34 Bring back your youn gest broth er to me, and I will know that you are not spies but hon est men. I will then give your broth er back to you, and you can trade in the coun try .’ ” 35 As they be gan emp ty ing their sacks, there in each man’s sack was his bag of sil ver! When they and their fa ther saw their bags of sil ver, they were afraid. 36 Their fa ther Ja cob said to them, “ It’s me that you make child less. Jo seph is gone, and Sim e on is gone. Now you want to take Ben- ja min. Ev ery thing hap pens to me! ” 37 Then Reu ben said to his fa ther, “ You can kill my two sons if I don’t bring him back to you. Put him in my care, d and I will re turn him to you.” 38 But Ja cob an swered, “ My son will not go down with you, for his broth er is dead and he alone is left. If any thing hap pens to him on your jour ney , you will bring my gray hairs down to She ol in sor row .” DECISION TO RETURN TO EGYPT 43 Now the fam ine in the land was se vere. 2 When they had used up the grain they had brought back from Egypt, their fa ther said to them, “ Go back and buy us a lit tle food.” 3 But Ju dah said to him, “ The man specifically warned us: ‘ You will not see me again un less your broth er is with you.’ 4 If you will send our broth er with us, we will go down and buy food for you. 5 But if you will not send him, we will not go, for the man said to us, ‘ You will not see me again un less your broth er is with you.’ ” 6 “ Why have you caused me so much trou- ble? ” Is ra el asked. “ Why did you tell the man that you had an oth er broth er? ” 7 They an swered, “ The man kept ask ing about us and our fam i ly: ‘ Is your fa ther still alive? Do you have an oth er broth er? ’ And we an swered him ac cord ing ly . How could we know that he would say , ‘ Bring your broth er here’? ” 8 Then Ju dah said to his fa ther Is ra el, “ Send the boy with me. We will be on our way so that we may live and not die — nei ther we, nor you, nor our de pen dents. 9 I will be re spon si ble for him. You can hold me per son al ly ac count able! e a 42:19 Lit your brothers b 42:22 Lit Even his blood is being sought! ” c 42:32 Lit of our d 42:37 Lit hand e 43:9 Lit can seek him from my handGENESIS 42-43 38 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 38 10/26/17 8:59 PM If I do not bring him back to you and set him be fore you, I will be guilty be fore you for ev er. 10 If we had not de layed, we could have come back twice by now .” 11 Then their fa ther Is ra el said to them, “ If it must be so, then do this: Put some of the best prod ucts of the land in your packs and take them down to the man as a gift — a lit tle bal sam and a lit tle hon ey , ar o mat ic gum and res in, pis ta chios and al monds. 12 Take twice as much sil ver with you. Re turn the sil ver that was re turned to you in the top of your bags. Per haps it was a mis take. 13 Take your broth er also, and go back at once to the man. 14 May God Al mighty cause the man to be mer ci ful to you so that he will re lease your oth er broth er and Ben ja min to you. As for me, if I am de prived of my sons, then I am de prived.” THE RETURN TO EGYPT 15 The men took this gift, dou ble the amount of sil ver, and Ben ja min. They im me di ate ly went down to Egypt and stood be fore Jo seph. 16 When Jo seph saw Ben ja min with them, he said to his stew ard, “ Take the men to my house. Slaugh ter an an i mal and pre pare it, for they will eat with me at noon.” 17 The man did as Jo seph had said and brought them to Jo seph’s house. 18 But the men were afraid be cause they were tak en to Jo seph’s house. They said, “ We have been brought here be cause of the sil ver
🌾 Joseph's Reconciliation Journey
🥈 Silver in the bags creates suspicion and fear among Joseph's brothers when they return to Egypt, believing they might be accused of theft, yet Joseph's steward reassures them it was a divine gift
🏆 Joseph tests his brothers by planting his silver cup in Benjamin's bag, creating a crisis that reveals their transformed character as Judah offers himself as a slave in Benjamin's place
😭 In an emotional revelation, Joseph finally discloses his identity to his stunned brothers, explaining that God orchestrated their past actions to preserve life during the famine
🛒 Pharaoh's generosity enables Joseph to invite his entire family to Egypt, providing wagons, provisions, and the fertile land of Goshen where they can thrive during the remaining five years of famine
👨👩👧👦 Jacob's family migration to Egypt fulfills God's promise to make them a great nation there, with seventy persons in total relocating to settle in Goshen
🌍 The severe famine continues to devastate Egypt and Canaan, forcing people to exchange all their silver for food, marking the beginning of Joseph's administration of Egypt's resources
that was re turned in our bags the first time. They in tend to over pow er us, seize us, make us slaves, and take our don keys.” 19 So they ap proached Jo seph’s stew ard a and spoke to him at the door way of the house. 20 They said, “ My lord, we real ly did come down here the first time only to buy food. 21 When we came to the place where we lodged for the night and opened our bags of grain, each one’s sil ver was at the top of his bag! It was the full amount of our sil ver, and we have brought it back with us. 22 We have brought ad di tion al sil ver with us to buy food. We don’t know who put our sil ver in the bags.” 23 Then the stew ard said, “ May you be well. Don’t be afraid. Your God and the God of your fa ther must have put trea sure in your bags. I re ceived your sil ver.” Then he brought Sim- e on out to them. 24 The stew ard brought the men into Jo seph’s house, gave them wa ter to wash their feet, and got feed for their don keys. 25 Since the men had heard that they were go ing to eat a meal there, they pre pared their gift for Jo seph’s ar riv al at noon. 26 When Jo seph came home, they brought him the gift they had car ried into the house, and they bowed to the ground be fore him. 27 He asked if they were well, and he said, “ How is your el der ly fa ther that you told me about? Is he still alive? ” 28 They an swered, “ Your ser vant our fa ther is well. He is still alive.” And they knelt low and paid hom age to him. 29 When he looked up and saw his broth er Ben ja min, his moth er’s son, he asked, “ Is this your youn gest broth er that you told me about? ” Then he said, “ May God be gra cious to you, my son.” 30 Jo seph hur ried out be cause he was over come with emotion for his broth er, and he was about to weep. He went into an in ner room and wept there. 31 Then he washed his face and came out. Regaining his composure, he said, “ Serve the meal.” 32 They served him by him self, his broth ers by them selves, and the Egyp tians who were eat ing with him by them selves, be cause Egyp- tians could not eat with He brews, since that is de test able to them. 33 They were seat ed be fore him in or der by age, from the first born to the youn gest. The men looked at each oth er in as- ton ish ment. 34 Por tions were served to them from Jo seph’s ta ble, and Ben ja min’s por tion was five times larg er than any of theirs. They drank and be came drunk with Jo seph. JOSEPH’S FINAL TEST 44 Jo seph com mand ed his stew ard, “ Fill the men’s bags with as much food as they can car ry , and put each one’s sil ver at the top of his bag. 2 Put my cup, the sil ver one, at the top of the youn gest one’s bag, along with the sil ver for his grain.” So he did as Jo seph told him. 3 At morn ing light, the men were sent off with their don keys. 4 They had not gone very far from the city when Jo seph said to his stew- ard, “ Get up. Pur sue the men, and when you over take them, say to them, ‘ Why have you re paid evil for good? 5 Isn’t this the cup that my mas ter drinks from and uses for div i na tion? What you have done is wrong! ’ ” 6 When he over took them, he said these words to them. 7 They said to him, “ Why does my lord say these things? Your ser vants could a 43:19 Lit approached the one who was over the house 39 GENESIS 43-44 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 39 10/26/17 8:59 PM not pos si bly do such a thing. 8 We even brought back to you from the land of Ca naan the sil ver we found at the top of our bags. How could we steal sil ver or gold from your mas ter’s house? 9 If it is found with one of us, your ser vants, he must die, and the rest of us will be come my lord’s slaves.” 10 The stew ard re plied, “ What you have said is right, but only the one who is found to have it will be my slave, and the rest of you will be blame less.” 11 So each one quick ly low ered his sack to the ground and opened it. 12 The stew ard searched, be gin ning with the old est and end ing with the youn gest, and the cup was found in Ben ja min’s sack. 13 Then they tore their clothes, and each one load ed his don key and re turned to the city . 14 When Ju dah and his broth ers reached Jo seph’s house, he was still there. They fell to the ground be fore him. 15 “ What is this you have done? ” Jo seph said to them. “ Didn’t you know that a man like me could un cov er the truth by div i na tion? ” 16 “ What can we say to my lord? ” Ju dah re- plied. “ How can we plead? How can we jus ti fy our selves? God has ex posed your ser vants’ in iq ui ty . We are now my lord’s slaves — both we and the one in whose pos ses sion the cup was found.” 17 Then Jo seph said, “ I swear that I will not do this. The man in whose pos ses sion the cup was found will be my slave. The rest of you can go in peace to your fa ther.” JUDAH’S PLEA FOR BENJAMIN 18 But Ju dah ap proached him and said, “ My lord, please let your ser vant speak per son al ly to my lord. a Do not be an gry with your ser vant, for you are like Pha raoh. 19 My lord asked his ser vants, ‘ Do you have a fa ther or a broth er? ’ 20 and we an swered my lord, ‘ We have an el- der ly fa ther and a youn ger broth er, the child of his old age. The boy’s broth er is dead. He is the only one of his moth er’s sons left, and his fa ther loves him.’ 21 Then you said to your ser vants, ‘ Bring him to me so that I can see him.’ 22 But we said to my lord, ‘ The boy can not leave his fa ther. If he were to leave, his fa ther would die.’ 23 Then you said to your ser vants, ‘ If your youn ger broth er does not come down with you, you will not see me again.’ 24 “ This is what hap pened when we went back to your ser vant my fa ther: We re port ed to him the words of my lord. 25 But our fa - ther said, ‘ Go again, and buy us a lit tle food.’ 26 We told him, ‘ We can not go down un less our youn ger broth er goes with us. If our youn ger broth er isn’t with us, we can not see the man.’ 27 Your ser vant my fa ther said to us, ‘ You know that my wife bore me two sons. 28 One is gone from me — I said he must have been torn to pieces — and I have nev er seen him again. 29 If you also take this one from me and any thing hap pens to him, you will bring my gray hairs down to She ol in sor row .’ 30 “ So if I come to your ser vant my fa ther and the boy is not with us — his life is wrapped up with the boy’s life — 31 when he sees that the boy is not with us, he will die. Then your ser vants will have brought the gray hairs of your ser vant our fa ther down to She ol in sor row . 32 Your ser vant be came ac count able to my fa ther for the boy , say ing, ‘ If I do not re turn him to you, I will al ways bear the guilt for sin ning against you, my fa ther.’ 33 Now please let your ser vant re main here as my lord’s slave, in place of the boy . Let him go back with his broth ers. 34 For how can I go back to my fa ther with out the boy? I could not bear to see the grief that would over whelm my fa ther.” JOSEPH REVEALS HIS IDENTITY 45 Jo seph could no lon ger keep his com - posure in front of all his at ten dants, b so he called out, “ Send ev ery one away from me! ” No one was with him when he re vealed his identity to his broth ers. 2 But he wept so loud ly that the Egyp tians heard it, and also Pha raoh’s house hold heard it. 3 Jo seph said to his broth ers, “ I am Jo seph! Is my fa ther still liv ing? ” But they could not an swer him be cause they were ter ri fied in his pres ence. 4 Then Jo seph said to his broth ers, “ Please, come near me,” and they came near. “ I am Jo seph, your broth er,” he said, “ the one you sold into Egypt. 5 And now don’t be grieved or an gry with your selves for sell ing me here, be cause God sent me ahead of you to pre- serve life. 6 For the fam ine has been in the land these two years, and there will be five more years with out plow ing or har vest ing. 7 God sent me ahead of you to es tab lish you as a rem nant with in the land and to keep you alive by a great de liv er ance. c 8 There fore it was not you who sent me here, but God. a 44:18 Lit speak a word in my lord’s ears b 45:1 Lit all those standing about him c 45:7 Or keep alive for you many survivorsGENESIS 44-45 40 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 40 10/26/17 8:59 PM He has made me a fa ther to Pha raoh, lord of his en tire house hold, and rul er over all the land of Egypt. 9 “Re turn quick ly to my fa ther and say to him, ‘ This is what your son Jo seph says: “ God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me with out de lay . 10 You can set tle in the land of Go shen and be near me — you, your chil- dren, and your grand chil dren, your flocks, your herds, and all you have. 11 There I will sus tain you, for there will be five more years of fam ine. Oth er wise, you, your house hold, and ev ery thing you have will be come des ti tute.” ’ 12 Look! Your eyes and the eyes of my broth er Ben ja min can see that I’m a the one speak ing to you. 13 Tell my fa ther about all my glo ry in Egypt and about all you have seen. And bring my fa ther here quick ly .” 14 Then Jo seph threw his arms around his broth er Ben ja min and wept, and Ben ja min wept on his shoul der. 15 Jo seph kissed each of his broth ers as he wept, b and af ter ward his broth ers talked with him. THE RETURN FOR JACOB 16 When the news reached Pha raoh’s pal ace, “Jo seph’s broth ers have come,” Pha raoh and his ser vants were pleased. 17 Pha raoh said to Jo seph, “ Tell your broth ers, ‘ Do this: Load your an i mals and go on back to the land of Ca naan. 18 Get your fa ther and your fam i lies, and come back to me. I will give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you can eat from the rich ness of the land.’ 19 You are also com mand ed to tell them, ‘ Do this: Take wag ons from the land of Egypt for your de pen dents and your wives and bring your fa ther here. 20 Do not be con- cerned about your be long ings, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.’ ” 21 The sons of Is ra el did this. Jo seph gave them wag ons as Pha raoh had com mand ed, and he gave them pro vi sions for the jour ney . 22 He gave each of the broth ers chang es of clothes, but he gave Ben ja min three hun dred pieces of sil ver and five chang es of clothes. 23 He sent his fa ther the fol low ing: ten don- keys car ry ing the best prod ucts of Egypt and ten fe male don keys car ry ing grain, food, and pro vi sions for his fa ther on the jour ney . 24 So Jo seph sent his broth ers on their way , and as they were leav ing, he said to them, “ Don’t ar gue c on the way .”25 So they went up from Egypt and came to their fa ther Ja cob in the land of Ca naan. 26 They said, “Jo seph is still alive, and he is rul er over all the land of Egypt! ” Ja cob was stunned, d for he did not be lieve them. 27 But when they told Ja cob all that Jo seph had said to them, and when he saw the wag ons that Jo seph had sent to trans port him, the spir it of their fa ther Ja cob re vived. 28 Then Is ra el said, “ Enough! My son Jo seph is still alive. I will go to see him be fore I die.” JACOB LEAVES FOR EGYPT 46 Is ra el set out with all that he had and came to Be er-she ba, and he off ered sac ri fic es to the God of his fa ther Isaac. 2 That night God spoke to Is ra el in a vi sion: “Ja cob, Ja cob! ” he said. And Ja cob re plied, “ Here I am.” 3 God said, “ I am God, the God of your fa- ther. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great na tion there. 4 I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you back. Jo seph will close your eyes when you die.” e 5 Ja cob left Be er-she ba. The sons of Is ra el took their fa ther Ja cob in the wag ons Pha- raoh had sent to car ry him, along with their de pen dents and their wives. 6 They also took their cat tle and pos ses sions they had ac quired in the land of Ca naan. Then Ja cob and all his off spring with him came to Egypt. 7 His sons and grand sons, his daugh ters and grand daugh- ters, in deed all his off spring, he brought with him to Egypt. JACOB’S FAMILY 8 These are the names of the sons of Is ra el who came to Egypt — Ja cob and his sons: Jacob’s firstborn: Reuben. 9 Reuben’s sons: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. 10 Simeon’s sons: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman. 11 Levi’s sons: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. 12 Judah’s sons: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah; but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. The sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul. a 45:12 Lit that my mouth is b 45:15 Lit brothers, and he wept over them c 45:24 Or be anxious d 45:26 Lit Jacob’s heart was numb e 46:4 Lit will put his hand on your eyes 41 GENESIS 45-46 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 41 10/26/17 8:59 PM 13 Issachar’s sons: Tola, Puvah, a Jashub, b and Shimron. 14 Zebulun’s sons: Sered, Elon, and Jahleel. 15 These were Leah’s sons born to Jacob in Paddan-aram, as well as his daughter Dinah. The total number of persons: c thirty-three. 16 Gad’s sons: Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli. 17 Asher’s sons: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, and their sister Serah. Beriah’s sons were Heber and Malchiel. 18 These were the sons of Zilpah — whom Laban gave to his daughter Leah — that she bore to Jacob: sixteen persons. 19 The sons of Jacob’s wife Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin. 20 Manasseh and Ephraim were born to Joseph in the land of Egypt. They were born to him by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, a priest at On. d 21 Benjamin’s sons: Bela, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard. 22 These were Rachel’s sons who were born to Jacob: fourteen persons. 23 Dan’s son: e Hushim. 24 Naphtali’s sons: Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem. 25 These were the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to his daughter Rachel. She bore to Jacob: seven persons. 26 The total number of persons belonging to Jacob — his direct descendants, f not including the wives of Jacob’s sons — who came to Egypt: sixty-six. 27 And Joseph’s sons who were born to him in Egypt: two persons. All those of Jacob’s household who came to Egypt: seventy g persons. JACOB ARRIVES IN EGYPT 28 Now Ja cob had sent Ju dah ahead of him to Jo seph to pre pare for his ar riv al h at Go- shen. When they came to the land of Go shen, 29 Jo seph hitched the hors es to his char i ot and went up to Go shen to meet his fa ther Is ra el. Jo seph pre sent ed him self to him, threw his arms around him, and wept for a long time. 30 Then Is ra el said to Jo seph, “ I’m ready to die now be cause I have seen your face and you are still alive! ” 31 Jo seph said to his broth ers and to his fa- ther’s fam i ly , “ I will go up and in form Pha- raoh, tell ing him, ‘ My broth ers and my fa ther’s fam i ly , who were in the land of Ca naan, have come to me. 32 The men are shep herds; they also raise live stock. They have brought their flocks and herds and all that they have.’ 33 When Pha raoh ad dress es you and asks, ‘ What is your oc cu pa tion? ’ 34 you are to say , ‘ Your ser vants, both we and our fa thers, have raised live stock i from our youth un til now .’ Then you will be al lowed to set tle in the land of Go shen, since all shep herds are de test able to Egyp tians.” PHARAOH WELCOMES JACOB 47 So Jo seph went and in formed Pha raoh: “ My fa ther and my broth ers, with their flocks and herds and all that they own, have come from the land of Ca naan and are now in the land of Go shen.” 2 He took five of his broth ers and pre sent ed them to Pha raoh. 3 And Pha raoh asked his broth ers, “ What is your oc cu pa tion? ” They said to Pha raoh, “ Your ser vants, both we and our fa thers, are shep herds.” 4 And they said to Pha raoh, “ We have come to stay in the land for a while be cause there is no graz ing land for your ser vants’ sheep, since the fam- ine in the land of Ca naan has been se vere. So now , please let your ser vants set tle in the land of Go shen.” 5 Then Pha raoh said to Jo seph, “ Now that your fa ther and broth ers have come to you, 6 the land of Egypt is open be fore you; set tle your fa ther and broth ers in the best part of the land. They can live in the land of Go shen. If you know of any ca pa ble men among them, put them in charge of my live stock.” 7 Jo seph then brought his fa ther Ja cob and pre sent ed him to Pha raoh, and Ja cob blessed Pha raoh. 8 Pha raoh said to Ja cob, “ How many years have you lived? ” 9 Ja cob said to Pha raoh, “ My pil grim age has last ed 130 years. My years have been few and hard, and they have not reached the years of a 46:13 Sam, Syr read Puah ; 1Ch 7:1 b 46:13 Sam, LXX; MT reads Iob c 46:15 Lit All persons his sons and his daughters: d 46:20 Or Heliopolis e 46:23 Alt Hb tradition reads sons: f 46:26 Lit Jacob who came out from his loins g 46:27 LXX reads 75 ; Ac 7:14 h 46:28 Lit to give directions before him i 46:34 Lit fathers, are men of livestockGENESIS 46-47 42 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 42 10/26/17 8:59 PM my fa thers dur ing their pil grim ages.” 10 So Ja cob blessed Pha raoh and de part ed from Pha raoh’s pres ence. 11 Then Jo seph set tled his fa ther and broth- ers in the land of Egypt and gave them prop - er ty in the best part of the land, the land of Ram e ses, as Pha raoh had com mand ed. 12 And Jo seph pro vid ed his fa ther, his broth ers, and all his fa ther’s fam i ly with food for their de- pen dents. THE LAND BECOMES PHARAOH’S 13 But there was no food in the en tire re gion, for the fam ine was very se vere. The land of Egypt and the land of Ca naan were ex haust ed by the fam ine. 14 Jo seph col lect ed all the sil- ver to be found in the land of Egypt and the land of Ca naan in ex change for the grain they were purchasing, and he brought the sil ver to Pha raoh’s pal ace. 15 When the sil ver from the land of Egypt and the land of Ca naan was gone, all the Egyp tians came to Jo seph and said, “ Give us food. Why should we die here in front of you? The sil ver is gone! ” 16 But Jo seph said, “
📜 Joseph's Economic Conquest
🌾 During severe famine, Joseph acquired all Egyptian land for Pharaoh by exchanging food first for silver, then livestock, and finally land and people themselves, establishing a permanent 20% tax system
👑 The centralization of power transformed Egypt's economic structure while exempting only priests, who received special allowances from Pharaoh
🏠 Israel's family settled in Goshen, multiplied greatly, and Jacob lived there 17 years before requesting burial in his ancestral homeland
🙌 Jacob blessed Joseph's sons Ephraim and Manasseh, deliberately favoring the younger Ephraim and adopting them as his own sons with full inheritance rights
🔮 Before dying, Jacob delivered prophetic blessings to his twelve sons, predicting their tribal futures with Judah receiving promise of royal leadership
❤️ Despite his brothers' fear of revenge after Jacob's death, Joseph demonstrated forgiveness and reconciliation, recognizing God's redemptive purpose in their evil actions
Give me your live stock. Since the sil ver is gone, I will give you food in ex change for your live stock.” 17 So they brought their live stock to Jo seph, and he gave them food in ex change for the hors es, the flocks of sheep, the herds of cat tle, and the don keys. That year he pro vid ed them with food in ex- change for all their live stock. 18 When that year was over, they came the next year and said to him, “ We can not hide from our lord that the sil ver is gone and that all our live stock be longs to our lord. There is noth ing left for our lord ex cept our bod ies and our land. 19 Why should we die here in front of you — both us and our land? Buy us and our land in ex change for food. Then we with our land will be come Pha raoh’s slaves. Give us seed so that we can live and not die, and so that the land won’t be come des o late.” 20 In this way , Jo seph ac quired all the land in Egypt for Pha raoh, be cause ev ery Egyp tian sold his field since the fam ine was so se vere for them. The land be came Pha raoh’s, 21 and Jo seph moved the peo ple to the cit ies a from one end of Egypt to the oth er. 22 The only land he did not ac quire be longed to the priests, for they had an al low ance from Pha raoh. They ate from their al low ance that Pha raoh gave them; there fore they did not sell their land.23 Jo seph said to the peo ple, “Un der stand to day that I have ac quired you and your land for Pha raoh. Here is seed for you. Sow it in the land. 24 At har vest, you are to give a fifth of it to Pha raoh, and four-fifths will be yours as seed for the field and as food for your selves, your house holds, and your de pen dents.” 25 “ You have saved our lives,” they said. “ We have found fa vor with our lord and will be Pha raoh’s slaves.” 26 So Jo seph made it a law , still in eff ect to day in the land of Egypt, that a fifth of the pro duce be longs to Pha raoh. Only the priests’ land does not be long to Pha raoh. ISRAEL SETTLES IN GOSHEN 27 Is ra el set tled in the land of Egypt, in the re gion of Go shen. They ac quired prop er ty in it and be came fruit ful and very nu mer ous. 28 Now Ja cob lived in the land of Egypt 17 years, and his life span was 147 years. 29 When the time ap proached for him to die, he called his son Jo seph and said to him, “ If I have found fa vor with you, put your hand un der my thigh and prom ise me that you will deal with me in kind ness and faith ful ness. Do not bury me in Egypt. 30 When I rest with my fa thers, car ry me away from Egypt and bury me in their buri al place.” Jo seph an swered, “ I will do what you have asked.” 31 And Ja cob said, “ Swear to me.” So Jo seph swore to him. Then Is ra el bowed in thanks at the head of his bed. b JACOB BLESSES EPHRAIM AND MANASSEH 48 Some time af ter this, Jo seph was told, “ Your fa ther is weak er.” So he set out with his two sons, Ma nas seh and Ephra im. 2 When Ja cob was told, “ Your son Jo seph has come to you,” Is ra el sum moned his strength and sat up in bed. 3 Ja cob said to Jo seph, “ God Al mighty ap- peared to me at Luz in the land of Ca naan and blessed me. 4 He said to me, ‘ I will make you fruit ful and nu mer ous; I will make many na tions come from you, and I will give this land as a per ma nent pos ses sion to your fu- ture de scen dants.’ 5 Your two sons born to you in the land of Egypt be fore I came to you in Egypt are now mine. Ephra im and Ma nas- seh be long to me just as Reu ben and Sim e on do. 6 Chil dren born to you af ter them will be yours and will be re cord ed un der the names a 47:21 Sam, LXX, Vg read and he made the people servants b 47:31 Or Israel worshiped while leaning on the top of his staff 43 GENESIS 47-48 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 43 10/26/17 8:59 PM of their broth ers with re gard to their in her - i tance. 7 When I was re turn ing from Pad dan, to my sor row Ra chel died along the way , some dis tance from Eph rath in the land of Ca naan. I bur ied her there along the way to Eph rath” ( that is, Beth le hem). 8 When Is ra el saw Jo seph’s sons, he said, “ Who are these? ” 9 And Jo seph said to his fa ther, “ They are my sons God has giv en me here.” So Is ra el said, “ Bring them to me and I will bless them.” 10 Now his eye sight was poor be - cause of old age; he could hard ly a see. Jo seph brought them to him, and he kissed and em- braced them. 11 Is ra el said to Jo seph, “ I nev er ex pect ed to see your face again, but now God has even let me see your off spring.” 12 Then Jo seph took them from his fa ther’s knees and bowed with his face to the ground. EPHRAIM’S GREATER BLESSING 13 Then Jo seph took them both — with his right hand Ephra im to ward Is ra el’s left, and with his left hand Ma nas seh to ward Is ra el’s right — and brought them to Is ra el. 14 But Is ra el stretched out his right hand and put it on the head of Ephra im, the youn ger, and cross ing his hands, put his left on Ma nas seh’s head, al though Ma nas seh was the first born. 15 Then he blessed Jo seph and said: The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day , 16 the angel who has redeemed me from all harm — may he bless these boys. And may they be called by my name and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac, and may they grow to be numerous within the land. 17 When Jo seph saw that his fa ther had placed his right hand on Ephra im’s head, he thought it was a mis take b and took his fa ther’s hand to move it from Ephra im’s head to Ma nas seh’s. 18 Jo seph said to his fa ther, “ Not that way , my fa ther! This one is the first born. Put your right hand on his head.” 19 But his fa ther re fused and said, “ I know , my son, I know! He too will be come a tribe, c and he too will be great; nev er the less, his youn ger broth er will be great er than he, and his off- spring will be come a populous na tion.” d 20 So he blessed them that day , put ting Ephra im be fore Ma nas seh when he said, “ The na tion Is ra el will in voke bless ings by you, say ing, ‘ May God make you like Ephra im and Ma nas seh.’ ” 21 Is ra el said to Jo seph, “ Look, I am about to die, but God will be with you and will bring you back to the land of your fa thers. 22 Over and above what I am giv ing your broth ers, I am giv ing you the one moun tain slope e that I took from the Am o rites with my sword and bow .” JACOB’S LAST WORDS 49 Then Ja cob called his sons and said, “Gath er around, and I will tell you what will hap pen to you in the days to come. f 2 Come together and listen, sons of Jacob; listen to your father Israel: 3 Reuben, you are my firstborn, my strength and the firstfruits of my virility , excelling in prominence, excelling in power. 4 Turbulent as water, you will not excel, because you got into your father’s bed and you defiled it — he g got into my bed. 5 Simeon and Levi are brothers; their knives are vicious weapons. 6 May I never enter their council; may I never join their assembly . For in their anger they kill men, and on a whim they hamstring oxen. 7 Their anger is cursed, for it is strong, and their fury , for it is cruel! I will disperse them throughout Jacob and scatter them throughout Israel. 8 Judah, your brothers will praise you. Your hand will be on the necks of your enemies; your father’s sons will bow down to you. 9 Judah is a young lion — my son, you return from the kill. He crouches; he lies down like a lion or a lioness — who dares to rouse him? 10 The scepter will not depart from Judah or the staff from between his feet a 48:10 Lit he was not able to b 48:17 Or he was displeased ; lit head, it was bad in his eyes c 48:19 Lit people d 48:19 Or a multitude of nations ; lit a fullness of nations e 48:22 Or Shechem, Joseph’s burial place; lit one shoulder f 49:1 Or in the last days g 49:4 LXX, Syr , Tg read youGENESIS 48-49 44 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 44 10/26/17 8:59 PM until he whose right it is comes a and the obedience of the peoples belongs to him. 11 He ties his donkey to a vine, and the colt of his donkey to the choice vine. He w ashes his clothes in wine and his robes in the blood of grapes. 12 His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth are whiter than milk. 13 Zebulun will live by the seashore and will be a harbor for ships, and his territory will be next to Sidon. 14 Issachar is a strong donkey l ying down between the saddlebags. b 15 He saw that his resting place was good and tha t the land was pleasant, so he leaned his shoulder to bear a load and became a forced laborer. 16 Dan will judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel. 17 Dan will be a snake by the road, a viper beside the path, tha t bites the horse’s heels so tha t its rider falls backward. 18 I wait for your salvation, Lord. 19 Gad will be attacked by raiders, but he will attack their heels. 20 Asher’s c food will be rich, and he will produce ro yal delicacies. 21 Naphtali is a doe set free tha t bears beautiful fawns. 22 Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruit ful vine beside a spring; its branches d climb over the wall. e 23 The archers attacked him, shot a t him, and were hostile toward him. 24 Yet his bow remained steady , and his strong arms w ere made agile by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, by the name of f the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel, 25 by the God of y our f ather who helps y ou, and by the Almighty who blesses you with b lessings of the heavens above, b lessings of the deep that lies below , and b lessings of the breasts and the womb. 26 The blessings of your father excel the b lessings of my ancestors g and h the bounty of the ancient hills. e Ma y they rest on the head of Joseph, on the bro w of the prince of his brothers. 27 Benjamin is a wolf; he tears his prey . In the morning he devours the prey , and in the ev ening he divides the plunder.” 28 These are the tribes of Is ra el, twelve in all, and this is what their fa ther said to them. He blessed them, and he blessed each one with a suit able bless ing. JACOB’S BURIAL INSTRUCTIONS 29 Then he com mand ed them: “ I am about to be gath ered to my peo ple. Bury me with my fa thers in the cave in the field of Ephron the Heth ite. 30 The cave is in the field of Mach pe - lah near Mam re, in the land of Ca naan. This is the field Abra ham pur chased from Ephron the Heth ite as buri al prop er ty . 31 Abra ham and his wife Sar ah are bur ied there, Isaac and his wife Re bek ah are bur ied there, and I bur ied Leah there. 32 The field and the cave in it were pur chased from the Heth ites.” 33 When Ja cob had fin ished giv ing charg es to his sons, he drew his feet into the bed, took his last breath, and was gath ered to his peo ple. JACOB’S BURIAL 50 Then Jo seph, lean ing over his fa ther’s face, wept and kissed him. 2 He com - mand ed his ser vants who were phy si cians to em balm his fa ther. So they em balmed Is ra el. 3 They took for ty days to com plete this, for em balm ing takes that long, and the Egyp tians mourned for him sev en ty days. 4 When the days of mourn ing were over, Jo seph said to Pha raoh’s house hold, “ If I have found fa vor with you, please tell i Pha raoh that 5 my fa ther made me take an oath, say ing, ‘ I am about to die. You must bury me there in a 49:10 Or until tribute comes to him, or until Shiloh comes, or until he comes to Shiloh b 49:14 Or sheep pens c 49:19-20 LXX, Syr , Vg; MT reads their heel. 20From Asher d 49:22 Lit daughters e 49:22,26 Hb obscure f 49:24 Syr , Tg; MT reads Jacob, from there g 49:26 Or of the mountains h 49:26 Lit to i 50:4 Lit please speak in the ears of 45 G ENESIS 49-50 CSB_UltraThinindb.indb 45 11/7/17 3:21 PM the tomb that I made for my self in the land of Ca naan.’ Now let me go and bury my fa ther. Then I will re turn.” 6 So Pha raoh said, “ Go and bury your fa ther in keep ing with your oath.” 7 Then Jo seph went to bury his fa ther, and all Pha raoh’s ser vants, the el ders of his house hold, and all the el ders of the land of Egypt went with him, 8 along with all Jo seph’s fam i ly , his broth ers, and his fa ther’s fam i ly . Only their de pen dents, their flocks, and their herds were left in the land of Go shen. 9 Hors es and char i- ots went up with him; it was a very im pres sive pro ces sion. 10 When they reached the thresh- ing floor of Atad, which is across the Jor dan, they la ment ed and wept loud ly , and Jo seph mourned sev en days for his fa ther. 11 When the Ca naan ite in hab i tants of the land saw the mourn ing at the thresh ing floor of Atad, they said, “ This is a sol emn mourn ing on the part of the Egyp tians.” There fore the place is named Abel-miz ra im. a It is across the Jor dan. 12 So Ja cob’s sons did for him what he had com mand ed them. 13 They car ried him to the land of Ca naan and bur ied him in the cave at Mach pe lah in the field near Mam re, which Abra ham had pur chased as buri al prop er - ty from Ephron the Heth ite. 14 Af ter Jo seph bur ied his fa ther, he re turned to Egypt with his broth ers and all who had gone with him to bury his fa ther. JOSEPH’S KINDNESS 15 When Jo seph’s broth ers saw that their fa ther was dead, they said to one an oth er, “ If Jo seph is hold ing a grudge against us, he will cer tain ly re pay us for all the suff er ing we caused him.” 16 So they sent this mes sage to Jo seph, “Be fore he died your fa ther gave a com mand: 17 ‘ Say this to Jo seph: Please for give your broth ers’ trans gres sion and their sin — the suff er ing they caused you.’ There fore, please for give the trans gres sion of the ser vants of the God of your fa ther.” Jo seph wept when their mes- sage came to him. 18 His broth ers also came to him, bowed down be fore him, and said, “ We are your slaves! ” 19 But Jo seph said to them, “ Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? 20 You planned evil against me; God planned it for good to bring about the pre sent re sult — the survival of many peo ple. 21 There fore don’t be afraid. I will take care of you and your chil dren.” And he com fort ed them and spoke kind ly to them. b JOSEPH’S DEATH 22 Jo seph and his fa ther’s fam i ly re mained in Egypt. Jo seph lived 110 years. 23 He saw Ephra im’s sons to the third gen er a tion; the sons of Ma nas seh’s son Ma chir were rec og- nized by c,d Jo seph. 24 Jo seph said to his broth ers, “ I am about to die, but God will cer tain ly come to your aid and bring you up from this land to the land he swore to give to Abra ham, Isaac, and Ja cob.” 25 So Jo seph made the sons of Is ra el take an oath: “ When God comes to your aid, you are to car ry my bones up from here.” 26 Jo seph died at the age of 110. They em- balmed him and placed him in a co ff in in Egypt. a 50:11 = Mourning of Egypt b 50:21 Lit spoke to their hearts c 50:23 Lit were born on the knees of d 50:23 Referring to a ritual of adoption or of legitimation; Gn 30:3GENESIS 50 46 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 46 10/26/17 8:59 PM exodus ISRAEL OPPRESSED IN EGYPT 1 These are the names of the sons of Is ra el who came to Egypt with Ja cob; each came with his fam i ly: 2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah; 3 Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin; 4 Dan and Naphtali; Gad and Asher. 5 The to tal num ber of Ja cob’s de scen dants a was sev en ty; b Jo seph was al ready in Egypt. 6 Jo seph and all his broth ers and all that gen er a tion even tu al ly died. 7 But the Is ra el ites were fruit ful, in creased rap id ly , mul ti plied, and be came ex treme ly nu mer ous so that the land was filled with them. 8 A new king, who did not know about Jo- seph, came to pow er in Egypt. 9 He said to his peo ple, “ Look, the Is ra el ite peo ple are more nu mer ous and pow er ful than we are. 10 Come, let’s deal shrewd ly with them; oth- er wise they will mul ti ply fur ther, and when war breaks out, they will join our en e mies, fight against us, and leave the coun try .” 11 So the Egyp tians as signed taskmasters over the Is ra el ites to op press them with forced la bor. They built Pi thom and Ram e ses as sup ply cit ies for Pha raoh. 12 But the more they op- pressed them, the more they mul ti plied and spread so that the Egyp tians came to dread c the Is ra el ites. 13 They worked the Is ra el ites ruth less ly 14 and made their lives bit ter with dif fi cult la bor in brick and mor tar and in all kinds of fieldwork. They ruth less ly im posed all this work on them. 15 The king of Egypt said to the He brew mid- wives — the first whose name was Shiph- rah and the sec ond whose name was Puah — 16 “ When you help the He brew wom en give birth, ob serve them as they de liv er. If the child is a son, kill him, but if it’s a daugh- ter, she may live.” 17 The mid wives, how ev er, feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt had told them; they let the boys live. 18 So the king of Egypt sum moned the mid wives and asked them, “ Why have you done this and let the boys live? ” 19 The mid wives said to Pha raoh, “ The He- brew wom en are not like the Egyp tian wom en, for they are vig or ous and give birth be fore the mid wife can get to them.” 20 So God was good to the mid wives, and the peo ple mul ti plied and be came very nu- mer ous. 21 Since the mid wives feared God, he gave them fam i lies. 22 Pha raoh then com- mand ed all his peo ple: “ You must throw ev ery son born to the He brews into the Nile, but let ev ery daugh ter live.” MOSES’S BIRTH AND ADOPTION 2 Now a man from the fam i ly of Levi mar - ried a Le vite wom an. 2 The wom an be came preg nant and gave birth to a son; when she saw that he was beau ti ful, d she hid him for three months. 3 But when she could no lon ger hide him, she got a pa py rus bas ket for him and coat ed it with asphalt and pitch. She placed the child in it and set it among the reeds by the bank of the Nile. 4 Then his sis ter stood at a dis tance in or der to see what would hap- pen to him. 5 Pha raoh’s daugh ter went down to bathe at the Nile while her ser vant girls walked along the riv
📜 Moses's Divine Calling
🌊 Moses's journey begins with his miraculous rescue from the Nile as a baby, raised by Pharaoh's daughter while maintaining his Hebrew identity through his birth mother's care
🔥 After fleeing Egypt as a fugitive, Moses encounters God through a burning bush at Mount Horeb, where he receives his divine commission to free the Israelites from Egyptian slavery
⚡ Despite Moses's reluctance and self-doubt, God equips him with miraculous signs, Aaron as his spokesman, and the powerful divine name "I AM WHO I AM" to establish his authority
👑 When Moses and Aaron confront Pharaoh with God's demand to "Let my people go," Pharaoh responds with defiance and intensifies the Israelites' oppression, causing them to turn against Moses
🤝 God reaffirms His covenant promises to deliver Israel with "an outstretched arm," establishing them as His people and bringing them to the Promised Land despite initial setbacks
er bank. She saw the bas ket among the reeds, sent her slave girl, took it, 6 opened it, and saw him, the child — and there he was, a lit tle boy , cry ing. She felt sor ry for him and said, “ This is one of the He brew boys.” 7 Then his sis ter said to Pha raoh’s daugh ter, “ Should I go and call a He brew wom an who is nurs ing to nurse the boy for you? ” 8 “ Go,” Pha raoh’s daugh ter told her. So the girl went and called the boy’s moth er. 9 Then Pha raoh’s daugh ter said to her, “ Take this child and nurse him for me, and I will pay your wag- es.” So the wom an took the boy and nursed him. 10 When the child grew old er, she brought him to Pha raoh’s daugh ter, and he be came her son. She named him Mo ses, e “Be cause,” she said, “ I drew him out of the wa ter.” MOSES IN MIDIAN 11 Years lat er, f af ter Mo ses had grown up, he went out to his own peo ple g and ob served their forced la bor. He saw an Egyp tian strik- ing a He brew , one of his peo ple. 12 Look ing a 1:5 Lit of people issuing from Jacob’s loins b 1:5 LXX, DSS read 75 ; Gn 46:27; Ac 7:14 c 1:12 Or Egyptians loathed d 2:2 Or healthy e 2:10 The name Moses sounds like “drawing out” in Hb and “born” in Egyptian. f 2:11 Lit And it was in those days g 2:11 Lit his brothers CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 47 10/26/17 8:59 PM all around and see ing no one, he struck the Egyp tian dead and hid him in the sand. 13 The next day he went out and saw two He brews fight ing. He asked the one in the wrong, “ Why are you at tack ing your neigh bor? ” a 14 “ Who made you a com mand er and judge over us? ” the man re plied. “ Are you plan ning to kill me as you killed the Egyp tian? ” Then Mo ses be came afraid and thought, “ What I did is cer tain ly known.” 15 When Pha raoh heard about this, he tried to kill Mo ses. But Mo ses fled from Pha raoh and went to live in the land of Mid i an, and sat down by a well. 16 Now the priest of Mid i an had sev en daugh- ters. They came to draw wa ter and filled the troughs to wa ter their fa ther’s flock. 17 Then some shep herds ar rived and drove them away , but Mo ses came to their res cue and wa tered their flock. 18 When they re turned to their fa- ther Reu el, b he asked, “ Why have you come back so quick ly to day? ” 19 They an swered, “ An Egyp tian res cued us from the shep herds. He even drew wa ter for us and wa tered the flock.” 20 “ So where is he? ” he asked his daugh ters. “ Why then did you leave the man be hind? In- vite him to eat din ner.” 21 Mo ses agreed to stay with the man, and he gave his daugh ter Zip po rah to Mo ses in mar riage. 22 She gave birth to a son whom he named Ger shom, c for he said, “ I have been a res i dent alien in a for eign land.” 23 Af ter a long time, the king of Egypt died. The Is ra el ites groaned be cause of their diff i- cult la bor; and they cried out; and their cry for help be cause of the diff i cult la bor as cend ed to God. 24 And God heard their groan ing; and God re mem bered his cov enant with Abra ham, with Isaac, and with Ja cob; 25 and God saw the Is ra el ites; and God knew . MOSES AND THE BURNING BUSH 3 Mean while, Mo ses was shepherding the flock of his father-in-law Jeth ro, d the priest of Mid i an. He led the flock to the far side of the wil der ness and came to Ho reb, e the moun tain of God. 2 Then the an gel of the L ord ap peared to him in a flame of fire with in a bush. As Mo- ses looked, he saw that the bush was on fire but was not con sumed. 3 So Mo ses thought, “ I must go over and look at this re mark able sight. Why isn’t the bush burn ing up? ” 4 When the L ord saw that he had gone over to look, God called out to him from the bush, “Mo ses, Mo ses! ” “ Here I am,” he an swered. 5 “ Do not come clos er,” he said. “Re move the san dals from your feet, for the place where you are stand ing is holy ground.” 6 Then he con tin ued, “ I am the God of your fa ther, f the God of Abra ham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Ja cob.” Mo ses hid his face be cause he was afraid to look at God. 7 Then the L ord said, “ I have ob served the mis ery of my peo ple in Egypt, and have heard them cry ing out be cause of their op pres sors. I know about their suff er ings, 8 and I have come down to res cue them from the pow er of the Egyp tians and to bring them from that land to a good and spa cious land, a land flow ing with milk and hon ey — the ter ri to ry of the Ca naan ites, Heth ites, Am o rites, Per iz zites, Hi - vites, and Jeb u sites. 9 So be cause the Is ra el ites’ cry for help has come to me, and I have also seen the way the Egyp tians are op press ing them, 10 there fore, go. I am send ing you to Pha raoh so that you may lead my peo ple, the Is ra el ites, out of Egypt.” 11 But Mo ses asked God, “ Who am I that I should go to Pha raoh and that I should bring the Is ra el ites out of Egypt? ” 12 He an swered, “ I will cer tain ly be with you, and this will be the sign to you that I am the one who sent you: when you bring the peo- ple out of Egypt, you will all wor ship g God at this moun tain.” 13 Then Mo ses asked God, “ If I go to the Is- ra el ites and say to them, ‘ The God of your fa thers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘ What is his name? ’ what should I tell them? ” 14 God re plied to Mo ses, “ I AM WHO I AM. h This is what you are to say to the Is ra el ites: I AM has sent me to you.” 15 God also said to Mo ses, “ Say this to the Is ra el ites: The L ord, the God of your fa thers, the God of Abra ham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Ja cob, has sent me to you. This is my name for ev er; this is how I am to be re mem bered in ev ery gen er a tion. 16 “ Go and as sem ble the el ders of Is ra el and say to them: The L ord, the God of your fa thers, the God of Abra ham, Isaac, and Ja cob, has a 2:13 Or fellow Hebrew b 2:18 Jethro’s clan or last name was Reuel; Ex 3:1. c 2:22 In Hb the name Gershom sounds like the phrase “a stranger there.” d 3:1 Moses’s father-in-law’s first name was Jethro ; Ex 2:18. e 3:1 = Desolation; another name for Mount Sinai; Dt 4:10,15; 18:16; Mal 4:4 f 3:6 Sam, some LXX mss read fathers ; Ac 7:32 g 3:12 Or serve h 3:14 Or I AM BECAUSE I AM, or I WILL BE WHO I WILL BEEXODUS 2-3 48 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 48 10/26/17 8:59 PM ap peared to me and said: I have paid close at ten tion to you and to what has been done to you in Egypt. 17 And I have prom ised you that I will bring you up from the mis ery of Egypt to the land of the Ca naan ites, Heth ites, Am o rites, Per iz zites, Hi vites, and Jeb u sites — a land flow ing with milk and hon ey . 18 They will lis ten to what you say . Then you, along with the el ders of Is ra el, must go to the king of Egypt and say to him: The L ord, the God of the He brews, has met with us. Now please let us go on a three-day trip into the wil der ness so that we may sac ri fice to the L ord our God. 19 “How ev er, I know that the king of Egypt will not al low you to go, even un der force from a strong hand. 20 But when I stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all my mir a cles that I will per form in it, af ter that, he will let you go. 21 And I will give these peo ple such fa vor with the Egyp tians that when you go, you will not go empty-handed. 22 Each wom an will ask her neigh bor and any wom an stay- ing in her house for sil ver and gold jew el ry , and cloth ing, and you will put them on your sons and daugh ters. So you will plun der the Egyp tians.” MIRACULOUS SIGNS FOR MOSES 4 Mo ses an swered, “ What if they won’t be- lieve me and will not obey me but say , ‘ The L ord did not ap pear to you’? ” 2 The L ord asked him, “ What is that in your hand? ” “ A staff,” he re plied. 3 “ Throw it on the ground,” he said. So Mo ses threw it on the ground, it be came a snake, and he ran from it. 4 The L ord told Mo ses, “ Stretch out your hand and grab it by the tail.” So he stretched out his hand and caught it, and it be came a staff in his hand. 5 “ This will take place,” he con tin ued, “ so that they will be lieve that the L ord, the God of their fa thers, the God of Abra ham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Ja cob, has ap peared to you.” 6 In ad di tion the L ord said to him, “ Put your hand in side your cloak.” So he put his hand in side his cloak, and when he took it out, his hand was dis eased, re sem bling snow . a 7 “ Put your hand back in side your cloak,” he said. So he put his hand back in side his cloak, and when he took it out, it had again be come like the rest of his skin. 8 “ If they will not be lieve you and will not re spond to the ev i dence of the first sign, they may be lieve the ev i dence of the sec ond sign. 9 And if they don’t be lieve even these two signs or lis ten to what you say , take some wa ter from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground. The wa ter you take from the Nile will be come blood on the ground.” 10 But Mo ses re plied to the L ord, “ Please, Lord, I have nev er been el o quent — ei ther in the past or re cent ly or since you have been speak ing to your ser vant — be cause my mouth and my tongue are sluggish.” b 11 The L ord said to him, “ Who placed a mouth on humans? Who makes a per son mute or deaf, see ing or blind? Is it not I, the L ord? 12 Now go! I will help you speak c and I will teach you what to say .” 13 Mo ses said, “ Please, Lord, send some one else.” d 14 Then the L ord’ s an ger burned against Mo- ses, and he said, “ Isn’t Aar on the Le vite your broth er? I know that he can speak well. And also, he is on his way now to meet you. He will re joice when he sees you. 15 You will speak with him and tell him what to say . I will help both you and him to speak e and will teach you both what to do. 16 He will speak to the peo ple for you. He will serve as a mouth for you, and you will serve as God to him. 17 And take this staff in your hand that you will per form the signs with.” MOSES’S RETURN TO EGYPT 18 Then Mo ses went back to his father-in-law Jeth ro and said to him, “ Please let me re turn to my rel a tives in Egypt and see if they are still liv ing.” Jeth ro said to Mo ses, “ Go in peace.” 19 Now in Mid i an the L ord told Mo ses, “Re- turn to Egypt, for all the men who want ed to kill you are dead.” 20 So Mo ses took his wife and sons, put them on a don key , and re turned to the land of Egypt. And Mo ses took God’s staff in his hand. 21 The L ord in struct ed Mo ses, “ When you go back to Egypt, make sure you do be fore Pha raoh all the won ders that I have put with in your pow er. But I will hard en his heart f so that he won’t let the peo ple go. 22 And you will say to Pha raoh: This is what the L ord says: Is ra el is my first born son. 23 I told you: Let my son go so that he may wor ship me, but you re fused a 4:6 A reference to whiteness or flakiness of the skin b 4:10 Lit heavy of mouth and heavy of tongue c 4:12 Lit will be with your mouth d 4:13 Lit send by the hand of whom you will send e 4:15 Lit will be with your mouth and with his mouth f 4:21 Or will make him stubborn 49 EXODUS 3-4 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 49 10/26/17 8:59 PM to let him go. Look, I am about to kill your first born son! ” 24 On the trip, at an over night campsite, it hap pened that the L ord con front ed him and in tend ed to put him to death. 25 So Zip po rah took a flint, cut off her son’s fore skin, threw it at Moses’s feet, and said, “ You are a bride- groom of blood to me! ” 26 So he let him alone. At that time she said, “ You are a bride groom of blood,” re fer ring to the cir cum ci sion. REUNION OF MOSES AND AARON 27 Now the L ord had said to Aar on, “ Go and meet Mo ses in the wil der ness.” So he went and met him at the moun tain of God and kissed him. 28 Mo ses told Aar on ev ery thing the L ord had sent him to say , and about all the signs he had com mand ed him to do. 29 Then Mo ses and Aar on went and as sem bled all the el ders of the Is ra el ites. 30 Aar on re peat ed ev ery thing the L ord had said to Mo ses and per formed the signs be fore the peo ple. 31 The peo ple be lieved, and when they heard that the L ord had paid at ten tion to them and that he had seen their mis ery , they knelt low and wor shiped. MOSES CONFRONTS PHARAOH 5 Lat er, Mo ses and Aar on went in and said to Pha raoh, “ This is what the L ord, the God of Is ra el, says: Let my peo ple go, so that they may hold a fes ti val for me in the wil der ness.” 2 But Pha raoh re spond ed, “ Who is the L ord that I should obey him by let ting Is ra el go? I don’t know a the L ord, and be sides, I will not let Is ra el go.” 3 They an swered, “ The God of the He brews has met with us. Please let us go on a three- day trip into the wil der ness so that we may sac ri fice to the L ord our God, or else he may strike us with plague or sword.” 4 The king of Egypt said to them, “Mo ses and Aar on, why are you caus ing the peo ple to ne glect their work? Get to your la bor! ” 5 Pha - raoh also said, “ Look, the peo ple of the land are so nu mer ous, and you would stop them from their la bor.” FURTHER OPPRESSION OF ISRAEL 6 That day Pha raoh com mand ed the over seers of the peo ple as well as their fore men: 7 “ Don’t con tin ue to sup ply the peo ple with straw for mak ing bricks, as be fore. They must go and gath er straw for them selves. 8 But re quire the same quo ta of bricks from them as they were mak ing be fore; do not re duce it. For they are slackers — that is why they are cry ing out, ‘ Let us go and sac ri fice to our God.’ 9 Im pose heavi er work on the men. Then they will be oc cu pied with it and not pay at ten tion to de- cep tive words.” 10 So the over seers and fore men of the peo- ple went out and said to them, “ This is what Pha raoh says: ‘ I am not giv ing you straw . 11 Go get straw your selves wher ev er you can find it, but there will be no reduction at all in your workload.’ ” 12 So the peo ple scat tered through- out the land of Egypt to gath er stub ble for straw . 13 The over seers in sist ed, “Fin ish your as signed work each day , just as you did when straw was pro vid ed.” 14 Then the Is ra el ite fore- men, whom Pha raoh’s slave driv ers had set over the peo ple, were beat en and asked, “ Why haven’t you fin ished mak ing your pre scribed num ber of bricks yes ter day or to day , as you did be fore? ” 15 So the Is ra el ite fore men went in and cried for help to Pha raoh: “ Why are you treat ing your ser vants this way? 16 No straw has been giv en to your ser vants, yet they say to us, ‘ Make bricks! ’ Look, your ser vants are be ing beat en, but it is your own peo ple who are at fault.” 17 But he said, “ You are slackers. Slackers! That is why you are say ing, ‘ Let us go sac ri fice to the L ord.’ 18 Now get to work. No straw will be giv en to you, but you must pro duce the same quan ti ty of bricks.” 19 The Is ra el ite fore men saw that they were in trou ble when they were told, “ You can not re duce your dai ly quo ta of bricks.” 20 When they left Pha raoh, they con front ed Mo ses and Aar on, who stood wait ing to meet them. 21 “ May the L ord take note of you and judge,” they said to them, “be cause you have made us reek to Pha raoh and his off i cials — put ting a sword in their hand to kill us! ” 22 So Mo ses went back to the L ord and asked, “ Lord, why have you caused trou ble for this peo ple? And why did you ever send me? 23 Ever since I went in to Pha raoh to speak in your name he has caused trou ble for this peo ple, and you haven’t res cued your peo ple at all.” 6 But the L ord re plied to Mo ses, “ Now you will see what I will do to Pha raoh: be cause of a strong hand he will let them go, and be- cause of a strong hand he will drive them from his land.” a 5:2 Or recognizeEXODUS 4-6 50 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 50 10/26/17 8:59 PM GOD PROMISES FREEDOM 2 Then God spoke to Mo ses, tell ing him, “ I am the L ord. 3 I ap peared to Abra ham, Isaac, and Ja cob as God Al mighty , but I was not known to them by my name ‘ the L ord.’ a 4 I also es tab- lished my cov enant with them to give them the land of Ca naan, the land they lived in as aliens. 5 Fur ther more, I have heard the groan- ing of the Is ra el ites, whom the Egyp tians are forc ing to work as slaves, and I have re mem- bered my cov enant. 6 “There fore tell the Is ra el ites: I am the L ord, and I will bring you out from the forced la bor of the Egyp tians and res cue you from slav ery to them. I will re deem you with an out stretched arm and great acts of judg ment. 7 I will take you as my peo ple, and I will be your God. You will know that I am the L ord your God, who brought you out from the forced la bor of the Egyp tians. 8 I will bring you to the land that I swore b to give to Abra ham, Isaac, and Ja cob, and I will give it to you as a pos ses sion. I am the L ord.” 9 Mo ses told this to the Is ra el ites, but they did not lis ten to him be cause of their bro ken spir it and hard la bor. 10 Then the L ord spoke to Mo ses, 11 “ Go and tell Pha raoh king of Egypt to let the Is ra el ites go from his land.” 12 But Mo ses said in the
📜 Exodus: Moses Confronts Pharaoh
👨👩👧👦 Genealogical records trace Moses and Aaron's lineage through Levi, establishing their authority as God's chosen representatives to lead Israel out of Egypt
🐍 Divine confrontations between Moses and Pharaoh escalate as Aaron's staff-turned-serpent swallows the magicians' serpents, signaling God's superior power over Egyptian sorcery
🛡️ Divine protection shields the Israelites in Goshen from the plagues, creating a clear distinction between God's people and the Egyptians
🔄 Pharaoh's pattern of promising release during plagues then retracting when relief comes reveals his deceptive character and stubborn resistance to God's commands
🎯 God's purpose in prolonging the confrontation is explicitly stated: to display divine power, make His name known throughout the earth, and provide testimony for future generations
L ord’ s pres ence: “ If the Is ra el ites will not lis ten to me, then how will Pha raoh lis ten to me, since I am such a poor speak er? ” c 13 Then the L ord spoke to Mo ses and Aar on and gave them com mands con cern ing both the Is ra el ites and Pha raoh king of Egypt to bring the Is ra el ites out of the land of Egypt. GENEALOGY OF MOSES AND AARON 14 These are the heads of their fa thers’ fam i lies: The sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel: Hanoch and Pallu, Hezron and Carmi. These are the clans of Reuben. 15 The sons of Simeon: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman. These are the clans of Simeon. 16 These are the names of the sons of Levi according to their family records; Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. Levi lived 137 years. 17 The sons of Gershon: Libni and Shimei, by their clans. 18 The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. Kohath lived 133 years. 19 The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. These are the clans of the Levites according to their family records. 20 Amram married his father’s sister Jochebed, and she bore him Aaron and Moses. Amram lived 137 years. 21 The sons of Izhar: Korah, Nepheg, and Zichri. 22 The sons of Uzziel: Mishael, Elzaphan, and Sithri. 23 Aaron married Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab and sister of Nahshon. She bore him Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. 24 The sons of Korah: Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph. These are the clans of the Korahites. 25 Aaron’s son Eleazar married one of the daughters of Putiel, and she bore him Phinehas. These are the heads of the Levite families by their clans. 26 It was this Aar on and Mo ses whom the L ord told, “ Bring the Is ra el ites out of the land of Egypt ac cord ing to their mil i tary di vi sions.” 27 Mo ses and Aar on were the ones who spoke to Pha raoh king of Egypt in or der to bring the Is ra el ites out of Egypt. MOSES AND AARON BEFORE PHARAOH 28 On the day the L ord spoke to Mo ses in the land of Egypt, 29 he said to him, “ I am the L ord; tell Pha raoh king of Egypt ev ery thing I am tell ing you.” 30 But Mo ses re plied in the L ord’ s pres ence, “ Since I am such a poor speak er, how will Pha - raoh lis ten to me? ” 7 The L ord an swered Mo ses, “ See, I have made you like God to Pha raoh, and Aar on your broth er will be your proph et. 2 You must say a 6:3 Lord (in small capitals) stands for the personal name of God, which in Hb is Yahweh. There is a long tradition of substituting “Lord” for “Y ahweh” out of reverence. b 6:8 Lit raised my hand c 6:12 Lit I have uncircumcised lips, also in v. 30 51 EXODUS 6-7 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 51 10/26/17 8:59 PM what ev er I com mand you; then Aar on your broth er must de clare it to Pha raoh so that he will let the Is ra el ites go from his land. 3 But I will hard en Pha raoh’s heart and mul ti ply my signs and won ders in the land of Egypt. 4 Pha raoh will not lis ten to you, but I will put my hand into Egypt and bring the mil i tary di vi sions of my peo ple the Is ra el ites out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judg ment. 5 The Egyp tians will know that I am the L ord when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the Is ra el ites from among them.” 6 So Mo ses and Aar on did this; they did just as the L ord com mand ed them. 7 Mo ses was eighty years old and Aar on eighty-three when they spoke to Pha raoh. 8 The L ord said to Mo ses and Aar on, 9 “ When Pha raoh tells you, ‘Per form a mir a cle,’ tell Aar on, ‘ Take your staff and throw it down be fore Pha raoh. It will be come a ser pent.’ ” 10 So Mo ses and Aar on went in to Pha raoh and did just as the L ord had com mand ed. Aar on threw down his staff be fore Pha raoh and his off i cials, and it be came a ser pent. 11 But then Pha raoh called the wise men and sor cer ers — the ma gi cians of Egypt, and they also did the same thing by their oc cult prac tic es. 12 Each one threw down his staff, and it be came a ser - pent. But Aar on’s staff swal lowed their staffs. 13 How ev er, Pha raoh’s heart was hard, and he did not lis ten to them, as the L ord had said. THE FIRST PLAGUE: WATER TURNED TO BLOOD 14 Then the L ord said to Mo ses, “Pha raoh’s heart is hard: He re fus es to let the peo ple go. 15 Go to Pha raoh in the morn ing. When you see him walk ing out to the wa ter, stand ready to meet him by the bank of the Nile. Take in your hand the staff that turned into a snake. 16 Tell him: The L ord, the God of the He brews, has sent me to tell you: Let my peo ple go, so that they may wor ship a me in the wil der ness, but so far you have not lis tened. 17 This is what the L ord says: Here is how you will know that I am the L ord. Watch. I am about to strike the wa ter in the Nile with the staff in my hand, and it will turn to blood. 18 The fish in the Nile will die, the riv er will stink, and the Egyp tians will be un able to drink wa ter from it.” 19 So the L ord said to Mo ses, “ Tell Aar on: Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the wa ters of Egypt — over their riv ers, ca nals, ponds, and all their wa ter res er voirs — and they will be come blood. There will be blood through out the land of Egypt, even in wood en and stone con tain ers.” 20 Mo ses and Aar on did just as the L ord had com mand ed; in the sight of Pha raoh and his off i cials, he raised the staff and struck the wa ter in the Nile, and all the wa ter in the Nile was turned to blood. 21 The fish in the Nile died, and the riv er smelled so bad the Egyp tians could not drink wa ter from it. There was blood through out the land of Egypt. 22 But the ma gi cians of Egypt did the same thing by their oc cult prac tic es. So Pha raoh’s heart was hard, and he would not lis ten to them, as the L ord had said. 23 Pha raoh turned around, went into his pal ace, and didn’t take even this to heart. 24 All the Egyp tians dug around the Nile for wa ter to drink be cause they could not drink the wa ter from the riv- er. 25 Sev en days passed af ter the L ord struck the Nile. THE SECOND PLAGUE: FROGS 8 Then the L ord said to Mo ses, “ Go in to Pha raoh and tell him: This is what the L ord says: Let my peo ple go, so that they may wor - ship me. 2 But if you re fuse to let them go, then I will plague all your ter ri to ry with frogs. 3 The Nile will swarm with frogs; they will come up and go into your pal ace, into your bed room and on your bed, into the hous es of your of- fi cials and your peo ple, and into your ov ens and knead ing bowls. 4 The frogs will come up on you, your peo ple, and all your off i cials.” 5 The L ord then said to Mo ses, “ Tell Aar on: Stretch out your hand with your staff over the riv ers, ca nals, and ponds, and cause the frogs to come up onto the land of Egypt.” 6 When Aar on stretched out his hand over the wa ters of Egypt, the frogs came up and cov ered the land of Egypt. 7 But the ma gi cians did the same thing by their oc cult prac tic es and brought frogs up onto the land of Egypt. 8 Pha raoh sum moned Mo ses and Aar on and said, “ Ap peal to the L ord to re move the frogs from me and my peo ple. Then I will let the peo ple go and they can sac ri fice to the L ord.” 9 Mo ses said to Pha raoh, “ You may have the hon or of choos ing. When should I ap peal on be half of you, your off i cials, and your peo ple, that the frogs be tak en away from you and your hous es, and re main only in the Nile? ” 10 “To mor row ,” he an swered. a 7:16 Or serve ; Ex 4:23EXODUS 7-8 52 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 52 10/26/17 8:59 PM Mo ses re plied, “ As you have said, so that you may know there is no one like the L ord our God, 11 the frogs will go away from you, your hous es, your off i cials, and your peo ple. The frogs will re main only in the Nile.” 12 Af ter Mo - ses and Aar on went out from Pha raoh, Mo ses cried out to the L ord for help con cern ing the frogs that he had brought against Pha raoh. 13 The L ord did as Mo ses had said: the frogs in the hous es, court yards, and fields died. 14 They piled them in count less heaps, and there was a ter ri ble odor in the land. 15 But when Pha raoh saw there was re lief, he hard ened his heart and would not lis ten to them, as the L ord had said. THE THIRD PLAGUE: GNATS 16 Then the L ord said to Mo ses, “ Tell Aar on: Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the land, and it will be come gnats a through out the land of Egypt.” 17 And they did this. Aar on stretched out his hand with his staff, and when he struck the dust of the land, gnats were on peo ple and an i mals. All the dust of the land be came gnats through out the land of Egypt. 18 The ma gi cians tried to pro duce gnats us ing their oc cult prac tic es, but they could not. The gnats re mained on peo ple and an i mals. 19 “ This is the fin ger of God,” the ma gi cians said to Pha raoh. But Pha raoh’s heart was hard, and he would not lis ten to them, as the L ord had said. THE FOURTH PLAGUE: SWARMS OF FLIES 20 The L ord said to Mo ses, “ Get up ear ly in the morn ing and pre sent your self to Pha raoh when you see him go ing out to the wa ter. Tell him: This is what the L ord says: Let my peo- ple go, so that they may wor ship b me. 21 But if you will not let my peo ple go, then I will send swarms of flies c against you, your off i cials, your peo ple, and your hous es. The Egyp tians’ hous es will swarm with flies, and so will the land where they live. d 22 But on that day I will give spe cial treat ment to the land of Go shen, where my peo ple are liv ing; no flies will be there. This way you will know that I, the L ord, am in the land. 23 I will make a dis tinc tion e be- tween my peo ple and your peo ple. This sign will take place to mor row .” 24 And the L ord did this. Thick swarms of flies went into Pha raoh’s pal ace and his off i- cials’ hous es. Through out Egypt the land was ru ined be cause of the swarms of flies. 25 Then Pha raoh sum moned Mo ses and Aar on and said, “ Go sac ri fice to your God with in the coun try .” 26 But Mo ses said, “ It would not be right f to do that, be cause what we will sac ri fice to the L ord our God is de test able to the Egyp tians. If we sac ri fice what the Egyp tians de test in front of them, won’t they stone us? 27 We must go a dis tance of three days into the wil der ness and sac ri fice to the L ord our God as he in structs us.” 28 Pha raoh re spond ed, “ I will let you go and sac ri fice to the L ord your God in the wil der - ness, but don’t go very far. Make an ap peal for me.” 29 “ As soon as I leave you,” Mo ses said, “ I will ap peal to the L ord, and to mor row the swarms of flies will de part from Pha raoh, his o ff i cials, and his peo ple. But Pha raoh must not act de- cep tive ly again by re fus ing to let the peo ple go and sac ri fice to the L ord.” 30 Then Mo ses left Pha raoh’s pres ence and ap pealed to the L ord. 31 The L ord did as Mo ses had said: He re moved the swarms of flies from Pha raoh, his off i cials, and his peo ple; not one was left. 32 But Pha raoh hard ened his heart this time also and did not let the peo ple go. THE FIFTH PLAGUE: DEATH OF LIVESTOCK 9 Then the L ord said to Mo ses, “ Go in to Pha- raoh and say to him: This is what the L ord, the God of the He brews, says: Let my peo ple go, so that they may wor ship me. 2 But if you re fuse to let them go and keep hold ing them, 3 then the L ord ’ s hand will bring a se vere plague against your live stock in the field — the hors es, don- keys, cam els, herds, and flocks. 4 But the L ord will make a dis tinc tion be tween the live stock of Is ra el and the live stock of Egypt, so that noth ing of all that the Is ra el ites own will die.” 5 And the L ord set a time, say ing, “To mor row the L ord will do this thing in the land.” 6 The L ord did this the next day . All the Egyp tian live stock died, but none among the Is ra el ite live stock died. 7 Pha raoh sent mes sen gers who saw that not a sin gle one of the Is ra el ite live stock was dead. But Pha raoh’s heart was hard, and he did not let the peo ple go. THE SIXTH PLAGUE: BOILS 8 Then the L ord said to Mo ses and Aar on, “ Take hand fuls of fur nace soot, and Mo ses is to throw it to ward heav en in the sight of a 8:16 Perhaps sand fleas or mosquitoes b 8:20 Or serve c 8:21 Or insects d 8:21 Lit are e 8:23 LXX, Syr , Vg; MT reads will place redemption f 8:26 Or allowable 53 EXODUS 8-9 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 53 10/26/17 8:59 PM Pha raoh. 9 It will be come fine dust over the en tire land of Egypt. It will be come fes ter ing boils on peo ple and an i mals through out the land of Egypt.” 10 So they took fur nace soot and stood be fore Pha raoh. Mo ses threw it to ward heav en, and it be came fes ter ing boils on peo ple and an i mals. 11 The ma gi cians could not stand be fore Mo ses be cause of the boils, for the boils were on the ma gi cians as well as on all the Egyp tians. 12 But the L ord hard ened Pha raoh’s heart and he did not lis ten to them, as the L ord had told Mo ses. THE SEVENTH PLAGUE: HAIL 13 Then the L ord said to Mo ses, “ Get up ear ly in the morn ing and pre sent your self to Pha raoh. Tell him: This is what the L ord , the God of the He brews says: Let my peo ple go, so that they may wor ship me. 14 For this time I am about to send all my plagues against you, a your of- fi cials, and your peo ple. Then you will know there is no one like me on the whole earth. 15 By now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your peo ple with a plague, and you would have been oblit er at ed from the earth. 16 How ev er, I have let you live for this pur pose: to show you my pow er and to make my name known on the whole earth. 17 You are still act ing ar ro gant ly against b my peo ple by not let ting them go. 18 To mor row at this time I will rain down the worst hail that has ever oc curred in Egypt from the day it was found- ed un til now . 19 There fore give or ders to bring your live stock and all that you have in the field into shel ters. Ev ery per son and an i mal that is in the field and not brought in side will die when the hail falls on them.” 20 Those among Pha raoh’s off i cials who feared the word of the L ord made their ser vants and live stock flee to shel ters, 21 but those who didn’t take to heart the L ord’ s word left their ser vants and live stock in the field. 22 Then the L ord said to Mo ses, “ Stretch out your hand to ward heav en and let there be hail through out the land of Egypt — on peo ple and an i mals and ev ery plant of the field in the land of Egypt.” 23 So Mo ses stretched out his staff to ward heav en, and the L ord sent thun der and hail. Light ning struck the land, and the L ord rained hail on the land of Egypt. 24 The hail, with light ning flash ing through it, was so se vere that noth ing like it had oc curred in the land of Egypt since it had be come a na tion. 25 Through out the land of Egypt, the hail struck down ev ery thing in the field, both peo ple and an i mals. The hail beat down ev ery plant of the field and shat tered ev ery tree in the field. 26 The only place it didn’t hail was in the land of Go shen, where the Is ra el ites were. 27 Pha raoh sent for Mo ses and Aar on. “ I have sinned this time,” he said to them. “ The L ord is the righ teous one, and I and my peo ple are the guilty ones. 28 Make an ap peal to the L ord. There has been enough of God’s thun der and hail. I will let you go; you don’t need to stay any lon ger.” 29 Mo ses said to him, “ When I have left the city , I will spread out my hands to the L ord. The thun der will cease, and there will be no more hail, so that you may know the earth c be longs to the L ord. 30 But as for you and your off i cials, I know that you still do not fear the L ord God.” 31 The flax and the bar ley were de stroyed be cause the bar ley was ripe d and the flax was bud ding, 32 but the wheat and the spelt were not de stroyed since they are lat er crops. e 33 Mo ses left Pha raoh and the city , and spread out his hands to the L ord. Then the thun der and hail ceased, and rain no lon ger poured down on the land. 34 When Pha raoh saw that the rain, hail, and thun der had ceased, he sinned again and hard ened his heart, he and his off i cials. 35 So Pha raoh’s heart was hard, and he did not let the Is ra el ites go, as the L ord had said through Mo ses. THE EIGHTH PLAGUE: LOCUSTS 10 Then the L ord said to Mo ses, “ Go to Pha- raoh, for I have hard ened his heart and the hearts of his off i cials so that I may do these mi rac u lous signs of mine among them, f 2 and so that you may tell g your son and grand son how se vere ly I dealt with the Egyp tians and per formed mi rac u lous signs among them, and you will know that I am the L ord.” 3 So Mo ses and Aar on went in to Pha raoh and told him, “ This is what the L ord, the God of the He brews, says: How long will you re- fuse to hum ble your self be fore me? Let my peo ple go, that they may wor ship me. 4 But if you re fuse to let my peo ple go, then to mor row I will bring lo custs into your ter ri to ry . 5 They will cov er the sur face of the land so that no a 9:14 Lit plagues to your heart b 9:17 Or still obstructing c 9:29 Or land d 9:31 Lit was ears of grain e 9:32 Lit are late f 10:1 Lit mine in his midst g 10:2 Lit tell in the ears ofEXODUS 9-10 54 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 54 10/26/17 8:59 PM one will be able to see the land. They will eat the re main der left to you that es caped the hail; they will eat ev ery tree you have grow- ing in the fields. 6 They will fill your hous es, all your off i cials’ hous
🔥 Exodus: Plagues and Passover
🐜 Ten plagues devastate Egypt as Pharaoh repeatedly refuses to release the Israelites, culminating in the death of all Egyptian firstborns while Israelite homes marked with blood are spared
🩸 The Passover ritual is established as a permanent memorial celebration, requiring unleavened bread, sacrificial lambs, and precise instructions to commemorate God's deliverance
🏃♂️ After 430 years of captivity, the Israelites escape Egypt with Egyptian treasures, taking Joseph's bones as promised and following God's pillar of cloud and fire
👶 Firstborn consecration becomes a lasting ordinance, requiring all firstborn males to be dedicated to God as a reminder of their miraculous deliverance
🍞 The Festival of Unleavened Bread is instituted as a seven-day observance to help future generations remember their liberation from slavery
🛣️ God strategically leads the Israelites away from Philistine territory to prevent them from becoming discouraged and returning to Egypt when facing warfare
es, and the hous es of all the Egyp tians — some thing your fa thers and grandfathers nev er saw since the time they oc cu pied the land un til to day .” Then he turned and left Pha raoh’s pres ence. 7 Pha raoh’s off i cials asked him, “ How long must this man be a snare to us? Let the men go, so that they may wor ship the L ord their God. Don’t you re al ize yet that Egypt is dev as tat ed? ” 8 So Mo ses and Aar on were brought back to Pha raoh. “ Go, wor ship the L ord your God,” Pha raoh said. “ But ex act ly who will be go ing? ” 9 Mo ses re plied, “ We will go with our young and with our old; we will go with our sons and with our daugh ters, with our flocks and with our herds be cause we must hold the L ord’ s fes ti val.” 10 He said to them, “ The Lord would have to be with you if I would ever let you and your fam i- lies go! Look out — you’re head ing for trou ble. 11 No, go — just able-bodied men — wor ship the L ord, since that’s what you want.” And they were driv en from Pha raoh’s pres ence. 12 The L ord then said to Mo ses, “ Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt, and the lo- custs will come up over it and eat ev ery plant in the land, ev ery thing that the hail left.” 13 So Mo ses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and the L ord sent an east wind over the land all that day and through the night. By morn ing the east wind had brought in the lo custs. 14 The lo custs went up over the en tire land of Egypt and set tled on the whole ter ri to ry of Egypt. Nev er be fore had there been such a large num ber of lo custs, and there nev er will be again. 15 They cov ered the sur face of the whole land so that the land was black, and they con sumed all the plants on the ground and all the fruit on the trees that the hail had left. Noth ing green was left on the trees or the plants in the field through out the land of Egypt. 16 Pha raoh ur gent ly sent for Mo ses and Aar - on and said, “ I have sinned against the L ord your God and against you. 17 Please for give my sin once more and make an ap peal to the L ord your God, so that he will just take this death away from me.” 18 Mo ses left Pha raoh’s pres ence and ap pealed to the L ord. 19 Then the L ord changed the wind to a strong west a wind, and it car ried off the lo custs and blew them into the Red Sea. Not a sin gle lo cust was left in all the ter ri to ry of Egypt. 20 But the L ord hard ened Pha raoh’s heart, and he did not let the Is ra el ites go. THE NINTH PLAGUE: DARKNESS 21 Then the L ord said to Mo ses, “ Stretch out your hand to ward heav en, and there will be dark ness over the land of Egypt, a dark ness that can be felt.” 22 So Mo ses stretched out his hand to ward heav en, and there was thick dark ness through out the land of Egypt for three days. 23 One per son could not see an- oth er, and for three days they did not move from where they were. Yet all the Is ra el ites had light where they lived. 24 Pha raoh sum moned Mo ses and said, “ Go, wor ship the L ord. Even your fam i lies may go with you; only your flocks and herds must stay be hind.” 25 Mo ses re spond ed, “ You must also let us have b sac ri fic es and burnt off er ings to pre- pare for the L ord our God. 26 Even our live- stock must go with us; not a hoof will be left be hind be cause we will take some of them to wor ship the L ord our God. We will not know what we will use to wor ship the L ord un til we get there.” 27 But the L ord hard ened Pha raoh’s heart, and he was un will ing to let them go. 28 Pha- raoh said to him, “ Leave me! Make sure you nev er see my face again, for on the day you see my face, you will die.” 29 “ As you have said,” Mo ses re plied, “ I will nev er see your face again.” THE TENTH PLAGUE: DEATH OF THE FIRSTBORN 11 The L ord said c to Mo ses, “ I will bring one more plague on Pha raoh and on Egypt. Af ter that, he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, d he will drive you out of here. 2 Now an nounce to the peo ple that both men and wom en should ask their neigh bors for sil ver and gold items.” 3 The L ord gave e the peo ple fa vor with the Egyp tians. In ad di tion, Mo ses him self was very high ly re gard ed f in the land of Egypt by g Pha raoh’s off i cials and the peo ple. 4 So Mo ses said, “ This is what the L ord says: About mid night I will go through out Egypt, a 10:19 Lit sea b 10:25 Lit also give in our hand c 11:1 Or had said d 11:1 Or go, it will be finished — e 11:3 Or had given f 11:3 Lit was very great g 11:3 Or in the eyes of 55 EXODUS 10-11 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 55 10/26/17 8:59 PM 5 and ev ery first born male in the land of Egypt will die, from the first born of Pha raoh who sits on his throne to the first born of the ser vant girl who is at the grindstones, as well as ev ery first born of the live stock. 6 Then there will be a great cry of an guish through all the land of Egypt such as nev er was be fore or ever will be again. 7 But against all the Is ra el ites, wheth er peo ple or an i mals, not even a dog will snarl, a so that you may know that the L ord makes a dis tinc tion be tween Egypt and Is ra el. 8 All these off i cials of yours will come down to me and bow be fore me, say ing: Get out, you and all the peo ple who fol low you. b Af ter that, I will get out.” And he went out from Pha raoh’s pres ence fierce ly an gry . 9 The L ord said to Mo ses, “Pha raoh will not lis ten to you, so that my won ders may be mul ti plied in the land of Egypt.” 10 Mo ses and Aar on did all these won ders be fore Pha raoh, but the L ord hard ened Pha raoh’s heart, and he would not let the Is ra el ites go out of his land. INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE PASSOVER 12 The L ord said to Mo ses and Aar on in the land of Egypt: 2 “ This month is to be the be gin ning of months for you; it is the first month of your year. 3 Tell the whole com mu ni ty of Is ra el that on the tenth day of this month they must each se lect an an i mal of the flock ac cord ing to their fa thers’ fam i lies, one an i mal per fam i ly . 4 If the house hold is too small for a whole an i mal, that per son and the neigh bor near est his house are to se lect one based on the com bined num ber of peo ple; you should apportion the an i mal ac cord ing to what each will eat. 5 You must have an un blem ished an- i mal, a year-old male; you may take it from ei ther the sheep or the goats. 6 You are to keep it un til the four teenth day of this month; then the whole as sem bly of the com mu ni ty of Is ra el will slaugh ter the an i mals at twi light. 7 They must take some of the blood and put it on the two door posts and the lintel of the hous es where they eat them. 8 They are to eat the meat that night; they should eat it, roast ed over the fire along with un leav ened bread and bit ter herbs. 9 Do not eat any of it raw or cooked in boil ing c wa ter, but only roast ed over fire — its head as well as its legs and in ner organs. 10 You must not leave any of it un til morn ing; any part of it left un til morn ing you must burn. 11 Here is how you must eat it: You must be dressed for trav el, d your san dals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. You are to eat it in a hur ry; it is the L ord’ s Pass over. 12 “ I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night and strike ev ery first born male in the land of Egypt, both peo ple and an i mals. I am the L ord; I will ex e cute judg ments against all the gods of Egypt. 13 The blood on the hous es where you are stay ing will be a dis tin guish- ing mark for you; when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No plague will be among you to de stroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. 14 “ This day is to be a me mo ri al for you, and you must cel e brate it as a fes ti val to the L ord. You are to cel e brate it through out your gen- er a tions as a per ma nent stat ute. 15 You must eat un leav ened bread for sev en days. On the first day you must re move yeast from your hous es. Who ev er eats what is leav ened from the first day through the sev enth day must be cut off from Is ra el. 16 You are to hold a sa cred as sem bly on the first day and an oth er sa cred as sem bly on the sev enth day . No work may be done on those days ex cept for pre par ing what peo ple need to eat — you may do only that. 17 “ You are to ob serve the Fes ti val of Un leav- ened Bread be cause on this very day I brought your mil i tary di vi sions out of the land of Egypt. You must ob serve this day through out your gen er a tions as a per ma nent stat ute. 18 You are to eat un leav ened bread in the first month, from the eve ning of the four teenth day of the month un til the eve ning of the twenty-first day . 19 Yeast must not be found in your hous- es for sev en days. If any one eats some thing leav ened, that per son, wheth er a res i dent alien or na tive of the land, must be cut off from the com mu ni ty of Is ra el. 20 Do not eat any thing leav ened; eat un leav ened bread in all your homes.” e 21 Then Mo ses sum moned all the el ders of Is ra el and said to them, “ Go, se lect an an i mal from the flock ac cord ing to your fam i lies, and slaugh ter the Pass over an i mal. 22 Take a clus ter of hys sop, dip it in the blood that is in the ba sin, and brush the lintel and the two door posts with some of the blood in the ba sin. None of you may go out the door of his house un til morn ing. 23 When the L ord pass es through to strike Egypt and sees the blood on the lintel and the two door posts, he will pass a 11:7 Lit point its tongue b 11:8 Lit people at your feet c 12:9 Or or boiled at all in d 12:11 Lit must have your waist girded e 12:20 Or settlementsEXODUS 11-12 56 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 56 10/26/17 8:59 PM over the door and not let the de stroy er en ter your hous es to strike you. 24 “ Keep this com mand per ma nent ly as a stat ute for you and your de scen dants. 25 When you en ter the land that the L ord will give you as he prom ised, you are to ob serve this cer e- mo ny . 26 When your chil dren ask you, ‘ What does this cer e mo ny mean to you? ’ 27 you are to re ply , ‘ It is the Pass over sac ri fice to the L ord, for he passed over the hous es of the Is ra el ites in Egypt when he struck the Egyp tians and spared our homes.’ ” So the peo ple knelt low and wor shiped. 28 Then the Is ra el ites went and did this; they did just as the L ord had com mand ed Mo ses and Aar on. THE EXODUS 29 Now at mid night the L ord struck ev ery first born male in the land of Egypt, from the first born of Pha raoh who sat on his throne to the first born of the pris on er who was in the dun geon, and ev ery first born of the live stock. 30 Dur ing the night Pha raoh got up, he along with all his off i cials and all the Egyp tians, and there was a loud wail ing through out Egypt be cause there wasn’t a house with out some- one dead. 31 He sum moned Mo ses and Aar on dur ing the night and said, “ Get out im me di ate ly from among my peo ple, both you and the Is- ra el ites, and go, wor ship the L ord as you have said. 32 Take even your flocks and your herds as you asked and leave, and also bless me.” 33 Now the Egyp tians pressured the peo- ple in or der to send them quick ly out of the coun try , for they said, “ We’re all go ing to die! ” 34 So the peo ple took their dough be fore it was leav ened, with their knead ing bowls wrapped up in their clothes on their shoul ders. 35 The Is ra el ites act ed on Moses’s word and asked the Egyp tians for sil ver and gold items and for cloth ing. 36 And the L ord gave the peo- ple such fa vor with the Egyp tians that they gave them what they re quest ed. In this way they plun dered the Egyp tians. 37 The Is ra el ites trav eled from Ram e ses to Suc coth, about six hun dred thou sand able-bod - ied men on foot, be sides their fam i lies. 38 A mixed crowd also went up with them, along with a huge num ber of live stock, both flocks and herds. 39 The peo ple baked the dough they had brought out of Egypt into un leav ened loaves, since it had no yeast; for when they were driv en out of Egypt, they could not de lay and had not pre pared pro vi sions for them selves. 40 The time that the Is ra el ites lived in Egypt a was 430 years. 41 At the end of 430 years, on that same day , all the L ord’ s mil i tary di vi sions went out from the land of Egypt. 42 It was a night of vig il in hon or of the L ord, be cause he would bring them out of the land of Egypt. This same night is in hon or of the L ord, a night vig il for all the Is ra el ites through out their gen er a tions. PASSOVER INSTRUCTION 43 The L ord said to Mo ses and Aar on, “ This is the stat ute of the Pass over: no for eign er may eat it. 44 But any slave a man has pur - chased may eat it, af ter you have cir cum cised him. 45 A tem po rary res i dent or hired work er may not eat the Pass over. 46 It is to be eat en in one house. You may not take any of the meat out side the house, and you may not break any of its bones. 47 The whole com mu ni ty of Is ra el must cel e brate b it. 48 If an alien re sides among you and wants to ob serve the L ord’ s Pass over, ev ery male in his house hold must be cir cum cised, and then he may par tic i pate; c he will be come like a na tive of the land. But no un cir cum cised per son may eat it. 49 The same law will ap ply to both the na tive and the alien who re sides among you.” 50 Then all the Is ra el ites did this; they did just as the L ord had com mand ed Mo ses and Aar on. 51 On that same day the L ord brought the Is ra el ites out of the land of Egypt ac cord- ing to their mil i tary di vi sions. 13 The L ord spoke to Mo ses: 2 “Con se crate ev ery first born male to me, the first born from ev ery womb among the Is ra el ites, both man and domestic an i mal; it is mine.” 3 Then Mo ses said to the peo ple, “Re mem ber this day when you came out of Egypt, out of the place of slav ery , for the L ord brought you out of here by the strength of his hand. Noth ing leav ened may be eat en. 4 To day , in the month of Abib, d you are go ing out. 5 When the L ord brings you into the land of the Ca naan ites, Heth ites, Am o rites, Hi vites, and Jeb u sites, e which he swore to your fa thers that he would give you, a land flow ing with milk and hon- ey , you must car ry out this cer e mo ny in this month. 6 For sev en days you must eat un leav- ened bread, and on the sev enth day there is to a 12:40 LXX, Sam add and in Canaan b 12:47 Lit do c 12:48 Lit may come near to do it d 13:4 March–April; called Nisan in the post-exilic period; Neh 2:1; Est 3:7 e 13:5 DSS, Sam, LXX, Syr add Girgashites and Perizzites ; Jos 3:10 57 EXODUS 12-13 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 57 10/26/17 8:59 PM be a fes ti val to the L ord. 7 Un leav ened bread is to be eat en for those sev en days. Noth ing leav ened may be found among you, and no yeast may be found among you in all your ter - ri to ry . 8 On that day ex plain to your son, ‘ This is be cause of what the L ord did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ 9 Let it serve as a sign for you on your hand and as a re mind er on your fore head, a so that the L ord’ s in struc tion may be in your mouth; for the L ord brought you out of Egypt with a strong hand. 10 Keep this stat ute at its ap point ed time from year to year. 11 “ When the L ord brings you into the land of the Ca naan ites, as he swore to you and your fa thers, and gives it to you, 12 you are to pre sent to the L ord ev ery first born male of the womb. All first born off spring of the live stock you own that are males will be the L ord’ s. 13 You must re deem ev ery first born of a don key with a flock an i mal, but if you do not re deem it, break its neck. How ev er, you must re deem ev ery first born among your sons. 14 “ In the fu ture, when your son asks you, ‘ What does this mean? ’ say to him, ‘ By the strength of his hand the L ord brought us out of Egypt, out of the place of slav ery . 15 When Pha raoh stub born ly re fused to let us go, the L ord killed ev ery first born male in the land of Egypt, both the first born of humans and the first born of live stock. That is why I sac ri fice to the L ord all the first born of the womb that are males, but I re deem all the first born of my sons.’ 16 So let it be a sign on your hand and a sym bol b on your fore head, for the L ord brought us out of Egypt by the strength of his hand.” THE ROUTE OF THE EXODUS 17 When Pha raoh let the peo ple go, God did not lead them along the road to the land of the Phi lis tines, even though it was near by; for God said, “ The peo ple will change their minds and re turn to Egypt if they face war.” 18 So he led the peo ple around to ward the Red Sea along the road of the wil der ness. And the Is ra el ites left the land of Egypt in bat tle for ma tion. 19 Mo ses took the bones of Jo seph with him, be cause Jo seph had made the Is ra el ites swear a sol emn oath, say ing, “ God will cer tain ly come to your aid; then you must take my bones with you from this place.” 20 They set out from Suc coth and camped at Etham on the edge of the wil der ness. 21 The L ord went ahead of them in a pil
🌊 The Exodus Miracle
🔥 Divine guidance led the Israelites through the wilderness with a pillar of cloud by day and fire by night, providing constant direction and protection during their journey
👑 Pharaoh's pursuit demonstrated God's power as He hardened the Egyptian ruler's heart, setting the stage for a dramatic confrontation that would reveal divine glory to both Israelites and Egyptians
🌊 The parting of the Red Sea showcased God's miraculous intervention, creating dry land between towering walls of water for the Israelites to cross while subsequently destroying the Egyptian army
🙏 Despite witnessing these miracles, the Israelites repeatedly complained and doubted, grumbling about water at Marah, food in the wilderness, and water again at Rephidim
🍞 God provided supernatural sustenance through manna (bread from heaven) and quail, establishing a pattern of daily provision that included Sabbath rest and taught dependence
⚔️ The battle with Amalek revealed how divine support (Moses with raised hands) and human effort (Joshua leading soldiers) worked together to secure victory for God's people
lar of cloud to lead them on their way dur ing the day and in a pil lar of fire to give them light at night, so that they could trav el day or night. 22 The pil lar of cloud by day and the pil lar of fire by night nev er left its place in front of the peo ple. 14 Then the L ord spoke to Mo ses: 2 “ Tell the Is ra el ites to turn back and camp in front of Pi-hahiroth, be tween Mig dol and the sea; you must camp in front of Ba al-ze phon, fac ing it by the sea. 3 Pha raoh will say of the Is ra el ites: They are wan der ing around the land in con fu sion; the wil der ness has boxed them in. 4 I will hard en Pha raoh’s heart so that he will pur sue them. Then I will re ceive glo ry by means of Pha raoh and all his army , and the Egyp tians will know that I am the L ord.” So the Is ra el ites did this. THE EGYPTIAN PURSUIT 5 When the king of Egypt was told that the peo ple had fled, Pha raoh and his o ff i cials changed their minds about the peo ple and said: “ What have we done? We have re leased Is ra el from serv ing us.” 6 So he got his char i ot ready and took his troops c with him; 7 he took six hun dred of the best char i ots and all the rest of the char i ots of Egypt, with off i cers in each one. 8 The L ord hard ened the heart of Pha raoh king of Egypt, and he pur sued the Is ra el ites, who were go ing out de fi ant ly . d 9 The Egyp tians — all Pha raoh’s hors es and char - i ots, his horse men, e and his army — chased af ter them and caught up with them as they camped by the sea be side Pi-hahiroth, in front of Ba al-ze phon. 10 As Pha raoh ap proached, the Is ra el ites looked up and there were the Egyp tians com- ing af ter them! The Is ra el ites were ter ri fied and cried out to the L ord for help. 11 They said to Mo ses: “ Is it be cause there are no graves in Egypt that you have tak en us away to die in the wil der ness? What have you done to us by bring ing us out of Egypt? 12 Isn’t this what we told you in Egypt: Leave us alone so that we may serve the Egyp tians? It would have been bet ter for us to serve the Egyp tians than to die in the wil der ness.” 13 But Mo ses said to the peo ple, “ Don’t be afraid. Stand firm and see the L ord’ s sal va tion that he will ac com plish for you to day; for the Egyp tians you see to day , you will nev er see a 13:9 Lit reminder between your eyes b 13:16 Or phylactery c 14:6 Lit people d 14:8 Lit with a raised hand e 14:9 Or chariot driversEXODUS 13-14 58 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 58 10/26/17 8:59 PM again. 14 The L ord will fight for you, and you must be qui et.” ESCAPE THROUGH THE RED SEA 15 The L ord said to Mo ses, “ Why are you cry ing out to me? Tell the Is ra el ites to break camp. 16 As for you, lift up your staff, stretch out your hand over the sea, and di vide it so that the Is ra el ites can go through the sea on dry ground. 17 As for me, I am go ing to hard en the hearts of the Egyp tians so that they will go in af ter them, and I will re ceive glo ry by means of Pha raoh, all his army , and his char i ots and horse men. 18 The Egyp tians will know that I am the L ord when I re ceive glo ry through Pha raoh, his char i ots, and his horse men.” 19 Then the an gel of God, who was go ing in front of the Is ra el ite forc es, moved and went be hind them. The pil lar of cloud moved from in front of them and stood be hind them. 20 It came be tween the Egyp tian and Is ra el ite forc- es. There was cloud and dark ness, it lit up the night, and nei ther group came near the oth er all night long. 21 Then Mo ses stretched out his hand over the sea. The L ord drove the sea back with a pow er ful east wind all that night and turned the sea into dry land. So the wa ters were di- vid ed, 22 and the Is ra el ites went through the sea on dry ground, with the wa ters like a wall to them on their right and their left. 23 The Egyp tians set out in pur suit — all Pha - raoh’s hors es, his char i ots, and his horse men — and went into the sea af ter them. 24 Dur ing the morn ing watch, the L ord looked down at the Egyp tian forc es from the pil lar of fire and cloud, and threw the Egyp tian forc es into con fu sion. 25 He caused their char i ot wheels to swerve a,b and made them drive c with diff i cul- ty . “ Let’s get away from Is ra el,” the Egyp tians said, “be cause the L ord is fight ing for them against Egypt! ” 26 Then the L ord said to Mo ses, “ Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the wa ter may come back on the Egyp tians, on their char - i ots and horse men.” 27 So Mo ses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at day break the sea re turned to its normal depth. While the Egyp tians were try ing to es cape from it, the L ord threw them into the sea. 28 The wa ter came back and cov ered the char i ots and horse men, plus the en tire army of Pha raoh that had gone af ter them into the sea. Not even one of them sur vived. 29 But the Is ra el ites had walked through the sea on dry ground, with the wa ters like a wall to them on their right and their left. 30 That day the L ord saved Is ra el from the pow er of the Egyp tians, and Is ra el saw the Egyp tians dead on the sea shore. 31 When Is ra el saw the great pow er that the L ord used against the Egyp tians, the peo ple feared the L ord and be lieved in him and in his ser vant Mo ses. ISRAEL’S SONG 15 Then Mo ses and the Is ra el ites sang this song to the L ord. They said: I will sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted; he has thrown the horse and its rider into the sea. 2 The Lord is my strength and my song; d he has become my salvation. This is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him. 3 The Lord is a warrior; the Lord is his name. 4 He threw Pharaoh’s chariots and his army into the sea; the elite of his officers were drowned in the Red Sea. 5 The floods covered them; they sank to the depths like a stone. 6 Lord, your right hand is glorious in power. L ord, your right hand shattered the enemy . 7 You overthrew your adversaries by your great majesty . You unleashed your burning wrath; it consumed them like stubble. 8 The water heaped up at the blast from your nostrils; the currents stood firm like a dam. The watery depths congealed in the heart of the sea. 9 The enemy said: “I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil. My desire will be gratified at their expense. I will draw my sword; my hand will destroy e them.” a 14:25 Sam, LXX, Syr read He bound their chariot wheels b 14:25 Or fall off c 14:25 Or and they drove them d 15:2 Or might e 15:9 Or conquer 59 EXODUS 14-15 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 59 10/26/17 8:59 PM 10 But you blew with your breath, and the sea covered them. They sank like lead in the mighty waters. 11 Lord, who is like you among the gods? Who is like you, glorious in holiness, revered with praises, performing wonders? 12 You stretched out your right hand, and the earth swallowed them. 13 With your faithful love, you will lead the people you have redeemed; you will guide them to your holy dwelling with your strength. 14 When the peoples hear, they will shudder; anguish will seize the inhabitants of Philistia. 15 Then the chiefs of Edom will be terrified; trembling will seize the leaders of Moab; all the inhabitants of Canaan will panic; 16 terror and dread will fall on them. They will be as still a as a stone because of your powerful arm until your people pass by , Lord, until the people whom you purchased b pass by . 17 You will bring them in and plant them on the mountain of your possession; L ord, you have prepared the place for your dwelling; Lord, c your hands have established the sanctuary . 18 The Lord will reign forever and ever! 19 When Pha raoh’s hors es with his char i ots and horse men went into the sea, the L ord brought the wa ter of the sea back over them. But the Is ra el ites walked through the sea on dry ground. 20 Then the proph et ess Mir i am, Aar on’s sis ter, took a tam bou rine in her hand, and all the wom en came out fol low ing her with tam bou rines and danc ing. 21 Mir i am sang to them: Sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted; he has thrown the horse and its rider into the sea. WATER PROVIDED 22 Then Mo ses led Is ra el on from the Red Sea, and they went out to the Wil der ness of Shur. They jour neyed for three days in the wil der - ness with out find ing wa ter. 23 They came to Ma rah, but they could not drink the wa ter at Ma rah be cause it was bit ter — that is why it was named Ma rah. d 24 The peo ple grum bled to Mo ses, “ What are we go ing to drink? ” 25 So he cried out to the L ord, and the L ord showed him a tree. When he threw it into the wa ter, the wa ter be came drinkable. The L ord made a stat ute and or di nance for them at Ma rah, and he test ed them there. 26 He said, “ If you will care ful ly obey the L ord your God, do what is right in his sight, pay at ten tion to his com mands, and keep all his stat utes, I will not in flict any ill ness es on you that I in flict ed on the Egyp tians. For I am the L ord who heals you.” 27 Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and sev en ty date palms, and they camped there by the wa ter. MANNA AND QUAIL PROVIDED 16 The en tire Is ra el ite com mu ni ty de part ed from Elim and came to the Wil der ness of Sin, which is be tween Elim and Si nai, on the fif teenth day of the sec ond month af ter they had left the land of Egypt. 2 The en tire Is ra el- ite com mu ni ty grum bled against Mo ses and Aar on in the wil der ness. 3 The Is ra el ites said to them, “ If only we had died by the L ord’ s hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat by pots of meat and ate all the bread we want ed. In stead, you brought us into this wil der ness to make this whole as sem bly die of hun ger! ” 4 Then the L ord said to Mo ses, “ I am go ing to rain bread from heav en for you. The peo- ple are to go out each day and gath er enough for that day . This way I will test them to see wheth er or not they will fol low my in struc- tions. 5 On the sixth day , when they pre pare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gath er on oth er days.” e 6 So Mo ses and Aar on said to all the Is ra el- ites: “ This eve ning you will know that it was the L ord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, 7 and in the morn ing you will see the a 15:16 Or silent b 15:16 Or created c 15:17 Some Hb mss, DSS, Sam, Tg read L ord d 15:23 = Bitter or Bitterness e 16:5 Lit as gathering day to dayEXODUS 15-16 60 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 60 10/26/17 8:59 PM L ord’ s glo ry be cause he has heard your com- plaints about him. For who are we that you com plain about us? ” 8 Mo ses con tin ued, “ The L ord will give you meat to eat this eve ning and all the bread you want in the morn ing, for he has heard the com plaints that you are rais ing against him. Who are we? Your com plaints are not against us but against the L ord.” 9 Then Mo ses told Aar on, “ Say to the en tire Is ra el ite com mu ni ty , ‘ Come be fore the L ord, for he has heard your com plaints.’ ” 10 As Aar on was speak ing to the en tire Is ra el ite com mu- ni ty , they turned to ward the wil der ness, and there in a cloud the L ord’ s glo ry ap peared. 11 The L ord spoke to Mo ses, 12 “ I have heard the com plaints of the Is ra el ites. Tell them: At twi light you will eat meat, and in the morn- ing you will eat bread un til you are full. Then you will know that I am the L ord your God.” 13 So at eve ning quail came and cov ered the camp. In the morn ing there was a lay er of dew all around the camp. 14 When the lay er of dew evap o rat ed, there were fine flakes on the desert sur face, as fine as frost on the ground. 15 When the Is ra el ites saw it, they asked one an oth er, “ What is it? ” be cause they didn’t know what it was. Mo ses told them, “ It is the bread the L ord has giv en you to eat. 16 This is what the L ord has com mand ed: ‘Gath er as much of it as each per son needs to eat. You may take two quarts a per individual, ac cord ing to the num ber of peo ple each of you has in his tent.’ ” 17 So the Is ra el ites did this. Some gath ered a lot, some a lit tle. 18 When they mea sured it by quarts, b the per son who gath ered a lot had no sur plus, and the per son who gath- ered a lit tle had no shortage. Each gath ered as much as he need ed to eat. 19 Mo ses said to them, “ No one is to let any of it re main un til morn ing.” 20 But they didn’t lis ten to Mo ses; some peo ple left part of it un til morn ing, and it bred worms and stank. There fore Mo ses was an gry with them. 21 They gath ered it ev ery morn ing. Each gath ered as much as he need ed to eat, but when the sun grew hot, it melt ed. 22 On the sixth day they gath ered twice as much food, four quarts c apiece, and all the lead ers of the com mu ni ty came and re port ed this to Mo ses. 23 He told them, “ This is what the L ord has said: ‘To mor row is a day of com plete rest, a holy Sab bath to the L ord. Bake what you want to bake, and boil what you want to boil, and set aside ev ery thing left over to be kept un til morn ing.’ ” 24 So they set it aside un til morn ing as Mo- ses com mand ed, and it didn’t stink or have mag gots in it. 25 “ Eat it to day ,” Mo ses said, “be- cause to day is a Sab bath to the L ord. To day you won’t find any in the field. 26 For six days you will gath er it, but on the sev enth day , the Sab bath, there will be none.” 27 Yet on the sev enth day some of the peo ple went out to gath er, but they did not find any . 28 Then the L ord said to Mo ses, “ How long will you d re fuse to keep my com mands and in struc tions? 29 Un der stand that the L ord has giv en you the Sab bath; there fore on the sixth day he will give you two days’ worth of bread. Each of you stay where you are; no one is to leave his place on the sev enth day .” 30 So the peo ple rest ed on the sev enth day . 31 The house of Is ra el named the sub stance man na. e It re sem bled co ri an der seed, was white, and tast ed like wa fers made with hon ey . 32 Mo ses said, “ This is what the L ord has com- mand ed: ‘ Two quarts f of it are to be pre served through out your gen er a tions, so that they may see the bread I fed you in the wil der ness when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.’ ” 33 Mo ses told Aar on, “ Take a con tain er and put two quarts g of man na in it. Then place it be fore the L ord to be pre served through out your gen er a tions.” 34 As the L ord com mand ed Mo ses, Aar on placed it be fore the tes ti mo ny to be pre served. 35 The Is ra el ites ate man na for for ty years, un til they came to an in hab it ed land. They ate man na un til they reached the bor der of the land of Ca naan. 36 ( They used a mea sure called an omer, which held two quarts. h) WATER FROM THE ROCK 17 The en tire Is ra el ite com mu ni ty left the Wil der ness of Sin, mov ing from one place to the next ac cord ing to the L ord’ s com mand. They camped at Reph i dim, but there was no wa ter for the peo ple to drink. 2 So the peo ple com plained to Mo ses, “ Give us wa ter to drink.” “ Why are you com plain ing to me? ” Mo ses re - plied to them. “ Why are you test ing the L ord? ” 3 But the peo ple thirsted there for wa ter and grum bled against Mo ses. They said, “ Why did a 16:16 Lit an omer b 16:18 Lit by an omer c 16:22 Lit two omers d 16:28 The Hb word for you is pl, referring to the whole nation. e 16:31 = what?; Ex 16:15 f 16:32 Lit ‘A full omer g 16:33 Lit a full omer h 16:36 Lit (The omer is a tenth of an ephah.) 61 EXODUS 16-17 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 61 10/26/17 8:59 PM you ever bring us up from Egypt to kill us and our chil dren and our live stock with thirst? ” 4 Then Mo ses cried out to the L ord, “ What should I do with these peo ple? In a lit tle while they will stone me! ” 5 The L ord an swered Mo ses, “ Go on ahead of the peo ple and take some of the el ders of Is ra el with you. Take the staff you struck the Nile with in your hand and go. 6 I am go ing to stand there in front of you on the rock at Ho reb; when you hit the rock, wa ter will come out of it and the peo ple will drink.” Mo ses did this in the sight of the el ders of Is ra el. 7 He named the place Mas sah a and Mer i bah b be cause the Is ra el ites com plained, and be cause they test ed the L ord, say ing, “ Is the L ord among us or not? ” THE AMALEKITES ATTACK 8 At Reph i dim, Am a lek c came and fought against Is ra el. 9 Mo ses said to Josh ua, “Se lect some men for us and go fight against Am a- lek. To mor row I will stand on the hill top with God’s staff in my hand.” 10 Josh ua did as Mo ses had told him, and fought against Am a lek, while Mo ses, Aar on, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11 While Mo ses held up his hand, d Is ra el pre vailed, but when ev er he put his hand d down, Am a lek pre vailed. 12 When Moses’s hands grew heavy , they took a stone and put it un der him, and he sat down on it. Then Aar on and Hur sup- port ed his hands, one on one side and one on the oth er so that his hands re mained steady un til the sun went down. 13 So Josh ua de feat ed Am a lek and his army e with the sword. 14 The L ord then said to Mo ses, “ Write this down on a scroll as a re mind er and re cite it to Josh ua: I will com plete ly blot out the mem o ry of Am a lek un der heav en.” 15 And Mo ses built an al tar and named it, “
📜 Divine Guidance and Covenant
🏔️ Mount Sinai becomes the sacred meeting place where God establishes His covenant with Israel, manifesting His presence through thunder, lightning, and smoke while delivering the Ten Commandments
👨👨👦👦 Jethro's wisdom transforms Moses' leadership approach, introducing a delegated judicial system with capable leaders handling minor cases while Moses focuses on major disputes and teaching God's laws
⚖️ The Ten Commandments establish the foundation of Israel's relationship with God and ethical framework for community life, covering worship, family relationships, and social responsibilities
📋 Detailed civil laws address practical matters of daily life including slavery, personal injury, property rights, and theft, demonstrating God's concern for justice in all aspects of society
🛐 God establishes Israel as His "kingdom of priests and holy nation," creating a special covenant relationship that requires obedience but promises divine blessing and protection
The L ord Is My Ban ner.” f 16 He said, “In deed, my hand is lift ed up to ward g the L ord’ s throne. The L ord will be at war with Am a lek from gen er a tion to gen er a tion.” JETHRO’S VISIT 18 Moses’s father-in-law Jeth ro, the priest of Mid i an, heard about ev ery thing that God had done for Mo ses and for God’s peo- ple Is ra el when the L ord brought Is ra el out of Egypt.2 Now Jeth ro, Moses’s father-in-law , had tak en in Zip po rah, Moses’s wife, af ter he had sent her back, 3 along with her two sons, one of whom was named Ger shom h (be cause Mo- ses had said, “ I have been a res i dent alien in a for eign land”) 4 and the oth er El i e zer (be- cause he had said, “ The God of my fa ther was my help er and res cued me from Pha raoh’s sword”). i 5 Moses’s father-in-law Jeth ro, along with Moses’s wife and sons, came to him in the wil der ness where he was camped at the moun- tain of God. 6 He sent word to Mo ses, “ I, your father-in-law Jeth ro, am com ing to you with your wife and her two sons.” 7 So Mo ses went out to meet his father-in- law , bowed down, and then kissed him. They asked each oth er how they had been j and went into the tent. 8 Mo ses re count ed to his father-in-law all that the L ord had done to Pha raoh and the Egyp tians for Is ra el’s sake, all the hard ships that con front ed them on the way , and how the L ord res cued them. 9 Jeth ro re joiced over all the good things the L ord had done for Is ra el when he res cued them from the pow er of the Egyp tians. 10 “ Blessed be the L ord,” Jeth ro ex claimed, “ who res cued you from the pow er of Egypt and from the pow er of Pha raoh. He has res cued the peo- ple from un der the pow er of Egypt! 11 Now I know that the L ord is great er than all gods, be cause he did won ders when the Egyp tians act ed ar ro gant ly against Is ra el.” k 12 Then Jeth ro, Moses’s father-in-law , brought a burnt o ff er ing and sac ri fic es to God, and Aar on came with all the el ders of Is ra el to eat a meal with Moses’s father-in-law in God’s pres ence. 13 The next day Mo ses sat down to judge the peo ple, and they stood around Mo ses from morn ing un til eve ning. 14 When Moses’s fa - ther-in-law saw ev ery thing he was do ing for them he asked, “ What is this thing you’re do ing for the peo ple? Why are you alone sit ting as judge, while all the peo ple stand around you from morn ing un til eve ning? ” 15 Mo ses re plied to his father-in-law , “Be- cause the peo ple come to me to in quire of God. 16 When ev er they have a dis pute, it comes to me, and I make a de ci sion be tween one man and an oth er. I teach them God’s stat utes and laws.” a 17:7 = Testing b 17:7 = Quarreling c 17:8 A semi-nomadic people descended from Amalek, a grandson of Esau; Gn 36:12 d 17:11 Sam, LXX, Syr , Tg, Vg read hands e 17:13 Or people f 17:15 = Yahweh-nissi g 17:16 Or hand was on, or hand was against ; Hb obscure h 18:3 In Hb the name Gershom sounds like the phrase “a stranger there.” i 18:4 = My God Is Help j 18:7 Lit other about well-being k 18:11 Hb obscureEXODUS 17-18 62 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 62 10/26/17 8:59 PM 17 “ What you’re do ing is not good,” Moses’s father-in-law said to him. 18 “ You will cer tain ly wear out both your self and these peo ple who are with you, be cause the task is too heavy for you. You can’t do it alone. 19 Now lis ten to me; I will give you some ad vice, and God be with you. You be the one to rep re sent the peo ple be fore God and bring their cases to him. 20 In struct them about the stat utes and laws, and teach them the way to live and what they must do. 21 But you should se lect from all the peo ple able men, God-fearing, trust wor thy , and hat ing dis hon est prof it. Place them over the peo ple as com mand- ers of thou sands, hun dreds, fif ties, and tens. 22 They should judge the peo ple at all times. Then they can bring you ev ery ma jor case but judge ev ery minor case them selves. In this way you will light en your load, a and they will bear it with you. 23 If you do this, and God so di rects you, you will be able to en dure, and also all these peo ple will be able to go home sat is fied.” b 24 Mo ses lis tened to his father-in-law and did ev ery thing he said. 25 So Mo ses chose able men from all Is ra el and made them lead ers over the peo ple as com mand ers of thou sands, hun dreds, fif ties, and tens. 26 They judged the peo ple at all times; they would bring the hard cases to Mo ses, but they would judge ev ery minor case them selves. 27 Mo ses let his father-in-law go, and he jour neyed to his own land. ISRAEL AT SINAI 19 In the third month from the very day the Is ra el ites left the land of Egypt, they came to the Si nai Wil der ness. 2 They trav eled from Reph i dim, came to the Si nai Wil der ness, and camped in the wil der ness. Is ra el camped there in front of the moun tain. 3 Mo ses went up the moun tain to God, and the L ord called to him from the moun tain: “ This is what you must say to the house of Ja cob and ex plain to the Is ra el ites: 4 ‘ You have seen what I did to the Egyp tians and how I car ried you on ea gles’ wings and brought you to my self. 5 Now if you will care ful ly lis ten to me and keep my cov enant, you will be my own pos ses sion out of all the peo ples, al though the whole earth is mine, 6 and you will be my king dom of priests and my holy na tion.’ These are the words that you are to say to the Is ra el ites.”7 Af ter Mo ses came back, he sum moned the el ders of the peo ple and set be fore them all these words that the L ord had com mand ed him. 8 Then all the peo ple re spond ed to geth- er, “ We will do all that the L ord has spo ken.” So Mo ses brought the peo ple’s words back to the L ord. 9 The L ord said to Mo ses, “ I am go ing to come to you in a dense cloud, so that the peo ple will hear when I speak with you and will al ways be lieve you.” Mo ses re port ed the peo ple’s words to the L ord, 10 and the L ord told Mo ses, “ Go to the peo ple and con se crate them to day and to mor row . They must wash their clothes 11 and be pre pared by the third day , for on the third day the L ord will come down on Mount Si nai in the sight of all the peo ple. 12 Put bound aries for the peo ple all around the moun tain and say: Be care ful that you don’t go up on the moun tain or touch its base. Any one who touch es the moun tain must be put to death. 13 No hand may touch him; c in stead he will be stoned or shot with ar rows and not live, wheth er an i mal or hu man. When the ram’s horn sounds a long blast, they may go up the moun tain.” 14 Then Mo ses came down from the moun- tain to the peo ple and con se crat ed them, and they washed their clothes. 15 He said to the peo ple, “ Be pre pared by the third day . Do not have sex u al re la tions with wom en.” 16 On the third day , when morn ing came, there was thun der and light ning, a thick cloud on the moun tain, and a very loud trum pet sound, so that all the peo ple in the camp shud - dered. 17 Then Mo ses brought the peo ple out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at the foot of the moun tain. 18 Mount Si nai was com plete ly en vel oped in smoke be cause the L ord came down on it in fire. Its smoke went up like the smoke of a fur nace, and the whole moun tain shook vi o lent ly . 19 As the sound of the trum pet grew loud er and loud er, Mo ses spoke and God an swered him in the thun der. 20 The L ord came down on Mount Si nai at the top of the moun tain. Then the L ord sum moned Mo ses to the top of the moun tain, and he went up. 21 The L ord di rect ed Mo ses, “ Go down and warn the peo ple not to break through to see the L ord ; oth er wise many of them will die. 22 Even the priests who come near the L ord must con se crate them selves, or the L ord will break out in an ger against them.” a 18:22 Lit lighten from on you b 18:23 Lit go to their place in peace c 19:13 Or it 63 EXODUS 18-19 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 63 10/26/17 8:59 PM 23 Mo ses re spond ed to the L ord, “ The peo ple can not come up Mount Si nai, since you warned us: Put a bound ary around the moun tain and con se crate it.” 24 And the L ord re plied to him, “ Go down and come back with Aar on. But the priests and the peo ple must not break through to come up to the L ord , or he will break out in an ger against them.” 25 So Mo ses went down to the peo ple and told them. THE TEN COMMANDMENTS 20 Then God spoke all these words: 2 I am the L ord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slav ery . 3 Do not have oth er gods be sides me. 4 Do not make an idol for your self, wheth er in the shape of any thing in the heav ens above or on the earth be low or in the wa ters un der the earth. 5 Do not bow in wor ship to them, and do not serve them; for I, the L ord your God, am a jeal ous God, pun ish ing the chil dren for the fa thers’ in iq ui ty , to the third and fourth gen er a tions of those who hate me, 6 but show ing faith ful love to a thou sand gen er a tions of those who love me and keep my com mands. 7 Do not mis use the name of the L ord your God, be cause the L ord will not leave any one un pun ished who mis uses his name. 8 Re mem ber the Sab bath day , to keep it holy: 9 You are to la bor six days and do all your work, 10 but the sev enth day is a Sab bath to the L ord your God. You must not do any work — you, your son or daugh ter, your male or fe male ser vant, your live stock, or the res i dent alien who is with in your city gates. 11 For the L ord made the heav ens and the earth, the sea, and ev ery thing in them in six days; then he rest ed on the sev enth day . There fore the L ord blessed the Sab bath day and de clared it holy . 12 Hon or your fa ther and your moth er so that you may have a long life in the land that the L ord your God is giv ing you. 13 Do not mur der. 14 Do not com mit adul tery . 15 Do not steal. 16 Do not give false tes ti mo ny against your neigh bor. 17 Do not cov et your neigh bor’s house. Do not cov et your neigh bor’s wife, his male or fe male ser vant, his ox or don key , or any thing that be longs to your neigh bor. THE PEOPLE’S REACTION 18 All the peo ple wit nessed a the thun der and light ning, the sound of the trum pet, and the moun tain sur round ed by smoke. When the peo ple saw it b they trem bled and stood at a dis tance. 19 “ You speak to us, and we will lis- ten,” they said to Mo ses, “ but don’t let God speak to us, or we will die.” 20 Mo ses re spond ed to the peo ple, “ Don’t be afraid, for God has come to test you, so that you will fear him and will not c sin.” 21 And the peo- ple re mained stand ing at a dis tance as Mo ses ap proached the to tal dark ness where God was. MOSES RECEIVES ADDITIONAL LAWS 22 Then the L ord told Mo ses, “ This is what you are to say to the Is ra el ites: You have seen that I have spo ken to you from heav en. 23 Do not make gods of sil ver to ri val me; do not make gods of gold for your selves. 24 “ Make an earth en al tar for me, and sac ri- fice on it your burnt off er ings and fel low ship off er ings, your flocks and herds. I will come to you and bless you in ev ery place where I cause my name to be re mem bered. 25 If you make a stone al tar for me, do not build it out of cut stones. If you use your chis el on it, you will de file it. 26 Do not go up to my al tar on steps, so that your na ked ness is not ex posed on it. 21 “ These are the or di nances that you are to set be fore them: LAWS ABOUT SLAVES 2 “ When you buy a He brew slave, he is to serve for six years; then in the sev enth he is to leave as a free man d with out pay ing any thing. 3 If he ar rives alone, he is to leave alone; if he ar rives with e a wife, his wife is to leave with him. 4 If his mas ter gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daugh ters, the wife and her chil dren be long to her mas ter, and the man must leave alone. 5 “ But if the slave de clares, ‘ I love my mas ter, my wife, and my chil dren; I do not want to leave as a free man,’ 6 his mas ter is to bring him to a 20:18 Lit saw b 20:18 Sam, LXX, Syr , Tg, Vg read smoke. The people (or they ) were afraid, c 20:20 Lit that the fear of him may be in you, and you do not d 21:2 Lit to go forth e 21:3 Lit he is the husband ofEXODUS 19-21 64 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 64 10/26/17 8:59 PM the judg es a and then bring him to the door or door post. His mas ter will pierce his ear with an awl, and he will serve his mas ter for life. 7 “ When a man sells his daugh ter as a con- cu bine, b she is not to leave as the male slaves do. 8 If she is dis pleas ing to her mas ter, who chose her for him self, then he must let her be re deemed. He has no right to sell her to for eign ers be cause he has act ed treach er - ous ly to ward her. 9 Or if he chooses her for his son, he must deal with her ac cord ing to the cus tom ary treat ment of daugh ters. 10 If he takes an ad di tion al wife, he must not re duce the food, cloth ing, or mar i tal rights of the first wife. 11 And if he does not do these three things for her, she may leave free of charge, with out any pay ment. c LAWS ABOUT PERSONAL INJURY 12 “Who ev er strikes a per son so that he dies must be put to death. 13 But if he did not in tend any harm, d and yet God al lowed it to hap pen, I will ap point a place for you where he may flee. 14 If a per son schemes and will ful ly e acts against his neigh bor to mur der him, you must take him from my al tar to be put to death. 15 “Who ev er strikes his fa ther or his moth er must be put to death. 16 “Who ev er kid naps a per son must be put to death, wheth er he sells him or the per son is found in his pos ses sion. 17 “Who ev er curs es his fa ther or his moth er must be put to death. 18 “ When men quar rel and one strikes the oth er with a stone or his fist, and the in jured man does not die but is con fined to bed, 19 if he can lat er get up and walk around out side lean ing on his staff, then the one who struck him will be ex empt from pun ish ment. Nev er- the less, he must pay for his lost work time f and pro vide for his com plete re cov ery . 20 “ When a man strikes his male or fe male slave with a rod, and the slave dies un der his abuse, g the own er must be pun ished. h 21 How- ev er, if the slave can stand up af ter a day or two, the own er should not be pun ished i be- cause he is his own er’s prop er ty . j 22 “ When men get in a fight and hit a preg- nant wom an so that her chil dren are born pre ma ture ly but there is no in ju ry , the one who hit her must be fined as the wom an’s hus band de mands from him, and he must pay ac cord ing to judicial as sess ment. 23 If there is an in ju ry , then you must give life for life, 24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burn for burn, bruise for bruise, wound for wound. 26 “ When a man strikes the eye of his male or fe male slave and de stroys it, he must let the slave go free in com pen sa tion for his eye. 27 If he knocks out the tooth of his male or fe male slave, he must let the slave go free in com pen sa tion for his tooth. 28 “ When an ox k gores a man or a wom an to death, the ox must be stoned, and its meat may not be eat en, but the ox’s own er is in no cent. 29 How ev er, if the ox was in the hab it of gor - ing, and its own er has been warned yet does not re strain it, and it kills a man or a wom an, the ox must be stoned, and its own er must also be put to death. 30 If in stead a ran som is de mand ed of him, he can pay a re demp tion price for his life in the full amount de mand- ed from him. 31 If it gores a son or a daugh ter, he is to be dealt with ac cord ing to this same law . 32 If the ox gores a male or fe male slave, he must give thir ty shek els of sil ver l to the slave’s mas ter, and the ox must be stoned. 33 “ When a man un cov ers a pit or digs a pit, and does not cov er it, and an ox or a don key falls into it, 34 the own er of the pit must give com pen sa tion; he must pay to its own er, but the dead an i mal will be come his. 35 “ When a man’s ox in jures his neigh bor’s ox and it dies, they must sell the live ox and di vide its proceeds; they must also di vide the dead an i mal. 36 If, how ev er, it is known that the ox was in the hab it of gor ing, yet its own er has not re strained it, he must com pen sate ful ly , ox for ox; the dead an i mal will be come his. LAWS ABOUT THEFT 22 “ When a man steals an ox or a sheep and butchers it or sells it, he must re pay five cat tle for the ox or four sheep for the sheep. 2 If a thief is caught in the act of break ing in, and he is beat en to death, no one is guilty of blood shed. 3 But if this hap pens af ter sun rise, the householder is guilty of blood shed. A thief must make full res ti tu tion. If he is un able, he is to be sold be cause of his theft. 4 If what was sto len — wheth er ox, don key , or sheep — is ac tu al ly found alive in his pos ses sion, he must re pay dou ble. a 21:6 Or to God ; that is, to his sanctuary or court b 21:7 Or
📜 Biblical Legal Codes
🏛️ Property laws establish clear guidelines for restitution when animals damage crops, fires spread, or items are stolen, creating a framework for fair compensation and community trust
👪 Vulnerable groups receive special protection through laws forbidding exploitation of foreigners, widows, orphans, and the poor, with divine punishment promised for violators
🕊️ Sabbath observances extend rest to all creatures—humans, servants, animals, and even the land itself—reflecting a holistic approach to societal wellbeing
⚖️ Justice system demands impartiality, prohibits bribes, protects the innocent, and requires honesty in testimony, establishing ethical foundations for legal proceedings
🛐 Covenant relationship between God and Israel is formalized through blood rituals, sacred meals, and the construction of the tabernacle as God's dwelling place among the people
servant c 21:11 She doesn’t have to pay any redemption price. d 21:13 Lit he was not lying in wait e 21:14 Or maliciously f 21:19 Lit his inactivity g 21:20 Lit hand h 21:20 Or must suffer vengeance i 21:21 Or not suffer vengeance j 21:21 Lit silver k 21:28 Or a bull, or a steer l 21:32 About one pound of silver 65 EXODUS 21-22 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 65 10/26/17 8:59 PM LAWS ABOUT CROP PROTECTION 5 “ When a man lets a field or vine yard be grazed in, and then al lows his an i mals to go and graze in some one else’s field, he must re pay a with the best of his own field or vine yard. 6 “ When a fire gets out of con trol, spreads to thorn bush es, and con sumes stacks of cut grain, stand ing grain, or a field, the one who start ed the fire must make full res ti tu tion for what was burned. LAWS ABOUT PERSONAL PROPERTY 7 “ When a man gives his neigh bor valu ables b or goods to keep, but they are sto len from that per son’s house, the thief, if caught, must re pay dou ble. 8 If the thief is not caught, the own er of the house must pre sent him self to the judg es c to de ter mine d wheth er or not he has tak en his neigh bor’s prop er ty . 9 In any case of wrong do ing in volv ing an ox, a don- key , a sheep, a gar ment, or any thing else lost, and some one claims, ‘ That’s mine,’ e the case be tween the two par ties is to come be fore the judg es. f The one the judg es con demn g must re pay dou ble to his neigh bor. 10 “ When a man gives his neigh bor a don key , an ox, a sheep, or any oth er an i mal to care for, but it dies, is in jured, or is sto len, while no one is watch ing, 11 there must be an oath be fore the L ord be tween the two of them to de ter mine wheth er or not he has tak en his neigh bor’s prop er ty . Its own er must ac cept the oath, and the oth er man does not have to make res ti tu tion. 12 But if, in fact, the an i mal was sto len from his cus to dy , he must make res ti tu tion to its own er. 13 If it was ac tu al ly torn apart by a wild an i mal, he is to bring it as ev i dence; he does not have to make res ti- tu tion for the torn car cass. 14 “ When a man bor rows an an i mal from his neigh bor, and it is in jured or dies while its own er is not there with it, the man must make full res ti tu tion. 15 If its own er is there with it, the man does not have to make res- ti tu tion. If it was rent ed, the loss is cov ered by h its rental price. LAWS ABOUT SEDUCTION 16 “ If a man se duc es a vir gin who is not en gaged, and he sleeps with her, he must cer tain ly pay the brid al price for her to be his wife. 17 If her fa ther ab so lute ly re fus es to give her to him, he must pay an amount in sil ver equal to the brid al price for vir gins. CAPITAL OFFENSES 18 “ Do not al low a sor cer ess to live. 19 “Who ev er has sex u al intercourse with an an i mal must be put to death. 20 “Who ev er sac ri fic es to any gods, ex cept the L ord alone, is to be set apart for de struc tion. LAWS PROTECTING THE VULNERABLE 21 “ You must not ex ploit a res i dent alien or op press him, since you were res i dent aliens in the land of Egypt. 22 “ You must not mis treat any wid ow or fa- ther less child. 23 If you do mis treat them, they will no doubt cry to me, and I will cer tain ly hear their cry . 24 My an ger will burn, and I will kill you with the sword; then your wives will be wid ows and your chil dren fa ther less. 25 “ If you lend sil ver to my peo ple, to the poor per son among you, you must not be like a cred i tor to him; you must not charge him in ter est. 26 “ If you ever take your neigh bor’s cloak as col lat er al, re turn it to him be fore sun set. 27 For it is his only cov er ing; it is the cloth ing for his body . i What will he sleep in? And if he cries out to me, I will lis ten be cause I am gra cious. RESPECT FOR GOD 28 “ You must not blas pheme God j or curse a lead er among your peo ple. 29 “ You must not hold back off er ings from your har vest or your vats. Give me the first- born of your sons. 30 Do the same with your cat tle and your flock. Let them stay with their moth ers for sev en days, but on the eighth day you are to give them to me. 31 “ Be my holy peo ple. You must not eat the meat of a mauled an i mal found in the field; throw it to the dogs. LAWS ABOUT HONESTY AND JUSTICE 23 “ You must not spread a false re port. Do not join k the wick ed to be a ma li- cious wit ness. 2 “ You must not fol low a crowd in wrong- do ing. Do not tes ti fy in a law suit and go along a 22:5 LXX adds from his field according to its produce. But if someone lets his animals graze an entire field, he must repay ; DSS, Sam also support this reading. b 22:7 Lit silver c 22:8 Or to God d 22:8 LXX, Tg, Vg read swear e 22:9 Lit That is it f 22:9 Or before God g 22:9 Or one whom God condemns h 22:15 Lit rented, it comes with i 22:27 Lit skin j 22:28 Or judges k 23:1 Lit join hands withEXODUS 22-23 66 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 66 10/26/17 8:59 PM with a crowd to per vert jus tice. 3 Do not show fa vor it ism to a poor per son in his law suit. 4 “ If you come across your en e my’s stray ox or don key , you must re turn it to him. 5 “ If you see the don key of some one who hates you ly ing help less un der its load, and you want to re frain from help ing it, you must help with it. a 6 “ You must not deny jus tice to a poor per son among you in his law suit. 7 Stay far away from a false ac cu sa tion. Do not kill the in no cent and the just, be cause I will not jus ti fy the guilty . 8 You must not take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and cor rupts the words b of the righ teous. 9 You must not op press a res i dent alien; you your selves know how it feels to be a res i dent alien be cause you were res i dent aliens in the land of Egypt. SABBATHS AND FESTIVALS 10 “ Sow your land for six years and gath er its pro duce. 11 But dur ing the sev enth year you are to let it rest and leave it uncultivated, so that the poor among your peo ple may eat from it and the wild an i mals may con sume what they leave. Do the same with your vine yard and your ol ive grove. 12 “ Do your work for six days but rest on the sev enth day so that your ox and your don key may rest, and the son of your fe male slave as well as the res i dent alien may be re freshed. 13 “ Pay strict at ten tion to ev ery thing I have said to you. You must not in voke the names of oth er gods; they must not be heard on your lips. c 14 “Cel e brate a fes ti val in my hon or three times a year. 15 Ob serve the Fes ti val of Un- leav ened Bread. As I com mand ed you, you are to eat un leav ened bread for sev en days at the ap point ed time in the month of Abib, d be cause you came out of Egypt in that month. No one is to ap pear be fore me empty-handed. 16 Also ob serve the Fes ti val of Har vest e with the first fruits of your pro duce from what you sow in the field, and ob serve the Fes ti val of In gath er ing f at the end of the year, when you gath er your pro duce g from the field. 17 Three times a year all your males are to ap pear be- fore the Lord G od.18 “ You must not off er the blood of my sac ri- fic es with any thing leav ened. The fat of my fes- ti val off er ing must not re main un til morn ing. 19 “ Bring the best of the first fruits of your land to the house of the L ord your God. “ You must not boil a young goat in its moth- er’s milk. PROMISES AND WARNINGS 20 “ I am go ing to send an an gel be fore you to pro tect you on the way and bring you to the place I have pre pared. 21 Be attentive to him and lis ten to him. Do not defy him, be cause he will not for give your acts of re bel lion, for my name is in him. 22 But if you will care ful ly obey him and do ev ery thing I say , then I will be an en e my to your en e mies and a foe to your foes. 23 For my an gel will go be fore you and bring you to the land of the Am o rites, Heth ites, Per iz zites, Ca naan ites, Hi vites, and Jeb u sites, and I will wipe them out. 24 Do not bow in wor - ship to their gods, and do not serve them. Do not im i tate their prac tic es. In stead, de mol ish them h and smash their sa cred pil lars to pieces. 25 Serve the L ord your God, and he i will bless your bread and your wa ter. I will re move ill- ness es from you. 26 No wom an will mis car ry or be child less in your land. I will give you the full num ber of your days. 27 “ I will cause the peo ple ahead of you to feel ter ror j and will throw into con fu sion all the na tions you come to. I will make all your en e mies turn their backs to you in re treat. k 28 I will send hornets l in front of you, and they will drive the Hi vites, Ca naan ites, and Heth ites away from you. 29 I will not drive them out ahead of you in a sin gle year; oth er wise, the land would be come des o late, and wild an i mals would mul ti ply against you. 30 I will drive them out lit tle by lit tle ahead of you un til you have be come nu mer ous m and take pos ses sion of the land. 31 I will set your bor ders from the Red Sea to the Med i ter ra nean Sea, n and from the wil der ness to the Eu phra tes Riv er. o For I will place the in hab i tants of the land un der your con trol, and you will drive them out ahead of you. 32 You must not make a cov enant with them or their gods. 33 They must not re main in your land, or else they will make you sin a 23:5 Or load, you must refrain from leaving it to him; you must set it free with him b 23:8 Or and subverts the cause c 23:13 Lit mouth d 23:15 March–April; called Nisan in the post-exilic period; Neh 2:1; Est 3:7 e 23:16 The Festival of Harvest is called Festival of Weeks elsewhere; Ex 34:22. In the NT it is called Pentecost; Ac 2:1. f 23:16 The Festival of Ingathering is called Festival of Shelters elsewhere; Lv 23:34-36. g 23:16 Lit labors h 23:24 Probably the idols i 23:25 LXX, Vg read I j 23:27 Lit will send terror of me ahead of you k 23:27 Or I will give your enemies to you by the neck l 23:28 Or send panic m 23:30 Lit fruitful n 23:31 Lit the Sea of the Philistines o 23:31 Lit the River 67 EXODUS 23 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 67 10/26/17 8:59 PM against me. If you serve their gods, it will be a snare for you.” THE COVENANT CEREMONY 24 Then he said to Mo ses, “ Go up to the L ord, you and Aar on, Na dab, and Abi- hu, and sev en ty of Is ra el’s el ders, and bow in wor ship at a dis tance. 2 Mo ses alone is to ap proach the L ord, but the oth ers are not to ap proach, and the peo ple are not to go up with him.” 3 Mo ses came and told the peo ple all the com mands of the L ord and all the or di nances. Then all the peo ple re spond ed with a sin gle voice, “ We will do ev ery thing that the L ord has com mand ed.” 4 And Mo ses wrote down all the words of the L ord. He rose ear ly the next morn ing and set up an al tar and twelve pil lars for the twelve tribes of Is ra el at the base of the moun tain. 5 Then he sent out young Is- ra el ite men, and they off ered burnt off er ings and sac ri ficed bulls as fel low ship off er ings to the L ord. 6 Mo ses took half the blood and set it in ba sins; the oth er half of the blood he splattered on the al tar. 7 He then took the cov- enant scroll and read it aloud to the peo ple. They re spond ed, “ We will do and obey all that the L ord has com mand ed.” 8 Mo ses took the blood, splattered it on the peo ple, and said, “ This is the blood of the cov enant that the L ord has made with you con cern ing all these words.” 9 Then Mo ses went up with Aar on, Na dab, and Abi hu, and sev en ty of Is ra el’s el ders, 10 and they saw the God of Is ra el. Be neath his feet was some thing like a pave ment made of lapis lazuli, as clear as the sky it self. 11 God did not harm a the Is ra el ite no bles; they saw him, and they ate and drank. 12 The L ord said to Mo ses, “ Come up to me on the moun tain and stay there so that I may give you the stone tab lets with the law and com mand ments I have writ ten for their in- struc tion.” 13 So Mo ses arose with his as sis tant Josh ua and went up the moun tain of God. 14 He told the el ders, “ Wait here for us un til we re turn to you. Aar on and Hur are here with you. Who ev er has a dis pute should go to them.” 15 When Mo- ses went up the moun tain, the cloud cov ered it. 16 The glo ry of the L ord set tled on Mount Si nai, and the cloud cov ered it for six days. On the sev enth day he called to Mo ses from the cloud. 17 The ap pear ance of the L ord’ s glo ry to the Is ra el ites was like a con sum ing fire on the moun tain top. 18 Mo ses en tered the cloud as he went up the moun tain, and he re mained on the moun tain for ty days and for ty nights. OFFERINGS TO BUILD THE TABERNACLE 25 The L ord spoke to Mo ses: 2 “ Tell the Is ra el ites to take an off er ing for me. You are to take my off er ing from ev ery one who is will ing to give. 3 This is the off er ing you are to re ceive from them: gold, sil ver, and bronze; 4 blue, pur ple, and scar let yarn; fine lin en and goat hair; 5 ram skins dyed red and fine leath er; b aca cia wood; 6 oil for the light; spic es for the anoint ing oil and for the fra- grant in cense; 7 and onyx c along with oth er gemstones for mounting on the ephod and breast piece. d 8 “ They are to make a sanc tu ary for me so that I may dwell among them. 9 You must make it ac cord ing to all that I show you — the pat- tern of the tab er na cle as well as the pat tern of all its fur nish ings. THE ARK 10 “ They are to make an ark of aca cia wood, forty-five inch es long, twenty-seven inch es wide, and twenty-seven inch es high. e 11 Over lay it with pure gold; over lay it both in side and out. Also make a gold mold ing all around it. 12 Cast four gold rings for it and place them on its four feet, two rings on one side and two rings on the oth er side. 13 Make poles of aca cia wood and over lay them with gold. 14 In sert the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark in or der to car ry the ark with them. 15 The poles are to re main in the rings of the ark; they must not be re moved from it. 16 Put the tab lets of f the tes ti mo ny that I will give you into the ark. 17 Make a mer cy seat of pure gold, forty-five inch es long and twenty-seven inch es wide. g 18 Make two cher u bim of gold; make them of ham mered work at the two ends of the mer cy seat. 19 Make one cher ub at one end and one cher ub at the oth er end. At its two ends, make the cher u bim of one piece with the mer cy seat. 20 The cher u bim are to have wings spread out above, cov er ing the mer cy seat with their wings, and are to face one an oth er. The fac es of the cher u bim should be to ward the mer cy a 24:11 Lit not stretch out his hand against b 25:5 Hb obscure c 25:7 Or carnelian d 25:7 Traditionally, breastplate e 25:10 Lit two and a half cubits its length, one and a half cubits its width, and one and a half cubits its height f 25:16 the tablets of supplied for clarity, also in v. 21 g 25:17 Lit two and a half cubits its length, one and a half cubits its widthEXODUS 23-25 68 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 68 10/26/17 8:59 PM seat. 21 Set the mer cy seat on top of the ark and put the tab lets of the tes ti mo ny that I will give you into the ark. 22 I will meet with you there above the mer cy seat, be tween the two cher - u bim that are over the ark of the tes ti mo ny; I will speak with you from there about all that I com mand you re gard ing the Is ra el ites. THE TABLE 23 “ You are to con struct a ta ble of aca cia wood, thirty-six inch es long, eigh teen inch es wide, and twenty-seven inch es high. a 24 Over lay it with pure gold and make a gold mold ing all around it. 25 Make a three-inch b frame all around it and make a gold mold ing for it all around its frame. 26 Make four gold rings for it, and at tach the rings to the four cor ners at its four legs. 27 The rings should be next to the frame as holders for the poles to car ry the ta ble. 28 Make the poles of aca cia wood and over lay them with gold, and the ta ble can be car ried by them. 29 You are also to make its plates and cups, as well as its pitch ers and bowls for pour ing drink off er ings. Make them out of pure gold. 30 Put the Bread of the Pres- ence on the ta ble be fore me at all times. THE LAMPSTAND 31 “ You are to make a lamp stand out of pure, ham mered gold. It is to be made of one piece: its base and shaft, its ornamental cups, and its buds c and pet als. 32 Six branch es are to ex tend from its sides, three branch es of the lamp - stand from one side and three branch es of the lamp stand from the oth er side. 33 There are to be three cups shaped like al mond blos soms, each with a bud and pet als, on one branch, and three cups shaped like al mond blos soms, each with a bud and pet als, on the next branch. It is to be this way for the six branch es that ex tend from the lamp stand. 34 There are to be four cups shaped like al mond blos soms on the lamp stand shaft along with its buds and pet als. 35 For the six branch es that ex tend from the lamp stand, a bud must be un der the first pair of branch es from it, a bud un der the sec ond pair of branch es from it, and a bud un der the third pair of branch es from it. 36 Their buds and branch es are to be of one piece. d All of it is to be a
🏛️ Tabernacle Construction Blueprint
🔨 Sacred architecture requires precise measurements, premium materials (gold, silver, bronze, fine linen), and meticulous craftsmanship to create a portable sanctuary worthy of divine presence
🕯️ The lampstand (menorah) with seven lamps illuminates the holy space, crafted from 75 pounds of pure gold with ornate decorative elements including almond blossoms
🏕️ Layered coverings protect the tabernacle—inner curtains of fine linen with cherubim designs, middle layer of goat hair, and outer coverings of dyed ram skins and leather—creating both beauty and functionality
👑 Priestly garments for Aaron and his sons combine practical function with symbolic significance, featuring gold, precious stones, and blue/purple/scarlet yarn to convey glory, beauty, and holiness
🔔 The high priest's ephod and breastpiece carry the names of Israel's twelve tribes, connecting the people to their representative before God and providing a means for divine decision-making
🛡️ Elaborate consecration rituals establish the priesthood through washing, dressing, anointing, and sacrificial offerings, creating a permanent system of mediation between God and Israel
sin gle ham mered piece of pure gold. 37 “ Make its sev en lamps, and set them up so that they illuminate the area in front of it. 38 Its snuffers and fire pans must be of pure gold. 39 The lamp stand e with all these uten- sils is to be made from seventy-five pounds f of pure gold. 40 Be care ful to make them ac- cord ing to the pat tern you have been shown on the moun tain. THE TABERNACLE 26 “ You are to con struct the tab er na cle it self with ten cur tains. You must make them of fine ly spun lin en, and blue, pur ple, and scar let yarn, with a de sign of cher u bim worked into them. 2 Each cur tain should be forty-two feet g long and six feet h wide; all the cur tains are to have the same mea sure- ments. 3 Five of the cur tains should be joined to geth er, and the oth er five cur tains joined to geth er. 4 Make loops of blue yarn on the edge of the last cur tain in the first set, and do the same on the edge of the outermost cur tain in the sec ond set. 5 Make fif ty loops on the one cur tain and make fif ty loops on the edge of the cur tain in the sec ond set, so that the loops line up to geth er. 6 Also make fif ty gold clasps and join the cur tains to geth er with the clasps, so that the tab er na cle may be a sin gle unit. 7 “ You are to make cur tains of goat hair for a tent over the tab er na cle; make elev en of these cur tains. 8 Each cur tain should be forty-five feet i long and six feet wide. All elev en cur tains are to have the same mea sure ments. 9 Join five of the cur tains by them selves, and the oth er six cur tains by them selves. Then fold the sixth cur tain dou ble at the front of the tent. 10 Make fif ty loops on the edge of one cur tain, the outermost in the first set, and make fif ty loops on the edge of the cor re spond ing cur tain of the sec ond set. 11 Make fif ty bronze clasps; put the clasps through the loops and join the tent to geth er so that it is a sin gle unit. 12 As for the flap that re mains from the tent cur tains, the left over half cur tain is to hang over the back of the tab er na cle. 13 What re mains along the length of the tent cur tains — a half yard j on one side and a half yard on the oth er side — should hang over the sides of the tab er na cle on ei ther side to cov er it. 14 Make a cov er ing for the tent from ram skins dyed red and a cov er ing of fine leath er k on top of that. 15 “ You are to make up right sup ports l of aca- cia wood for the tab er na cle. 16 Each sup port a 25:23 Lit two cubits its length, one cubit its width, and one and a half cubits its height b 25:25 Lit Make it a handbreadth c 25:31 = the outer covering of a flower d 25:36 Lit piece with it e 25:39 Lit It f 25:39 Lit a talent g 26:2 Lit 28 cubits h 26:2 Lit four cubits, also in v. 8 i 26:8 Lit 30 cubits j 26:13 Lit the cubit k 26:14 Hb obscure l 26:15 Or frames, or beams 69 EXODUS 25-26 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 69 10/26/17 8:59 PM is to be fif teen feet a long and twenty-seven b inch es wide. 17 Each sup port will have two ten ons for join ing. Do the same for all the sup ports of the tab er na cle. 18 Make the sup- ports for the tab er na cle as fol lows: twen ty sup ports for the south side, 19 and make for ty sil ver bas es un der the twen ty sup ports, two bas es un der the first sup port for its two ten- ons, and two bas es un der the next sup port for its two ten ons; 20 twen ty sup ports for the sec ond side of the tab er na cle, the north side, 21 along with their for ty sil ver bas es, two bas es un der the first sup port and two bas es un der each sup port; 22 and make six sup ports for the west side of the tab er na cle. 23 Make two ad di tion al sup ports for the two back cor ners of the tab er na cle. 24 They are to be paired at the bot tom, and joined to geth er c at the top in a sin gle ring. So it should be for both of them; they will serve as the two cor ners. 25 There are to be eight sup ports with their sil ver bas es: six teen bas es; two bas es un der the first sup- port and two bas es un der each sup port. 26 “ You are to make five cross bars of aca- cia wood for the sup ports on one side of the tab er na cle, 27 five cross bars for the sup ports on the oth er side of the tab er na cle, and five cross bars for the sup ports of the back side of the tab er na cle on the west. 28 The cen tral cross bar is to run through the mid dle of the sup ports from one end to the oth er. 29 Then over lay the sup ports with gold, and make their rings of gold as the holders for the cross bars. Also over lay the cross bars with gold. 30 You are to set up the tab er na cle ac cord ing to the plan for it that you have been shown on the moun tain. 31 “ You are to make a cur tain of blue, pur ple, and scar let yarn, and fine ly spun lin en with a de sign of cher u bim worked into it. 32 Hang it on four gold-plated pil lars of aca cia wood that have gold hooks and that stand on four sil ver bas es. 33 Hang the cur tain un der the clasps d and bring the ark of the tes ti mo ny there be hind the cur tain, so the cur tain will make a sep a ra tion for you be tween the holy place and the most holy place. 34 Put the mer cy seat on the ark of the tes ti mo ny in the most holy place. 35 Place the ta ble out side the cur tain and the lamp stand on the south side of the tab er na cle, op po site the ta ble; put the ta ble on the north side. 36 “ For the en trance to the tent you are to make a screen em broi dered e with blue, pur ple, and scar let yarn, and fine ly spun lin en. 37 Make five pil lars of aca cia wood for the screen and over lay them with gold; their hooks are to be gold, and you are to cast five bronze bas es for them. THE ALTAR OF BURNT OFFERING 27 “ You are to con struct the al tar of aca cia wood. The al tar must be square, 7 1/ 2 feet long, and 7 1/ 2 feet wide; f it must be 4 1/ 2 feet high. g 2 Make horns for it on its four cor ners; the horns are to be of one piece. h Over lay it with bronze. 3 Make its pots for re mov ing ash es, and its shov els, ba sins, meat forks, and fire pans; make all its uten sils of bronze. 4 Con struct a grate for it of bronze mesh, and make four bronze rings on the mesh at its four cor ners. 5 Set it be low , un der the altar’s ledge, i so that the mesh comes half way up j the al tar. 6 Then make poles for the al tar, poles of aca cia wood, and over lay them with bronze. 7 The poles are to be in sert ed into the rings so that the poles are on two sides of the al tar when it is car - ried. 8 Con struct the al tar with boards so that it is hol low . They are to make it just as it was shown to you on the moun tain. THE COURTYARD 9 “ You are to make the court yard for the tab er - na cle. Make hang ings for the south side of the court yard out of fine ly spun lin en, 150 feet k long on that side 10 in clud ing twen ty posts and twen ty bronze bas es, with sil ver hooks and sil ver bands l for the posts. 11 And so make hang ings 150 feet long for the north side, in- clud ing twen ty posts and their twen ty bronze bas es, with sil ver hooks and sil ver bands for the posts. 12 For the width of the court yard, make hang ings 75 feet m long for the west side, in clud ing their ten posts and their ten bas es. 13 And for the width of the court yard on the east side to ward the sun rise, 75 feet, 14 make hang ings 22 1/ 2 feet n long for one side of the gate, in clud ing their three posts and their three bas es. 15 And make hang ings 22 1/ 2 feet long for the oth er side, in clud ing their a 26:16 Lit 10 cubits b 26:16 Lit a cubit and a half c 26:24 Lit and together they are to be complete d 26:33 The clasps that join the ten curtains of the tabernacle; Ex 26:6 e 26:36 Or woven f 27:1 Lit five cubits in length and five cubits in width g 27:1 Lit wide; and its height three cubits h 27:2 Lit piece with it i 27:5 Perhaps a ledge around the altar on which the priests could stand; Lv 9:22 j 27:5 Or altar’s rim, so that the grid comes halfway down k 27:9 Lit 100 cubits, also in v. 11 l 27:10 Or connecting rods, also in v. 11 m 27:12 Lit 50 cubits, also in v. 13 n 27:14 Lit 15 cubits, also in v. 15EXODUS 26-27 70 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 70 10/26/17 8:59 PM three posts and their three bas es. 16 The gate of the court yard is to have a 30-foot a screen em broi dered b with blue, pur ple, and scar let yarn, and fine ly spun lin en. It is to have four posts and their four bas es. 17 “ All the posts around the court yard are to be band ed with sil ver and have sil ver hooks and bronze bas es. 18 The court yard is to be 150 feet long, 75 feet wide at each end, and 7 1/ 2 feet high, c all of it made of fine ly spun lin en. The bas es of the posts are to be bronze. 19 All the uten sils of the tab er na cle for ev ery use and all its tent pegs as well as all the tent pegs of the court yard are to be made of bronze. THE LAMPSTAND OIL 20 “ You are to com mand the Is ra el ites to bring you pure oil from crushed ol ives for the light, in or der to keep the lamp burn ing reg u lar ly . 21 In the tent of meet ing out side the cur tain that is in front of the tes ti mo ny , Aar on and his sons are to tend the lamp from eve ning un til morn ing be fore the L ord. This is to be a per - ma nent stat ute for the Is ra el ites through out their gen er a tions. THE PRIESTLY GARMENTS 28 “ Have your broth er Aar on, with his sons, come to you from the Is ra el ites to serve me as priest — Aar on, his sons Na- dab and Abi hu, El e a zar and Ith a mar. 2 Make holy gar ments for your broth er Aar on, for glo ry and beau ty . 3 You are to in struct all the skilled ar ti sans, d whom I have filled with a spir it of wis dom, to make Aar on’s gar ments for con se crat ing him to serve me as priest. 4 These are the gar ments that they must make: a breast piece, an ephod, a robe, a specially wo ven tu nic, e a tur ban, and a sash. They are to make holy gar ments for your broth er Aar - on and his sons so that they may serve me as priests. 5 They should use f gold; blue, pur ple, and scar let yarn; and fine lin en. THE EPHOD 6 “ They are to make the ephod of fine ly spun lin en em broi dered b with gold, and with blue, pur ple, and scar let yarn. 7 It must have two shoul der pieces at tached to its two edg es so that it can be joined to geth er. 8 The ar tis ti cal ly wo ven waist band that is on the ephod g must be of one piece, h ac cord ing to the same work- man ship of gold, of blue, pur ple, and scar let yarn, and of fine ly spun lin en. 9 “ Take two onyx stones and en grave on them the names of Is ra el’s sons: 10 six of their names on the first stone and the re main ing six names on the sec ond stone, in the or der of their birth. 11 En grave the two stones with the names of Is ra el’s sons as a gem cut ter en graves a seal. Mount them, sur round ed with gold fil i gree set tings. 12 Fas ten both stones on the shoul der pieces of the ephod as me mo ri al stones for the Is ra el ites. Aar on will car ry their names on his two shoul ders be fore the L ord as a re- mind er. 13 Fash ion gold fil i gree set tings 14 and two chains of pure gold; you will make them of braid ed cord work, and at tach the cord chains to the set tings. THE BREASTPIECE 15 “ You are to make an em broi dered breast- piece for mak ing de ci sions. i Make it with the same work man ship as the ephod; make it of gold, of blue, pur ple, and scar let yarn, and of fine ly spun lin en. 16 It must be square and fold- ed dou ble, nine inch es long and nine inch es wide. j 17 Place a set ting of gemstones k on it, four rows of stones: The first row should be a row of carnelian, topaz, and emerald; l 18 the second row , a turquoise, m a lapis lazuli, and a diamond; n 19 the third row , a jacinth, e an agate, and an amethyst; 20 and the fourth row , a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. They should be adorned with gold fil i gree in their set tings. 21 The twelve stones are to correspond to the names of Is ra el’s sons. Each stone must be en graved like a seal, with one of the names of the twelve tribes. 22 “ You are to make braid ed chains o of pure gold cord work for the breast piece. 23 Fash ion two gold rings for the breast piece and at tach them to its two cor ners. 24 Then at tach the two gold cords to the two gold rings at the cor ners of the breast piece. 25 At tach the oth er ends of a 27:16 Lit 20-cubit b 27:16; 28:6 Or woven c 27:18 Lit be 100 by the cubit, and the width 50 by 50, and the height five cubits d 28:3 Lit all wise of heart e 28:4,19 Hb obscure f 28:5 Lit receive g 28:8 Lit waistband of its ephod, which is on it h 28:8 Lit piece with the ephod i 28:15 Used for determining God’s will; Nm 27:21 j 28:16 Lit a span its length and a span its width k 28:17 Many of these stones cannot be identified with certainty. l 28:17 Or beryl m 28:18 Or malachite, or garnet n 28:18 Hb obscure; LXX, Vg read jasper o 28:22 The same chains mentioned in v. 14 71 EXODUS 27-28 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 71 10/26/17 8:59 PM the two cords to the two fil i gree set tings, and in this way at tach them to the ephod’s shoul- der pieces in the front. 26 Make two oth er gold rings and put them at the two oth er cor ners of the breast piece on the edge that is next to the in ner bor der of the ephod. 27 Make two more gold rings and at tach them to the bot tom of the ephod’s two shoul der pieces on its front, close to its seam, a and above the ephod’s wo- ven waist band. 28 The ar ti sans are to tie the breast piece from its rings to the rings of the ephod with a cord of blue yarn, so that the breast piece is above the ephod’s waist band and does not come loose from the ephod. 29 “When ev er he en ters the sanc tu ary , Aar - on is to car ry the names of Is ra el’s sons over his heart on the breast piece for de ci sions, as a con tin u al re mind er be fore the L ord. 30 Place the Urim and Thum mim in the breast piece for de ci sions, so that they will also be over Aar on’s heart when ev er he comes be fore the L ord. Aar on will con tin u al ly car ry the means of de ci sions for the Is ra el ites over his heart be fore the L ord. THE ROBE 31 “ You are to make the robe of the ephod en tire ly of blue yarn. 32 There should be an open ing at its top in the cen ter of it. Around the open ing, there should be a wo ven col lar with an open- ing like that of body ar mor b so that it does not tear. 33 Make pome gran ates of blue, pur ple, and scar let yarn on its low er hem and all around it. Put gold bells be tween them all the way around, 34 so that gold bells and pome gran ates al ter nate around the low er hem of the robe. 35 The robe will be worn by Aar on when ev er he min is ters, and its sound will be heard when he en ters the sanc tu ary be fore the L ord and when he ex its, so that he does not die. THE TURBAN 36 “ You are to make a pure gold me dal lion and en grave it, like the en grav ing of a seal: H oly to the L ord. 37 Fas ten it to a cord of blue yarn so it can be placed on the tur ban; the me dal lion is to be on the front of the tur ban. 38 It will be on Aar on’s fore head so that Aar on may bear the guilt con nect ed with the holy off er ings that the Is ra el ites con se crate as all their holy gifts. It is al ways to be on his fore head, so that they may find ac cep tance with the L ord.OTHER PRIESTLY GARMENTS 39 “ You are to weave the tu nic from fine lin- en, make a tur ban of fine lin en, and make an em broi dered sash. 40 Make tu nics, sash es, and head bands for Aar on’s sons to give them glo ry and beau ty . 41 Put these on your broth er Aar on and his sons; then anoint, or dain, c and con se crate them, so that they may serve me as priests. 42 Make them lin en un der gar ments to cov er their na ked bod ies; they must ex tend from the waist to the thighs. 43 These must be worn by Aar on and his sons when ev er they en ter the tent of meet ing or ap proach the al- tar to min is ter in the sanc tu ary area, so that they do not in cur guilt and die. This is to be a per ma nent stat ute for Aar on and for his fu ture de scen dants. INSTRUCTIONS ABOUT CONSECRATION 29 “ This is what you are to do for them to con se crate them to serve me as priests. Take a young bull and two un blem ished rams, 2 with un leav ened bread, un leav ened cakes mixed with oil, and un leav ened wa fers coat ed with oil. Make them out of fine wheat flour, 3 put them in a bas ket, and bring them in the bas ket, along with the bull and two rams. 4 Bring Aar on and his sons to the en trance to the tent of meet ing and wash them with wa ter. 5 Then take the gar ments and clothe Aar on with the tu nic, the robe for the ephod, the ephod it self, and the breast piece; fas ten the ephod on him with its wo ven waist band. 6 Put the tur ban on his head and place the holy di a dem on the tur ban. 7 Take the anoint ing oil, pour it on his head, and anoint him. 8 You must also bring his sons and clothe them with tu nics. 9 Tie the sash es on Aar on and his sons and fas ten head bands on them. The priest hood is to be theirs by a per ma nent stat ute. This is the way you will or dain Aar - on and d his sons. 10 “ You are to bring the bull to the front of the tent of meet ing, and Aar on and his sons must lay their hands on the bull’s head. 11 Slaugh ter the bull be fore the L ord at the en trance to the tent of meet ing. 12 Take some of the bull’s blood and ap ply it to the horns
🔥 Sacred Rituals and Consecration
🛐 Priestly ordination involves elaborate rituals with blood, oil, and sacrifices to transform ordinary men into holy servants authorized to approach divine spaces
🏺 Sacred objects (altars, basins, incense) require precise construction and consecration, creating boundaries between common and holy realms that must be respected under penalty of death
⏱️ The Sabbath observance serves as an eternal covenant sign between God and Israel, reflecting divine patterns of creation and establishing sacred time
🛠️ Skilled craftsmen receive divine wisdom specifically to create sacred spaces and objects, demonstrating that artistic ability can be spiritually empowered
🐄 The golden calf incident reveals the tension between authentic and counterfeit worship, showing how quickly sacred boundaries can be violated when divine absence is perceived
of the al tar with your fin ger; then pour out all the rest of the blood at the base of the al tar. 13 Take all the fat that cov ers the en trails, the fatty lobe of the liv er, and the two kid neys with the fat a 28:27 The place where the shoulder pieces join the front of the ephod b 28:32 Hb obscure c 28:41 Lit anoint them, fill their hand d 29:9 Lit you will fill the hand of Aaron and the hand of ; Ex 29:23-24EXODUS 28-29 72 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 72 10/26/17 8:59 PM on them, and burn them on the al tar. 14 But burn the bull’s flesh, its hide, and its waste out side the camp; it is a sin off er ing. 15 “ Take one ram, and Aar on and his sons are to lay their hands on the ram’s head. 16 You are to slaugh ter the ram, take its blood, and splatter it on all sides of the al tar. 17 Cut the ram into pieces. Wash its en trails and legs, and place them with its head and its pieces on the al tar. 18 Then burn the whole ram on the al tar; it is a burnt of fer ing to the L ord. It is a pleas ing aro ma, a fire of fer ing to the L ord. 19 “ You are to take the sec ond ram, and Aar - on and his sons must lay their hands on the ram’s head. 20 Slaugh ter the ram, take some of its blood, and put it on Aar on’s right earlobe, on his sons’ right earlobes, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet. Splatter the re main ing blood on all sides of the al tar. 21 Take some of the blood that is on the al tar and some of the anoint ing oil, and sprin kle them on Aar on and his gar ments, as well as on his sons and their gar ments. So he and his gar ments will be holy , as well as his sons and their gar ments. 22 “ Take the fat from the ram, the fat tail, the fat cov er ing the en trails, the fatty lobe of the liv er, the two kid neys and the fat on them, and the right thigh ( since this is a ram for or di na tion a); 23 take one loaf of bread, one cake of bread made with oil, and one wa fer from the bas ket of un leav ened bread that is be fore the L ord; 24 and put all of them in the hands of Aar on and his b sons and pre sent them as a pre sen ta tion off er ing be fore the L ord. 25 Take them from their hands and burn them on the al tar on top of the burnt off er ing, as a pleas ing aro ma be fore the L ord; it is a fire off er ing to the L ord. 26 “ Take the breast from the ram of Aar on’s or di na tion and pre sent it as a pre sen ta tion off er ing be fore the L ord; it is to be your por - tion. 27 Con se crate for Aar on and his sons the breast of the pre sen ta tion off er ing that is pre sent ed and the thigh of the con tri bu tion that is lift ed up from the ram of or di na tion. 28 This will be long to Aar on and his sons as a reg u lar por tion from the Is ra el ites, for it is a con tri bu tion. It will be the Is ra el ites’ con tri- bu tion from their fel low ship sac ri fic es, their con tri bu tion to the L ord.29 “ The holy gar ments that be long to Aar on are to be long to his sons af ter him, so that they can be anoint ed and or dained c in them. 30 Any priest who is one of his sons and who suc ceeds him and en ters the tent of meet ing to min is ter in the sanc tu ary must wear them for sev en days. 31 “ You are to take the ram of or di na tion and boil its flesh in a holy place. 32 Aar on and his sons are to eat the meat of the ram and the bread that is in the bas ket at the en trance to the tent of meet ing. 33 They must eat those things by which atone ment was made at the time of their or di na tion d and con se cra tion. An un au tho rized per son must not eat them, for these things are holy . 34 If any of the meat of or di na tion or any of the bread is left un til morn ing, burn what is left over. It must not be eat en be cause it is holy . 35 “ This is what you are to do for Aar on and his sons based on all I have com mand ed you. Take sev en days to or dain them. 36 Sac ri fice a bull as a sin off er ing each day for atone ment. Pu ri fy e the al tar when you make atone ment for it, and anoint it in or der to con se crate it. 37 For sev en days you must make atone ment for the al tar and con se crate it. The al tar will be es pe cial ly holy . What ev er touch es the al tar will be con se crat ed. 38 “ This is what you are to o ff er reg u lar ly on the al tar ev ery day: two year-old lambs. 39 In the morn ing off er one lamb, and at twi light off er the oth er lamb. 40 With the first lamb off er two quarts f of fine flour mixed with one quart g of oil from crushed ol ives, and a drink off er ing of one quart of wine. 41 You are to off er the sec ond lamb at twi light. Off er a grain off er ing and a drink off er ing with it, like the one in the morn- ing, as a pleas ing aro ma, a fire off er ing to the L ord. 42 This will be a reg u lar burnt off er ing through out your gen er a tions at the en trance to the tent of meet ing be fore the L ord, where I will meet you h to speak with you. 43 I will also meet with the Is ra el ites there, and that place will be con se crat ed by my glo ry . 44 I will con- se crate the tent of meet ing and the al tar; I will also con se crate Aar on and his sons to serve me as priests. 45 I will dwell among the Is ra el ites and be their God. 46 And they will know that I am the L ord their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, so that I might dwell among them. I am the L ord their God. a 29:22 The priest would normally receive the right thigh to be eaten, but here it is burned; Lv 7:32-34. b 29:24 Lit in the hands of his c 29:29 Lit him for anointing in them and for filling their hand d 29:33 Lit made to fill their hand e 29:36 Or Make a sin offering on f 29:40 Lit offer a tenth g 29:40 Lit a fourth of a hin h 29:42 = Moses 73 EXODUS 29 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 73 10/26/17 8:59 PM THE INCENSE ALTAR 30 “ You are to make an al tar for the burn - ing of in cense; make it of aca cia wood. 2 It must be square, eigh teen inch es long and eigh teen inch es wide; a it must be thirty-six inch es high. b Its horns must be of one piece with it. 3 Over lay its top, all around its sides, and its horns with pure gold; make a gold mold ing all around it. 4 Make two gold rings for it un der the mold ing on two of its sides; put these on op po site sides of it to be holders for the poles to car ry it with. 5 Make the poles of aca cia wood and over lay them with gold. 6 “ You are to place the al tar in front of the cur tain by the ark of the tes ti mo ny — in front of the mer cy seat that is over the tes ti mo ny — where I will meet with you. 7 Aar on must burn fra grant in cense on it; he must burn it ev- ery morn ing when he tends the lamps. 8 When Aar on sets up the lamps at twi light, he must burn in cense. There is to be an in cense off er ing be fore the L ord through out your gen er a tions. 9 You must not off er un au tho rized in cense on it, or a burnt or grain off er ing; you are not to pour a drink off er ing on it. 10 “ Once a year Aar on is to per form the atone- ment cer e mo ny for the al tar. Through out your gen er a tions he is to per form the atone ment cer e mo ny for c it once a year, with the blood of the sin off er ing for atone ment on the horns. The al tar is es pe cial ly holy to the L ord.” THE ATONEMENT MONEY 11 The L ord spoke to Mo ses: 12 “ When you take a cen sus of the Is ra el ites to reg is ter them, each of the men must pay a ran som for his life to the L ord as they are reg is tered. Then no plague will come on them as they are reg- is tered. 13 Ev ery one who is reg is tered must pay half a shek el d ac cord ing to the sanc tu ary shek el (twen ty ge rahs to the shek el). This half shek el is a con tri bu tion to the L ord. 14 Each man who is reg is tered, twen ty years old or more, must give this con tri bu tion to the L ord. 15 The wealthy may not give more and the poor may not give less than half a shek el when giv - ing the con tri bu tion to the L ord to atone for e your lives. 16 Take the atone ment price f from the Is ra el ites and use it for the ser vice of the tent of meet ing. It will serve as a re mind er for the Is ra el ites be fore the L ord to atone for your lives.”THE BRONZE BASIN 17 The L ord spoke to Mo ses: 18 “ Make a bronze ba sin for wash ing and a bronze stand for it. Set it be tween the tent of meet ing and the al tar, and put wa ter in it. 19 Aar on and his sons must wash their hands and feet from the ba sin. 20 When ev er they en ter the tent of meet ing or ap proach the al tar to min is ter by burn ing an off er ing to the L ord, they must wash with wa ter so that they will not die. 21 They must wash their hands and feet so that they will not die; this is to be a per ma nent stat ute for them, for Aar on and his de scen dants through out their gen er a tions.” THE ANOINTING OIL 22 The L ord spoke to Mo ses: 23 “ Take for your - self the fin est spic es: 12 1/ 2 pounds g of liq uid myrrh, half as much ( 6 1/ 4 pounds h) of fra grant cin na mon, 6 1/ 4 pounds of fra grant cane, 24 12 1/ 2 pounds of cas sia ( by the sanc tu ary shek el), and a gallon i of ol ive oil. 25 Pre pare from these a holy anoint ing oil, a scented blend, the work of a per fum er; it will be holy anoint ing oil. 26 “ With it you are to anoint the tent of meet- ing, the ark of the tes ti mo ny , 27 the ta ble with all its uten sils, the lamp stand with its uten sils, the al tar of in cense, 28 the al tar of burnt off er- ing with all its uten sils, and the ba sin with its stand. 29 Con se crate them and they will be es pe cial ly holy . What ev er touch es them will be con se crat ed. 30 Anoint Aar on and his sons and con se crate them to serve me as priests. 31 “ Tell the Is ra el ites: This will be my holy anoint ing oil through out your gen er a tions. 32 It must not be used for or di nary anoint ing on a per son’s body , and you must not make any thing like it us ing its for mu la. It is holy , and it must be holy to you. 33 Any one who blends some thing like it or puts some of it on an un au tho rized per son must be cut off from his peo ple.” THE SACRED INCENSE 34 The L ord said to Mo ses: “ Take fra grant spic- es: stacte, on y cha, and gal ba num; the spic es and pure frank in cense are to be in equal mea- sures. 35 Pre pare expertly blend ed in cense from these; it is to be sea soned with salt, pure and holy . 36 Grind some of it into a fine pow der and put some in front of the tes ti mo ny in the tent of meet ing, where I will meet with you. a 30:2 Lit one cubit its length and one cubit its width b 30:2 Lit wide; and two cubits its height c 30:10 Or on d 30:13 A shekel is about two-fifths of an ounce of silver e 30:15 Or to ransom, also in v. 16 f 30:16 Lit the silver of the atonement g 30:23 Lit 500 (shekels), also in v. 24 h 30:23 Lit 250 (shekels) i 30:24 Lit a hinEXODUS 30 74 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 74 10/26/17 8:59 PM It must be es pe cial ly holy to you. 37 As for the in cense you are mak ing, you must not make any for your selves us ing its for mu la. It is to be re gard ed by you as holy — be long ing to the L ord. 38 Any one who makes some thing like it to smell its fra grance must be cut off from his peo ple.” GOD’S PROVISION OF THE SKILLED WORKERS 31 The L ord also spoke to Mo ses: 2 “ Look, I have ap point ed by name Bez a lel son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Ju dah. 3 I have filled him with God’s Spir it, with wis dom, un- der stand ing, and abil i ty in ev ery craft 4 to de- sign ar tis tic works in gold, sil ver, and bronze, 5 to cut gemstones for mounting, and to carve wood for work in ev ery craft. 6 I have also se- lect ed Oho li ab a son of Ahis a mach, of the tribe of Dan, to be with him. I have put wis dom in the heart of ev ery skilled artisan b in or der to make all that I have com mand ed you: 7 the tent of meet ing, the ark of the tes ti mo ny , the mer cy seat that is on top of it, and all the oth er fur nish ings of the tent — 8 the ta ble with its uten sils, the pure gold lamp stand with all its uten sils, the al tar of in cense, 9 the al tar of burnt off er ing with all its uten sils, the ba sin with its stand — 10 the specially wo ven c gar ments, both the holy gar ments for the priest Aar on and the gar ments for his sons to serve as priests, 11 the anoint ing oil, and the fra grant in cense for the sanc tu ary . They must make them ac- cord ing to all that I have com mand ed you.” OBSERVING THE SABBATH 12 The L ord said to Mo ses: 13 “ Tell the Is ra el- ites: You must ob serve my Sab baths, for it is a sign be tween me and you through out your gen er a tions, so that you will know that I am the L ord who consecrates you. 14 Ob serve the Sab bath, for it is holy to you. Who ev er profanes it must be put to death. If any one does work on it, that per son must be cut off from his peo ple. 15 Work may be done for six days, but on the sev enth day there must be a Sab bath of com plete rest, holy to the L ord. Any one who does work on the Sab bath day must be put to death. 16 The Is ra el ites must ob serve the Sab bath, cel e brat ing it through out their gen er a tions as a per ma nent cov enant. 17 It is a sign for ev er be tween me and the Is ra el ites, for in six days the L ord made the heav ens and the earth, but on the sev enth day he rest ed and was re freshed.” THE TWO STONE TABLETS 18 When he fin ished speak ing with Mo ses on Mount Si nai, he gave him the two tab lets of the tes ti mo ny , stone tab lets in scribed by the fin ger of God. THE GOLD CALF 32 When the peo ple saw that Mo ses de- layed in com ing down from the moun- tain, they gath ered around Aar on and said to him, “ Come, make gods d for us who will go be fore us be cause this Mo ses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt — we don’t know what has hap pened to him! ” 2 Aar on re plied to them, “ Take off the gold rings that are on the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daugh ters and bring them to me.” 3 So all the peo ple took off the gold rings that were on their ears and brought them to Aar on. 4 He took the gold from them, fash- ioned it with an en grav ing tool, and made it into an im age of a calf. Then they said, “Is ra el, these are your gods, e who brought you up from the land of Egypt! ” 5 When Aar on saw this, he built an al tar in front of it and made an an nounce ment: “ There will be a fes ti val to the L ord to mor row .” 6 Ear ly the next morn ing they arose, off ered burnt off er ings, and pre sent ed fel low ship off er- ings. The peo ple sat down to eat and drink, and got up to par ty . 7 The L ord spoke to Mo ses: “ Go down at once! For your peo ple you brought up from the land of Egypt have act ed cor rupt ly . 8 They have quick ly turned from the way I com mand - ed them; they have made for them selves an im age of a calf. They have bowed down to it, sac ri ficed to it, and said, ‘Is ra el, these are your gods, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.’ ” 9 The L ord also said to Mo ses: “ I have seen this peo ple, and they are in deed a stiff-necked peo ple. 10 Now leave me alone, so that my an ger can burn against them and I can de stroy them. Then I will make you into a great na tion.” 11 But Mo ses sought the fa vor of the L ord his God: “ L ord, why does your an ger burn against your peo ple you brought out of the land of Egypt with great pow er and a strong hand? a 31:6 LXX, Syr read Eliab b 31:6 Lit everyone wise of heart c 31:10 Hb obscure d 32:1 Or make a god, also in v. 23 e 32:4 Or “Israel, this is your god or “Israel, this is your God, also in v. 8 75 EXODUS 30-32 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 75 10/26/17 8:59 PM 12 Why should the Egyp tians say , ‘ He brought them out with an evil in tent to kill them in the moun tains and elim i nate them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your fierce an ger and re lent con cern ing this di sas ter planned for your peo ple. 13 Re mem ber your ser vants Abra ham, Isaac, and Is ra el — you swore to them by your self and de clared, ‘ I will make your off spring as nu mer ous as the stars of the sky and will give your off spring all this land that I have prom ised, and they will in her it it for ev er.’ ” 14 So the L ord re lent ed con cern ing the di sas ter he had said he would bring on his peo ple. 15 Then Mo ses turned and went down the moun tain with the two tab lets of the tes ti- mo ny in his hands. They were in scribed on both sides — in scribed front and back. 16 The tab lets were the work of God, and the writ ing was God’s writ ing, en graved on the tab lets. 17 When Josh ua heard the sound of the peo- ple as they shout ed, he said to Mo ses, “ There is a sound of war in the camp.” 18 But Mo ses re plied: It’s not the sound of a victory cry and not the sound of a cry of defeat; I hear the sound of singing! 19 As he ap proached the camp and saw the calf and the danc ing, Mo ses be came en raged and threw the tab lets out of his hands, smashing them
🔥 Golden Calf Rebellion
🐄 Idolatry crisis erupts when Israelites create a golden calf while Moses is on Mount Sinai, triggering divine anger and Moses' destruction of the sacred tablets
⚔️ Moses orders the Levites to execute 3,000 people as punishment, establishing their dedication to God through this severe act of judgment
🏕️ The tent of meeting is pitched outside the camp, where Moses speaks with God "face to face" while a pillar of cloud descends, creating a sacred space separate from the defiled community
📜 God renews the covenant with new stone tablets, revealing himself as "compassionate and gracious" yet "not leaving the guilty unpunished"
🛑 Strict prohibitions against making treaties with Canaanites or creating idols reinforce the exclusive relationship between God and Israel
✨ Moses returns from Mount Sinai with a radiant face that frightens the people, requiring him to wear a veil except when speaking with God or delivering divine commands
at the base of the moun tain. 20 He took the calf they had made, burned it up, and ground it to pow der. He scat tered the pow der over the sur face of the wa ter and forced the Is ra el ites to drink the wa ter. 21 Then Mo ses asked Aar on, “ What did these peo ple do to you that you have led them into such a grave sin? ” 22 “ Don’t be en raged, my lord,” Aar on re plied. “ You your self know that the peo ple are in tent on evil. 23 They said to me, ‘ Make gods for us who will go be fore us be cause this Mo ses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt — we don’t know what has hap pened to him! ’ 24 So I said to them, ‘Who ev er has gold, take it off,’ and they gave it to me. When I threw it into the fire, out came this calf! ” 25 Mo ses saw that the peo ple were out of con trol, for Aar on had let them get out of con trol, mak ing them a laugh ing stock to their en e mies. a 26 And Mo ses stood at the camp’s en trance and said, “Who ev er is for the L ord, come to me.” And all the Le vites gath ered around him. 27 He told them, “ This is what the L ord, the God of Is ra el, says, ‘Ev- ery man fas ten his sword to his side; go back and forth through the camp from en trance to en trance, and each of you kill his broth er, his friend, and his neigh bor.’ ” 28 The Le vites did as Mo ses com mand ed, and about three thou sand men fell dead that day among the peo ple. 29 Af ter ward Mo ses said, “To day you have been ded i cat ed b to the L ord, since each man went against his son and his broth er. There fore you have brought a bless ing on your selves to day .” 30 The fol low ing day Mo ses said to the peo- ple, “ You have com mit ted a grave sin. Now I will go up to the L ord; per haps I will be able to atone for your sin.” 31 So Mo ses re turned to the L ord and said, “ Oh, these peo ple have com mit ted a grave sin; they have made a god of gold for them- selves. 32 Now if you would only for give their sin. But if not, please erase me from the book you have writ ten.” 33 The L ord re plied to Mo ses: “Who ev er has sinned against me I will erase from my book. 34 Now go, lead the peo ple to the place I told you about; see, my an gel will go be fore you. But on the day I set tle ac counts, I will hold them ac count able for their sin.” 35 And the L ord in flict ed a plague on the peo ple for what they did with the calf Aar on had made. THE TENT OUTSIDE THE CAMP 33 The L ord spoke to Mo ses: “ Go up from here, you and the peo ple you brought up from the land of Egypt, to the land I prom ised to Abra ham, Isaac, and Ja cob, say ing: I will give it to your off spring. 2 I will send an an gel ahead of you and will drive out the Ca naan- ites, Am o rites, Heth ites, Per iz zites, c Hi vites, and Jeb u sites. 3 Go up to a land flow ing with milk and hon ey . But I will not go up with you be cause you are a stiff-necked peo ple; oth er - wise, I might de stroy you on the way .” 4 When the peo ple heard this bad news, they mourned and didn’t put on their jew el ry . 5 For the L ord said to Mo ses: “ Tell the Is ra el- ites: You are a stiff-necked peo ple. If I went up with you for a sin gle mo ment, I would de stroy you. Now take off your jew el ry , and I will de- cide what to do with you.” 6 So the Is ra el ites a 32:25 Hb obscure b 32:29 Text emended; MT reads “Today dedicate yourselves ; LXX, Vg read “Today you have dedicated yourselves c 33:2 Sam, LXX add GirgashitesEXODUS 32-33 76 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 76 10/26/17 8:59 PM re mained stripped of their jew el ry from Mount Ho reb onward. 7 Now Mo ses took a tent and pitched it out- side the camp, at a dis tance from the camp; he called it the tent of meet ing. Any one who want ed to con sult the L ord would go to the tent of meet ing that was out side the camp. 8 When ev er Mo ses went out to the tent, all the peo ple would stand up, each one at the door of his tent, and they would watch Mo ses un til he en tered the tent. 9 When Mo ses en tered the tent, the pil lar of cloud would come down and re main at the en trance to the tent, and the L ord would speak with Mo ses. 10 As all the peo ple saw the pil lar of cloud re main ing at the en trance to the tent, they would stand up, then bow in wor ship, each one at the door of his tent. 11 The L ord would speak with Mo- ses face to face, just as a man speaks with his friend, then Mo ses would re turn to the camp. His as sis tant, the young man Josh ua son of Nun, would not leave the in side of the tent. THE LORD’S GLORY 12 Mo ses said to the L ord, “ Look, you have told me, ‘ Lead this peo ple up,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You said, ‘ I know you by name, and you have also found fa vor with me.’ 13 Now if I have in deed found fa vor with you, please teach me your ways, and I will know you, so that I may find fa vor with you. Now con sid er that this na tion is your peo ple.” 14 And he re plied, “ My pres ence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” 15 “ If your pres ence does not go,” Mo ses re- spond ed to him, “ don’t make us go up from here. 16 How will it be known that I and your peo ple have found fa vor with you un less you go with us? I and your peo ple will be dis tin- guished by this from all the oth er peo ple on the face of the earth.” 17 The L ord an swered Mo ses, “ I will do this very thing you have asked, for you have found fa vor with me, and I know you by name.” 18 Then Mo ses said, “ Please, let me see your glo ry .” 19 He said, “ I will cause all my good ness to pass in front of you, and I will pro claim the name ‘ the L ord’ be fore you. I will be gra cious to whom I will be gra cious, and I will have com pas sion on whom I will have com pas sion.” 20 But he add ed, “ You can not see my face, for humans can not see me and live.” 21 The L ord said, “ Here is a place near me. You are to stand on the rock, 22 and when my glo ry pass es by , I will put you in the crev ice of the rock and cov er you with my hand un til I have passed by . 23 Then I will take my hand away , and you will see my back, but my face will not be seen.” NEW STONE TABLETS 34 The L ord said to Mo ses, “ Cut two stone tab lets like the first ones, and I will write on them the words that were on the first tab lets, which you broke. 2 Be pre pared by morn ing. Come up Mount Si nai in the morn- ing and stand be fore me on the moun tain top. 3 No one may go up with you; in fact, no one should be seen any where on the moun tain. Even the flocks and herds are not to graze in front of that moun tain.” 4 Mo ses cut two stone tab lets like the first ones. He got up ear ly in the morn ing, and tak ing the two stone tab lets in his hand, he climbed Mount Si nai, just as the L ord had com mand ed him. 5 The L ord came down in a cloud, stood with him there, and pro claimed his name, “ the L ord.” 6 The L ord passed in front of him and pro claimed: The Lord — the Lord is a compassion - ate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth, 7 maintaining faithful love to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity , rebellion, and sin. But he will not leave the guilty unpunished, bringing the fathers’ iniqui - ty on the children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generation. 8 Mo ses im me di ate ly knelt low on the ground and wor shiped. 9 Then he said, “ My Lord, if I have in deed found fa vor with you, my Lord, please go with us ( even though this is a stiff- necked peo ple), for give our in iq ui ty and our sin, and ac cept us as your own pos ses sion.” COVENANT OBLIGATIONS 10 And the L ord re spond ed: “ Look, I am mak- ing a cov enant. I will per form won ders in the pres ence of all your peo ple that have nev er been done a in the whole earth or in any na- tion. All the peo ple you live among will see the L ord’ s work, for what I am do ing with you is awe-inspiring. 11 Ob serve what I com mand a 34:10 Lit created 77 EXODUS 33-34 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 77 10/26/17 8:59 PM you to day . I am go ing to drive out be fore you the Am o rites, Ca naan ites, Heth ites, Per iz zites, Hi vites, a and Jeb u sites. 12 Be care ful not to make a trea ty with the in hab i tants of the land that you are go ing to en ter; oth er wise, they will be come a snare among you. 13 In stead, you must tear down their al tars, smash their sa cred pil lars, and chop down their Ashe rah poles. 14 Be cause the L ord is jeal ous for his rep u ta- tion, you are nev er to bow down to an oth er god. b He is a jeal ous God. 15 “ Do not make a trea ty with the in hab i- tants of the land, or else when they pros ti tute them selves with their gods and sac ri fice to their gods, they will in vite you, and you will eat their sac ri fic es. 16 Then you will take some of their daugh ters as brides for your sons. Their daugh ters will pros ti tute them selves with their gods and cause your sons to pros- ti tute them selves with their gods. 17 “ Do not make cast im ages of gods for your selves. 18 “Ob serve the Fes ti val of Un leav ened Bread. You are to eat un leav ened bread for sev en days at the ap point ed time in the month of Abib, c as I com mand ed you, for you came out of Egypt in the month of Abib. 19 “ The first born male from ev ery womb be longs to me, in clud ing all your male d,e live - stock, the first born of cat tle or sheep. 20 You may re deem the first born of a don key with a sheep, but if you do not re deem it, break its neck. You must re deem all the first born of your sons. No one is to ap pear be fore me empty-handed. 21 “ You are to la bor six days but you must rest on the sev enth day; you must even rest dur ing plow ing and har vest ing times. 22 “Ob serve the Fes ti val of Weeks with the first fruits of the wheat har vest, and the Fes ti val of In gath er ing f at the turn of the agricultural year. 23 Three times a year all your males are to ap pear be fore the Lord G od, the God of Is ra el. 24 For I will drive out na tions be fore you and en large your ter ri to ry . No one will cov et your land when you go up three times a year to ap pear be fore the L ord your God. 25 “ Do not pre sent g the blood for my sac ri- fice with any thing leav ened. The sac ri fice of the Pass over Fes ti val must not re main un til morn ing.26 “ Bring the best first fruits of your land to the house of the L ord your God. “ You must not boil a young goat in its moth- er’s milk.” 27 The L ord also said to Mo ses, “ Write down these words, for I have made a cov enant with you and with Is ra el based on these words.” 28 Mo ses was there with the L ord for ty days and for ty nights; he did not eat food or drink wa ter. He wrote the Ten Com mand ments, the words of the cov enant, on the tab lets. MOSES’S RADIANT FACE 29 As Mo ses de scend ed from Mount Si nai — with the two tab lets of the tes ti mo ny in his hands as he de scend ed the moun tain — he did not re al ize that the skin of his face shone as a re sult of his speak ing with the L ord. h 30 When Aar on and all the Is ra el ites saw Mo ses, the skin of his face shone! They were afraid to come near him. 31 But Mo ses called out to them, so Aar on and all the lead ers of the com mu ni ty re turned to him, and Mo ses spoke to them. 32 Af ter ward all the Is ra el ites came near, and he com mand ed them to do ev ery thing the L ord had told him on Mount Si nai. 33 When Mo ses had fin ished speak ing with them, he put a veil over his face. 34 But when ev er Mo ses went be fore the L ord to speak with him, he would re move the veil un til he came out. Af ter he came out, he would tell the Is ra el ites what he had been com mand ed, 35 and the Is ra el ites would see that Moses’s face i was ra di ant. Then Mo ses would put the veil over his face again un til he went to speak with the L ord. THE SABBATH COMMAND 35 Mo ses as sem bled the en tire Is ra el ite com mu ni ty and said to them, “ These are the things that the L ord has com mand ed you to do: 2 For six days work is to be done, but on the sev enth day you are to have a holy day , a Sab bath of com plete rest to the L ord. Any- one who does work on it must be ex e cut ed. 3 Do not light a fire in any of your homes on the Sab bath day .” BUILDING THE TABERNACLE 4 Then Mo ses said to the en tire Is ra el ite com - mu ni ty , “ This is what the L ord has com mand ed: 5 Take up an off er ing among you for the L ord. a 34:11 DSS, Sam, LXX add Girgashites b 34:14 Or the Lord — his name is Jealous or the Lord, being jealous by nature c 34:18 March–April; called Nisan in the post-exilic period; Neh 2:1; Est 3:7 d 34:19 LXX, Theod, Vg, Tg read males e 34:19 Hb obscure f 34:22 The Festival of Ingathering is called Festival of Shelters elsewhere; Lv 23:34-36. g 34:25 Lit slaughter h 34:29 Lit with him i 34:35 Lit see Moses’s face, that the skin of his faceEXODUS 34-35 78 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 78 10/26/17 8:59 PM Let ev ery one whose heart is will ing bring this as the L ord’ s off er ing: gold, sil ver, and bronze; 6 blue, pur ple, and scar let yarn; fine lin en and goat hair; 7 ram skins dyed red and fine leath- er; a aca cia wood; 8 oil for the light; spic es for the anoint ing oil and for the fra grant in cense; 9 and onyx with gemstones to mount on the ephod and breast piece. 10 “ Let all the skilled ar ti sans b among you come and make ev ery thing that the L ord has com mand ed: 11 the tab er na cle — its tent and cov er ing, its clasps and sup ports, its cross bars, its pil lars and bas es; 12 the ark with its poles, the mer cy seat, and the cur tain for the screen; 13 the ta ble with its poles, all its uten sils, and the Bread of the Pres ence; 14 the lamp stand for light with its uten sils and lamps as well as the oil for the light; 15 the al tar of in cense with its poles; the anoint ing oil and the fra grant in cense; the en try way screen for the en trance to the tab er na cle; 16 the al tar of burnt off er ing with its bronze grate, its poles, and all its uten- sils; the ba sin with its stand; 17 the hang ings of the court yard, its posts and bas es, and the screen for the gate of the court yard; 18 the tent pegs for the tab er na cle and the tent pegs for the court yard, along with their ropes; 19 and the specially wo ven a gar ments for min is ter ing in the sanc tu ary — the holy gar ments for the priest Aar on and the gar ments for his sons to serve as priests.” 20 Then the en tire Is ra el ite com mu ni ty left Moses’s pres ence. 21 Ev ery one whose heart was moved and whose spir it prompt ed him came and brought an of fer ing to the L ord for the work on the tent of meet ing, for all its ser - vices, and for the holy gar ments. 22 Both men and wom en came; all who had will ing hearts brought brooch es, ear rings, rings, neck laces, and all kinds of gold jew el ry — ev ery one who pre sent ed a pre sen ta tion of fer ing of gold to the L ord. 23 Ev ery one who pos sessed blue, pur ple, or scar let yarn, fine lin en or goat hair, ram skins dyed red or fine leath er, a brought them. 24 Ev ery one mak ing an of fer ing of sil- ver or bronze brought it as a con tri bu tion to the L ord. Ev ery one who pos sessed aca cia wood use ful for any task in the work brought it. 25 Ev ery skilled c wom an spun yarn with her hands and brought it: blue, pur ple, and scar let yarn, and fine lin en. 26 And all the wom en whose hearts were moved spun the goat hair by virtue of their skill. 27 The lead ers brought onyx and gemstones to mount on the ephod and breast piece, 28 as well as the spice and oil for the light, for the anoint ing oil, and for the fra grant in cense. 29 So the Is ra el ites brought a free will of fer ing to the L ord, all the men and wom en whose hearts prompt ed them to bring some thing for all the work that the L ord, through Mo ses, had com mand ed to be done. BEZALEL AND OHOLIAB 30 Mo ses then said to the Is ra el ites: “ Look, the L ord has ap point ed by name Bez a lel son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Ju dah. 31 He has filled him with God’s Spir it, with wis dom, un der stand ing, and abil i ty in ev ery kind of craft 32 to de sign ar tis tic works in gold, sil ver, and bronze, 33 to cut gemstones for mounting, and to carve wood for work in ev ery kind of ar tis tic craft. 34 He has also giv en d both him and Oho li ab son of Ahis a mach, of the tribe of Dan, the abil i ty to teach oth ers. 35 He has filled them with skill e to do all the work of a gem cut ter; a de sign er; an em broi der er f in blue, pur ple, and scar let yarn and fine lin en; and a weav er. They can do ev ery kind of craft and 36 de sign ar tis tic de signs. 1 Bez a lel, Oho- li ab, and all the skilled g peo ple are to work based on ev ery thing the L ord has com- mand ed. The L ord has giv en them wis dom and un der stand ing to know how to do all the work of con struct ing the sanc tu ary .” 2 So Mo ses sum moned Bez a lel, Oho li ab, and ev ery skilled per son in whose heart the L ord had placed wis dom, all whose hearts moved them, to come to the work and do it. 3 They took from Moses’s pres ence all the con tri bu- tions that the Is ra el ites had brought for the task of mak ing the sanc tu ary . Mean while, the peo ple con tin ued to bring free will off er ings morn ing af ter morn ing. 4 Then all the ar ti sans who were do ing
🏛️ Tabernacle Construction Overflow
🎁 Abundant offerings from the Israelites created a surplus of materials for the sanctuary, prompting Moses to issue a proclamation halting further donations
🧵 Skilled artisans led by Bezalel crafted elaborate tabernacle components with precise measurements, including curtains, supports, and furnishings made from acacia wood overlaid with precious metals
🔨 The detailed construction included the ark, mercy seat, table, lampstand, altars, and courtyard—each element meticulously created according to divine specifications
💎 Priestly garments featured intricate embroidery with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, with the breastpiece containing twelve gemstones representing the tribes of Israel
📊 A comprehensive inventory documented the materials used: 2,193 pounds of gold, 7,544 pounds of silver, and 5,310 pounds of bronze—all collected from the community
all the work for the sanc tu ary came one by one from the work they were do ing 5 and said to Mo ses, “ The peo ple are bring ing more than is need ed for the con struc tion of the work the L ord com mand ed to be done.” 6 Af ter Mo ses gave an or der, they sent a proc- la ma tion through out the camp: “ Let no man or wom an make any thing else as an off er ing for the sanc tu ary .” So the peo ple stopped. 7 The a 35:7,19,23 Hb obscure b 35:10 Lit the wise of heart c 35:25 Lit wise of heart d 35:34 Lit also put in his heart e 35:35 Lit with wisdom of heart f 35:35 Or weaver g 36:1 Lit wise of heart, also in v. 2 79 EXODUS 35-36 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 79 10/26/17 8:59 PM ma teri als were su ff i cient for them to do all the work. There was more than enough. BUILDING THE TABERNACLE 8 All the skilled ar ti sans a among those do - ing the work made the tab er na cle with ten cur tains. Bez a lel made them of fine ly spun lin en, as well as blue, pur ple, and scar let yarn, with a de sign of cher u bim worked into them. 9 Each cur tain was forty-two feet b long and six feet c wide; all the cur tains had the same mea sure ments. 10 He joined five of the cur - tains to each oth er, and the oth er five cur tains he joined to each oth er. 11 He made loops of blue yarn on the edge of the last cur tain in the first set and did the same on the edge of the outermost cur tain in the sec ond set. 12 He made fif ty loops on the one cur tain and fif ty loops on the edge of the cur tain in the sec ond set, so that the loops lined up with each oth er. 13 He also made fif ty gold clasps and joined the cur tains to each oth er, so that the tab er na cle be came a sin gle unit. 14 He made cur tains of goat hair for a tent over the tab er na cle; he made elev en of them. 15 Each cur tain was forty-five feet d long and six feet wide. All elev en cur tains had the same mea sure ments. 16 He joined five of the cur tains to geth er, and the oth er six to geth er. 17 He made fif ty loops on the edge of the outermost cur - tain in the first set and fif ty loops on the edge of the cor re spond ing cur tain in the sec ond set. 18 He made fif ty bronze clasps to join the tent to geth er as a sin gle unit. 19 He also made a cov er ing for the tent from ram skins dyed red and a cov er ing of fine leath er e on top of it. 20 He made up right sup ports f of aca cia wood for the tab er na cle. 21 Each sup port was fif teen feet g long and twenty-seven inch es h wide. 22 Each sup port had two ten ons for join ing one to an oth er. He did the same for all the sup ports of the tab er na cle. 23 He made sup ports for the tab er na cle as fol lows: twen ty for the south side, 24 and he made for ty sil ver bas es to put un der the twen ty sup ports, two bas es un der the first sup port for its two ten ons, and two bas es un der each of the fol low ing sup ports for their two ten ons; 25 for the sec ond side of the tab er na cle, the north side, he made twen ty sup ports, 26 with their for ty sil ver bas es, two bas es un der the first sup port and two bas es un der each of the fol low ing ones; 27 and for the back of the tab er na cle, on the west side, he made six sup ports. 28 He also made two ad di tion al sup ports for the two back cor ners of the tab er na cle. 29 They were paired at the bot tom and joined to geth er i at the j top in a sin gle ring. This is what he did with both of them for the two cor ners. 30 So there were eight sup ports with their six teen sil ver bas es, two bas es un der each one. 31 He made five cross bars of aca cia wood for the sup ports on one side of the tab er na cle, 32 five cross bars for the sup ports on the oth er side of the tab er na cle, and five cross bars for those at the back of the tab er na cle on the west. 33 He made the cen tral cross bar run through the mid dle of the sup ports from one end to the oth er. 34 He over laid them with gold and made their rings out of gold as holders for the cross bars. He also over laid the cross bars with gold. 35 Then he made the cur tain with blue, pur - ple, and scar let yarn, and fine ly spun lin en. He made it with a de sign of cher u bim worked into it. 36 He made four pil lars of aca cia wood for it and over laid them with gold; their hooks were of gold. And he cast four sil ver bas es for the pil lars. 37 He made a screen em broi dered k with blue, pur ple, and scar let yarn, and fine ly spun lin en for the en trance to the tent, 38 to geth er with its five pil lars and their hooks. He over laid the tops of the pil lars and their bands with gold, but their five bas es were bronze. MAKING THE ARK 37 Bez a lel made the ark of aca cia wood, forty-five inch es long, twenty-seven inch es wide, and twenty-seven inch es high. l 2 He over laid it with pure gold in side and out and made a gold mold ing all around it. 3 He cast four gold rings for it, for its four feet, two rings on one side and two rings on the oth er side. 4 He made poles of aca cia wood and over laid them with gold. 5 He in sert ed the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark for car ry ing the ark. 6 He made a mer cy seat of pure gold, for - ty-five inch es long and twenty-seven inch es wide. m 7 He made two cher u bim of gold; he made them of ham mered work at the two ends a 36:8 Lit the wise of heart b 36:9 Lit 28 cubits c 36:9 Lit four cubits, also in v. 15 d 36:15 Lit 30 cubits e 36:19 Hb obscure f 36:20 Or made frames g 36:21 Lit 10 cubits h 36:21 Lit a cubit and a half i 36:29 Lit and together they are to be complete j 36:29 Lit its k 36:37 Or woven l 37:1 Lit two and a half cubits its length, one and a half cubits its width, and one and a half cubits its height m 37:6 Lit two and a half cubits its length and one and a half cubits its widthEXODUS 36-37 80 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 80 10/26/17 8:59 PM of the mer cy seat, 8 one cher ub at one end and one cher ub at the oth er end. At each end, he made a cher ub of one piece with the mer cy seat. 9 They had wings spread out. They faced each oth er and cov ered the mer cy seat with their wings. The fac es of the cher u bim were look ing to ward the mer cy seat. MAKING THE TABLE 10 He con struct ed the ta ble of aca cia wood, thir - ty-six inch es long, eigh teen inch es wide, and twenty-seven inch es high. a 11 He over laid it with pure gold and made a gold mold ing all around it. 12 He made a three-inch b frame all around it and made a gold mold ing all around its frame. 13 He cast four gold rings for it and at tached the rings to the four cor ners at its four legs. 14 The rings were next to the frame as holders for the poles to car ry the ta ble. 15 He made the poles for car ry ing the ta ble from aca cia wood and over laid them with gold. 16 He also made the uten sils that would be on the ta ble out of pure gold: its plates and cups, as well as its bowls and pitch ers for pour ing drink off er ings. MAKING THE LAMPSTAND 17 Then he made the lamp stand out of pure ham mered gold. He made it all of one piece: its base and shaft, its ornamental cups, and its buds and pet als. 18 Six branch es ex tend ed from its sides, three branch es of the lamp stand from one side and three branch es of the lamp- stand from the oth er side. 19 There were three cups shaped like al mond blos soms, each with a bud and pet als, on one branch, and three cups shaped like al mond blos soms, each with a bud and pet als, on the next branch. It was this way for the six branch es that ex tend ed from the lamp stand. 20 There were four cups shaped like al mond blos soms on the lamp stand shaft along with its buds and pet als. 21 For the six branch es that ex tend ed from it, a bud was un der the first pair of branch es from it, a bud un der the sec ond pair of branch es from it, and a bud un der the third pair of branch es from it. 22 Their buds and branch es were of one piece with it. All of it was a sin gle ham mered piece of pure gold. 23 He also made its sev en lamps, snuffers, and fire pans of pure gold. 24 He made it and all its uten sils of seventy-five pounds c of pure gold.MAKING THE ALTAR OF INCENSE 25 He made the al tar of in cense out of aca cia wood. It was square, eigh teen inch es long and eigh teen inch es wide; it was thirty-six inch- es high. d Its horns were of one piece with it. 26 He over laid it, its top, all around its sides, and its horns with pure gold. Then he made a gold mold ing all around it. 27 He made two gold rings for it un der the mold ing on two of its sides; he put these on op po site sides of it to be holders for the poles to car ry it with. 28 He made the poles of aca cia wood and over laid them with gold. 29 He also made the holy anoint ing oil and the pure, fra grant, and expertly blend ed in cense. MAKING THE ALTAR OF BURNT OFFERING 38 Bez a lel con struct ed the al tar of burnt of- fer ing from aca cia wood. It was square, 7 1/ 2 feet long and 7 1/ 2 feet wide, e and was 4 1/ 2 feet f high. 2 He made horns for it on its four cor ners; the horns were of one piece with it. Then he over laid it with bronze. 3 He made all the altar’s uten sils: the pots, shov els, ba sins, meat forks, and fire pans; he made all its uten sils of bronze. 4 He con struct ed for the al tar a grate of bronze mesh un der its ledge, g half way up from the bot tom. 5 He cast four rings at the four cor ners of the bronze grate as holders for the poles. 6 He made the poles of aca cia wood and over laid them with bronze. 7 Then he in sert ed the poles into the rings on the sides of the al tar in or der to car ry it with them. He con struct ed the al tar with boards so that it was hol low . MAKING THE BRONZE BASIN 8 He made the bronze ba sin and its stand from the bronze mir rors of the wom en who served at the en trance to the tent of meet ing. MAKING THE COURTYARD 9 Then he made the court yard. The hang ings on the south side of the court yard were of fine ly spun lin en, 150 feet h long, 10 in clud ing their twen ty posts and their twen ty bronze bas es, with sil ver hooks and sil ver bands i for the posts. 11 The hang ings on the north side were also 150 feet long, in clud ing their twen ty posts and twen ty bronze bas es. The hooks and bands of the posts were sil ver. 12 The hang ings a 37:10 Lit two cubits its length, one cubit its width, and one and a half cubits its height b 37:12 Lit a handbreadth c 37:24 Lit a talent d 37:25 Lit a cubit its length, a cubit its width, and two cubits its height e 38:1 Lit five cubits its length and five cubits its width f 38:1 Lit three cubits g 38:4 Or rim h 38:9 Lit 100 cubits, also in v. 11 i 38:10 Or connecting rods, also in vv. 11,17,19,28 81 EXODUS 37-38 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 81 10/26/17 8:59 PM on the west side were 75 feet a long, in clud ing their ten posts and their ten bas es, with sil ver hooks and sil ver bands for the posts. 13 And for the east side to ward the sun rise, 75 feet long, 14 the hang ings on one side of the gate were 22 1/ 2 feet, b in clud ing their three posts and their three bas es. 15 It was the same for the oth er side of the court yard gate. The hang ings were 22 1/ 2 feet, in clud ing their three posts and their three bas es. 16 All the hang ings around the court yard were of fine ly spun lin en. 17 The bas es for the posts were bronze; the hooks and bands of the posts were sil ver; and the plat ing for the tops of the posts was sil ver. All the posts of the court yard were band ed with sil ver. 18 The screen for the gate of the court yard w as made of fine l y spun lin en, expertl y em - broi dered c with blue, pur ple, and scar let yarn. It was 30 feet d long, and like the hang ings of the court yard, 7 1/ 2 feet e high. f 19 It had four posts with their four bronze bas es. Their hooks were sil ver, and their top plat ing and their bands were sil ver. 20 All the tent pegs for the tab er na cle and for the sur round ing court yard were bronze. INVENTORY OF MATERIALS 21 This is the in ven to ry for the tab er na cle, the tab er na cle of the tes ti mo ny , that was re cord ed at Moses’s com mand. It was the work of the Le vites un der the di rec tion of g Ith a mar son of Aar on the priest. 22 Bez a lel son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Ju dah, made ev ery thing that the L ord com mand ed Mo ses. 23 With him was Oho li ab son of Ahis a mach, of the tribe of Dan, a gem cut ter, a de sign er, and an em - broi der er with blue, pur ple, and scar let yarn, and fine lin en. 24 All the gold of the pre sen ta tion o ff er ing that was used for the project in all the work on the sanc tu ary , was 2,193 pounds, h ac cord - ing to the sanc tu ary shek el. 25 The sil ver from those of the com mu ni ty who were reg is tered was 7,544 pounds, i ac cord ing to the sanc tu ary shek el — 26 one-fifth of an ounce j per man, that is, half a shek el ac cord ing to the sanc tu - ary shek el, from ev ery one twen ty years old or more who had crossed over to the reg is - tered group , 603,550 men. 27 There were 7,500 pounds k of sil ver used to cast the bas es of the sanc tu ary and the bas es of the cur tain — one hun dred bas es from 7,500 pounds, 75 pounds l for each base. 28 With the re main ing 44 pounds m he made the hooks for the posts, over laid their tops, and sup plied bands for them. 29 The bronze of the pre sen ta tion o ff er ing to taled 5,310 pounds. n 30 He made with it the bas es for the en trance to the tent of meet ing, the bronze al tar and its bronze grate, all the uten sils for the al tar, 31 the bas es for the sur - round ing court yard, the bas es for the gate of the court yard, all the tent pegs for the tab er na - cle, and all the tent pegs for the sur round ing court yard. MAKING THE PRIESTLY GARMENTS 39 They made specially wo ven o gar ments for min is try in the sanc tu ary , and the holy gar ments for Aar on from the blue, pur ple, and scar let yarn, just as the L ord had com - mand ed Mo ses. MAKING THE EPHOD 2 Bez a lel made the ephod of gold, of blue, pur - ple, and scar let yarn, and of fine ly spun lin en. 3 They ham mered out thin sheets of gold, and he p cut threads from them to interw eave with the blue, pur ple, and scar let yarn, and the fine lin en in a skill ful de sign. 4 They made shoul der pieces for at tach ing it; it was joined to geth - er at its two edg es. 5 The ar tis ti cal ly wo ven waist band that was on the ephod was of one piece with the ephod, ac cord ing to the same work man ship of gold, of blue, pur ple, and scar let yarn, and of fine ly spun lin en, just as the L ord had com mand ed Mo ses. 6 Then they mount ed the onyx stones sur - round ed with gold fil i gree set tings, en graved with the names of Is ra el’s sons as a gem cut ter en graves a seal. 7 He fas tened them on the shoul der pieces of the ephod as me mo ri al stones for the Is ra el ites, just as the L ord had com mand ed Mo ses. MAKING THE BREASTPIECE 8 He also made the em broi dered c breast piece with the same work man ship as the ephod of gold, of blue, pur ple, and scar let yarn, and of fine ly spun lin en. 9 They made the breast piece square and fold ed dou ble, nine inch es long a 38:12 Lit 50 cubits, also in v. 13 b 38:14 Lit 15 cubits, also in v. 15 c 38:18; 39:8 Or woven d 38:18 Lit 20 cubits e 38:18 Lit five cubits f 38:18 Lit high in width g 38:21 Lit Levites by the hand of h 38:24 Lit 29 talents and 730 shekels i 38:25 Lit 100 talents and 1,775 shekels j 38:26 Lit a beka k 38:27 Lit 100 talents l 38:27 Lit one talent m 38:28 Lit 1,775 (shekels) n 38:29 Lit 70 talents and 2,400 shekels o 39:1 Hb obscure p 39:3 Sam, Syr , Tg read theyEXODUS 38-39 82 CSB_UltraThinindb.indb 36 11/7/17 3:21 PM and nine inch es wide. a 10 They mount ed four rows of gemstones b on it. The first row was a row of carnelian, topaz, and emerald; c 11 the second row , a turquoise, d a lapis lazuli, and a diamond; e 12 the third row , a jacinth, f an agate, and an amethyst; 13 and the fourth row , a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. They were sur round ed with gold fil i gree in their set tings. 14 The twelve stones corresponded to the names of Is ra el’s sons. Each stone was en- graved like a seal with one of the names of the twelve tribes. 15 They made braid ed chains of pure gold cord for the breast piece. 16 They also fash- ioned two gold fil i gree set tings and two gold rings and at tached the two rings to its two cor ners. 17 Then they at tached the two gold cords to the two gold rings on the cor ners of the breast piece. 18 They at tached the oth er ends of the two cords to the two fil i gree set- tings, and in this way they at tached them to the ephod’s shoul der pieces in front. 19 They made two oth er gold rings and put them at the two oth er cor ners of the breast piece on the edge that is next to the in ner bor der of the ephod. 20 They made two more gold rings and at tached them to the bot tom of the ephod’s two shoul der pieces on its front, close to its seam, g above the ephod’s wo ven waist band. 21 Then they tied the breast piece from its rings to the rings of the ephod with a cord of blue yarn, so that the breast piece was above the ephod’s waist band and did not come loose from the ephod. They did just as the L ord had com mand ed Mo ses. MAKING THE ROBE 22 They made the wo ven robe of the ephod en tire ly of blue yarn. 23 There was an open- ing in the cen ter of the robe like that of body ar mor f with a col lar around the open ing so that it would not tear. 24 They made pome gran- ates of fine ly spun blue, pur ple, and scar let yarn h on the low er hem of the robe. 25 They made bells of pure gold and at
🛕 Tabernacle Construction and Consecration
🧵 Priestly garments meticulously crafted with fine linen, gold, blue, purple, and scarlet yarn according to divine specifications, including the turban inscribed "Holy to the Lord"
🏗️ Tabernacle assembly completed exactly as commanded, with every element—from the ark to the altar—positioned precisely in the prescribed arrangement
💧 Ritual consecration through anointing oil sanctified the tabernacle, its furnishings, and Aaron and his sons, establishing a permanent priesthood
🔥 Sacrificial system detailed with specific instructions for burnt offerings, grain offerings, and fellowship offerings, each requiring unblemished animals or fine flour
☁️ Divine presence manifested as a cloud by day and fire by night over the completed tabernacle, guiding Israel's journey and confirming God's acceptance
🩸 Sin offerings established to provide atonement for unintentional sins, with specific procedures for priests and laypeople to restore relationship with God
tached the bells be tween the pome gran ates, all around the hem of the robe be tween the pome gran ates, 26 a bell and a pome gran ate al ter nat ing all around the low er hem of the robe i to be worn for min is try . They made it just as the L ord had com mand ed Mo ses. THE OTHER PRIESTLY GARMENTS 27 They made the tu nics of fine wo ven lin en for Aar on and his sons. 28 They made the tur - ban and the ornate head bands j of fine lin en, the lin en un der gar ments of fine ly spun lin en, 29 and the sash of fine ly spun lin en expertly em broi dered with blue, pur ple, and scar let yarn. They did just as the L ord had com mand- ed Mo ses. MAKING THE HOLY DIADEM 30 They made a me dal lion, the holy di a dem, out of pure gold and wrote on it an in scrip- tion like the en grav ing on a seal: H oly to the L ord. 31 They at tached a cord of blue yarn to it in or der to mount it on the tur ban, just as the L ord had com mand ed Mo ses. MOSES’S INSPECTION OF THE TABERNACLE 32 So all the work for the tab er na cle, the tent of meet ing, was fin ished. The Is ra el ites did ev ery thing just as the L ord had com mand ed Mo ses. 33 They brought the tab er na cle to Mo- ses: the tent with all its fur nish ings, its clasps, its sup ports, its cross bars, and its pil lars and bas es; 34 the cov er ing of ram skins dyed red and the cov er ing of fine leath er; f the cur tain for the screen; 35 the ark of the tes ti mo ny with its poles and the mer cy seat; 36 the ta ble, all its uten sils, and the Bread of the Pres ence; 37 the pure gold lamp stand, with its lamps ar - ranged and all its uten sils, as well as the oil for the light; 38 the gold al tar; the anoint ing oil; the fra grant in cense; the screen for the en trance to the tent; 39 the bronze al tar with its bronze grate, its poles, and all its uten sils; the ba sin with its stand; 40 the hang ings of the court yard, its posts and bas es, the screen for the gate of the court yard, its ropes and tent pegs, and all the fur nish ings for the ser vice of the tab er na cle, the tent of meet ing; 41 and the specially wo ven f gar ments for min is ter - ing in the sanc tu ary , the holy gar ments for the priest Aar on and the gar ments for his a 39:9 Lit a span its length and a span its width b 39:10 Many of these stones cannot be identified with certainty. c 39:10 Or beryl d 39:11 Or malachite, or garnet e 39:11 Hb uncertain; LXX, Vg read jasper f 39:12,23,34,41 Hb obscure g 39:20 The place where the shoulder pieces join the front of the ephod h 39:24 Sam, LXX, Vg add and linen i 39:26 Lit bell and pomegranate, bell and pomegranate, on the hem of the robe around j 39:28 Lit and the headdresses of headbands 83 EXODUS 39 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 83 10/26/17 8:59 PM sons to serve as priests. 42 The Is ra el ites had done all the work ac cord ing to ev ery thing the L ord had com mand ed Mo ses. 43 Mo ses in spect ed all the work they had ac com plished. They had done just as the L ord com mand ed. Then Mo ses blessed them. SETTING UP THE TABERNACLE 40 The L ord spoke to Mo ses: 2 “ You are to set up the tab er na cle, the tent of meet ing, on the first day of the first month. a 3 Put the ark of the tes ti mo ny there and screen off the ark with the cur tain. 4 Then bring in the ta ble and lay out its ar range ment; also bring in the lamp stand and set up its lamps. 5 Place the gold al tar for in cense in front of the ark of the tes ti mo ny . Put up the screen for the en trance to the tab er na cle. 6 Po si tion the al tar of burnt o ff er ing in front of the en trance to the tab er na cle, the tent of meet ing. 7 Place the ba sin be tween the tent of meet ing and the al tar, and put wa ter in it. 8 As sem ble the sur round ing court yard and hang the screen for the gate of the court yard. 9 “ Take the anoint ing oil and anoint the tab er na cle and ev ery thing in it; con se crate it along with all its fur nish ings so that it will be holy . 10 Anoint the al tar of burnt off er ing and all its uten sils; con se crate the al tar so that it will be es pe cial ly holy . 11 Anoint the ba sin and its stand and con se crate it. 12 “ Then bring Aar on and his sons to the en- trance to the tent of meet ing and wash them with wa ter. 13 Clothe Aar on with the holy gar ments, anoint him, and con se crate him, so that he can serve me as a priest. 14 Have his sons come for ward and clothe them in tu nics. 15 Anoint them just as you anoint ed their fa ther, so that they may also serve me as priests. Their anoint ing will serve to in- au gu rate a per ma nent priest hood for them through out their gen er a tions.” 16 Mo ses did ev ery thing just as the L ord had com mand ed him. 17 The tab er na cle was set up in the first month of the sec ond year, on the first day of the month. b 18 Mo ses set up the tab er na cle: He laid its bas es, positioned its sup ports, in sert ed its cross bars, and set up its pil lars. 19 Then he spread the tent over the tab er na cle and put the cov er ing of the tent on top of it, just as the L ord had com- mand ed Mo ses.20 Mo ses took the tes ti mo ny and placed it in the ark, and at tached the poles to the ark. He set the mer cy seat on top of the ark. 21 He brought the ark into the tab er na cle, put up the cur tain for the screen, and screened off the ark of the tes ti mo ny , just as the L ord had com mand ed him. 22 Mo ses placed the ta ble in the tent of meet ing on the north side of the tab er na cle, out side the cur tain. 23 He ar ranged the bread on it be fore the L ord, just as the L ord had com mand ed him. 24 He put the lamp stand in the tent of meet ing op po site the ta ble on the south side of the tab er na cle 25 and set up the lamps be fore the L ord, just as the L ord had com mand ed him. 26 Mo ses in stalled the gold al tar in the tent of meet ing, in front of the cur tain, 27 and burned fra grant in cense on it, just as the L ord had com mand ed him. 28 He put up the screen at the en trance to the tab er na cle. 29 He placed the al tar of burnt off er ing at the en trance to the tab er na cle, the tent of meet ing, and off ered the burnt off er ing and the grain off er ing on it, just as the L ord had com mand ed him. 30 He set the ba sin be tween the tent of meet ing and the al tar and put wa ter in it for wash ing. 31 Mo ses, Aar on, and his sons washed their hands and feet from it. 32 They washed when ev er they came to the tent of meet ing and ap proached the al tar, just as the L ord had com mand ed Mo ses. 33 Next Mo ses set up the sur round ing court- yard for the tab er na cle and the al tar and hung a screen for the gate of the court yard. So Mo ses fin ished the work. THE LORD’S GLORY 34 The cloud cov ered the tent of meet ing, and the glo ry of the L ord filled the tab er na cle. 35 Mo ses was un able to en ter the tent of meet- ing be cause the cloud rest ed on it, and the glo ry of the L ord filled the tab er na cle. 36 The Is ra el ites set out when ev er the cloud was tak en up from the tab er na cle through out all the stages of their jour ney . 37 If the cloud was not tak en up, they did not set out un til the day it was tak en up. 38 For the cloud of the L ord was over the tab er na cle by day , and there was a fire in side the cloud by night, vis i ble to the en tire house of Is ra el through out all the stages of their jour ney . a 40:2 Lit on the day of the first month, on the first of the month b 40:17 DSS, Sam, LXX add of their coming out of EgyptEXODUS 39-40 84 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 84 10/26/17 8:59 PM leviTicus THE BURNT OFFERING 1 Then the L ord sum moned Mo ses and spoke to him from the tent of meet ing: 2 “ Speak to the Is ra el ites and tell them: When any of you brings an off er ing to the L ord from the live stock, you may bring your off er ing from the herd or the flock. 3 “ If his o ff er ing is a burnt off er ing from the herd, he is to bring an un blem ished male. He will bring it to the en trance to the tent of meet ing so that he a may be ac cept ed by the L ord. 4 He is to lay his hand on the head of the burnt off er ing so it can be ac cept ed on his be half to make atone ment for him. 5 He is to slaugh ter the bull be fore the L ord; Aar on’s sons the priests are to pre sent the blood and splatter it on all sides of the al tar that is at the en trance to the tent of meet ing. 6 Then he is to skin the burnt off er ing and cut it into pieces. b 7 The sons of Aar on the priest will pre pare a fire on the al tar and ar range wood on the fire. 8 Aar on’s sons the priests are to ar range the pieces, the head, and the fat on top of the burn ing wood on the al tar. 9 The off er er is to wash its en trails and legs with wa ter. Then the priest will burn all of it on the al tar as a burnt off er ing, a fire off er ing of a pleas ing aro ma to the L ord. 10 “ But if his off er ing for a burnt off er ing is from the flock, from sheep or goats, he is to pre sent an un blem ished male. 11 He will slaugh- ter it on the north side of the al tar be fore the L ord. Aar on’s sons the priests will splatter its blood against the al tar on all sides. 12 He will cut the an i mal into pieces with its head and its fat, and the priest will ar range them on top of the burn ing wood on the al tar. 13 But he is to wash the en trails and legs with wa ter. The priest will then pre sent all of it and burn it on the al tar; it is a burnt off er ing, a fire off er ing of a pleas ing aro ma to the L ord. 14 “ If his off er ing to the L ord is a burnt off er- ing of birds, he is to pre sent his off er ing from the turtledoves or young pi geons. c 15 Then the priest is to bring it to the al tar, and will twist off its head and burn it on the al tar; its blood should be drained at the side of the al tar. 16 He will re move its digestive tract, d cut ting off the tail feath ers, and throw it on the east side of the al tar at the place for ash es. 17 He will tear it open by its wings with out di vid ing the bird. Then the priest is to burn it on the al tar on top of the burn ing wood. It is a burnt off er ing, a fire off er ing of a pleas ing aro ma to the L ord. THE GRAIN OFFERING 2 “ When any one pre sents a grain off er ing as an off er ing to the L ord, it is to con sist of fine flour. He is to pour ol ive oil on it, put frank in cense on it, 2 and bring it to Aar on’s sons the priests. The priest will take a hand ful of fine flour and oil from it, along with all its frank in cense, and will burn this me mo ri al por tion of it on the al tar, a fire off er ing of a pleas ing aro ma to the L ord. 3 But the rest of the grain off er ing will be long to Aar on and his sons; it is the ho li est part of the fire off er- ings to the L ord. 4 “ When you pre sent a grain off er ing baked in an oven, it is to be made of fine flour, ei ther un leav ened cakes mixed with oil or un leav ened wa fers coat ed with oil. 5 If your off er ing is a grain off er ing pre pared on a grid dle, it is to be un leav ened bread made of fine flour mixed with oil. 6 Break it into pieces and pour oil on it; it is a grain off er ing. 7 If your off er ing is a grain off er ing pre pared in a pan, it is to be made of fine flour with oil. 8 When you bring to the L ord the grain off er ing made in any of these ways, it is to be pre sent ed to the priest, and he will take it to the al tar. 9 The priest will re move the me mo ri al por tion e from the grain off er ing and burn it on the al tar, a fire off er- ing of a pleas ing aro ma to the L ord. 10 But the rest of the grain off er ing will be long to Aar on and his sons; it is the ho li est part of the fire off er ings to the L ord. 11 “ No grain off er ing that you pre sent to the L ord is to be made with yeast, for you are not to burn f any yeast or hon ey as a fire off er ing to the L ord. 12 You may pre sent them to the L ord as an off er ing of first fruits, but they are not to be off ered on the al tar as a pleas ing aro ma. 13 You are to sea son each of your grain a 1:3 Or it b 1:6 Lit its pieces, also in v. 12 c 1:14 Or or pigeons d 1:16 Or its crop, or its crissum e 2:9 Lit portion of it f 2:11 Some Hb mss, Sam, LXX, Tg read present CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 85 10/26/17 8:59 PM off er ings with salt; you must not omit from your grain off er ing the salt of the cov enant with your God. You are to pre sent salt with each of your off er ings. 14 “ If you pre sent a grain off er ing of first- fruits to the L ord, you are to pre sent fresh heads of grain, crushed ker nels, roast ed on the fire, for your grain off er ing of first fruits. 15 You are to put oil and frank in cense on it; it is a grain off er ing. 16 The priest will then burn some of its crushed ker nels and oil with all its frank in cense as a fire off er ing to the L ord. THE FELLOWSHIP OFFERING 3 “ If his o ff er ing is a fel low ship sac ri fice, and he is pre sent ing an an i mal from the herd, wheth er male or fe male, he is to pre sent one with out blem ish be fore the L ord. 2 He is to lay his hand on the head of his off er ing and slaugh ter it at the en trance to the tent of meet ing. Then Aar on’s sons the priests will splatter the blood on all sides of the al tar. 3 He will pre sent part of the fel low ship sac ri fice as a fire off er ing to the L ord: the fat sur round ing the en trails, all the fat that is on the en trails, 4 and the two kid neys with the fat on them at the loins; he will also re move the fatty lobe of the liv er with the kid neys. 5 Aar on’s sons will burn it on the al tar along with the burnt off er ing that is on the burn ing wood, a fire off er ing of a pleas ing aro ma to the L ord. 6 “ If his off er ing as a fel low ship sac ri fice to the L ord is from the flock, he is to pre sent a male or fe male with out blem ish. 7 If he is pre sent ing a lamb for his off er ing, he is to pre sent it be fore the L ord. 8 He must lay his hand on the head of his off er ing, then slaugh- ter it be fore the tent of meet ing. Aar on’s sons will splatter its blood on all sides of the al tar. 9 He will then pre sent part of the fel low ship sac ri fice as a fire off er ing to the L ord con- sist ing of its fat and the en tire fat tail, which he is to re move close to the back bone. He will also re move the fat sur round ing the en trails, all the fat on the en trails, 10 the two kid neys with the fat on them at the loins, and the fatty lobe of the liv er above the kid neys. 11 Then the priest will burn the food on the al tar, as a fire off er ing to the L ord. 12 “ If his o ff er ing is a goat, he is to pre sent it be fore the L ord. 13 He must lay his hand on its head and slaugh ter it be fore the tent of meet- ing. Aar on’s sons will splatter a its blood on all sides of the al tar. 14 He will pre sent part of his off er ing as a fire off er ing to the L ord: the fat sur round ing the en trails, all the fat that is on the en trails, 15 and the two kid neys with the fat on them at the loins; he will also re move the fatty lobe of the liv er with the kid neys. 16 Then the priest will burn the food on the al tar, as a fire off er ing for a pleas ing aro ma. b “ All fat be longs to the L ord. 17 This is a per - ma nent stat ute through out your gen er a tions, wher ev er you live: you must not eat any fat or any blood.” THE SIN OFFERING 4 Then the L ord spoke to Mo ses: 2 “ Tell the Is ra el ites: When some one sins un in ten- tion al ly against any of the L ord’ s com mands and does any thing prohibited by them — 3 “ If the anoint ed priest sins, bring ing guilt on the peo ple, he is to pre sent to the L ord a young, un blem ished bull as a sin c off er ing for the sin he has com mit ted. 4 He is to bring the bull to the en trance to the tent of meet ing be fore the L ord, lay his hand on the bull’s head, and slaugh ter it be fore the L ord. 5 The anoint ed priest will then take some of the bull’s blood and bring it into the tent of meet ing. 6 The priest is to dip his fin ger in the blood and sprin kle some of it sev en times be fore the L ord in front of the cur tain of the sanc tu ary . 7 The priest is to ap ply some of the blood to the horns of the al tar of fra grant in cense that is be fore the L ord in the tent of meet ing. He must pour out the rest of the bull’s blood at the base of the al tar of burnt off er ing that is at the en trance to the tent of meet ing. 8 He is to re move all the fat from the bull of the sin off er ing: the fat sur round ing the en trails, all the fat that is on the en trails, 9 and the two kid neys with the fat on them at the loins. He will also re move the fatty lobe of the liv er with the kid neys, 10 just as the fat is re moved from the ox of the fel
🔥 Levitical Sacrifice Rituals
🐂 Sin offerings require specific animals (bulls, goats, lambs) presented to priests, with blood rituals involving sprinkling blood seven times before the Lord and applying it to altar horns
💯 Atonement process follows precise protocols based on who sinned—priests, community leaders, or common people—with different requirements for each group
🔄 Economic accommodation ensures everyone can participate in atonement regardless of wealth, allowing substitution of birds or flour when animals are unaffordable
🍞 Grain offerings must be prepared according to strict guidelines, with portions burned as memorial offerings and the remainder belonging to priests
🚫 Purity regulations govern the handling of sacrificial items, with clear instructions about what becomes holy through contact and how to manage blood-stained garments
⏱️ Timing restrictions dictate when sacrificial meat must be consumed, with fellowship offerings requiring consumption within specific timeframes to be considered acceptable
low ship sac ri fice. The priest is to burn them on the al tar of burnt off er- ing. 11 But the hide of the bull and all its flesh, with its head and legs, and its en trails and waste — 12 all the rest of the bull — he must bring to a cer e mo ni al ly clean place out side the camp to the ash heap, and must burn it on a wood fire. It is to be burned at the ash heap. 13 “ Now if the whole com mu ni ty of Is ra el errs, and the mat ter es capes the no tice of the as sem bly , so that they vi o late any of the a 3:13 Or dash b 3:16 Sam, LXX add to the Lord c 4:3 Or purificationLEVITICUS 2-4 86 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 86 10/26/17 8:59 PM L ord’ s com mands and in cur guilt by do ing what is prohibited, 14 then the as sem bly must pre sent a young bull as a sin of fer ing. They are to bring it be fore the tent of meet ing when the sin they have com mit ted in re gard to the com mand be comes known. 15 The el ders of the com mu ni ty are to lay their hands on the bull’s head be fore the L ord and it is to be slaugh tered be fore the L ord. 16 The anoint ed priest will bring some of the bull’s blood into the tent of meet ing. 17 The priest is to dip his fin ger in the blood and sprin kle it sev en times be fore the L ord in front of the cur tain. 18 He is to ap ply some of the blood to the horns of the al tar that is be fore the L ord in the tent of meet ing. He will pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the al tar of burnt of fer ing that is at the en trance to the tent of meet ing. 19 He is to re move all the fat from it and burn it on the al tar. 20 He is to of fer this bull just as he did with the bull in the sin of fer ing; he will of fer it the same way . So the priest will make atone ment on their be half, and they will be for giv en. 21 Then he will bring the bull out side the camp and burn it just as he burned the first bull. It is the sin of fer ing for the as sem bly . 22 “ When a lead er a sins and un in ten tion al ly vi o lates any of the com mands of the L ord his God by do ing what is prohibited, and in curs guilt, 23 or some one informs him about the sin he has com mit ted, he is to bring an un- blem ished male goat as his off er ing. 24 He is to lay his hand on the head of the goat and slaugh ter it at the place where the burnt of- fer ing is slaugh tered be fore the L ord. It is a sin o ff er ing. 25 Then the priest is to take some of the blood from the sin off er ing with his fin ger and ap ply it to the horns of the al tar of burnt off er ing. The rest of its blood he is to pour out at the base of the al tar of burnt off er- ing. 26 He must burn all its fat on the al tar, like the fat of the fel low ship sac ri fice. In this way the priest will make atone ment on his be half for that per son’s sin, and he will be for giv en. 27 “ Now if any of the com mon peo ple b sins un in ten tion al ly by vi o lat ing one of the L ord’ s com mands, does what is prohibited, and in curs guilt, 28 or if some one informs him about the sin he has com mit ted, then he is to bring an un blem ished fe male goat as his off er ing for the sin that he has com mit ted. 29 He is to lay his hand on the head of the sin off er ing and slaugh ter it at the place of the burnt o ff er ing. 30 Then the priest is to take some of its blood with his fin ger and ap ply it to the horns of the al tar of burnt off er ing. He is to pour out the rest of its blood at the base of the al tar. 31 He is to re move all its fat just as the fat is re moved from the fel low ship sac ri fice. The priest is to burn it on the al tar as a pleas ing aro ma to the L ord. In this way the priest will make atone- ment on his be half, and he will be for giv en. 32 “ Or if the off er ing that he brings as a sin off er ing is a lamb, he is to bring an un blem- ished fe male. 33 He is to lay his hand on the head of the sin off er ing and slaugh ter it as a sin off er ing at the place where the burnt off er ing is slaugh tered. 34 Then the priest is to take some of the blood of the sin off er ing with his fin ger and ap ply it to the horns of the al tar of burnt off er ing. He is to pour out the rest of its blood at the base of the al tar. 35 He is to re move all its fat just as the fat of the lamb is re moved from the fel low ship sac ri fice. The priest will burn it on the al tar along with the fire off er ings to the L ord. In this way the priest will make atone ment on his be half for the sin he has com mit ted, and he will be for giv en. CASES REQUIRING SIN OFFERINGS 5 “ When some one sins in any of these ways: If he has seen, heard, or known about something he has witnessed, and did not respond to a public call to testify , he will bear his iniquity . 2 Or if someone touches anything unclean — a carcass of an unclean wild animal, or unclean livestock, or an unclean swarming creature — without being aware of it, he is unclean and incurs guilt. 3 Or if he touches human uncleanness — any uncleanness by which one can be - come defiled — without being aware of it, but later recognizes it, he incurs guilt. 4 Or if someone swears rashly to do what is good or evil — concerning anything a person may speak rashly in an oath — without being aware of it, but later recognizes it, he incurs guilt in such an instance. 5 If some one in curs guilt in one of these cases, he is to con fess he has com mit ted that sin. 6 He must bring his pen al ty for guilt for the sin he has com mit ted to the L ord: a fe male lamb or goat from the flock as a sin off er ing. a 4:22 Or ruler b 4:27 Lit the people of the land 87 LEVITICUS 4-5 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 87 10/26/17 8:59 PM In this way the priest will make atone ment on his be half for his sin. 7 “ But if he can not aff ord an an i mal from the flock, then he may bring to the L ord two turtledoves or two young pi geons as pen al ty for guilt for his sin — one as a sin o ff er ing and the oth er as a burnt off er ing. 8 He is to bring them to the priest, who will first pre sent the one for the sin o ff er ing. He is to twist its head at the back of the neck with out sev er ing it. 9 Then he will sprin kle some of the blood of the sin off er ing on the side of the al tar, while the rest of the blood is to be drained out at the base of the al tar; it is a sin off er ing. 10 He will pre pare the sec ond bird as a burnt off er ing ac cord ing to the reg u la tion. In this way the priest will make atone ment on his be half for the sin he has com mit ted, and he will be for giv en. 11 “ But if he can not aff ord two turtledoves or two young pi geons, he may bring two quarts a of fine flour b as an off er ing for his sin. He must not put ol ive oil or frank in cense on it, for it is a sin off er ing. 12 He is to bring it to the priest, who will take a hand ful from it as its me mo ri al por tion and burn it on the al tar along with the fire o ff er ings to the L ord ; it is a sin off er ing. 13 In this way the priest will make atone ment on his be half con cern ing the sin he has com mit ted in any of these cases, and he will be for giv en. The rest will be long to the priest, like the grain off er ing.” THE GUILT OFFERING 14 Then the L ord spoke to Mo ses: 15 “ If some- one offends by sin ning un in ten tion al ly in re gard to any of the L ord’ s holy things, c he must bring his pen al ty for guilt to the L ord: an un blem ished ram from the flock ( based on your as sess ment of its val ue in sil ver shek els, ac cord ing to the sanc tu ary shek el) as a guilt off er ing. 16 He is to make res ti tu tion for his sin re gard ing any holy thing, add ing a fifth of its val ue to it, and give it to the priest. Then the priest will make atone ment on his be half with the ram of the guilt off er ing, and he will be for giv en. 17 “ If some one sins and with out know ing it vi o lates any of the L ord’ s com mands con cern- ing any thing prohibited, he is guilty , and he will bear his in iq ui ty . 18 He must bring an un blem- ished ram from the flock ac cord ing to your as sess ment of its val ue as a guilt off er ing to the priest. Then the priest will make atone ment on his be half for the er ror he has com mit ted un in ten tion al ly , and he will be for giv en. 19 It is a guilt off er ing; he is in deed guilty be fore the L ord.” 6 The L ord spoke to Mo ses: 2 “ When some- one sins and offends the L ord by de ceiv ing his neigh bor in re gard to a de pos it, a se cu ri- t y, d or a rob bery; or defrauds his neigh bor; 3 or finds some thing lost and lies about it; or swears false ly about any of the sin ful things a per son may do — 4 once he has sinned and ac knowl edged his guilt — he must re turn what he stole or defrauded, or the de pos it en trust ed to him, or the lost item he found, 5 or any- thing else about which he swore false ly . He will make full res ti tu tion for it and add a fifth of its val ue to it. He is to pay it to its own er on the day he ac knowl edg es his guilt. 6 Then he is to bring his guilt off er ing to the L ord: an un blem ished ram from the flock ac cord- ing to your as sess ment of its val ue as a guilt off er ing to the priest. 7 In this way the priest will make atone ment on his be half be fore the L ord, and he will be for giv en for any thing he may have done to in cur guilt.” THE BURNT OFFERING 8 The L ord spoke to Mo ses: 9 “Com mand Aar on and his sons: This is the law of the burnt of- fer ing; the burnt off er ing it self must re main on the altar’s hearth all night un til morn ing, while the fire of the al tar is kept burn ing on it. 10 The priest is to put on his lin en robe and lin en un der gar ments. e He is to re move the ash es of the burnt off er ing the fire has con- sumed on the al tar, and place them be side the al tar. 11 Then he will take off his gar ments, put on oth er clothes, and bring the ash es out side the camp to a cer e mo ni al ly clean place. 12 The fire on the al tar is to be kept burn ing; it must not go out. Ev ery morn ing the priest will burn wood on the fire. He is to ar range the burnt off er ing on the fire and burn the fat por tions from the fel low ship off er ings on it. 13 Fire must be kept burn ing on the al tar con tin u al ly; it must not go out. THE GRAIN OFFERING 14 “ Now this is the law of the grain off er ing: Aar on’s sons will pre sent it be fore the L ord in front of the al tar. 15 The priest is to re move a 5:11 Lit one-tenth of an ephah b 5:11 Lit flour as a sin offering c 5:15 Things dedicated to the Lord d 6:2 Or an investment e 6:10 Lit undergarments on his fleshLEVITICUS 5-6 88 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 88 10/26/17 8:59 PM a hand ful of fine flour and ol ive oil from the grain off er ing, with all the frank in cense that is on the off er ing, and burn its me mo ri al por - tion on the al tar as a pleas ing aro ma to the L ord. 16 Aar on and his sons may eat the rest of it. It is to be eat en in the form of un leav ened bread in a holy place; they are to eat it in the court yard of the tent of meet ing. 17 It must not be baked with yeast; I have as signed it as their por tion from my fire off er ings. It is es pe cial ly holy , like the sin off er ing and the guilt off er ing. 18 Any male among Aar on’s de scen dants may eat it. It is a per ma nent por tion a through out your gen er a tions from the fire off er ings to the L ord. Any thing that touch es the off er ings will be come holy .” 19 The L ord spoke to Mo ses: 20 “ This is the off er ing that Aar on and his sons are to pre- sent to the L ord on the day that he is anoint ed: two quarts b of fine flour as a reg u lar grain off er ing, half of it in the morn ing and half in the eve ning. 21 It is to be pre pared with oil on a grid dle; you are to bring it well-kneaded. You are to pre sent it as a grain off er ing of baked pieces, c a pleas ing aro ma to the L ord. 22 The priest, who is one of Aar on’s sons and will be anoint ed to take his place, is to pre pare it. It must be com plete ly burned as a per ma nent por tion for the L ord. 23 Ev ery grain off er ing for a priest will be a whole burnt off er ing; it is not to be eat en.” THE SIN OFFERING 24 The L ord spoke to Mo ses: 25 “ Tell Aar on and his sons: This is the law of the sin off er ing. The sin off er ing is most holy and must be slaugh- tered be fore the L ord at the place where the burnt off er ing is slaugh tered. 26 The priest who off ers it as a sin off er ing will eat it. It is to be eat en in a holy place, in the court yard of the tent of meet ing. 27 Any thing that touch es its flesh will be come holy , and if any of its blood spatters on a gar ment, then you must wash that gar ment d in a holy place. 28 A clay pot in which the sin off er ing is boiled is to be bro ken; if it is boiled in a bronze ves sel, it is to be scoured and rinsed with wa ter. 29 Any male among the priests may eat it; it is es pe- cial ly holy . 30 But no sin off er ing may be eat en if its blood has been brought into the tent of meet ing to make atone ment in the holy place; it must be burned.THE GUILT OFFERING 7 “ Now this is the law of the guilt e off er ing; it is es pe cial ly holy . 2 The guilt off er ing is to be slaugh tered at the place where the burnt off er ing is slaugh tered, and the priest is to splatter its blood on all sides of the al tar. 3 The off er er is to pre sent all the fat from it: the fat tail, the fat sur round ing the en trails, f 4 and the two kid neys with the fat on them at the loins; he will also re move the fatty lobe of the liv er with the kid neys. 5 The priest will burn them on the al tar as a fire off er ing to the L ord; it is a guilt off er ing. 6 Any male among the priests may eat it. It is to be eat en in a holy place; it is es pe cial ly holy . 7 “ The guilt off er ing is like the sin off er ing; the law is the same for both. It be longs to the priest who makes atone ment with it. 8 As for the priest who pre sents some one’s burnt of- fer ing, the hide of the burnt off er ing he has pre sent ed be longs to him; it is the priest’s. 9 Any grain off er ing that is baked in an oven or pre pared in a pan or on a grid dle be longs to the priest who pre sents it; it is his. 10 But any grain off er ing, wheth er dry or mixed with oil, be longs equal ly to all of Aar on’s sons. THE FELLOWSHIP SACRIFICE 11 “ Now this is the law of the fel low ship sac- ri fice that some one may pre sent to the L ord: 12 If he pre sents it for thanks giv ing, in ad di tion to the thanks giv ing sac ri fice, he is to pre sent un leav ened cakes mixed with ol ive oil, un leav- ened wa fers coat ed with oil, and well-kneaded cakes of fine flour mixed with oil. 13 He is to pre sent as his o ff er ing cakes of leav ened bread with his thanks giv ing sac ri fice of fel low ship. 14 From the cakes he is to pre sent one por tion of each off er ing as a con tri bu tion to the L ord. It will be long to the priest who splatters the blood of the fel low ship off er ing; it is his. 15 The meat of his thanks giv ing sac ri fice of fel low- ship must be eat en on the day he off ers it; he may not leave any of it un til morn ing. 16 “ If the sac ri fice he off ers is a vow or a free will off er ing, it is to be eat en on the day he pre sents his sac ri fice, and what is left over may be eat en on the next day . 17 But what re mains of the sacrificial meat by the third day must be burned. 18 If any of the meat of his fel low- ship sac ri fice is eat en on the third day , it will not be ac cept ed. It will not be cred it ed to the a 6:18 Or statute b 6:20 Lit a tenth of an ephah c 6:21 Hb obscure d 6:27 Lit wash what it spattered on e 7:1 Or restitution f 7:3 LXX, Sam add and all the fat that is on the entrails ; Lv 3:3,9,14; 4:8 89 LEVITICUS 6-7 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 89 10/26/17 8:59 PM one who pre sents it; it is re pul sive. The per - son who eats any of it will bear his in iq ui ty . a 19 “ Meat that touch es any thing un clean must not be eat en; it is to be burned. Ev ery one who is clean may eat any oth er meat. 20 But the one who eats meat from the L ord’ s fel low- ship sac ri fice while he is un clean, that per son must be cut off from his peo ple. 21 If some one touch es any thing un clean, wheth er hu man un clean ness, an un clean an i mal, or any un- clean, ab hor rent b crea ture, and eats meat from the L ord’ s fel low ship sac ri fice, that per son is to be cut off from his peo ple.” FAT AND BLOOD PROHIBITED 22 The L ord spoke to Mo ses: 23 “ Tell the Is ra- el ites: You are not to eat any fat of an ox, a sheep, or a goat. 24 The fat of an an i mal that dies nat u ral ly or is mauled by wild beasts c may be used for any oth er pur pose, but
🔥 Priestly Sacrificial Regulations
🍖 Sacrificial offerings require specific handling with strict prohibitions against eating blood or fat, violators being "cut off" from their community
👨⚖️ Aaron and his sons receive designated portions (breast and right thigh) from fellowship offerings as their permanent priestly inheritance
👑 Ordination ceremony involves elaborate rituals including washing, anointing with oil, special garments, and multiple sacrifices to consecrate the priests for service
🔥 Divine approval manifests when fire from the Lord consumes offerings, while unauthorized fire results in the death of Nadab and Abihu
🧼 Ritual purity demands priests distinguish between holy/common and clean/unclean, with detailed regulations for animals that may or may not be consumed
🛑 Priestly conduct includes specific prohibitions like not drinking wine before service and maintaining proper appearance during sacred duties
you must not eat it. 25 If any one eats an i mal fat from a fire off er ing pre sent ed to the L ord, the per son who eats it is to be cut off from his peo ple. 26 Wher ev er you live, you must not eat the blood of any bird or an i mal. 27 Who ev er eats any blood is to be cut off from his peo ple.” THE PORTION FOR THE PRIESTS 28 The L ord spoke to Mo ses: 29 “ Tell the Is ra el- ites: The one who pre sents a fel low ship sac- ri fice to the L ord is to bring an off er ing to the L ord from his sac ri fice. 30 His own hands will bring the fire off er ings to the L ord. He will bring the fat to geth er with the breast. The breast is to be pre sent ed as a pre sen ta- tion off er ing be fore the L ord. 31 The priest is to burn the fat on the al tar, but the breast be longs to Aar on and his sons. 32 You are to give the right thigh to the priest as a con tri- bu tion from your fel low ship sac ri fic es. 33 The son of Aar on who pre sents the blood of the fel low ship off er ing and the fat will have the right thigh as a por tion. 34 I have tak en from the Is ra el ites the breast of the pre sen ta tion off er ing and the thigh of the con tri bu tion from their fel low ship sac ri fic es, and have as signed them to the priest Aar on and to his sons as a per ma nent por tion d from the Is ra el ites.” 35 This is the por tion from the fire off er ings to the L ord for Aar on and his sons since the day they were pre sent ed to serve the L ord as priests. 36 The L ord com mand ed this to be giv en to them by the Is ra el ites on the day he anoint ed them. It is a per ma nent por tion through out their gen er a tions. 37 This is the law for the burnt off er ing, the grain o ff er ing, the sin o ff er ing, the guilt o ff er- ing, the or di na tion off er ing, and the fel low ship sac ri fice, 38 which the L ord com mand ed Mo ses on Mount Si nai on the day he e com mand ed the Is ra el ites to pre sent their off er ings to the L ord in the Wil der ness of Si nai. ORDINATION OF AARON AND HIS SONS 8 The L ord spoke to Mo ses: 2 “ Take Aar on, his sons with him, the gar ments, the anoint ing oil, the bull of the sin f off er ing, the two rams, and the bas ket of un leav ened bread, 3 and as- sem ble the whole com mu ni ty at the en trance to the tent of meet ing.” 4 So Mo ses did as the L ord com mand ed him, and the com mu ni ty as sem bled at the en trance to the tent of meet- ing. 5 Mo ses said to them, “ This is what the L ord has com mand ed to be done.” 6 Then Mo ses pre sent ed Aar on and his sons and washed them with wa ter. 7 He put the tu- nic on Aar on, wrapped the sash around him, clothed him with the robe, and put the ephod on him. He put the wo ven band of the ephod around him and fas tened it to him. 8 Then he put the breast piece on him and placed the Urim and Thum mim into the breast piece. 9 He also put the tur ban on his head and placed the gold me dal lion, the holy di a dem, on the front of the tur ban, as the L ord had com mand ed Mo ses. 10 Then Mo ses took the anoint ing oil and anoint ed the tab er na cle and ev ery thing in it to con se crate them. 11 He sprin kled some of the oil on the al tar sev en times, anoint ing the al tar with all its uten sils, and the ba sin with its stand, to con se crate them. 12 He poured some of the anoint ing oil on Aar on’s head and anoint ed and con se crat ed him. 13 Then Mo ses pre sent ed Aar on’s sons, clothed them with tu nics, wrapped sash es around them, and fas tened head bands on them, as the L ord had com mand ed Mo ses. 14 Then he brought the bull near for the sin off er ing, and Aar on and his sons laid their hands on the head of the bull for the sin of- fer ing. 15 Then Mo ses slaugh tered it, g took the blood, and ap plied it with his fin ger to the horns of the al tar on all sides, pu ri fy ing the al tar. He poured out the blood at the base of the al tar a 7:18 Or will bear his guilt b 7:21 Some Hb mss, Sam, Syr , Tg read swarming c 7:24 Lit fat of a carcass or the fat of a mauled beast d 7:34 Or statute, also in v. 36 e 7:38 Or he f 8:2 Or purification g 8:14-15 Or offering, and he slaughtered it. 15Then MosesLEVITICUS 7-8 90 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 90 10/26/17 8:59 PM and con se crat ed it so that atone ment can be made on it. a 16 Mo ses took all the fat that was on the en trails, the fatty lobe of the liv er, and the two kid neys with their fat, and he burned them on the al tar. 17 He burned the bull with its hide, flesh, and waste out side the camp, as the L ord had com mand ed Mo ses. 18 Then he pre sent ed the ram for the burnt off er ing, and Aar on and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram. 19 Mo ses slaugh- tered it and b splattered the blood on all sides of the al tar. 20 Mo ses cut the ram into pieces and burned the head, the pieces, and the fat, 21 but he washed the en trails and legs with wa ter. He then burned the en tire ram on the al tar. It was a burnt off er ing for a pleas ing aro ma, a fire off er ing to the L ord as he had com mand ed Mo ses. 22 Next he pre sent ed the sec ond ram, the ram of or di na tion, and Aar on and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram. 23 Mo ses slaugh tered it, c took some of its blood, and put it on Aar on’s right earlobe, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot. 24 Mo ses also pre sent ed Aar on’s sons and put some of the blood on their right earlobes, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet. Then Mo ses splattered the blood on all sides of the al tar. 25 He took the fat — the fat tail, all the fat that was on the en trails, the fatty lobe of the liv er, and the two kid neys with their fat — as well as the right thigh. 26 From the bas ket of un leav ened bread that was be fore the L ord he took one cake of un leav ened bread, one cake of bread made with oil, and one wa fer, and placed them on the fat por tions and the right thigh. 27 He put all these in the hands of Aar on and his sons and pre sent ed them be fore the L ord as a pre sen ta tion off er ing. 28 Then Mo ses took them from their hands and burned them on the al tar with the burnt off er ing. This was an or di na tion off er ing for a pleas ing aro ma, a fire off er ing to the L ord. 29 He also took the breast and pre sent ed it be fore the L ord as a pre sen ta tion off er ing; it was Moses’s por tion of the or di na tion ram as the L ord had com mand ed him. 30 Then Mo ses took some of the anoint ing oil and some of the blood that was on the al tar and sprin kled them on Aar on and his gar ments, as well as on his sons and their gar ments. In this way he con se crat ed Aar on and his gar - ments, as well as his sons and their gar ments. 31 Mo ses said to Aar on and his sons, “ Boil the meat at the en trance to the tent of meet- ing and eat it there with the bread that is in the bas ket for the or di na tion off er ing as I com mand ed: d Aar on and his sons are to eat it. 32 Burn up what re mains of the meat and bread. 33 Do not go out side the en trance to the tent of meet ing for sev en days, un til the time your days of or di na tion are com plet ed, be cause it will take sev en days to or dain you. e 34 The L ord com mand ed what has been done to day in or der to make atone ment for you. 35 You must re main at the en trance to the tent of meet ing day and night for sev en days and keep the L ord’ s charge so that you will not die, for this is what I was com mand ed.” 36 So Aar on and his sons did ev ery thing the L ord had com mand ed through Mo ses. THE PRIESTLY MINISTRY INAUGURATED 9 On the eighth day Mo ses sum moned Aar on, his sons, and the el ders of Is ra el. 2 He said to Aar on, “ Take a young bull for a sin f off er ing and a ram for a burnt off er ing, both with out blem ish, and pre sent them be fore the L ord. 3 And tell the Is ra el ites: g Take a male goat for a sin off er ing; a calf and a lamb, male year - lings with out blem ish, for a burnt off er ing; 4 an ox and a ram for a fel low ship off er ing to sac ri fice be fore the L ord; and a grain off er ing mixed with oil. For to day the L ord is go ing to ap pear to you.” 5 They brought what Mo ses had com mand- ed to the front of the tent of meet ing, and the whole com mu ni ty came for ward and stood be fore the L ord. 6 Mo ses said, “ This is what the L ord com mand ed you to do, that the glo ry of the L ord may ap pear to you.” 7 Then Mo- ses said to Aar on, “ Ap proach the al tar and sac ri fice your sin off er ing and your burnt off er ing; make atone ment for your self and the peo ple. h Sac ri fice the peo ple’s off er ing and make atone ment for them, as the L ord com mand ed.” 8 So Aar on ap proached the al tar and slaugh- tered the calf as a sin off er ing for him self. 9 Aar on’s sons brought the blood to him, and he dipped his fin ger in the blood and ap plied it to the horns of the al tar. He poured out the blood at the base of the al tar. 10 He burned the a 8:15 Or it by making atonement for it b 8:18-19 Or ram, 19and he slaughtered it. Moses c 8:22-23 Or ram, 23and he slaughtered it. Moses d 8:31 LXX, Syr , Tg read was commanded ; Ex 29:31-32 e 8:33 Lit because he will fill your hands for seven days f 9:2 Or purification g 9:3 Sam, LXX read elders of Israel h 9:7 LXX reads and your household 91 LEVITICUS 8-9 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 91 10/26/17 8:59 PM fat, the kid neys, and the fatty lobe of the liv er from the sin off er ing on the al tar, as the L ord had com mand ed Mo ses. 11 He burned the flesh and the hide out side the camp. 12 Then he slaugh tered the burnt off er ing. Aar on’s sons brought him the blood, and he splattered it on all sides of the al tar. 13 They brought him the burnt off er ing piece by piece, along with the head, and he burned them on the al tar. 14 He washed the en trails and the legs and burned them with the burnt off er- ing on the al tar. 15 Aar on pre sent ed the peo ple’s o ff er ing. He took the male goat for the peo ple’s sin off er- ing, slaugh tered it, and made a sin off er ing with it as he did be fore. 16 He pre sent ed the burnt off er ing and sac ri ficed it ac cord ing to the reg u la tion. 17 Next he pre sent ed the grain off er ing, took a hand ful of it, and burned it on the al tar in ad di tion to the morn ing burnt off er ing. 18 Fi nal ly , he slaugh tered the ox and the ram as the peo ple’s fel low ship sac ri fice. Aar on’s sons brought him the blood, and he splattered it on all sides of the al tar. 19 They also brought the fat por tions from the ox and the ram — the fat tail, the fat sur round ing the en trails, the kid neys, and the fatty lobe of the liv er — 20 and placed these on the breasts. Aar on burned the fat por tions on the al tar, 21 but he pre sent ed the breasts and the right thigh as a pre sen ta- tion off er ing be fore the L ord, as Mo ses had com mand ed. a 22 Aar on lift ed up his hands to ward the peo ple and blessed them. He came down af- ter sac ri fic ing the sin off er ing, the burnt of- fer ing, and the fel low ship off er ing. 23 Mo ses and Aar on then en tered the tent of meet ing. When they came out, they blessed the peo ple, and the glo ry of the L ord ap peared to all the peo ple. 24 Fire came from the L ord and con- sumed the burnt off er ing and the fat por tions on the al tar. And when all the peo ple saw it, they shout ed and fell face down. NADAB AND ABIHU 10 Aar on’s sons Na dab and Abi hu each took his own firepan, put fire in it, placed in cense on it, and pre sent ed un au tho rized fire be fore the L ord, which he had not com- mand ed them to do. 2 Then fire came from the L ord and con sumed them, and they died be fore the L ord. 3 Mo ses said to Aar on, “ This is what the L ord has spo ken: I will demonstrate my holiness b to those who are near me, and I will reveal my glory c before all the people.” And Aar on re mained si lent. 4 Mo ses sum moned Mish a el and El za phan, sons of Aar on’s un cle Uz zi el, and said to them, “ Come here and car ry your rel a tives away from the front of the sanc tu ary to a place out side the camp.” 5 So they came for ward and car - ried them in their tu nics out side the camp, as Mo ses had said. 6 Then Mo ses said to Aar on and his sons El- e a zar and Ith a mar, “ Do not let your hair hang loose and do not tear your clothes, or else you will die, and the L ord will be come an gry with the whole com mu ni ty . How ev er, your broth ers, the whole house of Is ra el, may weep over the conflagration the L ord ignited. 7 You must not go out side the en trance to the tent of meet ing or you will die, for the L ord’ s anoint ing oil is on you.” So they did as Mo ses said. REGULATIONS FOR PRIESTS 8 The L ord spoke to Aar on: 9 “ You and your sons are not to drink wine or beer when you en ter the tent of meet ing, or else you will die; this is a per ma nent stat ute through out your gen er a tions. 10 You must dis tin guish be- tween the holy and the com mon, and the clean and the un clean, 11 and teach the Is ra el ites all the stat utes that the L ord has giv en to them through Mo ses.” 12 Mo ses spoke to Aar on and his re main ing sons, El e a zar and Ith a mar: “ Take the grain off er ing that is left over from the fire off er- ings to the L ord, and eat it pre pared with out yeast be side the al tar, be cause it is es pe cial ly holy . 13 You must eat it in a holy place be cause it is your por tion d and your sons’ from the fire off er ings to the L ord, for this is what I was com mand ed. 14 But you and your sons and your daugh ters may eat the breast of the pre sen ta tion off er ing and the thigh of the con tri bu tion in any cer e mo ni al ly clean place, be cause these por tions have been as signed to you and your chil dren from the Is ra el ites’ fel low ship sac ri fic es. 15 They are to bring the thigh of the con tri bu tion and the breast of the pre sen ta tion off er ing, to geth er with the a 9:21 Some Hb mss, LXX, Sam read as the Lord commanded Moses b 10:3 Or will be treated as holy c 10:3 Or will be glorified d 10:13 Or statuteLEVITICUS 9-10 92 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 92 10/26/17 8:59 PM off er ings of fat por tions made by fire, to pre- sent as a pre sen ta tion off er ing be fore the L ord. It will be long per ma nent ly to you and your chil dren, as the L ord com mand ed.” 16 Then Mo ses in quired care ful ly about the male goat of the sin off er ing, but it had al ready been burned up. He was an gry with El e a zar and Ith a mar, Aar on’s sur viv ing sons, and asked, 17 “ Why didn’t you eat the sin off er ing in the sanc tu ary area? For it is es pe cial ly holy , and he has as signed it to you to take away the guilt of the com mu ni ty and make atone ment for them be fore the L ord. 18 Since its blood was not brought in side the sanc tu ary , you should have eat en it in the sanc tu ary area, as I com mand ed.” 19 But Aar on re plied to Mo ses, “ See, to day they pre sent ed their sin off er ing and their burnt off er ing be fore the L ord. Since these things have hap pened to me, if I had eat en the sin off er ing to day , would it have been ac- cept able in the L ord ’ s sight? ” 20 When Mo ses heard this, it was ac cept able to him. a CLEAN AND UNCLEAN LAND ANIMALS 11 The L ord spoke to Mo ses and Aar on: 2 “ Tell the Is ra el ites: You may eat all these kinds of land an i mals. 3 You may eat any an i mal with di vid ed hooves and that chews the cud. 4 But among the ones that chew the cud or have di vid ed hooves you are not to eat these: camels, though they chew the cud, do not have divided hooves — they are unclean for you; 5 hyraxes, though they chew the cud, do not have hooves — they are unclean for you; 6 hares, though they chew the cud, do not have hooves — they are unclean for you; 7 pigs, though they have divided hooves, do not chew the cud — they are unclean for you. 8 Do not eat any of their meat or touch their car cass es — they are un clean for you. CLEAN AND UNCLEAN AQUATIC ANIMALS 9 “ This is what you may eat from all that is in the wa ter: You may eat ev ery thing in the wa ter that has fins and scales, wheth er in the seas or streams. 10 But these are to be ab hor rent to you: ev ery thing in the seas or streams that does not have fins and scales among all the swarm ing things and oth er liv ing crea tures in the wa ter. 11 They are to re main ab hor rent to you; you must not eat any of their meat, and you must ab hor their car cass es. 12 Ev ery thing in the wa ter that does not have fins and scales will be ab hor rent to you. UNCLEAN BIRDS 13 “ You are to ab hor these birds. They must not be eat en be cause they are ab hor rent: eagles, b bearded vultures, Egyptian vultures, c 14 kites, d any kind of falcon, e 15 every kind of raven, 16 ostriches, f short-eared owls, gulls, g any kind of hawk, 17 little h owls, cormorants, i long-eared owls, j 18 barn k owls, eagle owls, l ospreys, 19 storks, m any kind of heron, n hoopoes, and
🧾 Biblical Purity Laws
🦗 Dietary restrictions categorize animals as clean or unclean, with specific rules about which insects, birds, and mammals may be eaten based on physical characteristics like hooves, fins, and legs
🧼 Purification rituals establish detailed procedures for becoming clean after contact with dead animals, bodily discharges, or skin diseases, typically involving washing clothes and waiting until evening
🩸 Childbirth regulations require different purification periods based on the child's gender (7+33 days for males, 14+66 days for females), concluding with sacrificial offerings
🦠 Skin disease protocols mandate thorough examination by priests, quarantine periods, and specific cleansing ceremonies involving birds, cedar wood, scarlet yarn, and hyssop
🧵 Contaminated materials like fabrics and leather with mildew require inspection, quarantine, washing, and sometimes burning to prevent spread
✝️ Divine purpose underpins these laws: "For I am the Lord your God, so you must consecrate yourselves and be holy because I am holy"
bats. CLEAN AND UNCLEAN FLYING INSECTS 20 “ All winged in sects that walk on all fours are to be ab hor rent to you. 21 But you may eat these kinds of all the winged in sects that walk on all fours: those that have joint ed legs above their feet for hop ping on the ground. 22 You may eat these: any kind of locust, katydid, cricket, and grasshopper. 23 All oth er winged in sects that have four feet are to be ab hor rent to you. PURIFICATION AFTER TOUCHING DEAD ANIMALS 24 “ These will make you un clean. Who ev er touch es their car cass es will be un clean un til eve ning, 25 and who ev er car ries any of their car cass es is to wash his clothes and will be un clean un til eve ning. 26 All an i mals that have hooves but do not have a di vid ed hoof and do not chew the cud are un clean for you. Who- ev er touch es them be comes un clean. 27 All the four-footed an i mals that walk on their paws are un clean for you. Who ev er touch es their car cass es will be un clean un til eve ning, 28 and any one who car ries their car cass es is to wash his clothes and will be un clean un til eve ning. They are un clean for you. a 10:20 Lit acceptable in his sight b 11:13 Or griffon-vultures c 11:13 Or ospreys, or bearded vultures d 11:14 Or hawks e 11:14 Or buzzards, or hawks f 11:16 Or eagle owls g 11:16 Or long-eared owls h 11:17 Or tawny i 11:17 Or pelicans j 11:17 Or ibis k 11:18 Or little l 11:18 Or pelicans, or horned owls m 11:19 Or herons n 11:19 Or cormorants, or hawks 93 LEVITICUS 10-11 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 93 10/26/17 8:59 PM 29 “ These crea tures that swarm on the ground are un clean for you: weasels, a mice, any kind of large lizard, b 30 geckos, monitor lizards, c common lizards, d skinks, e and chameleons. f 31 These are un clean for you among all the swarm ing crea tures. Who ev er touch es them when they are dead will be un clean un til eve- ning. 32 When any one of them dies and falls on any thing it be comes un clean — any item of wood, cloth ing, leath er, sack cloth, or any implement used for work. It is to be rinsed with wa ter and will re main un clean un til eve ning; then it will be clean. 33 If any of them falls into any clay pot, ev ery thing in it will be come un- clean; you are to break it. 34 Any edible food com ing into con tact with that un clean wa ter will be come un clean, and any drinkable liq- uid in any con tain er will be come un clean. 35 Any thing one of their car cass es falls on will be come un clean. If it is an oven or stove, it is to be smashed; it is un clean and will re main un clean for you. 36 A spring or cis tern con- tain ing wa ter will re main clean, but some- one who touch es a car cass in it will be come un clean. 37 If one of their car cass es falls on any seed that is to be sown, it is clean; 38 but if wa ter has been put on the seed and one of their car cass es falls on it, it is un clean for you. 39 “ If one of the an i mals that you use for food dies, any one who touch es its car cass will be un clean un til eve ning. 40 Any one who eats some of its car cass is to wash his clothes and will be un clean un til eve ning. Any one who car ries its car cass must wash his clothes and will be un clean un til eve ning. UNCLEAN SWARMING CREATURES 41 “ All the crea tures that swarm on the earth are ab hor rent; they must not be eat en. 42 Do not eat any of the crea tures that swarm on the earth, any thing that moves on its bel ly or walks on all fours or on many feet, g for they are ab hor rent. 43 Do not be come con tam i nat ed by any crea ture that swarms; do not be come un clean or de filed by them. 44 For I am the L ord your God, so you must con se crate your selves and be holy be cause I am holy . Do not de file your selves by any swarm ing crea ture that crawls on the ground. 45 For I am the L ord, who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God, so you must be holy be cause I am holy . 46 “ This is the law con cern ing an i mals, birds, all liv ing crea tures that move in the wa ter, and all crea tures that swarm on the ground, 47 in or der to dis tin guish be tween the un clean and the clean, be tween the an i mals that may be eat en and those that may not be eat en.” PURIFICATION AFTER CHILDBIRTH 12 The L ord spoke to Mo ses: 2 “ Tell the Is- ra el ites: When a wom an be comes preg- nant and gives birth to a male child, she will be un clean sev en days, as she is dur ing the days of her men stru al im pu ri ty . 3 The flesh of his fore skin must be cir cum cised on the eighth day . 4 She will con tin ue in pu ri fi ca tion from her bleed ing for thirty-three days. She must not touch any holy thing or go into the sanc tu ary un til com plet ing her days of pu- ri fi ca tion. 5 But if she gives birth to a fe male child, she will be un clean for two weeks as she is dur ing her men stru al im pu ri ty . She will con tin ue in pu ri fi ca tion from her bleed ing for sixty-six days. 6 “ When her days of pu ri fi ca tion are com- plete, wheth er for a son or daugh ter, she is to bring to the priest at the en trance to the tent of meet ing a year-old male lamb for a burnt off er ing, and a young pi geon or a turtledove for a sin h off er ing. 7 He will pre sent them be- fore the L ord and make atone ment on her be half; she will be clean from her dis charge of blood. This is the law for a wom an giv ing birth, wheth er to a male or fe male. 8 But if she doesn’t have suff i cient means i for a sheep, she may take two turtledoves or two young pi geons, one for a burnt o ff er ing and the oth er for a sin off er ing. Then the priest will make atone ment on her be half, and she will be clean.” SKIN DISEASES 13 The L ord spoke to Mo ses and Aar on: 2 “ When a per son has a swell ing, j scab, k or spot on the skin of his body , and it may be a se ri ous dis ease on the skin of his body , he is to be brought to the priest Aar on or to one of his sons, the priests. 3 The priest will ex am ine the sore on the skin of his body . If the hair in the a 11:29 Or mole rats, or rats b 11:29 Or of thorn-tailed, or dabb lizard, or of crocodile c 11:30 Or spotted lizards, or chameleons d 11:30 Or geckos, or newts, or salamanders e 11:30 Or sand lizards, or newts, or snails f 11:30 Or salamanders, or moles g 11:42 Lit fours, to anything multiplying pairs of feet h 12:6 Or purification, also in v. 8 i 12:8 Lit if her hand cannot obtain what is sufficient j 13:2 Or discoloration k 13:2 Or rash, or eruptionLEVITICUS 11-13 94 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 94 10/26/17 8:59 PM sore has turned white and the sore ap pears to be deep er than the skin of his body , it is in fact a se ri ous skin dis ease. Af ter the priest ex am ines him, he must pro nounce him un- clean. 4 But if the spot on the skin of his body is white and does not ap pear to be deep er than the skin, and the hair in it has not turned white, the priest will quar an tine the strick en per son for sev en days. 5 The priest will then re ex am ine him on the sev enth day . If he sees that the sore re mains un changed and has not spread on the skin, the priest will quar an tine him for an oth er sev en days. 6 The priest will ex am ine him again on the sev enth day . If the sore has fad ed and has not spread on the skin, the priest is to pro nounce him clean; it is a scab. The per son is to wash his clothes and will be come clean. 7 But if the scab spreads fur ther on his skin af ter he has pre sent ed him self to the priest for his cleans ing, he is to pre sent him self again to the priest. 8 The priest will ex am ine him, and if the scab has spread on the skin, then the priest must pro nounce him un clean; he has a se ri ous skin dis ease. 9 “ When a case of se ri ous skin dis ease may have de vel oped on a per son, he is to be brought to the priest. 10 The priest will ex am ine him. If there is a white swell ing on the skin that has turned the hair white, and there is a patch of raw flesh in the swell ing, 11 it is a chron ic se- ri ous dis ease on the skin of his body , and the priest must pro nounce him un clean. He need not quar an tine him, for he is un clean. 12 But if the skin dis ease breaks out all over the skin so that it cov ers all the skin of the strick en per son from his head to his feet so far as the priest can see, 13 the priest will look, and if the skin dis ease has cov ered his en tire body , he is to pro nounce the strick en per son clean. Since he has turned to tal ly white, he is clean. 14 But when ev er raw flesh ap pears on him, he will be un clean. 15 When the priest ex am ines the raw flesh, he must pro nounce him un clean. Raw flesh is un clean; this is a se ri ous skin dis ease. 16 But if the raw flesh chang es a and b turns white, he is to go to the priest. 17 The priest will ex am ine him, and if the sore has turned white, the priest must pro nounce the strick en per son clean; he is clean. 18 “ When a boil ap pears on the skin of some- one’s body and it heals, 19 and a white swell ing or a reddish-white spot de vel ops where the boil was, the per son is to pre sent him self to the priest. 20 The priest will make an exam - ination, and if the spot seems to be be neath the skin and the hair in it has turned white, the priest must pro nounce him un clean; it is a case of se ri ous skin dis ease that has bro ken out in the boil. 21 But when the priest ex am ines it, if there is no white hair in it, and it is not be neath the skin but is fad ed, the priest will quar an tine him sev en days. 22 If it spreads fur - ther on the skin, the priest must pro nounce him un clean; it is in fact a dis ease. 23 But if the spot re mains where it is and does not spread, it is only the scar from the boil. The priest is to pro nounce him clean. 24 “ When there is a burn on the skin of one’s body pro duced by fire, and the patch made raw by the burn be comes reddish-white or white, 25 the priest is to ex am ine it. If the hair in the spot has turned white and the spot ap pears to be deep er than the skin, it is a se ri ous skin dis ease that has bro ken out in the burn. The priest must pro nounce him un clean; it is a se ri ous skin dis ease. 26 But when the priest ex am ines it, if there is no white hair in the spot and it is not be neath the skin but is fad- ed, the priest will quar an tine him sev en days. 27 The priest will re ex am ine him on the sev- enth day . If it has spread fur ther on the skin, the priest must pro nounce him un clean; it is in fact a case of se ri ous skin dis ease. 28 But if the spot has re mained where it was and has not spread on the skin but is fad ed, it is the swell ing from the burn. The priest is to pro nounce him clean, for it is only the scar from the burn. 29 “ When a man or wom an has a con di tion on the head or chin, 30 the priest is to ex am- ine the con di tion. If it ap pears to be deep er than the skin, and the hair in it is yel low and sparse, the priest must pro nounce the per son un clean. It is a scaly out break, a se ri ous skin dis ease of the head or chin. 31 When the priest ex am ines the scaly con di tion, if it does not ap pear to be deep er than the skin, and there is no black hair in it, the priest will quar an- tine the per son with the scaly con di tion for sev en days. 32 The priest will re ex am ine the con di tion on the sev enth day . If the scaly out- break has not spread and there is no yel low hair in it and it does not ap pear to be deep er than the skin, 33 the per son is to shave him self but not shave the scaly area. Then the priest will quar an tine the per son who has the scaly a 13:16 Or recedes b 13:16 Or flesh again 95 LEVITICUS 13 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 95 10/26/17 8:59 PM out break for an oth er sev en days. 34 The priest will ex am ine the scaly out break on the sev enth day , and if it has not spread on the skin and does not ap pear to be deep er than the skin, the priest is to pro nounce the per son clean. He is to wash his clothes, and he will be clean. 35 But if the scaly out break spreads fur ther on the skin af ter his cleans ing, 36 the priest is to ex am ine the per son. If the scaly out break has spread on the skin, the priest does not need to look for yel low hair; the per son is un clean. 37 But if as far as he can see, the scaly out break re mains un changed and black hair has grown in it, then it has healed; he is clean. The priest is to pro nounce the per son clean. 38 “ When a man or a wom an has white spots on the skin of the body , 39 the priest is to make an examination. If the spots on the skin of the body are dull white, it is only a rash a that has bro ken out on the skin; the per son is clean. 40 “ If a man loses the hair of his head, he is bald, but he is clean. 41 Or if he loses the hair at his hairline, he is bald on his fore head, but he is clean. 42 But if there is a reddish-white con di tion on the bald head or fore head, it is a se ri ous skin dis ease break ing out on his head or fore head. 43 The priest is to ex am ine him, and if the swell ing of the con di tion on his bald head or fore head is reddish-white, like the ap pear ance of a se ri ous skin dis ease on his body , 44 the man is afflicted with a se- ri ous skin dis ease; he is un clean. The priest must pro nounce him un clean; the in fec tion is on his head. 45 “ The per son who has a case of se ri ous skin dis ease is to have his clothes torn and his hair hang ing loose, and he must cov er his mouth and cry out, ‘Un clean, un clean! ’ 46 He will re main un clean as long as he has the dis ease; he is un clean. He must live alone in a place out side the camp. CONTAMINATED FABRICS 47 “ If a fab ric is con tam i nat ed with mil dew — in wool or lin en fab ric, 48 in the warp or weft of lin en or wool, or in leath er or any thing made of leath er — 49 and if the con tam i na tion is green or red in the fab ric, the leath er, the warp, the weft, or any leath er ar ti cle, it is a mil dew con tam i na tion and is to be shown to the priest. 50 The priest is to ex am ine the con tam i na tion and quar an tine the con tam- i nat ed fab ric for sev en days. 51 The priest is to re ex am ine the con tam i na tion on the sev enth day . If it has spread in the fab ric, the warp, the weft, or the leath er, re gard less of how it is used, the con tam i na tion is harm ful mil dew; it is un clean. 52 He is to burn the fab ric, the warp or weft in wool or lin en, or any leath- er ar ti cle, which is con tam i nat ed. Since it is harm ful mil dew it must be burned. 53 “ When the priest ex am ines it, if the con- tam i na tion has not spread in the fab ric, the warp or weft, or any leath er ar ti cle, 54 the priest is to or der what ev er is con tam i nat ed to be washed and quarantined for an oth er sev en days. 55 Af ter it has been washed, the priest is to re ex am ine the con tam i na tion. If the ap pear ance of the con tam i nat ed ar ti cle has not changed, it is un clean. Even though the con tam i na tion has not spread, you must burn the fab ric. It is a fungus a on the front or back of the fab ric. 56 “ If the priest ex am ines it, and the con tam- i na tion has fad ed af ter it has been washed, he is to cut the con tam i nat ed sec tion out of the fab ric, the leath er, or the warp or weft. 57 But if it re ap pears in the fab ric, the warp or weft, or any leath er ar ti cle, it has bro ken out again. You must burn what ev er is con tam i nat ed. 58 But if the con tam i na tion dis ap pears from the fab ric, the warp or weft, or any leath er ar ti cle, which have been washed, it is to be washed again, and it will be clean. 59 “ This is the law con cern ing a mil dew con- tam i na tion in wool or lin en fab ric, warp or weft, or any leath er ar ti cle, in or der to pro- nounce it clean or un clean.” CLEANSING OF SKIN DISEASES 14 The L ord spoke to Mo ses: 2 “ This is the law con cern ing the per son afflicted with a skin dis ease on the day of his cleans- ing. He is to be brought to the priest, 3 who will go out side the camp and ex am ine him. If the skin dis ease has dis ap peared from the afflicted per son, b 4 the priest will or der that two live clean birds, ce dar wood, scar let yarn, and hys sop be brought for the one who is to be cleansed. 5 Then the priest will or der that one of the birds be slaugh tered over fresh wa ter in a clay pot. 6 He is to take the live bird to geth er with the ce dar wood, scar let yarn, and hys sop, and dip them all into the blood of the bird that was slaugh tered over the fresh wa ter. 7 He will then sprin kle the blood sev en a 13:39,55 Hb obscure b 14:3 Lit the person afflicted with skin diseaseLEVITICUS 13-14 96 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 96 10/26/17 8:59 PM times on the one who is to be cleansed from the skin dis ease. He is to pro nounce him clean and re lease the live bird over the open coun- try side. 8 The one who is to be cleansed must wash his clothes, shave off all his hair, and bathe with wa ter; he is clean. Af ter ward he may en ter the camp, but he must re main out- side his tent for sev en days. 9 He is to shave off all his hair again on the sev enth day: his head, his beard, his eye brows, and the rest of his hair. He is to wash his clothes and bathe him self with wa ter; he is clean. 10 “ On the eighth day he must take two un- blem ished male lambs, an un blem ished year- old ewe lamb, a grain off
🕊️ Ancient Purification Rituals
🩸 Blood rituals form the foundation of cleansing ceremonies, with precise application to the right ear, thumb, and toe symbolizing complete purification of the individual
🛐 Atonement requires specific offerings (lambs, birds, flour, oil) with provisions for the poor to participate through alternative, more affordable sacrifices
🏠 Environmental contamination (mildew in homes) demands thorough inspection, quarantine, and cleansing procedures including removal of affected materials and ceremonial purification
💧 Bodily discharges create ritual impurity requiring isolation, washing, and specific timeframes before restoration to community
🐐 Day of Atonement ceremony features the scapegoat ritual where sins are symbolically transferred to an animal sent into the wilderness, cleansing the entire community
🔄 The intricate purification system establishes boundaries between clean/unclean, creating order and maintaining the sanctity of sacred spaces
er ing of six quarts a of fine flour mixed with ol ive oil, and one-third of a quart b of ol ive oil. 11 The priest who per forms the cleans ing will place the per son who is to be cleansed, to geth er with these off er ings, be fore the L ord at the en trance to the tent of meet ing. 12 The priest is to take one male lamb and pre sent it as a guilt off er ing, along with the one-third quart of ol ive oil, and he will pre sent them as a pre sen ta tion off er- ing be fore the L ord. 13 He is to slaugh ter the male lamb at the place in the sanc tu ary area where the sin off er ing and burnt off er ing are slaugh tered, for like the sin o ff er ing, the guilt off er ing be longs to the priest; it is es pe cial ly holy . 14 The priest is to take some of the blood from the guilt off er ing and put it on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot. 15 Then the priest will take some of the one-third quart of ol ive oil and pour it into his left palm. 16 The priest will dip his right fin ger into the oil in his left palm and sprin kle some of the oil with his fin ger sev en times be fore the L ord. 17 From the oil re main ing in his palm the priest will put some on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot, on top of the blood of the guilt off er ing. 18 What is left of the oil in the priest’s palm he is to put on the head of the one to be cleansed. In this way the priest will make atone ment for him be fore the L ord. 19 The priest is to sac ri fice the sin off er ing and make atone ment for the one to be cleansed from his un clean ness. Af- ter ward he will slaugh ter the burnt off er ing. 20 The priest is to o ff er the burnt o ff er ing and the grain o ff er ing on the al tar. The priest will make atone ment for him, and he will be clean. 21 “ But if he is poor and can not aff ord these, he is to take one male lamb for a guilt off er ing to be pre sent ed in or der to make atone ment for him, along with two quarts c of fine flour mixed with ol ive oil for a grain off er ing, one-third of a quart of ol ive oil, 22 and two turtledoves or two young pi geons, what ev er he can aff ord, one to be a sin off er ing and the oth er a burnt off er ing. 23 On the eighth day he is to bring these things for his cleans ing to the priest at the en trance to the tent of meet ing be fore the L ord. 24 The priest will take the male lamb for the guilt of- fer ing and the one-third quart of ol ive oil, and pre sent them as a pre sen ta tion o ff er ing be fore the L ord. 25 Af ter he slaugh ters the male lamb for the guilt off er ing, the priest is to take some of the blood of the guilt off er ing and put it on the right earlobe of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot. 26 Then the priest will pour some of the oil into his left palm. 27 With his right fin ger the priest will sprin kle some of the oil in his left palm sev en times be fore the L ord. 28 The priest will also put some of the oil in his palm on the right earlobe of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot, on the same place as the blood of the guilt off er ing. 29 What is left of the oil in the priest’s palm he is to put on the head of the one to be cleansed to make atone ment for him be fore the L ord. 30 He is to then sac ri fice one type of what he can aff ord, ei ther the turtledoves or young pi geons, 31 one as a sin off er ing and the oth er as a burnt off er ing, sac ri fic ing what he can aff ord to geth er with the grain off er ing. In this way the priest will make atone ment be fore the L ord for the one to be cleansed. 32 This is the law for some one who has d a skin dis ease and can not a ff ord the cost of his cleans ing.” CLEANSING OF CONTAMINATED OBJECTS 33 The L ord spoke to Mo ses and Aar on: 34 “ When you en ter the land of Ca naan that I am giv ing you as a pos ses sion, and I place a mil dew con tam i na tion in a house in the land you pos sess, e 35 the own er of the house is to come and tell the priest: Some thing like mil dew con tam i na tion has ap peared f in my house. 36 The priest must or der them to clear a 14:10 Lit three-tenths ; probably three-tenths of an ephah b 14:10 Lit one log, also in vv. 12,15,21,24 c 14:21 Lit him, and one- tenth ; probably one-tenth of an ephah d 14:32 Lit someone on whom there is e 14:34 Lit land of your possession f 14:35 Lit appeared to me 97 LEVITICUS 14 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 97 10/26/17 8:59 PM the house be fore he en ters to ex am ine the con tam i na tion, so that noth ing in the house be comes un clean. Af ter ward the priest will come to ex am ine the house. 37 He will ex am ine it, and if the con tam i na tion in the walls of the house con sists of green or red indentations a that ap pear to be be neath the sur face of the wall, 38 the priest is to go out side the house to its door way and quar an tine the house for sev en days. 39 The priest is to re turn on the sev enth day and ex am ine it. If the con tam i- na tion has spread on the walls of the house, 40 the priest must or der that the stones with the con tam i na tion be pulled out and thrown into an un clean place out side the city . 41 He is to have the in side of the house com plete ly scraped, and have the plas ter b that is scraped off dumped in an un clean place out side the city . 42 Then they are to take diff er ent stones to re place the for mer ones and take ad di tion al plas ter to replaster the house. 43 “ If the con tam i na tion re ap pears in the house af ter the stones have been pulled out, and af ter the house has been scraped and replastered, 44 the priest is to come and ex - am ine it. If the con tam i na tion has spread in the house, it is harm ful mil dew; the house is un clean. 45 It must be torn down with its stones, its beams, and all its plas ter, and tak en out side the city to an un clean place. 46 Who- ev er en ters the house dur ing any of the days the priest quarantines it will be un clean un til eve ning. 47 Who ev er lies down in the house is to wash his clothes, and who ev er eats in it is to wash his clothes. 48 “ But when the priest comes and ex am ines it, if the con tam i na tion has not spread in the house af ter it was replastered, he is to pro- nounce the house clean be cause the con tam- i na tion has dis ap peared. c 49 He is to take two birds, ce dar wood, scar let yarn, and hys sop to pu ri fy the house, 50 and he is to slaugh ter one of the birds over a clay pot con tain ing fresh wa ter. 51 He will take the ce dar wood, the hys sop, the scar let yarn, and the live bird, dip them in the blood of the slaugh tered bird and the fresh wa ter, and sprin kle the house sev en times. 52 He will pu ri fy the house with the blood of the bird, the fresh wa ter, the live bird, the ce dar wood, the hys sop, and the scar - let yarn. 53 Then he is to re lease the live bird into the open coun try side out side the city . In this way he will make atone ment for the house, and it will be clean. 54 “ This is the law for any skin dis ease or mil dew , for a scaly out break, 55 for mil dew in cloth ing or on a house, 56 and for a swell ing, scab, or spot, 57 to de ter mine when some thing is un clean or clean. This is the law re gard ing skin dis ease and mil dew .” BODILY DISCHARGES 15 The L ord spoke to Mo ses and Aar on: 2 “ Speak to the Is ra el ites and tell them: When any man has a dis charge from his mem- ber, he is un clean. 3 This is un clean ness of his dis charge: Wheth er his mem ber secretes the dis charge or re tains it, he is un clean. All the days that his mem ber secretes or re tains any- thing be cause of his dis charge, d he is un clean. 4 Any bed the man with the dis charge lies on will be un clean, and any fur ni ture he sits on will be un clean. 5 Any one who touch es his bed is to wash his clothes and bathe with wa ter, and he will re main un clean un til eve ning. 6 Who ev er sits on fur ni ture that the man with the dis charge was sit ting on is to wash his clothes and bathe with wa ter, and he will re- main un clean un til eve ning. 7 Who ev er touch es the body e of the man with a dis charge is to wash his clothes and bathe with wa ter, and he will re main un clean un til eve ning. 8 If the man with the dis charge spits on any one who is clean, he is to wash his clothes and bathe with wa ter, and he will re main un clean un til eve ning. 9 Any sad dle the man with the dis- charge rides on will be un clean. 10 Who ev er touch es any thing that was un der him will be un clean un til eve ning, and who ev er car ries such things is to wash his clothes and bathe with wa ter, and he will re main un clean un til eve ning. 11 If the man with the dis charge touch- es any one with out first rins ing his hands in wa ter, the per son who was touched is to wash his clothes and bathe with wa ter, and he will re main un clean un til eve ning. 12 Any clay pot that the man with the dis charge touch es must be bro ken, while any wood en utensil is to be rinsed with wa ter. 13 “ When the man with the dis charge has been cured of it, he is to count sev en days for his cleans ing, wash his clothes, and bathe his body in fresh wa ter; he will be clean. 14 He must take two turtledoves or two young pi geons on a 14:37 Or eruptions ; Hb obscure b 14:41 Lit dust, also in v. 42 c 14:48 Lit healed d 15:3 DSS, Sam, LXX; MT omits he is unclean. All the days that his member secretes or retains anything because of his discharge e 15:7 Or member, also in v. 13LEVITICUS 14-15 98 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 98 10/26/17 8:59 PM the eighth day , come be fore the L ord at the en trance to the tent of meet ing, and give them to the priest. 15 The priest is to sac ri fice them, one as a sin off er ing and the oth er as a burnt off er ing. In this way the priest will make atone- ment for him be fore the L ord be cause of his dis charge. 16 “ When a man has an emis sion of se men, he is to bathe him self com plete ly with wa ter, and he will re main un clean un til eve ning. 17 Any cloth ing or leath er on which there is an emis- sion of se men is to be washed with wa ter, and it will re main un clean un til eve ning. 18 If a man sleeps with a wom an and has an emis sion of se men, both of them are to bathe with wa ter, and they will re main un clean un til eve ning. 19 “ When a wom an has a dis charge, and it con sists of blood from her body , she will be un clean be cause of her men stru a tion for sev- en days. Ev ery one who touch es her will be un clean un til eve ning. 20 Any thing she lies on dur ing her men stru a tion will be come un clean, and any thing she sits on will be come un clean. 21 Ev ery one who touch es her bed is to wash his clothes and bathe with wa ter, and he will re main un clean un til eve ning. 22 Ev ery one who touch es any fur ni ture she was sit ting on is to wash his clothes and bathe with wa ter, and he will re main un clean un til eve ning. 23 If dis charge is on the bed or the fur ni ture she was sit ting on, when he touch es it he will be un clean un til eve ning. 24 If a man sleeps with her, and blood from her men stru a tion gets on him, he will be un clean for sev en days, and ev ery bed he lies on will be come un clean. 25 “ When a wom an has a dis charge of her blood for many days, though it is not the time of her men stru a tion, or if she has a dis charge be yond her pe ri od, she will be un clean all the days of her un clean dis charge, as she is dur - ing the days of her men stru a tion. 26 Any bed she lies on dur ing the days of her dis charge will be like her bed dur ing men stru al im pu- ri ty; any fur ni ture she sits on will be un clean as in her men stru al pe ri od. 27 Ev ery one who touch es them will be un clean; he must wash his clothes and bathe with wa ter, and he will re main un clean un til eve ning. 28 When she is cured of her dis charge, she is to count sev en days, and af ter that she will be clean. 29 On the eighth day she must take two turtledoves or two young pi geons and bring them to the priest at the en trance to the tent of meet ing. 30 The priest is to sac ri fice one as a sin off er ing and the oth er as a burnt off er ing. In this way the priest will make atone ment for her be fore the L ord be cause of her un clean dis charge. 31 “ You must keep the Is ra el ites from their un clean ness, so that they do not die by de fil ing my tab er na cle that is among them. 32 This is the law for some one with a dis charge: a man who has an emis sion of se men, be com ing un- clean by it; 33 a wom an who is in her men stru al pe ri od; any one who has a dis charge, wheth er male or fe male; and a man who sleeps with a wom an who is un clean.” THE DAY OF ATONEMENT 16 The L ord spoke to Mo ses af ter the death of two of Aar on’s sons when they ap- proached the pres ence of a the L ord and died. 2 The L ord said to Mo ses: “ Tell your broth er Aar on that he may not come when ev er he wants into the holy place be hind the cur tain in front of the mer cy seat on the ark or else he will die, be cause I ap pear in the cloud above the mer cy seat. 3 “ Aar on is to en ter the most holy place in this way: with a young bull for a sin o ff er ing and a ram for a burnt off er ing. 4 He is to wear a holy lin en tu nic, and lin en un der gar ments are to be on his body . He is to tie a lin en sash around him and wrap his head with a lin en tur ban. These are holy gar ments; he must bathe his body with wa ter be fore he wears them. 5 He is to take from the Is ra el ite com mu ni ty two male goats for a sin off er ing and one ram for a burnt off er ing. 6 “ Aar on will pre sent the bull for his sin of- fer ing and make atone ment for him self and his house hold. 7 Next he will take the two goats and place them be fore the L ord at the en trance to the tent of meet ing. 8 Af ter Aar on casts lots for the two goats, one lot for the L ord and the oth er for an uninhabitable place, b,c 9 he is to pre sent the goat cho sen by lot for the L ord and sac ri fice it as a sin off er ing. 10 But the goat cho sen by lot for an uninhabitable place is to be pre sent ed alive be fore the L ord to make atone ment with it by send ing it into the wil der ness for an uninhabitable place. 11 “ When Aar on pre sents the bull for his sin off er ing and makes atone ment for him self and his house hold, he will slaugh ter the bull for his a 16:1 LXX, Tg, Syr , Vg read they brought strange fire before ; Nm 3:4 b 16:8 Lit for Azazel, also in vv. 10 (2x),26 c 16:8 Perhaps a term that means “for the goat that departs,” or “for removal,” or “for a rough, difficult place,” or “for a goat demon”; Hb obscure, also in vv. 10,26 99 LEVITICUS 15-16 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 99 10/26/17 8:59 PM sin off er ing. 12 Then he is to take a firepan full of blaz ing coals from the al tar be fore the L ord and two hand fuls of fine ly ground fra grant in cense, and bring them in side the cur tain. 13 He is to put the in cense on the fire be fore the L ord, so that the cloud of in cense cov ers the mer cy seat that is over the tes ti mo ny , or else he will die. 14 He is to take some of the bull’s blood and sprin kle it with his fin ger against the east side of the mer cy seat; then he will sprin kle some of the blood with his fin ger be fore the mer cy seat sev en times. 15 “ When he slaugh ters the male goat for the peo ple’s sin off er ing and brings its blood in side the cur tain, he will do the same with its blood as he did with the bull’s blood: He is to sprin kle it against the mer cy seat and in front of it. 16 He will make atone ment for the most holy place in this way for all their sins be cause of the Is ra el ites’ im pu ri ties and re bel lious acts. He will do the same for the tent of meet ing that re mains among them, be cause it is sur round ed by their im pu ri ties. 17 No one may be in the tent of meet ing from the time he en ters to make atone ment in the most holy place un til he leaves af ter he has made atone ment for him self, his house hold, and the whole as sem bly of Is ra el. 18 Then he will go out to the al tar that is be fore the L ord and make atone ment for it. He is to take some of the bull’s blood and some of the goat’s blood and put it on the horns on all sides of the al- tar. 19 He is to sprin kle some of the blood on it with his fin ger sev en times to cleanse and set it apart from the Is ra el ites’ im pu ri ties. 20 “ When he has fin ished mak ing atone ment for the most holy place, the tent of meet ing, and the al tar, he is to pre sent the live male goat. 21 Aar on will lay both his hands on the head of the live goat and con fess over it all the Is ra el ites’ in iq ui ties and re bel lious acts — all their sins. He is to put them on the goat’s head and send it away into the wil der ness by the man ap point ed for the task. a 22 The goat will car ry all their in iq ui ties into a des o late
🕯️ Atonement and Holiness Laws
🐐 Day of Atonement rituals involve elaborate procedures with sacrificial animals, priestly purification, and the symbolic scapegoat carrying away Israel's sins into the wilderness
🩸 Blood holds sacred significance as the carrier of life, making it forbidden for consumption and designated specifically for altar sacrifices and atonement
👪 Sexual boundaries are meticulously defined, prohibiting incest, adultery, homosexuality, and bestiality to maintain family integrity and community purity
🤝 Social justice commands include fair treatment of workers, respect for the elderly, protection of vulnerable people, honest business practices, and love for both neighbors and resident aliens
✝️ Holiness requires separation from pagan practices (idol worship, divination, child sacrifice) and adherence to God's standards in all areas of life
📜 Consequences for violations are severe, often requiring death or being "cut off" from the community, emphasizing the seriousness of maintaining covenant purity
land, and the man will re lease it there. 23 “ Then Aar on is to en ter the tent of meet ing, take off the lin en gar ments he wore when he en tered the most holy place, and leave them there. 24 He will bathe his body with wa ter in a holy place and put on his clothes. Then he must go out and sac ri fice his burnt off er ing and the peo ple’s burnt o ff er ing; he will make atone ment for him self and for the peo ple. 25 He is to burn the fat of the sin off er ing on the al- tar. 26 The man who re leased the goat for an uninhabitable place is to wash his clothes and bathe his body with wa ter; af ter ward he may reenter the camp. 27 The bull for the sin off er ing and the goat for the sin o ff er ing, whose blood was brought into the most holy place to make atone ment, must be brought out side the camp and their hide, flesh, and waste burned. 28 The one who burns them is to wash his clothes and bathe him self with wa ter; af ter ward he may reenter the camp. 29 “ This is to be a per ma nent stat ute for you: In the sev enth month, on the tenth day of the month you are to prac tice self-denial and do no work, both the na tive and the alien who re sides among you. 30 Atone ment will be made for you on this day to cleanse you, and you will be clean from all your sins be fore the L ord. 31 It is a Sab bath of com plete rest for you, and you must prac tice self-denial; it is a per ma- nent stat ute. 32 The priest who is anoint ed and or dained b to serve as high priest in place of his fa ther will make atone ment. He will put on the lin en gar ments, the holy gar ments, 33 and make atone ment for the most holy place. He will make atone ment for the tent of meet ing and the al tar and will make atone ment for the priests and all the peo ple of the as sem bly . 34 This is to be a per ma nent stat ute for you, to make atone ment for the Is ra el ites once a year be cause of all their sins.” And all this was done as the L ord com mand ed Mo ses. FORBIDDEN SACRIFICES 17 The L ord spoke to Mo ses: 2 “ Speak to Aar on, his sons, and all the Is ra el ites and tell them: This is what the L ord has com mand - ed: 3 Any one from the house of Is ra el who slaugh ters an ox, sheep, or goat in the camp, or slaugh ters it out side the camp, 4 in stead of bring ing it to the en trance to the tent of meet ing to pre sent it as an off er ing to the L ord be fore his tab er na cle — that per son will be con sid ered guilty . c He has shed blood and is to be cut off from his peo ple. 5 This is so the Is ra el ites will bring to the L ord the sac ri fic es they have been off er ing in the open coun try . They are to bring them to the priest at the en - trance to the tent of meet ing and o ff er them as a 16:21 Lit wilderness in the hand of a ready man b 16:32 Lit and will fill his hand c 17:4 Lit tabernacle — blood will be charged against that personLEVITICUS 16-17 100 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 100 10/26/17 8:59 PM fel low ship sac ri fic es to the L ord. 6 The priest will then splatter the blood on the L ord’ s al- tar at the en trance to the tent of meet ing and burn the fat as a pleas ing aro ma to the L ord. 7 They must no lon ger off er their sac ri fic es to the goat-demons that they have pros ti tut ed them selves with. This will be a per ma nent stat ute for them through out their gen er a tions. 8 “ Say to them: Any one from the house of Is ra el or from the aliens who re side among them who off ers a burnt off er ing or a sac ri- fice 9 but does not bring it to the en trance to the tent of meet ing to sac ri fice it to the L ord, that per son is to be cut off from his peo ple. EATING BLOOD AND CARCASSES PROHIBITED 10 “ Any one from the house of Is ra el or from the aliens who re side among them who eats any blood, I will turn a against that per son who eats blood and cut him off from his peo ple. 11 For the life of a crea ture is in the blood, and I have ap point ed it to you to make atone ment on the al tar for b your lives, since it is the life blood that makes atone ment. 12 There fore I say to the Is ra el ites: None of you and no alien who re sides among you may eat blood. 13 “ Any Is ra el ite or alien residing among them, who hunts down a wild an i mal or bird that may be eat en must drain its blood and cov- er it with dirt. 14 Since the life of ev ery crea ture is its blood, I have told the Is ra el ites: You are not to eat the blood of any crea ture, be cause the life of ev ery crea ture is its blood; who ev er eats it must be cut off. 15 “Ev ery per son, wheth er the na tive or the res i dent alien, who eats an an i mal that died a nat u ral death or was mauled by wild beasts is to wash his clothes and bathe with wa ter, and he will re main un clean un til eve ning; then he will be clean. 16 But if he does not wash his clothes and bathe him self, he will bear his in iq ui ty .” PROHIBITED PAGAN PRACTICES 18 The L ord spoke to Mo ses: 2 “ Speak to the Is ra el ites and tell them: I am the L ord your God. 3 Do not fol low the prac tic es of the land of Egypt, where you used to live, or fol low the prac tic es of the land of Ca naan, where I am bring ing you. You must not fol low their cus toms. 4 You are to prac tice my or di nances and you are to keep my stat utes by fol low ing them; I am the L ord your God. 5 Keep my stat- utes and or di nances; a per son will live if he does them. I am the L ord. 6 “ You are not to come near any close rel- a tive c for sex u al intercourse; I am the L ord. 7 You are not to vi o late the intimacy that be- longs to your fa ther and moth er. d She is your moth er; you must not have sex u al intercourse with her. 8 You are not to have sex with your fa ther’s wife; she is your fa ther’s fam i ly . 9 You are not to have sex u al intercourse with your sis ter, ei ther your fa ther’s daugh ter or your moth er’s, wheth er born at home or born else- where. You are not to have sex with her. 10 You are not to have sex u al intercourse with your son’s daugh ter or your daugh ter’s daugh ter, for they are your fam i ly . e 11 You are not to have sex u al intercourse with your fa ther’s wife’s daugh ter, who is adopt ed by f your fa ther; she is your sis ter. 12 You are not to have sex u al in - tercourse with your fa ther’s sis ter; she is your fa ther’s close rel a tive. 13 You are not to have sex u al intercourse with your moth er’s sis ter, for she is your moth er’s close rel a tive. 14 You are not to vi o late the intimacy that be longs to g your fa ther’s broth er by ap proach ing his wife to have sex u al intercourse; she is your aunt. 15 You are not to have sex u al intercourse with your daughter-in-law . She is your son’s wife; you are not to have sex with her. 16 You are not to have sex u al intercourse with your broth er’s wife; she is your broth er’s fam i ly . 17 You are not to have sex u al intercourse with a wom an and her daugh ter. You are not to mar ry her son’s daugh ter or her daugh ter’s daugh ter and have sex with her. They are close rel a tives; it is de- praved. 18 You are not to mar ry a wom an as a ri val to her sis ter and have sex u al intercourse with her dur ing her sis ter’s life time. 19 “ You are not to ap proach a wom an dur - ing her men stru al im pu ri ty to have sex u al intercourse with her. 20 You are not to have sex u al intercourse with h your neigh bor’s wife, de fil ing your self with her. 21 “ You are not to sac ri fice any of your chil- dren in the fire i to Mo lech. Do not pro fane the name of your God; I am the L ord. 22 You are not to sleep with a man as with a wom an; it is de test able. 23 You are not to have sex u al intercourse with j any an i mal, de fil ing your self a 17:10 Lit will set my face b 17:11 Or to ransom c 18:6 Lit any flesh of his flesh d 18:7 Lit Do not uncover your father’s nakedness and your mother’s nakedness e 18:10 Lit because they are your nakedness f 18:11 Lit daughter, a relative of g 18:14 Lit Do not uncover the nakedness of h 18:20 Lit to give your emission of semen to i 18:21 Lit to make any of your children pass through the fire j 18:23 Lit to give your emission to 101 LEVITICUS 17-18 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 101 10/26/17 8:59 PM with it; a wom an is not to pre sent her self to an an i mal to mate with it; it is a per ver sion. 24 “ Do not de file your selves by any of these prac tic es, for the na tions I am driv ing out be - fore you have de filed them selves by all these things. 25 The land has be come de filed, so I am pun ish ing it for its in iq ui ty , and the land will vom it out its in hab i tants. 26 But you are to keep my stat utes and or di nances. You must not com mit any of these de test able acts — not the na tive or the alien who re sides among you. 27 For the peo ple who were in the land pri or to you have com mit ted all these de test able acts, and the land has be come de filed. 28 If you de file the land, it will vom it you out as it has vom it ed out the na tions that were be- fore you. 29 Any per son who does any of these de test able prac tic es is to be cut off from his peo ple. 30 You must keep my in struc tion to not do any of the de test able cus toms that were prac ticed be fore you, so that you do not de file your selves by them; I am the L ord your God.” LAWS OF HOLINESS 19 The L ord spoke to Mo ses: 2 “ Speak to the en tire Is ra el ite com mu ni ty and tell them: Be holy be cause I, the L ord your God, am holy . 3 “ Each of you is to re spect his moth er and fa ther. You are to keep my Sab baths; I am the L ord your God. 4 Do not turn to idols or make cast im ages of gods for your selves; I am the L ord your God. 5 “ When you off er a fel low ship sac ri fice to the L ord, sac ri fice it so that you may be ac- cept ed. 6 It is to be eat en on the day you sac- ri fice it or on the next day , but what re mains on the third day must be burned. 7 If any is eat en on the third day , it is a re pul sive thing; it will not be ac cept ed. 8 Any one who eats it will bear his in iq ui ty , for he has pro faned what is holy to the L ord. That per son is to be cut off from his peo ple. 9 “ When you reap the har vest of your land, you are not to reap to the very edge of your field or gath er the glean ings of your har vest. 10 Do not strip your vine yard bare or gath er its fall en grapes. Leave them for the poor and the res i dent alien; I am the L ord your God. 11 “ Do not steal. Do not act de cep tive ly or lie to one an oth er. 12 Do not swear false ly by my name, profaning the name of your God; I am the L ord.13 “ Do not op press your neigh bor or rob him. The wag es due a hired work er must not re main with you un til morn ing. 14 Do not curse the deaf or put a stum bling block in front of the blind, but you are to fear your God; I am the L ord. 15 “ Do not act un just ly when deciding a case. Do not be par tial to the poor or give pref er ence to the rich; judge your neigh bor fair ly . 16 Do not go about spread ing slan der among your peo ple; do not jeopardize a your neigh bor’s life; I am the L ord. 17 “ Do not har bor ha tred against your broth- er. b Re buke your neigh bor di rect ly , and you will not in cur guilt be cause of him. 18 Do not take re venge or bear a grudge against mem bers of your com mu ni ty , but love your neigh bor as your self; I am the L ord. 19 “ You are to keep my stat utes. Do not cross - breed two diff er ent kinds of your live stock, sow your fields with two kinds of seed, or put on a gar ment made of two kinds of ma teri al. 20 “ If a man has sex u al intercourse with a wom an who is a slave des ig nat ed for an oth er man, but she has not been re deemed or giv- en her free dom, there must be pun ish ment. c They are not to be put to death, be cause she had not been freed. 21 How ev er, he must bring a ram as his guilt d off er ing to the L ord at the en trance to the tent of meet ing. 22 The priest will make atone ment on his be half be fore the L ord with the ram of the guilt off er ing for the sin he has com mit ted, and he will be for giv en for the sin he com mit ted. 23 “ When you come into the land and plant any kind of tree for food, you are to con sid er the fruit for bid den. e It will be for bid den to you for three years; it is not to be eat en. 24 In the fourth year all its fruit is to be con se crat ed as a praise off er ing to the L ord. 25 But in the fifth year you may eat its fruit. In this way its yield will in crease for you; I am the L ord your God. 26 “ You are not to eat any thing with blood in it. f You are not to prac tice div i na tion or witch craft. 27 You are not to cut off the hair at the sides of your head or mar the edge of your beard. 28 You are not to make gashes on your bod ies for the dead or put tat too marks on your selves; I am the L ord. 29 “ Do not debase g your daugh ter by mak ing her a pros ti tute, or the land will be pros ti tut ed a 19:16 Lit not stand against b 19:17 Or your fellow Israelite c 19:20 Or compensation d 19:21 Or restitution e 19:23 Lit uncircumcised f 19:26 Or anything over its blood g 19:29 Lit profaneLEVITICUS 18-19 102 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 102 10/26/17 8:59 PM and filled with de prav i ty . 30 Keep my Sab baths and re vere my sanc tu ary; I am the L ord. 31 “ Do not turn to me di ums a or con sult spir - it ists, b or you will be de filed by them; I am the L ord your God. 32 “ You are to rise in the pres ence of the el- der ly and hon or the old. Fear your God; I am the L ord. 33 “ When an alien re sides with you in your land, you must not op press him. 34 You will re gard the alien who re sides with you as the native-born among you. You are to love him as your self, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt; I am the L ord your God. 35 “ Do not be un fair in mea sure ments of length, weight, or volume. 36 You are to have hon est bal ances, hon est weights, an hon est dry mea sure, c and an hon est liq uid mea sure; d I am the L ord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt. 37 Keep all my stat utes and all my or di nances and do them; I am the L ord.” MOLECH WORSHIP AND SPIRITISM 20 The L ord spoke to Mo ses: 2 “ Say to the Is ra el ites: Any Is ra el ite or alien residing in Is ra el who gives any of his chil dren to Mo- lech must be put to death; the peo ple of the coun try are to stone him. 3 I will turn e against that man and cut him off from his peo ple, be cause he gave his off spring to Mo lech, de- fil ing my sanc tu ary and profaning my holy name. 4 But if the peo ple of the coun try look the oth er way when that man f gives any of his chil dren to Mo lech, and do not put him to death, 5 then I will turn against that man and his fam i ly , and cut off from their peo ple both him and all who fol low g him in pros ti tut ing them selves with Mo lech. 6 “Who ev er turns to me di ums h or spir it ists i and pros ti tutes him self with them, I will turn against that per son and cut him off from his peo ple. 7 Con se crate your selves and be holy , for I am the L ord your God. 8 Keep my stat utes and do them; I am the L ord who sets you apart. FAMILY AND SEXUAL OFFENSES 9 “ If any one curs es his fa ther or moth er, he must be put to death. He has cursed his fa ther or moth er; his death is his own fault. j10 “ If a man com mits adul tery with a mar - ried wom an — if he com mits adul tery with his neigh bor’s wife — both the adul ter er and the adul ter ess must be put to death. 11 If a man sleeps with his fa ther’s wife, he has vi o lat ed the intimacy that be longs to his fa ther. k Both of them must be put to death; their death is their own fault. l 12 If a man sleeps with his daughter-in-law , both of them must be put to death. They have act ed per verse ly; their death is their own fault. 13 If a man sleeps with a man as with a wom an, they have both com mit ted a de test able act. They must be put to death; their death is their own fault. 14 If a man mar ries m a wom an and her moth er, it is de praved. Both he and they must be burned, so that there will be no de prav i ty among you. 15 If a man has sex u al intercourse with n an an i mal, he must be put to death; you are also to kill the an i mal. 16 If a wom an ap proach es any an i mal and mates with it, you are to kill the wom an and the an- i mal. They must be put to death; their death is their own fault. 17 If a man mar ries his sis ter, wheth er his fa ther’s daugh ter or his moth er’s daugh ter, and they have sex u al re la tions, o it is a dis grace. They are to be cut off pub lic ly from their peo ple. He has had sex u al intercourse with his sis ter; he will bear his in iq ui ty . 18 If a man sleeps with a menstruating wom an and has sex u al intercourse with her, he has ex posed the source of her flow , and she has un cov ered the source of her blood. Both of them are to be cut off from their peo ple. 19 You must not have sex u al intercourse with your moth er’s sis ter or your fa ther’s sis ter, for it is
📜 Levitical Holiness Code
🔍 Ritual purity establishes clear boundaries between sacred and profane, with detailed regulations for priests who must remain undefiled to properly serve as intermediaries between God and people
🛑 Sexual prohibitions protect family integrity and community structure through explicit boundaries that carry severe consequences, including childlessness and death penalties
🗓️ Sacred calendar organizes Israel's spiritual rhythm through Sabbaths and festivals (Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, Weeks, Trumpets, Atonement, and Shelters) that connect agricultural cycles with worship
🐑 Sacrificial requirements demand physical perfection in offerings, reflecting the principle that only the unblemished is worthy to be presented to God
🧑⚖️ Priestly qualifications restrict service based on lineage, marriage, and physical condition, emphasizing that those who handle holy things must themselves embody holiness
🌾 Social responsibility interweaves with religious observance through commands to leave harvest gleanings for the poor and resident aliens
ex pos ing one’s own blood rel a tive; both peo- ple will bear their in iq ui ty . 20 If a man sleeps with his aunt, he has vi o lat ed the intimacy that be longs to his un cle; p they will bear their guilt and die child less. 21 If a man mar ries his broth er’s wife, it is im pu ri ty . He has vi o lat ed the intimacy that be longs to his broth er; q they will be child less. HOLINESS IN THE LAND 22 “ You are to keep all my stat utes and all my or - di nances, and do them, so that the land where I am bring ing you to live will not vom it you out. 23 You must not fol low the stat utes of the a 19:31 Or spirits of the dead b 19:31 Or familiar spirits c 19:36 Lit honest ephah d 19:36 Lit honest hin e 20:3 Lit will set my face, also in vv. 5,6 f 20:4 Lit country ever close their eyes from that man when he g 20:5 Lit prostitute themselves with h 20:6 Or spirits of the dead i 20:6 Or familiar spirits j 20:9 Lit his blood on him k 20:11 Lit has uncovered his father’s nakedness l 20:11 Lit their blood on them, also in vv. 12,13,16,27 m 20:14 Lit takes, also in vv. 17,21 n 20:15 Lit man gives his emission to o 20:17 Lit and he sees her nakedness and she sees his nakedness p 20:20 Lit has uncovered his uncle’s nakedness q 20:21 Lit has uncovered his brother’s nakedness 103 LEVITICUS 19-20 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 103 10/26/17 8:59 PM na tions I am driv ing out be fore you, for they did all these things, and I ab horred them. 24 And I prom ised you: You will in her it their land, since I will give it to you to pos sess, a land flow ing with milk and hon ey . I am the L ord your God who set you apart from the peo ples. 25 There- fore you are to dis tin guish the clean an i mal from the un clean one, and the un clean bird from the clean one. Do not be come con tam- i nat ed by any land an i mal, bird, or what ev er crawls on the ground; I have set these apart as un clean for you. 26 You are to be holy to me be cause I, the L ord, am holy , and I have set you apart from the na tions to be mine. 27 “ A man or a wom an who is a a me di um or a spir it ist must be put to death. They are to be stoned; their death is their own fault.” THE HOLINESS OF THE PRIESTS 21 The L ord said to Mo ses: “ Speak to Aar - on’s sons, the priests, and tell them: A priest is not to make him self cer e mo ni al ly un clean for a dead per son among his rel a- tives, 2 ex cept for his im me di ate fam i ly: his moth er, fa ther, son, daugh ter, or broth er. 3 He may make him self un clean for his un mar ried vir gin sis ter in his im me di ate fam i ly . 4 He is not to make him self un clean for those re lat ed to him by mar riage b and so de file him self. 5 “ Priests may not make bald spots on their heads, shave the edge of their beards, or make gashes on their bod ies. 6 They are to be holy to their God and not pro fane the name of their God. For they pre sent the fire off er ings to the L ord, the food of their God, and they must be holy . 7 They are not to mar ry a wom an de filed by pros ti tu tion. c They are not to mar ry one di vorced by her hus band, for the priest is holy to his God. 8 You are to con sid er him holy since he pre sents the food of your God. He will be holy to you be cause I, the L ord who sets you apart, am holy . 9 If a priest’s daugh ter de files her self by pro mis cu i ty , d she de files her fa ther; she must be burned to death. 10 “ The priest who is high est among his broth ers, who has had the anoint ing oil poured on his head and has been or dained e to wear the clothes, must not di shev el his hair f or tear his clothes. 11 He must not go near any dead per son or make him self un clean even for his fa ther or moth er. 12 He must not leave the sanc- tu ary or he will des e crate the sanc tu ary of his God, for the con se cra tion of the anoint ing oil of his God is on him; I am the L ord. 13 “ He is to mar ry a wom an who is a vir - gin. 14 He is not to mar ry a wid ow , a di vorced wom an, or one de filed by pros ti tu tion. He is to mar ry a vir gin from his own peo ple, 15 so that he does not cor rupt his bloodline g among his peo ple, for I am the L ord who sets him apart.” PHYSICAL DEFECTS AND PRIESTS 16 The L ord spoke to Mo ses: 17 “ Tell Aar on: None of your de scen dants through out your gen er - a tions who has a phys i cal de fect is to come near to pre sent the food of his God. 18 No man who has any de fect is to come near: no man who is blind, lame, facially dis fig ured, or de- formed; 19 no man who has a bro ken foot or hand, 20 or who is a hunchback or a dwarf, h or who has an eye de fect, a fes ter ing rash, scabs, or a crushed testicle. 21 No de scen dant of the priest Aar on who has a de fect is to come near to pre sent the fire off er ings to the L ord. He has a de fect and is not to come near to pre sent the food of his God. 22 He may eat the food of his God from what is es pe cial ly holy as well as from what is holy . 23 But be cause he has a de fect, he must not go near the cur tain or ap proach the al tar. He is not to des e crate my holy plac es, for I am the L ord who sets them apart.” 24 Mo ses said this to Aar on and his sons and to all the Is ra el ites. PRIESTS AND THEIR FOOD 22 The L ord spoke to Mo ses: 2 “ Tell Aar - on and his sons to deal respectfully with the holy off er ings of the Is ra el ites that they have con se crat ed to me, so they do not pro fane my holy name; I am the L ord. 3 Say to them: If any man from any of your de scen dants through out your gen er a tions is in a state of un clean ness yet ap proach es the holy off er ings that the Is ra el ites con se crate to the L ord, that per son will be cut off from my pres ence; I am the L ord. 4 No man of Aar on’s de scen dants who has a skin dis ease i or a dis charge is to eat from the holy off er ings un til he is clean. Who ev er touch es any thing made un clean by a dead per son or by a man who has an emis sion of se men, 5 or who ev er touch es any swarm ing crea ture that makes him un clean or any per - son who makes him un clean — what ev er his un clean ness — 6 the man who touch es any of a 20:27 Lit is in them b 21:4 Lit unclean a husband among his people c 21:7 Or a prostitute, or a defiled woman d 21:9 Or prostitution e 21:10 Lit and one has filled his hand f 21:10 Or not uncover his head g 21:15 Lit not profane his seed h 21:20 Or or emaciated i 22:4 Or has leprosy or scale diseaseLEVITICUS 20-22 104 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 104 10/26/17 8:59 PM these will re main un clean un til eve ning and is not to eat from the holy off er ings un less he has bathed his body with wa ter. 7 When the sun has set, he will be come clean, and then he may eat from the holy off er ings, for that is his food. 8 He must not eat an an i mal that died nat u ral ly or was mauled by wild beasts, a mak ing him self un clean by it; I am the L ord. 9 They must keep my in struc tion, or they will be guilty and die be cause they pro fane it; I am the L ord who sets them apart. 10 “ No one out side a priest’s fam i ly b is to eat the holy off er ing. A for eign er stay ing with a priest or a hired work er is not to eat the holy off er ing. 11 But if a priest purchases some one with his own sil ver, that per son may eat it, and those born in his house may eat his food. 12 If the priest’s daugh ter is mar ried to a man out side a priest’s fam i ly , c she is not to eat from the holy con tri bu tions. d 13 But if the priest’s daugh ter be comes widowed or di vorced, has no chil dren, and re turns to her fa ther’s house as in her youth, she may share her fa ther’s food. But no outsider may share it. 14 If any- one eats a holy off er ing in er ror, he is to add a fifth to its val ue and give the holy off er ing to the priest. 15 The priests must not pro fane the holy off er ings the Is ra el ites give to the L ord 16 by let ting the peo ple eat their holy off er ings and hav ing them bear the pen al ty of res ti tu- tion. For I am the L ord who sets them apart.” ACCEPTABLE SACRIFICES 17 The L ord spoke to Mo ses: 18 “ Speak to Aar on, his sons, and all the Is ra el ites and tell them: Any man of the house of Is ra el or of the res i- dent aliens in Is ra el who pre sents his o ff er ing — wheth er they pre sent pay ment of vows or free will gifts to the L ord as burnt off er- ings — 19 must off er an un blem ished male from the cat tle, sheep, or goats in or der for you to be ac cept ed. 20 You are not to pre sent any thing that has a de fect, be cause it will not be ac cept ed on your be half. 21 “ When a man pre sents a fel low ship sac ri- fice to the L ord to ful fill a vow or as a free will off er ing from the herd or flock, it has to be un- blem ished to be ac cept able; there must be no de fect in it. 22 You are not to pre sent any an i mal to the L ord that is blind, in jured, maimed, or has a run ning sore, fes ter ing rash, or scabs; you may not put any of them on the al tar as a fire off er ing to the L ord. 23 You may sac ri fice as a free will off er ing any an i mal from the herd or flock that has an elongated or stunt ed limb, but it is not ac cept able as a vow off er ing. 24 You are not to pre sent to the L ord any thing that has bruised, crushed, torn, or sev ered tes ti- cles; you must not sac ri fice them in your land. 25 Nei ther you nor e a for eign er are to pre sent food to your God from any of these an i mals. They will not be ac cept ed for you be cause they are de formed and have a de fect.” 26 The L ord spoke to Mo ses: 27 “ When an ox, sheep, or goat is born, it is to re main with f its moth er for sev en days; from the eighth day on, it will be ac cept able as an off er ing, a fire off er ing to the L ord. 28 But you are not to slaugh ter an an i mal from the herd or flock on the same day as its young. 29 When you sac ri fice a thank off er ing to the L ord, sac ri- fice it so that you may be ac cept ed. 30 It is to be eat en on the same day . Do not let any of it re main un til morn ing; I am the L ord. 31 “ You are to keep my com mands and do them; I am the L ord. 32 You must not pro fane my holy name; I must be treat ed as holy among the Is ra el ites. I am the L ord who sets you apart, 33 the one who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God; I am the L ord.” HOLY DAYS 23 The L ord spoke to Mo ses: 2 “ Speak to the Is ra el ites and tell them: These are my ap point ed times, the times of the L ord that you will pro claim as sa cred as sem blies. 3 “ Work may be done for six days, but on the sev enth day there is to be a Sab bath of com plete rest, a sa cred as sem bly . You are not to do any work; it is a Sab bath to the L ord wher ev er you live. 4 “ These are the L ord’ s ap point ed times, the sa cred as sem blies you are to pro claim at their ap point ed times. 5 The Pass over to the L ord comes in the first month, at twi light on the four teenth day of the month. 6 The Fes ti val of Un leav ened Bread to the L ord is on the fif teenth day of the same month. For sev en days you must eat un leav ened bread. 7 On the first day you are to hold a sa cred as sem bly; you are not to do any dai ly work. 8 You are to pre sent a fire off er ing to the L ord for sev en days. On the sev enth day there will be a sa cred as sem bly; do not do any dai ly work.” a 22:8 Lit eat a carcass or a mauled beast b 22:10 Lit “No stranger c 22:12 Lit to a stranger d 22:12 Lit the contribution of holy offerings e 22:25 Lit nor from the hand of f 22:27 Lit under 105 LEVITICUS 22-23 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 105 10/26/17 8:59 PM 9 The L ord spoke to Mo ses: 10 “ Speak to the Is ra el ites and tell them: When you en ter the land I am giv ing you and reap its har vest, a you are to bring the first sheaf of your har - vest to the priest. 11 He will pre sent the sheaf be fore the L ord so that you may be ac cept ed; the priest is to pre sent it on the day af ter the Sab bath. 12 On the day you pre sent the sheaf, you are to off er a year-old male lamb b with- out blem ish as a burnt off er ing to the L ord. 13 Its grain off er ing is to be four quarts c of fine flour mixed with oil as a fire off er ing to the L ord, a pleas ing aro ma, and its drink off er ing will be one quart d of wine. 14 You must not eat bread, roast ed grain, or any new grain e un til this very day , and un til you have brought the off er ing to your God. This is to be a per ma nent stat ute through out your gen er a tions wher - ev er you live. 15 “ You are to count sev en f com plete weeks g start ing from the day af ter the Sab bath, the day you brought the sheaf of the pre sen ta tion off er ing. 16 You are to count fif ty days un til the day af ter the sev enth Sab bath and then pre sent an off er ing of new grain to the L ord. 17 Bring two loaves of bread from your set tle- ments as a pre sen ta tion off er ing, each of them made from four quarts of fine flour, baked with yeast, as first fruits to the L ord. 18 You are to pre sent with the bread sev en un blem- ished male lambs a year old, one young bull, and two rams. They will be a burnt off er ing to the L ord, with their grain off er ings and drink off er ings, a fire off er ing of a pleas ing aro ma to the L ord. 19 You are also to pre pare one male goat as a sin off er ing, and two male lambs a year old as a fel low ship sac ri fice. 20 The priest will pre sent the lambs with the bread of first fruits as a pre sen ta tion off er ing be fore the L ord; the bread and the two lambs will be holy to the L ord for the priest. 21 On that same day you are to make a proc la ma tion and hold a sa cred as sem bly . You are not to do any dai ly work. This is to be a per ma nent stat ute wher ev er you live through out your gen er a tions. 22 When you reap the har vest of your land, you are not to reap all the way to the edge of your field or gath er the glean ings of your har vest. Leave them for the poor and the res i dent alien; I am the L ord your God.” 23 The L ord spoke to Mo ses: 24 “ Tell the Is- ra el ites: In the sev enth month, on the first day of the month, you are to have a day of com plete rest, commemoration, and trum- pet blasts — a sa cred as sem bly . 25 You must not do any dai ly work, but you must pre sent a fire off er ing to the L ord.” 26 The L ord again spoke to Mo ses: 27 “ The tenth day of this sev enth month is the Day of Atone ment. You are to hold a sa cred as sem bly and prac tice self-denial; you are to pre sent a fire off er ing to the L ord. 28 On this particular day you are not to do any work, for it is a Day of Atone ment to make atone ment for your selves be fore the L ord your God. 29 If any per son does not prac tice self-denial on this particular day , he is to be cut off from his peo ple. 30 I will de- stroy among his peo ple any one who does any work on this same day . 31 You are not to do any work. This is a per ma nent stat ute through out your gen er a tions wher ev er you live. 32 It will be a Sab bath of com plete rest for you, and you must prac tice self-denial. You are to ob serve your Sab bath from the eve ning of the ninth day of the month un til the fol low ing eve ning.” 33 The L ord spoke to Mo ses: 34 “ Tell the Is- ra el ites: The Fes ti val of Shel ters h to the L ord be gins on the fif teenth day of this sev enth month and con tin ues for sev en days. 35 There is to be a sa cred as sem bly on the first day; you are not to do any dai ly work. 36 You are to pre sent a fire off er ing to the L ord for sev- en days. On the eighth day you are to hold a sa cred as sem bly and pre sent a fire off er ing to the L ord. It is a sol emn gath er ing; you are not to do any dai ly work. 37 “ These are the L ord’ s ap point ed times that you are to pro claim as sa cred as sem blies for pre sent ing fire off er ings to the L ord, burnt off er ings and grain off er ings, sac ri fic es and drink o ff er ings, each on its des ig nat ed day . 38 These are in ad di tion to the off er ings for the L ord’ s Sab baths, your gifts, all your vow off er ings, and all your free will off er ings that you give to the L ord. 39 “ You are to cel e brate the L ord’ s fes ti val on the fif teenth day of the sev enth month for sev en days af ter you have gath ered the pro duce of the land. There will be com plete rest on the first day and com plete rest on the eighth day . 40 On the first day you are to take the prod uct of ma jes tic trees — palm fronds, boughs of leafy trees, and wil lows of the brook — and re joice be fore the L ord your God for a 23:10 = the barley harvest b 23:12 Or a male lamb in its first year c 23:13 Lit two-tenths of an ephah, also in v. 17 d 23:13 Lit one-fourth of a hin e
📜 Sacred Festivals and Jubilee Laws
🏠 Festival of Shelters requires Israelites to live in temporary structures for seven days annually, commemorating God's provision during the Exodus journey
🕯️ Tabernacle rituals establish precise instructions for maintaining the perpetual lamp with pure oil and arranging twelve loaves of bread as covenant offerings
🌾 Sabbath year and 🎺 Jubilee create economic reset mechanisms every seven and fifty years respectively, preventing permanent poverty by returning land to original families
⚖️ Justice system balances strict consequences for blasphemy with proportional punishment ("eye for eye") while ensuring equal application to natives and foreigners
🤝 Economic ethics prohibit charging interest to fellow Israelites in need, requiring compassionate treatment of the poor and establishing redemption rights for sold property
🌧️ Covenant blessings and curses outline God's promise of abundance for obedience and increasingly severe consequences for persistent rebellion
23:14 Grain or bread from the new harvest f 23:15 Lit count; they will be seven g 23:15 Or Sabbaths h 23:34 Or Tabernacles, or BoothsLEVITICUS 23 106 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 106 10/26/17 8:59 PM sev en days. 41 You are to cel e brate it as a fes- ti val to the L ord sev en days each year. This is a per ma nent stat ute for you through out your gen er a tions; cel e brate it in the sev enth month. 42 You are to live in shel ters for sev en days. All the native-born of Is ra el must live in shel ters, 43 so that your gen er a tions may know that I made the Is ra el ites live in shel ters when I brought them out of the land of Egypt; I am the L ord your God.” 44 So Mo ses de clared the L ord’ s ap point ed times to the Is ra el ites. TABERNACLE OIL AND BREAD 24 The L ord spoke to Mo ses: 2 “Com mand the Is ra el ites to bring you pure oil from crushed ol ives for the light, in or der to keep the lamp burn ing reg u lar ly . 3 Aar on is to tend it con tin u al ly from eve ning un til morn ing be fore the L ord out side the cur tain of the tes ti mo ny in the tent of meet ing. This is a per - ma nent stat ute through out your gen er a tions. 4 He must con tin u al ly tend the lamps on the pure gold lamp stand in the L ord’ s pres ence. 5 “ Take fine flour and bake it into twelve loaves; each loaf is to be made with four quarts. a 6 Ar range them in two rows, six to a row , on the pure gold ta ble be fore the L ord. 7 Place pure frank in cense near each row , so that it may serve as a me mo ri al por tion for the bread and a fire off er ing to the L ord. 8 The bread is to be set out be fore the L ord ev ery Sab bath day as a per ma nent cov enant ob li ga- tion on the part of the Is ra el ites. 9 It be longs to Aar on and his sons, who are to eat it in a holy place, for it is the ho li est por tion for him from the fire off er ings to the L ord; this is a per ma nent rule.” A CASE OF BLASPHEMY 10 Now the son of an Is ra el ite moth er and an Egyp tian fa ther was b among the Is ra el ites. A fight broke out in the camp be tween the Is ra el ite wom an’s son and an Is ra el ite man. 11 Her son cursed and blas phemed the Name, and they brought him to Mo ses. ( His moth er’s name was She lo mith, a daugh ter of Dib ri of the tribe of Dan.) 12 They put him in cus to dy un til the L ord’ s de ci sion could be made clear to them. 13 Then the L ord spoke to Mo ses: 14 “ Bring the one who has cursed to the out side of the camp and have all who heard him lay their hands on his head; then have the whole com mu ni ty stone him. 15 And tell the Is ra el ites: If any one curs es his God, he will bear the con se quenc es of his sin. 16 Who ev er blas phemes the name of the L ord must be put to death; the whole com mu ni ty is to stone him. If he blas phemes the Name, he is to be put to death, wheth er the res i dent alien or the na tive. 17 “ If a man kills any one, he must be put to death. 18 Who ev er kills an an i mal is to make res ti tu tion for it, life for life. 19 If any man in- flicts a per ma nent in ju ry on his neigh bor, what ev er he has done is to be done to him: 20 frac ture for frac ture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. What ev er in ju ry he in flict ed on the per son, the same is to be in flict ed on him. 21 Who ev er kills an an i mal is to make res ti tu- tion for it, but who ev er kills a per son is to be put to death. 22 You are to have the same law for the res i dent alien and the na tive, be cause I am the L ord your God.” 23 Af ter Mo ses spoke to the Is ra el ites, they brought the one who had cursed to the out side of the camp and stoned him. So the Is ra el ites did as the L ord had com mand ed Mo ses. SABBATH YEARS AND JUBILEE 25 The L ord spoke to Mo ses on Mount Si nai: 2 “ Speak to the Is ra el ites and tell them: When you en ter the land I am giv ing you, the land will ob serve a Sab bath to the L ord. 3 You may sow your field for six years, and you may prune your vine yard and gath er its pro duce for six years. 4 But there will be a Sab bath of com plete rest for the land in the sev enth year, a Sab bath to the L ord: you are not to sow your field or prune your vine yard. 5 You are not to reap what grows by it self from your crop, or har vest the grapes of your un tend ed vines. It is to be a year of com plete rest for the land. 6 What ev er the land pro duc es dur ing the Sab bath year can be food for you — for your self, your male or fe male slave, and the hired work er or alien who re sides with you. 7 All of its growth may serve as food for your live stock and the wild an i mals in your land. 8 “ You are to count sev en sabbatical years, sev en times sev en years, so that the time pe- ri od of the sev en sabbatical years amounts to forty-nine. 9 Then you are to sound a trum pet loud ly in the sev enth month, on the tenth day of the month; you will sound it through out your land on the Day of Atone ment. 10 You are to con se crate the fif ti eth year and pro claim a 24:5 Lit two-tenths of an ephah b 24:10 Lit went out 107 LEVITICUS 23-25 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 107 10/26/17 8:59 PM free dom in the land for all its in hab i tants. It will be your Ju bi lee, when each of you is to re turn to his prop er ty and each of you to his clan. 11 The fif ti eth year will be your Ju bi lee; you are not to sow , reap what grows by it self, or har vest its un tend ed vines. 12 It is to be holy to you be cause it is the Ju bi lee; you may only eat its pro duce di rect ly from the field. 13 “ In this Year of Ju bi lee, each of you will re turn to his prop er ty . 14 If you make a sale to your neigh bor or a pur chase from him, do not cheat one an oth er. 15 You are to make the pur chase from your neigh bor based on the num ber of years since the last Ju bi lee. He is to sell to you based on the num ber of re main ing har vest years. 16 You are to in crease its price in pro por tion to a great er amount of years, and de crease its price in pro por tion to a less er amount of years, be cause what he is sell ing to you is a num ber of har vests. 17 You are not to cheat one an oth er, but fear your God, for I am the L ord your God. 18 “ You are to keep my stat utes and or di- nances and care ful ly ob serve them, so that you may live se cure ly in the land. 19 Then the land will yield its fruit, so that you can eat, be sat is fied, and live se cure ly in the land. 20 If you won der: ‘ What will we eat in the sev enth year if we don’t sow or gath er our pro duce? ’ 21 I will ap point my bless ing for you in the sixth year, so that it will pro duce a crop suff i cient for three years. 22 When you sow in the eighth year, you will be eat ing from the pre vi ous har vest. You will be eat ing this un til the ninth year when its har vest comes in. 23 “ The land is not to be per ma nent ly sold be cause it is mine, and you are only aliens and tem po rary res i dents on my land. a 24 You are to al low the re demp tion of any land you oc cu py . 25 If your broth er be comes des ti tute and sells part of his prop er ty , his near est rel- a tive may come and re deem what his broth er has sold. 26 If a man has no fam i ly re deem er, but he pros pers b and ob tains enough to re- deem his land, 27 he may cal cu late the years since its sale, re pay the bal ance to the man he sold it to, and re turn to his prop er ty . 28 But if he can not ob tain enough to re pay him, what he sold will re main in the pos ses sion of its purchaser un til the Year of Ju bi lee. It is to be re leased at the Ju bi lee, so that he may re turn to his prop er ty .29 “ If a man sells a res i dence in a walled city , his right of re demp tion will last un til a year has passed af ter its sale; his right of re demp- tion will last a year. 30 If it is not re deemed by the end of a full year, then the house in the walled city is per ma nent ly trans ferred to its purchaser through out his gen er a tions. It is not to be re leased on the Ju bi lee. 31 But hous es in set tle ments that have no walls around them are to be classified as open fields. The right to re deem such hous es stays in eff ect, and they are to be re leased at the Ju bi lee. 32 “Con cern ing the Le vit i cal cit ies, the Le vites al ways have the right to re deem hous es in the cit ies they pos sess. 33 What ev er prop er ty one of the Le vites can re deem c — a house sold in a city they pos sess — is to be re leased at the Ju bi lee, be cause the hous es in the Le vit i cal cit ies are their pos ses sion among the Is ra- el ites. 34 The open pas ture land around their cit ies may not be sold, for it is their per ma- nent pos ses sion. 35 “ If your broth er be comes des ti tute and can not sus tain him self among d you, you are to sup port him as an alien or tem po rary res- i dent, so that he can con tin ue to live among you. 36 Do not profi t or take in ter est from him, but fear your God and let your broth er live among you. 37 You are not to lend him your sil ver with in ter est or sell him your food for profi t. 38 I am the L ord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to give you the land of Ca naan and to be your God. 39 “ If your broth er among you be comes des- ti tute and sells him self to you, you must not force him to do slave la bor. 40 Let him stay with you as a hired work er or tem po rary res i dent; he may work for you un til the Year of Ju bi lee. 41 Then he and his chil dren are to be re leased from you, and he may re turn to his clan and his an ces tral prop er ty . 42 They are not to be sold as slaves, e be cause they are my ser vants f that I brought out of the land of Egypt. 43 You are not to rule over them harsh ly but fear your God. 44 Your male and fe male slaves are to be from the na tions around you; you may pur chase male and fe male slaves. 45 You may also pur chase them from the aliens residing with you, or from their fam i lies liv ing among you — those born in your land. These may be- come your prop er ty . 46 You may leave them to your sons af ter you to in her it as prop er ty; you a 25:23 Lit residents with me b 25:26 Lit but his hand reaches c 25:33 Hb obscure d 25:35 Lit and his hand falters with e 25:42 Lit sold with a sale of a slave f 25:42 Or slavesLEVITICUS 25 108 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 108 10/26/17 8:59 PM can make them slaves for life. But con cern ing your broth ers, the Is ra el ites, you must not rule over one an oth er harsh ly . 47 “ If an alien or tem po rary res i dent liv ing among you pros pers, but your broth er liv ing near him be comes des ti tute and sells him self to the alien liv ing among you, or to a mem ber of the res i dent alien’s clan, 48 he has the right of re demp tion af ter he has been sold. One of his broth ers may re deem him. 49 His un cle or cous in may re deem him, or any of his close rel a tives from his clan may re deem him. If he pros pers, he may re deem him self. 50 The one who pur chased him is to cal cu late the time from the year he sold him self to him un til the Year of Ju bi lee. The price of his sale will be de ter mined by the num ber of years. It will be set for him like the dai ly wag es of a hired work er. 51 If many years are still left, he must pay his re demp tion price in pro por tion to them based on his pur chase price. 52 If only a few years re main un til the Year of Ju bi lee, he will cal cu late and pay the price of his re demp tion in pro por tion to his re main ing years. 53 He will stay with him like a man hired year by year. A res i dent alien is not to rule over him harsh ly in your sight. 54 If he is not re deemed in any of these ways, he and his chil dren are to be re leased at the Year of Ju bi lee. 55 For the Is ra el ites are my ser vants. They are my ser - vants that I brought out of the land of Egypt; I am the L ord your God. COVENANT BLESSINGS AND DISCIPLINE 26 “ Do not make idols for your selves, set up a carved im age or sa cred pil lar for your selves, or place a sculpted stone in your land to bow down to it, for I am the L ord your God. 2 Keep my Sab baths and re vere my sanc- tu ary; I am the L ord. 3 “ If you fol low my stat utes and faith ful ly ob serve my com mands, 4 I will give you rain at the right time, and the land will yield its pro duce, and the trees of the field will bear their fruit. 5 Your thresh ing will con tin ue un til grape har vest, and the grape har vest will con- tin ue un til sow ing time; you will have plen ty of food to eat and live se cure ly in your land. 6 I will give peace to the land, and you will lie down with noth ing to fright en you. I will re- move dan ger ous an i mals from the land, and no sword will pass through your land. 7 You will pur sue your en e mies, and they will fall be fore you by the sword. 8 Five of you will pur sue a hun dred, and a hun dred of you will pur sue ten thou sand; your en e mies will fall be fore you by the sword. 9 “ I will turn to you, make you fruit ful and mul ti ply you, and con firm my cov enant with you. 10 You will eat the old grain of the pre vi- ous year and will clear out the old to make room for the new . 11 I will place my res i dence a among you, and I will not re ject you. 12 I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my peo ple. 13 I am the L ord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, so that you would no lon ger be their slaves. I broke the bars of your yoke and en abled you to live in free dom. b 14 “ But if you do not obey me and ob serve all these com mands — 15 if you re ject my stat- utes and de spise my or di nances, and do not ob serve all my com mands — and break my cov enant, 16 then I will do this to you: I will bring ter ror on you — wast ing dis ease and fe ver that will cause your eyes to fail and your life to ebb away . You will sow your seed in vain be cause your en e mies will eat it. 17 I will turn c against you, so that you will be de feat ed by your en e mies. Those who hate you will rule over you, and you will flee even though no one is pur su ing you. 18 “ But if af ter these things you will not obey me, I will pro ceed to dis ci pline you sev en times for your sins. 19 I will break down your strong pride. I will make your sky like iron and your land like bronze, 20 and your strength will be used up for noth ing. Your land will not yield its pro duce, and the trees of the land will not bear their fruit. 21 “ If you act with hos til i ty to ward me and are un will ing to obey me, I will mul ti ply your plagues sev en times for your sins. 22 I will send wild an i mals against you that will de prive you of your chil dren, rav age your live stock, and re duce your num bers un til your roads are de sert ed. 23 “ If in spite of these things you do not ac cept my dis ci pline, but act with hos til i ty to ward me, 24 then I will act with hos til i ty to ward you; I also will strike you sev en times for your sins. 25 I will bring a sword against you to ex e cute the ven geance of the cov enant. Though you with draw into your cit ies, I will send a pes- ti lence among you, and you will be de liv ered into en e my hands. 26 When I cut off your sup ply a 26:11 Or tabernacle b 26:13 Lit to walk uprightly c 26:17 Lit will set my face 109 LEVITICUS 25-26 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 109 10/26/17 8:59 PM of bread, ten wom en will bake your bread in a sin gle oven and ration out your bread by weight, so that you will eat but not be sat is fied. 27 “ And if in spite of this you do not obey me but act with hos til i ty to ward me, 28 I will act with fu ri ous hos til i ty to ward you; I will also dis ci pline you sev en times for your sins. 29 You will eat the flesh of your sons; you will eat the flesh of your daugh ters. 30 I will de stroy your high plac es, cut down your shrines, a and heap your life less bod ies on the life less bod ies of your idols; I will re ject you. 31 I will re duce your cit ies to ru ins and dev as tate your sanc tu ar ies. I will not smell the pleas ing aro ma of your sac- ri fic es. 32 I also will dev as tate the land, so that your en e mies who come to live there will be ap palled by it. 33 But I will scat ter you among the na tions, and I will draw a sword to chase af ter you. So your land will be come des o late, and your cit ies will be come ru ins. 34 “ Then the land will make up for its Sab- bath years dur ing the time it lies des o late, while you are in the land of your en e mies. At that time the land will rest and make up for its Sab baths. 35 As long as it lies des o late, it will have the rest it did not have dur ing your Sab baths when you lived there. 36 “ I will put anx i ety in the hearts of those of you who sur vive in the lands of their en e mies. The sound of a wind-driven leaf will put them to flight, and they will flee as one flees from a sword, and fall though no one
📜 Sacred Covenant Redemption
🔄 Divine consequences follow disobedience, yet even amid punishment, God promises restoration when people confess their iniquity and humble their "uncircumcised hearts"
💰 Sacred valuations establish precise systems for redeeming vows, consecrated property, and offerings, with specific silver shekel amounts assigned to different ages, genders, and items
🏕️ Tribal organization structures Israel's community through careful census-taking and strategic encampment arrangements, with each tribe assigned specific positions around the tabernacle
🛡️ Levitical exemption separates this tribe from military service, instead dedicating them to tabernacle care, transportation, and protection—creating a sacred buffer between God's presence and the community
⚖️ Redemption principles permeate the entire system, allowing for the recovery of consecrated items through additional payment while maintaining the sanctity of what belongs to God
is pur su ing them. 37 They will stum ble over one an oth er as if flee ing from a sword though no one is pur su ing them. You will not be able to stand against your en e mies. 38 You will per ish among the na tions; the land of your en e mies will de- vour you. 39 Those b who sur vive in the lands of your en e mies will waste away be cause of their in iq ui ty; they will also waste away be cause of their fa thers’ in iq ui ties along with theirs. 40 “ But when they con fess their in iq ui ty and the in iq ui ty of their fa thers — their un- faith ful ness that they prac ticed against me, and how they act ed with hos til i ty to ward me, 41 and I act ed with hos til i ty to ward them and brought them into the land of their en e mies — and when their un cir cum cised hearts are hum bled and they make amends for their in- iq ui ty , 42 then I will re mem ber my cov enant with Ja cob. I will also re mem ber my cov enant with Isaac and my cov enant with Abra ham, and I will re mem ber the land. 43 For the land aban doned by them will make up for its Sab- baths by ly ing des o late with out the peo ple, while they make amends for their in iq ui ty , be cause they re ject ed my or di nances and ab horred my stat utes. 44 Yet in spite of this, while they are in the land of their en e mies, I will not re ject or ab hor them so as to de stroy them and break my cov enant with them, since I am the L ord their God. 45 For their sake I will re mem ber the cov enant with their fa thers, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the na tions to be their God; I am the L ord.” 46 These are the stat utes, or di nances, and laws the L ord es tab lished be tween him self and the Is ra el ites through Mo ses on Mount Si nai. FUNDING THE SANCTUARY 27 The L ord spoke to Mo ses: 2 “ Speak to the Is ra el ites and tell them: When some one makes a spe cial vow to the L ord that in volves the as sess ment of peo ple, 3 if the as sess ment con cerns a male from twen ty to six ty years old, your as sess ment is fif ty sil ver shek els mea sured by the stan dard sanc tu ary shek el. 4 If the per son is a fe male, your as sess ment is thir ty shek els. 5 If the per son is from five to twen ty years old, your as sess ment for a male is twen ty shek els and for a fe male ten shek els. 6 If the per son is from one month to five years old, your as sess ment for a male is five sil ver shek els, and for a fe male your as sess ment is three shek els of sil ver. 7 If the per son is six ty years or more, your as sess ment is fif teen shek- els for a male and ten shek els for a fe male. 8 But if one is too poor to pay the as sess ment, he is to pre sent the per son be fore the priest and the priest will set a val ue for him. The priest will set a val ue for him ac cord ing to what the one mak ing the vow can aff ord. 9 “ If the vow in volves one of the an i mals that may be brought as an off er ing to the L ord, any of these he gives to the L ord will be holy . 10 He may not re place it or make a sub sti tu tion for it, ei ther good for bad, or bad for good. But if he does sub sti tute one an i mal for an oth er, both that an i mal and its sub sti tute will be holy . 11 “ If the vow in volves any of the un clean an i mals that may not be brought as an off er- ing to the L ord, the an i mal must be pre sent ed be fore the priest. 12 The priest will set its val ue, wheth er high or low; the price will be set as the priest makes the as sess ment for you. 13 If a 26:30 Or incense altars b 26:39 Lit Those of youLEVITICUS 26-27 110 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 110 10/26/17 8:59 PM the one who brought it decides to re deem it, he must add a fifth to the a assessed val ue. 14 “ When a man consecrates his house as holy to the L ord, the priest will assess its val ue, wheth er high or low . The price will stand just as the priest assesses it. 15 But if the one who con se crat ed his house re deems it, he must add a fifth to the assessed val ue, and it will be his. 16 “ If a man consecrates to the L ord any part of a field that he possesses, your as sess ment of val ue will be proportional to the seed need- ed to sow it, at the rate of fif ty sil ver shek els for ev ery five bush els b of bar ley seed. c 17 If he consecrates his field dur ing the Year of Ju bi lee, the price will stand ac cord ing to your as sess- ment. 18 But if he consecrates his field af ter the Ju bi lee, the priest will cal cu late the price for him in pro por tion to the years left un til the next Year of Ju bi lee, so that your as sess ment will be re duced. 19 If the one who con se crat ed the field decides to re deem it, he must add a fifth to the assessed val ue, and the field will trans fer back to him. 20 But if he does not re- deem the field or if he has sold it to an oth er man, it is no lon ger re deem able. 21 When the field is re leased in the Ju bi lee, it will be holy to the L ord like a field per ma nent ly set apart; it be comes the priest’s prop er ty . 22 “ If a per son consecrates to the L ord a field he has pur chased that is not part of his in her it- ed landholding, 23 then the priest will cal cu late for him the amount of the as sess ment up to the Year of Ju bi lee, and the per son will pay the assessed val ue on that day as a holy off er ing to the L ord. 24 In the Year of Ju bi lee the field will re turn to the one he bought it from, the orig i nal own er. 25 All your assessed val ues will be mea sured by the stan dard sanc tu ary shek el, d twen ty ge rahs to the shek el. 26 “ But no one can con se crate a first born of the live stock, wheth er an an i mal from the herd or flock, to the L ord, be cause a first born al ready be longs to the L ord. 27 If it is one of the un clean live stock, it can be ran somed ac - cord ing to your as sess ment by add ing a fifth of its val ue to it. If it is not re deemed, it can be sold ac cord ing to your as sess ment. 28 “Noth ing that a man per ma nent ly sets apart to the L ord from all he owns, wheth er a per son, an an i mal, or his in her it ed land - holding, can be sold or re deemed; ev ery thing set apart is es pe cial ly holy to the L ord. 29 No per son who has been set apart for de struc tion is to be ran somed; he must be put to death. 30 “Ev ery tenth of the land’s pro duce, grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, be longs to the L ord; it is holy to the L ord. 31 If a man decides to re deem any part of this tenth, he must add a fifth to its val ue. 32 Ev ery tenth an i mal from the herd or flock, which pass es un der the shep herd’s rod, will be holy to the L ord. 33 He is not to in spect wheth er it is good or bad, and he is not to make a sub sti tu tion for it. But if he does make a sub sti tu tion, both the an i mal and its sub sti tute will be holy; they can not be re deemed.” 34 These are the com mands the L ord gave Mo ses for the Is ra el ites on Mount Si nai. a 27:13 Lit your, also in vv. 15,19,23 b 27:16 Lit for a homer c 27:16 Or grain d 27:25 A shekel is about two-fifths of an ounce of silver 111 LEVITICUS 27 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 111 10/26/17 8:59 PM Numbers THE CENSUS OF ISRAEL 1 The L ord spoke to Mo ses in the tent of meet ing in the Wil der ness of Si nai, on the first day of the sec ond month of the sec ond year af ter Is ra el’s de par ture from the land of Egypt: 2 “ Take a cen sus of the en tire Is ra el ite com mu ni ty by their clans and their fa thers’ fam i lies, a count ing the names of ev ery male one by one. 3 You and Aar on are to reg is ter those who are twen ty years old or more by their mil i tary di vi sions — ev ery one who can serve in Is ra el’s army . b 4 A man from each tribe is to be with you, each one the head of his an ces tral fam i ly . c 5 These are the names of the men who are to as sist you: Elizur son of Shedeur from Reuben; 6 Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai from Simeon; 7 Nahshon son of Amminadab from Judah; 8 Nethanel son of Zuar from Issachar; 9 Eliab son of Helon from Zebulun; 10 from the sons of Joseph: Elishama son of Ammihud from Ephraim, Gamaliel son of Pedahzur from Manasseh; 11 Abidan son of Gideoni from Benjamin; 12 Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai from Dan; 13 Pagiel son of Ochran from Asher; 14 Eliasaph son of Deuel d from Gad; 15 Ahira son of Enan from Naphtali. 16 These are the men called from the com mu ni ty; they are lead ers of their an ces tral tribes, the heads of Is ra el’s clans.” 17 So Mo ses and Aar on took these men who had been des ig nat ed by name, 18 and they as sem bled the whole com mu ni ty on the first day of the sec ond month. They re cord ed their an ces try by their clans and their an ces tral fam i lies, count ing one by one the names of those twen ty years old or more, 19 just as the L ord com mand ed Mo ses. He reg is tered them in the Wil der ness of Si nai: 20 The descendants of Reuben, the first born of Israel: according to their family records by their clans and their ancestral families, counting one by one the names of every male twenty years old or more, everyone who could serve in the army , 21 those registered for the tribe of Reuben numbered 46,500. 22 The descendants of Simeon: according to their family records by their clans and their ancestral families, those registered counting one by one the names of every male twenty years old or more, everyone who could serve in the army , 23 those reg istered for the tribe of Simeon numbered 59,300. 24 The descendants of Gad: according to their family records by their clans and their ancestral families, counting the names of those twenty years old or more, everyone who could serve in the army , 25 those registered for the tribe of Gad numbered 45,650. 26 The descendants of Judah: according to their family records by their clans and their ancestral families, counting the names of those twenty years old or more, everyone who could serve in the army , 27 those registered for the tribe of Judah numbered 74,600. 28 The descendants of Issachar: accord ing to their family records by their clans and their ancestral families, counting the names of those twenty years old or more, everyone who could serve in the army , 29 those registered for the tribe of Issachar numbered 54,400. 30 The descendants of Zebulun: according to their family records by their clans and their ancestral families, counting the names of those twenty years old or more, everyone who could serve in the army , 31 those registered for the tribe of Zebulun numbered 57,400. a 1:2 Lit the house of their fathers, also in vv. 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 40, 42, 45 b 1:3 Lit everyone going out to war in Israel c 1:4 Lit the house of his fathers, also in v. 44 d 1:14 LXX, Syr read Reuel 04_CSB_Pew_Bible.indd 112 10/27/17 1:22 PM 32 The descendants of Joseph: The descendants of Ephraim: according to their family records by their clans and their ancestral families, counting the names of those twenty years old or more, everyone who could serve in the army , 33 those registered for the tribe of Ephraim numbered 40,500. 34 The descendants of Manasseh: accord ing to their family records by their clans and their ancestral families, counting the names of those twenty years old or more, everyone who could serve in the army , 35 those registered for the tribe of Manasseh numbered 32,200. 36 The descendants of Benjamin: accord ing to their family records by their clans and their ancestral families, counting the names of those twenty years old or more, everyone who could serve in the army , 37 those registered for the tribe of Benjamin numbered 35,400. 38 The descendants of Dan: according to their family records by their clans and their ancestral families, counting the names of those twenty years old or more, everyone who could serve in the army , 39 those registered for the tribe of Dan numbered 62,700. 40 The descendants of Asher: according to their family records by their clans and their ancestral families, counting the names of those twenty years old or more, everyone who could serve in the army , 41 those registered for the tribe of Asher numbered 41,500. 42 The descendants of Naphtali: accord ing to their family records by their clans and their ancestral families, counting the names of those twenty years old or more, everyone who could serve in the army , 43 those registered for the tribe of Naphtali numbered 53,400. 44 These are the men Mo ses and Aar on reg is tered, with the as sis tance of the twelve lead ers of Is ra el; each rep re sent ed his an ces tral fam i ly . 45 So all the Is ra el ites twen ty years old or more, ev ery one who could serve in Is ra el’s army , were reg is tered by their an ces tral fam i lies. 46 All those reg is tered num bered 603,550. DUTIES OF THE LEVITES 47 But the Le vites were not reg is tered with them by their an ces tral tribe. 48 For the L ord had told Mo ses: 49 “ Do not reg is ter or take a cen sus of the tribe of Levi with the oth er Is ra el ites. 50 Ap point the Le vites over the tab er na cle of the tes ti mo ny , all its fur nish ings, and ev ery thing in it. They are to trans port the tab er na cle and all its ar ti cles, take care of it, and camp around it. 51 When ev er the tab er na cle is to move, the Le vites are to take it down, and when ev er it is to stop at a campsite, the Le vites are to set it up. Any un au tho rized per son who comes near it is to be put to death. 52 “ The Is ra el ites are to camp by their mil i tary di vi sions, each man with his encampment and un der his ban ner. 53 The Le vites are to camp around the tab er na cle of the tes ti mo ny and watch over it, so that no wrath will fall on the Is ra el ite com mu ni ty .” 54 The Is ra el ites did ev ery thing just as the L ord had com mand ed Mo ses. ORGANIZATION OF THE CAMPS 2 The L ord spoke to Mo ses and Aar on: 2 “ The Is ra el ites are to camp un der their respec tive ban ners be side the flags of their an ces tral fam i lies. a They are to camp around the tent of meet ing at a dis tance from it: 3 Judah’s military divisions will camp on the east side toward the sunrise under their banner. The leader of the descen dants of Judah is Nahshon son of Am minadab. 4 His military division numbers 74,600. 5 The tribe of Issachar will camp next to it. The leader of the Issacharites is Nethanel son of Zuar. 6 His military division numbers 54,400. 7 The tribe of Zebulun will be next. The leader of the Zebulunites is Eliab son of Helon. 8 His military division numbers 57,400. 9 The total number in their military divisions who belong to Judah’s encampment is 186,400; they will move out first. 10 Reuben’s military divisions will camp on the south side under their banner. The leader of the Reubenites is Elizur son of a 2:2 Lit the house of their fathers, also in v. 32 113 NUMbERS 1-2 04_CSB_Pew_Bible.indd 113 10/27/17 1:22 PM Shedeur. 11 His military division numbers 46,500. 12 The tribe of Simeon will camp next to it. The leader of the Simeonites is Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai. 13 His military division numbers 59,300. 14 The tribe of Gad will be next. The leader of the Gadites is Eliasaph son of Deuel. a 15 His military division numbers 45,650. 16 The total number in their military divisions who belong to Reuben’s encampment is 151,450; they will move out second. 17 The tent of meeting is to move out with the Levites’ camp, which is in the middle of the camps. They are to move out just as they camp, each in his place, b with their banners. 18 Ephraim’s military divisions will camp on the west side under their banner. The leader of the Ephraimites is Elishama son of Ammihud. 19 His military division numbers 40,500. 20 The tribe of Manasseh will be next to it. The leader of the Manas sites is Gamaliel son of Pedahzur. 21 His military division numbers 32,200. 22 The tribe of Benjamin will be next. The leader of the Benjaminites is Abidan son of Gideoni. 23 His military division numbers 35,400. 24 The total in their military divi sions who belong to Ephraim’s encamp ment number 108,100; they will move out third. 25 Dan’s military divisions will camp on the north side under their banner. The leader of the Danites is Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai. 26 His military division numbers 62,700. 27 The tribe of Asher will camp next to it. The leader of the Asherites is Pagiel son of Ochran. 28 His military division numbers 41,500. 29 The tribe of Naphtali will be next. The leader of the Naphtalites is Ahira son of Enan. 30 His military division numbers 53,400. 31 The total number who belong to Dan’s encampment is 157,600; they are to move out last, with their banners.” 32 These are the Israelites registered by their ancestral families. The total number in the camps by their military divisions is 603,550. 33 But the Levites were not registered among the Israelites, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 34 The Is ra el ites did ev ery thing the L ord com mand ed Mo ses; they camped by their ban ners in this way and moved out the same way , each man by his clan and by his an ces tral fam i ly . c AARON’S SONS AND THE LEVITES 3 These are the fam i ly rec ords of Aar on and Mo ses at the time the L ord spoke with Mo ses on Mount Si nai. 2 These are the names of Aar on’s sons: Na dab, the first born, and Abi hu, El e a zar, and Ith a mar. 3 These are the names of Aar on’s sons, the anoint ed priests, who were or dained to serve as priests. 4 But Na dab and Abi hu died in the L ord’ s pres ence when they pre sent ed un au tho rized fire be fore the L ord in the Wil der ness of Si nai, and they had no sons. So El e a zar and Ith a mar served as priests un der the di rec tion of Aar on their fa ther. 5 The L ord spoke to Mo ses: 6 “ Bring the tribe of Levi near and pre sent them to the priest Aar on to as sist him. 7 They are to per form du ties for d him and the en tire com mu ni ty be fore the tent of meet ing by at tend ing to the ser vice of the tab er na cle. 8 They are to take care of all the fur nish ings of the tent of meet ing and per form du ties for the Is ra el ites by at tend ing to the ser vice of the tab er na cle. 9 As sign the Le vites to Aar on and his sons; they have been as signed ex clu sive ly to him e from the Is ra el ites. 10 You are to ap point Aar on and his sons to car ry out their priest ly re spon si bil i ties, but any un au tho rized per son who comes near the sanc
📜 Levitical Census and Duties
🔢 Levite census reveals 22,000 males organized into three clans (Gershon, Kohath, Merari), each with specific responsibilities for transporting and maintaining the tabernacle
🔄 Substitution system establishes Levites as replacements for all firstborn Israelites, with excess firstborns redeemed through payment of silver to Aaron and his sons
🏕️ Tabernacle service requires precise handling of sacred objects—Kohathites carry holy items (after Aaron's sons cover them), Gershonites transport curtains and coverings, Merarites handle structural components
🧹 Ritual purity demands isolation of the unclean from camp, compensation for wrongdoing, and a detailed jealousy ritual for suspected adultery
👨👩👧👦 Hierarchical organization places Aaron and his sons in leadership, with Eleazar overseeing holy objects and Ithamar directing the Gershonite and Merarite clans
tu ary is to be put to death.” 11 The L ord spoke to Mo ses: 12 “ See, I have tak en the Le vites from the Is ra el ites in place of ev ery first born Is ra el ite from the womb. The Le vites be long to me, 13 be cause ev ery first born be longs to me. At the time I struck down ev ery first born in the land of Egypt, I con se crat ed ev ery first born in Is ra el to my self, both man and an i mal. They are mine; I am the L ord.” THE LEVITICAL CENSUS 14 The L ord spoke to Mo ses in the Wil der ness of Si nai: 15 “Reg is ter the Le vites by their an ces tral fam i lies f and their clans. You are to reg is ter ev ery male one month old or more.” a 2:14 Some Hb mss, Sam, Vg; other Hb mss read Reuel b 2:17 Lit each on his hand c 2:34 Lit the house of his fathers d 3:7 Or to guard, also in v. 8 e 3:9 Some Hb mss, LXX, Sam read me ; Nm 8:16 f 3:15 Lit the house of their fathers, also in v. 20NUMbERS 2-3 114 04_CSB_Pew_Bible.indd 114 10/27/17 1:22 PM 16 So Mo ses reg is tered them in obe di ence to the L ord as he had been com mand ed: 17 These were Levi’s sons by name: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. 18 These were the names of Gershon’s sons by their clans: Libni and Shimei. 19 Kohath’s sons by their clans were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. 20 Merari’s sons by their clans were Mahli and Mushi. These were the Levite clans by their ancestral families. 21 The Libnite clan and the Shimeite clan came from Gershon; these were the Gershonite clans. 22 Those registered, counting every male one month old or more, numbered 7,500. 23 The Gershonite clans camped behind the tabernacle on the west side, 24 and the leader of the Gershonite families a was Eliasaph son of Lael. 25 The Gershonites’ duties at the tent of meeting involved the tabernacle, the tent, its covering, the screen for the en trance to the tent of meeting, 26 the hang ings of the courtyard, the screen for the entrance to the courtyard that surrounds the tabernacle and the altar, and the tent ropes — all the work relating to these. 27 The Amramite clan, the Izharite clan, the Hebronite clan, and the Uzzielite clan came from Kohath; these were the Kohathites. 28 Counting every male one month old or more, there were 8,600 b responsible for the duties of c the sanctu ary . 29 The clans of the Kohathites camped on the south side of the tabernacle, 30 and the leader of the families of the Kohath ite clans was Elizaphan son of Uzziel. 31 Their duties involved the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the sanctuary utensils that were used with these, and the screen d — and all the work relating to them. 32 The chief of the Levite leaders was Eleazar son of Aaron the priest; he had oversight of those responsible for the duties of the sanctuary . 33 The Mahlite clan and the Mushite clan came from Merari; these were the Mera rite clans. 34 Those registered, counting every male one month old or more, numbered 6,200. 35 The leader of the fam ilies of the Merarite clans was Zuriel son of Abihail; they camped on the north side of the tabernacle. 36 The assigned duties of Merari’s descendants involved the taber nacle’s supports, crossbars, pillars, bases, all its equipment, and all the work related to these, 37 in addition to the posts of the surrounding courtyard with their bases, tent pegs, and ropes. 38 Moses, Aaron, and his sons, who per formed the duties of e the sanctuary as a service on behalf of the Israelites, camped in front of the tabernacle on the east, in front of the tent of meeting toward the sunrise. Any unauthorized person who came near it was to be put to death. 39 The to tal num ber of all the Le vite males one month old or more that Mo ses and Aar on f reg is tered by their clans at the L ord’ s com mand was 22,000. REDEMPTION OF THE FIRSTb ORN 40 The L ord told Mo ses: “Reg is ter ev ery first born male of the Is ra el ites one month old or more, and list their names. 41 You are to take the Le vites for me — I am the L ord — in place of ev ery first born among the Is ra el ites, and the Le vites’ cat tle in place of ev ery first born among the Is ra el ites’ cat tle.” 42 So Mo ses reg is tered ev ery first born among the Is ra el ites, as the L ord com mand ed him. 43 The to tal num ber of the first born males one month old or more list ed by name was 22,273. 44 The L ord spoke to Mo ses again: 45 “ Take the Le vites in place of ev ery first born among the Is ra el ites, and the Le vites’ cat tle in place of their cat tle. The Le vites be long to me; I am the L ord. 46 As the re demp tion price for the 273 first born Is ra el ites who out num ber the Le vites, 47 col lect five shek els for each per son, ac cord ing to the stan dard sanc tu ary shek el — twen ty ge rahs to the shek el. g 48 Give the sil ver to Aar on and his sons as the re demp tion price for those who are in excess among the Is ra el ites.” 49 So Mo ses col lect ed the re demp tion amount from those in excess of the ones re deemed by the Le vites. 50 He col lect ed the sil ver from the first born Is ra el ites: 1,365 shek els h mea sured by the stan dard sanc tu ary shek el. a 3:24 Lit a father’s house, also in vv. 30,35 b 3:28 LXX reads 8,300 c 3:28 Or for guarding, also in v. 32 d 3:31 The screen between the most holy place and the holy place; Ex 35:12 e 3:38 Or who guarded f 3:39 Some Hb mss, Sam, Syr omit and Aaron g 3:47 A shekel is about two-fifths of an ounce of silver h 3:50 Over 34 pounds of silver 115 NUMbERS 3 04_CSB_Pew_Bible.indd 115 10/27/17 1:22 PM 51 He gave the re demp tion sil ver to Aar on and his sons in obe di ence to the L ord, just as the L ord com mand ed Mo ses. DUTIES OF THE KOHATHITES 4 The L ord spoke to Mo ses and Aar on: 2 “ Among the Le vites, take a cen sus of the Ko hath ites by their clans and their an ces tral fam i lies, a 3 men from thir ty years old to fif ty years old — ev ery one who is qual i fied b to do work at the tent of meet ing. 4 “ The ser vice of the Ko hath ites at the tent of meet ing con cerns the most holy ob jects. 5 When ev er the camp is about to move on, Aar on and his sons are to go in, take down the screening cur tain, and cov er the ark of the tes ti mo ny with it. 6 They are to place over this a cov er ing made of fine leath er, c spread a sol id blue cloth on top, and in sert its poles. 7 “ They are to spread a blue cloth over the ta ble of the Pres ence and place the plates and cups on it, as well as the bowls and pitch ers for the drink of er ing. The reg u lar bread of er ing is to be on it. 8 They are to spread a scar let cloth over them, cov er them with a cov er ing made of fine leath er, and in sert the poles in the ta ble. 9 “ They are to take a blue cloth and cov er the lamp stand used for light, with its lamps, snufers, and fire pans, as well as its jars of oil by which they ser vice it. 10 Then they are to place it with all its uten sils in side a cov er ing made of fine leath er and put them on the car ry ing frame. 11 “ They are to spread a blue cloth over the gold al tar, cov er it with a cov er ing made of fine leath er, and in sert its poles. 12 They are to take all the serv ing uten sils they use in the sanc tu ary , place them in a blue cloth, cov er them with a cov er ing made of fine leath er, and put them on a car ry ing frame. 13 “ They are to re move the ash es from the bronze al tar, spread a pur ple cloth over it, 14 and place all the equip ment on it that they use in serv ing: the fire pans, meat forks, shov els, and ba sins — all the equip ment of the al tar. They are to spread a cov er ing made of fine leath er over it and in sert its poles. d 15 “ Aar on and his sons are to fin ish cov er ing the holy ob jects and all their equip ment when ev er the camp is to move on. The Ko hath ites will come and car ry them, but they are not to touch the holy ob jects or they will die. These are the trans por ta tion du ties of the Ko hath ites re gard ing the tent of meet ing. 16 “El e a zar, son of Aar on the priest, has over sight of the lamp oil, the fra grant in cense, the dai ly grain of er ing, and the anoint ing oil. He has over sight of the en tire tab er na cle and ev ery thing in it, the holy ob jects and their uten sils.” e 17 Then the L ord spoke to Mo ses and Aar on: 18 “ Do not al low the Ko hath ite trib al clans to be wiped out from the Le vites. 19 Do this for them so that they may live and not die when they come near the most holy ob jects: Aar on and his sons are to go in and as sign each man his task and trans por ta tion duty . 20 The Ko hath ites are not to go in and look at the holy ob jects as they are cov ered f or they will die.” DUTIES OF THE GERSHONITES 21 The L ord spoke to Mo ses: 22 “ Take a cen sus of the Ger shon ites also, by their an ces tral fam i lies and their clans. 23 Reg is ter men from thir ty years old to fif ty years old, ev ery one who is qual i fied to per form ser vice, to do work at the tent of meet ing. 24 This is the ser vice of the Ger shon ite clans re gard ing work and trans por ta tion du ties: 25 They are to trans port the tab er na cle cur tains, the tent of meet ing with its cov er ing and the cov er ing made of fine leath er on top of it, the screen for the en trance to the tent of meet ing, 26 the hang ings of the court yard, the screen for the en trance at the gate of the court yard that sur rounds the tab er na cle and the al tar, along with their ropes and all the equip ment for their ser vice. They will car ry out ev ery thing that needs to be done with these items. 27 “ All the ser vice of the Ger shon ites, all their trans por ta tion du ties and all their oth er work, is to be done at the com mand of Aar on and his sons; you are to as sign to them all that they are re spon si ble to car ry . 28 This is the ser vice of the Ger shon ite clans at the tent of meet ing, and their du ties will be un der the di rec tion of Ith a mar son of Aar on the priest. DUTIES OF THE MERARITES 29 “ As for the Me ra rites, you are to reg is ter them by their clans and their an ces tral fam i lies. 30 Reg is ter men from thir ty years old a 4:2 Lit the house of their fathers, also in vv. 22, 29, 34, 38, 40, 42, 46 b 4:3 Lit everyone entering the service c 4:6 Hb obscure, also in vv. 8, 10, 11, 12, 14, 25 d 4:14 Sam, LXX add They are to take a purple cloth and cover the wash basin and its base. They are to place them in a covering made of fine leather and put them on the carrying frame. e 4:16 Or the sanctuary and its furnishings f 4:20 Or objects, even long enough to swallow,NUMbERS 3-4 116 04_CSB_Pew_Bible.indd 116 10/27/17 1:22 PM to fif ty years old, ev ery one who is qual i fied to do the work of the tent of meet ing. 31 This is what they are re spon si ble to car ry as the whole of their ser vice at the tent of meet ing: the sup ports of the tab er na cle, with its cross bars, pil lars, and bas es, 32 the posts of the sur round ing court yard with their bas es, tent pegs, and ropes, in clud ing all their equip ment and all the work re lat ed to them. You are to as sign by name the items that they are re spon si ble to car ry . 33 This is the ser vice of the Me ra rite clans re gard ing all their work at the tent of meet ing, un der the di rec tion of Ith a mar son of Aar on the priest.” CENSUS OF THE LEVITES 34 So Mo ses, Aar on, and the lead ers of the com mu ni ty reg is tered the Ko hath ites by their clans and their an ces tral fam i lies, 35 men from thir ty years old to fif ty years old, ev ery one who was qual i fied for work at the tent of meet ing. 36 The men reg is tered by their clans num bered 2,750. 37 These were the reg is tered men of the Ko hath ite clans, ev ery one who could serve at the tent of meet ing. Mo ses and Aar on reg is tered them at the L ord’ s com mand through Mo ses. 38 The Ger shon ites were reg is tered by their clans and their an ces tral fam i lies, 39 men from thir ty years old to fif ty years old, ev ery one who was qual i fied for work at the tent of meet ing. 40 The men reg is tered by their clans and their an ces tral fam i lies num bered 2,630. 41 These were the reg is tered men of the Ger shon ite clans. At the L ord’ s com mand Mo ses and Aar on reg is tered ev ery one who could serve at the tent of meet ing. 42 The men of the Me ra rite clans were reg is tered by their clans and their an ces tral fam i lies, 43 those from thir ty years old to fif ty years old, ev ery one who was qual i fied for work at the tent of meet ing. 44 The men reg is tered by their clans num bered 3,200. 45 These were the reg is tered men of the Me ra rite clans; Mo ses and Aar on reg is tered them at the L ord’ s com mand through Mo ses. 46 Mo ses, Aar on, and the lead ers of Is ra el reg is tered all the Le vites by their clans and their an ces tral fam i lies, 47 from thir ty years old to fif ty years old, ev ery one who was qual i fied to do the work of serv ing at the tent of meet ing and transporting it. 48 Their reg is tered men num bered 8,580. 49 At the L ord’ s com mand they were reg is tered un der the di rec tion of Mo ses, each one ac cord ing to his work and trans por ta tion duty , and his as sign ment was as the L ord com mand ed Mo ses. ISOLATION OF THE UNCLEAN 5 The L ord in struct ed Mo ses: 2 “Com mand the Is ra el ites to send away any one from the camp who is aflicted with a skin dis ease, any one who has a dis charge, or any one who is de filed be cause of a corpse. 3 Send away both male or fe male; send them out side the camp, so that they will not de file their camps where I dwell among them.” 4 The Is ra el ites did this, send ing them out side the camp. The Is ra el ites did as the L ord in struct ed Mo ses. COMPENSATION FOR WRONGDOING 5 The L ord spoke to Mo ses: 6 “ Tell the Is ra el ites: When a man or wom an com mits any sin against an oth er, that per son acts un faith ful ly to ward the L ord and is guilty . 7 The per son is to con fess the sin he has com mit ted. He is to pay full com pen sa tion, add a fifth of its val ue to it, and give it to the individual he has wronged. 8 But if that individual has no rel a tive to re ceive com pen sa tion, the com pen sa tion goes to the L ord for the priest, along with the atone ment ram by which the priest will make atone ment for the guilty per son. 9 Ev ery holy con tri bu tion the Is ra el ites pre sent to the priest will be his. 10 Each one’s holy con tri bu tion is his to give; what each one gives to the priest will be his.” THE JEALOUSY RITUAL 11 The L ord spoke to Mo ses: 12 “ Speak to the Is ra el ites and tell them: If any man’s wife goes astray , is un faith ful to him, 13 and sleeps with an oth er, a but it is con cealed from her hus band, and she is un de tect ed, even though she has de filed her self, since there is no wit ness against her, and she wasn’t caught in the act; 14 and if a feel ing of jeal ou sy comes over the hus band and he be comes jeal ous be cause of his wife who has de filed her self — or if a feel ing of jeal ou sy comes over him and he be comes jeal ous of her though she has not de filed her self — 15 then the man is to bring his wife to the priest. He is also to bring an of er ing for her of two quarts b of bar ley flour. He is not to pour oil over it or put frank in cense on it be cause it is a grain of er ing of jeal ou sy , a grain of er ing for re mem brance to draw at ten tion to guilt. a 5:13 Lit and man lies with her and has an emission of semen b 5:15 Lit a tenth of an ephah 117 NUMbERS 4-5 04_CSB_Pew_Bible.indd 117 10/27/17 1:22 PM 16 “ The priest is to bring her for ward and have her stand be fore the L ord. 17 Then the priest is to take holy wa ter in a clay bowl, take some of the dust from the tab er na cle floor, and put it in the wa ter. 18 Af ter the priest has the wom an stand be fore the L ord, he is to let down her hair a and place in her hands the grain of er ing for re mem brance, which is the grain of er ing of jeal ou sy . The priest is to hold the bit ter wa ter that brings a curse. 19 The priest will re quire the wom an to take an oath and will say to her, ‘ If no man has slept with you, if you have not gone astray and be come de filed while un der your hus band’s au thor i ty , be unafected by this bit ter wa ter that brings a curse. 20 But if you have gone astray while un der your hus band’s au thor i ty , if you have de filed your self and a man oth er than your hus band has slept with you’ — 21 at this point the priest will make the wom an take the oath with the sworn curse, and he is to say to her — ‘ May the L ord make you into an ob ject of your peo ple’s curs ing and swear ing when he makes your womb b shriv el and your bel ly swell. 22 May this wa ter that brings a curse en ter your stom ach, caus ing your bel ly to swell and your womb to shriv el.’ “ And the wom an will re ply , ‘ Amen, Amen.’ 23 “ Then the priest is to write these curs es on a scroll and wash them of into the bit ter wa ter. 24 He will re quire the wom an to drink the bit ter wa ter that brings a curse, and it will en ter her to cause bit ter suf er ing. 25 The priest is to take the grain of er ing of jeal ou sy from the wom an, pre sent the of er ing be fore the L ord, and bring it to the al tar. 26 The priest is to take a hand ful of the grain of er ing as a me mo ri al por tion and burn it on the al tar. Af ter ward, he will re quire the wom an to drink the wa ter. 27 “ When he makes her drink the wa ter, if she has de filed her self and been un faith ful to her hus band,
📜 Ancient Religious Rituals
🧪 The trial of jealousy establishes a ritual procedure for husbands suspecting unfaithful wives, where a woman drinks "water that brings a curse" to determine guilt or innocence through divine judgment
✂️ The Nazirite vow creates a path for special consecration to God requiring abstention from wine, haircuts, and contact with dead bodies, establishing a temporary sacred status
🙏 The priestly blessing provides a powerful three-part benediction ("May the Lord bless you and protect you...") that priests use to invoke divine favor upon the Israelite community
🎁 Tribal leaders present elaborate, identical offerings for the tabernacle dedication—silver dishes, gold bowls, and sacrificial animals—demonstrating unified commitment across all twelve tribes
🕯️ Detailed ritual instructions govern the arrangement of lamps, consecration of Levites, and purification procedures, establishing precise protocols for maintaining sacred space
🐑 The sacrificial system features various offerings (sin, burnt, fellowship) with specific animals and measurements, creating a comprehensive framework for atonement and worship
the wa ter that brings a curse will en ter her to cause bit ter suf er ing; her bel ly will swell, and her womb will shriv el. She will be come a curse among her peo ple. 28 But if the wom an has not de filed her self and is pure, she will be unafected and will be able to con ceive chil dren. 29 “ This is the law re gard ing jeal ou sy when a wife goes astray and de files her self while un der her hus band’s au thor i ty , 30 or when a feel ing of jeal ou sy comes over a hus band and he be comes jeal ous of his wife. He is to have the wom an stand be fore the L ord, and the priest will car ry out all these in struc tions for her. 31 The hus band will be free of guilt, but that wom an will bear her in iq ui ty .” THE NAZIRITE VOW 6 The L ord in struct ed Mo ses: 2 “ Speak to the Is ra el ites and tell them: When a man or wom an makes a spe cial vow , a Naz irite vow , to con se crate him self to the L ord, 3 he is to ab stain from wine and beer. He must not drink vin egar made from wine or from beer. He must not drink any grape juice or eat fresh grapes or rai sins. 4 He is not to eat any thing pro duced by the grape vine, from seeds to skin, dur ing the pe ri od of his con se cra tion. 5 “ You must not cut his hair c through out the time of his vow of con se cra tion. He may be holy un til the time is com plet ed dur ing which he consecrates him self to the L ord; he is to let the hair of his head grow long. 6 He must not go near a dead body dur ing the time he consecrates him self to the L ord. 7 He is not to de file him self for his fa ther or moth er, or his broth er or sis ter, when they die, while the mark of con se cra tion to his God is on his head. 8 He is holy to the L ord dur ing the time of con se cra tion. 9 “ If some one sud den ly dies near him, de fil ing his con se crat ed head, he must shave his head on the day of his pu ri fi ca tion; he is to shave it on the sev enth day . 10 On the eighth day he is to bring two turtledoves or two young pi geons to the priest at the en trance to the tent of meet ing. 11 The priest is to of er one as a sin of er ing and the oth er as a burnt of fer ing to make atone ment on be half of the Naz irite, since he incurred guilt be cause of the corpse. On that day he is to con se crate his head again. 12 He is to rededicate his time of con se cra tion to the L ord and to bring a year old male lamb as a guilt of er ing. But do not count the initial pe ri od of con se cra tion be cause it be came de filed. 13 “ This is the law of the Naz irite: On the day his time of con se cra tion is com plet ed, he is to be brought to the en trance to the tent of meet ing. 14 He is to pre sent an of er ing to the L ord of one un blem ished year old male lamb as a burnt of er ing, one un blem ished year old fe male lamb as a sin of er ing, one un blem ished ram as a fel low ship of er ing, 15 along with their grain of er ings and drink of er ings, and a 5:18 Or to uncover her head b 5:21 Lit thigh, also in vv. 22,27 c 6:5 Lit “ A razor is not to pass over his headNUMbERS 5-6 118 04_CSB_Pew_Bible.indd 118 10/27/17 1:22 PM a bas ket of un leav ened cakes made from fine flour mixed with oil, and un leav ened wa fers coat ed with oil. 16 “ The priest is to pre sent these be fore the L ord and sac ri fice the Naz irite’s sin of er ing and burnt of er ing. 17 He will also of er the ram as a fel low ship sac ri fice to the L ord, to geth er with the bas ket of un leav ened bread. Then the priest will of er the ac com pa ny ing grain of er ing and drink of er ing. 18 “ The Naz irite is to shave his con se crat ed head at the en trance to the tent of meet ing, take the hair from his head, and put it on the fire un der the fel low ship sac ri fice. 19 The priest is to take the boiled shoul der from the ram, one un leav ened cake from the bas ket, and one un leav ened wa fer, and put them into the hands of the Naz irite af ter he has shaved his con se crat ed head. 20 The priest is to pre sent them as a pre sen ta tion of er ing be fore the L ord. It is a holy por tion for the priest, in ad di tion to the breast of the pre sen ta tion of er ing and the thigh of the con tri bu tion. Af ter that, the Naz irite may drink wine. 21 “ These are the in struc tions about the Naz irite who vows his of er ing to the L ord for his con se cra tion, in ad di tion to what ev er else he can af ord; he must ful fill what ev er vow he makes in keep ing with the in struc tions for his con se cra tion.” THE PRIESTLY bLESSING 22 The L ord spoke to Mo ses: 23 “ Tell Aar on and his sons, ‘ This is how you are to bless the Is ra el ites. You should say to them, 24 “May the Lord bless you and protect you; 25 may the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 may the Lord look with favor on you a and give you peace.” ’ 27 In this way they will pro nounce my name over b the Is ra el ites, and I will bless them.” OFFERINGS FROM THE LEADERS 7 On the day Mo ses fin ished set ting up the tab er na cle, he anoint ed and con se crat ed it and all its fur nish ings, along with the al tar and all its uten sils. Af ter he anoint ed and con se crat ed these things, 2 the lead ers of Is ra el, the heads of their an ces tral fam i lies, c pre sent ed an of er ing. They were the trib al lead ers who su per vised the reg is tra tion. 3 They brought as their of er ing be fore the L ord six cov ered carts and twelve oxen, a cart from ev ery two lead ers and an ox from each one, and pre sent ed them in front of the tab er na cle. 4 The L ord said to Mo ses, 5 “ Ac cept these from them to be used in the work of the tent of meet ing, and give this of er ing to the Le vites, to each di vi sion ac cord ing to their ser vice.” 6 So Mo ses took the carts and oxen and gave them to the Le vites. 7 He gave the Ger shon ites two carts and four oxen cor re spond ing to their ser vice, 8 and gave the Me ra rites four carts and eight oxen cor re spond ing to their ser vice, un der the di rec tion of Ith a mar son of Aar on the priest. 9 But he did not give any to the Ko hath ites, since their re spon si bil i ty was ser vice re lat ed to the holy ob jects car ried on their shoul ders. 10 The lead ers also pre sent ed the ded i ca tion gift for the al tar when it was anoint ed. The lead ers pre sent ed their of er ings in front of the al tar. 11 The L ord told Mo ses, “ Each day have one lead er pre sent his of er ing for the ded i ca tion of the al tar.” 12 The one who presented his ofering on the first day was Nahshon son of Am minadab from the tribe of Judah. 13 His ofering was one silver dish weighing 3 1/4 pounds d and one silver basin weighing 1 3/4 pounds, e measured by the standard sanctuary shekel, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain ofering; 14 one gold bowl weighing four ounces, f full of incense; 15 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt ofering; 16 one male goat for a sin ofering; 17 and two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old, for the fellowship sacrifice. This was the ofering of Nahshon son of Amminadab. 18 On the second day Nethanel son of Zuar, leader of Issachar, presented an ofering. 19 As his ofering, he presented one silver dish weighing 3 1/4 pounds and one silver basin weighing 1 3/4 pounds, measured by the standard sanctuary shekel, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain ofering; 20 one gold bowl weighing a 6:26 Lit Lord lift his face to you b 6:27 Or put my name on c 7:2 Lit the house of their fathers d 7:13 Lit dish, 130 its shekel-weight, also in vv. 19, 25, 31, 37, 43, 49, 55, 61, 67, 73, 79 e 7:13 Lit 70 shekels, also in vv. 19, 25, 31, 37, 43, 49, 55, 61, 67, 73, 79 f 7:14 Lit 10 (shekels), also in vv. 20, 26, 32, 38, 44, 50, 56, 62, 68, 74, 80, 86 119 NUMbERS 6-7 04_CSB_Pew_Bible.indd 119 10/27/17 1:22 PM four ounces, full of incense; 21 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt ofering; 22 one male goat for a sin ofering; 23 and two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old, for the fellowship sac rifice. This was the ofering of Nethanel son of Zuar. 24 On the third day Eliab son of Helon, leader of the Zebulunites, presented an ofering. 25 His ofering was one silver dish weighing 3 1/4 pounds and one silver basin weighing 1 3/4 pounds, measured by the standard sanctuary shekel, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain ofering; 26 one gold bowl weigh ing four ounces, full of incense; 27 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt ofering; 28 one male goat for a sin ofering; 29 and two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old, for the fellowship sacrifice. This was the ofering of Eliab son of Helon. 30 On the fourth day Elizur son of Shedeur, leader of the Reubenites, presented an ofering. 31 His ofering was one silver dish weighing 3 1/4 pounds and one silver basin weighing 1 3/4 pounds, measured by the standard sanctuary shekel, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain ofering; 32 one gold bowl weigh ing four ounces, full of incense; 33 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt ofering; 34 one male goat for a sin ofering; 35 and two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old, for the fellowship sacrifice. This was the ofering of Elizur son of Shedeur. 36 On the fifth day Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai, leader of the Simeonites, presented an ofering. 37 His ofering was one silver dish weighing 3 1/4 pounds and one silver basin weighing 1 3/4 pounds, measured by the standard sanctuary shekel, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain ofering; 38 one gold bowl weighing four ounces, full of incense; 39 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt ofering; 40 one male goat for a sin ofer ing; 41 and two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old, for the fellowship sacrifice. This was the ofering of Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai. 42 On the sixth day Eliasaph son of Deuel, a leader of the Gadites, presented an ofering. 43 His ofering was one silver dish weighing 3 1/4 pounds and one silver basin weighing 1 3/4 pounds, measured by the standard sanctuary shekel, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain ofering; 44 one gold bowl weighing four ounces full of incense; 45 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt ofering; 46 one male goat for a sin ofering; 47 and two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old, for the fellowship sacri fice. This was the ofering of Eliasaph son of Deuel. a 48 On the seventh day Elishama son of Ammihud, leader of the Ephraimites, presented an ofering. 49 His ofering was one silver dish weighing 3 1/4 pounds and one silver basin weighing 1 3/4 pounds, measured by the standard sanctuary shekel, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain ofering; 50 one gold bowl weighing four ounces, full of incense; 51 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt ofering; 52 one male goat for a sin ofer ing; 53 and two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old, for the fellowship sacrifice. This was the ofering of Elishama son of Ammihud. 54 On the eighth day Gamaliel son of Pedahzur, leader of the Manassites, presented an ofering. 55 His ofering was one silver dish weighing 3 1/4 pounds and one silver basin weighing 1 3/4 pounds, measured by the standard sanctuary shekel, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain ofering; 56 one gold bowl weighing four ounces, full of incense; 57 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt of fering; 58 one male goat for a sin ofering; a 7:42 LXX, Syr read ReuelNUMbERS 7 120 04_CSB_Pew_Bible.indd 120 10/27/17 1:22 PM 59 and two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old, for the fellowship sacrifice. This was the ofering of Gamaliel son of Pedahzur. 60 On the ninth day Abidan son of Gide oni, leader of the Benjaminites, presented an ofering. 61 His ofering was one silver dish weighing 3 1/4 pounds and one silver basin weighing 1 3/4 pounds, measured by the standard sanctuary shekel, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain ofering; 62 one gold bowl weigh ing four ounces, full of incense; 63 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt ofering; 64 one male goat for a sin ofering; 65 and two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old, for the fellowship sacrifice. This was the ofering of Abidan son of Gideoni. 66 On the tenth day Ahiezer son of Ammi shaddai, leader of the Danites, presented an ofering. 67 His ofering was one silver dish weighing 3 1/4 pounds and one silver basin weighing 1 3/4 pounds, measured by the standard sanctuary shekel, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain ofering; 68 one gold bowl weigh ing four ounces, full of incense; 69 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt ofering; 70 one male goat for a sin ofering; 71 and two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old, for the fellowship sacrifice. This was the ofering of Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai. 72 On the eleventh day Pagiel son of Ochran, leader of the Asherites, present ed an ofering. 73 His ofering was one silver dish weighing 3 1/4 pounds and one silver basin weighing 1 3/4 pounds, mea sured by the standard sanctuary shekel, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain ofering; 74 one gold bowl weighing four ounces, full of incense; 75 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt ofering; 76 one male goat for a sin ofering; 77 and two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old, for the fellowship sacrifice. This was the ofer ing of Pagiel son of Ochran. 78 On the twelfth day Ahira son of Enan, leader of the Naphtalites, presented an ofering. 79 His ofering was one silver dish weighing 3 1/4 pounds and one silver basin weighing 1 3/4 pounds, measured by the standard sanctuary shekel, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain ofering; 80 one gold bowl weigh ing four ounces, full of incense; 81 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb a year old, for a burnt ofering; 82 one male goat for a sin ofering; 83 and two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old, for the fellowship sacrifice. This was the ofering of Ahira son of Enan. 84 This was the ded i ca tion gift from the lead ers of Is ra el for the al tar when it was anoint ed: twelve sil ver dish es, twelve sil ver ba sins, and twelve gold bowls. 85 Each sil ver dish weighed 3 1/ 4 pounds, a and each ba sin 1 3/ 4 pounds. b The to tal weight of the sil ver ar ti cles was 60 pounds c mea sured by the stan dard sanc tu ary shek el. 86 The twelve gold bowls full of in cense each weighed four ounc es mea sured by the stan dard sanc tu ary shek el. The to tal weight of the gold bowls was 3 pounds. d 87 All the live stock for the burnt of er ing to taled twelve bulls, twelve rams, and twelve male lambs a year old, with their grain of er ings, and twelve male goats for the sin of er ing. 88 All the live stock for the fel low ship sac ri fice to taled twentyfour bulls, six ty rams, six ty male goats, and six ty male lambs a year old. This was the ded i ca tion gift for the al tar af ter it was anoint ed. 89 When Mo ses en tered the tent of meet ing to speak with the L ord, he heard the voice speak ing to him from above the mer cy seat that was on the ark of the tes ti mo ny , from be tween the two cher u bim. He spoke to him that way . THE LIGHTING IN THE TA bERNACLE 8 The L ord spoke to Mo ses: 2 “ Speak to Aar on and tell him: When you set up the lamps, the sev en lamps are to give light in front of the lamp stand.” 3 So Aar on did this; he set up its lamps to give light in front of the lamp stand a 7:85 Lit 130 (shekels) b 7:85 Lit 70 (shekels) c 7:85 Lit 2,400 (shekels) d 7:86 Lit 120 (shekels) 121 NUMbERS 7-8 04_CSB_Pew_Bible.indd 121 10/27/17 1:22 PM just as the L ord had com mand ed Mo ses. 4 This is the way the lamp stand was made: it was a ham mered work of gold, ham mered from its base to its flow er pet als. The lamp stand was made ac cord ing to the pat tern the L ord had shown Mo ses. CONSECRATION OF THE LEVITES 5 The L ord spoke to Mo ses: 6 “ Take the Le vites from among the Is ra el ites and cer e mo ni al ly cleanse them. 7 Do this to them for their pu ri fi ca tion: Sprin kle them with the pu ri fi ca tion wa ter. Have them shave their en tire bod ies and wash their clothes, and so pu ri fy them selves. 8 “ They are to take a young bull and its grain of er ing of fine flour mixed with oil, and you are to take a sec ond young bull for a sin of fer ing. 9 Bring the Le vites be fore the tent of meet ing and as sem ble the en tire Is ra el ite com mu ni ty . 10 Then pre sent the Le vites be fore the L ord, and have the Is ra el ites lay their hands on them. 11 Aar on is to pre sent the Le vites be fore the L ord as a pre sen ta tion of er ing from the Is ra el ites, so that they may per form the L ord’ s work. 12 Next the Le vites are to lay their hands on the heads of the bulls. Sac ri fice one as a sin of er ing and the oth er as a burnt of er ing to the L ord, to make atone ment for the Le vites. 13 “ You are to have the Le vites stand be fore Aar on and his sons, and you are to pre sent them be fore the L ord as a pre sen ta tion of fer ing. 14 In this way you are to sep a rate the Le vites from the rest of the Is ra el ites so that the Le vites will be long to me. 15 Af ter that the Le vites may come to serve at the tent of meet ing, once you have cer e mo ni al ly cleansed them and pre sent ed them as a pre sen ta tion of er ing. 16 For they have been ex clu sive ly as signed to me from the Is ra el ites. I have tak en them for my self in place of all who come first from the womb, ev ery Is ra el ite first born. 17 For ev ery first born among the Is ra el ites is mine, both man and an i mal. I con se crat ed them to my self on the day I struck down ev ery first
📜 Levitical Priesthood and Divine Guidance
🙏 Levites were consecrated as substitutes for Israel's firstborn, serving Aaron and his sons in the tabernacle from age 25 to 50, performing sacred duties and making atonement for the people
🐑 Passover observance required ceremonial cleanliness, with special provisions for those unable to participate due to impurity or travel—allowing them a second chance in the following month
☁️ Divine guidance manifested through a cloud over the tabernacle that appeared as fire by night, directing Israel's movements with absolute authority—when it lifted they traveled, when it settled they camped
🎺 Silver trumpets served multiple purposes: summoning assemblies, signaling camp movements, sounding battle alerts, and marking religious celebrations
😤 Complaints about hardship and food triggered divine anger, with the people longing for Egypt's variety instead of manna, prompting Moses to feel overwhelmed by leadership
👴 Seventy elders received a portion of Moses's spirit to share his leadership burden, while God provided quail that became a plague to those who craved meat excessively
born in the land of Egypt. 18 But I have tak en the Le vites in place of ev ery first born among the Is ra el ites. 19 From the Is ra el ites, I have giv en the Le vites ex clu sive ly to Aar on and his sons to per form the work for the Is ra el ites at the tent of meet ing and to make atone ment on their be half, so that no plague will come against the Is ra el ites when they ap proach the sanc tu ary .”20 Mo ses, Aar on, and the en tire Is ra el ite com mu ni ty did this to the Le vites. The Is ra el ites did ev ery thing to them the L ord com mand ed Mo ses re gard ing the Le vites. 21 The Le vites pu ri fied them selves and washed their clothes; then Aar on pre sent ed a them be fore the L ord as a pre sen ta tion of er ing. Aar on also made atone ment for them to cleanse them cer e mo ni al ly . 22 Af ter that, the Le vites came to do their work at the tent of meet ing in the pres ence of Aar on and his sons. So they did to them as the L ord had com mand ed Mo ses con cern ing the Le vites. 23 The L ord spoke to Mo ses: 24 “ In re gard to the Le vites: From twentyfive years old or more, a man en ters the ser vice in the work at the tent of meet ing. 25 But at fif ty years old he is to re tire from his ser vice in the work and no lon ger serve. 26 He may as sist his broth ers to ful fill re spon si bil i ties b at the tent of meet ing, but he must not do the work. This is how you are to deal with the Le vites re gard ing their du ties.” THE SECOND PASSOVER 9 In the first month of the sec ond year af ter their de par ture from the land of Egypt, the L ord told Mo ses in the Wil der ness of Si nai: 2 “ The Is ra el ites are to ob serve the Pass over at its ap point ed time. 3 You must ob serve it at its ap point ed time on the four teenth day of this month at twi light; you are to ob serve it ac cord ing to all its stat utes and or di nances.” 4 So Mo ses told the Is ra el ites to ob serve the Pass over, 5 and they ob served it in the first month on the four teenth day at twi light in the Wil der ness of Si nai. The Is ra el ites did ev ery thing as the L ord had com mand ed Mo ses. 6 But there were some men who were un clean be cause of a hu man corpse, so they could not ob serve the Pass over on that day . These men came be fore Mo ses and Aar on the same day 7 and said to him, “ We are un clean be cause of a hu man corpse. Why should we be ex clud ed from pre sent ing the L ord’ s of er ing at its ap point ed time with the oth er Is ra el ites? ” 8 Mo ses re plied to them, “ Wait here un til I hear what the L ord com mands for you.” 9 Then the L ord spoke to Mo ses: 10 “ Tell the Is ra el ites: When any one of you or your de scen dants is un clean be cause of a corpse or is on a dis tant jour ney , he may still ob serve the a 8:21 Lit waved b 8:26 Or to keep guardNUMbERS 8-9 122 04_CSB_Pew_Bible.indd 122 10/27/17 1:22 PM Pass over to the L ord. 11 Such peo ple are to ob serve it in the sec ond month, on the four teenth day at twi light. They are to eat the an i mal with un leav ened bread and bit ter herbs; 12 they may not leave any of it un til morn ing or break any of its bones. They must ob serve the Pass over ac cord ing to all its stat utes. 13 “ But the man who is cer e mo ni al ly clean, is not on a jour ney , and yet fails to ob serve the Pass over is to be cut of from his peo ple, be cause he did not pre sent the L ord’ s of er ing at its ap point ed time. That man will bear the con se quenc es of his sin. 14 “ If an alien re sides with you and wants to ob serve the Pass over to the L ord, he is to do it ac cord ing to the Pass over stat ute and its or di nances. You are to ap ply the same stat ute to both the res i dent alien and the na tive of the land.” GUIDANCE b Y THE CLOUD 15 On the day the tab er na cle was set up, the cloud cov ered the tab er na cle, the tent of the tes ti mo ny , and it ap peared like fire above the tab er na cle from eve ning un til morn ing. 16 It re mained that way con tin u ous ly: the cloud would cov er it, a ap pear ing like fire at night. 17 When ev er the cloud was lift ed up above the tent, the Is ra el ites would set out; at the place where the cloud stopped, there the Is ra el ites camped. 18 At the L ord’ s com mand the Is ra el ites set out, and at the L ord’ s com mand they camped. As long as the cloud stayed over the tab er na cle, they camped. 19 Even when the cloud stayed over the tab er na cle many days, the Is ra el ites car ried out the L ord’ s re quire ment and did not set out. 20 Some times the cloud re mained over the tab er na cle for only a few days. They would camp at the L ord’ s com mand and set out at the L ord’ s com mand. 21 Some times the cloud re mained only from eve ning un til morn ing; when the cloud lift ed in the morn ing, they set out. Or if it re mained a day and a night, they moved out when the cloud lift ed. 22 Wheth er it was two days, a month, or lon ger, b the Is ra el ites camped and did not set out as long as the cloud stayed over the tab er na cle. But when it was lift ed, they set out. 23 They camped at the L ord’ s com mand, and they set out at the L ord’ s com mand. They car ried out the L ord’ s re quire ment ac cord ing to his com mand through Mo ses.TWO SILVER TRUMPETS 10 The L ord spoke to Mo ses: 2 “ Make two trum pets of ham mered sil ver to sum mon the com mu ni ty and have the camps set out. 3 When both are sound ed in long blasts, the en tire com mu ni ty is to gath er be fore you at the en trance to the tent of meet ing. 4 How ev er, if one is sound ed, only the lead ers, the heads of Is ra el’s clans, are to gath er be fore you. 5 “ When you sound short blasts, the camps pitched on the east are to set out. 6 When you sound short blasts a sec ond time, the camps pitched on the south are to set out. Short blasts are to be sound ed for them to set out. 7 When call ing the as sem bly to geth er, you are to sound long blasts, not short ones. 8 The sons of Aar on, the priests, are to sound the trum pets. Your use of these is a per ma nent stat ute through out your gen er a tions. 9 “ When you en ter into bat tle in your land against an ad ver sary who is at tack ing you, sound short blasts on the trum pets, and you will be re mem bered be fore the L ord your God and be saved from your en e mies. 10 You are to sound the trum pets over your burnt of er ings and your fel low ship sac ri fic es and on your joy ous oc ca sions, your ap point ed fes ti vals, and the be gin ning of each of your months. They will serve as a re mind er for you be fore your God: I am the L ord your God.” FROM SINAI TO PARAN 11 Dur ing the sec ond year, in the sec ond month on the twen ti eth day of the month, the cloud was lift ed up above the tab er na cle of the tes ti mo ny . 12 The Is ra el ites trav eled on from the Wil der ness of Si nai, mov ing from one place to the next un til the cloud stopped in the Wil der ness of Pa ran. 13 They set out for the first time ac cord ing to the L ord’ s com mand through Mo ses. 14 The mil i tary di vi sions of the camp of Ju dah’s de scen dants with their ban ner set out first, and Nah shon son of Am min a dab was over their di vi sions. 15 Ne than el son of Zuar was over the di vi sion of the tribe of Is sa char’s de scen dants, 16 and Eli ab son of He lon was over the di vi sion of the tribe of Zeb u lun’s de scen dants. 17 The tab er na cle was then tak en down, and the Ger shon ites and the Me ra rites set out, transporting the tab er na cle. 18 The mil i tary di vi sions of the camp of Reu ben with their ban ner set out, and Eli zur son of Shed e ur was over their di vi sions. 19 She lu mi el a 9:16 LXX, Vg, Syr , Tg read it by day b 9:22 Or a year 123 NUMbERS 9-10 04_CSB_Pew_Bible.indd 123 10/27/17 1:22 PM son of Zu ri shad dai was over the di vi sion of the tribe of Sim e on’s de scen dants, 20 and Eli a saph son of Deu el a was over the di vi sion of the tribe of Gad’s de scen dants. 21 The Ko hath ites then set out, transporting the holy ob jects; the tab er na cle was to be set up be fore their ar riv al. 22 Next the mil i tary di vi sions of the camp of Ephra im’s de scen dants with their ban ner set out, and Elish a ma son of Am mi hud was over their di vi sions. 23 Ga ma li el son of Pe dah zur was over the di vi sion of the tribe of Ma nas seh’s de scen dants, 24 and Abi dan son of Gid e o ni was over the di vi sion of the tribe of Ben ja min’s de scen dants. 25 The mil i tary di vi sions of the camp of Dan’s de scen dants with their ban ner set out, serv ing as rear guard for all the camps, and Ahi e zer son of Am mi shad dai was over their di vi sions. 26 Pa gi el son of Ochran was over the di vi sion of the tribe of Ash er’s de scen dants, 27 and Ahi ra son of Enan was over the di vi sion of the tribe of Naph ta li’s de scen dants. 28 This was the or der of march for the Is ra el ites by their mil i tary di vi sions as they set out. 29 Mo ses said to Ho bab, de scen dant of Reu el the Mid i an ite and Moses’s rel a tive by mar riage: Reu el the Mid i an ite: “ We’re set ting out for the place the L ord prom ised: ‘ I will give it to you.’ Come with us, and we will treat you well, for the L ord has prom ised good things to Is ra el.” 30 But he re plied to him, “ I don’t want to go. In stead, I will go to my own land and my rel a tives.” 31 “ Please don’t leave us,” Mo ses said, “ since you know where we should camp in the wil der ness, and you can serve as our eyes. 32 If you come with us, what ev er good the L ord does for us we will do for you.” 33 They set out from the moun tain of the L ord on a threeday jour ney with the ark of the L ord’ s cov enant trav el ing ahead of them for those three days to seek a rest ing place for them. 34 Mean while, the cloud of the L ord was over them by day when they set out from the camp. 35 When ev er the ark set out, Mo ses would say: Arise, Lord! Let your enemies be scattered, and those who hate you flee from your presence.36 When it came to rest, he would say: Return, Lord, to the countless thousands of Israel. COMPLAINTS A bOUT HARDSHIP 11 Now the peo ple be gan com plain ing open ly be fore b the L ord about hard ship. When the L ord heard, his an ger burned, and fire from the L ord blazed among them and con sumed the out skirts of the camp. 2 Then the peo ple cried out to Mo ses, and he prayed to the L ord, and the fire died down. 3 So that place was named Tab e rah, c be cause the L ord’ s fire had blazed among them. COMPLAINTS A bOUT FOOD 4 The rifraf d among them had a strong crav ing for oth er food. The Is ra el ites wept again and said, “ Who will feed us meat? 5 We re mem ber the free fish we ate in Egypt, along with the cu cum bers, mel ons, leeks, on ions, and gar lic. 6 But now our ap pe tite is gone; e there’s noth ing to look at but this man na! ” 7 The man na re sem bled co ri an der seed, and its ap pear ance was like that of bdel li um. f 8 The peo ple walked around and gath ered it. They ground it on a pair of grind ing stones or crushed it in a mor tar, then boiled it in a cook ing pot and shaped it into cakes. It tast ed like a pastry cooked with the fin est oil. 9 When the dew fell on the camp at night, the man na would fall with it. 10 Mo ses heard the peo ple, fam i ly af ter fam i ly , weep ing at the en trance of their tents. The L ord was very an gry; Mo ses was also pro voked. g 11 So Mo ses asked the L ord, “ Why have you brought such trou ble on your ser vant? Why are you an gry with me, h and why do you bur den me with all these peo ple? 12 Did I con ceive all these peo ple? Did I give them birth so you should tell me, ‘Car ry them at your breast, as a nanny car ries a baby ,’ to the land that you swore to give their fa thers? 13 Where can I get meat to give all these peo ple? For they are weep ing to me, ‘ Give us meat to eat! ’ 14 I can’t car ry all these peo ple by my self. They are too much for me. 15 If you are go ing to treat me like this, please kill me right now if I have found fa vor with you, and don’t let me see my mis ery i any more.” a 10:20 LXX, Syr read Reuel b 11:1 Lit in the ears of c 11:3 = Blaze d 11:4 Or The mixed multitude ; Hb obscure e 11:6 Or our lives are wasting away, or our throat is dry f 11:7 A yellowish, transparent gum resin g 11:10 Lit and it was evil in the eyes of Moses h 11:11 Lit Why have I not found favor in your eyes i 11:15 Alt Hb tradition reads your miseryNUMbERS 10-11 124 04_CSB_Pew_Bible.indd 124 10/27/17 1:22 PM SEVENTY ELDERS ANOINTED 16 The L ord an swered Mo ses, “ Bring me sev en ty men from Is ra el known to you as el ders and of fi cers of the peo ple. Take them to the tent of meet ing and have them stand there with you. 17 Then I will come down and speak with you there. I will take some of the Spir it who is on you and put the Spir it on them. They will help you bear the bur den of the peo ple, so that you do not have to bear it by your self. 18 “ Tell the peo ple: Con se crate your selves in readi ness for to mor row , and you will eat meat be cause you wept in the L ord’ s hear ing, ‘ Who will feed us meat? We were bet ter of in Egypt.’ The L ord will give you meat and you will eat. 19 You will eat, not for one day , or two days, or five days, or ten days, or twen ty days, 20 but for a whole month — un til it comes out of your nos trils and be comes nauseating to you — be cause you have re ject ed the L ord who is among you, and wept be fore him: ‘ Why did we ever leave Egypt? ’ ” 21 But Mo ses re plied, “ I’m in the mid dle of a peo ple with six hun dred thou sand foot sol diers, yet you say , ‘ I will give them meat, and they will eat for a month.’ 22 If flocks and herds were slaugh tered for them, would they have enough? Or if all the fish in the sea were caught for them, would they have enough? ” 23 The L ord an swered Mo ses, “ Is the L ord’ s arm weak? a Now you will see wheth er or not what I have prom ised will hap pen to you.” 24 Mo ses went out and told the peo ple the words of the L ord. He brought sev en ty men from the el ders of the peo ple and had them stand around the tent. 25 Then the L ord de scend ed in the cloud and spoke to him. He took some of the Spir it that was on Mo ses and placed the Spir it on the sev en ty el ders. As the Spir it rest ed on them, they proph e sied, but they nev er did it again. 26 Two men had re mained in the camp, one named El dad and the oth er Me dad; the Spir it rest ed on them — they were among those list ed, but had not gone out to the tent — and they proph e sied in the camp. 27 A young man ran and re port ed to Mo ses, “El dad and Me dad are proph e sy ing in the camp.” 28 Josh ua son of Nun, as sis tant to Mo ses since his youth, b re spond ed, “Mo ses, my lord, stop them! ”29 But Mo ses asked him, “ Are you jeal ous on my ac count? If only all the L ord’ s peo ple were proph ets and the L ord would place his Spir it on them! ” 30 Then Mo ses re turned to the camp along with the el ders of Is ra el. QUAIL IN THE CAMP 31 A wind sent by the L ord came up and blew quail in from the sea; it dropped them all around the camp. They were fly ing three feet c of d the ground for about a day’s jour ney in ev ery di rec tion. 32 The peo ple were up all that day and night and all the next day gath er ing the quail — the one who took the least gath ered fif ty bush els e — and they spread them out all around the camp. f 33 While the meat was still be tween their teeth, be fore it was chewed, the L ord’ s an ger burned against the peo ple, and the L ord struck them with a very se vere plague. 34 So they named that place Kibrothhattaavah, g be cause there they bur ied the peo ple who had craved the meat. 35 From Kibroth hattaavah the peo ple moved on to Ha ze roth h and re mained there. MIRIAM AND AARON RE bEL 12 Mir i am and Aar on crit i cized Mo ses be cause of the Cush ite wom an he mar ried ( for he had mar ried a Cush ite wom an). 2 They said, “ Does the L ord speak only through Mo ses? Does he not also speak through us? ” And the L ord heard it. 3 Mo ses was a very hum ble man, more so than any one on the face of the earth. 4 Sud den ly the L ord said to Mo ses, Aar on, and Mir i am, “ You three come out to the tent of meet ing.” So the three of them went out. 5 Then the L ord de scend ed in a pil lar of cloud, stood at the en trance to the tent, and sum moned Aar on and Mir i am. When the two of them came for ward, 6 he said: “Listen to what I say: If there is a prophet among you from the Lord, I make myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream. 7 Not so with my servant Moses; he is faithful in i all my household. 8 I speak with him directly , j openly , and not in riddles; he sees the form of the Lord. a 11:23 Lit the Lord’s arm too short b 11:28 Or Moses, from his elite young men c 11:31 Lit two cubits d 11:31 Or They were
📜 Divine Judgment and Guidance
🔥 God's anger manifests when Miriam speaks against Moses, resulting in her temporary leprosy and seven-day confinement outside the camp
🕵️ Twelve tribal leaders scout Canaan, but ten return with fearful reports despite the land's abundance, while only Joshua and Caleb maintain faith in God's promise
🌪️ Israel's rebellion against entering Canaan triggers divine punishment—the entire generation will die in the wilderness during forty years of wandering, with only their children inheriting the promised land
⚖️ Specific laws for offerings establish proper worship practices for both Israelites and resident aliens, emphasizing equal treatment under divine law
🚫 The text distinguishes between unintentional sins (which can be atoned for through offerings) and defiant sins (which result in being cut off from the community)
three feet deep on e 11:32 Lit 10 homers f 11:32 To dry or cure the meat; 2Sm 17:19; Ezk 26:5,14 g 11:34 = Graves of Craving h 11:35 = Settlements; Nm 12:16; 33:16-17 i 12:7 Or is entrusted with j 12:8 Lit mouth to mouth 125 NUMbERS 11-12 04_CSB_Pew_Bible.indd 125 10/27/17 1:22 PM So why were you not afraid to speak against my ser vant Mo ses? ” 9 The L ord’ s an ger burned against them, and he left. 10 As the cloud moved away from the tent, Mir i am’s skin sud den ly be came dis eased, re sem bling snow . a When Aar on turned to ward her, he saw that she was dis eased 11 and said to Mo ses, “ My lord, please don’t hold against us this sin we have so fool ish ly com mit ted. 12 Please don’t let her be like a dead baby b whose flesh is half eat en away when he comes out of his moth er’s womb.” 13 Then Mo ses cried out to the L ord, “ God, please heal her! ” 14 The L ord an swered Mo ses, “ If her fa ther had mere ly spit in her face, wouldn’t she re main in dis grace for sev en days? Let her be con fined out side the camp for sev en days; af ter that she may be brought back in.” 15 So Mir i am was con fined out side the camp for sev en days, and the peo ple did not move on un til Mir i am was brought back in. 16 Af ter that, the peo ple set out from Ha ze roth and camped in the Wil der ness of Pa ran. SCOUTING OUT CANAAN 13 The L ord spoke to Mo ses: 2 “ Send men to scout out the land of Ca naan I am giv ing to the Is ra el ites. Send one man who is a lead er among them from each of their an ces tral tribes.” 3 Mo ses sent them from the Wil der ness of Pa ran at the L ord’ s com mand. All the men were lead ers in Is ra el. 4 These were their names: Shammua son of Zaccur from the tribe of Reuben; 5 Shaphat son of Hori from the tribe of Simeon; 6 Caleb son of Jephunneh from the tribe of Judah; 7 Igal son of Joseph from the tribe of Issachar; 8 Hoshea son of Nun from the tribe of Ephraim; 9 Palti son of Raphu from the tribe of Benjamin; 10 Gaddiel son of Sodi from the tribe of Zebulun; 11 Gaddi son of Susi from the tribe of Manasseh (from the tribe of Joseph); 12 Ammiel son of Gemalli from the tribe of Dan; 13 Sethur son of Michael from the tribe of Asher; 14 Nahbi son of Vophsi from the tribe of Naphtali; 15 Geuel son of Machi from the tribe of Gad. 16 These were the names of the men Mo ses sent to scout out the land, and Mo ses renamed Ho shea son of Nun, Josh ua. 17 When Mo ses sent them to scout out the land of Ca naan, he told them, “ Go up this way to the Ne gev , then go up into the hill coun try . 18 See what the land is like, and wheth er the peo ple who live there are strong or weak, few or many . 19 Is the land they live in good or bad? Are the cit ies they live in encamp ments or for ti fi ca tions? 20 Is the land fer tile or un pro duc tive? Are there trees in it or not? Be cou ra geous. Bring back some fruit from the land.” It was the sea son for the first ripe grapes. 21 So they went up and scouted out the land from the Wil der ness of Zin c as far as Re hob near the en trance to Ha math. d 22 They went up through the Ne gev and came to He bron, where Ahi man, She shai, and Tal mai, the de scen dants of Anak, were liv ing. He bron was built sev en years be fore Zoan in Egypt. 23 When they came to the Val ley of Esh col, they cut down a branch with a sin gle clus ter of grapes, which was car ried on a pole by two men. They also took some pome gran ates and figs. 24 That place was called the Val ley of Esh col e be cause of the clus ter of grapes the Is ra el ites cut there. 25 At the end of for ty days they re turned from scouting out the land. REPORT Ab OUT CANAAN 26 The men went back to Mo ses, Aar on, and the en tire Is ra el ite com mu ni ty in the Wil der ness of Pa ran at Ka desh. They brought back a re port for them and the whole com mu ni ty , and they showed them the fruit of the land. 27 They re port ed to Mo ses: “ We went into the land where you sent us. In deed it is flow ing with milk and hon ey , and here is some of its fruit. 28 How ev er, the peo ple liv ing in the land are strong, and the cit ies are large and for ti fied. We also saw the de scen dants of Anak there. 29 The Am a lek ites are liv ing in the land of the Ne gev; the Heth ites, Jeb u sites, and Am o rites live in the hill coun try; a 12:10 A reference to whiteness or flakiness of the skin b 12:12 Alt Hb tradition reads baby who comes out of our mother’s womb and our flesh is half eaten away. c 13:21 Southern border of the promised land d 13:21 Or near Lebo-hamath e 13:24 = ClusterNUMbERS 12-13 126 04_CSB_Pew_Bible.indd 126 10/27/17 1:22 PM and the Ca naan ites live by the sea and along the Jor dan.” 30 Then Ca leb qui et ed the peo ple in the pres ence of Mo ses and said, “ Let’s go up now and take pos ses sion of the land be cause we can cer tain ly con quer it! ” 31 But the men who had gone up with him re spond ed, “ We can’t at tack the peo ple be cause they are stron ger than we are! ” 32 So they gave a negative re port to the Is ra el ites about the land they had scouted: “ The land we passed through to ex plore is one that de vours its in hab i tants, and all the peo ple we saw in it are men of great size. 33 We even saw the Neph i lim there — the de scen dants of Anak come from the Neph i lim! To our selves we seemed like grass hop pers, and we must have seemed the same to them.” ISRAEL’S REFUSAL TO ENTER CANAAN 14 Then the whole com mu ni ty broke into loud cries, and the peo ple wept that night. 2 All the Is ra el ites com plained about Mo ses and Aar on, and the whole com mu ni ty told them, “ If only we had died in the land of Egypt, or if only we had died in this wil der ness! 3 Why is the L ord bring ing us into this land to die by the sword? Our wives and chil dren will be come plun der. Wouldn’t it be bet ter for us to go back to Egypt? ” 4 So they said to one an oth er, “ Let’s ap point a lead er and go back to Egypt.” 5 Then Mo ses and Aar on fell face down in front of the whole as sem bly of the Is ra el ite com mu ni ty . 6 Josh ua son of Nun and Ca leb son of Je phun neh, who were among those who scouted out the land, tore their clothes 7 and said to the en tire Is ra el ite com mu ni ty: “ The land we passed through and ex plored is an ex treme ly good land. 8 If the L ord is pleased with us, he will bring us into this land, a land flow ing with milk and hon ey , and give it to us. 9 Only don’t rebel against the L ord, and don’t be afraid of the peo ple of the land, for we will de vour them. Their pro tec tion has been re moved from them, and the L ord is with us. Don’t be afraid of them! ” 10 While the whole com mu ni ty threat ened to stone them, the glo ry of the L ord ap peared to all the Is ra el ites at the tent of meet ing. GOD’S JUDGMENT OF ISRAEL’S RE bELLION 11 The L ord said to Mo ses, “ How long will these peo ple de spise me? How long will they not trust in me de spite all the signs I have per formed among them? 12 I will strike them with a plague and de stroy them. Then I will make you into a great er and might i er na tion than they are.” 13 But Mo ses re plied to the L ord, “ The Egyp tians will hear about it, for by your strength you brought up this peo ple from them. 14 They will tell it to the in hab i tants of this land. They have heard that you, L ord, are among these peo ple, how you, L ord, are seen face to face, how your cloud stands over them, and how you go be fore them in a pil lar of cloud by day and in a pil lar of fire by night. 15 If you kill this peo ple with a sin gle blow , a the na tions that have heard of your fame will de clare, 16 ‘ Since the L ord wasn’t able to bring this peo ple into the land he swore to give them, he has slaugh tered them in the wil der ness.’ 17 “ So now , may my Lord’s pow er be mag nified just as you have spo ken: 18 The L ord is slow to an ger and abounding in faith ful love, for giv ing in iq ui ty and re bel lion. But he will not leave the guilty un pun ished, bring ing the con se quenc es of the fa thers’ in iq ui ty on the chil dren to the third and fourth gen er a tion. 19 Please par don the in iq ui ty of this peo ple, in keep ing with the great ness of your faith ful love, just as you have for giv en them from Egypt un til now .” 20 The L ord re spond ed, “ I have par doned them as you re quest ed. 21 Yet as sure ly as I live and as the whole earth is filled with the L ord’ s glo ry , 22 none of the men who have seen my glo ry and the signs I per formed in Egypt and in the wil der ness, and have test ed me these ten times and did not obey me, 23 will ever see the land I swore to give their fa thers. None of those who have de spised me will see it. 24 But since my ser vant Ca leb has a dif er ent spir it and has re mained loy al to me, I will bring him into the land where he has gone, and his de scen dants will in her it it. 25 Since the Am a lek ites and Ca naan ites are liv ing in the lowlands, b turn back to mor row and head for the wil der ness in the di rec tion of the Red Sea.” 26 Then the L ord spoke to Mo ses and Aar on: 27 “ How long must I en dure this evil com mu ni ty that keeps com plain ing about me? I have heard the Is ra el ites’ com plaints that they make against me. 28 Tell them: As sure ly as I live — this is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion — I will do to you ex act ly as I heard you say . 29 Your a 14:15 Lit people as one man b 14:25 Lit valley 127 NUMbERS 13-14 04_CSB_Pew_Bible.indd 127 10/27/17 1:22 PM corpses will fall in this wil der ness — all of you who were reg is tered in the cen sus, the en tire num ber of you twen ty years old or more — be cause you have com plained about me. 30 I swear that none of you will en ter the land I prom ised a to set tle you in, ex cept Ca leb son of Je phun neh and Josh ua son of Nun. 31 I will bring your chil dren whom you said would be come plun der into the land you re ject ed, and they will en joy it. 32 But as for you, your corpses will fall in this wil der ness. 33 Your chil dren will be shep herds in the wil der ness for for ty years and bear the pen al ty for your acts of un faith ful ness un til all your corpses lie scat tered in the wil der ness. 34 You will bear the con se quenc es of your in iq ui ties for ty years based on the num ber of the for ty days that you scouted the land, a year for each day . b You will know my dis plea sure. c 35 I, the L ord, have spo ken. I swear that I will do this to the en tire evil com mu ni ty that has con spired against me. They will come to an end in the wil der ness, and there they will die.” 36 So the men Mo ses sent to scout out the land, and who re turned and in cit ed the en tire com mu ni ty to com plain about him by spread ing a negative re port about the land — 37 those men who spread the negative re port about the land were struck down by the L ord. 38 Only Josh ua son of Nun and Ca leb son of Je phun neh re mained alive of those men who went to scout out the land. ISRAEL ROUTED 39 When Mo ses re port ed these words to all the Is ra el ites, the peo ple were over come with grief. 40 They got up ear ly the next morn ing and went up the ridge of the hill coun try , say ing, “ Let’s go to the place the L ord prom ised, for we were wrong.” 41 But Mo ses re spond ed, “ Why are you go ing against the L ord’ s com mand? It won’t suc ceed. 42 Don’t go, be cause the L ord is not among you and you will be de feat ed by your en e mies. 43 The Am a lek ites and Ca naan ites are right in front of you, and you will fall by the sword. The L ord won’t be with you, since you have turned from fol low ing him.” 44 But they dared to go up the ridge of the hill coun try , even though the ark of the L ord’ s cov enant and Mo ses did not leave the camp. 45 Then the Am a lek ites and Ca naan ites who lived in that part of the hill coun try came down, at tacked them, and rout ed them as far as Hor mah. LAWS A bOUT OFFERINGS 15 The L ord in struct ed Mo ses: 2 “ Speak to the Is ra el ites and tell them: When you en ter the land I am giv ing you to set tle in, 3 and you make a fire of er ing to the L ord from the herd or flock — ei ther a burnt of er ing or a sac ri fice, to ful fill a vow , or as a free will of er ing, or at your ap point ed fes ti vals — to pro duce a pleas ing aro ma for the L ord, 4 the one pre sent ing his of er ing to the L ord is also to pre sent a grain of er ing of two quarts d of fine flour mixed with a quart e of oil. 5 Pre pare a quart of wine as a drink of er ing with the burnt of er ing or sac ri fice of each lamb. 6 “ If you pre pare a grain of er ing with a ram, it is to be four quarts f of fine flour mixed with a third of a gallon g of oil. 7 Also pre sent a third of a gallon of wine for a drink of er ing as a pleas ing aro ma to the L ord. 8 “ If you pre pare a young bull as a burnt of er ing or as a sac ri fice, to ful fill a vow , or as a fel low ship of er ing to the L ord, 9 a grain of er ing of six quarts h of fine flour mixed with two quarts i of oil is to be pre sent ed with the bull. 10 Also pre sent two quarts of wine as a drink of er ing. It is a fire of er ing of pleas ing aro ma to the L ord. 11 This is to be done for each ox, ram, lamb, or goat. 12 This is how you are to pre pare each of them, no mat ter how many . 13 “Ev ery Is ra el ite is to pre pare these things in this way when he pre sents a fire of er ing as a pleas ing aro ma to the L ord. 14 When an alien re sides with you or some one else is among you and wants to pre pare a fire of er ing as a pleas ing aro ma to the L ord, he is to do ex act ly as you do through out your gen er a tions. 15 The as sem bly is to have the same stat ute for both you and the res i dent alien as a per ma nent stat ute through out your gen er a tions. You and the alien will be alike be fore the L ord. 16 The same law and the same or di nance will ap ply to both you and the alien who re sides with you.” 17 The L ord in struct ed Mo ses: 18 “ Speak to the Is ra el ites and tell them: Af ter you en ter the land where I am bring ing you, 19 you are to of er a con tri bu tion to the L ord when you eat from the food of the land. 20 You are to of fer a loaf from your first batch of dough as a con tri bu tion; of er it just like a con tri bu tion a 14:30 Lit I raised my hand b 14:34 Lit a day for the year, a day for the year c 14:34 Or my opposition d 15:4 Lit a tenth (of an ephah) e 15:4 Lit a fourth hin, also in v. 5 f 15:6 Lit two-tenths (of an ephah) g 15:6 Lit a third hin, also in v. 7 h 15:9 Lit three-tenths (of an ephah) i 15:9 Lit a half hin, also in v. 10NUMbERS 14-15 128 04_CSB_Pew_Bible.indd 128 10/27/17 1:22 PM from the thresh ing floor. 21 Through out your gen er a tions, you are to give the L ord a con tri bu tion from the first batch of your dough. 22 “ When you sin un in ten tion al ly and do not obey all these com mands that the L ord spoke to Mo ses — 23 all that the L ord has com mand ed you through Mo ses, from the day the L ord is sued the com mands and onward through out your gen er a tions — 24 and if it was done un in ten tion al ly with out the com mu ni ty’s awareness, the en tire com mu ni ty is to pre pare one young bull for a burnt of er ing as a pleas ing aro ma to the L ord, with its grain of er ing and drink of er ing ac cord ing to the reg u la tion, and one male goat as a sin of er ing. 25 The priest will then make atone ment for the en tire Is ra el ite com mu ni ty so that they may be for giv en, for the sin was un in ten tion al. They are to bring their of er ing, one made by fire to the L ord, and their sin of er ing be fore the L ord for their un in ten tion al sin. 26 The en tire Is ra el ite com mu ni ty and the alien who re sides among them will be for giv en, since it hap pened to all the peo ple un in ten tion al ly . 27 “ If one per son sins un in ten tion al ly , he is to pre sent a year old fe male goat as a sin of er ing. 28 The priest will then make atone ment be fore the L ord on be half of the per son who acts in er ror sin ning un in ten tion al ly , and when he makes atone ment for him, he will be for giv en. 29 You are to have the same law for the per son who acts in er ror, wheth er he is an Is ra el ite or an alien who re sides among you. 30 “ But the per son who acts de fi ant ly , a wheth er na tive or res i dent alien, blas phemes the L ord. That per son is to be cut of from his peo ple. 31 He will cer tain ly be cut of, be cause he has de spised the L ord’ s word and bro ken his com mand; his guilt re mains on him.” SAbbATH VIOLATION 32 While the Is ra el ites were in the wil der ness, they found a man gath er ing wood on the Sab bath day . 33 Those who found him gath er ing wood brought him to Mo ses, Aar on, and the en tire com mu ni ty . 34 They placed him in cus to dy be cause it had not been de cid ed what should be done to
📜 Divine Authority and Rebellion
🔵 Tassels with blue cord serve as visual reminders for Israelites to obey God's commands rather than following their own desires, establishing a physical symbol of spiritual commitment
🔥 Korah's rebellion against Moses and Aaron demonstrates the dangerous consequences of challenging divinely appointed leadership, resulting in supernatural judgment when the earth swallowed the rebels
🌱 Aaron's sprouting staff miraculously produces buds, blossoms, and almonds, confirming God's selection of Aaron's priesthood and silencing complaints about leadership
✝️ Priestly responsibilities come with both privileges (portions of offerings, tithes) and serious obligations (guarding the sanctuary), creating a clear separation between priests, Levites, and ordinary Israelites
🐄 The red heifer ritual establishes detailed purification procedures, highlighting the importance of ceremonial cleanliness in approaching God
⚖️ God consistently balances judgment and mercy throughout these accounts, punishing rebellion while providing ways for the community to be restored
him. 35 Then the L ord told Mo ses, “ The man is to be put to death. The en tire com mu ni ty is to stone him out side the camp.” 36 So the en tire com mu ni ty brought him out side the camp and stoned him to death, as the L ord had com mand ed Mo ses.TASSELS FOR REMEM bRANCE 37 The L ord said to Mo ses, 38 “ Speak to the Is ra el ites and tell them that through out their gen er a tions they are to make tas sels for the cor ners of their gar ments, and put a blue cord on the tas sel at each cor ner. 39 These will serve as tas sels for you to look at, so that you may re mem ber all the L ord’ s com mands and obey them and not pros ti tute your selves by fol low ing your own heart and your own eyes. 40 This way you will re mem ber and obey all my com mands and be holy to your God. 41 I am the L ord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God; I am the L ord your God.” KORAH INCITES RE bELLION 16 Now Ko rah son of Iz har, son of Ko hath, son of Levi, with Da than and Abi ram, sons of Eli ab, and On son of Pe leth, sons of Reu ben, took 2 two hun dred and fif ty prom i nent Is ra el ite men who were lead ers of the com mu ni ty and rep re sen ta tives in the as sem bly , and they re belled against Mo ses. 3 They came to geth er against Mo ses and Aar on and told them, “ You have gone too far! Ev ery one in the en tire com mu ni ty is holy , and the L ord is among them. Why then do you ex alt your selves above the L ord’ s as sem bly? ” 4 When Mo ses heard this, he fell face down. 5 Then he said to Ko rah and all his fol low ers, “To mor row morn ing the L ord will re veal who be longs to him, who is set apart, and the one he will let come near him. He will let the one he chooses come near him. 6 Ko rah, you and all your fol low ers are to do this: take fire pans, and to mor row 7 place fire in them and put in cense on them be fore the L ord. Then the man the L ord chooses will be the one who is set apart. It is you Le vites who have gone too far! ” 8 Mo ses also told Ko rah, “ Now lis ten, Le vites! 9 Isn’t it enough for you that the God of Is ra el has sep a rat ed you from the Is ra el ite com mu ni ty to bring you near to him self, to per form the work at the L ord’ s tab er na cle, and to stand be fore the com mu ni ty to min is ter to them? 10 He has brought you near, and all your fel low Le vites who are with you, but you are pur su ing the priest hood as well. 11 There fore, it is you and all your fol low ers who have con spired against the L ord! As for Aar on, who is he b that you should com plain about him? ” a 15:30 Lit with a high hand b 16:11 Or Aaron, what has he done 129 NUMbERS 15-16 04_CSB_Pew_Bible.indd 129 10/27/17 1:22 PM 12 Mo ses sent for Da than and Abi ram, the sons of Eli ab, but they said, “ We will not come! 13 Is it not enough that you brought us up from a land flow ing with milk and hon ey to kill us in the wil der ness? Do you also have to ap point your self as rul er over us? 14 Fur ther more, you didn’t bring us to a land flow ing with milk and hon ey or give us an in her i tance of fields and vine yards. Will you gouge out the eyes of these men? We will not come! ” 15 Then Mo ses be came an gry and said to the L ord, “ Don’t re spect their of er ing. I have not tak en one don key from them or mis treat ed a sin gle one of them.” 16 So Mo ses told Ko rah, “ You and all your fol low ers are to ap pear be fore the L ord to mor row — you, they , and Aar on. 17 Each of you is to take his firepan, place in cense on it, and pre sent his firepan be fore the L ord — 250 fire pans. You and Aar on are each to pre sent your firepan also.” 18 Each man took his firepan, placed fire in it, put in cense on it, and stood at the en trance to the tent of meet ing along with Mo ses and Aar on. 19 Af ter Ko rah as sem bled the whole com mu ni ty against them at the en trance to the tent of meet ing, the glo ry of the L ord ap peared to the whole com mu ni ty . 20 The L ord spoke to Mo ses and Aar on, 21 “Sep a rate your selves from this com mu ni ty so I may con sume them in stant ly .” 22 But Mo ses and Aar on fell face down and said, “ God, God who gives breath to all, a when one man sins, will you vent your wrath on the whole com mu ni ty? ” 23 The L ord re plied to Mo ses, 24 “ Tell the com mu ni ty: Get away from the dwell ings of Ko rah, Da than, and Abi ram.” 25 Mo ses got up and went to Da than and Abi ram, and the el ders of Is ra el fol lowed him. 26 He warned the com mu ni ty , “ Get away now from the tents of these wick ed men. Don’t touch any thing that be longs to them, or you will be swept away be cause of all their sins.” 27 So they got away from the dwell ings of Ko rah, Da than, and Abi ram. Mean while, Da than and Abi ram came out and stood at the en trance of their tents with their wives, chil dren, and in fants. 28 Then Mo ses said, “ This is how you will know that the L ord sent me to do all these things and that it was not of my own will: 29 If these men die nat u ral ly as all peo ple would, and suf er the fate of all, then the L ord has not sent me. 30 But if the L ord brings about some thing un prec e dent ed, and the ground opens its mouth and swal lows them along with all that be longs to them so that they go down alive into She ol, then you will know that these men have de spised the L ord.” 31 Just as he fin ished speak ing all these words, the ground be neath them split open. 32 The earth opened its mouth and swal lowed them and their house holds, all Ko rah’s peo ple, and all their pos ses sions. 33 They went down alive into She ol with all that be longed to them. The earth closed over them, and they van ished from the as sem bly . 34 At their cries, all the peo ple of Is ra el who were around them fled be cause they thought, “ The earth may swal low us too! ” 35 Fire also came out from the L ord and con sumed the 250 men who were pre sent ing the in cense. 36 Then the L ord spoke to Mo ses: 37 “ Tell El e a zar son of Aar on the priest to re move the fire pans from the burn ing debris, be cause they are holy , and scat ter the fire far away . 38 As for the fire pans of those who sinned at the cost of their own lives, make them into ham mered sheets as plat ing for the al tar, for they pre sent ed them be fore the L ord, and the fire pans are holy . They will be a sign to the Is ra el ites.” 39 So the priest El e a zar took the bronze fire pans that those who were burned had pre sent ed, and they were ham mered into plat ing for the al tar, 40 just as the L ord com mand ed him through Mo ses. It was to be a re mind er for the Is ra el ites that no un au tho rized per son out side the lineage of Aar on should ap proach to of er in cense be fore the L ord and be come like Ko rah and his fol low ers. 41 The next day the en tire Is ra el ite com mu ni ty com plained about Mo ses and Aar on, say ing, “ You have killed the L ord’ s peo ple! ” 42 When the com mu ni ty as sem bled against them, Mo ses and Aar on turned to ward the tent of meet ing, and sud den ly the cloud cov ered it, and the L ord’ s glo ry ap peared. 43 Mo ses and Aar on went to the front of the tent of meet ing, 44 and the L ord said to Mo ses, 45 “ Get away from this com mu ni ty so that I may con sume them in stant ly .” But they fell face down. 46 Then Mo ses told Aar on, “ Take your firepan, place fire from the al tar in it, and add in cense. Go quick ly to the com mu ni ty and make atone ment for them, be cause wrath has come from the L ord; the plague has be gun.” 47 So Aar on took his firepan as Mo ses had or dered, ran a 16:22 Or God of the spirits of all fleshNUMbERS 16 130 04_CSB_Pew_Bible.indd 130 10/27/17 1:22 PM into the mid dle of the as sem bly , and saw that the plague had be gun among the peo ple. Af ter he add ed in cense, he made atone ment for the peo ple. 48 He stood be tween the dead and the liv ing, and the plague was halt ed. 49 But those who died from the plague num bered 14,700, in ad di tion to those who died be cause of the Ko rah in ci dent. 50 Aar on then re turned to Mo ses at the en trance to the tent of meet ing, since the plague had been halt ed. AARON’S STAFF CHOSEN 17 The L ord in struct ed Mo ses: 2 “ Speak to the Is ra el ites and take one staf from them for each an ces tral tribe, a twelve stafs from all the lead ers of their tribes. b Write each man’s name on his staf. 3 Write Aar on’s name on Levi’s staf, be cause there is to be one staf for the head of each tribe. 4 Then place them in the tent of meet ing in front of the tes ti mo ny where I meet with you. 5 The staf of the man I choose will sprout, and I will rid my self of the Is ra el ites’ com plaints that they have been mak ing about you.” 6 So Mo ses spoke to the Is ra el ites, and each of their lead ers gave him a staf, one for each of the lead ers of their tribes, twelve stafs in all. Aar on’s staf was among them. 7 Mo ses placed the stafs be fore the L ord in the tent of the tes ti mo ny . 8 The next day Mo ses en tered the tent of the tes ti mo ny and saw that Aar on’s staf, rep re sent ing the house of Levi, had sprout ed, formed buds, blos somed, and pro duced al monds! 9 Mo ses then brought out all the stafs from the L ord’ s pres ence to all the Is ra el ites. They saw them, and each man took his own staf. 10 The L ord told Mo ses, “ Put Aar on’s staf back in front of the tes ti mo ny to be kept as a sign for the rebels, so that you may put an end to their com plaints be fore me, or else they will die.” 11 So Mo ses did as the L ord com mand ed him. 12 Then the Is ra el ites de clared to Mo ses, “ Look, we’re per ish ing! We’re lost; we’re all lost! 13 Any one who comes near the L ord ’ s tab er na cle will die. Will we all per ish? ” PROVISION FOR THE PRIESTHOOD 18 The L ord said to Aar on, “ You, your sons, and your an ces tral fam i ly c will be re spon si ble for in iq ui ty against the sanc tu ary . You and your sons will be re spon si ble for in iq ui ty in volv ing your priest hood. 2 But also bring your rel a tives with you from the tribe of Levi, your an ces tral tribe, so they may join you and as sist you and your sons in front of the tent of the tes ti mo ny . 3 They are to per form du ties for you and for the whole tent. They must not come near the sanc tu ary equip ment or the al tar; oth er wise, both they and you will die. 4 They are to join you and guard the tent of meet ing, do ing all the work at the tent, but no un au tho rized per son may come near you. 5 “ You are to guard the sanc tu ary and the al tar so that wrath may not fall on the Is ra el ites again. 6 Look, I have se lect ed your fel low Le vites from the Is ra el ites as a gift for you, as signed by the L ord to work at the tent of meet ing. 7 But you and your sons will car ry out your priest ly re spon si bil i ties for ev ery thing con cern ing the al tar and for what is in side the cur tain, and you will do that work. I am giv ing you the work of the priest hood as a gift, d but an un au tho rized per son who comes near the sanc tu ary will be put to death.” SUPPORT FOR THE PRIESTS AND LEVITES 8 Then the L ord spoke to Aar on, “ Look, I have put you in charge of the con tri bu tions brought to me. As for all the holy of er ings of the Is ra el ites, I have giv en them to you and your sons as a por tion and a per ma nent stat ute. 9 A por tion of the ho li est of er ings kept from the fire will be yours; ev ery one of their of er ings that they give me, wheth er the grain of er ing, sin of er ing, or guilt of er ing will be most holy for you and your sons. 10 You are to eat it as a most holy of er ing. e Ev ery male may eat it; it is to be holy to you. 11 “ The con tri bu tion of their gifts also be longs to you. I have giv en all the Is ra el ites’ pre sen ta tion of er ings to you and to your sons and daugh ters as a per ma nent stat ute. Ev ery cer e mo ni al ly clean per son in your house may eat it. 12 I am giv ing you all the best of the fresh oil, new wine, and grain, which the Is ra el ites give to the L ord as their first fruits. 13 The first fruits of all that is in their land, which they bring to the L ord, be long to you. Ev ery clean per son in your house may eat them. 14 “Ev ery thing in Is ra el that is per ma nent ly ded i cat ed to the L ord be longs to you. 15 The first born of ev ery liv ing thing, hu man or an i mal, pre sent ed to the L ord be longs to you. But a 17:2 Lit father’s house b 17:2 Lit the house of their fathers, also in vv. 3,6 c 18:1 Lit the house of your father d 18:7 Or curtain. So you are to perform the service; a gift of your priesthood I grant e 18:10 Or it in a most holy place 131 NUMbERS 16-18 04_CSB_Pew_Bible.indd 131 10/27/17 1:22 PM you must cer tain ly re deem a hu man first born, and re deem the first born of an un clean an i mal. 16 You will pay the re demp tion price for a monthold male ac cord ing to your as sess ment: five shek els a of sil ver by the stan dard sanc tu ary shek el, which is twen ty ge rahs. 17 “How ev er, you must not re deem the first born of an ox, a sheep, or a goat; they are holy . You are to splatter their blood on the al tar and burn their fat as a fire of er ing for a pleas ing aro ma to the L ord. 18 But their meat be longs to you. It be longs to you like the breast of the pre sen ta tion of er ing and the right thigh. 19 “ I give to you and to your sons and daugh ters all the holy con tri bu tions that the Is ra el ites pre sent to the L ord as a per ma nent stat ute. It is a per ma nent cov enant of salt be fore the L ord for you as well as your of spring.” 20 The L ord told Aar on, “ You will not have an in her i tance in their land; there will be no por tion among them for you. I am your por tion and your in her i tance among the Is ra el ites. 21 “ Look, I have giv en the Le vites ev ery tenth in Is ra el as an in her i tance in re turn for the work they do, the work of the tent of meet ing. 22 The Is ra el ites must nev er again come near the tent of meet ing, or they will in cur guilt and die. 23 The Le vites will do the work of the tent of meet ing, and they will bear the con se quenc es of their in iq ui ty . The Le vites will not re ceive an in her i tance among the Is ra el ites; this is a per ma nent stat ute through out your gen er a tions. 24 For I have giv en them the tenth that the Is ra el ites pre sent to the L ord as a con tri bu tion for their in her i tance. That is why I told them that they would not re ceive an in her i tance among the Is ra el ites.” 25 The L ord in struct ed Mo ses, 26 “ Speak to the Le vites and tell them: When you re ceive from the Is ra el ites the tenth that I have giv en you as your in her i tance, you are to pre sent part of it as an of er ing to the L ord — a tenth of the tenth. 27 Your of er ing will be cred it ed to you as if it were your grain from the thresh ing floor or the full har vest from the wine press. 28 You are to pre sent an of er ing to the L ord from ev ery tenth you re ceive from the Is ra el ites. Give some of it to the priest Aar on as an of er ing to the L ord. 29 You must pre sent the en tire of er ing due the L ord from all your gifts. The best part of the tenth is to be con se crat ed. 30 “ Tell them fur ther: Once you have pre sent ed the best part of the tenth, and it is cred it ed to you Le vites as the pro duce of the thresh ing floor or the wine press, 31 then you and your house hold may eat it any where. It is your wage in re turn for your work at the tent of meet ing. 32 You will not in cur guilt be cause of it once you have pre sent ed the best part of it, but you must not de file the Is ra el ites’ holy of er ings, so that you will not die.” PURIFICATION RITUAL 19 The L ord spoke to Mo ses and Aar on, 2 “ This is the le gal stat ute that the L ord has com mand ed: In struct the Is ra el ites to bring you an un blem ished red cow that has no de fect and has nev er been yoked. 3 Give it to the priest El e a zar, and he will have it brought out side the camp and slaugh tered in his pres ence. 4 The priest El e a zar is to take some of its blood with his fin ger and sprin kle it sev en times to ward the front of the tent of meet ing. 5 The cow is to be burned in his sight. Its hide, flesh, and blood, are to be burned along with its waste. 6 The priest is to take ce dar wood, hys sop, and crim son yarn, and throw them onto the fire where the cow is burn ing. 7 Then the priest must wash his clothes and bathe his body in wa ter; af ter that he may en ter the camp, but he will re main cer e mo ni al ly un clean un til eve ning. 8 The one who burned the cow must also wash his clothes and bathe his body in wa ter, and he will re main un clean un til eve ning. 9 “ A man who is clean
📜 Purification Rituals and Wilderness Journey
🧼 Ceremonial cleansing requires precise procedures for handling death and impurity, including ash preparation, water purification, and seven-day isolation periods to maintain community holiness
💧 Water crisis at Kadesh reveals Moses' disobedience when he strikes the rock instead of speaking to it, resulting in divine punishment despite the miracle of water flowing
🏔️ Territorial conflicts with Edom and Amorite kings shape Israel's wilderness journey, forcing detours and military confrontations that ultimately expand their territory
🐍 Bronze serpent becomes a divine healing instrument after poisonous snakes punish the complaining Israelites, foreshadowing the power of faith and obedience
🧙♂️ Balaam's encounter with divine intervention includes a miraculous talking donkey that sees the angel of the Lord before the prophet himself, demonstrating God's sovereignty over human intentions
is to gath er up the cow’s ash es and de pos it them out side the camp in a cer e mo ni al ly clean place. The ash es will be kept by the Is ra el ite com mu ni ty for pre par ing the wa ter to re move im pu ri ty; it is a sin of er ing. 10 Then the one who gath ers up the cow’s ash es must wash his clothes, and he will re main un clean un til eve ning. This is a per ma nent stat ute for the Is ra el ites and for the alien who re sides among them. 11 “ The per son who touch es any hu man corpse will be un clean for sev en days. 12 He is to pu ri fy him self with the wa ter b on the third day and the sev enth day; then he will be clean. But if he does not pu ri fy him self on the third and sev enth days, he will not be clean. 13 Any one who touch es a body of a per son who has died, and does not pu ri fy him self, de files the tab er na cle of the L ord. That per son will be cut of from Is ra el. He re mains un clean be cause the wa ter for im pu ri ty has not been sprin kled on him, and his un clean ness is still on him. a 18:16 A shekel is about two-fifths of an ounce b 19:12 Or ashes ; lit with itNUMbERS 18-19 132 04_CSB_Pew_Bible.indd 132 10/27/17 1:22 PM 14 “ This is the law when a per son dies in a tent: ev ery one who en ters the tent and ev ery one who is al ready in the tent will be un clean for sev en days, 15 and any open con tain er with out a lid tied on it is un clean. 16 Any one in the open field who touch es a per son who has been killed by the sword or has died, or who even touch es a hu man bone, or a grave, will be un clean for sev en days. 17 For the pu ri fi ca tion of the un clean per son, they are to take some of the ash es of the burnt sin of er ing, put them in a jar, and add fresh wa ter to them. 18 A per son who is clean is to take hys sop, dip it in the wa ter, and sprin kle the tent, all the fur nish ings, and the peo ple who were there. He is also to sprin kle the one who touched a bone, a grave, a corpse, or a per son who had been killed. 19 “ The one who is clean is to sprin kle the un clean per son on the third day and the sev enth day . Af ter he pu ri fies the un clean per son on the sev enth day , the one be ing pu ri fied must wash his clothes and bathe in wa ter, and he will be clean by eve ning. 20 But a per son who is un clean and does not pu ri fy him self, that per son will be cut of from the as sem bly be cause he has de filed the sanc tu ary of the L ord. The wa ter for im pu ri ty has not been sprin kled on him; he is un clean. 21 This is a per ma nent stat ute for them. The per son who sprin kles the wa ter for im pu ri ty is to wash his clothes, and who ev er touch es the wa ter for im pu ri ty will be un clean un til eve ning. 22 Any thing the un clean per son touch es will be come un clean, and any one who touch es it will be un clean un til eve ning.” WATER FROM THE ROCK 20 The en tire Is ra el ite com mu ni ty en tered the Wil der ness of Zin in the first month, and they a set tled in Ka desh. Mir i am died and was bur ied there. 2 There was no wa ter for the com mu ni ty , so they as sem bled against Mo ses and Aar on. 3 The peo ple quar reled with Mo ses and said, “ If only we had per ished when our broth ers per ished be fore the L ord. 4 Why have you brought the L ord’ s as sem bly into this wil der ness for us and our live stock to die here? 5 Why have you led us up from Egypt to bring us to this evil place? It’s not a place of grain, figs, vines, and pome gran ates, and there is no wa ter to drink! ” 6 Then Mo ses and Aar on went from the pres ence of the as sem bly to the door way of the tent of meet ing. They fell face down, and the glo ry of the L ord ap peared to them. 7 The L ord spoke to Mo ses, 8 “ Take the staf and as sem ble the com mu ni ty . You and your broth er Aar on are to speak to the rock while they watch, and it will yield its wa ter. You will bring out wa ter for them from the rock and pro vide drink for the com mu ni ty and their live stock.” 9 So Mo ses took the staf from the L ord ’ s pres ence just as he had com mand ed him. 10 Mo ses and Aar on sum moned the as sem bly in front of the rock, and Mo ses said to them, “Lis ten, you rebels! Must we bring wa ter out of this rock for you? ” 11 Then Mo ses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with his staf, so that abun dant wa ter gushed out, and the com mu ni ty and their live stock drank. 12 But the L ord said to Mo ses and Aar on, “Be cause you did not trust me to dem on strate my ho li ness in the sight of the Is ra el ites, you will not bring this as sem bly into the land I have giv en them.” 13 These are the Wa ters of Mer i bah, b where the Is ra el ites quar reled with the L ord, and he demonstrated his ho li ness to them. EDOM DENIES PASSAGE 14 Mo ses sent mes sen gers from Ka desh to the king of Edom, “ This is what your broth er Is ra el says, ‘ You know all the hard ships that have over tak en us. 15 Our fa thers went down to Egypt, and we lived in Egypt many years, but the Egyp tians treat ed us and our fa thers bad ly . 16 When we cried out to the L ord, he heard our plea, c and sent an an gel, d and brought us out of Egypt. Now look, we are in Ka desh, a city on the bor der of your ter ri to ry . 17 Please let us trav el through your land. We won’t trav el through any field or vine yard, or drink any well wa ter. We will trav el the King’s High way; we won’t turn to the right or the left un til we have trav eled through your ter ri to ry .’ ” 18 But Edom an swered him, “ You will not trav el through our land, or we will come out and con front you with the sword.” 19 “ We will go on the main road,” the Is ra el ites re plied to them, “ and if we or our herds drink your wa ter, we will pay its price. There will be no problem; only let us trav el through on foot.” 20 Yet Edom in sist ed, “ You may not trav el through.” And they came out to con front them a 20:1 Lit the people b 20:13 = Quarreling c 20:16 Lit voice d 20:16 Or a messenger 133 NUMbERS 19-20 04_CSB_Pew_Bible.indd 133 10/27/17 1:22 PM with a large force of heavilyarmed peo ple. a 21 Edom re fused to al low Is ra el to trav el through their ter ri to ry , and Is ra el turned away from them. AARON’S DEATH 22 Af ter they set out from Ka desh, the en tire Is ra el ite com mu ni ty came to Mount Hor. 23 The L ord said to Mo ses and Aar on at Mount Hor on the bor der of the land of Edom, 24 “ Aar on will be gath ered to his peo ple; he will not en ter the land I have giv en the Is ra el ites, be cause you both re belled against my com mand at the Wa ters of Mer i bah. 25 Take Aar on and his son El e a zar and bring them up Mount Hor. 26 Re move Aar on’s gar ments and put them on his son El e a zar. Aar on will be gath ered to his peo ple and die there.” 27 So Mo ses did as the L ord com mand ed, and they climbed Mount Hor in the sight of the whole com mu ni ty . 28 Af ter Mo ses re moved Aar on’s gar ments and put them on his son El e a zar, Aar on died there on top of the moun tain. Then Mo ses and El e a zar came down from the moun tain. 29 When the whole com mu ni ty saw that Aar on had passed away , the en tire house of Is ra el mourned for him thir ty days. CANAANITE KING DEFEATED 21 When the Ca naan ite king of Arad, who lived in the Ne gev , heard that Is ra el was com ing on the Ath a rim road, he fought against Is ra el and cap tured some pris on ers. 2 Then Is ra el made a vow to the L ord, “ If you will hand this peo ple over to us, we will com plete ly de stroy their cit ies.” 3 The L ord lis tened to Is ra el’s re quest and hand ed the Ca naan ites over to them, and Is ra el com plete ly de stroyed them and their cit ies. So they named the place Hor mah. b THE bRONZE SNAKE 4 Then they set out from Mount Hor by way of the Red Sea to bypass the land of Edom, but the peo ple be came im pa tient be cause of the jour ney . 5 The peo ple spoke against God and Mo ses: “ Why have you led us up from Egypt to die in the wil der ness? There is no bread or wa ter, and we de test this wretch ed food! ” 6 Then the L ord sent poi son ous c snakes among the peo ple, and they bit them so that many Is ra el ites died.7 The peo ple then came to Mo ses and said, “ We have sinned by speak ing against the L ord and against you. In ter cede with the L ord so that he will take the snakes away from us.” And Mo ses in ter ced ed for the peo ple. 8 Then the L ord said to Mo ses, “ Make a snake im age and mount it on a pole. When any one who is bit ten looks at it, he will re cov er.” 9 So Mo ses made a bronze snake and mount ed it on a pole. When ev er some one was bit ten, and he looked at the bronze snake, he re cov ered. JOURNEY AROUND MOAb 10 The Is ra el ites set out and camped at Oboth. 11 They set out from Oboth and camped at Iye abarim in the wil der ness that bor ders Moab on the east. 12 From there they went and camped at Ze red Val ley . 13 They set out from there and camped on the oth er side of the Ar non Riv er, in the wil der ness that ex tends from the Am o rite bor der, be cause the Ar non was the Mo ab ite bor der be tween Moab and the Am o rites. 14 There fore it is stat ed in the Book of the L ord’ s Wars: Waheb in Suphah and the ravines of the Arnon, 15 even the slopes of the ravines that extend to the site of Ar and lie along the border of Moab. 16 From there they went to Beer, d the well the L ord told Mo ses about, “Gath er the peo ple so I may give them wa ter.” 17 Then Is ra el sang this song: Spring up, well — sing to it! 18 The princes dug the well; the nobles of the people hollowed it out with a scepter and with their stafs. They went from the wil der ness to Mat ta nah, 19 from Mat ta nah to Na ha li el, from Na ha li el to Ba moth, 20 from Ba moth to the val ley in the ter ri to ry of Moab near the Pis gah highlands that over look the waste land. e AMORITE KINGS DEFEATED 21 Is ra el sent mes sen gers to say to King Si hon of the Am o rites: 22 “ Let us trav el through your land. We won’t go into the fields or vine yards. We won’t drink any well wa ter. We will trav el the King’s High way un til we have trav eled through your ter ri to ry .” 23 But Si hon would a 20:20 Lit with numerous people and a strong hand b 21:3 = Destruction c 21:6 Lit Burning d 21:16 = Well e 21:20 Or overlook JeshimonNUMbERS 20-21 134 04_CSB_Pew_Bible.indd 134 10/27/17 1:23 PM not let Is ra el trav el through his ter ri to ry . In stead, he gath ered his whole army and went out to con front Is ra el in the wil der ness. When he came to Ja haz, he fought against Is ra el. 24 Is ra el struck him with the sword and took pos ses sion of his land from the Ar non to the Jab bok, but only up to the Am mon ite bor der, be cause it was for ti fied. a 25 Is ra el took all the cit ies and lived in all these Am o rite cit ies, in clud ing Hesh bon and all its sur round ing vil lages. 26 Hesh bon was the city of King Si hon of the Am o rites, who had fought against the for mer king of Moab and had tak en con trol of all his land as far as the Ar non. 27 There fore the po ets b say: Come to Heshbon, let it be rebuilt; let the city of Sihon be restored. c 28 For fire came out of Heshbon, a flame from the city of Sihon. It consumed Ar of Moab, the citizens of Arnon’s heights. 29 Woe to you, Moab! You have been destroyed, people of Chemosh! He gave up his sons as refugees, and his daughters into captivity to Sihon the Amorite king. 30 We threw them down; Heshbon has been destroyed as far as Dibon. We caused desolation as far as Nophah, which reaches as far as Medeba. 31 So Is ra el lived in the Am o rites’ land. 32 Af ter Mo ses sent spies to Ja zer, Is ra el cap tured its sur round ing vil lages and drove out the Am o rites who were there. 33 Then they turned and went up the road to Ba shan, and King Og of Ba shan came out against them with his whole army to do bat tle at Ed rei. 34 But the L ord said to Mo ses, “ Do not fear him, for I have hand ed him over to you along with his whole army and his land. Do to him as you did to King Si hon of the Am o rites, who lived in Hesh bon.” 35 So they struck him, his sons, and his whole army un til no one was left, d and they took pos ses sion of his land. bALAK HIRES b ALAAM 22 The Is ra el ites trav eled on and camped in the plains of Moab near the Jor dan across from Jer i cho. 2 Now Ba lak son of Zip por saw all that Is ra el had done to the Am o rites. 3 Moab was ter ri fied of the peo ple be cause they were nu mer ous, and Moab dread ed the Is ra el ites. 4 So the Mo ab ites said to the el ders of Mid i an, “ This horde will de vour ev ery thing around us like an ox eats up the green plants in the field.” Since Ba lak son of Zip por was Moab’s king at that time, 5 he sent mes sen gers to Ba laam son of Beor at Pe thor, which is by the Eu phra tes in the land of his peo ple. e,f Ba lak said to him: “ Look, a peo ple has come out of Egypt; they cov er the sur face of the land and are liv ing right across from me. 6 Please come and put a curse on these peo ple for me be cause they are more pow er ful than I am. I may be able to de feat them and drive them out of the land, for I know that those you bless are blessed and those you curse are cursed.” 7 The el ders of Moab and Mid i an de part ed with fees for div i na tion in hand. They came to Ba laam and re port ed Ba lak’s words to him. 8 He said to them, “ Spend the night here, and I will give you the an swer the L ord tells me.” So the of i cials of Moab stayed with Ba laam. 9 Then God came to Ba laam and asked, “ Who are these men with you? ” 10 Ba laam re plied to God, “Ba lak son of Zip por, king of Moab, sent this mes sage to me: 11 ‘ Look, a peo ple has come out of Egypt, and they cov er the sur face of the land. Now come and put a curse on them for me. I may be able to fight against them and drive them away .’ ” 12 Then God said to Ba laam, “ You are not to go with them. You are not to curse this peo ple, for they are blessed.” 13 So Ba laam got up the next morn ing and said to Ba lak’s of i cials, “ Go back to your land, be cause the L ord has re fused to let me go with you.” 14 The of i cials of Moab arose, re turned to Ba lak, and re port ed, “Ba laam re fused to come with us.” 15 Ba lak sent of i cials again who were more nu mer ous and high er in rank than the oth ers. 16 They came to Ba laam and said to him, “ This is what Ba lak son of Zip por says: ‘ Let noth ing keep you from com ing to me, 17 for I will great ly hon or you and do what ev er you ask me. So please come and put a curse on these peo ple for me! ’ ” 18 But Ba laam re spond ed to the ser vants of Ba lak, “ If Ba lak were to give me his house full a 21:24 LXX reads because the Ammonite border was Jazer b 21:27 Lit ones who speak proverbs c 21:27 Or firmly founded d 21:35 Lit left to him e 22:5 Sam, Vg, Syr read of the Ammonites f 22:5 Or of the Amawites 135 NUMbERS 21-22 04_CSB_Pew_Bible.indd 135 10/27/17 1:23 PM of sil ver and gold, I could not go against the com mand of the L ord my God to do any thing small or great. 19 Please stay here over night as the oth ers did, so that I may find out what else the L ord has to tell me.” 20 God came to Ba laam at night and said to him, “ Since these men have come to sum mon you, get up and go with them, but you must only do what I tell you.” 21 When he got up in the morn ing, Ba laam sad dled his don key and went with the of i cials of Moab. bALAAM’S DONKEY AND THE ANGEL 22 But God was in censed that Ba laam was go ing, and the an gel of the L ord took his stand on the path to op pose him. Ba laam was rid ing his don key , and his two ser vants were with him. 23 When the don key saw the an gel of the L ord stand ing on the path with a drawn sword in his hand, she turned of the path and went into the field. So Ba laam hit her to re turn her to the path. 24 Then the an gel of the L ord stood in a nar row pas sage be tween the vine yards, with a stone wall on ei ther side. 25 The don key saw the an gel of the L ord and pressed her self against the wall, squeezing Ba laam’s foot against it. So he hit her once again. 26 The an gel of the L ord went ahead and stood in a nar row place where there was no room to turn to the right or the left. 27 When the don key saw the an gel of the L ord, she crouched down un der Ba laam. So he be came fu ri ous and beat the don key with his stick. 28 Then the L ord opened the don key’s mouth, and she asked Ba laam, “ What have I done to you that you have beat en me these three times? ” 29 Ba laam an swered the don key , “ You made me look like a fool. If I had a sword in my hand, I’d kill you now! ” 30 But the don key said, “ Am I not the don key you’ve rid den all your life un til to day? Have I ever treat ed you this way be fore? ” “ No,” he re plied. 31 Then the L ord opened Ba laam’s eyes, and he saw the an gel of the L ord stand ing in the path with a drawn sword in
🧙♂️ Balaam's Divine Dilemma
🐴 Balaam's encounter with the angel of the Lord reveals how God can use even reluctant messengers, transforming a hired curse into a powerful blessing for Israel
🔮 Despite King Balak's repeated attempts to curse Israel, Balaam delivers four prophetic oracles that instead pronounce divine favor and protection over God's chosen people
⭐ The prophecies progressively intensify, culminating in the messianic prediction of a "star from Jacob" and a "scepter from Israel" who will establish dominion over surrounding nations
🛡️ God's unwavering commitment to Israel demonstrates His faithfulness to His covenant promises, regardless of human schemes to undermine them
🔥 Israel's subsequent idolatry with Baal at Peor shows the danger of spiritual compromise, resulting in divine judgment until Phinehas intervenes with zealous action
📊 The second census (601,730 men) prepares Israel for the promised land inheritance, marking a new generation ready to receive what their fathers couldn't enter
his hand. Ba laam knelt low and bowed in wor ship on his face. 32 The an gel of the L ord asked him, “ Why have you beat en your don key these three times? Look, I came out to op pose you, be cause I con sid er what you are do ing to be evil. a 33 The don key saw me and turned away from me these three times. If she had not turned away from me, I would have killed you by now and let her live.” 34 Ba laam said to the an gel of the L ord, “ I have sinned, for I did not know that you were stand ing in the path to con front me. And now , if it is evil in your sight, I will go back.” 35 Then the an gel of the L ord said to Ba laam, “ Go with the men, but you are to say only what I tell you.” So Ba laam went with Ba lak’s of i cials. 36 When Ba lak heard that Ba laam was com ing, he went out to meet him at the Mo ab ite city b on the Ar non bor der at the edge of his ter ri to ry . 37 Ba lak asked Ba laam, “ Did I not send you an ur gent sum mons? Why didn’t you come to me? Am I real ly not able to re ward you? ” 38 Ba laam said to him, “ Look, I have come to you, but can I say any thing I want? I must speak only the mes sage God puts in my mouth.” 39 So Ba laam went with Ba lak, and they came to Kiriathhuzoth. c 40 Ba lak sac ri ficed cat tle, sheep, and goats and sent for Ba laam and the of i cials who were with him. 41 In the morn ing, Ba lak took Ba laam and brought him to Ba moth ba al. d From there he saw the out skirts of the peo ple’s camp. bALAAM’S ORACLES 23 Then Ba laam said to Ba lak, “ Build me sev en al tars here and pre pare sev en bulls and sev en rams for me.” 2 So Ba lak did as Ba laam di rect ed, and they of ered a bull and a ram on each al tar. 3 Ba laam said to Ba lak, “ Stay here by your burnt of er ing while I am gone. May be the L ord will meet with me. I will tell you what ev er he re veals to me.” So he went to a bar ren hill. 4 God met with him and Ba laam said to him, “ I have ar ranged sev en al tars and of ered a bull and a ram on each al tar.” 5 Then the L ord put a mes sage in Ba laam’s mouth and said, “Re turn to Ba lak and say what I tell you.” 6 So he re turned to Ba lak, who was stand ing there by his burnt of er ing with all the of i cials of Moab. bALAAM’S FIRST ORACLE 7 Ba laam pro claimed his poem: Balak brought me from Aram; the king of Moab, from the eastern mountains: a 22:32 Lit because your way is perverse before me b 22:36 Or at Ir-moab, or at Ar of Moab c 22:39 = The City of Streets d 22:41 = The High Places of BaalNUMbERS 22-23 136 04_CSB_Pew_Bible.indd 136 10/27/17 1:23 PM “Come, put a curse on Jacob for me; come, denounce Israel! ” 8 How can I curse someone God has not cursed? How can I denounce someone the Lord has not denounced? 9 I see them from the top of rocky clifs, and I watch them from the hills. There is a people living alone; it does not consider itself among the nations. 10 Who has counted the dust of Jacob or numbered even onefourth of Israel? Let me die the death of the upright; let the end of my life be like theirs. 11 “ What have you done to me? ” Ba lak asked Ba laam. “ I brought you to curse my en e mies, but look, you have only blessed them! ” 12 He an swered, “ Shouldn’t I say ex act ly what the L ord puts in my mouth? ” bALAAM’S SECOND ORACLE 13 Then Ba lak said to him, “ Please come with me to an oth er place where you can see them. You will only see the out skirts of their camp; you won’t see all of them. From there, put a curse on them for me.” 14 So Ba lak took him to Look out Field a on top of Pis gah, built sev en al tars, and of ered a bull and a ram on each al tar. 15 Ba laam said to Ba lak, “ Stay here by your burnt of er ing while I seek the L ord over there.” 16 The L ord met with Ba laam and put a mes sage in his mouth. Then he said, “Re turn to Ba lak and say what I tell you.” 17 So he re turned to Ba lak, who was stand ing there by his burnt of er ing with the of fi cials of Moab. Ba lak asked him, “ What did the L ord say? ” 18 Ba laam pro claimed his poem: Balak, get up and listen; son of Zippor, pay attention to what I say! 19 God is not a man, that he might lie, or a son of man, that he might change his mind. Does he speak and not act, or promise and not fulfill? 20 I have indeed received a command to bless; since he has blessed, b I cannot change it. 21 He considers no disaster for Jacob; he sees no trouble for Israel. c The Lord their God is with them, and there is rejoicing over the King among them. 22 God brought them out of Egypt; he is like the horns of a wild ox for them. d 23 There is no magic curse against Jacob and no divination against Israel. It will now be said about Jacob and Israel, “What great things God has done! ” 24 A people rise up like a lioness; they rouse themselves like a lion. They will not lie down until they devour the prey and drink the blood of the slain. 25 Then Ba lak told Ba laam, “ Don’t curse them and don’t bless them! ” 26 But Ba laam an swered him, “ Didn’t I tell you: What ev er the L ord says, I must do? ” bALAAM’S THIRD ORACLE 27 Again Ba lak said to Ba laam, “ Please come. I will take you to an oth er place. May be it will be agreeable to God that you can put a curse on them for me there.” 28 So Ba lak took Ba laam to the top of Peor, which over looks the waste land. e 29 Ba laam told Ba lak, “ Build me sev en al tars here and pre pare sev en bulls and sev en rams for me.” 30 So Ba lak did as Ba laam said and of ered a bull and a ram on each al tar. 24 Since Ba laam saw that it pleased the L ord to bless Is ra el, he did not go to seek omens as on pre vi ous oc ca sions, but turned f to ward the wil der ness. 2 When Ba laam looked up and saw Is ra el en camped tribe by tribe, the Spir it of God came on him, 3 and he pro claimed his poem: The oracle of Balaam son of Beor, the oracle of the man whose eyes are opened, 4 the oracle of one who hears the sayings of God, who sees a vision from the Almighty , who falls into a trance with his eyes uncovered: 5 How beautiful are your tents, Jacob, your dwellings, Israel. a 23:14 Or to the field of Zophim b 23:20 Sam, LXX read since I will bless c 23:21 Or He does not observe sin in Jacob; he does not see wrongdoing in Israel d 23:22 Or Egypt; they have the horns of a wild ox e 23:28 Or overlooks Jeshimon f 24:1 Lit set his face 137 NUMbERS 23-24 04_CSB_Pew_Bible.indd 137 10/27/17 1:23 PM 6 They stretch out like river valleys, a like gardens beside a stream, like aloes the Lord has planted, like cedars beside the water. 7 Water will flow from his buckets, and his seed will be by abundant water. His king will be greater than Agag, and his kingdom will be exalted. 8 God brought him out of Egypt; he is like b the horns of a wild ox for them. He will feed on enemy nations and gnaw their bones; he will strike them with his arrows. 9 He crouches, he lies down like a lion or a lioness — who dares to rouse him? Those who bless you will be blessed, and those who curse you will be cursed. 10 Then Ba lak be came fu ri ous with Ba laam, struck his hands to geth er, and said to him, “ I sum moned you to put a curse on my en e mies, but in stead, you have blessed them these three times. 11 Now go to your home! I said I would re ward you rich ly , but look, the L ord has de nied you a re ward.” 12 Ba laam an swered Ba lak, “ Didn’t I pre vi ous ly tell the mes sen gers you sent me: 13 If Ba lak were to give me his house full of sil ver and gold, I could not go against the L ord’ s com mand, to do any thing good or bad of my own will? I will say what ev er the L ord says. 14 Now I am go ing back to my peo ple, but first, let me warn you what these peo ple will do to your peo ple in the fu ture.” bALAAM’S FOURTH ORACLE 15 Then he pro claimed his poem: The oracle of Balaam son of Beor, the oracle of the man whose eyes are opened; 16 the oracle of one who hears the sayings of God and has knowledge from the Most High, who sees a vision from the Almighty , who falls into a trance with his eyes uncovered: 17 I see him, but not now; I perceive him, but not near. A star will come from Jacob, and a scepter will arise from Israel. He will smash the forehead c of Moab and strike down d all the Shethites. e 18 Edom will become a possession; Seir will become a possession of its enemies, but Israel will be triumphant. 19 One who comes from Jacob will rule; he will destroy the city’s survivors. 20 Then Ba laam saw Am a lek and pro claimed his poem: Amalek was first among the nations, but his future is destruction. 21 Next he saw the Ke nites and pro claimed his poem: Your dwelling place is enduring; your nest is set in the clifs. 22 Kain will be destroyed when Asshur takes you captive. 23 Once more he pro claimed his poem: Ah, who can live when God does this? 24 Ships will come from the coast of Kittim; they will carry out raids against Asshur and Eber, but they too will come to destruction. 25 Ba laam then arose and went back to his home land, and Ba lak also went his way . ISRAEL WORSHIPS b AAL 25 While Is ra el was stay ing in the Aca cia Grove, f the peo ple be gan to pros ti tute them selves with the wom en of Moab. 2 The wom en in vit ed them to the sac ri fic es for their gods, and the peo ple ate and bowed in wor ship to their gods. 3 So Is ra el aligned it self with Baal of Peor, and the L ord’ s an ger burned against Is ra el. 4 The L ord said to Mo ses, “ Take all the lead ers of the peo ple and ex e cute g them in broad day light be fore the L ord so that his burn ing an ger may turn away from Is ra el.” 5 So Mo ses told Is ra el’s judg es, “ Kill each of the men who aligned them selves with Baal of Peor.” PHINEHAS INTERVENES 6 An Is ra el ite man came bring ing a Mid i an ite wom an to his rel a tives in the sight of Mo ses and the whole Is ra el ite com mu ni ty while they were weep ing at the en trance to the tent of meet ing. 7 When Phin e has son of El e a zar, son of a 24:6 Or like date palms b 24:8 Or he has c 24:17 Or frontiers d 24:17 Sam reads and the skulls of ; Jr 48:45 e 24:17 Or Sethites f 25:1 Or in Shittim g 25:4 Or impale, or hang, or expose ; Hb obscureNUMbERS 24-25 138 04_CSB_Pew_Bible.indd 138 10/27/17 1:23 PM Aar on the priest, saw this, he got up from the as sem bly , took a spear in his hand, 8 fol lowed the Is ra el ite man into the tent, a and drove it through both the Is ra el ite man and the wom an — through her bel ly . Then the plague on the Is ra el ites was stopped, 9 but those who died in the plague num bered twentyfour thou sand. 10 The L ord spoke to Mo ses, 11 “Phin e has son of El e a zar, son of Aar on the priest, has turned back my wrath from the Is ra el ites be cause he was zeal ous among them with my zeal, b so that I did not de stroy the Is ra el ites in my zeal. 12 There fore de clare: I grant him my cov enant of peace. 13 It will be a cov enant of perpetual priest hood for him and his fu ture de scen dants, be cause he was zeal ous for his God and made atone ment for the Is ra el ites.” 14 The name of the slain Is ra el ite man, who was struck dead with the Mid i an ite wom an, was Zim ri son of Salu, the lead er of a Sim e on ite fam i ly . c 15 The name of the slain Mid i an ite wom an was Coz bi, the daugh ter of Zur, a trib al head of a fam i ly in Mid i an. VENGEANCE AGAINST THE MIDIANITES 16 The L ord told Mo ses: 17 “ At tack the Mid i an ites and strike them dead. 18 For they at tacked you with the treach ery that they used against you in the Peor in ci dent. They did the same in the case in volv ing their sis ter Coz bi, daugh ter of the Mid i an ite lead er who was killed the day the plague came at Peor.” THE SECOND CENSUS 26 Af ter the plague, the L ord said to Mo ses and El e a zar son of Aar on the priest, 2 “ Take a cen sus of the en tire Is ra el ite com mu ni ty by their an ces tral fam i lies d of those twen ty years old or more who can serve in Is ra el’s army .” 3 So Mo ses and the priest El e a zar said to them in the plains of Moab by the Jor dan across from Jer i cho, 4 “ Take a cen sus of those twen ty years old or more, as the L ord had com mand ed Mo ses and the Is ra el ites who came out of the land of Egypt.” 5 Reuben was the firstborn of Israel. Reuben’s descendants: the Hanochite clan from Hanoch; the Palluite clan from Pallu; 6 the Hezronite clan from Hezron; the Carmite clan from Carmi. 7 These were the Reubenite clans, and their registered men numbered 43,730. 8 The son of Pallu was Eliab. 9 The sons of Eliab were Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. (It was Dathan and Abiram, chosen by the community , who fought against Moses and Aaron; they and Korah’s followers fought against the Lord. 10 The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them with Korah, when his followers died and the fire consumed 250 men. They serve as a warning sign. 11 The sons of Korah, however, did not die.) 12 Simeon’s descendants by their clans: the Nemuelite clan from Nemuel; the Jaminite clan from Jamin; the Jachinite clan from Jachin; 13 the Zerahite clan from Zerah; the Shaulite clan from Shaul. 14 These were the Simeonite clans, numbering 22,200 men. 15 Gad’s descendants by their clans: the Zephonite clan from Zephon; the Haggite clan from Haggi; the Shunite clan from Shuni; 16 the Oznite clan from Ozni; the Erite clan from Eri; 17 the Arodite clan from Arod; the Arelite clan from Areli. 18 These were the Gadite clans numbered by their registered men: 40,500. 19 Judah’s sons included Er and Onan, but they died in the land of Canaan. 20 Judah’s descendants by their clans: the Shelanite clan from Shelah; the Perezite clan from Perez; the Zerahite clan from Zerah. 21 The descendants of Perez: the Hezronite clan from Hezron; the Hamulite clan from Hamul. 22 These were Judah’s clans numbered by their registered men: 76,500. 23 Issachar’s descendants by their clans: the Tolaite clan from Tola; the Punite clan from Puvah; e a 25:8 Perhaps a tent shrine or bridal tent b 25:11 Or jealousy c 25:14 Lit a father’s house, also in v. 15 d 26:2 Lit the house of their fathers e 26:23 Sam, LXX, Vg, Syr read Puite clan from Puah ; 1Ch 7:1 139 NUMbERS 25-26 04_CSB_Pew_Bible.indd 139 10/27/17 1:23 PM 24 the Jashubite clan from Jashub; the Shimronite clan from Shimron. 25 These were Issachar’s clans numbered by their registered men: 64,300. 26 Zebulun’s descendants by their clans: the Seredite clan from Sered; the Elonite clan from Elon; the Jahleelite clan from Jahleel. 27 These were the Zebulunite clans numbered by their registered men: 60,500. 28 Joseph’s descendants by their clans from Manasseh and Ephraim: 29 Manasseh’s descendants: the Machirite clan from Machir. Machir fathered Gilead; the Gileadite clan from Gilead. 30 These were Gilead’s descendants: the Iezerite clan from Iezer; the Helekite clan from Helek; 31 the Asrielite clan from Asriel; the Shechemite clan from Shechem; 32 the Shemidaite clan from Shemida; the Hepherite clan from Hepher; 33 Zelophehad son of Hepher had no sons — only daughters. The names of Zelophehad’s daughters were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. 34 These were Manasseh’s clans, numbered by their registered men: 52,700. 35 These were Ephraim’s descendants by their clans: the Shuthelahite clan from Shuthelah; the Becherite clan from Becher; the Tahanite clan from Tahan. 36 These were Shuthelah’s descendants: the Eranite clan from Eran. 37 These were the Ephraimite clans numbered by their registered men: 32,500. These were Joseph’s descendants by their clans. 38 Benjamin’s descendants by their clans: the Belaite clan from Bela; the Ashbelite clan from Ashbel; the Ahiramite clan from Ahiram; 39 the Shuphamite clan from Shupham; a the Huphamite clan from Hupham. 40 Bela’s descendants from Ard and Naaman: the Ardite clan from Ard; the Naamite clan from Naaman. 41 These were the Benjaminite clans numbered by their registered men: 45,600. 42 These were Dan’s descendants by their clans: the Shuhamite clan from Shuham. These were the clans of Dan by their clans. 43 All the Shuhamite clans numbered by their registered men: 64,400. 44 Asher’s descendants by their clans: the Imnite clan from Imnah; the Ishvite clan from Ishvi; the Beriite clan from Beriah. 45 From Beriah’s descendants: the Heberite clan from Heber; the Malchielite clan from Malchiel. 46 And the name of Asher’s daughter was Serah. 47 These were the Asherite clans numbered by their registered men: 53,400. 48 Naphtali’s descendants by their clans: the Jahzeelite clan from Jahzeel; the Gunite clan from Guni; 49 the Jezerite clan from Jezer; the Shillemite clan from Shillem. 50 These were the Naphtali clans numbered by their registered men: 45,400. 51 These registered Israelite men numbered 601,730. 52 The L ord spoke to Mo ses, 53 “ The land is to be di vid ed among them as an in her i tance based on the num ber of names. 54 In crease the in her i tance for a large tribe and de crease it for a small one. Each is to be giv en its in her i tance ac cord ing to those who were reg is tered in it. 55 The land is to be di vid ed by lot; they will re ceive an in her i tance ac cord ing to the names of their an ces tral tribes. 56 Each in her i tance will be di vid ed by lot among the larg er and small er tribes.” a 26:39 Some Hb mss, Sam, LXX, Syr , Tg, Vg; other Hb mss read ShephuphamNUMbERS 26 140 04_CSB_Pew_Bible.indd 140 10/27/17 1:23 PM 57 These were the Levites registered by their clans: the Gershonite clan from Gershon; the Kohathite clan from Kohath; the Merarite clan from Merari. 58 These were the Levite family groups: the Libnite clan, the Hebronite clan, the Mahlite clan, the Mushite clan, and the Korahite clan. Ko hath was the an ces tor of Am ram. 59 The name of Am ram’s wife was Joch e bed, a de scen dant of Levi, born to Levi in Egypt. She bore to Am ram: Aar on, Mo ses, and their sis ter Mir i am. 60 Na dab, Abi hu, El e a zar, and Ith a mar were born to Aar on, 61 but Na dab and Abi hu died when they pre sent ed un au tho rized fire be fore the L ord. 62 Those reg is tered were 23,000, ev ery male one month old or more; they were not reg is tered among the oth er Is ra el ites, be cause no in her i tance was giv en to them among the Is ra el ites. 63 These were the ones reg is tered by Mo ses and the priest El e a zar when they reg is tered the Is ra el ites on the plains of Moab by the Jor dan across from Jer i cho. 64 But among them there was not one of those who had been reg is tered by Mo ses and the priest Aar on when they reg is tered the Is ra el ites in the Wil der ness of Si nai. 65 For the L ord had said to them that they would all die in the wil der ness. None of them was left ex cept Ca leb son of Je phun neh and Josh ua son of Nun. A CASE OF DAUGHTERS’ INHERITANCE 27 The daugh ters of Ze lo phe had ap proached; Ze lo phe had was the son of He pher, son of Gil e ad,
📜 Biblical Inheritance and Offerings
🧠 Zelophehad's daughters successfully petitioned Moses for inheritance rights, establishing a groundbreaking legal precedent that allowed women to inherit property when no sons existed, transforming ancient property rights
👑 Joshua's commissioning as Moses's successor demonstrates a formal leadership transition process, complete with public ceremony and divine authorization, ensuring continuity for the Israelite community
🔥 Prescribed offerings form an elaborate ritual calendar with specific requirements for daily, Sabbath, monthly, and festival sacrifices, creating a structured rhythm of worship that connected the community to God
🏕️ The Festival of Shelters features a decreasing number of bull sacrifices (from 13 to 7) over seven days, followed by a solemn eighth day assembly, highlighting the mathematical precision in worship practices
⚖️ Vow regulations establish different standards for men, unmarried women, and married women, with fathers and husbands having authority to nullify women's vows, reflecting the patriarchal social structure
⚔️ The Midianite war represents divine vengeance carried out through human agents, with precise military organization (1,000 men from each tribe) and comprehensive victory that included capturing women and property
son of Ma chir, son of Ma nas seh from the clans of Ma nas seh, the son of Jo seph. These were the names of his daugh ters: Mah lah, Noah, Hog lah, Mil cah, and Tir zah. 2 They stood be fore Mo ses, the priest El e a zar, the lead ers, and the en tire com mu ni ty at the en trance to the tent of meet ing and said, 3 “ Our fa ther died in the wil der ness, but he was not among Ko rah’s fol low ers, who gath ered to geth er against the L ord. In stead, he died be cause of his own sin, and he had no sons. 4 Why should the name of our fa ther be tak en away from his clan? Since he had no son, give us prop er ty among our fa ther’s broth ers.”5 Mo ses brought their case be fore the L ord, 6 and the L ord an swered him, 7 “ What Ze lo phe had’s daugh ters say is cor rect. You are to give them he red i tary prop er ty among their fa ther’s broth ers and trans fer their fa ther’s in her i tance to them. 8 Tell the Is ra el ites: When a man dies with out hav ing a son, trans fer his in her i tance to his daugh ter. 9 If he has no daugh ter, give his in her i tance to his broth ers. 10 If he has no broth ers, give his in her i tance to his fa ther’s broth ers. 11 If his fa ther has no broth ers, give his in her i tance to the near est rel a tive of his clan, and he will take pos ses sion of it. This is to be a statutory or di nance for the Is ra el ites as the L ord com mand ed Mo ses.” JOSHUA COMMISSIONED TO SUCCEED MOSES 12 Then the L ord said to Mo ses, “ Go up this moun tain of the Ab a rim range a and see the land that I have giv en the Is ra el ites. 13 Af ter you have seen it, you will also be gath ered to your peo ple, as Aar on your broth er was. 14 When the com mu ni ty quar reled in the Wil der ness of Zin, both of you re belled against my com mand to dem on strate my ho li ness in their sight at the wa ters.” Those were the Wa ters of Meribahkadesh b in the Wil der ness of Zin. 15 So Mo ses ap pealed to the L ord, 16 “ May the L ord, the God who gives breath to all, c ap point a man over the com mu ni ty 17 who will go out be fore them and come back in be fore them, and who will bring them out and bring them in, so that the L ord’ s com mu ni ty won’t be like sheep with out a shep herd.” 18 The L ord re plied to Mo ses, “ Take Josh ua son of Nun, a man who has the Spir it in him, and lay your hands on him. 19 Have him stand be fore the priest El e a zar and the whole com mu ni ty , and com mis sion him in their sight. 20 Con fer some of your au thor i ty on him so that the en tire Is ra el ite com mu ni ty will obey him. 21 He will stand be fore the priest El e a zar who will con sult the L ord for him with the de ci sion of the Urim. He and all the Is ra el ites with him, even the en tire com mu ni ty , will go out and come back in at his com mand.” 22 Mo ses did as the L ord com mand ed him. He took Josh ua, had him stand be fore the priest El e a zar and the en tire com mu ni ty , 23 laid his hands on him, and com mis sioned him, as the L ord had spo ken through Mo ses. a 27:12 = Mount Nebo; Nm 33:47-48; Dt 32:49; Jr 22:20 b 27:14 = Quarreling c 27:16 Or God of the spirits of all flesh 141 NUMbERS 26-27 04_CSB_Pew_Bible.indd 141 10/27/17 1:23 PM PRESCRI bED OFFERINGS 28 The L ord spoke to Mo ses, 2 “Com mand the Is ra el ites and say to them: Be sure to pre sent to me at its ap point ed time my of er ing and my food as my fire of er ing, a pleas ing aro ma to me. 3 And say to them: This is the fire of er ing you are to pre sent to the L ord: DAILY OFFERINGS “ Each day pre sent two un blem ished year old male lambs as a reg u lar burnt of er ing. 4 Of fer one lamb in the morn ing and the oth er lamb at twi light, 5 along with two quarts a of fine flour for a grain of er ing mixed with a quart b of ol ive oil from crushed ol ives. 6 It is a reg u lar burnt of er ing es tab lished at Mount Si nai for a pleas ing aro ma, a fire of er ing to the L ord. 7 The drink of er ing is to be a quart with each lamb. Pour out the of er ing of beer to the L ord in the sanc tu ary area. 8 Of er the sec ond lamb at twi light, along with the same kind of grain of er ing and drink of er ing as in the morn ing. It is a fire of er ing, a pleas ing aro ma to the L ord. SAbbATH OFFERINGS 9 “ On the Sab bath day pre sent two un blem ished year old male lambs, four quarts c of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain of er ing, and its drink of er ing. 10 It is the burnt of er ing for ev ery Sab bath, in ad di tion to the reg u lar burnt of er ing and its drink of er ing. MONTHLY OFFERINGS 11 “ At the be gin ning of each of your months pre sent a burnt of er ing to the L ord : two young bulls, one ram, sev en male lambs a year old — all un blem ished — 12 with six quarts d of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain of er ing for each bull, four quarts of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain of er ing for the ram, 13 and two quarts e of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain of er ing for each lamb. It is a burnt of er ing, a pleas ing aro ma, a fire of er ing to the L ord. 14 Their drink of er ings are to be two quarts f of wine with each bull, one and a third quarts g with the ram, and one quart h with each male lamb. This is the month ly burnt of er ing for all the months of the year. 15 And one male goat is to be of ered as a sin of er ing to the L ord, in ad di tion to the reg u lar burnt of er ing with its drink of er ing.OFFERINGS FOR PASSOVER 16 “ The Pass over to the L ord comes in the first month, on the four teenth day of the month. 17 On the fif teenth day of this month there will be a fes ti val; un leav ened bread is to be eat en for sev en days. 18 On the first day there is to be a sa cred as sem bly; you are not to do any dai ly work. 19 Pre sent a fire of er ing, a burnt of er ing to the L ord: two young bulls, one ram, and sev en male lambs a year old. Your an i mals are to be un blem ished. 20 The grain of er ing with them is to be of fine flour mixed with oil; of er six quarts with each bull and four quarts with the ram. 21 Of er two quarts with each of the sev en lambs 22 and one male goat for a sin of er ing to make atone ment for your selves. 23 Of er these with the morn ing burnt of er ing that is part of the reg u lar burnt of er ing. 24 You are to of er the same food each day for sev en days as a fire of er ing, a pleas ing aro ma to the L ord. It is to be of ered with its drink of er ing and the reg u lar burnt of er ing. 25 On the sev enth day you are to hold a sa cred as sem bly; you are not to do any dai ly work. OFFERINGS FOR THE FESTIVAL OF WEEKS 26 “ On the day of first fruits, you are to hold a sa cred as sem bly when you pre sent an of er ing of new grain to the L ord at your Fes ti val of Weeks; you are not to do any dai ly work. 27 Pre sent a burnt of er ing for a pleas ing aro ma to the L ord: two young bulls, one ram, and sev en male lambs a year old, 28 with their grain of er ing of fine flour mixed with oil, six quarts with each bull, four quarts with the ram, 29 and two quarts with each of the sev en lambs, 30 and one male goat to make atone ment for your selves. 31 Of er them with their drink of er ings in ad di tion to the reg u lar burnt of er ing and its grain of er ing. Your an i mals are to be un blem ished. FESTIVAL OF TRUMPETS OFFERINGS 29 “ You are to hold a sa cred as sem bly in the sev enth month, on the first day of the month, and you are not to do any dai ly work. This will be a day of trum pet blasts for you. 2 Of er a burnt of er ing as a pleas ing aro ma to the L ord: one young bull, one ram, sev en male lambs a year old — all un blem ished — 3 with their grain of er ing of fine flour mixed with oil, a 28:5 Lit one-tenth of an ephah b 28:5 Lit a fourth of a hin, also in v. 7 c 28:9 Lit two-tenths (of an ephah), also in vv. 12,20,28 d 28:12 Lit three-tenths (of an ephah), also in vv. 20,28 e 28:13 Lit one-tenth (of an ephah), also in vv. 21,29 f 28:14 Lit a half hin g 28:14 Lit bull, a third hin h 28:14 Lit a fourth hinNUMbERS 28-29 142 04_CSB_Pew_Bible.indd 142 10/27/17 1:23 PM six quarts a with the bull, four quarts b with the ram, 4 and two quarts c with each of the sev en male lambs. 5 Also of er one male goat as a sin of er ing to make atone ment for your selves. 6 These are in ad di tion to the month ly and reg u lar burnt of er ings with their pre scribed grain of er ings and drink of er ings. They are a pleas ing aro ma, a fire of er ing to the L ord. OFFERINGS FOR THE DAY OF ATONEMENT 7 “ You are to hold a sa cred as sem bly on the tenth day of this sev enth month and prac tice selfdenial; do not do any work. 8 Pre sent a burnt of er ing to the L ord, a pleas ing aro ma: one young bull, one ram, and sev en male lambs a year old. All your an i mals are to be un blem ished. 9 Their grain of er ing is to be of fine flour mixed with oil, six quarts with the bull, four quarts with the ram, 10 and two quarts with each of the sev en lambs. 11 Of er one male goat for a sin of er ing. The reg u lar burnt of er ing with its grain of er ing and drink of er ings are in ad di tion to the sin of er ing of atone ment. OFFERINGS FOR THE FESTIVAL OF SHELTERS 12 “ You are to hold a sa cred as sem bly on the fif teenth day of the sev enth month; you do not do any dai ly work. You are to cel e brate a sevenday fes ti val for the L ord. 13 Pre sent a burnt of fer ing, a fire of fer ing as a pleas ing aro ma to the L ord: thir teen young bulls, two rams, and four teen male lambs a year old. They are to be un blem ished. 14 Their grain of fer ing is to be of fine flour mixed with oil, six quarts with each of the thir teen bulls, four quarts with each of the two rams, 15 and two quarts with each of the four teen lambs. 16 Also of fer one male goat as a sin of fer ing. These are in ad di tion to the reg u lar burnt of fer ing with its grain and drink of fer ings. 17 “ On the sec ond day pre sent twelve young bulls, two rams, and four teen male lambs a year old — all un blem ished — 18 with their grain and drink of er ings for the bulls, rams, and lambs, in pro por tion to their num ber. 19 Also of er one male goat as a sin of er ing. These are in ad di tion to the reg u lar burnt of er ing with its grain and drink and their drink of er ings. 20 “ On the third day pre sent elev en bulls, two rams, four teen male lambs a year old — all un blem ished — 21 with their grain and drink of er ings for the bulls, rams, and lambs, in pro por tion to their num ber. 22 Also of er one male goat as a sin of er ing. These are in ad di tion to the reg u lar burnt of er ing with its grain and drink of er ings. 23 “ On the fourth day pre sent ten bulls, two rams, four teen male lambs a year old — all un blem ished — 24 with their grain and drink of er ings for the bulls, rams, and lambs, in pro por tion to their num ber. 25 Also of er one male goat as a sin of er ing. These are in ad di tion to the reg u lar burnt of er ing with its grain and drink of er ings. 26 “ On the fifth day pre sent nine bulls, two rams, four teen male lambs a year old — all un blem ished — 27 with their grain and drink of er ings for the bulls, rams, and lambs, in pro por tion to their num ber. 28 Also of er one male goat as a sin of er ing. These are in ad di tion to the reg u lar burnt of er ing with its grain and drink of er ings. 29 “ On the sixth day pre sent eight bulls, two rams, four teen male lambs a year old — all un blem ished — 30 with their grain and drink of er ings for the bulls, rams, and lambs, in pro por tion to their num ber. 31 Also of er one male goat as a sin of er ing. These are in ad di tion to the reg u lar burnt of er ing with its grain and drink of er ings. 32 “ On the sev enth day pre sent sev en bulls, two rams, and four teen male lambs a year old — all un blem ished — 33 with their grain and drink of er ings for the bulls, rams, and lambs, in pro por tion to their num ber. 34 Also of er one male goat as a sin of er ing. These are in ad di tion to the reg u lar burnt of er ing with its grain and drink of er ings. 35 “ On the eighth day you are to hold a sol emn as sem bly; you are not to do any dai ly work. 36 Pre sent a burnt of er ing, a fire of er ing as a pleas ing aro ma to the L ord: one bull, one ram, sev en male lambs a year old — all un blem ished — 37 with their grain and drink of er ings for the bulls, rams, and lambs, in pro por tion to their num ber. 38 Also of er one male goat as a sin of er ing. These are in ad di tion to the reg u lar burnt of er ing with its grain and drink of er ings. 39 “Of er these to the L ord at your ap point ed times in ad di tion to your vow and free will of fer ings, wheth er burnt, grain, drink, or fel low ship of er ings.” 40 So Mo ses told the Is ra el ites ev ery thing the L ord had com mand ed him. a 29:3 Lit three-tenths (of an ephah), also in vv. 9,14 b 29:3 Lit two-tenths (of an ephah), also in vv. 9,14 c 29:4 Lit one-tenth (of an ephah), also in vv. 10,15 143 NUMbERS 29 04_CSB_Pew_Bible.indd 143 10/27/17 1:23 PM REGULATIONS A bOUT VOWS 30 Mo ses told the lead ers of the Is ra el ite tribes, “ This is what the L ord has com mand ed: 2 When a man makes a vow to the L ord or swears an oath to put him self un der an ob li ga tion, he must not break his word; he must do what ev er he has prom ised. 3 “ When a wom an in her fa ther’s house dur ing her youth makes a vow to the L ord or puts her self un der an ob li ga tion, 4 and her fa ther hears about her vow or the ob li ga tion she put her self un der, and he says noth ing to her, all her vows and ev ery ob li ga tion she put her self un der are bind ing. 5 But if her fa ther prohibits her on the day he hears about it, none of her vows and none of the ob li ga tions she put her self un der are bind ing. The L ord will re lease her be cause her fa ther has prohibited her. 6 “ If a wom an mar ries while her vows or the rash commitment she her self made are bind ing, 7 and her hus band hears about it and says noth ing to her when he finds out, her vows are bind ing, and the ob li ga tions she put her self un der are bind ing. 8 But if her hus band prohibits her when he hears about it, he will can cel her vow that is bind ing or the rash commitment she her self made, and the L ord will re lease her. 9 “Ev ery vow a wid ow or di vorced wom an puts her self un der is bind ing on her. 10 “ If a wom an in her hus band’s house has made a vow or put her self un der an ob li ga tion with an oath, 11 and her hus band hears about it, says noth ing to her, and does not pro hib it her, all her vows are bind ing, and ev ery ob li ga tion she put her self un der is bind ing. 12 But if her hus band cancels them on the day he hears about it, noth ing that came from her lips, wheth er her vows or her ob li ga tion, is bind ing. Her hus band has can celed them, and the L ord will re lease her. 13 Her hus band may con firm or can cel any vow or any sworn ob li ga tion to deny her self. 14 If her hus band says noth ing at all to her from day to day , he con firms all her vows and ob li ga tions, which are bind ing. He has con firmed them be cause he said noth ing to her when he heard about them. 15 But if he cancels them af ter he hears about them, he will be re spon si ble for her commitment.” a 16 These are the stat utes that the L ord com mand ed Mo ses con cern ing the re la tion ship be tween a man and his wife, or be tween a fa ther and his daugh ter in his house dur ing her youth.WAR WITH MIDIAN 31 The L ord spoke to Mo ses, 2 “Ex e cute ven geance for the Is ra el ites against the Mid i an ites. Af ter that, you will be gath ered to your peo ple.” 3 So Mo ses spoke to the peo ple, “ Equip some of your men for war. They will go against Mid i an to in flict the L ord’ s ven geance on them. 4 Send one thou sand men to war from each Is ra el ite tribe.” 5 So one thou sand were recruited from each Is ra el ite tribe out of the thou sands b in Is ra el — twelve thou sand equipped for war. 6 Mo ses sent one thou sand from each tribe to war. They went with Phin e has son of El e a zar the priest, in whose care were the holy ob jects and sig nal trum pets. 7 They waged war against Mid i an, as the L ord had com mand ed Mo ses, and killed ev ery male. 8 Along with the oth ers slain by them, they killed the Mid i an ite kings — Evi, Re kem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Mid i an. They also killed Ba laam son of Beor with the sword. 9 The Is ra el ites took the Mid i an ite wom en and their de pen dents cap tive, and they plun dered all their cat tle, flocks, and prop er ty . 10 Then they burned all the cit ies where the Mid i an ites lived, as well as all their encampments, 11 and took away all the spoils of war and the cap tives, both peo ple and an i mals. 12 They brought the pris on ers, an i mals, and spoils of
📜 Conquest and Division Instructions
🔪 Warfare aftermath includes strict purification rituals and detailed accounting of spoils, with specific instructions to kill male captives and non-virgin women while sparing virgin females
🏞️ The Transjordan settlement establishes conditions for Reubenites and Gadites to claim land east of Jordan, requiring them to fight alongside other tribes before settling their families
🗺️ A comprehensive journey record documents Israel's 40-year wilderness travels through 42 encampments, from Egyptian liberation to the plains of Moab
⚔️ Occupation commands require complete elimination of Canaanite inhabitants and their religious objects, with warnings that survivors will become persistent thorns in Israel's side
🧭 Territorial boundaries precisely define the promised land's borders from all four directions, with designated leaders appointed to oversee fair distribution among the tribes
war to Mo ses, the priest El e a zar, and the Is ra el ite com mu ni ty at the camp on the plains of Moab by the Jor dan across from Jer i cho. 13 Mo ses, the priest El e a zar, and all the lead ers of the com mu ni ty went to meet them out side the camp. 14 But Mo ses be came fu ri ous with the of i cers, the com mand ers of thou sands and com mand ers of hun dreds, who were re turn ing from the mil i tary cam paign. 15 “ Have you let ev ery fe male live? ” he asked them. 16 “ Yet they are the ones who, at Ba laam’s ad vice, in cit ed the Is ra el ites to un faith ful ness against the L ord in the Peor in ci dent, so that the plague came against the L ord’ s com mu ni ty . 17 So now , kill ev ery male among the de pen dents and kill ev ery wom an who has gone to bed with a man, 18 but keep alive for your selves all the young fe males who have not gone to bed with a man. 19 “ You are to re main out side the camp for sev en days. All of you and your pris on ers who have killed a per son or touched the dead are a 30:15 Or will bear her guilt b 31:5 Or clansNUMbERS 30-31 144 04_CSB_Pew_Bible.indd 144 10/27/17 1:23 PM to pu ri fy your selves on the third day and the sev enth day . 20 Also pu ri fy ev ery thing: gar ments, leath er goods, things made of goat hair, and ev ery ar ti cle of wood.” 21 Then the priest El e a zar said to the sol diers who had gone to bat tle, “ This is the le gal stat ute the L ord com mand ed Mo ses: 22 The gold, sil ver, bronze, iron, tin, and lead — 23 ev ery thing that can with stand fire — you are to pass through fire, and it will be clean. It must still be pu ri fied with the pu ri fi ca tion wa ter. Any thing that can not with stand fire, pass through the wa ter. 24 On the sev enth day wash your clothes, and you will be clean. Af ter that you may en ter the camp.” 25 The L ord told Mo ses, 26 “ You, the priest El e a zar, and the fam i ly heads of the com mu ni ty are to take a count of what was cap tured, peo ple and an i mals. 27 Then di vide the cap tives be tween the troops who went out to war and the en tire com mu ni ty . 28 Set aside a trib ute for the L ord from what be longs to the fight ing men who went out to war: one out of ev ery five hun dred peo ple, cat tle, don keys, sheep, and goats. 29 Take the trib ute from their half and give it to the priest El e a zar as a con tri bu tion to the L ord. 30 From the Is ra el ites’ half, take one out of ev ery fif ty from the peo ple, cat tle, don keys, sheep, and goats, all the live stock, and give them to the Le vites who per form the du ties of a the L ord’ s tab er na cle.” 31 So Mo ses and the priest El e a zar did as the L ord com mand ed Mo ses. 32 The cap tives re main ing from the plun der the army had tak en to taled: 675,000 sheep and goats, 33 72,000 cattle, 34 61,000 donkeys, 35 and 32,000 people, all the females who had not gone to bed with a man. 36 The half por tion for those who went out to war num bered: 337,500 sheep and goats, 37 and the tribute to the Lord was 675 from the sheep and goats; 38 from the 36,000 cattle, the tribute to the Lord was 72; 39 from the 30,500 donkeys, the tribute to the Lord was 61; 40 and from the 16,000 people, the tribute to the Lord was 32 people.41 Mo ses gave the trib ute to the priest El e a zar as a con tri bu tion for the L ord, as the L ord had com mand ed Mo ses. 42 From the Is ra el ites’ half, which Mo ses sep a rat ed from the men who fought, 43 the com mu ni ty’s half was: 337,500 sheep and goats, 44 36,000 cattle, 45 30,500 donkeys, 46 and 16,000 people. 47 Mo ses took one out of ev ery fif ty , se lect ed from the peo ple and the live stock of the Is ra el ites’ half. He gave them to the Le vites who per form the du ties of the L ord’ s tab er na cle, as the L ord had com mand ed him. 48 The of i cers who were over the thou sands of the army , the com mand ers of thou sands and of hun dreds, ap proached Mo ses 49 and told him, “ Your ser vants have tak en a cen sus of the fight ing men un der our com mand, and not one of us is miss ing. 50 So we have pre sent ed to the L ord an of er ing of the gold ar ti cles each man found — arm lets, brace lets, rings, ear rings, and neck laces — to make atone ment for our selves be fore the L ord.” 51 Mo ses and the priest El e a zar re ceived from them all the ar ti cles made out of gold. 52 All the gold of the con tri bu tion they of ered to the L ord, from the com mand ers of thou sands and of hun dreds, was 420 pounds. b 53 Each of the sol diers had tak en plun der for him self. 54 Mo ses and the priest El e a zar re ceived the gold from the com mand ers of thou sands and of hun dreds and brought it into the tent of meet ing as a me mo ri al for the Is ra el ites be fore the L ord. TRANSJORDAN SETTLEMENTS 32 The Reu ben ites and Gad ites had a very large num ber of live stock. When they sur veyed the lands of Ja zer and Gil e ad, they saw that the re gion was a good one for live stock. 2 So the Gad ites and Reu ben ites came to Mo ses, the priest El e a zar, and the lead ers of the com mu ni ty and said: 3 “ The ter ri to ry of At a roth, Di bon, Ja zer, Nim rah, Hesh bon, Ele a leh, Se bam, c Nebo, and Beon, 4 which the L ord struck down be fore the com mu ni ty of Is ra el, is good land for live stock, and your ser vants own live stock.” 5 They said, “ If we have found fa vor with you, let this land be giv en to your ser vants as a pos ses sion. Don’t make us cross the Jor dan.” a 31:30 Or who protect b 31:52 Lit 16,750 shekels c 32:3 Sam, LXX read Sibmah (v. 38); Syr reads Sebah 145 NUMbERS 31-32 04_CSB_Pew_Bible.indd 145 10/27/17 1:23 PM 6 But Mo ses asked the Gad ites and Reu ben ites, “ Should your broth ers go to war while you stay here? 7 Why are you dis cour ag ing the Is ra el ites from cross ing into the land the L ord has giv en them? 8 That’s what your fa thers did when I sent them from Kadesh barnea to see the land. 9 Af ter they went up as far as Esh col Val ley and saw the land, they dis cour aged the Is ra el ites from en ter ing the land the L ord had giv en them. 10 So the L ord’ s an ger burned that day , and he swore an oath: 11 ‘Be cause they did not re main loy al to me, none of the men twen ty years old or more who came up from Egypt will see the land I swore to give Abra ham, Isaac, and Ja cob — 12 none ex cept Ca leb son of Je phun neh the Ken iz zite and Josh ua son of Nun, be cause they did re main loy al to the L ord .’ 13 The L ord’ s an ger burned against Is ra el, and he made them wan der in the wil der ness for ty years un til the whole gen er a tion that had done what was evil in the L ord’ s sight was gone. 14 And here you, a brood of sin ners, stand in your fa thers’ place add ing even more to the L ord’ s burn ing an ger against Is ra el. 15 If you turn back from fol low ing him, he will once again leave this peo ple in the wil der ness, and you will de stroy all of them.” 16 Then they ap proached him and said, “ We want to build sheep pens here for our live stock and cit ies for our de pen dents. 17 But we will arm our selves and be ready to go ahead of the Is ra el ites un til we have brought them into their place. Mean while, our de pen dents will re main in the for ti fied cit ies be cause of the in hab i tants of the land. 18 We will not re turn to our homes un til each of the Is ra el ites has tak en pos ses sion of his in her i tance. 19 Yet we will not have an in her i tance with them across the Jor dan and be yond, be cause our in her i tance will be across the Jor dan to the east.” 20 Mo ses re plied to them, “ If you do this — if you arm your selves for bat tle be fore the L ord, 21 and ev ery one of your armed men cross es the Jor dan be fore the L ord un til he has driv en his en e mies from his pres ence, 22 and the land is sub dued be fore the L ord — af ter ward you may re turn and be free from ob li ga tion to the L ord and to Is ra el. And this land will be long to you as a pos ses sion be fore the L ord. 23 But if you don’t do this, you will cer tain ly sin against the L ord; be sure your sin will catch up with you. 24 Build cit ies for your de pen dents and pens for your flocks, but do what you have prom ised.”25 The Gad ites and Reu ben ites an swered Mo ses, “ Your ser vants will do just as my lord com mands. 26 Our de pen dents, wives, live stock, and all our an i mals will re main here in the cit ies of Gil e ad, 27 but your ser vants are equipped for war be fore the L ord and will go across to the bat tle as my lord or ders.” 28 So Mo ses gave or ders about them to the priest El e a zar, Josh ua son of Nun, and the fam i ly heads of the Is ra el ite tribes. 29 Mo ses told them, “ If the Gad ites and Reu ben ites cross the Jor dan with you, ev ery man in bat tle for ma tion be fore the L ord, and the land is sub dued be fore you, you are to give them the land of Gil e ad as a pos ses sion. 30 But if they don’t go across with you in bat tle for ma tion, they must ac cept land in Ca naan with you.” 31 The Gad ites and Reu ben ites re plied, “ What the L ord has spo ken to your ser vants is what we will do. 32 We will cross over in bat tle for ma tion be fore the L ord into the land of Ca naan, but we will keep our he red i tary pos ses sion across the Jor dan.” 33 So Mo ses gave them — the Gad ites, Reu ben ites, and half the tribe of Ma nas seh son of Jo seph — the king dom of King Si hon of the Am o rites and the king dom of King Og of Ba shan, the land in clud ing its cit ies with the ter ri to ries sur round ing them. 34 The Gad ites re built Di bon, At a roth, Aro er, 35 Atrothshophan, Ja zer, Jog be hah, 36 Bethnim rah, and Bethha ran as for ti fied cit ies, and built sheep pens. 37 The Reu ben ites re built Hesh bon, Ele a leh, Kir ia tha im, 38 as well as Nebo and Baalmeon ( whose names were changed), and Sib mah. They gave names to the cit ies they re built. 39 The de scen dants of Ma chir son of Ma nas seh went to Gil e ad, cap tured it, and drove out the Am o rites who were there. 40 So Mo ses gave Gil e ad to the clan of Ma chir son of Ma nas seh, and they set tled in it. 41 Jair, a de scen dant of Ma nas seh, went and cap tured their vil lages, which he renamed Jair’s Vil lages. a 42 No bah went and cap tured Ke nath with its sur round ing vil lages and called it No bah af ter his own name. WILDERNESS TRAVELS REVIEWED 33 These were the stages of the Is ra el ites’ jour ney when they went out of the land of Egypt by their mil i tary di vi sions un der the lead er ship of Mo ses and Aar on. 2 At the L ord’ s com mand, Mo ses wrote down a 32:41 Or renamed Havvoth-jairNUMbERS 32-33 146 04_CSB_Pew_Bible.indd 146 10/27/17 1:23 PM the start ing points for the stages of their jour ney; these are the stages list ed by their start ing points: 3 They traveled from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the month. On the day after the Passover the Israelites went out defiantly a in the sight of all the Egyptians. 4 Meanwhile, the Egyptians were burying every firstborn male the Lord had struck down among them, for the Lord had executed judgment against their gods. 5 The Israelites traveled from Rameses and camped at Succoth. 6 They traveled from Succoth and camped at Etham, which is on the edge of the wilderness. 7 They traveled from Etham and turned back to Pihahiroth, which faces Baalzephon, and they camped before Migdol. 8 They traveled from Pihahiroth b and crossed through the middle of the sea into the wilderness. They took a threeday journey into the Wilderness of Etham and camped at Marah. 9 They traveled from Marah and came to Elim. There were twelve springs and seventy date palms at Elim, so they camped there. 10 They traveled from Elim and camped by the Red Sea. 11 They traveled from the Red Sea and camped in the Wilderness of Sin. 12 They traveled from the Wilderness of Sin and camped in Dophkah. 13 They traveled from Dophkah and camped at Alush. 14 They traveled from Alush and camped at Rephidim, where there was no water for the people to drink. 15 They traveled from Rephidim and camped in the Wilderness of Sinai. 16 They traveled from the Wilderness of Sinai and camped at Kibrothhattaavah. 17 They traveled from Kibrothhattaavah and camped at Hazeroth. 18 They traveled from Hazeroth and camped at Rithmah. 19 They traveled from Rithmah and camped at Rimmonperez. 20 They traveled from Rimmonperez and camped at Libnah.21 They traveled from Libnah and camped at Rissah. 22 They traveled from Rissah and camped at Kehelathah. 23 They traveled from Kehelathah and camped at Mount Shepher. 24 They traveled from Mount Shepher and camped at Haradah. 25 They traveled from Haradah and camped at Makheloth. 26 They traveled from Makheloth and camped at Tahath. 27 They traveled from Tahath and camped at Terah. 28 They traveled from Terah and camped at Mithkah. 29 They traveled from Mithkah and camped at Hashmonah. 30 They traveled from Hashmonah and camped at Moseroth. 31 They traveled from Moseroth and camped at Benejaakan. 32 They traveled from Benejaakan and camped at Hor haggidgad. 33 They traveled from Hor haggidgad and camped at Jotbathah. 34 They traveled from Jotbathah and camped at Abronah. 35 They traveled from Abronah and camped at Eziongeber. 36 They traveled from Eziongeber and camped in the Wilderness of Zin (that is, Kadesh). 37 They traveled from Kadesh and camped at Mount Hor on the edge of the land of Edom. 38 At the Lord’s command, the priest Aaron climbed Mount Hor and died there on the first day of the fifth month in the fortieth year after the Israelites went out of the land of Egypt. 39 Aaron was 123 years old when he died on Mount Hor. 40 At that time the Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev in the land of Canaan, heard the Israelites were coming. 41 They traveled from Mount Hor and camped at Zalmonah. 42 They traveled from Zalmonah and camped at Punon. 43 They traveled from Punon and camped at Oboth. 44 They traveled from Oboth and camped at Iyeabarim on the border of Moab. a 33:3 Lit with a raised hand ; Ex 14:8 b 33:8 Some Hb mss, Sam, Syr , Vg; other Hb mss read from before Hahiroth 147 NUMbERS 33 04_CSB_Pew_Bible.indd 147 10/27/17 1:23 PM 45 They traveled from Iyim a and camped at Dibongad. 46 They traveled from Dibongad and camped at Almondiblathaim. 47 They traveled from Almondiblathaim and camped in the Abarim range facing Nebo. 48 They traveled from the Abarim range and camped on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho. 49 They camped by the Jordan from Bethjeshimoth to the Acacia Meadow b on the plains of Moab. INSTRUCTIONS FOR OCCUPYING CANAAN 50 The L ord spoke to Mo ses in the plains of Moab by the Jor dan across from Jer i cho, 51 “ Tell the Is ra el ites: When you cross the Jor dan into the land of Ca naan, 52 you must drive out all the in hab i tants of the land be fore you, de stroy all their stone im ages and cast im ages, and de mol ish all their high plac es. 53 You are to take pos ses sion of the land and set tle in it be cause I have giv en you the land to pos sess. 54 You are to re ceive the land as an in her i tance by lot ac cord ing to your clans. In crease the in her i tance for a large clan and de crease it for a small one. What ev er place the lot indicates for some one will be his. You will re ceive an in her i tance ac cord ing to your an ces tral tribes. 55 But if you don’t drive out the in hab i tants of the land be fore you, those you al low to re main will be come barbs for your eyes and thorns for your sides; they will ha rass you in the land where you will live. 56 And what I had planned to do to them, I will do to you.” bOUNDARIES OF THE PROMISED LAND 34 The L ord spoke to Mo ses, 2 “Com mand the Is ra el ites and say to them: When you en ter the land of Ca naan, it will be al lot ted to you as an in her i tance c with these bor ders: 3 Your southern side will be from the Wilderness of Zin along the boundary of Edom. Your southern border on the east will begin at the east end of the Dead Sea. 4 Your border will turn south of the Scorpions’ Ascent, d proceed to Zin, and end south of Kadeshbarnea. It will go to Hazar addar and proceed to Azmon. 5 The border will turn from Azmon to the Brook of Egypt, where it will end at the Mediterranean Sea. 6 Your western border will be the coast line of the Mediterranean Sea; this will be your western border. 7 This will be your northern border: From the Mediterranean Sea draw a line to Mount Hor; 8 from Mount Hor draw a line to the entrance of Hamath, e and the bor der will reach Zedad. 9 Then the border will go to Ziphron and end at Hazar enan. This will be your northern border. 10 For your eastern border, draw a line from Hazar enan to Shepham. 11 The border will go down from Shepham to Riblah east of Ain. It will continue down and reach the eastern slope of the Sea of Chinnereth. f 12 Then the border will go down to the Jordan and end at the Dead Sea. This will be your land defined by its borders on all sides.” 13 So Mo ses com mand ed the Is ra el ites, “ This is the land you are to re ceive by lot as an in her i tance, which the L ord com mand ed to be giv en to the nine and a half tribes. 14 For the tribe of Reu ben’s de scen dants and the tribe of Gad’s de scen dants have re ceived their in her i tance ac cord ing to their an ces tral fam i lies, g and half the tribe of Ma nas seh has re ceived its in her i tance. 15 The two and a half tribes have re ceived their in her i tance across the Jor dan east of Jer i cho, to ward the sun rise.” LEADERS FOR DISTRI bUTING THE LAND 16 The L ord spoke to Mo ses, 17 “ These are the names of the men who are to dis trib ute the land as an in her i tance for you: the priest El e a zar and Josh ua son of Nun. 18 Take one lead er from each tribe to dis trib ute the land. 19 These are the names of the men: Caleb son of Jephunneh from the tribe of Judah; 20 Shemuel son of Ammihud from the tribe of Simeon’s descendants; 21 Elidad son of Chislon from the tribe of Benjamin; 22 Bukki son of Jogli, a leader from the tribe of Dan’s descendants; a 33:45 A shortened form of Iye-abarim b
📜 Biblical Land Allocation
🏙️ Cities of refuge provided sanctuary for those who killed unintentionally, establishing a justice system that distinguished between murder and accidental death
🛡️ The avenger of blood could legally pursue murderers but couldn't harm those who killed accidentally if they remained within designated refuge cities
🗺️ Tribal inheritance laws carefully preserved family land rights across generations, with special provisions ensuring daughters' inheritances remained within their ancestral tribes
📏 Levitical cities were distributed proportionally among the tribes, creating a network of forty-eight settlements with surrounding pastureland for the priestly tribe
👨⚖️ Moses established a judicial system with leaders appointed from each tribe to handle disputes fairly, regardless of social status
🏔️ The text recounts Israel's journey through wilderness territories, highlighting God's protection and the consequences of disobedience at Kadesh-barnea
33:49 Or to Abel-shittim c 34:2 Lit inheritance — the land of Canaan d 34:4 Lit of Scorpions ; Jos 15:3; Jdg 1:36 e 34:8 Or to Lebo-hamath f 34:11 = the Sea of Galilee; Jos 12:3; 13:27; Lk 5:1 g 34:14 Lit the house of their fathersNUMbERS 33-34 148 04_CSB_Pew_Bible.indd 148 10/27/17 1:23 PM 23 from the sons of Joseph: Hanniel son of Ephod, a leader from the tribe of Manasseh’s descendants, 24 Kemuel son of Shiphtan, a leader from the tribe of Ephraim’s descendants; 25 Elizaphan son of Parnach, a leader from the tribe of Zebulun’s descendants; 26 Paltiel son of Azzan, a leader from the tribe of Issachar’s descendants; 27 Ahihud son of Shelomi, a leader from the tribe of Asher’s descendants; 28 Pedahel son of Ammihud, a leader from the tribe of Naphtali’s descendants.” 29 These are the ones the L ord com mand ed to dis trib ute the in her i tance to the Is ra el ites in the land of Ca naan. CITIES FOR THE LEVITES 35 The L ord again spoke to Mo ses in the plains of Moab by the Jor dan across from Jer i cho: 2 “Com mand the Is ra el ites to give cit ies out of their he red i tary prop er ty for the Le vites to live in and pas ture land around the cit ies. 3 The cit ies will be for them to live in, and their pas ture lands will be for their herds, flocks, and all their oth er an i mals. 4 The pas ture lands of the cit ies you are to give the Le vites will ex tend from the city wall five hun dred yards a on ev ery side. 5 Mea sure a thou sand yards b out side the city for the east side, a thou sand yards for the south side, a thou sand yards for the west side, and a thou sand yards for the north side, with the city in the cen ter. This will be long to them as pas ture lands for the cit ies. 6 “ The cit ies you give the Le vites will in clude six cit ies of ref uge, which you will pro vide so that the one who kills some one may flee there; in ad di tion to these, give fortytwo oth er cit ies. 7 The to tal num ber of cit ies you give the Le vites will be fortyeight, along with their pas ture lands. 8 Of the cit ies that you give from the Is ra el ites’ ter ri to ry , you should take more from a larg er tribe and less from a small er one. Each tribe is to give some of its cit ies to the Le vites in pro por tion to the in her i tance it re ceives.” CITIES OF REFUGE 9 The L ord said to Mo ses, 10 “ Speak to the Is ra el ites and tell them: When you cross the Jor dan into the land of Ca naan, 11 des ig nate cit ies to serve as cit ies of ref uge for you, so that a per son who kills some one un in ten tion al ly may flee there. 12 You will have the cit ies as a ref uge from the aveng er, so that the one who kills some one will not die un til he stands tri al be fore the as sem bly . 13 The cit ies you se lect will be your six cit ies of ref uge. 14 Se lect three cit ies across the Jor dan and three cit ies in the land of Ca naan to be cit ies of ref uge. 15 These six cit ies will serve as a ref uge for the Is ra el ites and for the alien or tem po rary res i dent among them, so that any one who kills a per son un in ten tion al ly may flee there. 16 “ If any one strikes a per son with an iron ob ject and death results, he is a mur der er; the mur der er must be put to death. 17 If any one has in his hand a stone ca pa ble of caus ing death and strikes an oth er per son and he dies, the mur der er must be put to death. 18 If any one has in his hand a wood en ob ject ca pa ble of caus ing death and strikes an oth er per son and he dies, the mur der er must be put to death. 19 The aveng er of blood him self is to kill the mur der er; when he finds him, he is to kill him. 20 Like wise, if any one in ha tred push es a per son or throws an ob ject at him with ma li cious in tent and he dies, 21 or if in hos til i ty he strikes him with his hand and he dies, the one who struck him must be put to death; he is a mur der er. The aveng er of blood is to kill the mur der er when he finds him. 22 “ But if any one sud den ly push es a per son with out hos til i ty or throws any ob ject at him with out ma li cious in tent 23 or with out look ing drops a stone that could kill a per son and he dies, but he was not his en e my and didn’t in tend to harm him, 24 the as sem bly is to judge be tween the per son who kills some one and the aveng er of blood ac cord ing to these or di nances. 25 The as sem bly is to pro tect the one who kills some one from the aveng er of blood. Then the as sem bly will re turn him to the city of ref uge he fled to, and he must live there un til the death of the high priest who was anoint ed with the holy oil. 26 “ If the one who kills some one ever goes out side the bor der of the city of ref uge he fled to, 27 and the aveng er of blood finds him out side the bor der of his city of ref uge and kills him, the aveng er will not be guilty of blood shed, 28 for the one who killed a per son was sup posed to live in his city of ref uge un til the death of the high priest. Only af ter the death of the high priest may the one who has a 35:4 Lit 1,000 cubits b 35:5 Lit 2,000 cubits 149 NUMbERS 34-35 04_CSB_Pew_Bible.indd 149 10/27/17 1:23 PM killed a per son re turn to the land he possesses. 29 These in struc tions will be a statutory or di nance for you through out your gen er a tions wher ev er you live. 30 “ If any one kills a per son, the mur der er is to be put to death based on the word of wit ness es. But no one is to be put to death based on the tes ti mo ny of one wit ness. 31 You are not to ac cept a ran som for the life of some one who is guilty of mur der; he must be put to death. 32 Nei ther should you ac cept a ran som for the per son who flees to his city of ref uge, al low ing him to re turn and live in the land be fore the death of the high priest. 33 “ Do not de file the land where you live, for blood shed de files the land, and there can be no atone ment for the land be cause of the blood that is shed on it, ex cept by the blood of the per son who shed it. 34 Do not make the land un clean where you live and where I dwell; for I, the L ord, re side among the Is ra el ites.” THE INHERITANCE OF ZELOPHEHAD’S DAUGHTERS 36 The fam i ly heads from the clan of the de scen dants of Gil e ad — the son of Ma chir, son of Ma nas seh — who were from the clans of the sons of Jo seph, ap proached and ad dressed Mo ses and the lead ers who were heads of the Is ra el ite fam i lies. 2 They said, “ The L ord com mand ed my lord to give the land as an in her i tance by lot to the Is ra el ites. My lord was fur ther com mand ed by the L ord to give our broth er Ze lo phe had’s in her i tance to his daugh ters. 3 If they mar ry any of the men from the oth er Is ra el ite tribes, their in her i tance will be tak en away from our fa thers’ in her i tance and add ed to that of the tribe into which they mar ry . There fore, part of our al lot ted in her i tance would be tak en away. 4 When the Ju bi lee comes for the Is ra el ites, their in her i tance will be add ed to that of the tribe into which they mar ry , and their in her i tance will be tak en away from the in her i tance of our an ces tral tribe.” 5 So Mo ses com mand ed the Is ra el ites at the word of the L ord, “ What the tribe of Jo seph’s de scen dants says is right. 6 This is what the L ord has com mand ed con cern ing Ze lo phe had’s daugh ters: They may mar ry any one they like pro vid ed they mar ry with in a clan of their an ces tral tribe. 7 No in her i tance be long ing to the Is ra el ites is to trans fer from tribe to tribe, be cause each of the Is ra el ites is to re tain the in her i tance of his an ces tral tribe. 8 Any daugh ter who possesses an in her i tance from an Is ra el ite tribe must mar ry some one from the clan of her an ces tral tribe, so that each of the Is ra el ites will pos sess the in her i tance of his fa thers. 9 No in her i tance is to trans fer from one tribe to an oth er, be cause each of the Is ra el ite tribes is to re tain its in her i tance.” 10 The daugh ters of Ze lo phe had did as the L ord com mand ed Mo ses. 11 Mah lah, Tir zah, Hog lah, Mil cah, and Noah, the daugh ters of Ze lo phe had, mar ried cous ins on their fa ther’s side. 12 They mar ried men from the clans of the de scen dants of Ma nas seh son of Jo seph, and their in her i tance re mained with in the tribe of their fa ther’s clan. 13 These are the com mands and or di nances the L ord com mand ed the Is ra el ites through Mo ses in the plains of Moab by the Jor dan across from Jer i cho.NUMbERS 35-36 150 04_CSB_Pew_Bible.indd 150 10/27/17 1:23 PM deuTeronomy INTRODUCTION 1 These are the words Mo ses spoke to all Is ra el across the Jor dan in the wil der ness, in the Ar a bah op po site Suph, a be tween Pa ran and To phel, La ban, Ha ze roth, and Di-zahab. 2 It is an eleven-day jour ney from Ho reb to Kadesh-bar - nea by way of Mount Seir. 3 In the for ti eth year, in the elev enth month, on the first of the month, Mo ses told the Is ra el ites ev ery thing the L ord had com mand ed him to say to them. 4 This was af ter he had de feat ed King Si hon of the Am o rites, who lived in Hesh bon, and King Og of Ba shan, who lived in Ash ta roth, at Ed rei. 5 Across the Jor dan in the land of Moab, Mo ses be gan to ex plain this law , say ing: DEPARTURE FROM HOREB 6 “ The L ord our God spoke to us at Ho reb: ‘ You have stayed at this moun tain long enough. 7 Resume your jour ney and go to the hill coun- try of the Am o rites and their neigh bors in the Ar a bah, the hill coun try , the Ju de an foot hills, b the Ne gev and the sea coast — to the land of the Ca naan ites and to Leb a non as far as the great riv er, the Eu phra tes Riv er. 8 See, I have set the land be fore you. En ter and take pos- ses sion of the land the L ord swore to give to your fa thers Abra ham, Isaac, and Ja cob and their fu ture de scen dants.’ LEADERS FOR THE TRIBES 9 “ I said to you at that time: I can’t bear the re spon si bil i ty for you on my own. 10 The L ord your God has so mul ti plied you that to day you are as nu mer ous as the stars of the sky . 11 May the L ord, the God of your fa thers, in crease you a thou sand times more, and bless you as he prom ised you. 12 But how can I bear your trou bles, bur dens, and dis putes by my self? 13 Ap point for your selves wise, un der stand ing, and re spect ed men from each of your tribes, and I will make them your lead ers. 14 “ You re plied to me, ‘ What you pro pose to do is good.’ 15 “ So I took the lead ers of your tribes, wise and re spect ed men, and set them over you as lead ers: com mand ers for thou sands, hun dreds, fif ties, and tens, and off i cers for your tribes. 16 I com mand ed your judg es at that time: Hear the cases be tween your broth ers, and judge right ly be tween a man and his broth er or his res i dent alien. 17 Do not show par tial i ty when deciding a case; lis ten to small and great alike. Do not be intimidated by any one, for judg ment be longs to God. Bring me any case too diff i cult for you, and I will hear it. 18 At that time I com mand ed you about all the things you were to do. ISRAEL’S DISOBEDIENCE AT KADESH-BARNEA 19 “ We then set out from Ho reb and went across all the great and ter ri ble wil der ness you saw on the way to the hill coun try of the Am o rites, just as the L ord our God had com mand ed us. When we reached Kadesh-barnea, 20 I said to you: You have reached the hill coun try of the Am o rites, which the L ord our God is giv ing us. 21 See, the L ord your God has set the land be fore you. Go up and take pos ses sion of it as the L ord, the God of your fa thers, has told you. Do not be afraid or dis cour aged. 22 “ Then all of you ap proached me and said, ‘ Let’s send men ahead of us, so that they may ex plore the land for us and bring us back a re- port about the route we should go up and the cit ies we will come to.’ 23 The plan seemed good to me, so I se lect ed twelve men from among you, one man for each tribe. 24 They left and went up into the hill coun try and came to the Val ley of Esh col, scouting the land. 25 They took some of the fruit from the land in their hands, car ried it down to us, and brought us back a re port: ‘ The land the L ord our God is giv ing us is good.’ 26 “ But you were not will ing to go up. You re belled against the com mand of the L ord your God. 27 You grum bled in your tents and said, ‘ The L ord brought us out of the land of Egypt to hand us over to the Am o rites in or der to de stroy us, be cause he hates us. 28 Where can we go? Our broth ers have made us lose heart, c say ing: The peo ple are larg er and tall er than we are; the cit ies are large, for ti fied to the heav ens. We also saw the de scen dants of the An a kim there.’ 29 “ So I said to you: Don’t be ter ri fied or afraid of them! 30 The L ord your God who goes be fore a 1:1 LXX, Tg, Vg read the Red Sea b 1:7 Or the Shephelah c 1:28 Lit have melted our hearts CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 151 10/26/17 8:59 PM you will fight for you, just as you saw him do for you in Egypt. 31 And you saw in the wil der - ness how the L ord your God car ried you as a man car ries his son all along the way you trav eled un til you reached this place. 32 But in spite of this you did not trust the L ord your God, 33 who went be fore you on the jour ney to seek out a place for you to camp. He went in the fire by night and in the cloud by day to guide you on the road you were to trav el. 34 “ When the L ord heard your a words, he grew an gry and swore an oath: 35 ‘ None of these men in this evil gen er a tion will see the good land I swore to give your fa thers, 36 ex- cept Ca leb the son of Je phun neh. He will see it, and I will give him and his de scen dants the land on which he has set foot, be cause he re mained loy al to the L ord.’ 37 “ The L ord was an gry with me also be cause of you and said: ‘ You will not en ter there ei ther. 38 Josh ua son of Nun, who at tends you, will en- ter it. En cour age him, for he will en able Is ra el to in her it it. 39 Your chil dren, whom you said would be plun der, your sons who b don’t yet know good from evil, will en ter there. I will give them the land, and they will take pos ses sion of it. 40 But you are to turn back and head for the wil der ness by way of the Red Sea.’ 41 “ You an swered me, ‘ We have sinned against the L ord. We will go up and fight just as the L ord our God com mand ed us.’ Then each of you put on his weap ons of war and thought it would be easy to go up into the hill coun try . 42 “ But the L ord said to me, ‘ Tell them: Don’t go up and fight, for I am not with you to keep you from be ing de feat ed by your en e mies.’ 43 So I spoke to you, but you didn’t lis ten. You re belled against the L ord’ s com mand and de- fi ant ly went up into the hill coun try . 44 Then the Am o rites who lived there came out against you and chased you like a swarm of bees. They rout ed you from Seir as far as Hor mah. 45 When you re turned, you wept be fore the L ord, but he didn’t lis ten to your re quests or pay at ten tion to you. 46 For this rea son you stayed in Ka desh as long as you did. c JOURNEY PAST SEIR 2 “ Then we turned back and head ed for the wil der ness by way of the Red Sea, as the L ord had told me, and we trav eled around the hill coun try of Seir for many days. 2 The L ord then said to me, 3 ‘ You’ve been trav el ing around this hill coun try long enough; turn north. 4 Com mand the peo ple: You are about to trav el through the ter ri to ry of your broth- ers, the de scen dants of Esau, who live in Seir. They will be afraid of you, so be very care ful. 5 Don’t pro voke them, for I will not give you any of their land, not even a foot of it, d be cause I have giv en Esau the hill coun try of Seir as his pos ses sion. 6 You may pur chase food from them, so that you may eat, and buy wa ter from them to drink. 7 For the L ord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched over your jour ney through this im mense wil der ness. The L ord your God has been with you this past for ty years, and you have lacked noth ing.’ JOURNEY PAST MOAB 8 “ So we bypassed our broth ers, the de scen- dants of Esau, who live in Seir. We turned away from the Ar a bah road and from Elath and Ezion-geber. We trav eled along the road to the Wil der ness of Moab. 9 The L ord said to me, ‘ Show no hos til i ty to ward Moab, and do not pro voke them to bat tle, for I will not give you any of their land as a pos ses sion, since I have giv en Ar as a pos ses sion to the de scen- dants of Lot.’ ” 10 The Emim, a great and nu mer ous peo ple as tall as the An a kim, had pre vi ous ly lived there. 11 They were also re gard ed as Reph a im, like the An a kim, though the Mo ab ites called them Emim. 12 The Ho rites had pre vi ous ly lived in Seir, but the de scen dants of Esau drove them out, de stroy ing them com plete ly e and settling in their place, just as Is ra el did in the land of its pos ses sion the L ord gave them. 13 “ The L ord said, ‘ Now get up and cross
🏔️ Journey Through Promised Lands
🗺️ Territorial conquests mark Israel's 38-year journey from Kadesh-barnea across the Zered Valley, with divine guidance determining which lands to claim and which to bypass
⚔️ The military victories over Kings Sihon and Og demonstrate God's direct intervention, resulting in complete destruction of enemies while preserving their livestock and valuables as plunder
📜 Covenant obligations require strict adherence to divine commandments without addition or subtraction, establishing Israel as a wise nation distinguished by its relationship with God
🔥 Idolatry warnings emphasize avoiding worship of created things, as God revealed himself through voice rather than visible form at Horeb
🌊 Moses faces the personal consequence of not entering the Promised Land despite his pleas, transferring leadership to Joshua who will lead the people across the Jordan
🏛️ The legal framework includes cities of refuge, territorial divisions for tribes, and the Ten Commandments that form the foundation of Israel's national identity
the Ze red Val ley .’ So we crossed the Ze red Val ley . 14 The time we spent trav el ing from Kadesh-barnea un til we crossed the Ze red Val ley was thirty-eight years un til the en tire gen er a tion of fight ing men had per ished from the camp, as the L ord had sworn to them. 15 In deed, the L ord’ s hand was against them, to elim i nate them from the camp un til they had all per ished. JOURNEY PAST AMMON 16 “ When all the fight ing men had died among the peo ple, 17 the L ord spoke to me, 18 ‘To day a 1:34 Lit the sound of your b 1:39 Lit who today c 1:46 Lit Kadesh for many days, according to the days you stayed d 2:5 Lit land as far as the width of a sole of a foot e 2:12 Lit them before themDEUTERONOMY 1-2 152 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 152 10/26/17 8:59 PM you are go ing to cross the bor der of Moab at Ar. 19 When you get close to the Am mon ites, don’t show any hos til i ty to them or pro voke them, for I will not give you any of the Am- mon ites’ land as a pos ses sion; I have giv en it as a pos ses sion to the de scen dants of Lot.’ ” 20 This too used to be re gard ed as the land of the Reph a im. The Reph a im lived there pre- vi ous ly , though the Am mon ites called them Zamzummim, 21 a great and nu mer ous peo ple, tall as the An a kim. The L ord de stroyed the Reph a im at the ad vance of the Am mon ites, so that they drove them out and set tled in their place. 22 This was just as he had done for the de scen dants of Esau who lived in Seir, when he de stroyed the Ho rites be fore them; they drove them out and have lived in their place un til now . 23 The Caph to rim, who came from Caph tor, a de stroyed the Av vites, who lived in vil lages as far as Gaza, and set tled in their place. DEFEAT OF SIHON THE AMORITE 24 “ The L ord also said, ‘ Get up, move out, and cross the Ar non Val ley . See, I have hand ed the Am o rites’ King Si hon of Hesh bon and his land over to you. Be gin to take pos ses sion of it; en gage b him in bat tle. 25 To day I will be gin to put the fear and dread of you on the peo ples ev ery where un der heav en. They will hear the re port about you, trem ble, and be in an guish be cause of you.’ 26 “ So I sent mes sen gers with an off er of peace to King Si hon of Hesh bon from the Wil- der ness of Ked e moth, say ing, 27 ‘ Let us trav el through your land; we will keep strict ly to the high way . We will not turn to the right or the left. 28 You can sell us food in ex change for sil ver so we may eat, and give us wa ter for sil ver so we may drink. Only let us trav el through on foot, 29 just as the de scen dants of Esau who live in Seir did for us, and the Mo ab- ites who live in Ar, un til we cross the Jor dan into the land the L ord our God is giv ing us.’ 30 But King Si hon of Hesh bon would not let us trav el through his land, for the L ord your God had made his spir it stub born and his heart ob sti nate in or der to hand him over to you, as has now tak en place. 31 “ Then the L ord said to me, ‘ See, I have be- gun to give Si hon and his land to you. Be gin to take pos ses sion of it.’ 32 So Si hon and his whole army came out against us for bat tle at Ja haz. 33 The L ord our God hand ed him over to us, and we de feat ed him, his sons, and his whole army . 34 At that time we cap tured all his cit ies and com plete ly de stroyed the peo ple of ev ery city , in clud ing the wom en and chil dren. We left no sur vi vors. 35 We took only the live stock and the spoil from the cit ies we cap tured as plun der for our selves. 36 There was no city that was in ac ces si ble to c us, from Aro er on the rim of the Ar non Val ley , along with the city in the val ley , even as far as Gil e ad. The L ord our God gave ev ery thing to us. 37 But you did not go near the Am mon ites’ land, all along the bank of the Jab bok Riv er, the cit ies of the hill coun try , or any place that the L ord our God had for bid den. DEFEAT OF OG OF BASHAN 3 “ Then we turned and went up the road to Ba shan, and King Og of Ba shan came out against us with his whole army to do bat tle at Ed rei. 2 But the L ord said to me, ‘ Do not fear him, for I have hand ed him over to you along with his whole army and his land. Do to him as you did to King Si hon of the Am o rites, who lived in Hesh bon.’ 3 So the L ord our God also hand ed over King Og of Ba shan and his whole army to us. We struck him un til there was no sur vi vor left. 4 We cap tured all his cit ies at that time. There wasn’t a city that we didn’t take from them: six ty cit ies, the en tire re gion of Ar gob, the king dom of Og in Ba shan. 5 All these were for ti fied with high walls, gates, and bars, be sides a large num ber of ru ral vil lages. 6 We com plete ly de stroyed them, as we had done to King Si hon of Hesh bon, de stroy ing the men, wom en, and chil dren of ev ery city . 7 But we took all the live stock and the spoil from the cit ies as plun der for our selves. THE LAND OF THE TRANSJORDAN TRIBES 8 “ At that time we took the land from the two Am o rite kings across the Jor dan, from the Ar non Val ley as far as Mount Her mon, 9 which the Si do ni ans call Sir i on, but the Am o rites call Se nir, 10 all the cit ies of the pla teau, Gil- e ad, and Ba shan as far as Sal e cah and Ed rei, cit ies of Og’s king dom in Ba shan. 11 ( Only King Og of Ba shan was left of the rem nant of the Reph a im. His bed d was made of iron. Isn’t it in Rab bah of the Am mon ites? It is 13 1/ 2 feet long and 6 feet wide by a stan dard mea sure. e) a 2:23 Probably Crete b 2:24 Or provoke c 2:36 Or was too high for d 3:11 Or sarcophagus e 3:11 Lit nine cubits its length and four cubits its width, by a man’s cubit 153 DEUTERONOMY 2-3 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 153 10/26/17 8:59 PM 12 “ At that time we took pos ses sion of this land. I gave to the Reu ben ites and Gad ites the area ex tend ing from Aro er by the Ar non Val- ley , and half the hill coun try of Gil e ad along with its cit ies. 13 I gave to half the tribe of Ma- nas seh the rest of Gil e ad and all Ba shan, the king dom of Og. The en tire re gion of Ar gob, the whole ter ri to ry of Ba shan, used to be called the land of the Reph a im. 14 Jair, a de scen dant of Ma nas seh, took over the en tire re gion of Ar gob as far as the bor der of the Gesh u rites and Ma ac a thites. He called Ba shan by his own name, Jair’s Vil lages, a as it is to day . 15 I gave Gil e ad to Ma chir, 16 and I gave to the Reu ben ites and Gad ites the area ex tend ing from Gil e ad to the Ar non Val ley ( the mid dle of the val ley was the bor der) and up to the Jab bok Riv er, the bor der of the Am mon ites. 17 The Ar a bah and Jor dan are also bor ders from Chin ne reth b as far as the Sea of the Ar a bah, the Dead Sea, un der the slopes of Pis gah on the east. 18 “ I com mand ed you at that time: The L ord your God has giv en you this land to pos sess. All your val iant men will cross over in bat tle for ma tion ahead of your broth ers the Is ra el- ites. 19 But your wives, de pen dents, and live- stock — I know that you have a lot of live stock — will re main in the cit ies I have giv en you 20 un til the L ord gives rest to your broth ers as he has to you, and they also take pos ses sion of the land the L ord your God is giv ing them across the Jor dan. Then each of you may re- turn to his pos ses sion that I have giv en you. THE TRANSFER OF ISRAEL’S LEADERSHIP 21 “ I com mand ed Josh ua at that time: Your own eyes have seen ev ery thing the L ord your God has done to these two kings. The L ord will do the same to all the king doms you are about to en ter. 22 Don’t be afraid of them, for the L ord your God fights for you. 23 “ At that time I begged the L ord: 24 Lord G od, you have be gun to show your great ness and your strong hand to your ser vant, for what god is there in heav en or on earth who can per form deeds and mighty acts like yours? 25 Please let me cross over and see the beau- ti ful land on the oth er side of the Jor dan, that good hill coun try and Leb a non. 26 “ But the L ord was an gry with me be cause of you c and would not lis ten to me. The L ord said to me, ‘ That’s enough! Do not speak to me again about this mat ter. 27 Go to the top of Pis gah and look to the west, north, south, and east, and see it with your own eyes, for you will not cross the Jor dan. 28 But com mis- sion Josh ua and en cour age and strength en him, for he will cross over ahead of the peo ple and en able them to in her it this land that you will see.’ 29 So we stayed in the val ley fac ing Beth-peor. CALL TO OBEDIENCE 4 “ Now , Is ra el, lis ten to the stat utes and or - di nances I am teach ing you to fol low , so that you may live, en ter, and take pos ses sion of the land the L ord, the God of your fa thers, is giv ing you. 2 You must not add any thing to what I com mand you or take any thing away from it, so that you may keep the com mands of the L ord your God I am giv ing you. 3 Your eyes have seen what the L ord did at Baal-peor, for the L ord your God de stroyed ev ery one of you who fol lowed Baal of Peor. 4 But you who have re mained faith ful d to the L ord your God are all alive to day . 5 Look, I have taught you stat utes and or di nances as the L ord my God has com mand ed me, so that you may fol low them in the land you are en ter ing to pos sess. 6 Care ful ly fol low them, for this will show your wis dom and un der stand ing in the eyes of the peo ples. When they hear about all these stat- utes, they will say , ‘ This great na tion is in deed a wise and un der stand ing peo ple.’ 7 For what great na tion is there that has a god near to it as the L ord our God is to us when ev er we call to him? 8 And what great na tion has righ teous stat utes and or di nances like this en tire law I set be fore you to day? 9 “ Only be on your guard and dil i gent ly watch your selves, so that you don’t for get the things your eyes have seen and so that they don’t slip from your mind e as long as you live. Teach them to your chil dren and your grand chil dren. 10 The day you stood be fore the L ord your God at Ho reb, the L ord said to me, ‘ As sem ble the peo ple be fore me, and I will let them hear my words, so that they may learn to fear me all the days they live on the earth and may in struct their chil dren.’ 11 You came near and stood at the base of the moun tain, a moun tain blaz ing with fire into the heav ens and en vel oped in a to tal ly black cloud. 12 Then the L ord spoke to you from a 3:14 Or Havvoth-jair b 3:17 = the Sea of Galilee; Jos 12:3; 13:27; Lk 5:1 c 3:26 Or me for your sake d 4:4 Lit have held on e 4:9 Or don’t depart from your heartDEUTERONOMY 3-4 154 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 154 10/26/17 8:59 PM the fire. You kept hear ing the sound of the words, but didn’t see a form; there was only a voice. 13 He de clared his cov enant to you. He com mand ed you to fol low the Ten Com- mand ments, which he wrote on two stone tab lets. 14 At that time the L ord com mand ed me to teach you stat utes and or di nances for you to fol low in the land you are about to cross into and pos sess. WORSHIPING THE TRUE GOD 15 “Dil i gent ly watch your selves — be cause you did not see any form on the day the L ord spoke to you out of the fire at Ho reb — 16 so you don’t act cor rupt ly and make an idol for your selves in the shape of any fig ure: a male or fe male form, 17 or the form of any an i mal on the earth, any winged crea ture that flies in the sky , 18 any crea ture that crawls on the ground, or any fish in the wa ters un der the earth. 19 When you look to the heav ens and see the sun, moon, and stars — all the stars in the sky — do not be led astray to bow in wor ship to them and serve them. The L ord your God has pro vid ed them for all peo ple ev ery where un der heav en. 20 But the L ord se lect ed you and brought you out of Egypt’s iron fur nace to be a peo ple for his in her i tance, as you are to day . 21 “ The L ord was an gry with me on your ac count. He swore that I would not cross the Jor dan and en ter the good land the L ord your God is giv ing you as an in her i tance. 22 I won’t be cross ing the Jor dan be cause I am go ing to die in this land. But you are about to cross over and take pos ses sion of this good land. 23 Be care ful not to for get the cov enant of the L ord your God that he made with you, and make an idol for your selves in the shape of any thing he has for bid den you. 24 For the L ord your God is a con sum ing fire, a jeal ous God. 25 “ When you have chil dren and grand chil - dren and have been in the land a long time, and if you act cor rupt ly , make an idol in the form of any thing, and do what is evil in the sight of the L ord your God, angering him, 26 I call heav en and earth as wit ness es against you to day that you will quick ly per ish from the land you are about to cross the Jor dan to pos sess. You will not live long there, but you will cer tain ly be de stroyed. 27 The L ord will scat ter you among the peo ples, and you will be re duced to a few sur vi vors a among the na- tions where the L ord your God will drive you. 28 There you will wor ship man-made gods of wood and stone, which can not see, hear, eat, or smell. 29 But from there, you will search for the L ord your God, and you will find him when you seek him with all your heart and all your soul. 30 When you are in dis tress and all these things have hap pened to you, in the fu ture you will re turn to the L ord your God and obey him. 31 He will not leave you, de stroy you, or for get the cov enant with your fa thers that he swore to them by oath, be cause the L ord your God is a com pas sion ate God. 32 “In deed, ask about the ear li er days that pre ced ed you, from the day God cre at ed man- kind b on the earth and from one end of the heav ens to the oth er: Has any thing like this great event ever hap pened, or has any thing like it been heard of? 33 Has a peo ple heard God’s voice speak ing from the fire as you have, and lived? 34 Or has a god attempted to go and take a na tion as his own out of an oth er na tion, by tri als, signs, won ders, and war, by a strong hand and an out stretched arm, by great ter rors, as the L ord your God did for you in Egypt be fore your eyes? 35 You were shown these things so that you would know that the L ord is God; there is no oth er be sides him. 36 He let you hear his voice from heav en to in struct you. He showed you his great fire on earth, and you heard his words from the fire. 37 Be cause he loved your fa thers, he chose their de scen dants af ter them and brought you out of Egypt by his pres ence and great pow- er, 38 to drive out be fore you na tions great er and stron ger than you and to bring you in and give you their land as an in her i tance, as is now tak ing place. 39 To day , rec og nize and keep in mind that the L ord is God in heav en above and on earth be low; there is no oth er. 40 Keep his stat utes and com mands, which I am giv ing you to day , so that you and your chil dren af ter you may pros per and so that you may live long in the land the L ord your God is giv ing you for all time.” CITIES OF REFUGE 41 Then Mo ses set apart three cit ies across the Jor dan to the east. 42 Some one could flee there who com mit ted manslaughter, kill ing his neigh bor ac ci den tal ly with out pre vi ous- ly hat ing him. He could flee to one of these a 4:27 Lit be left few in number b 4:32 Or Adam 155 DEUTERONOMY 4 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 155 10/26/17 8:59 PM cit ies and stay alive: 43 Be zer in the wil der - ness on the pla teau land, be long ing to the Reu ben ites; Ra moth in Gil e ad, be long ing to the Gad ites; or Go lan in Ba shan, be long ing to the Ma nas sites. INTRODUCTION TO THE LAW 44 This is the law Mo ses gave the Is ra el ites. 45 These are the de crees, stat utes, and or di- nances Mo ses pro claimed to them af ter they came out of Egypt, 46 across the Jor dan in the val ley fac ing Beth-peor in the land of King Si- hon of the Am o rites. He lived in Hesh bon, and Mo ses and the Is ra el ites de feat ed him af ter they came out of Egypt. 47 They took pos ses sion of his land and the land of Og king of Ba shan, the two Am o rite kings who were across the Jor dan to the east, 48 from Aro er on the rim of the Ar non Val ley as far as Mount Sion ( that is, Her mon) 49 and all the Ar a bah on the east side of the Jor dan as far as the Dead Sea be low the slopes of Pis gah. THE TEN COMMANDMENTS 5 Mo ses sum moned all Is ra el and said to them, “Is ra el, lis ten to the stat utes and or - di nances I am pro claim ing as you hear them to day . Learn and fol low them care ful ly . 2 The L ord our God made a cov enant with us at Ho reb. 3 He did not make this cov enant with our fa thers, but with all of us who are alive here to day . 4 The L ord spoke to you face to face from the fire on the moun
📜 The Ten Commandments and Covenant
🔥 Divine revelation occurred at the mountain where God delivered commandments through Moses, establishing fundamental moral and religious principles that would guide Israel's relationship with God
🛐 Exclusive worship forms the foundation of God's covenant, prohibiting idolatry and requiring complete devotion to the one true God who rescued Israel from Egyptian slavery
👨👩👧👦 Intergenerational responsibility permeates the text, with blessings flowing to thousands of generations of those who love God, while consequences affect multiple generations of those who reject Him
🏠 Covenant living requires teaching these commands diligently to children, displaying them prominently, and integrating them into daily life to maintain the relationship with God
🌍 Promised land awaits those who faithfully follow God's commands, but comes with warnings against pride, self-sufficiency, and forgetting that all blessings flow from God's provision
⚠️ Repeated warnings emphasize that Israel's possession of the land depends not on their righteousness but on God's faithfulness to His promises and His judgment against the wickedness of other nations
tain. 5 At that time I was stand ing be tween the L ord and you to re port the word a of the L ord to you, be cause you were afraid of the fire and did not go up the moun tain. And he said: 6 I am the L ord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slav ery . 7 Do not have oth er gods be sides me. 8 Do not make an idol for your self in the shape of any thing in the heav ens above or on the earth be low or in the wa ters un der the earth. 9 Do not bow in wor ship to them, and do not serve them, be cause I, the L ord your God, am a jeal ous God, pun ish ing the chil dren for the fa thers’ in iq ui ty to the third and fourth gen er a tions of those who hate me, 10 but show ing faith ful love to a thou sand gen er a tions of those who love me and keep my com mands. 11 Do not mis use the name of the L ord your God, be cause the L ord will not leave any one un pun ished who mis uses his name. 12 Be care ful to re mem ber the Sab bath day , to keep it holy as the L ord your God has com mand ed you. 13 You are to la bor six days and do all your work, 14 but the sev enth day is a Sab bath to the L ord your God. Do not do any work — you, your son or daugh ter, your male or fe male slave, your ox or don key , any of your live stock, or the res i dent alien who lives with in your city gates, so that your male and fe male slaves may rest as you do. 15 Re mem ber that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the L ord your God brought you out of there with a strong hand and an out stretched arm. That is why the L ord your God has com mand- ed you to keep the Sab bath day . 16 Hon or your fa ther and your moth er, as the L ord your God has com mand ed you, so that you may live long and so that you may pros per in the land the L ord your God is giv ing you. 17 Do not mur der. 18 Do not com mit adul tery . 19 Do not steal. 20 Do not give dis hon est tes ti mo ny against your neigh bor. 21 Do not cov et your neigh bor’s wife or de sire your neigh bor’s house, his field, his male or fe male slave, his ox or don- key , or any thing that be longs to your neigh bor. THE PEOPLE’S RESPONSE 22 “ The L ord spoke these com mands in a loud voice to your en tire as sem bly from the fire, cloud, and to tal dark ness on the moun tain; he add ed noth ing more. He wrote them on two stone tab lets and gave them to me. 23 All of you ap proached me with your trib al lead ers and el ders when you heard the voice from the dark ness and while the moun tain was blaz ing with fire. 24 You said, ‘ Look, the L ord our God has shown us his glo ry and great ness, and we have heard his voice from the fire. To day we have seen that God speaks with a per son, yet he still lives. 25 But now , why should we die? This great fire will con sume us and we will a 5:5 One Hb ms, DSS, Sam, LXX, Syr , Vg read wordsDEUTERONOMY 4-5 156 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 156 10/26/17 8:59 PM die if we hear the voice of the L ord our God any lon ger. 26 For who out of all man kind has heard the voice of the liv ing God speak ing from the fire, as we have, and lived? 27 Go near and lis ten to ev ery thing the L ord our God says. Then you can tell us ev ery thing the L ord our God tells you; we will lis ten and obey .’ 28 “ The L ord heard your a words when you spoke to me. He said to me, ‘ I have heard the words that these peo ple have spo ken to you. Ev ery thing they have said is right. 29 If only they had such a heart to fear me and keep all my com mands al ways, so that they and their chil dren would pros per for ev er. 30 Go and tell them: Re turn to your tents. 31 But you stand here with me, and I will tell you ev ery com mand — the stat utes and or di nances — you are to teach them, so that they may fol low them in the land I am giv ing them to pos sess.’ 32 “ Be care ful to do as the L ord your God has com mand ed you; you are not to turn aside to the right or the left. 33 Fol low the whole in- struc tion the L ord your God has com mand ed you, so that you may live, pros per, and have a long life in the land you will pos sess. THE GREATEST COMMAND 6 “ This is the com mand — the stat utes and or di nances — the L ord your God has com- mand ed me to teach you, so that you may fol low them in the land you are about to en ter and pos sess. 2 Do this so that you may fear the L ord your God all the days of your life by keep ing all his stat utes and com mands I am giv ing you, your son, and your grand son, and so that you may have a long life. 3 Lis ten, Is ra el, and be care ful to fol low them, so that you may pros per and mul ti ply great ly , be cause the L ord, the God of your fa thers, has prom- ised you a land flow ing with milk and hon ey . 4 “Lis ten, Is ra el: The L ord our God, the L ord is one. b 5 Love the L ord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. 6 These words that I am giv ing you to day are to be in your heart. 7 Re peat them to your chil dren. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them be a sym bol c on your fore head. d 9 Write them on the door posts of your house and on your city gates.REMEMBERING GOD THROUGH OBEDIENCE 10 “ When the L ord your God brings you into the land he swore to your fa thers Abra ham, Isaac, and Ja cob that he would give you — a land with large and beau ti ful cit ies that you did not build, 11 hous es full of ev ery good thing that you did not fill them with, cis terns that you did not dig, and vine yards and ol ive groves that you did not plant — and when you eat and are sat is fied, 12 be care ful not to for get the L ord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slav ery . 13 Fear the L ord your God, wor ship him, and take your oaths in his name. 14 Do not fol low oth er gods, the gods of the peo ples around you, 15 for the L ord your God, who is among you, is a jeal ous God. Oth er wise, the L ord your God will be come an gry with you and obliterate you from the face of the earth. 16 Do not test the L ord your God as you test ed him at Mas sah. 17 Care ful ly ob serve the com mands of the L ord your God, the de crees and stat utes he has com mand ed you. 18 Do what is right and good in the L ord’ s sight, so that you may pros per and so that you may en ter and pos sess the good land the L ord your God swore to give your fa thers, 19 by driv ing out all your en e mies be fore you, as the L ord has said. 20 “ When your son asks you in the fu ture, ‘ What is the mean ing of the de crees, stat utes, and or di nances that the L ord our God has com mand ed you? ’ 21 tell him, ‘ We were slaves of Pha raoh in Egypt, but the L ord brought us out of Egypt with a strong hand. 22 Be fore our eyes the L ord in flict ed great and devastating signs and won ders on Egypt, on Pha raoh, and on all his house hold, 23 but he brought us from there in or der to lead us in and give us the land that he swore to our fa thers. 24 The L ord com mand ed us to fol low all these stat utes and to fear the L ord our God for our pros per i ty al ways and for our preservation, as it is to day . 25 Righ teous ness will be ours if we are care ful to fol low ev ery one of these com mands be fore the L ord our God, as he has com mand ed us.’ ISRAEL TO DESTROY IDOLATROUS NATIONS 7 “ When the L ord your God brings you into the land you are en ter ing to pos sess, and he drives out many na tions be fore you — the Heth ites, Gir ga shites, Am o rites, Ca naan ites, Per iz zites, Hi vites and Jeb u sites, sev en na tions a 5:28 Lit the sound of your b 6:4 Or the Lord is our God; the Lord is one, or The Lord is our God, the Lord alone, or The Lord our God is one Lord c 6:8 Or phylactery ; Mt 23:5 d 6:8 Lit symbol between your eyes 157 DEUTERONOMY 5-7 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 157 10/26/17 8:59 PM more nu mer ous and pow er ful than you — 2 and when the L ord your God de liv ers them over to you and you de feat them, you must com plete ly de stroy them. Make no trea ty with them and show them no mer cy . 3 You must not in ter mar ry with them, and you must not give your daugh ters to their sons or take their daugh ters for your sons, 4 be cause they will turn your sons away from me to wor ship oth er gods. Then the L ord’ s an ger will burn against you, and he will swift ly de stroy you. 5 In stead, this is what you are to do to them: tear down their al tars, smash their sa cred pil lars, cut down their Ashe rah poles, and burn their carved im ages. 6 For you are a holy peo ple be long ing to the L ord your God. The L ord your God has cho sen you to be his own pos ses sion out of all the peo ples on the face of the earth. 7 “ The L ord had his heart set on you and chose you, not be cause you were more nu mer - ous than all peo ples, for you were the few est of all peo ples. 8 But be cause the L ord loved you and kept the oath he swore to your fa thers, he brought you out with a strong hand and re deemed you from the place of slav ery , from the pow er of Pha raoh king of Egypt. 9 Know that the L ord your God is God, the faith ful God who keeps his gra cious cov enant loy al ty for a thou sand gen er a tions with those who love him and keep his com mands. 10 But he di rect ly pays back a and de stroys those who hate him. He will not hes i tate to pay back di rect ly b the one who hates him. 11 So keep the com mand — the stat utes and or di nances — that I am giv ing you to fol low to day . 12 “ If you lis ten to and are care ful to keep these or di nances, the L ord your God will keep his cov enant loy al ty with you, as he swore to your fa thers. 13 He will love you, bless you, and mul ti ply you. He will bless your off spring, c and the pro duce of your land — your grain, new wine, and fresh oil — the young of your herds, and the new born of your flocks, in the land he swore to your fa thers that he would give you. 14 You will be blessed above all peo ples; there will be no infertile male or fe male among you or your live stock. 15 The L ord will re move all sick ness from you; he will not put on you all the ter ri ble dis eas es of Egypt that you know about, but he will in flict them on all who hate you. 16 You must de stroy all the peo ples the L ord your God is de liv er ing over to you and not look on them with pity . Do not wor ship their gods, for that will be a snare to you. 17 “ If you say to your self, ‘ These na tions are great er than I; how can I drive them out? ’ 18 do not be afraid of them. Be sure to re mem ber what the L ord your God did to Pha raoh and all Egypt: 19 the great tri als that you saw , the signs and won ders, the strong hand and out- stretched arm, by which the L ord your God brought you out. The L ord your God will do the same to all the peo ples you fear. 20 The L ord your God will also send hornets against them un til all the sur vi vors and those hid ing from you per ish. 21 Don’t be ter ri fied of them, for the L ord your God, a great and awe some God, is among you. 22 The L ord your God will drive out these na tions be fore you lit tle by lit- tle. You will not be able to de stroy them all at once; oth er wise, the wild an i mals will be come too nu mer ous for you. 23 The L ord your God will give them over to you and throw them into great con fu sion un til they are de stroyed. 24 He will hand their kings over to you, and you will wipe out their names un der heav en. No one will be able to stand against you; you will an ni hi late them. 25 Burn up the carved im ages of their gods. Don’t cov et the sil ver and gold on the im ages and take it for your - self, or else you will be en snared by it, for it is de test able to the L ord your God. 26 Do not bring any de test able thing into your house, or you will be set apart for de struc tion like it. You are to ab hor and de test it ut ter ly be cause it is set apart for de struc tion. REMEMBER THE LORD 8 “Care ful ly fol low ev ery com mand I am giv ing you to day , so that you may live and in crease, and may en ter and take pos ses sion of the land the L ord swore to your fa thers. 2 Re mem ber that the L ord your God led you on the en tire jour ney these for ty years in the wil der ness, so that he might hum ble you and test you to know what was in your heart, wheth er or not you would keep his com mands. 3 He hum bled you by let ting you go hun gry; then he gave you man na to eat, which you and your fa thers had not known, so that you might learn that man does not live on bread alone but on ev ery word that comes from the mouth of the L ord. 4 Your cloth ing did not wear out, and your feet did not swell these for ty years. 5 Keep in mind that the L ord your God has been a 7:10 Lit He pays back to their faces b 7:10 Lit to pay back to their faces c 7:13 Lit bless the fruit of your wombDEUTERONOMY 7-8 158 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 158 10/26/17 8:59 PM disciplining you just as a man dis ci plines his son. 6 So keep the com mands of the L ord your God by walk ing in his ways and fear ing him. 7 For the L ord your God is bring ing you into a good land, a land with streams, springs, and deep wa ter sources, flow ing in both val leys and hills; 8 a land of wheat, bar ley , vines, figs, and pome gran ates; a land of ol ive oil and hon- ey; 9 a land where you will eat food with out shortage, where you will lack noth ing; a land whose rocks are iron and from whose hills you will mine cop per. 10 When you eat and are full, you will bless the L ord your God for the good land he has giv en you. 11 “ Be care ful that you don’t for get the L ord your God by fail ing to keep his com mands, or di nances, and stat utes that I am giv ing you to day . 12 When you eat and are full, and build beau ti ful hous es to live in, 13 and your herds and flocks grow large, and your sil ver and gold mul ti ply , and ev ery thing else you have in creas es, 14 be care ful that your heart doesn’t be come proud and you for get the L ord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slav ery . 15 He led you through the great and ter ri ble wil der ness with its poi son ous a snakes and scor pi ons, a thirsty land where there was no wa ter. He brought wa ter out of the flint rock for you. 16 He fed you in the wil der ness with man na, which your fa thers had not known, in or der to hum ble and test you, so that in the end he might cause you to pros per. 17 You may say to your self, ‘ My pow er and my own abil i ty have gained this wealth for me,’ 18 but re mem ber that the L ord your God gives you the pow er to gain wealth, in or der to con firm his cov- enant he swore to your fa thers, as it is to day . 19 If you ever for get the L ord your God and fol low oth er gods to serve them and bow in wor ship to them, I tes ti fy against you to day that you will per ish. 20 Like the na tions the L ord is about to de stroy be fore you, you will per ish if you do not obey the L ord your God. WARNING AGAINST SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS 9 “Lis ten, Is ra el: To day you are about to cross the Jor dan to en ter and drive out na tions great er and stron ger than you, with large cit- ies for ti fied to the heav ens. 2 The peo ple are strong and tall, the de scen dants of the An a kim. You know about them and you have heard it said about them, ‘ Who can stand up to the sons of Anak? ’ 3 But un der stand that to day the L ord your God will cross over ahead of you as a con sum ing fire; he will dev as tate and sub due them be fore you. You will drive them out and de stroy them swift ly , as the L ord has told you. 4 When the L ord your God drives them out be fore you, do not say to your self, ‘ The L ord brought me in to take pos ses sion of this land be cause of my righ teous ness.’ In stead, the L ord will drive out these na tions be fore you be cause of their wick ed ness. 5 You are not go ing to take pos ses sion of their land be cause of your righ teous ness or your in- teg ri ty . In stead, the L ord your God will drive out these na tions be fore you be cause of their wick ed ness, in or der to ful fill the prom ise he swore to your fa thers, Abra ham, Isaac, and Ja cob. 6 Un der stand that the L ord your God is not giv ing you this good land to pos sess be cause of your righ teous ness, for you are a stiff-necked peo ple. ISRAEL’S REBELLION AND MOSES’S INTERCESSION 7 “Re mem ber and do not for get how you pro- voked the L ord your God in the wil der ness. You have been re bel ling against the L ord from the day you left the land of Egypt un til you reached this place. 8 You pro voked the L ord at Ho reb, and he was an gry enough with you to de stroy you. 9 When I went up the moun tain to re ceive the stone tab lets, the tab lets of the cov enant the L ord made with you, I stayed on the moun tain for ty days and for ty nights. I did not eat food or drink wa ter. 10 On the day of the as sem bly the L ord gave me the two stone tab lets, in scribed by God’s fin ger. The ex act words were on them, which the L ord spoke to you from the fire on the moun tain. 11 The L ord gave me the
📜 Divine Covenant and Obedience
🔥 Moses recounts breaking the stone tablets after discovering Israel's idolatry with the golden calf, then interceding through intense prayer to prevent God from destroying the rebellious people
🏔️ The covenant is renewed with new tablets and clear instructions, establishing the Levites as keepers of the ark and ministers before God
❤️ God requires wholehearted devotion expressed through fear, love, and obedience, while caring for vulnerable populations like foreigners, widows, and orphans
🛐 Worship must occur only at the divinely appointed place, with strict prohibitions against adopting pagan practices or adding to God's commands
🌧️ The land of promise contrasts with Egypt—depending on heaven's rain rather than human irrigation—creating a direct connection between obedience and prosperity
⚖️ Life presents a fundamental choice between blessing and curse, with clear consequences flowing from either following or rejecting God's commands
two stone tab lets, the tab lets of the cov enant, at the end of the for ty days and for ty nights. 12 “ The L ord said to me, ‘ Get up and go down im me di ate ly from here. For your peo ple whom you brought out of Egypt have act ed cor rupt ly . They have quick ly turned from the way that I com mand ed them; they have made a cast im- age for them selves.’ 13 The L ord also said to me, ‘ I have seen this peo ple, and in deed, they are a stiff-necked peo ple. 14 Leave me alone, and I will de stroy them and blot out their name un der heav en. Then I will make you into a na- tion stron ger and more nu mer ous than they .’ a 8:15 Lit burning 159 DEUTERONOMY 8-9 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 159 10/26/17 8:59 PM 15 “ So I went back down the moun tain, while it was blaz ing with fire, and the two tab lets of the cov enant were in my hands. 16 I saw how you had sinned against the L ord your God; you had made a calf im age for your selves. You had quick ly turned from the way the L ord had com mand ed for you. 17 So I took hold of the two tab lets and threw them from my hands, shat ter ing them be- fore your eyes. 18 I fell down like the first time in the pres ence of the L ord for for ty days and for ty nights; I did not eat food or drink wa ter be cause of all the sin you com - mit ted, do ing what was evil in the L ord’ s sight and angering him. 19 I was afraid of the fierce an ger the L ord had di rect ed against you, be cause he was about to de stroy you. But again the L ord lis tened to me on that oc- ca sion. 20 The L ord was an gry enough with Aar on to de stroy him. But I prayed for Aar on at that time also. 21 I took the sin ful calf you had made and burned it. I crushed it, thor - ough ly grind ing it to pow der as fine as dust, and threw its dust into the stream that came down from the moun tain. 22 “ You con tin ued to pro voke the L ord at Tab- e rah, Mas sah, and Kibroth-hattaavah. 23 When the L ord sent you from Kadesh-barnea, he said, ‘ Go up and pos sess the land I have giv en you’; you re belled against the com mand of the L ord your God. You did not be lieve or obey him. 24 You have been re bel ling against the L ord ever since I have a known you. 25 “ I fell down in the pres ence of the L ord for ty days and for ty nights be cause the L ord had threat ened to de stroy you. 26 I prayed to the L ord: Lord God, do not annihilate your people, your inheritance, whom you redeemed through your greatness and brought out of Egypt with a strong hand. 27 Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Disregard this people’s stubbornness, and their wickedness and sin. 28 Other - wise, those in the land you brought us from will say , ‘Because the Lord wasn’t able to bring them into the land he had promised them, and because he hated them, he brought them out to kill them in the wilderness.’ 29 But they are your people, your inheritance, whom you brought out by your great power and outstretched arm.THE COVENANT RENEWED 10 “ The L ord said to me at that time, ‘ Cut two stone tab lets like the first ones and come to me on the moun tain and make a wood en ark. 2 I will write on the tab lets the words that were on the first tab lets you broke, and you are to place them in the ark.’ 3 So I made an ark of aca cia wood, cut two stone tab lets like the first ones, and climbed the moun tain with the two tab lets in my hand. 4 Then on the day of the as sem bly , the L ord wrote on the tab lets what had been writ ten pre vi ous ly , the Ten Com mand ments that he had spo ken to you on the moun tain from the fire. The L ord gave them to me, 5 and I went back down the moun tain and placed the tab lets in the ark I had made. And they have re mained there, as the L ord com mand ed me.” 6 The Is ra el ites trav eled from Be e roth Bene- jaakan b to Mo se rah. Aar on died and was bur ied there, and El e a zar his son be came priest in his place. 7 They trav eled from there to Gud go dah, and from Gud go dah to Jot ba thah, a land with flow ing streams. 8 “ At that time the L ord set apart the tribe of Levi to car ry the ark of the L ord’ s cov enant, to stand be fore the L ord to serve him, and to pro nounce bless ings in his name, as it is to day . 9 For this rea son, Levi does not have a por tion or in her i tance like his broth ers; the L ord is his in her i tance, as the L ord your God told him. 10 “ I stayed on the moun tain for ty days and for ty nights like the first time. The L ord also lis tened to me on this oc ca sion; he agreed not to an ni hi late you. 11 Then the L ord said to me, ‘ Get up. Con tin ue your jour ney ahead of the peo ple, so that they may en ter and pos sess the land I swore to give their fa thers.’ WHAT GOD REQUIRES 12 “ And now , Is ra el, what does the L ord your God ask of you ex cept to fear the L ord your God by walk ing in all his ways, to love him, and to wor ship the L ord your God with all your heart and all your soul? 13 Keep the L ord’ s com mands and stat utes I am giv ing you to day , for your own good. 14 The heav ens, in deed the high est heav ens, be long to the L ord your God, as does the earth and ev ery thing in it. 15 Yet the L ord had his heart set on your fa thers and loved them. He chose their de scen dants af ter them — he chose you out of all the peo ples, as it is to day . 16 There fore, cir cum cise your hearts a 9:24 Sam, LXX read since he has b 10:6 Or from the wells of Bene-jaakan, or from the wells of the JaakanitesDEUTERONOMY 9-10 160 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 160 10/26/17 8:59 PM and don’t be stiff-necked any lon ger. 17 For the L ord your God is the God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, mighty , and awe-inspiring God, show ing no par tial i ty and tak ing no bribe. 18 He executes jus tice for the fa ther less and the wid ow , and loves the res i dent alien, giv ing him food and cloth ing. 19 You are also to love the res i dent alien, since you were res i dent aliens in the land of Egypt. 20 You are to fear the L ord your God and wor ship him. Re main faith ful a to him and take oaths in his name. 21 He is your praise and he is your God, who has done for you these great and awe-inspiring works your eyes have seen. 22 Your fa thers went down to Egypt, sev en ty peo ple in all, and now the L ord your God has made you nu mer ous, like the stars of the sky . REMEMBER AND OBEY 11 “There fore, love the L ord your God and al ways keep his mandate and his stat - utes, or di nances, and com mands. 2 Un der - stand to day that it is not your chil dren who ex pe ri enced or saw the dis ci pline of the L ord your God: His greatness, strong hand, and out - stretched arm; 3 his signs and the works he did in Egypt to Pharaoh king of Egypt and all his land; 4 what he did to Egypt’s army , its horses and chariots, when he made the water of the Red Sea flow over them as they pursued you, and he destroyed them completely; b 5 what he did to you in the wilderness until you reached this place; 6 and what he did to Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab the Reubenite, when in the middle of the whole Israelite camp the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them, their households, their tents, and every living thing with them. 7 Your own eyes have seen ev ery great work the L ord has done. 8 “ Keep ev ery com mand I am giv ing you to - day , so that you may have the strength to cross into and pos sess the land you are to in her it, 9 and so that you may live long in the land the L ord swore to your fa thers to give them and their de scen dants, a land flow ing with milk and hon ey . 10 For the land you are en ter ing to pos- sess is not like the land of Egypt, from which you have come, where you sowed your seed and ir ri gat ed by hand c as in a veg e ta ble gar den. 11 But the land you are en ter ing to pos sess is a land of moun tains and val leys, wa tered by rain from the sky . 12 It is a land the L ord your God cares for. He is al ways watch ing over it from the be gin ning to the end of the year. 13 “ If you care ful ly obey my com mands I am giv ing you to day , to love the L ord your God and wor ship him with all your heart and all your soul, 14 I d will pro vide rain for your land in the prop er time, the au tumn and spring rains, and you will har vest your grain, new wine, and fresh oil. 15 I e will pro vide grass in your fields for your live stock. You will eat and be sat is fied. 16 Be care ful that you are not en- ticed to turn aside, serve, and bow in wor ship to oth er gods. 17 Then the L ord’ s an ger will burn against you. He will shut the sky , and there will be no rain; the land will not yield its pro duce, and you will per ish quick ly from the good land the L ord is giv ing you. 18 “Imprint these words of mine on your hearts and minds, bind them as a sign on your hands, and let them be a sym bol f on your fore- heads. g 19 Teach them to your chil dren, talk- ing about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 20 Write them on the door posts of your house and on your city gates, 21 so that as long as the heav ens are above the earth, your days and those of your chil dren may be many in the land the L ord swore to give your fa thers. 22 For if you care- ful ly ob serve ev ery one of these com mands I am giv ing you to fol low — to love the L ord your God, walk in all his ways, and re main faith ful h to him — 23 the L ord will drive out all these na tions be fore you, and you will drive out na tions great er and stron ger than you are. 24 Ev ery place the sole of your foot treads will be yours. Your ter ri to ry will ex tend from the wil der ness to Leb a non and from the Eu phra tes Riv er i to the Med i ter ra nean Sea. 25 No one will be able to stand against you; the L ord your God will put fear and dread of you in all the land where you set foot, as he has prom ised you. A BLESSING AND A CURSE 26 “ Look, to day I set be fore you a bless ing and a curse: 27 there will be a bless ing, if you obey the com mands of the L ord your God I am giv ing you to day , 28 and a curse, if you do not obey the com mands of the L ord your God and you a 10:20 Lit Hold on b 11:4 Lit to this day c 11:10 Lit foot d 11:14 DSS, Sam, LXX read he e 11:15 DSS, Sam, LXX read He f 11:18 Or phylactery ; Mt 23:5 g 11:18 Lit symbol between your eyes ; Ex 13:16; Dt 6:8 h 11:22 Lit and hold on i 11:24 Some Hb mss, LXX, Tg, Vg read the great river, the river Euphrates 161 DEUTERONOMY 10-11 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 161 10/26/17 8:59 PM turn aside from the path I com mand you to day by fol low ing oth er gods you have not known. 29 When the L ord your God brings you into the land you are en ter ing to pos sess, you are to pro claim the bless ing at Mount Ge ri zim and the curse at Mount Ebal. 30 Aren’t these moun- tains across the Jor dan, be yond the west ern road in the land of the Ca naan ites, who live in the Ar a bah, op po site Gil gal, near the oaks a of Mo reh? 31 For you are about to cross the Jor dan to en ter and take pos ses sion of the land the L ord your God is giv ing you. When you pos sess it and set tle in it, 32 be care ful to fol low all the stat utes and or di nances I set be fore you to day . THE CHOSEN PLACE OF WORSHIP 12 “ Be care ful to fol low these stat utes and or di nances in the land that the L ord, the God of your fa thers, has giv en you to pos sess all the days you live on the earth. 2 De stroy com plete ly all the plac es where the na tions that you are driv ing out wor ship their gods — on the high moun tains, on the hills, and un der ev ery green tree. 3 Tear down their al- tars, smash their sa cred pil lars, burn their Ashe rah poles, cut down the carved im ages of their gods, and wipe out their names from ev ery b place. 4 Don’t wor ship the L ord your God this way . 5 In stead, turn to the place the L ord your God chooses from all your tribes to put his name for his dwell ing and go there. 6 You are to bring there your burnt off er ings and sac ri fic es, your tenths and per son al con- tri bu tions, c your vow off er ings and free will off er ings, and the first born of your herds and flocks. 7 You will eat there in the pres ence of the L ord your God and re joice with your house- hold in ev ery thing you do, d be cause the L ord your God has blessed you. 8 “ You are not to do as we are do ing here to- day; ev ery one is do ing what ev er seems right in his own sight. 9 In deed, you have not yet come into the rest ing place and the in her i- tance the L ord your God is giv ing you. 10 When you cross the Jor dan and live in the land the L ord your God is giv ing you to in her it, and he gives you rest from all the en e mies around you and you live in se cu ri ty , 11 then the L ord your God will choose the place to have his name dwell. Bring there ev ery thing I com mand you: your burnt off er ings, sac ri fic es, off er ings of the tenth, per son al con tri bu tions, e and all your choice off er ings you vow to the L ord. 12 You will re joice be fore the L ord your God — you, your sons and daugh ters, your male and fe male slaves, and the Le vite who is with- in your city gates, since he has no por tion or in her i tance among you. 13 Be care ful not to off er your burnt off er ings in all the sa cred plac es you see. 14 You must off er your burnt off er ings only in the place the L ord chooses in one of your tribes, and there you must do ev ery thing I com mand you. SLAUGHTERING ANIMALS TO EAT 15 “ But when ev er you want, you may slaugh ter and eat meat with in any of your city gates, ac cord ing to the bless ing the L ord your God has giv en you. Those who are clean or un- clean may eat it, as they would a ga zelle or deer, 16 but you must not eat the blood; pour it on the ground like wa ter. 17 With in your city gates you may not eat the tenth of your grain, new wine, or fresh oil; the first born of your herd or flock; any of your vow off er ings that you pledge; your free will off er ings; or your per son al con tri bu tions. f 18 You are to eat them in the pres ence of the L ord your God at the place the L ord your God chooses — you, your son and daugh ter, your male and fe male slave, and the Le vite who is with in your city gates. Re joice be fore the L ord your God in ev ery- thing you do, 19 and be care ful not to ne glect the Le vite, as long as you live in your land. 20 “ When the L ord your God en larg es your ter ri to ry as he has prom ised you, and you say , ‘ I want to eat meat’ be cause you have a strong de sire to eat meat, you may eat it when ev er you want. 21 If the place where the L ord your God chooses to put his name is too far from you, you may slaugh ter any of your herd or flock he has giv en you, as I have com mand ed you, and you may eat it with in your city gates when ev er you want. 22 In deed, you may eat it as the ga zelle and deer are eat en; both the clean and the un clean may eat it. 23 But don’t eat the blood, since the blood is the life, and you must not eat the life with the meat. 24 Do not eat blood; pour it on the ground like wa ter. 25 Do not eat it, so that you and your chil dren af ter you will pros per, be cause you will be do ing what is right in the L ord’ s sight. 26 “ But you are to take the holy off er ings you have and your vow off er ings and go to the a 11:30 Sam, LXX, Syr , Aq, Sym read oak ; Gn 12:6 b 12:3 Lit that c 12:6 Lit and the contributions from your hands d 12:7 Lit you put your hand to, also in v. 18 e 12:11 Lit tenth, the contributions from your hands f 12:17 Lit or the contributions from your handsDEUTERONOMY 11-12 162 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 162 10/26/17 8:59 PM place the L ord chooses. 27 Pre sent the meat and blood of your burnt off er ings on the al- tar of the L ord your God. The blood of your oth er sac ri fic es is to be poured out be side the al tar of the L ord your God, but you may eat the meat. 28 Be care ful to obey all these things I com mand you, so that you and your chil dren af ter you may pros per for ev er, be cause you will be do ing what is good and right in the sight of the L ord your God. 29 “ When the L ord your God annihilates the na tions be fore you, which you are en ter ing to take pos ses sion of, and you drive them out and live in their land, 30 be care ful not to be en snared by their ways af ter they have been de stroyed be fore you. Do not in quire about their gods, ask ing, ‘ How did these na tions wor - ship their gods? I’ll also do the same.’ 31 You must not do the same to the L ord your God, be cause they prac tice ev ery de test able act, which the L ord hates, for their gods. They even burn their sons and daugh ters in the fire to their gods. 32 Be care ful to do ev ery thing I com mand you; do not add any thing to it or take any thing away from it. THE FALSE PROPHET 13 “ If a proph et or some one who has dreams aris es among you and pro claims a sign or won der to you, 2 and that sign or won der he has prom ised you comes about, but he says, ‘ Let us fol low oth er gods,’ which you have not known, ‘ and let us wor ship them,’ 3 do not lis ten to that proph et’s words or to that dream er. For the L ord your God is test ing you to know wheth er you love the L ord your God with all your heart and all your soul. 4 You must fol low the L ord your God and fear him. You must keep his com mands and lis ten to him; you must wor ship him and re main faith ful a
📜 Divine Law and Governance
🚫 Idolatry demands severe punishment—death by stoning for individuals and complete destruction for cities that turn to other gods, reflecting the covenant's absolute demand for loyalty
🍽️ Dietary regulations establish clear boundaries between clean and unclean animals, reinforcing Israel's identity as a "holy people" set apart for God's purposes
💰 Economic justice forms the foundation of community life through debt forgiveness every seven years, generous lending to the poor, and the release of slaves—all grounded in remembrance of Israel's own slavery
🕯️ Religious festivals (Passover, Weeks, Shelters) structure the calendar around remembrance, gratitude, and joy, requiring regular pilgrimage and offerings
⚖️ Judicial system demands impartial judges who reject bribes, requires multiple witnesses for capital cases, and establishes a hierarchical court system for difficult cases
👑 Leadership limitations restrict kings from accumulating excessive wealth, wives, or military power, requiring them to study divine law and remain humble among their countrymen
to him. 5 That proph et or dream er must be put to death, be cause he has urged re bel lion against the L ord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt and re deemed you from the place of slav ery , to turn you from the way the L ord your God has com mand ed you to walk. You must purge the evil from you. DON’T TOLERATE IDOLATRY 6 “ If your broth er, the son of your moth er, b or your son or daugh ter, or the wife you em brace, or your clos est friend se cret ly en tic es you, say ing, ‘ Let us go and wor ship oth er gods’ — which nei ther you nor your fa thers have known, 7 any of the gods of the peo ples around you, near you or far from you, from one end of the earth to the oth er — 8 do not yield to him or lis ten to him. Show him no pity , c and do not spare him or shield him. 9 In stead, you must kill him. Your hand is to be the first against him to put him to death, and then the hands of all the peo ple. 10 Stone him to death for try ing to turn you away from the L ord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slav ery . 11 All Is ra el will hear and be afraid, and they will no lon ger do any thing evil like this among you. 12 “ If you hear it said about one of your cit ies the L ord your God is giv ing you to live in, 13 that wick ed men have sprung up among you, led the in hab i tants of their city astray , and said, ‘ Let us go and wor ship oth er gods,’ which you have not known, 14 you are to in quire, in ves ti- gate, and interrogate thor ough ly . If the re port turns out to be true that this de test able act has been done among you, 15 you must strike down the in hab i tants of that city with the sword. Com plete ly de stroy ev ery one in it as well as its live stock with the sword. 16 You are to gath er all its spoil in the mid dle of the city square and com plete ly burn the city and all its spoil for the L ord your God. The city is to re main a mound of ru ins for ev er; it is not to be re built. 17 Noth ing set apart for de struc tion is to re main in your hand, so that the L ord will turn from his burn ing an ger and grant you mer cy , show you com pas sion, and mul ti ply you as he swore to your fa thers. 18 This will oc cur if you obey the L ord your God, keep ing all his com mands I am giv ing you to day , do ing what is right in the sight of the L ord your God. FORBIDDEN PRACTICES 14 “ You are sons of the L ord your God; do not cut your selves or make a bald spot on your head d on be half of the dead, 2 for you are a holy peo ple be long ing to the L ord your God. The L ord has cho sen you to be his own pos ses sion out of all the peo ples on the face of the earth. CLEAN AND UNCLEAN FOODS 3 “ You must not eat any de test able thing. 4 These are the an i mals you may eat: a 13:4 Lit and hold on b 13:6 DSS, Sam, LXX read If the son of your father or the son of your mother c 13:8 Lit Your eye must not pity him d 14:1 Or forehead 163 DEUTERONOMY 12-14 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 163 10/26/17 8:59 PM oxen, sheep, goats, 5 deer, gazelles, roe deer, wild goats, ibexes, antelopes, and mountain sheep. 6 You may eat any an i mal that has hooves di- vid ed in two and chews the cud. a 7 But among the ones that chew the cud or have di vid ed hooves, you are not to eat these: camels, hares, and hyraxes, though they chew the cud, they do not have hooves — they are unclean for you; 8 and pigs, though they have hooves, they do not chew the cud — they are unclean for you. Do not eat their meat or touch their car cass es. 9 “ You may eat ev ery thing from the wa ter that has fins and scales, 10 but you may not eat any thing that does not have fins and scales — it is un clean for you. 11 “ You may eat ev ery clean bird, 12 but these are the ones you may not eat: eagles, bearded vultures, black vultures, 13 the kites, any kind of falcon, b 14 every kind of raven, 15 ostriches, short-eared owls, gulls, any kind of hawk, 16 little owls, long-eared owls, barn owls, 17 eagle owls, ospreys, cormorants, 18 storks, any kind of heron, hoopoes, and bats. c 19 All winged in sects are un clean for you; they may not be eat en. 20 But you may eat ev ery clean fly ing crea ture. 21 “ You are not to eat any car cass; you may give it to a res i dent alien with in your city gates, and he may eat it, or you may sell it to a for - eign er. For you are a holy peo ple be long ing to the L ord your God. Do not boil a young goat in its moth er’s milk. A TENTH FOR THE LORD 22 “ Each year you are to set aside a tenth of all the pro duce grown in your fields. 23 You are to eat a tenth of your grain, new wine, and fresh oil, and the first born of your herd and flock, in the pres ence of the L ord your God at the place where he chooses to have his name dwell, so that you will al ways learn to fear the L ord your God. 24 But if the dis tance is too great for you to car ry it, since the place where the L ord your God chooses to put his name is too far away from you and since the L ord your God has blessed you, 25 then ex change it for sil ver, take the sil ver in your hand, and go to the place the L ord your God chooses. 26 You may spend the sil ver on any thing you want: cat tle, sheep, goats, wine, beer, or any- thing you de sire. You are to feast there in the pres ence of the L ord your God and re joice with your fam i ly . 27 Do not ne glect the Le vite with in your city gates, since he has no por tion or in her i tance among you. 28 “ At the end of ev ery three years, bring a tenth of all your pro duce for that year and store it with in your city gates. 29 Then the Le- vite, who has no por tion or in her i tance among you, the res i dent alien, the fa ther less, and the wid ow with in your city gates may come, eat, and be sat is fied. And the L ord your God will bless you in all the work of your hands that you do. DEBTS CANCELED 15 “ At the end of ev ery sev en years you must can cel debts. 2 This is how to can cel debt: Ev ery cred i tor d is to can cel what he has lent his neigh bor. He is not to col lect any thing from his neigh bor or broth er, be cause the L ord’ s re lease of debts has been pro claimed. 3 You may col lect some thing from a for eign er, but you must for give what ev er your broth er owes you. 4 “ There will be no poor among you, how- ev er, be cause the L ord is cer tain to bless you in the land the L ord your God is giv ing you to pos sess as an in her i tance — 5 if only you obey the L ord your God and are care ful to fol low ev ery one of these com mands I am giv ing you to day . 6 When the L ord your God bless es you as he has prom ised you, you will lend to many na tions but not bor row; you will rule many na tions, but they will not rule you. LENDING TO THE POOR 7 “ If there is a poor per son among you, one of your broth ers with in any of your city gates in the land the L ord your God is giv ing you, do not be hard heart ed or tight fist ed to ward your poor broth er. 8 In stead, you are to open your hand to him and free ly loan him enough for what ev er need he has. 9 Be care ful that there a 14:6 The Hb does not specify chewing the cud, but bringing up partially digested food and swallowing it again. b 14:13 Some Hb mss, Sam, LXX; other Hb mss, Vg read the falcon, the various kinds of kite c 14:5-18 The identification of some of these animals is uncertain. d 15:2 Lit owner of a loan of his handDEUTERONOMY 14-15 164 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 164 10/26/17 8:59 PM isn’t this wick ed thought in your heart, ‘ The sev enth year, the year of can cel ing debts, is near,’ and you are stin gy to ward your poor broth er and give him noth ing. He will cry out to the L ord against you, and you will be guilty . 10 Give to him, and don’t have a stin gy heart a when you give, and be cause of this the L ord your God will bless you in all your work and in ev ery thing you do. b 11 For there will nev er cease to be poor peo ple in the land; that is why I am com mand ing you, ‘ Open your hand will ing ly to your poor and needy broth er in your land.’ RELEASE OF SLAVES 12 “ If your fel low He brew , a man or wom an, is sold to you and serves you six years, you must set him free in the sev enth year. 13 When you set him free, do not send him away empty-handed. 14 Give gen er ous ly to him from your flock, your thresh ing floor, and your wine press. You are to give him what ev er the L ord your God has blessed you with. 15 Re mem ber that you were a slave in the land of Egypt and the L ord your God re deemed you; that is why I am giv ing you this com mand to day . 16 But if your slave says to you, ‘ I don’t want to leave you,’ be cause he loves you and your fam i ly , and is well off with you, 17 take an awl and pierce through his ear into the door, and he will be come your slave for life. Also treat your fe male slave the same way. 18 Do not re gard it as a hard ship c when you set him free, be cause he worked for you six years — worth twice the wag es of a hired work er. Then the L ord your God will bless you in ev ery thing you do. CONSECRATION OF FIRSTBORN ANIMALS 19 “Con se crate to the L ord your God ev ery first- born male pro duced by your herd and flock. You are not to put the first born of your oxen to work or shear the first born of your flock. 20 Each year you and your fam i ly are to eat it be fore the L ord your God in the place the L ord chooses. 21 But if there is a de fect in the an i mal, if it is lame or blind or has any se ri ous de fect, you may not sac ri fice it to the L ord your God. 22 Eat it with in your city gates; both the un clean per son and the clean may eat it, as though it were a ga zelle or deer. 23 But you must not eat its blood; pour it on the ground like wa ter.THE FESTIVAL OF PASSOVER 16 “ Set aside the month of Abib d and ob serve the Pass over to the L ord your God, be- cause the L ord your God brought you out of Egypt by night in the month of Abib. 2 Sac ri fice to the L ord your God a Pass over an i mal from the herd or flock in the place where the L ord chooses to have his name dwell. 3 Do not eat leav ened bread with it. For sev en days you are to eat un leav ened bread with it, the bread of hard ship — be cause you left the land of Egypt in a hur ry — so that you may re mem ber for the rest of your life the day you left the land of Egypt. 4 No yeast is to be found any where in your ter ri to ry for sev en days, and none of the meat you sac ri fice in the eve ning of the first day is to re main un til morn ing. 5 You are not to sac ri fice the Pass over an i mal in any of the towns the L ord your God is giv ing you. 6 Sac ri fice the Pass over an i mal only at the place where the L ord your God chooses to have his name dwell. Do this in the eve ning as the sun sets at the same time of day you de part ed from Egypt. 7 You are to cook and eat it in the place the L ord your God chooses, and you are to re turn to your tents in the morn ing. 8 Eat un leav ened bread for six days. On the sev enth day there is to be a sol emn as sem bly to the L ord your God; do not do any work. THE FESTIVAL OF WEEKS 9 “ You are to count sev en weeks, count ing the weeks from the time the sick le is first put to the stand ing grain. 10 You are to cel e brate the Fes ti val of Weeks to the L ord your God with a free will o ff er ing that you give in pro por - tion to how the L ord your God has blessed you. 11 Re joice be fore the L ord your God in the place where he chooses to have his name dwell — you, your son and daugh ter, your male and fe male slave, the Le vite with in your city gates, as well as the res i dent alien, the fa ther - less, and the wid ow among you. 12 Re mem ber that you were slaves in Egypt; care ful ly fol low these stat utes. THE FESTIVAL OF SHELTERS 13 “ You are to cel e brate the Fes ti val of Shel- ters for sev en days when you have gath ered in ev ery thing from your thresh ing floor and wine press. 14 Re joice dur ing your fes ti val — you, your son and daugh ter, your male and a 15:10 Lit and let not your heart be grudging b 15:10 Lit you put your hand to c 15:18 Lit Let it not be hard in your sight d 16:1 March–April; called Nisan in the post-exilic period; Neh 2:1; Est 3:7 165 DEUTERONOMY 15-16 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 165 10/26/17 8:59 PM fe male slave, as well as the Le vite, the res i dent alien, the fa ther less, and the wid ow with in your city gates. 15 You are to hold a seven-day fes ti val for the L ord your God in the place he chooses, be cause the L ord your God will bless you in all your pro duce and in all the work of your hands, and you will have abun dant joy . 16 “ All your males are to ap pear three times a year be fore the L ord your God in the place he chooses: at the Fes ti val of Un leav ened Bread, the Fes ti val of Weeks, and the Fes ti- val of Shel ters. No one is to ap pear be fore the L ord empty-handed. 17 Ev ery one must ap pear with a gift suited to his means, ac cord ing to the bless ing the L ord your God has giv en you. APPOINTING JUDGES AND OFFICIALS 18 “ Ap point judg es and off i cials for your tribes in all your towns the L ord your God is giv ing you. They are to judge the peo ple with righ- teous judg ment. 19 Do not deny jus tice or show par tial i ty to any one. Do not ac cept a bribe, for it blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righ teous. 20 Pur sue jus tice and jus tice alone, so that you will live and pos sess the land the L ord your God is giv ing you. FORBIDDEN WORSHIP 21 “ Do not set up an Ashe rah of any kind of wood next to the al tar you will build for the L ord your God, 22 and do not set up a sa cred pil lar; the L ord your God hates them. 17 “ Do not sac ri fice to the L ord your God an ox or sheep with a de fect or any se ri ous flaw , for that is de test able to the L ord your God. THE JUDICIAL PROCEDURE FOR IDOLATRY 2 “ If a man or wom an among you in one of your towns that the L ord your God will give you is dis cov ered do ing evil in the sight of the L ord your God and vi o lat ing his cov enant 3 and has gone to serve oth er gods by bow ing in wor ship to the sun, moon, or all the stars in the sky — which I have for bid den — 4 and if you are told or hear about it, then in ves ti- gate it thor ough ly . If the re port turns out to be true that this de test able act has been done in Is ra el, 5 you are to bring out to your city gates that man or wom an who has done this evil thing and stone them to death. 6 The one con demned to die is to be ex e cut ed on the tes ti mo ny of two or three wit ness es. No one is to be ex e cut ed on the tes ti mo ny of a sin gle wit ness. 7 The wit ness es’ hands are to be the first in put ting him to death, and af ter that, the hands of all the peo ple. You must purge the evil from you. DIFFICULT CASES 8 “ If a case is too diff i cult for you — con cern- ing blood shed, law suits, or assaults — cases dis put ed at your city gates, then go up to the place the L ord your God chooses. 9 You are to go to the Le vit i cal priests and to the judge who pre sides at that time. Ask, and they will give you a ver dict in the case. 10 You must abide by the ver dict they give you at the place the L ord chooses. Be care ful to do ex act ly as they in- struct you. 11 You must abide by the in struc tion they give you and the ver dict they an nounce to you. Do not turn to the right or the left from the de ci sion they de clare to you. 12 The per son who acts ar ro gant ly , re fus ing to lis ten ei ther to the priest who stands there serv ing the L ord your God or to the judge, must die. You must purge the evil from Is ra el. 13 Then all the peo ple will hear about it, be afraid, and no lon ger be have ar ro gant ly . APPOINTING A KING 14 “ When you en ter the land the L ord your God is giv ing you, take pos ses sion of it, live in it, and say , ‘ I will set a king over me like all the na tions around me,’ 15 you are to ap point over you the king the L ord your God chooses. Ap point a king from your broth ers. You are not to set a for eign er over you, or one who is not of your peo ple. 16 How ev er, he must not ac quire many hors es for him self or send the peo ple back to Egypt to ac quire many hors es, for the L ord has told you, ‘ You are nev er to go back that way again.’ 17 He must not ac quire many wives for him self so that his heart won’t go astray . He must not ac quire very large amounts of sil ver and gold for him self. 18 When he is seat ed on his roy al throne, he is to write a copy of this in struc tion for him self on a scroll in the pres- ence of the Le vit i cal priests. 19 It is to re main with him, and he is to read from it all the days of his life, so that he may learn to fear the L ord his God, to ob serve all the words of this in struc- tion, and to do these stat utes. 20 Then his heart will not be ex alt ed above his coun try men, he will not turn from this com mand to the right or the left, and he and his sons will con tin ue reign ing many years a in Is ra el. a 17:20 Lit will lengthen days on his kingdomDEUTERONOMY 16-17 166 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 166 10/26/17 8:59 PM PROVISIONS FOR THE LEVITES 18 “ The Le vit i cal priests, the whole tribe of Levi, will have no por tion or in her i tance with Is ra el. They will eat the
🔮 Divine Guidance vs. Occult Practices
🛡️ Levitical provisions establish priests' and Levites' inheritance rights, ensuring their sustenance through specific portions of sacrifices and firstfruits rather than land ownership
🚫 Occult practices (divination, sorcery, mediums, child sacrifice) are strictly forbidden as detestable to God, contrasting with His approved method of revelation through prophets
⚖️ Justice systems include cities of refuge for accidental killings, requirements for multiple witnesses in legal cases, and principles for fair judgment with appropriate consequences
🏠 Social responsibilities extend to property care, treatment of captured women, inheritance rights, and maintaining proper distinctions in clothing and agriculture
🔍 Sexual ethics receive detailed attention with specific regulations for marriage, accusations of impropriety, and severe consequences for violations of sexual boundaries
⚔️ Warfare guidelines balance military necessity with compassion, exempting certain individuals from service and providing protocols for siege warfare and treatment of conquered peoples
L ord’ s fire off er- ings; that is their a,b in her i tance. 2 Al though Levi has no in her i tance among his broth ers, the L ord is his in her i tance, as he prom ised him. 3 This is the priests’ share from the peo- ple who off er a sac ri fice, wheth er it is an ox, a sheep, or a goat; the priests are to be giv en the shoul der, jaws, and stom ach. 4 You are to give him the first fruits of your grain, new wine, and fresh oil, and the first sheared wool of your flock. 5 For the L ord your God has cho sen him and his sons from all your tribes to stand and min is ter in his name from now on. c 6 When a Le vite leaves one of your towns in Is ra el where he was stay ing and wants to go to the place the L ord chooses, 7 he may serve in the name of the L ord his God like all his fel low Le vites who min is ter there in the pres ence of the L ord. 8 They will eat equal por tions be sides what he has re ceived from the sale of the fam i ly es tate. d OCCULT PRACTICES VERSUS PROPHETIC REVELATION 9 “ When you en ter the land the L ord your God is giv ing you, do not im i tate the de test able cus toms of those na tions. 10 No one among you is to sac ri fice his son or daugh ter in the fire, e prac tice div i na tion, tell for tunes, in ter pret omens, prac tice sor cery , 11 cast spells, con sult a me di um or a spir it ist, or in quire of the dead. 12 Ev ery one who does these acts is de test able to the L ord, and the L ord your God is driv ing out the na tions be fore you be cause of these de test able acts. 13 You must be blame less be fore the L ord your God. 14 Though these na tions you are about to drive out lis ten to fortune-tellers and di vin ers, the L ord your God has not per - mit ted you to do this. 15 “ The L ord your God will raise up for you a proph et like me from among your own broth- ers. You must lis ten to him. 16 This is what you re quest ed from the L ord your God at Ho reb on the day of the as sem bly when you said, ‘ Let us not con tin ue to hear the voice of the L ord our God or see this great fire any lon ger, so that we will not die! ’ 17 Then the L ord said to me, ‘ They have spo ken well. 18 I will raise up for them a proph et like you from among their broth ers. I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them ev ery thing I com mand him. 19 I will hold ac count able who ev er does not lis ten to my words that he speaks in my name. 20 But the proph et who pre sumes to speak a mes sage in my name that I have not com mand ed him to speak, or who speaks in the name of oth er gods — that proph et must die.’ 21 You may say to your self, ‘ How can we rec og nize a mes sage the L ord has not spo ken? ’ 22 When a proph et speaks in the L ord ’ s name, and the mes sage does not come true or is not ful filled, that is a mes sage the L ord has not spo ken. The proph et has spo ken it pre sump- tu ous ly . Do not be afraid of him. CITIES OF REFUGE 19 “ When the L ord your God annihilates the na tions whose land he is giv ing you, so that you drive them out and live in their cit ies and hous es, 2 you are to set apart three cit ies for your selves with in the land the L ord your God is giv ing you to pos sess. 3 You are to de ter mine the distances f and di vide the land the L ord your God is grant ing you as an in her i tance into three re gions, so that any- one who com mits manslaughter can flee to these cit ies. g 4 “ Here is the law con cern ing a case of some- one who kills a per son and flees there to save his life, hav ing killed his neigh bor ac ci den tal ly with out pre vi ous ly hat ing him: 5 If, for ex am ple, he goes into the for est with his neigh bor to cut tim ber, and his hand swings the ax to chop down a tree, but the blade flies off the han dle and strikes his neigh bor so that he dies, that per son may flee to one of these cit ies and live. 6 Oth er wise, the aveng er of blood in the heat of his an ger h might pur sue the one who com mit- ted manslaughter, over take him be cause the dis tance is great, and strike him dead. Yet he did not de serve to die, i since he did not pre vi ous ly hate his neigh bor. 7 This is why I am com mand- ing you to set apart three cit ies for your selves. 8 If the L ord your God en larg es your ter ri to ry as he swore to your fa thers, and gives you all the land he prom ised to give them — 9 pro vid ed you keep ev ery one of these com mands I am giv ing you to day and fol low them, lov ing the L ord your God and walk ing in his ways at all times — you are to add three more cit ies to these three. 10 In this way , in no cent blood will a 18:1 LXX; MT reads his b 18:1 Or his c 18:5 Lit name all the days d 18:8 Hb obscure e 18:10 Lit to make his son or daughter pass through the fire f 19:3 Or to prepare the roads g 19:3 Lit flee there h 19:6 Lit heart i 19:6 Lit did not have a judgment of death 167 DEUTERONOMY 18-19 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 167 10/26/17 8:59 PM not be shed, and you will not be come guilty of blood shed in the land the L ord your God is giv ing you as an in her i tance. 11 But if some one hates his neigh bor, lies in am bush for him, at- tacks him, and strikes him fa tal ly , and flees to one of these cit ies, 12 the el ders of his city are to send for him, take him from there, and hand him over to the aveng er of blood and he will die. 13 Do not look on him with pity but purge from Is ra el the guilt of shed ding in no cent blood, and you will pros per. BOUNDARY MARKERS 14 “ Do not move your neigh bor’s bound ary mark er, es tab lished at the start in the in her - i tance you will re ceive in the land the L ord your God is giv ing you to pos sess. WITNESSES IN COURT 15 “ One wit ness can not es tab lish any in iq ui ty or sin against a per son, what ev er that per son has done. A fact must be es tab lished by the tes ti mo ny of two or three wit ness es. 16 “ If a ma li cious wit ness tes ti fies against some one ac cus ing him of a crime, 17 the two peo ple in the dis pute are to stand in the pres- ence of the L ord be fore the priests and judg es in au thor i ty at that time. 18 The judg es are to make a care ful in ves ti ga tion, and if the wit- ness turns out to be a liar who has false ly ac- cused his broth er, 19 you must do to him as he in tend ed to do to his broth er. You must purge the evil from you. 20 Then ev ery one else will hear and be afraid, and they will nev er again do any thing evil like this among you. 21 Do not show pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, and foot for foot. RULES FOR WAR 20 “ When you go out to war against your en e mies and see hors es, char i ots, and an army larg er than yours, do not be afraid of them, for the L ord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, is with you. 2 When you are about to en gage in bat tle, the priest is to come for ward and ad dress the army . 3 He is to say to them: ‘Lis ten, Is ra el: To day you are about to en gage in bat tle with your en- e mies. Do not be cow ard ly . Do not be afraid, alarmed, or ter ri fied be cause of them. 4 For the L ord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your en e mies to give you vic to ry .’5 “ The off i cers are to ad dress the army , ‘ Has any man built a new house and not ded i cat ed it? Let him leave and re turn home. Oth er wise, he may die in bat tle and an oth er man ded i cate it. 6 Has any man plant ed a vine yard and not be gun to en joy its fruit? a Let him leave and re turn home. Oth er wise he may die in bat tle and an oth er man en joy its fruit. b 7 Has any man be come en gaged to a wom an and not mar ried her? Let him leave and re turn home. Oth er wise he may die in bat tle and an oth er man mar ry her.’ 8 The off i cers will con tin ue to ad dress the army and say , ‘ Is there any man who is afraid or cow ard ly? Let him leave and re turn home, so that his broth ers won’t lose heart as he did.’ c 9 When the off i cers have fin- ished ad dress ing the army , they will ap point mil i tary com mand ers to lead it. 10 “ When you ap proach a city to fight against it, make an off er of peace. 11 If it ac cepts your off er of peace and opens its gates to you, all the peo ple found in it will be come forced la- bor ers for you and serve you. 12 How ev er, if it does not make peace with you but wag es war against you, lay siege to it. 13 When the L ord your God hands it over to you, strike down all its males with the sword. 14 But you may take the wom en, de pen dents, an i mals, and what ev- er else is in the city — all its spoil — as plun der. You may en joy the spoil of your en e mies that the L ord your God has giv en you. 15 This is how you are to treat all the cit ies that are far away from you and are not among the cit ies of these na tions. 16 How ev er, you must not let any liv ing thing sur vive among the cit ies of these peo ple the L ord your God is giv ing you as an in her i tance. 17 You must com plete ly de- stroy them — the Heth ite, Am o rite, Ca naan ite, Perizzite, Hi vite, and Jeb u site — as the L ord your God has com mand ed you, 18 so that they won’t teach you to do all the de test able acts they do for their gods, and you sin against the L ord your God. 19 “ When you lay siege to a city for a long time, fight ing against it in or der to cap ture it, do not de stroy its trees by put ting an ax to them, be cause you can get food from them. Do not cut them down. Are trees of the field hu man, to come un der siege by you? 20 But you may de stroy the trees that you know do not pro duce food. You may cut them down to build siege works against the city that is wag ing war against you, un til it falls. a 20:6 Lit not put it to use b 20:6 Lit man put it to use c 20:8 Lit brothers’ hearts won’t melt like his ownDEUTERONOMY 19-20 168 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 168 10/26/17 8:59 PM UNSOLVED MURDERS 21 “ If a mur der vic tim is found ly ing in a field in the land the L ord your God is giv ing you to pos sess, and it is not known who killed him, 2 your el ders and judg es are to come out and mea sure the dis tance from the vic tim to the near by cit ies. 3 The el ders of the city near est to the vic tim are to get a young cow that has not been yoked or used for work. 4 The el ders of that city will bring the cow down to a con tin u al ly flow ing stream, to a place not tilled or sown, and they will break its neck there by the stream. 5 Then the priests, the sons of Levi, will come for ward, for the L ord your God has cho sen them to serve him and pro nounce bless ings in his name, and they are to give a rul ing in a ev ery dis pute and case of assault. 6 All the el ders of the city near est to the vic tim will wash their hands by the stream over the young cow whose neck has been bro ken. 7 They will de clare, ‘ Our hands did not shed this blood; our eyes did not see it. 8 L ord, wipe away the guilt of your peo ple Is ra el whom you re deemed, and do not hold the shed ding of in no cent blood against them.’ Then the re spon si bil i ty for blood shed will be wiped away from them. 9 You must purge from your selves the guilt of shed ding in no- cent blood, for you will be do ing what is right in the L ord’ s sight. FAIR TREATMENT OF CAPTURED WOMEN 10 “ When you go to war against your en e mies and the L ord your God hands them over to you and you take some of them pris on er, and 11 if you see a beau ti ful wom an among the cap tives, de sire her, and want to take her as your wife, 12 you are to bring her into your house. She is to shave her head, trim her nails, 13 re move the clothes she was wear ing when she was tak en pris on er, live in your house, and mourn for her fa ther and moth er a full month. Af ter that, you may have sex u al re la tions with her and be her hus band, and she will be your wife. 14 Then if you are not sat is fied with her, you are to let her go where she wants, but you must not sell her or treat her as mer chan dise, b be cause you have hu mil i at ed her. THE RIGHT OF THE FIRSTBORN 15 “ If a man has two wives, one loved and the oth er un loved, and both the loved and the un loved bear him sons, and if the un loved wife has the first born son, 16 when that man gives what he has to his sons as an in her i tance, he is not to show fa vor it ism to the son of the loved wife as his first born over the first born of the un loved wife. 17 He must ac knowl edge the first born, the son of the un loved wife, by giv ing him two shares c,d of his es tate, for he is the first fruits of his vi ril i ty; he has the rights of the first born. A REBELLIOUS SON 18 “ If a man has a stub born and re bel lious son who does not obey his fa ther or moth er and doesn’t lis ten to them even af ter they dis ci- pline him, 19 his fa ther and moth er are to take hold of him and bring him to the el ders of his city , to the gate of his home town. 20 They will say to the el ders of his city , ‘ This son of ours is stub born and re bel lious; he doesn’t obey us. He’s a glut ton and a drunk ard.’ 21 Then all the men of his city will stone him to death. You must purge the evil from you, and all Is ra el will hear and be afraid. DISPLAY OF EXECUTED PEOPLE 22 “ If any one is found guilty of an off ense de- serv ing the death pen al ty and is ex e cut ed, and you hang his body on a tree, 23 you are not to leave his corpse on the tree over night but are to bury him that day , for any one hung on a tree is un der God’s curse. You must not de file the land the L ord your God is giv ing you as an in her i tance. CARING FOR YOUR BROTHER’S PROPERTY 22 “ If you see your broth er Israelite’s ox or sheep stray ing, do not ig nore it; make sure you re turn it to your broth er. 2 If your broth er does not live near you or you don’t know him, you are to bring the an i mal to your home to re main with you un til your broth er comes look ing for it; then you can re turn it to him. 3 Do the same for his don key , his gar - ment, or any thing your broth er has lost and you have found. You must not ig nore it. 4 If you see your broth er’s don key or ox fall en down on the road, do not ig nore it; help him lift it up. PRESERVING NATURAL DISTINCTIONS 5 “ A wom an is not to wear male cloth ing, and a man is not to put on a wom an’s gar ment, for a 21:5 Lit and according to their mouth will be b 21:14 Hb obscure c 21:17 Lit him mouth of two, or two mouthfuls d 21:17 Or two-thirds 169 DEUTERONOMY 21-22 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 169 10/26/17 8:59 PM ev ery one who does these things is de test able to the L ord your God. 6 “ If you come across a bird’s nest with chicks or eggs, ei ther in a tree or on the ground along the road, and the moth er is sit ting on the chicks or eggs, do not take the moth er along with the young. 7 You may take the young for your self, but be sure to let the moth er go free, so that you may pros per and live long. 8 If you build a new house, make a railing around your roof, so that you don’t bring blood guilt on your house if some one falls from it. 9 Do not plant your vine yard with two types of seed; oth er wise, the en - tire har vest, both the crop you plant and the pro duce of the vine yard, will be de filed. 10 Do not plow with an ox and a don key to geth er. 11 Do not wear clothes made of both wool and lin en. 12 Make tas sels on the four cor ners of the out er gar ment you wear. VIOLATIONS OF PROPER SEXUAL CONDUCT 13 “ If a man mar ries a wom an, has sex u al re- la tions with her, and comes to hate her, 14 and ac cus es her of shame ful con duct, and gives her a bad name, say ing, ‘ I mar ried this wom an and was in ti mate with her, but I didn’t find any ev i dence of her vir gin i ty ,’ 15 the young wom an’s fa ther and moth er will take the ev i dence of her vir gin i ty and bring it to the city el ders at the city gate. 16 The young wom an’s fa ther will say to the el ders, ‘ I gave my daugh ter to this man as a wife, but he hates her. 17 He has ac cused her of shame ful con duct, say ing: “ I didn’t find any ev i dence of your daugh ter’s vir gin i ty ,” but here is the ev i dence of my daugh ter’s vir gin i ty .’ They will spread out the cloth be fore the city el ders. 18 Then the el ders of that city will take the man and pun ish him. 19 They will also fine him a hun dred sil ver shek els and give them to the young wom an’s fa ther, be cause that man gave an Is ra el ite vir gin a bad name. She will re main his wife; he can not di vorce her as long as he lives. 20 But if this ac cu sa tion is true and no ev i dence of the young wom an’s vir gin i ty is found, 21 they will bring the wom an to the door of her fa ther’s house, and the men of her city will stone her to death. For she has com mit ted an outrage in Is ra el by be ing pro- mis cu ous while liv ing in her fa ther’s house. You must purge the evil from you. 22 “ If a man is dis cov ered hav ing sex u al re la- tions with an oth er man’s wife, both the man who had sex with the wom an and the wom an must die. You
📜 Ancient Hebrew Legal Codes
🏛️ Sexual misconduct laws establish different punishments based on location and consent, with rape victims in rural areas protected from blame while urban victims face scrutiny about whether they called for help
👪 Community membership regulations exclude certain groups from religious assembly while providing specific protections for vulnerable populations including slaves, widows, and foreigners
🧼 Ritual purity requirements govern personal hygiene, camp cleanliness, and proper worship practices to maintain divine presence among the people
💰 Economic justice provisions mandate fair lending practices, honest weights and measures, and leaving harvest remnants for the poor and marginalized
🤝 Family obligation codes preserve lineages through levirate marriage, protect property rights, and establish inheritance procedures
🙏 Covenant relationship between God and Israel requires regular acknowledgment through firstfruits offerings and public recitation of blessings and curses
must purge the evil from Is ra el. 23 If there is a young wom an who is a vir gin en gaged to a man, and an oth er man encounters her in the city and sleeps with her, 24 take the two of them out to the gate of that city and stone them to death — the young wom an be- cause she did not cry out in the city and the man be cause he has vi o lat ed his neigh bor’s fiancée. You must purge the evil from you. 25 But if the man encounters an en gaged wom an in the open coun try , and he seiz es and rapes her, only the man who raped her must die. 26 Do noth ing to the young wom an, be cause she is not guilty of an off ense de serv ing death. This case is just like one in which a man at tacks his neigh bor and mur ders him. 27 When he found her in the field, the en gaged wom an cried out, but there was no one to res cue her. 28 If a man encounters a young wom an, a vir gin who is not en gaged, takes hold of her and rapes her, and they are dis cov ered, 29 the man who raped her is to give the young wom an’s fa ther fif ty sil ver shek els, and she will be come his wife be cause he vi o lat ed her. He can not di vorce her as long as he lives. 30 “ A man is not to mar ry his fa ther’s wife; he must not vi o late his fa ther’s mar riage bed. a EXCLUSION AND INCLUSION 23 “ No man whose tes ti cles have been crushed b or whose penis has been cut off may en ter the L ord ’ s as sem bly . 2 No one of il le git i mate birth may en ter the L ord’ s as sem- bly; none of his de scen dants, even to the tenth gen er a tion, may en ter the L ord’ s as sem bly . 3 No Am mon ite or Mo ab ite may en ter the L ord’ s as sem bly; none of their de scen dants, even to the tenth gen er a tion, may ever en ter the L ord’ s as sem bly . 4 This is be cause they did not meet you with food and wa ter on the jour ney af ter you came out of Egypt, and be cause Ba laam son of Beor from Pe thor in Aram-na ha ra im was hired to curse you. 5 Yet the L ord your God would not lis ten to Ba laam, but he turned the curse into a bless ing for you be cause the L ord your God loves you. 6 Nev er pur sue their wel fare or pros per i ty as long as you live. 7 Do not de spise an Edom ite, be cause he is your broth er. Do not de spise an Egyp tian, be cause you were a res i dent alien in his land. 8 The chil dren born to them in the third gen er a tion may en ter the L ord’ s as sem bly . a 22:30 Lit not uncover the edge of his father’s garment ; Ru 3:9; Ezk 16:8 b 23:1 Lit man bruised by crushingDEUTERONOMY 22-23 170 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 170 10/26/17 8:59 PM CLEANLINESS OF THE CAMP 9 “ When you are en camped against your en e- mies, be care ful to avoid any thing off en sive. 10 If there is a man among you who is un clean be cause of a bodi ly emis sion dur ing the night, he must go out side the camp; he may not come any where in side the camp. 11 When eve ning ap proach es, he is to wash with wa ter, and when the sun sets he may come in side the camp. 12 You are to have a place out side the camp and go there to re lieve your self. 13 You are to have a dig ging tool in your equip ment; when you re lieve your self, dig a hole with it and cov er up your ex cre ment. 14 For the L ord your God walks through out your camp to pro- tect you and de liv er your en e mies to you; so your encampments must be holy . He must not see any thing in de cent among you or he will turn away from you. FUGITIVE SLAVES 15 “ Do not re turn a slave to his mas ter when he has es caped from his mas ter to you. 16 Let him live among you wher ev er he wants with in your city gates. Do not mis treat him. CULT PROSTITUTION FORBIDDEN 17 “ No Is ra el ite wom an is to be a cult pros ti tute, and no Is ra el ite man is to be a cult pros ti tute. 18 Do not bring a fe male pros ti tute’s wag es or a male pros ti tute’s a earn ings into the house of the L ord your God to ful fill any vow , be cause both are de test able to the L ord your God. INTEREST ON LOANS 19 “ Do not charge your broth er in ter est on sil- ver, food, or any thing that can earn in ter est. 20 You may charge a for eign er in ter est, but you must not charge your broth er Is ra el ite in ter est, so that the L ord your God may bless you in ev ery thing you do b in the land you are en ter ing to pos sess. KEEPING VOWS 21 “ If you make a vow to the L ord your God, do not be slow to keep it, be cause he will re- quire it of you, and it will be count ed against you as sin. 22 But if you re frain from mak ing a vow , it will not be count ed against you as sin. 23 Be care ful to do what ev er comes from your lips, be cause you have free ly vowed what you prom ised c to the L ord your God.NEIGHBOR’S CROPS 24 “ When you en ter your neigh bor’s vine yard, you may eat as many grapes as you want un til you are full, but do not put any in your con tain- er. 25 When you en ter your neigh bor’s stand ing grain, you may pluck heads of grain with your hand, but do not put a sick le to your neigh- bor’s grain. MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE LAWS 24 “ If a man mar ries a wom an, but she be- comes dis pleas ing to him d be cause he finds some thing in de cent about her, he may write her a di vorce cer tifi cate, hand it to her, and send her away from his house. 2 If af ter leav ing his house she goes and be comes an- oth er man’s wife, 3 and the sec ond man hates her, writes her a di vorce cer tifi cate, hands it to her, and sends her away from his house or if he dies, 4 the first hus band who sent her away may not mar ry her again af ter she has been de filed, be cause that would be de test- able to the L ord. You must not bring guilt on the land the L ord your God is giv ing you as an in her i tance. 5 “ When a man takes a bride, he must not go out with the army or be li a ble for any duty . He is free to stay at home for one year, so that he can bring joy to the wife he has mar ried. SAFEGUARDING LIFE 6 “ Do not take a pair of grindstones or even the up per mill stone as se cu ri ty for a debt, be cause that is like tak ing a life as se cu ri ty . 7 “ If a man is dis cov ered kid nap ping one of his Is ra el ite broth ers, wheth er he treats him as a slave or sells him, the kid nap per must die. You must purge the evil from you. 8 “ Be care ful with a per son who has a case of se ri ous skin dis ease, fol low ing care ful ly ev ery thing the Le vit i cal priests in struct you to do. Be care ful to do as I have com mand ed them. 9 Re mem ber what the L ord your God did to Mir i am on the jour ney af ter you left Egypt. CONSIDERATION FOR PEOPLE IN NEED 10 “ When you make a loan of any kind to your neigh bor, do not en ter his house to col lect what he off ers as se cu ri ty . 11 Stand out side while the man you are mak ing the loan to brings the se cu ri ty out to you. 12 If he is a poor man, do not sleep with the gar ment he has giv en a 23:18 Lit a dog’s b 23:20 Lit you put your hand to c 23:23 Lit promised with your mouth d 24:1 Lit she does not find favor in his eyes 171 DEUTERONOMY 23-24 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 171 10/26/17 8:59 PM as se cu ri ty . 13 Be sure to re turn it a to him at sun set. Then he will sleep in it and bless you, and this will be count ed as righ teous ness to you be fore the L ord your God. 14 “ Do not op press a hired work er who is poor and needy , wheth er one of your Is ra el- ite broth ers or one of the res i dent aliens in a town b in your land. 15 You are to pay him his wag es each day be fore the sun sets, be cause he is poor and de pends on them. Oth er wise he will cry out to the L ord against you, and you will be held guilty . 16 “Fa thers are not to be put to death for their chil dren, and chil dren are not to be put to death for their fa thers; each per son will be put to death for his own sin. 17 Do not deny jus tice to a res i dent alien or fa ther less child, and do not take a wid ow’s gar ment as se cu ri ty . 18 Re mem ber that you were a slave in Egypt, and the L ord your God re deemed you from there. There fore I am com mand ing you to do this. 19 “ When you reap the har vest in your field, and you for get a sheaf in the field, do not go back to get it. It is to be left for the res i dent alien, the fa ther less, and the wid ow , so that the L ord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. 20 When you knock down the fruit from your ol ive tree, do not go over the branch es again. What re mains will be for the res i dent alien, the fa ther less, and the wid- ow. 21 When you gath er the grapes of your vine- yard, do not glean what is left. What re mains will be for the res i dent alien, the fa ther less, and the wid ow . 22 Re mem ber that you were a slave in the land of Egypt. There fore I am com mand ing you to do this. FAIRNESS AND MERCY 25 “ If there is a dis pute be tween men, they are to go to court, and the judg es will hear their case. They will clear the in no cent and con demn the guilty . 2 If the guilty par ty de serves to be flogged, the judge will make him lie down and be flogged in his pres ence with the num ber of lash es ap pro pri ate for his crime. 3 He may be flogged with for ty lash es, but no more. Oth er wise, if he is flogged with more lash es than these, your broth er will be de grad ed in your sight. 4 “ Do not muz zle an ox while it treads out grain.PRESERVING THE FAMILY LINE 5 “ When broth ers live on the same prop er ty c and one of them dies with out a son, the wife of the dead man may not mar ry a strang er out side the fam i ly . Her brother-in-law is to take her as his wife, have sex u al re la tions with her, and per form the duty of a brother-in-law for her. 6 The first son she bears will car ry on the name of the dead broth er, so his name will not be blot ted out from Is ra el. 7 But if the man doesn’t want to mar ry his sister-in-law , she is to go to the el ders at the city gate and say , ‘ My brother-in-law re fus es to pre serve his broth er’s name in Is ra el. He isn’t will ing to per form the duty of a brother-in-law for me.’ 8 The el ders of his city will sum mon him and speak with him. If he per sists and says, ‘ I don’t want to mar ry her,’ 9 then his sister-in-law will go up to him in the sight of the el ders, re move his san dal from his foot, and spit in his face. Then she will de clare, ‘ This is what is done to a man who will not build up his broth er’s house.’ 10 And his fam i ly name in Is ra el will be ‘ The house of the man whose san dal was re moved.’ 11 “ If two men are fight ing with each oth er, and the wife of one steps in to res cue her hus- band from the one strik ing him, and she puts out her hand and grabs his gen i tals, 12 you are to cut off her hand. Do not show pity . HONEST WEIGHTS AND MEASURES 13 “ Do not have diff er ing weights d in your bag, one heavy and one light. 14 Do not have diff er- ing dry mea sures in your house, a larg er and a small er. 15 You must have a full and hon est weight, a full and hon est dry mea sure, so that you may live long in the land the L ord your God is giv ing you. 16 For ev ery one who does such things and acts unfairly is de test able to the L ord your God. REVENGE ON THE AMALEKITES 17 “Re mem ber what the Am a lek ites did to you on the jour ney af ter you left Egypt. 18 They met you along the way and at tacked all your strag glers from be hind when you were tired and wea ry . They did not fear God. 19 When the L ord your God gives you rest from all the en- e mies around you in the land the L ord your God is giv ing you to pos sess as an in her i tance, blot out the mem o ry of Am a lek un der heav en. Do not for get. a 24:13 Lit return what he has given as security b 24:14 Lit within the city gates c 25:5 Lit live together d 25:13 Lit have a stone and a stoneDEUTERONOMY 24-25 172 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 172 10/26/17 8:59 PM GIVING THE FIRSTFRUITS 26 “ When you en ter the land the L ord your God is giv ing you as an in her i tance, and you take pos ses sion of it and live in it, 2 take some of the first of all the land’s pro duce that you har vest from the land the L ord your God is giv ing you and put it in a bas ket. Then go to the place where the L ord your God chooses to have his name dwell. 3 When you come be fore the priest who is serv ing at that time, say to him, ‘To day I de clare to the L ord your a God that I have en tered the land the L ord swore to our fa thers to give us.’ 4 “ Then the priest will take the bas ket from you and place it be fore the al tar of the L ord your God. 5 You are to re spond by say ing in the pres ence of the L ord your God: My father was a wandering Aramean. He went down to Egypt with a few people and resided there as an alien. There he became a great, powerful, and populous nation. 6 But the Egyptians mistreated and oppressed us, and forced us to do hard labor. 7 So we called out to the Lord, the God of our fathers, and the Lord heard our cry and saw our misery , hardship, and oppression. 8 Then the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, with terrifying power, and with signs and wonders. 9 He led us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey . 10 I have now brought the first of the land’s pro - duce that you, Lord, have given me. You will then place the con tain er be fore the L ord your God and bow down to him. 11 You, the Le vites, and the res i dent aliens among you will re joice in all the good things the L ord your God has giv en you and your house hold. THE TENTH IN THE THIRD YEAR 12 “ When you have fin ished pay ing all the tenth of your pro duce in the third year, the year of the tenth, you are to give it to the Le vites, res - i dent aliens, fa ther less chil dren and wid ows, so that they may eat in your towns and be sat is fied. 13 Then you will say in the pres ence of the L ord your God: I have taken the consecrated portion out of my house; I have also given it to the Levites, resident aliens, fatherless children, and widows, according to all the commands you gave me. I have not violated or forgotten your commands. 14 I have not eaten any of it while in mourn - ing, or removed any of it while unclean, or offered any of it for the dead. I have obeyed the Lord my God; I have done all you commanded me. 15 Look down from your holy dwelling, from heaven, and bless your people Israel and the land you have given us as you swore to our fathers, a land flowing with milk and honey . COVENANT SUMMARY 16 “ The L ord your God is com mand ing you this day to fol low these stat utes and or di nances. Fol low them care ful ly with all your heart and all your soul. 17 To day you have affirmed that the L ord is your God and that you will walk in his ways, keep his stat utes, com mands, and or di nances, and obey him. 18 And to day the L ord has affirmed that you are his own pos- ses sion as he prom ised you, that you are to keep all his com mands, 19 that he will el e vate you to praise, fame, and glo ry above all the na- tions he has made, and that you will be a holy peo ple to the L ord your God as he prom ised.” THE LAW WRITTEN ON STONES 27 Mo ses and the el ders of Is ra el com mand- ed the peo ple, “ Keep ev ery com mand I am giv ing you to day . 2 When you cross the Jor dan into the land the L ord your God is giv ing you, set up large stones and cov er them with plas ter. 3 Write all the words of this law on the stones af ter you cross to en ter the land the L ord your God is giv ing you, a land flow ing with milk and hon ey , as the L ord, the God of your fa thers, has prom ised you. 4 When you have crossed the Jor dan, you are to set up these stones on Mount Ebal, as I am com mand ing you to day , and you are to cov er them with plas ter. 5 Build an al tar of stones there to the L ord your God — do not use any iron tool on them. 6 Use un cut stones to build the al tar of the L ord your God and off er burnt off er ings to the L ord your God on it. 7 There you are to sac ri fice fel low ship of- fer ings, eat, and re joice in the pres ence of the L ord your God. 8 Write clear ly all the words of this law on the plas tered stones.” THE COVENANT CURSES 9 Mo ses and the Le vit i cal priests spoke to all Is ra el, “ Be si lent, Is ra el, and lis ten! This day you have be come the peo ple of the L ord your a 26:3 LXX reads my 173 DEUTERONOMY 26-27 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 173 10/26/17 8:59 PM God. 10 Obey the L ord your God and fol low his com mands and stat utes I am giv ing you to day .” 11 On that day Mo ses com mand ed the peo ple, 12 “ When you have crossed the Jor dan, these tribes will stand on Mount Ge ri zim to bless the peo ple: Sim e on, Levi, Ju dah, Is sa char, Jo seph, and Ben ja min. 13 And these tribes will stand on Mount Ebal to de liv er the curse: Reu ben, Gad, Ash er, Zeb u lun, Dan, and Naph ta li. 14 The Le vites will pro claim in a loud voice to ev ery Is ra el ite: 15 ‘The person who makes a carved idol or cast image, which is detestable to the Lord, the work of a craftsman, and sets it up in secret is cursed.’And all the people will reply , ‘ Amen! ’ 16 ‘The one who dishonors his father or mother is cursed.’And all the people will say , ‘ Amen! ’ 17 ‘The one who moves his neighbor’s boundary marker is cursed.’And all the people will say ,
📜 Divine Covenant: Blessings and Curses
🚫 Curses target specific moral violations including sexual immorality, violence against the vulnerable, corruption, and injustice, with each transgression followed by the people's affirmation "Amen!"
🌟 Blessings for obedience manifest as prosperity, fertility, victory over enemies, and elevated status among nations—creating a direct relationship between faithfulness and wellbeing
⚠️ Consequences of disobedience escalate dramatically from initial hardships to horrific suffering including siege, famine, disease, exile, and psychological torment—revealing the covenant's severe enforcement mechanism
🔄 Covenant renewal requires acknowledging past divine interventions, making a conscious commitment before the entire community, and understanding that hidden matters belong to God while revealed commands belong to the people
🕊️ Restoration promise offers hope even after punishment, as returning to God "with all your heart and soul" triggers divine compassion, regathering of exiles, and circumcision of hearts to enable genuine love for God
🔍 The text establishes a theological framework where human choices have cosmic consequences, yet divine mercy remains available through genuine repentance and renewed commitment
‘ Amen! ’ 18 ‘The one who leads a blind person astray on the road is cursed.’And all the people will say , ‘ Amen! ’ 19 ‘The one who denies justice to a resident alien, a fatherless child, or a widow is cursed.’ And all the people will say , ‘ Amen! ’ 20 ‘The one who sleeps with his father’s wife is cursed, for he has violated his father’s marriage bed.’ a And all the people will say , ‘ Amen! ’ 21 ‘The one who has sexual intercourse with any animal is cursed.’And all the people will say , ‘ Amen! ’ 22 ‘The one who sleeps with his sister, whether his father’s daughter or his mother’s daughter is cursed.’ And all the people will say , ‘ Amen! ’ 23 ‘The one who sleeps with his mother -in-law is cursed.’ And all the people will say , ‘ Amen! ’ 24 ‘The one who secretly kills his neighbor is cursed.’ And all the people will say , ‘ Amen! ’ 25 ‘The one who accepts a bribe to kill an innocent person is cursed.’And all the people will say , ‘ Amen! ’ 26 ‘ Anyone who does not put the words of this law into practice is cursed.’And all the people will say , ‘ Amen! ’BLESSINGS FOR OBEDIENCE 28 “ Now if you faith ful ly obey the L ord your God and are care ful to fol low all his com mands I am giv ing you to day , the L ord your God will put you far above all the na tions of the earth. 2 All these bless ings will come and over take you, be cause you obey the L ord your God: 3 You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country . 4 Your offspring b will be blessed, and your land’s produce, and the offspring of your livestock, including the young of your herds and the newborn of your flocks. 5 Your basket and kneading bowl will be blessed. 6 You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out. 7 “ The L ord will cause the en e mies who rise up against you to be de feat ed be fore you. They will march out against you from one di rec tion but flee from you in sev en di rec tions. 8 The L ord will grant you a bless ing on your barns and on ev ery thing you do; c he will bless you in the land the L ord your God is giv ing you. 9 The L ord will es tab lish you as his holy peo ple, as he swore to you, if you obey the com mands of the L ord your God and walk in his ways. 10 Then all the peo ples of the earth will see that you bear the L ord’ s name, and they will stand in awe of you. 11 The L ord will make you pros per abun dant ly with off spring, d the off spring of your live stock, and your land’s pro duce in the land the L ord swore to your fa thers to give you. 12 The L ord will open for you his abun dant store house, the sky , to give your land rain in its sea son and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many na tions, but you will not bor row . 13 The L ord will make you the head and not the tail; you will only move up ward and nev er down ward if you lis ten to the L ord your God’s com mands I am giv ing you to day and are care ful to fol low them. 14 Do not turn aside to the right or the left from all the things I am com mand ing you to day , and do not fol low oth er gods to wor ship them. CURSES FOR DISOBEDIENCE 15 “ But if you do not obey the L ord your God by care ful ly fol low ing all his com mands and a 27:20 Lit has uncovered the edge of his father’s garment ; Ru 3:9; Ezk 16:8 b 28:4 Lit The fruit of your womb, also in v. 18 c 28:8 Lit you put your hand to, also in v. 20 d 28:11 Lit abundantly in the fruit of your wombDEUTERONOMY 27-28 174 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 174 10/26/17 8:59 PM stat utes I am giv ing you to day , all these curs es will come and over take you: 16 You will be cursed in the city and cursed in the country . 17 Your basket and kneading bowl will be cursed. 18 Your offspring will be cursed, and your land’s produce, the young of your herds, and the newborn of your flocks. 19 You will be cursed when you come in and cursed when you go out. 20 The L ord will send against you curs es, con fu- sion, and re buke in ev ery thing you do un til you are de stroyed and quick ly per ish, be cause of the wick ed ness of your ac tions in abandoning me. 21 The L ord will make pes ti lence cling to you un til he has exterminated you from the land you are en ter ing to pos sess. 22 The L ord will afflict you with wast ing dis ease, fe ver, in flam ma tion, burn ing heat, drought, a blight, and mil dew; these will pur sue you un til you per ish. 23 The sky above you will be bronze, and the earth be neath you iron. 24 The L ord will turn the rain of your land into fall ing b dust; it will de scend on you from the sky un til you are de stroyed. 25 The L ord will cause you to be de feat ed be fore your en e mies. You will march out against them from one di rec tion but flee from them in sev en di rec tions. You will be an ob ject of hor ror to all the king doms of the earth. 26 Your corpses will be food for all the birds of the sky and the wild an i mals of the earth, with no one to scare them away . 27 “ The L ord will afflict you with the boils of Egypt, tu mors, a fes ter ing rash, and sca bies, from which you can not be cured. 28 The L ord will afflict you with mad ness, blind ness, and mental con fu sion, 29 so that at noon you will grope as a blind per son gropes in the dark. You will not be suc cess ful in any thing you do. You will only be op pressed and robbed con tin u al ly , and no one will help you. 30 You will be come en gaged to a wom an, but an oth er man will rape her. You will build a house but not live in it. You will plant a vine yard but not en joy its fruit. 31 Your ox will be slaugh tered be fore your eyes, but you will not eat any of it. Your don key will be tak en away from you and not re turned to you. Your flock will be giv en to your en e mies, and no one will help you. 32 Your sons and daugh ters will be giv en to an oth er peo ple, while your eyes grow wea ry look ing for them ev ery day . But you will be pow er less to do any thing. c 33 A peo ple you don’t know will eat your land’s pro duce and ev ery thing you have la bored for. You will only be op pressed and crushed con tin u al ly . 34 You will be driv en mad by what you see. 35 The L ord will afflict you with pain ful and in cur able boils on your knees and thighs — from the sole of your foot to the top of your head. 36 “ The L ord will bring you and your king that you have ap point ed to a na tion nei ther you nor your fa thers have known, and there you will wor ship oth er gods, of wood and stone. 37 You will be come an ob ject of hor ror, scorn, and rid i cule among all the peo ples where the L ord will drive you. 38 “ You will sow much seed in the field but har vest lit tle, be cause lo custs will de vour it. 39 You will plant and cul ti vate vine yards but not drink the wine or gath er the grapes, be- cause worms will eat them. 40 You will have ol ive trees through out your ter ri to ry but not moist en your skin with oil, be cause your ol- ives will drop off. 41 You will fa ther sons and daugh ters, but they will not re main yours, be cause they will be tak en pris on er. 42 Buzzing in sects will take pos ses sion of all your trees and your land’s pro duce. 43 The res i dent alien among you will rise high er and high er above you, while you sink low er and low er. 44 He will lend to you, but you won’t lend to him. He will be the head, and you will be the tail. 45 “ All these curs es will come, pur sue, and over take you un til you are de stroyed, since you did not obey the L ord your God and keep the com mands and stat utes he gave you. 46 These curs es will be a sign and a won der against you and your de scen dants for ev er. 47 Be cause you didn’t serve the L ord your God with joy and a cheer ful heart, even though you had an abun dance of ev ery thing, 48 you will serve your en e mies the L ord will send against you, in fam ine, thirst, na ked ness, and a lack of ev- ery thing. He will place an iron yoke on your neck un til he has de stroyed you. 49 The L ord will bring a na tion from far away , from the ends of the earth, to swoop down on you like an ea gle, a na tion whose lan guage you won’t un der stand, 50 a ruth less na tion, d show ing no re spect for the old and not spar ing the young. 51 They will eat the off spring of your live stock and your land’s pro duce un til you are de stroyed. They will leave you no grain, a 28:22 Or sword b 28:24 Lit powder and c 28:32 Lit day, and not for power your hand d 28:50 Lit a nation strong of face 175 DEUTERONOMY 28 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 175 10/26/17 8:59 PM new wine, fresh oil, young of your herds, or new born of your flocks un til they cause you to per ish. 52 They will be siege you with in all your city gates un til your high and for ti fied walls, that you trust in, come down through- out your land. They will be siege you with in all your city gates through out the land the L ord your God has giv en you. 53 “ You will eat your off spring, a the flesh of your sons and daugh ters the L ord your God has giv en you dur ing the siege and hard ship your en e my imposes on you. 54 The most sen- si tive and re fined man among you will look grudg ing ly b at his broth er, the wife he em brac- es, c and the rest of his chil dren, 55 re fus ing to share with any of them his chil dren’s flesh that he will eat be cause he has noth ing left dur ing the siege and hard ship your en e my imposes on you in all your towns. 56 The most sen si tive and re fined wom an among you, who would not ven ture to set the sole of her foot on the ground be cause of her refinement and sen si tiv i ty , will be grudge the hus band she em brac es, her son, and her daugh ter, 57 the af ter birth that comes out from be tween her legs and the chil dren she bears, be cause she will se cret ly eat them for lack of any thing else dur ing the siege and hard ship your en e my imposes on you with in your city gates. 58 “ If you are not care ful to obey all the words of this law , which are writ ten in this scroll, by fear ing this glo ri ous and awe-inspiring name — the L ord, your God — 59 he will bring won drous plagues on you and your de scen- dants, se vere and last ing plagues, and ter ri ble and chron ic sick ness es. 60 He will afflict you again with all the dis eas es of Egypt, which you dread ed, and they will cling to you. 61 The L ord will also afflict you with ev ery sick ness and plague not re cord ed in the book of this law , un til you are de stroyed. 62 Though you were as nu mer ous as the stars of the sky , you will be left with only a few peo ple, be cause you did not obey the L ord your God. 63 Just as the L ord was glad to cause you to pros per and to mul ti ply you, so he will also be glad to cause you to per ish and to de stroy you. You will be ripped out of the land you are en ter - ing to pos sess. 64 Then the L ord will scat ter you among all peo ples from one end of the earth to the oth er, and there you will wor ship oth er gods, of wood and stone, which nei ther you nor your fa thers have known. 65 You will find no peace among those na tions, and there will be no rest ing place for the sole of your foot. There the L ord will give you a trem bling heart, fail ing eyes, and a de spon dent spir it. 66 Your life will hang in doubt be fore you. You will be in dread night and day , nev er cer tain of survival. 67 In the morn ing you will say , ‘ If only it were eve ning! ’ and in the eve ning you will say , ‘ If only it were morn ing! ’ — be cause of the dread you will have in your heart and be cause of what you will see. 68 The L ord will take you back in ships to Egypt by a route that I said you would nev er see again. There you will sell your selves to your en e mies as male and fe male slaves, but no one will buy you.” RENEWING THE COVENANT 29 These are the words of the cov enant the L ord com mand ed Mo ses to make with the Is ra el ites in the land of Moab, in ad di tion to the cov enant he had made with them at Ho reb. 2 Mo ses sum moned all Is ra el and said to them, “ You have seen with your own eyes ev ery thing the L ord did in Egypt to Pha raoh, to all his off i cials, and to his en tire land. 3 You saw with your own eyes the great tri als and those great signs and won ders. 4 Yet to this day the L ord has not giv en you a mind to un der stand, eyes to see, or ears to hear. 5 I led you for ty years in the wil der ness; your clothes and the san dals on your feet did not wear out; 6 you did not eat food or drink wine or beer — so that you might know that I am the L ord your God. 7 When you reached this place, King Si hon of Hesh bon and King Og of Ba shan came out against us in bat tle, but we de feat ed them. 8 We took their land and gave it as an in her i tance to the Reu ben ites, the Gad ites, and half the tribe of Ma nas seh. 9 There fore, ob serve the words of this cov enant and fol low them, so that you will suc ceed in ev ery thing you do. 10 “ All of you are stand ing to day be fore the L ord your God — your lead ers, tribes, el ders, off i cials, all the men of Is ra el, 11 your de pen- dents, your wives, and the res i dent aliens in your camps who cut your wood and draw your wa ter — 12 so that you may en ter into the cov enant of the L ord your God, which he is mak ing with you to day , so that you may en ter into his oath 13 and so that he may es tab lish you to day as his peo ple and he may be your God as he prom ised you and as he swore to a 28:53 Lit eat the fruit of your womb b 28:54 Lit you his eye will be evil c 28:54 Lit wife of his bosomDEUTERONOMY 28-29 176 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 176 10/26/17 8:59 PM your fa thers Abra ham, Isaac, and Ja cob. 14 I am mak ing this cov enant and this oath not only with you, 15 but also with those who are stand ing here with us to day in the pres ence of the L ord our God and with those who are not here to day . ABANDONING THE COVENANT 16 “In deed, you know how we lived in the land of Egypt and passed through the na tions where you trav eled. 17 You saw their ab hor rent im- ages and idols made of wood, stone, sil ver, and gold, which were among them. 18 Be sure there is no man, wom an, clan, or tribe among you to day whose heart turns away from the L ord our God to go and wor ship the gods of those na tions. Be sure there is no root among you bear ing poi son ous and bit ter fruit. 19 When some one hears the words of this oath, he may con sid er him self ex empt, a think ing, ‘ I will have peace even though I fol low my own stub born heart.’ This will lead to the de struc tion of the well-watered land as well as the dry land. 20 The L ord will not be will ing to for give him. In stead, his an ger and jeal ou sy will burn against that per son, and ev ery curse writ ten in this scroll will de scend on him. The L ord will blot out his name un der heav en, 21 and sin gle him out for harm from all the tribes of Is ra el, ac cord ing to all the curs es of the cov enant writ ten in this book of the law . 22 “Fu ture gen er a tions of your chil dren who fol low you and the for eign er who comes from a dis tant coun try will see the plagues of that land and the sick ness es the L ord has in flict ed on it. 23 All its soil will be a burn ing waste of sul fur and salt, unsown, pro duc ing noth ing, with no plant grow ing on it, just like the fall of Sod om and Go mor rah, Ad mah and Ze boi- im, which the L ord de mol ished in his fierce an ger. 24 All the na tions will ask, ‘ Why has the L ord done this to this land? Why this in tense outburst of an ger? ’ 25 Then peo ple will an swer, ‘ It is be cause they aban doned the cov enant of the L ord, the God of their fa thers, which he had made with them when he brought them out of the land of Egypt. 26 They be gan to serve oth er gods, bow ing in wor ship to gods they had not known — gods that the L ord had not per mit ted them to wor ship. 27 There fore the L ord’ s an ger burned against this land, and he brought ev ery curse writ ten in this book on it. 28 The L ord up root ed them from their land in his an ger, rage, and in tense wrath, and threw them into an oth er land where they are to day .’ 29 The hid den things be long to the L ord our God, but the re vealed things be long to us and our chil dren for ev er, so that we may fol low all the words of this law . RETURNING TO THE LORD 30 “ When all these things hap pen to you — the bless ings and curs es I have set be fore you — and you come to your sens es while you are in all the na tions where the L ord your God has driv en you, 2 and you and your chil dren re turn to the L ord your God and obey him with all your heart and all your soul by do ing b ev ery thing I am com mand ing you to day , 3 then he will re store your for tunes, c have com pas sion on you, and gath er you again from all the peo ples where the L ord your God has scat tered you. 4 Even if your ex iles are at the far thest ho ri zon, d he will gath er you and bring you back from there. 5 The L ord your God will bring you into the land your fa thers pos sessed, and you will take pos ses sion of it. He will cause you to pros per and mul ti ply you more than he did your fa thers. 6 The L ord your God will cir cum cise your heart and the hearts of your de scen dants, and you will love him with all your heart and all your soul so that you will live. 7 The L ord your God will put all these curs es on your en e mies who hate and per se cute you. 8 Then you will again obey him and fol low all his com mands I am com- mand ing you to day . 9 The L ord your God will make you pros per abun
📜 Choose Life's Path
🔄 Covenant renewal demands a clear choice between 🌱 life and ☠️ death, with God setting before Israel the consequences of obedience and rebellion
🗣️ The message of life is "very near you" - not distant or inaccessible but immediately available through loving God and following His commands
👑 Leadership transition from Moses to Joshua marks a pivotal moment, with repeated commands to "be strong and courageous" as Israel prepares to enter the Promised Land
⚠️ Moses's prophetic warning foresees Israel's future rebellion, establishing the law and his song as witnesses against their eventual unfaithfulness
🏔️ The Song of Moses contrasts God's faithfulness with Israel's ingratitude, portraying the Lord as both just judge and compassionate redeemer who will ultimately vindicate His people
🙌 Moses's final blessing over the tribes of Israel reveals God's distinct purposes for each group while emphasizing their collective identity as God's treasured possession
dant ly in all the work of your hands, your off spring, e the off spring of your live stock, and the pro duce of your land. In deed, the L ord will again de light in your pros per i ty , as he de light ed in that of your fa thers, 10 when you obey the L ord your God by keep ing his com mands and stat utes that are writ ten in this book of the law and re turn to him with all your heart and all your soul. CHOOSE LIFE 11 “ This com mand that I give you to day is cer - tain ly not too dif fi cult or be yond your reach. 12 It is not in heav en so that you have to ask, ‘ Who will go up to heav en, get it for us, and pro claim it to us so that we may fol low it? ’ 13 And it is not across the sea so that you have a 29:19 Lit may bless himself in his heart b 30:2 Lit soul according to c 30:3 Or will end your captivity d 30:4 Lit skies e 30:9 Lit hands in the fruit of your womb 177 DEUTERONOMY 29-30 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 177 10/26/17 8:59 PM to ask, ‘ Who will cross the sea, get it for us, and pro claim it to us so that we may fol low it? ’ 14 But the mes sage is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, so that you may fol low it. 15 See, to day I have set be fore you life and pros per i ty , death and ad ver si ty . 16 For a I am com mand ing you to day to love the L ord your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his com mands, stat utes, and or di- nances, so that you may live b and mul ti ply , and the L ord your God may bless you in the land you are en ter ing to pos sess. 17 But if your heart turns away and you do not lis ten and you are led astray to bow in wor ship to oth er gods and serve them, 18 I tell you to day that you will cer tain ly per ish and will not pro- long your days in the land you are en ter ing to pos sess across the Jor dan. 19 I call heav en and earth as wit ness es against you to day that I have set be fore you life and death, bless ing and curse. Choose life so that you and your de scen dants may live, 20 love the L ord your God, obey him, and re main faith ful c to him. For he is your life, and he will pro long your days as you live in the land the L ord swore to give to your fa thers Abra ham, Isaac, and Ja cob.” JOSHUA TAKES MOSES’S PLACE 31 Then Mo ses con tin ued to speak these d words to all Is ra el, 2 say ing, “ I am now 120 years old; I can no lon ger act as your lead- er. e The L ord has told me, ‘ You will not cross the Jor dan.’ 3 The L ord your God is the one who will cross ahead of you. He will de stroy these na tions be fore you, and you will drive them out. Josh ua is the one who will cross ahead of you, as the L ord has said. 4 The L ord will deal with them as he did Si hon and Og, the kings of the Am o rites, and their land when he de stroyed them. 5 The L ord will de liv er them over to you, and you must do to them ex act ly as I have com mand ed you. 6 Be strong and cou ra geous; don’t be ter ri fied or afraid of them. For the L ord your God is the one who will go with you; he will not leave you or aban don you.” 7 Mo ses then sum moned Josh ua and said to him in the sight of all Is ra el, “ Be strong and cou ra geous, for you will go with f this peo ple into the land the L ord swore to give to their fa thers. You will en able them to take pos ses- sion of it. 8 The L ord is the one who will go be fore you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or aban don you. Do not be afraid or dis cour aged.” 9 Mo ses wrote down this law and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who car ried the ark of the L ord’ s cov enant, and to all the el ders of Is ra el. 10 Mo ses com mand ed them, “ At the end of ev ery sev en years, at the ap point ed time in the year of debt cancellation, dur ing the Fes- ti val of Shel ters, 11 when all Is ra el assembles g in the pres ence of the L ord your God at the place he chooses, you are to read this law aloud be fore all Is ra el. 12 Gath er the peo ple — men, wom en, de pen dents, and the res i dent aliens with in your city gates — so that they may lis ten and learn to fear the L ord your God and be care ful to fol low all the words of this law . 13 Then their chil dren who do not know the law will lis ten and learn to fear the L ord your God as long as you live in the land you are cross ing the Jor dan to pos sess.” 14 The L ord said to Mo ses, “ The time of your death is now ap proach ing. Call Josh ua and pre sent your selves at the tent of meet ing so that I may com mis sion him.” When Mo ses and Josh ua went and pre sent ed them selves at the tent of meet ing, 15 the L ord ap peared at the tent in a pil lar of cloud, and the cloud stood at the en trance to the tent. 16 The L ord said to Mo ses, “ You are about to rest with your fa thers, and these peo ple will soon pros ti tute them selves with the for eign gods of the land they are en ter ing. They will aban don me and break the cov enant I have made with them. 17 My an ger will burn against them on that day; I will aban don them and hide my face from them so that they will be- come easy prey . h Many trou bles and afflictions will come to them. On that day they will say , ‘ Haven’t these trou bles come to us be cause our God is no lon ger with us? ’ 18 I will cer - tain ly hide my face on that day be cause of all the evil they have done by turn ing to oth er gods. 19 There fore write down this song for your selves and teach it to the Is ra el ites; have them sing it, i so that this song may be a wit ness for me against the Is ra el ites. 20 When I bring them into the land I swore to give their fa- thers, a land flow ing with milk and hon ey , they a 30:16 LXX reads If you obey the commands of the Lord your God that b 30:16 LXX reads ordinances, then you will live c 30:20 Lit and hold on d 31:1 Some Hb mss, DSS, LXX, Syr , Vg read all these e 31:2 Lit no longer go out or come in f 31:7 Some Hb mss, Sam, Syr , Vg read you will bring g 31:11 Lit comes to appear h 31:17 Lit will be for devouring i 31:19 Lit Israelites; put it in their mouthsDEUTERONOMY 30-31 178 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 178 10/26/17 8:59 PM will eat their fill and pros per. a They will turn to oth er gods and wor ship them, despising me and break ing my cov enant. 21 And when many trou bles and afflictions come to them, this song will tes ti fy against them, be cause b their de scen dants will not have for got ten it. For I know what they are prone to do, c even be fore I bring them into the land I swore to give them.” 22 So Mo ses wrote down this song on that day and taught it to the Is ra el ites. 23 The L ord com mis sioned Josh ua son of Nun, “ Be strong and cou ra geous, for you will bring the Is ra el ites into the land I swore to them, and I will be with you.” MOSES WARNS THE PEOPLE 24 When Mo ses had fin ished writ ing down on a scroll ev ery sin gle word d of this law , 25 he com mand ed the Le vites who car ried the ark of the L ord’ s cov enant, 26 “ Take this book of the law and place it be side the ark of the cov enant of the L ord your God so that it may re main there as a wit ness against you. 27 For I know how re bel lious and stiff-necked you are. If you are re bel ling against the L ord now , while I am still alive, how much more will you rebel af ter I am dead! 28 As sem ble all your trib al el ders and off i cers be fore me so that I may speak these words di rect ly to them and call heav en and earth as wit ness es against them. 29 For I know that af ter my death you will be come com plete ly cor rupt and turn from the path I have com mand ed you. Di sas ter will come to you in the fu ture, be cause you will do what is evil in the L ord’ s sight, angering him with what your hands have made.” 30 Then Mo ses re cit ed aloud ev ery sin gle word e of this song to the en tire as sem bly of Is ra el: SONG OF MOSES 32 Pay attention, heavens, and I will speak; listen, earth, to the words from my mouth. 2 Let my teaching fall like rain and my word settle like dew , like gentle rain on new grass and showers on tender plants. 3 For I will proclaim the Lord’s name. Declare the greatness of our God! 4 The Rock — his work is perfect; all his ways are just. A faithful God, without bias, he is righteous and true. 5 His people have acted corruptly toward him; this is their defect f — they are not his children but a devious and crooked generation. 6 Is this how you repay the Lord, you foolish and senseless people? Isn’t he your Father and Creator? g Didn’t he make you and sustain you? 7 Remember the days of old; consider the years of past generations. Ask your father, and he will tell you, your elders, and they will teach you. 8 When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance h and divided the human race, he set the boundaries of the peoples according to the number of the people of Israel. i 9 But the Lord’s portion is his people, Jacob, his own inheritance. 10 He found him in a desolate land, in a barren, howling wilderness; he surrounded him, cared for him, and protected him as the pupil of his eye. 11 He watches over j his nest like an eagle and hovers over his young; he spreads his wings, catches him, and carries him on his feathers. 12 The Lord alone led him, with no help from a foreign god. k 13 He made him ride on the heights of the land and eat the produce of the field. He nourished him with honey from the rock and oil from flinty rock, 14 curds from the herd and milk from the flock, with the fat of lambs, rams from Bashan, and goats, with the choicest grains of wheat; you drank wine from the finest grapes. l a 31:20 Lit be fat b 31:21 Lit because the mouths of c 31:21 Or know the plans they are devising d 31:24 Lit scroll the words to their completion e 31:30 Lit recited the words to their completion f 32:5 Or him; through their fault ; Hb obscure g 32:6 Or Possessor h 32:8 Or Most High divided the nations i 32:8 One DSS reads number of the sons of God ; LXX reads number of the angels of God j 32:11 Or He stirs up k 32:12 Lit him, and no foreign god with him l 32:14 Lit drank the blood of grapes, fermenting wine 179 DEUTERONOMY 31-32 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 179 10/26/17 8:59 PM 15 Then a Jeshurun b became fat and rebelled — you became fat, bloated, and gorged. He abandoned the God who made him and scorned the Rock of his salvation. 16 They provoked his jealousy with different gods; they enraged him with detestable practices. 17 They sacrificed to demons, not God, to gods they had not known, new gods that had just arrived, which your fathers did not fear. 18 You ignored the Rock who gave you birth; you forgot the God who gave birth to you. 19 When the Lord saw this, he despised them, angered by his sons and daughters. 20 He said: “I will hide my face from them; I will see what will become of them, for they are a perverse generation — unfaithful children. 21 They have provoked my jealousy with what is not a god; c they have enraged me with their worthless idols. So I will provoke their jealousy with what is not a people; d I will enrage them with a foolish nation. 22 For fire has been kindled because of my anger and burns to the depths of Sheol; it devours the land and its produce, and scorches the foundations of the mountains. 23 “I will pile disasters on them; I will use up my arrows against them. 24 They will be weak from hunger, ravaged by pestilence and bitter plague; I will unleash on them wild beasts with fangs, as well as venomous snakes that slither in the dust. 25 Outside, the sword will take their children, and inside, there will be terror; the young man and the young woman will be killed, the infant and the gray-haired man. 26 “I would have said: I will cut them to pieces e and blot out the memory of them from mankind, 27 if I had not feared provocation from the enemy , or feared that these foes might misunderstand and say: ‘Our own hand has prevailed; it wasn’t the Lord who did all this.’ ” 28 Israel is a nation lacking sense with no understanding at all. f 29 If only they were wise, they would comprehend this; they would understand their fate. 30 How could one pursue a thousand, or two put ten thousand to flight, unless their Rock had sold them, unless the Lord had given them up? 31 But their “rock” is not like our Rock, as even our enemies concede. 32 For their vine is from the vine of Sodom and from the fields of Gomorrah. Their grapes are poisonous; their clusters are bitter. 33 Their wine is serpents’ venom, the deadly poison of cobras. 34 “Is it not stored up with me, sealed up in my vaults? 35 Vengeance g belongs to me; I will repay . h In time their foot will slip, for their day of disaster is near, and their doom is coming quickly .” 36 The Lord will indeed vindicate his people and have compassion on his servants when he sees that their strength is gone and no one is left — slave or free. i 37 He will say: “Where are their gods, the ‘rock’ they found refuge in? 38 Who ate the fat of their sacrifices and drank the wine of their drink offerings? a 32:15 DSS, Sam, LXX add Jacob ate his fill; b 32:15 = Upright One, referring to Israel c 32:21 Lit with no gods d 32:21 Lit with no people e 32:26 LXX reads will scatter them f 32:28 Lit understanding in them g 32:35 Sam, LXX read On a day of vengeance h 32:35 LXX, Tg, Vg read me; and recompense I will recompense i 32:36 Or left—even the weak and impaired ; Hb obscureDEUTERONOMY 32 180 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 180 10/26/17 8:59 PM Let them rise up and help you; let it a be a shelter for you. 39 See now that I alone am he; there is no God but me. I bring death and I give life; I wound and I heal. No one can rescue anyone from my power. 40 I raise my hand to heaven and declare: As surely as I live forever, 41 when I sharpen my flashing sword, and my hand takes hold of judgment, I will take vengeance on my adversaries and repay those who hate me. 42 I will make my arrows drunk with blood while my sword devours flesh — the blood of the slain and the captives, the heads of the enemy leaders.” b 43 Rejoice, you nations, concerning his people, c for he will avenge the blood of his servants. d He will take vengeance on his adversaries; e he will purify his land and his people. f 44 Mo ses came with Josh ua g son of Nun and re cit ed all the words of this song in the pres- ence of the peo ple. 45 Af ter Mo ses fin ished re cit ing all these words to all Is ra el, 46 he said to them, “ Take to heart all these words I am giv ing as a warn ing to you to day , so that you may com mand your chil dren to fol low all the words of this law care ful ly . 47 For they are not mean ing less words to you but they are your life, and by them you will live long in the land you are cross ing the Jor dan to pos sess.” MOSES’S IMPENDING DEATH 48 On that same day the L ord spoke to Mo ses, 49 “ Go up Mount Nebo in the Ab a rim range in the land of Moab, across from Jer i cho, and view the land of Ca naan I am giv ing the Is ra- el ites as a pos ses sion. 50 Then you will die on the moun tain that you go up, and you will be gath ered to your peo ple, just as your broth er Aar on died on Mount Hor and was gath ered to his peo ple. 51 For both of you broke faith with me among the Is ra el ites at the Wa ters of Meribath-kadesh in the Wil der ness of Zin by fail ing to treat me as holy in their pres ence. 52 Al though from a dis tance you will view the land that I am giv ing the Is ra el ites, you will not go there.” MOSES’S BLESSINGS 33 This is the bless ing that Mo ses, the man of God, gave the Is ra el ites be fore his death. 2 He said: The Lord came from Sinai and appeared to them from Seir; he shone on them from Mount Paran and came with ten thousand holy ones, h with lightning i from his right hand j for them. 3 Indeed he loves the people. k All your l holy ones are in your hand, and they assemble m at your feet. Each receives your words. 4 Moses gave us instruction, a possession for the assembly of Jacob. 5 So he became King in Jeshurun n when the leaders of the people gathered with the tribes of Israel. 6 Let Reuben live and not die though his people become few . 7 He said this about Ju dah: L ord, hear Judah’s cry and bring him to his people. He fights for his cause o with his own hands, but may you be a help against his foes. 8 He said about Levi: Your Thummim and Urim belong to your faithful one; p you tested him at Massah and contended with him at the Waters of Meribah. 9 He said about his father and mother, “I do not regard them.” a 32:38 Sam, LXX, Tg, Vg read them b 32:42 Or the long-haired heads of the enemy c 32:43 LXX reads Rejoice, you heavens, along with him, and let all the sons of God worship him; rejoice, you nations, with his people, and let all the angels of God strengthen themselves in him ; DSS read Rejoice, you heavens, along with him, and let all the angels worship him ; Heb 1:6 d 32:43 DSS, LXX read sons e 32:43 DSS, LXX add and he will recompense those who hate him ; v. 41 f 32:43 Syr , Tg; DSS, Sam, LXX, Vg read his people’s land g 32:44 LXX, Syr , Vg; MT reads Hoshea ; Nm 13:8,16 h 33:2 LXX reads Mount Paran with ten thousands from Kadesh i 33:2 Or fiery law ; Hb obscure j 33:2 Or ones, from his southland to the mountain slopes k 33:3 Or peoples l 33:3 Lit his, or its m 33:3 Hb obscure n 33:5 = Upright One, referring to Israel, also in v. 26 o 33:7 Or he contends for them p 33:8 DSS, LXX read Give to Levi your Thummim, your Urim to your favored one 181 DEUTERONOMY 32-33 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 181 10/26/17 8:59 PM He disregarded his brothers and didn’t acknowledge his sons, for they kept your word and maintained your covenant. 10 They will teach your ordinances to Jacob and your instruction to Israel; they will set incense before you and whole burnt offerings on your altar. 11 Lord, bless his possessions, a and accept the work of his hands. Break the back b of his adversaries and enemies, so that they cannot rise again. 12 He said about Ben ja min: The Lord’s beloved rests c securely on him. He d shields him all day long, and he rests on his shoulders. e 13 He said about Jo seph: May his land be blessed by the Lord with the dew of heaven’s bounty and the watery depths that lie beneath; 14 with the bountiful harvest from the sun and the abundant yield of the seasons; 15 with the best products of the ancient mountains and the bounty of the eternal hills; 16 with the choice gifts of the land and everything in it; and with the favor of him who appeared f in the burning bush. May these rest on the head of Joseph, on the brow of the prince of his brothers. 17 His firstborn bull has g splendor, and horns like h those of a wild ox; he gores all the peoples with
🏔️ Tribal Blessings and Sacred Transitions
🙏 Tribal blessings bestowed upon Israel's tribes highlight unique characteristics and divine promises—Zebulun rejoices in journeys, Asher dips his foot in olive oil, and Dan leaps like a young lion
⚔️ The death of Moses marks a profound leadership transition, with the 120-year-old servant of God viewing the Promised Land from Mount Nebo before being buried in an unknown location in Moab
🌊 Joshua's commissioning establishes a new era as God commands him to be "strong and courageous," promising divine presence and success if he carefully observes the instructions of Moses
🧵 Rahab's covenant with Israelite spies demonstrates how faith transcends boundaries—her protection of the spies and request for mercy results in salvation for her household amid coming judgment
🌊 The Jordan crossing miracle echoes the Red Sea parting, with priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant standing on dry ground as the waters pile up, allowing Israel to cross into the Promised Land
🪨 Memorial stones taken from the riverbed create a lasting testimony for future generations, ensuring the miraculous crossing would be remembered and God's power acknowledged through the ages
them to the ends of the earth. Such are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and such are the thousands of Manasseh. 18 He said about Zeb u lun: Rejoice, Zebulun, in your journeys, and Issachar, in your tents. 19 They summon the peoples to a mountain; there they offer acceptable sacrifices. For they draw from the wealth of the seas and the hidden treasures of the sand. 20 He said about Gad: The one who enlarges Gad’s territory will be blessed. He lies down like a lion and tears off an arm or even a head. 21 He chose the best part for himself, because a ruler’s portion was assigned there for him. He came with the leaders of the people; he carried out the Lord’s justice and his ordinances for Israel. 22 He said about Dan: Dan is a young lion, leaping out of Bashan. 23 He said about Naph ta li: Naphtali, enjoying approval, full of the Lord’s blessing, take i possession to the west and the south. 24 He said about Ash er: May Asher j be the most blessed of the sons; may he be the most favored among his brothers and dip his foot in olive oil. 25 May the bolts of your gate be iron and bronze, and your strength last as long as you live. 26 There is none like the God of Jeshurun, who rides the heavens to your aid, the clouds in his majesty . 27 The God of old is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He drives out the enemy before you and commands, “Destroy! ” 28 So Israel dwells securely; Jacob lives untroubled k in a land of grain and new wine; even his skies drip with dew . 29 How happy you are, Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord? He is the shield that protects you, the sword you boast in. Your enemies will cringe before you, and you will tread on their backs. l a 33:11 Or abilities b 33:11 Or waist c 33:12 Or Let the Lord’s beloved rest d 33:12 LXX reads The Most High e 33:12 Or and he dwells among his mountain slopes f 33:16 Lit dwelt g 33:17 Some DSS, Sam, LXX, Syr , Vg read A firstborn bull — he has h 33:17 Lit and his horns are i 33:23 Sam, LXX, Syr , Vg, Tg read he will take j 33:24 = Happy or Blessed; Gn 30:13 k 33:28 Text emended; MT reads Jacob’s fountain is alone l 33:29 Or high placesDEUTERONOMY 33 182 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 182 10/26/17 8:59 PM MOSES’S DEATH 34 Then Mo ses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pis- gah, which fac es Jer i cho, and the L ord showed him all the land: Gil e ad as far as Dan, 2 all of Naph ta li, the land of Ephra im and Ma nas seh, all the land of Ju dah as far as the Med i ter ra nean a Sea, 3 the Ne gev , and the plain in the Val ley of Jer i cho, the City of Palms, as far as Zoar. 4 The L ord then said to him, “ This is the land I prom- ised Abra ham, Isaac, and Ja cob, ‘ I will give it to your de scen dants.’ I have let you see it with your own eyes, but you will not cross into it.” 5 So Mo ses the ser vant of the L ord died there in the land of Moab, ac cord ing to the L ord’ s word. 6 He bur ied him b in the val ley in the land of Moab fac ing Beth-peor, and no one to this day knows where his grave is. 7 Mo ses was one hun dred twen ty years old when he died; his eyes were not weak, and his vitality had not left him. 8 The Is ra el ites wept for Mo ses in the plains of Moab thir ty days. Then the days of weep ing and mourn ing for Mo ses came to an end. 9 Josh ua son of Nun was filled with the spir it of wis dom be cause Mo ses had laid his hands on him. So the Is ra el ites obeyed him and did as the L ord had com mand ed Mo ses. 10 No proph et has aris en again in Is ra el like Mo ses, whom the L ord knew face to face. 11 He was unparalleled for all the signs and won ders the L ord sent him to do against the land of Egypt — to Pha raoh, to all his off i cials, and to all his land, 12 and for all the mighty acts of pow er c and ter ri fy ing deeds that Mo ses per formed in the sight of all Is ra el. a 34:2 Lit Western b 34:6 Or he was buried c 34:12 Lit the strong hand 183 DEUTERONOMY 34 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 183 10/26/17 8:59 PM Joshua ENCOURAGEMENT OF JOSHUA 1 Af ter the death of Mo ses the L ord’ s ser - vant, the L ord spoke to Josh ua son of Nun, Moses’s as sis tant: 2 “Mo ses my ser vant is dead. Now you and all the peo ple pre pare to cross over the Jor dan to the land I am giv ing the Is ra el ites. 3 I have giv en you ev ery place where the sole of your foot treads, just as I prom ised Mo ses. 4 Your ter ri to ry will be from the wil der ness and Leb a non to the great riv- er, the Eu phra tes Riv er — all the land of the Hit tites — and west to the Med i ter ra nean Sea. a 5 No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. I will be with you, just as I was with Mo ses. I will not leave you or aban don you. 6 “ Be strong and cou ra geous, for you will dis trib ute the land I swore to their fa thers to give them as an in her i tance. 7 Above all, be strong and very cou ra geous to ob serve care- ful ly the whole in struc tion my ser vant Mo ses com mand ed you. Do not turn from it to the right or the left, so that you will have suc cess wher ev er you go. 8 This book of in struc tion must not de part from your mouth; you are to med i tate on b it day and night so that you may care ful ly ob serve ev ery thing writ ten in it. For then you will pros per and suc ceed in what ev er you do. 9 Haven’t I com mand ed you: be strong and cou ra geous? Do not be afraid or dis cour aged, for the L ord your God is with you wher ev er you go.” JOSHUA PREPARES THE PEOPLE 10 Then Josh ua com mand ed the off i cers of the peo ple: 11 “ Go through the camp and tell the peo ple, ‘ Get pro vi sions ready for your selves, for with in three days you will be cross ing the Jor dan to go in and take pos ses sion of the land the L ord your God is giv ing you to in her it.’ ” 12 Josh ua said to the Reu ben ites, the Gad ites, and half the tribe of Ma nas seh: 13 “Re mem ber what Mo ses the L ord’ s ser vant com mand ed you when he said, ‘ The L ord your God will give you rest, and he will give you this land.’ 14 Your wives, de pen dents, and live stock may re main in the land Mo ses gave you on this side of the Jor dan. But your best sol diers must cross over in bat tle for ma tion c ahead of your broth ers and help them 15 un til the L ord gives your broth ers rest, as he has giv en you, and they too pos sess the land the L ord your God is giv ing them. You may then re turn to the land of your in her i tance and take pos ses sion of what Mo ses the L ord’ s ser vant gave you on the east side of the Jor dan.” 16 They an swered Josh ua, “Ev ery thing you have com mand ed us we will do, and ev ery- where you send us we will go. 17 We will obey you, just as we obeyed Mo ses in ev ery thing. Cer tain ly the L ord your God will be with you, as he was with Mo ses. 18 Any one who rebels against your or der and does not obey your words in all that you com mand him, will be put to death. Above all, be strong and cou- ra geous! ” SPIES SENT TO JERICHO 2 Josh ua son of Nun se cret ly sent two men as spies from the Aca cia Grove, d say ing, “ Go and scout the land, es pe cial ly Jer i cho.” So they left, and they came to the house of a pros ti tute named Ra hab, and stayed there. 2 The king of Jer i cho was told, “ Look, some of the Is ra el ite men have come here to night to in ves ti gate the land.” 3 Then the king of Jer i cho sent word to Ra hab and said, “ Bring out the men who came to you and en tered your house, for they came to in ves ti gate the en tire land.” 4 But the wom an had tak en the two men and hid den them. So she said, “ Yes, the men did come to me, but I didn’t know where they were from. 5 At night fall, when the city gate was about to close, the men went out, and I don’t know where they were go ing. Chase af ter them quick ly , and you can catch up with them! ” 6 But she had tak en them up to the roof and hid den them among the stalks of flax that she had ar ranged on the roof. 7 The men pur sued them along the road to the fords of the Jor dan, and as soon as they left to pur sue them, the city gate was shut. THE PROMISE TO RAHAB 8 Be fore the men fell asleep, she went up on the roof 9 and said to them, “ I know that the a 1:4 Lit and to the Great Sea, the going down of the sun b 1:8 Or to recite c 1:14 Or over armed d 2:1 Or from Shittim CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 184 10/26/17 8:59 PM L ord has giv en you this land and that the ter ror of you has fall en on us, and ev ery one who lives in the land is panicking be cause of you. a 10 For we have heard how the L ord dried up the wa ter of the Red Sea be fore you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Si hon and Og, the two Am o rite kings you com plete ly de stroyed across the Jor dan. 11 When we heard this, we lost heart, and ev- ery one’s cour age failed b be cause of you, for the L ord your God is God in heav en above and on earth be low . 12 Now please swear to me by the L ord that you will also show kind- ness to my fa ther’s fam i ly , c be cause I showed kind ness to you. Give me a sure sign d 13 that you will spare the lives of my fa ther, moth er, broth ers, sis ters, and all who be long to them, and save us from death.” 14 The men an swered her, “ We will give our lives for yours. If you don’t re port our mis sion, we will show kind ness and faith ful ness to you when the L ord gives us the land.” 15 Then she let them down by a rope through the win dow , since she lived in a house that was built into the wall of the city . 16 “ Go to the hill coun try so that the men pur su ing you won’t find you,” she said to them. “ Hide there for three days un til they re turn; af ter ward, go on your way .” 17 The men said to her, “ We will be free from this oath you made us swear, 18 un less, when we en ter the land, you tie this scar let cord to the win dow through which you let us down. Bring your fa ther, moth er, broth ers, and all your fa ther’s fam i ly into your house. 19 If any- one goes out the doors of your house, his death will be his own fault, e and we will be in no cent. But if any one with you in the house should be harmed, f his death will be our fault. g 20 And if you re port our mis sion, we are free from the oath you made us swear.” 21 “ Let it be as you say ,” she re plied, and she sent them away . Af ter they had gone, she tied the scar let cord to the win dow . 22 So the two men went into the hill coun try and stayed there three days un til the pur su- ers had re turned. They searched all along the way , but did not find them. 23 Then the men re turned, came down from the hill coun try , and crossed the Jor dan. They went to Josh- ua son of Nun and re port ed ev ery thing that had hap pened to them. 24 They told Josh ua, “ The L ord has hand ed over the en tire land to us. Ev ery one who lives in the land is also panicking be cause of us.” h CROSSING THE JORDAN 3 Josh ua start ed ear ly the next morn ing and left the Aca cia Grove i with all the Is ra el- ites. They went as far as the Jor dan and stayed there be fore cross ing. 2 Af ter three days the off i cers went through the camp 3 and com- mand ed the peo ple: “ When you see the ark of the cov enant of the L ord your God car ried by the Le vit i cal priests, you are to break camp and fol low it. 4 But keep a dis tance of about a thou sand yards j be tween your selves and the ark. Don’t go near it, so that you can see the way to go, for you haven’t trav eled this way be fore.” k 5 Josh ua told the peo ple, “Con se crate your - selves, be cause the L ord will do won ders among you to mor row .” 6 Then he said to the priests, “Car ry the ark of the cov enant and go on ahead of the peo ple.” So they car ried the ark of the cov enant and went ahead of them. 7 The L ord spoke to Josh ua: “To day I will be gin to ex alt you in the sight of all Is ra el, so they will know that I will be with you just as I was with Mo ses. 8 Com mand the priests car ry ing the ark of the cov enant: When you reach the edge of the wa ter, l stand in the Jor dan.” 9 Then Josh ua told the Is ra el ites, “ Come clos- er and lis ten to the words of the L ord your God.” 10 He said: “ You will know that the liv ing God is among you and that he will cer tain ly dis pos sess be fore you the Ca naan ites, Heth ites, Hi vites, Per iz zites, Gir ga shites, Am o rites, and Jeb u sites 11 when the ark of the cov enant of the Lord of the whole earth goes ahead of you into the Jor dan. 12 Now choose twelve men from the tribes of Is ra el, one man for each tribe. 13 When the feet m of the priests who car ry the ark of the L ord, the Lord of the whole earth, come to rest in the Jor dan’s wa ter, its wa ter will be cut off. The wa ter flow ing down stream will stand up in a mass.” 14 When the peo ple broke camp to cross the Jor dan, the priests car ried the ark of the cov - enant ahead of the peo ple. 15 Now the Jor dan over flows its banks through out the har vest a 2:9 Or land panics at your approach b 2:11 Lit and spirit no longer remained in anyone c 2:12 Lit my father’s house d 2:12 Or a sign of truth e 2:19 Lit his blood on his head f 2:19 Lit if a hand should be on him g 2:19 Lit his blood on our heads h 2:24 Or land also panics at our approach i 3:1 Or left Shittim j 3:4 Lit 2,000 cubits k 3:4 Lit yesterday and the day before l 3:8 Lit waters of the Jordan m 3:13 Lit soles of the feet 185 JOSHUA 2-3 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 185 10/26/17 8:59 PM sea son. But as soon as the priests car ry ing the ark reached the Jor dan, their feet touched the wa ter at its edge 16 and the wa ter flow ing down stream stood still, ris ing up in a mass that ex tend ed as far as a Adam, a city next to Zar e than. The wa ter flow ing down stream into the Sea of the Ar a bah — the Dead Sea — was com plete ly cut off, and the peo ple crossed op po site Jer i cho. 17 The priests car ry ing the ark of the L ord’ s cov enant stood firm ly on dry ground in the mid dle of the Jor dan, while all Is ra el crossed on dry ground un til the en- tire na tion had fin ished cross ing the Jor dan. THE MEMORIAL STONES 4 Af ter the en tire na tion had fin ished cross- ing the Jor dan, the L ord spoke to Josh ua: 2 “ Choose twelve men from the peo ple, one man for each tribe, 3 and com mand them: Take twelve stones from this place in the mid dle of the Jor dan where the priests b are stand ing, car ry them with you, and set them down at the place where you spend the night.” 4 So Josh ua sum moned the twelve men he had se lect ed from the Is ra el ites, one man for each tribe, 5 and said to them, “ Go across to the ark of the L ord your God in the mid dle of the Jor dan. Each of you lift a stone onto his shoul der, one for each c of the Is ra el ite tribes, 6 so that this will be a sign among you. In the fu ture, when your chil dren ask you, ‘ What do these stones mean to you? ’ 7 you should tell them, ‘ The wa ter of the Jor dan was cut off in front of the ark of the L ord’ s cov enant. When it crossed the Jor dan, the Jor dan’s wa ter was cut off.’ There fore these stones will al ways be a me mo ri al for the Is ra el ites.” 8 The Is ra el ites did just as Josh ua had com- mand ed them. The twelve men took stones from the mid dle of the Jor dan, one for each d of the Is ra el ite tribes, just as the L ord had told Josh ua. They car ried them to the camp and set them down there. 9 Josh ua also set up twelve stones in the mid dle e of the Jor dan where the priests who car ried the ark of the cov enant were stand ing. The stones are still there to day . 10 The priests car ry ing the ark con tin ued stand ing in the mid dle of the Jor dan un til ev ery thing was com plet ed that the L ord had com mand ed Josh ua to tell the peo ple, in keep ing with all that Mo ses had com mand ed Josh ua. The peo ple hur ried across, 11 and af ter ev ery one had fin ished cross ing, the priests with the ark of the L ord crossed in the sight of the peo ple. 12 The Reu ben ites, Gad ites, and half the tribe of Ma nas seh went in bat tle for ma tion in front of the Is ra el ites, as Mo ses had in struct- ed them. 13 About for ty thou sand equipped for war crossed to the plains of Jer i cho in the L ord’ s pres ence. 14 On that day the L ord ex alt ed Josh ua in the sight of all Is ra el, and they re vered him through out his life, as they had re vered Mo- ses. 15 The L ord told Josh ua, 16 “Com mand the priests who car ry the ark of the tes ti mo ny to come up from the Jor dan.” 17 So Josh ua com mand ed the priests, “ Come up from the Jor dan.” 18 When the priests car - ry ing the ark of the L ord’ s cov enant came up from the mid dle of the Jor dan, and their feet f stepped out on sol id ground, the wa ter of the Jor dan resumed its course, flow ing over all the banks as be fore. 19 The peo ple came up from the Jor dan on the tenth day of the first month, and camped at Gil gal on the east ern lim its of Jer i cho. 20 Then Josh ua set up in Gil gal the twelve stones they had tak en from the Jor dan, 21 and he said to the Is ra el ites, “ In the fu ture, when your chil- dren ask their fa thers, ‘ What is the mean ing of these stones? ’ 22 you should tell your chil- dren, ‘Is ra el crossed the Jor dan on dry ground.’ 23 For the L ord your God dried up the wa ter of the Jor dan be fore you un til you had crossed over, just as the L ord your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up be fore
🏹 Conquest of the Promised Land
🌊 Jordan River crossing marks a pivotal moment where God demonstrates His power by drying up the waters, allowing Israelites to cross on dry ground while striking fear into enemy nations
✂️ Circumcision at Gilgal renews Israel's covenant with God, symbolically removing "the disgrace of Egypt" and preparing the new generation for conquest after forty years of wilderness wandering
🎺 Jericho's defeat showcases divine warfare strategy—seven days of marching, trumpet blasts, and shouting bring down impenetrable walls without conventional battle tactics
🔥 Sin's consequences appear when Achan's theft of devoted items leads to military defeat at Ai, demonstrating how individual disobedience affects the entire community
🗡️ Military strategy combines divine guidance with human action as Joshua employs ambush tactics to defeat Ai after Achan's sin is purged from the community
us un til we had crossed over. 24 This is so that all the peo ples of the earth may know that the L ord’ s hand is mighty , and so that you may al ways fear the L ord your God.” CIRCUMCISION OF THE ISRAELITES 5 When all the Am o rite kings across the Jor dan to the west and all the Ca naan ite kings near the sea heard how the L ord had dried up the wa ter of the Jor dan be fore the Is ra el ites un til they had crossed over, they lost heart and their cour age failed g be cause of the Is ra el ites. 2 At that time the L ord said to Josh ua, “ Make flint knives and cir cum cise the Is - ra el ite men again.” 3 So Josh ua made flint knives and cir cum cised the Is ra el ite men at a 3:16 Alt Hb tradition reads mass at b 4:3 Lit feet of the priests, also in v. 9 c 4:5 Lit shoulder according to the number d 4:8 Lit Jordan according to the number e 4:9 Or Now Joshua set up the twelve stones that had been in the middle f 4:18 Lit and the soles of the feet of the priests g 5:1 Lit and they did not have spirit in them any moreJOSHUA 3-5 186 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 186 10/26/17 8:59 PM Gibeath-haaraloth. a 4 This is the rea son Josh ua cir cum cised them: All the peo ple who came out of Egypt who were males — all the men of war — had died in the wil der ness along the way af ter they had come out of Egypt. 5 Though all the peo ple who came out were cir cum cised, none of the peo ple born in the wil der ness along the way were cir cum cised af ter they had come out of Egypt. 6 For the Is ra el ites wan dered in the wil der ness for ty years un til all the na tion’s men of war who came out of Egypt had died off be cause they did not obey the L ord. So the L ord vowed nev er to let them see the land he had sworn to their fa thers to give us, a land flow ing with milk and hon ey . 7 He raised up their sons in their place; it was these Josh ua cir cum cised. They were still un cir cum cised, since they had not been cir cum cised along the way . 8 Af ter the en tire na tion had been cir cum cised, they stayed where they were in the camp un til they re cov ered. 9 The L ord then said to Josh ua, “To- day I have rolled away the dis grace of Egypt from you.” There fore, that place is still called Gil gal to day . FOOD FROM THE LAND 10 While the Is ra el ites camped at Gil gal on the plains of Jer i cho, they ob served the Pass over on the eve ning of the four teenth day of the month. 11 The day af ter Pass over they ate un- leav ened bread and roast ed grain from the pro duce of the land. 12 And the day af ter they ate from the pro duce of the land, the man na ceased. Since there was no more man na for the Is ra el ites, they ate from the crops of the land of Ca naan that year. COMMANDER OF THE LORD’S ARMY 13 When Josh ua was near Jer i cho, he looked up and saw a man stand ing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Josh ua ap- proached him and asked, “ Are you for us or for our en e mies? ” 14 “Nei ther,” he re plied. “ I have now come as com mand er of the L ord’ s army .” Then Josh ua bowed with his face to the ground in wor ship and asked him, “ What does my lord want to say to his ser vant? ” 15 The com mand er of the L ord’ s army said to Josh ua, “Re move the san dals from your feet, for the place where you are stand ing is holy .” And Josh ua did that.THE CONQUEST OF JERICHO 6 Now Jer i cho was strong ly for ti fied be- cause of the Is ra el ites — no one leav ing or en ter ing. 2 The L ord said to Josh ua, “ Look, I have hand ed Jer i cho, its king, and its best sol diers over to you. 3 March around the city with all the men of war, cir cling the city one time. Do this for six days. 4 Have sev en priests car ry sev en ram’s-horn trum pets in front of the ark. But on the sev enth day , march around the city sev en times, while the priests blow the trum pets. 5 When there is a pro longed blast of the horn and you hear its sound, have all the troops give a mighty shout. Then the city wall will col lapse, and the troops will ad vance, each man straight ahead.” 6 So Josh ua son of Nun sum moned the priests and said to them, “ Take up the ark of the cov- enant and have sev en priests car ry sev en trum- pets in front of the ark of the L ord.” 7 He said to the troops, “ Move for ward, march around the city , and have the armed men go ahead of the ark of the L ord.” 8 Af ter Josh ua had spo ken to the troops, sev en priests car ry ing sev en trum pets be fore the L ord moved for ward and blew the trum - pets; the ark of the L ord’ s cov enant fol lowed them. 9 While the trum pets were blow ing, the armed men went in front of the priests who blew the trum pets, and the rear guard went be hind the ark. 10 But Josh ua had com- mand ed the troops: “ Do not shout or let your voice be heard. Don’t let one word come out of your mouth un til the time I say , ‘ Shout! ’ Then you are to shout.” 11 So the ark of the L ord was car ried around the city , cir cling it once. They re turned to the camp and spent the night there. b 12 Josh ua got up ear ly the next morn ing. The priests took the ark of the L ord, 13 and the sev en priests car ry ing sev en trum pets marched in front of the ark of the L ord. While the trum- pets were blow ing, the armed men went in front of them, and the rear guard went be hind the ark of the L ord. 14 On the sec ond day they marched around the city once and re turned to the camp. They did this for six days. 15 Ear ly on the sev enth day , they start ed at dawn and marched around the city sev en times in the same way . That was the only day they marched around the city sev en times. 16 Af ter the sev enth time, the priests blew the trum pets, and Josh ua said to the troops, a 5:3 Or The Hill of Foreskins b 6:11 Lit at the camp 187 JOSHUA 5-6 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 187 10/26/17 8:59 PM “ Shout! For the L ord has giv en you the city . 17 But the city and ev ery thing in it are set apart to the L ord for de struc tion. Only Ra hab the pros ti tute and ev ery one with her in the house will live, be cause she hid the mes sen gers we sent. 18 But keep your selves from the things set apart, or you will be set apart for de struc tion. If you a take any of those things, you will set apart the camp of Is ra el for de struc tion and make trou ble for it. 19 For all the sil ver and gold, and the ar ti cles of bronze and iron, are ded i cat ed to the L ord and must go into the L ord’ s trea sury .” 20 So the troops shout ed, and the trum pets sound ed. When they heard the blast of the trum pet, the troops gave a great shout, and the wall col lapsed. The troops ad vanced into the city , each man straight ahead, and they cap tured the city . 21 They com plete ly de stroyed ev ery thing in the city with the sword — ev ery man and wom an, both young and old, and ev ery ox, sheep, and don key . RAHAB AND HER FAMILY SPARED 22 Josh ua said to the two men who had scouted the land, “ Go to the pros ti tute’s house and bring the wom an out of there, and all who are with her, just as you swore to her.” 23 So the young men who had scouted went in and brought out Ra hab and her fa ther, moth er, broth ers, and all who be longed to her. They brought out her whole fam i ly and set tled them out side the camp of Is ra el. 24 They burned the city and ev ery thing in it, but they put the sil ver and gold and the ar - ti cles of bronze and iron into the trea sury of the L ord’ s house. 25 How ev er, Josh ua spared Ra hab the pros ti tute, her fa ther’s fam i ly , and all who be longed to her, be cause she hid the mes sen gers Josh ua had sent to spy on Jer i cho, and she still lives in Is ra el to day . 26 At that time Josh ua im posed this curse: The man who undertakes the rebuilding of this city , Jericho, is cursed before the Lord. He will lay its foundation at the cost of his firstborn; he will finish its gates at the cost of his youngest. 27 And the L ord was with Josh ua, and his fame spread through out the land.DEFE AT AT AI 7 The Is ra el ites, how ev er, were un faith ful re gard ing the things set apart for de struc- tion. Achan son of Car mi, son of Zab di, son of Ze rah, of the tribe of Ju dah, took some of what was set apart, and the L ord’ s an ger burned against the Is ra el ites. 2 Josh ua sent men from Jer i cho to Ai, which is near Beth-aven, east of Beth el, and told them, “ Go up and scout the land.” So the men went up and scouted Ai. 3 Af ter re turn ing to Josh ua they re port ed to him, “ Don’t send all the peo ple, but send about two thou sand or three thou sand b men to at tack Ai. Since the peo ple of Ai are so few , don’t wear out all our peo ple there.” 4 So about three thou sand men c went up there, but they fled from the men of Ai. 5 The men of Ai struck down about thirty-six of them and chased them from out side the city gate to the quar - ries, d strik ing them down on the de scent. As a re sult, the peo ple lost heart. e 6 Then Josh ua tore his clothes and fell face- down to the ground be fore the ark of the L ord un til eve ning, as did the el ders of Is ra el; they all put dust on their heads. 7 “ Oh, Lord G od,” Josh ua said, “ why did you ever bring these peo ple across the Jor dan to hand us over to the Am o rites for our de struc tion? If only we had been con tent to re main on the oth er side of the Jor dan! 8 What can I say , Lord, now that Is ra el has turned its back and run from its en e mies? 9 When the Ca naan ites and all who live in the land hear about this, they will sur round us and wipe out our name from the earth. Then what will you do about your great name? ” 10 The L ord then said to Josh ua, “ Stand up! Why have you fall en face down? 11 Is ra el has sinned. They have vi o lat ed my cov enant that I ap point ed for them. They have tak en some of what was set apart. They have sto len, de- ceived, and put those things with their own be long ings. 12 This is why the Is ra el ites can not stand against their en e mies. They will turn their backs and run from their en e mies, be- cause they have been set apart for de struc tion. I will no lon ger be with you un less you re move from among you what is set apart. 13 “ Go and con se crate the peo ple. Tell them to con se crate them selves for to mor row , for this is what the L ord, the God of Is ra el, says: There are things that are set apart among you, a 6:18 LXX reads you covet and ; Jos 7:21 b 7:3 Or send two or three military units of c 7:4 Lit men from the people d 7:5 Or to Shebarim e 7:5 Lit people’s hearts melted and became like waterJOSHUA 6-7 188 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 188 10/26/17 8:59 PM Is ra el. You will not be able to stand against your en e mies un til you re move what is set apart. 14 In the morn ing, pre sent your selves tribe by tribe. The tribe the L ord se lects is to come for ward clan by clan. The clan the L ord se lects is to come for ward fam i ly by fam i ly . The fam i ly the L ord se lects is to come for ward man by man. 15 The one who is caught with the things set apart must be burned, along with ev ery thing he has, be cause he has vi o- lat ed the L ord’ s cov enant and com mit ted an outrage in Is ra el.” ACHAN JUDGED 16 Josh ua got up ear ly the next morn ing. He had Is ra el come for ward tribe by tribe, and the tribe of Ju dah was se lect ed. 17 He had the clans of Ju dah come for ward, and the Ze ra hite clan was se lect ed. He had the Ze ra hite clan come for ward by heads of fam i lies, a and Zab di was se lect ed. 18 He then had Zab di’s fam i ly come for ward man by man, and Achan son of Car - mi, son of Zab di, son of Ze rah, of the tribe of Ju dah, was se lect ed. 19 So Josh ua said to Achan, “ My son, give glo ry to the L ord, the God of Is ra el, and make a con fes sion to him. b I urge you, tell me what you have done. Don’t hide any thing from me.” 20 Achan re plied to Josh ua, “ It is true. I have sinned against the L ord, the God of Is ra el. This is what I did: 21 When I saw among the spoils a beau ti ful cloak from Bab ylon, c five pounds d of sil ver, and a bar of gold weigh ing a pound and a quar ter, e I cov et ed them and took them. You can see for your self. They are con cealed in the ground in side my tent, with the sil ver un der the cloak.” 22 So Josh ua sent mes sen gers who ran to the tent, and there was the cloak, con cealed in his tent, with the sil ver un der neath. 23 They took the things from in side the tent, brought them to Josh ua and all the Is ra el ites, and spread them out in the L ord’ s pres ence. 24 Then Josh ua and all Is ra el with him took Achan son of Ze rah, the sil ver, the cloak, and the bar of gold, his sons and daugh ters, his ox, don key , and sheep, his tent, and all that he had, and brought them up to the Val ley of Achor. 25 Josh ua said, “ Why have you brought us trou ble? To day the L ord will bring you trou- ble! ” So all Is ra el stoned them f to death. They burned their bod ies, threw stones on them, 26 and raised over him a large pile of rocks that re mains still to day . Then the L ord turned from his burn ing an ger. There fore that place is called the Val ley of Achor g still to day . CONQUEST OF AI 8 The L ord said to Josh ua, “ Do not be afraid or dis cour aged. Take all the troops with you and go at tack Ai. Look, I have hand ed over to you the king of Ai, his peo ple, city , and land. 2 Treat Ai and its king as you did Jer i cho and its king, ex cept that you may plun der its spoil and live stock for your selves. Set an am bush be hind the city .” 3 So Josh ua and all the troops set out to at tack Ai. Josh ua se lect ed thir ty thou sand of his best sol diers and sent them out at night. 4 He com- mand ed them: “ Pay at ten tion. Lie in am bush be hind the city , not too far from it, and all of you be ready . 5 Then I and all the peo ple who are with me will ap proach the city . When they come out against us as they did the first time, we will flee from them. 6 They will come af ter us un til we have drawn them away from the city , for they will say , ‘ They are flee ing from us as be fore.’ While we are flee ing from them, 7 you are to come out of your am bush and seize the city . The L ord your God will hand it over to you. 8 Af ter tak ing the city , set it on fire. Fol low the L ord’ s com mand — see that you do as I have or dered you.” 9 So Josh ua sent them out, and they went to the am bush site and wait ed be tween Beth el and Ai, to the west of Ai. But he spent that night with the troops. 10 Josh ua start ed ear ly the next morn ing and mo bi lized them. Then he and the el ders of Is ra el led the troops up to Ai. 11 All those h who were with him went up and ap proached the city , ar riv ing op po site Ai, and camped to the north of it, with a val ley be tween them and the city . 12 Now Josh ua had tak en about five thou sand men and set them in am bush be tween Beth el and Ai, to the west of the city . 13 The troops were sta tioned in this way: the main i camp to the north of the city and its rear guard to the west of the city . And that night Josh ua went into the val ley . 14 When the king of Ai saw the Is ra el ites, the men of the city hur ried and went out ear ly in the morn ing so that he and all his peo ple could en gage Is ra el in bat tle at a suit able place fac- ing the Ar a bah. But he did not know there was a 7:17 Lit forward man by man b 7:19 Or and praise him c 7:21 Lit Shinar d 7:21 Lit 200 shekels e 7:21 Lit 50 shekels f 7:25 Lit him g 7:26 Or of Trouble h 8:11 Lit the people of war i 8:13 Lit way: all the 189 JOSHUA 7-8 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 189 10/26/17 8:59 PM an am bush wait ing for him be hind the city . 15 Josh ua and all Is ra el pre tend ed to be beat en back by them and fled to ward the wil der ness. 16 Then all the troops of Ai were sum moned to pur sue them, and they pur sued Josh ua and were drawn away from the city . 17 Not a man was left in Ai or Beth el who did not go out af ter Is ra el, leav ing the city ex posed while they pur sued Is ra el. 18 Then the L ord said to Josh ua, “ Hold out the jav e lin in your hand to ward Ai, for I will hand the city over to you.” So Josh ua held out his jav e lin to ward it. 19 When he held out his hand, the men in am bush rose quick ly from their po si tion. They ran, en tered the city , cap- tured it, and im me di ate ly set it on fire. 20 The men of Ai turned and looked back, and smoke from the city was ris ing to the sky! They could not es cape in any di rec tion, and the troops who had fled to the wil der ness now be came the pur su ers. 21 When Josh ua and all Is ra el saw that the men in am bush had cap tured the city and that smoke was ris ing from it, they turned back and struck down the men of Ai. 22 Then men in am bush came out of the city against them, and the men of Ai were trapped be tween the Is ra el ite forc- es, some on one side and some on the oth er. They struck them down un til no sur vi vor or fu gi tive re mained, 23 but they cap tured the king of Ai alive and brought him to Josh ua. 24 When Is ra el had fin ished kill ing ev ery one liv ing in Ai who had pur sued them into the open coun try , and when ev ery last one of them had fall en by the sword, all Is ra el re turned to Ai and struck it
🗡️ Conquest and Covenant
🔥 Joshua's military campaigns systematically destroyed Ai and numerous Canaanite cities, executing kings and inhabitants while following divine commands to leave no survivors
📜 Amid warfare, Joshua maintained covenant faithfulness by building an altar on Mount Ebal, inscribing Moses' law on stones, and reading all blessings and curses before the entire assembly
🌞 The sun stood still over Gibeon during battle—an unprecedented divine intervention where "the Lord listened to a man" as Israel defeated the five Amorite kings
🤝 The Gibeonite deception secured a binding treaty through clever disguise, forcing Israel to honor their oath despite discovering the ruse, resulting in the Gibeonites becoming permanent woodcutters and water carriers
🏙️ Joshua's strategic conquest methodically subdued both southern and northern territories, fulfilling Moses' commands completely and leaving "nothing undone of all that the Lord had commanded"
⚔️ Victory came not through Israel's strength alone but because "the Lord fought for Israel," demonstrating divine power through supernatural events like hailstones and the extended day
down with the sword. 25 The to tal of those who fell that day , both men and wom en, was twelve thou sand — all the peo ple of Ai. 26 Josh ua did not draw back his hand that was hold ing the jav e lin un til all the in- hab i tants of Ai were com plete ly de stroyed. 27 Is ra el plun dered only the cat tle and spoil of that city for them selves, ac cord ing to the L ord’ s com mand that he had giv en Josh ua. 28 Josh ua burned Ai and left it a per ma nent ruin, still des o late to day . 29 He hung a the body of the king of Ai on a tree b un til eve ning, and at sun set Josh ua com mand ed that they take his body down from the tree. They threw it down at the en trance of the city gate and put a large pile of rocks over it, which still re- mains to day .RENEWED COMMITMENT TO THE LAW 30 At that time Josh ua built an al tar on Mount Ebal to the L ord, the God of Is ra el, 31 just as Mo ses the L ord’ s ser vant had com mand ed the Is ra el ites. He built it ac cord ing to what is writ ten in the book of the law of Mo ses: an al tar of un cut stones on which no iron tool has been used. Then they off ered burnt off er ings to the L ord and sac ri ficed fel low ship off er ings on it. 32 There on the stones, Josh ua cop ied the law of Mo ses, which he had writ ten in the pres ence of the Is ra el ites. 33 All Is ra el — res i dent alien and cit i zen alike — with their el ders, off i cers, and judg es, stood on ei ther side of the ark of the L ord’ s cov enant fac ing the Le vit i cal priests who car ried it. Half of them were in front of Mount Ge ri zim and half in front of Mount Ebal, as Mo ses the L ord’ s ser vant had com mand ed ear li er con cern ing bless ing the peo ple of Is ra el. 34 Af ter ward, Josh ua read aloud all the words of the law — the bless ings as well as the curs es — ac cord ing to all that is writ ten in the book of the law . 35 There was not a word of all that Mo ses had com mand ed that Josh ua did not read be fore the en tire as sem bly of Is ra el, in- clud ing the wom en, the de pen dents, and the res i dent aliens who lived c among them. DECEPTION BY GIBEON 9 When all the kings heard about Jer i cho and Ai, those who were west of the Jor dan in the hill coun try , in the Ju de an foot hills, d and all along the coast of the Med i ter ra nean Sea to ward Leb a non — the Heth ites, Am o rites, Ca naan ites, Per iz zites, Hi vites, and Jeb u sites — 2 they formed a uni fied al li ance to fight against Josh ua and Is ra el. 3 When the in hab i tants of Gib e on heard what Josh ua had done to Jer i cho and Ai, 4 they act ed de cep tive ly . They gath ered pro vi sions e and took worn-out sacks on their don keys and old wine skins, cracked and mend ed. 5 They wore old, patched san dals on their feet and threadbare cloth ing on their bod ies. Their en- tire pro vi sion of bread was dry and crumbly . 6 They went to Josh ua in the camp at Gil gal and said to him and the men of Is ra el, “ We have come from a dis tant land. Please make a trea ty with us.” 7 The men of Is ra el re plied to the Hi vites, “Per haps you live among us. How can we make a trea ty with you? ” a 8:29 Or impaled b 8:29 Or wooden stake c 8:35 Lit walked d 9:1 Or the Shephelah e 9:4 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr , Vg; other Hb mss read They went disguised as ambassadorsJOSHUA 8-9 190 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 190 10/26/17 8:59 PM 8 They said to Josh ua, “ We are your ser vants.” Then Josh ua asked them, “ Who are you and where do you come from? ” 9 They re plied to him, “ Your ser vants have come from a faraway land be cause of the rep- u ta tion of the L ord your God. For we have heard of his fame, and all that he did in Egypt, 10 and all that he did to the two Am o rite kings be yond the Jor dan — King Si hon of Hesh bon and King Og of Ba shan, who was in Ash ta roth. 11 So our el ders and all the in hab i tants of our land told us, ‘ Take pro vi sions with you for the jour ney; go and meet them and say , “ We are your ser vants. Please make a trea ty with us.” ’ 12 This bread of ours was warm when we took it from our hous es as food on the day we left to come to you; but see, it is now dry and crumbly . 13 These wine skins were new when we filled them; but see, they are cracked. And these clothes and san dals of ours are worn out from the ex treme ly long jour ney .” 14 Then the men of Is ra el took some of their pro vi sions, but did not seek the L ord’ s de ci sion. 15 So Josh- ua es tab lished peace with them and made a trea ty to let them live, and the lead ers of the com mu ni ty swore an oath to them. GIBEON’S DECEPTION DISCOVERED 16 Three days af ter mak ing the trea ty with them, they heard that the Gib e on ites were their neigh bors, liv ing among them. 17 So the Is- ra el ites set out and reached the Gib e on ite cit ies on the third day . Now their cit ies were Gib e on, Che phi rah, Be e roth, and Kiriath-jearim. 18 But the Is ra el ites did not at tack them, be cause the lead ers of the com mu ni ty had sworn an oath to them by the L ord, the God of Is ra el. Then the whole com mu ni ty grum bled against the lead ers. 19 All the lead ers an swered them, “ We have sworn an oath to them by the L ord, the God of Is ra el, and now we can not touch them. 20 This is how we will treat them: we will let them live, so that no wrath will fall on us be cause of the oath we swore to them.” 21 They also said, “ Let them live.” So the Gib e on ites be came wood cut ters and wa ter car ri ers for the whole com mu ni ty , as the lead ers had prom ised them. 22 Josh ua sum moned the Gib e on ites and said to them, “ Why did you de ceive us by tell ing us you live far away from us, when in fact you live among us? 23 There fore you are cursed and will al ways be slaves — wood cut ters and wa ter car ri ers for the house of my God.” 24 The Gib e on ites an swered him, “ It was clear ly communicated to your ser vants that the L ord your God had com mand ed his ser vant Mo ses to give you all the land and to de stroy all the in hab i tants of the land be fore you. We great ly feared for our lives be cause of you, and that is why we did this. 25 Now we are in your hands. Do to us what ev er you think is right.” a 26 This is what Josh ua did to them: he res cued them from the Is ra el ites, and they did not kill them. 27 On that day he made them wood cut- ters and wa ter car ri ers — as they are to day — for the com mu ni ty and for the L ord’ s al tar at the place he would choose. THE DAY THE SUN STOOD STILL 10 Now King Ad o ni-ze dek of Je ru sa lem heard that Josh ua had cap tured Ai and com plete ly de stroyed it, treat ing Ai and its king as he had Jer i cho and its king, and that the in hab i tants of Gib e on had made peace with Is ra el and were liv ing among them. 2 So Ad o- ni-ze dek and his peo ple were b great ly alarmed be cause Gib e on was a large city like one of the roy al cit ies; it was larg er than Ai, and all its men were war riors. 3 There fore King Ad o ni- ze dek of Je ru sa lem sent word to King Ho ham of He bron, King Pi ram of Jar muth, King Ja phia of La chish, and King De bir of Eg lon, say ing, 4 “ Come up and help me. We will at tack Gib e on, be cause they have made peace with Josh ua and the Is ra el ites.” 5 So the five Am o rite kings — the kings of Je ru sa lem, He bron, Jar muth, La chish, and Eg lon — joined forc es, ad vanced with all their ar mies, be sieged Gib e on, and fought against it. 6 Then the men of Gib e on sent word to Josh - ua in the camp at Gil gal: “ Don’t give up on c your ser vants. Come quick ly and save us! Help us, for all the Am o rite kings liv ing in the hill coun try have joined forc es against us.” 7 So Josh ua and all his troops, in clud ing all his best sol diers, came from Gil gal. 8 The L ord said to Josh ua, “ Do not be afraid of them, for I have hand ed them over to you. Not one of them will be able to stand against you.” 9 So Josh ua caught them by sur prise, af ter march ing all night from Gil gal. 10 The L ord threw them into con fu sion be fore Is ra el. He de feat ed them in a great slaugh ter at Gib e on, a 9:25 Lit us as is good and as is right in your eyes do b 10:2 One Hb ms, Syr , Vg read So he was c 10:6 Lit Don’t withdraw your hands from 191 JOSHUA 9-10 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 191 10/26/17 8:59 PM chased them through the as cent of Beth-ho ron, and struck them down as far as Aze kah and Mak ke dah. 11 As they fled be fore Is ra el, the L ord threw large hail stones on them from the sky along the de scent of Beth-ho ron all the way to Aze kah, and they died. More of them died from the hail than the Is ra el ites killed with the sword. 12 On the day the L ord gave the Am o rites over to the Is ra el ites, Josh ua spoke to the L ord in the pres ence of Is ra el: “Sun, stand still over Gibeon, and moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.” 13 And the sun stood still and the moon stopped until the nation took vengeance on its enemies. Isn’t this writ ten in the Book of Ja shar? a So the sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed its setting almost a full day . 14 There has been no day like it be fore or since, when the L ord lis tened to a man, be cause the L ord fought for Is ra el. 15 Then Josh ua and all Is ra el with him re turned to the camp at Gil gal. EXECUTION OF THE FIVE KINGS 16 Now the five de feat ed kings had fled and hid - den in the cave at Mak ke dah. 17 It was re port ed to Josh ua: “ The five kings have been found; they are hid ing in the cave at Mak ke dah.” 18 Josh ua said, “ Roll large stones against the mouth of the cave, and sta tion men by it to guard the kings. 19 But as for the rest of you, don’t stay there. Pur sue your en e mies and at- tack them from be hind. Don’t let them en ter their cit ies, for the L ord your God has hand ed them over to you.” 20 So Josh ua and the Is ra- el ites fin ished inflicting a ter ri ble slaugh ter on them un til they were de stroyed, al though a few sur vi vors ran away to the for ti fied cit- ies. 21 The peo ple re turned safe ly to Josh ua in the camp at Mak ke dah. And no one dared to threat en b the Is ra el ites. 22 Then Josh ua said, “ Open the mouth of the cave, and bring those five kings to me out of there.” 23 That is what they did. They brought the five kings of Je ru sa lem, He bron, Jar muth, La chish, and Eg lon to Josh ua out of the cave. 24 When they had brought the kings to him, Josh ua sum moned all the men of Is ra el and said to the mil i tary com mand ers who had ac com- pa nied him, “ Come here and put your feet on the necks of these kings.” So the com mand ers came for ward and put their feet on their necks. 25 Josh ua said to them, “ Do not be afraid or dis- cour aged. Be strong and cou ra geous, for the L ord will do this to all the en e mies you fight.” 26 Af ter this, Josh ua struck them down and ex e cut ed them. He hung c their bod ies on five trees d and they were there un til eve ning. 27 At sun set Josh ua com mand ed that they be tak en down from the trees and thrown into the cave where they had hid den. Then large stones were placed against the mouth of the cave, and the stones are still there to day . CONQUEST OF SOUTHERN CITIES 28 On that day Josh ua cap tured Mak ke dah and struck it down with the sword, in clud ing its king. He com plete ly de stroyed it e and ev ery- one in it, leav ing no sur vi vors. So he treat ed the king of Mak ke dah as he had the king of Jer i cho. 29 Josh ua and all Is ra el with him crossed from Mak ke dah to Lib nah and fought against Lib nah. 30 The L ord also hand ed it and its king over to Is ra el. He struck it down, put ting ev- ery one in it to the sword, and left no sur vi vors in it. He treat ed Lib nah’s king as he had the king of Jer i cho. 31 From Lib nah, Josh ua and all Is ra el with him crossed to La chish. They laid siege to it and at tacked it. 32 The L ord hand ed La chish over to Is ra el, and Josh ua cap tured it on the sec ond day . He struck it down, put ting ev ery one in it to the sword, just as he had done to Lib nah. 33 At that time King Ho ram of Ge zer went to help La chish, but Josh ua struck him down along with his peo ple, leav ing no sur vi vors. 34 Then Josh ua crossed from La chish to Eg- lon and all Is ra el with him. They laid siege to it and at tacked it. 35 On that day they cap tured it and struck it down, put ting ev ery one in it to the sword. He com plete ly de stroyed it that day , just as he had done to La chish. 36 Next, Josh ua and all Is ra el with him went up from Eg lon to He bron and at tacked it. 37 They cap tured it and struck down its king, all its vil lages, and ev ery one in it with the sword. He left no sur vi vors, just as he had done at Eg lon. He com plete ly de stroyed He bron and ev ery one in it. a 10:13 Or of the Upright b 10:21 Lit No one sharpened his tongue against c 10:26 Or impaled d 10:26 Or wooden stakes, also in v. 27 e 10:28 Some Hb mss read themJOSHUA 10 192 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 192 10/26/17 8:59 PM 38 Fi nal ly , Josh ua turned to ward De bir and at tacked it. And all Is ra el was with him. 39 He cap tured it — its king and all its vil lages. They struck them down with the sword and com- plete ly de stroyed ev ery one in it, leav ing no sur vi vors. He treat ed De bir and its king as he had treat ed He bron and as he had treat ed Lib nah and its king. 40 So Josh ua con quered the whole re gion — the hill coun try , the Ne gev , the Ju de an foot hills, a and the slopes — with all their kings, leav ing no sur vi vors. He com plete ly de stroyed ev ery liv ing be ing, as the L ord, the God of Is ra el, had com mand ed. 41 Josh ua con quered ev ery one from Kadesh-barnea to Gaza, and all the land of Go shen as far as Gib e on. 42 Josh ua cap tured all these kings and their land in one cam paign, b be cause the L ord, the God of Is ra el, fought for Is ra el. 43 Then Josh ua re turned with all Is ra el to the camp at Gil gal. CONQUEST OF NORTHERN CITIES 11 When King Ja bin of Ha zor heard this news, he sent a mes sage to: King Jo bab of Ma don, the kings of Shim ron and Ach shaph, 2 and the kings of the north in the hill coun try , the Ar a bah south of Chin ne reth, the Ju de an foot hills, c and the Slopes of Dor d to the west, 3 the Ca naan ites in the east and west, the Am- o rites, Heth ites, Per iz zites, and Jeb u sites in the hill coun try , and the Hi vites at the foot of Her mon in the land of Miz pah. 4 They went out with all their ar mies — a mul ti tude as nu- mer ous as the sand on the sea shore — along with a vast num ber of hors es and char i ots. 5 All these kings joined forc es; they came and camped to geth er at the Wa ters of Me rom to at tack Is ra el. 6 The L ord said to Josh ua, “ Do not be afraid of them, for at this time to mor row I will cause all of them to be killed be fore Is ra el. You are to ham string their hors es and burn their char - i ots.” 7 So Josh ua and all his troops sur prised them at the Wa ters of Me rom and at tacked them. 8 The L ord hand ed them over to Is ra el, and they struck them down, pur su ing them as far as great er Si don and Misrephoth-maim, and to the east as far as the Val ley of Miz peh. They struck them down, leav ing no sur vi vors. 9 Josh ua treat ed them as the L ord had told him; he ham strung their hors es and burned their char i ots.10 At that time Josh ua turned back, cap tured Ha zor, and struck down its king with the sword, be cause Ha zor had for mer ly been the lead er of all these king doms. 11 They struck down ev ery one in it with the sword, com plete ly de stroy ing them; he left no one alive. Then he burned Ha zor. 12 Josh ua cap tured all these kings and their cit ies and struck them down with the sword. He com plete ly de stroyed them, as Mo ses the L ord’ s ser vant had com mand ed. 13 How ev- er, Is ra el did not burn any of the cit ies that stood on their mounds ex cept Ha zor, which Josh ua burned. 14 The Is ra el ites plun dered all the spoils and cat tle of these cit ies for them- selves. But they struck down ev ery per son with the sword un til they had an ni hi lat ed them, leav ing no one alive. 15 Just as the L ord had com mand ed his ser vant Mo ses, Mo ses com mand ed Josh ua. That is what Josh ua did, leav ing noth ing un done of all that the L ord had com mand ed Mo ses. SUMMARY OF CONQUESTS 16 So Josh ua took all this land — the hill coun- try , all the Ne gev , all the land of Go shen, the foot hills, the Ar a bah, and the hill coun try of Is ra el with its foot hills — 17 from Mount Ha lak, which as cends to Seir, as far as Baal-gad in the Val ley of Leb a non at the foot of Mount Her - mon. He cap tured all their kings and struck them down, put ting them to death. 18 Josh ua waged war with all these kings for a long time. 19 No city made peace with the Is ra el ites ex cept the Hi vites who in hab it ed Gib e on; all of them were tak en in bat tle. 20 For it was the L ord’ s in ten
🏔️ Conquest and Inheritance
🗡️ Joshua's military campaigns systematically eliminated the Canaanite inhabitants, including the fearsome Anakim giants, fulfilling divine commands to completely destroy the opposition
🗺️ Territorial distribution divided the conquered lands among the Israelite tribes, with detailed boundary descriptions establishing each tribe's inheritance both east and west of the Jordan
👴 Caleb's faithfulness earned him Hebron as a special inheritance at age 85, demonstrating how complete devotion to God resulted in tangible rewards
👑 Thirty-one kings were defeated during the conquest, though pockets of resistance remained in Philistine territories and Jerusalem, where Jebusites continued to live among Judahites
🏞️ Tribal allotments followed specific geographic boundaries with meticulous detail, creating a permanent record of Israel's divinely-ordained territorial claims
⚖️ Special provisions were made for Levites who received no land inheritance but instead received offerings made to God, establishing their unique role in Israelite society
tion to hard en their hearts, so that they would en gage Is ra el in bat tle, be com plete ly de stroyed with out mer cy , and be an ni hi lat ed, just as the L ord had com- mand ed Mo ses. 21 At that time Josh ua pro ceed ed to ex ter - mi nate the An a kim from the hill coun try — He bron, De bir, Anab — all the hill coun- try of Ju dah and of Is ra el. Josh ua com plete ly de stroyed them with their cit ies. 22 No An a kim were left in the land of the Is ra el ites, ex cept for some re main ing in Gaza, Gath, and Ash dod. 23 So Josh ua took the en tire land, in keep ing with all that the L ord had told Mo ses. Josh ua then gave it as an in her i tance to Is ra el ac cord- ing to their trib al al lot ments. Af ter this, the land had rest from war. a 10:40 Or the Shephelah b 10:42 Lit land at one time c 11:2 Or Shephelah, also in v. 16 d 11:2 Or and in Naphoth-dor 193 JOSHUA 10-11 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 193 10/26/17 8:59 PM TERRITORY EAST OF THE JORDAN 12 The Is ra el ites struck down the fol low ing kings of the land and took pos ses sion of their land be yond the Jor dan to the east and from the Ar non Riv er to Mount Her mon, in clud ing all the Ar a bah east ward: 2 King Si hon of the Am o rites lived in Hesh- bon. He ruled from Aro er on the rim of the Ar non Riv er, along the mid dle of the val ley , and half of Gil e ad up to the Jab bok Riv er ( the bor der of the Am mon ites), 3 the Ar a bah east of the Sea of Chin ne reth to the Sea of Ar a- bah ( that is, the Dead Sea), east ward through Beth-jesh i moth and south ward a be low the slopes of Pis gah. 4 King Og b of Ba shan, of the rem nant of the Reph a im, lived in Ash ta roth and Ed rei. 5 He ruled over Mount Her mon, Sal e cah, all Ba shan up to the Gesh u rite and Ma ac a thite bor der, and half of Gil e ad to the bor der of King Si hon of Hesh bon. 6 Mo ses the L ord’ s ser vant and the Is ra el ites struck them down. And Mo ses the L ord’ s ser vant gave their land as an in- her i tance to the Reu ben ites, Gad ites, and half the tribe of Ma nas seh. TERRITORY WEST OF THE JORDAN 7 Josh ua and the Is ra el ites struck down the fol low ing kings of the land be yond the Jor dan to the west, from Baal-gad in the Val ley of Leb- a non to Mount Ha lak, which as cends to ward Seir (Josh ua gave their land as an in her i tance to the tribes of Is ra el ac cord ing to their al lot- ments: 8 the hill coun try , the Ju de an foot hills, c the Ar a bah, the slopes, the wil der ness, and the Ne gev — the lands of the Heth ites, Am o rites, Ca naan ites, Per iz zites, Hi vites, and Jeb u sites): 9 the king of Jericho one the king of Ai, which is next to Bethel one 10 the king of Jerusalem one the king of Hebron one 11 the king of Jarmuth one the king of Lachish one 12 the king of Eglon one the king of Gezer one 13 the king of Debir one the king of Geder one 14 the king of Hormah one the king of Arad one 15 the king of Libnah one the king of Adullam one 16 the king of Makkedah one the king of Bethel one 17 the king of Tappuah one the king of Hepher one 18 the king of Aphek one the king of Lasharon one 19 the king of Madon one the king of Hazor one 20 the king of Shimron-meron one the king of Achshaph one 21 the king of Taanach one the king of Megiddo one 22 the king of Kedesh one the king of Jokneam in Carmel one 23 the king of Dor in Naphath-dor d one the king of Goiim in Gilgal e one 24 the king of Tirzah one the total number of all kings: thirty-one. UNCONQUERED LANDS 13 Josh ua was now old, ad vanced in age, and the L ord said to him, “ You have be- come old, ad vanced in age, but a great deal of the land re mains to be pos sessed. 2 This is the land that re mains: All the districts of the Philistines and the Geshurites: 3 from the Shihor east of Egypt to the border of Ekron on the north (considered to be Canaanite territory) — the five Philistine rulers of Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron, as well as the Avvites 4 in the south; all the land of the Canaanites, from Arah of the Sidonians to Aphek and as far as the border of the Amorites; 5 the land of the Gebalites; and all Lebanon east from Baal-gad below Mount Hermon to the entrance of Hamath f — 6 all the inhabi - tants of the hill country from Lebanon to Misrephoth-maim, all the Sidonians. I will drive them out be fore the Is ra el ites, only dis trib ute the land as an in her i tance for Is ra el, as I have com mand ed you. 7 There fore, di vide this land as an in her i tance to the nine tribes and half the tribe of Ma nas seh.” THE INHERITANCE EAST OF THE JORDAN 8 With the oth er half of the tribe of Ma nas- seh, the Reu ben ites and Gad ites had re ceived the in her i tance Mo ses gave them be yond the Jor dan to the east, just as Mo ses the L ord’ s ser vant had giv en them: a 12:3 Or and from Teman b 12:4 LXX; MT reads The territory of Og c 12:8 Or the Shephelah d 12:23 Or in the Slopes of Dor e 12:23 LXX reads Galilee f 13:5 Or to Lebo-hamathJOSHUA 12-13 194 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 194 10/26/17 8:59 PM 9 From Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Valley , along with the city in the middle of the valley , all the Medeba plateau as far as Dibon, 10 and all the cities of King Sihon of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, to the border of the Ammonites; 11 also Gilead and the territory of the Geshurites and Maacathites, all Mount Hermon, and all Bashan to Salecah — 12 the whole kingdom of Og in Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth and Edrei; he was one of the remaining Rephaim. Mo ses struck them down and drove them out, 13 but the Is ra el ites did not drive out the Gesh u rites and Ma ac a thites. So Ge shur and Maacath still live in Is ra el to day . 14 He did not, how ev er, give any in her i tance to the tribe of Levi. This was their in her i tance, just as he had prom ised: the off er ings made by fire to the L ord, the God of Is ra el. REUBEN’S INHERITANCE 15 To the tribe of Reu ben’s de scen dants by their clans, Mo ses gave 16 this as their ter ri to ry: From Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Valley , along with the city in the middle of the valley , the whole plateau as far as a Medeba, 17 with Heshbon and all its cities on the plateau — Dibon, Bamoth-baal, Beth-baal-meon, 18 Jahaz, Kedemoth, Mephaath, 19 Kiriathaim, Sibmah, Zereth-shahar on the hill in the valley , 20 Beth-peor, the slopes of Pisgah, and Beth- jeshimoth — 21 all the cities of the plateau, and all the kingdom of King Sihon of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon. Moses had killed him and the chiefs of Midian — Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba — the princes of Sihon who lived in the land. 22 Along with those the Israelites put to death, they also killed the diviner, Balaam son of Beor, with the sword. 23 The bor der of the Reu ben ites was the Jor dan and its plain. This was the in her i tance of the Reu ben ites by their clans, with the cit ies and their set tle ments. GAD’S INHERITANCE 24 To the tribe of the Gad ites by their clans, Mo ses gave 25 this as their ter ri to ry: Jazer and all the cities of Gilead, and half the land of the Ammonites to Aroer, near Rabbah; 26 from Heshbon to Ramath-miz - peh and Betonim, and from Mahanaim to the border of Debir; b 27 in the valley: Beth-haram, Beth-nimrah, Succoth, and Zaphon — the rest of the kingdom of King Sihon of Heshbon. Their land also included the Jordan and its territory as far as the edge of the Sea of Chinnereth on the east side of the Jordan. c 28 This was the in her i tance of the Gad ites by their clans, with the cit ies and their set tle- ments. EAST MANASSEH’S INHERITANCE 29 And to half the tribe of Ma nas seh ( that is, to half the tribe of Ma nas seh’s de scen dants by their clans) Mo ses gave 30 this as their ter ri to ry: From Mahanaim through all Bashan — all the kingdom of King Og of Bashan, including all of Jair’s Villages d that are in Bashan — sixty cities. 31 But half of Gilead, and Og’s royal cities in Bashan — Ashtaroth and Edrei — are for the descendants of Machir son of Manasseh (that is, half the descendants of Machir by their clans). 32 These were the por tions Mo ses gave them on the plains of Moab be yond the Jor dan east of Jer i cho. 33 But Mo ses did not give a por - tion to the tribe of Levi. The L ord, the God of Is ra el, was their in her i tance, just as he had prom ised them. ISRAEL ’S INHERITANCE IN CANAAN 14 The Is ra el ites re ceived these por tions that the priest El e a zar, Josh ua son of Nun, and the fam i ly heads of the Is ra el ite tribes gave them in the land of Ca naan. 2 Their in her i tance was by lot as the L ord com mand ed through Mo ses for the nine and a half tribes, 3 be cause Mo ses had giv en the in her i tance to the two and a half tribes be yond the Jor dan. But he gave no in her - i tance among them to the Le vites. 4 The de scen dants of Jo seph be came two tribes, Ma nas seh and Ephra im. No por tion of the land was giv en to the Le vites ex cept cit ies to live in, along with pas ture lands for their cat tle and live stock. 5 So the Is ra el ites did as the L ord com mand ed Mo ses, and they di vid ed the land. a 13:16 Some Hb mss read plateau near b 13:26 Or Lidbir, or Lo-debar c 13:27 Lit Chinnereth beyond the Jordan to the east d 13:30 Or all of Havvoth-jair 195 JOSHUA 13-14 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 195 10/26/17 8:59 PM CALEB’S INHERITANCE 6 The de scen dants of Ju dah ap proached Josh- ua at Gil gal, and Ca leb son of Je phun neh the Ken iz zite said to him, “ You know what the L ord prom ised Mo ses the man of God at Kadesh-barnea about you and me. 7 I was for ty years old when Mo ses the L ord’ s ser vant sent me from Kadesh-barnea to scout the land, and I brought back an hon est re port. 8 My broth- ers who went with me caused the peo ple to lose heart, a but I fol lowed the L ord my God com plete ly . 9 On that day Mo ses swore to me: ‘ The land where you have set foot will be an in her i tance for you and your de scen dants for ev er, be cause you have fol lowed the L ord my God com plete ly .’ 10 “ As you see, the L ord has kept me alive these forty-five years as he prom ised, since the L ord spoke this word to Mo ses while Is- ra el was journeying in the wil der ness. Here I am to day , eighty-five years old. 11 I am still as strong to day as I was the day Mo ses sent me out. My strength for bat tle and for dai ly tasks b is now as it was then. 12 Now give me this hill coun try the L ord prom ised me on that day , be cause you heard then that the An a kim are there, as well as large for ti fied cit ies. Per haps the L ord will be with me and I will drive them out as the L ord prom ised.” 13 Then Josh ua blessed Ca leb son of Je phun- neh and gave him He bron as an in her i tance. 14 There fore, He bron still be longs to Ca leb son of Je phun neh the Ken iz zite as an in her i tance to day be cause he fol lowed the L ord, the God of Is ra el, com plete ly . 15 He bron’s name used to be Kiriath-arba; Arba was the great est man among the An a kim. Af ter this, the land had rest from war. JUDAH’S INHERITANCE 15 Now the al lot ment for the tribe of the de scen dants of Ju dah by their clans was in the south ern most re gion, south to the Wil- der ness of Zin and over to the bor der of Edom. 2 Their southern border began at the tip of the Dead Sea on the south bay c 3 and went south of the Scorpions’ Ascent, d proceeded to Zin, ascended to the south of Kadesh-barnea, passed Hezron, ascended to Addar, and turned to Karka. 4 It proceeded to Azmon and to the Brook of Egypt and so the border ended at the Mediterranean Sea. This is your e south - ern border. 5 Now the eastern border was along the Dead Sea to the mouth of the Jordan. The border on the north side was from the bay of the sea at the mouth of the Jordan. 6 It ascended to Beth-hoglah, proceeded north of Beth-arabah, and ascended to the Stone of Bohan son of Reuben. 7 Then the border ascended to Debir from the Valley of Achor, turning north to the Gilgal that is opposite the Ascent of Adummim, which is south of the ravine. The border proceeded to the Waters of En-shemesh and ended at En-rogel. 8 From there the border ascend - ed Ben Hinnom Valley to the southern Jebusite slope (that is, Jerusalem) and ascended to the top of the hill that faces Hinnom Valley on the west, at the north - ern end of Rephaim Valley . 9 From the top of the hill the border curved to the spring of the Waters of Nephtoah, went to the cities of Mount Ephron, and then curved to Baalah (that is, Kiriath-jearim). 10 The border turned westward from Baalah to Mount Seir, went to the northern slope of Mount Jearim (that is, Chesalon), de - scended to Beth-shemesh, and proceeded to Timnah. 11 Then the border reached to the slope north of Ekron, curved to Shik - keron, proceeded to Mount Baalah, went to Jabneel, and ended at the Mediterra - nean Sea. 12 Now the western border was the coast - line of the Mediterranean Sea. This was the bound ary of the de scen dants of Ju dah around their clans. CALEB AND OTHNIEL 13 He gave Ca leb son of Je phun neh the fol low- ing por tion among the de scen dants of Ju dah based on the L ord’ s in struc tion to Josh ua: Kiriath-arba ( that is, He bron; Arba was the fa ther of Anak). 14 Ca leb drove out from there the three sons of Anak: She shai, Ahi man, and Tal mai, de scen dants of Anak. 15 From there he marched against the in hab i tants of De bir, a 14:8 Lit people’s hearts to melt with fear b 14:11 Lit for going out and coming in c 15:2 Lit Sea at the tongue that turns southward d 15:3 Lit of scorpions e 15:4 LXX reads theirJOSHUA 14-15 196 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 196 10/26/17 8:59 PM which used to be called Kiriath-sepher, 16 and Ca leb said, “Who ev er at tacks and cap tures Kiriath-sepher, I will give my daugh ter Ach- sah to him as a wife.” 17 So Oth ni el son of Ca- leb’s broth er, Ke naz, cap tured it, and Ca leb gave his daugh ter Ach sah to him as a wife. 18 When she ar rived, she per suad ed Oth ni el to ask her fa ther for a field. As she got off her don key , Ca leb asked her, “ What can I do for you? ” 19 She re plied, “ Give me a bless ing. Since you have giv en me land in the Ne gev , give me the springs also.” So he gave her the up per and low er springs. JUDAH’S CITIES 20 This was the in her i tance of the tribe of the de scen dants of Ju dah by their clans. 21 These were the outermost cities of the tribe of the descendants of Judah toward the border of Edom in the Negev: Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur, 22 Kinah, Dimonah, Adadah, 23 Kedesh, Hazor, Ithnan, 24 Ziph, Telem, Bealoth, 25 Hazor-hadattah, Kerioth-hez - ron (that is, Hazor), 26 Amam, Shema, Moladah, 27 Hazar-gaddah, Heshmon, Beth-pelet, 28 Hazar-shual, Beer-sheba, Biziothiah, 29 Baalah, Iim, Ezem, 30 Eltolad, Chesil, Hormah, 31 Ziklag, Madmannah, Sansannah, 32 Lebaoth, Shilhim, Ain, and Rimmon — twenty-nine cities in all, with their settlements. 33 In the Judean foothills: a Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashnah, 34 Zanoah, En-gannim, Tappuah, b Enam, 35 Jarmuth, Adullam, Socoh, c Azekah, 36 Shaaraim, Adithaim, Gederah, and Gederothaim — fourteen cities, with their settlements; 37 Zenan, Hadashah, Migdal-gad, 38 Dilan, Mizpeh, Jokthe-el, 39 Lachish, Bozkath, Eglon, 40 Cabbon, Lahmam, Chitlish, 41 Gederoth, Beth-dagon, Naamah, and Makkedah — sixteen cities, with their settlements; 42 Libnah, Ether, Ashan, 43 Iphtah, Ashnah, Nezib, 44 Keilah, Achzib, and Mareshah — nine cities, with their settlements; 45 Ekron, with its surrounding villages and settlements; 46 from Ekron to the sea, all the cities near Ashdod, with their settlements; 47 Ashdod, with its surround - ing villages and settlements; Gaza, with its surrounding villages and settlements, to the Brook of Egypt and the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea. 48 In the hill country: Shamir, Jattir, Socoh, 49 Dannah, Kiriath-sannah (that is, Debir), 50 Anab, Eshtemoh, Anim, 51 Goshen, Holon, and Giloh — eleven cities, with their settlements; 52 Arab, Dumah, d Eshan, 53 Janim, Beth-tappuah, Aphekah, 54 Humtah, Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), and Zior — nine cities, with their settlements; 55 Maon, Carmel, Ziph, Juttah, 56 Jezreel, Jokdeam, Zanoah, 57 Kain, Gibeah, and Timnah — ten cities, with their settlements; 58 Halhul, Beth- zur, Gedor, 59 Maarath, Beth-anoth, and Eltekon — six cities, with their settle - ments; e 60 Kiriath-baal (that is, Kiriath- jearim), and Rabbah — two cities, with their settlements. 61 In the wilderness: Beth-arabah, Middin, Secacah, 62 Nibshan, the City of Salt, f and En-gedi — six cities, with their settle - ments. 63 But the de scen dants of Ju dah could not drive out the Jeb u sites who lived in Je ru sa lem. So the Jeb u sites still live in Je ru sa lem among the de scen dants of Ju dah to day . JOSEPH’S INHERITANCE 16 The allotment for the descendants of Joseph went from the Jordan at Jericho to the Waters of Jericho on the east, through the wilderness ascending from Jericho into the hill country of Bethel. 2 From Bethel it went to Luz and proceeded to the border of the Archites by Ataroth. 3 It then descended westward to the border of the Japhletites as far as the border of lower Beth-horon, then to Gezer, and ended at the Mediterranean Sea. 4 So Ephraim and Manasseh, the sons of Joseph, received their inheritance. EPHRAIM’S INHERITANCE 5 This was the ter ri to ry of the de scen dants of Ephra im by their clans: The border of their inheritance went from Ataroth-addar on the east to Upper Beth-horon. 6 In the north the border went westward from Michmethath; it a 15:33 Or the Shephelah b 15:34 Or En-gannim-tappuah c 15:35 Or Adullam-socoh d 15:52 Some Hb mss read Rumah e 15:59 LXX adds Tekoa, Ephrathah (that is, Bethlehem), Peor, Etam, Culom, Tatam, Sores, Carem, Gallim, Baither, and Manach — eleven cities, with their settlements f 15:62 Or Ir-hamelach 197 JOSHUA 15-16 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 197 10/26/17 8:59 PM turned eastward from Taanath-shiloh and passed it east of Janoah. 7 From Jano - ah it descended to Ataroth and Naarah, and then reached Jericho and went to the Jordan. 8 From Tappuah the border went westward along the Brook of Kanah and ended at the Mediterranean Sea. This was the in her i tance of the tribe of the de scen dants of Ephra im by their clans, to- geth er with 9 the cit ies set apart for the de- scen dants of Ephra im with in the in her i tance of the de scen dants of Ma nas seh — all these cit ies with their set tle ments. 10 How ev er, they did not drive out the Ca naan ites who lived in Ge zer. So the Ca naan ites still live in Ephra im to day , but they are forced la bor ers. WEST MANASSEH’S INHERITANCE 17 This was the al lot ment for the tribe of Ma nas seh as Jo seph’s first born. Gil e ad and Ba shan were giv en to Ma chir, the first- born of Ma nas seh and the fa ther of Gil e ad, be cause he was a man of war. 2 So the al lot ment was for the rest of Ma nas seh’s de scen dants by their clans, for the sons of Abi e zer, He lek, As ri el, She chem, He pher, and She mi da. These are the male de scen dants of Ma nas seh son of Jo seph, by their clans. 3 Now Ze lo phe had son of He
📜 Daughters' Inheritance Rights
🧠 Zelophehad's daughters successfully claimed their inheritance rights when they had no brothers, establishing a precedent for women's property rights in ancient Israel
🗺️ The land distribution process involved careful mapping, surveying, and casting lots to divide territories among the tribes, demonstrating an organized approach to settlement
🏙️ Cities of refuge provided protection for those who committed unintentional manslaughter, creating a justice system that distinguished between accidental and intentional killing
🛡️ The Levites received 48 cities scattered throughout Israel rather than a concentrated territory, positioning them strategically to serve as religious leaders among all tribes
💪 Despite divine promises, many tribes struggled to fully possess their territories, often coexisting with or imposing forced labor on Canaanites rather than driving them out completely
pher, son of Gil e ad, son of Ma chir, son of Ma nas seh, had no sons, only daugh ters. These are the names of his daugh ters: Mah lah, Noah, Hog lah, Mil- cah, and Tir zah. 4 They came be fore the priest El e a zar, Josh ua son of Nun, and the lead ers, say ing, “ The L ord com mand ed Mo ses to give us an in her i tance among our male rel a tives.” So they gave them an in her i tance among their fa ther’s broth ers, in keep ing with the L ord’ s in struc tion. 5 As a re sult, ten tracts fell to Ma- nas seh, be sides the land of Gil e ad and Ba shan, which are be yond the Jor dan, a 6 be cause Ma- nas seh’s daugh ters re ceived an in her i tance among his sons. The land of Gil e ad be longed to the rest of Ma nas seh’s sons. 7 The border of Manasseh went from Asher to Michmethath near Shechem. It then went southward toward the inhabitants of En-tappuah. 8 The region of Tappuah belonged to Manasseh, but Tappuah itself on Manasseh’s border belonged to the descendants of Ephraim. 9 From there the border descended to the Brook of Kanah; south of the brook, cities belonged to Ephraim among Manasseh’s cities. Manasseh’s border was on the north side of the brook and ended at the Mediterranean Sea. 10 Ephraim’s territory was to the south and Manasseh’s to the north, with the Sea as its border. They reached Asher on the north and Issachar on the east. 11 Beth-shean, Ibleam, and the inhabitants of Dor with their surround - ing villages; the inhabitants of En-dor, Taanach, and Megiddo — the three cities of b Naphath — with their surrounding villages. 12 The de scen dants of Ma nas seh could not pos sess these cit ies, be cause the Ca naan ites were de ter mined to stay in this land. 13 How- ev er, when the Is ra el ites grew stron ger, they im posed forced la bor on the Ca naan ites but did not drive them out com plete ly . JOSEPH’S ADDITIONAL INHERITANCE 14 Jo seph’s de scen dants said to Josh ua, “ Why did you give us only one trib al al lot ment c as an in her i tance? We have many peo ple, be cause the L ord has been bless ing us great ly .” 15 “ If you have so many peo ple,” Josh ua re- plied to them, “ go to the for est and clear an area for your selves there in the land of the Per iz zites and the Reph a im, be cause Ephra- im’s hill coun try is too small for you.” 16 But the de scen dants of Jo seph said, “ The hill coun try is not enough for us, and all the Ca naan ites who in hab it the val ley area have iron char i ots, both at Beth-she an with its sur - round ing vil lages and in the Jez re el Val ley .” 17 So Josh ua re plied to Jo seph’s fam i ly ( that is, Ephra im and Ma nas seh), “ You have many peo ple and great strength. You will not have just one al lot ment, 18 be cause the hill coun try will be yours also. It is a for est; clear it and its out ly ing areas will be yours. You can also drive out the Ca naan ites, even though they have iron char i ots and are strong.” LAND DISTRIBUTION AT SHILOH 18 The en tire Is ra el ite com mu ni ty as sem- bled at Shi loh and set up the tent of meet- ing there. The land had been sub dued be fore them, 2 but sev en tribes among the Is ra el ites were left who had not di vid ed up their in- her i tance. 3 So Josh ua asked the Is ra el ites, “ How long will you de lay go ing out to take a 17:5 = east of the Jordan River b 17:11 LXX, Vg read the third is c 17:14 Lit one lot and one territory, also in v. 17JOSHUA 16-18 198 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 198 10/26/17 8:59 PM pos ses sion of the land that the L ord, the God of your fa thers, gave you? 4 Ap point for your - selves three men from each tribe, and I will send them out. They are to go and sur vey the land, write a de scrip tion of it for the pur pose of their in her i tance, and re turn to me. 5 Then they are to di vide it into sev en por tions. Ju dah is to re main in its ter ri to ry in the south and Jo seph’s fam i ly in their ter ri to ry in the north. 6 When you have writ ten a de scrip tion of the sev en por tions of land and brought it to me, I will cast lots for you here in the pres ence of the L ord our God. 7 But the Le vites among you do not get a por tion, be cause their in her i tance is the priest hood of the L ord. Gad, Reu ben, and half the tribe of Ma nas seh have tak en their in her i tance be yond the Jor dan to the east, which Mo ses the L ord’ s ser vant gave them.” 8 As the men pre pared to go, Josh ua com- mand ed them a to write down a de scrip tion of the land, say ing, “ Go and sur vey the land, write a de scrip tion of it, and re turn to me. I will then cast lots for you here in Shi loh in the pres ence of the L ord.” 9 So the men left, went through the land, and de scribed it by towns in a doc u ment of sev en sec tions. They re turned to Josh ua at the camp in Shi loh. 10 Josh ua cast lots for them at Shi loh in the pres ence of the L ord where he dis trib ut ed the land to the Is ra el ites ac cord ing to their di vi sions. BENJAMIN’S INHERITANCE 11 The lot came up for the tribe of Ben ja min’s de scen dants by their clans, and their al lot ted ter ri to ry lay be tween Ju dah’s de scen dants and Jo seph’s de scen dants. 12 Their border on the north side began at the Jordan, ascended to the slope of Jericho on the north, through the hill country westward, and ended at the wilderness around Beth-aven. 13 From there the border went toward Luz, to the southern slope of Luz (that is, Bethel); it then went down by Ataroth-addar, over the hill south of Lower Beth-horon. 14 On the west side, from the hill facing Beth-horon on the south, the border curved, turning southward, and ended at Kiriath-baal (that is, Kiriath-jearim), a city of the descendants of Judah. This was the west side of their border.15 The south side began at the edge of Kiriath-jearim, and the border extend - ed westward; it went to the spring at the Waters of Nephtoah. 16 The border descended to the foot of the hill that faces Ben Hinnom Valley at the northern end of Rephaim Valley . It ran down Hinnom Val - ley toward the south Jebusite slope and downward to En-rogel. 17 It curved north - ward and went to En-shemesh and on to Geliloth, which is opposite the Ascent of Adummim, and continued down to the Stone of Bohan son of Reuben. 18 Then it went north to the slope opposite the Arabah b and proceeded into the plains. c 19 The border continued to the north slope of Beth-hoglah and ended at the northern bay of the Dead Sea, at the southern end of the Jordan. This was the southern border. 20 The Jordan formed the border on the east side. This was the in her i tance of Ben ja min’s de- scen dants, by their clans, ac cord ing to its sur round ing bor ders. BENJAMIN’S CITIES 21 These were the cit ies of the tribe of Ben ja- min’s de scen dants by their clans: Jericho, Beth-hoglah, Emek-keziz, 22 Beth-arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel, 23 Av- vim, Parah, Ophrah, 24 Chephar-ammoni, Ophni, and Geba — twelve cities, with their settlements; 25 Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth, 26 Mizpeh, Chephirah, Mozah, 27 Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah, 28 Zela, Haeleph, Jebus d (that is, Jerusalem), Gibeah, and Kiriath e — fourteen cities, with their settlements. This was the in her i tance for Ben ja min’s de- scen dants by their clans. SIMEON’S INHERITANCE 19 The sec ond lot came out for Sim e on, for the tribe of his de scen dants by their clans, but their in her i tance was with in the in her i tance giv en to Ju dah’s de scen dants. 2 Their in her i tance in clud ed Beer-sheba (or Sheba), Moladah, 3 Hazar- shual, Balah, Ezem, 4 Eltolad, Bethul, Hormah, 5 Ziklag, Beth-marcaboth, Hazar- susah, 6 Beth-lebaoth, and Sharuhen a 18:8 Lit the ones going around b 18:18 LXX reads went northward to Beth-arabah c 18:18 Or the Arabah d 18:28 Lit Jebusite e 18:28 LXX, Syr read Kiriath-jearim 199 JOSHUA 18-19 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 199 10/26/17 8:59 PM — thirteen cities, with their settlements; 7 Ain, Rimmon, Ether, and Ashan — four cities, with their settlements; 8 and all the settlements surrounding these cities as far as Baalath-beer (Ramah in the south a). This was the in her i tance of the tribe of Sim e- on’s de scen dants by their clans. 9 The in her i- tance of Sim e on’s de scen dants was with in the ter ri to ry of Ju dah’s de scen dants, be cause the share for Ju dah’s de scen dants was too large. So Sim e on’s de scen dants re ceived an in her i- tance with in Ju dah’s por tion. ZEBULUN’S INHERITANCE 10 The third lot came up for Zeb u lun’s de scen- dants by their clans. The territory of their inheritance stretched as far as Sarid; 11 their border went up westward to Maralah, reached Dabbesheth, and met the brook east of Jokneam. 12 From Sarid, it turned due east along the border of Chisloth-ta - bor, went to Daberath, and went up to Japhia. 13 From there, it went due east to Gath-hepher and to Eth-kazin; it extend - ed to Rimmon, curving around to Neah. 14 The border then circled around Neah on the north to Hannathon and ended at Iphtah-el Valley , 15 along with Kattath, Nahalal, Shimron, Idalah, and Bethlehem — twelve cities, with their settlements. 16 This was the in her i tance of Zeb u lun’s de- scen dants by their clans, these cit ies, with their set tle ments. ISSACHAR’S INHERITANCE 17 The fourth lot came out for the tribe of Is- sa char’s de scen dants by their clans. 18 Their territory went to Jezreel, and included Chesulloth, Shunem, 19 Haphara - im, Shion, Anaharath, 20 Rabbith, Kishion, Ebez, 21 Remeth, En-gannim, En-haddah, and Beth-pazzez. 22 The border reached Tabor, Shahazumah, and Beth-shemesh, and ended at the Jordan — sixteen cities, with their settlements. 23 This was the in her i tance of the tribe of Is sa- char’s de scen dants by their clans, the cit ies, with their set tle ments. ASHER’S INHERITANCE 24 The fifth lot came out for the tribe of Ash er’s de scen dants by their clans.25 Their boundary included Helkath, Hali, Beten, Achshaph, 26 Allammelech, Amad, and Mishal and reached westward to Carmel and Shihor-libnath. 27 It turned eastward to Beth-dagon, reached Zebu - lun and Iphtah-el Valley , north toward Beth-emek and Neiel, and went north to Cabul, 28 Ebron, Rehob, Hammon, and Kanah, as far as greater Sidon. 29 The boundary then turned to Ramah as far as the fortified city of Tyre; it turned back to Hosah and ended at the Mediterranean Sea, including Mahalab, Achzib, b 30 Um - mah, Aphek, and Rehob — twenty-two cities, with their settlements. 31 This was the in her i tance of the tribe of Ash- er’s de scen dants by their clans, these cit ies with their set tle ments. NAPHTALI’S INHERITANCE 32 The sixth lot came out for Naph ta li’s de- scen dants by their clans. 33 Their boundary went from Heleph and from the oak in Zaanannim, including Adami-nekeb and Jabneel, as far as Lak - kum, and ended at the Jordan. 34 To the west, the boundary turned to Aznoth-ta - bor and went from there to Hukkok, reaching Zebulun on the south, Asher on the west, and Judah c at the Jordan on the east. 35 The fortified cities were Ziddim, Zer, Hammath, Rakkath, Chinnereth, 36 Adamah, Ramah, Hazor, 37 Kedesh, Edrei, En-hazor, 38 Iron, Migdal-el, Horem, Beth-anath, and Beth-shemesh — nine - teen cities, with their settlements. 39 This was the in her i tance of the tribe of Naph- ta li’s de scen dants by their clans, the cit ies with their set tle ments. DAN’S INHERITANCE 40 The sev enth lot came out for the tribe of Dan’s de scen dants by their clans. 41 The territory of their inheritance included Zorah, Eshtaol, Ir-shemesh, 42 Shaalabbin, Aijalon, Ithlah, 43 Elon, Timnah, Ekron, 44 Eltekeh, Gibbethon, Baalath, 45 Jehud, Bene-berak, Gath-rim - mon, 46 Me-jarkon, and Rakkon, with the territory facing Joppa. 47 When the ter ri to ry of the de scen dants of Dan slipped out of their con trol, they went up and fought against Le shem, cap tured it, a 19:8 Or the Negev b 19:29 Or Sea, in the region of Achzib c 19:34 LXX omits JudahJOSHUA 19 200 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 200 10/26/17 8:59 PM and struck it down with the sword. So they took pos ses sion of it, lived there, and renamed Le shem af ter their an ces tor Dan. 48 This was the in her i tance of the tribe of Dan’s de scen- dants by their clans, these cit ies with their set tle ments. JOSHUA’S INHERITANCE 49 When they had fin ished dis trib ut ing the land into its ter ri to ries, the Is ra el ites gave Josh ua son of Nun an in her i tance among them. 50 By the L ord’ s com mand, they gave him the city Timnath-serah in the hill coun try of Ephra- im, which he re quest ed. He re built the city and lived in it. 51 These were the por tions that the priest El e a zar, Josh ua son of Nun, and the fam i ly heads dis trib ut ed to the Is ra el ite tribes by lot at Shi loh in the L ord’ s pres ence at the en- trance to the tent of meet ing. So they fin ished di vid ing up the land. CITIES OF REFUGE 20 Then the L ord spoke to Josh ua, 2 “ Tell the Is ra el ites: Se lect your cit ies of ref uge, as I in struct ed you through Mo ses, 3 so that a per son who kills some one un in ten tion al ly or ac ci den tal ly may flee there. These will be your ref uge from the aveng er of blood. 4 When some one flees to one of these cit ies, stands at the en trance of the city gate, and states his case be fore a the el ders of that city , they are to bring him into the city and give him a place to live among them. 5 And if the aveng er of blood pur sues him, they must not hand the one who com mit ted manslaughter over to him, for he killed his neigh bor ac ci den tal ly and did not hate him be fore hand. 6 He is to stay in that city un til he stands tri al be fore the as sem bly and un til the death of the high priest serv ing at that time. Then the one who com mit ted manslaughter may re turn home to his own city from which he fled.” 7 So they des ig nat ed Ke desh in the hill coun- try of Naph ta li in Gal i lee, She chem in the hill coun try of Ephra im, and Kiriath-arba ( that is, He bron) in the hill coun try of Ju dah. 8 Across the Jor dan east of Jer i cho, they se lect ed Be zer on the wil der ness pla teau from Reu ben’s tribe, Ra moth in Gil e ad from Gad’s tribe, and Go lan in Ba shan from Ma nas seh’s tribe. 9 These are the cit ies ap point ed for all the Is ra el ites and the aliens residing among them, so that any one who kills a per son un in ten tion- al ly may flee there and not die at the hand of the aveng er of blood un til he stands be fore the as sem bly . CITIES OF THE LEVITES 21 The Le vite fam i ly heads ap proached the priest El e a zar, Josh ua son of Nun, and the fam i ly heads of the Is ra el ite tribes. 2 At Shi loh, in the land of Ca naan, they told them, “ The L ord com mand ed through Mo ses that we be giv en cit ies to live in, with their pas ture lands for our live stock.” 3 So the Is- ra el ites, by the L ord’ s com mand, gave the Le vites these cit ies with their pas ture lands from their in her i tance. 4 The lot came out for the Kohathite clans: The Levites who were the descendants of the priest Aaron received thirteen cities by lot from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin. 5 The remaining descen - dants of Kohath received ten cities by lot from the clans of the tribes of Ephraim, Dan, and half the tribe of Manasseh. 6 Gershon’s descendants received thir - teen cities by lot from the clans of the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and half the tribe of Manasseh in Bashan. 7 Merari’s descendants received twelve cities for their clans from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun. 8 The Is ra el ites gave these cit ies with their pas- ture lands around them to the Le vites by lot, as the L ord had com mand ed through Mo ses. CITIES OF AARON’S DESCENDANTS 9 The Is ra el ites gave these cit ies by name from the tribes of the de scen dants of Ju dah and Sim e on 10 to the de scen dants of Aar on from the Ko hath ite clans of the Le vites, be cause they re ceived the first lot. 11 They gave them Kiriath-arba ( that is, He bron; Arba was the fa ther of Anak) with its sur round ing pas ture- lands in the hill coun try of Ju dah. 12 But they gave the fields and set tle ments of the city to Ca leb son of Je phun neh as his pos ses sion. 13 They gave to the de scen dants of the priest Aar on: Hebron, the city of refuge for the one who commits manslaughter, with its pas - turelands, Libnah with its pasturelands, a 20:4 Lit in the ears of 201 JOSHUA 19-21 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 201 10/26/17 8:59 PM 14 Jattir with its pasturelands, Eshtemoa with its pasturelands, 15 Holon with its pasturelands, Debir with its pasture - lands, 16 Ain with its pasturelands, Juttah with its pasturelands, and Beth-shemesh with its pasturelands — nine cities from these two tribes. 17 From the tribe of Ben ja min they gave: Gibeon with its pasturelands, Geba with its pasturelands, 18 Anathoth with its pasturelands, and Almon with its pasturelands — four cities. 19 All thirteen cities with their pasturelands were for the priests, the descendants of Aaron. CITIES OF KOHATH’S OTHER DESCENDANTS 20 The al lot ted cit ies to the re main ing clans of Ko hath’s de scen dants, who were Le vites, came from the tribe of Ephra im. 21 The Is ra- el ites gave them: Shechem, the city of refuge for the one who commits manslaughter, with its pas - turelands in the hill country of Ephraim, Gezer with its pasturelands, 22 Kibzaim with its pasturelands, and Beth-horon with its pasturelands — four cities. 23 From the tribe of Dan they gave: Elteke with its pasturelands, Gibbethon with its pasturelands, 24 Aijalon with its pasturelands, and Gath-rimmon with its pasturelands — four cities. 25 From half the tribe of Ma nas seh they gave: Taanach with its pasturelands and Gath-rimmon a with its pasturelands — two cities. 26 All ten cit ies with their pas ture lands were for the clans of Ko hath’s oth er de scen dants. CITIES OF GERSHON’S DESCENDANTS 27 From half the tribe of Ma nas seh, they gave to the de scen dants of Ger shon, who were one of the Le vite clans: Golan, the city of refuge for the one who commits manslaughter, with its pasture - lands in Bashan, and Beeshterah with its pasturelands — two cities. 28 From the tribe of Is sa char they gave: Kishion with its pasturelands, Daberath with its pasturelands, 29 Jarmuth with its pasturelands, and En-gannim with its pasturelands — four cities. 30 From the tribe of Ash er they gave: Mishal with its pasturelands, Abdon with its pasturelands, 31 Helkath with its pas - turelands, and Rehob with its pasture - lands — four cities. 32 From the tribe of Naph ta li they gave: Kedesh in Galilee, the city of refuge for the one who commits manslaughter, with its pasturelands, Hammoth-dor with its pasturelands, and Kartan with its pasturelands — three cities. 33 All thir teen cit ies with their pas ture lands were for the Ger shon ites by their clans. CITIES OF MERARI’S DESCENDANTS 34 From the tribe of Zeb u lun, they gave to the clans of the de scen dants of Me ra ri, who were the re main ing Le vites: Jokneam with its pasturelands, Kartah with its pasturelands, 35 Dimnah with its pasturelands, and Nahalal with its pasturelands — four cities. 36 From the tribe of Reu ben they gave: Bezer with its pasturelands, Jahzah b with its pasturelands, 37 Kedemoth with its pasturelands, and Mephaath with its pasturelands — four cities. c 38 From the tribe of Gad they gave: Ramoth in Gilead, the city of refuge for the one who commits manslaughter, with its pasturelands, Mahanaim with its pasturelands, 39 Heshbon with its pas - turelands, and Jazer with its pasturelands — four cities in all. 40 All twelve cities were allotted to the clans of Merari’s descendants, the remaining Levite clans. 41 With in the Is ra el ite pos ses sion there were forty-eight cit ies in all with their pas ture lands for the Le vites. 42 Each of
🏛️ Covenant Fulfillment and Tribal Unity
🌊 The Lord fulfilled every promise made to Israel, giving them the promised land and rest from their enemies, demonstrating divine faithfulness in action
⚔️ The eastern tribes (Reubenites, Gadites, half-tribe of Manasseh) built an altar not for sacrifice but as a witness of unity between tribes separated by the Jordan River, preventing future division
🛡️ Joshua's farewell address emphasized continued obedience to God's law, warning that turning to foreign gods would transform blessings into curses and lead to Israel's removal from the land
🤝 At Shechem, Joshua led Israel in a covenant renewal ceremony, recounting God's faithfulness throughout their history and challenging them to choose whom they would serve
📜 The people committed to worship only the Lord, and Joshua established a memorial stone as a witness to their pledge, ensuring accountability for future generations
⚱️ The narrative concludes with the burial of three leaders (Joshua, Joseph's bones, and Eleazar), marking the transition to a new era in Israel's history
these cit ies had its own sur round ing pas ture lands; this was true for all the cit ies. THE LORD’S PROMISES FULFILLED 43 So the L ord gave Is ra el all the land he had sworn to give their fa thers, and they took pos- ses sion of it and set tled there. 44 The L ord gave a 21:25 Or Ibleam b 21:36 Or Jahaz c 21:36-37 Some Hb mss omit these vv.JOSHUA 21 202 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 202 10/26/17 8:59 PM them rest on ev ery side ac cord ing to all he had sworn to their fa thers. None of their en e mies were able to stand against them, for the L ord hand ed over all their en e mies to them. 45 None of the good prom is es the L ord had made to the house of Is ra el failed. Ev ery thing was ful filled. EASTERN TRIBES RETURN HOME 22 Josh ua sum moned the Reu ben ites, Gad- ites, and half the tribe of Ma nas seh 2 and told them, “ You have done ev ery thing Mo ses the L ord’ s ser vant com mand ed you and have obeyed me in ev ery thing I com mand ed you. 3 You have not de sert ed your broth ers even once this whole time but have car ried out the re quire ment of the com mand of the L ord your God. 4 Now that he has giv en your broth ers rest, just as he prom ised them, re turn to your homes in your own land that Mo ses the L ord’ s ser vant gave you across the Jor dan. 5 Only care- ful ly obey the com mand and in struc tion that Mo ses the L ord’ s ser vant gave you: to love the L ord your God, walk in all his ways, keep his com mands, be loy al to him, and serve him with all your heart and all your soul.” 6 Josh ua blessed them and sent them on their way , and they went to their homes. 7 Mo ses had giv en ter ri to ry to half the tribe of Ma nas seh in Ba shan, but Josh ua had giv en ter ri to ry to the oth er half, a with their broth ers, on the west side of the Jor dan. When Josh ua sent them to their homes and blessed them, 8 he said, “Re turn to your homes with great wealth: a huge num ber of cat tle, and sil ver, gold, bronze, iron, and a large quan ti ty of cloth ing. Share the spoil of your en e mies with your broth ers.” EASTERN TRIBES BUILD AN ALTAR 9 The Reu ben ites, Gad ites, and half the tribe of Ma nas seh left the Is ra el ites at Shi loh in the land of Ca naan to re turn to their own land of Gil e ad, which they took pos ses sion of ac cord- ing to the L ord’ s com mand through Mo ses. 10 When they came to the re gion of b the Jor dan in the land of Ca naan, the Reu ben ites, Gad ites, and half the tribe of Ma nas seh built a large, im pres sive al tar there by the Jor dan. 11 Then the Is ra el ites heard it said, “ Look, the Reu ben ites, Gad ites, and half the tribe of Ma nas seh have built an al tar on the fron tier of the land of Ca naan at the re gion of c the Jor dan, on the Is ra el ite side.” 12 When the Is ra el ites heard this, the en tire Is ra el ite com mu ni ty as sem bled at Shi loh to go to war against them. EXPLANATION OF THE ALTAR 13 The Is ra el ites sent Phin e has son of El e a zar the priest to the Reu ben ites, Gad ites, and half the tribe of Ma nas seh, in the land of Gil e ad. 14 They sent ten lead ers with him — one fam i ly lead er for each tribe of Is ra el. All of them were heads of their an ces tral fam i lies d among the clans of Is ra el. 15 They went to the Reu ben ites, Gad ites, and half the tribe of Ma nas seh, in the land of Gil e ad, and told them, 16 “ This is what the L ord’ s en tire com mu ni ty says: ‘ What is this treach ery you have com mit ted to day against the God of Is ra el by turn ing away from the L ord and build ing an al tar for your selves, so that you are in re bel lion against the L ord to day? 17 Wasn’t the in iq ui ty of Peor, which brought a plague on the L ord’ s com mu ni ty , enough for us? We have not cleansed our selves from it even to this day , 18 and now would you turn away from the L ord? If you rebel against the L ord to day , to mor row he will be an gry with the en tire com mu ni ty of Is ra el. 19 But if the land you pos sess is de filed, cross over to the land the L ord possesses where the L ord’ s tab er na cle stands, and take pos ses sion of it among us. But don’t rebel against the L ord or against us by build ing for your selves an al tar oth er than the al tar of the L ord our God. 20 Wasn’t Achan son of Ze rah un faith ful re- gard ing what was set apart for de struc tion, bring ing wrath on the en tire com mu ni ty of Is ra el? He was not the only one who per ished be cause of his in iq ui ty .’ ” 21 The Reu ben ites, Gad ites, and half the tribe of Ma nas seh an swered the heads of the Is ra- el ite clans, 22 “ The Mighty One, God, the L ord! The Mighty One, God, the L ord! e He knows, and may Is ra el also know . Do not spare us to- day , if it was in re bel lion or treach ery against the L ord 23 that we have built for our selves an al tar to turn away from him. May the L ord him self hold us ac count able if we in tend ed to off er burnt off er ings and grain off er ings on it, or to sac ri fice fel low ship off er ings on it. 24 We ac tu al ly did this from a spe cifi c con cern that in the fu ture your de scen dants might say to our de scen dants, ‘ What re la tion ship do you have with the L ord, the God of Is ra el? 25 For the L ord has made the Jor dan a bor der a 22:7 Lit to his half b 22:10 Or to Geliloth by c 22:11 Or at Geliloth by d 22:14 Lit the house of their fathers e 22:22 Or The Lord is the God of gods! The Lord is the God of gods! 203 JOSHUA 21-22 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 203 10/26/17 8:59 PM be tween us and you de scen dants of Reu ben and Gad. You have no share in the L ord! ’ So your de scen dants may cause our de scen dants to stop fear ing the L ord. 26 “There fore we said: Let us take ac tion and build an al tar for our selves, but not for burnt off er ing or sac ri fice. 27 In stead, it is to be a wit ness be tween us and you, and be tween the gen er a tions af ter us, so that we may car ry out the wor ship of the L ord in his pres ence with our burnt off er ings, sac ri fic es, and fel low ship off er ings. Then in the fu ture, your de scen dants will not be able to say to our de scen dants, ‘ You have no share in the L ord! ’ 28 We thought that if they said this to us or to our gen er a tions in the fu ture, we would re ply: Look at the rep li ca of the L ord’ s al tar that our fa thers made, not for burnt off er ing or sac ri fice, but as a wit ness be tween us and you. 29 We would nev er ever rebel against the L ord or turn away from him to day by build ing an al tar for burnt off er ing, grain off er ing, or sac ri fice, oth er than the al tar of the L ord our God, which is in front of his tab er na cle.” CONFLICT RESOLVED 30 When the priest Phin e has and the com mu- ni ty lead ers, the heads of Is ra el’s clans who were with him, heard what the de scen dants of Reu ben, Gad, and Ma nas seh had to say , they were pleased. 31 Phin e has son of El e a zar the priest said to the de scen dants of Reu ben, Gad, and Ma nas seh, “To day we know that the L ord is among us, be cause you have not com mit ted this treach ery against him. As a re sult, you have res cued the Is ra el ites from the L ord’ s pow er.” 32 Then the priest Phin e has son of El e a zar and the lead ers re turned from the Reu ben ites and Gad ites in the land of Gil e ad to the Is ra el- ites in the land of Ca naan and brought back a re port to them. 33 The Is ra el ites were pleased with the re port, and they blessed God. They spoke no more about go ing to war against them to rav age the land where the Reu ben- ites and Gad ites lived. 34 So the Reu ben ites and Gad ites named the al tar: It a is a wit ness be tween us that the L ord is God. JOSHUA’S FAREWELL ADDRESS 23 A long time af ter the L ord had giv en Is ra el rest from all the en e mies around them, Josh ua was old, ad vanced in age. 2 So Josh- ua sum moned all Is ra el, in clud ing its el ders, lead ers, judg es, and off i cers, and said to them, “ I am old, ad vanced in age, 3 and you have seen for your selves ev ery thing the L ord your God did to all these na tions on your ac count, be cause it was the L ord your God who was fight ing for you. 4 See, I have al lot ted these re main ing na- tions to you as an in her i tance for your tribes, in clud ing all the na tions I have de stroyed, from the Jor dan west ward to the Med i ter ra nean Sea. 5 The L ord your God will force them back on your ac count and drive them out be fore you so that you can take pos ses sion of their land, as the L ord your God prom ised you. 6 “ Be very strong and con tin ue obey ing all that is writ ten in the book of the law of Mo ses, so that you do not turn from it to the right or left 7 and so that you do not as so ci ate with these na tions re main ing among you. Do not call on the names of their gods or make an oath to them; do not serve them or bow in wor ship to them. 8 In stead, be loy al to the L ord your God, as you have been to this day . 9 “ The L ord has driv en out great and pow- er ful na tions be fore you, and no one is able to stand against you to this day . 10 One of you rout ed a thou sand be cause the L ord your God was fight ing for you, as he prom ised. b 11 So dil- i gent ly watch your selves! Love the L ord your God! 12 If you ever turn away and be come loy al to the rest of these na tions re main ing among you, and if you in ter mar ry or as so ci ate with them and they with you, 13 know for cer tain that the L ord your God will not con tin ue to drive these na tions out be fore you. They will be come a snare and a trap for you, a sharp stick c for your sides and thorns in your eyes, un til you dis ap pear from this good land the L ord your God has giv en you. 14 “ I am now go ing the way of the whole earth, and you know with all your heart and all your soul that none of the good prom is es the L ord your God made to you has failed. Ev- ery thing was ful filled for you; not one prom ise has failed. 15 Since ev ery good thing the L ord your God prom ised you has come about, so he will bring on you ev ery bad thing un til he has an ni hi lat ed you from this good land the L ord your God has giv en you. 16 If you break the cov enant of the L ord your God, which he com mand ed you, and go and serve oth er gods, and bow in wor ship to them, the L ord’ s an ger will burn against you, and you will quick ly dis- ap pear from this good land he has giv en you.” a 22:34 Some Hb mss, Syr , Tg read altar Witness because it b 23:10 Lit promised you c 23:13 Or a whip ; Hb obscureJOSHUA 22-23 204 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 204 10/26/17 8:59 PM REVIEW OF ISRAEL’S HISTORY 24 Josh ua as sem bled all the tribes of Is ra- el at She chem and sum moned Is ra el’s el ders, lead ers, judg es, and off i cers, and they pre sent ed them selves be fore God. 2 Josh ua said to all the peo ple, “ This is what the L ord, the God of Is ra el, says: ‘ Long ago your an ces- tors, in clud ing Te rah, the fa ther of Abra ham and Na hor, lived be yond the Eu phra tes Riv er and wor shiped oth er gods. 3 But I took your fa ther Abra ham from the re gion be yond the Eu phra tes Riv er, led him through out the land of Ca naan, and mul ti plied his de scen dants. I gave him Isaac, 4 and to Isaac I gave Ja cob and Esau. I gave the hill coun try of Seir to Esau as a pos ses sion. “ ‘Ja cob and his sons, how ev er, went down to Egypt. 5 I sent Mo ses and Aar on, and I de- feat ed Egypt by what I did with in it, and af- ter ward I brought you out. 6 When I brought your fa thers out of Egypt and you reached the Red Sea, the Egyp tians pur sued your fa thers with char i ots and horse men as far as the sea. 7 Your fa thers cried out to the L ord, so he put dark ness be tween you and the Egyp tians, and brought the sea over them, en gulfi ng them. Your own eyes saw what I did to Egypt. Af ter that, you lived in the wil der ness a long time. 8 “ ‘Lat er, I brought you to the land of the Am o rites who lived be yond the Jor dan. They fought against you, but I hand ed them over to you. You pos sessed their land, and I an ni hi lat ed them be fore you. 9 Ba lak son of Zip por, king of Moab, set out to fight against Is ra el. He sent for Ba laam son of Beor to curse you, 10 but I would not lis ten to Ba laam. In stead, he re peat- ed ly blessed you, and I res cued you from him. 11 “ ‘ You then crossed the Jor dan and came to Jer i cho. Jer i cho’s cit i zens — as well as the Am o rites, Per iz zites, Ca naan ites, Heth ites, Gir ga shites, Hi vites, and Jeb u sites — fought against you, but I hand ed them over to you. 12 I sent hornets a ahead of you, and they drove out the two Am o rite kings be fore you. It was not by your sword or bow . 13 I gave you a land you did not la bor for, and cit ies you did not build, though you live in them; you are eat ing from vine yards and ol ive groves you did not plant.’ THE COVENANT RENEWAL 14 “There fore, fear the L ord and wor ship him in sin cer i ty and truth. Get rid of the gods your fa thers wor shiped be yond the Eu phra tes Riv er and in Egypt, and wor ship the L ord. 15 But if it doesn’t please you to wor ship the L ord, choose for your selves to day: Which will you wor ship — the gods your fa thers wor shiped be yond the Eu phra tes Riv er or the gods of the Am o rites in whose land you are liv ing? As for me and my fam i ly , we will wor ship the L ord.” 16 The peo ple re plied, “ We will cer tain ly not aban don the L ord to wor ship oth er gods! 17 For the L ord our God brought us and our fa thers out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slav ery , and per formed these great signs be- fore our eyes. He also pro tect ed us all along the way we went and among all the peo ples whose lands we trav eled through. 18 The L ord drove out be fore us all the peo ples, in clud ing the Am o rites who lived in the land. We too will wor ship the L ord , be cause he is our God.” 19 But Josh ua told the peo ple, “ You will not be able to wor ship the L ord, be cause he is a holy God. He is a jeal ous God; he will not for give your trans gres sions and sins. 20 If you aban don the L ord and wor ship for eign gods, he will turn against you, harm you, and com plete ly de stroy you, af ter he has been good to you.” 21 “ No! ” the peo ple an swered Josh ua. “ We will wor ship the L ord.” 22 Josh ua then told the peo ple, “ You are wit- ness es against your selves that you your selves have cho sen to wor ship the L ord.” “ We are wit ness es,” they said. 23 “ Then get rid of the for eign gods that are among you and turn your hearts to the L ord, the God of Is ra el.” 24 So the peo ple said to Josh ua, “ We will wor - ship the L ord our God and obey him.” 25 On that day Josh ua made a cov enant for the peo ple at She chem and es tab lished a stat ute and or di nance for them. 26 Josh ua re cord ed these things in the book of the law of God; he also took a large stone and set it up there un der the oak at the sanc tu ary of the L ord. 27 And Josh ua said to all the peo ple, “ You see this stone — it will be a wit ness against us, for it has heard all the words the L ord said to us, and it will be a wit ness against you, so that you will not deny your God.” 28 Then Josh ua sent the peo ple away , each to his own in her i tance. BURIAL OF THREE LEADERS 29 Af ter these things, the L ord’ s ser vant, Josh ua son of Nun, died at the age of 110. 30 They bur ied him in his al lot ted ter ri to ry at Timnath-serah, a 24:12 Or sent terror 205 JOSHUA 24 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 205 10/26/17 8:59 PM in the hill coun try of Ephra im north of Mount Ga ash. 31 Is ra el wor shiped the L ord through- out Josh ua’s life time and dur ing the life times of the el ders who out lived Josh ua and who had ex pe ri enced all the works the L ord had done for Is ra el. 32 Jo seph’s bones, which the Is ra el ites had brought up from Egypt, were bur ied at She chem in the par cel of land Ja cob had pur chased from the sons of Ha mor, She chem’s fa ther, for a hun dred pieces of sil ver. a It was an in- her i tance for Jo seph’s de scen dants. 33 And El e a zar son of Aar on died, and they bur ied him at Gib e ah, b which had been giv- en to his son Phin e has in the hill coun try of Ephra im. a 24:32 Lit a hundred qesitahs b 24:33 = the HillJOSHUA 24 206 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 206 10/26/17 8:59 PM JudGes JUDAH’S LEADERSHIP AGAINST THE CANAANITES 1 Af ter the death of Josh ua, the Is ra el ites in - quired of the L ord, “ Who will be the first to fight for us against the Ca naan ites? ” 2 The L ord an swered, “Ju dah is to go. I have hand ed the land over to him.” 3 Ju dah said to his broth er Sim e on, “ Come with me to my al lot ted ter ri to ry , and let us fight against the Ca naan ites. I will also go with you to your al lot ted ter ri to ry .” So Sim e on went with him. 4 When Ju dah at tacked, the L ord hand ed the Ca naan ites and Per iz zites
🗡️ Conquest and Consequences
🏙️ Tribal warfare dominates as Israelites battle Canaanites, with Judah capturing territories while cutting off the thumbs and toes of enemy king Adoni-bezek in divine retribution
⚔️ Partial conquest reveals a pattern where many tribes fail to drive out local inhabitants completely, instead forcing them into labor and living among them
🔄 Cycle of disobedience emerges as Israelites abandon God, worship local deities, face divine punishment, cry out for help, and receive deliverance through judges
👩⚖️ Judges as deliverers including Othniel, Ehud (who assassinates the fat Moabite king), Shamgar, and Deborah (who partners with Barak to defeat Sisera's army)
🛡️ Divine testing occurs as God intentionally leaves nations in the land to test Israel's faithfulness and teach warfare to new generations
📜 Covenant violation leads to God declaring He will no longer drive out the remaining nations, leaving them as "thorns" to challenge Israel's commitment
over to them. They struck down ten thou sand men in Be zek. 5 They found Ad o ni-be zek in Be zek, fought against him, and struck down the Ca naan ites and Per iz zites. 6 When Ad o ni-be zek fled, they pur sued him, caught him, and cut off his thumbs and big toes. 7 Ad o ni-be zek said, “Sev en ty kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off used to pick up scraps a un der my ta ble. God has re paid me for what I have done.” They brought him to Je ru sa lem, and he died there. 8 The men of Ju dah fought against Je ru sa- lem, cap tured it, put it to the sword, and set the city on fire. 9 Af ter ward, the men of Ju dah marched down to fight against the Ca naan- ites who were liv ing in the hill coun try , the Ne gev , and the Ju de an foot hills. b 10 Ju dah also marched against the Ca naan ites who were liv ing in He bron (He bron was for mer ly named Kiriath-arba). They struck down She shai, Ahi- man, and Tal mai. 11 From there they marched against the res i dents of De bir (De bir was for - mer ly named Kiriath-sepher). 12 Ca leb said, “Who ev er at tacks and cap- tures Kiriath-sepher, I will give my daugh ter Ach sah to him as a wife.” 13 So Oth ni el son of Ke naz, Ca leb’s youn gest broth er, cap tured it, and Ca leb gave his daugh ter Ach sah to him as his wife. 14 When she ar rived, she per suad ed Oth ni el to ask her fa ther for a field. As she got off her don key , Ca leb asked her, “ What do you want? ” 15 She an swered him, “ Give me a bless ing. Since you have giv en me land in the Ne gev , give me springs also.” So Ca leb gave her both the up per and low er springs. 16 The de scen dants of the Ke nite, Moses’s father-in-law , had gone up with the men of Ju dah from the City of Palms c to the Wil der - ness of Ju dah, which was in the Ne gev of Arad. They went to live among the peo ple. 17 Ju dah went with his broth er Sim e on, struck the Ca naan ites who were liv ing in Ze- phath, and com plete ly de stroyed the town. So they named the town Hor mah. 18 Ju dah cap tured Gaza and its ter ri to ry , Ash ke lon and its ter ri to ry , and Ek ron and its ter ri to ry . 19 The L ord was with Ju dah and en abled them to take pos ses sion of the hill coun try , but they could not drive out the peo ple who were liv- ing in the val ley be cause those peo ple had iron char i ots. 20 Ju dah gave He bron to Ca leb, just as Mo ses had prom ised. Then Ca leb drove out the three sons of Anak who lived there. BENJAMIN’S FAILURE 21 At the same time the Ben ja min ites did not drive out the Jeb u sites who were liv ing in Je- ru sa lem. The Jeb u sites have lived among the Ben ja min ites in Je ru sa lem to this day . SUCCESS OF THE HOUSE OF JOSEPH 22 The house of Jo seph also at tacked Beth el, and the L ord was with them. 23 They sent spies to Beth el ( the town was for mer ly named Luz). 24 The spies saw a man com ing out of the town and said to him, “ Please show us how to get into town, and we will show you kind ness.” 25 When he showed them the way into the town, they put the town to the sword but re leased the man and his en tire fam i ly . 26 Then the man went to the land of the Hit tites, built a town, and named it Luz. That is its name still to day . FAILURE OF THE OTHER TRIBES 27 At that time Ma nas seh failed to take pos- ses sion of Beth-she an and Ta a nach and their sur round ing vil lages, or the res i dents of Dor, Ib le am, and Me gid do and their sur round ing vil lages; the Ca naan ites were de ter mined to stay in this land. 28 When Is ra el be came a 1:7 Lit toes cut off are gathering b 1:9 Or the Shephelah c 1:16 = Jericho; Dt 34:3; Jdg 3:13; 2Ch 28:15 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 207 10/26/17 8:59 PM stron ger, they made the Ca naan ites serve as forced la bor but nev er drove them out com- plete ly . 29 At that time Ephra im failed to drive out the Ca naan ites who were liv ing in Ge zer, so the Ca naan ites have lived among them in Ge zer. 30 Zeb u lun failed to drive out the res i dents of Kit ron or the res i dents of Na ha lol, so the Ca naan ites lived among them and served as forced la bor. 31 Ash er failed to drive out the res i dents of Acco or of Si don, or Ah lab, Ach zib, Hel bah, Aphik, or Re hob. 32 The Ash er ites lived among the Ca naan ites who were liv ing in the land, be cause they failed to drive them out. 33 Naph ta li did not drive out the res i dents of Beth-she mesh or the res i dents of Beth- a nath. They lived among the Ca naan ites who were liv ing in the land, but the res i dents of Beth-she mesh and Beth-a nath served as their forced la bor. 34 The Am o rites forced the Dan ites into the hill coun try and did not al low them to go down into the val ley . 35 The Am o rites were de ter mined to stay in a Har-heres, Ai ja lon, and Sha al bim. When the house of Jo seph got the up per hand, b the Am o rites c were made to serve as forced la bor. 36 The ter ri to ry of the Am o rites ex tend ed from the Scor pi ons’ As- cent, that is from Sela up ward. PATTERN OF SIN AND JUDGMENT 2 The an gel of the L ord went up from Gil gal to Bo chim and said, “ I brought you out of Egypt and led you into the land I had prom- ised to your fa thers. I also said: I will nev er break my cov enant with you. 2 You are not to make a cov enant with the in hab i tants of this land. You are to tear down their al tars. But you have not obeyed me. What is this you have done? 3 There fore, I now say: I will not drive out these peo ple be fore you. They will be thorns d,e in your sides, and their gods will be a trap for you.” 4 When the an gel of the L ord had spo ken these words to all the Is ra el ites, the peo ple wept loud ly . 5 So they named that place Bo chim f and off ered sac ri fic es there to the L ord. JOSHUA’S DEATH 6 Pre vi ous ly , when Josh ua had sent the peo ple away , the Is ra el ites had gone to take pos ses sion of the land, each to his own in her i tance. 7 The peo ple wor shiped the L ord through out Josh- ua’s life time and dur ing the life times of the el ders who out lived g Josh ua. They had seen all the L ord’ s great works he had done for Is ra el. 8 Josh ua son of Nun, the ser vant of the L ord, died at the age of 110. 9 They bur ied him in the ter ri to ry of his in her i tance, in Timnath-heres, in the hill coun try of Ephra im, north of Mount Ga ash. 10 That whole gen er a tion was also gath- ered to their an ces tors. Af ter them an oth er gen er a tion rose up who did not know the L ord or the works he had done for Is ra el. 11 The Is ra el ites did what was evil in the L ord’ s sight. They wor shiped the Baals 12 and aban doned the L ord, the God of their fa thers, who had brought them out of Egypt. They fol lowed oth er gods from the sur round ing peo ples and bowed down to them. They an- gered the L ord, 13 for they aban doned him and wor shiped Baal and the Ash to reths. 14 The L ord’ s an ger burned against Is ra el, and he hand ed them over to ma raud ers who raid ed them. He sold them to h the en e mies around them, and they could no lon ger re sist their en e mies. 15 When ev er the Is ra el ites went out, the L ord i was against them and brought di sas ter on them, just as he had prom ised and sworn to them. So they suff ered great ly . 16 The L ord raised up judg es, who saved them from the pow er of their ma raud ers, 17 but they did not lis ten to their judg es. In stead, they pros- ti tut ed them selves with oth er gods, bow ing down to them. They quick ly turned from the way of their fa thers, who had walked in obe- di ence to the L ord’ s com mands. They did not do as their fa thers did. 18 When ev er the L ord raised up a judge for the Is ra el ites, the L ord was with him and saved the peo ple from the pow er of their en e mies while the judge was still alive. j The L ord was moved to pity when- ev er they groaned be cause of those who were op press ing and afflicting them. 19 When ev er the judge died, the Is ra el ites would act even more cor rupt ly than their fa thers, fol low ing oth er gods to serve them and bow in wor ship to them. They did not turn from their evil prac- tic es or their ob sti nate ways. 20 The L ord’ s an ger burned against Is ra- el, and he de clared, “Be cause this na tion has vi o lat ed my cov enant that I made with their fa thers and dis obeyed me, 21 I will no lon ger a 1:35 Or Amorites determined to live in b 1:35 Lit When the hand of the house of Joseph was heavy c 1:35 LXX reads Joseph became strong on the Amorites, they d 2:3 LXX reads affliction e 2:3 Lit traps f 2:5 Or Weeping g 2:7 Lit extended their days after h 2:14 Lit into the hand of i 2:15 Lit the hand of the Lord j 2:18 Lit enemies all the days of the judgeJUDGES 1-2 208 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 208 10/26/17 8:59 PM drive out be fore them any of the na tions Josh- ua left when he died. 22 I did this to test Is ra el and to see wheth er or not they would keep the L ord’ s way by walk ing in it, as their fa thers had.” 23 The L ord left these na tions and did not drive them out im me di ate ly . He did not hand them over to Josh ua. THE LORD TESTS ISRAEL 3 These are the na tions the L ord left in or der to test all those in Is ra el who had ex pe ri- enced a none of the wars in Ca naan. 2 This was to teach the fu ture gen er a tions of the Is ra el ites how to fight in bat tle, es pe cial ly those who had not fought be fore. b 3 These na tions in clud ed the five rul ers of the Phi lis tines and all of the Ca naan ites, the Si do ni ans, and the Hi vites who lived in the Lebanese moun tains from Mount Baal-her mon as far as the en trance to Ha math. c 4 The L ord left them to test Is ra el, to de ter mine if they would keep the L ord’ s com mands he had giv en their fa thers through d Mo ses. 5 But they set tled among the Ca naan ites, Heth ites, Am o rites, Per iz zites, Hi vites, and Jeb u sites. 6 The Is ra el ites took their daugh ters as wives for them selves, gave their own daugh ters to their sons, and wor shiped their gods. OTHNIEL, THE FIRST JUDGE 7 The Is ra el ites did what was evil in the L ord’ s sight; they for got the L ord their God and wor - shiped the Baals and the Ashe rahs. 8 The L ord’ s an ger burned against Is ra el, and he sold them to e King Cushan-rishathaim f of Aram-na ha ra- im, g and the Is ra el ites served him eight years. 9 The Is ra el ites cried out to the L ord . So the L ord raised up Oth ni el son of Ke naz, Ca- leb’s youn gest broth er, as a de liv er er to save the Is ra el ites. 10 The Spir it of the L ord came on him, and he judged Is ra el. Oth ni el went out to bat tle, and the L ord hand ed over King Cushan-rishathaim of Aram to him, so that Oth ni el over pow ered him. 11 Then the land had peace for for ty years, and Oth ni el son of Ke naz died. EHUD 12 The Is ra el ites again did what was evil in the L ord’ s sight. He gave King Eg lon of Moab pow er over Is ra el, be cause they had done what was evil in the L ord’ s sight. 13 Af ter Eg lon con- vinced the Am mon ites and the Am a lek ites to join forc es with him, he at tacked and de feat- ed Is ra el and took pos ses sion of the City of Palms. h 14 The Is ra el ites served King Eg lon of Moab eigh teen years. 15 Then the Is ra el ites cried out to the L ord, and he raised up Ehud son of Gera, a left-hand - ed Ben ja min ite, i as a de liv er er for them. The Is ra el ites sent him with the trib ute for King Eg lon of Moab. 16 Ehud made him self a double-edged sword eigh teen inch es long. j He strapped it to his right thigh un der his clothes 17 and brought the trib ute to King Eg lon of Moab, who was an ex treme ly fat man. 18 When Ehud had fin- ished pre sent ing the trib ute, he dis missed the peo ple who had car ried it. 19 At the carved im ages near Gil gal he re turned and said, “ King Eg lon, I have a se cret mes sage for you.” The king said, “Si lence! ” and all his at ten dants left him. 20 Then Ehud ap proached him while he was sit ting alone in his up stairs room where it was cool. Ehud said, “ I have a mes sage from God for you,” and the king stood up from his throne. 21 Ehud reached with his left hand, took the sword from his right thigh, and plunged it into Eg lon’s bel ly . 22 Even the han dle went in af ter the blade, and Eg lon’s fat closed in over it, so that Ehud did not with draw the sword from his bel ly . And the waste came out. k 23 Ehud es caped by way of the porch, clos ing and locking the doors of the up stairs room be hind him. 24 Ehud was gone when Eg lon’s ser vants came in. They looked and found the doors of the up stairs room locked and thought he was re liev ing him self l in the cool room. 25 The ser - vants wait ed un til they be came em bar rassed and saw that he had still not opened the doors of the up stairs room. So they took the key and opened the doors — and there was their lord ly ing dead on the floor! 26 Ehud es caped while the ser vants wait- ed. He passed the Jor dan near the carved im- ages and reached Se i rah. 27 Af ter he ar rived, he sound ed the ram’s horn through out the hill coun try of Ephra im. The Is ra el ites came down with him from the hill coun try , and he be came their lead er. 28 He told them, “Fol low me, be cause the L ord has hand ed over your en e mies, the Mo ab ites, to you.” So they fol- lowed him, cap tured the fords of the Jor dan lead ing to Moab, and did not al low any one to a 3:1 Lit had known b 3:2 Lit not known it c 3:3 Or as Lebo-hamath d 3:4 Lit by the hand of e 3:8 Lit into the hand of f 3:8 Lit Doubly-Evil g 3:8 = Mesopotamia h 3:13 = Jericho; Dt 34:3; Jdg 1:16; 2Ch 28:15 i 3:15 = son of the right hand j 3:16 Lit sword a gomed in length k 3:22 Or And Eglon’s bowels discharged l 3:24 Lit was covering his feet 209 JUDGES 2-3 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 209 10/26/17 8:59 PM cross over. 29 At that time they struck down about ten thou sand Mo ab ites, all stout and able-bodied men. Not one of them es caped. 30 Moab be came sub ject to Is ra el that day , and the land had peace for eighty years. SHAMGAR 31 Af ter Ehud, Sham gar son of Anath be came judge. He also de liv ered Is ra el, strik ing down six hun dred Phi lis tines with a cat tle prod. DEBORAH AND BARAK 4 The Is ra el ites again did what was evil in the sight of the L ord af ter Ehud had died. 2 So the L ord sold them to King Ja bin of Ca- naan, who reigned in Ha zor. The com mand er of his army was Sis era who lived in Ha ro sheth of the Na tions. a 3 Then the Is ra el ites cried out to the L ord, be cause Ja bin had nine hun dred iron char i ots, and he harsh ly op pressed them twen ty years. 4 Deb o rah, a proph et ess and the wife of Lap pi doth, was judg ing Is ra el at that time. 5 She would sit un der the palm tree of Deb- o rah be tween Ra mah and Beth el in the hill coun try of Ephra im, and the Is ra el ites went up to her to set tle dis putes. 6 She sum moned Bar ak son of Abin o am from Ke desh in Naph ta li and said to him, “ Hasn’t the L ord, the God of Is ra el, com mand ed you: ‘ Go, deploy the troops on Mount Ta bor, and take with you ten thou sand men from the Naph ta lites and Zeb u lun ites? 7 Then I will lure Sis era com mand er of Ja bin’s army , his char i ots, and his infantry at the Wadi Ki shon to fight against you, and I will hand him over to you.’ ” 8 Bar ak said to her, “ If you will go with me, I will go. But if you will not go with me, I will not go.” 9 “ I will glad ly go with you,” she said, “ but you will re ceive no hon or on the road you are about to take, be cause the L ord will sell Sis era to a wom an.” So Deb o rah got up and went with Bar ak to Ke desh. 10 Bar ak sum moned Zeb u lun and Naph ta li to Ke desh; ten thou sand men fol- lowed him, and Deb o rah also went with him. 11 Now He ber the Ke nite had moved away from the Ke nites, the sons of Ho bab, Moses’s father-in-law , and pitched his tent be side the oak tree of Za a nan nim, which was near Ke desh. 12 It was re port ed to Sis era that Bar ak son of Abin o am had gone up Mount Ta bor. 13 Sis era sum moned all his nine hun dred iron char i ots and all the troops who were with him from Ha ro sheth of the Na tions to the Wadi Ki shon. 14 Then Deb o rah said to Bar ak, “ Go! This is the day the L ord has hand ed Sis era over to you. Hasn’t the L ord gone be fore you? ” So Bar ak came down from Mount Ta bor with ten thou - sand men fol low ing him. 15 The L ord threw Sis era, all his char i ot eers, and all his army into a pan ic be fore Bar ak’s assault. Sis era left his char i ot and fled on foot. 16 Bar ak pur sued the char i ots and the army as far as Ha ro sheth of the Na tions, and the whole army of Sis era fell by the sword; not a sin gle man was left. 17 Mean while, Sis era had fled on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of He ber the Ke nite, be- cause there was peace be tween King Ja bin of Ha zor and the fam i ly of He ber the Ke nite. 18 Jael went out to greet Sis era and said to him, “ Come in, my lord. Come in with me. Don’t be afraid.” So he went into her tent, and she cov ered him with a blan ket. 19 He said to her, “ Please give me a lit tle wa ter to drink for I am thirsty .” She opened a con
🗡️ Jael's Deadly Triumph
🛌 Jael lures enemy commander Sisera into her tent, offering milk and shelter before driving a tent peg through his temple while he sleeps, fulfilling Israel's deliverance from oppression
🎵 Deborah and Barak celebrate this victory with a powerful song that recounts God's intervention, praises tribal allies, and condemns those who failed to join the battle
⚔️ Gideon emerges as Israel's next deliverer when God calls this "valiant warrior" to free his people from Midianite oppression despite his initial doubts and humble origins
🔥 Divine confirmation comes through miraculous signs—fire consuming Gideon's offering and the selective wetting/drying of a fleece—strengthening his resolve to lead
🎺 God deliberately reduces Gideon's army to just 300 men who attack with trumpets, torches, and empty pitchers, creating confusion that causes the Midianites to destroy themselves
🤝 Tribal politics emerge after the victory as Ephraim complains about being excluded, but Gideon skillfully defuses the situation with diplomatic humility
tain er of milk, gave him a drink, and cov ered him again. 20 Then he said to her, “ Stand at the en trance to the tent. If a man comes and asks you, ‘ Is there a man here? ’ say , ‘ No.’ ” 21 While he was sleep ing from exhaustion, He ber’s wife Jael took a tent peg, grabbed a ham mer, and went silently to Sis era. She ham mered the peg into his tem- ple and drove it into the ground, and he died. 22 When Bar ak ar rived in pur suit of Sis era, Jael went out to greet him and said to him, “ Come and I will show you the man you are look ing for.” So he went in with her, and there was Sis era ly ing dead with a tent peg through his tem ple! 23 That day God sub dued King Ja bin of Ca- naan be fore the Is ra el ites. 24 The pow er of the Is ra el ites con tin ued to in crease against King Ja bin of Ca naan un til they de stroyed him. DEBORAH’S SONG 5 On that day Deb o rah and Bar ak son of Abin o am sang: 2 When the leaders lead b in Israel, when the people volunteer, blessed be the Lord. 3 Listen, kings! Pay attention, princes! I will sing to the Lord; I will sing praise to the Lord God of Israel. a 4:2 Or Harosheth-ha-goiim, also in vv. 13,16 b 5:2 Or the locks of hair are looseJUDGES 3-5 210 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 210 10/26/17 8:59 PM 4 Lord, when you came from Seir, when you marched from the fields of Edom, the earth trembled, the skies poured rain, and the clouds poured water. 5 The mountains melted before the Lord, even Sinai, a before the Lord, the God of Israel. 6 In the days of Shamgar son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the main roads were deserted because travelers kept to the side roads. 7 Villages were deserted, b they were deserted in Israel, until I, c Deborah, arose, a mother in Israel. 8 Israel chose new gods, then there was war in the city gates. Not a shield or spear was seen among forty thousand in Israel. 9 My heart is with the leaders of Israel, with the volunteers of the people. Blessed be the Lord! 10 You who ride on white b donkeys, who sit on saddle blankets, and who travel on the road, give praise! 11 Let them tell the righteous acts of the Lord, the righteous deeds of his warriors in Israel, with the voices of the singers at the watering places. b Then the Lord’s people went down to the city gates. 12 “ Awake! Awake, Deborah! Awake! Awake, sing a song! Arise, Barak, and take your prisoners, son of Abinoam! ” 13 Then the survivors came down to the nobles; the Lord’s people came down to me d with the warriors. 14 Those with their roots in Amalek e came from Ephraim; Benjamin came with your people after you. The leaders came down from Machir, and those who carry a marshal’s staff came from Zebulun. 15 The princes of Issachar were with Deborah; Issachar was with Barak; they were under his leadership f in the valley . There was great searching g of heart among the clans of Reuben. 16 Why did you sit among the sheep pens h listening to the playing of pipes for the flocks? There was great searching of heart among the clans of Reuben. 17 Gilead remained beyond the Jordan. Dan, why did you linger at the ships? Asher remained at the seashore and stayed in his harbors. 18 The people of Zebulun defied death, Naphtali also, on the heights of the battlefield. 19 Kings came and fought. Then the kings of Canaan fought at Taanach by the Waters of Megiddo, but they did not plunder the silver. 20 The stars fought from the heavens; the stars fought with Sisera from their paths. 21 The river Kishon swept them away , the ancient river, the river Kishon. March on, my soul, in strength! 22 The horses’ hooves then hammered — the galloping, galloping of his i stallions. 23 “Curse Meroz,” says the angel of the Lord, “Bitterly curse her inhabitants, for they did not come to help the Lord, to help the Lord with the warriors.” 24 Jael is most blessed of women, the wife of Heber the Kenite; she is most blessed among tent-dwelling women. 25 He asked for water; she gave him milk. She brought him cream in a majestic bowl. 26 She reached for a tent peg, her right hand, for a workman’s hammer. Then she hammered Sisera — a 5:5 Or Lord, this one of Sinai b 5:7,10,11 Hb obscure c 5:7 Or you d 5:13 LXX reads down for him e 5:14 LXX reads in the valley f 5:15 Lit they set out as his feet g 5:15 Some Hb mss, Syr read There were great resolves h 5:16 Or the campfires i 5:22 = Sisera’s 211 JUDGES 5 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 211 10/26/17 8:59 PM she crushed his head; she shattered and pierced his temple. 27 He collapsed, he fell, he lay down between her feet; he collapsed, he fell between her feet; where he collapsed, there he fell — dead. 28 Sisera’s mother looked through the window; she peered through the lattice, crying out: “Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why don’t I hear the hoofbeats of his horses? ” a 29 Her wisest princesses answer her; she even answers herself: b 30 “ Are they not finding and dividing the spoil — a girl or two c for each warrior, the spoil of colored garments for Sisera, the spoil of an embroidered garment or two for my neck? ” d 31 Lord, may all your enemies perish as Sisera did. e But may those who love him be like the rising of the sun in its strength. And the land had peace for for ty years. MIDIAN OPPRESSES ISRAEL 6 The Is ra el ites did what was evil in the sight of the L ord. So the L ord hand ed them over to Mid i an sev en years, 2 and they op pressed Is ra el. Be cause of Mid i an, the Is ra el ites made hid ing plac es for them selves in the moun tains, caves, and strong holds. 3 When ev er the Is ra el- ites plant ed crops, the Mid i an ites, Am a lek ites, and the Qed e mites came and at tacked them. 4 They en camped against them and de stroyed the pro duce of the land, even as far as Gaza. They left noth ing for Is ra el to eat, as well as no sheep, ox, or don key . 5 For the Mid i an ites came with their cat tle and their tents like a great swarm of lo custs. They and their cam- els were with out num ber, and they en tered the land to lay waste to it. 6 So Is ra el be came pover ty-strick en be cause of Mid i an, and the Is ra el ites cried out to the L ord.7 When the Is ra el ites cried out to him be- cause of Mid i an, 8 the L ord sent a proph et to them. He said to them, “ This is what the L ord God of Is ra el says: ‘ I brought you out of Egypt and out of the place of slav ery . 9 I res cued you from the pow er of Egypt and the pow er of all who op pressed you. I drove them out be fore you and gave you their land. 10 I said to you: I am the L ord your God. Do not fear the gods of the Am o rites whose land you live in. But you did not obey me.’ ” THE LORD CALLS GIDEON 11 The an gel of the L ord came, and he sat un der the oak that was in Oph rah, which be longed to Jo ash, the Abi ez rite. His son Gid e on was thresh ing wheat in the wine press in or der to hide it from the Mid i an ites. 12 Then the an gel of the L ord ap peared to him and said: “ The L ord is with you, val iant war rior.” 13 Gid e on said to him, “ Please, my lord, if the L ord is with us, why has all this hap pened? And where are all his won ders that our fa thers told us about? They said, ‘ Hasn’t the L ord brought us out of Egypt? ’ But now the L ord has aban- doned us and hand ed us over to Mid i an.” 14 The L ord turned to him and said, “ Go in the strength you have and de liv er Is ra el from the grasp of Mid i an. I am send ing you! ” 15 He said to him, “ Please, Lord, how can I de liv er Is ra el? Look, my fam i ly is the weak est in Ma nas seh, and I am the youn gest in my fa ther’s fam i ly .” 16 “ But I will be with you,” the L ord said to him. “ You will strike Mid i an down as if it were one man.” 17 Then he said to him, “ If I have found fa vor with you, give me a sign that you are speak ing with me. 18 Please do not leave this place un til I re turn to you. Let me bring my gift and set it be fore you.” And he said, “ I will stay un til you re turn.” 19 So Gid e on went and pre pared a young goat and un leav ened bread from a half bushel f of flour. He placed the meat in a bas ket and the broth in a pot. He brought them out and off ered them to him un der the oak. 20 The an gel of God said to him, “ Take the meat with the un leav ened bread, put it on this stone, and pour the broth on it.” So he did that. 21 The an gel of the L ord ex tend ed the tip of the staff that was in his hand and touched the a 5:28 Lit Why have the hoofbeats of his chariots delayed b 5:29 Lit answers her words c 5:30 Lit a womb or two wombs d 5:30 Hb obscure e 5:31 Lit perish in this way f 6:19 Lit an ephahJUDGES 5-6 212 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 212 10/26/17 8:59 PM meat and the un leav ened bread. Fire came up from the rock and con sumed the meat and the un leav ened bread. Then the an gel of the L ord van ished from his sight. 22 When Gid e on re al ized that he was the an gel of the L ord, he said, “ Oh no, Lord G od! I have seen the an gel of the L ord face to face! ” 23 But the L ord said to him, “ Peace to you. Don’t be afraid, for you will not die.” 24 So Gid- e on built an al tar to the L ord there and called it The L ord Is Peace. a It is still in Oph rah of the Abi ez rites to day . GIDEON TEARS DOWN A BAAL ALTAR 25 On that very night the L ord said to him, “ Take your fa ther’s young bull and a sec ond bull sev en years old. Then tear down the al tar of Baal that be longs to your fa ther and cut down the Ashe rah pole be side it. 26 Build a well-constructed al tar to the L ord your God on the top of this mound. Take the sec ond bull and off er it as a burnt off er ing with the wood of the Ashe rah pole you cut down.” 27 So Gid- e on took ten of his male ser vants and did as the L ord had told him. But be cause he was too afraid of his fa ther’s fam i ly and the men of the city to do it in the day time, he did it at night. 28 When the men of the city got up in the morn ing, they found Baal’s al tar torn down, the Ashe rah pole be side it cut down, and the sec ond bull off ered up on the al tar that had been built. 29 They said to each oth er, “ Who did this? ” Af ter they made a thor ough in ves ti ga- tion, they said, “Gid e on son of Jo ash did it.” 30 Then the men of the city said to Jo ash, “ Bring out your son. He must die, be cause he tore down Baal’s al tar and cut down the Ashe - rah pole be side it.” 31 But Jo ash said to all who stood against him, “ Would you plead Baal’s case for him? Would you save him? Who ev er pleads his case will be put to death by morn ing! If he is a god, let him plead his own case be cause some one tore down his al tar.” 32 That day he was called Jer ub ba al, since Jo ash said, “ Let Baal con tend with him,” be cause he tore down his al tar. THE SIGN OF THE FLEECE 33 All the Mid i an ites, Am a lek ites, and Qed- e mites gath ered to geth er, crossed over the Jor dan, and camped in the Jez re el Val ley . 34 The Spir it of the L ord en vel oped b Gid e on, and he blew the ram’s horn and the Abi ez rites ral lied be hind him. 35 He sent mes sen gers through out all of Ma nas seh, who ral lied be- hind him. He also sent mes sen gers through out Ash er, Zeb u lun, and Naph ta li, who also came to meet him. 36 Then Gid e on said to God, “ If you will de- liv er Is ra el by my hand, as you said, 37 I will put a wool fleece here on the thresh ing floor. If dew is only on the fleece, and all the ground is dry , I will know that you will de liv er Is ra el by my strength, as you said.” 38 And that is what hap pened. When he got up ear ly in the morn ing, he squeezed the fleece and wrung dew out of it, fill ing a bowl with wa ter. 39 Gid e on then said to God, “ Don’t be an gry with me; let me speak one more time. Please al low me to make one more test with the fleece. Let it re main dry , and the dew be all over the ground.” 40 That night God did as Gid e on re- quest ed: only the fleece was dry , and dew was all over the ground. GOD SELECTS GIDEON’S ARMY 7 Jer ub ba al ( that is, Gid e on) and all the troops who were with him, got up ear ly and camped be side the spring of Ha rod. The camp of Mid i an was north of them, be low the hill of Mo reh, in the val ley . 2 The L ord said to Gid e on, “ You have too many troops for me to hand the Mid i an ites over to them, or else Is ra el might el e vate them selves over me and say , c ‘ My own strength saved me.’ 3 Now an nounce to the troops: ‘Who ev er is fear ful and trem bling may turn back and leave Mount Gil e ad.’ ” So twenty-two thou sand of the troops turned back, but ten thou sand re mained. 4 Then the L ord said to Gid e on, “ There are still too many troops. Take them down to the wa ter, and I will test them for you there. If I say to you, ‘ This one can go with you,’ he can go. But if I say about any one, ‘ This one can not go with you,’ he can not go.” 5 So he brought the troops down to the wa ter, and the L ord said to Gid e on, “Sep a rate ev ery one who laps wa ter with his tongue like a dog. Do the same with ev ery one who kneels to drink.” 6 The num ber of those who lapped with their hands to their mouths was three hun dred men, and all the rest of the troops knelt to drink wa ter. 7 The L ord said to Gid e on, “ I will de liv er you with the three hun dred men who lapped and hand the Mid i an ites over to you. But ev ery- one else is to go home.” 8 So Gid e on sent all a 6:24 = Yahweh-shalom b 6:34 Lit clothed; 1Ch 12:18; 2Ch 24:20 c 7:2 Lit brag against me 213 JUDGES 6-7 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 213 10/26/17 8:59 PM the Is ra el ites to their tents but kept the three hun dred troops, who took the pro vi sions and their trum pets. The camp of Mid i an was be low him in the val ley . GIDEON SPIES ON THE MIDIANITE CAMP 9 That night the L ord said to him, “ Get up and at tack the camp, for I have hand ed it over to you. 10 But if you are afraid to at tack the camp, go down with Pu rah your ser vant. 11 Lis ten to what they say , and then you will be en cour - aged a to at tack the camp.” So he went down with Pu rah his ser vant to the out post of the troops b who were in the camp. 12 Now the Mid i an ites, Am a lek ites, and all the Qed e mites had set tled down in the val ley like a swarm of lo custs, and their cam els were as in nu mer a ble as the sand on the sea shore. 13 When Gid e on ar rived, there was a man tell- ing his friend about a dream. He said, “Lis ten, I had a dream: a loaf of bar ley bread came tum bling into the Mid i an ite camp, struck a tent, and it fell. The loaf turned the tent up side down so that it col lapsed.” 14 His friend an swered: “ This is noth ing less than the sword of Gid e on son of Jo ash, the Is- ra el ite. God has hand ed the en tire Mid i an ite camp over to him.” GIDEON ATTACKS THE MIDIANITES 15 When Gid e on heard the ac count of the dream and its in ter pre ta tion, he bowed in wor ship. He re turned to Is ra el’s camp and said, “ Get up, for the L ord has hand ed the Mid i an ite camp over to you.” 16 Then he di vid ed the three hun dred men into three com pa nies and gave each of the men a trum pet in one hand and an emp ty pitch er with a torch in side it in the oth er hand. 17 “ Watch me,” he said to them, “ and do what I do. When I come to the out post of the camp, do as I do. 18 When I and ev ery one with me blow our trum pets, you are also to blow your trum pets all around the camp. Then you will say , ‘ For the L ord and for Gid e on! ’ ” 19 Gid e on and the hun dred men who were with him went to the out post of the camp at the be gin ning of the mid dle watch af ter the sen tries had been sta tioned. They blew their trum pets and broke the pitch ers that were in their hands. 20 The three com pa nies blew their trum pets and shat tered their pitch ers. They held their torch es in their left hands, their trum pets c in their right hands, and shout ed, “ A sword for the L ord and for Gid e on! ” 21 Each Is ra el ite took his po si tion around the camp, and the en tire Mid i an ite army be gan to run, and they cried out as they fled. 22 When Gid e- on’s men blew their three hun dred trum pets, the L ord caused the men in the whole army to turn on each oth er with their swords. They fled to Aca cia House d in the di rec tion of Zer - e rah as far as the bor der of Abel-me ho lah near Tab bath. 23 Then the men of Is ra el were called from Naph ta li, Ash er, and Ma nas seh, and they pur sued the Mid i an ites. THE MEN OF EPHRAIM JOIN THE BATTLE 24 Gid e on sent mes sen gers through out the hill coun try of Ephra im with this mes sage: “ Come down to intercept the Mid i an ites and take con trol of the wa ter courses ahead of them as far as Beth-bar ah and the Jor dan.” So all the men of Ephra im were called out, and they took con trol of the wa ter courses as far as Beth-bar ah and the Jor dan. 25 They cap tured Oreb and Zeeb, the two princ es of Mid i an; they killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb and Zeeb at the wine press of Zeeb, while they were pur su ing the Mid i an ites. They brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gid e on across the Jor dan. 8 The men of Ephra im said to him, “ Why have you done this to us, not call ing us when you went to fight against the Mid i an- ites? ” And they ar gued with him vi o lent ly . 2 So he said to them, “ What have I done now com pared to you? Is not the glean ing of Ephra- im bet ter than the grape har vest of Abi e zer? 3 God hand ed over to you Oreb and Zeeb, the two princ es of Mid i an. What was I able to do com pared to you? ” When he said this, their an ger against him sub sid ed. GIDEON PURSUES THE KINGS OF MIDIAN 4 Gid e on and the three hun dred men came to the Jor dan and crossed it. They were ex haust- ed but still in pur suit. 5 He said to the men of Suc coth, “
🗡️ Gideon's Conquest and Abimelech's Betrayal
🏆 Gideon defeats the Midianites, captures kings Zebah and Zalmunna, and punishes the cities of Succoth and Penuel for refusing to help his exhausted troops during pursuit
👑 Despite being offered kingship, Gideon refuses with "I will not rule over you... the Lord will rule over you," yet creates a gold ephod that becomes an object of idolatrous worship
🔥 Abimelech, Gideon's son by a concubine, murders his 70 brothers to seize power, prompting surviving brother Jotham to deliver a prophetic parable about unworthy leadership
🛡️ God sends "an evil spirit" between Abimelech and Shechem, leading to rebellion, warfare, and Abimelech's ironic death by a woman dropping a millstone on his head
📜 After Abimelech's death, Israel experiences periods of peace under judges Tola and Jair, but falls back into idolatry, prompting God to allow oppression by the Ammonites
🙏 When Israel cries out to God, he initially refuses help due to their repeated betrayal, but relents when they remove foreign gods, setting the stage for Jephthah's leadership
Please give some loaves of bread to the troops un der my com mand, e be cause they are ex haust ed, for I am pur su ing Ze bah and Zal mun na, the kings of Mid i an.” 6 But the princ es of Suc coth asked, “ Are f Ze bah and Zal mun na now in your hands that we should give bread to your army? ” a 7:11 Lit then your hands will be strengthened b 7:11 Lit of those who were arranged in companies of 50 c 7:20 Lit trumpets to blow d 7:22 Or Beth-shittah e 8:5 Lit troops at my feet f 8:6 Lit Are the hands of, also in v. 15JUDGES 7-8 214 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 214 10/26/17 8:59 PM 7 Gid e on re plied, “ Very well, when the L ord has hand ed Ze bah and Zal mun na over to me, I will tear a your flesh with thorns and bri ers from the wil der ness! ” 8 He went from there to Pe nu el and asked the same thing from them. The men of Pe nu el an swered just as the men of Suc coth had an swered. 9 He also told the men of Pe nu el, “ When I re turn safe ly , I will tear down this tow er! ” 10 Now Ze bah and Zal mun na were in Kar kor, and with them was their army of about fif teen thou sand men, who were all those left of the en tire army of the Qed e mites. Those who had been killed were one hun dred twen ty thou- sand armed men. b 11 Gid e on trav eled on the car a van route c east of No bah and Jog be hah and at tacked their army while the army felt se cure. 12 Ze bah and Zal mun na fled, and he pur sued them. He cap tured these two kings of Mid i an and rout ed the en tire army . 13 Gid e on son of Jo ash re turned from the bat tle by the As cent of He res. 14 He cap tured a youth from the men of Suc coth and in ter - ro gated him. The youth wrote down for him the names of the seventy-seven lead ers and el ders of Suc coth. 15 Then he went to the men of Suc coth and said, “ Here are Ze bah and Zal- mun na. You taunt ed me about them, say ing, ‘ Are Ze bah and Zal mun na now in your pow er that we should give bread to your ex haust ed men? ’ ” 16 So he took the el ders of the city , and he took some thorns and bri ers from the wil der ness, and he dis ci plined the men of Suc coth with them. 17 He also tore down the tow er of Pe nu el and killed the men of the city . 18 He asked Ze bah and Zal mun na, “ What kind of men did you kill at Ta bor? ” “ They were like you,” they said. “ Each re- sem bled the son of a king.” 19 So he said, “ They were my broth ers, the sons of my moth er! As the L ord lives, if you had let them live, I would not kill you.” 20 Then he said to Je ther, his first born, “ Get up and kill them.” The youth did not draw his sword, for he was afraid be cause he was still a youth. 21 Ze bah and Zal mun na said, “ Get up and strike us down your self, for a man is judged by his strength.” So Gid e on got up, killed Ze bah and Zal mun na, and took the cres cent or na ments that were on the necks of their cam els.GIDEON’S LEGACY 22 Then the Is ra el ites said to Gid e on, “ Rule over us, you as well as your sons and your grand sons, for you de liv ered us from the pow- er of Mid i an.” 23 But Gid e on said to them, “ I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you; the L ord will rule over you.” 24 Then he said to them, “ Let me make a re quest of you: Ev- ery one give me an ear ring from his plun der.” Now the en e my had gold ear rings be cause they were Ish ma el ites. 25 They said, “ We agree to give them.” So they spread out a cloak, and ev ery one threw an ear ring from his plun der on it. 26 The weight of the gold ear rings he re quest ed was forty-three pounds d of gold, in ad di tion to the cres cent or na ments and ear pen dants, the pur ple gar - ments on the kings of Mid i an, and the chains on the necks of their cam els. 27 Gid e on made an ephod from all this and put it in Oph rah, his home town. Then all Is ra el pros ti tut ed them- selves by wor ship ing it there, and it be came a snare to Gid e on and his house hold. 28 So Mid i an was sub dued be fore the Is ra- el ites, and they were no lon ger a threat. e The land had peace for for ty years dur ing the days of Gid e on. 29 Jer ub ba al ( that is, Gid e on) son of Jo ash went back to live at his house. 30 Gid e on had sev en ty sons, his own off- spring, since he had many wives. 31 His con- cu bine who was in She chem also bore him a son, and he named him Abim e lech. 32 Then Gid e on son of Jo ash died at a good old age and was bur ied in the tomb of his fa ther Jo ash in Oph rah of the Abi ez rites. 33 When Gid e on died, the Is ra el ites turned and pros ti tut ed them selves by wor ship ing the Baals and made Baal-berith f their god. 34 The Is ra el ites did not re mem ber the L ord their God who had res cued them from the hand of the en e mies around them. 35 They did not show kind ness to the house of Jer ub ba al ( that is, Gid e on) for all the good he had done for Is ra el. ABIMELECH BECOMES KING 9 Abim e lech son of Jer ub ba al went to She- chem and spoke to his uncles and to his moth er’s whole clan, say ing, 2 “ Please speak in the hear ing of all the cit i zens of She chem, ‘ Is it bet ter for you that sev en ty men, all the sons of Jer ub ba al, rule over you or that one a 8:7 Lit thresh b 8:10 Lit men who drew the sword c 8:11 Lit on the route of those who live in tents d 8:26 Lit 1,700 shekels e 8:28 Lit they no longer raised their head f 8:33 Lit Baal of the Covenant, or Lord of the Covenant 215 JUDGES 8-9 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 215 10/26/17 8:59 PM man rule over you? ’ Re mem ber that I am your own flesh and blood.” a 3 His moth er’s rel a tives spoke all these words about him in the hear ing of all the cit i zens of She chem, and they were fa vor able to Abim- e lech, for they said, “ He is our broth er.” 4 So they gave him sev en ty pieces of sil ver from the tem ple of Baal-berith. b Abim e lech used it to hire worth less and reck less men, and they fol lowed him. 5 He went to his fa ther’s house in Oph rah and killed his sev en ty broth ers, the sons of Jer ub ba al, on top of a large stone. But Jo tham, the youn gest son of Jer ub ba al, sur - vived, be cause he hid. 6 Then all the cit i zens of She chem and of Beth-millo gath ered to geth er and pro ceed ed to make Abim e lech king at the oak of the pil lar in She chem. JOTHAM’S PARABLE 7 When they told Jo tham, he climbed to the top of Mount Ge ri zim, raised his voice, and called to them: Listen to me, citizens of Shechem, and may God listen to you: 8 The trees decided to anoint a king over themselves. They said to the olive tree, “Reign over us.” 9 But the olive tree said to them, “Should I stop giving my oil that people use to honor both God and men, and rule c over the trees? ” 10 Then the trees said to the fig tree, “Come and reign over us.” 11 But the fig tree said to them, “Should I stop giving my sweetness and my good fruit, and rule over trees? ” 12 Later, the trees said to the grapevine, “Come and reign over us.” 13 But the grapevine said to them, “Should I stop giving my wine that cheers both God and man, and rule over trees? ” 14 Finally , all the trees said to the bramble, “Come and reign over us.” 15 The bramble said to the trees, “If you really are anointing me as king over you, come and find refuge in my shade. But if not, may fire come out from the bramble and consume the cedars of Lebanon.” 16 “ Now if you have act ed faith ful ly and hon- est ly in mak ing Abim e lech king, if you have done well by Jer ub ba al and his fam i ly , and if you have re ward ed him ap pro pri ate ly for what he did — 17 for my fa ther fought for you, risked his life, and res cued you from Mid i- an, 18 and now you have at tacked my fa ther’s fam i ly to day , killed his sev en ty sons on top of a large stone, and made Abim e lech, the son of his slave wom an, king over the cit i zens of She chem ‘be cause he is your broth er’ — 19 so if you have act ed faith ful ly and hon est ly with Jer ub ba al and his house this day , re joice in Abim e lech and may he also re joice in you. 20 But if not, may fire come from Abim e lech and con sume the cit i zens of She chem and Beth-millo, and may fire come from the cit i- zens of She chem and Beth-millo and con sume Abim e lech.” 21 Then Jo tham fled, es cap ing to Beer, and lived there be cause of his broth er Abim e lech. ABIMELECH’S PUNISHMENT 22 When Abim e lech had ruled over Is ra el three years, 23 God sent an evil spir it be tween Abim e lech and the cit i zens of She chem. They treat ed Abim e lech de ceit ful ly , 24 so that the crime against the sev en ty sons of Jer ub ba al might come to jus tice and their blood would be avenged on their broth er Abim e lech, who killed them, and on the cit i zens of She chem, who had helped him d kill his broth ers. 25 The cit i zens of She chem re belled against him by put ting men in am bush on the tops of the moun tains, and they robbed ev ery one who passed by them on the road. So this was re- port ed to Abim e lech. 26 Gaal son of Ebed came with his broth ers and crossed into She chem, and the cit i zens of She chem trust ed him. 27 So they went out to the coun try side and har vest ed grapes from their vine yards. They tram pled the grapes and held a cel e bra tion. Then they went to the house of their god, and as they ate and drank, they cursed Abim e lech. 28 Gaal son of Ebed a 9:2 Lit your bone and your flesh b 9:4 Lit Baal of the Covenant, or Lord of the Covenant c 9:9 Lit and go to sway, also in vv. 11,13 d 9:24 Lit had strengthened his handsJUDGES 9 216 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 216 10/26/17 8:59 PM said, “ Who is Abim e lech and who is She chem that we should serve him? Isn’t he the son of Jer ub ba al, and isn’t Ze bul his off i cer? You are to serve the men of Ha mor, the fa ther of She- chem. Why should we serve Abim e lech? 29 If only these peo ple were in my pow er, I would re move Abim e lech.” So he said a to Abim e lech, “Gath er your army and come out.” 30 When Ze bul, the rul er of the city , heard the words of Gaal son of Ebed, he was an gry . 31 So he se cret ly sent mes sen gers to Abim e- lech, say ing, “Be ware! Gaal son of Ebed, with his broth ers, have come to She chem and are turn ing the city against you. b 32 Now to night, you and the troops with you, come and wait in am bush in the coun try side. 33 Then get up ear ly , and at sun rise at tack the city . When he and the troops who are with him come out against you, do to him what ev er you can.” 34 So Abim e lech and all the troops with him got up at night and wait ed in am bush for She chem in four units. 35 Gaal son of Ebed went out and stood at the en trance of the city gate. Then Abim e lech and the troops who were with him got up from their am bush. 36 When Gaal saw the troops, he said to Ze bul, “ Look, troops are com ing down from the moun tain tops! ” But Ze bul said to him, “ The shad ows of the moun tains look like men to you.” 37 Then Gaal spoke again, “ Look, troops are com ing down from the cen tral part of the land, and one unit is com ing from the di rec tion of the Di vin ers’ Oak.” 38 Ze bul re plied,“ What do you have to say now? You said, ‘ Who is Abim e lech that we should serve him? ’ Aren’t these the troops you de spised? Now go and fight them! ” 39 So Gaal went out lead ing the cit i zens of She chem and fought against Abim e lech, 40 but Abim e lech pur sued him, and Gaal fled be fore him. Nu mer ous bod ies were strewn as far as the en trance of the city gate. 41 Abim e lech stayed in Aru mah, and Ze bul drove Gaal and his broth ers from She chem. 42 The next day when the peo ple of She chem c went into the coun try side, this was re port ed to Abim e lech. 43 He took the troops, di vid ed them into three com pa nies, and wait ed in am bush in the coun try side. He looked, and the peo ple were com ing out of the city , so he arose against them and struck them down. 44 Then Abim e- lech and the units that were with him rushed for ward and took their stand at the en trance of the city gate. The oth er two units rushed against all who were in the coun try side and struck them down. 45 So Abim e lech fought against the city that en tire day , cap tured it, and killed the peo ple who were in it. Then he tore down the city and sowed it with salt. 46 When all the cit i zens of the Tow er of She- chem heard, they en tered the in ner cham ber d of the tem ple of El-berith. e 47 Then it was re port ed to Abim e lech that all the cit i zens of the Tow er of She chem had gath ered. 48 So Abim e lech and all the troops who were with him went up to Mount Zal mon. Abim e lech took his ax in his hand and cut a branch from the trees. He picked up the branch, put it on his shoul der, and said to the troops who were with him, “Hur ry and do what you have seen me do.” 49 Each of the troops also cut his own branch and fol lowed Abim e lech. They put the branch es against the in ner cham ber and set it on fire; about a thou- sand men and wom en died, in clud ing all the men of the Tow er of She chem. 50 Abim e lech went to The bez, camped against it, and cap tured it. 51 There was a strong tow er in side the city , and all the men, wom en, and cit i zens of the city fled there. They locked them- selves in and went up to the roof of the tow er. 52 When Abim e lech came to at tack the tow er, he ap proached its en trance to set it on fire. 53 But a wom an threw the up per por tion of a mill stone on Abim e lech’s head and fractured his skull. 54 He quick ly called his armor-bearer and said to him, “ Draw your sword and kill me, or they’ll say about me, ‘ A wom an killed him.’ ” So his armor-bearer ran him through, and he died. 55 When the Is ra el ites saw that Abim e lech was dead, they all went home. 56 In this way , God brought back Abim e lech’s evil— the evil that Abim e lech had done to his fa ther when he killed his sev en ty broth ers. 57 God also brought back to the men of She- chem all their evil. So the curse of Jo tham son of Jer ub ba al came upon them. TOLA AND JAIR 10 Af ter Abim e lech, Tola son of Puah, son of Dodo be came judge and be gan to de - liv er Is ra el. He was from Is sa char and lived in Sha mir in the hill coun try of Ephra im. 2 Tola judged Is ra el twenty-three years and when he died, was bur ied in Sha mir. a 9:29 DSS read They said ; LXX reads I would say b 9:31 Hb obscure c 9:42 of Shechem supplied for clarity d 9:46 Or the crypt, or the vault e 9:46 = God of the Covenant 217 JUDGES 9-10 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 217 10/26/17 8:59 PM 3 Af ter him came Jair the Gil e ad ite, who judged Is ra el twenty-two years. 4 He had thir ty sons who rode on thir ty don keys. They had thir ty towns a in Gil e ad, which are still called Jair’s Vil lages b to day . 5 When Jair died, he was bur ied in Ka mon. ISRAEL ’S REBELLION AND REPENTANCE 6 Then the Is ra el ites again did what was evil in the sight of the L ord. They wor shiped the Baals and the Ash to reths, the gods of Aram, Si don, and Moab, and the gods of the Am mon- ites and the Phi lis tines. They aban doned the L ord and did not wor ship him. 7 So the L ord’ s an ger burned against Is ra el, and he sold them to c the Phi lis tines and the Am mon ites. 8 They shat tered and crushed the Is ra el ites that year, and for eigh teen years they did the same to all the Is ra el ites who were on the oth er side of the Jor dan in the land of the Am o rites in Gil e ad. 9 The Am mon ites also crossed the Jor dan to fight against Ju dah, Ben ja min, and the house of Ephra im. Is ra el was great ly op pressed, 10 so they cried out to the L ord, say ing, “ We have sinned against you. We have aban doned our God and wor shiped the Baals.” 11 The L ord said to the Is ra el ites, “ When the Egyp tians, Am o rites, Am mon ites, Phi lis tines, 12 Si do ni ans, Am a lek ites, and Ma on ites d op- pressed you, and you cried out to me, did I not de liv er you from them? 13 But you have aban doned me and wor shiped oth er gods. There fore, I will not de liv er you again. 14 Go and cry out to the gods you have cho sen. Let them de liv er you when ev er you are op pressed.” 15 But the Is ra el ites said, “ We have sinned. Deal with us as you see fit; e only res cue us to day! ” 16 So they got rid of the for eign gods among them and wor shiped the L ord, and he be came wea ry of Is ra el’s mis ery . 17 The Am mon ites were called to geth er, and they camped in Gil e ad. So the Is ra el ites as sem- bled and camped at Miz pah. 18 The rul ers f of Gil e ad said to one an oth er, “ Which man will be gin the fight against the Am mon ites? He will be the lead er of all the in hab i tants of Gil e ad.” JEPHTHAH BECOMES ISRAEL’S LEADER 11 Jeph thah the Gil e ad ite was a val iant war - rior, but he was the son of a pros ti tute, and Gil e ad was his fa ther. 2 Gil e ad’s wife bore him sons, and when they grew up, they drove Jeph thah out and said to him, “ You will have no in her i tance in our fa ther’s fam i ly , be cause you are the son of an oth er wom an.” 3 So Jeph- thah fled from his broth ers and lived in the land of Tob. Then some worth less men joined Jeph thah and went on raids with him. 4 Some time lat er, the Am mon ites fought against Is ra el. 5 When the Am mon ites made war with Is ra el, the el ders of Gil e ad
🗡️ Jephthah's Rise and Sacrifice
🏜️ Jephthah, once rejected by his people, returns as military commander against the Ammonites when the elders of Gilead seek his leadership during crisis
🏆 After diplomatically challenging Ammonite territorial claims with historical arguments, Jephthah defeats them through divine empowerment and military strategy
💔 Makes a tragic vow to sacrifice whoever first exits his house upon return, resulting in the death of his only daughter who commemorates her fate with a two-month mourning period
⚔️ Tribal conflict erupts when Ephraimites challenge Jephthah's authority, leading to a civil war where Gileadites identify and execute Ephraimites using the pronunciation test "Shibboleth"
👶 The narrative transitions to Samson's birth, where an angel announces his Nazirite status to his previously barren mother, marking the beginning of Israel's deliverance from Philistine oppression
🦁 Samson demonstrates supernatural strength by killing a lion, creates a riddle from the experience, and begins a cycle of conflict with the Philistines through his marriage and subsequent revenge
went to get Jeph thah from the land of Tob. 6 They said to him, “ Come, be our com mand er, and let’s fight the Am mon ites.” 7 Jeph thah re plied to the el ders of Gil e ad, “ Didn’t you hate me and drive me out of my fa ther’s fam i ly? Why then have you come to me now when you’re in trou ble? ” 8 They an swered Jeph thah, “ That’s true. But now we turn to you. Come with us, fight the Am mon ites, and you will be come lead er of all the in hab i tants of Gil e ad.” 9 So Jeph thah said to them, “ If you are bring- ing me back to fight the Am mon ites and the L ord gives them to me, I will be your lead er.” 10 The el ders of Gil e ad said to Jeph thah, “ The L ord is our wit ness if we don’t do as you say .” 11 So Jeph thah went with the el ders of Gil e ad. The peo ple made him their lead er and com- mand er, and Jeph thah re peat ed all his terms in the pres ence of the L ord at Miz pah. JEPHTHAH REJECTS AMMONITE CLAIMS 12 Jeph thah sent mes sen gers to the king of the Am mon ites, ask ing, “ What do you have against me that you have come to fight me in my land? ” 13 The king of the Am mon ites said to Jeph- thah’s mes sen gers, “ When Is ra el came from Egypt, they seized my land from the Ar non to the Jab bok and the Jor dan. Now re store it peace ably .” 14 Jeph thah again sent mes sen gers to the king of the Am mon ites 15 to tell him, “ This is what Jeph thah says: Is ra el did not take away the land of Moab or the land of the Am mon- ites. 16 But when they came from Egypt, Is ra el trav eled through the wil der ness to the Red Sea and came to Ka desh. 17 Is ra el sent mes sen gers to the king of Edom, say ing, ‘ Please let us trav- el through your land,’ but the king of Edom would not lis ten. They also sent mes sen gers to the king of Moab, but he re fused. So Is ra el stayed in Ka desh. a 10:4 LXX; MT reads donkeys b 10:4 Or called Havvoth-jair c 10:7 Lit into the hand of d 10:12 LXX reads Midianites e 10:15 Lit Do to us what is good in your eyes f 10:18 Lit The people, rulersJUDGES 10-11 218 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 218 10/26/17 8:59 PM 18 “ Then they trav eled through the wil der - ness and around the lands of Edom and Moab. They came to the east side of the land of Moab and camped on the oth er side of the Ar non but did not en ter into the ter ri to ry of Moab, for the Ar non was the bound ary of Moab. 19 “ Then Is ra el sent mes sen gers to Si hon king of the Am o rites, king of Hesh bon. Is ra el said to him, ‘ Please let us trav el through your land to our coun try ,’ 20 but Si hon would not trust Is ra el to pass through his ter ri to ry . In- stead, Si hon gath ered all his troops, camped at Ja haz, and fought with Is ra el. 21 Then the L ord God of Is ra el hand ed over Si hon and all his troops to Is ra el, and they de feat ed them. So Is ra el took pos ses sion of the en tire land of the Am o rites who lived in that coun try . 22 They took pos ses sion of all the ter ri to ry of the Am o rites from the Ar non to the Jab bok and from the wil der ness to the Jor dan. 23 “ The L ord God of Is ra el has now driv en out the Am o rites be fore his peo ple Is ra el, and will you now force us out? 24 Isn’t it true that you can have what ev er your god Che mosh con quers for you, and we can have what ev- er the L ord our God con quers for us? 25 Now are you any bet ter than Ba lak son of Zip por, king of Moab? Did he ever con tend with Is ra- el or fight against them? 26 While Is ra el lived three hun dred years in Hesh bon and Aro er and their sur round ing vil lages, and in all the cit ies that are on the banks of the Ar non, why didn’t you take them back at that time? 27 I have not sinned against you, but you are do- ing me wrong by fight ing against me. Let the L ord who is the judge de cide to day be tween the Is ra el ites and the Am mon ites.” 28 But the king of the Am mon ites would not lis ten to Jeph thah’s mes sage that he sent him. JEPHTHAH’S VOW AND SACRIFICE 29 The Spir it of the L ord came on Jeph thah, who trav eled through Gil e ad and Ma nas seh, and then through Miz pah of Gil e ad. He crossed over to the Am mon ites from Miz pah of Gil- e ad. 30 Jeph thah made this vow to the L ord: “ If you in fact hand over the Am mon ites to me, 31 who ev er comes out the doors of my house to greet me when I re turn safe ly from the Am mon ites will be long to the L ord, and I will off er that per son as a burnt off er ing.” 32 Jeph thah crossed over to the Am mon ites to fight against them, and the L ord hand ed them over to him. 33 He de feat ed twen ty of their cit ies with a great slaugh ter from Aro er all the way to the en trance of Min nith and to Abel-keramim. So the Am mon ites were sub- dued be fore the Is ra el ites. 34 When Jeph thah went to his home in Miz- pah, there was his daugh ter, com ing out to meet him with tam bou rines and danc ing! She was his only child; he had no oth er son or daugh ter be sides her. 35 When he saw her, he tore his clothes and said, “ No! Not my daugh- ter! You have dev as tat ed me! You have brought great mis ery on me. a I have giv en my word to the L ord and can not take it back.” 36 Then she said to him, “ My fa ther, you have giv en your word to the L ord. Do to me as you have said, for the L ord brought ven geance on your en e mies, the Am mon ites.” 37 She also said to her fa ther, “ Let me do this one thing: Let me wan der two months through the moun tains with my friends and mourn my vir gin i ty .” 38 “ Go,” he said. And he sent her away two months. So she left with her friends and mourned her vir gin i ty as she wan dered through the moun tains. 39 At the end of two months, she re turned to her fa ther, and he kept the vow he had made about her. And she had nev er been in ti mate with a man. Now it be came a cus tom in Is ra el 40 that four days each year the young wom en of Is ra el would com mem o rate the daugh ter of Jeph thah the Gil e ad ite. CONFLICT WITH EPHRAIM 12 The men of Ephra im were called to geth er and crossed the Jor dan to Za phon. They said to Jeph thah, “ Why have you crossed over to fight against the Am mon ites but didn’t call us to go with you? We will burn your house with you in it! ” 2 Then Jeph thah said to them, “ My peo ple and I had a bit ter con flict with the Am mon- ites. So I called for you, but you didn’t de liv er me from their pow er. 3 When I saw that you weren’t go ing to de liv er me, I took my life in my own hands and crossed over to the Am- mon ites, and the L ord hand ed them over to me. Why then have you come to day to fight against me? ” 4 Then Jeph thah gath ered all of the men of Gil e ad. They fought and de feat ed Ephra im, be cause Ephra im had said, “ You Gil e ad ites are Ephra im ite fu gi tives in the ter ri to ries a 11:35 Lit have been among those who trouble me 219 JUDGES 11-12 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 219 10/26/17 8:59 PM of Ephra im and Ma nas seh.” 5 The Gil e ad ites cap tured the fords of the Jor dan lead ing to Ephra im. When ev er a fu gi tive from Ephra im said, “ Let me cross over,” the Gil e ad ites asked him, “ Are you an Ephra im ite? ” If he an swered, “ No,” 6 they told him, “ Please say Shib bo leth.” If he said, “Sib bo leth,” be cause he could not pro nounce it cor rect ly , they seized him and ex e cut ed him at the fords of the Jor dan. At that time forty-two thou sand from Ephra im died. 7 Jeph thah judged Is ra el six years, and when he died, he was bur ied in one of the cit ies of Gil e ad. a IBZAN, ELON, AND ABDON 8 Ib zan, who was from Beth le hem, judged Is ra el af ter Jeph thah 9 and had thir ty sons. He gave his thir ty daugh ters in mar riage to men out side the tribe and brought back thir - ty wives for his sons from out side the tribe. Ib zan judged Is ra el sev en years, 10 and when he died, he was bur ied in Beth le hem. 11 Elon, who was from Zeb u lun, judged Is ra el af ter Ib zan. He judged Is ra el ten years, 12 and when he died, he was bur ied in Ai ja lon in the land of Zeb u lun. 13 Af ter Elon, Ab don son of Hil lel, who was from Pir a thon, judged Is ra el. 14 He had for - ty sons and thir ty grand sons, who rode on sev en ty don keys. Ab don judged Is ra el eight years, 15 and when he died, he was bur ied in Pir a thon in the land of Ephra im, in the hill coun try of the Am a lek ites. BIRTH OF SAMSON 13 The Is ra el ites again did what was evil in the L ord’ s sight, so the L ord hand- ed them over to the Phi lis tines for ty years. 2 There was a cer tain man from Zo rah, from the fam i ly of Dan, whose name was Ma no ah; his wife was un able to con ceive and had no chil dren. 3 The an gel of the L ord ap peared to the wom an and said to her, “ It is true that you are un able to con ceive and have no chil dren, but you will con ceive and give birth to a son. 4 Now please be care ful not to drink wine or beer, or to eat any thing un clean; 5 for in deed, you will con ceive and give birth to a son. You must nev er cut his hair, b be cause the boy will be a Naz irite to God from birth, and he will be gin to save Is ra el from the pow er of the Phi lis tines.”6 Then the wom an went and told her hus- band, “ A man of God came to me. He looked like the awe-inspiring an gel of God. I didn’t ask him where he came from, and he didn’t tell me his name. 7 He said to me, ‘ You will con- ceive and give birth to a son. There fore, do not drink wine or beer, and do not eat any thing un clean, be cause the boy will be a Naz irite to God from birth un til the day of his death.’ ” 8 Ma no ah prayed to the L ord and said, “ Please, Lord, let the man of God you sent come again to us and teach us what we should do for the boy who will be born.” 9 God lis tened to c Ma no ah, and the an gel of God came again to the wom an. She was sit ting in the field, and her hus band Ma no ah was not with her. 10 The wom an ran quick ly to her hus band and told him, “ The man who came to me the oth er day has just come back! ” 11 So Ma no ah got up and fol lowed his wife. When he came to the man, he asked, “ Are you the man who spoke to my wife? ” “ I am,” he said. 12 Then Ma no ah asked, “ When your words come true, what will be the boy’s re spon si- bil i ties and work? ” 13 The an gel of the L ord an swered Ma no ah, “ Your wife needs to do ev ery thing I told her. 14 She must not eat any thing that comes from the grape vine or drink wine or beer. And she must not eat any thing un clean. Your wife must do ev ery thing I have com mand ed her.” 15 “ Please stay here,” Ma no ah told him, “ and we will pre pare a young goat for you.” 16 The an gel of the L ord said to him, “ If I stay , I won’t eat your food. But if you want to pre pare a burnt off er ing, off er it to the L ord.” (Ma no ah did not know he was the an gel of the L ord.) 17 Then Ma no ah said to him, “ What is your name, so that we may hon or you when your words come true? ” 18 “ Why do you ask my name,” the an gel of the L ord asked him, “ since it is be yond un- der stand ing.” 19 Ma no ah took a young goat and a grain of- fer ing and off ered them on a rock to the L ord, who did some thing mi rac u lous d while Ma no ah and his wife were watch ing. 20 When the flame went up from the al tar to the sky , the an gel of the L ord went up in its flame. When Ma no ah and his wife saw this, they fell face down on the a 12:7 LXX reads in his city in Gilead b 13:5 Lit And a razor is not to go up on his head c 13:9 Lit to the voice of d 13:19 LXX reads to the Lord, to the one who works wondersJUDGES 12-13 220 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 220 10/26/17 8:59 PM ground. 21 The an gel of the L ord did not ap pear again to Ma no ah and his wife. Then Ma no ah re al ized that it was the an gel of the L ord. 22 “ We’re cer tain ly go ing to die,” he said to his wife, “be cause we have seen God! ” 23 But his wife said to him, “ If the L ord had in tend ed to kill us, he wouldn’t have ac cept ed the burnt off er ing and the grain off er ing from us, and he would not have shown us all these things or spo ken to us like this.” 24 So the wom an gave birth to a son and named him Sam son. The boy grew , and the L ord blessed him. 25 Then the Spir it of the L ord be gan to stir him in the Camp of Dan, a be tween Zo rah and Esh ta ol. SAMSON’S RIDDLE 14 Sam son went down to Tim nah and saw a young Phi lis tine wom an there. 2 He went back and told his fa ther and his moth- er: “ I have seen a young Phi lis tine wom an in Tim nah. Now get her for me as a wife.” 3 But his fa ther and moth er said to him, “ Can’t you find a young wom an among your rel a tives or among any of our peo ple? Must you go to the un cir cum cised Phi lis tines for a wife? ” But Sam son told his fa ther, “ Get her for me. She’s the right one for me.” 4 Now his fa ther and moth er did not know this was from the L ord, who want ed the Phi lis tines to pro vide an op por tu ni ty for a confrontation. b At that time, the Phi lis tines were rul ing Is ra el. 5 Sam son went down to Tim nah with his fa- ther and moth er and came to the vine yards of Tim nah. Sud den ly a young lion came roar ing at him, 6 the Spir it of the L ord came pow er ful- ly on him, and he tore the lion apart with his bare hands as he might have torn a young goat. But he did not tell his fa ther or moth er what he had done. 7 Then he went and spoke to the wom an, be cause she seemed right to Sam son. 8 Af ter some time, when he re turned to mar ry her, he left the road to see the lion’s car cass, and there was a swarm of bees with hon ey in the car cass. 9 He scooped some hon ey into his hands and ate it as he went along. When he came to his fa ther and moth er, he gave some to them and they ate it. But he did not tell them that he had scooped the hon ey from the lion’s car cass. 10 His fa ther went to vis it the wom an, and Sam son pre pared a feast there, as young men were ac cus tomed to do. 11 When the Phi lis- tines saw him, they brought thir ty men to ac com pa ny him. 12 “ Let me tell you a rid dle,” Sam son said to them. “ If you can ex plain it to me dur ing the sev en days of the feast and fig ure it out, I will give you thir ty lin en gar ments and thir ty chang es of clothes. 13 But if you can’t ex plain it to me, you must give me thir ty lin en gar ments and thir ty chang es of clothes.” “ Tell us your rid dle,” they re plied. c “ Let’s hear it.” 14 So he said to them: Out of the eater came something to eat, and out of the strong came something sweet. Af ter three days, they were un able to ex plain the rid dle. 15 On the fourth d day they said to Sam son’s wife, “Per suade your hus band to ex plain the rid dle to us, or we will burn you and your fa ther’s fam i ly to death. Did you in- vite us here to rob us? ” 16 So Sam son’s wife came to him, weep ing, and said, “ You hate me and don’t love me! You told my peo ple the rid dle, but haven’t ex plained it to me.” “ Look,” he said, e “ I haven’t even ex plained it to my fa ther or moth er, so why should I ex- plain it to you? ” 17 She wept the whole sev en days of the feast, and at last, on the sev enth day , he ex plained it to her, be cause she had nagged him so much. Then she ex plained it to her peo ple. 18 On the sev enth day , be fore sun set, the men of the city said to him: What is sweeter than honey? What is stronger than a lion? So he said to them: If you hadn’t plowed with my young cow , you wouldn’t know my riddle now! 19 The Spir it of the L ord came pow er ful- ly on him, and he went down to Ash ke lon and killed thir ty of their men. He stripped them and gave their clothes to those who had ex plained the rid dle. In a rage, Sam son re turned to his fa ther’s house, 20 and his wife was giv en to one of the men who had ac- com pa nied him. a 13:25 Or in Mahaneh-dan b 14:4 for a confrontation supplied for clarity c 14:13 Lit replied to him d 14:15 LXX, Syr; MT reads seventh e 14:16 Lit said to her 221 JUDGES 13-14 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 221 10/26/17 8:59 PM SAMSON’S REVENGE 15 Lat er on, dur ing the wheat har vest, Sam- son took a young goat as a gift and vis it ed his wife. “ I want to go to my wife in her room,” he said. But her fa ther would not let him en ter. 2 “ I was sure you hat ed her,” her fa ther said, “ so I gave her to one of the men who ac com pa- nied you. Isn’t her youn ger sis ter more beau - ti ful than she is? Why not take her in stead? ” 3 Sam son said to them, “ This time I will be blame less when I harm the Phi lis tines.” 4 So he went out and caught three hun dred fox es. He took torch es, turned the fox es tail-to-tail, and put a torch be tween each pair of tails. 5 Then he ignited the torch es and re leased the fox es into the stand ing grain of the Phi lis tines. He burned the piles of grain and the stand ing grain as well as the vine yards and ol ive groves. 6 Then the Phi lis tines asked, “ Who did this? ” They were told, “ It was Sam son, the Tim- nite’s son-in-law
🗡️ Samson's Vengeance and Fall
💪 Samson's supernatural strength enables him to single-handedly kill a thousand Philistines with a donkey's jawbone, demonstrating his divine empowerment as Israel's judge during Philistine oppression
💔 Delilah's betrayal unfolds through persistent manipulation, as she repeatedly tests Samson's trust until he reveals the secret of his strength—his uncut hair—leading to his capture and blinding
🏛️ Samson achieves his greatest victory in defeat, sacrificing himself to bring down the Philistine temple and leaders while crying out to God for one final surge of strength
🛐 The narrative transitions to Micah's idolatry and the Danite tribe's conquest, highlighting Israel's religious corruption during the kingless period when "everyone did whatever seemed right to him"
📜 These interconnected stories illustrate the cyclical pattern of Israel's spiritual unfaithfulness, divine judgment, and redemption that characterizes the entire book of Judges
, be cause he took Sam son’s wife and gave her to his com pan ion.” So the Phi lis tines went to her and her fa ther and burned them to death. 7 Then Sam son told them, “Be cause you did this, I swear that I won’t rest un til I have tak en ven geance on you.” 8 He tore them limb from limb a and then went down and stayed in the cave at the rock of Etam. 9 The Phi lis tines went up, camped in Ju dah, and raid ed Lehi. 10 So the men of Ju dah said, “ Why have you at tacked us? ” They re plied, “ We have come to tie Sam son up and pay him back for what he did to us.” 11 Then three thou sand men of Ju dah went to the cave at the rock of Etam, and they asked Sam son, “ Don’t you re al ize that the Phi lis tines rule us? What have you done to us? ” “ I have done to them what they did to me,” he an swered. b 12 They said to him, “ We’ve come to tie you up and hand you over to the Phi lis tines.” Then Sam son told them, “ Swear to me that you your selves won’t kill me.” 13 “ No,” they said, c “ we won’t kill you, but we will tie you up se cure ly and hand you over to them.” So they tied him up with two new ropes and led him away from the rock. 14 When he came to Lehi, the Phi lis tines came to meet him shout ing. The Spir it of the L ord came pow er ful ly on him, and the ropes that were on his arms and wrists be came like burnt flax and fell off. 15 He found a fresh jaw- bone of a don key , reached out his hand, took it, and killed a thou sand men with it. 16 Then Sam son said: With the jawbone of a donkey I have piled them in heaps. With the jawbone of a donkey I have killed a thousand men. 17 When he fin ished speak ing, he threw away the jaw bone and named that place Ramath- lehi. d 18 He be came very thirsty and called out to the L ord: “ You have ac com plished this great vic to ry through your ser vant. Must I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the un cir - cum cised? ” 19 So God split a hol low place in the ground at Lehi, and wa ter came out of it. Af ter Sam son drank, his strength re turned, and he re vived. That is why he named it En- hak ko re, e which is still in Lehi to day . 20 And he judged Is ra el twen ty years in the days of the Phi lis tines. SAMSON AND DELILAH 16 Sam son went to Gaza, where he saw a pros ti tute and went to bed with her. 2 When the Gazites heard that Sam son was there, they sur round ed the place and wait ed in am bush for him all that night at the city gate. They kept qui et all night, say ing, “ Let’s wait un til dawn; then we will kill him.” 3 But Sam son stayed in bed only un til mid night. Then he got up, took hold of the doors of the city gate along with the two gate posts, and pulled them out, bar and all. He put them on his shoul ders and took them to the top of the moun tain over look ing He bron. 4 Some time lat er, he fell in love with a wom an named De li lah, who lived in the So rek Val ley . 5 The Phi lis tine lead ers went to her and said, “Per suade him to tell you f where his great strength comes from, so we can over pow er him, tie him up, and make him help less. Each of us will then give you 1,100 pieces of sil ver.” 6 So De li lah said to Sam son, “ Please tell me, where does your great strength come from? How could some one tie you up and make you help less? ” 7 Sam son told her, “ If they tie me up with sev- en fresh bowstrings that have not been dried, I will be come weak and be like any oth er man.” 8 The Phi lis tine lead ers brought her sev en fresh bowstrings that had not been dried, and a 15:8 Lit He struck them hip and thigh with a great slaughter b 15:11 Lit answered them c 15:13 Lit said to him d 15:17 = High Place of the Jawbone e 15:19 = Spring of the One Who Cried Out f 16:5 Lit him and seeJUDGES 15-16 222 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 222 10/26/17 8:59 PM she tied him up with them. 9 While the men in am bush were wait ing in her room, she called out to him, “Sam son, the Phi lis tines are here! ” a But he snapped the bowstrings as a strand of yarn snaps when it touch es fire. The se cret of his strength re mained un known. 10 Then De li lah said to Sam son, “ You have mocked me and told me lies! Won’t you please tell me how you can be tied up? ” 11 He told her, “ If they tie me up with new ropes that have nev er been used, I will be come weak and be like any oth er man.” 12 De li lah took new ropes, tied him up with them, and shout ed, “Sam son, the Phi lis tines are here! ” But while the men in am bush were wait ing in her room, he snapped the ropes off his arms like a thread. 13 Then De li lah said to Sam son, “ You have mocked me all along and told me lies! Tell me how you can be tied up.” He told her, “ If you weave the sev en braids on my head into the fab ric on a loom — ” b 14 She fas tened the braids with a pin and called to him, “Sam son, the Phi lis tines are here! ” He awoke from his sleep and pulled out the pin, with the loom and the web. 15 “ How can you say , ‘ I love you,’ ” she told him, “ when your heart is not with me? This is the third time you have mocked me and not told me what makes your strength so great! ” 16 Be cause she nagged him day af ter day and plead ed with him un til she wore him out, c 17 he told her the whole truth and said to her, “ My hair has nev er been cut, d be cause I am a Naz irite to God from birth. If I am shaved, my strength will leave me, and I will be come weak and be like any oth er man.” 18 When De li lah re al ized that he had told her the whole truth, she sent this mes sage to the Phi lis tine lead ers: “ Come one more time, for he has told me the whole truth.” The Phi- lis tine lead ers came to her and brought the sil ver with them. 19 Then she let him fall asleep on her lap and called a man to shave off the sev en braids on his head. In this way , she made him help less, and his strength left him. 20 Then she cried, “Sam son, the Phi lis tines are here! ” When he awoke from his sleep, he said, “ I will es cape as I did be fore and shake my self free.” But he did not know that the L ord had left him.SAMSON’S DEFEAT AND DEATH 21 The Phi lis tines seized him and gouged out his eyes. They brought him down to Gaza and bound him with bronze shack les, and he was forced to grind grain in the pris on. 22 But his hair be gan to grow back af ter it had been shaved. 23 Now the Phi lis tine lead ers gath ered to- geth er to off er a great sac ri fice to their god Da gon. They re joiced and said: Our god has handed over our enemy Samson to us. 24 When the peo ple saw him, they praised their god and said: Our god has handed over to us our enemy who destroyed our land and who multiplied our dead. 25 When they were in good spir its, e they said, “ Bring Sam son here to en ter tain us.” So they brought Sam son from pris on, and he en ter - tained them. They had him stand be tween the pil lars. 26 Sam son said to the young man who was lead ing him by the hand, “ Lead me where I can feel the pil lars sup port ing the tem ple, so I can lean against them.” 27 The tem ple was full of men and wom en; all the lead ers of the Phi - lis tines were there, and about three thou sand men and wom en were on the roof watch ing Sam son en ter tain them. 28 He called out to the L ord : “ Lord G od, please re mem ber me. Strength en me, God, just once more. With one act of ven geance, let me pay back the Phi lis- tines for my two eyes.” 29 Sam son took hold of the two mid dle pil lars sup port ing the tem- ple and leaned against them, one on his right hand and the oth er on his left. 30 Sam son said, “ Let me die with the Phi lis tines.” He pushed with all his might, and the tem ple fell on the lead ers and all the peo ple in it. And those he killed at his death were more than those he had killed in his life. 31 Then his broth ers and all his fa ther’s fam- i ly came down, car ried him back, and bur ied him be tween Zo rah and Esh ta ol in the tomb of his fa ther Ma no ah. So he judged Is ra el twen ty years. MICAH’S PRIEST 17 There was a man from the hill coun try of Ephra im named Mi cah. 2 He said to his moth er, “ The 1,100 pieces of sil ver tak en a 16:9 Lit are on you, also in vv. 12,14,20 b 16:13-14 LXX reads loom and fasten them with a pin into the wall and I will become weak and be like any other man.” 14And while he was sleeping, Delilah wove the seven braids on his head into the loom. c 16:16 Lit him and he became short to death d 16:17 Lit A razor has not gone up on my head e 16:25 Or When they were feeling good 223 JUDGES 16-17 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 223 10/26/17 8:59 PM from you, and that I heard you place a curse on — here’s the sil ver. I took it.” Then his moth er said, “ My son, may you be blessed by the L ord! ” 3 He re turned the 1,100 pieces of sil ver to his moth er, and his moth er said, “ I per son- al ly con se crate the sil ver to the L ord for my son’s ben e fit to make a carved im age and a sil ver idol. a I will give it back to you.” 4 So he re turned the sil ver to his moth er, and she took five pounds of sil ver and gave it to a sil ver- smith. He made it into a carved im age and a sil ver idol, and it was in Mi cah’s house. 5 This man Mi cah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and house hold idols, and in stalled one of his sons to be his priest. 6 In those days there was no king in Is ra el; ev ery one did what- ev er seemed right to him. 7 There was a young man, a Le vite from Beth- le hem in Ju dah, who was stay ing with in the clan of Ju dah. 8 The man left the town of Beth - le hem in Ju dah to stay wher ev er he could find a place. On his way he came to Mi cah’s home in the hill coun try of Ephra im. 9 “ Where do you come from? ” Mi cah asked him. He an swered him, “ I am a Le vite from Beth - le hem in Ju dah, and I’m go ing to stay wher ev er I can find a place.” 10 Mi cah re plied, b “ Stay with me and be my fa ther and priest, and I will give you four ounc- es of sil ver a year, along with your cloth ing and pro vi sions.” So the Le vite went in 11 and agreed to stay with the man, and the young man be came like one of his sons. 12 Mi cah con- se crat ed the Le vite, and the young man be came his priest and lived in Mi cah’s house. 13 Then Mi cah said, “ Now I know that the L ord will be good to me, be cause a Le vite has be come my priest.” DAN’S INVASION AND IDOLATRY 18 In those days, there was no king in Is ra- el, and the Dan ite tribe was look ing for ter ri to ry to oc cu py . Up to that time no ter ri- to ry had been cap tured by them among the tribes of Is ra el. 2 So the Dan ites sent out five brave men from all their clans, from Zo rah and Esh ta ol, to scout out the land and ex plore it. They told them, “ Go and ex plore the land.” They came to the hill coun try of Ephra- im as far as the home of Mi cah and spent the night there. 3 While they were near Mi- cah’s home, they rec og nized the ac cent of the young Le vite. So they went over to him and asked, “ Who brought you here? What are you do ing in this place? What is keep ing you here? ” 4 He told them, “ This is what Mi- cah has done for me: He has hired me, and I be came his priest.” 5 Then they said to him, “ Please in quire of God for us to de ter mine if we will have a suc- cess ful jour ney .” 6 The priest told them, “ Go in peace. The L ord is watch ing over the jour ney you are go ing on.” 7 The five men left and came to La ish. They saw that the peo ple who were there were liv - ing se cure ly , in the same way as the Si do ni ans, qui et and un sus pect ing. There was noth ing lack ing c in the land and no op pres sive rul er. They were far from the Si do ni ans, hav ing no al li ance with any one. d 8 When the men went back to their rel a tives at Zo rah and Esh ta ol, their rel a tives asked them, “ What did you find out? ” 9 They an swered, “ Come on, let’s at tack them, for we have seen the land, and it is very good. Why wait? Don’t hes i tate to go and in vade and take pos ses sion of the land! 10 When you get there, you will come to an un sus pect ing peo- ple and a spa cious land, for God has hand ed it over to you. It is a place where noth ing on earth is lack ing.” 11 Six hun dred Dan ites de - part ed from Zo rah and Esh ta ol armed with weap ons of war. 12 They went up and camped at Kiriath-jearim in Ju dah. This is why the place is still called the Camp of Dan e to day; it is west of Kiriath-jearim. 13 From there they trav eled to the hill coun try of Ephra im and ar rived at Mi cah’s house. 14 The five men who had gone to scout out the land of La ish told their broth ers, “ Did you know that there are an ephod, house hold gods, and a carved im age and a sil ver idol f in these hous es? Now think about what you should do.” 15 So they detoured there and went to the house of the young Le vite at the home of Mi cah and greet ed him. 16 The six hun dred Dan ite men were stand ing by the en trance of the city gate, armed with their weap ons of war. 17 Then the five men who had gone to scout out the land went in and took the carved im age, the ephod, the house hold idols, and the sil ver idol, g while the priest was stand ing by the en trance of the a 17:3 Or image and a cast image, also in v. 4 b 17:10 Lit replied to him c 18:7 Hb obscure d 18:7 MT; some LXX mss, Sym, Old Lat, Syr read Aram e 18:12 Or called Mahaneh-dan f 18:14 Or image, the cast image g 18:17 Or the cast image, also in v. 18JUDGES 17-18 224 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 224 10/26/17 8:59 PM city gate with the six hun dred men armed with weap ons of war. 18 When they en tered Mi cah’s house and took the carved im age, the ephod, the house- hold idols, and the sil ver idol, the priest said to them, “ What are you do ing? ” 19 They told him, “ Be qui et. Keep your mouth shut. a Come with us and be a fa ther and a priest to us. Is it bet ter for you to be a priest for the house of one per son or for you to be a priest for a tribe and fam i ly in Is ra el? ” 20 So the priest was pleased and took his ephod, house- hold idols, and carved im age, and went with the peo ple. 21 They pre pared to leave, put ting their de pen dents, live stock, and pos ses sions in front of them. 22 Af ter they were some dis tance from Mi cah’s house, the men who were in the hous es near it were mus tered and caught up with the Dan - ites. 23 They called to the Dan ites, who turned to face them, and said to Mi cah, “ What’s the mat ter with you that you mus tered the men? ” 24 He said, “ You took the gods I had made and the priest, and went away . What do I have left? How can you say to me, ‘ What’s the mat- ter with you? ’ ” 25 The Dan ites said to him, “ Don’t raise your voice against us, or an gry men will at tack you, and you and your fam i ly will lose your lives.” 26 The Dan ites went on their way , and Mi cah turned to go back home, be cause he saw that they were stron ger than he was. 27 Af ter they had tak en the gods Mi cah had made and the priest that be longed to him, they went to La ish, to a qui et and un sus pect ing peo ple. They killed them with their swords and burned the city . 28 There was no one to res cue them be cause it was far from Si don and they had no al li ance with any one. It was in a val ley that be longed to Beth-re hob. They re built the city and lived in it. 29 They named the city Dan, af ter the name of their an ces tor Dan, who was born to Is ra el. The city was for - mer ly named La ish. 30 The Dan ites set up the carved im age for them selves. Jon a than son of Ger shom, son of Mo ses, b and his sons were priests for the Dan ite tribe un til the time of the ex ile from the land. 31 So they set up for them selves Mi- cah’s carved im age that he had made, and it was there as long as the house of God was in Shi loh.OUTRAGE IN BENJAMIN 19 In those days, when there was no king in Is ra el, a Le vite stay ing in a re mote part of the hill coun try of Ephra im ac quired a wom an from Beth le hem in Ju dah as his con cu bine. 2 But she was un faith ful to c him and left him for her fa ther’s house in Beth le- hem in Ju dah. She was there for four months. 3 Then her hus band got up and fol lowed her to speak kind ly to her d and bring her back. He had his ser vant with him and a pair of don keys. So she brought him to her fa ther’s house, and when the girl’s fa ther saw him, he glad ly wel comed him. 4 His father-in-law , the girl’s fa ther, de tained him, and he stayed with him for three days. They ate, drank, and spent the nights there. 5 On the fourth day , they got up ear ly in the morn ing and pre pared to go, but the girl’s fa- ther said to his son-in-law , “ Have some thing to eat to keep up your strength and then you can go.” 6 So they sat down and the two of them ate and drank to geth er. Then the girl’s fa ther said to the man, “ Please agree to stay over night and en joy your self.” 7 The man got up to go, but his father-in-law per suad ed him, so he stayed and spent the night there again. 8 He got up ear ly in the morn ing of the fifth day to leave, but the girl’s fa ther said to him, “ Please keep up your strength.” So they wait ed un til late af ter noon and the two of them ate. 9 The man got up to go with his con cu bine and his ser vant, when his father-in-law , the girl’s fa- ther, said to him, “ Look, night is com ing. Please spend the night. See, the day is al most over. Spend the night here, en joy your self, then you can get up ear ly to mor row for your jour ney and go home.”
🏙️ Tragedy at Gibeah
🧳 A Levite traveler and his concubine sought shelter in Gibeah, where wicked men surrounded their host's house demanding to abuse the visitor, ultimately leading to the brutal rape and death of the concubine
⚔️ The Levite's shocking dismemberment of his concubine's body and distribution of the pieces throughout Israel's territory served as a call for justice, uniting the tribes against Benjamin
🔥 The resulting civil war nearly annihilated the tribe of Benjamin, with Israel defeating them after initial losses and destroying their cities, leaving only 600 Benjaminite men alive
👰 Israel faced a dilemma of preserving the Benjaminite tribe while honoring their oath not to give their daughters as wives, ultimately solving it through the conquest of Jabesh-gilead and the arranged abduction of women from Shiloh
🌪️ The narrative illustrates the moral chaos of the period, ending with the sobering observation that "In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did whatever seemed right to him"
10 But the man was un will ing to spend the night. He got up, de part ed, and ar rived op po- site Je bus ( that is, Je ru sa lem). The man had his two sad dled don keys and his con cu bine with him. 11 When they were near Je bus and the day was al most gone, the ser vant said to his mas ter, “ Please, why not let us stop at this Jeb u site city and spend the night here? ” 12 But his mas ter re plied to him, “ We will not stop at a for eign city where there are no Is ra- el ites. Let’s move on to Gib e ah.” 13 “ Come on,” he said, e “ let’s try to reach one of these plac es and spend the night in Gib e ah or Ra mah.” 14 So they con tin ued on their jour ney , and the a 18:19 Lit Put your hand on your mouth b 18:30 Some Hb mss, LXX, Vg; other Hb mss read Manasseh c 19:2 LXX reads was angry with d 19:3 Lit speak to her heart e 19:13 Lit said to his servant 225 JUDGES 18-19 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 225 10/26/17 8:59 PM sun set as they neared Gib e ah in Ben ja min. 15 They stopped a to go in and spend the night in Gib e ah. The Le vite went in and sat down in the city square, but no one took them into their home to spend the night. 16 In the eve ning, an old man came in from his work in the field. He was from the hill coun try of Ephra im, but he was residing in Gib e ah where the peo ple were Ben ja min ites. 17 When he looked up and saw the trav el er in the city square, the old man asked, “ Where are you go ing, and where do you come from? ” 18 He an swered him, “ We’re trav el ing from Beth le hem in Ju dah to the re mote hill coun- try of Ephra im, where I am from. I went to Beth le hem in Ju dah, and now I’m go ing to the house of the L ord . b No one has tak en me into his home, 19 al though there’s straw and feed for the don keys, and I have bread and wine for me, my con cu bine, and the ser vant c with us. There is noth ing we lack.” 20 “Wel come! ” said the old man. “ I’ll take care of ev ery thing you need. Only don’t spend the night in the square.” 21 So he brought him to his house and fed the don keys. Then they washed their feet and ate and drank. 22 While they were en joy ing them selves, all of a sud den, wick ed men of the city sur round ed the house and beat on the door. They said to the old man who was the own er of the house, “ Bring out the man who came to your house so we can have sex with him! ” 23 The own er of the house went out and said to them, “ Please don’t do this evil, my broth ers. Af ter all, this man has come into my house. Don’t com mit this hor ri ble outrage. 24 Here, let me bring out my vir gin daugh ter and the man’s con cu bine now . Abuse them and do what ev er you want d to them. But don’t com- mit this out ra geous thing against this man.” 25 But the men would not lis ten to him, so the man seized his con cu bine and took her out side to them. They raped e her and abused her all night un til morn ing. At day break they let her go. 26 Ear ly that morn ing, the wom an made her way back, and as it was get ting light, she col lapsed at the door way of the man’s house where her mas ter was. 27 When her mas ter got up in the morn ing, opened the doors of the house, and went out to leave on his jour ney , there was the wom an, his con cu bine, col lapsed near the door way of the house with her hands on the thresh old. 28 “ Get up,” he told her. “ Let’s go.” But there was no re sponse. So the man put her on his don key and set out for home. 29 When he en tered his house, he picked up a knife, took hold of his con cu bine, cut her into twelve pieces, limb by limb, and then sent her through out the ter ri to ry of Is ra el. 30 Ev ery one who saw it said, “Noth ing like this has ever hap pened or has been seen since the day the Is ra el ites came out of the land of Egypt un til n ow. f Think it over, dis cuss it, and speak up! ” WAR AGAINST BENJAMIN 20 All the Is ra el ites from Dan to Be er-she ba and from the land of Gil e ad came out, and the com mu ni ty as sem bled as one body be fore the L ord at Miz pah. 2 The lead ers of all the peo ple and of all the tribes of Is ra el pre- sent ed them selves in the as sem bly of God’s peo ple: four hun dred thou sand armed g foot sol diers. 3 The Ben ja min ites heard that the Is ra el ites had gone up to Miz pah. The Is ra el ites asked, “ Tell us, how did this evil act hap pen? ” 4 The Le vite, the hus band of the mur dered wom an, an swered: “ I went to Gib e ah in Ben- ja min with my con cu bine to spend the night. 5 Cit i zens of Gib e ah came to at tack me and sur round ed the house at night. They in tend ed to kill me, but they raped my con cu bine, and she died. 6 Then I took my con cu bine and cut her in pieces, and sent her through out Is ra- el’s ter ri to ry , be cause they have com mit ted a wick ed outrage in Is ra el. 7 Look, all of you are Is ra el ites. Give your judg ment and ver dict here and now .” 8 Then all the peo ple stood unit ed and said, “ None of us will go to his tent or re turn to his house. 9 Now this is what we will do to Gib e ah: we will at tack it. By lot 10 we will take ten men out of ev ery hun dred from all the tribes of Is- ra el, and one hun dred out of ev ery thou sand, and one thou sand out of ev ery ten thou sand to get pro vi sions for the troops when they go to Gib e ah in Ben ja min to pun ish them for all the outrage they com mit ted in Is ra el.” 11 So all the men of Is ra el gath ered unit ed against the city . 12 Then the tribes of Is ra el sent men through out the tribe of Ben ja min, say ing, a 19:15 Lit stopped there b 19:18 LXX reads to my house c 19:19 Some Hb mss, Syr , Tg, Vg; other Hb mss read servants d 19:24 Lit do what is good in your eyes e 19:25 Lit knew f 19:30 LXX reads until now.” He commanded the men he sent out, saying, “You will say this to all the men of Israel: Has anything like this happened since the day the Israelites came out of Egypt until this day? g 20:2 Lit drawing the swordJUDGES 19-20 226 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 226 10/26/17 8:59 PM “ What is this evil act that has hap pened among you? 13 Hand over the wick ed men in Gib e ah so we can put them to death and eradicate evil from Is ra el.” But the Ben ja min ites would not lis ten to their fel low Is ra el ites. 14 In stead, the Ben ja min ites gath ered to geth er from their cit ies to Gib e ah to go out and fight against the Is ra el ites. 15 On that day the Ben ja min ites mo bi lized twenty-six thou sand armed men a from their cit ies, be sides sev en hun dred fit young men ral lied by the in hab i tants of Gib e ah. 16 There were sev en hun dred fit young men who were left-handed among all these troops; all could sling a stone at a hair and not miss. 17 The Is ra el ites, apart from Ben ja min, mo- bi lized four hun dred thou sand armed men, ev ery one an ex pe ri enced war rior. 18 They set out, went to Beth el, and in quired of God. The Is ra el ites asked, “ Who is to go first to fight for us against the Ben ja min ites? ” And the L ord an swered, “Ju dah will be first.” 19 In the morn ing, the Is ra el ites set out and camped near Gib e ah. 20 The men of Is ra el went out to fight against Ben ja min and took their bat tle po si tions against Gib e ah. 21 The Ben ja- min ites came out of Gib e ah and slaugh tered twenty-two thou sand men of Is ra el on the field that day . 22 But the Is ra el ite troops ral- lied and again took their bat tle po si tions in the same place where they positioned them- selves on the first day . 23 They went up, wept be fore the L ord un til eve ning, and in quired of him: “ Should we again at tack our broth ers the Ben ja min ites? ” And the L ord an swered: “ Fight against them.” 24 On the sec ond day the Is ra el ites ad vanced against the Ben ja min ites. 25 That same day the Ben ja min ites came out from Gib e ah to meet them and slaugh tered an ad di tion al eigh teen thou sand Is ra el ites on the field; all were armed. b 26 The whole Is ra el ite army went to Beth el where they wept and sat be fore the L ord. They fast ed that day un til eve ning and off ered burnt off er ings and fel low ship off er ings to the L ord. 27 Then the Is ra el ites in quired of the L ord. In those days, the ark of the cov enant of God was there, 28 and Phin e has son of El e a zar, son of Aar on, was serv ing be fore it. The Is ra el ites asked: “ Should we again fight against our broth ers the Ben ja min ites or should we stop? ” The L ord an swered: “ Fight, be cause I will hand them over to you to mor row .” 29 So Is- ra el set up an am bush around Gib e ah. 30 On the third day the Is ra el ites fought against the Ben ja min ites and took their bat tle po si tions against Gib e ah as be fore. 31 Then the Ben ja- min ites came out against the troops and were drawn away from the city . They be gan to at tack the troops as be fore, kill ing about thir ty men of Is ra el on the high ways, one of which goes up to Beth el and the oth er to Gib e ah through the open coun try . 32 The Ben ja min ites said, “ We are de feat ing them as be fore.” But the Is ra el ites said, “ Let’s flee and draw them away from the city to the high ways.” 33 So all the men of Is ra el got up from their plac es and took their bat tle po si tions at Ba al- ta mar, while the Is ra el ites in am bush charged out of their plac es west of c Geba. 34 Then ten thou sand fit young men from all Is ra el made a fron tal assault against Gib e ah, and the bat tle was fierce, but the Ben ja min ites did not know that di sas ter was about to strike them. 35 The L ord de feat ed Ben ja min in the pres ence of Is ra el, and on that day the Is ra el ites slaugh- tered 25,100 men of Ben ja min; all were armed. 36 Then the Ben ja min ites re al ized they had been de feat ed. The men of Is ra el had re treat ed be fore Ben ja min, be cause they were con fi dent in the am bush they had set against Gib e ah. 37 The men in am bush had rushed quick ly against Gib e ah; they ad vanced and put the whole city to the sword. 38 The men of Is ra el had a prearranged sig nal with the men in am bush: when they sent up a great cloud of smoke from the city , 39 the men of Is ra el would re turn to the bat tle. When Ben ja min had be gun to strike them down, kill ing about thir ty men of Is ra el, they said, “They’re de- feat ed be fore us, just as they were in the first bat tle.” 40 But when the col umn of smoke be- gan to go up from the city , Ben ja min looked be hind them, and the whole city was go ing up in smoke. d 41 Then the men of Is ra el re- turned, and the men of Ben ja min were ter - ri fied when they re al ized that di sas ter had struck them. 42 They re treat ed be fore the men of Is ra el to ward the wil der ness, but the bat tle over took them, and those who came out of the cit ies e slaugh tered those be tween them. 43 They sur round ed the Ben ja min ites, a 20:15 Lit men drawing the sword, also in vv. 17,46 b 20:25 Lit were drawing the sword, also in v. 35 c 20:33 LXX, Syr , Vg; MT reads places in the plain of, or places in the cave of d 20:40 Lit up to the sky e 20:42 LXX, Vg read city 227 JUDGES 20 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 227 10/26/17 8:59 PM pur sued them, and eas i ly over took them near Gib e ah to ward the east. 44 There were eigh- teen thou sand men who died from Ben ja min; all were war riors. 45 Then Ben ja min turned and fled to ward the wil der ness to Rim mon Rock, and Is ra el killed five thou sand men on the high ways. They over took them at Gi dom and struck two thou sand more dead. 46 All the Ben ja min ites who died that day were twenty-five thou sand armed men; all were war riors. 47 But six hun dred men es caped into the wil der ness to Rim mon Rock and stayed there four months. 48 The men of Is ra el turned back against the oth er Ben ja min ites and killed them with their swords — the en tire city , the an i mals, and ev ery thing that re mained. They also burned all the cit ies that re mained. BRIDES FOR BENJAMIN 21 The men of Is ra el had sworn an oath at Miz pah: “ None of us will give his daugh- ter to a Ben ja min ite in mar riage.” 2 So the peo - ple went to Beth el and sat there be fore God un til eve ning. They wept loud ly and bit ter ly , 3 and cried out, “ Why , L ord God of Is ra el, has it oc curred a that one tribe is miss ing in Is ra el to day? ” 4 The next day the peo ple got up ear ly , built an al tar there, and off ered burnt off er- ings and fel low ship off er ings. 5 The Is ra el ites asked, “ Who of all the tribes of Is ra el didn’t come to the L ord with the as sem bly? ” For a great oath had been tak en that any one who had not come to the L ord at Miz pah would cer tain ly be put to death. 6 But the Is ra el ites had com pas sion on their broth ers, the Ben ja min ites, and said, “To day a tribe has been cut off from Is ra el. 7 What should we do about wives for the sur vi vors? We’ve sworn to the L ord not to give them any of our daugh ters as wives.” 8 They asked, “ Which city among the tribes of Is ra el didn’t come to the L ord at Miz pah? ” It turned out that no one from Jabesh-gilead had come to the camp and the as sem bly . 9 For when the roll was called, no men were there from the in hab i tants of Jabesh-gilead. 10 The con gre ga tion sent twelve thou sand brave war riors b there and com mand ed them: “ Go and kill the in hab i tants of Jabesh-gile - ad with the sword, in clud ing wom en and de pen dents. 11 This is what you should do: Com plete ly de stroy ev ery male, as well as ev ery wom an who has gone to bed with a man.” 12 They found among the in hab i tants of Jabesh-gilead four hun dred young vir gins, who had not gone to bed with a man, and they brought them to the camp at Shi loh in the land of Ca naan. 13 The whole con gre ga tion sent a mes sage of peace to the Ben ja min ites who were at Rim mon Rock. 14 Ben ja min re turned at that time, and Is ra el gave them the wom en they had kept alive from Jabesh-gilead. But there were not enough for them. 15 The peo ple had com pas sion on Ben ja min, be cause the L ord had made this gap in the tribes of Is ra el. 16 The el ders of the con gre ga tion said, “ What should we do about wives for those who are left, since the wom en of Ben ja min have been de stroyed? ” 17 They said, “ There must be heirs for the sur vi vors of Ben ja min, so that a tribe of Is ra el will not be wiped out. 18 But we can’t give them our daugh ters as wives.” For the Is ra el ites had sworn, “ Any one who gives a wife to a Ben ja min ite is cursed.” 19 They also said, “ Look, there’s an an nu al fes ti val to the L ord in Shi loh, which is north of Beth el, east of the high way that goes up from Beth el to She chem, and south of Le bo nah.” 20 Then they com mand ed the Ben ja min ites: “ Go and hide in the vine yards. 21 Watch, and when you see the young wom en of Shi loh come out to per form the danc es, each of you leave the vine yards and catch a wife for your self from the young wom en of Shi loh, and go to the land of Ben ja min. 22 When their fa thers or broth ers come to us and pro test, we will tell them, ‘ Show fa vor to them, since we did not get enough wives for each of them in the bat tle. You didn’t ac tu al ly give the wom en to them, so c you are not guilty of break ing your oath.’ ” 23 The Ben ja min ites did this and took the num ber of wom en they need ed from the danc - ers they caught. They went back to their own in- her i tance, re built their cit ies, and lived in them. 24 At that time, each of the Is ra el ites re turned from there to his own tribe and fam i ly . Each re turned from there to his own in her i tance. 25 In those days there was no king in Is ra el; ev ery one did what ev er seemed right to him. a 21:3 Lit has this occurred in Israel b 21:10 Lit twelve thousand of their sons of valor c 21:22 Lit at this timeJUDGES 20-21 228 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 228 10/26/17 8:59 PM ruTh NAOMI’S FAMILY IN MOAB 1 Dur ing the time a of the judg es, there was a fam ine in the land. A man left Beth le hem b in Ju dah with his wife and two sons to stay in the ter ri to ry of Moab for a while. 2 The man’s name was Elim e lech, c and his wife’s name was Na o mi. d The names of his two sons were Mah lon e and Chil i on. f They were Eph rath ites from Beth le hem in Ju dah. They en tered the fields of Moab and set tled there. 3 Na o mi’s hus band Elim e lech died, and she was left with her two sons. 4 Her sons took Mo ab ite wom- en as their wives: one was named Or pah and the sec ond was named Ruth. Af ter they lived in Moab about ten years, 5 both Mah lon and Chil i on also died, and Na o mi was left with out her two chil dren and with out her hus band. RUTH’S LOYALTY TO NAOMI 6 She and her daughters-in-law set out to re turn from the ter ri to ry of Moab, be cause she had heard in Moab that the L ord had paid at ten- tion to his peo ple’s need by pro vid ing them food. 7 She left the place where she had been liv ing, ac com pa nied by her two daughters- in-law , and trav eled along the road lead ing back to the land of Ju dah. 8 Na o mi said to them, “ Each of you go back to your moth er’s
🙏 Ruth's Unwavering Loyalty
🌾 Ruth's commitment to Naomi transcends cultural boundaries with her famous pledge: "Where you go, I will go; your people will be my people, and your God will be my God"
🤝 Boaz's kindness toward Ruth as a foreign widow demonstrates exceptional character, allowing her to glean from his fields and protecting her from harassment
⚖️ The redemption process unfolds as Boaz navigates legal customs to marry Ruth, showing both his integrity and devotion to family responsibility
👶 Their marriage produces Obed, grandfather of King David, weaving Ruth's story into Israel's royal lineage and demonstrating how faithfulness leads to divine blessing
💔 The narrative begins with bitter loss but transforms into restoration as Naomi, who returned "empty," ultimately cradles her grandson and experiences renewed life
home. May the L ord show kind ness to you as you have shown to the dead and to me. 9 May the L ord grant each of you rest in the house of a new hus band.” She kissed them, and they wept loud ly . 10 They said to her, “ We in sist on re turn ing with you to your peo ple.” 11 But Na o mi re plied, “Re turn home, my daugh ters. Why do you want to go with me? Am I able to have any more sons who could be come your hus bands? 12 Re turn home, my daugh ters. Go on, for I am too old to have an- oth er hus band. Even if I thought there was still hope for me to have a hus band to night and to bear sons, 13 would you be will ing to wait for them to grow up? Would you re strain your - selves from remarrying? g No, my daugh ters, my life is much too bit ter for you to share, h be cause the L ord’ s hand has turned against me.” 14 Again they wept loud ly , and Or pah kissed her mother-in-law , but Ruth clung to her. 15 Na o mi said, “ Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her peo ple and to her gods. Fol low your sister-in-law .” 16 But Ruth re plied: Don’t plead with me to abandon you or to return and not follow you. For wherever you go, I will go, and wherever you live, I will live; your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. 17 Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord punish me, i and do so severely , if anything but death separates you and me. 18 When Na o mi saw that Ruth was de ter mined to go with her, she stopped talk ing to her. 19 The two of them trav eled un til they came to Beth le hem. When they en tered Beth le hem, the whole town was excited about their ar - riv al j and the lo cal wom en ex claimed, “ Can this be Na o mi? ” 20 “ Don’t call me Na o mi. Call me Mara,” k she an swered, “ for the Al mighty has made me very bit ter. 21 I went away full, but the L ord has brought me back emp ty . Why do you call me Na o mi, since the L ord has op posed l me, and the Al mighty has afflicted me? ” 22 So Na o mi came back from the ter ri to ry of Moab with her daughter-in-law Ruth the Mo ab it ess. They ar rived in Beth le hem at the be gin ning of the bar ley har vest. RUTH AND BOAZ MEET 2 Now Na o mi had a rel a tive on her hus- band’s side. He was a prom i nent man of no ble char ac ter from Elim e lech’s fam i ly . His name was Boaz. 2 Ruth the Mo ab it ess asked Na o mi, “ Will you let me go into the fields and gath er fall en grain be hind some one with whom I find fa vor? ” Na o mi an swered her, “ Go ahead, my daugh- ter.” 3 So Ruth left and en tered the field to gath er grain be hind the har vest ers. She hap pened to a 1:1 Lit In the days of the judging b 1:1 = House of Bread c 1:2 = My God Is King d 1:2 = Pleasant e 1:2 = Sickly f 1:2 = Weak or Failing g 1:13 Lit marrying a man h 1:13 Lit daughters, for more bitter to me than you i 1:17 A solemn oath formula; 1Sm 3:17; 2Sm 3:9,35; 1Kg 2:23; 2Kg 6:31 j 1:19 Lit excited because of them k 1:20 = Bitter l 1:21 LXX, Syr , Vg read has humiliated CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 229 10/26/17 8:59 PM be in the por tion of the field be long ing to Boaz, who was from Elim e lech’s fam i ly . 4 Lat er, when Boaz ar rived from Beth le hem, he said to the har vest ers, “ The L ord be with you.” “ The L ord bless you,” they re plied. 5 Boaz asked his ser vant who was in charge of the har vest ers, “ Whose young wom an is this? ” 6 The ser vant an swered, “ She is the young Mo ab ite wom an who re turned with Na o mi from the ter ri to ry of Moab. 7 She asked, ‘ Will you let me gath er fall en grain among the bun- dles be hind the har vest ers? ’ She came and has been on her feet since ear ly morn ing, ex cept that she rest ed a lit tle in the shel ter.” a 8 Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Lis ten, my daugh- ter. b Don’t go and gath er grain in an oth er field, and don’t leave this one, but stay here close to my fe male ser vants. 9 See which field they are har vest ing, and fol low them. Haven’t I or dered the young men not to touch you? c When you are thirsty , go and drink from the jars the young men have filled.” 10 She fell face down, bowed to the ground, and said to him, “ Why have I found fa vor with you, so that you no tice me, al though I am a for eign er? ” 11 Boaz an swered her, “Ev ery thing you have done for your mother-in-law since your hus - band’s death has been ful ly re port ed to me: how you left your fa ther and moth er and your na tive land, and how you came to a peo ple you didn’t pre vi ous ly know . 12 May the L ord re ward you for what you have done, and may you re ceive a full re ward from the L ord God of Is ra el, un der whose wings you have come for ref uge.” 13 “ My lord,” she said, “ I have found fa vor with you, for you have com fort ed and en cour aged d your ser vant, al though I am not like one of your fe male ser vants.” 14 At meal time Boaz told her, “ Come over here and have some bread and dip it in the vin egar sauce.” So she sat be side the har vest ers, and he off ered her roast ed grain. She ate and was sat is fied and had some left over. 15 When she got up to gath er grain, Boaz or dered his young men, “ Let her even gath er grain among the bun dles, and don’t hu mil i ate her. 16 Pull out some stalks from the bun dles for her and leave them for her to gath er. Don’t re buke her.” 17 So Ruth gath ered grain in the field un til eve ning. She beat out what she had gath ered, and it was about twenty-six quarts e of bar ley . 18 She picked up the grain and went into the town, where her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. She brought out what she had left over from her meal and gave it to her. 19 Her mother-in-law said to her, “ Where did you gath er bar ley to day , and where did you work? May the L ord bless the man who no ticed you.” Ruth told her mother-in-law whom she had worked with and said, “ The name of the man I worked with to day is Boaz.” 20 Then Na o mi said to her daughter-in-law , “ May the L ord bless him be cause he has not aban doned his kind ness to the liv ing or the dead.” Na o mi con tin ued, “ The man is a close rel a tive. He is one of our fam i ly re deem ers.” 21 Ruth the Mo ab it ess said, “ He also told me, ‘ Stay with my young men un til they have fin- ished all of my har vest.’ ” 22 So Na o mi said to her daughter-in-law Ruth, “ My daugh ter, it is good for you to work f with his fe male ser vants, so that noth ing will hap- pen to you in an oth er field.” 23 Ruth stayed close to Boaz’s fe male ser vants and gath ered grain un til the bar ley and the wheat har vests were fin ished. And she lived with g her moth - er-in-law . RUTH’S APPEAL TO BOAZ 3 Ruth’s mother-in-law Na o mi said to her, “ My daugh ter, shouldn’t I find rest for you, so that you will be tak en care of? 2 Now isn’t Boaz our rel a tive? Haven’t you been work ing with his fe male ser vants? This eve ning he will be win now ing bar ley on the thresh ing floor. 3 Wash, put on per fumed oil, and wear your best clothes. Go down to the thresh ing floor, but don’t let the man know you are there un til he has fin ished eat ing and drink ing. 4 When he lies down, no tice the place where he’s ly ing, go in and un cov er his feet, and lie down. Then he will ex plain to you what you should do.” 5 So Ruth said to her, “ I will do ev ery thing you say .” h 6 She went down to the thresh ing floor and did ev ery thing her mother-in-law had charged her to do. 7 Af ter Boaz ate, drank, and was in good spir its, i he went to lie down a 2:7 LXX reads morning, and until evening she has not rested in the field a little ; Vg reads morning until now and she did not return to the house ; Hb uncertain b 2:8 Lit “Haven’t you heard, my daughter? c 2:9 Either sexual or physical harassment d 2:13 Lit and spoken to the heart of e 2:17 Lit about an ephah f 2:22 Lit go out g 2:23 Some Hb mss, Vg read she returned to h 3:5 Alt Hb tradition reads say to me i 3:7 Lit and his heart was gladRUTH 2-3 230 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 230 10/26/17 8:59 PM at the end of the pile of bar ley , and she came se cret ly , un cov ered his feet, and lay down. 8 At mid night, Boaz was star tled, turned over, and there ly ing at his feet was a wom an! 9 So he asked, “ Who are you? ” “ I am Ruth, your ser vant,” she re plied. “ Take me un der your wing, a for you are a fam i ly re deem er.” 10 Then he said, “ May the L ord bless you, my daugh ter. You have shown more kind ness now than be fore, b be cause you have not pur sued youn ger men, wheth er rich or poor. 11 Now don’t be afraid, my daugh ter. I will do for you what ev er you say , c since all the peo ple in my town d know that you are a wom an of no ble char ac ter. 12 Yes, it is true that I am a fam i ly re deem er, but there is a re deem er clos er than I am. 13 Stay here to night, and in the morn ing, if he wants to re deem you, that’s good. Let him re deem you. But if he doesn’t want to re deem you, as the L ord lives, I will. Now lie down un til morn ing.” 14 So she lay down at his feet un til morn ing but got up while it was still dark. e Then Boaz said, “ Don’t let it be known that a f wom an came to the thresh ing floor.” 15 And he told Ruth, “ Bring the shawl you’re wear ing and hold it out.” When she held it out, he shoveled six mea sures of bar ley into her shawl, and she g went into the town. 16 She went to her mother-in-law , Na o mi, who asked her, “ What hap pened, h my daugh ter? ” Then Ruth told her ev ery thing the man had done for her. 17 She said, “ He gave me these six mea sures of bar ley , be cause he said, i ‘ Don’t go back to your mother-in-law empty-handed.’ ” 18 Na o mi said, “ My daugh ter, wait un til you find out how things go, for he won’t rest un less he resolves this to day .” RUTH AND BOAZ MARRY 4 Boaz went to the gate of the town and sat down there. Soon the fam i ly re deem er Boaz had spo ken about came by . Boaz said, “ Come over here j and sit down.” So he went over and sat down. 2 Then Boaz took ten men of the town’s el ders and said, “ Sit here.” And they sat down. 3 He said to the re deem er, “Na o mi, who has re turned from the ter ri to ry of Moab, is sell ing the por tion of the field that be longed to our broth er Elim e lech. 4 I thought I should in form you: k Buy it back in the pres ence of those seat ed here and in the pres ence of the el ders of my peo ple. If you want to re deem it, do it. But if you do l not want to re deem it, tell me so that I will know , be cause there isn’t any one oth er than you to re deem it, and I am next af ter you.” “ I want to re deem it,” he an swered. 5 Then Boaz said, “ On the day you buy the field from Na o mi, you will ac quire m Ruth the Mo ab it ess, the wife of the deceased man, to per pet u ate the man’s name on his prop er ty .” n 6 The re deem er re plied, “ I can’t re deem it my self, or I will ruin my own in her i tance. Take my right of re demp tion, be cause I can’t re deem it.” 7 At an ear li er pe ri od in Is ra el, a man re- moved his san dal and gave it to the oth er par ty in or der to make any mat ter legally bind ing con cern ing the right of re demp tion or the ex change of prop er ty . This was the meth od of legally bind ing a trans ac tion in Is ra el. 8 So the re deem er re moved his san dal and said to Boaz, “ Buy back the prop er ty your self.” 9 Boaz said to the el ders and all the peo ple, “ You are wit ness es to day that I am buy ing from Na o mi ev ery thing that be longed to Elim e lech, Chil i on, and Mah lon. 10 I have also ac quired Ruth the Mo ab it ess, Mah lon’s wid ow , as my wife, to per pet u ate the deceased man’s name on his prop er ty , so that his name will not dis- ap pear among his rel a tives or from the gate of his home town. You are wit ness es to day .” 11 All the peo ple who were at the city gate, in clud ing the el ders, said, “ We are wit ness es. May the L ord make the wom an who is en- ter ing your house like Ra chel and Leah, who to geth er built the house of Is ra el. May you be pow er ful in Eph ra thah and your name well known in Beth le hem. 12 May your house be- come like the house of Pe rez, the son Ta mar bore to Ju dah, be cause of the off spring the L ord will give you by this young wom an.” 13 Boaz took Ruth and she be came his wife. He slept with her, and the L ord grant ed con- cep tion to her, and she gave birth to a son. 14 The wom en said to Na o mi, “ Blessed be the a 3:9 Or “Spread the edge of your garment ; lit “Spread the wing of your garment ; Ru 2:12 b 3:10 Lit kindness at the last than at the first c 3:11 Some Hb mss, Orig, Syr , Tg, Vg read say to me d 3:11 Lit all the gate of my people e 3:14 Lit up before a man could recognize his companion f 3:14 LXX; MT reads the g 3:15 Some Hb mss, Aramaic, Syr , Vg; other Hb mss read he h 3:16 Lit “Who are you i 3:17 Alt Hb tradition, LXX, Syr , Tg read said to me j 4:1 Or said, “Come here Mr. So-and-so k 4:4 Lit should uncover your ear, saying l 4:4 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr , Vg; other Hb mss read if he does m 4:5 Lit Naomi and from n 4:5 Alt Hb tradition reads Naomi, I will have already acquired from Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead man, the privilege of raising up the name of the dead man on his property 231 RUTH 3-4 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 231 10/26/17 8:59 PM L ord, who has not left you with out a fam- i ly re deem er to day . May his name be come well known in Is ra el. 15 He will re new your life and sus tain you in your old age. In deed, your daughter-in-law , who loves you and is bet ter to you than sev en sons, has giv en birth to him.” 16 Na o mi took the child, placed him on her lap, and be came his nanny . 17 The neigh bor wom en said, “ A son has been born to Na o mi,” and they named him Obed. a He was the fa ther of Jes se, the fa ther of Da vid.DAVID’S GENEALOGY FROM JUDAH’S SON 18 Now these are the fam i ly rec ords of Pe rez: Perez fathered Hezron, 19 Hezron fathered Ram, b Ram fathered Amminadab, 20 Amminadab fathered Nahshon, Nahshon fathered Salmon, 21 Salmon fathered Boaz, Boaz fathered Obed, 22 Obed fathered Jesse, and Jesse fathered David. a 4:17 = Servant b 4:19 LXX reads Aram ; Mt 1:3-4RUTH 4 232 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 232 10/26/17 8:59 PM 1 samuel HANNAH’S VOW 1 There was a man from Ramathaim-zophim in a the hill coun try of Ephra im. His name was El ka nah son of Je ro ham, son of Eli hu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, an Ephra im ite. 2 He had two wives, the first named Han nah and the sec ond Pe nin nah. Pe nin nah had chil dren, but Han nah was child less. 3 This man would go up from his town ev ery year to wor ship and to sac ri fice to the L ord of Ar mies at Shi loh, where Eli’s two sons, Hoph ni and Phin e has, were the L ord’ s priests. 4 When ev er El ka nah off ered a sac ri fice, he al ways gave por tions of the meat to his wife Pe nin nah and to each of her sons and daugh ters. 5 But he gave a dou ble b por tion to Han nah, for he loved her even though the L ord had kept her from conceiving. 6 Her ri- val would taunt her se vere ly just to pro voke her, be cause the L ord had kept Han nah from conceiving. 7 Year af ter year, when she went up to the L ord’ s house, her ri val taunt ed her in this way . Han nah would weep and would not eat. 8 “Han nah, why are you cry ing? ” her hus band El ka nah would ask. “ Why won’t you eat? Why are you trou bled? Am I not bet ter to you than ten sons? ” 9 On one oc ca sion, Han nah got up af ter they ate and drank at Shi loh. c The priest Eli was sit- ting on a chair by the door post of the L ord’ s tem ple. 10 Deep ly hurt, Han nah prayed to the L ord and wept with many tears. 11 Mak ing a vow , she plead ed, “ L ord of Ar mies, if you will take no tice of your ser vant’s affliction, re mem ber and not for get me, and give your ser vant a son, d I will give him to the L ord all the days of his life, and his hair will nev er be cut.” e 12 While she con tin ued pray ing in the L ord’ s pres ence, Eli watched her mouth. 13 Han nah was pray ing silently , f and though her lips were mov ing, her voice could not be heard. Eli thought she was drunk 14 and said to her, “ How long are you go ing to be drunk? Get rid of your wine! ”15 “ No, my lord,” Han nah re plied. “ I am a wom an with a bro ken heart. I haven’t had any wine or beer; I’ve been pour ing out my heart be fore the L ord. 16 Don’t think of me as a wick ed wom an; I’ve been pray ing from the depth of my an guish and re sent ment.” 17 Eli re spond ed, “ Go in peace, and may the God of Is ra el grant the re quest you’ve made of him.” 18 “ May your ser vant find fa vor with you,” she re plied. Then Han nah went on her way; she ate and no lon ger looked de spon dent. g SAMUEL’S BIRTH AND DEDICATION 19 The next morn ing El ka nah and Han nah got up ear ly to wor ship be fore the L ord. Af ter ward, they re turned home to Ra mah. Then El ka nah was in ti mate with his wife Han nah, and the L ord re mem bered her. 20 Af ter some time, h Han nah con ceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Sam uel, i be cause she said, “ I re quest ed him from the L ord.” 21 When El ka nah and all his house hold went up to make the an nu al sac ri fice and his vow off er ing to the L ord, 22 Han nah did not go and ex plained to
🙏 Hannah's Faithful Dedication
🤱 Hannah fulfills her sacred promise by dedicating her long-awaited son Samuel to God's service at Shiloh, demonstrating extraordinary faith and gratitude for answered prayer
🎵 Hannah's triumphant prayer celebrates God's sovereignty, highlighting how the Lord reverses human fortunes by exalting the humble and humbling the proud
⚖️ Eli's sons abuse their priestly position through corruption and sexual misconduct, creating a stark contrast with young Samuel's faithful service and growth "in stature and in favor"
📣 God calls young Samuel as a prophet, revealing His judgment against Eli's family and establishing a new spiritual authority in Israel
🏺 The Ark of the Covenant is captured by the Philistines after Israel's defeat, leading to Eli's death and demonstrating the consequences of dishonoring God
💪 Even in Philistine territory, God's power manifests as their idol Dagon falls broken before the Ark, and the people suffer afflictions, proving divine sovereignty extends beyond Israel's borders
her hus band, “ Af ter the child is weaned, I’ll take him to ap pear in the L ord’ s pres ence and to stay there per ma nent ly .” 23 Her hus band El ka nah re plied, “ Do what you think is best, j and stay here un til you’ve weaned him. May the L ord con firm your k word.” So Han nah stayed there and nursed her son un til she weaned him. 24 When she had weaned him, she took him with her to Shi loh, as well as a three-year-old bull, l half a bushel m of flour, and a clay jar of wine. Though the boy was still young, n she took him to the L ord’ s house at Shi loh. 25 Then they slaugh tered the bull and brought the boy to Eli. 26 “ Please, my lord,” she said, “ as sure ly as you live, my lord, I am the wom an who stood here be side you pray ing to the L ord. 27 I prayed for this boy , and since the L ord gave me what I asked him for, 28 I now give the boy to the a 1:1 Or from Ramathaim, a Zuphite from b 1:5 Or gave only one ; Hb obscure c 1:9 LXX adds and presented herself before the Lord d 1:11 Lit a seed of men e 1:11 Lit and no razor will go up on his head f 1:13 Lit praying to her heart g 1:18 Lit and her face was not to her again h 1:20 Lit In the turning of the days i 1:20 In Hb, the name Samuel sounds like the phrase “requested from God.” j 1:23 Lit what is good in your eyes k 1:23 DSS, LXX, Syr; MT reads his l 1:24 DSS, LXX, Syr; MT reads Shiloh with three bulls m 1:24 Lit bull and an ephah n 1:24 Lit And the youth was a youth CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 233 10/26/17 8:59 PM L ord. For as long as he lives, he is giv en to the L ord.” Then he a wor shiped the L ord there. b HANNAH’S TRIUMPHANT PRAYER 2 Han nah prayed: My heart rejoices in the Lord; my horn is lifted up by the Lord. My mouth boasts over my enemies, because I rejoice in your salvation. 2 There is no one holy like the Lord. There is no one besides you! And there is no rock like our God. 3 Do not boast so proudly , or let arrogant words come out of your mouth, for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and actions are weighed by him. 4 The bows of the warriors are broken, but the feeble are clothed with strength. 5 Those who are full hire themselves out for food, but those who are starving hunger no more. The woman who is childless gives birth to seven, but the woman with many sons pines away . 6 The Lord brings death and gives life; he sends some down to Sheol, and he raises others up. 7 The Lord brings poverty and gives wealth; he humbles and he exalts. 8 He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the trash heap. He seats them with noblemen and gives them a throne of honor. c For the foundations of the earth are the Lord’s; he has set the world on them. 9 He guards the steps d of his faithful ones, but the wicked perish in darkness, for a person does not prevail by his own strength. 10 Those who oppose the Lord will be shattered; e he will thunder in the heavens against them. The Lord will judge the ends of the earth. He will give power to his king; he will lift up the horn of his anointed. f 11 El ka nah went home to Ra mah, but the boy served the L ord in the pres ence of the priest Eli. ELI’S FAMILY JUDGED 12 Eli’s sons were wick ed men; they did not re spect the L ord 13 or the priests’ share of the sac ri fic es from the peo ple. When any one of- fered a sac ri fice, the priest’s ser vant would come with a three-pronged meat fork while the meat was boil ing 14 and plunge it into the con tain er, ket tle, cauldron, or cook ing pot. The priest would claim for him self what ev- er the meat fork brought up. This is the way they treat ed all the Is ra el ites who came there to Shi loh. 15 Even be fore the fat was burned, the priest’s ser vant would come and say to the one who was sac ri fic ing, “ Give the priest some meat to roast, be cause he won’t ac cept boiled meat from you — only raw .” 16 If that per son said to him, “ The fat must be burned first; then you can take what ev er you want for your self,” the ser vant would re ply , “ No, I in sist that you hand it over right now . If you don’t, I’ll take it by force! ” 17 So the ser vants’ sin was very se vere in the pres ence of the L ord, be cause the men treat ed the L ord’ s off er ing with con tempt. 18 Sam uel served in the L ord’ s pres ence— this mere boy was dressed in the lin en ephod. 19 Each year his moth er made him a lit tle robe and took it to him when she went with her hus band to off er the an nu al sac ri fice. 20 Eli would bless El ka nah and his wife: “ May the L ord give you chil dren by this wom an in place of the one she g has giv en to the L ord.” Then they would go home. 21 The L ord paid at ten tion to Han nah’s need, and she con ceived and gave birth to three sons and two daugh ters. Mean while, the boy Sam uel grew up in the pres ence of the L ord. 22 Now Eli was very old. He heard about ev- ery thing his sons were do ing to all Is ra el and how they were sleep ing with the wom en who served at the en trance to the tent of meet ing. 23 He said to them, “ Why are you do ing these things? I have heard about your evil ac tions from all these peo ple. 24 No, my sons, the news a 1:28 DSS read she ; some Hb mss, Syr , Vg read they b 1:28 LXX reads Then she left him there before the Lord c 2:8 DSS, LXX add He gives the vow of the one who makes a vow and he blesses the years of the just. d 2:9 Lit feet e 2:10 DSS, LXX read The Lord shatters those who dispute with him f 2:10 Or Messiah g 2:20 DSS; MT reads he1 SAMUEL 1-2 234 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 234 10/26/17 8:59 PM I hear the L ord’ s peo ple spread ing is not good. 25 If one per son sins against an oth er, God can in ter cede for him, but if a per son sins against the L ord, who can in ter cede for him? ” But they would not lis ten to their fa ther, since the L ord in tend ed to kill them. 26 By contrast, the boy Sam uel grew in stat ure and in fa vor with the L ord and with peo ple. 27 A man of God came to Eli and said to him, “ This is what the L ord says: ‘ Didn’t I re veal my self to your fore fa ther’s fam i ly a when they were in Egypt and be longed to Pha raoh’s pal- ace? 28 Out of all the tribes of Is ra el, I chose your house b to be my priests, to off er sac- ri fic es on my al tar, to burn in cense, and to wear an ephod in my pres ence. I also gave your fore fa ther’s fam i ly all the Is ra el ite fire off er ings. 29 Why , then, do all of you de spise my sac ri fic es and off er ings that I re quire at the place of wor ship? You have hon ored your sons more than me, by mak ing your selves fat with the best part of all of the off er ings of my peo ple Is ra el.’ 30 “There fore, this is the dec la ra tion of the L ord, the God of Is ra el: ‘ I did say that your fam i ly and your fore fa ther’s fam i ly would walk be fore me for ev er. But now ,’ this is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion, ‘ no lon ger! For those who hon or me I will hon or, but those who de spise me will be dis graced. 31 Look, the days are com ing when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your fore fa ther’s house, so that none in your fam i ly will reach old age. 32 You will see dis tress in the place of wor - ship, in spite of all that is good in Is ra el, and no one in your fam i ly will ever again reach old age. 33 Any man from your fam i ly I do not cut off from my al tar will bring grief c and sad ness to you. All your de scen dants will die vi o lent ly . d,e 34 This will be the sign that will come to you con cern ing your two sons Hoph ni and Phin e has: both of them will die on the same day . 35 “ ‘ Then I will raise up a faith ful priest for my self. He will do what ev er is in my heart and mind. I will es tab lish a last ing dy nas ty for him, and he will walk be fore my anoint ed one for all time. 36 Any one who is left in your fam i ly will come and bow down to him for a piece of sil ver or a loaf of bread. He will say: Please ap point me to some priest ly off ice so I can have a piece of bread to eat.’ ”SAMUEL’S CALL 3 The boy Sam uel served the L ord in Eli’s pres ence. In those days the word of the L ord was rare and pro phet ic vi sions were not wide spread. 2 One day Eli, whose eye sight was fail ing, was ly ing in his usu al place. 3 Be fore the lamp of God had gone out, Sam uel was ly ing down in the tem ple of the L ord, where the ark of God was lo cat ed. 4 Then the L ord called Sam uel, f and he an- swered, “ Here I am.” 5 He ran to Eli and said, “ Here I am; you called me.” “ I didn’t call,” Eli re plied. “ Go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down. 6 Once again the L ord called, “Sam uel! ” Sam uel got up, went to Eli, and said, “ Here I am; you called me.” “ I didn’t call, my son,” he re plied. “ Go back and lie down.” 7 Now Sam uel did not yet know the L ord, be cause the word of the L ord had not yet been re vealed to him. 8 Once again, for the third time, the L ord called Sam uel. He got up, went to Eli, and said, “ Here I am; you called me.” Then Eli un der stood that the L ord was call ing the boy . 9 He told Sam uel, “ Go and lie down. If he calls you, say , ‘ Speak, L ord, for your ser vant is lis ten ing.’ ” So Sam uel went and lay down in his place. 10 The L ord came, stood there, and called as be fore, “Sam uel, Sam uel! ” Sam uel re spond ed, “ Speak, for your ser vant is lis ten ing.” 11 The L ord said to Sam uel, “ I am about to do some thing in Is ra el that ev ery one who hears about it will shud der. g 12 On that day I will car - ry out against Eli ev ery thing I said about his fam i ly , from be gin ning to end. 13 I told him that I am go ing to judge his fam i ly for ev er be cause of the in iq ui ty he knows about: his sons are curs ing God, h and he has not stopped them. 14 There fore, I have sworn to Eli’s fam i ly: The in iq ui ty of Eli’s fam i ly will nev er be wiped out by ei ther sac ri fice or off er ing.” 15 Sam uel lay down un til the morn ing; then he opened the doors of the L ord’ s house. He was afraid to tell Eli the vi sion, 16 but Eli called him and said, “Sam uel, my son.” “ Here I am,” an swered Sam uel. 17 “ What was the mes sage he gave you? ” Eli asked. “ Don’t hide it from me. May God pun ish a 2:27 Lit the palace of your father b 2:28 Lit selected him c 2:33 Lit grief to your eyes d 2:33 DSS, LXX read die by the sword of men e 2:33 Lit die men f 3:4 DSS, LXX read called, “Samuel! Samuel! ” g 3:11 Lit about it, his two ears will tingle ; Hb obscure h 3:13 LXX, Old Lat; MT reads them 235 1 SAMUEL 2-3 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 235 10/26/17 8:59 PM you and do so se vere ly if you hide any thing from me that he told you.” 18 So Sam uel told him ev ery thing and did not hide any thing from him. Eli re spond ed, “ He is the L ord. Let him do what he thinks is good.” a 19 Sam uel grew , and the L ord was with him, and he ful filled ev ery thing Sam uel proph- e sied. b 20 All Is ra el from Dan to Be er-she ba knew that Sam uel was a con firmed proph et of the L ord. 21 The L ord con tin ued to ap pear in Shi loh, be cause there he re vealed him self to 4 Sam uel by his word. 1 And Sam uel’s words came to all Is ra el. THE ARK CAPTURED BY THE PHILISTINES Is ra el went out to meet the Phi lis tines in bat tle and c camped at Eb en e zer while the Phi lis tines camped at Aphek. 2 The Phi lis tines lined up in bat tle for ma tion against Is ra el, and as the bat tle in ten si fied, Is ra el was de feat ed by the Phi lis tines, who struck down about four thou- sand men on the bat tle field. 3 When the troops re turned to the camp, the el ders of Is ra el asked, “ Why did the L ord de feat us to day be fore the Phi lis tines? Let’s bring the ark of the L ord’ s cov enant from Shi loh. Then it d will go with us and save us from our en e mies.” 4 So the peo ple sent men to Shi loh to bring back the ark of the cov enant of the L ord of Ar mies, who is en throned be- tween the cher u bim. Eli’s two sons, Hoph ni and Phin e has, were there with the ark of the cov enant of God. 5 When the ark of the cov- enant of the L ord en tered the camp, all the Is ra el ites raised such a loud shout that the ground shook. 6 The Phi lis tines heard the sound of the war cry and asked, “ What’s this loud shout in the He brews’ camp? ” When the Phi lis tines dis cov- ered that the ark of the L ord had en tered the camp, 7 they panicked. “ A god has en tered their camp! ” they said. “ Woe to us, noth ing like this has hap pened be fore. e 8 Woe to us, who will res cue us from these mag nifi cent gods? These are the gods that slaugh tered the Egyp tians with all kinds of plagues in the wil der ness. 9 Show some cour age and be men, Phi lis tines! Oth er wise, you’ll serve the He brews just as they served you. Now be men and fight! ” 10 So the Phi lis tines fought, and Is ra el was de feat ed, and each man fled to his tent. The slaugh ter was se vere — thir ty thou sand of the Is ra el ite foot sol diers fell. 11 The ark of God was cap tured, and Eli’s two sons, Hoph ni and Phin e has, died. ELI’S DEATH AND ICHABOD’S BIRTH 12 That same day , a Ben ja min ite man ran from the bat tle and came to Shi loh. His clothes were torn, and there was dirt on his head. 13 When he ar rived, there was Eli sit ting on his chair be side the road watch ing, be cause he was anx ious about the ark of God. When the man en tered the city to give a re port, the en tire city cried out. 14 Eli heard the out cry and asked, “ Why this com mo tion? ” The man quick ly came and re- port ed to Eli. 15 At that time Eli was ninety-eight years old, and his eyes didn’t move f be cause he couldn’t see. 16 The man said to Eli, “ I’m the one who came from the bat tle. g I fled from there to day .” “ What hap pened, my son? ” Eli asked. 17 The mes sen ger an swered, “Is ra el has fled from the Phi lis tines, and also there was a great slaugh ter among the peo ple. Your two sons, Hoph ni and Phin e has, are both dead, and the ark of God has been cap tured.” 18 When he men tioned the ark of God, Eli fell back ward off the chair by the city gate, and since he was old and heavy , his neck broke and he died. Eli had judged Is ra el for ty years. 19 Eli’s daughter-in-law , the wife of Phin e has, was preg nant and about to give birth. When she heard the news about the cap ture of God’s ark and the deaths of her father-in-law and her hus band, she col lapsed and gave birth be cause her la bor pains came on her. 20 As she was dy ing, h the wom en tak ing care of her said, “ Don’t be afraid. You’ve giv en birth to a son! ” But she did not re spond or pay at ten tion. 21 She named the boy Ich a bod, i say ing, “ The glo ry has de part ed from Is ra el,” re fer ring to the cap ture of the ark of God and to the deaths of her father-in-law and her hus band. 22 “ The glo ry has de part ed from Is ra el,” she said, “be - cause the ark of God has been cap tured.” THE ARK IN PHILISTINE HANDS 5 Af ter the Phi lis tines had cap tured the ark of God, they took it from Eb en e zer to Ash dod, 2 brought it into the tem ple of Da- gon j and placed it next to his stat ue. k 3 When a 3:18 Lit what is good in his eyes b 3:19 Lit he let none of his words fall to the ground c 4:1 LXX reads In those days the Philistines gathered together to fight against Israel, and Israel went out to engage them in battle. They d 4:3 Or he e 4:7 Lit yesterday or the day before f 4:15 Lit his eyes stood ; 1Kg 14:4 g 4:16 LXX reads camp h 4:20 LXX reads And in her time of delivery, she was about to die i 4:21 = Where Is Glory? j 5:2 A Philistine god of the sea, grain, or storm k 5:2 Lit to Dagon1 SAMUEL 3-5 236 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 236 10/26/17 8:59 PM the peo ple of Ash dod got up ear ly the next morn ing, there was Da gon, fall en with his face to the ground be fore the ark of the L ord. So they took Da gon and re turned him to his place. 4 But when they got up ear ly the next morn ing, there was Da gon, fall en with his face to the ground be fore the ark of the L ord. This time, Da gon’s head and both of his hands were bro ken off and ly ing on the thresh old. Only Da gon’s torso re mained. a 5 That is why , still to day , the priests of Da gon and ev ery one who en ters the tem ple of Da gon in Ash dod do not step on Da gon’s thresh old. 6 The L ord’ s hand was heavy on the peo ple of Ash dod. He ter ri fied the peo ple of Ash - dod and its ter ri to ry and afflicted them with tu mors. b,c 7 When the peo ple of Ash dod saw what was hap pen ing, they said, “ The ark of Is ra el’s God must not stay here with us, be- cause his hand is strong ly against us and our god Da gon.” 8 So they called all the Phi lis tine rul ers to geth er and asked, “ What should we do with the ark of Is ra el’s God? ” “ The ark of Is ra el’s God should be moved to Gath,” they re plied. So they moved the ark of Is ra el’s God. 9 Af ter they had moved it, the L ord’ s hand was against the city of Gath, caus- ing a great pan ic. He afflicted the peo ple of the city , from the youn gest to the old est, with an out break of tu mors. 10 The peo ple of Gath then sent the ark of God to Ek ron, but when it got there, the Ek- ron ites cried out, “They’ve moved the ark of Is ra el’s God to us to kill us and our peo ple! ” d 11 The Ek ron ites called all the Phi lis tine rul ers to geth er. They said, “ Send the ark of Is ra el’s
📜 The Ark's Return Journey
🏺 Divine punishment struck the Philistines after capturing the Ark of the Lord, afflicting them with tumors and causing widespread fear, compelling them to return the sacred object with gold offerings
🐄 The Philistines devised a test using untrained cows pulling a cart with the Ark—if they traveled straight to Israelite territory without guidance, it would confirm God's hand in their suffering
🙏 Under Samuel's leadership, Israel repented by removing foreign gods, which led to victory against the Philistines at Mizpah and a period of peace marked by the memorial stone "Ebenezer"
👑 Despite Samuel's faithful leadership, the Israelites demanded a king to be like other nations—a request God interpreted as rejection of His kingship while warning of the burdens royal rule would bring
🧔 God directed Samuel to anoint Saul, an impressive young Benjamite, as Israel's first king, confirming his selection through prophetic signs and a divine transformation
God away . Let it re turn to its place so it won’t kill us and our peo ple! ” e For the fear of death per vad ed the city; God’s hand was op press ing them. 12 Those who did not die were afflicted with tu mors, and the out cry of the city went up to heav en. THE RETURN OF THE ARK 6 When the ark of the L ord had been in Phi- lis tine ter ri to ry for sev en months, 2 the Phi lis tines sum moned the priests and the di vin ers and plead ed, “ What should we do with the ark of the L ord? Tell us how we can send it back to its place.”3 They re plied, “ If you send the ark of Is ra el’s God away , do not send it with out an off er ing. Send back a guilt off er ing to him, and you will be healed. Then the rea son his hand hasn’t been re moved from you will be re vealed.” f 4 They asked, “ What guilt off er ing should we send back to him? ” And they an swered, “ Five gold tu mors and five gold mice cor re spond ing to the num ber of Phi lis tine rul ers, since there was one plague for both you g and your rul ers. 5 Make im ages of your tu mors and of your mice that are de- stroy ing the land. Give glo ry to Is ra el’s God, and per haps he will stop op press ing you, h your gods, and your land. 6 Why hard en your hearts as the Egyp tians and Pha raoh hard ened theirs? When he afflicted them, didn’t they send Is ra el away , and Is ra el left? 7 “ Now then, pre pare one new cart and two milk cows that have nev er been yoked. Hitch the cows to the cart, but take their calves away and pen them up. 8 Take the ark of the L ord, place it on the cart, and put the gold ob jects that you’re send ing him as a guilt off er ing in a box be side the ark. Send it off and let it go its way . 9 Then watch: If it goes up the road to its home land to ward Beth-she mesh, it is the L ord who has made this ter ri ble trou ble for us. How ev er, if it doesn’t, we will know that it was not his hand that pun ished us — it was just some thing that hap pened to us by chance.” 10 The men did this: They took two milk cows, hitched them to the cart, and con fined their calves in the pen. 11 Then they put the ark of the L ord on the cart, along with the box con- tain ing the gold mice and the im ages of their tu mors. 12 The cows went straight up the road to Beth-she mesh. They stayed on that one high- way , low ing as they went; they nev er strayed to the right or to the left. The Phi lis tine rul ers were walk ing be hind them to the ter ri to ry of Beth-she mesh. 13 The peo ple of Beth-she mesh were har vest- ing wheat in the val ley , and when they looked up and saw the ark, they were over joyed to see it. 14 The cart came to the field of Josh ua of Beth-she mesh and stopped there near a large rock. The peo ple of the city chopped up the cart and off ered the cows as a burnt off er ing to the L ord. 15 The Le vites re moved the ark of a 5:4 LXX; Hb reads Only Dagon remained on it b 5:6 LXX adds He brought up mice against them, and they swarmed in their ships. Then mice went up into the land and there was a mortal panic in the city. c 5:6 Perhaps bubonic plague d 5:10 DSS, LXX read “Why have you moved . . . people?” e 5:11 DSS, LXX read “Why don’t you return it to . . . people? ” f 6:3 DSS, LXX read healed, and an atonement shall be made for you. Shouldn’t his hand be removed from you?” g 6:4 Some Hb mss, LXX; other Hb mss read them h 6:5 Lit will lighten the heaviness of his hand from you 237 1 SAMUEL 5-6 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 237 10/26/17 8:59 PM the L ord, along with the box con tain ing the gold ob jects, and placed them on the large rock. That day the peo ple of Beth-she mesh off ered burnt off er ings and made sac ri fic es to the L ord. 16 When the five Phi lis tine rul ers ob served this, they re turned to Ek ron that same day . 17 As a guilt off er ing to the L ord, the Phi lis- tines had sent back one gold tumor for each city: Ash dod, Gaza, Ash ke lon, Gath, and Ek ron. 18 The num ber of gold mice also corresponded to the num ber of Phi lis tine cit ies of the five rul ers, the for ti fied cit ies and the out ly ing vil- lages. The large rock a on which the ark of the L ord was placed is still in the field of Josh ua of Beth-she mesh to day . 19 God struck down the peo ple of Beth-she - mesh be cause they looked in side the ark of the L ord. b He struck down sev en ty per sons. c The peo ple mourned be cause the L ord struck them with a great slaugh ter. 20 The peo ple of Beth-she mesh asked, “ Who is able to stand in the pres ence of the L ord this holy God? To whom should the ark go from here? ” 21 They sent mes sen gers to the res i dents of Kiriath-jearim, say ing, “ The Phi lis tines have re turned the ark of the L ord. Come down and get it.” d 7 So the peo ple of Kiriath-jearim came for the ark of the L ord and took it to Abin a- dab’s house on the hill. They con se crat ed his son El e a zar to take care of it. VICTORY AT MIZPAH 2 Time went by un til twen ty years had passed since the ark had been tak en to Kiriath-jearim. Then the whole house of Is ra el longed for the L ord. 3 Sam uel told them, “ If you are re turn- ing to the L ord with all your heart, get rid of the for eign gods and the Ash to reths that are among you, ded i cate your selves to e the L ord, and wor ship only him. Then he will res cue you from the Phi lis tines.” 4 So the Is ra el ites re moved the Baals and the Ash to reths and only wor shiped the L ord. 5 Sam uel said, “Gath er all Is ra el at Miz pah, and I will pray to the L ord on your be half.” 6 When they gath ered at Miz pah, they drew wa ter and poured it out in the L ord’ s pres ence. They fast ed that day , and there they con fessed, “ We have sinned against the L ord.” And Sam- uel judged the Is ra el ites at Miz pah.7 When the Phi lis tines heard that the Is ra- el ites had gath ered at Miz pah, their rul ers marched up to ward Is ra el. When the Is ra el ites heard about it, they were afraid be cause of the Phi lis tines. 8 The Is ra el ites said to Sam uel, “ Don’t stop cry ing out to the L ord our God for us, so that he will save us from the Phi lis tines.” 9 Then Sam uel took a young lamb and of- fered it as a whole burnt off er ing to the L ord. He cried out to the L ord on be half of Is ra el, and the L ord an swered him. 10 Sam uel was off er ing the burnt off er ing as the Phi lis tines ap proached to fight against Is ra el. The L ord thun dered loud ly against the Phi lis tines that day and threw them into such con fu sion that they were de feat ed by Is ra el. 11 Then the men of Is ra el charged out of Miz pah and pur sued the Phi lis tines strik ing them down all the way to a place be low Beth-car. 12 Af ter ward, Sam uel took a stone and set it up right be tween Miz pah and Shen. He named it Eb en e zer, f ex plain ing, “ The L ord has helped us to this point.” 13 So the Phi lis tines were sub dued and g did not in vade Is ra el’s ter ri to ry again. The L ord’ s hand was against the Phi lis tines all of Sam uel’s life. 14 The cit ies from Ek ron to Gath, which they had tak en from Is ra el, were re stored; Is ra el even res cued their sur round ing ter ri to ries from Phi lis tine con trol. There was also peace be tween Is ra el and the Am o rites. 15 Sam uel judged Is ra el through out his life. 16 Ev ery year he would go on a cir cuit to Beth- el, Gil gal, and Miz pah and would judge Is ra el at all these lo ca tions. 17 Then he would re turn to Ra mah be cause his home was there, he judged Is ra el there, and he built an al tar to the L ord there. ISRAEL’S DEMAND FOR A KING 8 When Sam uel grew old, he ap point ed his sons as judg es over Is ra el. 2 His first born son’s name was Joel and his sec ond was Abi- jah. They were judg es in Be er-she ba. 3 How ev- er, his sons did not walk in his ways — they turned to ward dis hon est profi t, took bribes, and per vert ed jus tice. 4 So all the el ders of Is ra el gath ered to geth er and went to Sam uel at Ra mah. 5 They said to him, “ Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. There fore, ap point a king to judge us the same as all the oth er na tions have.” a 6:18 Some Hb mss, DSS, LXX, Tg; other Hb mss read meadow b 6:19 LXX reads But the sons of Jeconiah did not rejoice with the men of Beth-shemesh when they saw the ark of the Lord. c 6:19 Some Hb mss, Josephus; other Hb mss read 70 men, 50,000 men d 6:21 Lit and bring it up to you e 7:3 Lit you and set your hearts on f 7:12 = Stone of Help g 7:13 LXX reads The Lord humbled the Philistines and they1 SAMUEL 6-8 238 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 238 10/26/17 8:59 PM 6 When they said, “ Give us a king to judge us,” Sam uel con sid ered their de mand wrong, so he prayed to the L ord. 7 But the L ord told him, “Lis ten to the peo ple and ev ery thing they say to you. They have not re ject ed you; they have re ject ed me as their king. 8 They are do ing the same thing to you that they have done to me, a since the day I brought them out of Egypt un til this day , abandoning me and wor ship- ing oth er gods. 9 Lis ten to them, but sol emn ly warn them and tell them about the cus tom ary rights of the king who will reign over them.” 10 Sam uel told all the L ord’ s words to the peo- ple who were ask ing him for a king. 11 He said, “ These are the rights of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and put them to his use in his char i ots, on his hors es, or run- ning in front of his char i ots. 12 He can ap point them for his use as com mand ers of thou sands or com mand ers of fif ties, to plow his ground and reap his har vest, or to make his weap ons of war and the equip ment for his char i ots. 13 He can take your daugh ters to be come per fum ers, cooks, and bak ers. 14 He can take your best fields, vine yards, and ol ive or chards and give them to his ser vants. 15 He can take a tenth of your grain and your vine yards and give them to his off i cials and ser vants. 16 He can take your male ser vants, your fe male ser vants, your best young men, b and your don keys and use them for his work. 17 He can take a tenth of your flocks, and you your selves can be come his ser vants. 18 When that day comes, you will cry out be cause of the king you’ve cho sen for your selves, but the L ord won’t an swer you on that day .” 19 The peo ple re fused to lis ten to Sam uel. “ No! ” they said. “ We must have a king over us. 20 Then we’ll be like all the oth er na tions: our king will judge us, go out be fore us, and fight our bat tles.” 21 Sam uel lis tened to all the peo ple’s words and then re peat ed them to the L ord. c 22 “Lis- ten to them,” the L ord told Sam uel. “ Ap point a king for them.” Then Sam uel told the men of Is ra el, “ Each of you, go back to your city .” SAUL ANOINTED KING 9 There was a prom i nent man of Ben ja min named Kish son of Abi el, son of Ze ror, son of Be co rath, son of Aphi ah, son of a Ben ja min- ite. 2 He had a son named Saul, an im pres sive young man. There was no one more im pres sive among the Is ra el ites than he. He stood a head tall er than any one else. d 3 One day the don keys of Saul’s fa ther Kish wan dered off. Kish said to his son Saul, “ Take one of the ser vants with you and go look for the don keys.” 4 Saul and his ser vant went through the hill coun try of Ephra im and then through the re gion of Sha li shah, but they didn’t find them. They went through the re gion of Sha a lim — noth ing. Then they went through the Ben ja min ite re gion but still didn’t find them. 5 When they came to the land of Zuph, Saul said to the ser vant who was with him, “ Come on, let’s go back, or my fa ther will stop wor - ry ing about the don keys and start wor ry ing about us.” 6 “ Look,” the ser vant said, “ there’s a man of God in this city who is high ly re spect ed; ev ery thing he says is sure to come true. Let’s go there now . May be he’ll tell us which way we should go.” 7 “Sup pose we do go,” Saul said to his ser vant, “ what do we take the man? The food from our packs is gone, and there’s no gift to take to the man of God. What do we have? ” 8 The ser vant an swered Saul: “ Here, I have a lit tle e sil ver. I’ll give it to the man of God, and he will tell us which way we should go.” 9 For mer ly in Is ra el, a man who was go ing to in quire of God would say , “ Come, let’s go to the seer,” for the proph et of to day was for - mer ly called the seer. 10 “ Good,” Saul re plied to his ser vant. “ Come on, let’s go.” So they went to the city where the man of God was. 11 As they were climb ing the hill to the city , they found some young wom- en com ing out to draw wa ter and asked, “ Is the seer here? ” 12 The wom en an swered, “ Yes, he is ahead of you. Hur ry , he just now en tered the city , be cause there’s a sac ri fice for the peo ple at the high place to day . 13 As soon as you en ter the city , you will find him be fore he goes to the high place to eat. The peo ple won’t eat un til he comes be cause he must bless the sac ri fice; af ter that, the guests can eat. Go up im me di- ate ly — you can find him now .” 14 So they went up to ward the city . Saul and his ser vant were en ter ing the city when they saw Sam uel com ing to ward them a 8:8 LXX; MT omits to me b 8:16 LXX reads best cattle c 8:21 Lit them in the Lord’s ears d 9:2 Lit From his shoulder and up higher than any of the people e 9:8 Lit a quarter of a shekel (about a tenth of an ounce) 239 1 SAMUEL 8-9 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 239 10/26/17 8:59 PM on his way to the high place. 15 Now the day be fore Saul’s ar riv al, the L ord had in formed Sam uel, a 16 “ At this time to mor row I will send you a man from the land of Ben ja min. Anoint him rul er over my peo ple Is ra el. He will save them from the Phi lis tines be cause I have seen the affliction of my peo ple, for their cry has come to me.” 17 When Sam uel saw Saul, the L ord told him, “ Here is the man I told you about; he will gov ern my peo ple.” 18 Saul ap proached Sam uel in the city gate and asked, “ Would you please tell me where the seer’s house is? ” 19 “ I am the seer,” Sam uel an swered. b “ Go up ahead of me to the high place and eat with me to day . When I send you off in the morn ing, I’ll tell you ev ery thing that’s in your heart. 20 As for the don keys that wan dered away from you three days ago, don’t wor ry about them be cause they’ve been found. And who does all Is ra el de sire but you and all your fa ther’s fam i ly? ” 21 Saul re spond ed, “ Am I not a Ben ja min ite from the small est of Is ra el’s tribes and isn’t my clan the least im por tant of all the clans of the Ben ja min ite tribe? So why have you said some thing like this to me? ” 22 Sam uel took Saul and his ser vant, brought them to the ban quet hall, and gave them a place at the head of the thir ty c or so men who had been in vit ed. 23 Then Sam uel said to the cook, “ Get the por tion of meat that I gave you and told you to set aside.” 24 The cook picked up the thigh and what was at tached to it and set it be fore Saul. Then Sam uel said, “No tice that the re served piece is set be fore you. Eat it be cause it was saved for you for this sol emn event at the time I said, ‘ I’ve in vit ed the peo ple.’ ” So Saul ate with Sam uel that day . 25 Af ter ward, they went down from the high place to the city , and Sam uel spoke with Saul on the roof. d 26 They got up ear ly , and just be fore dawn, Sam uel called to Saul on the roof, “ Get up, and I’ll send you on your way! ” Saul got up, and both he and Sam uel went out side. 27 As they were go ing down to the edge of the city , Sam uel said to Saul, “ Tell the ser vant to go on ahead of us, but you stay for a while, and I’ll re veal the word of God to you.” So the ser vant went on.10 Sam uel took the flask of oil, poured it out on Saul’s head, kissed him, and said, “ Hasn’t the L ord anoint ed you rul er over his in her i tance? e 2 To day when you leave me, you’ll find two men at Ra chel’s Grave at Zel zah in the ter ri to ry of Ben ja min. They will say to you, ‘ The don keys you went look ing for have been found, and now your fa ther has stopped be ing con cerned about the don keys and is wor ried about you, ask ing: What should I do about my son? ’ 3 “ You will pro ceed from there un til you come to the oak of Ta bor. Three men go ing up to God at Beth el will meet you there, one bring ing three goats, one bring ing three loaves of bread, and one bring ing a clay jar of wine. 4 They will ask how you are and give you two loaves f of bread, which you will ac cept from them. 5 “ Af ter that you will come to Gib e ah of God where there are Phi lis tine gar ri sons. g When you ar rive at the city , you will meet a group of proph ets com ing down from the high place proph e sy ing. They will be pre ced ed by harps, tam bou rines, flutes, and lyres. 6 The Spir it of the L ord will come pow er ful ly on you, you will proph e sy with them, and you will be trans- formed. 7 When these signs have hap pened to you, do what ev er your cir cum stanc es re- quire h be cause God is with you. 8 Af ter ward, go ahead of me to Gil gal. I will come to you to off er burnt off er ings and to sac ri fice fel low- ship off er ings. Wait
🗡️ Saul's Kingship Journey
🔄 Divine transformation occurs when Saul is anointed king, as God changes his heart and empowers him with prophetic abilities, surprising those who knew him previously
👑 Despite initial reluctance and hiding, Saul emerges as Israel's chosen leader, standing physically taller than others but requiring divine confirmation through signs and public selection
⚔️ Saul demonstrates military leadership by rescuing Jabesh-gilead from the Ammonites, uniting the Israelites through both divine empowerment and strategic threat
🙏 Samuel's farewell address reminds Israel of their questionable choice in requesting a king, while establishing a covenant relationship between the people, their new king, and God
🔥 Saul's leadership failure emerges when he impatiently offers unauthorized sacrifices, leading Samuel to pronounce that his kingdom will not endure and God has found "a man after his own heart"
💪 Jonathan's initiative against the Philistines reveals his faith that "nothing can keep the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few," contrasting with his father's declining leadership
sev en days un til I come to you and show you what to do.” 9 When Saul turned around i to leave Sam uel, God changed his heart, j and all the signs came about that day . 10 When Saul and his ser vant ar rived at Gib e ah, a group of proph ets met him. Then the Spir it of God came pow er ful ly on him, and he proph e sied along with them. 11 Ev ery one who knew him pre vi ous ly and saw him proph e sy with the proph ets asked each oth er, “ What has hap pened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the proph ets? ” 12 Then a man who was from there asked, “ And who is their fa ther? ” As a re sult, “ Is Saul also among the proph- ets? ” be came a popular say ing. 13 Then Saul fin ished proph e sy ing and went to the high place. a 9:15 Lit had uncovered Samuel’s ear, saying b 9:19 Lit answered Saul c 9:22 LXX reads 70 d 9:25 LXX reads city. They prepared a bed for Saul on the roof, and he slept. e 10:1 LXX adds And you will reign over the Lord’s people, and you will save them from the hand of their enemies all around. And this is the sign to you that the Lord has anointed you ruler over his inheritance. f 10:4 DSS, LXX read wave offerings g 10:5 Or governors h 10:7 Lit do for yourself whatever your hand finds i 10:9 Lit turned his shoulder j 10:9 Lit God turned to him another heart1 SAMUEL 9-10 240 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 240 10/26/17 8:59 PM 14 Saul’s un cle asked him and his ser vant, “ Where did you go? ” “ To look for the don keys,” Saul an swered. “ When we saw they weren’t there, we went to Sam uel.” 15 “ Tell me,” Saul’s un cle asked, “ what did Sam uel say to you? ” 16 Saul told him, “ He as sured us the don keys had been found.” How ev er, Saul did not tell him what Sam uel had said about the mat ter of king ship. SAUL RECEIVED AS KING 17 Sam uel sum moned the peo ple to the L ord at Miz pah 18 and said to the Is ra el ites, “ This is what the L ord, the God of Is ra el, says: ‘ I brought Is ra el out of Egypt, and I res cued you from the pow er of the Egyp tians and all the king doms that were op press ing you.’ 19 But to day you have re ject ed your God, who saves you from all your trou bles and afflictions. You said to him, ‘ You a must set a king over us.’ Now there fore pre sent your selves be fore the L ord by your tribes and clans.” 20 Sam uel had all the tribes of Is ra el come for ward, and the tribe of Ben ja min was se - lect ed. 21 Then he had the tribe of Ben ja min come for ward by its clans, and the Matrite clan was se lect ed. b Fi nal ly , Saul son of Kish was se lect ed. But when they searched for him, they could not find him. 22 They again in quired of the L ord, “ Has the man come here yet? ” The L ord re plied, “ There he is, hid den among the sup plies.” 23 They ran and got him from there. When he stood among the peo ple, he stood a head tall er than any one else. c 24 Sam uel said to all the peo ple, “ Do you see the one the L ord has cho sen? There is no one like him among the en tire pop u la tion.” And all the peo ple shout ed, d “ Long live the king! ” 25 Sam uel pro claimed to the peo ple the rights of king ship. He wrote them on a scroll, which he placed in the pres ence of the L ord. Then Sam uel sent all the peo ple home. 26 Saul also went to his home in Gib e ah, and brave men whose hearts God had touched went with him. 27 But some wick ed men said, “ How can this guy save us? ” They de spised him and did not bring him a gift, but Saul said noth ing. e,f SAUL’S DELIVERANCE OF JABESH-GILEAD 11 Na hash g the Am mon ite came up and laid siege to Jabesh-gilead. All the men of Ja- besh said to him, “ Make a trea ty with us, and we will serve you.” 2 Na hash the Am mon ite re plied, “ I’ll make one with you on this con di tion: that I gouge out ev ery one’s right eye and hu mil i ate all Is ra el.” 3 “ Don’t do any thing to us for sev en days,” the el ders of Ja besh said to him, “ and let us send mes sen gers through out the ter ri to ry of Is ra el. If no one saves us, we will sur ren der to you.” 4 When the mes sen gers came to Gib e ah, Saul’s home town, and told the terms to h the peo ple, all wept aloud. 5 Just then Saul was com ing in from the field be hind his oxen. “ What’s the mat ter with the peo ple? Why are they weep ing? ” Saul in quired, and they re peat- ed to him the words of the men from Ja besh. 6 When Saul heard these words, the Spir it of God sud den ly came pow er ful ly on him, and his an ger burned fu ri ous ly . 7 He took a team of oxen, cut them in pieces, and sent them through out the ter ri to ry of Is ra el by mes sen gers who said, “ This is what will be done to the ox of any one who doesn’t march be hind Saul and Sam uel.” As a re sult, the ter - ror of the L ord fell on the peo ple, and they went out unit ed. 8 Saul count ed them at Be zek. There were three hun dred thou sand i Is ra el ites and thir - ty thou sand j men from Ju dah. 9 He told the mes sen gers who had come, “ Tell this to the men of Jabesh-gilead: ‘De liv er ance will be yours to mor row by the time the sun is hot.’ ” So the mes sen gers told the men of Ja besh, and they re joiced. 10 Then the men of Ja besh said to Na hash, “To mor row we will come out, and you can do what ev er you want k to us.” 11 The next day Saul organized the troops into three di vi sions. Dur ing the morn ing watch, they in vad ed the Am mon ite camp and a 10:19 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr , Vg read You said, ‘No, you b 10:21 LXX adds And he had the Matrite clan come forward, man by man. c 10:23 Lit people, and he was higher than any of the people from his shoulder and up d 10:24 LXX reads acknowledged and said e 10:27 DSS add Nahash king of the Ammonites had been severely oppressing the Gadites and Reubenites. He gouged out the right eye of each of them and brought fear and trembling on Israel. Of the Israelites beyond the Jordan none remained whose right eye Nahash, king of the Ammonites, had not gouged out. But there were seven thousand men who had escaped from the Ammonites and entered Jabesh-gilead. f 10:27 Lit gift, and he was like a mute person g 11:1 DSS, LXX read About a month later, Nahash h 11:4 Lit in the ears of i 11:8 LXX reads 600,000 j 11:8 DSS, LXX read 70,000 k 11:10 Lit do what is good in your eyes 241 1 SAMUEL 10-11 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 241 10/26/17 8:59 PM slaugh tered them un til the heat of the day . There were sur vi vors, but they were so scat- tered that no two of them were left to geth er. SAUL’S CONFIRMATION AS KING 12 Af ter ward, the peo ple said to Sam uel, “ Who said that Saul should not a reign over us? Give us those men so we can kill them! ” 13 But Saul or dered, “ No one will be ex e cut- ed this day , for to day the L ord has pro vid ed de liv er ance in Is ra el.” 14 Then Sam uel said to the peo ple, “ Come, let’s go to Gil gal, so we can re new the king ship there.” 15 So all the peo ple went to Gil gal, and there in the L ord’ s pres ence they made Saul king. There they sac ri ficed fel low ship off er- ings in the L ord’ s pres ence, and Saul and all the men of Is ra el re joiced great ly . SAMUEL’S FINAL PUBLIC SPEECH 12 Then Sam uel said to all Is ra el, “ I have care ful ly lis tened to ev ery thing you said to me and placed a king over you. 2 Now you can see that the king is lead ing you. As for me, I’m old and gray , and my sons are here with you. I have led you from my youth un til now . 3 Here I am. Bring charg es against me be fore the L ord and his anoint ed: Whose ox or don- key have I tak en? Whom have I wronged or mis treat ed? From whom have I ac cept ed a bribe to over look some thing? b,c I will re turn it to you.” 4 “ You haven’t wronged us, you haven’t mis- treat ed us, and you haven’t tak en any thing from any one,” they re spond ed. 5 He said to them, “ The L ord is a wit ness against you, and his anoint ed is a wit ness to day that you haven’t found any thing in my hand.” “ He is a wit ness,” they said. 6 Then Sam uel said to the peo ple, “ The L ord, who ap point ed Mo ses and Aar on and who brought your an ces tors up from the land of Egypt, is a wit ness. d 7 Now pre sent your selves, so I may con front you be fore the L ord about all the righ teous acts he has done for you and your an ces tors. 8 “ When Ja cob went to Egypt, e your an ces- tors cried out to the L ord, and he sent them Mo ses and Aar on, who led your an ces tors out of Egypt and set tled them in this place. 9 But they for got the L ord their God, so he hand ed them over to Sis era com mand er of the army of Ha zor, to the Phi lis tines, and to the king of Moab. These en e mies fought against them. 10 Then they cried out to the L ord and said, ‘ We have sinned, for we aban doned the L ord and wor shiped the Baals and the Ash to reths. Now res cue us from the pow er of our en e mies, and we will serve you.’ 11 So the L ord sent Jer ub ba - al, Bar ak, f Jeph thah, and Sam uel. He res cued you from the pow er of the en e mies around you, and you lived se cure ly . 12 But when you saw that Na hash king of the Am mon ites was com ing against you, you said to me, ‘ No, we must have a king reign over us’ — even though the L ord your God is your king. 13 “ Now here is the king you’ve cho sen, the one you re quest ed. Look, this is the king the L ord has placed over you. 14 If you fear the L ord, wor ship and obey him, and if you don’t rebel against the L ord’ s com mand, then both you and the king who reigns over you will fol low the L ord your God. 15 How ev er, if you dis obey the L ord and rebel against his com mand, the L ord’ s hand will be against you as it was against your an ces tors. g 16 “ Now , there fore, pre sent your selves and see this great thing that the L ord will do be fore your eyes. 17 Isn’t the wheat har vest to day? I will call on the L ord, and he will send thun der and rain so that you will rec og nize h what an im mense evil you com mit ted in the L ord’ s sight by re quest ing a king for your selves.” 18 Sam uel called on the L ord, and on that day the L ord sent thun der and rain. As a re sult, all the peo ple great ly feared the L ord and Sam uel. 19 They plead ed with Sam uel, “ Pray to the L ord your God for your ser vants so we won’t die! For we have add ed to all our sins the evil of re quest ing a king for our selves.” 20 Sam uel re plied, “ Don’t be afraid. Even though you have com mit ted all this evil, don’t turn away from fol low ing the L ord. In stead, wor ship the L ord with all your heart. 21 Don’t turn away to fol low worth less i things that can’t profi t or res cue you; they are worth less. 22 The L ord will not aban don his peo ple, be cause of his great name and be cause he has de ter mined to make you his own peo ple. 23 “ As for me, I vow that I will not sin against the L ord by ceas ing to pray for you. I will teach you the good and right way . 24 Above all, fear a 11:12 Some Hb mss, LXX; other Hb mss omit not b 12:3 LXX reads bribe or a pair of shoes? Testify against me. c 12:3 Lit bribe and will hide my eyes with it? d 12:6 LXX; MT omits is a witness e 12:8 LXX reads “When Jacob and his sons went to Egypt and Egypt humbled them f 12:11 LXX, Syr; MT reads Bedan ; Jdg 4:6; Heb 11:32 g 12:15 LXX against you and against your king h 12:17 Lit know and see i 12:21 LXX reads away after empty1 SAMUEL 11-12 242 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 242 10/26/17 8:59 PM the L ord and wor ship him faith ful ly with all your heart; con sid er the great things he has done for you. 25 How ev er, if you con tin ue to do what is evil, both you and your king will be swept away .” SAUL’S FA ILURE 13 Saul was thir ty years a old when he be- came king, and he reigned forty-two years b over Is ra el. c 2 He chose three thou sand men from Is ra el for him self: two thou sand were with Saul at Michmash and in Beth el’s hill coun try , and one thou sand were with Jon- a than in Gib e ah of Ben ja min. He sent the rest of the troops away , each to his own tent. 3 Jon a than at tacked the Phi lis tine gar ri son d that was in Geba, and the Phi lis tines heard about it. So Saul blew the ram’s horn through- out the land say ing, “ Let the He brews hear! ” e 4 And all Is ra el heard the news, “ Saul has at- tacked the Phi lis tine gar ri son, and Is ra el is now re pul sive to the Phi lis tines.” Then the troops were sum moned to join Saul at Gil gal. 5 The Phi lis tines also gath ered to fight against Is ra el: three thou sand f char i ots, six thou sand horse men, and troops as nu mer ous as the sand on the sea shore. They went up and camped at Michmash, east of Beth-aven. g 6 The men of Is ra el saw that they were in trou ble be cause the troops were in a diff i- cult sit u a tion. They hid in caves, in thick ets, among rocks, and in holes and cis terns. 7 Some He brews even crossed the Jor dan to the land of Gad and Gil e ad. Saul, how ev er, was still at Gil gal, and all his troops were gripped with fear. 8 He wait ed sev en days for the ap point ed time that Sam- uel had set, but Sam uel didn’t come to Gil gal, and the troops were de sert ing him. 9 So Saul said, “ Bring me the burnt off er ing and the fel low ship off er ings.” Then he off ered the burnt off er ing. 10 Just as he fin ished off er ing the burnt of- fer ing, Sam uel ar rived. So Saul went out to greet him, 11 and Sam uel asked, “ What have you done? ” Saul an swered, “ When I saw that the troops were de sert ing me and you didn’t come with in the ap point ed days and the Phi lis tines were gath er ing at Michmash, 12 I thought, ‘ The Phi lis tines will now de scend on me at Gil- gal, and I haven’t sought the L ord’ s fa vor.’ So I forced my self to off er the burnt off er ing.” 13 Sam uel said to Saul, “ You have been fool ish. You have not kept the com mand the L ord your God gave you. It was at this time that the L ord would have per ma nent ly es tab lished your reign over Is ra el, 14 but now your reign will not en dure. The L ord has found a man af ter his own heart, h and the L ord has ap point ed him as rul er over his peo ple, be cause you have not done what the L ord com mand ed.” 15 Then Sam uel went i from Gil gal to Gib e ah in Ben- ja min. Saul reg is tered the troops who were with him, about six hun dred men. 16 Saul, his son Jon a than, and the troops who were with them were stay ing in Geba of Ben- ja min, and the Phi lis tines were camped at Michmash. 17 Raid ing par ties went out from the Phi lis tine camp in three di vi sions. One di vi sion head ed to ward the Oph rah road lead- ing to the land of Shu al. 18 The next di vi sion head ed to ward the Beth-ho ron road, and the last di vi sion head ed down the bor der road that looks out over the Ze bo im Val ley to ward the wil der ness. 19 No black smith could be found in all the land of Is ra el be cause the Phi lis tines had said, “Oth er wise, the He brews will make swords or spears.” 20 So all the Is ra el ites went to the Phi lis tines to sharp en their plows, mat tocks, axes, and sick les. j 21 The price was two-thirds of a shek el k for plows and mat tocks, and one- third of a shek el for pitchforks and axes, and for put ting a point on a cat tle prod. 22 So on the day of bat tle not a sword or spear could be found in the hand of any of the troops who were with Saul and Jon a than; only Saul and his son Jon a than had weap ons. JONATHAN’S VICTORY OVER THE PHILISTINES 23 Now a Phi lis tine gar ri son took con trol of the 14 pass at Michmash. 1 That same day Saul’s son Jon a than said to the at ten dant who car ried his weap ons, “ Come on, let’s cross over to the Phi lis tine gar ri son on the oth er side.” How ev er, he did not tell his fa ther. 2 Saul was stay ing un der the pome gran ate tree in Mig ron on the out skirts of Gib e ah. l The troops with him num bered about six hun dred. a 13:1 Some LXX mss; MT reads was one year b 13:1 Text emended; MT reads two years c 13:1 Some LXX mss omit v. 1 d 13:3 Or governor, also in v. 4 e 13:3 LXX reads “The slaves have revolted” f 13:5 One LXX ms, Syr; MT reads 30,000 g 13:5 LXX reads Michmash, opposite Beth-horon to the south h 13:14 Lit man according to his heart i 13:15 LXX reads Samuel left Gilgal and went on his way, and the rest of the people followed Saul to join the people in his army. They went j 13:20 LXX; MT reads plowshares k 13:21 Lit of a pim ; about one-fourth ounce of silver l 14:2 LXX reads on top of the hill 243 1 SAMUEL 12-14 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 243 10/26/17 8:59 PM 3 Ahi jah, who was wear ing an ephod, was also there. He was the son of Ahi tub, the broth er of Ich a bod son of Phin e has, son of Eli the L ord ’ s priest at Shi loh. But the troops did not know that Jon a than had left. 4 There were sharp col umns a of rock on both sides of the pass that Jon a than in tend- ed to cross to reach the Phi lis tine gar ri son. One was named Bo zez and the oth er Se neh; 5 one stood to the north in front of Michmash and the oth er to the south in front of Geba. 6 Jon a than said to the at ten dant who car ried his weap ons, “ Come on, let’s cross over to the gar ri son of these un cir cum cised men. Per haps the L ord will help us. Noth ing can keep the L ord from sav ing, wheth er by many or by few .” 7 His armor-bearer re spond ed, “ Do what is in your heart. You choose. I’m right here with you what ev er you de cide.” 8 “ All right,” Jon a than re plied, “ we’ll cross over to the men and then let them see us. 9 If they say , ‘ Wait un til we reach you,’ then
⚔️ Jonathan's Courageous Victory
🦁 Jonathan and his armor-bearer launched a daring two-man assault against a Philistine garrison, demonstrating extraordinary faith with the words "the Lord has handed them over to Israel"
😱 Divine terror swept through the Philistine ranks, causing mass confusion and panic that transformed into a rout as Israelites emerged from hiding to join the battle
🍯 Saul's rash oath forbidding his troops from eating created unnecessary hardship, weakening his army and nearly resulting in his son Jonathan's execution when he unknowingly violated the command
👑 Samuel's confrontation with King Saul over his disobedience regarding the Amalekites revealed a profound spiritual principle: "to obey is better than sacrifice"
🛐 Divine rejection of Saul as king demonstrated God's sovereignty, with Samuel declaring "The Lord has torn the kingship of Israel away from you"
🧒 David's anointing as future king highlighted God's focus on inner character rather than outward appearance: "humans see what is visible, but the Lord sees the heart"
we will stay where we are and not go up to them. 10 But if they say , ‘ Come on up,’ then we’ll go up, be cause the L ord has hand ed them over to us — that will be our sign.” 11 They let them selves be seen by the Phi lis - tine gar ri son, and the Phi lis tines said, “ Look, the He brews are com ing out of the holes where they’ve been hid ing! ” 12 The men of the gar ri- son called to Jon a than and his armor-bearer. “ Come on up, and we’ll teach you a les son! ” they said. “Fol low me,” Jon a than told his armor-bearer, “ for the L ord has hand ed them over to Is ra el.” 13 Jon a than climbed up us ing his hands and feet, with his armor-bearer be hind him. Jon- a than cut them down, and his armor-bearer fol lowed and fin ished them off. 14 In that first assault Jon a than and his armor-bearer struck down about twen ty men in a half-acre field. A DEFEAT FOR THE PHILISTINES 15 Ter ror spread through the Phi lis tine camp and the open fields to all the troops. Even the gar ri son and the raid ing par ties were ter ri- fied. The earth shook, and ter ror spread from God. b 16 When Saul’s watch men in Gib e ah of Ben ja min looked, they saw the panicking troops scat ter ing in ev ery di rec tion. 17 So Saul said to the troops with him, “ Call the roll and de ter mine who has left us.” They called the roll and saw that Jon a than and his armor-bearer were gone. 18 Saul told Ahi jah, “ Bring the ark of God,” for it was with the Is ra el ites c at that time. 19 While Saul spoke to the priest, the pan ic in the Phi- lis tine camp in creased in intensity . So Saul said to the priest, “ Stop what you’re do ing.” d 20 Saul and all the troops with him as sem- bled and marched to the bat tle, and there the Phi lis tines were, fight ing against each oth er in great con fu sion! 21 There were He brews from the area who had gone ear li er into the camp to join the Phi lis tines, but even they joined the Is ra el ites who were with Saul and Jon a than. 22 When all the Is ra el ite men who had been hid ing in the hill coun try of Ephra im heard that the Phi lis tines were flee ing, they also joined Saul and Jon a than in the bat tle. 23 So the L ord saved Is ra el that day . SAUL’S RASH OATH The bat tle ex tend ed be yond Beth-aven, 24 and the men of Is ra el were worn out that day , for Saul had e placed the troops un der an oath: “ The man who eats food be fore eve ning, be- fore I have tak en ven geance on my en e mies is cursed.” So none of the troops tast ed any food. 25 Ev ery one f went into the for est, and there was hon ey on the ground. 26 When the troops en tered the for est, they saw the flow of hon ey , but none of them ate any of it g be cause they feared the oath. 27 How ev er, Jon a than had not heard his fa ther make the troops swear the oath. He reached out with the end of the staff he was car ry ing and dipped it into the hon ey- comb. When he ate the hon ey , h he had re newed en er gy . i 28 Then one of the troops said, “ Your fa ther made the troops sol emn ly swear, ‘ The man who eats food to day is cursed,’ and the troops are ex haust ed.” 29 Jon a than re plied, “ My fa ther has brought trou ble to the land. Just look at how I have re- newed en er gy j be cause I tast ed a lit tle of this hon ey . 30 How much bet ter if the troops had eat en free ly to day from the plun der they took from their en e mies! Then the slaugh ter of the Phi lis tines would have been much great er.” 31 The Is ra el ites struck down the Phi lis tines that day from Michmash all the way to Ai ja lon. Since the Is ra el ites were com plete ly ex haust ed, a 14:4 Lit There was a tooth b 14:15 Or and a great terror spread c 14:18 LXX reads “Bring the ephod.” For he wore the ephod before Israel d 14:19 Lit “Withdraw your hand” e 14:24 LXX adds committed a great act of ignorance and f 14:25 Lit All the land g 14:26 Lit but there was none who raised his hand to his mouth h 14:27 Lit he returned his hand to his mouth i 14:27 Lit his eyes became bright j 14:29 Lit how my eyes became bright1 SAMUEL 14 244 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 244 10/26/17 8:59 PM 32 they rushed to the plun der, took sheep, goats, cat tle, and calves, slaugh tered them on the ground, and ate meat with the blood still in it. 33 Some re port ed to Saul: “ Look, the troops are sin ning against the L ord by eat ing meat with the blood still in it.” Saul said, “ You have been un faith ful. Roll a large stone over here at once.” 34 He then said, “ Go among the troops and say to them, ‘ Let each man bring me his ox or his sheep. Do the slaugh ter ing here and then you can eat. Don’t sin against the L ord by eat ing meat with the blood in it.’ ” So ev ery one of the troops brought his ox that night and slaugh tered it there. 35 Then Saul built an al tar to the L ord; it was the first time he had built an al tar to the L ord. 36 Saul said, “ Let’s go down af ter the Phi lis- tines to night and plun der them un til morn ing. Don’t let even one re main! ” “ Do what ev er you want,” a the troops re plied. But the priest said, “ Let’s ap proach God here.” 37 So Saul in quired of God, “ Should I go af ter the Phi lis tines? Will you hand them over to Is ra el? ” But God did not an swer him that day . 38 Saul said, “ All you lead ers of the troops, come here. Let us in ves ti gate b how this sin has oc curred to day . 39 As sure ly as the L ord lives who saves Is ra el, even if it is be cause of my son Jon a than, he must die! ” Not one of the troops an swered him. 40 So he said to all Is ra el, “ You will be on one side, and I and my son Jon a than will be on the oth er side.” And the troops re plied, “ Do what ev er you want.” 41 So Saul said to the L ord, “ God of Is ra el, why have you not an swered your ser vant to- day? If the un righ teous ness is in me or in my son Jon a than, L ord God of Is ra el, give Urim; but if the fault is in your peo ple Is ra el, give Thum mim.” c Jon a than and Saul were se lect ed, and the troops were cleared of the charge. 42 Then Saul said, “ Cast the lot be tween me and my son Jon a than,” and Jon a than was se- lect ed. 43 Saul com mand ed him, “ Tell me what you did.” Jon a than told him, “ I tast ed a lit tle hon ey with the end of the staff I was car ry ing. I am ready to die! ” 44 Saul de clared to him, “ May God pun ish me and do so se vere ly if you do not die, Jon a than! ”45 But the peo ple said to Saul, “ Must Jon- a than die, who ac com plished such a great de liv er ance for Is ra el? No, as the L ord lives, not a hair of his head will fall to the ground, for he worked with God’s help to day .” So the peo ple re deemed Jon a than, and he did not die. 46 Then Saul gave up the pur suit of the Phi lis tines, and the Phi lis tines re turned to their own ter ri to ry . SUMMARY OF SAUL’S KINGSHIP 47 When Saul as sumed the king ship over Is- ra el, he fought against all his en e mies in ev- ery di rec tion: against Moab, the Am mon ites, Edom, the kings of Zo bah, and the Phi lis tines. Wher ev er he turned, he caused hav oc. d 48 He fought brave ly , de feat ed the Am a lek ites, and res cued Is ra el from those who plun dered them. 49 Saul’s sons were Jon a than, Ish vi, and Mal chi shua. The names of his two daugh- ters were Me rab, his first born, and Mi chal, the youn ger. 50 The name of Saul’s wife was Ahin o am daugh ter of Ahim a az. The name of the com mand er of his army was Ab ner son of Saul’s un cle Ner. 51 Saul’s fa ther was Kish. Ab ner’s fa ther was Ner son of Abi el. 52 The con flict with the Phi lis tines was fierce all of Saul’s days, so when ev er Saul no ticed any strong or val iant man, he enlisted him. SAUL REJECTED AS KING 15 Sam uel told Saul, “ The L ord sent me to anoint you as king over his peo ple Is ra el. Now , lis ten to the words of the L ord. 2 This is what the L ord of Ar mies says: ‘ I wit nessed e what the Am a lek ites did to the Is ra el ites when they op posed them along the way as they were com ing out of Egypt. 3 Now go and at tack the Am a lek ites and com plete ly de stroy ev ery- thing they have. Do not spare them. Kill men and wom en, in fants and nurs ing ba bies, oxen and sheep, cam els and don keys.’ ” 4 Then Saul sum moned the troops and count- ed them at Te la im: two hun dred thou sand foot sol diers and ten thou sand men from Ju dah. 5 Saul came to the city of Am a lek and set up an am bush in the wadi. 6 He warned the Ke- nites, “ Since you showed kind ness to all the Is ra el ites when they came out of Egypt, go on and leave! Get away from the Am a lek ites, or I’ll sweep you away with them.” So the Ke nites with drew from the Am a lek ites. a 14:36 Lit Do what is good in your eyes, also in v. 40 b 14:38 Lit know and see c 14:41 LXX; MT reads said to the Lord, “God of Israel, give us the right decision.” d 14:47 LXX reads he was victorious e 15:2 LXX reads I will avenge 245 1 SAMUEL 14-15 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 245 10/26/17 8:59 PM 7 Then Saul struck down the Am a lek ites from Hav i lah all the way to Shur, which is next to Egypt. 8 He cap tured King Agag of Am a lek alive, but he com plete ly de stroyed all the rest of the peo ple with the sword. 9 Saul and the troops spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, goats, cat tle, and choice an i mals, a as well as the young rams and the best of ev ery thing else. They were not will ing to de stroy them, but they did de stroy all the worth less and unwanted things. 10 Then the word of the L ord came to Sam- uel, 11 “ I re gret that I made Saul king, for he has turned away from fol low ing me and has not car ried out my in struc tions.” So Sam uel be- came an gry and cried out to the L ord all night. 12 Ear ly in the morn ing Sam uel got up to con front Saul, but it was re port ed to Sam uel, “ Saul went to Car mel where he set up a mon u- ment for him self. Then he turned around and went down to Gil gal.” 13 When Sam uel came to him, Saul said, “ May the L ord bless you. I have car ried out the L ord’ s in struc tions.” 14 Sam uel re plied, “ Then what is this sound of sheep, goats, b and cat tle I hear? ” 15 Saul an swered, “ The troops brought them from the Am a lek ites and spared the best sheep, goats, and cat tle in or der to off er a sac ri fice to the L ord your God, but the rest we de stroyed.” 16 “ Stop! ” ex claimed Sam uel. “ Let me tell you what the L ord said to me last night.” “ Tell me,” he re plied. 17 Sam uel con tin ued, “ Al though you once con sid ered your self unimportant, have you not be come the lead er of the tribes of Is ra el? The L ord anoint ed you king over Is ra el 18 and then sent you on a mis sion and said: ‘ Go and com plete ly de stroy the sin ful Am a lek ites. Fight against them un til you have an ni hi lat ed them.’ 19 So why didn’t you obey the L ord? Why did you rush on the plun der and do what was evil in the L ord’ s sight? ” 20 “ But I did obey the L ord! ” Saul an swered. c “ I went on the mis sion the L ord gave me: I brought back King Agag of Am a lek, and I com plete ly de stroyed the Am a lek ites. 21 The troops took sheep, goats, and cat tle from the plun der — the best of what was set apart for de struc tion — to sac ri fice to the L ord your God at Gil gal.” 22 Then Sam uel said: Does the Lord take pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? Look: to obey is better than sacrifice, to pay attention is better than the fat of rams. 23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and defiance is like wickedness and idolatry . Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king. 24 Saul an swered Sam uel, “ I have sinned. I have trans gressed the L ord’ s com mand and your words. Be cause I was afraid of the peo- ple, I obeyed them. 25 Now there fore, please for give my sin and re turn with me so I can wor ship the L ord.” 26 Sam uel re plied to Saul, “ I will not re turn with you. Be cause you re ject ed the word of the L ord, the L ord has re ject ed you from be ing king over Is ra el.” 27 When Sam uel turned to go, Saul grabbed the cor ner of his robe, and it tore. 28 Sam uel said to him, “ The L ord has torn the king ship of Is ra el away from you to day and has giv en it to your neigh bor who is bet ter than you. 29 Fur ther more, the Eter nal One of Is ra el does not lie or change his mind, for he is not man who chang es his mind.” 30 Saul said, “ I have sinned. Please hon or me now be fore the el ders of my peo ple and be fore Is ra el. Come back with me so I can bow in wor ship to the L ord your God.” 31 Then Sam uel went back, fol low ing Saul, and Saul bowed down to the L ord. 32 Sam uel said, “ Bring me King Agag of Am- a lek.” Agag came to him trem bling, d for he thought, “Cer tain ly the bit ter ness of death has come.” e,f 33 Sam uel de clared: As your sword has made women childless, so your mother will be childless among women. Then he hacked Agag to pieces be fore the L ord at Gil gal. 34 Sam uel went to Ra mah, and Saul went up to his home in Gib e ah of Saul. 35 Even to the day of his death, Sam uel nev er saw Saul a 15:9 Lit and the second ones b 15:14 Lit sheep in my ears c 15:20 Lit answered Samuel d 15:32 Hb obscure e 15:32 LXX reads “Is death bitter in this way? ” f 15:32 Lit turned1 SAMUEL 15 246 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 246 10/26/17 8:59 PM again. Sam uel mourned for Saul, and the L ord regretted he had made Saul king over Is ra el. SAMUEL ANOINTS DAVID 16 The L ord said to Sam uel, “ How long are you go ing to mourn for Saul, since I have re ject ed him as king over Is ra el? Fill your horn with oil and go. I am send ing you to Jes se of Beth le hem be cause I have se lect ed a king from his sons.” 2 Sam uel asked, “ How can I go? Saul will hear about it and kill me! ” The L ord an swered, “ Take a young cow with you and say , ‘ I have come to sac ri fice to the L ord.’ 3 Then in vite Jes se to the sac ri fice, and I will let you know what you are to do. You are to anoint for me the one I in di cate to you.” 4 Sam uel did what the L ord di rect ed and went to Beth le hem. When the el ders of the town met him, they trem bled a and asked, “ Do b you come in peace? ” 5 “ In peace,” he re plied. “ I’ve come to sac ri fice to the L ord. Con se crate your selves and come with me to the sac ri fice.” c Then he con se crat- ed Jes se and his sons and in vit ed them to the sac ri fice. 6 When they ar rived, Sam uel saw Eli ab and said, “Cer tain ly the L ord’ s anoint ed one is here be fore him.” 7 But the L ord said to Sam uel, “ Do not look at his ap pear ance or his stat ure be cause I have re ject ed him. Humans do not see what the L ord sees, d for humans see what is vis i ble, e but the L ord sees the heart.” 8 Jes se called Abin a dab and pre sent ed him to Sam uel. “ The L ord hasn’t cho sen this one ei ther,” Sam uel said. 9 Then Jes se pre sent ed Sham mah, but Sam uel said, “ The L ord hasn’t cho sen this one ei ther.” 10 Af ter Jes se pre- sent ed sev en of his sons to him, Sam uel told Jes se, “ The L ord hasn’t cho sen any of these.” 11 Sam uel asked him, “ Are these all the sons you have? ” “ There is still the youn gest,” he an swered, “ but right now he’s tend ing the sheep.” Sam uel told Jes se, “ Send for him. We won’t sit down to eat un til he gets here.” 12 So Jes se sent for him. He had beau ti ful eyes and a healthy , f hand some ap pear ance. Then the L ord said, “ Anoint him, for he is the one.” 13 So Sam uel took the horn of oil and anoint ed him in the pres ence of his broth ers, and the Spir it of the L ord came pow er ful ly on Da vid from that day for ward. Then Sam uel set out and went to Ra mah. DAVID IN SAUL’S COURT 14 Now the Spir it of the L ord had left Saul, and an evil spir it sent from the L ord be gan to tor ment him, 15 so Saul’s ser vants said to him, “ You see that an evil spir it from God is tor ment ing you. 16 Let our lord com mand your ser vants here in your pres ence to look for some one who knows how to play the lyre. When ev er the evil spir it from God comes on you, that per son can play the lyre, and you will feel bet ter.” 17 Then Saul com mand ed his ser vants, “ Find me some one who plays well and bring him to me.” 18 One of the young men an swered, “ I have seen a son of Jes se of Beth le hem who knows how to play the lyre. He is also a val iant man, a war rior, el o quent, hand some, and the L ord is with him.” 19 Then Saul dis patched mes sen gers to Jes se and said, “ Send me your son Da vid, who is with the sheep.” 20 So Jes se took a don key load ed with bread, a wine skin, and one young goat and sent them by his son Da vid to Saul. 21 When Da vid came to Saul and en tered his ser vice, Saul loved him very much, and Da vid be came his armor-bearer. 22 Then Saul sent word to Jes se: “ Let Da vid re main in my ser vice, for he has found fa vor with me.” 23 When ev er the spir it from God came on Saul, Da vid would pick up his lyre and play , and Saul would then be re lieved, feel bet ter, and the evil spir it would leave him. DAVID VERSUS GOLIATH 17 The Phi lis tines gath ered their forc es for war at So coh in Ju dah and camped be tween So coh and Aze kah in Ephes-dam - mim. 2 Saul and the men of Is ra el gath ered
🗡️ David vs. Goliath
🏆 Goliath, a nine-foot-tall Philistine champion, challenged Israel's army with taunts and threats, causing King Saul and his soldiers to tremble with fear
🧒 Young David, a shepherd boy visiting his brothers at the battlefield, volunteered to fight Goliath, drawing on his experience protecting sheep from lions and bears
💪 Rejecting Saul's armor, David faced the giant with only a sling, five stones, and unwavering faith in God, declaring the battle belonged to the Lord
🪨 David's perfectly aimed stone struck Goliath's forehead, defeating the Philistine champion and causing the enemy army to flee in panic
👑 David's victory brought him fame, Jonathan's friendship, and marriage to Saul's daughter Michal, but also sparked Saul's jealousy and murderous intentions
🏃♂️ As Saul's hatred intensified, he repeatedly attempted to kill David, forcing the young hero to flee for his life despite his continued loyalty and military success
and camped in the Val ley of Elah; then they lined up in bat tle for ma tion to face the Phi lis tines. 3 The Phi lis tines were stand ing on one hill, and the Is ra el ites were stand ing on an oth - er hill with a ra vine be tween them. 4 Then a cham pi on named Go li ath, from Gath, came out from the Phi lis tine camp. He was nine feet, nine inch es g,h tall 5 and wore a bronze hel met i and bronze scale ar mor that weighed one hun dred twenty-five pounds. j 6 There was a 16:4 LXX reads were astonished b 16:4 DSS, LXX read “Seer, do c 16:5 LXX reads and rejoice with me today d 16:7 LXX reads God does not see as a man sees e 16:7 Lit for the man sees according to the eyes f 16:12 Or ruddy g 17:4 DSS, LXX read four cubits and a span h 17:4 Lit was six cubits and a span i 17:5 Lit helmet on his head j 17:5 Lit 5,000 shekels 247 1 SAMUEL 15-17 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 247 10/26/17 8:59 PM bronze ar mor on his shins, and a bronze jav e lin was slung be tween his shoul ders. 7 His spear shaft was like a weav er’s beam, and the iron point of his spear weighed fif teen pounds. a In ad di tion, a shield-bearer was walk ing in front of him. 8 He stood and shout ed to the Is ra el ite bat- tle for ma tions: “ Why do you come out to line up in bat tle for ma tion? ” He asked them, “ Am I not a Phi lis tine and are you not ser vants of Saul? Choose one of your men and have him come down against me. 9 If he wins in a fight against me and kills me, we will be your ser - vants. But if I win against him and kill him, then you will be our ser vants and serve us.” 10 Then the Phi lis tine said, “ I defy the ranks of Is ra el to day . Send me a man so we can fight each oth er! ” 11 When Saul and all Is ra el heard these words from the Phi lis tine, they lost their cour age and were ter ri fied. 12 Now Da vid was the son of the Eph rath ite from Beth le hem of Ju dah named Jes se. Jes se had eight sons and dur ing Saul’s reign was al ready an old man. 13 Jes se’s three old est sons had fol lowed Saul to the war, and their names were Eli ab, the first born, Abin a dab, the next, and Sham mah, the third, 14 and Da- vid was the youn gest. The three old est had fol lowed Saul, 15 but Da vid kept go ing back and forth from Saul to tend his fa ther’s flock in Beth le hem. 16 Ev ery morn ing and eve ning for for ty days the Phi lis tine came for ward and took his stand. 17 One day Jes se had told his son Da vid: “ Take this half-bushel b of roast ed grain along with these ten loaves of bread for your broth ers and hur ry to their camp. 18 Also take these ten por tions of cheese to the field com mand- er. c Check on the well-being of your broth ers and bring a con fir ma tion from them. 19 They are with Saul and all the men of Is ra el in the Val ley of Elah fight ing with the Phi lis tines.” 20 So Da vid got up ear ly in the morn ing, left the flock with some one to keep it, load ed up, and set out as Jes se had charged him. He ar rived at the perimeter of the camp as the army was march ing out to its bat tle for ma- tion shout ing their bat tle cry . 21 Is ra el and the Phi lis tines lined up in bat tle for ma tion fac ing each oth er. 22 Da vid left his sup plies in the care of the quartermaster and ran to the bat tle line. When he ar rived, he asked his broth ers how they were. 23 While he was speak ing with them, sud den ly the cham pi on named Go li- ath, the Phi lis tine from Gath, came for ward from the Phi lis tine bat tle line and shout ed his usu al words, which Da vid heard. 24 When all the Is ra el ite men saw Go li ath, they re treat ed from him ter ri fied. 25 Pre vi ous ly , an Is ra el ite man had de clared: “ Do you see this man who keeps com ing out? He comes to defy Is ra el. The king will make the man who kills him very rich and will give him his daugh ter. The king will also make the fam i ly of that man’s fa ther ex empt from pay ing tax es in Is ra el.” 26 Da vid spoke to the men who were stand ing with him: “ What will be done for the man who kills that Phi lis tine and re moves this dis grace from Is ra el? Just who is this un cir cum cised Phi lis tine that he should defy the ar mies of the liv ing God? ” 27 The troops told him about the off er, con- clud ing, “ That is what will be done for the man who kills him.” 28 Da vid’s old est broth er Eli ab lis tened as he spoke to the men, and he be came an gry with him. “ Why did you come down here? ” he asked. “ Who did you leave those few sheep with in the wil der ness? I know your ar ro gance and your evil heart — you came down to see the bat tle! ” 29 “ What have I done now? ” pro test ed Da vid. “ It was just a ques tion.” 30 Then he turned from those be side him to oth ers in front of him and asked about the off er. The peo ple gave him the same an swer as be fore. 31 What Da vid said was over heard and re- port ed to Saul, so he had Da vid brought to him. 32 Da vid said to Saul, “ Don’t let any one be dis cour aged by d him; your ser vant will go and fight this Phi lis tine! ” 33 But Saul re plied, “ You can’t go fight this Phi lis tine. You’re just a youth, and he’s been a war rior since he was young.” 34 Da vid an swered Saul: “ Your ser vant has been tend ing his fa ther’s sheep. When ev er a lion or a bear came and car ried off a lamb from the flock, 35 I went af ter it, struck it down, and res cued the lamb from its mouth. If it reared up against me, I would grab it by its fur, e strike it down, and kill it. 36 Your ser vant has killed li ons and bears; this un cir cum cised Phi lis tine will be like one of them, for he has de fied the a 17:7 Lit 600 shekels b 17:17 Lit this ephah c 17:18 Lit the leader of 1,000 d 17:32 Lit let a man’s heart fall over e 17:35 LXX reads throat ; lit beard1 SAMUEL 17 248 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 248 10/26/17 8:59 PM ar mies of the liv ing God.” 37 Then Da vid said, “ The L ord who res cued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will res cue me from the hand of this Phi lis tine.” Saul said to Da vid, “ Go, and may the L ord be with you.” 38 Then Saul had his own mil i tary clothes put on Da vid. He put a bronze hel met on Da- vid’s head and had him put on ar mor. 39 Da- vid strapped his sword on over the mil i tary clothes and tried to walk, but he was not used to them. “ I can’t walk in these,” Da vid said to Saul, “ I’m not used to them.” So Da vid took them off. 40 In stead, he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the wadi and put them in the pouch, in his shep- herd’s bag. Then, with his sling in his hand, he ap proached the Phi lis tine. 41 The Phi lis tine came clos er and clos er to Da vid, with the shield-bearer in front of him. 42 When the Phi lis tine looked and saw Da vid, he de spised him be cause he was just a youth, healthy a and hand some. 43 He said to Da vid, “ Am I a dog that you come against me with sticks? ” b Then he cursed Da vid by his gods. 44 “ Come here,” the Phi lis tine called to Da vid, “ and I’ll give your flesh to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts! ” 45 Da vid said to the Phi lis tine: “ You come against me with a sword, spear, and jav e lin, but I come against you in the name of the L ord of Ar mies, the God of the ranks of Is ra el — you have de fied him. 46 To day , the L ord will hand you over to me. To day , I’ll strike you down, re move your head, and give the corpses c of the Phi lis tine camp to the birds of the sky and the wild crea tures of the earth. Then all the world will know that Is ra el has a God, 47 and this whole as sem bly will know that it is not by sword or by spear that the L ord saves, for the bat tle is the L ord’ s. He will hand you over to us.” 48 When the Phi lis tine start ed for ward to at tack him, Da vid ran quick ly to the bat tle line to meet the Phi lis tine. 49 Da vid put his hand in the bag, took out a stone, slung it, and hit the Phi lis tine on his fore head. The stone sank into his fore head, and he fell face down to the ground. 50 Da vid de feat ed the Phi lis tine with a sling and a stone. Da vid over pow ered the Phi lis tine and killed him with out hav ing a sword. 51 Da vid ran and stood over him. He grabbed the Phi lis tine’s sword, pulled it from its sheath, and used it to kill him. Then he cut off his head. When the Phi lis tines saw that their hero was dead, they fled. 52 The men of Is ra el and Ju dah ral lied, shout ing their bat tle cry , and chased the Phi lis tines to the en trance of the val ley and to the gates of Ek ron. d Phi lis tine bod ies were strewn all along the Sha a ra im road to Gath and Ek ron. 53 When the Is ra el ites re turned from the pur suit of the Phi lis tines, they plun dered their camps. 54 Da vid took Go li ath’s e head and brought it to Je ru sa lem, but he put Go li ath’s weap ons in his own tent. 55 f When Saul had seen Da vid go ing out to con front the Phi lis tine, he asked Ab ner the com mand er of the army , “ Whose son is this youth, Ab ner? ” “ Your Maj es ty , as sure ly as you live, I don’t know ,” Ab ner re plied. 56 The king said, “ Find out whose son this young man is! ” 57 When Da vid re turned from kill ing the Phi lis tine, Ab ner took him and brought him be fore Saul with the Phi lis tine’s head still in his hand. 58 Saul said to him, “ Whose son are you, young man? ” “ The son of your ser vant Jes se of Beth le- hem,” Da vid an swered. DAVID’S SUCCESS 18 When Da vid had fin ished speak ing with Saul, Jon a than was bound to Da vid in close friend ship, g and loved him as much as he loved him self. 2 Saul kept Da vid with him from that day on and did not let him re turn to his fa ther’s house. 3 Jon a than made a cov enant with Da vid be- cause he loved him as much as him self. 4 Then Jon a than re moved the robe he was wear ing and gave it to Da vid, along with his mil i tary tu nic, his sword, his bow , and his belt. 5 Da vid marched out with the army and was suc cess ful in ev ery thing Saul sent him to do. Saul put him in com mand of the fight ing men, which pleased all the peo ple and Saul’s ser - vants as well. 6 As the troops were com ing back, when Da vid was re turn ing from kill ing the Phi lis- tine, the wom en came out from all the cit ies of Is ra el to meet King Saul, sing ing and danc ing with tam bou rines, with shouts of joy , and with a 17:42 Or ruddy b 17:43 Some LXX mss add and stones? ” And David said, “No! Worse than a dog! ” c 17:46 LXX reads give your limbs and the limbs d 17:52 LXX reads Ashkelon e 17:54 Lit the Philistine’s f 17:55 LXX omits 1Sm 17:55–18:5 g 18:1 Lit the life of Jonathan was bound to the life of David 249 1 SAMUEL 17-18 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 249 10/26/17 8:59 PM three-stringed in stru ments. 7 As they danced, the wom en sang: Saul has killed his thousands, but David his tens of thousands. 8 Saul was fu ri ous and resented this song. a “ They cred it ed tens of thou sands to Da vid,” he com plained, “ but they only cred it ed me with thou sands. What more can he have but the king dom? ” 9 So Saul watched Da vid jealously from that day for ward. SAUL ATTEMPTS TO KILL DAVID 10 The next day an evil spir it sent from God came pow er ful ly on Saul, and he be gan to rave b in side the pal ace. Da vid was play ing the lyre as usu al, but Saul was hold ing a spear, 11 and he threw it, think ing, “ I’ll pin Da vid to the wall.” But Da vid got away from him twice. 12 Saul was afraid of Da vid, be cause the L ord was with Da vid but had left Saul. 13 There fore, Saul sent Da vid away from him and made him com mand er over a thou sand men. Da vid led the troops 14 and con tin ued to be suc cess ful in all his ac tivi ties be cause the L ord was with him. 15 When Saul ob served that Da vid was very suc cess ful, he dread ed him. 16 But all Is- ra el and Ju dah loved Da vid be cause he was lead ing their troops. 17 Saul told Da vid, “ Here is my old est daugh ter Me rab. I’ll give her to you as a wife, if you will be a war rior for me and fight the L ord’ s bat tles.” But Saul was think ing, “ I don’t need to raise a hand against him; let the hand of the Phi lis tines be against him.” 18 Then Da vid re spond ed, “ Who am I, and what is my fam i ly or my fa ther’s clan in Is ra el that I should be come the king’s son-in-law? ” 19 When it was time to give Saul’s daugh ter Me rab to Da vid, she was giv en to Adri el the Me ho la thite as a wife. DAVID’S MARRIAGE TO MICHAL 20 Now Saul’s daugh ter Mi chal loved Da vid, and when it was re port ed to Saul, it pleased him. c 21 “ I’ll give her to him,” Saul thought. “She’ll be a trap for him, and the hand of the Phi lis tines will be against him.” So Saul said to Da vid a sec ond time, “ You can now be my son-in-law .” 22 Saul then or dered his ser vants, “ Speak to Da vid in pri vate and tell him, ‘ Look, the king is pleased with you, and all his ser vants love you. There fore, you should be come the king’s son-in-law .’ ” 23 Saul’s ser vants re port ed these words di- rect ly to Da vid, d but he re plied, “ Is it triv i al in your sight to be come the king’s son-in-law? I am a poor commoner.” 24 The ser vants re port ed back to Saul, “ These are the words Da vid spoke.” 25 Then Saul re plied, “ Say this to Da vid: ‘ The king de sires no oth er bride-price ex cept a hun dred Phi lis tine fore skins, to take re venge on his en e mies.’ ” Ac tu al ly , Saul in tend ed to cause Da vid’s death at the hands of the Phi- lis tines. 26 When the ser vants re port ed these terms to Da vid, he was pleased e to be come the king’s son-in-law . Be fore the wed ding day ar rived, f 27 Da vid and his men went out and killed two hun dred g Phi lis tines. He brought their fore - skins and pre sent ed them as full pay ment to the king to be come his son-in-law . Then Saul gave his daugh ter Mi chal to Da vid as his wife. 28 Saul re al ized h that the L ord was with Da vid and that his daugh ter Mi chal loved him, 29 and he be came even more afraid of Da vid. As a re sult, Saul was Da vid’s en e my from then on. 30 Ev ery time the Phi lis tine com mand ers came out to fight, Da vid was more suc cess ful than all of Saul’s off i cers. So his name be came well known. DAVID DELIVERED FROM SAUL 19 Saul or dered his son Jon a than and all his ser vants to kill Da vid. But Saul’s son Jon a than liked Da vid very much, 2 so he told him: “ My fa ther Saul in tends to kill you. Be on your guard in the morn ing and hide in a se cret place and stay there. 3 I’ll go out and stand be side my fa ther in the field where you are and talk to him about you. When I see what he says, I’ll tell you.” 4 Jon a than spoke well of Da vid to his fa ther Saul. He said to him: “ The king should not sin against his ser vant Da vid. He hasn’t sinned against you; in fact, his ac tions have been a great ad van tage to you. 5 He took his life in his hands when he struck down the Phi lis tine, and the L ord brought about a great vic to ry for all Is ra el. You saw it and re joiced, so why would you sin against in no cent blood by kill- ing Da vid for no rea son? ” a 18:8 Lit furious; this saying was evil in his eyes b 18:10 Or prophesy c 18:20 Lit Saul, the thing was right in his eyes d 18:23 Lit words in David’s ears e 18:26 Lit David, it was right in David’s eyes f 18:26 Lit And the days were not full g 18:27 LXX reads 100 h 18:28 Lit saw and knew1 SAMUEL 18-19 250 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 250 10/26/17 8:59 PM 6 Saul lis tened to Jon a than’s ad vice and swore an oath: “ As sure ly as the L ord lives, Da vid will not be killed.” 7 So Jon a than sum moned Da vid and told him all these words. Then Jon a than brought Da vid to Saul, and he served him as he did be fore. 8 When war broke out again, Da vid went out and fought against the Phi lis tines. He de - feat ed them with such great force that they fled from him. 9 Now an evil spir it sent from the L ord came on Saul as he was sit ting in his pal ace hold ing a spear. Da vid was play ing the lyre, 10 and Saul tried to pin Da vid to the wall with the spear. As the spear struck the wall, Da vid elud ed Saul, ran away , and es caped that night. 11 Saul sent agents to Da vid’s house to watch for him and kill him in the morn ing. But his wife Mi chal warned Da vid, “ If you don’t es cape to night, you will be dead to mor row! ” 12 So she low ered Da vid from the win dow , and he fled and es caped. 13 Then Mi chal took the house hold idol and put it on the bed, placed some goat hair on its head, and cov ered it with a gar ment. 14 When Saul sent agents to seize Da vid, Mi chal said, “ He’s sick.” 15 Saul sent the agents back to see Da vid and said, “ Bring him on his bed so I can kill him.” 16 When the agents ar rived, to their sur prise, the house hold idol was on the bed with some goat hair on its head. 17 Saul asked Mi chal, “ Why did you de ceive me like this? You sent my en e my away , and he has es caped! ” She an swered him, “ He said to me, ‘ Let me go! Why should I kill you? ’ ” 18 So Da vid fled and es caped and went to Sam uel at Ra mah and told him ev ery thing Saul had done to him. Then he and Sam uel left and stayed at Nai oth. 19 When it was re port ed to Saul that Da vid was at Nai oth in Ra mah, 20 he sent agents to seize Da vid. How ev er, when they saw the group of proph ets proph e sy ing with Sam uel lead ing them, the Spir it of God came on Saul’s agents, and
🛡️ Friendship Amid Betrayal
🔮 Saul's prophetic episode reveals divine intervention, as even his messengers and Saul himself fall into prophetic trances while pursuing David, demonstrating supernatural protection over David's life
🤝 Jonathan and David's covenant exemplifies profound loyalty despite impossible circumstances, with Jonathan risking his father's wrath to protect David through an elaborate arrow signal system
👑 Saul's paranoia and rage escalate dramatically, culminating in his horrific slaughter of 85 priests at Nob simply for helping David, revealing the depths of his moral deterioration
🏃♂️ David's desperate flight takes him through multiple refuges (Nob, Gath, Adullam, Keilah), gathering followers and repeatedly escaping Saul's pursuit through divine guidance and protection
🙏 Divine providence consistently shields David through prophetic warnings, priestly assistance, and direct divine consultation, confirming his status as God's chosen successor
💔 Tragic consequences ripple outward from Saul's vendetta, destroying innocent lives while simultaneously strengthening David's resolve and divine legitimacy
they also start ed proph e sy ing. 21 When they re port ed to Saul, he sent oth er agents, and they also be gan proph e sy ing. So Saul tried again and sent a third group of agents, and even they be gan proph e sy ing. 22 Then Saul him self went to Ra mah. He came to the large cis tern at Secu and asked, “ Where are Sam uel and Da vid? ” “ At Nai oth in Ra mah,” some one said.23 So he went to Nai oth in Ra mah. The Spir it of God also came on him, and as he walked along, he proph e sied un til he en tered Nai oth in Ra mah. 24 Saul then re moved his clothes and also proph e sied be fore Sam uel; he col lapsed and lay na ked all that day and all that night. That is why they say , “ Is Saul also among the proph ets? ” JONATHAN PROTECTS DAVID 20 Da vid fled from Nai oth in Ra mah and came to Jon a than and asked, “ What have I done? What did I do wrong? How have I sinned against your fa ther so that he wants to take my life? ” 2 Jon a than said to him, “ No, you won’t die. Lis ten, my fa ther doesn’t do any thing, great or small, with out tell ing me. a So why would he hide this mat ter from me? This can’t be true.” 3 But Da vid said, “ Your fa ther cer tain ly knows that I have found fa vor with you. He has said, ‘Jon a than must not know of this, or else he will be grieved.’ ” Da vid also swore, “ As sure ly as the L ord lives and as you your self live, there is but a step be tween me and death.” 4 Jon a than said to Da vid, “What ev er you say , I will do for you.” 5 So Da vid told him, “ Look, to mor row is the New Moon, and I’m sup posed to sit down and eat with the king. In stead, let me go, and I’ll hide in the coun try side for the next two nights. b 6 If your fa ther miss es me at all, say , ‘Da vid ur - gent ly re quest ed my per mis sion to go quick ly to his home town Beth le hem for an an nu al sac ri fice there in volv ing the whole clan.’ 7 If he says, ‘ Good,’ then your ser vant is safe, but if he be comes an gry , you will know he has evil intentions. 8 Deal kind ly with c your ser vant, for you have brought me into a cov enant with you be fore the L ord. If I have done any thing wrong, then kill me your self; why take me to your fa ther? ” 9 “ No! ” Jon a than re spond ed. “ If I ever find out my fa ther has evil intentions against you, wouldn’t I tell you about it? ” 10 So Da vid asked Jon a than, “ Who will tell me if your fa ther an swers you harsh ly? ” 11 He an swered Da vid, “ Come on, let’s go out to the coun try side.” So both of them went out to the coun try side. 12 “ By the L ord , the God of Is ra el, I will sound out my fa ther by this time to mor row or the next day . If I find out that he is fa vor able to ward you, will I not send for you a 20:2 Lit without uncovering my ear b 20:5 Lit countryside until the third night c 20:8 Or Show loyalty to 251 1 SAMUEL 19-20 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 251 10/26/17 8:59 PM and tell you? a 13 If my fa ther in tends to bring evil on you, may God pun ish Jon a than and do so se vere ly if I do not tell you b and send you away so you may leave safe ly . May the L ord be with you, just as he was with my fa ther. 14 If I con tin ue to live, show me kind ness c from the L ord, but if I die, 15 don’t ever with draw your kind ness from my house hold — not even when the L ord cuts off ev ery one of Da vid’s en e mies from the face of the earth.” 16 Then Jon a than made a cov enant with the house of Da vid, say ing, “ May the L ord hold Da vid’s en e mies ac count able.” d 17 Jon a than once again swore to Da vid e in his love for him, be cause he loved him as he loved him self. 18 Then Jon a than said to him, “To mor row is the New Moon; you’ll be missed be cause your seat will be emp ty . 19 The fol low ing day hur ry down and go to the place where you hid on the day this in ci dent be gan and stay be side the rock Ezel. 20 I will shoot three ar rows be side it as if I’m aiming at a tar get. 21 Then I will send a ser vant and say , ‘ Go and find the ar rows! ’ Now , if I expressly say to the ser vant, ‘ Look, the ar - rows are on this side of you — get them,’ then come, be cause as the L ord lives, it is safe for you and there is no problem. 22 But if I say this to the youth, ‘ Look, the ar rows are be yond you! ’ then go, for the L ord is send ing you away . 23 As for the mat ter you and I have spo ken about, the L ord will be a wit ness f be tween you and me for ev er.” 24 So Da vid hid in the coun try side. At the New Moon, the king sat down to eat the meal. 25 He sat at his usu al place on the seat by the wall. Jon a than sat fac ing him g and Ab ner took his place be side Saul, but Da vid’s place was emp ty . 26 Saul did not say any thing that day be cause he thought, “Some thing un - expected has hap pened; he must be cer e mo- ni al ly un clean — yes, that’s it, he is un clean.” 27 How ev er, the day af ter the New Moon, the sec ond day , Da vid’s place was still emp ty , and Saul asked his son Jon a than, “ Why didn’t Jes se’s son come to the meal ei ther yes ter day or to day? ” 28 Jon a than an swered, “Da vid asked for my per mis sion to go to Beth le hem. 29 He said, ‘ Please let me go be cause our clan is hold ing a sac ri fice in the town, and my broth er has told me to be there. So now , if I have found fa vor with you, let me go so I can see my broth ers.’ That’s why he didn’t come to the king’s ta ble.”30 Then Saul be came an gry with Jon a than and shout ed, “ You son of a per verse and re bel- lious wom an! Don’t I know that you are sid ing with Jes se’s son to your own shame and to the dis grace of your moth er? h 31 Ev ery day Jes se’s son lives on earth you and your king ship are not se cure. Now send for him and bring him to me — he must die! ” 32 Jon a than an swered his fa ther back: “ Why is he to be killed? What has he done? ” 33 Then Saul threw his spear at Jon a than to kill him, so he knew that his fa ther was de ter mined to kill Da vid. 34 He got up from the ta ble fierce ly an gry and did not eat any food that sec ond day of the New Moon, for he was grieved be cause of his fa ther’s shame ful be hav ior to ward Da vid. 35 In the morn ing Jon a than went out to the coun try side for the ap point ed meet ing with Da vid. A young ser vant was with him. 36 He said to the ser vant, “ Run and find the ar rows I’m shoot ing.” As the ser vant ran, Jon a than shot an ar row be yond him. 37 He came to the location of the ar row that Jon- a than had shot, but Jon a than called to him and said, “ The ar row is be yond you, isn’t it? ” 38 Then Jon a than called to him, “Hur ry up and don’t stop! ” Jon a than’s ser vant picked up the ar row and re turned to his mas ter. 39 He did not know any thing; only Jon a than and Da vid knew the ar range ment. 40 Then Jon a than gave his equip ment to the ser vant who was with him and said, “ Go, take it back to the city .” 41 When the ser vant had gone, Da vid got up from the south side of the stone Ezel, fell face down to the ground, and paid hom age three times. Then he and Jon a than kissed each oth er and wept with each oth er, though Da vid wept more. 42 Jon a than then said to Da vid, “ Go in the as sur ance the two of us pledged in the name of the L ord when we said: The L ord will be a wit ness be tween you and me and be tween my off spring and your off spring for ev er.” Then Da vid left, and Jon a than went into the city . DAVID FLEES TO NOB 21 Da vid went to the priest Ahim e lech at Nob. Ahim e lech was afraid to meet Da- vid, so he said to him, “ Why are you alone and no one is with you? ” a 20:12 Lit and uncover your ear b 20:13 Lit severely — I will uncover your ear c 20:14 Or loyalty, also in v. 15 d 20:16 Lit Lord require it from the hand of David’s enemies e 20:17 LXX; MT reads Jonathan once again made David swear f 20:23 LXX; MT omits a witness g 20:25 Text emended; MT reads Jonathan got up h 20:30 Lit your mother’s nakedness1 SAMUEL 20-21 252 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 252 10/26/17 8:59 PM 2 Da vid an swered the priest Ahim e lech, “ The king gave me a mis sion, but he told me, ‘ Don’t let any one know any thing about the mis sion I’m send ing you on or what I have or dered you to do.’ I have sta tioned my young men at a cer tain place. 3 Now what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread or what- ev er can be found.” 4 The priest told him, “ There is no or di nary bread on hand. How ev er, there is con se crat- ed bread, but the young men may eat it a only if they have kept them selves from wom en.” 5 Da vid an swered him, “ I swear that wom- en are be ing kept from us, as al ways when I go out to bat tle. The young men’s bod ies b are con se crat ed even on an or di nary mis sion, so of course their bod ies are con se crat ed to day .” 6 So the priest gave him the con se crat ed bread, for there was no bread there ex cept the Bread of the Pres ence that had been re moved from the pres ence of the L ord. When the bread was re- moved, it had been re placed with warm bread. 7 One of Saul’s ser vants, de tained be fore the L ord, was there that day . His name was Doeg the Edom ite, chief of Saul’s shep herds. 8 Da vid said to Ahim e lech, “ Do you have a spear or sword on hand? I didn’t even bring my sword or my weap ons since the king’s mis sion was ur gent.” 9 The priest re plied, “ The sword of Go li ath the Phi lis tine, whom you killed in the Val ley of Elah, is here, wrapped in a cloth be hind the ephod. If you want to take it for your self, then take it, for there isn’t an oth er one here.” “ There’s none like it! ” Da vid said. “ Give it to me.” DAVID FLEES TO GATH 10 Da vid fled that day from Saul’s pres ence and went to King Achish of Gath. 11 But Achish’s ser vants said to him, “ Isn’t this Da vid, the king of the land? Don’t they sing about him dur ing their danc es: Saul has killed his thousands, but David his tens of thousands? ” 12 Da vid took this to heart c and be came very afraid of King Achish of Gath, 13 so he pre tend ed to be in sane in their pres ence. He act ed like a mad man around them, d scribbling e on the doors of the city gate and let ting sa li va run down his beard.14 “ Look! You can see the man is crazy ,” Achish said to his ser vants. “ Why did you bring him to me? 15 Do I have such a shortage of crazy peo ple that you brought this one to act crazy around me? Is this one go ing to come into my house? ” SAUL’S INCREASING PARANOIA 22 So Da vid left Gath and took ref uge in the cave of Adul lam. When Da vid’s broth- ers and his fa ther’s whole fam i ly heard, they went down and joined him there. 2 In ad di- tion, ev ery man who was des per ate, in debt, or dis con tent ed ral lied around him, and he be came their lead er. About four hun dred men were with him. 3 From there Da vid went to Miz peh of Moab where he said to the king of Moab, “ Please let my fa ther and moth er stay with you un til I know what God will do for me.” 4 So he left them in the care of the king of Moab, and they stayed with him the whole time Da vid was in the strong hold. 5 Then the proph et Gad said to Da vid, “ Don’t stay in the strong hold. Leave and re turn to the land of Ju dah.” So Da vid left and went to the for est of He reth. 6 Saul heard that Da vid and his men had been dis cov ered. At that time Saul was in Gib e ah, sit ting un der the tam a risk tree at the high place. His spear was in his hand, and all his ser vants were stand ing around him. 7 Saul said to his ser vants, “Lis ten, men of Ben ja min: Is Jes se’s son go ing to give all of you fields and vine yards? Do you think he’ll make all of you com mand ers of thou sands and com mand ers of hun dreds? 8 That’s why all of you have con- spired against me! No body tells me f when my own son makes a cov enant with Jes se’s son. None of you cares about me or tells me g that my son has stirred up my own ser vant to wait in am bush for me, as is the case to day .” 9 Then Doeg the Edom ite, who was in charge of Saul’s ser vants, an swered: “ I saw Jes se’s son come to Ahim e lech son of Ahi tub at Nob. 10 Ahim e lech in quired of the L ord for him and gave him pro vi sions. He also gave him the sword of Go li ath the Phi lis tine.” SLAUGHTER OF THE PRIESTS 11 The king sent mes sen gers to sum mon the priest Ahim e lech son of Ahi tub, and his fa- ther’s whole fam i ly , who were priests in Nob. a 21:4 DSS; MT omits may eat it b 21:5 Lit vessels c 21:12 Lit David placed these words in his heart d 21:13 Lit madman in their hand e 21:13 LXX reads drumming f 22:8 Lit No one uncovers my ear g 22:8 Lit or uncovers my ear 253 1 SAMUEL 21-22 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 253 10/26/17 8:59 PM All of them came to the king. 12 Then Saul said, “Lis ten, son of Ahi tub! ” “ I’m at your ser vice, my lord,” he said. 13 Saul asked him, “ Why did you and Jes se’s son con spire against me? You gave him bread and a sword and in quired of God for him, so he could rise up against me and wait in am- bush, as is the case to day .” 14 Ahim e lech re plied to the king: “ Who among all your ser vants is as faith ful as Da- vid? He is the king’s son-in-law , cap tain of your body guard, and hon ored in your house. 15 Was to day the first time I in quired of God for him? Of course not! Please don’t let the king make an ac cu sa tion against your ser vant or any of my fa ther’s fam i ly , for your ser vant didn’t have any idea a about all this.” 16 But the king said, “ You will die, Ahim e- lech — you and your fa ther’s whole fam i ly! ” 17 Then the king or dered the guards stand- ing by him, “ Turn and kill the priests of the L ord be cause they sid ed with Da vid. For they knew he was flee ing, but they didn’t tell me.” b But the king’s ser vants would not lift a hand to ex e cute the priests of the L ord. 18 So the king said to Doeg, “ Go and ex e cute the priests! ” So Doeg the Edom ite went and ex- e cut ed the priests him self. On that day , he killed eighty-five men who wore lin en ephods. 19 He also struck down Nob, the city of the priests, with the sword — both men and wom en, in fants and nurs ing ba bies, oxen, don keys, and sheep. 20 How ev er, one of the sons of Ahim e lech son of Ahi tub es caped. His name was Abi a thar, and he fled to Da vid. 21 Abi a thar told Da vid that Saul had killed the priests of the L ord . 22 Then Da vid said to Abi a thar, “ I knew that Doeg the Edom ite was there that day and that he was sure to re port to Saul. I my self am re spon si- ble for c the lives of ev ery one in your fa ther’s fam i ly . 23 Stay with me. Don’t be afraid, for the one who wants to take my life wants to take your life. You will be safe with me.” DELIVERANCE AT KEILAH 23 It was re port ed to Da vid: “ Look, the Phi lis tines are fight ing against Ke i lah and raid ing the thresh ing floors.” 2 So Da vid in quired of the L ord: “ Should I launch an at tack against these Phi lis tines? ” The L ord an swered Da vid, “ Launch an at tack against the Phi lis tines and res cue Ke i lah.”3 But Da vid’s men said to him, “ Look, we’re afraid here in Ju dah; how much more if we go to Ke i lah against the Phi lis tine forc es! ” 4 Once again, Da vid in quired of the L ord, and the L ord an swered him: “ Go at once to Ke i lah, for I will hand the Phi lis tines over to you.” 5 Then Da vid and his men went to Ke i- lah, fought against the Phi lis tines, drove their live stock away , and in flict ed heavy loss es on them. So Da vid res cued the in hab i tants of Ke- i lah. 6 Abi a thar son of Ahim e lech fled to Da vid at Ke i lah, and he brought an ephod with him. 7 When it was re port ed to Saul that Da vid had gone to Ke i lah, he said, “ God has hand ed him over to me, for he has trapped him self by en ter ing a town with barred gates.” 8 Then Saul sum moned all the troops to go to war at Ke i lah and be siege Da vid and his men. 9 When Da vid learned that Saul was plot ting evil against him, he said to the priest Abi a thar, “ Bring the ephod.” 10 Then Da vid said, “ L ord God of Is ra el, your ser vant has re li able in for ma tion that Saul in- tends to come to Ke i lah and de stroy the town be cause of me. 11 Will the cit i zens of Ke i lah hand me over to him? Will Saul come down as your ser vant has heard? L ord God of Is ra el, please tell your ser vant.” The L ord an swered, “ He will come down.” 12 Then Da vid asked, “ Will the cit i zens of Ke i lah hand me and my men over to Saul? ” “ They will,” the L ord re spond ed. 13 So Da vid and his men, num ber ing about six hun dred, left Ke i lah at once and moved from place to place. When it was re port ed to Saul that Da vid had es caped from Ke i lah, he called off the expedition. 14 Da vid then stayed in the wil der ness strong holds and in the hill coun try of the Wil der ness of Ziph. Saul searched for him ev ery day , but God did not hand Da vid over to him. A RENEWED COVENANT 15 Da vid was in the Wil der ness of Ziph in Ho- resh when he saw that Saul had come out to take his life. 16 Then Saul’s son Jon a than came to Da vid in Ho resh and en cour aged him in his
🛡️ David's Noble Restraint
🤝 Jonathan and David form a sacred covenant, with Jonathan acknowledging David as future king while pledging his loyalty as second-in-command, demonstrating profound friendship amid political danger
✋ David twice spares Saul's life despite perfect opportunities for revenge, choosing moral integrity over expedient violence even when his enemy is completely vulnerable
🧠 Abigail's wisdom prevents bloodshed through her diplomatic intervention, demonstrating exceptional discernment by appeasing David's anger against her foolish husband Nabal
🔄 The narrative establishes a powerful contrast between characters - David's honor versus Saul's paranoia, Abigail's intelligence versus Nabal's foolishness - revealing how character determines destiny
🙏 Throughout these episodes, David consistently acknowledges the sovereignty of God in determining leadership, refusing to take matters into his own hands by harming "the Lord's anointed"
🏆 David's repeated mercy toward Saul ultimately convinces even his enemy of his righteousness and confirms his worthiness to rule Israel, establishing his moral authority through restraint rather than force
faith d in God, 17 say ing, “ Don’t be afraid, for my fa ther Saul will nev er lay a hand on you. You your self will be king over Is ra el, and I’ll be your second-in-command. Even my fa ther Saul knows it is true.” 18 Then the two of them a 22:15 Lit didn’t know a thing, small or large b 22:17 Lit didn’t uncover my ear c 22:22 LXX, Syr , Vg; MT reads I myself turn in d 23:16 Lit and strengthened his hand1 SAMUEL 22-23 254 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 254 10/26/17 8:59 PM made a cov enant in the L ord’ s pres ence. Af- ter ward, Da vid re mained in Ho resh, while Jon a than went home. DAVID’S NARROW ESCAPE 19 Some Ziph ites came up to Saul at Gib e ah and said, “Da vid is a hid ing among us in the strong holds in Ho resh on the hill of Ha chi lah south of Je shi mon. 20 Now , when ev er the king wants to come down, let him come down. Our part will be to hand him over to the king.” 21 “ May you be blessed by the L ord,” re plied Saul, “ for you have shown con cern for me. 22 Go and check again. In ves ti gate b where he goes c and who has seen him there; they tell me he is ex treme ly cun ning. 23 In ves ti gate d all the plac es where he hides. Then come back to me with ac cu rate in for ma tion, and I’ll go with you. If it turns out he real ly is in the re gion, I’ll search for him among all the clans e of Ju dah.” 24 So they went to Ziph ahead of Saul. Now Da vid and his men were in the wil- der ness near Maon in the Ar a bah south of Je shi mon, 25 and Saul and his men went to look for him. When Da vid was told about it, he went down to the rock and stayed in the Wil der ness of Maon. Saul heard of this and pur sued Da vid there. 26 Saul went along one side of the moun- tain and Da vid and his men went along the oth er side. Even though Da vid was hur ry ing to get away from Saul, Saul and his men were clos ing in on Da vid and his men to cap ture them. 27 Then a mes sen ger came to Saul say- ing, “ Come quick ly , be cause the Phi lis tines have raid ed the land! ” 28 So Saul broke off his pur suit of Da vid and went to en gage the Phi- lis tines. There fore, that place was named the Rock of Sep a ra tion. 29 From there Da vid went up and stayed in the strong holds of En-gedi. DAVID SPARES SAUL 24 When Saul re turned from pur su ing the Phi lis tines, he was told, “Da vid is in the wil der ness near En-gedi.” 2 So Saul took three thou sand of Is ra el’s fit young men and went to look for Da vid and his men in front of the Rocks of the Wild Goats. 3 When Saul came to the sheep pens along the road, a cave was there, and he went in to re lieve him self. f Da vid and his men were stay ing in the re cess es of the cave, 4 so they said to him, “ Look, this is the day the L ord told you about: ‘ I will hand your en e my over to you so you can do to him what ev er you de sire.’ ” Then Da vid got up and se cret ly cut off the cor ner of Saul’s robe. 5 Af ter ward, Da vid’s con science both ered g him be cause he had cut off the cor ner of Saul’s robe. h 6 He said to his men, “ I swear be fore the L ord: I would nev er do such a thing to my lord, the L ord ’ s anoint ed. I will nev er lift my hand against him, since he is the L ord’ s anoint ed.” 7 With these words Da vid per suad- ed i his men, and he did not let them rise up against Saul. Then Saul left the cave and went on his way . 8 Af ter that, Da vid got up, went out of the cave, and called to Saul, “ My lord the king! ” When Saul looked be hind him, Da vid knelt low with his face to the ground and paid hom age. 9 Da vid said to Saul, “ Why do you lis ten to the words of peo ple who say , ‘ Look, Da vid in tends to harm you’? 10 You can see with your own eyes that the L ord hand ed you over to me to day in the cave. Some one ad vised me to kill you, but I j,k took pity on you and said: I won’t lift my hand against my lord, since he is the L ord’ s anoint ed. 11 Look, my fa ther! Look at the cor ner of your robe in my hand, for I cut it off, but I didn’t kill you. Rec og nize l that I’ve com mit ted no crime or re bel lion. I haven’t sinned against you even though you are hunt ing me down to take my life. 12 “ May the L ord judge be tween me and you, and may the L ord take ven geance on you for me, but my hand will nev er be against you. 13 As the old prov erb says, ‘Wick ed ness comes from wick ed peo ple.’ My hand will nev er be against you. 14 Who has the king of Is ra el come af ter? What are you chas ing af ter? A dead dog? A sin gle flea? 15 May the L ord be judge and de- cide be tween you and me. May he take no tice and plead my case and de liv er m me from you.” 16 When Da vid fin ished say ing these things to him, Saul re plied, “ Is that your voice, Da vid my son? ” Then Saul wept aloud 17 and said to Da vid, “ You are more righ teous than I, for you have done what is good to me though I have done what is evil to you. 18 You your self have told me to day what good you did for me: when the L ord hand ed me over to you, you didn’t kill me. 19 When a man finds his en e my , a 23:19 Lit “Is David not . . . Jeshimon? b 23:22 Lit Know and see c 23:22 Lit watch his place where his foot will be d 23:23 Lit See and know e 23:23 Or thousands f 24:3 Lit to cover his feet g 24:5 Lit David’s heart struck h 24:5 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr , Vg; other Hb mss omit robe i 24:7 Or restrained j 24:10 LXX, Syr , Tg; MT reads she or it k 24:10 Or my eye l 24:11 Lit Know and see m 24:15 Lit render a verdict for 255 1 SAMUEL 23-24 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 255 10/26/17 8:59 PM does he let him go un harmed? a May the L ord re pay you with good for what you’ve done for me to day . 20 “ Now I know for cer tain you will be king, and the king dom of Is ra el will be es tab lished b in your hand. 21 There fore swear to me by the L ord that you will not cut off my de scen dants or wipe out my name from my fa ther’s fam i- ly .” 22 So Da vid swore to Saul. Then Saul went back home, and Da vid and his men went up to the strong hold. DAVID, NABAL, AND ABIGAIL 25 Sam uel died, and all Is ra el as sem bled to mourn for him, and they bur ied him by his home in Ra mah. Da vid then went down to the Wil der ness of Pa ran. c 2 A man in Maon had a busi ness in Car mel; he was a very rich man with three thou sand sheep and one thou sand goats and was shear - ing his sheep in Car mel. 3 The man’s name was Na bal, and his wife’s name, Ab i gail. The wom an was in tel li gent and beau ti ful, but the man, a Ca leb ite, was harsh and evil in his deal ings. 4 While Da vid was in the wil der ness, he heard that Na bal was shear ing sheep, 5 so Da vid sent ten young men in struct ing them, “ Go up to Car mel, and when you come to Na bal, greet him d in my name. 6 Then say this: ‘ Long life to you, e and peace to you, peace to your fam i ly , and peace to all that is yours. 7 I hear that you are shear ing. f When your shep herds were with us, we did not ha rass them, and noth ing of theirs was miss ing the whole time they were in Car mel. 8 Ask your young men, and they will tell you. So let my young men find fa vor with you, for we have come on a feast g day . Please give what ev er you have on hand to your ser vants and to your son Da vid.’ ” 9 Da vid’s young men went and said all these things to Na bal on Da vid’s be half, h and they wait ed. i 10 Na bal asked them, “ Who is Da vid? Who is Jes se’s son? Many slaves these days are run ning away from their mas ters. 11 Am I sup posed to take my bread, my wa ter, and my meat that I butch ered for my shear ers and give them to these men? I don’t know where they are from.” 12 Da vid’s young men retraced their steps. When they re turned to him, they re port ed all these words. 13 He said to his men, “ All of you, put on your swords! ” So each man put on his sword, and Da vid also put on his sword. About four hun dred men fol lowed Da vid while two hun dred stayed with the sup plies. 14 One of Na bal’s young men in formed Ab i- gail, Na bal’s wife: “ Look, Da vid sent mes sen- gers from the wil der ness to greet our mas ter, but he screamed at them. 15 The men treat ed us very well. When we were in the field, we weren’t ha rassed and noth ing of ours was miss ing the whole time we were liv ing among them. 16 They were a wall around us, both day and night, the en tire time we were with them herd ing the sheep. 17 Now con sid er care ful ly j what you should do, be cause there is cer tain to be trou ble for our mas ter and his en tire fam i ly . He is such a worth less fool no body can talk to him! ” 18 Ab i gail hur ried, tak ing two hun dred loaves of bread, two clay jars of wine, five butch ered sheep, a bushel k of roast ed grain, one hun dred clus ters of rai sins, and two hun dred cakes of pressed figs, and load ed them on don keys. 19 Then she said to her male ser vants, “ Go ahead of me. I will be right be hind you.” But she did not tell her hus band Na bal. 20 As she rode the don key down a moun tain pass hid den from view , she saw Da vid and his men com ing to ward her and met them. 21 Da vid had just said, “ I guard ed ev ery thing that be longed to this man in the wil der ness for noth ing. He was not miss ing any thing, yet he paid me back evil for good. 22 May God pun ish me l and do so se vere ly if I let any of his males m sur vive un til morn ing.” 23 When Ab i gail saw Da vid, she quick ly got off the don key and knelt down with her face to the ground and paid hom age to Da vid. 24 She knelt at his feet and said, “ The guilt is mine, my lord, but please let your ser vant speak to you di rect ly . Lis ten to the words of your ser vant. 25 My lord should pay no at ten tion to this worth less fool Na bal, for he lives up to his name: n His name means ‘stu pid,’ and stu pid i ty is all he knows. o I, your ser vant, didn’t see my lord’s young men whom you sent. 26 Now my lord, as sure ly as the L ord lives and as you your self live— it is the L ord who kept you from participating in blood- shed and aveng ing your self by your own hand— may your en e mies and those who a 24:19 Lit go on a good way b 24:20 Or will flourish c 25:1 LXX reads to Maon d 25:5 Or Nabal, ask him for peace e 25:6 Lit ‘To life f 25:7 Lit you have shearers g 25:8 Lit good h 25:9 Lit name i 25:9 LXX reads and he became arrogant j 25:17 Lit Now know and see k 25:18 Lit sheep, five seahs l 25:22 LXX; MT reads David’s enemies m 25:22 Lit of those of his who are urinating against the wall n 25:25 Lit for as is his name is, so he is o 25:25 Lit and foolishness is with him1 SAMUEL 24-25 256 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 256 10/26/17 8:59 PM in tend to harm my lord be like Na bal. 27 Let this gift your ser vant has brought to my lord be giv en to the young men who fol low my lord. 28 Please for give your ser vant’s of fense, for the L ord is cer tain to make a last ing dy- nas ty for my lord be cause he fights the L ord’ s bat tles. Through out your life, may evil a not be found in you. 29 “Some one is pur su ing you and in tends to take your life. My lord’s life is tucked safe ly in the place b where the L ord your God pro tects the liv ing, but he is fling ing away your en e mies’ lives like stones from a sling. 30 When the L ord does for my lord all the good he prom ised you and ap points you rul er over Is ra el, 31 there will not be re morse or a trou bled con science for my lord be cause of need less blood shed or my lord’s re venge. And when the L ord does good things for my lord, may you re mem ber me your ser vant.” 32 Then Da vid said to Ab i gail, “ Blessed be the L ord God of Is ra el, who sent you to meet me to day! 33 May your dis cern ment be blessed, and may you be blessed. To day you kept me from participating in blood shed and aveng- ing my self by my own hand. 34 Oth er wise, as sure ly as the L ord God of Is ra el lives, who pre vent ed me from harm ing you, if you had not come quick ly to meet me, Na bal wouldn’t have had any males c left by morn ing light.” 35 Then Da vid ac cept ed what she had brought him and said, “ Go home in peace. See, I have heard what you said and have grant ed your re quest.” 36 Then Ab i gail went to Na bal, and there he was in his house, hold ing a feast fit for a king. Na bal’s heart was cheer ful, d and he was very drunk, so she didn’t say any thing e to him un til morn ing light. 37 In the morn ing when Na bal sobered up, f his wife told him about these events. His heart died g and he be came a stone. 38 About ten days lat er, the L ord struck Na bal dead. 39 When Da vid heard that Na bal was dead, he said, “ Blessed be the L ord who champi - oned my cause against Na bal’s in sults and re strained his ser vant from do ing evil. The L ord brought Na bal’s evil deeds back on his own head.” Then Da vid sent mes sen gers to speak to Ab i gail about mar ry ing him. 40 When Da vid’s ser vants came to Ab i gail at Car mel, they said to her, “Da vid sent us to bring you to him as a wife.” 41 She stood up, paid hom age with her face to the ground, and said, “ Here I am, your ser vant, a slave to wash the feet of my lord’s ser vants.” 42 Then Ab i gail got up quick ly , and with her five fe male ser vants ac com pa ny ing her, rode on the don key fol low ing Da vid’s mes sen gers. And so she be came his wife. 43 Da vid also mar ried Ahin o am of Jez re el, and the two of them be came his wives. 44 But Saul gave his daugh ter Mi chal, Da vid’s wife, to Pal ti son of La ish, who was from Gal lim. DAVID AGAIN SPARES SAUL 26 Then the Ziph ites came to Saul at Gib e ah say ing, “Da vid is hid ing on the hill of Ha chi lah op po site Je shi mon.” 2 So Saul, ac com- pa nied by three thou sand of the fit young men of Is ra el, went im me di ate ly to the Wil der ness of Ziph to search for Da vid there. 3 Saul camped be side the road at the hill of Ha chi lah op po site Je shi mon. Da vid was liv ing in the wil der ness and dis cov ered Saul had come there af ter him. 4 So Da vid sent out spies and knew for cer tain that Saul had come. 5 Im me di ate ly , Da vid went to the place where Saul had camped. He saw the place where Saul and Ab ner son of Ner, the com mand er of his army , were ly ing down. Saul was ly ing in side the in ner cir cle of the camp with the troops camped around him. 6 Then Da vid asked Ahim e lech the Heth ite and Joab’s broth er Abish ai son of Zer u i ah, “ Who will go with me into the camp to Saul? ” “ I’ll go with you,” an swered Abish ai. 7 That night, Da vid and Abish ai came to the troops, and Saul was ly ing there asleep in the in ner cir cle of the camp with his spear stuck in the ground by his head. Ab ner and the troops were ly ing around him. 8 Then Abish ai said to Da vid, “To day God has de liv ered your en- e my to you. Let me thrust the spear through him into the ground just once. I won’t have to strike him twice! ” 9 But Da vid said to Abish ai, “ Don’t de stroy him, for who can lift a hand against the L ord’ s anoint ed and be in no cent? ” 10 Da vid add ed, “ As the L ord lives, the L ord will cer tain ly strike him down: ei ther his day will come and he will die, or he will go into bat tle and per ish. 11 How ev er, be cause of the L ord, I will nev- er lift my hand against the L ord’ s anoint ed. a 25:28 Or trouble b 25:29 Lit bundle c 25:34 Lit had anyone urinating against a wall d 25:36 Lit Nabal’s heart was good on him e 25:36 Lit anything at all f 25:37 Lit when the wine had gone out of Nabal g 25:37 Lit Then his heart died within him 257 1 SAMUEL 25-26 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 257 10/26/17 8:59 PM In stead, take the spear and the wa ter jug by his head, and let’s go.” 12 So Da vid took the spear and the wa ter jug by Saul’s head, and they went their way . No one saw them, no one knew , and no one woke up; they all re mained asleep be cause a deep sleep from the L ord came over them. 13 Da vid crossed to the oth er side and stood on top of the moun tain at a dis tance; there was a con sid er able space be tween them. 14 Then Da vid shout ed to the troops and to Ab ner son of Ner: “ Aren’t you go ing to an swer, Ab ner? ” “ Who are you who calls to the king? ” Ab- ner asked. 15 Da vid called to Ab ner, “ You’re a man, aren’t you? Who in Is ra el is your equal? So why didn’t you pro tect your lord the king when one of the peo ple came to de stroy him? 16 What you have done is not good. As the L ord lives, all of you de serve to die a since you didn’t pro tect your lord, the L ord’ s anoint ed. Now look around; where are the king’s spear and wa ter jug that were by his head? ” 17 Saul rec og nized Da vid’s voice and asked, “ Is that your voice, my son Da vid? ” “ It is my voice, my lord and king,” Da vid said. 18 Then he con tin ued, “ Why is my lord pur su ing his ser vant? What have I done? What crime have I com mit ted? 19 Now , may my lord the king please hear the words of his ser vant: If it is the L ord who has in cit ed you against me, then may he ac cept an off er ing. But if it is peo ple, may they be cursed in the pres ence of the L ord, for to day they have ban ished me from shar ing in the in her i tance of the L ord say ing, ‘ Go and wor ship oth er gods.’ 20 So don’t let my blood fall to the
🏹 David's Wilderness Journey
🙏 Mercy and honor shine through David's refusal to harm Saul despite perfect opportunities, demonstrating profound respect for "the Lord's anointed" even when pursued unjustly
🏃♂️ Facing continued danger, David strategically relocates to Philistine territory in Ziklag, conducting raids while maintaining a precarious double loyalty between Achish and Israel
🔮 Saul's desperate consultation with a medium at En-dor reveals his spiritual abandonment, with Samuel's spirit delivering a final, devastating prophecy of defeat and death
💪 When Amalekites raid Ziklag and take captives, David finds "strength in the Lord" and implements a revolutionary equal-share policy for soldiers who fight and those who guard supplies
⚔️ The narrative culminates in Saul's tragic death on Mount Gilboa alongside his sons, with his body respectfully recovered and buried by the grateful people of Jabesh-gilead
ground far from the L ord’ s pres ence, for the king of Is ra el has come out to search for a sin gle flea, like one who pur sues a par tridge in the moun tains.” 21 Saul re spond ed, “ I have sinned. Come back, my son Da vid, I will nev er harm you again be cause to day you con sid ered my life pre cious. I have been a fool! I’ve com mit ted a grave er ror.” 22 Da vid an swered, “ Here is the king’s spear; have one of the young men come over and get it. 23 The L ord will re pay ev ery man for his righ teous ness and his loy al ty . I wasn’t will ing to lift my hand against the L ord’ s anoint ed, even though the L ord hand ed you over to me to day . 24 Just as I con sid ered your life valu able to day , so may the L ord con sid er my life valu- able and res cue me from all trou ble.” 25 Saul said to him, “ You are blessed, my son Da vid. You will cer tain ly do great things and will also pre vail.” Then Da vid went on his way , and Saul re turned home. DAVID FLEES TO ZIKLAG 27 Da vid said to him self, “ One of these days I’ll be swept away by Saul. There is noth- ing bet ter for me than to es cape im me di ate ly to the land of the Phi lis tines. Then Saul will give up search ing for me ev ery where in Is ra el, and I’ll es cape from him.” 2 So Da vid set out with his six hun dred men and went over to Achish son of Ma och, the king of Gath. 3 Da vid and his men stayed with Achish in Gath. Each man had his fam i ly with him, and Da vid had his two wives: Ahin o am of Jez re el and Ab i- gail of Car mel, Na bal’s wid ow . 4 When it was re port ed to Saul that Da vid had fled to Gath, he no lon ger searched for him. 5 Now Da vid said to Achish, “ If I have found fa vor with you, let me be giv en a place in one of the out ly ing towns, so I can live there. Why should your ser vant live in the roy al city with you? ” 6 That day Achish gave Zik lag to him, and it still be longs to the kings of Ju dah to- day . 7 The length of time that Da vid stayed in Phi lis tine ter ri to ry amount ed to a year and four months. 8 Da vid and his men went up and raid ed the Gesh u rites, the Gir zites, b and the Am a lek ites. From an cient times they had been the in hab- i tants of the re gion through Shur as far as the land of Egypt. 9 When ev er Da vid at tacked the land, he did not leave a sin gle per son alive, ei- ther man or wom an, but he took flocks, herds, don keys, cam els, and cloth ing. Then he came back to Achish, 10 who in quired, “ Where did you raid to day? ” c Da vid re plied, “ The south coun try of Ju dah,” “ The south coun try of the Je rah me el ites,” or “ The south coun try of the Ke nites.” 11 Da vid did not let a man or wom an live to be brought to Gath, for he said, “ Or they will in form on us and say , ‘ This is what Da vid did.’ ” This was Da vid’s cus tom dur ing the whole time he stayed in the Phi lis tine ter ri to ry . 12 So Achish trust ed Da vid, think ing, “ Since he has made him self re pul sive to his peo ple Is ra el, he will be my ser vant for ev er.” a 26:16 Lit you are sons of death b 27:8 Alt Hb tradition reads Gezerites c 27:10 Some Hb mss, Syr , Tg; LXX, Vg, DSS read “ Against whom did you raid today? ”1 SAMUEL 26-27 258 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 258 10/26/17 8:59 PM SAUL AND THE MEDIUM 28 At that time, the Phi lis tines gath ered their mil i tary units into one army to fight against Is ra el. So Achish said to Da vid, “ You know , of course, that you and your men must march out in the army a with me.” 2 Da vid re plied to Achish, “ Good, you will find out what your ser vant can do.” So Achish said to Da vid, “ Very well, I will ap point you as my per ma nent body guard.” 3 By this time Sam uel had died, all Is ra el had mourned for him and bur ied him in Ra mah, his city , and Saul had re moved the me di ums and spir it ists from the land. 4 The Phi lis tines gath ered and camped at Shu nem. So Saul gath- ered all Is ra el, and they camped at Gil boa. 5 When Saul saw the Phi lis tine camp, he was afraid and his heart pound ed. 6 He in quired of the L ord, but the L ord did not an swer him in dreams or by the Urim or by the proph ets. 7 Saul then said to his ser vants, “ Find me a wom an who is a me di um, so I can go and con sult her.” His ser vants re plied, “ There is a wom an at En-dor who is a me di um.” 8 Saul dis guised him self by put ting on dif- fer ent clothes and set out with two of his men. They came to the wom an at night, and Saul said, “Con sult a spir it for me. Bring up for me the one I tell you.” 9 But the wom an said to him, “ You sure ly know what Saul has done, how he has cut off the me di ums and spir it ists from the land. Why are you set ting a trap for me to get me killed? ” 10 Then Saul swore to her by the L ord: “ As sure ly as the L ord lives, no pun ish ment will come to you b from this.” 11 “ Who is it that you want me to bring up for you? ” the wom an asked. “ Bring up Sam uel for me,” he an swered. 12 When the wom an saw Sam uel, she screamed, and then she asked Saul, “ Why did you de ceive me? You are Saul! ” 13 But the king said to her, “ Don’t be afraid. What do you see? ” “ I see a spir it form c com ing up out of the earth,” the wom an an swered. 14 Then Saul asked her, “ What does he look like? ” “ An old man is com ing up,” she re plied. “ He’s wear ing a robe.” Then Saul knew that it was Sam uel, and he knelt low with his face to the ground and paid hom age.15 “ Why have you dis turbed me by bring ing me up? ” Sam uel asked Saul. “ I’m in se ri ous trou ble,” re plied Saul. “ The Phi lis tines are fight ing against me and God has turned away from me. He doesn’t an swer me any more, ei ther through the proph ets or in dreams. So I’ve called on you to tell me what I should do.” 16 Sam uel an swered, “ Since the L ord has turned away from you and has be come your en e my , why are you ask ing me? 17 The L ord has done d ex act ly what he said through me: The L ord has torn the king ship out of your hand and giv en it to your neigh bor Da vid. 18 You did not obey the L ord and did not car - ry out his burn ing an ger against Am a lek; there fore the L ord has done this to you to- day . 19 The L ord will also hand Is ra el over to the Phi lis tines along with you. To mor row you and your sons will be with me, e and the L ord will hand Is ra el’s army over to the Phi lis tines.” 20 Im me di ate ly , Saul fell flat on the ground. He was ter ri fied by Sam uel’s words and was also weak be cause he had not eat en any thing all day and all night. 21 The wom an came over to Saul, and she saw that he was ter ri fied and said to him, “ Look, your ser vant has obeyed you. I took my life in my hands and did what you told me to do. 22 Now please lis ten to your ser vant. Let me set some food in front of you. Eat and it will give you strength so you can go on your way .” 23 He re fused, say ing, “ I won’t eat,” but when his ser vants and the wom an urged him, he lis tened to them. He got up off the ground and sat on the bed. 24 The wom an had a fat tened calf at her house, and she quick ly slaugh tered it. She also took flour, knead ed it, and baked un leav- ened bread. 25 She served it to Saul and his ser vants, and they ate. Af ter ward, they got up and left that night. PHILISTINES REJECT DAVID 29 The Phi lis tines brought all their mil- i tary units to geth er at Aphek while Is ra el was camped by the spring in Jez re- el. 2 As the Phi lis tine lead ers were pass ing in re view with their units of hun dreds and thou sands, Da vid and his men were pass ing in re view be hind them with Achish. 3 Then a 28:1 DSS, LXX read battle b 28:10 Or lives, you will not incur guilt c 28:13 Or a god, or a divine being d 28:17 Some Hb, some LXX mss, Vg read done to you e 28:19 LXX reads sons will fall 259 1 SAMUEL 28-29 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 259 10/26/17 8:59 PM the Phi lis tine com mand ers asked, “ What are these He brews do ing here? ” Achish an swered the Phi lis tine com mand- ers, “ That is Da vid, ser vant of King Saul of Is ra el. He has been with me a con sid er able pe ri od of time. a From the day he de fect ed un til to day , I’ve found no fault with him.” 4 The Phi lis tine com mand ers, how ev er, were en raged with Achish and told him, “ Send that man back and let him re turn to the place you as signed him. He must not go down with us into bat tle only to be come our ad ver sary dur ing the bat tle. What bet ter way could he ingratiate him self with his mas ter than with the heads of our men? 5 Isn’t this the Da vid they sing about dur ing their danc es: Saul has killed his thousands, but David his tens of thousands? ” 6 So Achish sum moned Da vid and told him, “ As the L ord lives, you are an hon or able man. I think it is good b to have you fight ing c in this unit with me, be cause I have found no fault in you from the day you came to me un til to day . But the lead ers don’t think you are re li able. 7 Now go back qui et ly and you won’t be do ing any thing the Phi lis tine lead- ers think is wrong.” 8 “ But what have I done? ” Da vid re plied to Achish. “ From the first day I en tered your ser - vice un til to day , what have you found against your ser vant to keep me from go ing to fight against the en e mies of my lord the king? ” 9 Achish an swered Da vid, “ I’m con vinced that you are as re li able as an an gel of God. But the Phi lis tine com mand ers have said, ‘ He must not go into bat tle with us.’ 10 So get up ear ly in the morn ing, you and your mas ters’ ser vants who came with you. d When you’ve all got ten up ear ly , go as soon as it’s light.” 11 So Da vid and his men got up ear ly in the morn ing to re turn to the land of the Phi lis tines. And the Phi lis tines went up to Jez re el. DAVID’S DEFEAT OF THE AMALEKITES 30 Da vid and his men ar rived in Zik lag on the third day . The Am a lek ites had raid ed the Ne gev and at tacked and burned Zik lag. 2 They also had kidnapped the wom en and ev ery one e in it from youn gest to old est. They had killed no one but had car ried them off as they went on their way .3 When Da vid and his men ar rived at the town, they found it burned. Their wives, sons, and daugh ters had been kidnapped. 4 Da vid and the troops with him wept loud ly un til they had no strength left to weep. 5 Da vid’s two wives, Ahin o am the Jez re el ite and Ab i- gail the wid ow of Na bal the Car mel ite, had also been kidnapped. 6 Da vid was in an ex- treme ly dif fi cult po si tion be cause the troops talked about ston ing him, for they were all very bit ter over the loss of their sons and daugh ters. But Da vid found strength in the L ord his God. 7 Da vid said to the priest Abi a thar son of Ahim e lech, “ Bring me the ephod.” So Abi a- thar brought it to him, 8 and Da vid asked the L ord: “ Should I pur sue these raid ers? Will I over take them? ” The L ord re plied to him, “Pur sue them, for you will cer tain ly over take them and res cue the peo ple.” 9 So Da vid and the six hun dred men with him went. They came to the Wadi Be sor, where some stayed be hind. 10 Da vid and four hun dred of the men con tin ued the pur suit, while two hun dred stopped be cause they were too ex- haust ed to cross the Wadi Be sor. 11 Da vid’s men found an Egyp tian in the open coun try and brought him to Da vid. They gave him some bread to eat and wa ter to drink. 12 Then they gave him some pressed figs and two clus ters of rai sins. Af ter he ate he re vived, for he hadn’t eat en food or drunk wa ter for three days and three nights. 13 Then Da vid said to him, “ Who do you be- long to? Where are you from? ” “ I’m an Egyp tian, the slave of an Am a lek- ite man,” he said. “ My mas ter aban doned me when I got sick three days ago. 14 We raid ed the south coun try of the Cher e thites, the ter ri to ry of Ju dah, and the south coun try of Ca leb, and we burned Zik lag.” 15 Da vid then asked him, “ Will you lead me to these raid ers? ” He said, “ Swear to me by God that you won’t kill me or turn me over to my mas ter, and I will lead you to them.” 16 So he led him, and there were the Am a lek- ites, spread out over the en tire area, eat ing, drink ing, and cel e brat ing be cause of the great amount of plun der they had tak en from the land of the Phi lis tines and the land of Ju dah. a 29:3 Hb obscure b 29:6 Lit It was good in my eyes c 29:6 Lit you going out and coming in d 29:10 LXX adds and go to the place I appointed you to. Don’t take this evil matter to heart, for you are good before me. e 30:2 LXX; MT omits and everyone1 SAMUEL 29-30 260 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 260 10/26/17 8:59 PM 17 Da vid slaugh tered them from twi light un til the eve ning of the next day . None of them es- caped, ex cept four hun dred young men who got on cam els and fled. 18 Da vid re cov ered ev ery thing the Am a- lek ites had tak en; he also res cued his two wives. 19 Noth ing of theirs was miss ing from the youn gest to the old est, in clud ing the sons and daugh ters, and all the plun der the Am a- lek ites had tak en. Da vid got ev ery thing back. 20 He took all the flocks and herds, which were driv en ahead of the oth er live stock, and the peo ple shout ed, “ This is Da vid’s plun der! ” 21 When Da vid came to the two hun dred men who had been too ex haust ed to go with him and had been left at the Wadi Be sor, they came out to meet him and to meet the troops with him. When Da vid ap proached the men, he greet ed them, 22 but all the cor rupt and worth less men among those who had gone with Da vid ar gued, “Be cause they didn’t go with us, we will not give any of the plun der we re cov ered to them ex cept for each man’s wife and chil dren. They may take them and go.” 23 But Da vid said, “ My broth ers, you must not do this with what the L ord has giv en us. He pro tect ed us and hand ed over to us the raid ers who came against us. 24 Who can agree to your pro pos al? The share of the one who goes into bat tle is to be the same as the share of the one who re mains with the sup plies. They will share equal ly .” 25 And it has been so from that day for ward. Da vid es tab lished this policy a as a law and an or di nance for Is ra el and it still con tin ues to day . 26 When Da vid came to Zik lag, he sent some of the plun der to his friends, the el ders of Ju- dah, say ing, “ Here is a gift for you from the plun der of the L ord’ s en e mies.” 27 He sent gifts b to those in Beth el, in Ra moth of the Ne gev , and in Jat tir; 28 to those in Aro er, in Siph moth, and in Esh te moa; 29 to those in Ra cal, in the towns of the Je rah me el ites, and in the towns of the Ke nites; 30 to those in Hor mah, in Bor-ashan, and in Athach; 31 to those in He bron, and to those in all the plac es where Da vid and his men had roamed. THE DEATH OF SAUL AND HIS SONS 31 The Phi lis tines fought against Is ra el, and Is ra el’s men fled from them and were killed on Mount Gil boa. 2 The Phi lis tines pur sued Saul and his sons and killed his sons, Jon a than, Abin a dab, and Mal chi shua. 3 When the bat tle in ten si fied against Saul, the ar chers found him and se vere ly wound ed him. c 4 Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “ Draw your sword and run me through with it, or these un cir cum cised men will come and run me through and tor ture me! ” But his armor-bearer would not do it be cause he was ter ri fied. Then Saul took his sword and fell on it. 5 When his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his own sword and died with him. 6 So on that day , Saul died to geth er with his three sons, his armor-bearer, and all his men. 7 When the men of Is ra el on the oth er side of the val ley and on the oth er side of the Jor dan saw that Is ra el’s men had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they aban doned the cit ies and fled. So the Phi lis tines came and set tled in them. 8 The next day when the Phi lis tines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his three sons dead on Mount Gil boa. 9 They cut off Saul’s head, stripped off his ar mor, and sent mes sen- gers through out the land of the Phi lis tines to spread the good news in the tem ples of their idols and among the peo ple. 10 Then they put his ar mor in the tem ple of the Ash to reths and hung his body on the wall of Beth-shan. 11 When the res i dents of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Phi lis tines had done to Saul, 12 all their brave men set out, jour neyed all night, and re trieved the body of Saul and the bod ies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan. When they ar rived at Ja besh, they burned the bod- ies there. 13 Af ter ward, they took their bones and bur ied them un der the tam a risk tree in Ja besh and fast ed sev en days. a 30:25 this policy supplied for clarity b 30:27 He sent gifts supplied for clarity c 31:3 LXX reads and he was wounded under the ribs 261 1 SAMUEL 30-31 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 261 10/26/17 8:59 PM 2 samuel RESPONSES TO SAUL’S DEATH 1 Af ter the death of Saul, Da vid re turned from de feat ing the Am a lek ites and stayed at Zik- lag two days. 2 On the third day a man with torn clothes and dust on his head came from Saul’s camp. When he came to Da vid, he fell to the ground and paid hom age. 3 Da
📜 David's Rise to Power
🗡️ An Amalekite messenger claims to have killed King Saul at Saul's request, bringing David his crown and armband as proof, but David executes him for killing "the Lord's anointed"
😢 David composes a powerful lament for Saul and Jonathan, expressing deep grief and honoring their valor with poetic imagery: "How the mighty have fallen!"
👑 Civil war erupts between David's followers and Saul's son Ish-bosheth, with David growing stronger while commanding loyalty in Hebron as king of Judah
🤝 Abner, Saul's military commander, switches allegiance to David after a dispute with Ish-bosheth, but is murdered by Joab in revenge for killing his brother
🔪 Ish-bosheth is assassinated by two opportunistic captains seeking David's favor, but David executes them for their treachery instead of rewarding them
🇮🇱 All tribes of Israel finally unite under David's leadership, acknowledging him as their rightful king and shepherd of God's people
vid asked him, “ Where have you come from? ” He re plied to him, “ I’ve es caped from the Is ra el ite camp.” 4 “ What was the out come? Tell me,” Da vid asked him. “ The troops fled from the bat tle,” he an- swered. “ Many of the troops have fall en and are dead. Also, Saul and his son Jon a than are dead.” 5 Da vid asked the young man who had brought him the re port, “ How do you know Saul and his son Jon a than are dead? ” 6 “ I hap pened to be on Mount Gil boa,” he re plied, “ and there was Saul, lean ing on his spear. At that very mo ment the char i ots and the cav al ry were clos ing in on him. 7 When he turned around and saw me, he called out to me, so I an swered: I’m at your ser vice. 8 He asked me, ‘ Who are you? ’ I told him: I’m an Am a lek ite. 9 Then he begged me, ‘ Stand over me and kill me, for I’m mor tal ly wound ed, a but my life still lingers.’ 10 So I stood over him and killed him be cause I knew that af ter he had fall en he couldn’t sur vive. I took the crown that was on his head and the armband that was on his arm, and I’ve brought them here to my lord.” 11 Then Da vid took hold of his clothes and tore them, and all the men with him did the same. 12 They mourned, wept, and fast ed un til the eve ning for those who died by the sword — for Saul, his son Jon a than, the L ord’ s peo- ple, and the house of Is ra el. 13 Da vid in quired of the young man who had brought him the re port, “ Where are you from? ” “ I’m the son of a res i dent alien,” he said. “ I’m an Am a lek ite.” 14 Da vid ques tioned him, “ How is it that you were not afraid to lift your hand to de stroy the L ord’ s anoint ed? ” 15 Then Da vid sum moned one of his ser vants and said, “ Come here and kill him! ” The ser vant struck him, and he died. 16 For Da vid had said to the Am a lek ite, “ Your blood is on your own head be cause your own mouth tes ti fied against you by say ing, ‘ I killed the L ord’ s anoint ed.’ ” 17 Da vid sang the fol low ing la ment for Saul and his son Jon a than, 18 and he or dered that the Ju da hites be taught The Song of the Bow . It is writ ten in the Book of Ja shar: b 19 The splendor of Israel lies slain on your heights. How the mighty have fallen! 20 Do not tell it in Gath, don’t announce it in the marketplaces of Ashkelon, or the daughters of the Philistines will rejoice, and the daughters of the uncircumcised will celebrate. 21 Mountains of Gilboa, let no dew or rain be on you, or fields of offerings, c for there the shield of the mighty was defiled — the shield of Saul, no longer anointed with oil. 22 Jonathan’s bow never retreated, Saul’s sword never returned unstained, d from the blood of the slain, from the flesh e of the mighty . 23 Saul and Jonathan, loved and delightful, they were not parted in life or in death. They were swifter than eagles, stronger than lions. 24 Daughters of Israel, weep for Saul, who clothed you in scarlet, with luxurious things, who decked your garments with gold ornaments. 25 How the mighty have fallen in the thick of battle! Jonathan lies slain on your heights. 26 I grieve for you, Jonathan, my brother. You were such a friend to me. a 1:9 LXX reads for terrible darkness has taken hold of me b 1:18 Or of the Upright c 1:21 LXX reads firstfruits d 1:22 Lit empty e 1:22 Lit fat CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 262 10/26/17 8:59 PM Your love for me was more wondrous than the love of women. 27 How the mighty have fallen and the weapons of war have perished! DAVID, KING OF JUDAH 2 Some time lat er, Da vid in quired of the L ord: “ Should I go to one of the towns of Ju dah? ” The L ord an swered him, “ Go.” Then Da vid asked, “ Where should I go? ” “ To He bron,” the L ord re plied. 2 So Da vid went there with his two wives, Ahin o am the Jez re el ite and Ab i gail, the wid- ow of Na bal the Car mel ite. 3 In ad di tion, Da vid brought the men who were with him, each one with his fam i ly , and they set tled in the towns near He bron. 4 Then the men of Ju dah came, and there they anoint ed Da vid king over the house of Ju dah. They told Da vid: “ It was the men of Jabesh-gilead who bur ied Saul.” 5 Da vid sent mes sen gers to the men of Jabesh-gilead and said to them, “ The L ord bless you, be cause you have shown this kind- ness to Saul your lord when you bur ied him. 6 Now , may the L ord show kind ness and faith- ful ness to you, and I will also show the same good ness to you be cause you have done this deed. 7 There fore, be strong a and val iant, for though Saul your lord is dead, the house of Ju dah has anoint ed me king over them.” 8 Ab ner son of Ner, com mand er of Saul’s army , took Saul’s son Ish-bo sheth b,c and moved him to Ma ha na im. 9 He made him king over Gil- e ad, Ash er, Jez re el, Ephra im, Ben ja min — over all Is ra el. 10 Saul’s son Ish-bo sheth was for ty years old when he be came king over Is ra el; he reigned for two years. The house of Ju dah, how ev er, fol lowed Da vid. 11 The length of time that Da vid was king in He bron over the house of Ju dah was sev en years and six months. 12 Ab ner son of Ner and sol diers of Ish-bo- sheth son of Saul marched out from Ma ha- na im to Gib e on. 13 So Joab son of Zer u i ah and Da vid’s sol diers marched out and met them by the pool of Gib e on. The two groups took up po si tions on op po site sides of the pool. 14 Then Ab ner said to Joab, “ Let’s have the young men get up and com pete in front of us.” “ Let them get up,” Joab re plied. 15 So they got up and were count ed off — twelve for Ben ja min and Ish-bo sheth son of Saul, and twelve from Da vid’s sol diers. 16 Then each man grabbed his op po nent by the head and thrust his sword into his op po nent’s side so that they all died to geth er. So this place, which is in Gib e on, is named Field of Blades. d 17 The bat tle that day was ex treme ly fierce, and Ab ner and the men of Is ra el were de feat ed by Da vid’s sol diers. 18 The three sons of Zer u i ah were there: Joab, Abish ai, and As a hel. As a hel was a fast run ner, like one of the wild ga zelles. 19 He chased Ab ner and did not turn to the right or the left in his pur suit of him. 20 Ab ner glanced back and said, “ Is that you, As a hel? ” “ Yes it is,” As a hel re plied. 21 Ab ner said to him, “ Turn to your right or left, seize one of the young sol diers, and take what ev er you can get from him.” But As a hel would not stop chas ing him. 22 Once again, Ab ner warned As a hel, “ Stop chas ing me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How could I ever look your broth er Joab in the face? ” 23 But As a hel re fused to turn away , so Ab ner hit him in the stom ach with the butt of his spear. The spear went through his body , and he fell and died right there. As they all came to the place where As a hel had fall en and died, they stopped, 24 but Joab and Abish ai pur sued Ab ner. By sun set, they had gone as far as the hill of Am mah, which is op po site Giah on the way to the wil der ness of Gib e on. 25 The Ben ja min ites ral lied to Ab ner; they formed a unit and took their stand on top of a hill. 26 Then Ab ner called out to Joab: “ Must the sword de vour for ev er? Don’t you re al ize this will only end in bit ter ness? How long be- fore you tell the troops to stop pur su ing their broth ers? ” 27 “ As God lives,” Joab re plied, “ if you had not spo ken up, the troops wouldn’t have stopped pur su ing their broth ers un til morn ing.” 28 Then Joab blew the ram’s horn, and all the troops stopped; they no lon ger pur sued Is ra el or con tin ued to fight. 29 So Ab ner and his men marched through the Ar a bah all that night. They crossed the Jor dan, marched all morn- ing, e and ar rived at Ma ha na im. 30 When Joab had turned back from pur su- ing Ab ner, he gath ered all the troops. In ad- di tion to As a hel, nine teen of Da vid’s sol diers were miss ing, 31 but they had killed 360 of the Ben ja min ites and Ab ner’s men. 32 Af ter ward, they car ried As a hel to his fa ther’s tomb in Beth le hem and bur ied him. Then Joab and a 2:7 Lit Therefore, strengthen your hands b 2:8 Some LXX mss read Ishbaal ; 1Ch 8:33; 9:39 c 2:8 = Man of Shame d 2:16 Or Helkath-hazzurim e 2:29 Or marched through the Bithron 263 2 SAMUEL 1-2 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 263 10/26/17 8:59 PM his men marched all night and reached He- bron at dawn. CIVIL WAR 3 Dur ing the long war be tween the house of Saul and the house of Da vid, Da vid was grow ing stron ger and the house of Saul was be com ing weak er. 2 Sons were born to Da vid in He bron: His firstborn was Amnon, by Ahinoam the Jezreelite; 3 his second was Chileab, by Abigail, the widow of Nabal the Carmelite; the third was Absalom, son of Maacah the daughter of King Talmai of Geshur; 4 the fourth was Adonijah, son of Haggith; the fifth was Shephatiah, son of Abital; 5 the sixth was Ithream, by David’s wife Eglah. These were born to Da vid in He bron. 6 Dur ing the war be tween the house of Saul and the house of Da vid, Ab ner kept ac quir ing more pow er in the house of Saul. 7 Now Saul had a con cu bine whose name was Riz pah daugh ter of Aiah, and Ish-bo sheth ques tioned Ab ner, “ Why did you sleep with my fa ther’s con cu bine? ” 8 Ab ner was very an gry about Ish-bo sheth’s ac cu sa tion. “ Am I a dog’s head a who be longs to Ju dah? ” he asked. “ All this time I’ve been loy al to the fam i ly of your fa ther Saul, to his broth ers, and to his friends and haven’t be- trayed you to Da vid, but now you ac cuse me of wrong do ing with this wom an! 9 May God pun ish Ab ner and do so se vere ly if I don’t do for Da vid what the L ord swore to him: 10 to trans fer the king dom from the house of Saul and es tab lish the throne of Da vid over Is ra el and Ju dah from Dan to Be er-she ba.” 11 Ish-bo- sheth did not dare re spond to Ab ner be cause he was afraid of him. 12 Ab ner sent mes sen gers as his rep re- sen ta tives to say to Da vid, “ Whose land is it? Make your cov enant with me, and you can be cer tain I am on your side to turn all Is ra el over to you.” 13 Da vid re plied, “ Good, I will make a cov- enant with you. How ev er, there’s one thing I re quire of you: You will not see my face un less you first bring Saul’s daugh ter Mi chal when you come to see me.” 14 Then Da vid sent mes sen gers to say to Ish- bo sheth son of Saul, “ Give me back my wife, Mi chal. I was en gaged to her for the price of a hun dred Phi lis tine fore skins.” 15 So Ish-bo sheth sent some one to take her away from her hus band, Pal ti el son of La ish. 16 Her hus band fol lowed her, weep ing all the way to Ba hu rim. Ab ner said to him, “ Go back.” So he went back. THE ASSASSINATION OF ABNER 17 Ab ner con ferred with the el ders of Is ra el: “ In the past you want ed Da vid to be king over you. 18 Now take ac tion, be cause the L ord has spo ken con cern ing Da vid: ‘ Through my ser - vant Da vid I will save my peo ple Is ra el from the pow er of the Phi lis tines and the pow er of all Is ra el’s en e mies.’ ” 19 Ab ner also in formed the Ben ja min ites and went to He bron to in form Da vid about all that was agreed on by Is ra el and the whole house of Ben ja min. 20 When Ab ner and twen ty men came to Da vid at He bron, Da vid held a ban quet for him and his men. 21 Ab ner said to Da vid, “ Let me now go and I will gath er all Is ra el to my lord the king. They will make a cov enant with you, and you will reign over all you de sire.” So Da vid dis missed Ab ner, and he went in peace. 22 Just then Da vid’s sol diers and Joab re- turned from a raid and brought a large amount of plun dered goods with them. Ab ner was not with Da vid in He bron be cause Da vid had dis- missed him, and he had gone in peace. 23 When Joab and his whole army ar rived, Joab was in formed, “ Ab ner son of Ner came to see the king, the king dis missed him, and he went in peace.” 24 Joab went to the king and said, “ What have you done? Look here, Ab ner came to you. Why did you dis miss him? Now he’s get ting away . 25 You know that Ab ner son of Ner came to de ceive you and to find out about your mil i- tary ac tivi ties b and ev ery thing you’re do ing.” 26 Then Joab left Da vid and sent mes sen gers af ter Ab ner. They brought him back from the well c of Si rah, but Da vid was un aware of it. 27 When Ab ner re turned to He bron, Joab pulled him aside to the mid dle of the city gate, as if to speak to him pri vate ly , and there Joab stabbed him in the stom ach. So Ab ner died a 3:8 = a despised person b 3:25 Lit your going out and your coming in c 3:26 Or cistern2 SAMUEL 2-3 264 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 264 10/26/17 8:59 PM in re venge for the death of As a hel, a Joab’s broth er. 28 Da vid heard about it lat er and said: “ I and my king dom are for ev er in no cent be fore the L ord con cern ing the blood of Ab ner son of Ner. 29 May it hang over Joab’s head and his fa ther’s whole fam i ly , and may the house of Joab nev er be with out some one who has a dis charge or a skin dis ease, or a man who can only work a spin dle, b or some one who falls by the sword or starves.” 30 Joab and his broth er Abish ai killed Ab ner be cause he had put their broth er As a hel to death in the bat tle at Gib e on. 31 Da vid then or dered Joab and all the peo ple who were with him, “ Tear your clothes, put on sack cloth, and mourn over Ab ner.” And King Da vid walked be hind the coff in. c 32 When they bur ied Ab ner in He bron, the king wept aloud at Ab ner’s tomb. All the peo ple wept, 33 and the king sang a la ment for Ab ner: Should Abner die as a fool dies? 34 Your hands were not bound, your feet not placed in bronze shackles. You fell like one who falls victim to criminals. And all the peo ple wept over him even more. 35 Then they came to urge Da vid to eat food while it was still day , but Da vid took an oath: “ May God pun ish me and do so se vere ly if I taste bread or any thing else be fore sun set! ” 36 All the peo ple took note of this, and it pleased them. In fact, ev ery thing the king did pleased them. 37 On that day all the troops and all Is ra el were con vinced that the king had no part in the kill ing of Ab ner son of Ner. 38 Then the king said to his sol diers, “ You must know that a great lead er has fall en in Is ra el to day . 39 As for me, even though I am the anoint ed king, I have lit tle pow er to day . These men, the sons of Zer u i ah, are too fierce for me. May the L ord re pay the evil do er ac- cord ing to his evil! ” THE ASSASSINATION OF ISH-BOSHETH 4 When Saul’s son Ish-bo sheth heard that Ab ner had died in He bron, he gave up, d and all Is ra el was dis mayed. 2 Saul’s son had two men who were lead ers of raid ing par ties: one named Ba a nah and the oth er Re chab, sons of Rim mon the Be e roth ite of the Ben ja min ites. Be e roth is also con sid ered part of Ben ja min, 3 and the Be e roth ites fled to Git ta im and still re side there as aliens to day . 4 Saul’s son Jon a than had a son whose feet were crip pled. He was five years old when the re port about Saul and Jon a than came from Jez re el. His nanny e picked him up and fled, but as she was hur ry ing to flee, he fell and be came lame. His name was Me phib o sheth. 5 Re chab and Ba a nah, the sons of Rim mon the Be e roth ite, set out and ar rived at Ish-bo- sheth’s house dur ing the heat of the day while the king was tak ing his mid day nap. 6 They en tered the in te ri or of the house as if to get wheat and stabbed him in the stom ach. Then Re chab and his broth er Ba a nah es caped. 7 They had en tered the house while Ish-bo sheth was ly ing on his bed in his bed room and stabbed and killed him. They re moved his head, took it, and trav eled by way of the Ar a bah all night. 8 They brought Ish-bo sheth’s head to Da vid at He bron and said to the king, “ Here’s the head of Ish-bo sheth son of Saul, your en e my who in tend ed to take your life. To day the L ord has grant ed ven geance to my lord the king against Saul and his off spring.” 9 But Da vid an swered Re chab and his broth er Ba a nah, sons of Rim mon the Be e roth ite, “ As the L ord lives, the one who has re deemed my life from ev ery dis tress, 10 when the per son told me, ‘ Look, Saul is dead,’ he thought he was a bear er of good news, but I seized him and put him to death at Zik lag. That was my re ward to him for his news! 11 How much more when wick ed men kill a righ teous man in his own house on his own bed! So now , should I not re quire his blood from you and purge you from the earth? ” 12 So Da vid gave or ders to the young men, and they killed Re chab and Ba a nah. They cut off their hands and feet and hung their bod ies by the pool in He bron, but they took Ish-bo- sheth’s head and bur ied it in Ab ner’s tomb in He bron. DAVID, KING OF ISRAEL 5 All the tribes of Is ra el came to Da vid at He bron and said, “ Here we are, your own flesh and blood. f 2 Even while Saul was king over us, you were the one who led us out to bat tle and brought us back. The L ord also said to you, ‘ You will shep herd my peo ple Is ra el, and you will be rul er over Is ra el.’ ” a 3:27 Lit And he died for the blood of Asahel b 3:29 LXX reads who uses a crutch c 3:31 Or the bier ; lit the bed d 4:1 Lit his hands dropped e 4:4 Lit His nurse f 5:1 Lit your bone and your flesh 265 2 SAMUEL 3-5 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 265 10/26/17 8:59 PM 3 So all the el ders of Is ra el came to the
👑 David's Rise to Power
🏰 David's kingdom expands dramatically as he conquers Jerusalem from the Jebusites, establishes it as his capital, and builds a royal palace with help from King Hiram of Tyre
⚔️ Military victories multiply against the Philistines, Moabites, Arameans and other nations, with David consistently seeking divine guidance before battle and attributing success to God's intervention
🛡️ The Ark of the Covenant becomes central to David's reign, though its transport to Jerusalem proves dangerous (Uzzah's death) before ultimately uniting the people in celebration and worship
🤝 God's covenant with David through Nathan promises an everlasting dynasty and a descendant who will build God's temple, establishing a divine father-son relationship with David's lineage
💖 David demonstrates compassionate leadership by showing kindness to Mephibosheth (Jonathan's disabled son), restoring Saul's property to him and giving him a permanent place at the royal table
king at He bron. King Da vid made a cov enant with them at He bron in the L ord’ s pres ence, and they anoint ed Da vid king over Is ra el. 4 Da vid was thir ty years old when he be gan his reign; he reigned for ty years. 5 In He bron he reigned over Ju dah sev en years and six months, and in Je ru sa lem he reigned thirty-three years over all Is ra el and Ju dah. 6 The king and his men marched to Je ru sa- lem against the Jeb u sites who in hab it ed the land. The Jeb u sites had said to Da vid: “ You will nev er get in here. Even the blind and lame can repel you” think ing, “Da vid can’t get in here.” 7 Yet Da vid did cap ture the strong hold of Zion, that is, the city of Da vid. 8 He said that day , “Who ev er at tacks the Jeb u sites must go through the wa ter shaft to reach the lame and the blind who are de spised by Da vid.” a For this rea son it is said, “ The blind and the lame will nev er en ter the house.” b 9 Da vid took up res i dence in the strong hold, which he named the city of Da vid. He built it up all the way around from the sup port ing ter - rac es in ward. 10 Da vid be came more and more pow er ful, and the L ord God of Ar mies was with him. 11 King Hi ram of Tyre sent en voys to Da vid; he also sent ce dar logs, car pen ters, and stone ma sons, and they built a pal ace for Da vid. 12 Then Da vid knew that the L ord had es tab- lished him as king over Is ra el and had ex alt ed his king dom for the sake of his peo ple Is ra el. 13 Af ter he ar rived from He bron, Da vid took more con cu bines and wives from Je ru sa lem, and more sons and daugh ters were born to him. 14 These are the names of those born to him in Je ru sa lem: Sham mua, Sho bab, Na than, Sol o mon, 15 Ib har, El i shua, Ne pheg, Ja phia, 16 Elish a ma, Eli a da, and Eliph e let. 17 When the Phi lis tines heard that Da vid had been anoint ed king over Is ra el, they all went in search of Da vid, but he heard about it and went down to the strong hold. 18 So the Phi lis tines came and spread out in the Val ley of Reph a im. 19 Then Da vid in quired of the L ord: “ Should I at tack the Phi lis tines? Will you hand them over to me? ” The L ord re plied to Da vid, “ At tack, for I will cer tain ly hand the Phi lis tines over to you.” 20 So Da vid went to Ba al-per a zim and de- feat ed them there and said, “ Like a bursting flood, the L ord has burst out against my en- e mies be fore me.” There fore, he named that place The Lord Bursts Out. c 21 The Phi lis tines aban doned their idols there, and Da vid and his men car ried them off. 22 The Phi lis tines came up again and spread out in the Val ley of Reph a im. 23 So Da vid in- quired of the L ord, and he an swered, “ Do not at tack di rect ly , but cir cle around be hind them and come at them op po site the bal sam trees. 24 When you hear the sound of march ing in the tops of the bal sam trees, act de ci sive ly , for then the L ord will have gone out ahead of you to strike down the army of the Phi lis tines.” 25 So Da vid did ex act ly as the L ord com mand ed him, and he struck down the Phi lis tines all the way from Geba to Ge zer. DAVID MOVES THE ARK 6 Da vid again as sem bled all the fit young men in Is ra el: thir ty thou sand. 2 He and all his troops set out to bring the ark of God from Ba a le-judah. d The ark bears the Name, the name of the L ord of Ar mies who is en throned be tween the cher u bim. 3 They set the ark of God on a new cart and transported it from Abin a dab’s house, which was on the hill. Uz zah and Ahio, e sons of Abin a dab, were guid ing the cart 4 and brought it with the ark of God from Abin a dab’s house on the hill. Ahio walked in front of the ark. 5 Da vid and the whole house of Is ra el were danc ing be fore the L ord with all kinds of fir wood in stru ments, f lyres, harps, tam bou rines, sis trums, g and cym bals. 6 When they came to Na con’s thresh ing floor, Uz zah reached out to the ark of God and took hold of it be cause the oxen had stum bled. 7 Then the L ord’ s an ger burned against Uz zah, and God struck him dead on the spot for his irreverence, and he died there next to the ark of God. 8 Da vid was an gry be- cause of the L ord’ s outburst against Uz zah, so he named that place Outburst Against Uz zah, h as it is to day . 9 Da vid feared the L ord that day and said, “ How can the ark of the L ord ever come to me? ” 10 So he was not will ing to bring the ark of the L ord to the city of Da vid; in stead, he diverted it to the house of Obed-edom of Gath. 11 The ark of the L ord re mained in his house three months, and the L ord blessed Obed-edom and his whole fam i ly . a 5:8 Alt Hb tradition, LXX, Tg, Syr read who despise David b 5:8 Or temple, or palace c 5:20 Or Baal-perazim ; 2Sm 6:8; 1Ch 13:11 d 6:2 = Kiriath-jearim in 1Sm 7:1; 1Ch 13:6; 2Ch 1:4 e 6:3 Or And his brothers f 6:5 DSS, LXX read with tuned instruments with strength, with songs ; 1Ch 13:8 g 6:5 = an Egyptian percussion instrument h 6:8 Or Perez-uzzah ; 2Sm 5:202 SAMUEL 5-6 266 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 266 10/26/17 8:59 PM 12 It was re port ed to King Da vid: “ The L ord has blessed Obed-edom’s fam i ly and all that be longs to him be cause of the ark of God.” So Da vid went and had the ark of God brought up from Obed-edom’s house to the city of Da vid with re joic ing. 13 When those car ry ing the ark of the L ord ad vanced six steps, he sac ri ficed an ox and a fat tened calf. 14 Da vid was danc ing a with all his might be fore the L ord wear ing a lin en ephod. 15 He and the whole house of Is ra el were bring ing up the ark of the L ord with shouts and the sound of the ram’s horn. 16 As the ark of the L ord was en ter ing the city of Da vid, Saul’s daugh ter Mi chal looked down from the win dow and saw King Da vid leap ing and danc ing be fore the L ord, and she de spised him in her heart. 17 They brought the ark of the L ord and set it in its place in side the tent Da vid had pitched for it. Then Da vid off ered burnt of- fer ings and fel low ship off er ings in the L ord’ s pres ence. 18 When Da vid had fin ished off er ing the burnt off er ing and the fel low ship off er- ings, he blessed the peo ple in the name of the L ord of Ar mies. 19 Then he dis trib ut ed a loaf of bread, a date cake, and a rai sin cake to each one in the en tire Is ra el ite com mu ni ty , both men and wom en. Then all the peo ple went home. 20 When Da vid re turned home to bless his house hold, Saul’s daugh ter Mi chal came out to meet him. “ How the king of Is ra el hon ored him self to day! ” she said. “ He ex posed him- self to day in the sight of the slave girls of his sub jects like a vul gar per son would ex pose him self.” 21 Da vid re plied to Mi chal, “ It was be fore the L ord who chose me over your fa ther and his whole fam i ly to ap point me rul er over the L ord’ s peo ple Is ra el. I will dance be fore the L ord, 22 and I will dis hon or my self and hum ble my self even more. b,c How ev er, by the slave girls you spoke about, I will be hon ored.” 23 And Saul’s daugh ter Mi chal had no child to the day of her death. THE LORD’S COVENANT WITH DAVID 7 When the king had set tled into his pal ace and the L ord had giv en him rest on ev ery side from all his en e mies, 2 the king said to the proph et Na than, “ Look, I am liv ing in a ce dar house while the ark of God sits in side tent cur tains.”3 So Na than told the king, “ Go and do all that is on your mind, for the L ord is with you.” 4 But that night the word of the L ord came to Na than: 5 “ Go to my ser vant Da vid and say , ‘ This is what the L ord says: Are you to build me a house to dwell in? 6 From the time I brought the Is ra el ites out of Egypt un til to day I have not dwelt in a house; in stead, I have been mov- ing around with a tent as my dwell ing. 7 In all my jour neys with all the Is ra el ites, have I ever spo ken a word to one of the tribes of Is ra el, whom I com mand ed to shep herd my peo ple Is ra el, ask ing: Why haven’t you built me a house of ce dar? ’ 8 “ So now this is what you are to say to my ser vant Da vid: ‘ This is what the L ord of Ar - mies says: I took you from the pas ture, from tend ing the flock, to be rul er over my peo ple Is ra el. 9 I have been with you wher ev er you have gone, and I have de stroyed all your en- e mies be fore you. I will make a great name for you like that of the great est on the earth. 10 I will des ig nate a place for my peo ple Is ra el and plant them, so that they may live there and not be dis turbed again. Evil do ers will not con tin ue to op press them as they have done 11 ever since the day I or dered judg es to be over my peo ple Is ra el. I will give you rest from all your en e mies. “ ‘ The L ord de clares to you: The L ord him self will make a house for you. 12 When your time comes and you rest with your fa thers, I will raise up af ter you your de scen dant, who will come from your body , and I will es tab lish his king dom. 13 He is the one who will build a house for my name, and I will es tab lish the throne of his king dom for ev er. 14 I will be his fa ther, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will dis ci pline him with a rod of men and blows from mor tals. 15 But my faith ful love will nev er leave him as it did when I re moved it from Saul, whom I re moved from be fore you. 16 Your house and king dom will en dure be fore me d for ev er, and your throne will be es tab lished for ev er.’ ” 17 Na than re port ed all these words and this en tire vi sion to Da vid. DAVID’S PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING 18 Then King Da vid went in, sat in the L ord’ s pres ence, and said, Who am I, Lord God, and what is my house that you have brought me this far? a 6:14 Or whirling b 6:22 LXX reads more and I will be humble in your eyes c 6:22 Lit more and I will be humble in my own eyes d 7:16 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr; other Hb mss read you 267 2 SAMUEL 6-7 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 267 10/26/17 8:59 PM 19 What you have done so far a was a little thing to you, Lord God, for you have also spoken about your servant’s house in the distant future. And this is a revelation b for mankind, Lord God. 20 What more can David say to you? You know your servant, Lord God. 21 Because of your word and according to your will, you have revealed all these great things to your servant. 22 This is why you are great, Lord God. There is no one like you, and there is no God besides you, as all we have heard confirms. 23 And who is like your people Israel? God came to one nation on earth in order to redeem a people for himself, to make a name for himself, and to per - form for them c great and awesome acts, d driving out nations and their gods before your people you redeemed for yourself from Egypt. 24 You established your peo - ple Israel to be your own people forever, and you, Lord, have become their God. 25 Now , Lord God, fulfill the promise for - ever that you have made to your servant and his house. Do as you have promised, 26 so that your name will be exalted forev - er, when it is said, “The Lord of Armies is God over Israel.” The house of your ser - vant David will be established before you 27 since you, Lord of Armies, God of Israel, have revealed this to your servant when you said, “I will build a house for you.” Therefore, your servant has found the courage to pray this prayer to you. 28 Lord God, you are God; your words are true, and you have promised this good thing to your servant. 29 Now , please bless your servant’s house so that it will continue before you forever. For you, Lord God, have spoken, and with your blessing your servant’s house will be blessed forever. DAVID’S VICTORIES 8 Af ter this, Da vid de feat ed the Phi lis tines, sub dued them, and took Metheg-ammah e from Phi lis tine con trol. f 2 He also de feat ed the Mo ab ites, and af ter mak ing them lie down on the ground, he mea sured them off with a cord. He mea sured ev ery two cord lengths of those to be put to death and one full length of those to be kept alive. So the Mo ab ites be came Da vid’s sub jects and brought trib ute. 3 Da vid also de feat ed Had ad e zer son of Re- hob, king of Zo bah, when he went to re store his con trol at the Eu phra tes Riv er. 4 Da vid cap tured sev en teen hun dred horse men g and twen ty thou sand foot sol diers from him, and he ham strung all the hors es and kept a hun- dred char i ots. h 5 When the Ar a me ans of Da mas cus came to as sist King Had ad e zer of Zo bah, Da vid struck down twenty-two thou sand Ar a me an men. 6 Then he placed gar ri sons in Aram of Da- mas cus, and the Ar a me ans be came Da vid’s sub jects and brought trib ute. The L ord made Da vid vic to ri ous wher ev er he went. 7 Da vid took the gold shields of Had ad e zer’s off i cers and brought them to Je ru sa lem. 8 King Da vid also took huge quan ti ties of bronze from Be tah i and Be ro thai, Had ad e zer’s cit ies. 9 When King Toi of Ha math heard that Da vid had de feat ed the en tire army of Had ad e zer, 10 he sent his son Jo ram to King Da vid to greet him and to con grat u late him be cause Da vid had fought against Had ad e zer and de feat ed him, for Toi and Had ad e zer had fought many wars. Jo ram had items of sil ver, gold, and bronze with him. 11 King Da vid also ded i cat ed these to the L ord, along with the sil ver and gold he had ded i cat ed from all the na tions he had sub- dued — 12 from Edom, j Moab, the Am mon ites, the Phi lis tines, the Am a lek ites, and the spoil of Had ad e zer son of Re hob, king of Zo bah. 13 Da vid made a rep u ta tion for him self when he re turned from strik ing down eigh teen thou- sand Edom ites k in Salt Val ley . l 14 He placed gar - ri sons through out Edom, and all the Edom ites were sub ject to Da vid. The L ord made Da vid vic to ri ous wher ev er he went. 15 So Da vid reigned over all Is ra el, ad min- is ter ing jus tice and righ teous ness for all his peo ple. 16 Joab son of Zeruiah was over the army; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was court historian; 17 Zadok son of Ahitub and Ahimelech son of Abiathar were priests; Seraiah was court secretary; a 7:19 Lit Yet this b 7:19 Or custom, or instruction c 7:23 Some Hb mss, Tg, Vg, Syr; other Hb mss read you d 7:23 LXX; MT reads acts for your land e 8:1 Or took control of the mother city ; Hb obscure f 8:1 LXX reads them, and David took tribute out of the hand of the Philistines g 8:4 LXX, DSS read 1,000 chariots and 7,000 horsemen h 8:4 Or chariot horses i 8:8 Some LXX mss, Syr read Tebah j 8:12 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr; other Hb mss read Aram ; 1Ch 18:11 k 8:13 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr; other Hb mss read Arameans ; 1Ch 18:12 l 8:13 = the Dead Sea region2 SAMUEL 7-8 268 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 268 10/26/17 8:59 PM 18 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and David’s sons were chief officials. a DAVID’S KINDNESS TO MEPHIBOSHETH 9 Da vid asked, “ Is there any one re main ing from the fam i ly of Saul I can show kind ness to for Jon a than’s sake? ” 2 There was a ser vant of Saul’s fam i ly named Ziba. They sum moned him to Da vid, and the king said to him, “ Are you Ziba? ” “ I am your ser vant,” he re plied. 3 So the king asked, “ Is there any one left of Saul’s fam i ly that I can show the kind ness of God to? ” Ziba said to the king, “ There is still Jon a than’s son who was in jured in both feet.” 4 The king asked him, “ Where is he? ” Ziba an swered the king, “ You’ll find him in Lo-debar at the house of Ma chir son of Am mi- el.” 5 So King Da vid had him brought from the house of Ma chir son of Am mi el in Lo-debar. 6 Me phib o sheth son of Jon a than son of Saul came to Da vid, fell face down, and paid hom- age. Da vid said, “Me phib o sheth! ” “ I am your ser vant, ” he re plied. 7 “ Don’t be afraid,” Da vid said to him, “ since I in tend to show you kind ness for the sake of your fa ther Jon a than. I will re store to you all your grand fa ther Saul’s fields, and you will al ways eat meals at my ta ble.” 8 Me phib o sheth paid hom age and said, “ What is your ser vant that you take an in ter - est in a dead dog like me? ” 9 Then the king sum moned Saul’s at ten dant Ziba and said to him, “ I have giv en to your mas- ter’s grand son all that be longed to Saul and his fam i ly . 10 You, your sons, and your ser vants are to work the ground for him, and you are to bring in the crops so your mas ter’s grand son will have food to eat. But Me phib o sheth, your mas ter’s grand son, is al ways to eat at my ta ble.” Now Ziba had fif teen sons and twen ty ser vants. 11 Ziba said to the king, “ Your ser vant will do all my lord the king com mands.” So Me phib o sheth ate at Da vid’s b ta ble just like one of the king’s sons. 12 Me phib o sheth had a young son whose name was Mica. All those liv ing in Ziba’s house were Me phib o- sheth’s ser vants. 13 How ev er, Me phib o sheth lived in Je ru sa lem be cause he al ways ate at the king’s ta ble. His feet had been in jured.WAR WITH THE AMMONITES 10 Some time lat er, the king of the Am mon- ites died, and his son Ha nun be came king in his place. 2 Then Da vid said, “ I’ll show kind ness to Ha nun son of Na hash, just as his fa ther showed kind ness to me.” So Da vid sent his em is sar ies to con sole Ha- nun con cern ing his fa ther. How ev er, when they ar rived in the land
🗡️ Betrayal and Consequences
🤝 Diplomatic incident escalates when Ammonite king Hanun humiliates David's emissaries, triggering a military conflict that ends with Israel's victory over both Ammonite and Aramean forces
👑 David commits 🔥 adultery with Bathsheba while remaining in Jerusalem during wartime, then orchestrates her husband Uriah's death in battle to cover his sin
🧠 Prophet Nathan confronts David with a powerful parable, leading to the king's repentance, though God's judgment still results in the death of David's newborn son
👪 Family dysfunction spreads as David's son Amnon rapes his half-sister Tamar, setting the stage for revenge when brother Absalom later murders Amnon
🌱 Despite these grave sins and their consequences, signs of redemption emerge through the birth of Solomon, whom "the Lord loved" and gave the name Jedidiah
of the Am mon ites, 3 the Am mon ite lead ers said to Ha nun their lord, “ Just be cause Da vid has sent men with condolences for you, do you real ly be lieve he’s show ing re spect for your fa ther? In stead, hasn’t Da vid sent his em is sar ies in or der to scout out the city , spy on it, and de mol ish it? ” 4 So Ha nun took Da vid’s em is sar ies, shaved off half their beards, cut their clothes in half at the hips, and sent them away . 5 When this was re port ed to Da vid, he sent some one to meet them, since they were deep- ly hu mil i at ed. The king said, “ Stay in Jer i cho un til your beards grow back; then re turn.” 6 When the Am mon ites re al ized they had be come re pul sive to Da vid, they hired twen ty thou sand foot sol diers from the Ar a me ans of Beth-re hob and Zo bah, one thou sand men from the king of Ma a cah, and twelve thou sand men from Tob. 7 Da vid heard about it and sent Joab and all the elite troops. 8 The Am mon ites marched out and lined up in bat tle for ma tion at the en trance to the city gate while the Ar a me- ans of Zo bah and Re hob and the men of Tob and Ma a cah were in the field by them selves. 9 When Joab saw that there was a bat tle line in front of him and an oth er be hind him, he chose some of Is ra el’s fin est young men and lined up in for ma tion to en gage the Ar a me ans. 10 He placed the rest of the forc es un der the com mand of his broth er Abish ai. They lined up in for ma tion to en gage the Am mon ites. 11 “ If the Ar a me ans are too strong for me,” Joab said, “ then you will be my help. How ev- er, if the Am mon ites are too strong for you, I’ll come to help you. 12 Be strong! Let’s prove our selves strong for our peo ple and for the cit ies of our God. May the L ord’ s will be done.” c 13 Joab and his troops ad vanced to fight against the Ar a me ans, and they fled be fore him. 14 When the Am mon ites saw that the Ar - a me ans had fled, they too fled be fore Abish ai and en tered the city . So Joab with drew from a 8:18 LXX; MT reads were priests ; 1Ch 18:17 b 9:11 LXX; Syr reads the king’s ; Vg reads your ; MT reads my c 10:12 Lit the Lord do what is good in his eyes 269 2 SAMUEL 8-10 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 269 10/26/17 8:59 PM the at tack against the Am mon ites and went to Je ru sa lem. 15 When the Ar a me ans saw that they had been de feat ed by Is ra el, they re grouped. 16 Had- ad e zer sent mes sen gers to bring the Ar a me ans who were be yond the Eu phra tes Riv er, and they came to He lam with Sho bach, com mand er of Had ad e zer’s army , lead ing them. 17 When this was re port ed to Da vid, he gath- ered all Is ra el, crossed the Jor dan, and went to He lam. Then the Ar a me ans lined up to en- gage Da vid in bat tle and fought against him. 18 But the Ar a me ans fled be fore Is ra el, and Da vid killed sev en hun dred of their char i ot- eers and for ty thou sand foot sol diers. a He also struck down Sho bach com mand er of their army , who died there. 19 When all the kings who were Had ad e zer’s sub jects saw that they had been de feat ed by Is ra el, they made peace with Is ra el and be came their sub jects. Af ter this, the Ar a me ans were afraid to ever help the Am mon ites again. DAVID’S ADULTERY WITH BATHSHEBA 11 In the spring when kings march out to war, Da vid sent Joab with his off i cers and all Is ra el. They de stroyed the Am mon ites and be sieged Rab bah, but Da vid re mained in Je ru sa lem. 2 One eve ning Da vid got up from his bed and strolled around on the roof of the pal- ace. From the roof he saw a wom an bath ing — a very beau ti ful wom an. 3 So Da vid sent some one to in quire about her, and he said, “ Isn’t this Bath she ba, daugh ter of Eli am and wife of Uri ah the Hethite? ” b 4 Da vid sent mes sen gers to get her, and when she came to him, he slept with her. Now she had just been pu ri fy ing her self from her un- clean ness. Af ter ward, she re turned home. 5 The wom an con ceived and sent word to in form Da vid: “ I am preg nant.” 6 Da vid sent or ders to Joab: “ Send me Uri- ah the Hethite.” So Joab sent Uri ah to Da vid. 7 When Uri ah came to him, Da vid asked how Joab and the troops were do ing and how the war was go ing. 8 Then he said to Uri ah, “ Go down to your house and wash your feet.” So Uri ah left the pal ace, and a gift from the king fol lowed him. 9 But Uri ah slept at the door of the pal ace with all his mas ter’s ser vants; he did not go down to his house.10 When it was re port ed to Da vid, “Uri ah didn’t go home,” Da vid ques tioned Uri ah, “ Haven’t you just come from a jour ney? Why didn’t you go home? ” 11 Uri ah an swered Da vid, “ The ark, Is ra el, and Ju dah are dwell ing in tents, and my mas - ter Joab and his sol diers c are camp ing in the open field. How can I en ter my house to eat and drink and sleep with my wife? As sure ly as you live and by your life, I will not do this! ” 12 “ Stay here to day also,” Da vid said to Uri ah, “ and to mor row I will send you back.” So Uri- ah stayed in Je ru sa lem that day and the next. 13 Then Da vid in vit ed Uri ah to eat and drink with him, and Da vid got him drunk. He went out in the eve ning to lie down on his cot with his mas ter’s ser vants, but he did not go home. URIAH’S DEATH ARRANGED 14 The next morn ing Da vid wrote a let ter to Joab and sent it with Uri ah. 15 In the let ter he wrote: Put Uriah at the front of the fiercest fight - ing, then withdraw from him so that he is struck down and dies. 16 When Joab was be sieg ing the city , he put Uri ah in the place where he knew the best en e my sol diers were. 17 Then the men of the city came out and at tacked Joab, and some of the men from Da vid’s sol diers fell in bat tle; Uri ah the Hethite also died. 18 Joab sent some one to re port to Da vid all the de tails of the bat tle. 19 He com mand ed the mes sen ger, “ When you’ve fin ished tell ing the king all the de tails of the bat tle — 20 if the king’s an ger gets stirred up and he asks you, ‘ Why did you get so close to the city to fight? Didn’t you re al ize they would shoot from the top of the wall? 21 At The bez, who struck Abim e lech son of Jer ub be sheth? d,e Didn’t a wom an drop an up per mill stone on him from the top of the wall so that he died? Why did you get so close to the wall? ’ — then say , ‘ Your ser vant Uri ah the Hethite is dead also.’ ” 22 Then the mes sen ger left. When he ar rived, he re port ed to Da vid all that Joab had sent him to tell. 23 The mes sen- ger re port ed to Da vid, “ The men gained the ad van tage over us and came out against us in the field, but we counterattacked right up to the en trance of the city gate. 24 How ev er, the ar chers shot down on your ser vants from the top of the wall, and some of the king’s a 10:18 Some LXX mss; MT reads horsemen ; 1Ch 19:18 b 11:3 DSS add Joab’s armor-bearer c 11:11 Lit servants d 11:21 LXX reads Jerubbaal e 11:21 = Gideon2 SAMUEL 10-11 270 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 270 10/26/17 8:59 PM ser vants died. Your ser vant Uri ah the Hethite is also dead.” 25 Da vid told the mes sen ger, “ Say this to Joab: ‘ Don’t let this mat ter up set you be cause the sword de vours all alike. Intensify your fight against the city and de mol ish it.’ En cour age him.” 26 When Uri ah’s wife heard that her hus- band Uri ah had died, she mourned for him. a 27 When the time of mourn ing end ed, Da vid had her brought to his house. She be came his wife and bore him a son. How ev er, the L ord con sid ered what Da vid had done to be evil. NATHAN’S PARABLE AND DAVID’S REPENTANCE 12 So the L ord sent Na than to Da vid. When he ar rived, he said to him: There were two men in a certain city , one rich and the other poor. 2 The rich man had very large flocks and herds, 3 but the poor man had nothing except one small ewe lamb that he had bought. He raised her, and she grew up with him and with his children. From his meager food she would eat, from his cup she would drink, and in his arms she would sleep. She was like a daughter to him. 4 Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man could not bring himself to take one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for his guest. b 5 Da vid was in fu ri at ed with the man and said to Na than: “ As the L ord lives, the man who did this de serves to die! 6 Be cause he has done this thing and shown no pity , he must pay four lambs for that lamb.” 7 Na than re plied to Da vid, “ You are the man! This is what the L ord God of Is ra el says: ‘ I anoint ed you king over Is ra el, and I res cued you from Saul. 8 I gave your mas ter’s house to you and your mas ter’s wives into your arms, c and I gave you the house of Is ra el and Ju dah, and if that was not enough, I would have giv en you even more. 9 Why then have you de spised the L ord’ s com mand by do ing what I con sid er d evil? You struck down Uri ah the Hethite with the sword and took his wife as your own wife — you mur dered him with the Am mon ite’s sword. 10 Now there fore, the sword will nev er leave your house be cause you de spised me and took the wife of Uri ah the Hethite to be your own wife.’ 11 “ This is what the L ord says, ‘ I am go ing to bring di sas ter on you from your own fam i ly: I will take your wives and give them to an oth- ere be fore your very eyes, and he will sleep with them in broad day light. f 12 You act ed in se cret, but I will do this be fore all Is ra el and in broad day light.’ ” g 13 Da vid re spond ed to Na than, “ I have sinned against the L ord.” Then Na than re plied to Da vid, “ And the L ord has tak en away your sin; you will not die. 14 How ev er, be cause you treat ed h the L ord with such con tempt in this mat ter, the son born to you will die.” 15 Then Na than went home. THE DEATH OF BATHSHEBA’S SON The L ord struck the baby that Uri ah’s wife had borne to Da vid, and he be came death ly ill. 16 Da vid plead ed with God for the boy . He fast ed, went home, and spent the night ly ing on the ground. 17 The el ders of his house stood be side him to get him up from the ground, but he was un will ing and would not eat any thing with them. 18 On the sev enth day the baby died. But Da- vid’s ser vants were afraid to tell him the baby was dead. They said, “ Look, while the baby was alive, we spoke to him, and he wouldn’t lis ten to us. So how can we tell him the baby is dead? He may do some thing des per ate.” 19 When Da vid saw that his ser vants were whis per ing to each oth er, he guessed that the baby was dead. So he asked his ser vants, “ Is the baby dead? ” “ He is dead,” they re plied. 20 Then Da vid got up from the ground. He washed, anoint ed him self, changed his clothes, went to the L ord ’ s house, and wor shiped. Then he went home and re quest ed some thing to eat. So they served him food, and he ate. 21 His ser vants asked him, “ Why have you done this? While the baby was alive, you fast- ed and wept, but when he died, you got up and ate food.” 22 He an swered, “ While the baby was alive, I fast ed and wept be cause I thought, ‘ Who knows? The L ord may be gra cious to me and let him live.’ 23 But now that he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I’ll go to him, but he will nev er re turn to me.” a 11:26 Lit her husband b 12:4 Lit for the man who had come to him c 12:8 Lit bosom d 12:9 Alt Hb tradition reads what he considers e 12:11 Or to your neighbor f 12:11 Lit in the eyes of this sun g 12:12 Lit and before the sun h 12:14 Alt Hb tradition, one LXX ms; MT reads treated the enemies of ; DSS read treated the word of 271 2 SAMUEL 11-12 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 271 10/26/17 8:59 PM THE BIRTH OF SOLOMON 24 Then Da vid com fort ed his wife Bath she ba; he went to her and slept with her. She gave birth to a son and named a him Sol o mon. b The L ord loved him, 25 and he sent a mes sage through the proph et Na than, who named c him Jed i- di ah, d be cause of the L ord. CAPTURE OF THE CITY OF RABBAH 26 Joab fought against Rab bah of the Am mon- ites and cap tured the roy al for tress. 27 Then Joab sent mes sen gers to Da vid to say , “ I have fought against Rab bah and have also cap tured its wa ter sup ply . 28 Now there fore, as sem ble the rest of the troops, lay siege to the city , and cap ture it. Oth er wise I will be the one to cap- ture the city , and it will be named af ter me.” 29 So Da vid as sem bled all the troops and went to Rab bah; he fought against it and cap tured it. 30 He took the crown from the head of their king, e and it was placed on Da vid’s head. The crown weighed seventy-five pounds f of gold, and it had a pre cious stone in it. In ad di tion, Da vid took away a large quan ti ty of plun der from the city . 31 He re moved the peo ple who were in the city and put them to work with saws, iron picks, and iron axes, and to la bor at brick mak ing. He did the same to all the Am mon ite cit ies. Then he and all his troops re turned to Je ru sa lem. AMNON RAPES TAMAR 13 Some time passed. Da vid’s son Ab sa lom had a beau ti ful sis ter named Ta mar, and Da vid’s son Am non was infatuated with her. 2 Am non was frus trat ed to the point of mak ing him self sick over his sis ter Ta mar be cause she was a vir gin, but it seemed im- pos si ble to do any thing to her. 3 Am non had a friend named Jon a dab, a son of Da vid’s broth er Shim e ah. Jon a dab was a very shrewd man, 4 and he asked Am non, “ Why are you, the king’s son, so mis er a ble ev ery morn ing? Won’t you tell me? ” Am non re plied, “ I’m in love with Ta mar, my broth er Ab sa lom’s sis ter.” 5 Jon a dab said to him, “ Lie down on your bed and pre tend you’re sick. When your fa ther comes to see you, say to him, ‘ Please let my sis ter Ta mar come and give me some thing to eat. Let her pre pare a meal in my pres ence so I can watch and eat from her hand.’ ”6 So Am non lay down and pre tend ed to be sick. When the king came to see him, Am non said to him, “ Please let my sis ter Ta mar come and make a couple of cakes in my pres ence so I can eat from her hand.” 7 Da vid sent word to Ta mar at the pal ace: “ Please go to your broth er Am non’s house and pre pare a meal for him.” 8 Then Ta mar went to his house while Am- non was ly ing down. She took dough, knead ed it, made cakes in his pres ence, and baked them. 9 She brought the pan and set it down in front of him, but he re fused to eat. Am non said, “Ev ery one leave me! ” And ev ery one left him. 10 “ Bring the meal to the bed room,” Am non told Ta mar, “ so I can eat from your hand.” Ta mar took the cakes she had made and went to her broth er Am non’s bed room. 11 When she brought them to him to eat, he grabbed her and said, g “ Come sleep with me, my sis ter! ” 12 “ Don’t, my broth er! ” she cried. “ Don’t dis- grace me, for such a thing should nev er be done in Is ra el. Don’t com mit this outrage! 13 Where could I ever go with my hu mil i a tion? And you — you would be like one of the out ra geous fools in Is ra el! Please, speak to the king, for he won’t keep me from you.” 14 But he re fused to lis ten to her, and be cause he was stron ger than she was, he dis graced her by raping her. 15 So Am non hat ed Ta mar with such intensity that the ha tred he hat ed her with was great er than the love he had loved her with. “ Get out of here! ” he said. 16 “ No,” she cried, h “send ing me away is much worse than the great wrong you’ve al ready done to me! ” But he re fused to lis ten to her. 17 In stead, he called to the ser vant who wait ed on him: “ Get this away from me, throw her out, and bolt the door be hind her! ” 18 Am non’s ser vant threw her out and bolt ed the door be hind her. Now Ta mar was wear ing a long-sleeved i gar - ment, be cause this is what the king’s vir gin daugh ters wore. 19 Ta mar put ash es on her head and tore the long-sleeved gar ment she was wear ing. She put her hand on her head and went away cry ing out. 20 Her broth er Ab sa lom said to her: “ Has your broth er Am non been with you? Be qui et for now , my sis ter. He is your broth er. Don’t take this thing to heart.” So Ta mar lived as a a 12:24 Alt Hb tradition reads he named b 12:24 In Hb, the name Solomon sounds like “peace.” c 12:25 Or prophet to name d 12:25 = Beloved of the Lord e 12:30 LXX reads of Milcom ; some emend to Molech ; 1Kg 11:5,33 f 12:30 Lit a talent g 13:11 Lit said to her h 13:16 Lit she said to him i 13:18 Or an ornamented ; Gn 37:32 SAMUEL 12-13 272 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 272 10/26/17 8:59 PM des o late wom an in the house of her broth er Ab sa lom. ABSALOM MURDERS AMNON 21 When King Da vid heard about all these things, he was fu ri ous. a 22 Ab sa lom didn’t say any thing to Am non, ei ther good or bad, be cause he hat ed Am non since he dis graced his sis ter Ta mar. 23 Two years lat er, Ab sa lom’s sheep shear ers were at Baal-ha zor near Ephra im, and Ab sa lom in vit ed all the king’s sons. 24 Then he went to the king and said, “ Your ser vant has just hired sheep shear ers. Will the king and his ser vants please come with your ser vant? ” 25 The king re plied to Ab sa lom, “ No, my son, we should not all go, or we would be a bur - den to you.” Al though Ab sa lom
🗡️ Absalom's Revenge and Rebellion
🔪 Absalom orchestrates Amnon's murder at a feast as revenge for violating his sister Tamar, then flees to Geshur for three years while David mourns both sons
🧠 Joab manipulates David through a wise woman's parable about family reconciliation, convincing the king to bring Absalom back to Jerusalem
🤝 Absalom systematically steals the hearts of Israel's men by positioning himself as a compassionate judge who listens to their grievances, setting the stage for his rebellion
👑 David flees Jerusalem when Absalom declares himself king, leaving with loyal servants while demonstrating remarkable faith in God's sovereignty
🤔 Loyalty and betrayal emerge as central themes, with characters like Ittai showing unwavering devotion while others like Ahithophel join Absalom's conspiracy
🙏 David's spiritual resilience shines through his willingness to accept God's will ("If I find favor with the Lord... However, if he should say, 'I do not delight in you'...")
urged him, he wasn’t will ing to go, though he did bless him. 26 “ If not,” Ab sa lom said, “ please let my broth - er Am non go with us.” The king asked him, “ Why should he go with you? ” 27 But Ab sa lom urged him, so he sent Am non and all the king’s sons. b 28 Now Ab sa lom com mand ed his young men, “ Watch Am non un til he is in a good mood from the wine. When I or der you to strike Am non, then kill him. Don’t be afraid. Am I not the one who has com mand ed you? Be strong and val iant! ” 29 So Ab sa lom’s young men did to Am non just as Ab sa lom had com mand ed. Then all the rest of the king’s sons got up, and each fled on his mule. 30 While they were on the way , a re port reached Da vid: “ Ab sa lom struck down all the king’s sons; not even one of them sur - vived! ” 31 In re sponse the king stood up, tore his clothes, and lay down on the ground, and all his ser vants stood by with their clothes torn. 32 But Jon a dab, son of Da vid’s broth er Shim - e ah, spoke up: “ My lord must not think they have killed all the young men, the king’s sons, be cause only Am non is dead. In fact, Ab sa lom has planned this c ever since the day Am non dis graced his sis ter Ta mar. 33 So now , my lord the king, don’t take seriously the re port that says all the king’s sons are dead. Only Am non is dead.” 34 Mean while, Ab sa lom had fled. When the young man who was stand ing watch looked up, there were many peo ple com ing from the road west of him from the side of the moun- tain. d 35 Jon a dab said to the king, “ Look, the king’s sons have come! It’s ex act ly like your ser vant said.” 36 Just as he fin ished speak ing, the king’s sons en tered and wept loud ly . Then the king and all his ser vants also wept very bit ter ly . 37 But Ab sa lom fled and went to Tal mai son of Am mi hud, king of Ge shur. And Da vid mourned for his son e ev ery day . 38 Af ter Ab sa lom had fled to Ge shur and had been there three years, 39 King Da vid f longed to go to Ab sa lom, for Da vid had fin ished griev- ing over Am non’s death. ABSALOM RESTORED TO DAVID 14 Joab son of Zer u i ah re al ized that the king’s mind was on Ab sa lom. 2 So Joab sent some one to Te koa to bring a wise wom- an from there. He told her, “Pre tend to be in mourn ing: dress in mourn ing clothes and don’t put on any oil. Act like a wom an who has been mourn ing for the dead for a long time. 3 Go to the king and speak these words to him.” Then Joab told her ex act ly what to say . g 4 When the wom an from Te koa came h to the king, she fell face down to the ground, paid hom age, and said, “ Help me, Your Maj es ty! ” 5 “ What’s the mat ter? ” the king asked her. “Sadly , I am a wid ow; my hus band died,” she said. 6 “ Your ser vant had two sons. They were fight ing in the field with no one to sep a rate them, and one struck the oth er and killed him. 7 Now the whole clan has ris en up against your ser vant and said, ‘ Hand over the one who killed his broth er so we may put him to death for the life of the broth er he mur dered. We will elim i nate the heir! ’ They would ex tin guish my one re main ing ember by not preserving my hus band’s name or pos ter i ty on earth.” 8 The king told the wom an, “ Go home. I will is sue a com mand on your be half.” 9 Then the wom an of Te koa said to the king, “ My lord the king, may any blame be on me and my fa ther’s fam i ly , and may the king and his throne be in no cent.” 10 “Who ev er speaks to you,” the king said, “ bring him to me. He will not trou ble you again! ” 11 She re plied, “ Please, may the king in voke the L ord your God, so that the aveng er of blood a 13:21 LXX, DSS add but he did not grieve the spirit of Amnon his son, for he loved him because he was his firstborn ; 1Kg 1:6 b 13:27 LXX adds And Absalom prepared a feast like a royal feast. c 13:32 Lit In fact, it was established on the mouth of Absalom d 13:34 LXX adds And the watchman came and reported to the king saying, “I see men on the Horonaim road on the side of the mountain.” e 13:37 Probably Amnon f 13:39 DSS, LXX, Tg read David’s spirit g 14:3 Lit Joab put the words into her mouth h 14:4 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr , Tg, Vg; other Hb mss read spoke 273 2 SAMUEL 13-14 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 273 10/26/17 8:59 PM will not in crease the loss, and they will not elim i nate my son! ” “ As the L ord lives,” he vowed, “ not a hair of your son will fall to the ground.” 12 Then the wom an said, “ Please, may your ser vant speak a word to my lord the king? ” “ Speak,” he re plied. 13 The wom an asked, “ Why have you de- vised some thing sim i lar against the peo ple of God? When the king spoke as he did about this mat ter, he has pro nounced his own guilt. The king has not brought back his own ban- ished one. 14 We will cer tain ly die and be like wa ter poured out on the ground, which can’t be re cov ered. But God would not take away a life; he would de vise plans so that the one ban ished from him does not re main ban ished. 15 “ Now there fore, I’ve come to pre sent this mat ter to my lord the king be cause the peo ple have made me afraid. Your ser vant thought: I must speak to the king. Per haps the king will grant his ser vant’s re quest. 16 The king will sure ly lis ten in or der to keep his ser vant from the grasp of this man who would elim i nate both me and my son from God’s in her i tance. 17 Your ser vant thought: May the word of my lord the king bring re lief, for my lord the king is able to dis cern the good and the bad like the an gel of God. May the L ord your God be with you.” 18 Then the king an swered the wom an, “ I’m go ing to ask you some thing; don’t con ceal it from me! ” “ Let my lord the king speak,” the wom an re plied. 19 The king asked, “ Did Joab put you up to a all this? ” The wom an an swered. “ As you live, my lord the king, no one can turn to the right or left from all my lord the king says. Yes, your ser - vant Joab is the one who gave or ders to me; he told your ser vant ex act ly what to say . b 20 Joab your ser vant has done this to ad dress the is sue indirectly , c but my lord has wis dom like the wis dom of the an gel of God, know ing ev ery- thing on earth.” 21 Then the king said to Joab, “ I here by grant this re quest. Go, bring back the young man Ab sa lom.” 22 Joab fell with his face to the ground in hom age and blessed the king. “To day ,” Joab said, “ your ser vant knows I have found fa vor with you, my lord the king, be cause the king has grant ed the re quest of your ser vant.” 23 So Joab got up, went to Ge shur, and brought Ab sa lom to Je ru sa lem. 24 How ev er, the king add ed, “ He may re turn to his house, but he may not see my face.” So Ab sa lom re turned to his house, but he did not see the king. d 25 No man in all Is ra el was as hand some and high ly praised as Ab sa lom. From the sole of his foot to the top of his head, he did not have a sin gle flaw . 26 When he shaved his head — he shaved it at the end of ev ery year be cause his hair got so heavy for him that he had to shave it off — he would weigh the hair from his head and it would be five pounds e ac cord ing to the roy al stan dard. 27 Three sons were born to Ab sa lom, and a daugh ter named Ta mar, who was a beau ti ful wom an. 28 Ab sa lom resided in Je ru sa lem two years but nev er saw the king. 29 Then Ab sa lom sent for Joab in or der to send him to the king, but Joab was un will ing to come to him. So he sent again, a sec ond time, but he still would not come. 30 Then Ab sa lom said to his ser vants, “ See, Joab has a field right next to mine, and he has bar ley there. Go and set fire to it! ” So Ab sa lom’s ser vants set the field on fire. f 31 Then Joab came to Ab sa lom’s house and de mand ed, “ Why did your ser vants set my field on fire? ” 32 “ Look,” Ab sa lom ex plained to Joab, “ I sent for you and said, ‘ Come here. I want to send you to the king to ask: Why have I come back from Ge shur? I’d be bet ter off if I were still there.’ So now , let me see the king. If I am guilty , let him kill me.” 33 Joab went to the king and told him. So Da- vid sum moned Ab sa lom, who came to the king and paid hom age with his face to the ground be fore him. Then the king kissed Ab sa lom. ABSALOM’S REVOLT 15 Af ter this, Ab sa lom got him self a char i ot, hors es, and fif ty men to run be fore him. 2 He would get up ear ly and stand be side the road lead ing to the city gate. When ev er any- one had a griev ance to bring be fore the king for set tle ment, Ab sa lom called out to him and asked, “ What city are you from? ” If he re plied, “ Your ser vant is from one of the tribes of Is ra- el,” 3 Ab sa lom said to him, “ Look, your claims are good and right, but the king does not have a 14:19 Lit “Is the hand of Joab in b 14:19 Lit he put all these words into the mouth of your servant c 14:20 Lit to go around the face of the matter d 14:24 Lit king’s face e 14:26 Lit 200 shekels f 14:30 DSS, LXX add So Joab’s servants came to him with their clothes torn and said, “ Absalom’s servants have set the field on fire! ”2 SAMUEL 14-15 274 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 274 10/26/17 8:59 PM any one to lis ten to you.” 4 He add ed, “ If only some one would ap point me judge in the land. Then any one who had a griev ance or dis pute could come to me, and I would make sure he re ceived jus tice.” 5 When a per son ap proached to pay hom age to him, Ab sa lom reached out his hand, took hold of him, and kissed him. 6 Ab sa lom did this to all the Is ra el ites who came to the king for a set tle ment. So Ab sa lom stole the hearts of the men of Is ra el. 7 When four a years had passed, Ab sa lom said to the king, “ Please let me go to He bron to ful fill a vow I made to the L ord. 8 For your ser vant made a vow when I lived in Ge shur of Aram, say ing: If the L ord real ly brings me back to Je ru sa lem, I will wor ship the L ord in He bron.” b 9 “ Go in peace,” the king said to him. So he went to He bron. 10 Then Ab sa lom sent agents through out the tribes of Is ra el with this mes sage: “ When you hear the sound of the ram’s horn, you are to say , ‘ Ab sa lom has be come king in He bron! ’ ” 11 Two hun dred men from Je ru sa lem went with Ab sa lom. They had been in vit ed and were go ing in no cent ly , for they did not know the whole sit u a tion. 12 While he was off er ing the sac ri fic es, Ab sa lom sent for Da vid’s ad vis er Ahith o phel the Gi lo nite, from his city of Gi loh. So the con spir a cy grew strong, and the peo ple sup port ing Ab sa lom con tin ued to in crease. 13 Then an informer came to Da vid and re- port ed, “ The hearts of the men of Is ra el are with Ab sa lom.” 14 Da vid said to all the ser vants with him in Je ru sa lem, “ Get up. We have to flee, or we will not es cape from Ab sa lom! Leave quick ly , or he will over take us quick ly , heap di sas ter on us, and strike the city with the edge of the sword.” 15 The king’s ser vants said to the king, “What - ev er my lord the king decides, we are your ser - vants.” 16 Then the king set out, and his en tire house hold fol lowed him. But he left be hind ten con cu bines to take care of the pal ace. 17 So the king set out, and all the peo ple fol lowed him. They stopped at the last house 18 while all his ser vants marched past him. Then all the Cher e thites, the Pel e thites, and the peo ple of Gath— six hun dred men who came with him from there — marched past the king. 19 The king said to It tai of Gath, “ Why are you also go ing with us? Go back and stay with the new king since you’re both a for eign er and an ex ile from your home land. 20 Be sides, you only ar rived yes ter day; should I make you wan der around with us to day while I go wher ev er I can? Go back and take your broth ers with you. May the L ord show you c kind ness and faith ful ness.” 21 But in re sponse, It tai vowed to the king, “ As the L ord lives and as my lord the king lives, wher ev er my lord the king is, wheth er it means life or death, your ser vant will be there! ” 22 “ March on,” Da vid re plied to It tai. So It tai of Gath marched past with all his men and the de pen dents who were with him. 23 Ev ery one in the coun try side was weep ing loud ly while all the peo ple were march ing out of the city . As the king was cross ing the Kid ron Val ley , all the peo ple were march ing past on the road that leads to the wil der ness. 24 Za dok was also there, and all the Le vites with him were car ry ing the ark of the cov enant of God. They set the ark of God down, and Abi a thar off ered sac ri fic es d un til the peo ple had fin ished march ing past. 25 Then the king in struct ed Za dok, “Re turn the ark of God to the city . If I find fa vor with the L ord, he will bring me back and al low me to see both it and its e dwell ing place. 26 How ev er, if he should say , ‘ I do not de light in you,’ then here I am — he can do with me what ev er pleas es him.” f 27 The king also said to the priest Za dok, “ Look, g re turn to the city in peace and your two sons with you: your son Ahim a az and Abi- a thar’s son Jon a than. 28 Re mem ber, I’ll wait at the fords h of the wil der ness un til word comes from you to in form me.” 29 So Za dok and Abi- a thar re turned the ark of God to Je ru sa lem and stayed there. 30 Da vid was climb ing the slope of the Mount of Ol ives, weep ing as he as cend ed. His head was cov ered, and he was walk ing bare foot. All of the peo ple with him cov ered their heads and went up, weep ing as they as cend ed. 31 Then some one re port ed to Da vid: “ Ahith o- phel is among the con spir a tors with Ab sa lom.” “ L ord ,” Da vid plead ed, “ please turn the coun - sel of Ahith o phel into fool ish ness! ” 32 When Da vid came to the sum mit where he used to wor ship God, Hu shai the Ar chite was there to meet him with his robe torn and dust on his head. 33 Da vid said to him, “ If you go away with me, you’ll be a bur den to me, 34 but if you a 15:7 Some LXX mss, Syr , Vg; other LXX mss, MT read 40 b 15:8 Some LXX mss; MT omits in Hebron c 15:20 LXX; MT omits Lit May the Lord show you d 15:24 Or Abiathar went up e 15:25 Or his f 15:26 Lit me what is good in his eyes g 15:27 LXX; MT reads “ Are you a seer? h 15:28 Alt Hb tradition reads plains 275 2 SAMUEL 15 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 275 10/26/17 8:59 PM re turn to the city and tell Ab sa lom, ‘ I will be your ser vant, Your Maj es ty! Pre vi ous ly , I was your fa ther’s ser vant, but now I will be your ser vant,’ then you can counteract Ahith o phel’s coun sel for me. 35 Won’t the priests Za dok and Abi a thar be there with you? Re port ev ery thing you hear from the pal ace to the priests Za dok and Abi a thar. 36 Take note: their two sons are there with them—Za dok’s son Ahim a az and Abi a thar’s son Jon a than. Send them to tell me ev ery thing you hear.” 37 So Hu shai, Da vid’s per son al ad vis er, en tered Je ru sa lem just as Ab sa lom was en ter ing the city . ZIBA HELPS DAVID 16 When Da vid had gone a lit tle be yond the sum mit, a Ziba, Me phib o sheth’s ser vant, was right there to meet him. He had a pair of sad dled don keys load ed with two hun dred loaves of bread, one hun dred clus ters of rai- sins, one hun dred bunch es of sum mer fruit, and a clay jar of wine. 2 The king said to Ziba, “ Why do you have these? ” Ziba an swered, “ The don keys are for the king’s house hold to ride, the bread and sum- mer fruit are for the young men to eat, and the wine is for those to drink who be come ex haust ed in the wil der ness.” 3 “ Where is your mas ter’s grand son? ” the king asked. “ Why , he’s stay ing in Je ru sa lem,” Ziba re plied to the king, “ for he said, ‘To day , the house of Is ra el will re store my grand fa ther’s king dom to me.’ ” 4 The king said to Ziba, “ All that be longs to Me phib o sheth is now yours! ” “ I bow be fore you,” Ziba said. “ May I find fa vor with you, my lord the king! ” SHIMEI CURSES DAVID 5 When King Da vid got to Ba hu rim, a man be long ing to the fam i ly of the house of Saul was just com ing out. His name was Shim ei son of Gera, and he was yell ing curs es as he ap proached. 6 He threw stones at Da vid and at all the roy al b ser vants, the peo ple and the war riors on Da vid’s right and left. 7 Shim ei said as he cursed: “ Get out, get out, you man of blood shed, you wick ed man! 8 The L ord has paid you back for all the blood of the house of Saul in whose place you be came king, and the L ord has hand ed the king dom over to your son Ab sa lom. Look, you are in trou ble be cause you’re a man of blood shed! ” 9 Then Abish ai son of Zer u i ah said to the king, “ Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over and re move his head! ” 10 The king re plied, “ Sons of Zer u i ah, do we agree on any thing? He curs es me this way be- cause the L ord c told him, ‘ Curse Da vid! ’ There- fore, who can say , ‘ Why did you do that? ’ ” 11 Then Da vid said to Abish ai and all his ser vants, “ Look, my own son, my
🏰 Royal Betrayal and Reconciliation
👑 King David flees Jerusalem as his son Absalom stages a violent coup, demonstrating the painful reality of family betrayal in leadership
🧠 Strategic advisors Ahithophel and Hushai offer conflicting counsel to Absalom, with Hushai's deliberately inferior advice prevailing as part of a divine plan to protect David
⚔️ The civil war culminates in Absalom's death at Joab's hands despite David's explicit orders to spare his rebellious son, highlighting the tension between military necessity and parental love
💔 David's excessive grief over Absalom threatens his relationship with loyal soldiers who risked their lives to preserve his kingdom
🤝 The restoration process reveals tribal divisions and personal loyalties that must be carefully navigated to rebuild the fractured kingdom
own flesh and blood, d in tends to take my life — how much more now this Ben ja min ite! Leave him alone and let him curse me; the L ord has told him to. 12 Per haps the L ord will see my affliction e and re store good ness to me in stead of Shim ei’s curs es to day .” 13 So Da vid and his men pro ceed ed along the road as Shim ei was go ing along the ridge of the hill op po site him. As Shim ei went, he cursed Da- vid, threw stones at him, and kicked up dust. 14 Fi nal ly , the king and all the peo ple with him ar rived f ex haust ed, so they rest ed there. ABSALOM’S ADVISERS 15 Now Ab sa lom and all the Is ra el ites came to Je ru sa lem. Ahith o phel was also with him. 16 When Da vid’s friend Hu shai the Ar chite came to Ab sa lom, Hu shai said to Ab sa lom, “ Long live the king! Long live the king! ” 17 “ Is this your loy al ty to your friend? ” Ab- sa lom asked Hu shai. “ Why didn’t you go with your friend? ” 18 “ Not at all,” Hu shai an swered Ab sa lom. “ I am on the side of the one that the L ord, this peo ple, and all the men of Is ra el have cho sen. I will stay with him. 19 Fur ther more, whom will I serve if not his son? As I served in your fa ther’s pres ence, I will also serve in yours.” 20 Then Ab sa lom said to Ahith o phel, “ Give me your ad vice. What should we do? ” 21 Ahith o phel re plied to Ab sa lom, “ Sleep with your fa ther’s con cu bines whom he left to take care of the pal ace. When all Is ra el hears that you have be come re pul sive to your fa ther, ev ery one with you will be en cour aged.” g 22 So they pitched a tent for Ab sa lom on the roof, and he slept with his fa ther’s con cu bines in the sight of all Is ra el. 23 Now the ad vice Ahith o phel gave in those days was like some one ask ing about a word a 16:1 = Mount of Olives b 16:6 Lit all King David’s c 16:10 Alt Hb tradition reads If he curses, and if the Lord d 16:11 Lit son who came from my belly e 16:12 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr , Vg; one Hb tradition reads iniquity ; alt Hb tradition reads eyes ; another Hb tradition reads will look with his eye f 16:14 LXX adds at the Jordan g 16:21 Lit father, the hands of everyone with you will be strong2 SAMUEL 15-16 276 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 276 10/26/17 8:59 PM from God — such was the re gard that both Da vid and Ab sa lom had for Ahith o phel’s 17 ad vice. 1 Ahith o phel said to Ab sa lom, “ Let me choose twelve thou sand men, and I will set out in pur suit of Da vid to night. 2 I will at tack him while he is wea ry and dis- cour aged, a throw him into a pan ic, and all the peo ple with him will scat ter. I will strike down only the king 3 and bring all the peo ple back to you. When ev ery one re turns ex cept the man you’re look ing for, all b the peo ple will be at peace.” 4 This pro pos al seemed right to Ab sa lom and all the el ders of Is ra el. 5 Then Ab sa lom said, “Sum mon Hu shai the Ar chite also. Let’s hear what he has to say as well.” 6 So Hu shai came to Ab sa lom, and Ab sa lom told him: “ Ahith o phel off ered this pro pos al. Should we car ry out his pro pos al? If not, what do you say? ” 7 Hu shai re plied to Ab sa lom, “ The ad vice Ahith o phel has giv en this time is not good.” 8 Hu shai con tin ued, “ You know your fa ther and his men. They are war riors and are des per ate like a wild bear robbed of her cubs. Your fa ther is an ex pe ri enced sol dier who won’t spend the night with the peo ple. 9 He’s prob a bly al ready hid ing in one of the caves c or some oth er place. If some of our troops fall d first, some one is sure to hear and say , ‘ There’s been a slaugh- ter among the peo ple who fol low Ab sa lom.’ 10 Then, even a brave man with the heart of a lion will lose heart e be cause all Is ra el knows that your fa ther and the val iant men with him are war riors. 11 In stead, I ad vise that all Is ra el from Dan to Be er-she ba — as nu mer ous as the sand by the sea — be gath ered to you and that you per son al ly go into bat tle. 12 Then we will at tack Da vid wher ev er we find him, and we will de scend on him like dew on the ground. Not even one will be left—nei ther he nor any of the men with him. 13 If he re treats to some city , all Is ra el will bring ropes to that city , and we will drag its stones f into the val ley un til not even a peb ble can be found there.” 14 Since the L ord had de creed that Ahith o phel’s good ad vice be undermined in or der to bring about Ab sa lom’s ruin, Ab sa lom and all the men of Is ra el said, “ The ad vice of Hu shai the Ar chite is bet ter than Ahith o phel’s ad vice.”DAVID INFORMED OF ABSALOM’S PLANS 15 Hu shai then told the priests Za dok and Abi a thar, “ This is what g Ahith o phel ad vised Ab sa lom and the el ders of Is ra el, and this is what h I ad vised. 16 Now send some one quick ly and tell Da vid, ‘ Don’t spend the night at the wil der ness ford, i but be sure to cross over the Jor dan, j or the king and all the peo ple with him will be de voured.’ ” 17 Jon a than and Ahim a az were stay ing at En-rogel, where a ser vant girl would come and pass along in for ma tion to them. They in turn would go and in form King Da vid, be cause they dared not be seen en ter ing the city . 18 How ev- er, a young man did see them and in formed Ab sa lom. So the two left quick ly and came to the house of a man in Ba hu rim. He had a well in his court yard, and they climbed down into it. 19 Then his wife took the cov er, placed it over the mouth of the well, and scat tered grain on it so no body would know any thing. 20 Ab sa lom’s ser vants came to the wom an at the house and asked, “ Where are Ahim a az and Jon a than? ” “ They passed by to ward the wa ter,” k the wom an re plied to them. The men searched but did not find them, so they re turned to Je ru sa lem. 21 Af ter they had gone, Ahim a az and Jon- a than climbed out of the well and went and in formed King Da vid. They told him, “ Get up and im me di ate ly ford the riv er, for Ahith o - phel has giv en this ad vice against you.” 22 So Da vid and all the peo ple with him got up and crossed the Jor dan. By day break, there was no one who had not crossed the Jor dan. 23 When Ahith o phel re al ized that his ad vice had not been fol lowed, he sad dled his don key and set out for his house in his home town. He set his house in or der and hanged him self. So he died and was bur ied in his fa ther’s tomb. 24 Da vid had ar rived at Ma ha na im by the time Ab sa lom crossed the Jor dan with all the men of Is ra el. 25 Now Ab sa lom had ap point ed Am a sa over the army in Joab’s place. Am a sa was the son of a man named Ithra l the Is ra- el ite; m Ithra had mar ried Ab i gail daugh ter of Na hash. n Ab i gail was a sis ter to Zer u i ah, Joab’s moth er. 26 And Is ra el and Ab sa lom camped in the land of Gil e ad. 27 When Da vid a 17:2 Lit and weak of hands b 17:3 LXX reads to you as a bride returns to her husband. You seek the life of only one man, and all c 17:9 Or pits, or ravines d 17:9 Lit And it will be when a falling on them at e 17:10 Lit melt f 17:13 Lit drag it g 17:15 Lit “Like this and like this h 17:15 Lit and like this and like this i 17:16 Some Hb mss; MT reads plains j 17:16 the Jordan supplied for clarity k 17:20 Or brook ; Hb obscure l 17:25 Or Jether m 17:25 Some LXX mss read Ishmaelite n 17:25 Some LXX mss read Jesse 277 2 SAMUEL 16-17 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 277 10/26/17 8:59 PM came to Ma ha na im, Sho bi son of Na hash from Rab bah of the Am mon ites, Ma chir son of Am mi el from Lo-debar, and Bar zil lai the Gil e ad ite from Ro ge lim 28 brought beds, ba- sins, a and pot tery items. They also brought wheat, bar ley , flour, roast ed grain, beans, len- tils, b 29 hon ey , curds, sheep, goats, and cheese c from the herd for Da vid and the peo ple with him to eat. They had rea soned, “ The peo ple must be hun gry , ex haust ed, and thirsty in the wil der ness.” ABSALOM’S DEFEAT 18 Da vid reviewed his troops and ap point ed com mand ers of thou sands and of hun- dreds over them. 2 He then sent out the troops, a third un der Joab, a third un der Joab’s broth er Abish ai son of Zer u i ah, and a third un der It tai of Gath. The king said to the troops, “ I must also march out with you.” 3 “ You must not go! ” the peo ple plead ed. “ If we have to flee, they will not pay any at ten tion to us. Even if half of us die, they will not pay any at ten tion to us be cause you are worth d ten thou sand of us. There fore, it is bet ter if you sup port us from the city .” 4 “ I will do what ev er you think is best,” the king re plied to them. So he stood be side the city gate while all the troops marched out by hun dreds and thou sands. 5 The king com- mand ed Joab, Abish ai, and It tai, “ Treat the young man Ab sa lom gent ly for my sake.” All the peo ple heard the king’s or ders to all the com mand ers about Ab sa lom. 6 Then Da vid’s forc es marched into the field to en gage Is ra el in bat tle, which took place in the for est of Ephra im. 7 Is ra el’s army was de- feat ed by Da vid’s sol diers, and the slaugh ter there was vast that day — twen ty thou sand dead. 8 The bat tle spread over the en tire area, and that day the for est claimed more peo ple than the sword. ABSALOM’S DEATH 9 Ab sa lom was rid ing on his mule when he hap pened to meet Da vid’s sol diers. When the mule went un der the tangled branch es of a large oak tree, Ab sa lom’s head was caught fast in the tree. The mule un der him kept go ing, so he was suspended in mid air. e 10 One of the men saw him and in formed Joab. He said, “ I just saw Ab sa lom hang ing in an oak tree! ” 11 “ You just saw him! ” Joab ex claimed. f “ Why didn’t you strike him to the ground right there? I would have giv en you ten sil ver pieces g and a belt! ” 12 The man re plied to Joab, “ Even if I had the weight of a thou sand pieces of sil ver h in my hand, I would not raise my hand against the king’s son. For we heard the king com mand you, Abish ai, and It tai, ‘Pro tect the young man Ab sa lom for me.’ i 13 If I had jeop ar dized my own j life — and noth ing is hid den from the king — you would have aban doned me.” 14 Joab said, “ I’m not go ing to waste time with you! ” He then took three spears in his hand and thrust them into Ab sa lom’s chest. While Ab sa lom was still alive in the oak tree, 15 ten young men who were Joab’s armor-bearers sur round ed Ab sa lom, struck him, and killed him. 16 Joab blew the ram’s horn, and the troops broke off their pur suit of Is ra el be cause Joab re strained them. 17 They took Ab sa lom, threw him into a large pit in the for est, and raised up a huge mound of stones over him. And all Is ra el fled, each to his tent. 18 When he was alive, Ab sa lom had tak en a pil lar and raised it up for him self in the King’s Val ley , since he thought, “ I have no son to pre- serve the mem o ry of my name.” So he named the pil lar af ter him self. It is still called Ab sa- lom’s Mon u ment to day . 19 Ahim a az son of Za dok said, “ Please let me run and tell the king the good news that the L ord has vin di cat ed him by free ing him from his en e mies.” 20 Joab re plied to him, “ You are not the man to take good news to day . You may do it an oth er day , but to day you aren’t tak ing good news, be- cause the king’s son is dead.” 21 Joab then said to a Cush ite, “ Go tell the king what you have seen.” The Cush ite bowed to Joab and took off run ning. 22 How ev er, Ahim a az son of Za dok per sist ed and said to Joab, “ No mat ter what, please let me also run be hind the Cush ite! ” Joab re plied, “ My son, why do you want to run since you won’t get a re ward? ” k 23 “ No mat ter what, I want to run! ” “ Then run! ” Joab said to him. So Ahim a az ran by way of the plain and out ran the Cush ite. a 17:28 LXX reads brought 10 embroidered beds with double coverings, 10 vessels b 17:28 LXX, Syr; MT adds roasted grain c 17:29 Hb obscure d 18:3 Some Hb mss, LXX, Vg; other Hb mss read because there would now be about e 18:9 Lit was between heaven and earth f 18:11 Lit Joab said to the man who told him g 18:11 About four ounces of silver h 18:12 About 25 pounds of silver i 18:12 Some Hb mss, LXX, Tg, Vg; other Hb mss read ‘Protect, whoever, the young man Absalom’ ; Hb obscure j 18:13 Alt Hb tradition reads jeopardized his k 18:22 Or you have no good news?2 SAMUEL 17-18 278 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 278 10/26/17 8:59 PM 24 Da vid was sit ting be tween the city gates when the watch man went up to the roof of the city gate and over to the wall. The watch man looked out and saw a man run ning alone. 25 He called out and told the king. The king said, “ If he’s alone, he bears good news.” As the first run ner came clos er, 26 the watch- man saw an oth er man run ning. He called out to the gate keep er, “ Look! An oth er man is run- ning alone! ” “ This one is also bring ing good news,” said the king. 27 The watch man said, “ The way the first man runs looks to me like the way Ahim a az son of Za dok runs.” “ This is a good man; he comes with good news,” the king commented. 28 Ahim a az called out to the king, “ All is well,” and paid hom age to the king with his face to the ground. He con tin ued, “ Blessed be the L ord your God! He de liv ered up the men who re belled against my lord the king.” 29 The king asked, “ Is the young man Ab sa- lom all right? ” Ahim a az re plied, “ When Joab sent the king’s ser vant and your ser vant, I saw a big dis tur - bance, but I don’t know what it was.” 30 The king said, “ Move aside and stand here.” So he stood to one side. 31 Just then the Cush ite came and said, “ May my lord the king hear the good news: The L ord has vin di cat ed you to day by free ing you from all who rise against you! ” 32 The king asked the Cush ite, “ Is the young man Ab sa lom all right? ” The Cush ite re plied, “ I wish that the en e mies of my lord the king, along with all who rise up against you with evil in tent, would be come like that young man.” 33 The king was deep ly moved and went up to the cham ber above the city gate and wept. As he walked, he cried, “ My son Ab sa lom! My son, my son Ab sa lom! If only I had died in stead of you, Ab sa lom, my son, my son! ” DAVID’S KINGDOM RESTORED 19 It was re port ed to Joab, “ The king is weep- ing. He’s mourn ing over Ab sa lom.” 2 That day’s vic to ry was turned into mourn ing for all the troops be cause on that day the troops heard, “ The king is griev ing over his son.” 3 So they re turned to the city qui et ly that day like troops come in when they are hu mil i at ed af ter flee ing in bat tle. 4 But the king cov ered his face and cried loud ly , “ My son Ab sa lom! Ab sa lom, my son, my son! ” 5 Then Joab went into the house to the king and said, “To day you have shamed all your sol diers — those who saved your life as well as your sons, your wives, and your con cu- bines— 6 by lov ing your en e mies and hat ing those who love you! To day you have made it clear that the com mand ers and sol diers mean noth ing to you. In fact, to day I know that if Ab sa lom were alive and all of us were dead, it would be fine with you! a 7 “ Now get up! Go out and en cour age b your sol diers, for I swear by the L ord that if you don’t go out, not a man will re main with you to night. This will be worse for you than all the trou ble that has come to you from your youth un til now! ” 8 So the king got up and sat in the city gate, and all the peo ple were told: “ Look, the king is sit ting in the city gate.” Then they all came into the king’s pres ence. Mean while, each Is ra el ite had fled to his tent. 9 Peo ple through out all the tribes of Is- ra el were ar gu ing among them selves, say ing, “ The king res cued us from the grasp of our en e mies, and he saved us from the grasp of the Phi lis tines, but now he has fled from the land be cause of Ab sa lom. 10 But Ab sa lom, the man we anoint ed over us, has died in bat tle. So why do you say noth ing about re stor ing the king? ” 11 King Da vid sent word to the priests Za dok and Abi a thar: “ Say to the el ders of Ju dah, ‘ Why should you be the last to re store the king to his pal ace? The talk of all Is ra el has reached the king at his house. 12 You are my broth ers, my flesh and blood. c So why should you be the last to re store the king? ’ 13 And tell Am a- sa, ‘ Aren’t you my flesh and blood? d May God pun ish me and do so se vere ly if you don’t be- come com mand er of my army from now on in stead of Joab! ’ ” 14 So he won over e all the men of Ju dah, and they unan i mous ly sent word to the king: “ Come back, you and all your ser vants.” 15 Then the king re turned. When he ar rived at the Jor dan, Ju dah came to Gil gal to meet the king and es cort him across the Jor dan. a 19:6 Lit be right in your eyes b 19:7 Lit speak to the heart of c 19:12 Lit my bone and my flesh d 19:13 Lit my bone and my flesh? e 19:14 Lit he turned the heart of 279 2 SAMUEL 18-19 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 279 10/26/17 8:59 PM 16 Shim ei son of Gera, the Ben ja min ite from Ba hu rim, hur ried down with the men of Ju dah to meet King Da vid. 17 There were a thou sand men from Ben ja min
🏰 David's Return to Power
👑 King David navigates complex political dynamics after regaining his throne, showing mercy to former enemies like Shimei while managing tribal tensions between Judah and Israel
🗡️ Joab's ruthlessness emerges when he murders Amasa, revealing the violent undercurrents beneath David's leadership restoration
🧠 A wise woman from Abel saves her city through diplomatic negotiation, demonstrating how wisdom can triumph over military force
🔄 Justice and atonement become central when David addresses a three-year famine by making restitution to the Gibeonites for Saul's past crimes
💪 David's military victories against Philistine giants secure his kingdom, though his advancing age requires him to step back from direct combat
🙏 The narrative culminates in David's song of thanksgiving, where he poetically expresses his dependence on God as his rock, fortress, and deliverer
with him. Ziba, an at ten dant from the house of Saul, with his fif teen sons and twen ty ser vants also rushed down to the Jor dan ahead of the king. 18 They ford ed the Jor dan to bring the king’s house hold across and do what ev er the king de sired. a When Shim ei son of Gera crossed the Jor dan, he fell face down be fore the king 19 and said to him, “ My lord, don’t hold me guilty , and don’t re mem ber your ser vant’s wrong do ing on the day my lord the king left Je ru sa lem. May the king not take it to heart. 20 For your ser vant knows that I have sinned. But look! To day I am the first one of the en tire house of Jo seph to come down to meet my lord the king.” 21 Abish ai son of Zer u i ah asked, “ Shouldn’t Shim ei be put to death for this, be cause he cursed the L ord’ s anoint ed? ” 22 Da vid an swered, “ Sons of Zer u i ah, do we agree on any thing? Have you be come my ad ver sary to day? Should any man be killed in Is ra el to day? Am I not aware that to day I’m king over Is ra el? ” 23 So the king said to Shim ei, “ You will not die.” Then the king gave him his oath. 24 Me phib o sheth, Saul’s grand son, also went down to meet the king. He had not tak en care of his feet, trimmed his mus tache, or washed his clothes from the day the king left un til the day he re turned safe ly . 25 When he came from Je ru sa lem to meet the king, the king asked him, “Me phib o sheth, why didn’t you come with me? ” 26 “ My lord the king,” he re plied, “ my ser vant Ziba be trayed me. Ac tu al ly your ser vant said: ‘ I’ll sad dle the don key for my self b so that I may ride it and go with the king’ — for your ser vant is lame. 27 Ziba slan dered your ser vant to my lord the king. But my lord the king is like the an gel of God, so do what ev er you think best. c 28 For my grand fa ther’s en tire fam i ly de serves death from my lord the king, but you set your ser vant among those who eat at your ta ble. So what fur ther right do I have to keep on mak ing ap peals to the king? ” 29 The king said to him, “ Why keep on speak- ing about these mat ters of yours? I here by de clare: you and Ziba are to di vide the land.”30 Me phib o sheth said to the king, “In stead, since my lord the king has come to his pal ace safe ly , let Ziba take it all! ” 31 Bar zil lai the Gil e ad ite had come down from Ro ge lim and ac com pa nied the king to the Jor dan Riv er to see him off at the Jor dan. 32 Bar zil lai was a very old man — eighty years old — and since he was a very wealthy man, he had pro vid ed for the needs of the king while he stayed in Ma ha na im. 33 The king said to Bar zil lai, “ Cross over with me, and I’ll pro vide for you d at my side in Je ru sa lem.” 34 Bar zil lai re plied to the king, “ How many years of my life are left that I should go up to Je ru sa lem with the king? 35 I’m now eighty years old. Can I dis cern what is pleas ant and what is not? Can your ser vant taste what he eats or drinks? Can I still hear the voice of male and fe male sing ers? Why should your ser vant be an add ed bur den to my lord the king? 36 Since your ser vant is only go ing with the king a lit tle way across the Jor dan, why should the king re pay me with such a re ward? 37 Please let your ser vant re turn so that I may die in my own city near the tomb of my fa ther and moth er. But here is your ser vant Chim ham: let him cross over with my lord the king. Do for him what seems good to you.” e 38 The king re plied, “Chim ham will cross over with me, and I will do for him what seems good to you, and what ev er you de sire from me I will do for you.” 39 So all the peo ple crossed the Jor dan, and then the king crossed. The king kissed Bar zil lai and blessed him, and Bar zil lai re turned to his home. 40 The king went on to Gil gal, and Chim ham went with him. All the troops of Ju dah and half of Is ra el’s es cort ed the king. 41 Sud den ly , all the men of Is ra el came to the king. They asked him, “ Why did our broth ers, the men of Ju dah, take you away se cret ly and trans port the king and his house hold across the Jor dan, along with all of Da vid’s men? ” 42 All the men of Ju dah re spond ed to the men of Is ra el, “Be cause the king is our rel- a tive. Why does this make you an gry? Have we ever eat en any thing of the king’s or been hon ored at all? ” f 43 The men of Is ra el an swered the men of Ju dah: “ We have ten shares in the king, so we have a great er claim to Da vid than you. Why a 19:18 Lit do what is good in his eyes b 19:26 LXX, Syr , Vg read said to him, ‘Saddle the donkey for me c 19:27 Lit do what is good in your eyes d 19:33 LXX reads for your old age ; Ru 4:15 e 19:37 Lit what is good in your eyes, also in v. 38 f 19:42 LXX reads king’s or has he given us a gift or granted us a portion2 SAMUEL 19 280 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 280 10/26/17 8:59 PM then do you de spise us? Weren’t we the first to speak of re stor ing our king? ” But the words of the men of Ju dah were harsher than those of the men of Is ra el. SHEBA’S REVOLT 20 Now a wick ed man, a Ben ja min ite named She ba son of Bich ri, hap pened to be there. He blew the ram’s horn and shout ed: We have no portion in David, no inheritance in Jesse’s son. Each man to his tent, a Israel! 2 So all the men of Is ra el de sert ed Da vid and fol lowed She ba son of Bich ri, but the men of Ju dah from the Jor dan all the way to Je ru sa- lem re mained loy al to their king. 3 When Da vid came to his pal ace in Je ru- sa lem, he took the ten con cu bines he had left to take care of the pal ace and placed them un der guard. He pro vid ed for them, but he was not in ti mate with them. They were con fined un til the day of their death, liv ing as wid ows. 4 The king said to Am a sa, “Sum mon the men of Ju dah to me with in three days and be here your self.” 5 Am a sa went to sum mon Ju dah, but he took lon ger than the time al lot ted him. 6 So Da vid said to Abish ai, “She ba son of Bich ri will do more harm to us than Ab sa lom. Take your lord’s sol diers and pur sue him, or he will find for ti fied cit ies and elude us.” b 7 So Joab’s men, the Cher e thites, the Pel e- thites, and all the war riors marched out un- der Abish ai’s com mand; c they left Je ru sa lem to pur sue She ba son of Bich ri. 8 They were at the great stone in Gib e on when Am a sa joined them. Joab was wear ing his uniform and over it was a belt around his waist with a sword in its sheath. As he ap proached, the sword fell out. 9 Joab asked Am a sa, “ Are you well, my broth er? ” Then with his right hand Joab grabbed Am a sa by the beard to kiss him. 10 Am a sa was not on guard against the sword in Joab’s hand, and Joab stabbed him in the stom ach with it and spilled his in tes tines out on the ground. Joab did not stab him again, and Am a sa died. Joab and his broth er Abish ai pur sued She- ba son of Bich ri. 11 One of Joab’s young men had stood over Am a sa say ing, “Who ev er fa vors Joab and who ev er is for Da vid, fol- low Joab! ” 12 Now Am a sa had been writhing in his blood in the mid dle of the high way , and the man had seen that all the troops stopped. So he moved Am a sa from the high- way to the field and threw a gar ment over him be cause he re al ized that all those who encountered Am a sa were stop ping. 13 When he was re moved from the high way , all the men passed by and fol lowed Joab to pur sue She ba son of Bich ri. 14 She ba passed through all the tribes of Is- ra el to Abel of Beth-maacah. All the Be rites d came to geth er and fol lowed him. 15 Joab’s troops came and be sieged She ba in Abel of Beth-maacah. They built a siege ramp against the out er wall of the city . While all the troops with Joab were bat ter ing the wall to make it col lapse, 16 a wise wom an called out from the city , “Lis ten! Lis ten! Please tell Joab to come here and let me speak with him.” 17 When he had come near her, the wom an asked, “ Are you Joab? ” “ I am,” he re plied. “Lis ten to the words of your ser vant,” she said to him. He an swered, “ I’m lis ten ing.” 18 She said, “ In the past they used to say , ‘ Seek coun sel in Abel,’ and that’s how they set tled dis putes. 19 I am one of the peace ful and faith- ful in Is ra el, but you’re try ing to de stroy a city that is like a moth er in Is ra el. Why would you de vour the L ord’ s in her i tance? ” 20 Joab pro test ed: “Nev er! I would nev er de- vour or de mol ish! 21 That is not the case. There is a man named She ba son of Bich ri, from the hill coun try of Ephra im, who has re belled against King Da vid. De liv er this one man, and I will with draw from the city .” The wom an re plied to Joab, “ Watch! His head will be thrown over the wall to you.” 22 The wom an went to all the peo ple with her wise coun sel, and they cut off the head of She ba son of Bich ri and threw it to Joab. So he blew the ram’s horn, and they dis persed from the city , each to his own tent. Joab re turned to the king in Je ru sa lem. 23 Joab commanded the whole army of Israel; Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and Pelethites; 24 Adoram e was over forced labor; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was court historian; a 20:1 Alt Hb tradition reads gods b 20:6 Lit and snatch away our eyes c 20:7 Lit out following him d 20:14 LXX, Vg read Bichrites e 20:24 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr read Adoniram ; 1Kg 4:6; 5:14 281 2 SAMUEL 19-20 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 281 10/26/17 8:59 PM 25 Sheva was court secretary; Zadok and Abiathar were priests; 26 and in addition, Ira the Jairite was David’s priest. JUSTICE FOR THE GIBEONITES 21 Dur ing Da vid’s reign there was a fam ine for three suc ces sive years, so Da vid in- quired a of the L ord. The L ord an swered, “ It is due to Saul and to his bloody fam i ly , be cause he killed the Gib e on ites.” 2 The Gib e on ites were not Is ra el ites but rath er a rem nant of the Am o rites. The Is ra- el ites had tak en an oath con cern ing them, but Saul had tried to kill them in his zeal for the Is ra el ites and Ju dah. So Da vid sum- moned the Gib e on ites and spoke to them. 3 He asked the Gib e on ites, “ What should I do for you? How can I make atone ment so that you will bring a bless ing on b the L ord’ s in her i tance? ” 4 The Gib e on ites said to him, “ We are not ask ing for sil ver and gold from Saul or his fam i ly , and we can not put any one to death in Is ra el.” “What ev er you say , I will do for you,” he said. 5 They re plied to the king, “ As for the man who an ni hi lat ed us and plot ted to de stroy us so we would not ex ist with in the whole ter ri to ry of Is ra el, 6 let sev en of his male de scen dants be hand ed over to us so we may hang c them in the pres ence of the L ord at Gib e ah of Saul, the L ord’ s cho sen.” The king an swered, “ I will hand them over.” 7 Da vid spared Me phib o sheth, the son of Saul’s son Jon a than, be cause of the oath of the L ord that was be tween Da vid and Jon a than, Saul’s son. 8 But the king took Ar mo ni and Me phib o sheth, who were the two sons whom Riz pah daugh ter of Aiah had borne to Saul, and the five sons whom Me rab d daugh ter of Saul had borne to Adri el son of Bar zil lai the Me ho la thite 9 and hand ed them over to the Gib e on ites. They hanged e them on the hill in the pres ence of the L ord; the sev en of them died to geth er. They were ex e cut ed in the first days of the har vest at the be gin ning of the bar ley har vest. f THE BURIAL OF SAUL’S FAMILY 10 Riz pah, Aiah’s daugh ter, took sack cloth and spread it out for her self on the rock from the be gin ning of the har vest g un til the rain poured down from heav en on the bod ies. She kept the birds of the sky from them by day and the wild an i mals by night. 11 When it was re port ed to Da vid what Saul’s con cu bine Riz pah daugh ter of Aiah had done, 12 he went and got the bones of Saul and his son Jon a than from the cit i zens of Jabesh-gilead. They had sto len them from the pub lic square of Beth-shan where the Phi lis tines had hung the bod ies the day the Phi lis tines killed Saul at Gil boa. 13 Da vid had the bones brought from there. They gath- ered up the bones of Saul’s fam i ly who had been hanged 14 and bur ied the bones of Saul and his son Jon a than at Zela in the land of Ben ja min in the tomb of Saul’s fa ther Kish. They did ev ery thing the king com mand ed. Af ter this, God was receptive to prayer for the land. THE PHILISTINE GIANTS 15 The Phi lis tines again waged war against Is ra el. Da vid went down with his sol diers, and they fought the Phi lis tines, but Da vid be- came ex haust ed. 16 Then Ishbi-benob, one of the de scen dants of the gi ant, h whose bronze spear weighed about eight pounds i and who wore new ar mor, in tend ed to kill Da vid. 17 But Abish ai son of Zer u i ah came to his aid, struck the Phi lis tine, and killed him. Then Da vid’s men swore to him: “ You must nev er again go out with us to bat tle. You must not ex tin guish the lamp of Is ra el.” 18 Af ter this, there was an oth er bat tle with the Phi lis tines at Gob. At that time Sib be cai the Hu shath ite killed Saph, who was one of the de scen dants of the gi ant. 19 Once again there was a bat tle with the Phi lis tines at Gob, and El ha nan son of Jaare- oregim the Beth le hem ite killed j Go li ath of Gath. The shaft of his spear was like a weav- er’s beam. 20 At Gath there was still an oth er bat tle. A huge man was there with six fin gers on each hand and six toes on each foot — twenty-four in all. He, too, was de scend ed from the gi ant. 21 When he taunt ed Is ra el, Jon a than, son of Da vid’s broth er Shim ei, killed him. 22 These four were de scend ed from the gi- ant in Gath and were killed by Da vid and his sol diers. a 21:1 Lit sought the face of b 21:3 Lit will bless c 21:6 Or impale, or expose d 21:8 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr , Tg; other Hb mss read Michal e 21:9 Or impaled, or exposed, also in v. 13 f 21:9 = March–April g 21:10 = April to October h 21:16 Or Raphah, also in vv. 18,20,22 i 21:16 Lit 300 (shekels) j 21:19 1Ch 20:5 adds the brother of2 SAMUEL 20-21 282 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 282 10/26/17 8:59 PM DAVID’S SONG OF THANKSGIVING 22 Da vid spoke the words of this song to the L ord on the day the L ord res cued him from the grasp of all his en e mies and from the grasp of Saul. 2 He said: The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, 3 my God, a my rock where I seek refuge. My shield, the horn of my salvation, my stronghold, my refuge, and my Savior, you save me from violence. 4 I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I was saved from my enemies. 5 For the waves of death engulfed me; the torrents of destruction terrified me. 6 The ropes of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me. 7 I called to the Lord in my distress; I called to my God. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry for help reached his ears. 8 Then the earth shook and quaked; the foundations of the heavens b trembled; they shook because he burned with anger. 9 Smoke rose from his nostrils, and consuming fire came from his mouth; coals were set ablaze by it. c 10 He bent the heavens and came down, total darkness beneath his feet. 11 He rode on a cherub and flew , soaring d on the wings of the wind. 12 He made darkness a canopy around him, a gathering e of water and thick clouds. 13 From the radiance of his presence, blazing coals were ignited. 14 The Lord thundered from heaven; the Most High made his voice heard. 15 He shot arrows and scattered them; he hurled lightning bolts and routed them. 16 The depths of the sea became visible, the foundations of the world were exposed at the rebuke of the Lord, at the blast of the breath of his nostrils. 17 He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he pulled me out of deep water. 18 He rescued me from my powerful enemy and from those who hated me, for they were too strong for me. 19 They confronted me in the day of my calamity , but the Lord was my support. 20 He brought me out to a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me. 21 The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; he repaid me according to the cleanness of my hands. 22 For I have kept the ways of the Lord and have not turned from my God to wickedness. 23 Indeed, I let all his ordinances guide me f and have not disregarded his statutes. 24 I was blameless before him and kept myself from my iniquity . 25 So the Lord repaid me according to my righteousness, according to my cleanness g in his sight. 26 With the faithful you prove yourself faithful, with the blameless you prove yourself blameless, 27 with the pure you prove yourself pure; but with the crooked you prove yourself shrewd. 28 You rescue an oppressed people, but your eyes are set against the proud — you humble them. 29 Lord, you are my lamp; the Lord illuminates my darkness. 30 With you I can attack a barricade, h and with my God I can leap over a wall. 31 God — his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is pure. He is a shield to all who take refuge in him. a 22:3 LXX, Ps 18:2 read my God ; MT reads God of b 22:8 Some Hb mss, Syr , Vg read mountains ; Ps 18:7 c 22:9 Or him d 22:11 Some Hb mss; other Hb mss, Syr , Tg read he was seen e 22:12 Or sieve, or mass ; Hb obscure f 22:23 Lit Indeed, all his ordinances have been in front of me g 22:25 LXX, Syr , Vg read to the cleanness of my hands ; Ps 18:24 h 22:30 Or a ridge, or raiders 283 2 SAMUEL 22 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 283 10/26/17 8:59 PM 32 For who is God besides the Lord? And who is a rock? Only our God. 33 God is my strong refuge; a he makes my way perfect. b 34 He makes my feet like the
🛡️ David's Legacy and Succession
🏆 David's victories over enemies showcase divine empowerment, with God providing strength, protection, and strategic advantage in battle, transforming him from warrior to celebrated king
🦁 Mighty warriors surround David, performing extraordinary feats of courage—like Benaiah killing a lion in a pit and Eleazar fighting until his hand stuck to his sword—demonstrating unwavering loyalty
⚖️ David's census reveals his human fallibility, triggering divine punishment through plague that claims 70,000 lives until David builds an altar and offers sacrifices that restore divine favor
👑 Succession crisis erupts as aging David faces Adonijah's power grab, requiring Nathan and Bathsheba's intervention to ensure Solomon's rightful coronation as promised heir
🧓 Final arrangements of the dying king demonstrate his commitment to fulfilling God's covenant promises, transferring authority through public ceremony and divine anointing
🏛️ Leadership transition establishes precedent for royal succession, blending religious authority (priests and prophets) with military power (royal guard) to legitimize the new king
feet of a deer and sets me securely on the c heights. d 35 He trains my hands for war; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. 36 You have given me the shield of your salvation; your help e exalts me. 37 You make a spacious place beneath me for my steps, and my ankles do not give way . 38 I pursue my enemies and destroy them; I do not turn back until they are wiped out. 39 I wipe them out and crush them, and they do not rise; they fall beneath my feet. 40 You have clothed me with strength for battle; you subdue my adversaries beneath me. 41 You have made my enemies retreat before me; f I annihilate those who hate me. 42 They look, but there is no one to save them — they look to the Lord, but he does not answer them. 43 I pulverize them like dust of the earth; I crush them and trample them like mud in the streets. 44 You have freed me from the feuds among my people; you have preserved me as head of nations; a people I had not known serve me. 45 Foreigners submit to me cringing; as soon as they hear, they obey me. 46 Foreigners lose heart and come trembling from their fortifications. 47 The Lord lives — blessed be my rock! God, the rock of my salvation, is exalted. 48 God — he grants me vengeance and casts down peoples under me. 49 He frees me from my enemies. You exalt me above my adversaries; you rescue me from violent men. 50 Therefore I will give thanks to you among the nations, Lord; I will sing praises about your name. 51 He is a tower of salvation for g his king; he shows loyalty to his anointed, to David and his descendants forever. DAVID’S LAST WORDS 23 These are the last words of Da vid: The declaration of David son of Jesse, the declaration of the man raised on high, h the one anointed by the God of Jacob. This is the most delightful of Israel’s songs. 2 The Spirit of the Lord spoke through me, his word was on my tongue. 3 The God of Israel spoke; the Rock of Israel said to me, “The one who rules the people with justice, who rules in the fear of God, 4 is like the morning light when the sun rises on a cloudless morning, the glisten of rain on sprouting grass.” 5 Is it not true my house is with God? For he has established a permanent covenant with me, ordered and secured in every detail. Will he not bring about my whole salvation and my every desire? 6 But all the wicked are like thorns raked aside; they can never be picked up by hand. 7 The man who touches them must be armed with iron and the shaft of a spear. They will be completely burned up on the spot. EXPLOITS OF DAVID’S WARRIORS 8 These are the names of Da vid’s war riors: a 22:33 DSS, some LXX mss, Syr , Vg read God clothes me with strength ; Ps 18:32 b 22:33 Some LXX mss, Syr; MT reads he sets free the blameless his way ; Hb obscure c 22:34 LXX; some Hb mss read my ; other Hb mss read his d 22:34 Or on my high places e 22:36 LXX reads humility ; Ps 18:35 f 22:41 Lit you gave me the neck of my enemies g 22:51 DSS read he gives great victory to h 23:1 Or raised up by the high God2 SAMUEL 22-23 284 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 284 10/26/17 8:59 PM Jo sheb-bas she beth the Tah che mo nite was chief of the off i cers. a He wielded his spear b against eight hun dred men that he killed at one time. 9 Af ter him, El e a zar son of Dodo son of an Aho hite was among the three war riors with Da vid when they de fied the Phi lis tines. The men of Is ra el re treat ed in the place they had gath- ered for bat tle, 10 but El e a zar stood his ground and at tacked the Phi lis tines un til his hand was tired and stuck to his sword. The L ord brought about a great vic to ry that day . Then the troops came back to him, but only to plun der the dead. 11 Af ter him was Sham mah son of Agee the Ha ra rite. The Phi lis tines had as sem bled in for ma tion where there was a field full of len- tils. The troops fled from the Phi lis tines, 12 but Sham mah took his stand in the mid dle of the field, de fend ed it, and struck down the Phi lis- tines. So the L ord brought about a great vic to ry . 13 Three of the thir ty lead ing war riors went down at har vest time and came to Da vid at the cave of Adul lam, while a com pa ny of Phi lis- tines was camp ing in the Val ley of Reph a im. 14 At that time Da vid was in the strong hold, and a Phi lis tine gar ri son was at Beth le hem. 15 Da vid was ex treme ly thirsty c and said, “ If only some one would bring me wa ter to drink from the well at the city gate of Beth le hem! ” 16 So three of the war riors broke through the Phi lis tine camp and drew wa ter from the well at the gate of Beth le hem. They brought it back to Da vid, but he re fused to drink it. In stead, he poured it out to the L ord. 17 Da vid said, “ L ord, I would nev er do such a thing! Is this not the blood of men who risked their lives? ” So he re fused to drink it. Such were the ex ploits of the three war riors. 18 Abish ai, Joab’s broth er and son of Zer u- i ah, was lead er of the Three. d He wielded his spear against three hun dred men and killed them, gain ing a rep u ta tion among the Three. 19 Was he not more hon ored than the Three? He be came their com mand er even though he did not be come one of the Three. 20 Be na iah son of Je hoi a da was the son of a brave man from Kab ze el, a man of many ex ploits. Be na iah killed two sons e of Ari el f of Moab, and he went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion. 21 He also killed an Egyp tian, an im pres sive man. Even though the Egyp tian had a spear in his hand, Be na iah went down to him with a club, snatched the spear out of the Egyp tian’s hand, and then killed him with his own spear. 22 These were the ex ploits of Be na iah son of Je hoi a da, who had a rep u ta tion among the three war riors. 23 He was the most hon ored of the Thir ty , but he did not be come one of the Three. Da vid put him in charge of his body guard. 24 Among the Thir ty were Joab’s brother Asahel, Elhanan son of Dodo of Bethlehem, 25 Shammah the Harodite, Elika the Harodite, 26 Helez the Paltite, Ira son of Ikkesh the Tekoite, 27 Abiezer the Anathothite, Mebunnai the Hushathite, 28 Zalmon the Ahohite, Maharai the Netophathite, 29 Heleb son of Baanah the Netophahite, Ittai son of Ribai from Gibeah of the Benjaminites, 30 Benaiah the Pirathonite, Hiddai from the wadis of Gaash, g 31 Abi-albon the Arbathite, Azmaveth the Barhumite, 32 Eliahba the Shaalbonite, the sons of Jashen, Jonathan son of h 33 Shammah the Hararite, Ahiam son of Sharar the Hararite, 34 Eliphelet son of Ahasbai son of the Maacathite, Eliam son of Ahithophel the Gilonite, 35 Hezro the Carmelite, Paarai the Arbite, 36 Igal son of Nathan from Zobah, Bani the Gadite, 37 Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Beerothite, the armor-bearer for Joab son of Zeruiah, 38 Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, 39 and Uriah the Hethite. There were thirty-seven in all. DAVID’S MILITARY CENSUS 24 The L ord’ s an ger burned against Is ra el again, and he stirred up Da vid against them to say: “ Go, count the peo ple of Is ra el and Ju dah.” a 23:8 Some Hb mss, LXX read Three b 23:8 Some Hb mss; other Hb mss, LXX read He was Adino the Eznite c 23:15 Lit And David craved d 23:18 Some Hb mss, Syr read the Thirty e 23:20 LXX; MT omits sons f 23:20 Or two warriors g 23:30 Or from Nahale-gaash h 23:32 Some LXX mss; MT omits son of ; 1Ch 11:34 285 2 SAMUEL 23-24 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 285 10/26/17 8:59 PM 2 So the king said to Joab, the com mand er of his army , “ Go through all the tribes of Is- ra el from Dan to Be er-she ba and reg is ter the troops so I can know their num ber.” 3 Joab re plied to the king, “ May the L ord your God mul ti ply the troops a hun dred times more than they are — while my lord the king looks on! But why does my lord the king want to do this? ” 4 Yet the king’s or der pre vailed over Joab and the com mand ers of the army . So Joab and the com mand ers of the army left the king’s pres ence to reg is ter the troops of Is ra el. 5 They crossed the Jor dan and camped in Aro er, south of the town in the mid dle of the val ley , and then pro ceed ed to ward Gad and Ja zer. 6 They went to Gil e ad and to the land of the Hit tites a and con tin ued on to Dan-jaan and around to Si don. 7 They went to the for - tress of Tyre and all the cit ies of the Hi vites and Ca naan ites. Af ter ward, they went to the Ne gev of Ju dah at Be er-she ba. 8 When they had gone through the whole land, they re turned to Je ru sa lem at the end of nine months and twen ty days. 9 Joab gave the king the to tal of the reg is tra tion of the troops. There were eight hun dred thou sand val iant armed men b from Is ra el and five hun dred thou sand men from Ju dah. 10 Da vid’s con science trou bled him af ter he had tak en a cen sus of the troops. He said to the L ord, “ I have sinned great ly in what I’ve done. Now , L ord, be cause I’ve been very fool- ish, please take away your ser vant’s guilt.” DAVID’S PUNISHMENT 11 When Da vid got up in the morn ing, the word of the L ord had come to the proph et Gad, Da- vid’s seer: 12 “ Go and say to Da vid, ‘ This is what the L ord says: I am off er ing you three choices. Choose one of them, and I will do it to you.’ ” 13 So Gad went to Da vid, told him the choices, and asked him, “ Do you want three c years of fam ine to come on your land, to flee from your foes three months while they pur sue you, or to have a plague in your land three days? Now , con sid er care ful ly d what an swer I should take back to the one who sent me.” 14 Da vid an swered Gad, “ I have great anx- i ety . Please, let us fall into the L ord’ s hands be cause his mercies are great, but don’t let me fall into hu man hands.” 15 So the L ord sent a plague on Is ra el from that morn ing un til the ap point ed time, and from Dan to Be er-she ba sev en ty thou sand men died. 16 Then the an gel ex tend ed his hand to ward Je ru sa lem to de stroy it, but the L ord re lent ed con cern ing the de struc tion and said to the an gel who was de stroy ing the peo ple, “ Enough, with draw your hand now! ” The an gel of the L ord was then at the thresh ing floor of Arau nah e the Jeb u site. 17 When Da vid saw the an gel strik ing the peo ple, he said to the L ord, “ Look, I am the one who has sinned; I am the one f who has done wrong. But these sheep, what have they done? Please, let your hand be against me and my fa ther’s fam i ly .” DAVID’S ALTAR 18 Gad came to Da vid that day and said to him, “ Go up and set up an al tar to the L ord on the thresh ing floor of Arau nah the Jeb u site.” 19 Da- vid went up in obe di ence to Gad’s com mand, just as the L ord had com mand ed. 20 Arau nah looked down and saw the king and his ser - vants com ing to ward him, so he went out and paid hom age to the king with his face to the ground. 21 Arau nah said, “ Why has my lord the king come to his ser vant? ” Da vid re plied, “ To buy the thresh ing floor from you in or der to build an al tar to the L ord, so the plague on the peo ple may be halt ed.” 22 Arau nah said to Da vid, “ My lord the king may take what ev er he wants g and off er it. Here are the oxen for a burnt off er ing and the thresh ing sledges and ox yokes for the wood. 23 Your Maj es ty , Arau nah gives ev ery thing here to the king.” Then he said to the king, “ May the L ord your God ac cept you.” 24 The king an swered Arau nah, “ No, I in sist on buy ing it from you for a price, for I will not off er to the L ord my God burnt off er ings that cost me noth ing.” Da vid bought the thresh ing floor and the oxen for twen ty ounc es h of sil- ver. 25 He built an al tar to the L ord there and off ered burnt off er ings and fel low ship off er- ings. Then the L ord was receptive to prayer for the land, and the plague on Is ra el end ed. a 24:6 LXX; MT reads of Tahtim-hodshi ; Hb obscure b 24:9 Lit men of valor drawing the sword c 24:13 LXX; MT reads seven ; 1Ch 21:12 d 24:13 Lit Now, know and see e 24:16 = Ornan in 1Ch 21:15-28; 2Ch 3:1 f 24:17 LXX reads shepherd g 24:22 Lit take what is good in his eyes h 24:24 Lit 50 shekels2 SAMUEL 24 286 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 286 10/26/17 8:59 PM 1 KinG s DAVID’S LAST DAYS 1 Now King Da vid was old and ad vanced in age. Al though they cov ered him with bedclothes, he could not get warm. 2 So his ser vants said to him: “ Let us a search for a young vir gin for my lord the king. She is to at tend the king and be his caregiver. She is to lie by your side so that my lord the king will get warm.” 3 They searched for a beau ti ful girl through out the ter ri to ry of Is ra el; they found Ab i shag the Shu nam mite b and brought her to the king. 4 The girl was of unsurpassed beau ty , and she be came the king’s caregiver. She at tend ed to him, but he was not in ti mate with c her. ADONIJAH’S BID FOR POWER 5 Ad o ni jah son of Hag gith kept exalting him self, say ing, “ I will be king! ” He pre pared char i ots, cav al ry , and fif ty men to run ahead of him. d 6 But his fa ther had nev er once in fu ri at ed him by ask ing, “ Why did you do that? ” In ad di tion, he was quite hand some and was born af ter Ab sa lom. 7 He con spired e with Joab son of Zer u i ah and with the priest Abi a thar. They sup port ed Ad o ni jah, 8 but the priest Za dok, Be na iah son of Je hoi a da, the proph et Na than, Shim ei, Rei, and Da vid’s roy al guard f did not side with Ad o ni jah. 9 Ad o ni jah sac ri ficed sheep, goats, cat tle, and fat tened cat tle near the stone of Zo he leth, which is next to En-rogel. He in vit ed all his roy al broth ers and all the men of Ju dah, the ser vants of the king, 10 but he did not in vite the proph et Na than, Be na iah, the roy al guard, or his broth er Sol o mon. NATHAN’S AND BATHSHEBA’S APPEALS 11 Then Na than said to Bath she ba, Sol o mon’s moth er, “ Have you not heard that Ad o ni jah son of Hag gith has be come king and our lord Da vid does not know it? 12 Now please come and let me ad vise you. Save your life and the life of your son Sol o mon. 13 Go, ap proach King Da vid and say to him, ‘ My lord the king, did you not swear to your ser vant: Your son Sol o mon is to be come king af ter me, and he is the one who is to sit on my throne? So why has Ad o- ni jah be come king? ’ 14 At that mo ment, while you are still there speak ing with the king, I’ll come in af ter you and con firm your words.” 15 So Bath she ba went to the king in his bed- room. Since the king was very old, Ab i shag the Shu nam mite was at tend ing to him. 16 Bath- she ba knelt low and paid hom age to the king, and he asked, “ What do you want? ” 17 She re plied, “ My lord, you swore to your ser vant by the L ord your God, ‘ Your son Sol o- mon is to be come king af ter me, and he is the one who is to sit on my throne.’ 18 Now look, Ad o ni jah has be come king. And, g my lord the king, you didn’t know it. 19 He has lavishly sac ri ficed oxen, fat tened cat tle, and sheep. He in vit ed all the king’s sons, the priest Abi a thar, and Joab the com mand er of the army , but he did not in vite your ser vant Sol o mon. 20 N ow, my lord the king, the eyes of all Is ra el are on you to tell them who will sit on the throne of my lord the king af ter him. 21 Oth er wise, when my lord the king rests with his fa thers, I and my son Sol o mon will be re gard ed as crim i nals.” 22 At that mo ment, while she was still speak ing with the king, the proph et Na than ar rived, 23 and it was an nounced to the king, “ The proph et Na than is here.” He came into the king’s pres ence and paid hom age to him with his face to the ground. 24 “ My lord the king,” Na than said, “ did you say , ‘ Ad o ni jah is to be come king af ter me, and he is the one who is to sit on my throne’? 25 For to day he went down and lavishly sac ri ficed oxen, fat tened cat tle, and sheep. He in vit ed all the sons of the king, the com mand ers of the army , and the priest Abi a thar. And look! They’re eat ing and drink ing in his pres ence, and they’re say ing, ‘ Long live King Ad o ni jah! ’ 26 But he did not in vite me — me, your ser - vant — or the priest Za dok or Be na iah son of Je hoi a da or your ser vant Sol o mon. 27 I’m cer tain my lord the king would not have let this hap pen with out let ting your ser vant h know who will sit on my lord the king’s throne af ter him.” a 1:2 Lit them b 1:3 Shunem was a town in the hill country of Issachar at the foot of Mt. Moreh; Jos 19:17-18. c 1:4 Lit he did not know d 1:5 Heralds announcing his procession e 1:7 Lit His words were f 1:8 Lit David’s warriors g 1:18 Some Hb mss, LXX, Vg, Syr; other Hb mss read And now h 1:27 Some Hb mss, LXX; alt Hb tradition reads servants CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 287 10/26/17 8:59 PM SOLOMON CONFIRMED KING 28 King Da vid re spond ed by say ing, “ Call in Bath she ba for me.” So she came into the king’s pres ence and stood be fore him. 29 The king swore an oath and said, “ As the L ord lives, who has re deemed my life from ev ery diff i- cul ty , 30 just as I swore to you by the L ord God of Is ra el: Your son Sol o mon is to be come king af ter me, and he is the one who is to sit on my throne in my place, that is ex act ly what I will do this very day .” 31 Bath she ba knelt low with her face to the ground, pay ing hom age to the king, and said, “ May my lord King Da vid live for ev er! ” 32 King Da vid then said, “ Call in the priest Za dok, the proph et Na than, and Be na iah son of Je hoi a da for me.” So they came into the king’s pres ence. 33 The king said to them, “ Take my ser vants with you, have my son Sol o mon ride on my own mule, and take him down to Gi hon. 34 There, the priest Za dok and the proph et Na than are to anoint him as king over Is ra el. You are to blow the ram’s
👑 Solomon's Royal Succession
🔄 Power transition unfolds as King David orchestrates Solomon's coronation with sacred anointing, royal procession, and public celebration, thwarting Adonijah's rival claim to the throne
🛏️ David delivers final instructions to Solomon before death, commanding faithfulness to God's laws while settling personal scores with enemies (Joab, Shimei) and rewarding loyal supporters (Barzillai)
⚔️ Solomon consolidates power by executing threats (Adonijah, Joab, Shimei) and banishing opponents (Abiathar), establishing his authority and fulfilling David's deathbed wishes
🧠 When God offers Solomon anything he desires, he requests a wise and discerning heart rather than wealth or long life, impressing God who grants him unparalleled wisdom plus riches and honor
👶 Solomon demonstrates his divine wisdom by resolving the dispute between two mothers claiming the same baby, revealing the true mother through her compassionate refusal to harm the child
horn and say , ‘ Long live King Sol o mon! ’ 35 You are to come up af- ter him, and he is to come in and sit on my throne. He is the one who is to be come king in my place; he is the one I have com mand ed to be rul er over Is ra el and Ju dah.” 36 “ Amen,” Be na iah son of Je hoi a da re plied to the king. “ May the L ord, the God of my lord the king, so affirm it. 37 Just as the L ord was with my lord the king, so may he a be with Sol o mon and make his throne great er than the throne of my lord King Da vid.” 38 Then the priest Za dok, the proph et Na than, Be na iah son of Je hoi a da, the Cher e thites, and the Pel e thites went down, had Sol o mon ride on King Da vid’s mule, and took him to Gi hon. 39 The priest Za dok took the horn of oil from the tab er na cle and anoint ed Sol o mon. Then they blew the ram’s horn, and all the peo ple pro claimed, “ Long live King Sol o mon! ” 40 All the peo ple went up af ter him, play ing flutes and re joic ing with such a great joy that the earth split open from the sound. b ADONIJAH HEARS OF SOLOMON’S CORONATION 41 Ad o ni jah and all the in vit ed guests who were with him heard the noise as they fin ished eat- ing. Joab heard the sound of the ram’s horn and said, “ Why is the town in such an up roar? ” 42 He was still speak ing when Jon a than son of Abi a thar the priest, sud den ly ar rived. Ad o ni- jah said, “ Come in, for you are an im por tant man, and you must be bring ing good news.” 43 “Unfortunately not,” Jon a than an swered him. “ Our lord King Da vid has made Sol o mon king. 44 And with Sol o mon, the king has sent the priest Za dok, the proph et Na than, Be na- iah son of Je hoi a da, the Cher e thites, and the Pel e thites, and they have had him ride on the king’s mule. 45 The priest Za dok and the proph- et Na than have anoint ed him king in Gi hon. They have gone up from there re joic ing. The town has been in an up roar; that’s the noise you heard. 46 Sol o mon has even tak en his seat on the roy al throne. 47 “ The king’s ser vants have also gone to con grat u late our lord King Da vid, say ing, ‘ May your God make the name of Sol o mon more well known than your name, and may he make his throne great er than your throne.’ Then the king bowed in wor ship on his bed. 48 And the king went on to say this: ‘ Blessed be the L ord God of Is ra el! To day he has pro vid ed one to sit on my throne, and I am a wit ness.’ ” c 49 Then all of Ad o ni jah’s guests got up trem- bling and went their sep a rate ways. 50 Ad o ni jah was afraid of Sol o mon, so he got up and went to take hold of the horns of the al tar. 51 It was re port ed to Sol o mon: “ Look, Ad o- ni jah fears King Sol o mon, and he has tak en hold of the horns of the al tar, say ing, ‘ Let King Sol o mon first d swear to me that he will not kill his ser vant with the sword.’ ” 52 Then Sol o mon said, “ If he is a man of char - ac ter, not a sin gle hair of his will fall to the ground, but if evil is found in him, he dies.” 53 So King Sol o mon sent for him, and they took him down from the al tar. He came and paid hom age to King Sol o mon, and Sol o mon said to him, “ Go to your home.” DAVID’S DYING INSTRUCTIONS TO SOLOMON 2 As the time ap proached for Da vid to die, he or dered his son Sol o mon, 2 “ As for me, I am go ing the way of all of the earth. Be strong and be a man, 3 and keep your ob li ga tion to the L ord your God to walk in his ways and to keep his stat utes, com mands, or di nances, and de crees. This is writ ten in the law of Mo ses, so that you will have suc cess in ev ery thing you do and wher ev er you turn, 4 and so that a 1:37 Alt Hb tradition reads so he will b 1:40 LXX reads the land resounded with their noise c 1:48 Lit and my eyes are seeing d 1:51 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr , Vg read today1 KINGS 1-2 288 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 288 10/26/17 8:59 PM the L ord will ful fill his prom ise that he made to me: ‘ If your sons guard their way to walk faith ful ly be fore me with all their heart and all their soul, you will nev er fail to have a man on the throne of Is ra el.’ 5 “ You also know what Joab son of Zer u i ah did to me and what he did to the two com- mand ers of Is ra el’s army , Ab ner son of Ner and Am a sa son of Je ther. He mur dered them in a time of peace to avenge blood shed in war. He spilled that blood on his own waist band and on the san dals of his feet. a 6 Act ac cord ing to your wis dom, and do not let his gray head de scend to She ol in peace. 7 “ Show kind ness to the sons of Bar zil lai the Gil e ad ite and let them be among those who eat at your ta ble be cause they sup port ed me when I fled from your broth er Ab sa lom. 8 “ Keep an eye on Shim ei son of Gera, the Ben ja min ite from Ba hu rim who is with you. He ut tered ma li cious curs es against me the day I went to Ma ha na im. But he came down to meet me at the Jor dan Riv er, and I swore to him by the L ord: ‘ I will nev er kill you with the sword.’ 9 So don’t let him go un pun ished, for you are a wise man. You know how to deal with him to bring his gray head down to She ol with blood.” 10 Then Da vid rest ed with his fa thers and was bur ied in the city of Da vid. 11 The length of time Da vid reigned over Is ra el was for ty years: he reigned sev en years in He bron and thirty-three years in Je ru sa lem. 12 Sol o mon sat on the throne of his fa ther Da vid, and his king ship was firm ly es tab lished. ADONIJAH’S FOOLISH REQUEST 13 Now Ad o ni jah son of Hag gith came to Bath- she ba, Sol o mon’s moth er. She asked, “ Do you come peace ful ly? ” “Peace ful ly ,” he re plied, 14 and then asked, “ May I talk with you? ” b “ Go ahead,” she an swered. 15 “ You know the king ship was mine,” he said. “ All Is ra el ex pect ed me to be king, but then the king ship was turned over to my broth er, for the L ord gave it to him. 16 So now I have just one re quest of you; don’t turn me down.” c She said to him, “ Go on.” 17 He re plied, “ Please speak to King Sol o mon since he won’t turn you down. Let him give me Ab i shag the Shu nam mite as a wife.”18 “ Very well,” Bath she ba re plied. “ I will speak to the king for you.” 19 So Bath she ba went to King Sol o mon to speak to him about Ad o ni jah. The king stood up to greet her, bowed to her, sat down on his throne, and had a throne placed for the king’s moth er. So she sat down at his right hand. 20 Then she said, “ I have just one small re- quest of you. Don’t turn me down.” “ Go ahead and ask, moth er,” the king re plied, “ for I won’t turn you down.” 21 So she said, “ Let Ab i shag the Shu nam mite be giv en to your broth er Ad o ni jah as a wife.” 22 King Sol o mon an swered his moth er, “ Why are you re quest ing Ab i shag the Shu nam mite for Ad o ni jah? Since he is my el der broth er, you might as well ask the king ship for him, for the priest Abi a thar, and for Joab son of Zer u i- ah.” d 23 Then King Sol o mon took an oath by the L ord: “ May God pun ish me and do so se vere ly if Ad o ni jah has not made this re quest at the cost of his life. 24 And now , as the L ord lives — the one who es tab lished me, seat ed me on the throne of my fa ther Da vid, and made me a dy nas ty as he prom ised — I swear Ad o ni jah will be put to death to day! ” 25 Then King Sol o- mon dis patched Be na iah son of Je hoi a da, who struck down Ad o ni jah, and he died. ABIATHAR’S BANISHMENT 26 The king said to the priest Abi a thar, “ Go to your fields in An a thoth. Even though you de serve to die, I will not put you to death to- day , since you car ried the ark of the Lord G od in the pres ence of my fa ther Da vid and you suff ered through all that my fa ther suff ered.” 27 So Sol o mon ban ished Abi a thar from be ing the L ord’ s priest, and it ful filled the L ord’ s proph e cy he had spo ken at Shi loh against Eli’s fam i ly . JOAB’S EXECUTION 28 The news reached Joab. Since he had sup- port ed Ad o ni jah but not Ab sa lom, Joab fled to the L ord’ s tab er na cle and took hold of the horns of the al tar. 29 It was re port ed to King Sol o mon: “ Joab has fled to the L ord’ s tab er na cle and is now be side the al tar.” Then Sol o mon sent e Be na iah son of Je hoi a da and told him, “ Go and strike him down! ” a 2:5 LXX, Old Lat read on my waistband and . . . my feet ; v. 31 b 2:14 Lit then said, “I have a word for you.” c 2:16 Lit don’t make me turn my face d 2:22 LXX, Vg, Syr read kingship for him, and on his side are Abiathar the priest and Joab son of Zeruiah e 2:29 LXX adds Joab a message: “What is the matter with you, that you have fled to the altar? ” And Joab replied, “Because I feared you, I have fled to the Lord.” And Solomon the king sent 289 1 KINGS 2 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 289 10/26/17 8:59 PM 30 So Be na iah went to the tab er na cle and said to Joab, “ This is what the king says: ‘ Come out! ’ ” But Joab said, “ No, for I will die here.” So Be na iah took a mes sage back to the king, “ This is what Joab said, and this is how he an swered me.” 31 The king said to him, “ Do just as he says. Strike him down and bury him in or der to re move from me and from my fa ther’s fam i ly the blood that Joab shed with out just cause. 32 The L ord will bring back his own blood on his head be cause he struck down two men more righ teous and bet ter than he, with- out my fa ther Da vid’s knowl edge. With his sword, Joab mur dered Ab ner son of Ner, com mand er of Is ra el’s army , and Am a sa son of Je ther, com mand er of Ju dah’s army . 33 The re spon si bil i ty for their deaths will come back to Joab and to his de scen dants a for ev er, but for Da vid, his de scen dants, his dy nas ty , and his throne, there will be peace from the L ord for ev er.” 34 Be na iah son of Je hoi a da went up, struck down Joab, and put him to death. He was bur - ied at his house in the wil der ness. 35 Then the king ap point ed Be na iah son of Je hoi a da in Joab’s place over the army , and he ap point ed the priest Za dok in Abi a thar’s place. SHIMEI’S BANISHMENT AND EXECUTION 36 Then the king sum moned Shim ei and said to him, “ Build a house for your self in Je ru sa- lem and live there, but don’t leave there and go any where else. 37 On the day you do leave and cross the Kid ron Val ley , know for sure that you will cer tain ly die. Your blood will be on your own head.” 38 Shim ei said to the king, “ The sen tence is fair; your ser vant will do as my lord the king has spo ken.” And Shim ei lived in Je ru sa lem for a long time. 39 But then, at the end of three years, two of Shim ei’s slaves ran away to Achish son of Ma a cah, king of Gath. Shim ei was in formed, “ Look, your slaves are in Gath.” 40 So Shim ei sad dled his don key and set out to Achish at Gath to search for his slaves. He went and brought them back from Gath. 41 It was re port ed to Sol o mon that Shim ei had gone from Je ru sa lem to Gath and had re turned. 42 So the king sum moned Shim ei and said to him, “ Didn’t I make you swear by the L ord and warn you, say ing, ‘ On the day you leave and go any where else, know for sure that you will cer tain ly die’? And you said to me, ‘ The sen tence is fair; I will obey .’ 43 So why have you not kept the L ord’ s oath and the com mand that I gave you? ” 44 The king also said, “ You your self know all the evil that you did to my fa ther Da vid. There fore, the L ord has brought back your evil on your head, 45 but King Sol o mon will be blessed, and Da vid’s throne will re main es tab lished be fore the L ord for ev er.” 46 Then the king com mand ed Be na iah son of Je hoi a da, and he went out and struck Shim ei down, and he died. So the king dom was es- tab lished in Sol o mon’s hand. THE LORD APPEARS TO SOLOMON 3 Sol o mon made an al li ance b with Pha raoh king of Egypt by mar ry ing Pha raoh’s daugh ter. Sol o mon brought her to the city of Da vid un til he fin ished build ing his pal ace, the L ord’ s tem ple, and the wall sur round- ing Je ru sa lem. 2 How ev er, the peo ple were sac ri fic ing on the high plac es, be cause un til that time a tem ple for the L ord’ s name had not been built. 3 Sol o mon loved the L ord by walk ing in the stat utes of his fa ther Da vid, but he also sac ri ficed and burned in cense on the high plac es. 4 The king went to Gib e on to sac ri fice there be cause it was the most fa mous high place. He off ered a thou sand burnt off er ings on that al tar. 5 At Gib e on the L ord ap peared to Sol o- mon in a dream at night. God said, “ Ask. What should I give you? ” 6 And Sol o mon re plied, “ You have shown great and faith ful love to your ser vant, my fa ther Da vid, be cause he walked be fore you in faith ful ness, righ teous ness, and in teg ri ty . c You have con tin ued this great and faith ful love for him by giv ing him a son to sit on his throne, as it is to day . 7 “ L ord my God, you have now made your ser vant king in my fa ther Da vid’s place. Yet I am just a youth with no ex pe ri ence in lead- er ship. d 8 Your ser vant is among your peo ple you have cho sen, a peo ple too many to be num bered or count ed. 9 So give your ser vant a receptive heart to judge your peo ple and to dis cern be tween good and evil. For who is able to judge this great peo ple of yours? ” a 2:33 Lit Their blood will return on the head of Joab and on the head of his seed b 3:1 Lit Solomon made himself a son-in-law c 3:6 Lit and uprightness of heart with you d 3:7 Lit am a little youth and do not know to go out or come in1 KINGS 2-3 290 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 290 10/26/17 8:59 PM 10 Now it pleased the Lord that Sol o mon had re quest ed this. 11 So God said to him, “Be cause you have re quest ed this and did not ask for long life a or rich es for your self, or the death b of your en e mies, but you asked dis cern ment for your self to ad min is ter jus tice, 12 I will there- fore do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and un der stand ing heart, so that there has nev er been any one like you be fore and nev er will be again. 13 In ad di tion, I will give you what you did not ask for: both rich es and hon or, so that no king will be your equal dur ing your en tire life. 14 If you walk in my ways and keep my stat utes and com mands just as your fa ther Da vid did, I will give you a long life.” 15 Then Sol o mon woke up and re al ized it had been a dream. He went to Je ru sa lem, stood be fore the ark of the Lord’s cov enant, and off ered burnt off er ings and fel low ship off er- ings. Then he held a feast for all his ser vants. SOLOMON’S WISDOM 16 Then two wom en who were pros ti tutes came to the king and stood be fore him. 17 One wom an said, “ Please, my lord, this wom an and I live in the same house, and I had a baby while she was in the house. 18 On the third day af- ter I gave birth, she also had a baby and we were alone. No one else c was with us in the house; just the two of us were there. 19 Dur ing the night this wom an’s son died be cause she lay on him. 20 She got up in the mid dle of the night and took my son from my side while your ser vant was asleep. She laid him in her arms, and she put her dead son in my arms. 21 When I got up in the morn ing to nurse my son, I dis cov ered he was dead. That morn ing, when I looked close ly at him I re al ized that he was not the son I gave birth to.” 22 “ No,” the oth er wom an said. “ My son is the liv ing one; your son is the dead one.” The first wom an said, “ No, your son is the dead one; my son is the liv ing one.” So they ar gued be fore the king. 23 The king re plied, “ This wom an says, ‘ This is my son who is alive, and your son is dead,’ but that wom an says, ‘ No, your son is dead, and my son is alive.’ ” 24 The king con tin ued, “ Bring me a sword.” So they brought the sword to the king. 25 And the king said, “ Cut the liv ing boy in two and give half to one and half to the oth er.” 26 The wom an whose son was alive spoke to the king be cause she felt great com pas sion d for her son. “ My lord, give her the liv ing baby ,” she said, “ but please don’t have him killed! ” But the oth er one said, “ He will not be mine or yours. Cut him in two! ” 27 The king re spond ed, “ Give the liv ing baby to the first wom an, and don’t kill him. She is his moth er.” 28 All Is ra el heard about the judg ment the king had giv en, and they stood in awe of the king be cause they saw that God’s wis dom was in him to car ry out jus tice. SOLOMON’S OFFICIALS 4 King Sol o mon reigned over all Is ra el, 2 and these were his off i cials: Azariah son of Zadok, priest; 3 Elihoreph and Ahijah the sons of Shisha, secretaries; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud, court historian; 4 Benaiah son of Jehoiada, in charge of the army; Zadok and Abiathar, priests; 5 Azariah son of Nathan, in charge of the deputies;Zabud son of Nathan, a priest and adviser to the king; 6 Ahishar, in charge of the palace; and Adoniram son of
🏛️ Solomon's Kingdom Administration
🧠 Solomon's wisdom surpassed all contemporaries, enabling him to speak 3,000 proverbs and compose 1,005 songs about everything from cedar trees to animals, attracting emissaries from around the world
🛠️ Temple construction showcased meticulous planning with imported cedar from Lebanon through partnership with King Hiram of Tyre, featuring elaborate designs with cherubim, palm trees, and gold overlays
👑 Administrative efficiency demonstrated through twelve deputies managing provisions, 30,000 forced laborers working in shifts, and a sophisticated supply chain that maintained abundance throughout the kingdom
🌍 Territorial dominance extended from the Euphrates River to Egypt, with neighboring kingdoms paying tribute while Israelites lived in safety "under their own vine and fig tree"
🏗️ Building projects included not only the seven-year temple construction but also a thirteen-year palace complex featuring specialized halls, courtyards, and bronze craftsmanship by Hiram of Tyre
Abda, in charge of forced labor. 7 Sol o mon had twelve deputies for all Is ra el. They pro vid ed food for the king and his house- hold; each one made pro vi sion for one month out of the year. 8 These were their names: Ben-hur, in the hill country of Ephraim; 9 Ben-deker, in Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth-shemesh, and Elon-beth-hanan; 10 Ben-hesed, in Arubboth (he had Socoh and the whole land of Hepher); 11 Ben-abinadab, in all Naphath-dor (Taphath daughter of Solomon was his wife); 12 Baana son of Ahilud, in Taanach, Megiddo, and all Beth-shean which is beside Zarethan below Jezreel, from Beth-shean to Abel-meholah, as far as the other side of Jokmeam; 13 Ben-geber, in Ramoth-gilead (he had the villages of Jair son of Manasseh, which are in Gilead, and he had the region of Argob, which is in Bashan, sixty great cities with walls and bronze bars); 14 Ahinadab son of Iddo, in Mahanaim; a 3:11 Lit for many days b 3:11 Lit life c 3:18 Lit No stranger d 3:26 Lit because her compassion grew hot 291 1 KINGS 3-4 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 291 10/26/17 8:59 PM 15 Ahimaaz, in Naphtali (he also had married a daughter of Solomon — Basemath); 16 Baana son of Hushai, in Asher and Bealoth; 17 Jehoshaphat son of Paruah, in Issachar; 18 Shimei son of Ela, in Benjamin; 19 Geber son of Uri, in the land of Gilead, the country of King Sihon of the Amorites and of King Og of Bashan. There was one dep u ty in the land of Ju dah. a SOLOMON’S PROVISIONS 20 Ju dah and Is ra el were as nu mer ous as the sand by the sea; they were eat ing, drink ing, and re joic ing. 21 Sol o mon ruled all the king doms from the Eu phra tes Riv er to the land of the Phi lis tines and as far as the bor der of Egypt. They off ered trib ute and served Sol o mon all the days of his life. 22 Sol o mon’s pro vi sions for one day were 150 bush els b of fine flour and 300 bush els c of meal, 23 ten fat tened cat tle, twen ty range cat tle, and a hun dred sheep and goats, be sides deer, ga zelles, roe bucks, and pen-fed poul try , d 24 for he had do min ion over ev ery thing west of the Eu phra tes from Tiph sah to Gaza and over all the kings west of the Eu phra tes. He had peace on all his sur round ing bor ders. 25 Through out Sol o mon’s reign, Ju dah and Is ra el lived in safe ty from Dan to Be er-she ba, each per son un der his own vine and his own fig tree. 26 Sol o mon had for ty thou sand e stalls of hors es for his char i ots, and twelve thou- sand horse men. 27 Each of those deputies for a month in turn pro vid ed food for King Sol o- mon and for ev ery one who came to King Sol- o mon’s ta ble. They ne glect ed noth ing. 28 Each man brought the bar ley and the straw for the char i ot teams and the oth er hors es to the re- quired place ac cord ing to his as sign ment. f SOLOMON’S WISDOM AND LITERARY GIFTS 29 God gave Sol o mon wis dom, very great in- sight, and un der stand ing as vast as the sand on the sea shore. 30 Sol o mon’s wis dom was great er than the wis dom of all the peo ple of the East, great er than all the wis dom of Egypt. 31 He was wis er than any one — wis er than Ethan the Ez ra hite, and He man, Cal col, and Dar da, sons of Ma hol. His rep u ta tion ex tend ed to all the sur round ing na tions.32 Sol o mon spoke 3,000 prov erbs, and his songs num bered 1,005. 33 He spoke about trees, from the ce dar in Leb a non to the hys sop grow ing out of the wall. He also spoke about an i mals, birds, rep tiles, and fish. 34 Em is sar - ies of all peo ples, sent by ev ery king on earth who had heard of his wis dom, came to lis ten to Sol o mon’s wis dom. HIRAM’S BUILDING MATERIALS 5 King Hi ram of Tyre sent his em is sar ies to Sol o mon when he heard that he had been anoint ed king in his fa ther’s place, for Hi ram had al ways been friends with Da vid. 2 Sol o mon sent this mes sage to Hi ram: 3 “ You know my fa ther Da vid was not able to build a tem ple for the name of the L ord his God. This was be cause of the war fare all around him un til the L ord put his en e mies un der his feet. 4 The L ord my God has now giv en me rest on ev ery side; there is no en e my or cri sis. 5 So I plan to build a tem ple for the name of the L ord my God, ac cord ing to what the L ord prom ised my fa ther Da vid: ‘ I will put your son on your throne in your place, and he will build the tem ple for my name.’ 6 “There fore, com mand that ce dars from Leb a non be cut down for me. My ser vants will be with your ser vants, and I will pay your ser vants’ wag es ac cord ing to what ev er you say , for you know that not a man among us knows how to cut tim ber like the Si do ni ans.” 7 When Hi ram heard Sol o mon’s words, he re joiced great ly and said, “ Blessed be the L ord to day! He has giv en Da vid a wise son to be over this great peo ple! ” 8 Then Hi ram sent a re ply to Sol o mon, say ing, “ I have heard your mes sage; I will do ev ery thing you want re gard ing the ce dar and cy press tim ber. 9 My ser vants will bring the logs down from Leb a non to the sea, and I will make them into rafts to go by sea to the place you in di cate. I will break them apart there, and you can take them away . You then can meet my needs by pro vid ing my house- hold with food.” 10 So Hi ram pro vid ed Sol o mon with all the ce dar and cy press tim ber he want ed, 11 and Sol o mon pro vid ed Hi ram with one hun dred thou sand bush els g of wheat as food for his house hold and one hun dred ten thou sand gal lons h of oil from crushed ol ives. Sol o mon did this for Hi ram year af ter year. a 4:19 LXX; MT omits of Judah b 4:22 Lit 30 cors c 4:22 Lit 60 cors d 4:23 Hb obscure e 4:26 2Ch 9:25 reads 4,000 stalls f 4:28 Lit judgment g 5:11 Lit 20,000 cors h 5:11 LXX reads 20,000 baths ; MT reads 20 cors1 KINGS 4-5 292 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 292 10/26/17 8:59 PM 12 The L ord gave Sol o mon wis dom, as he had prom ised him. There was peace be tween Hi- ram and Sol o mon, and the two of them made a trea ty . SOLOMON’S WORKFORCE 13 Then King Sol o mon drafted forced la bor - ers from all Is ra el; the la bor force num bered thir ty thou sand men. 14 He sent ten thou- sand to Leb a non each month in shifts; one month they were in Leb a non, two months they were at home. Ad o ni ram was in charge of the forced la bor. 15 Sol o mon had sev en ty thou sand por ters and eighty thou sand stone- cut ters in the moun tains, 16 not in clud ing his thirty-three hun dred a deputies in charge of the work. They su per vised the peo ple do ing the work. 17 The king com mand ed them to quar ry large, cost ly stones to lay the foun da- tion of the tem ple with dressed stones. 18 So Sol o mon’s build ers and Hi ram’s build ers, along with the Ge bal ites, quarried the stone and pre pared the tim ber and stone for the tem ple’s con struc tion. BUILDING THE TEMPLE 6 Sol o mon be gan to build the tem ple for the L ord in the four hun dred eight i eth year af ter the Is ra el ites came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of his reign over Is ra el, in the month of Ziv , which is the sec ond month. b 2 The tem ple that King Sol o mon built for the L ord was nine ty feet c long, thir ty feet d wide, and forty-five feet e high. 3 The por ti co in front of the tem ple sanc tu ary was thir ty feet long ex tend ing across the tem ple’s width, and fif teen feet deep f in front of the tem ple. 4 He also made win dows with beveled frames g for the tem ple. 5 He then built a chambered struc ture h along the tem ple wall, en cir cling the walls of the tem ple, that is, the sanc tu ary and the in ner sanc tu ary . And he made side cham bers i all around. 6 The low est cham ber was 7 1/ 2 feet j wide, the mid dle was 9 feet k wide, and the third was 10 1/ 2 feet l wide. He also pro vid ed off set ledges for the tem ple all around the out side so that noth ing would be in sert ed into the tem ple walls. 7 The tem ple’s con struc tion used fin ished stones cut at the quar ry so that no ham mer, chis el, or any iron tool was heard in the tem ple while it was be ing built. 8 The door for the low est m side cham ber was on the right side of the tem ple. They n went up a stair way g to the mid dle cham ber, and from the mid dle to the third. 9 When he fin ished build ing the tem ple, he pan eled it with boards and planks of ce dar. 10 He built the cham bers along the en tire tem ple, joined to the tem ple with ce dar beams; each sto ry was 7 1/ 2 feet high. 11 The word of the L ord came to Sol o mon: 12 “ As for this tem ple you are build ing — if you walk in my stat utes, ob serve my or di nances, and keep all my com mands by walk ing in them, I will ful fill my prom ise to you, which I made to your fa ther Da vid. 13 I will dwell among the Is ra el ites and not aban don my peo ple Is ra el.” 14 When Sol o mon fin ished build ing the tem- ple, o 15 he pan eled the in te ri or tem ple walls with ce dar boards; from the tem ple floor to the sur face of the ceil ing he over laid the in- te ri or with wood. He also over laid the floor with cy press boards. 16 Then he lined thir ty feet of the rear of the tem ple with ce dar boards from the floor to the sur face of the ceil ing, p and he built the in te ri or as an in ner sanc tu ary , the most holy place. 17 The tem ple, that is, the sanc tu ary in front of the most holy place, q was six ty feet r long. 18 The ce dar pan el ing in- side the tem ple was carved with ornamental gourds and flow er blos soms. Ev ery thing was ce dar; not a stone could be seen. 19 He pre pared the in ner sanc tu ary in side the tem ple to put the ark of the L ord’ s cov enant there. 20 The in te ri or of the sanc tu ary was thir ty feet long, thir ty feet wide, and thir ty feet high; he over laid it with pure gold. He also over laid the ce dar al tar. 21 Next, Sol o mon over - laid the in te ri or of the tem ple with pure gold, and he hung s gold chains across the front of the in ner sanc tu ary and over laid it with gold. 22 So he add ed the gold over lay to the en tire tem ple un til ev ery thing was com plete ly fin- ished, in clud ing the en tire al tar that be longs to the in ner sanc tu ary . 23 In the in ner sanc tu ary he made two cher - u bim 15 feet t high out of ol ive wood. 24 One wing of the first cher ub was 7 1/ 2 feet long, and the oth er wing was 7 1/ 2 feet long. The a 5:16 Some LXX mss read 3,600 ; 2Ch 2:2,18 b 6:1 April–May c 6:2 Lit 60 cubits d 6:2 Lit 20 cubits, also in vv. 3,16,20 e 6:2 Lit 30 cubits f 6:3 Lit 10 cubits wide g 6:4,8 Hb obscure h 6:5 Lit built the temple of chamber i 6:5 Lit made ribs or sides j 6:6 Lit five cubits, also in vv. 10,24 k 6:6 Lit six cubits l 6:6 Lit seven cubits m 6:8 LXX, Tg; MT reads middle n 6:8 = People o 6:11-14 LXX omits these vv. p 6:16 LXX; MT omits of the ceiling ; 1Kg 6:15 q 6:17 Lit front of me ; Hb obscure r 6:17 Lit 40 cubits s 6:21 Lit he caused to pass across t 6:23 Lit 10 cubits, also in vv. 24,25,26 293 1 KINGS 5-6 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 293 10/26/17 9:00 PM wing span was 15 feet from tip to tip. 25 The sec ond cher ub also was 15 feet; both cher - u bim had the same size and shape. 26 The first cher ub’s height was 15 feet and so was the sec ond cher ub’s. 27 Then he put the cher - u bim in side the in ner tem ple. Since their wings were spread out, the first one’s wing touched one wall while the sec ond cher ub’s wing touched the oth er a wall, and in the mid- dle of the tem ple their wings were touch ing wing to wing. 28 He also over laid the cher u- bim with gold. 29 He carved all the sur round ing tem ple walls with carved en grav ings — cher u bim, palm trees, and flow er blos soms — in the in- ner and out er sanc tu ar ies. 30 He over laid the tem ple floor with gold in both the in ner and the out er sanc tu ar ies. 31 For the en trance of the in ner sanc tu ary , he made ol ive wood doors. The pil lars of the door posts were five-sided. b 32 The two doors were made of ol ive wood. He carved cher u bim, palm trees, and flow er blos soms on them and over laid them with gold, hammering gold over the cher u bim and palm trees. 33 In the same way , he made four-sided b ol ive wood door posts for the sanc tu ary en trance. 34 The two doors were made of cy press wood; the first door had two fold ing sides, and the sec- ond door had two fold ing pan els. 35 He carved cher u bim, palm trees, and flow er blos soms on them and over laid them with gold ap plied even ly over the carving. 36 He built the in ner court yard with three rows of dressed stone and a row of trimmed ce dar beams. 37 The foun da tion of the L ord’ s tem ple was laid in Sol o mon’s fourth year in the month of Ziv . 38 In his elev enth year in the month of Bul, which is the eighth month, c the tem ple was com plet ed in ev ery de tail and ac cord- ing to ev ery specification. So he built it in sev en years. SOLOMON’S PALACE COMPLEX 7 Sol o mon com plet ed his en tire pal ace com - plex af ter thir teen years of con struc tion. 2 He built the House of the For est of Leb a non. It was one hun dred fif ty feet d long, seventy-five feet e wide, and forty-five feet f high on four rows of ce dar pil lars, with ce dar beams on top of the pil lars. 3 It was pan eled above with ce dar at the top of the cham bers that rest ed on forty-five pil lars, fif teen per row . 4 There were three rows of win dow frames, fac ing each oth er g in three tiers. h 5 All the doors and door posts had rect an gu lar frames, the open- ings fac ing each oth er i in three tiers. 6 He made the hall of pil lars seventy-five feet long and forty-five feet wide. A por ti co was in front of the pil lars, and a can o py with pil lars b was in front of them. 7 He made the Hall of the Throne where he would judge — the Hall of Judg ment. It was pan eled with ce dar from the floor to the raf ters. j 8 Sol o mon’s own pal ace where he would live, in the oth er court yard be hind the hall, was of sim i lar con struc tion. And he made a house like this hall for Pha- raoh’s daugh ter, his wife. k 9 All of these build ings were of cost ly stones, cut to size and sawed with saws on the in ner and out er sur faces, from foun da tion to coping and from the out side to the great court yard. 10 The foun da tion was made of large, cost ly stones twelve and fif teen feet l long. 11 Above were also cost ly stones, cut to size, as well as ce dar wood. 12 Around the great court yard, as well as the in ner court yard of the L ord’ s tem- ple and the por ti co of the tem ple, were three rows of dressed stone and a row of trimmed ce dar beams. 13 King Sol o mon had Hi ram m brought from Tyre. 14 He was a wid ow’s son from the tribe of Naph ta li, and his fa ther was a man of Tyre, a bronze crafts man. Hi ram had great skill, un- der stand ing, and knowl edge to do ev ery kind of bronze work. So he came to King Sol o mon and car ried out all his work. THE BRONZE PILLARS 15 He cast two bronze pil lars, each 27 feet n high and 18 feet o in cir cum fer ence. p 16 He also made two cap i tals of cast bronze to set on top of the pil lars; 7 1/ 2 feet q was the height of the first cap i tal, and 7 1/ 2 feet was also the height of the sec ond cap i tal. 17 The cap i tals on top of the pil lars had grat ings of latticework, wreaths r made of chainwork — sev en for the first cap i tal and sev en for the sec ond. 18 He made the pil lars with two en cir cling rows of pome gran ates on the one grat ing to a 6:27 Lit the second b 6:31,33; 7:6 Hb obscure c 6:38 = October–November d 7:2 Lit 100 cubits e 7:2 Lit 50 cubits, also in v. 6 f 7:2 Lit 30 cubits, also in vv. 6,23 g 7:4 Lit frames, window to window h 7:4 Lit three times ; = at 3 different places, also in v. 5 i 7:5 Lit frames, opposing window to window j 7:7 Syr , Vg; MT reads floor k 7:8 Lit daughter he had taken l 7:10 Lit ten cubits and eight cubits m 7:13 = Huram in 2Ch 4:11 n 7:15 Lit 18 cubits o 7:15 Lit 12 cubits p 7:15 LXX adds and the thickness of the pillar was four fingers hollowed and similarly the second pillar q 7:16 Lit five cubits, also in v. 23 r 7:17 Lit tassels1 KINGS 6-7 294 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 294 10/26/17 9:00 PM cov er the cap i tal on top; he did the same for the sec ond cap i tal. 19 And the cap i tals on top of the pil lars in the por ti co were shaped like lil ies, six feet a high. 20 The cap i tals on the two pil lars were also im me di ate ly above the round- ed sur face next to the grat ing, and two hun dred pome gran ates were in rows en cir cling each b cap i tal. 21 He set up the pil lars at the por ti co of the sanc tu ary: he set up the right pil lar and named it Ja chin; c then he set up the left pil lar and named it Boaz. d 22 The tops of the pil lars were shaped like lil ies. Then the work of the pil lars was com plet ed. THE BASIN 23 He made the cast met al ba sin, e 15 feet f from brim to brim, per fect ly round. It was 7 1/ 2 feet high and 45 feet in cir cum fer ence. 24 Orna - mental gourds en cir cled it be low the brim, ten ev ery half yard, g com plete ly en cir cling the ba sin. The gourds were cast in two rows when the ba sin was cast. 25 It stood on twelve oxen, three fac ing north, three fac ing west, three fac ing south, and three fac ing east. The ba sin was on top of them and all their hind quar ters were to ward the cen ter. 26 The ba sin was three inch es h thick, and its rim was fash ioned like the brim of a cup or of a lily blos som. It held elev en thou sand gal lons. i THE BRONZE WATER CARTS 27 Then he made ten
🏛️ Solomon's Temple Craftsmanship
🛠️ Bronze water carts featured intricate designs with frames, wheels, and decorative elements including lions, oxen, and cherubim engravings, showcasing extraordinary metalwork craftsmanship
🧰 Hiram created numerous bronze temple furnishings including pillars, basins, utensils, and ceremonial objects, all cast in clay molds in the Jordan Valley
✨ Gold elements complemented the bronze works, with Solomon commissioning pure gold altars, lampstands, ceremonial bowls, and other sacred objects for the inner sanctuary
🙏 Temple dedication culminated in Solomon's profound prayer acknowledging God's faithfulness and requesting divine presence, with specific petitions for various future scenarios
🔥 Divine response came as God's glory filled the temple through a cloud, followed later by God's direct promise to establish Solomon's throne if he maintained integrity and followed divine commands
🌍 Universal significance of the temple extended beyond Israel, as Solomon prayed for foreigners who would come to worship, emphasizing the temple as a house of prayer for all nations
bronze wa ter carts. j Each wa ter cart was 6 feet long, 6 feet wide, and 4 1/ 2 feet k high. 28 This was the de sign of the carts: They had frames; the frames were be- tween the cross-pieces, 29 and on the frames be tween the cross-pieces were li ons, oxen, and cher u bim. On the cross-pieces there was a ped es tal above, and be low the li ons and oxen were wreaths of hang ing l work. 30 Each cart had four bronze wheels with bronze ax les. Un der neath the four cor ners of the ba sin were cast sup ports, each next to a wreath. 31 And the wa ter cart’s open ing in side the crown on top was eigh teen inch es m wide. The open ing was round, made as a ped es tal twenty-seven inch es n wide. On it were carv ings, but their frames were square, not round. 32 There were four wheels un der the frames, and the wheel ax les were part of the wa ter cart; each wheel was twenty-seven inch es o tall. 33 The wheels’ de sign was sim i lar to that of char i ot wheels: their ax les, rims, spokes, and hubs were all of cast met al. 34 Four sup ports were at the four cor ners of each wa ter cart; each sup port was one piece with the wa ter cart. 35 At the top of the cart was a band nine inch es p high en cir cling it; also, at the top of the cart, its brac es and its frames were one piece with it. 36 He en graved cher u bim, li ons, and palm trees on the plates of its brac es and on its frames, wher ev er each had space, with en cir cling wreaths. 37 In this way he made the ten wa ter carts us ing the same cast ing, di men sions, and shape for all of them. BRONZE BASINS AND OTHER UTENSILS 38 Then he made ten bronze ba sins — each ba sin held 220 gal lons q and each was six feet wide — one ba sin for each of the ten wa ter carts. 39 He set five wa ter carts on the right side of the tem ple and five on the left side. He put the ba sin near the right side of the tem ple to ward the south east. 40 Then Hi ram made the ba sins, the shov els, and the sprin kling ba sins. COMPLETION OF THE BRONZE WORKS So Hi ram fin ished all the work that he was do ing for King Sol o mon on the L ord’ s tem ple: 41 two pil lars; bowls for the cap i tals that were on top of the two pil lars; the two grat ings for cov er ing both bowls of the cap i tals that were on top of the pil lars; 42 the four hun dred pome gran ates for the two grat ings ( two rows of pome gran ates for each grat ing cov er ing both cap i tals’ bowls on top of the pil lars); 43 the ten wa ter carts; the ten ba sins on the wa ter carts; 44 the ba sin; the twelve oxen un der neath the ba sin; 45 and the pots, shov els, and sprin- kling ba sins. All the uten sils that Hi ram made for King Sol o mon at the L ord’ s tem ple were made of bur nished bronze. 46 The king had them cast in clay molds in the Jor dan Val ley be tween Suc coth and Zar e than. 47 Sol o mon left all the uten sils un weighed be cause there were so many; the weight of the bronze was not de ter mined. COMPLETION OF THE GOLD FURNISHINGS 48 Sol o mon also made all the equip ment in the L ord’ s tem ple: the gold al tar; the gold ta ble that the Bread of the Pres ence was placed on; a 7:19 Lit four cubits, also in vv. 27,38 b 7:20 Lit encircling the second c 7:21 = He Will Establish d 7:21 = In Him Is Strength e 7:23 Lit sea f 7:23 Lit 10 cubits g 7:24 Lit 10 per cubit h 7:26 Lit a handbreadth i 7:26 Lit 2,000 baths j 7:27 Lit bronze stands k 7:27 Lit three cubits l 7:29 Or hammered-down m 7:31 Lit a cubit n 7:31 Lit one and a half cubits o 7:32 Lit was one and a half cubits p 7:35 Lit half a cubit q 7:38 Lit 40 baths 295 1 KINGS 7 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 295 10/26/17 9:00 PM 49 the pure gold lamp stands in front of the in- ner sanc tu ary , five on the right and five on the left; the gold flow ers, lamps, and tongs; 50 the pure gold cer e mo ni al bowls, wick trim mers, sprin kling ba sins, ladles, a and fire pans; and the gold hing es for the doors of the in ner tem ple ( that is, the most holy place) and for the doors of the tem ple sanc tu ary . 51 So all the work King Sol o mon did in the L ord’ s tem ple was com plet ed. Then Sol o mon brought in the con se crat ed things of his fa ther Da vid — the sil ver, the gold, and the uten- sils — and put them in the trea sur ies of the L ord’ s tem ple. SOLOMON’S DEDICATION OF THE TEMPLE 8 At that time Sol o mon as sem bled the el - ders of Is ra el, all the trib al heads and the an ces tral lead ers of the Is ra el ites be fore him at Je ru sa lem in or der to bring the ark of the L ord’ s cov enant from the city of Da vid, that is Zion. 2 So all the men of Is ra el were as sem bled in the pres ence of King Sol o mon in the month of Eth a nim, which is the sev enth month, b at the fes ti val. 3 All the el ders of Is ra el came, and the priests picked up the ark. 4 The priests and the Le vites brought the ark of the L ord, the tent of meet- ing, and the holy uten sils that were in the tent. 5 King Sol o mon and the en tire con gre ga tion of Is ra el, who had gath ered around him and were with him in front of the ark, were sac ri fic ing sheep, goats, and cat tle that could not be count- ed or num bered, be cause there were so many . 6 The priests brought the ark of the L ord’ s cov enant to its place, into the in ner sanc tu ary of the tem ple, to the most holy place be neath the wings of the cher u bim. 7 For the cher u bim were spread ing their wings over c the place of the ark, so that the cher u bim cov ered the ark and its poles from above. 8 The poles were so long that their ends were seen from the holy place in front of the in ner sanc tu ary , but they were not seen from out side the sanc tu ary; they are still there to day . 9 Noth ing was in the ark ex cept the two stone tab lets that Mo ses had put there at Ho reb, d where the L ord made a cov enant with the Is ra el ites when they came out of the land of Egypt. 10 When the priests came out of the holy place, the cloud filled the L ord’ s tem ple, 11 and be cause of the cloud, the priests were not able to con tin ue min is ter ing, for the glo ry of the L ord filled the tem ple. 12 Then Sol o mon said: The Lord said that he would dwell in total darkness. 13 I have indeed built an exalted temple for you, a place for your dwelling forever. 14 The king turned around and blessed the en tire con gre ga tion of Is ra el while they were stand ing. 15 He said: Blessed be the Lord God of Israel! He spoke directly to my father David, and he has fulfilled the promise by his power. He said, 16 “Since the day I brought my people Israel out of Egypt, I have not chosen a city to build a temple in among any of the tribes of Israel, so that my name would be there. But I have chosen David to rule my people Israel.” 17 My father David had his heart set on building a temple for the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. 18 But the Lord said to my father David, “Since your heart was set on building a temple for my name, you have done well to have this desire. e 19 Yet you are not the one to build it; instead, your son, your own offspring, will build it for my name.” 20 The Lord has fulfilled what he promised. I have taken the place of my father David, and I sit on the throne of Israel, as the Lord promised. I have built the temple for the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. 21 I have provided a place there for the ark, where the Lord’s covenant is that he made with our ancestors when he brought them out of the land of Egypt. SOLOMON’S PRAYER 22 Then Sol o mon stood be fore the al tar of the L ord in front of the en tire con gre ga tion of Is ra el and spread out his hands to ward heav- en. 23 He said: a 7:50 Or dishes, or spoons ; lit palms b 8:2 = September–October c 8:7 LXX; MT reads toward d 8:9 = Sinai e 8:18 Lit well because it was with your heart1 KINGS 7-8 296 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 296 10/26/17 9:00 PM L ord God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below , who keeps the gracious covenant with your servants who walk before you with all their heart. 24 You have kept what you promised to your servant, my father David. You spoke directly to him and you fulfilled your promise by your power as it is today . 25 Therefore, Lord God of Israel, keep what you promised to your servant, my father David: You will never fail to have a man to sit before me on the throne of Israel, if only your sons take care to walk before me as you have walked before me. 26 Now Lord a God of Israel, please confirm what you promised to your servant, my father David. 27 But will God indeed live on earth? Even heaven, the highest heaven, cannot contain you, much less this temple I have built. 28 Listen b to your servant’s prayer and his petition, L ord my God, so that you may hear the cry and the prayer that your servant prays before you today , 29 so that your eyes may watch over this temple night and day , toward the place where you said, “My name will be there,” and so that you may hear the prayer that your servant prays toward this place. 30 Hear the petition of your servant and your people Israel, which they pray toward this place. May you hear in your dwelling place in heaven. May you hear and forgive. 31 When a man sins against his neighbor and is forced to take an oath, c and he comes to take an oath before your altar in this temple, 32 may you hear in heaven and act. May you judge your servants, condemning the wicked man by bringing what he has done on his own head and providing justice for the righteous by rewarding him according to his righteousness. 33 When your people Israel are defeated before an enemy , because they have sinned against you, and they return to you and praise your name, and they pray and plead with you for mercy in this temple, 34 may you hear in heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel. May you restore them to the land you gave their ancestors. 35 When the skies are shut and there is no rain, because they have sinned against you, and they pray toward this place and praise your name, and they turn from their sins because you are afflicting them, 36 may you hear in heaven and forgive the sin of your servants and your people Israel, so that you may teach them the good way they should walk in. May you send rain on your land that you gave your people for an inheritance. 37 When there is famine in the land, when there is pestilence, when there is blight or mildew , locust or grasshopper, when their enemy besieges them in the land and its cities, d when there is any plague or illness, 38 every prayer or petition that any person or that all your people Israel may have — they each know their own affliction e — a 8:26 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr , Tg, Vg, 2Ch 6:16; other Hb mss omit L ord b 8:28 Lit Turn c 8:31 Lit and he lifts a curse against him to curse him d 8:37 Lit land of its gates e 8:38 Lit know in his heart of a plague 297 1 KINGS 8 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 297 10/26/17 9:00 PM as they spread out their hands toward this temple, 39 may you hear in heaven, your dwelling place, and may you forgive, act, and give to everyone according to all their ways, since you know each heart, for you alone know every human heart, 40 so that they may fear you all the days they live on the land you gave our ancestors. 41 Even for the foreigner who is not of your people Israel but has come from a distant land because of your name — 42 for they will hear of your great name, strong hand, and outstretched arm, and will come and pray toward this temple — 43 may you hear in heaven, your dwelling place, and do according to all the foreigner asks. Then all peoples of earth will know your name, to fear you as your people Israel do and to know that this temple I have built bears your name. 44 When your people go out to fight against their enemies, a wherever you send them, and they pray to the Lord in the direction of the city you have chosen and the temple I have built for your name, 45 may you hear their prayer and petition in heaven and uphold their cause. 46 When they sin against you — for there is no one who does not sin — and you are angry with them and hand them over to the enemy , and their captors deport them to the enemy’s country — whether distant or nearby — 47 and when they come to their senses b in the land where they were deported and repent and petition you in their captors’ land: “We have sinned and done wrong; we have been wicked,” 48 and when they return to you with all their heart and all their soul in the land of their enemies who took them captive, and when they pray to you in the direction of their land that you gave their ancestors, the city you have chosen, and the temple I have built for your name, 49 may you hear in heaven, your dwelling place, their prayer and petition and uphold their cause. 50 May you forgive your people who sinned against you and all their rebellions c against you, and may you grant them compassion before their captors, so that they may treat them compassionately . 51 For they are your people and your inheritance; you brought them out of Egypt, out of the middle of an iron furnace. 52 May your eyes be open to your servant’s petition and to the petition of your people Israel, listening to them whenever they call to you. 53 For you, Lord God, have set them apart as your inheritance from all peoples of the earth, as you spoke through your servant Moses when you brought our ancestors out of Egypt. SOLOMON’S BLESSING 54 When Sol o mon fin ished pray ing this en tire prayer and pe ti tion to the L ord, he got up from kneel ing be fore the al tar of the L ord, with his hands spread out to ward heav en, 55 and he stood and blessed the whole con gre ga tion of Is ra el with a loud voice: 56 “ Blessed be the L ord! He has giv en rest to his peo ple Is ra el a 8:44 Some Hb mss, some ancient versions, 2Ch 6:34; other Hb mss read enemy b 8:47 Lit they return to their heart c 8:50 Lit rebellions that they have rebelled1 KINGS 8 298 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 298 10/26/17 9:00 PM ac cord ing to all he has said. Not one of all the good prom is es he made through his ser vant Mo ses has failed. 57 May the L ord our God be with us as he was with our an ces tors. May he not aban don us or leave us 58 so that he caus es us to be de vot ed a to him, to walk in all his ways, and to keep his com mands, stat utes, and or di- nances, which he com mand ed our an ces tors. 59 May my words with which I have made my pe ti tion be fore the L ord be near the L ord our God day and night. May he up hold his ser vant’s cause and the cause of his peo ple Is ra el, as each day re quires. 60 May all the peo ples of the earth know that the L ord is God. There is no oth er! 61 Be whole heart ed ly de vot ed to the L ord our God to walk in his stat utes and to keep his com mands, as it is to day .” 62 The king and all Is ra el with him were off er ing sac ri fic es in the L ord’ s pres ence. 63 Sol o mon off ered a sac ri fice of fel low ship off er ings to the L ord: twenty-two thou sand cat tle and one hun dred twen ty thou sand sheep and goats. In this man ner the king and all the Is ra el ites ded i cat ed the L ord’ s tem ple. 64 On the same day , the king con se crat ed the mid dle of the court yard that was in front of the L ord’ s tem ple be cause that was where he off ered the burnt off er ing, the grain off er- ing, and the fat of the fel low ship off er ings since the bronze al tar be fore the L ord was too small to accommodate the burnt off er- ings, the grain o ff er ings, and the fat of the fel low ship off er ings. 65 Sol o mon and all Is ra el with him — a great as sem bly , from the en trance of Ha math b to the Brook of Egypt — ob served the fes ti val at that time in the pres ence of the L ord our God, sev en days, and sev en more days — four teen days. c 66 On the fif teenth day d he sent the peo- ple away . So they blessed the king and went to their homes e re joic ing and with hap py hearts for all the good ness that the L ord had done for his ser vant Da vid and for his peo ple Is ra el. THE LORD’S RESPONSE 9 When Sol o mon fin ished build ing the tem- ple of the L ord, the roy al pal ace, and all that Sol o mon de sired to do, 2 the L ord ap- peared to Sol o mon a sec ond time just as he had ap peared to him at Gib e on. 3 The L ord said to him:I have heard your prayer and petition you have made before me. I have conse - crated this temple you have built, to put f my name there forever; my eyes and my heart will be there at all times. 4 As for you, if you walk before me as your father David walked, with a heart of integrity and in what is right, doing everything I have commanded you, and if you keep my statutes and ordinances, 5 I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever, as I promised your father David: You will never fail to have a man on the throne of Israel. 6 If you or your sons turn away from fol - lowing me and do not keep my commands — my statutes that I have set before you — and if you go and serve other gods and bow in worship to them, 7 I will cut off Israel from the land I gave them, and I will reject g the temple I have sanctified for my name. Israel will become an object of scorn and ridicule among all the peoples. 8 Though this temple is now exalted, h ev- eryone who passes by will be appalled and will scoff. i They will say: Why did the Lord do this to this land and this temple? 9 Then they will say: Because they abandoned the Lord their God who brought their an - cestors out of the land of Egypt. They held on to other gods and bowed in worship to them and served them. Because of this, the Lord brought all this ruin on them. KING HIRAM’S TWENTY TOWNS 10 At the end of twen ty years dur ing which Sol o mon had built the two hous es, the L ord’ s tem ple and the roy al pal ace — 11 King Hi ram of Tyre hav ing sup plied him with ce dar and cy press logs and gold for his ev ery wish — King Sol o mon gave Hi ram twen ty towns in the land of Gal i lee. 12 So Hi ram went out from Tyre to look over the towns that Sol o mon had giv en him, but he was not pleased with them. 13 So he said, “ What are these towns you’ve giv en me, my broth er? ” So he called them the Land of Ca bul, j as they are still called to day . 14 Now Hi ram had sent the king nine thou sand pounds k of gold. a 8:58 Lit causes our hearts to be inclined b 8:65 Or from Lebo-hamath c 8:65 Temple dedication lasted seven days, and the Festival of Shelters lasted seven days. d
🏰 Solomon's Kingdom and Decline
👑 Solomon's reign showcased extraordinary wealth and power through massive building projects, forced labor systems, and international trade networks that brought gold, exotic goods, and royal prestige to Israel
🌍 The queen of Sheba's visit confirmed Solomon's legendary wisdom and prosperity, as she marveled at his palace, administration, and offerings to God, declaring him blessed by the Lord
💰 Solomon accumulated unprecedented riches including gold shields, an ivory throne, fleets of ships, chariots, and so much silver it became "as common as stones" in Jerusalem
👩❤️👨 His foreign marriages (700 wives and 300 concubines) ultimately led to spiritual compromise as he built temples for foreign gods, directly violating God's commands
⚔️ God raised up enemies against Solomon including Hadad the Edomite and Rezon of Damascus, while promising to divide the kingdom after Solomon's death
👪 After Solomon's 40-year reign, his son Rehoboam's harsh leadership triggered the prophesied division of the kingdom when he rejected the elders' counsel for compassionate rule
8:66 Lit the eighth day e 8:66 Lit tents f 9:3 Or by putting g 9:7 Lit send from my presence h 9:8 Some ancient versions read temple will become a ruin i 9:8 Lit hiss j 9:13 = Like Nothing k 9:14 Lit 120 talents 299 1 KINGS 8-9 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 299 10/26/17 9:00 PM SOLOMON’S FORCED LABOR 15 This is the ac count of the forced la bor that King Sol o mon had im posed to build the L ord’ s tem ple, his own pal ace, the sup port ing ter rac- es, the wall of Je ru sa lem, and Ha zor, Me gid do, and Ge zer. 16 Pha raoh king of Egypt had at- tacked and cap tured Ge zer. He then burned it, killed the Ca naan ites who lived in the city , and gave it as a dowry to his daugh ter, Sol o mon’s wife. 17 Then Sol o mon re built Ge zer, Low er Beth-ho ron, 18 Ba al ath, Ta mar a,b in the Wil- der ness of Ju dah, 19 all the stor age cit ies that be longed to Sol o mon, the char i ot cit ies, the cav al ry cit ies, and what ev er Sol o mon de sired to build in Je ru sa lem, Leb a non, or any where else in the land of his do min ion. 20 As for all the peo ples who re mained of the Am o rites, Heth ites, Per iz zites, Hi vites, and Jeb u sites, who were not Is ra el ites — 21 their de scen dants who re mained in the land af ter them, those whom the Is ra el ites were un able to de stroy com plete ly — Sol o mon im posed forced la bor on them; it is still this way to day . 22 But Sol o mon did not con sign the Is ra el ites to slav ery; they were sol diers, his ser vants, his com mand ers, his cap tains, and com mand ers of his char i ots and his cav al ry . 23 These were the deputies who were over Sol o mon’s work: 550 who su per vised the peo ple do ing the work. SOLOMON’S OTHER ACTIVITIES 24 Pha raoh’s daugh ter moved from the city of Da vid to the house that Sol o mon had built for her; he then built the ter rac es. 25 Three times a year Sol o mon off ered burnt off er ings and fel low ship off er ings on the al- tar he had built for the L ord, and he burned in cense with them in the L ord’ s pres ence. So he com plet ed the tem ple. 26 King Sol o mon put to geth er a fleet of ships at Ezion-geber, which is near Eloth on the shore of the Red Sea in the land of Edom. 27 With the fleet, Hi ram sent his ser vants, ex pe ri enced sea men, along with Sol o mon’s ser vants. 28 They went to Ophir and ac quired gold there — six- teen tons c — and de liv ered it to Sol o mon. THE QUEEN OF SHEBA 10 The queen of She ba heard about Sol o- mon’s fame con nect ed with the name of the L ord and came to test him with rid dles. 2 She came to Je ru sa lem with a very large entourage, with cam els bear ing spic es, gold in great abun dance, and pre cious stones. She came to Sol o mon and spoke to him about ev ery thing that was on her mind. 3 So Sol- o mon an swered all her ques tions; noth ing was too dif fi cult for the king to ex plain to her. 4 When the queen of She ba ob served all of Sol o mon’s wis dom, the pal ace he had built, 5 the food at his ta ble, his ser vants’ res i dence, his at ten dants’ ser vice and their attire, his cup bear ers, and the burnt of fer - ings he of fered at the L ord’ s tem ple, it took her breath away . 6 She said to the king, “ The re port I heard in my own coun try about your words and about your wis dom is true. 7 But I didn’t be- lieve the re ports un til I came and saw with my own eyes. In deed, I was not even told half. Your wis dom and pros per i ty far ex ceed the re port I heard. 8 How hap py are your men. d How hap py are these ser vants of yours, who al ways stand in your pres ence hear ing your wis dom. 9 Blessed be the L ord your God! He de light ed in you and put you on the throne of Is ra el, be cause of the L ord’ s eter nal love for Is ra el. He has made you king to car ry out jus tice and righ teous ness.” 10 Then she gave the king four and a half tons e of gold, a great quan ti ty of spic es, and pre cious stones. Nev er again did such a quan ti- ty of spic es ar rive as those the queen of She ba gave to King Sol o mon. 11 In ad di tion, Hi ram’s fleet that car ried gold from Ophir brought from Ophir a large quan- ti ty of al mug f wood and pre cious stones. 12 The king made the al mug wood into steps for the L ord’ s tem ple and the king’s pal ace and into lyres and harps for the sing ers. Nev er be fore did such al mug wood ar rive, and the like has not been seen again. 13 King Sol o mon gave the queen of She ba her ev ery de sire — what ev er she asked — be sides what he had giv en her out of his roy al boun ty . Then she, along with her ser vants, re turned to her own coun try . SOLOMON’S WEALTH 14 The weight of gold that came to Sol o mon an nu al ly was twenty-five tons, g 15 be sides what came from mer chants, trad ers’ mer chan dise, and all the Ara bi an kings and gov er nors of the land. a 9:18 Alt Hb traditions, LXX, Syr , Tg, Vg read Tadmor ; 2Ch 8:4 b 9:18 T amar was a city in southern Judah; Ezk 47:19; 48:28. c 9:28 Lit 420 talents d 10:8 LXX, Syr read your wives e 10:10 Lit 120 talents f 10:11 = algum in 2Ch 2:8; 9:10-11 g 10:14 Lit 666 talents1 KINGS 9-10 300 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 300 10/26/17 9:00 PM 16 King Sol o mon made two hun dred large shields of ham mered gold; fif teen pounds a of gold went into each shield. 17 He made three hun dred small shields of ham mered gold; near ly four pounds b of gold went into each shield. The king put them in the House of the For est of Leb a non. 18 The king also made a large ivo ry throne and over laid it with fine gold. 19 The throne had six steps; there was a round ed top at the back of the throne, arm rests on ei ther side of the seat, and two li ons stand ing be side the arm rests. 20 Twelve li ons were stand ing there on the six steps, one at each end. Noth ing like it had ever been made in any oth er king dom. 21 All of King Sol o mon’s drink ing cups were gold, and all the uten sils of the House of the For est of Leb a non were pure gold. There was no sil ver, since it was con sid ered as noth ing in Sol o mon’s time, 22 for the king had ships of Tar shish at sea with Hi ram’s fleet, and once ev ery three years the ships of Tar shish would ar rive bear ing gold, sil ver, ivo ry , apes, and peacocks. c 23 King Sol o mon sur passed all the kings of the world in rich es and in wis dom. 24 The whole world want ed an au di ence with Sol o mon to hear the wis dom that God had put in his heart. 25 Ev ery man would bring his an nu al trib ute: items d of sil ver and gold, cloth ing, weap ons, e spic es, and hors es and mules. 26 Sol o mon ac cu mu lat ed 1,400 char i ots and 12,000 horse men and sta tioned them in the char i ot cit ies and with the king in Je ru sa lem. 27 The king made sil ver as com mon in Je ru sa lem as stones, and he made ce dar as abun dant as syc a more in the Ju de an foot hills. 28 Sol o mon’s hors es were im port ed from Egypt and Kue. f The king’s trad ers bought them from Kue at the go ing price. 29 A char i ot was im port ed from Egypt for fif teen pounds g of sil ver, and a horse for near ly four pounds. h In the same way , they ex port ed them to all the kings of the Hit tites and to the kings of Aram through their agents. SOLOMON’S UNFAITHFULNESS TO GOD 11 King Sol o mon loved many for eign wom- en in ad di tion to Pha raoh’s daugh ter: Mo ab ite, Am mon ite, Edom ite, Sidonian, and Hit tite wom en 2 from the na tions about which the L ord had told the Is ra el ites, “ You must not in ter mar ry with them, and they must not in ter mar ry with you, be cause they will turn your heart away to fol low their gods.” To these wom en Sol o mon was deep ly at tached i in love. 3 He had sev en hun dred wives who were princesses and three hun dred who were con cu bines, and they turned his heart away . 4 When Sol o mon was old, his wives turned his heart away to fol low oth er gods. He was not whole heart ed ly de vot ed to the L ord his God, as his fa ther Da vid had been. 5 Sol o mon fol lowed Ash to reth, the god dess of the Si do- ni ans, and Milcom, the ab hor rent idol of the Am mon ites. 6 Sol o mon did what was evil in the L ord’ s sight, and un like his fa ther Da vid, he did not re main loy al to the L ord. 7 At that time, Sol o mon built a high place for Che mosh, the ab hor rent idol of Moab, and for Milcom, j the ab hor rent idol of the Am mon- ites, on the hill across from Je ru sa lem. 8 He did the same for all his for eign wives, who were burn ing in cense and off er ing sac ri fic es to their gods. 9 The L ord was an gry with Sol o mon, be cause his heart had turned away from the L ord, the God of Is ra el, who had ap peared to him twice. 10 He had com mand ed him about this, so that he would not fol low oth er gods, but Sol o mon did not do what the L ord had com mand ed. 11 Then the L ord said to Sol o mon, “ Since you have done this k and did not keep my cov enant and my stat utes, which I com mand ed you, I will tear the king dom away from you and give it to your ser vant. 12 How ev er, I will not do it dur ing your life time for the sake of your fa ther Da vid; I will tear it out of your son’s hand. 13 Yet I will not tear the en tire king dom away from him. I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of my ser vant Da vid and for the sake of Je ru sa lem that I chose.” SOLOMON’S ENEMIES 14 So the L ord raised up Ha dad the Edom ite as an en e my against Sol o mon. He was of the roy al fam i ly in Edom. 15 Ear li er, when Da vid was in Edom, Joab, the com mand er of the army , had gone to bury the dead and had struck down ev- ery male in Edom. 16 For Joab and all Is ra el had re mained there six months, un til he had killed ev ery male in Edom. 17 Ha dad fled to Egypt, along with some Edom ites from his fa ther’s ser vants. At the time Ha dad was a small boy . a 10:16 Lit 600 (shekels) b 10:17 Lit three minas c 10:22 Or baboons d 10:25 Or vessels, or weapons e 10:25 Or fragrant balsam f 10:28 = Cilicia g 10:29 Lit 600 shekels h 10:29 Lit 150 shekels i 11:2 Lit Solomon clung j 11:7 Lit Molech k 11:11 Lit “Since this was with you 301 1 KINGS 10-11 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 301 10/26/17 9:00 PM 18 Ha dad and his men set out from Mid i an and went to Pa ran. They took men with them from Pa ran and went to Egypt, to Pha raoh king of Egypt, who gave Ha dad a house, or dered that he be giv en food, and gave him land. 19 Pha raoh liked Ha dad so much a that he gave him a wife, the sis ter of his own wife, Queen Tah pe nes. 20 Tahpenes’s sis ter gave birth to Ha dad’s son Ge nu bath. Tah pe nes her self weaned him in Pha raoh’s pal ace, and Ge nu bath lived there along with Pha raoh’s sons. 21 When Ha dad heard in Egypt that Da vid rest ed with his fa thers and that Joab, the com - mand er of the army , was dead, Ha dad said to Pha raoh, “ Let me leave, so I may go to my own coun try .” 22 But Pha raoh asked him, “ What do you lack here with me for you to want to go back to your own coun try? ” “Noth ing,” he re plied, “ but please let me leave.” 23 God raised up Re zon son of Eli a da as an en e my against Sol o mon. Re zon had fled from his mas ter King Had ad e zer of Zo bah 24 and gath ered men to him self. He be came lead- er of a raid ing par ty when Da vid killed the Zobaites. He b went to Da mas cus, lived there, and be came king in Da mas cus. 25 Re zon was Is ra el’s en e my through out Sol o mon’s reign, add ing to the trou ble Ha dad had caused. He reigned over Aram c and loathed Is ra el. 26 Now Sol o mon’s ser vant, Jer o bo am son of Ne bat, was an Ephra im ite from Zer e dah. His widowed moth er’s name was Ze ru ah. Jer o- bo am re belled against Sol o mon, 27 and this is the rea son he re belled against the king: Sol- o mon had built the sup port ing ter rac es and re paired the open ing in the wall of the city of his fa ther Da vid. 28 Now the man Jer o bo am was ca pa ble, and Sol o mon no ticed the young man be cause he was get ting things done. So he ap point ed him over the en tire la bor force of the house of Jo seph. 29 Dur ing that time, the proph et Ahi jah the Shi lo nite met Jer o bo am on the road as Jer - o bo am came out of Je ru sa lem. Now Ahi jah had wrapped him self with a new cloak, and the two of them were alone in the open field. 30 Then Ahi jah took hold of the new cloak he had on, tore it into twelve pieces, 31 and said to Jer o bo am, “ Take ten pieces for your self, for this is what the L ord God of Is ra el says: ‘ I am about to tear the king dom out of Sol o- mon’s hand. I will give you ten tribes, 32 but one tribe will re main his for the sake of my ser vant Da vid and for the sake of Je ru sa lem, the city I chose out of all the tribes of Is ra el. 33 For they have aban doned me; they have bowed down to Ash to reth, the god dess of the Si do ni ans, to Che mosh, the god of Moab, and to Milcom, the god of the Am mon ites. They have not walked in my ways to do what is right in my sight and to car ry out my stat utes and my judg ments as his fa ther Da vid did. 34 “ ‘How ev er, I will not take the whole king- dom from him but will let him be rul er all the days of his life for the sake of my ser vant Da vid, whom I chose and who kept my com mands and my stat utes. 35 I will take ten tribes of the king dom from his son and give them to you. 36 I will give one tribe to his son, so that my ser vant Da vid will al ways have a lamp be fore me in Je ru sa lem, the city I chose for my self to put my name there. 37 I will ap point you, and you will reign as king over all you want, and you will be king over Is ra el. 38 “ ‘ Af ter that, if you obey all I com mand you, walk in my ways, and do what is right in my sight in or der to keep my stat utes and my com mands as my ser vant Da vid did, I will be with you. I will build you a last ing dy nas ty just as I built for Da vid, and I will give you Is ra el. 39 I will hum ble Da vid’s de scen dants, be cause of their un faith ful ness, but not for ev er.’ ” d 40 There fore, Sol o mon tried to kill Jer o bo- am, but he fled to Egypt, to King Shi shak of Egypt, where he re mained un til Sol o mon’s death. SOLOMON’S DEATH 41 The rest of the events of Sol o mon’s reign, along with all his ac com plish ments and his wis dom, are writ ten in the Book of Sol o mon’s Events. 42 The length of Sol o mon’s reign in Je ru sa lem over all Is ra el to taled for ty years. 43 Sol o mon rest ed with his fa thers and was bur ied in the city of his fa ther Da vid. His son Re ho bo am be came king in his place. THE KINGDOM DIVIDED 12 Then Re ho bo am went to She chem, for all Is ra el had gone to She chem to make him king. 2 When Jer o bo am son of Ne bat heard about it, he stayed in Egypt, where he had a 11:19 Lit Hadad found much favor in Pharaoh’s eyes b 11:24 LXX; Hb reads They c 11:25 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr read Edom d 11:38-39 LXX omits and I will give . . . but not forever1 KINGS 11-12 302 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 302 10/26/17 9:00 PM fled from King Sol o mon’s pres ence. Jer o bo am stayed in Egypt. a 3 But they sum moned him, and Jer o bo am and the whole as sem bly of Is ra el came and spoke to Re ho bo am: 4 “ Your fa ther made our yoke harsh. You, there fore, light en your fa ther’s harsh ser vice and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you.” 5 Re ho bo am re plied, “ Go away for three days and then re turn to me.” So the peo ple left. 6 Then King Re ho bo am con sult ed with the el ders who had served his fa ther Sol o mon when he was alive, ask ing, “ How do you ad- vise me to re spond to this peo ple? ” 7 They re plied, “To day if you will be a ser - vant to this peo ple and serve them, and if you re spond to them by speak ing kind words to them, they will be your ser vants for ev er.” 8 But he re ject ed the ad vice of the el ders who had ad vised him and con sult ed with the young men who had grown up with him and at tend ed him. 9 He asked them, “ What mes- sage do you ad vise that we send back to this peo ple who said to me, ‘Light en the yoke your fa ther put on us’? ” 10 Then the young men who had grown up with him told him, “ This is what you should say to this peo ple who said to you, ‘ Your fa ther made our yoke heavy , but you, make it light er on us! ’ This is what you should tell them: ‘ My lit tle fin ger is thick er than my fa ther’s waist! 11 Al though my fa ther bur dened you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke; my fa ther dis ci plined you with whips, but I will dis ci- pline you with barbed whips.’ ” b 12 So Jer o bo am and all the peo ple came to Re ho bo am on the third day , as the king had or dered: “Re turn to me on the third day .” 13 Then the king an swered the peo ple harsh ly . He re- ject ed the ad vice the el ders had giv en him 14 and spoke to them ac cord ing to the young men’s ad vice: “ My fa ther made your yoke heavy , but I will add to your yoke; my fa ther dis ci plined you with whips, but I will dis ci pline you with barbed whips.” 15 The king did not lis ten to the peo ple, be- cause this turn of events came from the L ord to
🏛️ Kingdom Divided
🔥 Rebellion erupts when King Rehoboam refuses to lighten the people's burden, causing Israel to split from Judah and establish Jeroboam as their new king
👑 Jeroboam creates golden calves for worship in Bethel and Dan, establishing alternative religious sites to prevent his people from returning to Jerusalem
⚠️ A man of God prophesies against Jeroboam's altar but is later killed by a lion after disobeying divine instructions to not eat or drink in that place
🔮 Prophet Ahijah foretells the destruction of Jeroboam's house for his idolatry, with only his sick son receiving a proper burial for having "something favorable to the Lord"
🛡️ Rehoboam's reign in Judah is marked by religious corruption, including high places and cult prostitutes, leading to Egypt's King Shishak plundering Jerusalem's treasuries
👑 Asa of Judah stands out by doing "what was right in the Lord's sight," removing idols and even deposing his grandmother Maacah for creating an obscene image
car ry out his word, which the L ord had spo ken through Ahi jah the Shi lo nite to Jer o- bo am son of Ne bat. 16 When all Is ra el saw that the king had not lis tened to them, the peo ple an swered him: What portion do we have in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. Israel, return to your tents; David, now look after your own house! So Is ra el went to their tents, 17 but Re ho bo am reigned over the Is ra el ites liv ing in the cit ies of Ju dah. 18 Then King Re ho bo am sent Ado ram, c who was in charge of forced la bor, but all Is ra el stoned him to death. King Re ho bo am man aged to get into the char i ot and flee to Je ru sa lem. 19 Is ra el is still in re bel lion against the house of Da vid to day . REHOBOAM IN JERUSALEM 20 When all Is ra el heard that Jer o bo am had come back, they sum moned him to the as sem- bly and made him king over all Is ra el. No one fol lowed the house of Da vid ex cept the tribe of Ju dah alone. 21 When Re ho bo am ar rived in Je ru sa lem, he mo bi lized one hun dred eighty thou sand fit young sol diers from the en tire house of Ju dah and the tribe of Ben ja min to fight against the house of Is ra el to re store the king dom to Re ho bo am son of Sol o mon. 22 But the word of God came to She ma iah, the man of God: 23 “ Say to Re ho bo am son of Sol o mon, king of Ju dah, to the whole house of Ju dah and Ben ja min, and to the rest of the peo ple, 24 ‘ This is what the L ord says: You are not to march up and fight against your broth ers, the Is ra el ites. Each of you re turn home, for this sit u a tion is from me.’ ” So they lis tened to the word of the L ord and went back ac cord ing to the word of the L ord. JEROBOAM’S IDOLATRY 25 Jer o bo am built She chem in the hill coun try of Ephra im and lived there. From there he went out and built Pe nu el. 26 Jer o bo am said to him self, “ The king dom might now re turn to the house of Da vid. 27 If these peo ple reg u lar ly go to off er sac ri fic es in the L ord’ s tem ple in Je ru sa lem, the heart of these peo ple will re- turn to their lord, King Re ho bo am of Ju dah. They will kill me and go back to the king of Ju dah.” 28 So the king sought ad vice. Then he made two gold en calves, and he said to the peo ple, “Go ing to Je ru sa lem is too diff i cult for you. Is ra el, here are your gods d who brought you up from the land of Egypt.” 29 He set up one in Beth el, and put the oth er a 12:2 LXX, Vg read Jeroboam returned from Egypt ; 2Ch 10:2 b 12:11 Lit with scorpions, also in v. 14 c 12:18 LXX reads Adoniram ; 1Kg 4:6; 5:14 d 12:28 Or here is your God, or here is your god 303 1 KINGS 12 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 303 10/26/17 9:00 PM in Dan. 30 This led to sin; the peo ple walked in pro ces sion be fore one of the calves all the way to Dan. a 31 Jer o bo am also made shrines b on the high plac es and made priests from the ranks of the peo ple who were not Le vites. 32 Jer o bo am made a fes ti val in the eighth month on the fif teenth day of the month, like the fes ti val in Ju dah. He off ered sac ri fic es on the al tar; he made this off er ing in Beth el to sac ri fice to the calves he had made. He also sta tioned the priests in Beth el for the high plac es he had made. 33 He off ered sac ri fic es on c the al tar he had set up in Beth el on the fif teenth day of the eighth month. He chose this month on his own. He made a fes ti val for the Is ra el ites, off ered sac ri fic es on the al tar, and burned in cense. JUDGMENT ON JEROBOAM 13 A man of God came, how ev er, from Ju- dah to Beth el by the word of the L ord while Jer o bo am was stand ing be side the al tar to burn in cense. 2 The man of God cried out against the al tar by the word of the L ord : “ Al- tar, al tar, this is what the L ord says, ‘ A son will be born to the house of Da vid, named Jo si ah, and he will sac ri fice on you the priests of the high plac es who are burn ing in cense on you. Hu man bones will be burned on you.’ ” 3 He gave a sign that day . He said, “ This is the sign that the L ord has spo ken: ‘ The al tar will now be ripped apart, and the ash es that are on it will be poured out.’ ” 4 When the king heard the mes sage that the man of God had cried out against the al tar at Beth el, Jer o bo am stretched out his hand from the al tar and said, “ Ar rest him! ” But the hand he stretched out against him with ered, and he could not pull it back to him self. 5 The al tar was ripped apart, and the ash es poured from the al tar, ac cord ing to the sign that the man of God had giv en by the word of the L ord. 6 Then the king re spond ed to the man of God, “ Plead for the fa vor of the L ord your God and pray for me so that my hand may be re stored to me.” So the man of God plead- ed for the fa vor of the L ord, and the king’s hand was re stored to him and be came as it had been at first. 7 Then the king de clared to the man of God, “ Come home with me, re fresh your self, and I’ll give you a re ward.”8 But the man of God re plied, “ If you were to give me half your house, I still wouldn’t go with you, and I wouldn’t eat food or drink wa ter in this place, 9 for this is what I was com mand ed by the word of the L ord: ‘ You must not eat food or drink wa ter or go back the way you came.’ ” 10 So he went an oth er way; he did not go back by the way he had come to Beth el. THE OLD PROPHET AND THE MAN OF GOD 11 Now a cer tain old proph et was liv ing in Beth- el. His son d came and told him all the deeds that the man of God had done that day in Beth el. His sons also told their fa ther the words that he had spo ken to the king. 12 Then their fa ther asked them, “ Which way did he go? ” His sons had seen e the way tak en by the man of God who had come from Ju dah. 13 Then he said to his sons, “Sad dle the don key for me.” So they sad dled the don key for him, and he got on it. 14 He fol lowed the man of God and found him sit ting un der an oak tree. He asked him, “ Are you the man of God who came from Ju dah? ” “ I am,” he said. 15 Then he said to him, “ Come home with me and eat some food.” 16 But he an swered, “ I can not go back with you or ac com pa ny you; I will not eat food or drink wa ter with you in this place. 17 For a mes sage came to me by the word of the L ord: ‘ You must not eat food or drink wa ter there or go back by the way you came.’ ” 18 He said to him, “ I am also a proph et like you. An an gel spoke to me by the word of the L ord : ‘ Bring him back with you to your house so that he may eat food and drink wa ter.’ ” The old proph et de ceived him, 19 and the man of God went back with him, ate food in his house, and drank wa ter. 20 While they were sit ting at the ta ble, the word of the L ord came to the proph et who had brought him back, 21 and the proph et cried out to the man of God who had come from Ju dah, “ This is what the L ord says: ‘Be cause you re belled against the L ord’ s com mand and did not keep the com mand that the L ord your God com mand ed you — 22 but you went back and ate food and drank wa ter in the place that he said to you, “ Do not eat food and do not drink wa ter” — your corpse will nev er reach the grave of your fa thers.’ ” a 12:30 Some LXX mss read calves to Bethel and the other to Dan b 12:31 Lit a house c 12:33 Or He went up to d 13:11 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr , Vg read sons e 13:12 LXX, Syr , Tg, Vg read sons showed him1 KINGS 12-13 304 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 304 10/26/17 9:00 PM 23 So af ter he had eat en food and af ter he had drunk, the old proph et sad dled the don key for the proph et he had brought back. 24 When he left, a a lion at tacked b him along the way and killed him. His corpse was thrown on the road, and the don key was stand ing be side it; the lion was stand ing be side the corpse too. 25 There were men pass ing by who saw the corpse thrown on the road and the lion stand - ing be side it, and they went and spoke about it in the city where the old proph et lived. 26 When the proph et who had brought him back from his way heard about it, he said, “ He is the man of God who dis obeyed the L ord’ s com mand. The L ord has giv en him to the lion, and it has mauled and killed him, ac cord ing to the word of the L ord that he spoke to him.” 27 Then the old proph et in struct ed his sons, “Sad dle the don key for me.” They sad dled it, 28 and he went and found the corpse thrown on the road with the don key and the lion stand- ing be side the corpse. The lion had not eat en the corpse or mauled the don key . 29 So the proph et lift ed the corpse of the man of God and laid it on the don key and brought it back. The old proph et came into the city to mourn and to bury him. 30 Then he laid the corpse in his own grave, and they mourned over him: “ Oh, my broth er! ” 31 Af ter he had bur ied him, he said to his sons, “ When I die, bury me in the grave where the man of God is bur ied; lay my bones be side his bones, 32 for the mes sage that he cried out by the word of the L ord against the al tar in Beth el and against all the shrines of the high plac es in the cit ies of Sa mar ia is cer tain to hap pen.” 33 Even af ter this, Jer o bo am did not re pent of his evil way but again made priests for the high plac es from the ranks of the peo ple. He or dained who ev er so de sired it, and they be- came priests of the high plac es. 34 This was the sin that caused the house of Jer o bo am to be cut off and oblit er at ed from the face of the earth. DISASTER ON THE HOUSE OF JEROBOAM 14 At that time Abi jah son of Jer o bo am be- came sick. 2 Jer o bo am said to his wife, “ Go dis guise your self, so they won’t know that you’re Jer o bo am’s wife, and go to Shi- loh. The proph et Ahi jah is there; it was he who told about me be com ing king over this peo ple. 3 Take with you ten loaves of bread, some cakes, and a jar of hon ey , and go to him. He will tell you what will hap pen to the boy .” 4 Jer o bo am’s wife did that: she went to Shi loh and ar rived at Ahi jah’s house. Ahi jah could not see; he was blind c due to his age. 5 But the L ord had said to Ahi jah, “Jer o bo am’s wife is com ing soon to ask you about her son, for he is sick. You are to say such and such to her. When she ar rives, she will be dis guised.” 6 When Ahi jah heard the sound of her feet en ter ing the door, he said, “ Come in, wife of Jer o bo am! Why are you dis guised? I have bad news for you. 7 Go tell Jer o bo am, ‘ This is what the L ord God of Is ra el says: I raised you up from among the peo ple, ap point ed you rul- er over my peo ple Is ra el, 8 tore the king dom away from the house of Da vid, and gave it to you. But you were not like my ser vant Da vid, who kept my com mands and fol lowed me with all his heart, do ing only what is right in my sight. 9 You be haved more wick ed ly than all who were be fore you. In or der to an ger me, you have pro ceed ed to make for your - self oth er gods and cast im ages, but you have flung me be hind your back. 10 Be cause of all this, I am about to bring di sas ter on the house of Jer o bo am: I will wipe out all of Jeroboam’s males, d both slave and free, e in Israel; I will sweep away the house of Jeroboam as one sweeps away dung until it is all gone! 11 Anyone who belongs to Jeroboam and dies in the city , the dogs will eat, and anyone who dies in the field, the birds f will eat, for the Lord has spoken! ’ 12 “ As for you, get up and go to your house. When your feet en ter the city , the boy will die. 13 All Is ra el will mourn for him and bury him. He alone out of Jer o bo am’s house will be giv en a prop er buri al be cause out of the house of Jer o bo am some thing fa vor able to the L ord God of Is ra el was found in him. 14 The L ord will raise up for him self a king over Is ra el, who will wipe out the house of Jer o bo am. This is the day , yes, g even to day! 15 For the L ord will strike Is ra el so that they will h shake as a reed a 13:23-24 LXX reads donkey, and he turned 24and left, and b 13:24 Lit met c 14:4 Lit see, for his eyes stood ; 1Sm 4:15 d 14:10 Lit eliminate Jeroboam’s one who urinates against the wall e 14:10 Or males, even the weak and impaired ; Hb obscure f 14:11 Lit birds of the sky g 14:14 Hb obscure h 14:15 so that they will supplied for clarity 305 1 KINGS 13-14 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 305 10/26/17 9:00 PM shakes in wa ter. He will up root Is ra el from this good soil that he gave to their an ces tors. He will scat ter them be yond the Eu phra tes be cause they made their Ashe rah poles, angering the L ord. 16 He will give up Is ra el be cause of Jer - o bo am’s sins that he com mit ted and caused Is ra el to com mit.” 17 Then Jer o bo am’s wife got up and left and went to Tir zah. As she was cross ing the thresh- old of the house, the boy died. 18 He was bur ied, and all Is ra el mourned for him, ac cord ing to the word of the L ord he had spo ken through his ser vant the proph et Ahi jah. 19 As for the rest of the events of Jer o bo am’s reign, how he waged war and how he reigned, note that they are writ ten in the His tor i cal Rec ord of Is ra el’s Kings. 20 The length of Jer o- bo am’s reign was twenty-two years. He rest ed with his fa thers, and his son Na dab be came king in his place. JUDAH’S KING REHOBOAM 21 Now Re ho bo am, Sol o mon’s son, reigned in Ju dah. Re ho bo am was forty-one years old when he be came king; he reigned sev en teen years in Je ru sa lem, the city where the L ord had cho sen from all the tribes of Is ra el to put his name. Re ho bo am’s moth er’s name was Na a mah the Am mon ite. 22 Ju dah did what was evil in the L ord’ s sight. They pro voked him to jeal ous an ger more than all that their an ces tors had done with the sins they com mit ted. 23 They also built for them selves high plac es, sa cred pil lars, and Ashe rah poles on ev ery high hill and un der ev ery green tree; 24 there were even male cult pros ti tutes in the land. They im i tat ed all the de test able prac tic es of the na tions the L ord had dispossessed be fore the Is ra el ites. 25 In the fifth year of King Re ho bo am, King Shi shak of Egypt went to war against Je ru sa- lem. 26 He seized the trea sur ies of the L ord’ s tem ple and the trea sur ies of the roy al pal ace. He took ev ery thing. He took all the gold shields that Sol o mon had made. 27 King Re ho bo am made bronze shields to re place them and com- mit ted them into the care of the cap tains of the guards a who pro tect ed the en trance to the king’s pal ace. 28 When ev er the king en tered the L ord’ s tem ple, the guards would car ry the shields, then they would take them back to the ar mory . b29 The rest of the events of Re ho bo am’s reign, along with all his ac com plish ments, are writ ten about in the His tor i cal Rec ord of Ju dah’s Kings. 30 There was war be tween Re ho bo am and Jer o bo am through out their reigns. 31 Re ho bo am rest ed with his fa thers and was bur ied with his fa thers in the city of Da vid. His moth er’s name was Na a mah the Am mon ite. His son Abi jam c be came king in his place. JUDAH’S KING ABIJAM 15 In the eigh teenth year of Is ra el’s King Jer o bo am son of Ne bat, Abi jam be came king over Ju dah, 2 and he reigned three years in Je ru sa lem. His moth er’s name was Ma a cah daugh ter d of Abish a lom. 3 Abi jam walked in all the sins his fa ther be fore him had com mit ted, and he was not whole heart ed ly de vot ed to the L ord his God as his an ces tor Da vid had been. 4 But for the sake of Da vid, the L ord his God gave him a lamp in Je ru sa lem by rais ing up his son af ter him and by preserving Je ru sa lem. 5 For Da vid did what was right in the L ord’ s sight, and he did not turn aside from any thing he had com mand ed him all the days of his life, ex cept in the mat ter of Uri ah the Hethite. 6 There had been war be tween Re ho bo am and Jer o bo am all the days of Re ho bo am’s life. 7 The rest of the events of Abi jam’s reign, along with all his ac com plish ments, are writ ten in the His tor i cal Rec ord of Ju dah’s Kings. There was also war be tween Abi jam and Jer o bo am. 8 Abi jam rest ed with his fa thers and was bur - ied in the city of Da vid. His son Asa be came king in his place. JUDAH’S KING ASA 9 In the twen ti eth year of Is ra el’s King Jer o- bo am, Asa be came king of Ju dah, 10 and he reigned forty-one years in Je ru sa lem. His grand moth er’s e name was Ma a cah daugh- ter of Abish a lom. 11 Asa did what was right in the L ord’ s sight, as his an ces tor Da vid had done. 12 He ban ished the male cult pros ti tutes from the land and re moved all of the idols that his fa thers had made. 13 He also re moved his grand moth er f Ma a cah from be ing queen moth er be cause she had made an obscene im age of Ashe rah. Asa chopped down her obscene im age
📜 Kings and Prophets: Royal Conflicts
👑 King Asa of Judah demonstrates complex faith—wholeheartedly devoted to God yet maintaining high places, later forming political alliances with Aram against Israel's King Baasha rather than relying on divine protection
🔄 Dynastic instability plagues Israel with rapid succession of kings (Nadab, Baasha, Elah, Zimri, Omri, Ahab) through assassinations and conspiracies, each ruler continuing the sinful practices of Jeroboam
🔥 Prophet Elijah emerges during Ahab's reign as God's powerful messenger, announcing a devastating drought, receiving miraculous provision, raising a widow's son from death, and directly challenging royal authority
⚔️ Spiritual confrontation culminates at Mount Carmel where Elijah challenges 450 prophets of Baal to determine the true God through a dramatic test: "The God who answers with fire, he is God"
🛡️ Divine protection extends to faithful servants like Obadiah who hid and sustained 100 prophets during Jezebel's violent persecution, illustrating how God preserves a remnant even during widespread apostasy
🏺 Miraculous provision sustains the faithful during crisis—ravens feed Elijah, and a widow's flour and oil never run out despite severe famine, demonstrating God's care for those who trust Him
and a 14:27 Lit the runners b 14:28 Lit the chamber of the runners c 14:31 = Abijah in 2Ch 13 d 15:2 Possibly granddaughter , also in v. 10; 2Ch 13:2 e 15:10 Lit mother’s f 15:13 Lit mother1 KINGS 14-15 306 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 306 10/26/17 9:00 PM burned it in the Kid ron Val ley . 14 The high plac es were not tak en away , but Asa was whole heart- ed ly de vot ed to the L ord his en tire life. 15 He brought his fa ther’s con se crat ed gifts and his own con se crat ed gifts into the L ord’ s tem ple: sil ver, gold, and uten sils. 16 There was war be tween Asa and King Ba a- sha of Is ra el through out their reigns. 17 Is ra el’s King Ba a sha went to war against Ju dah. He built Ra mah in or der to keep any one from leav ing or com ing to King Asa of Ju dah. 18 So Asa with drew all the sil ver and gold that re- mained in the trea sur ies of the L ord’ s tem ple and the trea sur ies of the roy al pal ace and gave it to his ser vants. Then King Asa sent them to Ben-ha dad son of Tab rim mon son of He zi on king of Aram who lived in Da mas cus, say ing, 19 “ There is a trea ty be tween me and you, be- tween my fa ther and your fa ther. Look, I have sent you a gift of sil ver and gold. Go and break your trea ty with King Ba a sha of Is ra el so that he will with draw from me.” 20 Ben-ha dad lis tened to King Asa and sent the com mand ers of his ar mies against the cit ies of Is ra el. He at tacked Ijon, Dan, Abel- beth-ma a cah, all Chin ne reth, and the whole land of Naph ta li. 21 When Ba a sha heard about it, he quit build ing Ra mah and stayed in Tir zah. 22 Then King Asa gave a com mand to ev ery one with out ex cep tion in Ju dah, and they car ried away the stones of Ra mah and the tim bers Ba a sha had built it with. Then King Asa built Geba of Ben ja min and Miz pah with them. 23 The rest of all the events of Asa’s reign, along with all his might, all his ac com plish- ments, and the cit ies he built, are writ ten in the His tor i cal Rec ord of Ju dah’s Kings. But in his old age he de vel oped a dis ease in his feet. 24 Then Asa rest ed with his fa thers and was bur ied in the city of his an ces tor Da vid. His son Je hosh a phat be came king in his place. ISRAEL ’S KING NADAB 25 Na dab son of Jer o bo am be came king over Is ra el in the sec ond year of Ju dah’s King Asa; he reigned over Is ra el two years. 26 Na dab did what was evil in the L ord’ s sight and walked in the ways of his fa ther and the sin he had caused Is ra el to com mit. 27 Then Ba a sha son of Ahi jah of the house of Is sa char con spired against Na dab, and Ba- a sha struck him down at Gib be thon of the Phi lis tines while Na dab and all Is ra el were be sieg ing Gib be thon. 28 In the third year of Ju dah’s King Asa, Ba a sha killed Na dab and reigned in his place. 29 When Ba a sha be came king, he struck down the en tire house of Jer o bo am. He did not leave Jer o bo am any sur vi vors but a de stroyed his fam i ly ac cord ing to the word of the L ord he had spo ken through his ser vant Ahi jah the Shi lo nite. 30 This was be cause Jer o bo am had an gered b the L ord God of Is ra el by the sins he had com mit ted and had caused Is ra el to com mit. 31 The rest of the events of Na dab’s reign, along with all his ac com plish ments, are writ- ten in the His tor i cal Rec ord of Is ra el’s Kings. 32 There was war be tween Asa and King Ba a sha of Is ra el through out their reigns. ISRAEL’S KING BAASHA 33 In the third year of Ju dah’s King Asa, Ba a- sha son of Ahi jah be came king over all Is ra el, and he reigned in Tir zah twenty-four years. 34 He did what was evil in the L ord ’ s sight and walked in the ways of Jer o bo am and the sin he had caused Is ra el to com mit. 16 Now the word of the L ord came to Jehu son of Ha na ni against Ba a sha: 2 “Be cause I raised you up from the dust and made you rul er over my peo ple Is ra el, but you have walked in the ways of Jer o bo am and have caused my peo ple Is ra el to sin, angering me with their sins, 3 take note: I will eradicate Ba a sha and his house, and I will make your house like the house of Jer o bo am son of Ne bat: 4 Anyone who belongs to Baasha and dies in the city , the dogs will eat, and anyone who is his and dies in the field, the birds c will eat.” 5 The rest of the events of Ba a sha’s reign, along with all his ac com plish ments and might, are writ ten in the His tor i cal Rec ord of Is ra el’s Kings. 6 Ba a sha rest ed with his fa thers and was bur ied in Tir zah. His son Elah be came king in his place. 7 But through the proph et Jehu son of Ha na ni the word of the L ord also had come against Ba a sha and against his house be cause of all the evil he had done in the L ord’ s sight. His ac tions an gered the L ord, and Ba a sha’s house be came like the house of Jer o bo am, be cause he had struck it down. a 15:29 Lit Jeroboam anyone breathing until he b 15:30 Lit provoked in the provocation of c 16:4 Lit birds of the sky 307 1 KINGS 15-16 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 307 10/26/17 9:00 PM ISRAEL’S KING ELAH 8 In the twenty-sixth year of Ju dah’s King Asa, Elah son of Ba a sha be came king over Is ra el, and he reigned in Tir zah two years. 9 His ser vant Zim ri, com mand er of half his char i ots, con spired against him while Elah was in Tir zah get ting drunk in the house of Arza, who was in charge of the house hold at Tir zah. 10 In the twenty-seventh year of Ju dah’s King Asa, Zim ri went in, struck Elah down, kill ing him. Then Zim ri be came king in his place. 11 When he be came king, as soon as he was seat ed on his throne, Zim ri struck down the en tire house of Ba a sha. He did not leave a sin gle male, a in clud ing his kins men and his friends. 12 So Zim ri de stroyed the en tire house of Ba a sha, ac cord ing to the word of the L ord he had spo- ken against Ba a sha through the proph et Jehu. 13 This hap pened be cause of all the sins of Ba a sha and those of his son Elah, which they com mit- ted and caused Is ra el to com mit, angering the L ord God of Is ra el with their worth less idols. 14 The rest of the events of Elah’s reign, along with all his ac com plish ments, are writ ten in the His tor i cal Rec ord of Is ra el’s Kings. ISRAEL’S KING ZIMRI 15 In the twenty-seventh year of Ju dah’s King Asa, Zim ri be came king for sev en days in Tir zah. Now the troops were en camped against Gib- be thon of the Phi lis tines. 16 When these troops heard that Zim ri had not only con spired but had also struck down the king, then all Is ra el made Omri, the army com mand er, king over Is ra el that very day in the camp. 17 Omri along with all Is ra el marched up from Gib be thon and be sieged Tir zah. 18 When Zim ri saw that the city was cap tured, he en tered the cit a del of the roy al pal ace and burned it down over him self. He died 19 be cause of the sin he com- mit ted by do ing what was evil in the L ord’ s sight and by walk ing in the ways of Jer o bo am and the sin he caused Is ra el to com mit. 20 The rest of the events of Zim ri’s reign, along with the con spir a cy that he in sti gat ed, are writ- ten in the His tor i cal Rec ord of Is ra el’s Kings. 21 At that time the peo ple of Is ra el were di vid ed: half the peo ple fol lowed Tib ni son of Gi nath, to make him king, and half fol lowed Omri. 22 How- ev er, the peo ple who fol lowed Omri proved stron ger than those who fol lowed Tib ni son of Gi nath. So Tib ni died and Omri be came king.ISRAEL’S KING OMRI 23 In the thirty-first year of Ju dah’s King Asa, Omri be came king over Is ra el, and he reigned twelve years. He reigned six years in Tir zah, 24 then he bought the hill of Sa mar ia from She- mer for 150 pounds b of sil ver, and he built up the hill. He named the city he built Sa mar ia c based on the name She mer, the own er of the hill. 25 Omri did what was evil in the L ord’ s sight; he did more evil than all who were be fore him. 26 He walked in all the ways of Jer o bo am son of Ne bat in ev ery re spect and con tin ued in his sins that he caused Is ra el to com mit, angering the L ord God of Is ra el with their worth less idols. 27 The rest of the events of Omri’s reign, along with his ac com plish ments and the might he ex er cised, are writ ten in the His tor i cal Rec- ord of Is ra el’s Kings. 28 Omri rest ed with his fa thers and was bur ied in Sa mar ia. His son Ahab be came king in his place. ISRAEL ’S KING AHAB 29 Ahab son of Omri be came king over Is ra el in the thirty-eighth year of Ju dah’s King Asa; Ahab son of Omri reigned over Is ra el in Sa mar ia twenty-two years. 30 But Ahab son of Omri did what was evil in the L ord’ s sight more than all who were be fore him. 31 Then, as if fol low ing the sin of Jer o bo am son of Ne bat were not enough, he mar ried Jez e bel, the daugh ter of Eth ba al king of the Si do ni ans, and then pro- ceed ed to serve Baal and bow in wor ship to him. 32 He set up an al tar for Baal in the tem ple of Baal that he had built in Sa mar ia. 33 Ahab also made an Ashe rah pole. Ahab did more to an ger the L ord God of Is ra el than all the kings of Is ra el who were be fore him. 34 Dur ing his reign, Hiel the Bethelite built Jer i cho. At the cost of Abi ram his first born, he laid its foun da tion, and at the cost of Se gub his youn gest, he fin ished its gates, ac cord ing to the word of the L ord he had spo ken through Josh ua son of Nun. ELIJAH ANNOUNCES FAMINE 17 Now Eli jah the Tish bite, from the Gil e ad settlers, d said to Ahab, “ As the L ord God of Is ra el lives, in whose pres ence I stand, there will be no dew or rain dur ing these years ex- cept by my com mand! ” 2 Then the word of the L ord came to him: 3 “ Leave here, turn east ward, and hide at the a 16:11 Lit leave him one who urinates against the wall b 16:24 Lit for two talents c 16:24 = Belonging to Shemer’s Clan d 17:1 LXX reads from Tishbe of Gilead1 KINGS 16-17 308 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 308 10/26/17 9:00 PM Wadi Cherith where it en ters the Jor dan. 4 You are to drink from the wadi. I have com mand ed the ra vens to pro vide for you there.” 5 So he pro ceed ed to do what the L ord com mand ed. Eli jah left and lived at the Wadi Cherith where it en ters the Jor dan. 6 The ra- vens kept bring ing him bread and meat in the morn ing and in the eve ning, and he would drink from the wadi. 7 Af ter a while, the wadi dried up be cause there had been no rain in the land. ELIJAH AND THE WIDOW 8 Then the word of the L ord came to him: 9 “ Get up, go to Zar e phath that be longs to Si don and stay there. Look, I have com mand ed a wom an who is a wid ow to pro vide for you there.” 10 So Eli jah got up and went to Zar e phath. When he ar rived at the city gate, there was a wid ow gath er ing wood. Eli jah called to her and said, “ Please bring me a lit tle wa ter in a cup and let me drink.” 11 As she went to get it, he called to her and said, “ Please bring me a piece of bread in your hand.” 12 But she said, “ As the L ord your God lives, I don’t have any thing baked — only a hand ful of flour in the jar and a bit of oil in the jug. Just now , I am gath er ing a couple of sticks in or der to go pre pare it for my self and my son so we can eat it and die.” 13 Then Eli jah said to her, “ Don’t be afraid; go and do as you have said. But first make me a small loaf from it and bring it out to me. Af ter ward, you may make some for your self and your son, 14 for this is what the L ord God of Is ra el says, ‘ The flour jar will not be come emp ty and the oil jug will not run dry un til the day the L ord sends rain on the sur face of the land.’ ” 15 So she pro ceed ed to do ac cord ing to the word of Eli jah. Then the wom an, Eli jah, and her house hold ate for many days. 16 The flour jar did not be come emp ty , and the oil jug did not run dry , ac cord ing to the word of the L ord he had spo ken through a Eli jah. THE WIDOW’S SON RAISED 17 Af ter this, the son of the wom an who owned the house be came ill. His ill ness got worse un til he stopped breath ing. 18 She said to Eli- jah, “ Man of God, why are you here? Have you come to call at ten tion to my in iq ui ty so that my son is put to death? ”19 But Eli jah said to her, “ Give me your son.” So he took him from her arms, brought him up to the up stairs room where he was stay- ing, and laid him on his own bed. 20 Then he cried out to the L ord and said, “ L ord my God, have you also brought trag e dy on the wid ow I am stay ing with by kill ing her son? ” 21 Then he stretched him self out over the boy three times. He cried out to the L ord and said, “ L ord my God, please let this boy’s life come into him again! ” 22 So the L ord lis tened to Eli jah, and the boy’s life came into him again, and he lived. 23 Then Eli jah took the boy , brought him down from the up stairs room into the house, and gave him to his moth er. Eli jah said, “ Look, your son is alive.” 24 Then the wom an said to Eli jah, “ Now I know you are a man of God and the L ord’ s word from your mouth is true.” ELIJAH’S MESSAGE TO AHAB 18 Af ter a long time, the word of the L ord came to Eli jah in the third year: “ Go and pre sent your self to Ahab. I will send rain on the sur face of the land.” 2 So Eli jah went to pre sent him self to Ahab. The fam ine was se vere in Sa mar ia. 3 Ahab called for Oba di ah, who was in charge of the pal ace. Oba di ah was a man who great ly feared the L ord 4 and took a hun dred proph ets and hid them, fif ty men to a cave, and pro vid ed them with food and wa ter when Jez e bel slaugh tered the L ord’ s proph ets. 5 Ahab said to Oba di ah, “ Go through out the land to ev ery spring and to ev ery wadi. Per haps we’ll find grass so we can keep the hors es and mules alive and not have to de stroy any cat tle.” 6 They di vid ed the land be tween them in or der to cov er it. Ahab went one way by him self, and Oba di ah went the oth er way by him self. 7 While Oba di ah was walk ing along the road, Eli jah sud den ly met him. When Oba di ah rec- og nized him, he fell face down and said, “ Is it you, my lord Eli jah? ” 8 “ It is I,” he re plied. “ Go tell your lord, ‘Eli- jah is here! ’ ” b 9 But Oba di ah said, “ What sin have I com mit - ted, that you are hand ing your ser vant over to Ahab to put me to death? 10 As the L ord your God lives, there is no na tion or king dom where my lord has not sent some one to search for you. When they said, ‘ He is not here,’ he a 17:16 Lit by the hand of b 18:8 The Hb words translated ‘Elijah is here’ also mean ‘Look, my God is the Lord’ 309 1 KINGS 17-18 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 309 10/26/17 9:00 PM made that king dom or na tion swear they had not found you. 11 “ Now you say , ‘ Go tell your lord, “Eli jah is here! ” ’ 12 But when I leave you, the Spir it of the L ord may car ry you off to some place I don’t know . Then when I go re port to Ahab and he doesn’t find you, he will kill me. But I, your ser vant, have feared the L ord from my youth. 13 Wasn’t it re port ed to my lord what I did when Jez e bel slaugh tered the L ord’ s proph ets? I hid a hun dred of the proph ets of the L ord, fif ty men to a cave, and I pro vid ed them with food and wa ter. 14 Now you say , ‘ Go tell your lord, “Eli jah is here! ” ’ He will kill me! ” 15 Then Eli jah said, “ As the L ord of Ar mies lives, in whose pres ence I stand, to day I will pre sent my self to Ahab.” 16 Oba di ah went to meet Ahab and told him. Then Ahab went to meet Eli jah. 17 When Ahab saw Eli jah, Ahab said to him, “ Is that you, the one ru in ing Is ra el? ” 18 He re plied, “ I have not ru ined Is ra el, but you and your fa ther’s fam i ly have, be cause you have aban doned the L ord’ s com mands and fol lowed the Baals. 19 Now sum mon all Is ra el to meet me at Mount Car mel, along with the 450 proph ets of Baal and the 400 proph ets of Ashe rah who eat at Jez e bel’s ta ble.” ELIJAH AT MOUNT CARMEL 20 So Ahab sum moned all the Is ra el ites and gath ered the proph ets at Mount Car mel. 21 Then Eli jah ap proached all the peo ple and said, “ How long will you wa ver be tween two opin ions? a If the L ord is God, fol low him. But if Baal, fol low him.” But the peo ple didn’t an- swer him a word. 22 Then Eli jah said to the peo ple, “ I am the only re main ing proph et of the L ord, but Baal’s proph ets are 450 men. 23 Let two bulls be giv en to us. They are to choose one bull for them- selves, cut it in pieces, and place it on the wood but not light the fire. I will pre pare the oth er bull and place it on the wood but not light the fire. 24 Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the L ord. The God who an swers with fire, he is God.” All the peo ple an swered, “ That’s fine.” 25 Then Eli jah said to the proph ets of Baal, “ Since you are so nu mer ous, choose for your - selves one bull and pre pare it first. Then call on the name of your god but don’t light the fire.”26 So they took the bull that he gave them, pre pared it,
🔥 Divine Showdown on Mount Carmel
🏔️ Elijah challenges the prophets of Baal to a dramatic contest, where their frenzied rituals and self-mutilation fail to summon their god despite hours of desperate attempts
⚡ After rebuilding the Lord's altar and drenching it with water, Elijah's simple prayer brings down consuming fire from heaven, convincing the people that "The Lord, he is God!"
🌧️ Following this victory, Elijah prays persistently for rain, ending a devastating drought when a small cloud appears and grows into a powerful storm
🌬️ Later, in a moment of fear and exhaustion, Elijah encounters God not in dramatic natural forces but in a soft whisper, revealing divine presence in unexpected gentleness
👑 God provides Elijah with renewed purpose by commissioning him to anoint new kings and a successor, assuring him that 7,000 faithful followers remain in Israel
🏹 King Ahab's military victories against the Arameans demonstrate God's power, yet his mercy toward Ben-hadad and later coveting of Naboth's vineyard reveal his moral weakness
and called on the name of Baal from morn ing un til noon, say ing, “ Baal, an- swer us! ” But there was no sound; no one an- swered. Then they danced b around the al tar they had made. 27 At noon Eli jah mocked them. He said, “ Shout loud ly , for he’s a god! May be he’s think ing it over; may be he has wan dered away; c or may- be he’s on the road. Per haps he’s sleep ing and will wake up! ” 28 They shout ed loud ly , and cut them selves with knives and spears, ac cord ing to their cus tom, un til blood gushed over them. 29 All af ter noon they kept on rav ing un til the of- fer ing of the eve ning sac ri fice, but there was no sound; no one an swered, no one paid at ten tion. 30 Then Eli jah said to all the peo ple, “ Come near me.” So all the peo ple ap proached him. Then he re paired the L ord’ s al tar that had been torn down: 31 Eli jah took twelve stones — ac cord ing to the num ber of the tribes of the sons of Ja cob, to whom the word of the L ord had come, say ing, “Is ra el will be your name” — 32 and he built an al tar with the stones in the name of the L ord. Then he made a trench around the al tar large enough to hold about four gal lons. d,e 33 Next, he ar ranged the wood, cut up the bull, and placed it on the wood. He said, “ Fill four wa ter pots with wa ter and pour it on the off er ing to be burned and on the wood.” 34 Then he said, “ A sec ond time! ” and they did it a sec ond time. And then he said, “ A third time! ” and they did it a third time. 35 So the wa ter ran all around the al tar; he even filled the trench with wa ter. 36 At the time for off er ing the eve ning sac ri- fice, the proph et Eli jah ap proached the al tar and said, “ L ord, the God of Abra ham, Isaac, and Is ra el, to day let it be known that you are God in Is ra el and I am your ser vant, and that at your word I have done all these things. 37 An- swer me, L ord! An swer me so that this peo ple will know that you, the L ord, are God and that you have turned their hearts back.” 38 Then the L ord’ s fire fell and con sumed the burnt off er ing, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and it licked up the wa ter that was in the trench. 39 When all the peo ple saw it, they fell face down and said, “ The L ord, he is God! The L ord, he is God! ” 40 Then Eli jah or dered them, “ Seize the proph ets of Baal! Do not let even one of them a 18:21 Lit you hobble on two crutches? b 18:26 Or hobbled c 18:27 Or has turned aside ; possibly to relieve himself d 18:32 LXX reads trench containing two measures of seed e 18:32 Lit altar corresponding to a house of two seahs of seed1 KINGS 18 310 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 310 10/26/17 9:00 PM es cape.” So they seized them, and Eli jah brought them down to the Wadi Ki shon and slaugh- tered them there. 41 Eli jah said to Ahab, “ Go up, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a rainstorm.” 42 So Ahab went to eat and drink, but Eli jah went up to the sum mit of Car mel. He bent down on the ground and put his face be tween his knees. 43 Then he said to his ser vant, “ Go up and look to ward the sea.” So he went up, looked, and said, “ There’s noth ing.” Sev en times Eli jah said, “ Go back.” 44 On the sev enth time, he re port ed, “ There’s a cloud as small as a man’s hand com ing up from the sea.” Then Eli jah said, “ Go and tell Ahab, ‘ Get your char i ot ready and go down so the rain doesn’t stop you.’ ” 45 In a lit tle while, the sky grew dark with clouds and wind, and there was a down pour. So Ahab got in his char i ot and went to Jez re el. 46 The pow er of the L ord was on Eli jah, and he tucked his man tle un der his belt and ran ahead of Ahab to the en trance of Jez re el. ELIJAH’S JOURNEY TO HOREB 19 Ahab told Jez e bel ev ery thing that Eli jah had done and how he had killed all the proph ets with the sword. 2 So Jez e bel sent a mes sen ger to Eli jah, say ing, “ May the gods pun ish me and do so se vere ly if I don’t make your life like the life of one of them by this time to mor row! ” 3 Then Eli jah be came afraid a and im me di ate- ly ran for his life. When he came to Be er-she ba that be longed to Ju dah, he left his ser vant there, 4 but he went on a day’s jour ney into the wil der ness. He sat down un der a broom tree and prayed that he might die. He said, “ I have had enough! L ord, take my life, for I’m no bet ter than my fa thers.” 5 Then he lay down and slept un der the broom tree. Sud den ly , an an gel touched him. The an gel told him, “ Get up and eat.” 6 Then he looked, and there at his head was a loaf of bread baked over hot stones, and a jug of wa ter. So he ate and drank and lay down again. 7 Then the an gel of the L ord re turned for a sec ond time and touched him. He said, “ Get up and eat, or the jour ney will be too much for you.” 8 So he got up, ate, and drank. Then on the strength from that food, he walked for ty days and for ty nights to Ho reb, the moun tain of God. 9 He en tered a cave there and spent the night. ELIJAH’S ENCOUNTER WITH THE LORD Sud den ly , the word of the L ord came to him, and he said to him, “ What are you do ing here, Eli jah? ” 10 He re plied, “ I have been very zeal ous for the L ord God of Ar mies, but the Is ra el ites have aban doned your cov enant, torn down your al tars, and killed your proph ets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are look ing for me to take my life.” 11 Then he said, “ Go out and stand on the moun tain in the L ord’ s pres ence.” At that mo ment, the L ord passed by . A great and mighty wind was tear ing at the moun tains and was shat ter ing cliffs be fore the L ord, but the L ord was not in the wind. Af ter the wind there was an earth quake, but the L ord was not in the earth quake. 12 Af ter the earth quake there was a fire, but the L ord was not in the fire. And af ter the fire there was a voice, a soft whis per. 13 When Eli jah heard it, he wrapped his face in his man tle and went out and stood at the en trance of the cave. Sud den ly , a voice came to him and said, “ What are you do ing here, Eli jah? ” 14 “ I have been very zeal ous for the L ord God of Ar mies,” he re plied, “ but the Is ra el ites have aban doned your cov enant, torn down your al tars, and killed your proph ets with the sword. I alone am left, and they’re look ing for me to take my life.” 15 Then the L ord said to him, “ Go and re- turn by the way you came to the Wil der ness of Da mas cus. When you ar rive, you are to anoint Haz a el as king over Aram. 16 You are to anoint Jehu son of Nim shi as king over Is ra el and Eli sha son of Sha phat from Abel-me ho- lah as proph et in your place. 17 Then Jehu will put to death who ev er es capes the sword of Haz a el, and Eli sha will put to death who ev er es capes the sword of Jehu. 18 But I will leave sev en thou sand in Is ra el — ev ery knee that has not bowed to Baal and ev ery mouth that has not kissed him.” ELISHA’S APPOINTMENT AS ELIJAH’S SUCCESSOR 19 Eli jah left there and found Eli sha son of Sha phat as he was plow ing. Twelve teams of oxen were in front of him, and he was with a 19:3 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr , Vg; other Hb mss read He saw 311 1 KINGS 18-19 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 311 10/26/17 9:00 PM the twelfth team. Eli jah walked by him and threw his man tle over him. 20 Eli sha left the oxen, ran to fol low Eli jah, and said, “ Please let me kiss my fa ther and moth er, and then I will fol low you.” “ Go on back,” he re plied, “ for what have I done to you? ” 21 So he turned back from fol low ing him, took the team of oxen, and slaugh tered a them. With the oxen’s wood en yoke and plow , he cooked the meat and gave it to the peo ple, and they ate. Then he left, fol lowed Eli jah, and served him. VICTORY OVER BEN-HADAD 20 Now King Ben-ha dad of Aram as sem- bled his en tire army . Thirty-two kings, along with hors es and char i ots, were with him. He marched up, be sieged Sa mar ia, and fought against it. 2 He sent mes sen gers into the city to King Ahab of Is ra el and said to him, “ This is what Ben-ha dad says: 3 ‘ Your sil ver and your gold are mine! And your best wives and chil dren are mine as well! ’ ” 4 Then the king of Is ra el an swered, “ Just as you say , my lord the king: I am yours, along with all that I have.” 5 The mes sen gers then re turned and said, “ This is what Ben-ha dad says: ‘ I have sent mes sen gers to you, say ing: You are to give me your sil ver, your gold, your wives, and your chil dren. 6 But at this time to mor row I will send my ser vants to you, b and they will search your pal ace and your ser vants’ hous es. They will lay their hands on and take away what ev er is pre cious to you.’ ” 7 Then the king of Is ra el called for all the el ders of the land and said, “Rec og nize c that this one is only look ing for trou ble, for he de mand ed my wives, my chil dren, my sil ver, and my gold, and I didn’t turn him down.” 8 All the el ders and all the peo ple said to him, “ Don’t lis ten or agree.” 9 So he said to Ben-hadad’s mes sen gers, “ Say to my lord the king, ‘Ev ery thing you de mand - ed of your ser vant the first time, I will do, but this thing I can not do.’ ” So the mes sen gers left and took word back to him. 10 Then Ben-ha dad sent mes sen gers to him and said, “ May the gods pun ish me and do so se vere ly if Sa mar ia’s dust amounts to a hand - ful for each of the peo ple who fol low me.”11 The king of Is ra el an swered, “ Say this: ‘ Don’t let the one who puts on his ar mor boast like the one who takes it off.’ ” 12 When Ben-ha dad heard this re sponse, while he and the kings were drink ing in their quar ters, d he said to his ser vants, “ Take your po si tions.” So they took their po si tions against the city . 13 A proph et ap proached King Ahab of Is- ra el and said, “ This is what the L ord says: ‘ Do you see this whole huge army? Watch, I am hand ing it over to you to day so that you may know that I am the L ord.’ ” 14 Ahab asked, “ By whom? ” And the proph et said, “ This is what the L ord says: ‘ By the young men of the pro vin- cial lead ers.’ ” Then he asked, “ Who is to start the bat tle? ” He said, “ You.” 15 So Ahab mo bi lized the young men of the pro vin cial lead ers, and there were 232. Af ter them he mo bi lized all the Is ra el ite troops: 7,000. 16 They marched out at noon while Ben- ha dad and the thirty-two kings who were help- ing him were get ting drunk in their quar ters. 17 The young men of the pro vin cial lead ers marched out first. Then Ben-ha dad sent out scouts, and they re port ed to him, say ing, “ Men are march ing out of Sa mar ia.” 18 So he said, “ If they have marched out in peace, take them alive, and if they have marched out for bat tle, take them alive.” 19 The young men of the pro vin cial lead- ers and the army be hind them marched out from the city , 20 and each one struck down his op po nent. So the Ar a me ans fled and Is ra el pur sued them, but King Ben-ha dad of Aram es caped on a horse with the cav al ry . 21 Then the king of Is ra el marched out and at tacked the cav al ry and the char i ots. He in flict ed a se vere slaugh ter on Aram. 22 The proph et ap proached the king of Is ra el and said to him, “ Go and strength en your self, then con sid er care ful ly e what you should do, for in the spring the king of Aram will at tack you.” 23 Now the king of Aram’s ser vants said to him, “ Their gods are gods of the hill coun- try . That’s why they were stron ger than we were. In stead, we should fight with them on the plain; then we will cer tain ly be stron ger than they are. 24 Also do this: re move each a 19:21 Or sacrificed b 20:6 Lit take all the delight of your eyes c 20:7 Lit “Know and see d 20:12 Lit booths, also in v. 16 e 20:22 Lit then know and see1 KINGS 19-20 312 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 312 10/26/17 9:00 PM king from his po si tion and ap point cap tains in their place. 25 Raise an oth er army for your - self like the army you lost — horse for horse, char i ot for char i ot — and let’s fight with them on the plain; and we will cer tain ly be stron ger than they are.” The king lis tened to them and did it. 26 In the spring, Ben-ha dad mo bi lized the Ar a me ans and went up to Aphek to bat tle Is ra el. 27 The Is ra el ites mo bi lized, gath ered sup plies, and went to fight them. The Is ra- el ites camped in front of them like two lit tle flocks of goats, while the Ar a me ans filled the landscape. 28 Then the man of God ap proached and said to the king of Is ra el, “ This is what the L ord says: ‘Be cause the Ar a me ans have said: The L ord is a god of the moun tains and not a god of the val leys, I will hand over all this whole huge army to you. Then you will know that I am the L ord.’ ” 29 They camped op po site each oth er for sev- en days. On the sev enth day , the bat tle took place, and the Is ra el ites struck down the Ar a- me ans — one hun dred thou sand foot sol diers in one day . 30 The ones who re mained fled into the city of Aphek, and the wall fell on those twenty-seven thou sand re main ing men. Ben-ha dad also fled and went into an in ner room in the city . 31 His ser vants said to him, “Con sid er this: we have heard that the kings of the house of Is ra el are mer ci ful kings. So let’s put sack cloth around our waists and ropes around our heads, and let’s go out to the king of Is ra el. Per haps he will spare your life.” 32 So they dressed with sack cloth around their waists and ropes around their heads, went to the king of Is ra el, and said, “ Your ser - vant Ben-ha dad says, ‘ Please spare my life.’ ” So he said, “ Is he still alive? He is my broth er.” 33 Now the men were look ing for a sign of hope, so they quick ly picked up on this a and re spond ed, “ Yes, it is your broth er Ben-ha dad.” Then he said, “ Go and bring him.” So Ben-ha dad came out to him, and Ahab had him come up into the char i ot. 34 Then Ben-ha dad said to him, “ I re store to you the cit ies that my fa ther took from your fa ther, and you may set up mar ket places for your self in Da mas cus, like my fa ther set up in Sa mar ia.” Ahab re spond ed, “ On the ba sis of this trea ty , I re lease you.” So he made a trea ty with him and re leased him.AHAB REBUKED BY THE LORD 35 One of the sons of the proph ets said to his fel low proph et by the word of the L ord, “ Strike me! ” But the man re fused to strike him. 36 He told him, “Be cause you did not lis ten to the L ord, mark my words: When you leave me, a lion will kill you.” When he left him, a lion at tacked and killed him. 37 The proph et found an oth er man and said to him, “ Strike me! ” So the man struck him, inflicting a wound. 38 Then the proph et went and wait ed for the king on the road. He dis- guised him self with a bandage over his eyes. 39 As the king was pass ing by , he cried out to the king and said, “ Your ser vant marched out into the mid dle of the bat tle. Sud den ly , a man turned aside and brought some one to me and said, ‘ Guard this man! If he is ever miss ing, it will be your life in place of his life, or you will weigh out seventy-five pounds b of sil ver.’ 40 But while your ser vant was busy here and there, he dis ap peared.” The king of Is ra el said to him, “ That will be your sen tence; you your self have de cid ed it.” 41 He quick ly re moved the bandage from his eyes. The king of Is ra el rec og nized that he was one of the proph ets. 42 The proph et said to him, “ This is what the L ord says: ‘Be cause you re leased from your hand the man I had set apart for de struc tion, it will be your life in place of his life and your peo ple in place of his peo ple.’ ” 43 The king of Is ra el left for home re sent ful and an gry , and he en tered Sa mar ia. AHAB AND NABOTH’S VINEYARD 21 Some time passed af ter these events. Na both the Jez re el ite had a vine yard; it was in Jez re el next to the pal ace of King Ahab of Sa mar ia. 2 So Ahab spoke to Na both, say ing, “ Give me your vine yard so I can have it for a veg e ta ble gar den, since it is right next to my pal ace. I will give you a bet ter vine yard in its place, or if you pre fer, I will give you its val ue in sil ver.” 3 But Na both said to Ahab, “ I will nev er give my fa thers’ in her i tance to you.” 4 So Ahab went to his pal ace re sent ful and an gry be cause of what Na both the Jez re el- ite had told him. He had said, “ I will not give you my fa thers’ in her i tance.” He lay down on his bed, turned his face away , and didn’t eat any food. a 20:33 Some Hb mss, alt Hb tradition, LXX; other Hb mss read they hastened and caught hold; “Is this it? ” b 20:39 Lit a talent 313 1 KINGS 20-21 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 313 10/26/17 9:00 PM 5 Then his wife Jez e bel came to him and said to him, “ Why are you so up set that you re fuse to eat? ” 6 “Be cause I spoke to Na both the Jez re el ite,” he re plied. “ I told him: Give me your vine yard for sil ver, or if you wish, I will give you a vine- yard in its place. But he said, ‘ I won’t give you my vine yard! ’ ” 7 Then his wife Jez e bel said to him, “ Now , ex er cise your roy al pow er over Is ra el. Get up, eat some food, and be hap py . For I will give you the vine yard of Na both the Jez re el ite.” 8 So she wrote let ters in Ahab’s name and sealed them with his seal. She sent the let ters to
📜 Naboth's Vineyard and Divine Judgment
👑 Queen Jezebel orchestrates a false trial against Naboth, having him stoned to death so King Ahab can seize his vineyard, revealing the corrupt abuse of royal power
🔥 Prophet Elijah delivers God's judgment against Ahab and Jezebel, promising violent deaths and dynasty destruction as divine retribution for their wickedness
👁️ False prophets versus true prophets emerges as a central theme when Micaiah stands alone against 400 prophets, revealing a divine vision of God allowing a "lying spirit" to deceive Ahab
⚔️ Ahab's death in battle fulfills Elijah's prophecy precisely, with dogs licking his blood as foretold, demonstrating the inevitable fulfillment of divine judgment
🔄 The narrative continues with Elijah's dramatic departure in a whirlwind, transferring prophetic authority to Elisha who refuses to leave his master's side
🏛️ The text contrasts righteous and wicked leadership through Jehoshaphat of Judah who "did what was right" versus the idolatrous kings of Israel who "did what was evil"
the el ders and no bles who lived with Na both in his city . 9 In the let ters, she wrote: Proclaim a fast and seat Naboth at the head of the people. 10 Then seat two wicked men opposite him and have them testify against him, saying, “You have cursed God and the king! ” Then take him out and stone him to death. 11 The men of his city , the el ders and no bles who lived in his city , did as Jez e bel had sent word to them, just as it was writ ten in the let ters she had sent them. 12 They pro claimed a fast and seat ed Na both at the head of the peo ple. 13 The two wick ed men came in and sat op po site him. Then the wick ed men tes- ti fied against Na both in the pres ence of the peo ple, say ing, “Na both has cursed God and the king! ” So they took him out side the city and stoned him to death with stones. 14 Then they sent word to Jez e bel: “Na both has been stoned to death.” 15 When Jez e bel heard that Na both had been stoned to death, she said to Ahab, “ Get up and take pos ses sion of the vine yard of Na both the Jez re el ite who re fused to give it to you for sil ver, since Na both isn’t alive, but dead.” 16 When Ahab heard that Na both was dead, he got up to go down to the vine yard of Na both the Jez re el ite to take pos ses sion of it. THE LORD’S JUDGMENT ON AHAB 17 Then the word of the L ord came to Eli jah the Tish bite: 18 “ Get up and go to meet King Ahab of Is ra el, who is in Sa mar ia. He’s in Na- both’s vine yard, where he has gone to take pos ses sion of it. 19 Tell him, ‘ This is what the L ord says: Have you mur dered and also tak en pos ses sion? ’ Then tell him, ‘ This is what the L ord says: In the place where the dogs licked up Na both’s blood, the dogs will also lick up your blood! ’ ” 20 Ahab said to Eli jah, “ So, my en e my , you’ve found me, have you? ” He re plied, “ I have found you be cause you de vot ed your self to do what is evil in the L ord’ s sight. 21 This is what the L ord says: a ‘ I am about to bring di sas ter on you and will eradicate your de scen dants: I will wipe out all of Ahab’s males, b both slave and free, c in Israel; 22 I will make your house like the house of Jer o bo am son of Ne bat and like the house of Ba a sha son of Ahi jah, be cause you have an gered me and caused Is ra el to sin.’ 23 The L ord also speaks of Jez e bel: ‘The dogs will eat Jez e bel in the plot of land d at Jez re el: 24 Anyone who belongs to Ahab and dies in the city , the dogs will eat, and anyone who dies in the field, the birds e will eat.’ ” 25 Still, there was no one like Ahab, who de vot ed him self to do what was evil in the L ord’ s sight, be cause his wife Jez e bel in cit- ed him. 26 He com mit ted the most de test able acts by fol low ing idols as the Am o rites had, whom the L ord had dispossessed be fore the Is ra el ites. 27 When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put sack cloth over his body , and fast ed. He lay down in sack cloth and walked around sub dued. 28 Then the word of the L ord came to Eli jah the Tish bite: 29 “ Have you seen how Ahab has hum bled him self be fore me? I will not bring the di sas ter dur ing his life time, be cause he has hum bled him self be fore me. I will bring the di sas ter on his house dur ing his son’s life time.” JEHOSHAPHAT’S ALLIANCE WITH AHAB 22 There was a lull of three years with out war be tween Aram and Is ra el. 2 How ev- er, in the third year, King Je hosh a phat of Ju dah went to vis it the king of Is ra el. 3 The king of Is ra el had said to his ser vants, “ Don’t you know that Ramoth-gilead is ours, but we’re do ing noth ing to take it from the king of Aram? ” 4 So he asked Je hosh a phat, “ Will you go with me to fight Ramoth-gilead? ” a 21:21 LXX; MT omits This is what the Lord says b 21:21 Lit eliminate Ahab’s one who urinates against the wall c 21:21 Or males, even the weak and impaired ; Hb obscure d 21:23 Some Hb mss, Syr , Tg, Vg, 2Kg 9:36; other Hb mss, LXX read the rampart e 21:24 Lit birds of the sky1 KINGS 21-22 314 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 314 10/26/17 9:00 PM Je hosh a phat re plied to the king of Is ra el, “ I am as you are, my peo ple as your peo ple, my hors es as your hors es.” 5 But Je hosh a phat said to the king of Is ra el, “ First, please ask what the L ord’ s will is.” 6 So the king of Is ra el gath ered the proph ets, about four hun dred men, and asked them, “ Should I go against Ramoth-gilead for war or should I re frain? ” They re plied, “ March up, and the Lord will hand it over to the king.” 7 But Je hosh a phat asked, “ Isn’t there a proph- et of the L ord here any more? Let’s ask him.” 8 The king of Is ra el said to Je hosh a phat, “ There is still one man who can in quire of the L ord, but I hate him be cause he nev er proph e sies good about me, but only di sas ter. He is Mi ca iah son of Im lah.” “ The king shouldn’t say that! ” Je hosh a phat re plied. 9 So the king of Is ra el called an off i cer and said, “Hur ry and get Mi ca iah son of Im lah! ” 10 Now the king of Is ra el and King Je hosh- a phat of Ju dah, clothed in roy al attire, were each sit ting on his own throne. They were on the thresh ing floor at the en trance to the gate of Sa mar ia, and all the proph ets were proph e sy ing in front of them. 11 Then Zed e ki ah son of Che na a nah made iron horns and said, “ This is what the L ord says: ‘ You will gore the Ar a me ans with these un til they are fin ished off.’ ” 12 And all the proph ets were proph e sy- ing the same: “ March up to Ramoth-gilead and suc ceed, for the L ord will hand it over to the king.” MICAIAH’S MESSAGE OF DEFEAT 13 The mes sen ger who went to call Mi ca iah in- struct ed him, “ Look, the words of the proph ets are unan i mous ly fa vor able for the king. So let your words be like theirs, and speak fa vor ably .” 14 But Mi ca iah said, “ As the L ord lives, I will say what ev er the L ord says to me.” 15 So he went to the king, and the king asked him, “Mi ca iah, should we go to Ramoth-gilead for war, or should we re frain? ” Mi ca iah told him, “ March up and suc ceed. The L ord will hand it over to the king.” 16 But the king said to him, “ How many times must I make you swear not to tell me any thing but the truth in the name of the L ord? ” 17 So Mi ca iah said: I saw all Israel scattered on the hills like sheep without a shepherd. And the Lord said, “They have no master; let everyone return home in peace.” 18 So the king of Is ra el said to Je hosh a phat, “ Didn’t I tell you he nev er proph e sies good about me, but only di sas ter? ” 19 Then Mi ca iah said, “There fore, hear the word of the L ord : I saw the L ord sit ting on his throne, and the whole heav en ly army was stand- ing by him at his right hand and at his left hand. 20 And the L ord said, ‘ Who will en tice Ahab to march up and fall at Ramoth-gilead? ’ So one was say ing this and an oth er was say ing that. 21 “ Then a spir it came for ward, stood in the L ord’ s pres ence, and said, ‘ I will en tice him.’ 22 “ The L ord asked him, ‘ How? ’ “ He said, ‘ I will go and be come a ly ing spir it in the mouth of all his proph ets.’ “ Then he said, ‘ You will cer tain ly en tice him and pre vail. Go and do that.’ 23 “ You see, the L ord has put a ly ing spir it into the mouth of all these proph ets of yours, and the L ord has pro nounced di sas ter against you.” 24 Then Zed e ki ah son of Che na a nah came up, hit Mi ca iah on the cheek, and de mand- ed, “ Did a the Spir it of the L ord leave me to speak to you? ” 25 Mi ca iah re plied, “ You will soon see when you go to hide in an in ner cham ber on that day .” 26 Then the king of Is ra el or dered, “ Take Mi- ca iah and re turn him to Amon, the gov er nor of the city , and to Jo ash, the king’s son, 27 and say , ‘ This is what the king says: Put this guy in pris on and feed him only a lit tle bread and wa ter b un til I come back safe ly .’ ” 28 But Mi ca iah said, “ If you ever re turn safe ly , the L ord has not spo ken through me.” Then he said, “Lis ten, all you peo ple! ” c AHAB’S DEATH 29 Then the king of Is ra el and Ju dah’s King Je- hosh a phat went up to Ramoth-gilead. 30 But the king of Is ra el said to Je hosh a phat, “ I will dis guise my self and go into bat tle, but you wear your roy al attire.” So the king of Is ra el dis guised him self and went into bat tle. 31 Now the king of Aram had or dered his thirty-two char i ot com mand ers, “ Do not fight with any one at all d ex cept the king of Is ra el.” a 22:24 Lit “Which way did b 22:27 Lit him on bread of oppression and water of oppression c 22:28 LXX omits Then he said, “Listen, all you people! ” d 22:31 Lit with small or with great 315 1 KINGS 22 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 315 10/26/17 9:00 PM 32 When the char i ot com mand ers saw Je- hosh a phat, they shout ed, “ He must be the king of Is ra el! ” So they turned to fight against him, but Je hosh a phat cried out. 33 When the char i ot com mand ers saw that he was not the king of Is ra el, they turned back from pur su ing him. 34 But a man drew his bow with out tak- ing spe cial aim and struck the king of Is ra el through the joints of his ar mor. So he said to his charioteer, “ Turn around and take me out of the bat tle, a for I am bad ly wound ed! ” 35 The bat tle raged through out that day , and the king was propped up in his char i ot fac- ing the Ar a me ans. He died that eve ning, and blood from his wound flowed into the bot tom of the char i ot. 36 Then the cry rang out in the army as the sun set, de clar ing: Each man to his own city , and each man to his own land! 37 So the king died and was brought to Sa- mar ia. They bur ied the king in Sa mar ia. 38 Then some one washed the char i ot at the pool of Sa mar ia. The dogs licked up his blood, and the pros ti tutes bathed in it, ac cord ing to the word of the L ord that he had spo ken. 39 The rest of the events of Ahab’s reign, along with all his ac com plish ments, in clud ing the ivo ry pal ace he built, and all the cit ies he built, are writ ten in the His tor i cal Rec ord of Is ra el’s Kings. 40 Ahab rest ed with his fa thers, and his son Aha zi ah be came king in his place. JUDAH’S KING JEHOSHAPHAT 41 Je hosh a phat son of Asa be came king over Ju dah in the fourth year of Is ra el’s King Ahab. 42 Je hosh a phat was thirty-five years old when he be came king; he reigned twenty-five years in Je ru sa lem. His moth er’s name was Azu bah daugh ter of Shil hi. 43 He walked in all the ways of his fa ther Asa; he did not turn away from them but did what was right in the L ord’ s sight. How ev er, the high plac es were not tak en away; b the peo ple still sac ri ficed and burned in cense on the high plac es. 44 Je hosh a phat also made peace with the king of Is ra el. 45 The rest of the events of Je hosh a phat’s reign, along with the might he ex er cised and how he waged war, are writ ten in the His tor - i cal Rec ord of Ju dah’s Kings. 46 He eradicated from the land the rest of the male cult pros ti- tutes who were left from the days of his fa ther Asa. 47 There was no king in Edom; a dep u ty served as king. 48 Je hosh a phat made ships of Tar shish to go to Ophir for gold, but they did not go be cause the ships were wrecked at Ezion-geber. 49 At that time, Aha zi ah son of Ahab said to Je hosh a phat, “ Let my ser vants go with your ser vants in the ships,” but Je- hosh a phat was not will ing. 50 Je hosh a phat rest ed with his fa thers and was bur ied with them in the city of his an ces tor Da vid. His son Je ho ram be came king in his place. ISRAEL ’S KING AHAZIAH 51 Aha zi ah son of Ahab be came king over Is ra el in Sa mar ia in the sev en teenth year of Ju dah’s King Je hosh a phat, and he reigned over Is ra el two years. 52 He did what was evil in the L ord’ s sight. He walked in the ways of his fa ther, in the ways of his moth er, and in the ways of Jer - o bo am son of Ne bat, who had caused Is ra el to sin. 53 He served Baal and bowed in wor ship to him. He an gered the L ord God of Is ra el just as his fa ther had done. a 22:34 LXX; MT reads camp b 22:43 LXX, Syr , Vg read he did not remove the high places1 KINGS 22 316 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 316 10/26/17 9:00 PM 2 KinG s AHAZIAH’S SICKNESS AND DEATH 1 Af ter Ahab’s death, Moab re belled against Is ra el. 2 Aha zi ah had fall en through the lat - ticed win dow of his up stairs room in Sa mar ia and was in jured. So he sent mes sen gers, in- struct ing them, “ Go in quire of Ba al-ze bub, a the god of Ek ron, wheth er I will re cov er from this in ju ry .” 3 But the an gel of the L ord said to Eli jah the Tish bite, “ Go and meet the mes sen gers of the king of Sa mar ia and say to them, ‘ Is it be cause there is no God in Is ra el that you are go ing to in quire of Ba al-ze bub, the god of Ek ron? 4 There fore, this is what the L ord says: You will not get up from your sick bed; you will cer tain ly die.’ ” Then Eli jah left. 5 The mes sen gers re turned to the king, who asked them, “ Why have you come back? ” 6 They re plied, “ A man came to meet us and said, ‘ Go back to the king who sent you and de clare to him: This is what the L ord says: Is it be cause there is no God in Is ra el that you’re send ing these men to in quire of Ba al-ze bub, the god of Ek ron? There fore, you will not get up from your sick bed; you will cer tain ly die.’ ” 7 The king asked them, “ What sort of man came up to meet you and spoke those words to you? ” 8 They re plied, “ A hairy man with a leath er belt around his waist.” He said, “ It’s Eli jah the Tish bite.” 9 So King Aha zi ah sent a cap tain with his fif ty men to Eli jah. When the cap tain went up to him, he was sit ting on top of the hill. He an nounced, “ Man of God, the king de clares, ‘ Come down! ’ ” 10 Eli jah re spond ed to the cap tain, “ If I am a man of God, may fire come down from heav en and con sume you and your fif ty men.” Then fire came down from heav en and con sumed him and his fif ty men. 11 So the king sent an oth er cap tain with his fif ty men to Eli jah. He took in the sit u a tion b and an nounced, “ Man of God, this is what the king says: ‘ Come down im me di ate ly! ’ ” 12 Eli jah re spond ed, “ If I am a man of God, may fire come down from heav en and con sume you and your fif ty men.” So a di vine fire c came down from heav en and con sumed him and his fif ty men. 13 Then the king sent a third cap tain with his fif ty men. The third cap tain went up and fell on his knees in front of Eli jah and begged him, “ Man of God, please let my life and the lives of these fif ty ser vants of yours be pre cious to you. 14 Al ready fire has come down from heav en and con sumed the first two cap tains with their com pa nies, but this time let my life be pre cious to you.” 15 The an gel of the L ord said to Eli jah, “ Go down with him. Don’t be afraid of him.” So he got up and went down with him to the king. 16 Then Eli jah said to King Aha zi ah, “ This is what the L ord says: ‘Be cause you have sent mes sen gers to in quire of Ba al-ze bub, the god of Ek ron — is it be cause there is no God in Is ra el for you to in quire of his will? — you will not get up from your sick bed; you will cer tain ly die.’ ” 17 Aha zi ah died ac cord ing to the word of the L ord that Eli jah had spo ken. Since he had no son, Jo ram d be came king in his place. This hap pened in the sec ond year of Ju dah’s King Je ho ram son of Je hosh a phat. e 18 The rest of the events of Aha zi ah’s reign, along with his ac com plish ments, are writ ten in the His tor - i cal Rec ord of Is ra el’s Kings. f ELIJAH IN THE WHIRLWIND 2 The time had come for the L ord to take Eli jah up to heav en in a whirl wind. Eli jah and Eli sha were trav el ing from Gil gal, 2 and Eli jah said to Eli sha, “ Stay here; the L ord is send ing me on to Beth el.” But Eli sha re plied, “ As the L ord lives and as you your self live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Beth el. 3 Then the sons of the proph ets who were at Beth el came out to Eli sha and said, “ Do you know that the L ord will take your mas ter away from you to day? ” He said, “ Yes, I know . Be qui et.” 4 Eli jah said to him, “Eli sha, stay here; the L ord is send ing me to Jer i cho.” a 1:2 = Lord of the Flies b 1:11 Lit He answered c 1:12 Lit a fire of God d 1:17 Lit Jehoram ; 2Kg 8:16 e 1:17 LXX omits in the second year . . . Jehoshaphat f 1:18 LXX adds 4 more vv. here similar to 2Kg 3:1-3. CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 317 10/26/17 9:00 PM But Eli sha said, “ As the L ord lives and as you your self live, I will not leave you.” So they went to Jer i cho. 5 Then the sons of the proph ets who were in Jer i cho came up to Eli sha and said, “ Do you know that the L ord will take your mas ter away from you to day? ” He said, “ Yes, I know . Be qui et.” 6 Eli jah said to him, “ Stay here; the L ord is send ing me to the Jor dan.” But Eli sha said,
🙏 Elijah's Mantle, Elisha's Ministry
🔥 Elijah's dramatic ascension to heaven in a whirlwind and chariot of fire transfers spiritual authority to Elisha, who inherits his mentor's mantle and demonstrates the same divine power by parting the Jordan River
💧 Miraculous provision flows through Elisha's ministry, including multiplying a widow's oil, raising a Shunammite woman's son from death, purifying deadly stew, and multiplying bread to feed many
⚔️ Divine intervention in warfare manifests when Elisha helps Israel defeat Moab through supernatural water provision and strategic guidance, demonstrating God's power in national conflicts
🌊 Naaman's healing from leprosy through the simple act of washing seven times in the Jordan River reveals how divine power often works through humble obedience rather than grand gestures
👑 Spiritual authority transcends political power, as kings repeatedly seek Elisha's guidance while he remains faithful to God's direction rather than human expectations
“ As the L ord lives and as you your self live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them went on. 7 Fif ty men from the sons of the proph ets came and stood ob serv ing them at a dis tance while the two of them stood by the Jor dan. 8 Eli jah took his man tle, rolled it up, and struck the wa ter, which part ed to the right and left. Then the two of them crossed over on dry ground. 9 When they had crossed over, Eli jah said to Eli sha, “ Tell me what I can do for you be fore I am tak en from you.” So Eli sha an swered, “ Please, let me in her it two shares of your spir it.” 10 Eli jah re plied, “ You have asked for some- thing diff i cult. If you see me be ing tak en from you, you will have it. If not, you won’t.” 11 As they con tin ued walk ing and talk ing, a char i ot of fire with hors es of fire sud den ly ap peared and sep a rat ed the two of them. Then Eli jah went up into heav en in the whirl wind. 12 As Eli sha watched, he kept cry ing out, “ My fa ther, my fa ther, the char i ots and horse men of Is ra el! ” ELISHA SUCCEEDS ELIJAH When he could see him no lon ger, he took hold of his own clothes, tore them in two, 13 picked up the man tle that had fall en off Eli jah, and went back and stood on the bank of the Jor - dan. 14 He took the man tle Eli jah had dropped, and he struck the wa ter. “ Where is the L ord God of Eli jah? ” he asked. He struck the wa ter him self, and it part ed to the right and the left, and Eli sha crossed over. 15 When the sons of the proph ets from Jer - i cho who were ob serv ing saw him, they said, “ The spir it of Eli jah rests on Eli sha.” They came to meet him and bowed down to the ground in front of him. 16 Then the sons of the proph ets said to Eli- sha, “ Since there are fif ty strong men here with your ser vants, please let them go and search for your mas ter. May be the Spir it of the L ord has car ried him away and put him on one of the moun tains or into one of the val leys.” He an swered, “ Don’t send them.” 17 How ev er, they urged him to the point of em bar rass ment, so he said, “ Send them.” They sent fif ty men, who looked for three days but did not find him. 18 When they re turned to him in Jer i cho where he was stay ing, he said to them, “ Didn’t I tell you not to go? ” 19 The men of the city said to Eli sha, “ My lord can see that even though the city’s location is good, the wa ter is bad and the land un fruit ful.” 20 He re plied, “ Bring me a new bowl and put salt in it.” Af ter they had brought him one, 21 Eli sha went out to the spring, threw salt in it, and said, “ This is what the L ord says: ‘ I have healed this wa ter. No lon ger will death or unfruitfulness re sult from it.’ ” 22 There fore, the wa ter still re mains healthy to day ac cord ing to the word that Eli sha spoke. 23 From there Eli sha went up to Beth el. As he was walk ing up the path, some small boys came out of the city and jeered at him, chanting, “ Go up, baldy! Go up, baldy! ” 24 He turned around, looked at them, and cursed them in the name of the L ord. Then two fe male bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the chil dren. 25 From there Eli sha went to Mount Car mel, and then he re turned to Sa mar ia. ISRAEL ’S KING JORAM 3 Jo ram son of Ahab be came king over Is ra- el in Sa mar ia dur ing the eigh teenth year of Ju dah’s King Je hosh a phat, and he reigned twelve years. 2 He did what was evil in the L ord’ s sight, but not like his fa ther and moth- er, for he re moved the sa cred pil lar of Baal his fa ther had made. 3 Nev er the less, Jo ram clung to the sins that Jer o bo am son of Ne bat had caused Is ra el to com mit. He did not turn away from them. MOAB’S REBELLION AGAINST ISRAEL 4 King Me sha of Moab was a sheep breed er. He used to pay the king of Is ra el one hun- dred thou sand lambs and the wool of one hun dred thou sand rams, 5 but when Ahab died, the king of Moab re belled against the king of Is ra el. 6 So King Jo ram marched out from Sa mar ia at that time and mo bi lized all Is ra el. 7 Then he sent a mes sage to King Je- hosh a phat of Ju dah: “ The king of Moab has re belled against me. Will you go with me to fight against Moab? ”2 KINGS 2-3 318 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 318 10/26/17 9:00 PM Je hosh a phat said, “ I will go. I am as you are, my peo ple as your peo ple, my hors es as your hors es.” 8 He asked, “ Which route should we take? ” He re plied, “ The route of the Wil der ness of Edom.” 9 So the king of Is ra el, the king of Ju dah, and the king of Edom set out. Af ter they had trav eled their indirect route for sev en days, they had no wa ter for the army or the an i mals with them. 10 Then the king of Is ra el said, “ Oh no, the L ord has sum moned these three kings, only to hand them over to Moab.” 11 But Je hosh a phat said, “ Isn’t there a proph- et of the L ord here? Let’s in quire of the L ord through him.” One of the ser vants of the king of Is ra el an - swered, “Eli sha son of Sha phat, who used to pour wa ter on Eli jah’s hands, is here.” 12 Je hosh a phat affirmed, “ The word of the L ord is with him.” So the king of Is ra el and Je hosh a phat and the king of Edom went to him. 13 How ev er, Eli sha said to King Jo ram of Is- ra el, “ What do we have in com mon? Go to the proph ets of your fa ther and your moth er! ” But the king of Is ra el re plied, “ No, be cause it is the L ord who has sum moned these three kings to hand them over to Moab.” 14 Eli sha re spond ed, “ By the life of the L ord of Ar mies, be fore whom I stand: If I did not have re spect for King Je hosh a phat of Ju dah, I wouldn’t look at you; I would not take no tice of you. 15 Now , bring me a mu si cian.” While the mu si cian played, the L ord’ s hand came on Eli sha. 16 Then he said, “ This is what the L ord says: ‘ Dig ditch af ter ditch in this wadi.’ 17 For the L ord says, ‘ You will not see wind or rain, but the wadi will be filled with wa ter, and you will drink — you and your cat tle and your an i mals.’ 18 This is easy in the L ord’ s sight. He will also hand Moab over to you. 19 Then you will at tack ev ery for ti fied city and ev ery choice city . You will cut down ev ery good tree and stop up ev ery spring. You will ruin ev ery good piece of land with stones.” 20 About the time for the grain off er ing the next morn ing, wa ter sud den ly came from the di rec tion of Edom and filled the land. 21 All Moab had heard that the kings had come up to fight against them. So all who could bear arms, from the youn gest to the old est, were sum moned and took their stand at the bor der. 22 When they got up ear ly in the morn- ing, the sun was shin ing on the wa ter, and the Mo ab ites saw that the wa ter across from them was red like blood. 23 “ This is blood! ” they ex claimed. “ The kings have crossed swords a and their men have killed one an oth er. So, to the spoil, Moab! ” 24 How ev er, when the Mo ab ites came to Is- ra el’s camp, the Is ra el ites at tacked them, and they fled from them. So Is ra el went into the land at tack ing the Mo ab ites. 25 They would de stroy the cit ies, and each of them would throw a stone to cov er ev ery good piece of land. They would stop up ev ery spring and cut down ev ery good tree. This went on un til only the build ings of Kir-hareseth were left. Then men with slings sur round ed the city and at tacked it. 26 When the king of Moab saw that the bat tle was too fierce for him, he took sev en hun dred swords men with him to try to break through to the king of Edom, but they could not do it. 27 So he took his first born son, who was to be come king in his place, and off ered him as a burnt off er ing on the city wall. Great wrath was on the Is ra el ites, and they with drew from him and re turned to their land. THE WIDOW’S OIL MULTIPLIED 4 One of the wives of the sons of the proph- ets cried out to Eli sha, “ Your ser vant, my hus band, has died. You know that your ser vant feared the L ord. Now the cred i tor is com ing to take my two chil dren as his slaves.” 2 Eli sha asked her, “ What can I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house? ” She said, “ Your ser vant has noth ing in the house ex cept a jar of oil.” 3 Then he said, “ Go out and bor row emp ty con tain ers from all your neigh bors. Do not get just a few . 4 Then go in and shut the door be hind you and your sons, and pour oil into all these con tain ers. Set the full ones to one side.” 5 So she left. Af ter she had shut the door be hind her and her sons, they kept bring ing her con tain ers, and she kept pour ing. 6 When they were full, she said to her son, “ Bring me an oth er con- tain er.” But he re plied, “ There aren’t any more.” Then the oil stopped. 7 She went and told the man of God, and he said, “ Go sell the oil and pay your debt; you and your sons can live on the rest.” a 3:23 Or have been laid waste 319 2 KINGS 3-4 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 319 10/26/17 9:00 PM THE SHUNAMMITE WOMAN’S HOSPITALITY 8 One day Eli sha went to Shu nem. A prom i- nent wom an who lived there per suad ed him to eat some food. So when ev er he passed by , he stopped there to eat. 9 Then she said to her hus band, “ I know that the one who of ten pass es by here is a holy man of God, 10 so let’s make a small, walled-in up per room and put a bed, a ta ble, a chair, and a lamp there for him. When- ev er he comes, he can stay there.” THE SHUNAMMITE WOMAN’S SON 11 One day he came there and stopped at the up stairs room to lie down. 12 He or dered his at ten dant Ge ha zi, “ Call this Shu nam mite wom- an.” So he called her and she stood be fore him. 13 Then he said to Ge ha zi, “ Say to her, ‘ Look, you’ve gone to all this trou ble for us. What can we do for you? Can we speak on your be half to the king or to the com mand er of the army? ’ ” She an swered, “ I am liv ing among my own peo ple.” 14 So he asked, “ Then what should be done for her? ” Ge ha zi an swered, “ Well, she has no son, and her hus band is old.” 15 “ Call her,” Eli sha said. So Ge ha zi called her, and she stood in the door way . 16 Eli sha said, “ At this time next year you will have a son in your arms.” Then she said, “ No, my lord. Man of God, do not lie to your ser vant.” 17 The wom an con ceived and gave birth to a son at the same time the fol low ing year, as Eli sha had prom ised her. THE SHUNAMMITE’S SON RAISED 18 The child grew and one day went out to his fa ther and the har vest ers. 19 Sud den ly he com- plained to his fa ther, “ My head! My head! ” His fa ther told his ser vant, “Car ry him to his moth er.” 20 So he picked him up and took him to his moth er. The child sat on her lap un til noon and then died. 21 She went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, shut him in, and left. 22 She sum moned her hus band and said, “ Please send me one of the ser vants and one of the don keys, so I can hur ry to the man of God and come back again.” 23 But he said, “ Why go to him to day? It’s not a New Moon or a Sab bath.” She re plied, “Ev ery thing is all right.” 24 Then she sad dled the don key and said to her ser vant, “ Go fast; don’t slow the pace for me un less I tell you.” 25 So she came to the man of God at Mount Car mel. When the man of God saw her at a dis tance, he said to his at ten dant Ge ha zi, “ Look, there’s the Shu nam mite wom an. 26 Run out to meet her and ask, ‘ Are you all right? Is your hus band all right? Is your son all right? ’ ” And she an swered, “Ev ery thing’s all right.” 27 When she came up to the man of God at the moun tain, she clung to his feet. Ge ha zi came to push her away , but the man of God said, “ Leave her alone — she is in se vere an- guish, and the L ord has hid den it from me. He hasn’t told me.” 28 Then she said, “ Did I ask my lord for a son? Didn’t I say , ‘ Do not lie to me? ’ ” 29 So Eli sha said to Ge ha zi, “ Tuck your man tle un der your belt, take my staff with you, and go. If you meet any one, don’t stop to greet him, and if a man greets you, don’t an swer him. Then place my staff on the boy’s face.” 30 The boy’s moth er said to Eli sha, “ As the L ord lives and as you your self live, I will not leave you.” So he got up and fol lowed her. 31 Ge ha zi went ahead of them and placed the staff on the boy’s face, but there was no sound or sign of life, so he went back to meet Eli sha and told him, “ The boy didn’t wake up.” 32 When Eli sha got to the house, he dis cov- ered the boy ly ing dead on his bed. 33 So he went in, closed the door be hind the two of them, and prayed to the L ord. 34 Then he went up and lay on the boy: he put mouth to mouth, eye to eye, hand to hand. While he bent down over him, the boy’s flesh be came warm. 35 Eli sha got up, went into the house, and paced back and forth. Then he went up and bent down over him again. The boy sneezed sev en times and opened his eyes. 36 Eli sha called Ge ha zi and said, “ Call the Shu nam mite wom an.” He called her and she came. Then Eli sha said, “ Pick up your son.” 37 She came, fell at his feet, and bowed to the ground; she picked up her son and left. THE DEADLY STEW 38 When Eli sha re turned to Gil gal, there was a fam ine in the land. The sons of the proph ets were sit ting be fore him. He said to his at ten- dant, “ Put on the large pot and make stew for the sons of the proph ets.” 39 One went out to the field to gath er herbs and found a wild vine from which he gath ered as many wild gourds as his gar ment would hold. Then he came back and cut them up 2 KINGS 4 320 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 320 10/26/17 9:00 PM into the pot of stew , but they were un aware of what they were. a 40 They served some for the men to eat, but when they ate the stew they cried out, “ There’s death in the pot, man of God! ” And they were un able to eat it. 41 Then Eli sha said, “ Get some flour.” He threw it into the pot and said, “ Serve it for the peo ple to eat.” And there was noth ing bad in the pot. THE MULTIPLIED BREAD 42 A man from Baal-shalishah came to the man of God with his sack full of b twen ty loaves of bar ley bread from the first bread of the har - vest. Eli sha said, “ Give it to the peo ple to eat.” 43 But Eli sha’s at ten dant asked, “ What? Am I to set this be fore a hun dred men? ” “ Give it to the peo ple to eat,” Eli sha said, “ for this is what the L ord says: ‘ They will eat, and they will have some left over.’ ” 44 So he set it be fore them, and as the L ord had prom ised, they ate and had some left over. NAAMAN’S DISEASE HEALED 5 Na a man, com mand er of the army for the king of Aram, was a man im por tant to his mas ter and high ly re gard ed be cause through him, the L ord had giv en vic to ry to Aram. The man was a val iant war rior, but he had a skin dis ease. 2 Aram had gone on raids and brought back from the land of Is ra el a young girl who served Na a man’s wife. 3 She said to her mis tress, “ If only my mas ter were with the proph et who is in Sa mar ia, he would cure him of his skin dis ease.” 4 So Na a man went and told his mas ter what the girl from the land of Is ra el had said. 5 There- fore, the king of Aram said, “ Go, and I will send a let ter with you to the king of Is ra el.” So he went and took with him 750 pounds c of sil ver, 150 pounds d of gold, and ten sets of cloth ing. 6 He brought the let ter to the king of Is ra el, and it read: When this letter comes to you, note that I have sent you my servant Naaman for you to cure him of his skin disease. 7 When the king of Is ra el read the let ter, he tore his clothes and asked, “ Am I God, kill ing and giv ing life that this man expects me to cure a man of his skin dis ease? Rec og nize e that he is only picking a fight with me.” 8 When Eli sha the man of God heard that the king of Is ra el had torn his clothes, he sent a mes sage to the king, “ Why have you torn your clothes? Have him come to me, and he will know there is a proph et in Is ra el.” 9 So Na a man came with his hors es and char i ots and stood at the door of Eli sha’s house. 10 Then Eli sha sent him a mes sen ger, who said, “ Go wash sev en times in the Jor dan and your skin will be re stored and you will be clean.” 11 But Na a man got an gry and left, say ing, “ I was tell ing my self: He will sure ly come out, stand and call on the name of the L ord his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the skin dis ease. 12 Aren’t Ab a na and Phar - par, the riv ers of Da mas cus, bet ter than all the wa ters of Is ra el? Couldn’t I wash in them and be clean? ” So he turned and left in a rage. 13 But his ser vants ap proached and said to him, “ My fa ther, if the proph et had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more should you do it when he only tells you, ‘ Wash and be clean’? ” 14 So Na a man went down and dipped him self in the Jor dan sev en times, ac cord ing to the com mand of the man of God. Then his skin was re stored and be came like the skin of a small boy , and he was clean. 15 Then Na a man and his whole com pa ny went back to the man of God, stood be fore him, and de clared, “ I know there’s no God in the whole world ex cept in Is ra el. There fore, please ac cept a gift
🏺 Biblical Redemption and Consequences
🙏 Naaman's healing from leprosy leads to his spiritual transformation, rejecting all gods except the Lord while requesting understanding for his diplomatic duties in pagan temples
💰 Gehazi's greed drives him to secretly pursue Naaman for gifts, resulting in divine punishment when Elisha exposes his deception and transfers Naaman's leprosy to him
👁️ Spiritual vision transcends physical reality when Elisha's servant sees the mountain covered with heavenly horses and chariots of fire protecting them from the Aramean army
🍞 Divine provision manifests during severe famine when four men with skin disease discover the Aramean camp abandoned, fulfilling Elisha's prophecy of sudden food abundance
🔮 Prophetic authority extends beyond healing to political affairs, as demonstrated when Elisha predicts Hazael's rise to power and the suffering he would inflict on Israel
👑 Royal lineages in both Israel and Judah face consequences for their spiritual choices, with faithful kings receiving divine protection while unfaithful ones experience rebellion
from your ser vant.” 16 But Eli sha said, “ As the L ord lives, in whose pres ence I stand, I will not ac cept it.” Na a man urged him to ac cept it, but he re fused. 17 Na a man re spond ed, “ If not, please let your ser vant be giv en as much soil as a pair of mules can car ry , for your ser vant will no lon ger off er a burnt off er ing or a sac ri fice to any oth er god but the L ord. 18 How ev er, in a particular mat- ter may the L ord par don your ser vant: When my mas ter, the king of Aram, goes into the tem ple of Rim mon to bow in wor ship while he is lean ing on my arm, f and I have to bow in the tem ple of Rim mon — when I bow g in the tem ple of Rim mon, may the L ord par don your ser vant in this mat ter.” 19 So he said to him, “ Go in peace.” a 4:39 of what they were added for clarity b 4:42 Or with some heads of fresh grain and c 5:5 Lit 10 talents d 5:5 Lit 6,000 shekels e 5:7 Lit Know and see f 5:18 Lit worship, and he leans on my hand g 5:18 LXX, Vg read when he bows himself 321 2 KINGS 4-5 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 321 10/26/17 9:00 PM GEHAZI’S GREED PUNISHED Af ter Na a man had trav eled a short dis tance from Eli sha, 20 Ge ha zi, the at ten dant of Eli sha the man of God, thought, “ My mas ter has let this Ar a me an Na a man off light ly by not ac- cept ing from him what he brought. As the L ord lives, I will run af ter him and get some- thing from him.” 21 So Ge ha zi pur sued Na a man. When Na a- man saw some one run ning af ter him, he got down from the char i ot to meet him and asked, “ Is ev ery thing all right? ” 22 Ge ha zi said, “ It’s all right. My mas ter has sent me to say , ‘ I have just now dis cov ered that two young men from the sons of the proph- ets have come to me from the hill coun try of Ephra im. Please give them seventy-five pounds a of sil ver and two sets of cloth ing.’ ” 23 But Na a man in sist ed, “ Please, ac cept one hun dred fif ty pounds.” b He urged Ge ha zi and then packed one hun dred fif ty pounds of sil ver in two bags with two sets of cloth ing. Na a man gave them to two of his at ten dants who car - ried them ahead of Ge ha zi. 24 When Ge ha zi came to the hill, c he took the gifts from them and de pos it ed them in the house. Then he dis missed the men, and they left. 25 Ge ha zi came and stood by his mas ter. “ Where did you go, Ge ha zi? ” Eli sha asked him. He re plied, “ Your ser vant didn’t go any where.” 26 “ And my heart didn’t go d when the man got down from his char i ot to meet you,” Eli sha said. “ Is this a time to ac cept sil ver and cloth- ing, ol ive or chards and vine yards, flocks and herds, and male and fe male slaves? 27 There fore, Na a man’s skin dis ease will cling to you and your de scen dants for ev er.” So Ge ha zi went out from his pres ence dis eased, re sem bling snow . e THE FLOATING AX HEAD 6 The sons of the proph ets said to Eli sha, “ Please no tice that the place where we live un der your su per vi sion f is too small for us. 2 Please let us go to the Jor dan where we can each get a log and can build our selves a place to live there.” “ Go,” he said. 3 Then one said, “ Please come with your ser vants.” “ I’ll come,” he an swered. 4 So he went with them, and when they came to the Jor dan, they cut down trees. 5 As one of them was cut ting down a tree, the iron ax head fell into the wa ter, and he cried out, “ Oh, my mas ter, it was bor rowed! ” 6 Then the man of God asked, “ Where did it fall? ” When he showed him the place, the man of God cut a piece of wood, threw it there, and made the iron float. 7 Then he said, “ Pick it up.” So he reached out and took it. THE ARAMEAN WAR 8 When the king of Aram was wag ing war against Is ra el, he con ferred with his ser vants, “ My camp will be at such and such a place.” 9 But the man of God sent word to the king of Is ra el: “ Be care ful pass ing by this place, for the Ar a me ans are go ing down there.” 10 Con- se quent ly , the king of Is ra el sent word to the place the man of God had told him about. The man of God re peat ed ly g warned the king, so the king would be on his guard. 11 The king of Aram was en raged be cause of this mat ter, and he called his ser vants and de mand ed of them, “ Tell me, which one of us is for the king of Is ra el? ” 12 One of his ser vants said, “ No one, my lord the king. Eli sha, the proph et in Is ra el, tells the king of Is ra el even the words you speak in your bed room.” 13 So the king said, “ Go and see where he is, so I can send men to cap ture him.” When he was told, “Eli sha is in Do than,” 14 he sent hors es, char i ots, and a mas sive army there. They went by night and sur round ed the city . 15 When the ser vant of the man of God got up ear ly and went out, he dis cov ered an army with hors es and char i ots sur round ing the city . So he asked Eli sha, “ Oh, my mas ter, what are we to do? ” 16 Eli sha said, “ Don’t be afraid, for those who are with us out num ber those who are with them.” 17 Then Eli sha prayed, “ L ord , please open his eyes and let him see.” So the L ord opened the ser vant’s eyes, and he saw that the moun tain was cov ered with hors es and char i ots of fire all around Eli sha. 18 When the Ar a me ans came against him, Eli sha prayed to the L ord, “ Please strike this na tion with blind ness.” h So he struck them with blind ness, ac cord ing to Eli sha’s word. 19 Then Eli sha said to them, “ This is not the way , a 5:22 Lit a talent b 5:23 Lit two talents c 5:24 Or citadel d 5:26 Or “Did not my heart go e 5:27 A reference to whiteness or flakiness of the skin f 6:1 Lit we are living before you g 6:10 Lit not once and not twice h 6:18 Or a blinding light2 KINGS 5-6 322 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 322 10/26/17 9:00 PM and this is not the city . Fol low me, and I will take you to the man you’re look ing for.” And he led them to Sa mar ia. 20 When they en tered Sa mar ia, Eli sha said, “ L ord, open these men’s eyes and let them see.” So the L ord opened their eyes, and they saw that they were in the mid dle of Sa mar ia. 21 When the king of Is ra el saw them, he said to Eli sha, “ Should I kill them, should I kill them, my fa ther? ” 22 Eli sha re plied, “ Don’t kill them. Do you kill those you have cap tured with your sword or your bow? Set food and wa ter in front of them so they can eat and drink and go to their mas ter.” 23 So he pre pared a big feast for them. When they had eat en and drunk, he sent them away , and they went to their mas ter. The Ar a me an raid ers did not come into Is ra el’s land again. THE SIEGE OF SAMARIA 24 Some time lat er, King Ben-ha dad of Aram brought all his mil i tary units to geth er and marched up and laid siege to Sa mar ia. 25 So there was a se vere fam ine in Sa mar ia, and they con tin ued the siege against it un til a don key’s head sold for thirty-four ounc es a of sil ver, and a cup b of dove’s dung c sold for two ounc es d of sil ver. 26 As the king of Is ra el was pass ing by on the wall, a wom an cried out to him, “ My lord the king, help! ” 27 He an swered, “ If the L ord doesn’t help you, where can I get help for you? From the thresh ing floor or the wine press? ” 28 Then the king asked her, “ What’s the mat ter? ” She said, “ This wom an said to me, ‘ Give up your son, and we will eat him to day . Then we will eat my son to mor row .’ 29 So we boiled my son and ate him, and I said to her the next day , ‘ Give up your son, and we will eat him,’ but she has hid den her son.” 30 When the king heard the wom an’s words, he tore his clothes. Then, as he was pass ing by on the wall, the peo ple saw that there was sack cloth un der his clothes next to his skin. 31 He an nounced, “ May God pun ish me and do so se vere ly if the head of Eli sha son of Sha phat re mains on his shoul ders to day .” 32 Eli sha was sit ting in his house, and the el ders were sit ting with him. The king sent a man ahead of him, but be fore the mes sen ger got to him, Eli sha said to the el ders, “ Do you see how this mur der er has sent some one to re move my head? Look, when the mes sen ger comes, shut the door to keep him out. Isn’t the sound of his mas ter’s feet be hind him? ” 33 While Eli sha was still speak ing with them, the mes sen ger e came down to him. Then he said, “ This di sas ter is from the L ord. Why should I wait for the L ord any lon ger? ” 7 Eli sha re plied, “ Hear the word of the L ord! This is what the L ord says: ‘ About this time to mor row at Sa mar ia’s gate, six quarts f of fine flour will sell for a half ounce of sil ver g and twelve quarts h of bar ley will sell for a half ounce of sil ver.’ ” 2 Then the cap tain, the king’s right-hand man, i re spond ed to the man of God, “ Look, even if the L ord were to make win dows in heav en, could this real ly hap pen? ” Eli sha an nounced, “ You will in fact see it with your own eyes, but you won’t eat any of it.” 3 Now four men with a skin dis ease were at the en trance to the city gate. They said to each oth er, “ Why just sit here un til we die? 4 If we say , ‘ Let’s go into the city ,’ we will die there be cause the fam ine is in the city , but if we sit here, we will also die. So now , come on. Let’s sur ren der to the Ar a me ans’ camp. If they let us live, we will live; if they kill us, we will die.” 5 So the dis eased men got up at twi light to go to the Ar a me ans’ camp. When they came to the camp’s edge, they dis cov ered that no one was there, 6 for the Lord j had caused the Ar a me an camp to hear the sound of char i ots, hors es, and a large army . The Ar a me ans had said to each oth er, “ The king of Is ra el must have hired the kings of the Hit tites and the kings of Egypt to at tack us.” 7 So they had got ten up and fled at twi light, abandoning their tents, hors es, and don keys. The camp was in tact, and they had fled for their lives. 8 When these dis eased men came to the edge of the camp, they went into a tent to eat and drink. Then they picked up the sil ver, gold, and cloth ing and went off and hid them. They came back and en tered an oth er tent, picked things up, and hid them. 9 Then they said to each oth er, “ We’re not do ing what is right. To day is a day of good news. If we are si lent and wait un til morn ing light, our pun ish ment will catch up with us. So let’s go tell the king’s house hold.” a 6:25 Lit for 80 ; “shekels” is assumed b 6:25 Lit a fourth of a kab c 6:25 Or seedpods, or wild onions d 6:25 Lit for five ; “shekels” is assumed e 6:33 Some emend to king f 7:1 Lit a seah, also in vv. 16,18 g 7:1 Lit for a shekel, also in vv. 16,18 h 7:1 Lit two seahs, also in vv. 16,18 i 7:2 Lit captain, upon whose hand the king leaned, also in v. 17 j 7:6 Some Hb mss read L ord 323 2 KINGS 6-7 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 323 10/26/17 9:00 PM 10 The dis eased men came and called to the city’s gate keep ers and told them, “ We went to the Ar a me an camp and no one was there — no hu man sounds. There was noth ing but teth- ered hors es and don keys, and the tents were in tact.” 11 The gate keep ers called out, and the news was re port ed to the king’s house hold. 12 So the king got up in the night and said to his ser vants, “ Let me tell you what the Ar a me ans have done to us. They know we are starv ing, so they have left the camp to hide in the open coun try , think ing, ‘ When they come out of the city , we will take them alive and go into the city .’ ” 13 But one of his ser vants re spond ed, “ Please, let mes sen gers take five of the hors es that are left in the city . Their fate is like the en tire Is ra el ite com mu ni ty who will die, a so let’s send them and see.” 14 The mes sen gers took two char i ots with hors es, and the king sent them af ter the Ar - a me an army , say ing, “ Go and see.” 15 So they fol lowed them as far as the Jor dan. They saw that the whole way was littered with clothes and equip ment the Ar a me ans had thrown off in their haste. The mes sen gers re turned and told the king. 16 Then the peo ple went out and plun dered the Ar a me an camp. It was then that six quarts of fine flour sold for a half ounce of sil ver and twelve quarts of bar ley sold for a half ounce of sil ver, ac cord ing to the word of the L ord. 17 The king had ap point ed the cap tain, his right-hand man, to be in charge of the city gate, but the peo ple tram pled him in the gate. He died, just as the man of God had pre dict ed when the king had come to him. 18 When the man of God had said to the king, “ About this time to mor row twelve quarts of bar ley will sell for a half ounce of sil ver and six quarts of fine flour will sell for a half ounce of sil ver at Sa mar ia’s gate,” 19 this cap tain had an swered the man of God, “ Look, even if the L ord were to make win dows in heav en, could this real ly hap pen? ” Eli sha had said, “ You will in fact see it with your own eyes, but you won’t eat any of it.” 20 This is what hap pened to him: the peo ple tram pled him in the city gate, and he died. THE SHUNAMMITE’S LAND RESTORED 8 Eli sha said to the wom an whose son he had re stored to life, “ Get ready , you and your house hold, and go live as a res i dent alien wher ev er you can. For the L ord has an nounced a seven-year fam ine, and it has al ready come to the land.” 2 So the wom an got ready and did what the man of God said. She and her house hold lived as res i dent aliens in the land of the Phi lis tines for sev en years. 3 When the wom an re turned from the land of the Phi lis tines at the end of sev en years, she went to ap peal to the king for her house and field. 4 The king had been speak ing to Ge ha zi, the at ten dant of the man of God, say ing, “ Tell me all the great things Eli sha has done.” 5 While he was tell ing the king how Eli sha re stored the dead son to life, the wom an whose son he had re stored to life came to ap peal to the king for her house and field. So Ge ha zi said, “ My lord the king, this is the wom an and this is the son Eli sha re stored to life.” 6 When the king asked the wom an, she told him the sto ry . So the king ap point ed a court off i cial for her, say ing, “Re store all that was hers, along with all the in come from the field from the day she left the coun try un til now .” ARAM’S KING HAZAEL 7 Eli sha came to Da mas cus while King Ben-ha- dad of Aram was sick, and the king was told, “ The man of God has come here.” 8 So the king said to Haz a el, “ Take a gift with you and go meet the man of God. In quire of the L ord through him, ‘ Will I re cov er from this sick ness? ’ ” 9 Haz a el went to meet Eli sha, tak ing with him a gift: for ty camel-loads of all the fin est prod ucts of Da mas cus. When he came and stood be fore him, he said, “ Your son, King Ben-ha dad of Aram, has sent me to ask you, ‘ Will I re cov er from this sick ness? ’ ” 10 Eli sha told him, “ Go say to him, ‘ You are sure to b re cov er.’ But the L ord has shown me that he is sure to die.” 11 Then he stared steadi ly at him un til he was ashamed. The man of God wept, 12 and Haz a el asked, “ Why is my lord weep ing? ” He re plied, “Be cause I know the evil you will do to the peo ple of Is ra el. You will set their for - tress es on fire. You will kill their young men with the sword. You will dash their chil dren to pieces. You will rip open their preg nant wom en.” 13 Haz a el said, “ How could your ser vant, a mere dog, do such a mighty deed? ” a 7:13 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr , Vg; other Hb mss read left in it. Indeed, they are like the whole multitude of Israel that are left in it; indeed, they are like the whole multitude of Israel who will die. b 8:10 Alt Hb tradition reads You will not2 KINGS 7-8 324 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 324 10/26/17 9:00 PM Eli sha an swered, “ The L ord has shown me that you will be king over Aram.” 14 Haz a el left Eli sha and went to his mas ter, who asked him, “ What did Eli sha say to you? ” He re spond ed, “ He told me you are sure to re cov er.” 15 The next day Haz a el took a heavy cloth, dipped it in wa ter, and spread it over the king’s face. Ben-ha dad died, and Haz a el reigned in his place. JUDAH’S KING JEHORAM 16 In the fifth year of Is ra el’s King Jo ram son of Ahab, Je ho ram a son of Je hosh a phat be came king of Ju dah, replacing his fa ther. b 17 He was thirty-two years old when he be came king, and he reigned eight years in Je ru sa lem. 18 He walked in the ways of the kings of Is ra el, as the house of Ahab had done, for Ahab’s daugh ter was his wife. He did what was evil in the L ord’ s sight. 19 For the sake of his ser vant Da vid, the L ord was un will ing to de stroy Ju dah, since he had prom ised to give a lamp to Da vid and his sons for ev er. 20 Dur ing Je ho ram’s reign, Edom re belled against Ju dah’s con trol and ap point ed their own king. 21 So Je ho ram crossed over to Zair with all his char i ots. Then at night he set out to at tack the Edom ites who had sur round - ed him and the char i ot com mand ers, but his troops fled to their tents. 22 So Edom is still in re bel lion against Ju dah’s con trol to
👑 Royal Intrigues and Bloodshed
🗡️ Jehu's violent rise to power unfolds through divine appointment, as a prophet anoints him king over Israel with instructions to eliminate the house of Ahab as vengeance for their wickedness
🏰 Political assassinations cascade through the narrative—Jehu kills King Joram, King Ahaziah of Judah, Queen Jezebel, and systematically eliminates Ahab's seventy sons and all his supporters
🔥 Religious purge culminates in Jehu's deceptive gathering of Baal worshippers, whom he slaughters in their temple before destroying Baal's shrine and converting it into a latrine
👸 Queen Athaliah seizes Judah's throne through bloodshed after her son's death, while Jehosheba secretly rescues the infant prince Joash, hiding him in the temple for six years
⚖️ Divine judgment manifests through human agents, as prophetic words against the house of Ahab are fulfilled through Jehu's actions, demonstrating both divine justice and human brutality
🛡️ Restoration of legitimate rule begins when priest Jehoiada orchestrates a carefully planned coup to overthrow Athaliah and crown the hidden heir Joash as rightful king
day . Lib nah also re belled at that time. 23 The rest of the events of Je ho ram’s reign, along with all his ac com plish ments, are writ- ten in the His tor i cal Rec ord of Ju dah’s Kings. 24 Je ho ram rest ed with his fa thers and was bur ied with his fa thers in the city of Da vid, and his son Aha zi ah be came king in his place. JUDAH’S KING AHAZIAH 25 In the twelfth year of Is ra el’s King Jo ram son of Ahab, Aha zi ah son of Je ho ram be came king of Ju dah. 26 Aha zi ah was twenty-two years old when he be came king, and he reigned one year in Je ru sa lem. His moth er’s name was Ath a li ah, grand daugh ter of Is ra el’s King Omri. 27 He walked in the ways of the house of Ahab and did what was evil in the L ord’ s sight like the house of Ahab, for his fa ther had mar ried into c the house of Ahab. 28 Aha zi ah went with Jo ram son of Ahab to fight against King Haz a el of Aram in Ramoth-gilead, and the Ar a me ans wound ed Jo ram. 29 So King Jo ram re turned to Jez re el to re cov er from the wounds that the Ar a me ans had in flict ed on him in Ramoth-gilead d when he fought against Aram’s King Haz a el. Then Ju dah’s King Aha zi ah son of Je ho ram went down to Jez re el to vis it Jo ram son of Ahab since Jo ram was ill. JEHU ANOINTED AS ISRAEL’S KING 9 The proph et Eli sha called one of the sons of the proph ets and said, “ Tuck your man- tle un der your belt, take this flask of oil with you, and go to Ramoth-gilead. 2 When you get there, look for Jehu son of Je hosh a phat, son of Nim shi. Go in, get him away from his col- leagues, and take him to an in ner room. 3 Then take the flask of oil, pour it on his head, and say , ‘ This is what the L ord says: “ I anoint you king over Is ra el.” ’ Open the door and es cape. Don’t wait.” 4 So the young proph et e went to Ramoth-gilead. 5 When he ar rived, the army com mand ers were sit ting there, so he said, “ I have a mes- sage for you, com mand er.” Jehu asked, “ For which one of us? ” He an swered, “ For you, com mand er.” 6 So Jehu got up and went into the house. The young proph et poured the oil on his head and said, “ This is what the L ord God of Is ra el says: ‘ I anoint you king over the L ord’ s peo- ple, Is ra el. 7 You are to strike down the house of your mas ter Ahab so that I may avenge the blood shed by the hand of Jez e bel — the blood of my ser vants the proph ets and of all the ser vants of the L ord. 8 The whole house of Ahab will per ish, and I will wipe out all of Ahab’s males, f both slave and free, g in Is ra el. 9 I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jer o bo am son of Ne bat and like the house of Ba a sha son of Ahi jah. 10 The dogs will eat Jez e bel in the plot of land at Jez re el — no one will bury her.’ ” Then the young proph et opened the door and es caped. 11 When Jehu came out to his mas ter’s ser - vants, they asked, “ Is ev ery thing all right? Why did this crazy per son come to you? ” Then he said to them, “ You know the sort and their ranting.” 12 But they re plied, “ That’s a lie! Tell us! ” So Jehu said, “ He talked to me about this and that and said, ‘ This is what the L ord says: I anoint you king over Is ra el.’ ” a 8:16 = The Lord is Exalted b 8:16 Lit Judah; Jehoshaphat had been king of Judah c 8:27 Lit for he was related by marriage to d 8:29 Lit Ramah e 9:4 Or the young man, the attendant of the prophet f 9:8 Lit wipe out Ahab’s one who urinates against a wall g 9:8 Or males, even the weak and impaired ; Hb obscure 325 2 KINGS 8-9 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 325 10/26/17 9:00 PM 13 Each man quick ly took his gar ment and put it un der Jehu on the bare steps. a They blew the ram’s horn and pro claimed, “ Jehu is king! ” 14 Then Jehu son of Je hosh a phat, son of Nim- shi, con spired against Jo ram. Jo ram and all Is ra el had been at Ramoth-gilead on guard against King Haz a el of Aram. 15 But King Jo- ram had re turned to Jez re el to re cov er from the wounds that the Ar a me ans had in flict ed on him when he fought against Aram’s King Haz a el. Jehu said, “ If you com mand ers wish to make me king, b then don’t let any one es cape from the city to go tell about it in Jez re el.” JEHU KILLS JORAM AND AHAZIAH 16 Jehu got into his char i ot and went to Jez re el since Jo ram was laid up there and King Aha zi ah of Ju dah had gone down to vis it Jo ram. 17 Now the watch man was stand ing on the tow er in Jez re el. He saw Jehu’s mob ap proach ing and shout ed, “ I see a mob! ” Jo ram re spond ed, “ Choose a rid er and send him to meet them and have him ask, ‘ Do you come in peace? ’ ” 18 So a horse man went to meet Jehu and said, “ This is what the king asks: ‘ Do you come in peace? ’ ” Jehu re plied, “ What do you have to do with peace? c Fall in be hind me.” The watch man re port ed, “ The mes sen ger reached them but hasn’t start ed back.” 19 So he sent out a sec ond horse man, who went to them and said, “ This is what the king asks: ‘ Do you come in peace? ’ ” Jehu an swered, “ What do you have to do with peace? Fall in be hind me.” 20 Again the watch man re port ed, “ He reached them but hasn’t start ed back. Also, the driv ing is like that of Jehu son of Nim shi — he drives like a mad man.” 21 “ Get the char i ot ready! ” Jo ram shout- ed, and they got it ready . Then King Jo ram of Is ra el and King Aha zi ah of Ju dah set out, each in his own char i ot, and met Jehu at the plot of land of Na both the Jez re el ite. 22 When Jo ram saw Jehu he asked, “ Do you come in peace, Jehu? ” He an swered, “ What peace can there be as long as there is so much pros ti tu tion and sor - cery from your moth er Jez e bel? ” 23 Jo ram turned around and fled, shout ing to Aha zi ah, “ It’s treach ery , Aha zi ah! ”24 Then Jehu drew his bow and shot Jo- ram be tween the shoul ders. The ar row went through his heart, and he slumped down in his char i ot. 25 Jehu said to Bid kar his aide, “ Pick him up and throw him on the plot of ground be long ing to Na both the Jez re el ite. For re mem ber when you and I were rid ing side by side be hind his fa ther Ahab, and the L ord ut tered this pronouncement against him: 26 ‘ As sure ly as I saw the blood of Na both and the blood of his sons yes ter day’ — this is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion — ‘ so will I re pay you on this plot of land’ — this is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion. So now , ac cord ing to the word of the L ord, pick him up and throw him on the plot of land.” 27 When King Aha zi ah of Ju dah saw what was hap pen ing, he fled up the road to ward Beth- hag gan. Jehu pur sued him, shout ing, “ Shoot him too! ” So they shot him in his char i ot d at Gur Pass near Ib le am, but he fled to Me gid do and died there. 28 Then his ser vants car ried him to Je ru sa lem in a char i ot and bur ied him in his fa thers’ tomb in the city of Da vid. 29 It was in the elev enth year of Jo ram son of Ahab that Aha zi ah had be come king over Ju dah. JEHU KILLS JEZEBEL 30 When Jehu came to Jez re el, Jez e bel heard about it, so she paint ed her eyes, fixed her hair, e and looked down from the win dow . 31 As Jehu en tered the city gate, she said, “ Do you come in peace, Zim ri, killer of your mas ter? ” 32 He looked up to ward the win dow and said, “ Who is on my side? Who? ” Two or three eu nuchs looked down at him, 33 and he said, “ Throw her down! ” So they threw her down, and some of her blood splattered on the wall and on the hors es, and Jehu rode over her. 34 Then he went in, ate and drank, and said, “ Take care of this cursed wom an and bury her, since she’s a king’s daugh ter.” 35 But when they went out to bury her, they did not find any thing but the skull, the feet, and the hands. 36 So they went back and told him, and he said, “ This ful fills the L ord’ s word that he spoke through his ser vant Eli jah the Tish bite: ‘ In the plot of land at Jez re el, the dogs will eat Jez e bel’s flesh. 37 Jez e bel’s corpse will be like ma nure on the sur face of the ground in the plot of land at Jez re el so that no one will be able to say: This is Jez e bel.’ ” a 9:13 Lit on the bones of the steps b 9:15 Lit “If your desire exists c 9:18 Lit What to you and to peace, also in v. 19 d 9:27 LXX, Syr , Vg; MT omits So they shot him e 9:30 Lit made her head pleasing2 KINGS 9 326 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 326 10/26/17 9:00 PM JEHU KILLS THE HOUSE OF AHAB 10 Since Ahab had sev en ty sons in Sa mar - ia, Jehu wrote let ters and sent them to Sa mar ia to the rul ers of Jez re el, to the el ders, and to the guard ians of Ahab’s sons, a say ing: 2 Your master’s sons are with you, and you have chariots, horses, a fortified city , and weaponry , so when this letter arrives 3 select the most qualified b of your mas - ter’s sons, set him on his father’s throne, and fight for your master’s house. 4 How ev er, they were ter ri fied and rea soned, “ Look, two kings couldn’t stand against him; how can we? ” 5 So the over seer of the pal ace, the over seer of the city , the el ders, and the guard ians sent a mes sage to Jehu: “ We are your ser vants, and we will do what ev er you tell us. We will not make any one king. Do what ev er you think is right.” c 6 Then Jehu wrote them a sec ond let ter, say ing: If you are on my side, and if you will obey me, bring me the heads of your master’s sons d at this time tomorrow at Jezreel. All sev en ty of the king’s sons were be- ing cared for by the city’s prom i nent men. 7 When the let ter came to them, they took the king’s sons and slaugh tered all sev en ty , put their heads in bas kets, and sent them to Jehu at Jez re el. 8 When the mes sen ger came and told him, “ They have brought the heads of the king’s sons,” the king said, “ Pile them in two heaps at the en trance of the city gate un til morn ing.” 9 The next morn ing when he went out and stood at the gate, he said to all the peo ple, “ You are in no cent. It was I who con spired against my mas ter and killed him. But who struck down all these? 10 Know , then, that not a word the L ord spoke against the house of Ahab will fail, for the L ord has done what he prom ised through his ser vant Eli jah.” 11 So Jehu killed all who re mained of the house of Ahab in Jez re el — all his great men, close friends, and priests — leav ing him no sur vi vors. 12 Then he set out and went to Sa mar ia. On the way , while he was at Beth-e ked of the Shep herds, 13 Jehu met the rel a tives of King Aha zi ah of Ju dah and asked, “ Who are you? ” They an swered, “ We’re Aha zi ah’s rel a tives. We’ve come down to greet the king’s sons and the queen moth er’s sons.” 14 Then Jehu or dered, “ Take them alive.” So they took them alive and then slaugh tered them at the pit of Beth-e ked — forty-two men. He didn’t spare any of them. 15 When he left there, he found Je hon a dab son of Re chab com ing to meet him. He greet- ed him and then asked, “ Is your heart one with mine? ” e “ It is,” Je hon a dab re plied. Jehu said, “ If it is, f give me your hand.” So he gave him his hand, and Jehu pulled him up into the char i ot with him. 16 Then he said, “ Come with me and see my zeal for the L ord! ” So he let him ride with him in his char - i ot. 17 When Jehu came to Sa mar ia, he struck down all who re mained from the house of Ahab in Sa mar ia un til he had an ni hi lat ed his house, ac cord ing to the word of the L ord spo- ken to Eli jah. JEHU KILLS THE BAAL WORSHIPERS 18 Then Jehu brought all the peo ple to geth er and said to them, “ Ahab served Baal a lit tle, but Jehu will serve him a lot. 19 Now , there fore, sum mon to me all the proph ets of Baal, all his ser vants, and all his priests. None must be miss ing, for I have a great sac ri fice for Baal. Who ev er is miss ing will not live.” How ev er, Jehu was act ing de cep tive ly in or der to de- stroy the ser vants of Baal. 20 Jehu com mand ed, “Con se crate a sol emn as sem bly for Baal.” So they called one. 21 Then Jehu sent mes sen gers through out all Is ra el, and all the ser vants of Baal g came; no one failed to come. They en tered the tem- ple of Baal, and it was filled from one end to the oth er. 22 Then he said to the cus to di an of the ward robe, “ Bring out the gar ments for all the ser vants of Baal.” So he brought out their gar ments. 23 Then Jehu and Je hon a dab son of Re chab en tered the tem ple of Baal, and Jehu said to the ser vants of Baal, “ Look care ful ly to see that there are no ser vants of the L ord here among you — only ser vants of Baal.” 24 Then they went in to off er sac ri fic es and burnt off er ings. Now Jehu had sta tioned eighty men out side, and he warned them, “Who ev er al lows any of the men I am plac ing in your hands to es cape a 10:1 LXX; MT reads of Ahab b 10:3 Lit the good and the upright c 10:5 Lit Do what is good in your eyes d 10:6 Lit heads of the men of the sons of your master e 10:15 Lit heart upright like my heart is with your heart f 10:15 LXX, Syr , Vg; MT reads mine? ” Jehonadab said, “It is and it is g 10:21 LXX adds — all his priests and all his prophets— 327 2 KINGS 10 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 327 10/26/17 9:00 PM will for feit his life for theirs.” 25 When he fin- ished off er ing the burnt off er ing, Jehu said to the guards and off i cers, “ Go in and kill them. Don’t let any one out.” So they struck them down with the sword. Then the guards and off i cers threw the bod ies out and went into the in ner room of the tem ple of Baal. 26 They brought out the pil lar of the tem ple of Baal and burned it, 27 and they tore down the pil lar of Baal. Then they tore down the tem ple of Baal and made it a la trine — which it still is to day . EVALUATION OF JEHU’S REIGN 28 Jehu elim i nat ed Baal wor ship from Is ra el, 29 but he did not turn away from the sins that Jer o bo am son of Ne bat had caused Is ra el to com mit — wor ship ing the gold calves that were in Beth el and Dan. 30 Nev er the less, the L ord said to Jehu, “Be cause you have done well in car ry ing out what is right in my sight and have done to the house of Ahab all that was in my heart, four gen er a tions of your sons will sit on the throne of Is ra el.” 31 Yet Jehu was not care ful to fol low the in- struc tion of the L ord God of Is ra el with all his heart. He did not turn from the sins that Jer o bo am had caused Is ra el to com mit. 32 In those days the L ord be gan to re duce the size of Is ra el. Haz a el de feat ed the Is ra el ites through out their ter ri to ry 33 from the Jor - dan east ward: the whole land of Gil e ad — the Gad ites, the Reu ben ites, and the Ma nas sites — from Aro er which is by the Ar non Val ley through Gil e ad to Ba shan. a 34 The rest of the events of Jehu’s reign, along with all his ac com plish ments and all his might, are writ ten in the His tor i cal Rec ord of Is ra el’s Kings. 35 Jehu rest ed with his fa thers and was bur ied in Sa mar ia. His son Je ho a haz be came king in his place. 36 The length of Jehu’s reign over Is ra el in Sa mar ia was twenty-eight years. ATHALIAH USURPS THE THRONE 11 When Ath a li ah, Aha zi ah’s moth er, saw that her son was dead, she pro ceed ed to an ni hi late all the roy al heirs. 2 Je hosh e ba, who was King Je ho ram’s daugh ter and Aha zi ah’s sis ter, se cret ly res cued Jo ash son of Aha zi ah from among the king’s sons who were be ing killed and put him and the one who nursed him in a bed room. So he was hid den from Ath a li ah and was not killed. 3 Jo ash was in hid ing with her in the L ord’ s tem ple six years while Ath a li ah reigned over the land. ATHALIAH OVERTHROWN 4 In the sev enth year, Je hoi a da sent for the com mand ers of hun dreds, the Car ites, and the guards. He had them come to him in the L ord ’ s tem ple, where he made a cov enant with them and put them un der oath. He showed them the king’s son 5 and com mand ed them, “ This is what you are to do: A third of you who come on duty on the Sab bath are to pro vide pro tec tion for the king’s pal ace. 6 A third are to be at the Foun da tion b Gate and a third at the gate be hind the guards. You are to take turns pro vid ing pro tec tion for the pal ace. c 7 “ Your two di vi sions that go off duty on the Sab bath are to pro vide the king pro tec tion at the L ord’ s tem ple. 8 Com plete ly sur round the king with weap ons in hand. Any one who ap proach es the ranks is to be put to death. Be with the king in all his dai ly tasks.” d 9 So the com mand ers of hun dreds did ev ery- thing the priest Je hoi a da com mand ed. They each brought their men — those com ing on duty on the Sab bath and those go ing off duty — and came to the priest Je hoi a da. 10 The priest gave to the com mand ers of hun dreds King Da vid’s spears and shields that were in the L ord’ s tem ple. 11 Then the guards stood with their weap ons in hand sur round ing the king — from the right side of the tem ple to the left side, by the al tar and by the tem ple. 12 Je hoi a da brought out the king’s son, put the crown on him, gave him the tes ti mo ny , e and made him king. They anoint ed him and clapped their hands and cried, “ Long live the
👑 Royal Upheavals and Reforms
🗡️ Athaliah's downfall unfolds dramatically when she discovers Joash's coronation, screams "Treason!" and is executed outside the temple, ending her illegitimate rule over Judah
🛠️ Temple restoration becomes King Joash's priority, establishing a chest collection system for temple repairs while ensuring financial integrity among workers
🔄 Cyclical leadership patterns emerge across Israel and Judah, with kings repeatedly evaluated by whether they "did what was right" or "did what was evil" in the Lord's sight
🏺 High places problem persists even under righteous kings like Amaziah and Azariah, who fail to remove these unauthorized worship sites despite their other reforms
🛡️ Foreign conflicts shape national destinies, with Hazael of Aram oppressing Israel, Jehoash defeating Amaziah, and Jeroboam II restoring Israel's borders
✝️ Divine intervention manifests through prophets like Elisha (whose bones revive a dead man) and through God's compassion toward Israel despite their sins
king! ” 13 When Ath a li ah heard the noise from the guard and the crowd, she went out to the peo- ple at the L ord’ s tem ple. 14 She looked, and there was the king stand ing by the pil lar ac- cord ing to the cus tom. The com mand ers and the trum pet ers were by the king, and all the peo ple of the land were re joic ing and blow- ing trum pets. Ath a li ah tore her clothes and screamed “Trea son! Trea son! ” 15 Then the priest Je hoi a da or dered the com- mand ers of hun dreds in charge of the army , “ Take her out be tween the ranks, and put to death by the sword any one who fol lows her,” for the priest had said, “ She is not to be put a 10:33 Lit Arnon Valley and Gilead and Bashan b 11:6 See 2Ch 23:5; MT here reads Sur c 11:6 Hb obscure d 11:8 Lit king when he goes out and when he comes in e 11:12 Or him the copy of the covenant, or him a diadem, or him jewels2 KINGS 10-11 328 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 328 10/26/17 9:00 PM to death in the L ord’ s tem ple.” 16 So they ar - rest ed her, and she went through the horse en trance to the king’s pal ace, where she was put to death. JEHOIADA’S REFORMS 17 Then Je hoi a da made a cov enant be tween the L ord, the king, and the peo ple that they would be the L ord’ s peo ple and an oth er cov enant be tween the king and the peo ple. a 18 So all the peo ple of the land went to the tem ple of Baal and tore it down. They smashed its al tars and im ages to pieces, and they killed Mat tan, the priest of Baal, at the al tars. Then Je hoi a da the priest ap point ed guards for the L ord’ s tem ple. 19 He took the com mand- ers of hun dreds, the Car ites, the guards, and all the peo ple of the land, and they brought the king from the L ord’ s tem ple. They en tered the king’s pal ace by way of the guards’ gate. Then Jo ash sat on the throne of the kings. 20 All the peo ple of the land re joiced, and the city was qui et, for they had put Ath a li ah to death by the sword in the king’s pal ace. JUDAH’S KING JOASH 21 Jo ash b was sev en years old when he be came 12 king. 1 In the sev enth year of Jehu, Jo ash be came king, and he reigned for ty years in Je ru sa lem. His moth er’s name was Zib i ah; she was from Be er-she ba. 2 Through out the time the priest Je hoi a da in struct ed him, Jo ash did what was right in the L ord’ s sight. 3 Yet the high plac es were not tak en away; the peo ple con tin ued sac ri fic ing and burn ing in cense on the high plac es. REPAIRING THE TEMPLE 4 Then Jo ash said to the priests, “ All the ded- i cat ed sil ver brought to the L ord’ s tem ple, cen sus sil ver, sil ver from vows, and all sil ver vol un tar i ly giv en for the L ord’ s tem ple — 5 each priest is to take it from his assessor c and re pair what ev er dam age is found in the tem ple.” d 6 But by the twenty-third year of the reign of King Jo ash, the priests had not re paired the dam age e to the tem ple. 7 So King Jo ash called the priest Je hoi a da and the oth er priests and asked, “ Why haven’t you re paired the tem ple’s dam age? Since you haven’t, don’t take any sil- ver from your assessors; in stead, hand it over for the re pair of the tem ple.” 8 So the priests agreed that they would re ceive no sil ver from the peo ple and would not be the ones to re pair the tem ple’s dam age. 9 Then the priest Je hoi a da took a chest, bored a hole in its lid, and set it be side the al tar on the right side as one en ters the L ord’ s tem ple; the priests who guard ed the thresh old put into the chest all the sil ver that was brought to the L ord’ s tem ple. 10 When ev er they saw there was a large amount of sil ver in the chest, the king’s sec re tary and the high priest would go bag up and tally the sil ver found in the L ord’ s tem ple. 11 Then they would give the weighed sil ver to those do ing the work — those who oversaw the L ord’ s tem ple. They in turn would pay it out to those work ing on the L ord’ s tem- ple — the car pen ters, the build ers, 12 the ma- sons, and the stone cut ters — and would use it to buy tim ber and quarried stone to re pair the dam age to the L ord’ s tem ple and for all ex penses for tem ple re pairs. 13 How ev er, no sil ver bowls, wick trim mers, sprin kling ba sins, trum pets, or any ar ti cles of gold or sil ver were made for the L ord’ s tem- ple from the con tri bu tions f brought to the L ord’ s tem ple. 14 In stead, it was giv en to those do ing the work, and they re paired the L ord’ s tem ple with it. 15 No ac count ing was re quired from the men who re ceived the sil ver to pay those do ing the work, since they worked with in teg ri ty . 16 The sil ver from the guilt off er ing and the sin off er ing was not brought to the L ord’ s tem ple since it be longed to the priests. ARAMEAN INVASION OF JUDAH 17 At that time King Haz a el of Aram marched up and fought against Gath and cap tured it. Then he planned to at tack Je ru sa lem. 18 So King Jo- ash of Ju dah took all the items con se crat ed by him self and by his an ces tors — Ju dah’s kings Je hosh a phat, Je ho ram, and Aha zi ah — as well as all the gold found in the trea sur ies of the L ord’ s tem ple and in the king’s pal ace, and he sent them to King Haz a el of Aram. Then Haz a el with drew from Je ru sa lem. JOASH ASSASSINATED 19 The rest of the events of Jo ash’s reign, along with all his ac com plish ments, are writ ten in the His tor i cal Rec ord of Ju dah’s Kings. 20 Jo ash’s ser vants con spired against him and at tacked a 11:17 Some Gk versions, 2Ch 23:16 omit and another covenant between the king and the people b 11:21 = The Lord Has Bestowed c 12:5 Hb obscure d 12:5 Lit repair the breach of the temple wherever there is found a breach e 12:6 Lit breach in 2Kg 12:5-12 f 12:13 Lit silver 329 2 KINGS 11-12 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 329 10/26/17 9:00 PM him at Beth-millo on the road that goes down to Sil la. 21 It was his ser vants Joz a bad a son of Shim e ath and Je hoz a bad son of Sho mer who at tacked him. He died and they bur ied him with his fa thers in the city of Da vid, and his son Am a zi ah be came king in his place. ISRAEL ’S KING JEHOAHAZ 13 In the twenty-third year of Ju dah’s King Jo ash son of Aha zi ah, Je ho a haz son of Jehu be came king over Is ra el in Sa mar ia, and he reigned sev en teen years. 2 He did what was evil in the L ord’ s sight and fol lowed the sins that Jer o bo am son of Ne bat had caused Is ra el to com mit; he did not turn away from them. 3 So the L ord’ s an ger burned against Is ra el, and he hand ed them over to King Haz- a el of Aram and to his son Ben-ha dad dur ing their reigns. 4 Then Je ho a haz sought the L ord’ s fa vor, and the L ord heard him, for he saw the op pres sion the king of Aram in flict ed on Is ra el. 5 There- fore, the L ord gave Is ra el a de liv er er, and they es caped from the pow er of the Ar a me ans. Then the peo ple of Is ra el re turned to their for mer way of life, b 6 but they didn’t turn away from the sins that the house of Jer o bo am had caused Is ra el to com mit. Je ho a haz con tin ued them, and the Ashe rah pole also re mained stand ing in Sa mar ia. 7 Je ho a haz did not have an army left, ex cept for fif ty horse men, ten char i ots, and ten thou sand foot sol diers, be cause the king of Aram had de stroyed them, mak ing them like dust at thresh ing. 8 The rest of the events of Je ho a haz’s reign, along with all his ac com plish ments and his might, are writ ten in the His tor i cal Rec ord of Is ra el’s Kings. 9 Je ho a haz rest ed with his fa thers, and he was bur ied in Sa mar ia. His son Je ho ash c be came king in his place. ISRAEL’S KING JEHOASH 10 In the thirty-seventh year of Ju dah’s King Jo ash, Je ho ash son of Je ho a haz be came king over Is ra el in Sa mar ia, and he reigned six teen years. 11 He did what was evil in the L ord ’ s sight. He did not turn away from all the sins that Jer o bo am son of Ne bat had caused Is ra el to com mit, but he con tin ued them. 12 The rest of the events of Je ho ash’s reign, along with all his ac com plish ments and the pow er he had to wage war against Ju dah’s King Am a zi ah, are writ ten in the His tor i cal Rec ord of Is ra el’s Kings. 13 Je ho ash rest ed with his fa thers, and Jer o bo am sat on his throne. Je ho ash was bur ied in Sa mar ia with the kings of Is ra el. ELISHA’S DEATH 14 When Eli sha be came sick with the ill ness from which he died, King Je ho ash of Is ra el went down and wept over him and said, “ My fa ther, my fa ther, the char i ots and horse men of Is ra el! ” 15 Eli sha re spond ed, “ Get a bow and ar rows.” So he got a bow and ar rows. 16 Then Eli sha said to the king of Is ra el, “ Grasp the bow .” So the king grasped it, and Eli sha put his hands on the king’s hands. 17 Eli sha said, “ Open the east win dow .” So he opened it. Eli sha said, “ Shoot! ” So he shot. Then Eli sha said, “ The L ord’ s ar - row of vic to ry , yes, the ar row of vic to ry over Aram. You are to strike down the Ar a me ans in Aphek un til you have put an end to them.” 18 Then Eli sha said, “ Take the ar rows! ” So he took them. Then Eli sha said to the king of Is ra el, “ Strike the ground! ” So he struck the ground three times and stopped. 19 The man of God was an gry with him and said, “ You should have struck the ground five or six times. Then you would have struck down Aram un til you had put an end to them, but now you will strike down Aram only three times.” 20 Then Eli sha died and was bur ied. Now Mo ab ite raid ers used to come into the land in the spring of the year. 21 Once, as the Is ra el ites were bury ing a man, sud den ly they saw a raid ing par ty , so they threw the man into Eli sha’s tomb. When he touched Eli sha’s bones, the man re vived and stood up! GOD’S MERCY ON ISRAEL 22 King Haz a el of Aram op pressed Is ra el through out the reign of Je ho a haz, 23 but the L ord was gra cious to them, had com pas sion on them, and turned to ward them be cause of his cov enant with Abra ham, Isaac, and Ja cob. He was not will ing to de stroy them. Even now he has not ban ished them from his pres ence. 24 King Haz a el of Aram died, and his son Ben-ha dad be came king in his place. 25 Then Je ho ash son of Je ho a haz took back from Ben- ha dad son of Haz a el the cit ies that Haz a el had tak en in war from Je ho ash’s fa ther Je ho a haz. Je ho ash de feat ed Ben-ha dad three times and re cov ered the cit ies of Is ra el. a 12:21 Some Hb mss, LXX read Jozacar ; 2Ch 24:26 reads Zabad b 13:5 Lit Israel dwelt in their tents as formerly c 13:9 Lit Joash2 KINGS 12-13 330 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 330 10/26/17 9:00 PM JUDAH’S KING AMAZIAH 14 In the sec ond year of Is ra el’s King Je ho- ash a son of Je ho a haz, b Am a zi ah son of Jo ash be came king of Ju dah. 2 He was twen - ty-five years old when he be came king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Je ru sa lem. His moth er’s name was Je ho ad dan; c she was from Je ru sa lem. 3 He did what was right in the L ord’ s sight, but not like his an ces tor Da vid. He did ev ery thing his fa ther Jo ash had done. 4 Yet the high plac es were not tak en away , and the peo ple con tin ued sac ri fic ing and burn ing in cense on the high plac es. 5 As soon as the king dom was firm ly in his grasp, Am a zi ah killed his ser vants who had killed his fa ther the king. 6 How ev er, he did not put the chil dren of the killers to death, as it is writ ten in the book of the law of Mo ses where the L ord com mand ed, “Fa thers are not be put to death be cause of chil dren, and chil dren are not be put to death be cause of fa thers; in stead, each one will be put to death for his own sin.” 7 Am a zi ah killed ten thou sand Edom ites in Salt Val ley . He took Sela in bat tle and called it Jok the el, which is still its name to day . 8 Am- a zi ah then sent mes sen gers to Je ho ash son of Je ho a haz, son of Jehu, king of Is ra el, and chal lenged him: “ Come, let’s meet face to face.” 9 King Je ho ash of Is ra el sent word to King Am a zi ah of Ju dah, say ing, “ The this tle in Leb a non once sent a mes sage to the ce dar in Leb a non, say ing, ‘ Give your daugh ter to my son as a wife.’ Then a wild an i mal in Leb a non passed by and tram pled the this tle. 10 You have in deed de feat ed Edom, and you have be come over con fi dent. d En joy your glo ry and stay at home. Why should you stir up such trou ble that you fall — you and Ju dah with you? ” 11 But Am a zi ah would not lis ten, so King Je ho ash of Is ra el ad vanced. He and King Am- a zi ah of Ju dah met face to face at Beth-she- mesh that be longed to Ju dah. 12 Ju dah was rout ed be fore Is ra el, and each man fled to his own tent. 13 King Je ho ash of Is ra el cap- tured Ju dah’s King Am a zi ah son of Jo ash, e son of Aha zi ah, at Beth-she mesh. Then Je ho- ash went to Je ru sa lem and broke down two hun dred yards f of Je ru sa lem’s wall from the Ephra im Gate to the Cor ner Gate. 14 He took all the gold and sil ver, all the ar ti cles found in the L ord’ s tem ple and in the trea sur ies of the king’s pal ace, and some hos tag es. Then he re turned to Sa mar ia. JEHOASH’S DEATH 15 The rest of the events of Je ho ash’s reign, along with his ac com plish ments, his might, and how he waged war against King Am a zi ah of Ju dah, are writ ten in the His tor i cal Rec ord of Is ra el’s Kings. 16 Je ho ash rest ed with his fa thers, and he was bur ied in Sa mar ia with the kings of Is ra el. His son Jer o bo am be came king in his place. AMAZIAH’S DEATH 17 Ju dah’s King Am a zi ah son of Jo ash lived fif teen years af ter the death of Is ra el’s King Je ho ash son of Je ho a haz. 18 The rest of the events of Am a zi ah’s reign are writ ten in the His tor i cal Rec ord of Ju dah’s Kings. 19 A con- spir a cy was formed against him in Je ru sa lem, and he fled to La chish. How ev er, men were sent af ter him to La chish, and they put him to death there. 20 They car ried him back on hors es, and he was bur ied in Je ru sa lem with his fa thers in the city of Da vid. 21 Then all the peo ple of Ju dah took Az a ri- ah, g who was six teen years old, and made him king in place of his fa ther Am a zi ah. 22 Af ter Am a zi ah the king rest ed with his fa thers, Az- a ri ah re built Elath h and re stored it to Ju dah. ISRAEL’S KING JEROBOAM 23 In the fif teenth year of Ju dah’s King Am- a zi ah son of Jo ash, Jer o bo am son of Je ho- ash be came king of Is ra el in Sa mar ia, and he reigned forty-one years. 24 He did what was evil in the L ord’ s sight. He did not turn away from all the sins Jer o bo am son of Ne bat had caused Is ra el to com mit. 25 He re stored Is ra el’s bor der from Lebo-ha - math as far as the Sea of the Ar a bah, ac cord ing to the word the L ord, the God of Is ra el, had spo ken through his ser vant, the proph et Jo- nah son of Am it tai from Gath-hepher. 26 For the L ord saw that the affliction of Is ra el was very bit ter for both slaves and free peo ple. i There was no one to help Is ra el. 27 The L ord had not said he would blot out the name of Is ra el un der heav en, so he de liv ered them by the hand of Jer o bo am son of Je ho ash. 28 The rest of the events of Jer o bo am’s reign — along with all his ac com plish ments, the a 14:1 Lit Joash, also in vv. 23,27 b 14:1 Lit Joahaz c 14:2 Alt Hb tradition, some Hb mss, Syr , Tg, Vg, 2Ch 25:1; other Hb mss, LXX read Jehoaddin d 14:10 Lit and your heart has lifted you e 14:13 Lit Jehoash f 14:13 Lit 400 cubits g 14:21 = Uzziah in 2Ch 26:1 h 14:22 = Eloth in 2Ch 26:2 i 14:26 Hb obscure 331 2 KINGS 14 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 331 10/26/17 9:00 PM pow er he had to wage war, and how he re cov- ered for Is ra el Da mas cus and Ha math, which had be longed to Ju dah a — are writ ten in the His tor i cal Rec ord of Is ra el’s Kings. 29 Jer o bo- am rest ed with his fa thers, the kings of Is ra el. His son Zech a ri ah be came king in his place. JUDAH’S KING AZARIAH 15 In the twenty-seventh year of Is ra el’s King Jer o bo am, Az a ri ah b son of Am a zi ah be came king of Ju dah. 2 He was six teen years old when he be came king, and he reigned fifty-two years in Je ru sa lem. His moth er’s name was Jec o li ah; she was from Je ru sa lem. 3 Az a ri ah did what was right in the L ord’ s sight just as his fa ther Am a zi ah had done. 4 Yet the high plac es were not tak en away; the peo ple con tin ued sac ri fic ing and burn ing in cense on the high plac es. 5 The L ord afflicted the king, and he had a se ri ous skin dis ease un til the day of his death. He lived in quar an tine, c while Jo tham, the king’s son, was over the house hold gov ern ing the peo ple of the land. 6 The rest of the events of Az a ri ah’s reign, along with all his ac com plish ments, are writ- ten in the His tor i cal Rec ord of Ju dah’s Kings. 7 Az a
👑 Kings and Consequences
🔄 Royal succession unfolds through rapid transitions of power in Israel, with multiple kings assassinated by conspirators who then claim the throne themselves
🛐 Idolatry consistently plagues both kingdoms, with most rulers described as doing "evil in the Lord's sight" by worshiping false gods, building high places, and even sacrificing children
🌍 Foreign powers increasingly influence the region, with Assyria extracting tribute, launching invasions, and eventually deporting the Israelites from their homeland
🏛️ Temple desecration occurs under King Ahaz, who replaces sacred objects with pagan alternatives to appease Assyria
💔 Divine judgment falls upon Israel for abandoning God's covenant, resulting in exile as repeatedly warned by prophets
🧩 Cultural syncretism emerges when foreign settlers in Samaria blend worship of local deities with their own religious practices
ri ah rest ed with his fa thers and was bur ied with his fa thers in the city of Da vid. His son Jo tham be came king in his place. ISRAEL’S KING ZECHARIAH 8 In the thirty-eighth year of Ju dah’s King Az - a ri ah, Zech a ri ah son of Jer o bo am reigned over Is ra el in Sa mar ia for six months. 9 He did what was evil in the L ord’ s sight as his fa thers had done. He did not turn away from the sins Jer o bo am son of Ne bat had caused Is ra el to com mit. 10 Shal lum son of Ja besh con spired against Zech a ri ah. He struck him down pub lic ly , d killed him, and be came king in his place. 11 As for the rest of the events of Zech a ri ah’s reign, they are writ ten in the His tor i cal Rec ord of Is ra el’s Kings. 12 The word of the L ord that he spoke to Jehu was, “ Four gen er a tions of your sons will sit on the throne of Is ra el,” and it was so. ISRAEL’S KING SHALLUM 13 In the thirty-ninth year of Ju dah’s King Uz- zi ah, e Shal lum son of Ja besh be came king; he reigned in Sa mar ia a full month. 14 Then Men a hem son of Gadi came up from Tir zah to Sa mar ia and struck down Shal lum son of Ja besh there. He killed him and be came king in his place. 15 As for the rest of the events of Shal lum’s reign, along with the con spir a cy that he formed, they are writ ten in the His- tor i cal Rec ord of Is ra el’s Kings. ISRAEL ’S KING MENAHEM 16 At that time, start ing from Tir zah, Men a hem at tacked Tiph sah, all who were in it, and its ter ri to ry be cause they wouldn’t sur ren der. He ripped open all the preg nant wom en. 17 In the thirty-ninth year of Ju dah’s King Az a ri ah, Men a hem son of Gadi be came king over Is ra el, and he reigned ten years in Sa- mar ia. 18 He did what was evil in the L ord’ s sight. Through out his reign, he did not turn away from the sins Jer o bo am son of Ne bat had caused Is ra el to com mit. 19 King Pul f of As syr ia in vad ed the land, so Men a hem gave Pul seventy-five thou sand pounds g of sil ver so that Pul would sup port him to strength en his grasp on the king dom. 20 Then Men a hem ex act ed twen ty ounc es h of sil ver from each of the prom i nent men of Is ra el to give to the king of As syr ia. So the king of As syr ia with drew and did not stay there in the land. 21 The rest of the events of Men a hem’s reign, along with all his ac com plish ments, are writ- ten in the His tor i cal Rec ord of Is ra el’s Kings. 22 Men a hem rest ed with his fa thers, and his son Pek a hi ah be came king in his place. ISRAEL ’S KING PEKAHIAH 23 In the fif ti eth year of Ju dah’s King Az a ri ah, Pek a hi ah son of Men a hem be came king over Is ra el in Sa mar ia, and he reigned two years. 24 He did what was evil in the L ord’ s sight and did not turn away from the sins Jer o bo am son of Ne bat had caused Is ra el to com mit. 25 Then his off i cer, Pe kah son of Rem a li ah, con spired against him and struck him down in Sa mar ia at the cit a del of the king’s pal ace — with Ar gob and Ari eh. i There were fif ty Gil e ad ite men with Pe kah. He killed Pek a hi ah and be came king in his place. 26 As for the rest of the events of Pek a hi ah’s reign, along with all his ac com plish ments, they are writ ten in the His tor i cal Rec ord of Is ra el’s Kings. a 14:28 Lit recovered Damascus and for Judah in Israel ; Hb obscure b 15:1 = Uzziah in 2Ch 26:3 c 15:5 Lit in a house of exemption from duty d 15:10 Some LXX mss read down at Ibleam ; Hb uncertain e 15:13 = Azariah, also in vv. 30,32,34 f 15:19 = Tiglath-pileser g 15:19 Lit 1,000 talents h 15:20 Lit 50 shekels i 15:25 Hb obscure2 KINGS 14-15 332 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 332 10/26/17 9:00 PM ISRAEL’S KING PEKAH 27 In the fifty-second year of Ju dah’s King Az a- ri ah, Pe kah son of Rem a li ah be came king over Is ra el in Sa mar ia, and he reigned twen ty years. 28 He did what was evil in the L ord’ s sight. He did not turn away from the sins Jer o bo am son of Ne bat had caused Is ra el to com mit. 29 In the days of King Pe kah of Is ra el, King Tiglath-pileser of As syr ia came and cap tured Ijon, Abel-beth-ma a cah, Ja no ah, Ke desh, Ha zor, Gil e ad, and Gal i lee — all the land of Naph ta li — and de port ed the peo ple to As syr ia. 30 Then Ho shea son of Elah organized a con- spir a cy against Pe kah son of Rem a li ah. He at tacked him, killed him, and be came king in his place in the twen ti eth year of Jo tham son of Uz zi ah. 31 As for the rest of the events of Pe kah’s reign, along with all his ac com plish ments, they are writ ten in the His tor i cal Rec ord of Is ra el’s Kings. JUDAH’S KING JOTHAM 32 In the sec ond year of Is ra el’s King Pe kah son of Rem a li ah, Jo tham son of Uz zi ah be came king of Ju dah. 33 He was twenty-five years old when he be came king, and he reigned six teen years in Je ru sa lem. His moth er’s name was Je ru sha daugh ter of Za dok. 34 He did what was right in the L ord’ s sight just as his fa ther Uz zi ah had done. 35 Yet the high plac es were not tak en away; the peo ple con tin ued sac ri fic ing and burn ing in cense on the high plac es. Jo tham built the Up per Gate of the L ord’ s tem ple. 36 The rest of the events of Jo tham’s reign, along with all his ac com plish ments, are writ ten in the His tor i cal Rec ord of Ju- dah’s Kings. 37 In those days the L ord be gan send ing Aram’s King Re zin and Pe kah son of Rem a li ah against Ju dah. 38 Jo tham rest ed with his fa thers and was bur ied with his fa thers in the city of his an ces tor Da vid. His son Ahaz be came king in his place. JUDAH’S KING AHAZ 16 In the sev en teenth year of Pe kah son of Rem a li ah, Ahaz son of Jo tham be came king of Ju dah. 2 Ahaz was twen ty years old when he be came king, and he reigned six teen years in Je ru sa lem. He did not do what was right in the sight of the L ord his God like his an ces tor Da vid 3 but walked in the ways of the kings of Is ra el. He even sac ri ficed his son in the fire, a imitating the de test able prac tic es of the na tions the L ord had dispossessed be- fore the Is ra el ites. 4 He sac ri ficed and burned in cense on the high plac es, on the hills, and un der ev ery green tree. 5 Then Aram’s King Re zin and Is ra el’s King Pe kah son of Rem a li ah came to wage war against Je ru sa lem. They be sieged Ahaz but were not able to con quer him. 6 At that time Aram’s King Re zin re cov ered Elath for Aram and ex pelled the Ju da hites from Elath. Then the Ar a me ans came to Elath, and they still live there to day . 7 So Ahaz sent mes sen gers to King Tig lath- pileser of As syr ia, say ing, “ I am your ser vant and your son. March up and save me from the grasp of the king of Aram and of the king of Is ra el, who are ris ing up against me.” 8 Ahaz also took the sil ver and gold found in the L ord ’ s tem ple and in the trea sur ies of the king’s pal- ace and sent them to the king of As syr ia as a bribe. 9 So the king of As syr ia lis tened to him and marched up to Da mas cus and cap tured it. He de port ed its peo ple to Kir but put Re zin to death. AHAZ’S IDOLATRY 10 King Ahaz went to Da mas cus to meet King Tiglath-pileser of As syr ia. When he saw the al tar that was in Da mas cus, King Ahaz sent a mod el of the al tar and com plete plans for its con struc tion to the priest Uri ah. 11 Uri ah built the al tar ac cord ing to all the in struc tions King Ahaz sent from Da mas cus. There fore, by the time King Ahaz came back from Da mas cus, the priest Uri ah had com plet ed it. 12 When the king came back from Da mas cus, he saw the al tar. Then he ap proached the al tar and as cend ed it. b 13 He off ered his burnt off er ing and his grain off er ing, poured out his drink off er ing, and splattered the blood of his fel low ship off er- ings on the al tar. 14 He took the bronze al tar that was be fore the L ord in front of the tem ple be tween his al tar and the L ord’ s tem ple, and put it on the north side of his al tar. 15 Then King Ahaz com mand ed the priest Uri ah, “Off er on the great al tar the morn ing burnt off er ing, the eve ning grain off er ing, and the king’s burnt off er ing and his grain off er ing. Also off er the burnt off er ing of all the peo ple of the land, their grain off er ing, and their drink off er ings. Splatter on the al tar all the blood of the burnt off er ing and all the a 16:3 Lit even made his son pass through the fire b 16:12 Or and offered on it: 333 2 KINGS 15-16 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 333 10/26/17 9:00 PM blood of sac ri fice. The bronze al tar will be for me to seek guid ance.” a 16 The priest Uri ah did ev ery thing King Ahaz com mand ed. 17 Then King Ahaz cut off the frames of the wa ter carts b and re moved the bronze ba sin from each of them. He took the ba sin c from the bronze oxen that were un der it and put it on a stone pave ment. 18 To sat is fy the king of As syr ia, he re moved from the L ord’ s tem ple the Sab bath can o py they had built in the pal ace, and he closed the out er en trance for the king. AHAZ’S DEATH 19 The rest of the events of Ahaz’s reign, along with his ac com plish ments, are writ ten in the His tor i cal Rec ord of Ju dah’s Kings. 20 Ahaz rest ed with his fa thers and was bur ied with his fa thers in the city of Da vid, and his son Hez e ki ah be came king in his place. ISRAEL’S KING HOSHEA 17 In the twelfth year of Ju dah’s King Ahaz, Ho shea son of Elah be came king over Is ra el in Sa mar ia, and he reigned nine years. 2 He did what was evil in the L ord’ s sight, but not like the kings of Is ra el who pre ced ed him. 3 King Shal man e ser of As syr ia at tacked him, and Ho shea be came his vas sal and paid him trib ute. 4 But the king of As syr ia caught Ho- shea in a con spir a cy: He had sent en voys to So king of Egypt and had not paid trib ute to the king of As syr ia as in pre vi ous years. d There- fore the king of As syr ia ar rest ed him and put him in pris on. 5 The king of As syr ia in vad ed the whole land, marched up to Sa mar ia, and be sieged it for three years. THE FALL OF SAMARIA 6 In the ninth year of Ho shea, the king of As- syr ia cap tured Sa mar ia. He de port ed the Is- ra el ites to As syr ia and set tled them in Ha lah, along the Ha bor (Go zan’s riv er), and in the cit ies of the Medes. WHY ISRAEL FELL 7 This di sas ter hap pened be cause the peo ple of Is ra el sinned against the L ord their God who had brought them out of the land of Egypt from the pow er of Pha raoh king of Egypt and be cause they wor shiped e oth er gods. 8 They lived ac cord ing to the cus toms of the na tions that the L ord had dispossessed be fore the Is ra el ites and ac cord ing to what the kings of Is ra el did. 9 The Is ra el ites se cret ly did things f against the L ord their God that were not right. They built high plac es in all their towns from watch tow er to for ti fied city . 10 They set up for them selves sa cred pil lars and Ashe rah poles on ev ery high hill and un der ev ery green tree. 11 They burned in cense there on all the high plac es just like the na tions that the L ord had driv en out be fore them had done. They did evil things, angering the L ord. 12 They served idols, al though the L ord had told them, “ You must not do this.” 13 Still, the L ord warned Is ra el and Ju dah through ev ery proph et and ev ery seer, say ing, “ Turn from your evil ways and keep my com mands and stat utes ac cord ing to the whole law I com mand ed your an ces tors and sent to you through my ser vants the proph ets.” 14 But they would not lis ten. In stead they be came ob sti nate like g their an ces tors who did not be lieve the L ord their God. 15 They re ject ed his stat utes and his cov enant he had made with their an ces tors and the warn ings he had giv en them. They fol lowed worth less idols and be came worth less them selves, fol- low ing the sur round ing na tions the L ord had com mand ed them not to im i tate. 16 They aban doned all the com mands of the L ord their God. They made cast im ages for them selves, two calves, and an Ashe rah pole. They bowed in wor ship to all the stars in the sky and served Baal. 17 They sac ri ficed their sons and daugh ters in the fire h and prac ticed div i na tion and in ter pret ed omens. They de- vot ed them selves to do what was evil in the L ord’ s sight and an gered him. 18 There fore, the L ord was very an gry with Is ra el, and he re moved them from his pres- ence. Only the tribe of Ju dah re mained. 19 Even Ju dah did not keep the com mands of the L ord their God but lived ac cord ing to the cus toms Is ra el had prac ticed. 20 So the L ord re ject ed all the de scen dants of Is ra el, pun ished them, and hand ed them over to plun der ers un til he had ban ished them from his pres ence. SUMMARY OF ISRAEL’S HISTORY 21 When the L ord tore Is ra el from the house of Da vid, Is ra el made Jer o bo am son of Ne bat king. Then Jer o bo am led Is ra el away from fol low ing the L ord and caused them to com- mit im mense sin. 22 The Is ra el ites per sist ed a 16:15 Hb obscure b 16:17 Lit the stands c 16:17 Lit sea d 17:4 Lit as year by year e 17:7 Lit feared f 17:9 Or Israelites spoke words g 17:14 Lit they stiffened their neck like the neck of h 17:17 Lit They made their sons and daughters pass through the fire2 KINGS 16-17 334 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 334 10/26/17 9:00 PM in all the sins that Jer o bo am com mit ted and did not turn away from them. 23 Fi nal ly , the L ord re moved Is ra el from his pres ence just as he had de clared through all his ser vants the proph ets. So Is ra el has been ex iled to As- syr ia from their home land to this very day . FOREIGN REFUGEES IN ISRAEL 24 Then the king of As syr ia brought peo ple from Bab ylon, Cu thah, Avva, Ha math, and Seph ar va im and set tled them in place of the Is ra el ites in the cit ies of Sa mar ia. The settlers took pos ses sion of Sa mar ia and lived in its cit- ies. 25 When they first lived there, they did not fear the L ord. So the L ord sent li ons among them, which killed some of them. 26 The settlers said to the king of As syr ia, “ The na tions that you have de port ed and placed in the cit ies of Sa mar ia do not know the re quire ments of the god of the land. There fore he has sent li ons among them that are kill ing them be cause the peo ple don’t know the re quire ments of the god of the land.” 27 Then the king of As syr ia is sued a com- mand: “ Send back one of the priests you de- port ed. Have him go and live there so he can teach them the re quire ments of the god of the land.” 28 So one of the priests they had de port- ed came and lived in Beth el, and he be gan to teach them how they should fear the L ord. 29 But the peo ple of each na tion were still mak ing their own gods in the cit ies where they lived and put ting them in the shrines of the high plac es that the peo ple of Sa mar ia had made. 30 The men of Bab ylon made Succoth- benoth, the men of Cuth made Ner gal, the men of Ha math made Ashi ma, 31 the Av vites made Nib haz and Tar tak, and the Se phar vites burned their chil dren in the fire to Adram me lech and Anam me lech, the gods of Seph ar va im. 32 They feared the L ord , but they also made from their ranks priests for the high plac es, who were work ing for them at the shrines of the high plac es. 33 They feared the L ord, but they also wor shiped their own gods ac cord ing to the prac tice of the na tions from which they had been de port ed. 34 They are still ob serv ing the for mer prac - tic es to this day . None of them fear the L ord or ob serve the stat utes and or di nances, the law and com mand ments that the L ord had com- mand ed the de scen dants of Ja cob, whom he had giv en the name Is ra el. 35 The L ord made a cov enant with Ja cob’s de scen dants and com- mand ed them, “ Do not fear oth er gods; do not bow in wor ship to them; do not serve them; do not sac ri fice to them. 36 In stead fear the L ord, who brought you up from the land of Egypt with great pow er and an out stretched arm. You are to bow down to him, and you are to sac ri fice to him. 37 You are to be care ful al- ways to ob serve the stat utes, the or di nances, the law , and the com mand ments he wrote for you; do not fear oth er gods. 38 Do not for get the cov enant that I have made with you. Do not fear oth er gods, 39 but fear the L ord your God, and he will res cue you from all your en e mies.” 40 How ev er, these na tions would not lis ten but con tin ued ob serv ing their for mer prac- tic es. 41 They feared the L ord but also served their idols. Still to day , their chil dren and grand- chil dren con tin ue do ing as their fa thers did. JUDAH’S KING HEZEKIAH 18 In the third year of Is ra el’s King Ho shea son of Elah, Hez e ki ah son of Ahaz be came king of Ju dah. 2 He was twenty-five years old when he be came king, and he reigned twen - ty-nine years in Je ru sa lem. His moth er’s name was Abi a daugh ter of Zech a ri ah. 3 He did what was right in the L ord’ s sight just as his an ces- tor Da vid had done. 4 He re moved
🏛️ Hezekiah's Faithful Reign
👑 King Hezekiah demonstrated exceptional faithfulness by destroying idols, including Moses' bronze snake (Nehushtan), and relying completely on God—standing out among all Judah's kings
🛡️ When facing Assyrian invasion under Sennacherib, Hezekiah initially paid tribute but later sought divine intervention through prayer and Isaiah's counsel
⚔️ God miraculously delivered Jerusalem by sending an angel who struck down 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in a single night, vindicating Hezekiah's faith against overwhelming odds
🤒 During a terminal illness, Hezekiah's heartfelt prayer resulted in God adding fifteen years to his life, confirmed by the miraculous sign of the shadow moving backward
🏆 Despite his exemplary faith, Hezekiah's final mistake came when he proudly displayed all his treasures to Babylonian envoys, prompting Isaiah's prophecy of future exile
🔄 The narrative contrasts Hezekiah's righteousness with both Israel's fall to Assyria and his son Manasseh's subsequent evil reign, highlighting the consequences of faithfulness versus idolatry
the high plac es, shat tered the sa cred pil lars, and cut down the Ashe rah poles. He broke into pieces the bronze snake that Mo ses made, for un til then the Is ra el ites were burn ing in cense to it. It was called Ne hush tan. b 5 Hez e ki ah re lied on the L ord God of Is ra el; not one of the kings of Ju dah was like him, ei ther be fore him or af ter him. 6 He re mained faith ful to the L ord and did not turn from fol- low ing him but kept the com mands the L ord had com mand ed Mo ses. 7 The L ord was with him, and wher ev er he went he pros pered. He re belled against the king of As syr ia and did not serve him. 8 He de feat ed the Phi lis tines as far as Gaza and its bor ders, from watch tow er to for ti fied city . REVIEW OF ISRAEL’S FALL 9 In the fourth year of King Hez e ki ah, which was the sev enth year of Is ra el’s King Ho shea son of Elah, As syr ia’s King Shal man e ser marched against Sa mar ia and be sieged it. 10 The As- syr ians cap tured it at the end of three years. In the sixth year of Hez e ki ah, which was the a 18:2 = Abijah in 2Ch 29:1 b 18:4 = A Bronze Thing 335 2 KINGS 17-18 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 335 10/26/17 9:00 PM ninth year of Is ra el’s King Ho shea, Sa mar ia was cap tured. 11 The king of As syr ia de port- ed the Is ra el ites to As syr ia and put them in Ha lah, along the Ha bor (Go zan’s riv er), and in the cit ies of the Medes, 12 be cause they did not lis ten to the L ord their God but vi o lat ed his cov enant — all he had com mand ed Mo ses the ser vant of the L ord. They did not lis ten, and they did not obey . SENNACHERIB’S INVASION 13 In the four teenth year of King Hez e ki ah, As syr ia’s King Sen nach er ib at tacked all the for ti fied cit ies of Ju dah and cap tured them. 14 So King Hez e ki ah of Ju dah sent word to the king of As syr ia at La chish: “ I have done wrong; with- draw from me. What ev er you de mand from me, I will pay .” The king of As syr ia de mand ed elev en tons a of sil ver and one ton b of gold from King Hez e ki ah of Ju dah. 15 So Hez e ki ah gave him all the sil ver found in the L ord’ s tem ple and in the trea sur ies of the king’s pal ace. 16 At that time Hez e ki ah stripped the gold from the doors of the L ord’ s sanc tu ary and from the door posts he had over laid and gave it to the king of As syr ia. 17 Then the king of As syr ia sent the field mar - shal, the chief of staff, and his roy al spokes man, along with a mas sive army , from La chish to King Hez e ki ah at Je ru sa lem. They ad vanced and came to Je ru sa lem, and c they took their po si tion by the aq ue duct of the up per pool, by the road to the Laun der er’s Field. 18 They called for the king, but Eli a kim son of Hil ki ah, who was in charge of the pal ace, Shebnah the court sec re tary , and Joah son of Asaph, the court historian, came out to them. THE ROYAL SPOKESMAN’S SPEECH 19 Then the roy al spokes man said to them, “ Tell Hez e ki ah this is what the great king, the king of As syr ia, says: ‘ What are you relying on? d 20 You think mere words are strat e gy and strength for war. Who are you now relying on so that you have re belled against me? 21 Now look, you are relying on Egypt, that splint ered reed of a staff that will pierce the hand of any one who grabs it and leans on it. This is what Pha raoh king of Egypt is to all who rely on him. 22 Sup- pose you say to me, “ We rely on the L ord our God.” Isn’t he the one whose high plac es and al tars Hez e ki ah has re moved, say ing to Ju dah and to Je ru sa lem, “ You must wor ship at this al tar in Je ru sa lem” ? ’ 23 “ So now , make a bar gain with my mas ter the king of As syr ia. I’ll give you two thou sand hors es if you’re able to sup ply rid ers for them! 24 How then can you drive back a sin gle off i- cer among the least of my mas ter’s ser vants? How can you rely on Egypt for char i ots and for horse men? 25 Now , have I at tacked this place to de stroy it with out the L ord’ s ap prov- al? The L ord said to me, ‘ At tack this land and de stroy it.’ ” 26 Then Eli a kim son of Hil ki ah, Shebnah, and Joah said to the roy al spokes man, “ Please speak to your ser vants in Ar a ma ic, since we un der stand it. Don’t speak with us in He brew e with in earshot of the peo ple on the wall.” 27 But the roy al spokes man said to them, “ Has my mas ter sent me to speak these words only to your mas ter and to you? Hasn’t he also sent me to the men who sit on the wall, des tined with you to eat their own ex cre ment and drink their own urine? ” 28 The roy al spokes man stood and called out loud ly in He brew: “ Hear the word of the great king, the king of As syr ia. 29 This is what the king says: ‘ Don’t let Hez e ki ah de ceive you; he can’t res cue you from my pow er. 30 Don’t let Hez e ki ah per suade you to rely on the L ord by say ing, “Cer tain ly the L ord will res cue us! This city will not be hand ed over to the king of As syr ia.” ’ 31 “ Don’t lis ten to Hez e ki ah, for this is what the king of As syr ia says: ‘ Make peace f with me and sur ren der to me. Then each of you may eat from his own vine and his own fig tree, and each may drink wa ter from his own cis tern 32 un til I come and take you away to a land like your own land — a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vine yards, a land of ol ive trees and hon ey — so that you may live and not die. But don’t lis ten to Hez e- ki ah when he mis leads you, say ing, “ The L ord will res cue us.” 33 Has any of the gods of the na tions ever res cued his land from the pow er of the king of As syr ia? 34 Where are the gods of Ha math and Ar pad? Where are the gods of Seph ar va im, Hena, and Iv vah? g Have they res- cued Sa mar ia from my pow er? 35 Who among all the gods of the lands has res cued his land from my pow er? So will the L ord res cue Je- ru sa lem from my pow er? ’ ” a 18:14 Lit 300 talents b 18:14 Lit 30 talents c 18:17 LXX, Syr , Vg; MT reads and came and d 18:19 Lit ‘What is this trust which you trust e 18:26 Lit Judahite, also in v. 28 f 18:31 Lit a blessing g 18:34 Some LXX mss, Old Lat read Sepharvaim? Where are the gods of the land of Samaria?2 KINGS 18 336 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 336 10/26/17 9:00 PM 36 But the peo ple kept si lent; they did not an swer him at all, for the king’s com mand was, “ Don’t an swer him.” 37 Then Eli a kim son of Hil ki ah, who was in charge of the pal ace, Sheb na the court sec re tary , and Joah son of Asaph, the court historian, came to Hez e ki ah with their clothes torn and re port ed to him the words of the roy al spokes man. HEZEKIAH SEEKS ISAIAH’S COUNSEL 19 When King Hez e ki ah heard their re port, he tore his clothes, cov ered him self with sack cloth, and went into the L ord’ s tem ple. 2 He sent Eli a kim, who was in charge of the pal ace, Sheb na the court sec re tary , and the lead ing priests, who were wear ing sack cloth, to the proph et Isa iah son of Amoz. 3 They said to him, “ This is what Hez e ki ah says: ‘To day is a day of dis tress, re buke, and dis grace, for chil dren have come to the point of birth, but there is no strength to de liv er them. 4 Per haps the L ord your God will hear all the words of the roy al spokes man, whom his mas ter the king of As syr ia sent to mock the liv ing God, and will re buke him for the words that the L ord your God has heard. There fore, of fer a prayer for the sur viv ing rem nant.’ ” 5 So the ser vants of King Hez e ki ah went to Isa iah, 6 who said to them, “ Tell your mas ter, ‘ The L ord says this: Don’t be afraid be cause of the words you have heard, with which the king of As syr ia’s at ten dants have blas phemed me. 7 I am about to put a spir it in him, and he will hear a ru mor and re turn to his own land, where I will cause him to fall by the sword.’ ” SENNACHERIB’S DEPARTING THREAT 8 When the roy al spokes man heard that the king of As syr ia had pulled out of La chish, he left and found him fight ing against Lib nah. 9 The king had heard con cern ing King Tir - ha kah of Cush, “ Look, he has set out to fight against you.” So he again sent mes sen gers to Hez e ki ah, say ing, 10 “ Say this to King Hez- e ki ah of Ju dah: ‘ Don’t let your God, on whom you rely , de ceive you by promising that Je- ru sa lem will not be hand ed over to the king of As syr ia. 11 Look, you have heard what the kings of As syr ia have done to all the coun- tries: They com plete ly de stroyed them. Will you be res cued? 12 Did the gods of the na tions that my pre de ces sors de stroyed res cue them — na tions such as Go zan, Ha ran, Re zeph, and the Edenites in Te las sar? 13 Where is the king of Ha math, the king of Ar pad, the king of the city of a Seph ar va im, Hena, or Iv vah? ’ ” HEZEKIAH’S PRAYER 14 Hez e ki ah took the let ter from the mes sen- gers’ hands, read it, then went up to the L ord’ s tem ple, and spread it out be fore the L ord. 15 Then Hez e ki ah prayed be fore the L ord: Lord God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you are God — you alone — of all the kingdoms of the earth. You made the heavens and the earth. 16 Listen closely , Lord, and hear; open your eyes, Lord, and see. Hear the words that Sen - nacherib has sent to mock the living God. 17 Lord, it is true that the kings of Assyria have devastated the nations and their lands. 18 They have thrown their gods into the fire, for they were not gods but made by human hands — wood and stone. So they have destroyed them. 19 Now , Lord our God, please save us from his power so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, Lord, are God — you alone. GOD’S ANSWER THROUGH ISAIAH 20 Then Isa iah son of Amoz sent a mes sage to Hez e ki ah: “ The L ord, the God of Is ra el says, ‘ I have heard your prayer to me about King Sen nach er ib of As syr ia.’ 21 This is the word the L ord has spo ken against him: Virgin Daughter Zion despises you and scorns you; Daughter Jerusalem shakes her head behind your back. 22 Who is it you mocked and blasphemed? Against whom have you raised your voice and lifted your eyes in pride? Against the Holy One of Israel! 23 You have mocked the Lord b through c your messengers. You have said, ‘With my many chariots I have gone up to the heights of the mountains, to the far recesses of Lebanon. I cut down its tallest cedars, its choice cypress trees. I came to its farthest outpost, its densest forest. a 19:13 Or king of Lair, b 19:23 Many mss read L ord c 19:23 Lit by the hand of 337 2 KINGS 18-19 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 337 10/26/17 9:00 PM 24 I dug wells and drank water in foreign lands. I dried up all the streams of Egypt with the soles of my feet.’ 25 Have you not heard? I designed it long ago; I planned it in days gone by . I have now brought it to pass, and you have crushed fortified cities into piles of rubble. 26 Their inhabitants have become powerless, dismayed, and ashamed. They are plants of the field, tender grass, grass on the rooftops, blasted by the east wind. a 27 But I know your sitting down, your going out and your coming in, and your raging against me. 28 Because your raging against me and your arrogance have reached my ears, I will put my hook in your nose and my bit in your mouth; I will make you go back the way you came. 29 “ This will be the sign for you: This year you will eat what grows on its own, and in the sec ond year what grows from that. But in the third year sow and reap, plant vine yards and eat their fruit. 30 The sur viv ing rem nant of the house of Ju dah will again take root down ward and bear fruit up ward. 31 For a rem nant will go out from Je ru sa lem, and sur vi vors, from Mount Zion. The zeal of the L ord of Ar mies will ac com plish this. 32 Therefore, this is what the Lord says about the king of Assyria: He will not enter this city , shoot an arrow here, come before it with a shield, or build up a siege ramp against it. 33 He will go back the way he came, and he will not enter this city . This is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion. 34 I will defend this city and rescue it for my sake and for the sake of my servant David.”DEFEAT AND DEATH OF SENNACHERIB 35 That night the an gel of the L ord went out and struck down one hun dred eighty-five thou sand in the camp of the As syr ians. When the peo ple got up the next morn ing — there were all the dead bod ies! 36 So King Sen nach er ib of As syr ia broke camp and left. He re turned home and lived in Nin e veh. 37 One day , while he was wor ship ing in the tem ple of his god Nis roch, his sons Adram- me lech and Sha re zer struck him down with the sword and es caped to the land of Ar a rat. Then his son Esar- had don be came king in his place. HEZEKIAH’S ILLNESS AND RECOVERY 20 In those days Hez e ki ah be came ter - mi nal ly ill. The proph et Isa iah son of Amoz came and said to him, “ This is what the L ord says: ‘ Set your house in or der, for you are about to die; you will not re cov er.’ ” 2 Then Hez e ki ah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the L ord, 3 “ Please, L ord, re mem- ber how I have walked be fore you faith ful ly and whole heart ed ly and have done what pleas es you.” b And Hez e ki ah wept bit ter ly . 4 Isa iah had not yet gone out of the in ner court yard when the word of the L ord came to him: 5 “ Go back and tell Hez e ki ah, the lead er of my peo ple, ‘ This is what the L ord God of your an ces tor Da vid says: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Look, I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the L ord’ s tem ple. 6 I will add fif teen years to your life. I will res cue you and this city from the grasp of the king of As syr ia. I will de fend this city for my sake and for the sake of my ser vant Da vid.’ ” 7 Then Isa iah said, “ Bring a lump of pressed figs.” So they brought it and ap plied it to his in fect ed skin, and he re cov ered. 8 Hez e ki ah had asked Isa iah, “ What is the sign that the L ord will heal me and that I will go up to the L ord’ s tem ple on the third day? ” 9 Isa iah said, “ This is the sign to you from the L ord that he will do what he has prom ised: Should the shad ow go ahead ten steps or go back ten steps? ” 10 Then Hez e ki ah an swered, “ It’s easy for the shad ow to length en ten steps. No, let the shad ow go back ten steps.” 11 So the proph et Isa iah called out to the L ord, and he brought a 19:26 DSS; MT reads blasted before standing grain ; Is 37:27 b 20:3 Lit what is good in your eyes2 KINGS 19-20 338 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 338 10/26/17 9:00 PM the shad ow a back the ten steps it had de scend- ed on the stair way of Ahaz. b HEZEKIAH’S FOLLY 12 At that time Merodach-baladan c son of Bal - a dan, king of Bab ylon, sent let ters and a gift to Hez e ki ah since he heard that he had been sick. 13 Hez e ki ah lis tened to the let ters and showed the en voys his whole trea sure house — the sil ver, the gold, the spic es, and the pre- cious oil — and his ar mory , and ev ery thing that was found in his trea sur ies. There was noth ing in his pal ace and in all his realm that Hez e ki ah did not show them. 14 Then the proph et Isa iah came to King Hez- e ki ah and asked him, “ Where did these men come from and what did they say to you? ” Hez e ki ah re plied, “ They came from a dis tant coun try , from Bab ylon.” 15 Isa iah asked, “ What have they seen in your pal ace? ” Hez e ki ah an swered, “ They have seen ev ery- thing in my pal ace. There isn’t any thing in my trea sur ies that I didn’t show them.” 16 Then Isa iah said to Hez e ki ah, “ Hear the word of the L ord: 17 ‘ Look, the days are com ing when ev ery thing in your pal ace and all that your fa thers have stored up un til to day will be car ried off to Bab ylon; noth ing will be left,’ says the L ord . 18 ‘ Some of your de scen dants — who come from you, whom you fa ther — will be tak en away , and they will be come eu nuchs d in the pal ace of the king of Bab ylon.’ ” 19 Then Hez e ki ah said to Isa iah, “ The word of the L ord that you have spo ken is good,” for he thought: Why not, if there will be peace and se cu ri ty dur ing my life time? HEZEKIAH’S DEATH 20 The rest of the events of Hez e ki ah’s reign, along with all his might and how he made the pool and the tun nel and brought wa ter into the city , are writ ten in the His tor i cal Rec ord of Ju dah’s Kings. 21 Hez e ki ah rest ed with his fa thers, and his son Ma nas seh be came king in his place. JUDAH’S KING MANASSEH 21 Ma nas seh was twelve years old when he be came king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Je ru sa lem. His moth er’s name was Heph zi bah. 2 He did what was evil in the L ord’ s sight, imitating the de test able prac tic es of the na tions that the L ord had dispossessed be- fore the Is ra el ites. 3 He re built the high plac es that his fa ther Hez e ki ah had de stroyed and re es tab lished the al tars for Baal. He made an Ashe rah, as King Ahab of Is ra el had done; he also bowed in wor ship to all the stars in the sky and served them. 4 He built al tars in the L ord’ s tem ple, where the L ord had said, “Je ru sa lem is where I will put my name.” 5 He built al tars to all the stars in the sky in both court yards of the L ord ’ s tem ple. 6 He sac ri- ficed his son in the fire, e prac ticed witch craft and div i na tion, and con sult
📜 King Josiah's Reformation
👑 King Manasseh filled Jerusalem with idolatry and innocent blood, causing Judah to sin worse than the nations God had destroyed before them, provoking divine judgment against Jerusalem
📖 The discovery of the Book of the Law during temple repairs under King Josiah triggered national spiritual renewal, with the king tearing his clothes in repentance upon hearing its contents
🔥 Josiah launched comprehensive religious reforms by destroying pagan shrines, removing idolatrous priests, defiling high places, and restoring proper worship according to Mosaic law
🕊️ Despite Josiah being praised as unparalleled in his wholehearted devotion to God, the Lord's anger against Judah remained because of Manasseh's sins, ultimately leading to Jerusalem's rejection
🌍 The narrative concludes with political turmoil as Egypt and Babylon exert influence over Judah, with subsequent kings returning to evil practices and rebellion against foreign powers
ed me di ums and spir it ists. He did a huge amount of evil in the L ord’ s sight, angering him. 7 Ma nas seh set up the carved im age of Ashe- rah, which he made, in the tem ple that the L ord had spo ken about to Da vid and his son Sol o mon: “ I will es tab lish my name for ev er in this tem ple and in Je ru sa lem, which I have cho sen out of all the tribes of Is ra el. 8 I will nev er again cause the feet of the Is ra el ites to wan der from the land I gave to their an ces- tors if only they will be care ful to do all I have com mand ed them — the whole law that my ser vant Mo ses com mand ed them.” 9 But they did not lis ten; Ma nas seh caused them to stray so that they did worse evil than the na tions the L ord had de stroyed be fore the Is ra el ites. 10 The L ord said through his ser vants the proph ets, 11 “ Since King Ma nas seh of Ju dah has com mit ted all these de test able acts — worse evil than the Am o rites who pre ced ed him had done — and by means of his idols has also caused Ju dah to sin, 12 this is what the L ord God of Is ra el says: ‘ I am about to bring such di sas ter on Je ru sa lem and Ju dah that ev ery- one who hears about it will shud der. f 13 I will stretch over Je ru sa lem the mea sur ing line used on Sa mar ia and the mason’s lev el used on the house of Ahab, and I will wipe Je ru sa lem clean as one wipes a bowl — wip ing it and turn ing it up side down. 14 I will aban don the rem nant of my in her i tance and hand them over to their en e mies. They will be come plun der and spoil to all their en e mies, 15 be cause they have done what is evil in my sight and have an gered me from the day their an ces tors came out of Egypt un til to day .’ ” 16 Ma nas seh also shed so much in no cent blood that he filled Je ru sa lem with it from a 20:11 Lit shadow on the steps b 20:11 Tg, Vg; DSS read on the steps of Ahaz’s roof chamber ; Is 38:8 c 20:12 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr , Tg, some Vg mss, Is 39:1; other Hb mss read Berodach-baladan d 20:18 Or court officials e 21:6 Lit He made his son pass through the fire f 21:12 Lit about it, his two ears will tingle ; Hb obscure 339 2 KINGS 20-21 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 339 10/26/17 9:00 PM one end to an oth er. This was in ad di tion to his sin that he caused Ju dah to com mit, so that they did what was evil in the L ord’ s sight. MANASSEH’S DEATH 17 The rest of the events of Ma nas seh’s reign, along with all his ac com plish ments and the sin that he com mit ted, are writ ten in the His - tor i cal Rec ord of Ju dah’s Kings. 18 Ma nas seh rest ed with his fa thers and was bur ied in the gar den of his own house, the gar den of Uzza. His son Amon be came king in his place. JUDAH’S KING AMON 19 Amon was twenty-two years old when he be came king, and he reigned two years in Je ru- sa lem. His moth er’s name was Me shul le meth daugh ter of Ha ruz; she was from Jot bah. 20 He did what was evil in the L ord’ s sight, just as his fa ther Ma nas seh had done. 21 He walked in all the ways his fa ther had walked; he served the idols his fa ther had served, and he bowed in wor ship to them. 22 He aban doned the L ord God of his an ces tors and did not walk in the ways of the L ord. 23 Amon’s ser vants con spired against him and put the king to death in his own house. 24 The com mon peo ple a killed all who had con spired against King Amon, and they made his son Jo si ah king in his place. 25 The rest of the events of Amon’s reign, along with his ac com plish ments, are writ ten in the His tor i cal Rec ord of Ju dah’s Kings. 26 He was bur ied in his tomb in the gar den of Uzza, and his son Jo si ah be came king in his place. JUDAH’S KING JOSIAH 22 Jo si ah was eight years old when he be- came king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Je ru sa lem. His moth er’s name was Je di dah the daugh ter of Ada iah; she was from Boz kath. 2 He did what was right in the L ord’ s sight and walked in all the ways of his an ces tor Da vid; he did not turn to the right or the left. JOSIAH REPAIRS THE TEMPLE 3 In the eigh teenth year of King Jo si ah, the king sent the court sec re tary Sha phan son of Az a- li ah, son of Me shul lam, to the L ord’ s tem ple, say ing, 4 “ Go up to the high priest Hil ki ah so that he may to tal up the sil ver brought into the L ord’ s tem ple — the sil ver the door keep- ers have col lect ed from the peo ple. 5 It is to be giv en to those do ing the work — those who oversee the L ord’ s tem ple. They in turn are to give it to the work men in the L ord’ s tem- ple to re pair the dam age. 6 They are to give it to the car pen ters, build ers, and ma sons to buy tim ber and quarried stone to re pair the tem ple. 7 But no ac count ing is to be re quired from them for the sil ver giv en to them since they work with in teg ri ty .” THE BOOK OF THE LAW FOUND 8 The high priest Hil ki ah told the court sec re- tary Sha phan, “ I have found the book of the law in the L ord’ s tem ple,” and he gave the book to Sha phan, who read it. 9 Then the court sec re tary Sha phan went to the king and re port ed, b “ Your ser vants have emp tied out the sil ver that was found in the tem ple and have giv en it to those do ing the work — those who oversee the L ord’ s tem- ple.” 10 Then the court sec re tary Sha phan told the king, “ The priest Hil ki ah has giv en me a book,” and Sha phan read it in the pres ence of the king. 11 When the king heard the words of the book of the law , he tore his clothes. 12 Then he com mand ed the priest Hil ki ah, Ahi kam son of Sha phan, Ach bor son of Mi ca iah, the court sec re tary Sha phan, and the king’s ser - vant Asa iah: 13 “ Go and in quire of the L ord for me, the peo ple, and all Ju dah about the words in this book that has been found. For great is the L ord ’ s wrath that is kin dled against us be cause our an ces tors have not obeyed the words of this book in or der to do ev ery thing writ ten about us.” HULDAH’S PROPHECY OF JUDGMENT 14 So the priest Hil ki ah, Ahi kam, Ach bor, Sha- phan, and Asa iah went to the proph et ess Hul- dah, wife of Shal lum son of Tik vah, son of Har has, keep er of the ward robe. She lived in Je ru sa lem in the Sec ond Dis trict. They spoke with her. 15 She said to them, “ This is what the L ord God of Is ra el says: Say to the man who sent you to me, 16 ‘ This is what the L ord says: I am about to bring di sas ter on this place and on its in hab i tants, ful fill ing c all the words of the book that the king of Ju dah has read, 17 be cause they have aban doned me and burned in cense to oth er gods in or der to an ger me with all the work of their hands. My wrath will be kin dled a 21:24 Lit The people of the land b 22:9 Lit and returned a word to the king and said c 22:16 fulfilling supplied for clarity2 KINGS 21-22 340 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 340 10/26/17 9:00 PM against this place, and it will not be quenched.’ 18 Say this to the king of Ju dah who sent you to in quire of the L ord: ‘ This is what the L ord God of Is ra el says: As for the words that you heard, 19 be cause your heart was ten der and you hum bled your self be fore the L ord when you heard what I spoke against this place and against its in hab i tants, that they would be - come a des o la tion and a curse, and be cause you have torn your clothes and wept be fore me, I my self have heard’ — this is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion. 20 ‘There fore, I will in deed gath er you to your fa thers, and you will be gath ered to your grave in peace. Your eyes will not see all the di sas ter that I am bring ing on this place.’ ” Then they re port ed a to the king. COVENANT RENEWAL 23 So the king sent mes sen gers, and they gath ered all the el ders of Ju dah and Je ru sa lem to him. 2 Then the king went to the L ord’ s tem ple with all the men of Ju dah and all the in hab i tants of Je ru sa lem, as well as the priests and the proph ets — all the peo ple from the youn gest to the old est. He read in their hear ing all the words of the book of the cov enant that had been found in the L ord’ s tem ple. 3 Next, the king stood by the pil lar b and made a cov enant in the L ord’ s pres ence to fol low the L ord and to keep his com mands, his de crees, and his stat utes with all his heart and with all his soul in or der to car ry out the words of this cov enant that were writ ten in this book; all the peo ple agreed to c the cov enant. JOSIAH’S REFORMS 4 Then the king com mand ed the high priest Hil ki ah and the priests of the sec ond rank and the door keep ers to bring out of the L ord’ s sanc - tu ary all the ar ti cles made for Baal, Ashe rah, and all the stars in the sky . He burned them out side Je ru sa lem in the fields of the Kid ron and car ried their ash es to Beth el. 5 Then he did away with the idol a trous priests the kings of Ju dah had ap point ed to burn in cense at the high plac es in the cit ies of Ju dah and in the areas sur round ing Je ru sa lem. They had burned in cense to Baal, and to the sun, moon, con stel la tions, and all the stars in the sky . 6 He brought out the Ashe rah pole from the L ord’ s tem ple to the Kid ron Val ley out side Je ru sa lem. He burned it at the Kid ron Val ley , beat it to dust, and threw its dust on the graves of the com mon peo ple. d 7 He also tore down the hous es of the male cult pros ti tutes that were in the L ord’ s tem ple, in which the wom en were weav ing tapestries e for Ashe rah. 8 Then Jo si ah brought all the priests from the cit ies of Ju dah, and he de filed the high plac es from Geba to Be er-she ba, where the priests had burned in cense. He tore down the high plac es of the city gates at the en - trance of the gate of Josh ua the gov er nor of the city ( on the left at the city gate). 9 The priests of the high plac es, how ev er, did not come up to the al tar of the L ord in Je ru sa - lem; in stead, they ate un leav ened bread with their fel low priests. 10 He de filed To pheth, which is in Ben Hin - nom Val ley , so that no one could sac ri fice his son or daugh ter in the fire f to Mo lech. 11 He did away with the hors es that the kings of Ju dah had ded i cat ed to the sun. They had been at the en trance of the L ord’ s tem ple in the pre cincts by the cham ber of Nathan-melech, the eu nuch. He also burned the char i ots of the sun. 12 The king tore down the al tars that the kings of Ju dah had made on the roof of Ahaz’s up per cham ber. He also tore down the al tars that Ma - nas seh had made in the two court yards of the L ord’ s tem ple. Then he smashed them g there and threw their dust into the Kid ron Val ley . 13 The king also de filed the high plac es that were across from Je ru sa lem, to the south of the Mount of De struc tion, which King Sol o mon of Is ra el had built for Ash to reth, the ab hor - rent idol of the Si do ni ans; for Che mosh, the ab hor rent idol of Moab; and for Milcom, the de test able idol of the Am mon ites. 14 He broke the sa cred pil lars into pieces, cut down the Ashe rah poles, then filled their plac es with hu man bones. 15 He even tore down the al tar at Beth el and the high place that had been made by Jer o bo - am son of Ne bat, who caused Is ra el to sin. He burned the high place, crushed it to dust, and burned the Ashe rah. 16 As Jo si ah turned, he saw the tombs there on the moun tain. He sent some one to take the bones out of the tombs, and he burned them on the al tar. He de filed it ac cord ing to the word of the L ord pro claimed by the man of God h who pro claimed these a 22:20 Lit returned a word b 23:3 2Ch 34:31 reads platform c 23:3 Lit people took a stand in d 23:6 Lit the sons of the people e 23:7 Or clothing f 23:10 Lit could make his son or daughter pass through the fire g 23:12 Text emended; MT reads he ran from h 23:16 LXX adds when Jeroboam stood by the altar of the feast. And he turned and raised his eyes to the tomb of the man of God 341 2 K INGS 22-23 CSB_UltraThinindb.indb 25 11/7/17 3:21 PM things. 17 Then he said, “ What is this mon u- ment I see? ” The men of the city told him, “ It is the tomb of the man of God who came from Ju dah and pro claimed these things that you have done to the al tar at Beth el.” 18 So he said, “ Let him rest. Don’t let any one dis turb his bones.” So they left his bones un- dis turbed with the bones of the proph et who came from Sa mar ia. 19 Jo si ah also re moved all the shrines of the high plac es that were in the cit ies of Sa mar ia, which the kings of Is ra el had made to an ger the L ord. Jo si ah did the same things to them that he had done at Beth el. 20 He slaugh tered on the al tars all the priests of those high plac - es, and he burned hu man bones on the al tars. Then he re turned to Je ru sa lem. PASSOVER OBSERVED 21 The king com mand ed all the peo ple, “Ob- serve the Pass over of the L ord your God as writ ten in the book of the cov enant.” 22 No such Pass over had ever been ob served from the time of the judg es who judged Is ra el through the en tire time of the kings of Is ra- el and Ju dah. 23 But in the eigh teenth year of King Jo si ah, the L ord’ s Pass over was ob served in Je ru sa lem. FURTHER ZEAL FOR THE LORD 24 In ad di tion, Jo si ah eradicated the me di ums, the spir it ists, house hold idols, im ages, and all the ab hor rent things that were seen in the land of Ju dah and in Je ru sa lem. He did this in or der to car ry out the words of the law that were writ ten in the book that the priest Hil ki ah found in the L ord’ s tem ple. 25 Be fore him there was no king like him who turned to the L ord with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength ac cord ing to all the law of Mo ses, and no one like him arose af ter him. 26 In spite of all that, the L ord did not turn from the fury of his in tense burn ing an ger, which burned against Ju dah be cause of all the affronts with which Ma nas seh had an- gered him. 27 For the L ord had said, “ I will also re move Ju dah from my pres ence just as I have re moved Is ra el. I will re ject this city Je ru sa lem, that I have cho sen, and the tem ple about which I said, ‘ My name will be there.’ ”JOSIAH’S DEATH 28 The rest of the events of Jo si ah’s reign, along with all his ac com plish ments, are writ ten in the His tor i cal Rec ord of Ju dah’s Kings. 29 Dur ing his reign, Pha raoh Neco king of Egypt marched up to help the king of As syr ia at the Eu phra- tes Riv er. King Jo si ah went to con front him, and at Me gid do when Neco saw him he killed him. 30 From Me gid do his ser vants car ried his dead body in a char i ot, brought him into Je ru sa lem, and bur ied him in his own tomb. Then the com mon peo ple a took Je ho a haz son of Jo si ah, anoint ed him, and made him king in place of his fa ther. JUDAH’S KING JEHOAHAZ 31 Je ho a haz was twenty-three years old when he be came king, and he reigned three months in Je ru sa lem. His moth er’s name was Ha mu tal daugh ter of Jer e mi ah; she was from Lib nah. 32 He did what was evil in the L ord’ s sight just as his an ces tors had done. 33 Pha raoh Neco im- pris oned him at Rib lah in the land of Ha math to keep him from reign ing in Je ru sa lem, and he im posed on the land a fine of seventy-five hun dred pounds b of sil ver and seventy-five pounds c of gold. JUDAH’S KING JEHOIAKIM 34 Then Pha raoh Neco made Eli a kim son of Jo si ah king in place of his fa ther Jo si ah and changed Eli a kim’s name to Je hoi a kim. But Neco took Je ho a haz and went to Egypt, and he died there. 35 So Je hoi a kim gave the sil ver and the gold to Pha raoh, but at Pha raoh’s com- mand he taxed the land to give it. He ex act- ed the sil ver and the gold from the com mon peo ple, each ac cord ing to his as sess ment, to give it to Pha raoh Neco. 36 Je hoi a kim was twenty-five years old when he be came king, and he reigned elev en years in Je ru sa lem. His moth er’s name was Ze bi dah daugh ter of Pe da iah; she was from Ru mah. 37 He did what was evil in the L ord’ s sight just as his an ces tors had done. JEHOIAKIM’S REBELLION AND DEATH 24 Dur ing Je hoi a kim’s reign, King Neb u- chad nez zar of Bab ylon at tacked. Je hoi- a kim be came his vas sal for three years, and then he turned and re belled against him. 2 The L ord sent Chal de an, Ar a me an, Mo ab ite, and Am mon ite raid ers against Je hoi a kim. He sent a 23:30 Lit the people of the land, also in v. 35 b 23:33 Lit 100 talents c 23:33 Lit one talent2 KINGS 23-24 342 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 342 10/26/17 9:00 PM them against Ju dah to de stroy it, ac cord ing to the word of the L ord he had spo ken through his ser vants the proph ets. 3 In deed, this hap pened to Ju dah at the L ord’ s com mand to re move them from his pres ence. It was be cause of the sins of Ma nas seh, ac cord ing to all he had done, 4 and also be cause of all the in no cent blood he had shed. He had filled Je ru sa lem with in no cent blood, and the L ord was not will ing to for give. 5 The rest of the events of Je hoi a kim’s reign, along with all his ac com plish ments, are writ- ten in
🏛️ Babylonian Conquest Chronicles
👑 King Jehoiachin surrendered Jerusalem to Babylonian forces after a brief three-month reign, leading to the first major deportation of Judah's elite to Babylon
🔥 Nebuchadnezzar's forces systematically dismantled Jerusalem—burning the temple, palace, and homes while carrying away sacred treasures and deporting skilled craftsmen
👁️ King Zedekiah rebelled against Babylon, resulting in a devastating siege, the execution of his sons before his eyes, and his subsequent blinding and imprisonment
🌱 After conquest, Gedaliah was appointed governor over the remaining poor population but was assassinated, prompting many survivors to flee to Egypt
📜 The text concludes with a glimmer of hope as exiled King Jehoiachin was eventually pardoned, given royal privileges, and provided a regular allowance in Babylon
📋 Following this account, the text transitions to genealogical records tracing Israel's lineage from Adam through Abraham, David, and the kings of Judah
the His tor i cal Rec ord of Ju dah’s Kings. 6 Je hoi a kim rest ed with his fa thers, and his son Je hoi a chin be came king in his place. 7 Now the king of Egypt did not march out of his land again, for the king of Bab ylon took ev ery thing that had be longed to the king of Egypt, from the Brook of Egypt to the Eu phra- tes Riv er. JUDAH’S KING JEHOIACHIN 8 Je hoi a chin was eigh teen years old when he be came king, and he reigned three months in Je ru sa lem. His moth er’s name was Ne hush ta daugh ter of El na than; she was from Je ru sa lem. 9 He did what was evil in the L ord’ s sight just as his fa ther had done. DEPORTATIONS TO BABYLON 10 At that time the ser vants of King Neb u chad- nez zar of Bab ylon marched up to Je ru sa lem, and the city came un der siege. 11 King Neb u- chad nez zar of Bab ylon came to the city while his ser vants were be sieg ing it. 12 King Je hoi- a chin of Ju dah, along with his moth er, his ser vants, his com mand ers, and his o ff i cials, a sur ren dered to the king of Bab ylon. So the king of Bab ylon took him cap tive in the eighth year of his reign. 13 He also car - ried off from there all the trea sures of the L ord’ s tem ple and the trea sures of the king’s pal ace, and he cut into pieces all the gold ar - ti cles that King Sol o mon of Is ra el had made for the L ord ’ s sanc tu ary , just as the L ord had pre dict ed. 14 He de port ed all Je ru sa lem and all the com mand ers and all the best sol diers — ten thou sand cap tives in clud ing all the crafts men and metalsmiths. Ex cept for the poor est peo ple of the land, no one re mained. 15 Neb u chad nez zar de port ed Je hoi a chin to Bab ylon. He took the king’s moth er, the king’s wives, his o ff i cials, and the lead ing men of the land into ex ile from Je ru sa lem to Bab ylon. 16 The king of Bab ylon brought cap tive into Bab ylon all sev en thou sand of the best sol diers and one thou sand crafts men and metalsmiths — all strong and fit for war. 17 And the king of Bab ylon made Mat ta ni ah, Je hoi a chin’s b un cle, king in his place and changed his name to Zed e ki ah. JUDAH’S KING ZEDEKIAH 18 Zed e ki ah was twenty-one years old when he be came king, and he reigned elev en years in Je ru sa lem. His moth er’s name was Ha mu tal daugh ter of Jer e mi ah; she was from Lib nah. 19 Zed e ki ah did what was evil in the L ord ’ s sight just as Je hoi a kim had done. 20 Be cause of the L ord’ s an ger, it came to the point in Je ru sa lem and Ju dah that he fi nal ly ban ished them from his pres ence. Then Zed e ki ah re belled against the king of Bab ylon. NEBUCHADNEZZAR’S SIEGE OF JERUSALEM 25 In the ninth year of Zed e ki ah’s reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, King Neb u chad nez zar of Bab ylon ad vanced against Je ru sa lem with his en tire army . They laid siege to the city and built a siege wall against it all around. 2 The city was un der siege un til King Zed e ki ah’s elev enth year. 3 By the ninth day of the fourth month the fam ine was so se vere in the city that the com- mon peo ple had no food. 4 Then the city was bro ken into, and all the war riors fled at night by way of the city gate be tween the two walls near the king’s gar den, even though the Chal- de ans sur round ed the city . As the king made his way along the route to the Ar a bah, 5 the Chal de an army pur sued him and over took him in the plains of Jer i cho. Zed e ki ah’s en tire army left him and scat tered. 6 The Chal de ans seized the king and brought him up to the king of Bab ylon at Rib lah, and they passed sen tence on him. 7 They slaugh tered Zed e ki ah’s sons be fore his eyes. Fi nal ly , the king of Bab ylon blind ed Zed e ki ah, bound him in bronze chains, and took him to Bab ylon. JERUSALEM DESTROYED 8 On the sev enth day of the fifth month — which was the nine teenth year of King Neb- u chad nez zar of Bab ylon — Neb u zar a dan, the cap tain of the guards, a ser vant of the king of Bab ylon, en tered Je ru sa lem. 9 He burned the L ord’ s tem ple, the king’s pal ace, and all the hous es of Je ru sa lem; he burned down all the a 24:12 Or eunuchs b 24:17 Lit his 343 2 KINGS 24-25 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 343 10/26/17 9:00 PM great hous es. 10 The whole Chal de an army with the cap tain of the guards tore down the walls sur round ing Je ru sa lem. 11 Neb u zar a dan, the cap tain of the guards, de port ed the rest of the peo ple who re mained in the city , the deserters who had de fect ed to the king of Bab ylon, and the rest of the pop u la tion. 12 But the cap tain of the guards left some of the poor est of the land to be vinedressers and farm ers. 13 Now the Chal de ans broke into pieces the bronze pil lars of the L ord’ s tem ple, the wa ter carts, and the bronze ba sin, a which were in the L ord’ s tem ple, and car ried the bronze to Bab- ylon. 14 They also took the pots, shov els, wick trim mers, dish es, and all the bronze ar ti cles used in the priests’ ser vice. 15 The cap tain of the guards took away the fire pans and sprin- kling ba sins — what ev er was gold or sil ver. 16 As for the two pil lars, the one ba sin, and the wa ter carts that Sol o mon had made for the L ord’ s tem ple, the weight of the bronze of all these ar ti cles was be yond mea sure. 17 One pil lar was twenty-seven feet b tall and had a bronze cap i tal on top of it. The cap i tal, en cir - cled by a grat ing and pome gran ates of bronze, stood five feet c high. The sec ond pil lar was the same, with its own grat ing. 18 The cap tain of the guards also took away Se ra iah the chief priest, Zeph a ni ah the priest of the sec ond rank, and the three door keep- ers. 19 From the city he took a court off i cial d who had been ap point ed over the war riors; five trust ed roy al aides e found in the city; the sec re tary of the com mand er of the army , who enlisted the peo ple of the land for mil i tary duty; and six ty men from the com mon peo ple f who were found with in the city . 20 Neb u zar a- dan, the cap tain of the guards, took them and brought them to the king of Bab ylon at Rib lah. 21 The king of Bab ylon put them to death at Rib lah in the land of Ha math. So Ju dah went into ex ile from its land.GEDALIAH MADE GOVERNOR 22 King Neb u chad nez zar of Bab ylon ap point- ed Ged a li ah son of Ahi kam, son of Sha phan, over the rest of the peo ple he left in the land of Ju dah. 23 When all the com mand ers of the ar mies — they and their men — heard that the king of Bab ylon had ap point ed Ged a li ah, they came to Ged a li ah at Miz pah. The com- mand ers in clud ed Ish ma el son of Neth a ni- ah, Jo ha nan son of Ka re ah, Se ra iah son of Tan hu meth the Ne toph a thite, and Ja az a ni ah son of the Ma ac a thite — they and their men. 24 Ged a li ah swore an oath to them and their men, assuring them, “ Don’t be afraid of the ser vants of the Chal de ans. Live in the land and serve the king of Bab ylon, and it will go well for you.” 25 In the sev enth month, how ev er, Ish ma el son of Neth a ni ah, son of Elish a ma, of the roy al fam i ly , came with ten men and struck down Ged a li ah, and he died. Also, they killed the Ju de ans and the Chal de ans who were with him at Miz pah. 26 Then all the peo ple, from the youn gest to the old est, and the com mand ers of the army , left and went to Egypt, for they were afraid of the Chal de ans. JEHOIACHIN PARDONED 27 On the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month of the thirty-seventh year of the ex- ile of Ju dah’s King Je hoi a chin, in the year Evil-merodach be came king of Bab ylon, he par doned King Je hoi a chin of Ju dah and re- leased him g from pris on. 28 He spoke kind ly to him and set his throne over the thrones of the kings who were with him in Bab ylon. 29 So Je hoi a chin changed his pris on clothes, and he dined reg u lar ly in the pres ence of the king of Bab ylon for the rest of his life. 30 As for his al low ance, a reg u lar al low ance was giv en to him by the king, a por tion for each day , for the rest of his life. a 25:13 Lit sea b 25:17 Lit 18 cubits c 25:17 Lit three cubits d 25:19 Or eunuch e 25:19 Lit five men who look on the king’s face f 25:19 Lit the people of the land g 25:27 and released him supplied for clarity2 KINGS 25 344 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 344 10/26/17 9:00 PM 1 chronicles FROM ADAM TO ABRAHAM 1 Adam, Seth, Enosh, 2 Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared, 3 Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, 4 Noah, Noah’s sons: a Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 5 Japheth’s sons: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. 6 Gomer’s sons: Ashkenaz, Riphath, b and Togarmah. 7 Javan’s sons: Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Rodanim. c 8 Ham’s sons: Cush, Mizraim, d Put, and Canaan. 9 Cush’s sons: Seba, Havilah, Sabta, Raama, and Sabteca. Raama’s sons: Sheba and Dedan. 10 Cush fathered Nimrod, who was the first to become a great warrior on earth. 11 Mizraim fathered the people of Lud, Anam, Lehab, Naphtuh, 12 Pathrus, Casluh (the Philistines came from them), and Caphtor. 13 Canaan fathered Sidon as his firstborn and Heth, 14 as well as the Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, 15 Hivites, Arkites, Sinites, 16 Arvadites, Zemarites, and Hamathites. 17 Shem’s sons: Elam, Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud, Aram, Uz, Hul, Gether, and Meshech. 18 Arpachshad fathered Shelah, and Shelah fathered Eber. 19 Two sons were born to Eber. One of them was named Peleg e because the earth was divided during his lifetime, and the name of his brother was Joktan. 20 Joktan fathered Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, 21 Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, 22 Ebal, Abimael, Sheba, 23 Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All of these were Joktan’s sons. 24 Shem, Arpachshad, Shelah, 25 Eber, Peleg, Reu, 26 Serug, Nahor, Terah, 27 and Abram (that is, Abraham). ABRAHAM’S DESCENDANTS 28 Abraham’s sons: Isaac and Ishmael. 29 These are their family records: Nebaioth, Ishmael’s firstborn, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 30 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema, 31 Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah.These were Ishmael’s sons. 32 The sons born to Keturah, Abraham’s concubine: Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. Jokshan’s sons: Sheba and Dedan. 33 Midian’s sons: Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All of these were Keturah’s descendants. 34 Abraham fathered Isaac. Isaac’s sons: Esau and Israel. 35 Esau’s sons: Eliphaz, Reuel, Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. 36 Eliphaz’s sons: Teman, Omar, Zephi, Gatam, and Kenaz; and by Timna, Amalek. f 37 Reuel’s sons: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. THE EDOMITES 38 Seir’s sons: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. 39 Lotan’s sons: Hori and Homam. Timna was Lotan’s sister. 40 Shobal’s sons: Alian, Manahath, Ebal, Shephi, and Onam.Zibeon’s sons: Aiah and Anah. 41 Anah’s son: Dishon. Dishon’s sons: Hamran, Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran. 42 Ezer’s sons: Bilhan, Zaavan, and Jaakan. Dishan’s sons: Uz and Aran. 43 These were the kings who reigned in the land of Edom a1:4 LXX; MT omits Noah’s sons b1:6 Some Hb mss, LXX, Vg; other Hb mss read Diphath ; Gn 10:3 c1:7 Some Hb mss, Syr read Dodanim ; Gn 10:4 d1:8 = Egypt e1:19 = Division f1:36 LXX; MT reads and Timna and Amalek ; Gn 36:12 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 345 10/26/17 9:00 PM before any king reigned over the Israelites: Bela son of Beor. Bela’s town was named Dinhabah. 44 When Bela died, Jobab son of Zerah from Bozrah reigned in his place. 45 When Jobab died, Husham from the land of the Temanites reigned in his place. 46 When Husham died, Hadad son of Bedad, who defeated Midian in the territory of Moab, reigned in his place. Hadad’s town was named Avith. 47 When Hadad died, Samlah from Masrekah reigned in his place. 48 When Samlah died, Shaul from Rehoboth on the Euphrates River reigned in his place. 49 When Shaul died, Baal-hanan son of Achbor reigned in his place. 50 When Baal-hanan died, Hadad reigned in his place. Hadad’s city was named Pai, and his wife’s name was Mehetabel daughter of Matred, daughter of Me-zahab. 51 Then Hadad died. Edom’s chiefs: Timna, Alvah, a Jetheth, 52 Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon, 53 Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar, 54 Magdiel, and Iram. These were Edom’s chiefs. ISRAEL’S SONS 2 These were Israel’s sons: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, 2 Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. JUDAH’S DESCENDANTS 3 Judah’s sons: Er, Onan, and Shelah. These three were born to him by Bath- shua the Canaanite woman. Er, Judah’s firstborn, was evil in the Lord’s sight, so he put him to death. 4 Judah’s daughter- in-law Tamar bore Perez and Zerah to him. Judah had five sons in all. 5 Perez’s sons: Hezron and Hamul. 6 Zerah’s sons: Zimri, Ethan, Heman, Calcol, and Dara b — five in all.7 Carmi’s son: Achar, c who brought trouble on Israel when he was unfaithful by taking the things set apart for destruction. 8 Ethan’s son: Azariah. 9 Hezron’s sons, who were born to him: Jerahmeel, Ram, and Chelubai. d 10 Ram fathered Amminadab, and Amminadab fathered Nahshon, a leader of Judah’s descendants. 11 Nahshon fathered Salma, and Salma fathered Boaz. 12 Boaz fathered Obed, and Obed fathered Jesse. 13 Jesse fathered Eliab, his firstborn; Abinadab was born second, Shimea third, 14 Nethanel fourth, Raddai fifth, 15 Ozem sixth, and David seventh. 16 Their sisters were Zeruiah and Abigail. Zeruiah’s three sons: Abishai, Joab, and Asahel. 17 Amasa’s mother was Abigail, and his father was Jether the Ishmaelite. 18 Caleb son of Hezron had children by his wife Azubah and by Jerioth. These were Azubah’s sons: Jesher, Shobab, and Ardon. 19 When Azubah died, Caleb married Ephrath, and she bore Hur to him. 20 Hur fathered Uri, and Uri fathered Bezalel. 21 After this, Hezron slept with the daugh - ter of Machir the father of Gilead. Hezron had married her when he was sixty years old, and she bore Segub to him. 22 Segub fathered Jair, who possessed twenty-three towns in the land of Gilead. 23 But Geshur and Aram captured e Jair’s Villages f along with Kenath and its surrounding villages — sixty towns. All these were the descen - dants of Machir father of Gilead. 24 After Hezron’s death in Caleb-ephrathah, his wife Abijah bore g Ashhur to him. He was the father of Tekoa. 25 The sons of Jerahmeel, Hezron’s firstborn: Ram, his firstborn, Bunah, Oren, Ozem, and Ahijah. 26 Jerahmeel had another wife named Atarah, who was the mother of Onam. 27 The sons of Ram, Jerahmeel’s firstborn: Maaz, Jamin, and Eker. 28 Onam’s sons: Shammai and Jada. a1:51 Alt Hb tradition reads Aliah b2:6 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr , Tg, Vg read Darda ; 1Kg 4:31 c2:7 = Trouble; Achan in Jos 7:1,16-26 d2:9 = Caleb e2:23 Lit took from them f2:23 Or captured Havvoth-jair g2:24 LXX, Vg read death, Caleb slept with Ephrath (Hezron’s wife was Abijah) and she bore1 CHRONICLES 1-2 346 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 346 10/26/17 9:00 PM Shammai’s sons: Nadab and Abishur. 29 Abishur’s wife was named Abihail, who bore Ahban and Molid to him. 30 Nadab’s sons: Seled and Appaim. Seled died without children. 31 Appaim’s son: Ishi. Ishi’s son: Sheshan. Sheshan’s descendant: Ahlai. 32 The sons of Jada, brother of Shammai: Jether and Jonathan. Jether died without children. 33 Jonathan’s sons: Peleth and Zaza. These were the descendants of Jerahmeel. 34 Sheshan had no sons, only daughters, but he did have an Egyptian servant whose name was Jarha. 35 Sheshan gave his daughter in marriage to his servant Jarha, and she bore Attai to him. 36 Attai fathered Nathan, and Nathan fathered Zabad. 37 Zabad fathered Ephlal, and Ephlal fathered Obed. 38 Obed fathered Jehu, and Jehu fathered Azariah. 39 Azariah fathered Helez, and Helez fathered Elasah. 40 Elasah fathered Sismai, and Sismai fathered Shallum. 41 Shallum fathered Jekamiah, and Jekamiah fathered Elishama. 42 The sons of Caleb brother of Jerahmeel: Mesha, his firstborn, fathered Ziph, and Mareshah, his second son, a fathered Hebron. 43 Hebron’s sons: Korah, Tappuah, Rekem, and Shema. 44 Shema fathered Raham, who fathered Jorkeam, and Rekem fathered Shammai. 45 Shammai’s son was Maon, and Maon fathered Beth-zur. 46 Caleb’s concubine Ephah was the mother of Haran, Moza, and Gazez. Haran fathered Gazez. 47 Jahdai’s sons: Regem, Jotham, Geshan, Pelet, Ephah, and Shaaph. 48 Caleb’s concubine Maacah was the mother of Sheber and Tirhanah. 49 She was also the mother of Shaaph, Madmannah’s father, and of Sheva, the father of Machbenah and Gibea. Caleb’s daughter was Achsah.50 These were Caleb’s descendants. The sons of Hur, Ephrathah’s firstborn:Shobal fathered Kiriath-jearim; 51 Salma fathered Bethlehem, and Hareph fathered Beth-gader. 52 These were the descendants of Shobal the father of Kiriath-jearim: Haroeh, half of the Manahathites, b 53 and the families of Kiriath-jearim — the Ithrites, Puthites, Shumathites, and Mishraites. The Zorath ites and Eshtaolites descended from these. 54 Salma’s descendants: Bethlehem, the Netophathites, Atroth-beth-joab, and half of the Manahathites, the Zorites, 55 and the families of scribes who lived in Jabez — the Tirathites, Shimeathites, and Su - cathites. These are the Kenites who came from Hammath, the father of Rechab’s family . DAVID’S DESCENDANTS 3 These were David’s sons who were born to him in Hebron: Amnon was the firstborn, by Ahinoam of Jezreel; Daniel was born second, by Abigail of Carmel; 2 Absalom son of Maacah, daughter of King Talmai of Geshur, was third; Adonijah son of Haggith was fourth; 3 Shephatiah, by Abital, was fifth; and Ithream, by David’s wife Eglah, was sixth. 4 Six sons were born to David in Hebron, where he reigned seven years and six months, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-three years. 5 These sons were born to him in Jerusalem: Shimea, Shobab, Nathan, and Solomon. These four were born to him by Bath-shua daughter of Ammiel. 6 David’s other sons: Ibhar, Elishua, c Eliphelet, 7 Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, 8 Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet — nine sons. 9 These were all David’s sons, with their sister Tamar, in addition to the sons by his concubines. a 2:42 Lit and the sons of Mareshah b 2:52 Lit Manuhoth c3:6 Lit Elishama ; 2Sm 5:15; 1Ch 14:5 347 1 CHRONICLES 2-3 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 347 10/26/17 9:00 PM JUDAH’S KINGS 10 Solomon’s son was Rehoboam; his son was Abijah, his son Asa, his son Jehoshaphat, 11 his son Jehoram, a,b his son Ahaziah, his son Joash, 12 his son Amaziah, his son Azariah, his son Jotham, 13 his son Ahaz, his son Hezekiah, his son Manasseh, 14 his son Amon, and his son Josiah. 15 Josiah’s sons: Johanan was the firstborn, Jehoiakim second, Zedekiah third, and Shallum fourth. 16 Jehoiakim’s sons: his sons Jeconiah and Zedekiah. DAVID’S LINE AFTER THE EXILE 17 The sons of Jeconiah the captive: his sons Shealtiel, 18 Malchiram, Pedaiah, Shenazzar, Jekamiah, Hoshama, and Nedabiah. 19 Pedaiah’s sons: Zerubbabel and Shimei. Zerubbabel’s sons: Meshullam and Hananiah, with their sister Shelomith; 20 and five others — Hashubah, Ohel, Berechiah, Hasadiah, and Jushab-hesed. 21 Hananiah’s descendants: Pelatiah, Jeshaiah, and the sons of Rephaiah, Arnan, Obadiah, and Shecaniah. c 22 The son d of Shecaniah: Shemaiah. Shemaiah’s sons: Hattush, Igal, Bariah, Neariah, and Shaphat — six. 23 Neariah’s sons: Elioenai, Hizkiah, and Azrikam — three. 24 Elioenai’s sons: Hodaviah, Eliashib, Pelaiah, Akkub, Johanan, Delaiah, and Anani — seven. JUDAH’S DESCENDANTS 4 Judah’s sons: Perez, Hezron, Carmi, Hur, and Shobal. 2 Reaiah son of Shobal fathered Jahath, and Jahath fathered Ahumai and Lahad. These were the families of the Zorathites. 3 These were Etam’s sons: e Jezreel, Ishma, and Idbash, and their sister was named Hazzelelponi. 4 Penuel fathered Gedor, and Ezer fathered Hushah.These were the sons of Hur, Ephrathah’s firstborn and the father of Bethlehem:5 Ashhur fathered Tekoa and had two wives, Helah and Naarah. 6 Naarah bore Ahuzzam, Hepher, Temeni, and Haahashtari to him. These were Naarah’s sons. 7 Helah’s sons: Zereth, Zohar, f and Ethnan. 8 Koz fathered Anub, Zobebah, g and the families of Aharhel son of Harum. 9 Ja bez h was more hon ored than his broth- ers. His moth er named him Ja bez and said, “ I gave birth to him in pain.” 10 Ja bez called out to the God of Is ra el: “ If only you would bless me, ex tend my bor der, let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm, so that I will not ex pe ri ence pain.” i And God grant ed his re quest. 11 Chelub brother of Shuhah fathered Mehir, who was the father of Eshton. 12 Eshton fathered Beth-rapha, Paseah, and Tehinnah the father of Irnahash. These were the men of Recah. 13 Kenaz’s sons: Othniel and Seraiah. Othniel’s sons: Hathath and Meonothai. j 14 Meonothai fathered Ophrah, and Seraiah fathered Joab, the ancestor of those in the Craftsmen’s Valley , k for they were
📜 Biblical Genealogical Records
👪 Family lineages trace the descendants of key Israelite tribes including Judah, Simeon, Reuben, Gad, Manasseh, Levi, Issachar, Benjamin, Naphtali, Ephraim, and Asher
🏛️ The Levitical priesthood receives special attention, detailing Aaron's descendants who served in the temple and performed sacrificial duties
🏙️ Territorial settlements are meticulously documented, showing how towns and pasturelands were distributed among tribes, particularly the Levites' cities of refuge
🛡️ Military strength appears throughout the records, noting "valiant warriors" and precise troop numbers (like Issachar's 87,000 soldiers) to demonstrate tribal power
🌍 Brief historical narratives interrupt the genealogies, including conflicts with neighboring peoples like the Hagrites and Amalekites, and the Assyrian exile
craftsmen. 15 The sons of Caleb son of Jephunneh: Iru, Elah, and Naam.Elah’s son: Kenaz. 16 Jehallelel’s sons: Ziph, Ziphah, Tiria, and Asarel. 17 Ezrah’s sons: Jether, Mered, Epher, and Jalon. Mered’s wife Bithiah gave birth to Miriam, Shammai, and Ishbah the father of Eshtemoa. 18 These were the sons of Pharaoh’s daughter Bithiah; Mered had married her. His Judean wife gave birth to Jered the father of Gedor, Heber the father of Soco, and Jekuthiel the father of Zanoah. 19 The sons of Hodiah’s wife, the sister of Naham: the father of Keilah the Garmite and the father of Eshtemoa the Maacathite. 20 Shimon’s sons: Amnon, Rinnah, Ben-hanan, and Tilon.Ishi’s sons: Zoheth and Ben-zoheth. 21 The sons of Shelah son of Judah: Er the father of Lecah, Laadah the father of Mareshah, the families of the guild l of a3:11 Lit Joram b3:11 = The Lord is Exalted c3:21 LXX reads Jeshaiah, his son Rephaiah, his son Arnan, his son Obadiah, and his son Shecaniah d3:22 LXX; MT reads sons e4:3 LXX; MT reads father f4:7 Alt Hb tradition reads Izhar g4:8 Or Hazzobebah h4:9 In Hb, the name Jabez sounds like “he causes pain.” i4:10 Or not cause any pain j4:13 LXX, Vg; MT omits and Meonothai k4:14 Or the Ge-harashim l4:21 Lit house1 CHRONICLES 3-4 348 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 348 10/26/17 9:00 PM linen workers at Beth-ashbea, 22 Jokim, the men of Cozeba; and Joash and Saraph, who married Moabites a and returned to Lehem. b These names are from ancient records. 23 They were the potters and res - idents of Netaim and Gederah. They lived there in the service of the king. SIMEON’S DESCENDANTS 24 Simeon’s sons: Nemuel, Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, and Shaul; 25 Shaul’s sons: his son Shallum, his son Mibsam, and his son Mishma. 26 Mishma’s sons: his son Hammuel, his son Zaccur, and his son Shimei. 27 Shimei had sixteen sons and six daugh - ters, but his brothers did not have many children, so their whole family did not become as numerous as the Judeans. 28 They lived in Beer-sheba, Moladah, Hazar-shual, 29 Bilhah, Ezem, Tolad, 30 Bethuel, Hormah, Ziklag, 31 Beth-mar - caboth, Hazar-susim, Beth-biri, and Shaaraim. These were their cities until David became king. 32 Their villages were Etam, Ain, Rimmon, Tochen, and Ashan — five cities, 33 and all their surrounding villages as far as Baal. These were their settlements, and they kept a genealogical record for themselves. 34 Meshobab, Jamlech, Joshah son of Amaziah, 35 Joel, Jehu son of Joshibiah, son of Seraiah, son of Asiel, 36 Elioenai, Jaakobah, Jeshohaiah, Asaiah, Adiel, Jesimiel, Benaiah, 37 and Ziza son of Shiphi, son of Allon, son of Jedaiah, son of Shimri, son of Shemaiah — 38 these mentioned by name were leaders in their families. Their ancestral houses increased greatly . 39 They went to the entrance of Gedor, to the east side of the valley to seek pasture for their flocks. 40 They found rich, good pasture, and the land was broad, peaceful, and quiet, for some Hamites had lived there previously . 41 These who were re cord ed by name came in the days of King Hez e ki ah of Ju dah, at- tacked the Ham ites’ tents and the Me u nites who were found there, and set them apart for de struc tion, as they are to day . Then they set tled in their place be cause there was pas- ture for their flocks. 42 Now five hun dred men from these sons of Sim e on went with Pel a ti ah, Ne a ri ah, Re pha iah, and Uz zi el, the de scen dants of Ishi, as their lead ers to Mount Seir. 43 They struck down the rem nant of the Am a lek ites who had es caped, and they still live there to day . REUBEN’S DESCENDANTS 5 These were the sons of Reu ben the first- born of Is ra el. He was the first born, but his birth right was giv en to the sons of Jo seph son of Is ra el, be cause Reu ben de filed his fa ther’s bed. He is not list ed in the ge ne al o gy ac cord- ing to birth right. 2 Al though Ju dah be came strong among his broth ers and a rul er came from him, the birth right was giv en to Jo seph. 3 The sons of Reuben, Israel’s firstborn: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. 4 Joel’s sons: his son Shemaiah, his son Gog, his son Shimei, 5 his son Micah, his son Reaiah, his son Baal, 6 and his son Beerah. Be e rah was a lead er of the Reu ben ites, and King Tiglath-pileser c of As syr ia took him into ex ile. 7 His rel a tives by their fam i lies as they are re cord ed in their fam i ly rec ords: Jeiel the chief, Zechariah, 8 and Bela son of Azaz, son of Shema, son of Joel. They set tled in Aro er as far as Nebo and Baal-meon. 9 They also set tled in the east as far as the edge of the desert that ex tends to the Eu phra tes Riv er, be cause their herds had in creased in the land of Gil e ad. 10 Dur ing Saul’s reign they waged war against the Hag rites, who were de feat ed by their pow er. And they lived in their tents through out the re gion east of Gil e ad. GAD’S DESCENDANTS 11 The sons of Gad lived next to them in the land of Bashan as far as Salecah: 12 Joel the chief, Shapham the second in command, Janai, and Shaphat in Bashan. 13 Their relatives according to their ancestral houses: Michael, Meshullam, Sheba, Jorai, Jacan, Zia, and Eber — seven. a4:22 Or who ruled over Moab b4:22 Tg, Vg; MT reads and Jashubi Lehem c5:6 LXX; MT reads Tilgath-pilneser 349 1 CHRONICLES 4-5 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 349 10/26/17 9:00 PM 14 These were the sons of Abihail son of Huri, son of Jaroah, son of Gilead, son of Michael, son of Jeshishai, son of Jahdo, son of Buz. 15 Ahi son of Abdiel, son of Guni, was head of their ancestral family . a 16 They lived in Gilead, in Bashan and its surrounding villages, and throughout the pasturelands of Sharon. 17 All of them were registered in the genealogies during the reigns of Judah’s King Jotham and Israel’s King Jeroboam. 18 The de scen dants of Reu ben and Gad and half the tribe of Ma nas seh had 44,760 war - riors who could serve in the army — men who car ried shield and sword, drew the bow , and were trained for war. 19 They waged war against the Hag rites, Je tur, Na phish, and No dab. 20 They re ceived help against these en e mies be cause they cried out to God in bat tle, and the Hag rites and all their al lies were hand ed over to them. He was receptive to their prayer be cause they trust ed in him. 21 They cap tured the Hag rites’ live stock — fif ty thou sand of their cam els, two hun dred fif ty thou sand sheep, and two thou sand don keys — as well as one hun dred thou sand peo ple. 22 Many of the Hag rites were killed be cause it was God’s bat tle. And they lived there in the Hag rites’ place un til the ex ile. HALF THE TRIBE OF MANASSEH 23 The de scen dants of half the tribe of Ma- nas seh set tled in the land from Ba shan to Baal-her mon ( that is, Se nir or Mount Her - mon); they were nu mer ous. 24 These were the heads of their an ces tral fam i lies: Epher, Ishi, Eli el, Az ri el, Jer e mi ah, Hod a vi ah, and Jah di el. They were val iant war riors, fa mous men, and heads of their an ces tral hous es. 25 But they were un faith ful to the God of their an ces tors. They pros ti tut ed them- selves with the gods of the na tions b God had de stroyed be fore them. 26 So the God of Is ra el roused the spir it of King Pul ( that is, Tiglath-pileser c) of As syr ia, and he took the Reu ben ites, Gad ites, and half the tribe of Ma nas seh into ex ile. He took them to Ha lah, Ha bor, Hara, and Go zan’s riv er, where they are un til to day .THE LEVITES 6 Levi’s sons: Gershom, d Kohath, and Merari. 2 Kohath’s sons: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. 3 Amram’s children: Aaron, Moses, and Miriam. Aaron’s sons: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 4 Eleazar fathered Phinehas; Phinehas fathered Abishua; 5 Abishua fathered Bukki; Bukki fathered Uzzi; 6 Uzzi fathered Zerahiah; Zerahiah fathered Meraioth; 7 Meraioth fathered Amariah; Amariah fathered Ahitub; 8 Ahitub fathered Zadok; Zadok fathered Ahimaaz; 9 Ahimaaz fathered Azariah; Azariah fathered Johanan; 10 Johanan fathered Azariah, who served as priest in the temple that Solomon built in Jerusalem; 11 Azariah fathered Amariah; Amariah fathered Ahitub; 12 Ahitub fathered Zadok; Zadok fathered Shallum; 13 Shallum fathered Hilkiah; Hilkiah fathered Azariah; 14 Azariah fathered Seraiah; and Seraiah fathered Jehozadak. 15 Jehozadak went into exile when the Lord sent Judah and Jerusalem into exile at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar. 16 Levi’s sons: Gershom, Kohath, and Merari. 17 These are the names of Gershom’s sons: Libni and Shimei. 18 Kohath’s sons: Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel. 19 Merari’s sons: Mahli and Mushi. These are the Levites’ families according to their fathers: 20 Of Gershom: his son Libni, his son Jahath, his son Zimmah, 21 his son Joah, his son Iddo, his son Zerah, and his son Jeatherai. 22 Kohath’s sons: his son Amminadab, his son Korah, his son Assir, a5:15 Lit the house of their fathers, also in v. 24 b5:25 Lit the peoples of the land c5:26 LXX; MT reads Tilgath-pilneser d6:1 In Hb Levi’s son’s name is spelled “Gershon” here and many other places1 CHRONICLES 5-6 350 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 350 10/26/17 9:00 PM 23 his son Elkanah, his son Ebiasaph, his son Assir, 24 his son Tahath, his son Uriel, his son Uzziah, and his son Shaul. 25 Elkanah’s sons: Amasai and Ahimoth, 26 his son Elkanah, his son Zophai, his son Nahath, 27 his son Eliab, his son Jeroham, and his son Elkanah. 28 Samuel’s sons: his firstborn Joel, a and his second son Abijah. 29 Merari’s sons: Mahli, his son Libni, his son Shimei, his son Uzzah, 30 his son Shimea, his son Haggiah, and his son Asaiah. THE MUSICIANS 31 These are the men Da vid put in charge of the mu sic in the L ord’ s tem ple af ter the ark came to rest there. 32 They min is tered with song in front of the tab er na cle, the tent of meet ing, un til Sol o mon built the L ord’ s tem ple in Je ru- sa lem, and they per formed their task ac cord ing to the reg u la tions giv en to them. 33 These are the men who served with their sons. From the Kohathites: Heman the singer, son of Joel, son of Samuel, 34 son of Elkanah, son of Jeroham, son of Eliel, son of Toah, 35 son of Zuph, son of Elkanah, son of Mahath, son of Amasai, 36 son of Elkanah, son of Joel, son of Azariah, son of Zephaniah, 37 son of Tahath, son of Assir, son of Ebiasaph, son of Korah, 38 son of Izhar, son of Kohath, son of Levi, son of Israel. 39 Heman’s relative was Asaph, who stood at his right hand: Asaph son of Berechiah, son of Shimea, 40 son of Michael, son of Baaseiah, son of Malchijah, 41 son of Ethni, son of Zerah, son of Adaiah, 42 son of Ethan, son of Zimmah, son of Shimei, 43 son of Jahath, son of Gershom, son of Levi. 44 On the left, their relatives were Merari’s sons: Ethan son of Kishi, son of Abdi, son of Malluch, 45 son of Hashabiah, son of Amaziah, son of Hilkiah, 46 son of Amzi, son of Bani, son of Shemer, 47 son of Mahli, son of Mushi, son of Merari, son of Levi. AARON’S DESCENDANTS 48 Their rel a tives, the Le vites, were as signed to all the ser vice of the tab er na cle, God’s tem ple. 49 But Aar on and his sons did all the work of the most holy place. They pre sent ed the of- fer ings on the al tar of burnt off er ings and on the al tar of in cense to make atone ment for Is ra el ac cord ing to all that Mo ses the ser vant of God had com mand ed. 50 These are Aaron’s sons: his son Eleazar, his son Phinehas, his son Abishua, 51 his son Bukki, his son Uzzi, his son Zerahiah, 52 his son Meraioth, his son Amariah, his son Ahitub, 53 his son Zadok, and his son Ahimaaz. THE SETTLEMENTS OF THE LEVITES 54 These were the plac es as signed to Aar on’s de scen dants from the Ko hath ite fam i ly for their set tle ments in their ter ri to ry , be cause the first lot was for them. 55 They were giv en He- bron in the land of Ju dah and its sur round ing pas ture lands, 56 but the fields and set tle ments around the city were giv en to Ca leb son of Je- phun neh. 57 Aar on’s de scen dants were giv en: Hebron (a city of refuge), Libnah and its pasturelands, Jattir, Eshtemoa and its pas - turelands, 58 Hilen b and its pasturelands, Debir and its pasturelands, 59 Ashan and its pasturelands, and Beth-shemesh and its pasturelands. 60 From the tribe of Benja - min they were given Geba and its pasture - lands, Alemeth and its pasturelands, and Anathoth and its pasturelands. They had thirteen towns in all among their families. 61 To the rest of the Ko hath ites, ten towns from half the tribe of Ma nas seh were as signed by lot. 62 The Gershomites were as signed thir teen towns from the tribes of Is sa char, Ash er, Naph- ta li, and Ma nas seh in Ba shan ac cord ing to their fam i lies. 63 The Me ra rites were as signed by lot twelve towns from the tribes of Reu ben, Gad, and Zeb u lun ac cord ing to their fam i lies. 64 So the Is ra el ites gave these towns and their pas- ture lands to the Le vites. 65 They as signed by lot the towns named above from the tribes a6:28 Some LXX mss, Syr , Arabic; other Hb mss omit Joel ; 1Sm 8:2 b6:58 Some Hb mss, LXX; other Hb mss read Hilez 351 1 CHRONICLES 6 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 351 10/26/17 9:00 PM of the de scen dants of Ju dah, Sim e on, and Ben ja min. 66 Some of the fam i lies of the Ko hath ites were giv en towns from the tribe of Ephra im for their ter ri to ry: 67 Shechem (a city of refuge) with its pas - turelands in the hill country of Ephraim, Gezer and its pasturelands, 68 Jokmeam and its pasturelands, Beth-horon and its pasturelands, 69 Aijalon and its pasture - lands, and Gath-rimmon and its pasture - lands. 70 From half the tribe of Manasseh, Aner and its pasturelands, and Bileam and its pasturelands were given to the rest of the families of the Kohathites. 71 The Gershomites re ceived: Golan in Bashan and its pasturelands, and Ashtaroth and its pasturelands from the families of half the tribe of Manasseh. 72 From the tribe of Issachar they received Kedesh and its pasturelands, Daberath and its pasturelands, 73 Ramoth and its pasturelands, and Anem and its pasture - lands. 74 From the tribe of Asher they received Mashal and its pasturelands, Ab - don and its pasturelands, 75 Hukok and its pasturelands, and Rehob and its pasture - lands. 76 From the tribe of Naphtali they received Kedesh in Galilee and its pas - turelands, Hammon and its pasturelands, and Kiriathaim and its pasturelands. 77 The rest of the Me ra rites re ceived: From the tribe of Zebulun they received Rimmono and its pasturelands and Tabor and its pasturelands. 78 From the tribe of Reuben across the Jordan at Jericho, to the east of the Jordan, they received Bezer in the desert and its pasturelands, Jahzah and its pasturelands, 79 Kedemoth and its pasturelands, and Mephaath and its pasturelands. 80 From the tribe of Gad they received Ramoth in Gilead and its pasturelands, Mahanaim and its pasture - lands, 81 Heshbon and its pasturelands, and Jazer and its pasturelands. ISSACHAR’S DESCENDANTS 7 Issachar’s sons: Tola, Puah, Jashub, and Shimron — four. 2 Tola’s sons: Uzzi, Rephaiah, Jeriel, Jahmai, Ibsam, and Shemuel, the heads of their ancestral families. a During David’s reign, 22,600 descendants of Tola were recorded as valiant warriors in their family records. 3 Uzzi’s son: Izrahiah. Izrahiah’s sons: Michael, Obadiah, Joel, Isshiah. All five of them were chiefs. 4 Along with them, they had 36,000 troops for battle according to the family records of their ancestral families, for they had many wives and children. 5 Their tribesmen who were valiant warriors belonging to all the families of Issachar totaled 87,000 in their genealogies. BENJAMIN’S DESCENDANTS 6 Three of Benjamin’s sons: Bela, Becher, and Jediael. 7 Bela’s sons: Ezbon, Uzzi, Uzziel, Jerimoth, and Iri — five. They were valiant warriors and heads of their ancestral families; 22,034 were listed in their genealogies. 8 Becher’s sons: Zemirah, Joash, Eliezer, Elioenai, Omri, Jeremoth, Abijah, Anathoth, and Alemeth; all these were Becher’s sons. 9 Their family records were recorded according to the heads of their ancestral families — 20,200 valiant warriors. 10 Jediael’s son: Bilhan. Bilhan’s sons: Jeush, Benjamin, Ehud, Chenaanah, Zethan, Tarshish, and Ahishahar. 11 All these sons of Jediael listed by family heads were valiant warriors; there were 17,200 who could serve in the army . 12 Shuppim and Huppim were sons of Ir, and the Hushim were the sons of Aher. NAPHTALI’S DESCENDANTS 13 Naphtali’s sons: Jahziel, Guni, Jezer, and Shallum — Bilhah’s sons. MANASSEH’S DESCENDANTS 14 Manasseh’s sons through his Aramean concubine: Asriel and Machir the father of Gilead. 15 Machir took wives from Huppim and Shuppim. The name of his sister was Maacah. Another descendant was named Zelophehad, but he had only daughters. 16 Machir’s wife Maacah gave birth to a son, and she named him Peresh. His a7:2 Lit the house of their fathers, also in vv. 4,7,9,401 CHRONICLES 6-7 352 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 352 10/26/17 9:00 PM brother was named Sheresh, and his sons were Ulam and Rekem. 17 Ulam’s son: Bedan. These were the sons of Gilead son of Machir, son of Manasseh. 18 His sister Hammolecheth gave birth to Ishhod, Abiezer, and Mahlah. 19 Shemida’s sons: Ahian, Shechem, Likhi, and Aniam. EPHRAIM’S DESCENDANTS 20 Ephraim’s sons: Shuthelah, and his son Bered, his son Tahath, his son Eleadah, his son Tahath, 21 his son Zabad, his son Shuthelah, also Ezer, and Elead. The men of Gath, born in the land, killed them because they went down to raid their cattle. 22 Their father Ephraim mourned a long time, and his relatives a came to comfort him. 23 He slept with his wife, and she conceived and gave birth to a son. So he named him Beriah, because there had been misfortune in his home. b 24 His daughter was Sheerah, who built Lower and Upper Beth-horon and Uzzen-sheerah, 25 his son Rephah, c his son Resheph, his son Telah, his son Tahan, 26 his son Ladan, his son Ammihud, his son Elishama, 27 his son Nun, and his son Joshua. 28 Their holdings and settlements were Bethel and its surrounding villages; Naaran to the east, Gezer and its villages to the west, and Shechem and its villages as far as Ayyah and its villages, 29 and along the borders of the descendants of Manasseh, Beth-shean, Taanach, Megiddo, and Dor with their surrounding villages. The sons of Joseph son of Israel lived in these towns. ASHER’S DESCENDANTS 30 Asher’s sons: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, and Beriah, with their sister Serah. 31 Beriah’s sons: Heber, and Malchiel, who fathered Birzaith. 32 Heber fathered Japhlet, Shomer, and Hotham, with their sister Shua.33 Japhlet’s sons: Pasach, Bimhal, and Ashvath. These were Japhlet’s sons. 34 Shemer’s sons: Ahi, Rohgah, Hubbah, and Aram. 35 His brother Helem’s sons: Zophah, Imna, Shelesh, and Amal. 36 Zophah’s sons: Suah, Harnepher, Shual, Beri, Imrah, 37 Bezer, Hod, Shamma, Shilshah, Ithran, and Beera. 38 Jether’s sons: Jephunneh, Pispa, and Ara. 39 Ulla’s sons: Arah, Hanniel, and Rizia. 40 All these were Asher’s descendants. They were the heads of their ancestral families, chosen men, valiant warriors, and chiefs among the leaders. The number of men listed in their genealogies for military service was 26,000. BENJAMIN’S DESCENDANTS 8 Benjamin fathered Bela, his firstborn; Ashbel was born second, Aharah third, 2 Nohah fourth, and Rapha fifth. 3 Bela’s sons: Addar, Gera, Abihud, d 4 Abishua, Naaman, Ahoah, 5 Gera, Shephuphan, and Huram. 6 These were Ehud’s sons, who were the heads of the families living in Geba and who were deported to Manahath: 7 Naaman, Ahijah, and Gera. Gera deported them and was the father of Uzza and Ahihud. 8 Shaharaim had sons in the territory of Moab after he had divorced his wives Hushim and Baara. 9 His sons by his wife Hodesh: Jobab, Zibia, Mesha, Malcam, 10 Jeuz, Sachia, and Mirmah. These were his sons, family heads. 11 He also had sons by Hushim: Abitub and Elpaal. 12 Elpaal’s sons: Eber, Misham, and Shemed who built Ono and Lod and its surrounding villages, 13 Beriah and Shema, who were the family heads of Aijalon’s residents and who drove out the residents of Gath, 14 Ahio, e Shashak, and Jeremoth. 15 Zebadiah, Arad, Eder, 16 Michael, Ishpah, and Joha were Beriah’s sons. 17 Zebadiah, Meshullam, Hizki, Heber, 18 Ishmerai, Izliah, and Jobab were Elpaal’s sons. 19 Jakim, Zichri, Zabdi, 20 Elienai, Zillethai, Eliel, 21 Adaiah, Beraiah, and Shimrath were Shimei’s sons. a7:22 Or his brothers b7:23 In Hb, the name Beriah sounds like “in misfortune.” c7:25 Probably Ephraim’s son d8:3 Or Gera father of Ehud ; Jdg 3:15 e8:13-14 LXX reads Gath 14and their brother 353 1 CHRONICLES 7-8 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 353 10/26/17 9:00 PM 22 Ishpan, Eber, Eliel, 23 Abdon, Zichri, Hanan, 24 Hananiah, Elam, Anthothijah, 25 Iphdeiah, and Penuel were Shashak’s sons. 26 Shamsherai, Shehariah, Athaliah, 27 Jaareshiah, Elijah, and Zichri were Jeroham’s sons. 28 These were family heads, chiefs according to their family records; they lived in Jerusalem. 29 Jeiel a fathered Gibeon and lived in Gibeon. His wife’s name was Maacah. 30 Abdon was his firstborn son, then Zur, Kish, Baal, Nadab, 31 Gedor, Ahio, Zecher, 32 and Mikloth who fathered Shimeah. These also lived opposite their relatives in Jerusalem, with their other relatives. 33 Ner fathered Kish, Kish fathered Saul, and Saul fathered Jonathan, Malchishua, Abinadab, and Esh-baal. b 34 Jonathan’s son was Merib-baal, c and Merib-baal fathered Micah. 35 Micah’s sons: Pithon, Melech, Tarea, and Ahaz. 36 Ahaz fathered Jehoaddah, Jehoaddah fathered Alemeth, Azmaveth, and Zimri, and Zimri fathered Moza. 37 Moza fathered Binea. His son was Raphah, his son Elasah, and his son Azel. 38 Azel had six sons, and these were their names: Azrikam,
📜 Genealogies and David's Rise
👑 Post-exile restoration documents the return of Israelites, priests, and Levites to their ancestral lands after Babylonian captivity, establishing continuity with pre-exile Israel
🛡️ Saul's downfall resulted from his unfaithfulness and consulting mediums instead of seeking the Lord, leading to his death in battle against the Philistines
⚔️ David's mighty warriors demonstrated extraordinary courage and loyalty, with detailed accounts of their heroic exploits forming the foundation of his military strength
🤝 Tribal unity emerged as warriors from all twelve tribes gathered at Hebron with "one mind" to make David king, bringing provisions and celebrating together
🏛️ Temple service organization established gatekeepers, musicians, and officials with specific responsibilities for maintaining worship and protecting sacred spaces
🛠️ Leadership transition from Saul to David fulfilled God's word through Samuel, positioning David to recover the Ark and establish proper worship practices
Bocheru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah, and Hanan. All these were Azel’s sons. 39 His brother Eshek’s sons: Ulam was his firstborn, Jeush second, and Eliphelet third. 40 Ulam’s sons were valiant warriors and archers. d They had many sons and grandsons — 150 of them. All these were among Benjamin’s sons. AFTER THE EXILE 9 All Is ra el was reg is tered in the ge ne al o gies that are writ ten in the Book of the Kings of Is ra el. But Ju dah was ex iled to Bab ylon be- cause of their un faith ful ness. 2 The first to live in their towns on their own prop er ty again were Is ra el ites, priests, Le vites, and tem ple ser vants. 3 These people from the descendants of Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh settled in Jerusalem:4 Uthai son of Ammihud, son of Omri, son of Imri, son of Bani, a descendant e of Perez son of Judah; 5 from the Shilonites: Asaiah the firstborn and his sons; 6 and from the descendants of Zerah: Jeuel and their relatives — 690 in all. 7 The Benjaminites: Sallu son of Meshullam, son of Hodaviah, son of Hassenuah; 8 Ibneiah son of Jeroham; Elah son of Uzzi, son of Michri;Meshullam son of Shephatiah, son of Reuel, son of Ibnijah; 9 and their relatives according to their family records — 956 in all. All these men were heads of their ancestral families. f 10 The priests: Jedaiah; Jehoiarib; Jachin; 11 Azariah son of Hilkiah, son of Meshullam, son of Zadok, son of Meraioth, son of Ahitub, the chief official of God’s temple; 12 Adaiah son of Jeroham, son of Pashhur, son of Malchijah; Maasai son of Adiel, son of Jahzerah, son of Meshullam, son of Meshillemith, son of Immer; 13 and their relatives, the heads of their ancestral families — 1,760 in all. They were capable men employed in the ministry of God’s temple. 14 The Levites: Shemaiah son of Hasshub, son of Azrikam, son of Hashabiah of the Merarites; 15 Bakbakkar, Heresh, Galal, and Mattaniah, son of Mica, son of Zichri, son of Asaph; 16 Obadiah son of Shemaiah, son of Galal, son of Jeduthun;and Berechiah son of Asa, son of Elkanah who lived in the settlements of the Netophathites. 17 The gatekeepers: Shallum, Akkub, Talmon, Ahiman, and their relatives.Shallum was their chief; 18 he was previously stationed at the King’s Gate on the east side. These were the gatekeepers from the camp of the Levites. a8:29 LXX; MT omits Jeiel ; 1Ch 9:35 b8:33 = Man of Baal c8:34 = Baal Contends d8:40 Lit valiant ones who string the bow e9:4 Lit Bani, from the sons f9:9 Lit the house of their fathers, also in v. 131 CHRONICLES 8-9 354 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 354 10/26/17 9:00 PM 19 Shallum son of Kore, son of Ebiasaph, son of Korah and his relatives from his father’s family , a the Korahites, were assigned to guard the thresholds of the tent. b Their ancestors had been assigned to the Lord’s camp as guardians of the entrance. 20 In earlier times Phinehas son of Eleazar had been their leader, and the Lord was with him. 21 Zechariah son of Meshelemiah was the gatekeeper at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 22 The to tal num ber of those cho sen to be gate keep ers at the thresh olds was 212. They were reg is tered by ge ne al o gy in their set tle- ments. Da vid and the seer Sam uel had ap- point ed them to their trust ed po si tions. 23 So they and their sons were as signed as guards to the gates of the L ord’ s tem ple, which had been the tent-temple. 24 The gate keep ers were on the four sides: east, west, north, and south. 25 Their rel a tives came from their set tle ments at fixed times to be with them sev en days, 26 but the four chief gate keep ers, who were Le vites, were en trust ed with the rooms and the trea sur ies of God’s tem ple. 27 They spent the night in the vi cin i ty of God’s tem ple, be- cause they had guard duty and were in charge of open ing it ev ery morn ing. 28 Some of them were in charge of the uten- sils used in wor ship. They would count them when they brought them in and when they took them out. 29 Oth ers were put in charge of the fur nish ings and all the uten sils of the sanc tu ary , as well as the fine flour, wine, oil, in cense, and spic es. 30 Some of the priests’ sons mixed the spic es. 31 A Le vite called Mat- ti thi ah, the first born of Shal lum the Ko rah ite, was en trust ed with bak ing the bread. c 32 Some of the Ko hath ites’ rel a tives were re spon si ble for pre par ing the rows of the Bread of the Pres ence ev ery Sab bath. 33 The sing ers, the heads of the Le vite fam i- lies, stayed in the tem ple cham bers and were ex empt from oth er tasks be cause they were on duty day and night. 34 These were the heads of the Le vite fam i lies, chiefs ac cord ing to their fam i ly rec ords; they lived in Je ru sa lem. SAUL’S FAMILY 35 Jeiel fathered Gibeon and lived in Gibeon. His wife’s name was Maacah. 36 Abdon was his firstborn son, then Zur, Kish, Baal, Ner, Nadab, 37 Gedor, Ahio, Zechariah, and Mikloth. 38 Mikloth fathered Shimeam. These also lived opposite their relatives in Jerusalem with their other relatives. 39 Ner fathered Kish, Kish fathered Saul, and Saul fathered Jonathan, Malchishua, Abinadab, and Esh-baal. 40 Jonathan’s son was Merib-baal, and Merib-baal fathered Micah. 41 Micah’s sons: Pithon, Melech, Tahrea, and Ahaz. d 42 Ahaz fathered Jarah; Jarah fathered Alemeth, Azmaveth, and Zimri; Zimri fathered Moza. 43 Moza fathered Binea. His son was Rephaiah, his son Elasah, and his son Azel. 44 Azel had six sons, and these were their names: Azrikam, Bocheru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah, and Hanan. These were Azel’s sons. THE DEATH OF SAUL AND HIS SONS 10 The Phi lis tines fought against Is ra- el, and Is ra el’s men fled from them. Many were killed on Mount Gil boa. 2 The Phi lis tines pur sued Saul and his sons and killed his sons Jon a than, Abin a dab, and Mal chi shua. 3 When the bat tle in ten si fied against Saul, the ar chers spot ted him and se vere ly wound ed him. 4 Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “ Draw your sword and run me through with it, or these un cir cum cised men will come and tor ture me.” But his ar - mor-bearer would not do it be cause he was ter ri fied. Then Saul took his sword and fell on it. 5 When his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his own sword and died. 6 So Saul and his three sons died — his whole house died to geth er. 7 When all the men of Is ra el in the val ley saw that the army had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they aban doned their cit ies and fled. So the Phi lis tines came and set tled in them. 8 The next day when the Phi lis tines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his sons dead on Mount Gil boa. 9 They stripped Saul, cut off his head, took his ar mor, and sent a9:19 Lit the house of his father b9:19 = the temple c 9:31 Lit with things prepared in pans d9:41 LXX, Syr , Tg, Vg, Arabic; MT omits and Ahaz ; 1Ch 8:35 355 1 CHRONICLES 9-10 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 355 10/26/17 9:00 PM mes sen gers through out the land of the Phi- lis tines to spread the good news to their idols and the peo ple. 10 Then they put his ar mor in the tem ple of their gods and hung his skull in the tem ple of Da gon. 11 When all Jabesh-gilead heard of ev ery- thing the Phi lis tines had done to Saul, 12 all their brave men set out and re trieved the body of Saul and the bod ies of his sons and brought them to Ja besh. They bur ied their bones un der the oak a in Ja besh and fast ed sev en days. 13 Saul died for his un faith ful ness to the L ord be cause he did not keep the L ord’ s word. He even con sult ed a me di um for guid ance, 14 but he did not in quire of the L ord. So the L ord put him to death and turned the king dom over to Da vid son of Jes se. DAVID’S ANOINTING AS KING 11 All Is ra el came to geth er to Da vid at He- bron and said, “ Here we are, your own flesh and blood. b 2 Even pre vi ous ly when Saul was king, you were lead ing Is ra el out to bat tle and bring ing us back. The L ord your God also said to you, ‘ You will shep herd my peo ple Is ra el, and you will be rul er over my peo ple Is ra el.’ ” 3 So all the el ders of Is ra el came to the king at He bron. Da vid made a cov enant with them at He bron in the L ord’ s pres ence, and they anoint ed Da vid king over Is ra el, in keep ing with the L ord’ s word through Sam uel. DAVID’S CAPTURE OF JERUSALEM 4 Da vid and all Is ra el marched to Je ru sa lem ( that is, Je bus); the Jeb u sites who in hab it ed the land were there. 5 The in hab i tants of Je bus said to Da vid, “ You will nev er get in here.” Yet Da vid did cap ture the strong hold of Zion, that is, the city of Da vid. 6 Da vid said, “Who ev er is the first to kill a Jeb u site will be come chief com mand er.” Joab son of Zer u i ah went up first, so he be came the chief. 7 Then Da vid took up res i dence in the strong- hold; there fore, it was called the city of Da vid. 8 He built up the city all the way around, from the sup port ing ter rac es to the sur round ing parts, and Joab re stored the rest of the city . 9 Da vid steadi ly grew more pow er ful, and the L ord of Ar mies was with him.EXPLOITS OF DAVID’S WARRIORS 10 The fol low ing were the chiefs of Da vid’s war riors who, to geth er with all Is ra el, strong ly sup port ed him in his reign to make him king ac cord ing to the L ord’ s word about Is ra el. 11 This is the list of Da vid’s war riors: Ja sho be am son of Hachmoni was chief of the Thir ty; c he wielded his spear against three hun dred and killed them at one time. 12 Af ter him, El e a zar son of Dodo the Aho hite was one of the three war riors. 13 He was with Da vid at Pas-dammim when the Phi lis tines had gath ered there for bat tle. There was a por tion of a field full of bar ley , where the troops had fled from the Phi lis tines. 14 But El e a zar and Da vid d took their stand in the mid dle of the field and de fend ed it. They killed the Phi lis- tines, and the L ord gave them a great vic to ry . 15 Three of the thir ty chief men went down to Da vid, to the rock at the cave of Adul lam, while the Phi lis tine army was en camped in the Val ley of Reph a im. 16 At that time Da vid was in the strong hold, and a Phi lis tine gar ri son was at Beth le hem. 17 Da vid was ex treme ly thirsty e and said, “ If only some one would bring me wa ter to drink from the well at the city gate of Beth le hem! ” 18 So the Three broke through the Phi lis tine camp and drew wa ter from the well at the gate of Beth le hem. They brought it back to Da vid, but he re fused to drink it. In stead, he poured it out to the L ord. 19 Da- vid said, “ I would nev er do such a thing in the pres ence of my God! How can I drink the blood of these men who risked their lives? ” For they brought it at the risk of their lives. So he would not drink it. Such were the ex ploits of the three war riors. 20 Abish ai, Joab’s broth er, was the lead er of the Three. f He raised his spear against three hun dred men and killed them, gain ing a rep- u ta tion among the Three. 21 He was more hon- ored than the Three and be came their com- mand er even though he did not be come one of the Three. 22 Be na iah son of Je hoi a da was the son of a brave man g from Kab ze el, a man of many ex- ploits. Be na iah killed two sons of Ari el of Moab, h and he went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion. 23 He also killed an Egyp tian who was sev en and a half feet tall. i Even though the Egyp tian had a spear in his hand like a weav er’s beam, Be na iah went down to him with a club, a10:12 Or terebinth, or large tree b11:1 Lit your bone and your flesh c 11:11 Alt Hb tradition reads Three d11:14 Lit But they e11:17 Lit And David craved f11:20 Syr reads Thirty g11:22 Or was a valiant man h11:22 Or He killed two Moabite warriors i11:23 Lit who measured five cubits1 CHRONICLES 10-11 356 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 356 10/26/17 9:00 PM snatched the spear out of the Egyp tian’s hand, and then killed him with his own spear. 24 These were the ex ploits of Be na iah son of Je hoi a da, who had a rep u ta tion among the three war riors. 25 He was the most hon ored of the Thir ty , but he did not be come one of the Three. Da vid put him in charge of his body guard. 26 The best sol diers were Joab’s brother Asahel, Elhanan son of Dodo of Bethlehem, 27 Shammoth the Harorite, Helez the Pelonite, 28 Ira son of Ikkesh the Tekoite, Abiezer the Anathothite, 29 Sibbecai the Hushathite, Ilai the Ahohite, 30 Maharai the Netophathite, Heled son of Baanah the Netophathite, 31 Ithai son of Ribai from Gibeah of the Benjaminites, Benaiah the Pirathonite, 32 Hurai from the wadis of Gaash, Abiel the Arbathite, 33 Azmaveth the Baharumite, Eliahba the Shaalbonite, 34 the sons of a Hashem the Gizonite, Jonathan son of Shagee the Hararite, 35 Ahiam son of Sachar the Hararite, Eliphal son of Ur, 36 Hepher the Mecherathite, Ahijah the Pelonite, 37 Hezro the Carmelite, Naarai son of Ezbai, 38 Joel the brother of Nathan, Mibhar son of Hagri, 39 Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Beerothite, the armor -bearer for Joab son of Zeruiah, 40 Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, 41 Uriah the Hethite, Zabad son of Ahlai, 42 Adina son of Shiza the Reubenite, chief of the Reubenites, and thirty with him, 43 Hanan son of Maacah, Joshaphat the Mithnite, 44 Uzzia the Ashterathite, Shama and Jeiel the sons of Hotham the Aroerite, 45 Jediael son of Shimri and his brother Joha the Tizite, 46 Eliel the Mahavite, Jeribai and Joshaviah, the sons of Elnaam, Ithmah the Moabite, 47 Eliel, Obed, and Jaasiel the Mezobaite. DAVID’S FIRST SUPPORTERS 12 The fol low ing were the men who came to Da vid at Zik lag while he was still banned from the pres ence of Saul son of Kish. They were among the war riors who helped him in bat tle. 2 They were ar chers who could use ei- ther the right or left hand, both to sling stones and shoot ar rows from a bow . They were Saul’s rel a tives from Ben ja min: 3 Their chief was Ahiezer son of Shemaah the Gibeathite.Then there was his brother Joash; Jeziel and Pelet sons of Azmaveth; Beracah, Jehu the Anathothite; 4 Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a warrior among the Thirty and a leader over the Thirty;Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, Jozabad the Gederathite; 5 Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah, Shephatiah the Haruphite; 6 Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel, Joezer, and Jashobeam, the Korahites; 7 and Joelah and Zebadiah, the sons of Jeroham from Gedor. 8 Some Gad ites de fect ed to Da vid at his strong hold in the desert. They were val iant war riors, trained for bat tle, ex pert with shield and spear. Their fac es were like the fac es of li ons, and they were as swift as ga zelles on the moun tains. 9 Ezer was the chief, Obadiah second, Eliab third, 10 Mishmannah fourth, Jeremiah fifth, 11 Attai sixth, Eliel seventh, 12 Johanan eighth, Elzabad ninth, 13 Jeremiah tenth, and Machbannai eleventh. 14 These Gad ites were army com mand ers; the least of them was a match for a hun dred, and the great est of them for a thou sand. 15 These are the men who crossed the Jor dan in the first month b when it was over flow ing all its banks, and put to flight all those in the val leys to the east and to the west. 16 Oth er Ben ja min ites and men from Ju dah also went to Da vid at the strong hold. 17 Da vid went out to meet them and said to them, “ If a11:34 LXX omits the sons of ; 2Sm 23:32 b12:15 = Nisan (March–April) 357 1 CHRONICLES 11-12 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 357 10/26/17 9:00 PM you have come in peace to help me, my heart will be unit ed with you, but if you have come to be tray me to my en e mies even though my hands have done no wrong, may the God of our an ces tors look on it and judge.” 18 Then the Spir it en vel oped a Amas ai, chief of the Thir ty , and he said: We are yours, David, we are with you, son of Jesse! Peace, peace to you, and peace to him who helps you, for your God helps you. So Da vid re ceived them and made them lead- ers of his troops. 19 Some Ma nas sites de fect ed to Da vid when he went with the Phi lis tines to fight against Saul. How ev er, they did not help the Phi lis tines be cause the Phi lis tine rul ers sent Da vid away af ter a dis cus sion. They said, “ It will be our heads if he de fects to his mas ter Saul.” 20 When Da vid went to Zik lag, some men from Ma nas seh de- fect ed to him: Ad nah, Joz a bad, Je di a el, Mi cha el, Joz a bad, Eli hu, and Zil le thai, chiefs of thou sands in Ma nas seh. 21 They helped Da vid against the raid ers, for they were all val iant war riors and com mand ers in the army . 22 At that time, men came day af ter day to help Da vid un til there was a great army , like an army of God. b DAVID’S SOLDIERS IN HEBRON 23 The num bers of the armed troops who came to Da vid at He bron to turn Saul’s king dom over to him, ac cord ing to the L ord’ s word, were as fol lows: 24 From the Judahites: 6,800 armed troops bearing shields and spears. 25 From the Simeonites: 7,100 valiant warriors ready for war. 26 From the Levites: 4,600 27 in addition to Jehoiada, leader of the house of Aaron, with 3,700 men; 28 and Zadok, a young valiant warrior, with 22 commanders from his father’s family . c 29 From the Benjaminites, the relatives of Saul: 3,000 (up to that time the majority of the Benjaminites maintained their allegiance to the house of Saul). 30 From the Ephraimites: 20,800 valiant warriors who were famous men in their ancestral families. d 31 From half the tribe of Manasseh: 18,000 designated by name to come and make David king. 32 From the Issacharites, who understood the times and knew what Israel should do: 200 chiefs with all their relatives under their command. 33 From Zebulun: 50,000 who could serve in the army , trained for battle with all kinds of weapons of war, with one purpose to help David. e 34 From Naphtali: 1,000 commanders accompanied by 37,000 men with shield and spear. 35 From the Danites: 28,600 trained for battle. 36 From Asher: 40,000 who could serve in the army , trained for battle. 37 From across the Jordan — from the Reubenites, Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh: 120,000 men equipped with all the military weapons of war. 38 All these war riors, lined up in bat tle for - ma tion, came to He bron whole heart ed ly de- ter mined to make Da vid king over all Is ra el. All the rest of Is ra el was also of one mind to make Da vid king. 39 They spent three days there eat ing and drink ing with Da vid, for their rel a tives had pro vid ed for them. 40 In ad di tion, their neigh bors from as far away as Is sa char, Zeb u lun, and Naph ta li came and brought food on don keys, cam els, mules, and oxen — abun- dant pro vi sions of flour, fig cakes, rai sins, wine and oil, herds, and flocks. In deed, there was joy in Is ra el. DAVID AND THE ARK 13 Da vid con sult ed with all his lead ers, the com mand ers of hun dreds and of thou- sands. 2 Then he said to the whole as sem bly of Is ra el, “ If it seems good to you, and if this is from the L ord our God, let us spread out and send the mes sage to the rest of our rel a tives in all the dis tricts of Is ra el, in clud ing the priests and Le vites in their cit ies with pas ture lands, that they should gath er to geth er with us. 3 Then let us bring back the ark of our God, for we did not in quire of him f in Saul’s days.” 4
📜 David's Sacred Journey
🏛️ David's leadership unfolds as he brings the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem with elaborate ceremony, demonstrating proper reverence after Uzzah's death for touching the sacred object
🎵 Worship and celebration become central to Israel's spiritual life, with David appointing Levites as musicians, singers, and gatekeepers to minister before the ark with instruments, songs, and thanksgiving
⚔️ Military victories establish David's kingdom as he defeats the Philistines, Moabites, and other enemies, expanding Israel's territory and influence while following God's battle instructions
🏠 God's covenant promises David an everlasting dynasty through his descendant who will build God's temple, shifting focus from David's desire to build God a house to God's promise to build David a "house" (dynasty)
🙏 David's humility shines through his prayer of thanksgiving, acknowledging God's sovereignty and expressing gratitude for divine favor despite his unworthiness
🌟 The text emphasizes proper worship procedures, highlighting the importance of following God's specific instructions when approaching sacred things
Since the pro pos al seemed right to all the peo ple, the whole as sem bly agreed to do it. a12:18 Lit clothed ; Jdg 6:34; 2Ch 24:20 b12:22 Or like the ultimate army c12:28 Lit the house of his father d12:30 Lit the house of their fathers e12:33 LXX; MT omits David f13:3 Or did not seek it1 CHRONICLES 12-13 358 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 358 10/26/17 9:00 PM 5 So Da vid as sem bled all Is ra el, from the Shi hor of Egypt to the en trance of Ha math, a to bring the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim. 6 Da vid and all Is ra el went to Ba al ah ( that is, Kiriath-jearim that be longs to Ju dah) to take from there the ark of God, which bears the name of the L ord who is en throned be tween the cher u bim. 7 At Abin a dab’s house they set the ark of God on a new cart. Uz zah and Ahio b were guid ing the cart. 8 Da vid and all Is ra el were danc ing with all their might be fore God with songs and with lyres, harps, tam bou rines, cym bals, and trum- pets. 9 When they came to Chi don’s thresh- ing floor, Uz zah reached out to hold the ark be cause the oxen had stum bled. 10 Then the L ord’ s an ger burned against Uz zah, and he struck him dead be cause he had reached out to the ark. So he died there in the pres ence of God. 11 Da vid was an gry be cause of the L ord’ s outburst against Uz zah, so he named that place Outburst Against Uz zah, c as it is still named to day . 12 Da vid feared God that day and said, “ How can I ever bring the ark of God to me? ” 13 So Da vid did not bring the ark of God home d to the city of Da vid; in stead, he diverted it to the house of Obed-edom of Gath. 14 The ark of God re mained with Obed-edom’s fam i ly in his house for three months, and the L ord blessed his fam i ly and all that he had. GOD’S BLESSING ON DAVID 14 King Hi ram of Tyre sent en voys to Da vid, along with ce dar logs, stone ma sons, and car pen ters to build a pal ace for him. 2 Then Da vid knew that the L ord had es tab lished him as king over Is ra el and that his king dom had been ex alt ed for the sake of his peo ple Is ra el. 3 Da vid took more wives in Je ru sa lem, and he be came the fa ther of more sons and daugh ters. 4 These are the names of the chil- dren born to him in Je ru sa lem: Sham mua, Sho bab, Na than, Sol o mon, 5 Ib har, El i shua, El pe let, 6 No gah, Ne pheg, Ja phia, 7 Elish a ma, Be e li a da, and Eliph e let. 8 When the Phi lis tines heard that Da vid had been anoint ed king over all Is ra el, they all went in search of Da vid; when Da vid heard of this, he went out to face them. 9 Now the Phi lis tines had come and raid ed in the Val- ley of Reph a im, 10 so Da vid in quired of God, “ Should I at tack the Phi lis tines? Will you hand them over to me? ” The L ord re plied, “ At tack, and I will hand them over to you.” 11 So the Is ra el ites went up to Ba al-per a zim, and Da vid de feat ed the Phi lis tines there. Then Da vid said, “ Like a bursting flood, God has used me to burst out against my en e mies.” There fore, they named that place The Lord Bursts Out. e 12 The Phi lis tines aban doned their idols there, and Da vid or dered that they be burned in the fire. 13 Once again the Phi lis tines raid ed in the val ley . 14 So Da vid again in quired of God, and God an swered him, “ Do not pur sue them di- rect ly . Cir cle around them and at tack them op po site the bal sam trees. 15 When you hear the sound of march ing in the tops of the bal- sam trees, then go out to bat tle, for God will have gone out ahead of you to strike down the army of the Phi lis tines.” 16 So Da vid did as God com mand ed him, and they struck down the Phi lis tine army from Gib e on to Ge zer. 17 Then Da vid’s fame spread through out the lands, and the L ord caused all the na tions to be ter - ri fied of him. THE ARK COMES TO JERUSALEM 15 Da vid built hous es for him self in the city of Da vid, and he pre pared a place for the ark of God and pitched a tent for it. 2 Then Da vid said, “ No one but the Le vites may car ry the ark of God, be cause the L ord has cho sen them to car ry the ark of the L ord and to min is ter be fore him for ev er.” 3 Da vid as sem bled all Is ra el at Je ru sa lem to bring the ark of the L ord to the place he had pre pared for it. 4 Then he gath ered to geth er the de scen dants of Aar on and the Le vites: 5 From the Ko hath ites, Uri el the lead er and 120 of his rel a tives; 6 from the Me ra rites, Asa- iah the lead er and 220 of his rel a tives; 7 from the Gershomites, f Joel the lead er and 130 of his rel a tives; 8 from the El i za phan ites, She ma- iah the lead er and 200 of his rel a tives; 9 from the He bron ites, Eli el the lead er and 80 of his rel a tives; 10 from the Uz zi el ites, Am min a dab the lead er and 112 of his rel a tives. 11 Da vid sum moned the priests Za dok and Abi a thar and the Le vites Uri el, Asa iah, Joel, She ma iah, Eli el, and Am min a dab. 12 He said to them, “ You are the heads of the Le vite a13:5 Or to Lebo-hamath b13:7 Or And his brothers c13:11 Or Perez-uzzah d13:13 Lit to himself e14:11 Or Baal-perazim f15:7 = Gershonites 359 1 CHRONICLES 13-15 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 359 10/26/17 9:00 PM fam i lies. You and your rel a tives must con se- crate your selves so that you may bring the ark of the L ord God of Is ra el to the place I have pre pared for it. 13 For the L ord our God burst out in an ger against us be cause you Le vites were not with us the first time, for we didn’t in quire of him about the prop er pro ce dures.” 14 So the priests and the Le vites con se crat ed them selves to bring up the ark of the L ord God of Is ra el. 15 Then the Le vites car ried the ark of God the way Mo ses had com mand ed ac cord ing to the word of the L ord: on their shoul ders with the poles. 16 Then Da vid told the lead ers of the Le vites to ap point their rel a tives as sing ers and to have them raise their voices with joy ac com pa nied by mu si cal in stru ments — harps, lyres, and cym bals. 17 So the Le vites ap point ed He man son of Joel; from his rel a tives, Asaph son of Ber e chi ah; and from their rel a tives the Me- ra rites, Ethan son of Ku sha iah. 18 With them were their rel a tives sec ond in rank: Zech a ri- ah, Ja a zi el, a She mir a moth, Je hi el, Unni, Eli ab, Be na iah, Ma a se iah, Mat ti thi ah, Eliph e le hu, Mik ne iah, and the gate keep ers Obed-edom and Je i el. 19 The sing ers He man, Asaph, and Ethan were to sound the bronze cym bals; 20 Zech a ri ah, Azi el, She mir a moth, Je hi el, Unni, Eli ab, Ma a se iah, and Be na iah were to play harps ac cord ing to Al a moth b 21 and Mat ti thi - ah, Eliph e le hu, Mik ne iah, Obed-edom, Je i el, and Az a zi ah were to lead the mu sic with lyres ac cord ing to the Shem i nith. 22 Chen a ni ah, the lead er of the Le vites in mu sic, was to di rect the mu sic be cause he was skill ful. 23 Ber e chi- ah and El ka nah were to be gate keep ers for the ark. 24 The priests, Sheb a ni ah, Josh a phat, Ne than el, Amas ai, Zech a ri ah, Be na iah, and El i e zer, were to blow trum pets be fore the ark of God. Obed-edom and Je hi ah were also to be gate keep ers for the ark. 25 Da vid, the el ders of Is ra el, and the com- mand ers of thou sands went with re joic ing to bring the ark of the cov enant of the L ord from the house of Obed-edom. 26 Be cause God helped the Le vites who were car ry ing the ark of the cov enant of the L ord, with God’s help, they sac ri ficed sev en bulls and sev en rams. 27 Now Da vid was dressed in a robe of fine lin en, as were all the Le vites who were car ry ing the ark, as well as the sing ers and Chen a ni ah, the mu sic lead er of the sing ers. Da vid also wore a lin en ephod. 28 So all Is ra el brought up the ark of the cov enant of the L ord with shouts, the sound of the ram’s horn, trum pets, and cym bals, and the play ing of harps and lyres. 29 As the ark of the cov enant of the L ord was en ter ing the city of Da vid, Saul’s daugh ter Mi chal looked down from the win dow and saw King Da vid leap ing c and danc ing, and she de spised him in her heart. 16 They brought the ark of God and placed it in side the tent Da vid had pitched for it. Then they off ered burnt off er ings and fel- low ship off er ings in God’s pres ence. 2 When Da vid had fin ished off er ing the burnt off er- ings and the fel low ship off er ings, he blessed the peo ple in the name of the L ord. 3 Then he dis trib ut ed to each and ev ery Is ra el ite, both men and wom en, a loaf of bread, a date cake, and a rai sin cake. 4 Da vid ap point ed some of the Le vites to be min is ters be fore the ark of the L ord, to cel e brate the L ord God of Is ra el, and to give thanks and praise to him. 5 Asaph was the chief and Zech a ri ah was sec ond to him. Je i el, She mir a moth, Je hi el, Mat ti thi ah, Eli ab, Be na- iah, Obed-edom, and Je i el played the harps and lyres, while Asaph sound ed the cym bals 6 and the priests Be na iah and Ja ha zi el blew the trum pets reg u lar ly be fore the ark of the cov enant of God. DAVID’S PSALM OF THANKSGIVING 7 On that day Da vid de creed for the first time that thanks be giv en to the L ord by Asaph and his rel a tives: 8 Give thanks to the Lord; call on his name; proclaim his deeds among the peoples. 9 Sing to him; sing praise to him; tell about all his wondrous works! 10 Honor his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. 11 Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his face always. 12 Remember the wondrous works he has done, his wonders, and the judgments he has pronounced, d 13 you offspring of Israel his servant, Jacob’s descendants — his chosen ones. a15:18 Some Hb mss, LXX; other Hb mss read Zechariah son and Jaaziel b15:20 This may refer to a high pitch, perhaps a tune sung by soprano voices; the Hb word means “young women” ; Ps 46 title c15:29 Or whirling d16:12 Lit judgments of his mouth1 CHRONICLES 15-16 360 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 360 10/26/17 9:00 PM 14 He is the Lord our God; his judgments govern the whole earth. 15 Remember his covenant forever — the promise he ordained for a thousand generations, 16 the covenant he made with Abraham, swore a to Isaac, 17 and confirmed to Jacob as a decree, and to Israel as a permanent covenant: 18 “I will give the land of Canaan to you as your inherited portion.” 19 When they b were few in number, very few indeed, and resident aliens in Canaan 20 wandering from nation to nation and from one kingdom to another, 21 he allowed no one to oppress them; he rebuked kings on their behalf: 22 “Do not touch my anointed ones or harm my prophets.” 23 Let the whole earth sing to the Lord. Proclaim his salvation from day to day . 24 Declare his glory among the nations, his wondrous works among all peoples. 25 For the Lord is great and highly praised; he is feared above all gods. 26 For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the Lord made the heavens. 27 Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy are in his place. 28 Ascribe to the Lord, families of the peoples, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. 29 Ascribe to the Lord the glory of his name; bring an offering and come before him. Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness; 30 let the whole earth tremble before him. The world is firmly established; it cannot be shaken. 31 Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice, and let them say among the nations, “The Lord reigns! ” 32 Let the sea and all that fills it resound; let the fields and everything in them exult. 33 Then the trees of the forest will shout for joy before the Lord, for he is coming to judge the earth. 34 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his faithful love endures forever. 35 And say: “Save us, God of our salvation; gather us and rescue us from the nations so that we may give thanks to your holy name and rejoice in your praise. 36 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting.” Then all the peo ple said, “ Amen” and “ Praise the L ord.” 37 So Da vid left Asaph and his rel a tives there be fore the ark of the L ord’ s cov enant to min- is ter reg u lar ly be fore the ark ac cord ing to the dai ly re quire ments. 38 He as signed Obed-edom and his c sixty-eight rel a tives. Obed-edom son of Je du thun and Ho sah were to be gate keep ers. 39 Da vid left the priest Za dok and his fel low priests be fore the tab er na cle of the L ord at the high place in Gib e on 40 to off er burnt of- fer ings reg u lar ly , morn ing and eve ning, to the L ord on the al tar of burnt off er ings and to do ev ery thing that was writ ten in the law of the L ord, which he had com mand ed Is ra el to keep. 41 With them were He man, Je du thun, and the rest who were cho sen and des ig nat- ed by name to give thanks to the L ord — for his faith ful love en dures for ev er. 42 He man and Je du thun had with them trum pets and cym bals to play and mu si cal in stru ments of God. Je du thun’s sons were at the city gate. 43 Then all the peo ple went home, and Da vid re turned home to bless his house hold. THE LORD’S COVENANT WITH DAVID 17 When Da vid had set tled into his pal ace, he said to the proph et Na than, “ Look! I am liv ing in a ce dar house while the ark of the L ord’ s cov enant is un der tent cur tains.” 2 So Na than told Da vid, “ Do all that is on your mind, for God is with you.” 3 But that night the word of God came to Na than: 4 “ Go to Da vid my ser vant and say , ‘ This is what the L ord says: You are not the one to build me a house to dwell in. 5 From the time I brought Is ra el out of Egypt un til to day I have not dwelt in a house; in stead, I have moved from one tent site to an oth er, and a16:16 Lit and his oath b16:19 One Hb ms, LXX, Vg; other Hb mss read you c16:38 LXX, Syr , Vg; Hb reads their 361 1 CHRONICLES 16-17 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 361 10/26/17 9:00 PM from one tab er na cle location to an oth er. a 6 In all my jour neys through out Is ra el, have I ever spo ken a word to even one of the judg es of Is ra el, whom I com mand ed to shep herd my peo ple, ask ing: Why haven’t you built me a house of ce dar? ’ 7 “ So now this is what you are to say to my ser vant Da vid: ‘ This is what the L ord of Ar mies says: I took you from the pas ture, from tend ing the flock, to be rul er over my peo ple Is ra el. 8 I have been with you wher ev er you have gone, and I have de stroyed all your en e mies be fore you. I will make a name for you like that of the great est on the earth. 9 I will des ig nate a place for my peo ple Is ra el and plant them, so that they may live there and not be dis turbed again. Evil do ers will not con tin ue to op press them as they have done 10 ever since the day I or dered judg es to be over my peo ple Is ra el. I will also sub due all your en e mies. “ ‘Fur ther more, I de clare to you that the L ord him self will build a house for you. 11 When your time comes to be with your fa thers, I will raise up af ter you your de scen dant, who is one of your own sons, and I will es tab lish his king- dom. 12 He is the one who will build a house for me, and I will es tab lish his throne for ev er. 13 I will be his fa ther, and he will be my son. I will not re move my faith ful love from him as I re moved it from the one who was be fore you. 14 I will ap point him over my house and my king dom for ev er, and his throne will be es tab lished for ev er.’ ” 15 Na than re port ed all these words and this en tire vi sion to Da vid. DAVID’S PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING 16 Then King Da vid went in, sat in the L ord’ s pres ence, and said, Who am I, Lord God, and what is my house that you have brought me this far? 17 This was a little thing to you, b God, for you have spoken about your servant’s house in the distant future. You regard me as a man of distinction, c Lord God. 18 What more can David say to you for honoring your servant? You know your servant. 19 Lord, you have done this whole great thing, making known all these great promises for the sake of your servant and according to your will. 20 Lord, there is no one like you, and there is no God besides you, as all we have heard confirms. 21 And who is like your people Israel? God, you came to one nation on earth to redeem a people for yourself, to make a name for yourself through great and awesome works by driving out nations before your people you redeemed from Egypt. 22 You made your people Israel your own people forever, and you, Lord, have become their God. 23 Now , Lord, let the word that you have spoken concerning your servant and his house be confirmed forever, and do as you have promised. 24 Let your name be confirmed and magnified forever in the saying, “The Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, is God over Israel.” May the house of your servant David be estab - lished before you. 25 Since you, my God, have revealed to d your servant that you will build him a house, your servant has found courage to pray in your presence. 26 Lord, you indeed are God, and you have promised this good thing to your servant. 27 So now , you have been pleased to bless your servant’s house that it may continue before you forever. For you, Lord, have blessed it, and it is blessed forever. DAVID’S MILITARY CAMPAIGNS 18 Af ter this, Da vid de feat ed the Phi lis tines, sub dued them, and took Gath and its sur round ing vil lages from Phi lis tine con trol. 2 He also de feat ed the Mo ab ites, and they be- came Da vid’s sub jects and brought trib ute. 3 Da vid also de feat ed King Had ad e zer of Zo bah at Ha math when he went to es tab lish his con trol at the Eu phra tes Riv er. 4 Da vid cap- tured one thou sand char i ots, sev en thou sand horse men, and twen ty thou sand foot sol diers from him, ham strung all the hors es, and kept a hun dred char i ots.
🏰 David's Military Conquests and Temple Preparations
🗡️ King David achieved decisive military victories over the Arameans, Ammonites, and Philistines, establishing Israel's dominance by defeating powerful enemies and collecting tribute from conquered territories
👑 Divine favor accompanied David's military campaigns, with the text repeatedly emphasizing "The Lord made David victorious wherever he went" as the source of his success
⚖️ David established effective governance structures with appointed officials handling military, religious, and administrative responsibilities while "administering justice and righteousness for all his people"
🔢 David's census sin triggered divine punishment through a plague that killed 70,000 Israelites, demonstrating the consequences of pride and leading to the establishment of a sacred altar site
🏗️ Despite his warrior status disqualifying him from temple construction, David made extensive preparations for the temple by gathering materials (gold, silver, bronze, timber) and skilled workers for Solomon to complete the sacred project
🕊️ The transition of power to Solomon was carefully orchestrated, with David providing both practical resources and spiritual guidance to ensure his son would successfully build "a house for the name of the Lord"
e 5 When the Ar a me ans of Da mas cus came to as sist King Had ad e zer of Zo bah, Da vid struck down twenty-two thou sand Ar a me an men. 6 Then he placed gar ri sons f in Aram of Da- mas cus, and the Ar a me ans be came Da vid’s sub jects and brought trib ute. The L ord made Da vid vic to ri ous wher ev er he went. 7 Da vid took the gold shields car ried by Had ad e zer’s off i cers and brought them to a17:5 Lit I was from tent to tent and from tabernacle b17:17 Lit thing in your eyes c17:17 Hb obscure d17:25 Lit have uncovered the ear of e18:4 Or chariot horses f18:6 Some Hb mss, LXX, Vg; other Hb mss omit garrisons ; 2Sm 8:61 CHRONICLES 17-18 362 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 362 10/26/17 9:00 PM Je ru sa lem. 8 From Tibhath and Cun, Had ad- e zer’s cit ies, Da vid also took huge quan ti ties of bronze, from which Sol o mon made the bronze ba sin, a the pil lars, and the bronze ar ti cles. 9 When King Tou of Ha math heard that Da vid had de feat ed the en tire army of King Had- ad e zer of Zo bah, 10 he sent his son Ha do ram to King Da vid to greet him and to con grat u- late him be cause Da vid had fought against Had ad e zer and de feat ed him, for Tou and Had ad e zer had fought many wars. Ha do ram brought all kinds of gold, sil ver, and bronze items. 11 King Da vid also ded i cat ed these to the L ord, along with the sil ver and gold he had car ried off from all the na tions — from Edom, Moab, the Am mon ites, the Phi lis tines, and the Am a lek ites. 12 Abish ai son of Zer u i ah struck down eigh - teen thou sand Edom ites in the Salt Val ley . 13 He put gar ri sons in Edom, and all the Edom ites were sub ject to Da vid. The L ord made Da vid vic to ri ous wher ev er he went. 14 So Da vid reigned over all Is ra el, ad min- is ter ing jus tice and righ teous ness for all his peo ple. 15 Joab son of Zeruiah was over the army; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was court historian; 16 Zadok son of Ahitub and Ahimelech b son of Abiathar were priests; Shavsha was court secretary; 17 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and David’s sons were the chief officials at the king’s side. WAR WITH THE AMMONITES 19 Some time lat er, King Na hash of the Am- mon ites died, and his son be came king in his place. 2 Then Da vid said, “ I’ll show kind ness to Ha nun son of Na hash, be cause his fa ther showed kind ness to me.” So Da vid sent mes sen gers to con sole him con cern ing his fa ther. How ev er, when Da vid’s em is sar ies ar rived in the land of the Am mon- ites to con sole him, 3 the Am mon ite lead ers said to Ha nun, “ Just be cause Da vid has sent men with condolences for you, do you real ly be lieve he’s show ing re spect for your fa ther? In stead, haven’t his em is sar ies come in or der to scout out, over throw , and spy on the land? ” 4 So Ha nun took Da vid’s em is sar ies, shaved them, cut their clothes in half at the hips, and sent them away . 5 It was re port ed to Da vid about his men, so he sent mes sen gers to meet them, since the men were deep ly hu mil i at ed. The king said, “ Stay in Jer i cho un til your beards grow back; then re turn.” 6 When the Am mon ites re al ized they had made them selves re pul sive to Da vid, Ha nun and the Am mon ites sent thirty-eight tons c of sil ver to hire char i ots and horse men from Aram-na ha ra im, Aram-ma a cah, and Zo bah. 7 They hired thirty-two thou sand char i ots and the king of Ma a cah with his army , who came and camped near Med e ba. The Am mon ites also came to geth er from their cit ies for the bat tle. 8 Da vid heard about this and sent Joab and all the elite troops. 9 The Am mon ites marched out and lined up in bat tle for ma tion at the en trance of the city while the kings who had come were in the field by them selves. 10 When Joab saw that there was a bat tle line in front of him and an oth er be hind him, he chose some of Is ra el’s fin est young men d and lined up in for ma tion to en gage the Ar a me ans. 11 He placed the rest of the forc es un der the com mand of his broth er Abish ai. They lined up in for ma- tion to en gage the Am mon ites. 12 “ If the Ar a me ans are too strong for me,” Joab said, “ then you’ll be my help. How ev er, if the Am mon ites are too strong for you, I’ll help you. 13 Be strong! Let’s prove our selves strong for our peo ple and for the cit ies of our God. May the L ord’ s will be done.” e 14 Joab and the peo ple with him ap proached the Ar a me ans for bat tle, and they fled be fore him. 15 When the Am mon ites saw that the Ar - a me ans had fled, they like wise fled be fore Joab’s broth er Abish ai and en tered the city . Then Joab went to Je ru sa lem. 16 When the Ar a me ans re al ized that they had been de feat ed by Is ra el, they sent mes sen gers to sum mon the Ar a me ans who were be yond the Eu phra tes Riv er. They were led by Sho- phach, the com mand er of Had ad e zer’s army . 17 When this was re port ed to Da vid, he gath- ered all Is ra el and crossed the Jor dan. He came up to the Ar a me ans and lined up against them. When Da vid lined up to en gage them, they fought against him. 18 But the Ar a me ans fled be fore Is ra el, and Da vid killed sev en thou sand of their char i ot eers and for ty thou sand foot a18:8 Lit sea b18:16 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr , Vg; other Hb mss read Abimelech ; 2Sm 8:17 c19:6 Lit 1,000 talents d19:10 Lit Israel’s choice ones e19:13 Lit the Lord do what is good in his eyes 363 1 CHRONICLES 18-19 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 363 10/26/17 9:00 PM sol diers. He also killed Sho phach, com mand- er of the army . 19 When Had ad e zer’s sub jects saw that they had been de feat ed by Is ra el, they made peace with Da vid and be came his sub jects. Af ter this, the Ar a me ans were nev er will ing to help the Am mon ites again. CAPTURE OF THE CITY OF RABBAH 20 In the spring a when kings march out to war, Joab led the army and de stroyed the Am mon ites’ land. He came to Rab bah and be sieged it, but Da vid re mained in Je ru sa- lem. Joab at tacked Rab bah and de mol ished it. 2 Then Da vid took the crown from the head of their king, b,c and it was placed on Da vid’s head. He found that the crown weighed sev - enty-five pounds d of gold, and there was a pre cious stone in it. In ad di tion, Da vid took away a large quan ti ty of plun der from the city . 3 He brought out the peo ple who were in it and put them to work with saws, e iron picks, and axes. f Da vid did the same to all the Am mon ite cit ies. Then he and all his troops re turned to Je ru sa lem. THE PHILISTINE GIANTS 4 Af ter this, a war broke out with the Phi lis tines at Ge zer. At that time Sib be cai the Hu shath ite killed Sip pai, a de scen dant of the Reph a im, g and the Phi lis tines were sub dued. 5 Once again there was a bat tle with the Phi- lis tines, and El ha nan son of Jair killed Lah mi the broth er of Go li ath of Gath. The shaft of his spear was like a weav er’s beam. 6 There was still an oth er bat tle at Gath where there was a man of ex tra or di nary stat ure with six fin gers on each hand and six toes on each foot — twenty-four in all. He, too, was de scend ed from the gi ant. h 7 When he taunt ed Is ra el, Jon a than son of Da vid’s broth er Shim ei killed him. 8 These were the de scen dants of the gi ant in Gath killed by Da vid and his sol diers. DAVID’S MILITARY CENSUS 21 Sa tan i rose up against Is ra el and in cit ed Da vid to count the peo ple of Is ra el. 2 So Da vid said to Joab and the com mand ers of the troops, “ Go and count Is ra el from Be er-she ba to Dan and bring a re port to me so I can know their num ber.”3 Joab re plied, “ May the L ord mul ti ply the num ber of his peo ple a hun dred times over! My lord the king, aren’t they all my lord’s ser - vants? Why does my lord want to do this? Why should he bring guilt on Is ra el? ” 4 Yet the king’s or der pre vailed over Joab. So Joab left and trav eled through out Is ra el and then re turned to Je ru sa lem. 5 Joab gave the to tal troop reg is tra tion to Da vid. In all Is ra el there were one mil lion one hun dred thou sand armed men j and in Ju dah it self four hun dred sev en ty thou sand armed men. 6 But he did not in clude Levi and Ben ja min in the count be cause the king’s com mand was de test able to him. 7 This com mand was also evil in God’s sight, so he afflicted Is ra el. 8 Da vid said to God, “ I have sinned great ly be cause I have done this thing. Now , please take away your ser vant’s guilt, for I’ve been very fool ish.” DAVID’S PUNISHMENT 9 Then the L ord in struct ed Gad, Da vid’s seer, 10 “ Go and say to Da vid, ‘ This is what the L ord says: I am o ff er ing you three choices. Choose one of them for your self, and I will do it to you.’ ” 11 So Gad went to Da vid and said to him, “ This is what the L ord says: ‘ Take your choice: 12 three years of fam ine, or three months of dev as ta tion by your foes with the sword of your en e my over tak ing you, or three days of the sword of the L ord — a plague on the land, the an gel of the L ord bring ing de struc tion to the whole ter ri to ry of Is ra el.’ Now de cide what an swer I should take back to the one who sent me.” 13 Da vid an swered Gad, “ I’m in an guish. Please, let me fall into the L ord’ s hands be- cause his mercies are very great, but don’t let me fall into hu man hands.” 14 So the L ord sent a plague on Is ra el, and seventy thousand Is ra el ite men died. 15 Then God sent an an gel to Je ru sa lem to de stroy it, but when the an gel was about to de stroy the city , k the L ord looked, re lent ed con cern ing the de struc tion, and said to the an gel who was de stroy ing the peo ple, “ Enough, with- draw your hand now! ” The an gel of the L ord was then stand ing at the thresh ing floor of Ornan l the Jeb u site. 16 When Da vid looked up and saw the an gel of the L ord stand ing be tween earth and heav en, a20:1 Lit At the time of the return of the year b20:2 LXX, Vg read of Milcom c20:2 = Molech; 1Kg 11:5,7 d20:2 Lit a talent e20:3 Text emended; MT reads and sawed them with the saw ; 2Sm 12:31 f20:3 Text emended; MT reads saws ; 2Sm 12:31 g20:4 Or the Rephaites h20:6 Or Raphah, also in v. 8 i21:1 Or An adversary ; Jb 1:6; Zch 3:1-2 j21:5 Lit men drawing the sword k21:15 Lit but as he was destroying l21:15-28 = Araunah in 2Sm 24:16-241 CHRONICLES 19-21 364 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 364 10/26/17 9:00 PM with his drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Je ru sa lem, Da vid and the el ders, clothed in sack cloth, fell face down. 17 Da vid said to God, “ Wasn’t I the one who gave the or der to count the peo ple? I am the one who has sinned and act ed very wick ed ly . But these sheep, what have they done? L ord my God, please let your hand be against me and against my fa ther’s fam i ly , but don’t let the plague be against your peo ple.” DAVID’S ALTAR 18 So the an gel of the L ord or dered Gad to tell Da vid to go and set up an al tar to the L ord on the thresh ing floor of Ornan the Jeb u site. 19 Da vid went up at Gad’s com mand spo ken in the name of the L ord. 20 Ornan was thresh ing wheat when he turned and saw the an gel. His four sons, who were with him, hid. 21 Da vid came to Ornan, and when Ornan looked and saw Da vid, he left the thresh ing floor and bowed to Da vid with his face to the ground. 22 Then Da vid said to Ornan, “ Give me this threshing-floor plot so that I may build an al tar to the L ord on it. Give it to me for the full price, so the plague on the peo ple may be stopped.” 23 Ornan said to Da vid, “ Take it! My lord the king may do what ev er he wants. a See, I give the oxen for the burnt off er ings, the thresh ing sledges for the wood, and the wheat for the grain off er ing — I give it all.” 24 King Da vid an swered Ornan, “ No, I in sist on pay ing the full price, for I will not take for the L ord what be longs to you or off er burnt off er ings that cost me noth ing.” 25 So Da vid gave Ornan fif teen pounds of gold b for the plot. 26 He built an al tar to the L ord there and off ered burnt off er ings and fel low ship off er ings. He called on the L ord, and he an swered him with fire from heav en on the al tar of burnt off er ing. 27 Then the L ord spoke to the an gel, and he put his sword back into its sheath. 28 At that time, Da vid o ff ered sac ri fic es there when he saw that the L ord an swered him at the thresh ing floor of Ornan the Jeb u site. 29 The tab er na cle of the L ord, which Mo ses made in the wil der ness, and the al tar of burnt of- fer ing were at the high place in Gib e on, 30 but Da vid could not go be fore it to in quire of God, be cause he was ter ri fied of the sword of the 22 L ord’ s an gel. 1 Then Da vid said, “ This is the house of the L ord God, and this is the al tar of burnt off er ing for Is ra el.” DAVID’S PREPARATIONS FOR THE TEMPLE 2 So Da vid gave or ders to gath er the res i dent aliens that were in the land of Is ra el, and he ap point ed stone cut ters to cut fin ished stones for build ing God’s house. 3 Da vid sup plied a great deal of iron to make the nails for the doors of the gates and for the fit tings, to geth er with an immeasurable quan ti ty of bronze, 4 and in nu mer a ble ce dar logs be cause the Si do ni- ans and Tyr i ans had brought a large quan ti ty of ce dar logs to Da vid. 5 Da vid said, “ My son Sol o mon is young and in ex pe ri enced, and the house that is to be built for the L ord must be ex ceed ing ly great and fa mous and glo ri ous in all the lands. There fore, I will make pro vi sion for it.” So Da vid made lavish prep a ra tions for it be fore his death. 6 Then he sum moned his son Sol o mon and charged him to build a house for the L ord God of Is ra el. 7 “ My son,” Da vid said to Sol o mon, “ It was in my heart to build a house for the name of the L ord my God, 8 but the word of the L ord came to me: ‘ You have shed much blood and waged great wars. You are not to build a house for my name be cause you have shed so much blood on the ground be fore me. 9 But a son will be born to you; he will be a man of rest. I will give him rest from all his sur round ing en e mies, for his name will be Sol o mon, c and I will give peace and qui et to Is ra el dur ing his reign. 10 He is the one who will build a house for my name. He will be my son, and I will be his fa ther. I will es tab lish the throne of his king dom over Is ra el for ev er.’ 11 “ Now , my son, may the L ord be with you, and may you suc ceed in build ing the house of the L ord your God, as he said about you. 12 Above all, may the L ord give you in sight and un der stand ing when he puts you in charge of Is ra el so that you may keep the law of the L ord your God. 13 Then you will suc ceed if you care ful ly fol low the stat utes and or di nances the L ord com mand ed Mo ses for Is ra el. Be strong and cou ra geous. Don’t be afraid or dis cour aged. 14 “No tice I have tak en great pains to pro- vide for the house of the L ord — 3,775 tons of gold, 37,750 tons of sil ver, d and bronze and a21:23 Lit do what is good in his eyes b21:25 Lit 600 shekels of gold by weight c22:9 In Hb, the name Solomon sounds like “peace.” d22:14 Lit 100,000 talents of gold and 1,000,000 talents of silver 365 1 CHRONICLES 21-22 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 365 10/26/17 9:00 PM iron that can’t be weighed be cause there is so much of it. I have also pro vid ed tim ber and stone, but you will need to add more to them. 15 You also have many work ers: stone cut ters, ma sons, car pen ters, and peo ple skilled in ev- ery kind of work 16 in gold, sil ver, bronze, and iron — be yond num ber. Now be gin the work, and may the L ord be with you.” 17 Then Da vid or dered all the lead ers of Is ra- el to help his son Sol o mon: 18 “ The L ord your God is with you, isn’t he? And hasn’t he giv en you rest on ev ery side? For he has hand ed the land’s in hab i tants over to me, and the land has been sub dued be fore the L ord and his peo ple. 19 Now de ter mine in your mind and heart to seek the L ord your God. Get start ed build ing the L ord God’s sanc tu ary so that you may bring the ark of the L ord’ s cov enant and the holy ar ti cles of God to the tem ple that is to be built for the name of the L ord.” THE DIVISIONS OF THE LEVITES 23 When Da vid was old and full of days, he in stalled his son Sol o mon as king over Is ra el. 2 Then he gath ered all the lead ers of Is ra el, the priests, and the Le vites. 3 The Le vites thir ty years old or more were count- ed; the to tal num ber of men was thirty-eight thou sand by headcount. 4 “ Of these,” Da vid said, “twenty-four thou sand are to be in charge of the work on the L ord’ s tem ple, six thou sand are to be off i cers and judg es, 5 four thou sand are to be gate keep ers, and four thou sand are to praise the L ord with the in stru ments that I have made for wor ship.” 6 Then Da vid di vid ed them into di vi sions ac cord ing to Levi’s sons: Ger shom, a Ko hath, and Me ra ri. 7 The Gershonites: Ladan and Shimei. 8 Ladan’s sons: Jehiel was the first, then Zetham, and Joel — three. 9 Shimei’s sons: Shelomoth, Haziel, and Haran — three. Those were the heads of the families of Ladan. 10 Shimei’s sons: Jahath, Zizah, b Jeush, and Beriah. Those were Shimei’s sons
📜 Levitical Genealogies and Duties
🧮 Detailed genealogical records track the descendants of Levi through family lines of Gershom, Kohath, and Merari, establishing clear lineages for temple service positions
🏛️ Temple organization divides priests and Levites into 24 rotating divisions with specific responsibilities—gatekeeping, treasury management, music, and sacrificial duties
🎵 Musical ministry employs 288 skilled musicians under Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun, organized by lot into 24 groups to prophesy with instruments and give thanks to God
🛡️ Military and civil administration under David includes 12 monthly divisions of 24,000 men each, tribal leaders, and officials managing royal property and resources
👑 David's preparation for Solomon culminates in gathering Israel's leaders to commission his son to build the temple, transferring authority and divine purpose to the next generation
— four. 11 Jahath was the first and Zizah was the second; however, Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons, so they became one family c and received a single assignment. 12 Kohath’s sons: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel — four.13 Amram’s sons: Aaron and Moses. Aar on, along with his de scen dants, was set apart for ev er to con se crate the most holy things, to burn in cense in the pres ence of the L ord, to min is ter to him, and to pro nounce bless ings in his name for ev er. 14 As for Mo ses the man of God, his sons were named among the tribe of Levi. 15 Moses’s sons: Gershom and Eliezer. 16 Gershom’s sons: Shebuel was first. 17 Eliezer’s sons were Rehabiah, first; Eliezer did not have any other sons, but Rehabiah’s sons were very numerous. 18 Izhar’s sons: Shelomith was first. 19 Hebron’s sons: Jeriah was first, Amariah second, Jahaziel third, and Jekameam fourth. 20 Uzziel’s sons: Micah was first, and Isshiah second. 21 Merari’s sons: Mahli and Mushi. Mahli’s sons: Eleazar and Kish. 22 Eleazar died having no sons, only daughters. Their cousins, the sons of Kish, married them. 23 Mushi’s sons: Mahli, Eder, and Jeremoth — three. 24 These were the de scen dants of Levi by their an ces tral fam i lies d — the fam i ly heads, ac cord ing to their reg is tra tion by name in the headcount — twen ty years old or more, who worked in the ser vice of the L ord’ s tem ple. 25 For Da vid said, “ The L ord God of Is ra el has giv en rest to his peo ple, and he has come to stay in Je ru sa lem for ev er. 26 Also, the Le vites no lon ger need to car ry the tab er na cle or any of the equip ment for its ser vice” — 27 for ac- cord ing to the last words of Da vid, the Le- vites twen ty years old or more were to be count ed — 28 “ but their duty will be to as sist the de scen dants of Aar on with the ser vice of the L ord’ s tem ple, be ing re spon si ble for the courts and the cham bers, the pu ri fi ca- tion of all the holy things, and the work of the ser vice of God’s tem ple — 29 as well as the rows of the Bread of the Pres ence, the fine flour for the grain off er ing, the wa fers of un leav ened bread, the bak ing, e the mix ing, and all mea sure ments of volume and length. 30 They are also to stand ev ery morn ing to give thanks and praise to the L ord, and like wise in the eve ning. 31 When ev er burnt off er ings are off ered to the L ord on the Sab baths, New a23:6 Lit Gershon b23:10 LXX, Vg; MT reads Zina c23:11 Lit a father’s house d23:24 Lit the house of their fathers e23:29 Lit the griddle1 CHRONICLES 22-23 366 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 366 10/26/17 9:00 PM Moons, and ap point ed fes ti vals, they are to off er them reg u lar ly in the L ord’ s pres ence ac cord ing to the num ber pre scribed for them. 32 They are to car ry out their re spon si bil i ties for the tent of meet ing, for the holy place, and for their rel a tives, the de scen dants of Aar on, in the ser vice of the L ord’ s tem ple.” THE DIVISIONS OF THE PRIESTS 24 The di vi sions of the de scen dants of Aar on were as fol lows: Aar on’s sons were Na dab, Abi hu, El e a zar, and Ith a mar. 2 But Na dab and Abi hu died be fore their fa ther, and they had no sons, so El e a zar and Ith a mar served as priests. 3 To geth er with Za dok from the de scen dants of El e a zar and Ahim e lech from the de scen dants of Ith a mar, Da vid di vid- ed them ac cord ing to the as signed du ties of their ser vice. 4 Since more lead ers were found among El e a zar’s de scen dants than Ith a mar’s, they were di vid ed ac cord ing ly: six teen heads of an ces tral fam i lies a were from El e a zar’s de scen dants, and eight heads of an ces tral fam i lies were from Ith a mar’s. 5 They were as signed by lot, for there were off i cers of the sanc tu ary and off i cers of God among both El e a zar’s and Ith a mar’s de scen dants. 6 The sec re tary , She ma iah son of Ne than el, a Le vite, re cord ed them in the pres ence of the king and the off i cers, the priest Za dok, Ahim e lech son of Abi a thar, and the heads of fam i lies of the priests and the Le vites. One an ces tral fam i ly b was tak en for El e a zar, and then one for Ith a mar. 7 The first lot fell to Jehoiarib, the second to Jedaiah, 8 the third to Harim, the fourth to Seorim, 9 the fifth to Malchijah, the sixth to Mijamin, 10 the seventh to Hakkoz, the eighth to Abijah, 11 the ninth to Jeshua, the tenth to Shecaniah, 12 the eleventh to Eliashib, the twelfth to Jakim, 13 the thirteenth to Huppah, the fourteenth to Jeshebeab, 14 the fifteenth to Bilgah, the sixteenth to Immer, 15 the seventeenth to Hezir, the eighteenth to Happizzez, 16 the nineteenth to Pethahiah, the twentieth to Jehezkel, 17 the twenty-first to Jachin, the twenty-second to Gamul, 18 the twenty-third to Delaiah, and the twenty-fourth to Maaziah. 19 These had their as signed du ties for ser vice when they en tered the L ord’ s tem ple, ac cord- ing to their reg u la tions, which they re ceived from their an ces tor Aar on, as the L ord God of Is ra el had com mand ed him. THE REST OF THE LEVITES 20 As for the rest of Levi’s sons: from Amram’s sons: Shubael; from Shubael’s sons: Jehdeiah. 21 From Rehabiah: from Rehabiah’s sons: Isshiah was the first. 22 From the Izharites: Shelomoth; from Shelomoth’s sons: Jahath. 23 Hebron’s c sons: Jeriah the first, Amariah the second,Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth. 24 From Uzziel’s sons: Micah; from Micah’s sons: Shamir. 25 Micah’s brother: Isshiah; from Isshiah’s sons: Zechariah. 26 Merari’s sons: Mahli and Mushi, and from his sons, Jaaziah his son. d 27 Merari’s sons, by his son Jaaziah: e Shoham, Zaccur, and Ibri. 28 From Mahli: Eleazar, who had no sons. 29 From Kish, from Kish’s sons: Jerahmeel. 30 Mushi’s sons: Mahli, Eder, and Jerimoth. Those were the de scen dants of the Le vites ac cord ing to their an ces tral fam i lies. f 31 They also cast lots the same way as their rel a tives the de scen dants of Aar on did in the pres ence of King Da vid, Za dok, Ahim e lech, and the heads of the fam i lies of the priests and Le vites — the fam i ly heads and their youn ger broth ers alike. THE LEVITICAL MUSICIANS 25 Da vid and the off i cers of the army also set apart some of the sons of Asaph, He man, and Je du thun, who were to proph e sy ac com pa nied by lyres, harps, and cym bals. This is the list of the men who per formed their ser vice: a24:4 Lit house of fathers b24:6 Lit father’s house c24:23 Some Hb mss, some LXX mss; other Hb mss omit Hebron’s ; 1Ch 23:19 d24:26 Or Mushi; Jaaziah’s sons: Beno. e24:27 Or sons, Jaaziah: Beno, f24:30 Lit the house of their fathers 367 1 CHRONICLES 23-25 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 367 10/26/17 9:00 PM 2 From Asaph’s sons: Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah, and Asarelah, sons of Asaph, under Asaph’s authority , who prophesied under the authority of the king. 3 From Jeduthun: Jeduthun’s sons: Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, a Hashabiah, and Mattithiah — six — under the authority of their father Jeduthun, prophesying to the accompaniment of lyres, giving thanks and praise to the Lord. 4 From Heman: Heman’s sons: Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shebuel, Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, Romamti-ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, and Mahazioth. 5 All these sons of Heman, the king’s seer, were given by the promises of God to exalt him, b for God had given Heman fourteen sons and three daughters. 6 All these men were un der their own fa thers’ au thor i ty for the mu sic in the L ord’ s tem ple, with cym bals, harps, and lyres for the ser vice of God’s tem ple. Asaph, Je du thun, and He man were un der the king’s au thor i ty . 7 They num- bered 288 to geth er with their rel a tives who were all trained and skill ful in mu sic for the L ord. 8 They cast lots for their du ties, young and old alike, teach er as well as pupil. 9 The first lot for Asaph fell to Joseph, his sons, and his relatives — 12 to Gedaliah the second: him, his relatives, and his sons — 12 10 the third to Zaccur, his sons, and his relatives — 12 11 the fourth to Izri, d his sons, and his relatives — 12 12 the fifth to Nethaniah, his sons, and his relatives — 12 13 the sixth to Bukkiah, his sons, and his relatives — 12 14 the seventh to Jesarelah, his sons, and his relatives — 12 15 the eighth to Jeshaiah, his sons, and his relatives — 12 16 the ninth to Mattaniah, his sons, and his relatives — 12 17 the tenth to Shimei, his sons, and his relatives — 12 18 the eleventh to Azarel, e his sons, and his relatives — 12 19 the twelfth to Hashabiah, his sons, and his relatives — 12 20 the thirteenth to Shubael, his sons, and his relatives — 12 21 the fourteenth to Mattithiah, his sons, and his relatives — 12 22 the fifteenth to Jeremoth, his sons, and his relatives — 12 23 the sixteenth to Hananiah, his sons, and his relatives — 12 24 the seventeenth to Joshbekashah, his sons, and his relatives — 12 25 the eighteenth to Hanani, his sons, and his relatives — 12 26 the nineteenth to Mallothi, his sons, and his relatives — 12 27 the twentieth to Eliathah, his sons, and his relatives — 12 28 the twenty-first to Hothir, his sons, and his relatives — 12 29 the twenty-second to Giddalti, his sons, and his relatives — 12 30 the twenty-third to Mahazioth, his sons, and his relatives — 12 31 and the twenty-fourth to Romamti-ezer, his sons, and his relatives — 12 THE LEVITICAL GATEKEEPERS 26 The fol low ing were the di vi sions of the gate keep ers: From the Korahites: Meshelemiah son of Kore, one of the sons of Asaph. 2 Meshelemiah had sons: Zechariah the firstborn, Jediael the second, Zebadiah the third, Jathniel the fourth, 3 Elam the fifth, Jehohanan the sixth, and Eliehoenai the seventh. 4 Obed-edom also had sons: Shemaiah the firstborn, Jehozabad the second, Joah the third, Sachar the fourth, Nethanel the fifth, 5 Ammiel the sixth, Issachar the seventh, and Peullethai the eighth, for God blessed him. 6 Also, to his son Shemaiah were born sons who ruled their ancestral families f because they were strong, capable men. 7 Shemaiah’s sons: Othni, Rephael, Obed, and Elzabad; his relatives Elihu . c a25:3 One Hb ms, LXX; other Hb mss omit Shimei b25:5 Lit by the words of God to lift a horn c25:9 LXX; MT lacks his sons, and his relatives — 12 d25:11 Variant of Zeri e25:18 Variant of Uzziel f26:6 Lit the house of their fathers, also in v. 131 CHRONICLES 25-26 368 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 368 10/26/17 9:00 PM and Semachiah were also capable men. 8 All of these were among the sons of Obed-edom with their sons and relatives; they were capable men with strength for the work — sixty-two from Obed-edom. 9 Meshelemiah also had sons and relatives who were capable men — eighteen. 10 Hosah, from the Merarites, also had sons: Shimri the first (although he was not the firstborn, his father had appointed him as the first), 11 Hilkiah the second, Tebaliah the third, and Zechariah the fourth. The sons and relatives of Hosah were thirteen in all. 12 These di vi sions of the gate keep ers, un der their lead ing men, had du ties for min is ter ing in the L ord’ s tem ple, just as their rel a tives did. 13 They cast lots for each tem ple gate ac cord ing to their an ces tral fam i lies, young and old alike. 14 The lot for the east gate fell to Shel e mi ah. a They also cast lots for his son Zech a ri ah, an insightful coun sel or, and his lot came out for the north gate. 15 Obed-edom’s was the south gate, and his sons’ lot was for the store houses; 16 it was the west gate and the gate of Shal le- cheth on the as cend ing high way for Shup pim and Ho sah. There were guards sta tioned at ev ery watch. 17 There were six Le vites each day b on the east, four each day on the north, four each day on the south, and two pair at the store houses. 18 As for the court on the west, there were four at the high way and two at the court. 19 Those were the di vi sions of the gate keep ers from the de scen dants of the Ko rah ites and Me ra rites. THE LEVITICAL TREASURERS AND OTHER OFFICIALS 20 From the Le vites, Ahi jah was in charge of the trea sur ies of God’s tem ple and the trea- sur ies of what had been ded i cat ed. 21 From the sons of La dan, who were the de scen dants of the Ger shon ites through La dan and were the fam i ly heads be long ing to La dan the Ger - shon ite: Je hi e li. 22 The sons of Je hi e li, Ze tham and his broth er Joel, were in charge of the trea sur ies of the L ord’ s tem ple. 23 From the Am ram ites, the Iz har ites, the He bron ites, and the Uz zi el ites: 24 Sheb u el, a de scen dant of Moses’s son Ger shom, was the off i cer in charge of the trea sur ies. 25 His rel- a tives through El i e zer: his son Re ha bi ah, his son Je sha iah, his son Jo ram, his son Zichri, and his son She lo mith. c 26 This She lo mith and his rel a tives were in charge of all the trea sur ies of what had been ded i cat ed by King Da vid, by the fam i ly heads who were the com mand ers of thou sands and of hun dreds, and by the army com mand ers. 27 They ded i cat ed part of the plun der from their bat tles for the re pair of the L ord’ s tem ple. 28 All that the seer Sam uel, Saul son of Kish, Ab ner son of Ner, and Joab son of Zer u i ah had ded i cat ed, along with ev ery thing else that had been ded i cat ed, were in the care of She lo mith and his rel a tives. 29 From the Iz ra hites: Chen a ni ah and his sons had du ties out side the tem ple d as off i cers and judg es over Is ra el. 30 From the He bron ites: Hash a bi ah and his rel a tives, 1,700 ca pa ble men, had as signed du ties in Is ra el west of the Jor dan for all the work of the L ord and for the ser vice of the king. 31 From the He bron- ites: Jerijah was the head of the He bron ites, ac cord ing to the fam i ly rec ords of his an ces- tors. A search was made in the for ti eth year of Da vid’s reign and strong, ca pa ble men were found among them at Ja zer in Gil e ad. 32 There were among Jerijah’s rel a tives 2,700 ca pa ble men who were fam i ly heads. King Da vid ap- point ed them over the Reu ben ites, the Gad ites, and half the tribe of Ma nas seh as over seers in ev ery mat ter re lat ing to God and the king. DAVID’S SECULAR OFFICIALS 27 This is the list of the Is ra el ites, the fam i ly heads, the com mand ers of thou sands and the com mand ers of hun dreds, and their off i cers who served the king in ev ery mat ter to do with the di vi sions that were on rotated mil i tary duty each month through out e the year. There were 24,000 in each di vi sion: 2 Jashobeam son of Zabdiel was in charge of the first division, for the first month; 24,000 were in his division. 3 He was a descendant of Perez and chief of all the army commanders for the first month. 4 Dodai the Ahohite was in charge of the division for the second month, and Mikloth was the leader; 24,000 were in his division. 5 The third army commander, as chief for the third month, was Benaiah son of a26:14 Variant of Meshelemiah b26:17 LXX; MT omits each day c26:25 Or Shelomoth, also in vv. 26,28 d26:29 the temple added for clarity e27:1 Lit that came in and went out month by month for all months of 369 1 CHRONICLES 26-27 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 369 10/26/17 9:00 PM the priest Jehoiada; 24,000 were in his division. 6 This Benaiah was a mighty man among the Thirty and over the Thirty , and his son Ammizabad was in charge a of his division. 7 The fourth commander, for the fourth month, was Joab’s brother Asahel, and his son Zebadiah was commander after him; 24,000 were in his division. 8 The fifth, for the fifth month, was the commander Shamhuth the Izrahite; 24,000 were in his division. 9 The sixth, for the sixth month, was Ira son of Ikkesh the Tekoite; 24,000 were in his division. 10 The seventh, for the seventh month, was Helez the Pelonite from the descendants of Ephraim; 24,000 were in his division. 11 The eighth, for the eighth month, was Sibbecai the Hushathite, a Zerahite; 24,000 were in his division. 12 The ninth, for the ninth month, was Abiezer the Anathothite, a Benjaminite; 24,000 were in his division. 13 The tenth, for the tenth month, was Maharai the Netophathite, a Zerahite; 24,000 were in his division. 14 The eleventh, for the eleventh month, was Benaiah the Pirathonite from the descendants of Ephraim; 24,000 were in his division. 15 The twelfth, for the twelfth month, was Heldai the Netophathite, of Othniel’s family; b 24,000 were in his division. 16 The following were in charge of the tribes of Israel:For the Reubenites, Eliezer son of Zichri was the chief official; for the Simeonites, Shephatiah son of Maacah; 17 for the Levites, Hashabiah son of Kemuel; for Aaron, Zadok; 18 for Judah, Elihu, one of David’s brothers; for Issachar, Omri son of Michael; 19 for Zebulun, Ishmaiah son of Obadiah; for Naphtali, Jerimoth son of Azriel; 20 for the Ephraimites, Hoshea son of Azaziah; for half the tribe of Manasseh, Joel son of Pedaiah;21 for half the tribe of Manasseh in Gilead, Iddo son of Zechariah; for Benjamin, Jaasiel son of Abner; 22 for Dan, Azarel son of Jeroham. Those were the leaders of the tribes of Israel. 23 Da vid didn’t count the men aged twen ty or un der, for the L ord had said he would make Is ra el as nu mer ous as the stars of the sky . 24 Joab son of Zer u i ah be gan to count them, but he didn’t com plete it. There was wrath against Is ra el be cause of this cen sus, and the num ber was not en tered in the His tor i cal Rec- ord c of King Da vid. 25 Azmaveth son of Adiel was in charge of the king’s storehouses.Jonathan son of Uzziah was in charge of the storehouses in the country , in the cities, in the villages, and in the fortresses. 26 Ezri son of Chelub was in charge of those who worked in the fields tilling the soil. 27 Shimei the Ramathite was in charge of the vineyards.Zabdi the Shiphmite was in charge of the produce of the vineyards for the wine cellars. 28 Baal-hanan the Gederite was in charge of the olive and sycamore trees in the Judean foothills. d Joash was in charge of the stores of olive oil. 29 Shitrai the Sharonite was in charge of the herds that grazed in Sharon, while Shaphat son of Adlai was in charge of the herds in the valleys. 30 Obil the Ishmaelite was in charge of the camels. Jehdeiah the Meronothite was in charge of the donkeys. 31 Jaziz the Hagrite was in charge of the flocks. All these were officials in charge of King David’s property . 32 Da vid’s un cle Jon a than was a coun sel or; he was a man of un der stand ing and a scribe. Je hi el son of Hachmoni at tend ed e the king’s sons. 33 Ahith o phel was the king’s coun sel- or. Hu shai the Ar chite was the king’s friend. a27:6 LXX; MT omits in charge b27:15 Lit belonging to Othniel c27:24 LXX; MT reads the number of the Historical Record d27:28 Or the Shephelah e27:32 Lit was with1 CHRONICLES 27 370 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 370 10/26/17 9:00 PM 34 Af ter Ahith o phel came Je hoi a da son of Be- na iah, then Abi a thar. Joab was the com mand er of the king’s army . DAVID COMMISSIONS SOLOMON TO BUILD THE TEMPLE 28 Da vid as sem bled all the lead ers of Is ra el in Je ru sa lem: the lead ers of the tribes, the lead ers of the di vi sions in the king’s ser - vice, the com mand ers of thou sands and the com mand ers of hun dreds, and the off i cials in charge of all the prop er ty and cat tle of the king and his sons, along with the court off i cials, the fight ing men, and all the best sol diers. 2 Then King Da vid rose to his feet and said, “Lis ten to me, my broth ers and my peo ple.
🏛️ Solomon's Temple Legacy
👑 David's transition of power to Solomon included detailed plans for the temple, emphasizing that God chose Solomon specifically for this sacred task despite David being prohibited from building it due to his warrior status
💰 Extraordinary generosity flowed from both leaders and common people who contributed massive quantities of gold, silver, bronze, and precious materials for the temple construction, demonstrating wholehearted devotion
🙏 David's powerful prayer acknowledges God's sovereignty, recognizing that all wealth comes from God's hand and humans are merely temporary residents who return what already belongs to Him
🤝 International cooperation emerged as Solomon partnered with King Hiram of Tyre, securing skilled craftsmen and valuable materials like cedar and cypress from Lebanon to create a temple worthy of God's greatness
🧠 Divine wisdom became Solomon's priority when God offered him anything he desired, choosing understanding over riches or long life, though God blessed him with wealth and honor as well
🛠️ Meticulous construction of the temple followed precise specifications with dimensions, materials, and decorations carefully planned to create a sanctuary that would honor God's presence
It was in my heart to build a house as a rest ing place for the ark of the L ord’ s cov enant and as a foot- stool for our God. I had made prep a ra tions to build, 3 but God said to me, ‘ You are not to build a house for my name be cause you are a man of war and have shed blood.’ 4 “ Yet the L ord God of Is ra el chose me out of all my fa ther’s fam i ly to be king over Is ra- el for ev er. For he chose Ju dah as lead er, and from the house of Ju dah, my fa ther’s fam i ly , and from my fa ther’s sons, he was pleased to make me king over all Is ra el. 5 And out of all my sons — for the L ord has giv en me many sons — he has cho sen my son Sol o mon to sit on the throne of the L ord’ s king dom over Is ra el. 6 He said to me, ‘ Your son Sol o mon is the one who is to build my house and my courts, for I have cho sen him to be my son, and I will be his fa ther. 7 I will es tab lish his king dom for ev er if he per se veres in keep ing my com mands and my or di nances as he is do ing to day .’ 8 “ So now in the sight of all Is ra el, the as- sem bly of the L ord, and in the hear ing of our God, ob serve and fol low all the com mands of the L ord your God so that you may pos sess this good land and leave it as an in her i tance to your de scen dants for ev er. 9 “ As for you, Sol o mon my son, know the God of your fa ther, and serve him whole heart ed ly and with a will ing mind, for the L ord search es ev ery heart and un der stands the in ten tion of ev ery thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you aban don him, he will re ject you for ev er. 10 Re al ize now that the L ord has cho sen you to build a house for the sanc tu ary . Be strong, and do it.”11 Then Da vid gave his son Sol o mon the plans for the por ti co of the tem ple and its build ings, trea sur ies, up stairs rooms, in ner rooms, and a room for the mer cy seat. 12 The plans con tained ev ery thing he had in mind a for the courts of the L ord’ s house, all the sur - round ing cham bers, the trea sur ies of God’s house, and the trea sur ies for what is ded i cat ed. 13 Also in clud ed were plans for the di vi sions of the priests and the Le vites; all the work of ser vice in the L ord’ s house; all the ar ti cles of ser vice of the L ord’ s house; 14 the weight of gold for all the ar ti cles for ev ery kind of ser vice; the weight of all the sil ver ar ti cles for ev ery kind of ser vice; 15 the weight of the gold lamp stands and their gold lamps, in clud ing the weight of each lamp stand and its lamps; the weight of each sil ver lamp stand and its lamps, ac cord ing to the ser vice of each lamp - stand; 16 the weight of gold for each ta ble for the rows of the Bread of the Pres ence and the sil ver for the sil ver ta bles; 17 the pure gold for the forks, sprin kling ba sins, and pitch- ers; the weight of each gold dish; the weight of each sil ver bowl; 18 the weight of re fined gold for the al tar of in cense; and the plans for the char i ot of b the gold cher u bim that spread out their wings and cov er the ark of the L ord’ s cov enant. 19 Da vid con clud ed, “ By the L ord’ s hand on me, he en abled me to un der stand ev ery thing in writ ing, all the de tails of the plan.” c 20 Then Da vid said to his son Sol o mon, “ Be strong and cou ra geous, and do the work. Don’t be afraid or dis cour aged, for the L ord God, my God, is with you. He won’t leave you or aban don you un til all the work for the ser vice of the L ord’ s house is fin ished. 21 Here are the di vi sions of the priests and the Le vites for all the ser vice of God’s house. Ev ery will ing per son of any skill will be at your dis pos al for the work, and the lead ers and all the peo ple are at your ev ery com mand.” CONTRIBUTIONS FOR BUILDING THE TEMPLE 29 Then King Da vid said to all the as sem bly , “ My son Sol o mon — God has cho sen him alone — is young and in ex pe ri enced. The task is great be cause the build ing will not be built for a hu man but for the L ord God. 2 So to the best of my abil i ty I’ve made pro vi sion for the house of my God: gold for the gold ar ti cles, sil ver for the sil ver, bronze for the bronze, iron a 28:12 Or he received from the Spirit b28:18 Or chariot, that is ; Ps 18:10; Ezk 1:5,15 c28:19 Hb obscure 371 1 CHRONICLES 27-29 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 371 10/26/17 9:00 PM for the iron, and wood for the wood, as well as onyx, stones for mounting, a antimony , b stones of var i ous col ors, all kinds of pre cious stones, and a great quan ti ty of mar ble. 3 More- over, be cause of my de light in the house of my God, I now give my per son al trea sures of gold and sil ver for the house of my God over and above all that I’ve pro vid ed for the holy house: 4 100 tons c of gold ( gold of Ophir) and 250 tons d of re fined sil ver for over lay ing the walls of the build ings, 5 the gold for the gold work and the sil ver for the sil ver, for all the work to be done by the crafts men. Now who will volunteer to con se crate him self to the L ord to day? ” 6 Then the lead ers of the house holds, the lead ers of the tribes of Is ra el, the com mand- ers of thou sands and of hun dreds, and the off i cials in charge of the king’s work gave will ing ly . 7 For the ser vice of God’s house they gave 185 tons e of gold and 10,000 gold coins, f 375 tons g of sil ver, 675 tons h of bronze, and 4,000 tons i of iron. 8 Who ev er had pre cious stones gave them to the trea sury of the L ord’ s house un der the care of Je hi el the Ger shon ite. 9 Then the peo ple re joiced be cause of their lead ers’ will ing ness to give, for they had giv en to the L ord whole heart ed ly . King Da vid also re joiced great ly . DAVID’S PRAYER 10 Then Da vid blessed the L ord in the sight of all the as sem bly . Da vid said, May you be blessed, Lord God of our father Israel, from eternity to eternity . 11 Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the splendor and the majesty , for everything in the heavens and on earth belongs to you. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom, and you are exalted as head over all. 12 Riches and honor come from you, and you are the ruler of everything. Power and might are in your hand, and it is in your hand to make great and to give strength to all. 13 Now therefore, our God, we give you thanks and praise your glorious name. 14 But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as gener - ously as this? For everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your own hand. j 15 For we are aliens and temporary residents in your presence as were all our ancestors. Our days on earth are like a shadow , without hope. 16 Lord our God, all this wealth that we’ve provided for building you a house for your holy name comes from your hand; everything belongs to you. 17 I know , my God, that you test the heart and that you are pleased with what is right. I have willingly given all these things with an upright heart, and now I have seen your people who are present k here giving joyfully and l willingly to you. 18 Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our ancestors, keep this desire forever in the thoughts of the hearts of your people, and confirm their hearts toward you. 19 Give my son Solomon an undivided heart to keep and to carry out all your commands, your decrees, and your stat - utes, and to build the building for which I have made provision. 20 Then Da vid said to the whole as sem bly , “ Blessed be the L ord your God.” So the whole as sem bly praised the L ord God of their an- ces tors. They knelt low and paid hom age to the L ord and the king. 21 The fol low ing day they off ered sac ri fic es to the L ord and burnt off er ings to the L ord: a thou sand bulls, a thou sand rams, and a thou sand lambs, along with their drink of- fer ings, and sac ri fic es in abun dance for all Is ra el. 22 They ate and drank with great joy in the L ord’ s pres ence that day . THE ENTHRONEMENT OF SOLOMON Then, for a sec ond time, they made Da vid’s son Sol o mon king; they anoint ed him m as the L ord’ s rul er, and Za dok as the priest. 23 Sol o- mon sat on the L ord’ s throne as king in place of his fa ther Da vid. He pros pered, and all Is- ra el obeyed him. 24 All the lead ers and the mighty men, and all of King Da vid’s sons as well, pledged their al le giance to King Sol o- mon. 25 The L ord high ly ex alt ed Sol o mon in the sight of all Is ra el and be stowed on him such roy al maj es ty as had not been be stowed on any king over Is ra el be fore him. a29:2 Or mosaic b29:2 In Hb, the word antimony is similar to “turquoise” ; Ex 28:18. c 29:4 Lit 3,000 talents d29:4 Lit 7,000 talents e29:7 Lit 5,000 talents f29:7 Or drachmas, or darics g29:7 Lit 10,000 talents h29:7 Lit 18,000 talents i29:7 Lit 100,000 talents j29:14 Lit and from your hand we have given to you k 29:17 Lit found l 29:17 Or now with joy I’ve seen your people who are present here giving m29:22 LXX, Tg, Vg; MT omits him1 CHRONICLES 29 372 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 372 10/26/17 9:00 PM A SUMMARY OF DAVID’S LIFE 26 Da vid son of Jes se was king over all Is ra el. 27 The length of his reign over Is ra el was for ty years; he reigned in He bron for sev en years and in Je ru sa lem for thirty-three. 28 He died at a good old age, full of days, rich es, and hon or, and his son Sol o mon be came king in his place. 29 As for the events of King Da vid’s reign, from be gin ning to end, note that they are writ ten in the Events of the Seer Sam uel, the Events of the Proph et Na than, and the Events of the Seer Gad, 30 along with all his reign, his might, and the in ci dents that aff ect ed him and Is ra el and all the king doms of the sur round ing lands. 373 1 CHRONICLES 29 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 373 10/26/17 9:00 PM 2 chronicles SOLOMON’S REQUEST FOR WISDOM 1 Sol o mon son of Da vid strength ened his hold on his king dom. The L ord his God was with him and high ly ex alt ed him. 2 Then Sol o mon spoke to all Is ra el, to the com mand ers of thou - sands and of hun dreds, to the judg es, and to ev ery lead er in all Is ra el — the fam i ly heads. 3 Sol o mon and the whole as sem bly with him went to the high place that was in Gib e on be- cause God’s tent of meet ing, which the L ord’ s ser vant Mo ses had made in the wil der ness, was there. 4 Now Da vid had brought the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim to the place a he had set up for it, be cause he had pitched a tent for it in Je ru sa lem, 5 but he put b the bronze al tar, which Bez a lel son of Uri, son of Hur, had made, in front of the L ord’ s tab er na cle. Sol o mon and the as sem bly in quired of him c there. 6 Sol o mon off ered sac ri fic es there in the L ord’ s pres ence on the bronze al tar at the tent of meet ing; he off ered a thou sand burnt off er ings on it. 7 That night God ap peared to Sol o mon and said to him: “ Ask. What should I give you? ” 8 And Sol o mon said to God: “ You have shown great and faith ful love to my fa ther Da vid, and you have made me king in his place. 9 L ord God, let your prom ise to my fa ther Da vid now come true. For you have made me king over a peo ple as nu mer ous as the dust of the earth. 10 Now grant me wis dom and knowl edge so that I may lead these peo ple, for who can judge this great peo ple of yours? ” 11 God said to Sol o mon, “ Since this was in your heart, and you have not re quest ed rich es, wealth, or glo ry , or for the life of those who hate you, and you have not even re quest ed long life, but you have re quest ed for your self wis dom and knowl edge that you may judge my peo ple over whom I have made you king, 12 wis dom and knowl edge are giv en to you. I will also give you rich es, wealth, and glo ry , un like what was giv en to the kings who were be fore you, or will be giv en to those af ter you.” 13 So Sol o mon went to Je ru sa lem from d the high place that was in Gib e on in front of the tent of meet ing, and he reigned over Is ra el.SOLOMON’S HORSES AND WEALTH 14 Sol o mon ac cu mu lat ed 1,400 char i ots and 12,000 horse men, which he sta tioned in the char i ot cit ies and with the king in Je ru sa lem. 15 The king made sil ver and gold as com mon in Je ru sa lem as stones, and he made ce dar as abun dant as syc a more in the Ju de an foot- hills. 16 Sol o mon’s hors es came from Egypt and Kue. e The king’s trad ers would get them from Kue at the go ing price. 17 A char i ot could be im port ed from Egypt for fif teen pounds f of sil ver and a horse for near ly four pounds. g In the same way , they ex port ed them to all the kings of the Hit tites and to the kings of Aram through their agents. SOLOMON’S LETTER TO HIRAM 2 Sol o mon de cid ed to build a tem ple for the name of the L ord and a roy al pal ace for him self, 2 so he as signed 70,000 men as por ters, 80,000 men as stone cut ters in the moun tains, and 3,600 as su per vi sors over them. 3 Then Sol o mon sent word to King Hi ram h of Tyre: Do for me what you did for my father David. You sent him cedars to build him a house to live in. 4 Now I am building a temple for the name of the Lord my God in order to dedicate it to him for burning fragrant incense before him, for display - ing the rows of the Bread of the Presence continuously , and for sacrificing burnt offerings for the morning and the evening, the Sabbaths and the New Moons, and the appointed festivals of the Lord our God. This is ordained for Israel permanently . 5 The temple that I am building will be great, for our God is greater than any of the gods. 6 But who is able to build a temple for him, since even heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain him? Who am I then that I should build a temple for him except as a place to burn incense be - fore him? 7 Therefore, send me an artisan who is skilled in engraving to work with gold, silver, bronze, and iron, and with purple, crimson, and blue yarn. He will a1:4 Vg; MT omits the place b1:5 Some Hb mss, Tg, Syr; other Hb mss, LXX, Vg read but there was c1:5 Or it d1:13 LXX, Vg; MT reads to e1:16 = Cilicia f1:17 Lit 600 shekels g1:17 Lit 150 shekels h2:3 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr , Vg; other Hb mss read Huram ; 2Sm 5:11; 1Kg 5:1-2 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 374 10/26/17 9:00 PM work with the artisans who are with me in Judah and Jerusalem, appointed by my fa - ther David. 8 Also, send me cedar, cypress, and algum a logs from Lebanon, for I know that your servants know how to cut the trees of Lebanon. Note that my servants will be with your servants 9 to prepare logs for me in abundance because the temple I am building will be great and wondrous. 10 I will give your servants, the woodcut - ters who cut the trees, one hundred thou - sand bushels b of wheat flour, one hundred thousand bushels of barley , one hundred ten thousand gallons c of wine, and one hundred ten thousand gallons of oil. HIR AM’S REPLY 11 Then King Hi ram of Tyre wrote a let ter d and sent it to Sol o mon: Because the Lord loves his people, he set you over them as king. 12 Hi ram also said: Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who made the heavens and the earth! He gave King David a wise son with insight and understanding, who will build a tem - ple for the Lord and a royal palace for himself. 13 I have now sent Huram-abi, e a skillful man who has understanding. 14 He is the son of a woman from the daughters of Dan. His father is a man of Tyre. He knows how to work with gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and wood, with purple, blue, crimson yarn, and fine linen. He knows how to do all kinds of engraving and to execute any design that may be given him. I have sent him to be with your artisans and the artisans of my lord, your father David. 15 Now , let my lord send the wheat, barley , oil, and wine to his servants as promised. 16 We will cut logs from Lebanon, as many as you need, and bring them to you as rafts by sea to Joppa. You can then take them up to Jerusalem. SOLOMON’S WORKFORCE 17 Sol o mon took a cen sus of all the res i dent alien men in the land of Is ra el, af ter the cen- sus that his fa ther Da vid had con duct ed, and the to tal was 153,600. 18 Sol o mon made 70,000 of them por ters, 80,000 stone cut ters in the moun tains, and 3,600 su per vi sors to make the peo ple work. BUILDING THE TEMPLE 3 Then Sol o mon be gan to build the L ord’ s tem ple in Je ru sa lem on Mount Mo ri ah where the L ord f had ap peared to his fa ther Da vid, at the site Da vid had pre pared on the thresh ing floor of Ornan g the Jeb u site. 2 He be gan to build on the sec ond day of the sec ond month in the fourth year of his reign. 3 These are Sol o mon’s foun da tions h for build ing God’s tem ple: the length i was nine ty feet, j and the width thir ty feet. k 4 The por ti co, which was across the front ex tend ing across the width of the tem ple, was thir ty feet wide; its height was thir ty feet; l he over laid its in ner sur face with pure gold. 5 The larg er room m he pan eled with cy press wood, over laid with fine gold, and dec o rat ed with palm trees and chains. 6 He adorned the tem ple with pre cious stones for beau ty , and the gold was the gold of Par - va im. 7 He over laid the tem ple — the beams, the thresh olds, its walls and doors — with gold, and he carved cher u bim on the walls. THE MOST HOLY PLACE 8 Then he made the most holy place; its length corresponded to the width of the tem ple, 30 feet, and its width was 30 feet. He over laid it with forty-five thou sand pounds n of fine gold. 9 The weight of the nails was twen ty ounc es o of gold, and he over laid the ceil ing with gold. 10 He made two cher u bim of sculp tured work, for the most holy place, and he over laid them with gold. 11 The over all length of the
🏛️ Temple Construction Details
🔨 Solomon's Temple featured intricate architectural elements including 30-foot cherubim with 7½-foot wings, bronze pillars, and a massive bronze altar measuring 30 feet square
🛁 The temple contained elaborate ritual objects including a bronze basin holding 11,000 gallons supported by twelve oxen statues, ten gold lampstands, and numerous utensils crafted from polished bronze and pure gold
🙏 During the dedication ceremony, Solomon delivered a powerful prayer acknowledging God's covenant promises and requesting divine response to future prayers offered toward the temple
🔥 The dedication culminated in divine confirmation when fire descended from heaven consuming the sacrifices while God's glory filled the temple, causing all Israel to worship
✨ God appeared to Solomon promising to hear prayers and heal the land when His people humble themselves, pray, seek His face, and turn from evil ways
wings of the cher u bim was 30 feet: the wing of one was 7 1/ 2 feet, p touch ing the wall of the room; its oth er wing was 7 1/ 2 feet, touch ing the wing of the oth er cher ub. 12 The wing of the oth er q cher ub was 7 1/ 2 feet, touch ing the wall of the room; its oth er wing was 7 1/ 2 feet, reach ing the wing of the oth er cher ub. 13 The wing span of these cher u bim was 30 feet. They stood on their feet and faced the larg er room. r 14 He made the cur tain of blue, pur ple, and crim son yarn and fine lin en, and he wove cher u bim into it. a2:8 = almug in 1Kg 10:11-12 b2:10 Lit 20,000 cors c2:10 Lit 20,000 baths d2:11 Lit Tyre said in writing e2:13 Lit Huram my father f3:1 LXX; Tg reads the angel of the Lord ; MT reads he g3:1 = Araunah in 2Sm 24:16-24 h3:3 Tg reads The measurements which Solomon decreed i3:3 Lit length — cubits in the former measure — j3:3 Lit 60 cubits k3:3 Lit 20 cubits, also in vv. 4, 8, 11, 13 l3:4 LXX, Syr; MT reads 120 cubits m3:5 Lit The house n3:8 Lit 600 talents o3:9 Lit 50 shekels p3:11 Lit five cubits, also in vv. 12,15 q3:12 Syr , Vg; MT reads the one r3:13 Lit the house 375 2 CHRONICLES 2-3 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 375 10/26/17 9:00 PM THE BRONZE PILLARS 15 In front of the tem ple he made two pil lars, each 27 feet a high. The cap i tal on top of each was 7 1/ 2 feet high. 16 He had made chainwork in the in ner sanc tu ary and also put it on top of the pil lars. He made a hun dred pome gran ates and fas tened them into the chainwork. 17 Then he set up the pil lars in front of the sanc tu ary , one on the right and one on the left. He named the one on the right Ja chin b and the one on the left Boaz. c THE ALTAR, RESERVOIR, AND BASINS 4 He made a bronze al tar 30 feet d long, 30 feet wide, and 15 feet e high. 2 Then he made the cast met al ba sin, f 15 feet from brim to brim, per fect ly round. It was 7 1/ 2 feet g high and 45 feet h in cir cum fer ence. 3 The like ness of oxen i was be low it, com plete ly en- cir cling it, ten ev ery half yard, j com plete ly sur round ing the ba sin. The oxen were cast in two rows when the ba sin was cast. 4 It stood on twelve oxen, three fac ing north, three fac- ing west, three fac ing south, and three fac ing east. The ba sin was on top of them and all their hind quar ters were to ward the cen ter. 5 The ba sin was three inch es k thick, and its rim was fash ioned like the brim of a cup or a lily blos- som. It could hold elev en thou sand gal lons. l 6 He made ten ba sins for wash ing and he put five on the right and five on the left. The parts of the burnt off er ing were rinsed in them, but the ba sin was used by the priests for wash ing. THE LAMPSTANDS, TABLES, AND COURTS 7 He made the ten gold lamp stands ac cord ing to their spec i fi ca tions and put them in the sanc tu ary , five on the right and five on the left. 8 He made ten ta bles and placed them in the sanc tu ary , five on the right and five on the left. He also made a hun dred gold bowls. 9 He made the court yard of the priests and the large court, and doors for the court. He over laid the doors with bronze. 10 He put the ba sin on the right side, to ward the south east. 11 Then Hu ram m made the pots, the shov els, and the bowls. COMPLETION OF THE BRONZE FURNISHINGS So Hu ram fin ished do ing the work that he was do ing for King Sol o mon in God’s tem ple: 12 two pil lars; the bowls and the cap i tals on top of the two pil lars; the two grat ings for cov er ing both bowls of the cap i tals that were on top of the pil lars; 13 the four hun dred pome gran ates for the two grat ings ( two rows of pome gran- ates for each grat ing cov er ing both cap i tals’ bowls on top of the pil lars). 14 He also made the wa ter carts n and the ba sins on the wa ter carts. 15 The one ba sin and the twelve oxen un- der neath it, 16 the pots, the shov els, the forks, and all their uten sils — Huram-abi o made them for King Sol o mon for the L ord’ s tem- ple. All these were made of pol ished bronze. 17 The king had them cast in clay molds in the Jor dan Val ley be tween Suc coth and Zer e dah. 18 Sol o mon made all these uten sils in such great abun dance that the weight of the bronze was not de ter mined. COMPLETION OF THE GOLD FURNISHINGS 19 Sol o mon also made all the equip ment in God’s tem ple: the gold al tar; the ta bles on which to put the Bread of the Pres ence; 20 the lamp- stands and their lamps of pure gold to burn in front of the in ner sanc tu ary ac cord ing to spec i fi ca tions; 21 the flow ers, lamps, and gold tongs — of pur est gold; 22 the wick trim mers, sprin kling ba sins, ladles, p and fire pans — of pur est gold; and the en try way to the tem ple, its in ner doors to the most holy place, and the doors of the tem ple sanc tu ary — of gold. 5 So all the work Sol o mon did for the L ord’ s tem ple was com plet ed. Then Sol o mon brought the con se crat ed things of his fa ther Da vid — the sil ver, the gold, and all the uten- sils — and put them in the trea sur ies of God’s tem ple. PREPARATIONS FOR THE TEMPLE DEDICATION 2 At that time Sol o mon as sem bled at Je ru sa lem the el ders of Is ra el — all the trib al heads, the an ces tral chiefs of the Is ra el ites — in or der to bring the ark of the cov enant of the L ord up from the city of Da vid, that is, Zion. 3 So all the men of Is ra el were as sem bled in the king’s pres ence at the fes ti val; this was in the sev enth month. q 4 All the el ders of Is ra el came, and the Le- vites picked up the ark. 5 They brought up the ark, the tent of meet ing, and the holy uten- sils that were in the tent. The priests and the a3:15 Syr reads 18 cubits (27 feet); Hb reads 35 cubits (52 1/2 feet) b3:17 = He Will Establish c3:17 = Strength Is in Him d4:1 Lit 20 cubits e4:1 Lit 10 cubits, also in v. 2 f4:2 Lit sea g4:2 Lit five cubits h4:2 Lit 30 cubits i4:3 = gourds in 1Kg 7:24 j4:3 Lit 10 per cubit k4:5 Lit a handbreadth l4:5 Text emended; MT reads 3,000 baths in 1Kg 7:26 m4:11 = Hiram in 1Kg 7:13,40,45 n4:14 Lit the stands o4:16 Lit Huram my father p4:22 Or dishes, or spoons ; lit palms q5:3 = Tishri (September–October)2 CHRONICLES 3-5 376 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 376 10/26/17 9:00 PM Le vites brought them up. 6 King Sol o mon and the en tire con gre ga tion of Is ra el who had gath ered around him were in front of the ark sac ri fic ing sheep, goats, and cat tle that could not be count ed or num bered be cause there were so many . 7 The priests brought the ark of the L ord’ s cov enant to its place, into the in ner sanc tu ary of the tem ple, to the most holy place, be neath the wings of the cher u- bim. 8 And the cher u bim spread their wings over the place of the ark so that the cher u bim formed a cov er above the ark and its poles. 9 The poles were so long that their ends were seen from the holy place a in front of the in ner sanc tu ary , but they were not seen from out- side; they are still there to day . 10 Noth ing was in the ark ex cept the two tab lets that Mo ses had put in it at Ho reb, b where the L ord had made a cov enant with the Is ra el ites when they came out of Egypt. 11 Now all the priests who were pre sent had con se crat ed them selves re gard less of their di vi sions. When the priests came out of the holy place, 12 the Le vit i cal sing ers dressed in fine lin en and car ry ing cym bals, harps, and lyres were stand ing east of the al tar, and with them were 120 priests blow ing trum pets. The Le vit i cal sing ers were de scen dants of Asaph, He man, and Je du thun and their sons and rel- a tives. 13 The trum pet ers and sing ers joined to geth er to praise and thank the L ord with one voice. They raised their voices, ac com- pa nied by trum pets, cym bals, and mu si cal in stru ments, in praise to the L ord: For he is good; his faithful love endures forever. The tem ple, the L ord’ s tem ple, was filled with a cloud. 14 And be cause of the cloud, the priests were not able to con tin ue min is ter ing, for the glo ry of the L ord filled God’s tem ple. SOLOMON’S DEDICATION OF THE TEMPLE 6 Then Sol o mon said: The Lord said he would dwell in total darkness, 2 but I have built an exalted temple for you, a place for your residence forever. 3 Then the king turned and blessed the en- tire con gre ga tion of Is ra el while they were stand ing. 4 He said: Blessed be the Lord God of Israel! He spoke directly to my father David, and he has fulfilled the promise by his power. He said, 5 “Since the day I brought my people Israel out of the land of Egypt, I have not chosen a city to build a temple in among any of the tribes of Israel, so that my name would be there, and I have not chosen a man to be ruler over my people Israel. 6 But I have chosen Jerusalem so that my name will be there, and I have chosen David to be over my people Israel.” 7 My father David had his heart set on building a temple for the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. 8 However, the Lord said to my father David, “Since it was your desire to build a temple for my name, you have done well to have this desire. 9 Yet, you are not the one to build the temple, but your son, your own offspring, will build the temple for my name.” 10 So the Lord has fulfilled what he promised. I have taken the place of my father David and I sit on the throne of Israel, as the Lord promised. I have built the temple for the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. 11 I have put the ark there, where the Lord’s covenant is that he made with the Israelites. SOLOMON’S PRAYER 12 Then Sol o mon stood be fore the al tar of the L ord in front of the en tire con gre ga tion of Is- ra el and spread out his hands. 13 For Sol o mon had made a bronze plat form 7 1/ 2 feet c long, 7 1/ 2 feet wide, and 4 1/ 2 feet d high and put it in the court. He stood on it, knelt down in front of the en tire con gre ga tion of Is ra el, and spread out his hands to ward heav en. 14 He said: L ord God of Israel, there is no God like you a5:9 Some Hb mss, LXX; other Hb mss read the ark ; 1Kg 8:8 b5:10 = Sinai c6:13 Lit five cubits d6:13 Lit three cubits 377 2 CHRONICLES 5-6 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 377 10/26/17 9:00 PM in heaven or on earth, who keeps his gracious covenant with your servants who walk before you with all their heart. 15 You have kept what you promised to your servant, my father David. You spoke directly to him, and you fulfilled your promise by your power, as it is today . 16 Therefore, Lord God of Israel, keep what you promised to your servant, my father David: “You will never fail to have a man to sit before me on the throne of Israel, if only your sons guard their way to walk in my Law as you have walked before me.” 17 Now , Lord God of Israel, please confirm what you promised to your servant David. 18 But will God indeed live on earth with humans? Even heaven, the highest heaven, cannot contain you, much less this temple I have built. 19 Listen a to your servant’s prayer and his petition, L ord my God, so that you may hear the cry and the prayer that your servant prays before you, 20 so that your eyes watch over this temple day and night, toward the place where you said you would put your name; and so that you may hear the prayer your servant prays toward this place. 21 Hear the petitions of your servant and your people Israel, which they pray toward this place. May you hear in your dwelling place in heaven. May you hear and forgive. 22 If a man sins against his neighbor and is forced to take an oath b and he comes to take an oath before your altar in this temple, 23 may you hear in heaven and act. May you judge your servants, condemning the wicked man by bringing what he has done on his own head and providing justice for the righteous by rewarding him according to his righteousness. 24 If your people Israel are defeated before an enemy , because they have sinned against you, and they return to you and praise your name, and they pray and plead for mercy before you in this temple, 25 may you hear in heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel. May you restore them to the land you gave them and their ancestors. 26 When the skies are shut and there is no rain because they have sinned against you, and they pray toward this place and praise your name, and they turn from their sins because you are afflicting c them, 27 may you hear in heaven and forgive the sin of your servants and your people Israel, so that you may teach them the good way they should walk in. May you send rain on your land that you gave your people for an inheritance. 28 When there is famine in the land, when there is pestilence, when there is blight or mildew , locust or grasshopper, when their enemies besiege them in the land and its cities, d,e when there is any plague or illness, 29 every prayer or petition that any person or that all your people Israel may have — they each know their own affliction f and suffering — a6:19 Lit Turn b6:22 Lit and he lifts a curse against him to curse him c6:26 LXX, Vg; MT reads answering ; 1Kg 8:35 d6:28 Lit land of its gates e6:28 Lit if his (Israel’s) enemies besiege him in the land of his gates ; Jos 2:7; Jdg 16:2-3 f6:29 Lit plague2 CHRONICLES 6 378 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 378 10/26/17 9:00 PM as they spread out their hands toward this temple, 30 may you hear in heaven, your dwelling place, and may you forgive and give to everyone a according to all their ways, since you know each heart, for you alone know the human heart, 31 so that they may fear you and walk in your ways all the days they live on the land you gave our ancestors. 32 Even for the foreigner who is not of your people Israel but has come from a distant land because of your great name and your strong hand and outstretched arm: when he comes and prays toward this temple, 33 may you hear in heaven in your dwelling place, and do all the foreigner asks you. Then all the peoples of the earth will know your name, to fear you as your people Israel do and know that this temple I have built bears your name. 34 When your people go out to fight against their enemies, wherever you send them, and they pray to you in the direction of this city you have chosen and the temple that I have built for your name, 35 may you hear their prayer and petition in heaven and uphold their cause. 36 When they sin against you — for there is no one who does not sin — and you are angry with them and hand them over to the enemy , and their captors deport them to a distant or nearby country , 37 and when they come to their senses in the land where they were deported and repent and petition you in their captors’ land, saying: “We have sinned and done wrong; we have been wicked,” 38 and when they return to you with all their mind and all their heart in the land of their captivity where they were taken captive, and when they pray in the direction of their land that you gave their ancestors, and the city you have chosen, and toward the temple I have built for your name, 39 may you hear their prayer and petitions in heaven, your dwelling place, and uphold their cause. b May you forgive your people who sinned against you. 40 Now , my God, please let your eyes be open and your ears attentive to the prayer of this place. 41 Now therefore: Arise, Lord God, come to your resting place, you and your powerful ark. May your priests, Lord God, be clothed with salvation, and may your faithful people rejoice in goodness. 42 Lord God, do not reject your anointed one; c remember the promises to your servant David. THE DEDICATION CEREMONIES 7 When Sol o mon fin ished pray ing, fire de- scend ed from heav en and con sumed the burnt off er ing and the sac ri fic es, and the glo ry of the L ord filled the tem ple. 2 The priests were not able to en ter the L ord’ s tem ple be cause the glo ry of the L ord filled the tem ple of the L ord. 3 All the Is ra el ites were watch ing when the fire de scend ed and the glo ry of the L ord came on the tem ple. They bowed down on the pave ment with their fac es to the ground. They wor shiped and praised the L ord: a6:30 Lit give for the man b6:39 Lit and do their judgment, or justice c6:42 Some Hb mss, LXX; other Hb mss read ones ; Ps 132:10 379 2 CHRONICLES 6-7 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 379 10/26/17 9:00 PM For he is good, for his faithful love endures forever. 4 The king and all the peo ple were of fer - ing sac ri fic es in the L ord’ s pres ence. 5 King Sol o mon of fered a sac ri fice of twenty-two thou sand cat tle and one hun dred twen ty thou sand sheep and goats. In this man ner the king and all the peo ple ded i cat ed God’s tem ple. 6 The priests and the Le vites were stand ing at their stations. The Le vites had the mu si cal in stru ments of the L ord, which King Da vid had made to give thanks to the L ord — “ for his faith ful love en dures for - ev er” — when he of fered praise with them. Across from the Le vites, the priests were blow ing trum pets, and all the peo ple were stand ing. 7 Since the bronze al tar that Sol o- mon had made could not accommodate the burnt of fer ing, the grain of fer ing, and the fat of the fel low ship of fer ings, Sol o mon first con se crat ed the mid dle of the court yard that was in front of the L ord’ s tem ple and then of fered the burnt of fer ings and the fat of the fel low ship of fer ings there. 8 So Sol o mon and all Is ra el with him — a very great as sem bly , from the en trance to Ha math a to the Brook of Egypt — ob served the fes ti val at that time for sev en days. 9 On the eighth day b they held a sa cred as sem bly , for the ded i ca tion of the al tar last ed sev en days and the fes ti val sev en days. 10 On the twenty-third day of the sev enth month he sent the peo ple home, c re joic ing and with hap py hearts for the good ness the L ord had done for Da vid, for Sol o mon, and for his peo ple Is ra el. 11 So Sol o mon fin ished the L ord ’ s tem ple and the roy al pal ace. Ev ery thing that had en tered Sol o mon’s heart to do for the L ord’ s tem ple and for his own pal ace suc ceed ed. THE LORD’S RESPONSE 12 Then the L ord ap peared to Sol o mon at night and said to him: I have heard your prayer and have cho - sen this place for myself as a temple of sacrifice. 13 If I shut the sky so there is no rain, or if I command the grasshopper to consume the land, or if I send pestilence on my people, 14 and my people, who bear my name, humble themselves, pray and seek my face, and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land. 15 My eyes will now be open
🏛️ Divine Covenant and Consequences
🙏 Conditional blessing establishes a sacred agreement where God promises to honor the temple and maintain David's dynasty if Israel remains faithful
🔄 Cycles of obedience and rebellion shape Israel's history, with Solomon's initial faithfulness giving way to compromise and his son Rehoboam's outright abandonment of God's law
👑 Royal succession crisis erupts when Rehoboam's harsh leadership splits the kingdom, fulfilling God's prophetic warning and dividing Israel into northern and southern kingdoms
🛡️ National security becomes increasingly precarious as foreign powers like Egypt exploit Israel's spiritual weakness, demonstrating the direct connection between faithfulness and protection
💰 Solomon's wealth and wisdom represent the pinnacle of Israel's prosperity, with elaborate building projects, international trade networks, and unprecedented luxury that impressed even the Queen of Sheba
⚖️ Divine justice operates through natural consequences, as seen when Egypt's invasion serves as discipline for Rehoboam's unfaithfulness, yet God shows mercy when leaders humble themselves
and my ears attentive to prayer from this place. 16 And I have now chosen and consecrated this temple so that my name may be there forever; my eyes and my heart will be there at all times. 17 As for you, if you walk before me as your father David walked, doing every - thing I have commanded you, and if you keep my statutes and ordinances, 18 I will establish your royal throne, as I promised your father David: You will never fail to have a man ruling in Israel. 19 However, if you turn away and aban - don my statutes and my commands that I have set before you and if you go and serve other gods and bow in worship to them, 20 then I will uproot Israel from the soil that I gave them, and this temple that I have sanctified for my name I will banish from my presence; I will make it an object of scorn and ridicule among all the peoples. 21 As for this temple, which was exalted, everyone who passes by will be appalled and will say: Why did the Lord do this to this land and this tem - ple? 22 Then they will say: Because they abandoned the Lord God of their ances - tors who brought them out of the land of Egypt. They clung to other gods and bowed in worship to them and served them. Because of this, he brought all this ruin on them. SOLOMON’S LATER BUILDING PROJECTS 8 At the end of twen ty years dur ing which Sol o mon had built the L ord’ s tem ple and his own pal ace — 2 Sol o mon had re built the cit ies Hi ram d gave him and set tled Is ra el ites there — 3 Sol o mon went to Hamath-zobah and seized it. 4 He built Tad mor in the wil- der ness along with all the stor age cit ies that he built in Ha math. 5 He built Up per Beth-ho - ron and Low er Beth-ho ron — for ti fied cit ies with walls, gates, and bars — 6 Ba al ath, all the stor age cit ies that be longed to Sol o mon, all the char i ot cit ies, the cav al ry cit ies, and ev ery thing Sol o mon de sired to build in Je- ru sa lem, Leb a non, or any where else in the land of his do min ion. a7:8 Or from Lebo-hamath b7:9 = the day after the festival, or the 15th day c7:10 Lit people to their tents d8:2 = the king of Tyre2 CHRONICLES 7-8 380 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 380 10/26/17 9:00 PM 7 As for all the peo ples who re mained of the Heth ites, Am o rites, Per iz zites, Hi vites, and Jeb u sites, who were not from Is ra el — 8 their de scen dants who re mained in the land af ter them, those the Is ra el ites had not com plete ly de stroyed — Sol o mon im posed forced la bor on them; it is this way to day . 9 But Sol o mon did not con sign the Is ra el ites to be slaves for his work; they were sol diers, com mand ers of his cap tains, and com mand ers of his char i ots and his cav al ry . 10 These were King Sol o mon’s deputies: 250 who su per vised the peo ple. 11 Sol o mon brought the daugh ter of Pha- raoh from the city of Da vid to the house he had built for her, for he said, “ My wife must not live in the house a of King Da vid of Is ra el be cause the plac es the ark of the L ord has come into are holy .” PUBLIC WORSHIP ESTABLISHED AT THE TEMPLE 12 At that time Sol o mon off ered burnt off er ings to the L ord on the L ord’ s al tar he had made in front of the por ti co. 13 He fol lowed the dai ly re quire ment for off er ings ac cord ing to the com mand ment of Mo ses for Sab baths, New Moons, and the three an nu al ap point ed fes- ti vals: the Fes ti val of Un leav ened Bread, the Fes ti val of Weeks, and the Fes ti val of Shel ters. 14 Ac cord ing to the or di nances of his fa ther Da vid, he ap point ed the di vi sions of the priests over their ser vice, of the Le vites over their re spon si bil i ties to o ff er praise and to min- is ter be fore the priests fol low ing the dai ly re quire ment, and of the gate keep ers by their di vi sions with re spect to each tem ple gate, for this had been the com mand of Da vid, the man of God. 15 They did not turn aside from the king’s com mand re gard ing the priests and the Le vites con cern ing any mat ter or con cern- ing the trea sur ies. 16 All of Sol o mon’s work was car ried out from the day the foun da tion was laid for the L ord’ s tem ple un til it was fin ished. So the L ord’ s tem ple was com plet ed. SOLOMON’S FLEET 17 At that time Sol o mon went to Ezion-geber and to Eloth on the sea shore in the land of Edom. 18 So Hi ram b sent ships to him by his ser vants along with crews of ex pe ri enced sea men. They went with Sol o mon’s ser vants to Ophir, took from there sev en teen tons c of gold, and de liv ered it to King Sol o mon.THE QUEEN OF SHEBA 9 The queen of She ba heard of Sol o mon’s fame, so she came to test Sol o mon with diff i cult ques tions at Je ru sa lem with a very large entourage, with cam els bear ing spic es, gold in abun dance, and pre cious stones. She came to Sol o mon and spoke with him about ev ery thing that was on her mind. 2 So Sol o mon an swered all her ques tions; noth ing was too diff i cult for Sol o mon to ex plain to her. 3 When the queen of She ba ob served Sol o mon’s wis- dom, the pal ace he had built, 4 the food at his ta ble, his ser vants’ res i dence, his at ten dants’ ser vice and their attire, his cup bear ers and their attire, and the burnt off er ings he off ered at the L ord’ s tem ple, it took her breath away . 5 She said to the king, “ The re port I heard in my own coun try about your words and about your wis dom is true. 6 But I didn’t be- lieve their re ports un til I came and saw with my own eyes. In deed, I was not even told half of your great wis dom! You far ex ceed the re- port I heard. 7 How hap py are your men. d How hap py are these ser vants of yours, who al ways stand in your pres ence hear ing your wis dom. 8 Blessed be the L ord your God! He de light ed in you and put you on his throne as king for the L ord your God. Be cause your God loved Is ra el enough to es tab lish them for ev er, he has set you over them as king to car ry out jus tice and righ teous ness.” 9 Then she gave the king four and a half tons e of gold, a great quan ti ty of spic es, and pre cious stones. There nev er were such spic- es as those the queen of She ba gave to King Sol o mon. 10 In ad di tion, Hi ram’s ser vants and Sol o mon’s ser vants who brought gold from Ophir also brought al gum wood and pre cious stones. 11 The king made the al gum wood into walkways for the L ord’ s tem ple and for the king’s pal ace and into lyres and harps for the sing ers. Nev er be fore had any thing like them been seen in the land of Ju dah. 12 King Sol o mon gave the queen of She ba her ev ery de sire, what ev er she asked — far more than she had brought the king. Then she, along with her ser vants, re turned to her own coun try . SOLOMON’S WEALTH 13 The weight of gold that came to Sol o mon an nu al ly was twenty-five tons, f 14 be sides what a8:11 LXX reads city b8:18 Lit Huram c8:18 Lit 450 talents d9:7 LXX, Old Lat read wives ; 1Kg 10:8 e9:9 Lit 120 talents f9:13 Lit 666 talents 381 2 CHRONICLES 8-9 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 381 10/26/17 9:00 PM was brought by the mer chants and trad ers. All the Ara bi an kings and gov er nors of the land also brought gold and sil ver to Sol o mon. 15 King Sol o mon made two hun dred large shields of ham mered gold; 15 pounds a of ham mered gold went into each shield. 16 He made three hun dred small shields of ham - mered gold; 7 1/ 2 pounds b of gold went into each shield. The king put them in the House of the For est of Leb a non. 17 The king also made a large ivo ry throne and over laid it with pure gold. 18 The throne had six steps; there was a foot stool cov ered in gold for the throne, arm rests on ei ther side of the seat, and two li ons stand ing be side the arm rests. 19 Twelve li ons were stand ing there on the six steps, one at each end. Noth ing like it had ever been made in any oth er king dom. 20 All of King Sol o mon’s drink ing cups were gold, and all the uten sils of the House of the For est of Leb a non were pure gold. There was no sil ver, since it was con sid ered as noth ing in Sol o mon’s time, 21 for the king’s ships kept go ing to Tar shish with Hi ram’s ser vants, and once ev ery three years the ships of Tar shish would ar rive bear ing gold, sil ver, ivo ry , apes, and peacocks. c 22 King Sol o mon sur passed all the kings of the world in rich es and wis dom. 23 All the kings of the world want ed an au di ence with Sol o mon to hear the wis dom God had put in his heart. 24 Each of them would bring his own gift — items d of sil ver and gold, cloth ing, weap ons, e,f spic es, and hors es and mules — as an an nu al trib ute. 25 Sol o mon had four thou sand stalls for hors es and char i ots, and twelve thou sand horse men. He sta tioned them in the char i ot cit ies and with the king in Je ru sa lem. 26 He ruled over all the kings from the Eu phra tes Riv er to the land of the Phi lis tines and as far as the bor der of Egypt. 27 The king made sil- ver as com mon in Je ru sa lem as stones, and he made ce dar as abun dant as syc a more in the Ju de an foot hills. 28 They were bring ing hors es for Sol o mon from Egypt and from all the coun tries. SOLOMON’S DEATH 29 The re main ing events of Sol o mon’s reign, from be gin ning to end, are writ ten in the Events of the Proph et Na than, the Proph e cy of Ahi jah the Shi lo nite, and the Vi sions of the Seer Iddo con cern ing Jer o bo am son of Ne bat. 30 Sol o mon reigned in Je ru sa lem over all Is ra el for for ty years. 31 Sol o mon rest ed with his fa thers and was bur ied in the city of his fa ther Da vid. His son Re ho bo am be came king in his place. THE KINGDOM DIVIDED 10 Then Re ho bo am went to She chem, for all Is ra el had gone to She chem to make him king. 2 When Jer o bo am son of Ne bat heard about it — for he was in Egypt where he had fled from King Sol o mon’s pres ence — Jer o bo- am re turned from Egypt. 3 So they sum moned him. Then Jer o bo am and all Is ra el came and spoke to Re ho bo am: 4 “ Your fa ther made our yoke harsh. There fore, light en your fa ther’s harsh ser vice and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you.” 5 Re ho bo am re plied, “Re turn to me in three days.” So the peo ple left. 6 Then King Re ho bo am con sult ed with the el ders who had at tend ed his fa ther Sol o mon when he was alive, ask ing, “ How do you ad vise me to re spond to this peo ple? ” 7 They re plied, “ If you will be kind to this peo - ple and please them by speak ing kind words to them, they will be your ser vants for ev er.” 8 But he re ject ed the ad vice of the el ders who had ad vised him, and he con sult ed with the young men who had grown up with him, the ones at tend ing him. 9 He asked them, “ What mes sage do you ad vise we send back to this peo ple who said to me, ‘Light en the yoke your fa ther put on us’? ” 10 Then the young men who had grown up with him told him, “ This is what you should say to the peo ple who said to you, ‘ Your fa ther made our yoke heavy , but you, make it light er on us! ’ This is what you should say to them: ‘ My lit tle fin ger is thick er than my fa ther’s waist! 11 Now there fore, my fa ther bur dened you with a heavy yoke, but I will add to your yoke; my fa ther dis ci plined you with whips, but I, with barbed whips.’ ” g 12 So Jer o bo am and all the peo ple came to Re ho bo am on the third day , just as the king had or dered, say ing, “Re turn to me on the third day .” 13 Then the king an swered them harsh ly . King Re ho bo am re ject ed the el ders’ ad vice 14 and spoke to them ac cord ing to the a9:15 Lit 600 (shekels) b9:16 Lit 300 (shekels) c9:21 Or baboons d9:24 Or vessels, or weapons e9:24 LXX reads resin f9:24 Or fragrant balsam g10:11 Lit with scorpions, also in v. 142 CHRONICLES 9-10 382 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 382 10/26/17 9:00 PM young men’s ad vice, say ing, “ My fa ther made your yoke heavy , a but I will add to it; my fa- ther dis ci plined you with whips, but I, with barbed whips.” 15 The king did not lis ten to the peo ple be- cause the turn of events came from God, in or der that the L ord might car ry out his word that he had spo ken through Ahi jah the Shi lo- nite to Jer o bo am son of Ne bat. 16 When all Is ra el saw b that the king had not lis tened to them, the peo ple an swered the king: What portion do we have in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. Israel, each to your tent; David, look after your own house now! So all Is ra el went to their tents. 17 But as for the Is ra el ites liv ing in the cit ies of Ju dah, Re- ho bo am reigned over them. 18 Then King Re ho bo am sent Ha do ram, c who was in charge of the forced la bor, but the Is- ra el ites stoned him to death. How ev er, King Re ho bo am man aged to get into his char i ot to flee to Je ru sa lem. 19 Is ra el is in re bel lion against the house of Da vid un til to day . REHOBOAM IN JERUSALEM 11 When Re ho bo am ar rived in Je ru sa lem, he mo bi lized the house of Ju dah and Ben ja min — one hun dred eighty thou sand fit young sol diers — to fight against Is ra el to re store the reign to Re ho bo am. 2 But the word of the L ord came to She ma iah, the man of God: 3 “ Say to Re ho bo am son of Sol o mon, king of Ju dah, to all Is ra el in Ju dah and Ben- ja min, and to the rest of the peo ple: 4 ‘ This is what the L ord says: You are not to march up and fight against your broth ers. Each of you re turn home, for this in ci dent has come from me.’ ” So they lis tened to what the L ord said and turned back from go ing against Jer o bo am. JUDAH’S KING REHOBOAM 5 Re ho bo am stayed in Je ru sa lem, and he for - ti fied cit ies d in Ju dah. 6 He built up Beth le- hem, Etam, Te koa, 7 Beth-zur, Soco, Adul lam, 8 Gath, Ma re shah, Ziph, 9 Ad o ra im, La chish, Aze kah, 10 Zo rah, Ai ja lon, and He bron, which are for ti fied cit ies in Ju dah and in Ben ja min. 11 He strength ened their for ti fi ca tions and put lead ers in them with sup plies of food, oil, and wine. 12 He also put large shields and spears in each and ev ery city to make them very strong. So Ju dah and Ben ja min were his. 13 The priests and Le vites from all their re- gions through out Is ra el took their stand with Re ho bo am, 14 for the Le vites left their pas- ture lands and their pos ses sions and went to Ju dah and Je ru sa lem, be cause Jer o bo am and his sons re fused to let them serve as priests of the L ord. 15 Jer o bo am ap point ed his own priests for the high plac es, the goat-demons, and the gold en calves he had made. 16 Those from ev ery tribe of Is ra el who had de ter mined in their hearts to seek the L ord their God fol- lowed the Le vites to Je ru sa lem to sac ri fice to the L ord, the God of their an ces tors. 17 So they strength ened the king dom of Ju dah and sup- port ed Re ho bo am son of Sol o mon for three years, be cause they walked in the ways of Da vid and Sol o mon for three years. 18 Re ho bo am mar ried Ma ha lath, daugh ter of Da vid’s son Jer i moth and of Ab i hail daugh ter of Jes se’s son Eli ab. 19 She bore sons to him: Je ush, Shem a ri ah, and Za ham. 20 Af ter her, he mar ried Ma a cah daugh ter e of Ab sa lom. She bore Abi jah, At tai, Ziza, and She lo mith to him. 21 Re ho bo am loved Ma a cah daugh ter of Ab sa lom more than all his wives and con cu- bines. He ac quired eigh teen wives and six ty con cu bines and was the fa ther of twenty-eight sons and six ty daugh ters. 22 Re ho bo am ap point ed Abi jah son of Ma- a cah as chief, lead er among his broth ers, in- tend ing to make him king. 23 Re ho bo am also showed dis cern ment by dis pers ing some of his sons to all the re gions of Ju dah and Ben- ja min and to all the for ti fied cit ies. He gave them plen ty of pro vi sions and sought many wives for them. SHISHAK’S INVASION 12 When Re ho bo am had es tab lished his sov er eign ty and roy al pow er, he aban- doned the law of the L ord — he and all Is ra el with him. 2 Be cause they were un faith ful to the L ord, in the fifth year of King Re ho bo am, King Shi shak of Egypt went to war against Je ru sa- lem 3 with 1,200 char i ots, 60,000 cavalrymen, and count less peo ple who came with him from Egypt — Lib y ans, Sukkiim, and Cush ites. 4 He cap tured the for ti fied cit ies of Ju dah and came as far as Je ru sa lem. a10:14 Some Hb mss, LXX; other Hb mss read I will make your yoke heavy ; 1Kg 12:14 b10:16 Some Hb mss, LXX; other Hb mss omit saw ; 1Kg 12:16 c10:18 = Adoram in 1Kg 12:18 d11:5 Lit he built cities for a fortress e11:20 Possibly granddaughter, also in v. 21; 2Ch 13:2 383 2 CHRONICLES 10-12 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 383 10/26/17 9:00 PM 5 Then the proph et She ma iah went to Re- ho bo am and the lead ers of Ju dah who were gath ered at Je ru sa lem be cause of Shi shak. He said to them: “ This is what the L ord says: ‘ You have aban doned me; there fore, I have aban doned you to Shi shak.’ ” 6 So the lead ers of Is ra el and the king hum- bled them selves and said, “ The L ord is righ- teous.” 7 When the L ord saw that they had hum- bled them selves, the L ord’ s mes sage came to She ma iah: “ They have hum bled them selves; I will not de stroy them but will grant them a lit tle de liv er ance. My wrath will not be poured out on Je ru sa lem through Shi shak. 8 How ev er, they will be come his ser
📜 Rehoboam's Reign and Religious Reforms
👑 King Rehoboam lost Jerusalem's treasures to Egypt's King Shishak but later humbled himself before God, preventing complete destruction of his kingdom
⚔️ King Abijah defeated Jeroboam's larger Israelite army by relying on God's power, capturing cities and establishing his strength through divine favor
🛠️ King Asa implemented sweeping religious reforms by removing pagan altars, defeating the Cushite invasion through prayer, and leading Judah in a covenant to seek God wholeheartedly
🏛️ Jehoshaphat strengthened Judah by establishing garrisons, implementing religious education programs, and building an impressive military force while remaining faithful to God's ways
👁️ The recurring theme that God strengthens those who depend on Him is demonstrated through military victories, periods of peace, and prosperity for kings who remained faithful
⚠️ Divine consequences followed when kings trusted in human alliances rather than God, as seen when Asa was rebuked for relying on Aram instead of the Lord
vants so that they may rec og nize the diff er ence be tween serv ing me and serv ing the king doms of oth er lands.” 9 So King Shi shak of Egypt went to war against Je ru sa lem. He seized the trea sur ies of the L ord’ s tem ple and the trea sur ies of the roy al pal ace. He took ev ery thing. He took the gold shields that Sol o mon had made. 10 King Re ho bo am made bronze shields to re place them and com mit ted them into the care of the cap tains of the guards a who pro tect ed the en trance to the king’s pal ace. 11 When ev er the king en tered the L ord’ s tem ple, the guards would car ry the shields and take them back to the ar mory . b 12 When Re ho bo am hum bled him self, the L ord’ s an ger turned away from him, and he did not de stroy him com plete ly . Be sides that, con di tions were good in Ju dah. REHOBOAM’S LAST DAYS 13 King Re ho bo am es tab lished his roy al pow er in Je ru sa lem. Re ho bo am was forty-one years old when he be came king, and he reigned sev en teen years in Je ru sa lem, the city the L ord had cho sen from all the tribes of Is ra el to put his name. Re ho bo am’s moth er’s name was Na a mah the Am mon ite. 14 Re ho bo am did what was evil, be cause he did not de ter mine in his heart to seek the L ord. 15 The events of Re ho bo am’s reign, from be- gin ning to end, are writ ten in the Events of the Proph et She ma iah and of the Seer Iddo con- cern ing ge ne al o gies. There was war be tween Re ho bo am and Jer o bo am through out their reigns. 16 Re ho bo am rest ed with his fa thers and was bur ied in the city of Da vid. His son Abi jah c be came king in his place.JUDAH’S KING ABIJAH 13 In the eigh teenth year of Is ra el’s King Jer o bo am, Abi jah c be came king over Ju- dah, 2 and he reigned three years in Je ru sa lem. His moth er’s name was Mi ca iah d daugh ter of Uri el; she was from Gib e ah. There was war be tween Abi jah and Jer o bo- am. 3 Abi jah set his army of war riors in or der with four hun dred thou sand fit young men. Jer o bo am ar ranged his mighty army of eight hun dred thou sand fit young men in bat tle for - ma tion against him. 4 Then Abi jah stood on Mount Zem a ra im, which is in the hill coun try of Ephra im, and said, “Jer o bo am and all Is ra el, hear me. 5 Don’t you know that the L ord God of Is ra el gave the king ship over Is ra el to Da vid and his de scen dants for ev er by a cov enant of salt? 6 But Jer o bo am son of Ne bat, a ser vant of Sol o mon son of Da vid, rose up and re belled against his lord. 7 Then worth less and wick ed men gath ered around him to re sist Re ho bo am son of Sol o mon when Re ho bo am was young, in ex pe ri enced, and un able to assert him self against them. 8 “ And now you are say ing you can assert your selves against the L ord’ s king dom, which is in the hand of one of Da vid’s sons. You are a vast num ber and have with you the gold en calves that Jer o bo am made for you as gods. e 9 Didn’t you ban ish the priests of the L ord , the de scen dants of Aar on and the Le vites, and make your own priests like the peo ples of oth er lands do? Who ev er comes to or dain him self with a young bull and sev- en rams may be come a priest of what are not gods. 10 “ But as for us, the L ord is our God. We have not aban doned him; the priests min is ter ing to the L ord are de scen dants of Aar on, and the Le vites serve at their tasks. 11 They off er a burnt off er ing and fra grant in cense to the L ord ev ery morn ing and ev ery eve ning, and they set the rows of the Bread of the Pres ence on the cer e mo ni al ly clean ta ble. They light the lamps of the gold lamp stand ev ery eve ning. We are car ry ing out the re quire ments of the L ord our God, while you have aban doned him. 12 Look, God and his priests are with us at our head. The trum pets are ready to sound the charge against you. Is ra el ites, don’t fight against the L ord God of your an ces tors, for you will not suc ceed.” a12:10 Lit the runners b12:11 Lit the chamber of the runners c12:16 ; 13:1 = Abijam in 1Kg 14:31–15:8 d13:2 LXX, Syr , Arabic read Maacah ; 1Kg 15:2; 2Ch 11:22 e13:8 Or God ; 1Kg 12:282 CHRONICLES 12-13 384 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 384 10/26/17 9:00 PM 13 Now Jer o bo am had sent an am bush around to ad vance from be hind them. So they were in front of Ju dah, and the am bush was be hind them. 14 Ju dah turned and dis cov ered that the bat tle was in front of them and be hind them, so they cried out to the L ord. Then the priests blew the trum pets, 15 and the men of Ju dah raised the bat tle cry . When the men of Ju dah raised the bat tle cry , God rout ed Jer o- bo am and all Is ra el be fore Abi jah and Ju dah. 16 So the Is ra el ites fled be fore Ju dah, and God hand ed them over to them. 17 Then Abi jah and his peo ple struck them with a mighty blow , and five hun dred thou sand fit young men of Is ra el were killed. 18 The Is ra el ites were sub- dued at that time. The Ju da hites suc ceed ed be cause they de pend ed on the L ord, the God of their an ces tors. 19 Abi jah pur sued Jer o bo am and cap tured some cit ies from him: Beth el, Jesh a nah, and Ephron, a along with their sur round ing vil lages. 20 Jer o bo am no lon ger retained his pow er b dur ing Abi jah’s reign; ul ti mate ly , the L ord struck him and he died. 21 How ev er, Abi jah grew strong, ac quired four teen wives, and fa thered twenty-two sons and six teen daugh ters. 22 The rest of the events of Abi jah’s reign, along with his ways and his say ings, are writ ten in the Writ ing of the 14 Proph et Iddo. 1 Abi jah rest ed with his fa thers and was bur ied in the city of Da vid. His son Asa be came king in his place. Dur ing his reign the land ex pe ri enced peace for ten years. JUDAH’S KING ASA 2 Asa did what was good and right in the sight of the L ord his God. 3 He re moved the pa gan al tars and the high plac es. He shat tered their sa cred pil lars and chopped down their Ashe- rah poles. 4 He told the peo ple of Ju dah to seek the L ord God of their an ces tors and to car ry out the in struc tion and the com mands. 5 He also re moved the high plac es and the shrines c from all the cit ies of Ju dah, and the king dom ex pe ri enced peace un der him. 6 Be cause the land ex pe ri enced peace, Asa built for ti fied cit ies in Ju dah. No one made war with him in those days be cause the L ord gave him rest. 7 So he said to the peo ple of Ju dah, “ Let’s build these cit ies and sur round them with walls and tow ers, with doors and bars. The land is still ours be cause we sought the L ord our God. We sought him and he gave us rest on ev ery side.” So they built and suc- ceed ed. THE CUSHITE INVASION 8 Asa had an army of three hun dred thou sand from Ju dah bear ing large shields and spears, and two hun dred eighty thou sand from Ben ja- min bear ing reg u lar shields and draw ing the bow . All these were val iant war riors. 9 Then Ze rah the Cush ite came against them with an army of one mil lion men and three hun dred d char i ots. They came as far as Ma re shah. 10 So Asa marched out against him and lined up in bat tle for ma tion in Zeph a thah Val ley at Ma re shah. 11 Then Asa cried out to the L ord his God: “ L ord, there is no one be sides you to help the mighty and those with out strength. Help us, L ord our God, for we de pend on you, and in your name we have come against this large army . L ord, you are our God. Do not let a mere mor tal hin der you.” 12 So the L ord rout ed the Cush ites be fore Asa and be fore Ju dah, and the Cush ites fled. 13 Then Asa and the peo ple who were with him pur sued them as far as Ge rar. The Cush - ites fell un til they had no sur vi vors, for they were crushed be fore the L ord and his army . So the peo ple of Ju dah car ried off a great sup ply of loot. 14 Then they at tacked all the cit ies around Ge rar be cause the ter ror of the L ord was on them. They also plun dered all the cit ies, since there was a great deal of plun der in them. 15 They also at tacked the tents of the herds men and cap tured many sheep and cam els. Then they re turned to Je ru sa lem. REVIVAL UNDER ASA 15 The Spir it of God came on Az a ri ah son of Oded. 2 So he went out to meet Asa and said to him, “ Asa and all Ju dah and Ben- ja min, hear me. The L ord is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you aban don him, he will aban don you. 3 For many years Is ra- el has been with out the true God, with out a teach ing priest, and with out in struc tion, 4 but when they turned to the L ord God of Is ra el in their dis tress and sought him, he was a13:19 Alt Hb tradition reads Ephrain b13:20 Lit He did not restrain the power of Jeroboam c14:5 Or incense altars d14:9 Syr , Arabic read 30,000 385 2 CHRONICLES 13-15 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 385 10/26/17 9:00 PM found by them. 5 In those times there was no peace for those who went about their dai ly ac tivi ties be cause the res i dents of the lands had many con flicts. 6 Na tion was crushed by na tion and city by city , for God trou bled them with ev ery pos si ble dis tress. 7 But as for you, be strong; don’t give up, a for your work has a re ward.” 8 When Asa heard these words and the proph e cy of Az a ri ah son of Oded the proph- et, he took cour age and re moved the ab hor - rent idols from the whole land of Ju dah and Ben ja min and from the cit ies he had cap tured in the hill coun try of Ephra im. He renovated the al tar of the L ord that was in front of the por ti co of the L ord’ s tem ple. 9 Then he gath- ered all Ju dah and Ben ja min, as well as those from the tribes of Ephra im, Ma nas seh, and Sim e on who were residing among them, for they had de fect ed to him from Is ra el in great num bers when they saw that the L ord his God was with him. 10 They were gath ered in Je ru sa lem in the third month of the fif teenth year of Asa’s reign. 11 At that time they sac ri ficed to the L ord sev en hun dred cat tle and sev en thou sand sheep and goats from all the plun der they had brought. 12 Then they en tered into a cov enant to seek the L ord God of their an ces tors with all their heart and all their soul. 13 Who ev er would not seek the L ord God of Is ra el would be put to death, young or old, b man or wom an. 14 They took an oath to the L ord in a loud voice, with shout ing, with trum pets, and with rams’ horns. 15 All Ju dah re joiced over the oath, for they had sworn it with all their mind. They had sought him with all their heart, and he was found by them. So the L ord gave them rest on ev ery side. 16 King Asa also re moved Ma a cah, his grand- moth er, c from be ing queen moth er be cause she had made an obscene im age of Ashe rah. Asa chopped down her obscene im age, then crushed it and burned it in the Kid ron Val ley . 17 The high plac es were not tak en away from Is ra el; nev er the less, Asa was whole heart ed- ly de vot ed his en tire life. d 18 He brought his fa ther’s con se crat ed gifts and his own con- se crat ed gifts into God’s tem ple: sil ver, gold, and uten sils. 19 There was no war un til the thirty-fifth year of Asa’s reign.ASA’S TREATY WITH ARAM 16 In the thirty-sixth year of Asa, Is ra el’s King Ba a sha went to war against Ju dah. He built Ra mah in or der to keep any one from leav ing or com ing to King Asa of Ju dah. 2 So Asa brought out the sil ver and gold from the trea sur ies of the L ord’ s tem ple and the roy al pal ace and sent it to Aram’s King Ben-ha dad, who lived in Da mas cus, say ing, 3 “ There’s a trea ty be tween me and you, be tween my fa ther and your fa ther. Look, I have sent you sil ver and gold. Go break your trea ty with Is ra el’s King Ba a sha so that he will with draw from me.” 4 Ben-ha dad lis tened to King Asa and sent the com mand ers of his ar mies to the cit ies of Is ra el. They at tacked Ijon, Dan, Abel-maim, e and all the stor age cit ies f of Naph ta li. 5 When Ba a sha heard about it, he quit build ing Ra- mah and stopped his work. 6 Then King Asa brought all Ju dah, and they car ried away the stones of Ra mah and the tim bers Ba a sha had built it with. Then he built Geba and Miz pah with them. HANANI’S REBUKE OF ASA 7 At that time, the seer Ha na ni came to King Asa of Ju dah and said to him, “Be cause you de pend ed on the king of Aram and have not de pend ed on the L ord your God, the army of the king of Aram has es caped from you. 8 Were not the Cush ites and Lib y ans a vast army with many char i ots and horse men? When you de pend ed on the L ord, he hand ed them over to you. 9 For the eyes of the L ord roam through out the earth to show him self strong for those who are whole heart ed ly de- vot ed to him. You have been fool ish in this mat ter. There fore, you will have wars from now on.” 10 Asa was en raged with the seer and put him in pris on g be cause of his an ger over this. And Asa mis treat ed some of the peo ple at that time. ASA’S DE ATH 11 Note that the events of Asa’s reign, from be- gin ning to end, are writ ten in the Book of the Kings of Ju dah and Is ra el. 12 In the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa de vel oped a dis ease in his feet, and his dis ease be came increasingly se vere. Yet even in his dis ease he didn’t seek the L ord but only the phy si cians. 13 Asa rest- ed with his fa thers; he died in the forty-first a15:7 Lit don’t let your hands drop b15:13 Or insignificant or great c15:16 Lit mother ; 1Kg 15:2; 2Ch 11:22 d15:17 Lit wholehearted all his days e16:4 Abel-beth-maacah in 1Kg 15:20 f16:4 = all Chinnereth in 1Kg 15:20 g16:10 Lit the house of stocks2 CHRONICLES 15-16 386 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 386 10/26/17 9:00 PM year of his reign. 14 He was bur ied in his own tomb that he had made for him self in the city of Da vid. They laid him out in a coff in that was full of spic es and var i ous mix tures of pre pared oint ments; then they made a great fire in his hon or. JUDAH’S KING JEHOSHAPHAT 17 His son Je hosh a phat be came king in his place and strength ened him self against Is ra el. 2 He sta tioned troops in ev ery for ti fied city of Ju dah and set gar ri sons in the land of Ju dah and in the cit ies of Ephra im that his fa ther Asa had cap tured. 3 Now the L ord was with Je hosh a phat be- cause he walked in the for mer ways of his fa ther Da vid. a He did not seek the Baals 4 but sought the God of his fa ther and walked by his com mands, not ac cord ing to the prac- tic es of Is ra el. 5 So the L ord es tab lished the king dom in his hand. Then all Ju dah brought him trib ute, and he had rich es and hon or in abun dance. 6 His mind re joiced in the L ord’ s ways, and he again re moved the high plac es and Ashe rah poles from Ju dah. JEHOSHAPHAT’S EDUCATIONAL PLAN 7 In the third year of his reign, Je hosh a phat sent his o ff i cials — Ben-hail, b Oba di ah, Zech - a ri ah, Ne than el, and Mi ca iah — to teach in the cit ies of Ju dah. 8 The Le vites with them were She ma iah, Neth a ni ah, Zeb a di ah, c As a hel, She mir a moth, Je hon a than, Ad o ni jah, To bi- jah, and Tob-adonijah; the priests, Elish a ma and Je ho ram, were with these Le vites. 9 They taught through out Ju dah, hav ing the book of the L ord’ s in struc tion with them. They went through out the towns of Ju dah and taught the peo ple. 10 The ter ror of the L ord was on all the king- doms of the lands that sur round ed Ju dah, so they didn’t fight against Je hosh a phat. 11 Some of the Phi lis tines also brought gifts and sil ver as trib ute to Je hosh a phat, and the Arabs brought him flocks: 7,700 rams and 7,700 male goats. JEHOSHAPHAT’S MILITARY MIGHT 12 Je hosh a phat grew stron ger and stron ger. He built for tress es and stor age cit ies in Ju dah 13 and car ried out great works in the towns of Ju dah. He had fight ing men, val iant war - riors, in Je ru sa lem. 14 These are their num bers ac cord ing to their an ces tral fam i lies. d For Ju dah, the com mand ers of thou sands: Adnah the commander and three hundred thousand valiant warriors with him; 15 next to him, Jehohanan the commander and two hundred eighty thousand with him; 16 next to him, Amasiah son of Zichri, the volunteer of the Lord, and two hundred thousand valiant warriors with him; 17 from Benjamin, Eliada, a valiant warrior, and two hundred thousand with him armed with bow and shield; 18 next to him, Jehozabad and one hundred eighty thousand with him equipped for war. 19 These were the ones who served the king, be sides those he sta tioned in the for ti fied cit- ies through out all Ju dah. JEHOSHAPHAT’S ALLIANCE WITH AHAB 18 Now Je hosh a phat had rich es and hon or in abun dance, and he made an al li ance with Ahab through mar riage. e 2 Then af ter some years, he went down to vis it Ahab in Sa mar ia. Ahab sac ri ficed many sheep, goats, and cat tle for him and for the peo ple who were with him. Then he per suad ed him to at tack Ramoth-gilead, 3 for Is ra el’s King Ahab asked Ju dah’s King Je hosh a phat, “ Will you go with me to Ramoth-gilead? ” He re plied to him, “ I am as you are, my peo - ple as your peo ple; we will be with you in the bat tle.” 4 But Je hosh a phat said to the king of Is ra el, “ First, please ask what the L ord’ s will is.” 5 So the king of Is ra el gath ered the proph ets, four hun dred men, and asked them, “ Should we go to Ramoth-gilead for war or should I re frain? ” They re plied, “
🏰 Prophetic Confrontation and Divine Deliverance
👑 King Jehoshaphat of Judah faces critical decisions when allying with wicked King Ahab, highlighting the tension between political expediency and spiritual faithfulness
🔮 Prophet Micaiah boldly speaks truth to power, standing alone against 400 false prophets and revealing God's heavenly council where a "lying spirit" was sent to deceive Ahab
🙏 When faced with overwhelming enemy forces, Jehoshaphat demonstrates exemplary faith by seeking God first through prayer, fasting, and public worship
⚔️ God delivers Judah through supernatural means, requiring no battle but only praise—"the battle is not yours, but God's"—resulting in abundant plunder and regional peace
⚖️ Jehoshaphat's reforms establish godly justice throughout Judah with judges who serve God rather than personal interests, creating a system based on integrity and impartiality
⚠️ Despite Jehoshaphat's overall faithfulness, his compromising alliances with wicked kings bring divine rebuke and consequences, showing how good leaders can still make critical errors
March up, and God will hand it over to the king.” 6 But Je hosh a phat asked, “ Isn’t there a proph- et of the L ord here any more? Let’s ask him.” 7 The king of Is ra el said to Je hosh a phat, “ There is still one man who can in quire of the L ord, but I hate him be cause he nev er proph e sies good about me, but only di sas ter. He is Mi ca iah son of Im lah.” “ The king shouldn’t say that,” Je hosh a phat re plied. a17:3 Some Hb mss, LXX omit David b17:7 = Son of Power c17:8 Some Hb mss, Syr , Tg, Arabic read Zechariah d17:14 Lit the house of their fathers e18:1 Lit made himself a son-in-law to Ahab ; 1Kg 3:1; Ezr 9:14 387 2 CHRONICLES 16-18 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 387 10/26/17 9:00 PM 8 So the king of Is ra el called an off i cer and said, “Hur ry and get Mi ca iah son of Im lah! ” 9 Now the king of Is ra el and King Je hosh- a phat of Ju dah, clothed in roy al attire, were each sit ting on his own throne. They were sit ting on the thresh ing floor at the en trance to Sa mar ia’s gate, and all the proph ets were proph e sy ing in front of them. 10 Then Zed e- ki ah son of Che na a nah made iron horns and said, “ This is what the L ord says: ‘ You will gore the Ar a me ans with these un til they are fin ished off.’ ” 11 And all the proph ets were proph e sy ing the same, say ing, “ March up to Ramoth-gilead and suc ceed, for the L ord will hand it over to the king.” MICAIAH’S MESSAGE OF DEFEAT 12 The mes sen ger who went to call Mi ca iah in struct ed him, “ Look, the words of the proph- ets are unan i mous ly fa vor able for the king. So let your words be like theirs, and speak fa vor ably .” 13 But Mi ca iah said, “ As the L ord lives, I will say what ev er my God says.” a 14 So he went to the king, and the king asked him, “Mi ca iah, should we go to Ramoth-gilead for war, or should I b re frain? ” Mi ca iah said, “ March up and suc ceed, for they will be hand ed over to you.” 15 But the king said to him, “ How many times must I make you swear not to tell me any thing but the truth in the name of the L ord? ” 16 So Mi ca iah said: I saw all Israel scattered on the hills like sheep without a shepherd. And the Lord said, “They have no master; let each return home in peace.” 17 So the king of Is ra el said to Je hosh a phat, “ Didn’t I tell you he nev er proph e sies good about me, but only di sas ter? ” 18 Then Mi ca iah said, “There fore, hear the word of the L ord. I saw the L ord sit ting on his throne, and the whole heav en ly army was stand ing at his right hand and at his left hand. 19 And the L ord said, ‘ Who will en tice King Ahab of Is ra el to march up and fall at Ramoth-gilead? ’ So one was say ing this and an oth er was say ing that. 20 “ Then a spir it came for ward, stood be fore the L ord, and said, ‘ I will en tice him.’“ The L ord asked him, ‘ How? ’ 21 “ So he said, ‘ I will go and be come a ly ing spir it in the mouth of all his proph ets.’ “ Then he said, ‘ You will en tice him and also pre vail. Go and do that.’ 22 “ Now , you see, the L ord has put a ly ing spir it into the mouth of c these proph ets of yours, and the L ord has pro nounced di sas ter against you.” 23 Then Zed e ki ah son of Che na a nah came up, hit Mi ca iah on the cheek, and de mand ed, “ Which way did the spir it from the L ord leave me to speak to you? ” 24 Mi ca iah re plied, “ You will soon see when you go to hide in an in ner cham ber on that day .” 25 Then the king of Is ra el or dered, “ Take Mi- ca iah and re turn him to Amon, the gov er nor of the city , and to Jo ash, the king’s son, 26 and say , ‘ This is what the king says: Put this guy in pris on and feed him only a lit tle bread and wa ter d un til I come back safe ly .’ ” 27 But Mi ca iah said, “ If you ever re turn safe ly , the L ord has not spo ken through me.” Then he said, “Lis ten, all you peo ple! ” AHAB’S DEATH 28 Then the king of Is ra el and Ju dah’s King Je- hosh a phat went up to Ramoth-gilead. 29 But the king of Is ra el said to Je hosh a phat, “ I will dis guise my self and go into bat tle, but you wear your roy al attire.” So the king of Is ra el dis guised him self, and they went into bat tle. 30 Now the king of Aram had or dered his char i ot com mand ers, “ Do not fight with any- one at all e ex cept the king of Is ra el.” 31 When the char i ot com mand ers saw Je- hosh a phat, they shout ed, “ He must be the king of Is ra el! ” So they turned to at tack him, but Je hosh a phat cried out and the L ord helped him. God drew them away from him. 32 When the char i ot com mand ers saw that he was not the king of Is ra el, they turned back from pur - su ing him. 33 But a man drew his bow with out tak- ing spe cial aim and struck the king of Is ra el through the joints of his ar mor. So he said to the charioteer, “ Turn around and take me out of the bat tle, f for I am bad ly wound ed! ” 34 The bat tle raged through out that day , and the king of Is ra el propped him self up in his char i ot fac ing the Ar a me ans un til eve ning. Then he died at sun set. a18:13 LXX, Vg add to me ; 1Kg 22:14 b18:14 LXX reads we ; 1Kg 22:15 c18:22 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr , Vg add all ; 1Kg 22:23 d18:26 Lit him on bread of oppression and water of oppression e18:30 Lit with small or with great f18:33 LXX, Vg; MT reads camp2 CHRONICLES 18 388 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 388 10/26/17 9:00 PM JEHU’S REBUKE OF JEHOSHAPHAT 19 King Je hosh a phat of Ju dah re turned to his home in Je ru sa lem in peace. 2 Then Jehu son of the seer Ha na ni went out to con- front him a and said to King Je hosh a phat, “ Do you help the wick ed and love those who hate the L ord? Be cause of this, the L ord’ s wrath is on you. 3 How ev er, some good is found in you, for you have eradicated the Ashe rah poles from the land and have de cid ed to seek God.” JEHOSHAPHAT’S REFORMS 4 Je hosh a phat lived in Je ru sa lem, and once again he went out among the peo ple from Be er-she ba to the hill coun try of Ephra im and brought them back to the L ord, the God of their an ces tors. 5 He ap point ed judg es in all the for ti fied cit ies of the land of Ju dah, city by city . 6 Then he said to the judg es, “Con sid er what you are do ing, for you do not judge for a mere mor tal, but for the L ord, who is with you in the mat ter of judg ment. 7 And now , may the ter ror of the L ord be on you. Watch what you do, for there is no in jus tice or par tial i ty or tak ing bribes with the L ord our God.” 8 Je hosh a phat also ap point ed in Je ru sa lem some of the Le vites and priests and some of the Is ra el ite fam i ly heads for deciding the L ord ’ s will and for settling dis putes of the res i dents of b Je ru sa lem. 9 He com mand ed them, say ing, “ In the fear of the L ord, with in teg ri ty , and whole heart ed ly , you are to do the fol low ing: 10 For ev ery dis pute that comes to you from your broth ers who dwell in their cit ies — wheth er it re gards diff er ences of blood guilt, law , com mand ment, stat utes, or judg ments — you are to warn them, so they will not in cur guilt be fore the L ord and wrath will not come on you and your broth ers. Do this, and you will not in cur guilt. 11 “ Note that Am a ri ah, the chief priest, is over you in all mat ters re lat ed to the L ord, and Zeb a di ah son of Ish ma el, the rul er of the house of Ju dah, in all mat ters re lat ed to the king, and the Le vites are off i cers in your pres- ence. Be strong; may the L ord be with those who do what is good.” WAR AGAINST EASTERN ENEMIES 20 Af ter this, the Mo ab ites and Am mon ites, to geth er with some of the Me u nites, c came to fight against Je hosh a phat. 2 Peo ple came and told Je hosh a phat, “ A vast num ber from be yond the Dead Sea and from Edom d has come to fight against you; they are al ready in Hazazon-tamar” ( that is, En-gedi). 3 Je hosh- a phat was afraid, and he re solved to seek the L ord. Then he pro claimed a fast for all Ju dah, 4 who gath ered to seek the L ord. They even came from all the cit ies of Ju dah to seek him. JEHOSHAPHAT’S PRAYER 5 Then Je hosh a phat stood in the as sem bly of Ju dah and Je ru sa lem in the L ord’ s tem ple be fore the new court yard. 6 He said: Lord, God of our ancestors, are you not the God who is in heaven, and do you not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations? Power and might are in your hand, and no one can stand against you. 7 Are you not our God who drove out the inhabi - tants of this land before your people Isra - el and who gave it forever to the descen - dants of Abraham your friend? 8 They have lived in the land and have built you a sanctuary in it for your name and have said, 9 “If disaster comes on us — sword or judgment, pestilence or famine — we will stand before this temple and before you, for your name is in this temple. We will cry out to you because of our dis - tress, and you will hear and deliver.” 10 Now here are the Ammonites, Moabites, and the inhabitants of Mount Seir. You did not let Israel invade them when Israel came out of the land of Egypt, but Israel turned away from them and did not destroy them. 11 Look how they repay us by coming to drive us out of your possession that you gave us as an inheritance. 12 Our God, will you not judge them? For we are powerless before this vast number that comes to fight against us. We do not know what to do, but we look to you. e GOD’S ANSWER 13 All Ju dah was stand ing be fore the L ord with their de pen dents, their wives, and their chil- dren. 14 In the mid dle of the con gre ga tion, the Spir it of the L ord came on Ja ha zi el ( son of Zech a ri ah, son of Be na iah, son of Je i el, son of Mat ta ni ah, a Le vite from Asaph’s de scen dants), a19:2 Lit to his face b19:8 LXX, Vg; MT reads disputes and they returned to c20:1 LXX; MT reads Ammonites ; 2Ch 26:7 d20:2 Some Hb mss, Old Lat; other Hb mss read Aram e20:12 Lit but on you our eyes 389 2 CHRONICLES 19-20 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 389 10/26/17 9:00 PM 15 and he said, “Lis ten care ful ly , all Ju dah and you in hab i tants of Je ru sa lem, and King Je- hosh a phat. This is what the L ord says: ‘ Do not be afraid or dis cour aged be cause of this vast num ber, for the bat tle is not yours, but God’s. 16 To mor row , go down against them. You will see them com ing up the As cent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the val ley fac ing the Wil der ness of Je ru el. 17 You do not have to fight this bat tle. Po si tion your selves, stand still, and see the sal va tion of the L ord. He is with you, Ju dah and Je ru sa lem. Do not be afraid or dis cour aged. To mor row , go out to face them, for the L ord is with you.’ ” 18 Then Je hosh a phat knelt low with his face to the ground, and all Ju dah and the in hab i tants of Je ru sa lem fell down be fore the L ord to wor - ship him. 19 Then the Le vites from the sons of the Ko hath ites and the Ko rah ites stood up to praise the L ord God of Is ra el shout ing loud ly . VICTORY AND PLUNDER 20 In the morn ing they got up ear ly and went out to the wil der ness of Te koa. As they were about to go out, Je hosh a phat stood and said, “ Hear me, Ju dah and you in hab i tants of Je ru- sa lem. Be lieve in the L ord your God, and you will be es tab lished; be lieve in his proph ets, and you will suc ceed.” 21 Then he con sult ed with the peo ple and ap point ed some to sing for the L ord and some to praise the splen dor of his ho li ness. When they went out in front of the armed forc es, they kept sing ing: a Give thanks to the Lord, for his faithful love endures forever. 22 The mo ment they be gan their shouts and prais es, the L ord set an am bush against the Am mon ites, Mo ab ites, and the in hab i tants of Mount Seir who came to fight against Ju dah, and they were de feat ed. 23 The Am mon ites and Mo ab ites turned against the in hab i tants of Mount Seir and com plete ly an ni hi lat ed them. When they had fin ished with the in hab i tants of Seir, they helped de stroy each oth er. 24 When Ju dah came to a place over look- ing the wil der ness, they looked for the large army , but there were only corpses ly ing on the ground; no body had es caped. 25 Then Je hosh a- phat and his peo ple went to gath er the plun der. They found among them b an abun dance of goods on the bod ies c and valu able items. So they stripped them un til no body could car ry any more. They were gath er ing the plun der for three days be cause there was so much. 26 They as sem bled in the Val ley of Ber a cah d on the fourth day , for there they blessed the L ord. There fore, that place is still called the Val ley of Ber a cah to day . 27 Then all the men of Ju dah and Je ru sa lem turned back with Je hosh a phat their lead er, re turn ing joy ful ly to Je ru sa lem, for the L ord en abled them to re joice over their en e mies. 28 So they came into Je ru sa lem to the L ord’ s tem ple with harps, lyres, and trum pets. 29 The ter ror of God was on all the king doms of the lands when they heard that the L ord had fought against the en e mies of Is ra el. 30 Then Je hosh a phat’s king dom was qui et, for his God gave him rest on ev ery side. SUMMARY OF JEHOSHAPHAT’S REIGN 31 Je hosh a phat be came king over Ju dah. He was thirty-five years old when he be came king, and he reigned twenty-five years in Je ru sa lem. His moth er’s name was Azu bah daugh ter of Shil hi. 32 He walked in the ways of Asa his fa ther; he did not turn away from it but did what was right in the L ord’ s sight. 33 How ev er, the high plac es were not tak en away; the peo ple had not yet set their hearts on the God of their an ces tors. 34 The rest of the events of Je hosh a phat’s reign from be gin ning to end are writ ten in the Events of Jehu son of Ha na ni, which is re cord ed in the Book of Is ra el’s Kings. JEHOSHAPHAT’S FLEET OF SHIPS 35 Af ter this, Ju dah’s King Je hosh a phat made an al li ance with Is ra el’s King Aha zi ah, who was guilty of wrong do ing. 36 Je hosh a phat formed an al li ance with him to make ships to go to Tar shish, and they made the ships in Ezion-geber. 37 Then El i e zer son of Do da va hu of Ma re shah proph e sied against Je hosh a phat, say ing, “Be cause you formed an al li ance with Aha zi ah, the L ord has bro ken up what you have made.” So the ships were wrecked and were not able to go to Tar shish. JEHORAM BECOMES KING OVER JUDAH 21 Je hosh a phat rest ed with his fa thers and was bur ied with his fa thers in the city of Da vid. His son Je ho ram e be came king in his a20:21 Lit saying b20:25 LXX reads found cattle c20:25 Some Hb mss, Old Lat, Vg read goods, garments d20:26 = Blessing e21:1 = Joram2 CHRONICLES 20-21 390 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 390 10/26/17 9:00 PM place. 2 He had broth ers, sons of Je hosh a phat: Az a ri ah, Je hi el, Zech a ri ah, Az a ri ah, Mi cha el, and Sheph a ti ah; all these were the sons of King Je hosh a phat of Ju dah. a 3 Their fa ther had giv en them many gifts of sil ver, gold, and valu able things, along with for ti fied cit ies in Ju dah, but he gave the king dom to Je ho ram be cause he was the first born. 4 When Je ho ram had es- tab lished him self over his fa ther’s king dom, he strength ened his po si tion by kill ing with the sword all his broth ers as well as some of the princ es of Is ra el. JUDAH’S KING JEHORAM 5 Je ho ram was thirty-two years old when he be came king, and he reigned eight years in Je - ru sa lem. 6 He walked in the ways of the kings of Is ra el, as the house of Ahab had done, for Ahab’s daugh ter was his wife. He did what was evil in the L ord’ s sight, 7 but for the sake of the cov enant the L ord had made with Da vid, he was un will ing to de stroy the house of Da vid since the L ord had prom ised to give a lamp to Da vid and to his sons for ev er. 8 Dur ing Je ho ram’s reign, Edom re belled against Ju dah’s con trol and ap point ed their own king. 9 So Je ho ram crossed into Edom with his com mand ers and all his char i ots. Then at night he set out to at tack the Edom ites who had sur round ed him and the char i ot com mand ers. 10 And now Edom is still in re bel lion against Ju dah’s con trol to day . Lib nah also re belled at that time against his con trol be cause he had aban doned the L ord, the God of his an ces tors. 11 Je ho ram also built high plac es in the hills b of Ju dah, and he caused the in hab i tants of Je ru sa lem to pros ti tute them selves, and he led Ju dah astray . ELIJAH’S LETTER TO JEHORAM 12 Then a let ter came to Je ho ram from the proph et Eli jah, say ing: This is what the Lord, the God of your ancestor David says: “Because you have not walked in the ways of your father Jehoshaphat or in the ways of King Asa of Judah 13 but have walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, have caused Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to pros - titute themselves like the house of Ahab prostituted itself, and also have killed your brothers, your father’s family , who were better than you, 14 the Lord is now about to strike your people, your sons, your wives, and all your possessions with a horrible affliction. 15 You yourself will be struck with many illnesses, including a disease of the intestines, until your in - testines come out day after day because of the disease.” JEHORAM’S LAST DAYS 16 The L ord roused the spir it of the Phi lis tines and the Arabs who
👑 Royal Downfalls and Consequences
🔥 Divine judgment strikes King Jehoram through intestinal disease after his wickedness, dying "to no one's regret" and denied burial among kings, demonstrating how tyrannical leadership leads to shameful legacy
👸 Queen Athaliah seizes power through murderous purge of royal heirs, only to be overthrown when priest Jehoiada orchestrates restoration of rightful Davidic kingship through hidden heir Joash
🛠️ Temple restoration under young King Joash demonstrates initial faithfulness, collecting funds from the people to repair God's house, yet his righteousness collapses after mentor Jehoiada's death
🔄 Spiritual apostasy repeatedly triggers national disaster, as kings abandon God's ways for idol worship, leading directly to foreign invasions, assassinations, and military defeats
⚔️ Military campaigns reveal divine sovereignty, with King Amaziah's victory against Edom turning to arrogance when he adopts their gods, demonstrating how success without faithfulness leads to destruction
👁️ Prophetic warnings consistently precede judgment, yet kings repeatedly reject divine counsel, even executing messengers like Zechariah who declared "Because you have abandoned the Lord, he has abandoned you"
lived near the Cush ites to at tack Je ho ram. 17 So they went to war against Ju dah and in vad ed it. They car ried off all the pos ses sions found in the king’s pal ace and also his sons and wives; not a son was left to him ex cept Je ho a haz, c his youn gest son. 18 Af ter all these things, the L ord afflicted him in his in tes tines with an in cur able dis ease. 19 This con tin ued day af ter day un til two full years passed. Then his in tes tines came out be- cause of his dis ease, and he died from se vere d ill ness es. But his peo ple did not hold a fire in his hon or like the fire in hon or of his fa thers. 20 Je ho ram was thirty-two years old when he be came king; he reigned eight years in Je ru sa lem. He died to no one’s re gret e and was bur ied in the city of Da vid but not in the tombs of the kings. JUDAH’S KING AHAZIAH 22 Then the in hab i tants of Je ru sa lem made Aha zi ah, his youn gest son, king in his place, be cause the troops that had come with the Arabs to the camp had killed all the old er sons. f So Aha zi ah son of Je ho ram be came king of Ju dah. 2 Aha zi ah was twenty-two g years old when he be came king, and he reigned one year in Je ru sa lem. His moth er’s name was Ath a li ah, grand daugh ter h of Omri. 3 He walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his moth er gave him evil ad vice. 4 So he did what was evil in the L ord’ s sight like the house of Ahab, for they were his ad vis ers af ter the death of his fa ther, to his de struc tion. 5 He also fol lowed their ad vice and went with Jo- ram i son of Is ra el’s King Ahab to fight against King Haz a el of Aram, in Ramoth-gilead. The Ar a me ans j wound ed Jo ram, 6 so he re turned to Jez re el to re cov er from the wounds they in flict ed on him in Ramoth-gilead k when he fought against King Haz a el of Aram. Then a21:2 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr , Vg, Arabic; other Hb mss read Israel b21:11 Some Hb mss, LXX, Vg read cities c21:17 LXX, Syr , Tg read Ahaziah d21:19 Lit evil e21:20 Lit He walked in no desirability f22:1 Lit the former ones g22:2 Some LXX mss, Syr; MT reads 42 ; 2Kg 8:26 h22:2 Lit daughter i22:5 = Jehoram j22:5 Lit Rammites k22:6 Lit in Ramah 391 2 CHRONICLES 21-22 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 391 10/26/17 9:00 PM Ju dah’s King Aha zi ah a son of Je ho ram went down to Jez re el to vis it Jo ram son of Ahab since Jo ram was ill. 7 Aha zi ah’s down fall came from God when he went to Jo ram. When Aha zi ah ar rived, he went out with Jo ram to meet Jehu son of Nim- shi, whom the L ord had anoint ed to de stroy the house of Ahab. 8 So when Jehu ex e cut ed judg ment on the house of Ahab, he found the rul ers of Ju dah and the sons of Aha zi ah’s broth- ers who were serv ing Aha zi ah, and he killed them. 9 Then Jehu looked for Aha zi ah, and Jehu’s sol diers cap tured him ( he was hid ing in Sa mar ia). So they brought Aha zi ah to Jehu, and they killed him. The sol diers bur ied him, for they said, “ He is the grand son of Je hosh a- phat who sought the L ord with all his heart.” So no one from the house of Aha zi ah had the strength to rule the king dom. ATHALIAH USURPS THE THRONE 10 When Ath a li ah, Aha zi ah’s moth er, saw that her son was dead, she pro ceed ed to an ni hi- late all the roy al heirs b of the house of Ju dah. 11 Je ho sha be ath, c the king’s daugh ter, res cued Jo ash son of Aha zi ah from the king’s sons who were be ing killed and put him and the one who nursed him in a bed room. Now Je ho sha- be ath was the daugh ter of King Je ho ram and the wife of the priest Je hoi a da. Since she was Aha zi ah’s sis ter, she hid Jo ash from Ath a li ah so that she did not kill him. 12 While Ath a li ah reigned over the land, he was hid ing with them in God’s tem ple six years. ATHALIAH OVERTHROWN 23 Then, in the sev enth year, Je hoi a da sum moned his cour age and took the com mand ers of hun dreds into a cov enant with him: Az a ri ah son of Je ro ham, Ish ma el son of Je ho ha nan, Az a ri ah son of Obed, Ma- a se iah son of Ada iah, and Elish a phat son of Zichri. 2 They made a cir cuit through out Ju dah. They gath ered the Le vites from all the cit ies of Ju dah and the fam i ly heads of Is ra el, and they came to Je ru sa lem. 3 Then the whole as sem bly made a cov enant with the king in God’s tem ple. Je hoi a da said to them, “ Here is the king’s son! He will reign, just as the L ord prom ised con cern ing Da vid’s sons. 4 This is what you are to do: a third of you, priests and Le vites who are com ing on duty on the Sab bath, are to be gate keep ers. 5 A third are to be at the king’s pal ace, and a third are to be at the Foun da tion Gate, and all the troops will be in the court yards of the L ord’ s tem ple. 6 No one is to en ter the L ord’ s tem ple but the priests and those Le vites who serve; they may en ter be cause they are holy , but all the peo ple are to obey the re quire ment of the L ord. 7 Com plete- ly sur round the king with weap ons in hand. Any one who en ters the tem ple is to be put to death. Be with the king in all his dai ly tasks.” d 8 So the com mand ers of hun dreds did ev ery- thing the priest Je hoi a da com mand ed. They each brought their men — those com ing on duty on the Sab bath and those go ing off duty on the Sab bath — for the priest Je hoi a da did not re lease the di vi sions. 9 The priest Je hoi a da gave to the com mand ers of hun dreds King Da- vid’s spears, shields, and quiv ers e that were in God’s tem ple. 10 Then he sta tioned all the troops with their weap ons in hand sur round ing the king — from the right side of the tem ple to the left side, by the al tar and by the tem ple. 11 They brought out the king’s son, put the crown on him, gave him the tes ti mo ny , and made him king. Je hoi a da and his sons anoint ed him and cried, “ Long live the king! ” 12 When Ath a li ah heard the noise from the troops, the guards, and those prais ing the king, she went to the troops in the L ord’ s tem ple. 13 As she looked, there was the king stand ing by his pil lar f at the en trance. The com mand ers and the trum pet ers were by the king, and all the peo ple of the land were re joic ing and blow ing trum pets while the sing ers with mu si cal in stru- ments were lead ing the praise. Ath a li ah tore her clothes and screamed, “Trea son! Trea son! ” 14 Then the priest Je hoi a da sent out the com- mand ers of hun dreds, those in charge of the army , say ing, “ Take her out be tween the ranks, and put any one who fol lows her to death by the sword,” for the priest had said, “ Don’t put her to death in the L ord’ s tem ple.” 15 So they ar rest ed her, and she went by the en trance of the Horse Gate to the king’s pal ace, where they put her to death. JEHOIADA’S REFORMS 16 Then Je hoi a da made a cov enant be tween him self, the king, and the peo ple that they would be the L ord ’ s peo ple. 17 So all the peo ple went to the tem ple of Baal and tore it down. a22:6 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr , Vg; other Hb mss read Azariah b22:10 Lit seed c22:11 = Jehosheba; 2Kg 11:2 d23:7 Lit king when he comes in and when he goes out e23:9 Or spears and large and small shields f23:13 LXX reads post2 CHRONICLES 22-23 392 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 392 10/26/17 9:00 PM They smashed its al tars and im ages and killed Mat tan, the priest of Baal, at the al tars. 18 Then Je hoi a da put the over sight of the L ord’ s tem ple into the hands of the Le vit i- cal priests, whom Da vid had ap point ed over the L ord’ s tem ple, to off er burnt off er ings to the L ord as it is writ ten in the law of Mo ses, with re joic ing and song or dained by a Da vid. 19 He sta tioned gate keep ers at the gates of the L ord’ s tem ple so that noth ing un clean could en ter for any rea son. 20 Then he took with him the com mand ers of hun dreds, the no bles, the gov er nors of the peo ple, and all the peo ple of the land and brought the king down from the L ord’ s tem ple. They en tered the king’s pal ace through the Up per Gate and seat ed the king on the throne of the king dom. 21 All the peo ple of the land re joiced, and the city was qui et, for they had put Ath a li ah to death by the sword. JUDAH’S KING JOASH 24 Jo ash was sev en years old when he be- came king, and he reigned for ty years in Je ru sa lem. His moth er’s name was Zib i ah; she was from Be er-she ba. 2 Through out the time of the priest Je hoi a da, Jo ash did what was right in the L ord’ s sight. 3 Je hoi a da ac quired two wives for him, and he was the fa ther of sons and daugh ters. REPAIRING THE TEMPLE 4 Af ter ward, Jo ash took it to heart to renovate the L ord’ s tem ple. 5 So he gath ered the priests and Le vites and said, “ Go out to the cit ies of Ju dah and col lect sil ver from all Is ra el to re- pair the tem ple of your God as need ed year by year, and do it quick ly .” How ev er, the Le vites did not hur ry . 6 So the king called Je hoi a da the high priest and said, “ Why haven’t you re quired the Le vites to bring from Ju dah and Je ru sa lem the tax im posed by the L ord’ s ser vant Mo ses and the as sem bly of Is ra el for the tent of the tes ti mo ny? 7 For the sons of that wick ed Ath a li ah broke into the L ord’ s tem ple and even used the sa cred things of the L ord’ s tem ple for the Baals.” 8 At the king’s com mand a chest was made and placed out side the gate of the L ord’ s tem- ple. 9 Then a proc la ma tion was is sued in Ju- dah and Je ru sa lem that the tax God’s ser vant Mo ses im posed on Is ra el in the wil der ness be brought to the L ord. 10 All the lead ers and all the peo ple re joiced, brought the tax, and put it in the chest un til it was full. 11 When ev er the chest was brought by the Le vites to the king’s over seers, and when they saw that there was a large amount of sil ver, the king’s sec re tary and the high priest’s dep u ty came and emp- tied the chest, picked it up, and re turned it to its place. They did this dai ly and gath ered the sil ver in abun dance. 12 Then the king and Je hoi a da gave it to those in charge of the la bor on the L ord’ s tem ple, who were hiring stone- cut ters and car pen ters to renovate the L ord’ s tem ple, also black smiths and coppersmiths to re pair the L ord’ s tem ple. 13 The work men did their work, and through them the re pairs pro gressed. They re stored God’s tem ple to its spec i fi ca tions and re in- forced it. 14 When they fin ished, they pre sent ed the rest of the sil ver to the king and Je hoi a da, who made ar ti cles for the L ord’ s tem ple with it — ar ti cles for min is try and for mak ing burnt off er ings, and ladles b and ar ti cles of gold and sil ver. They reg u lar ly off ered burnt off er ings in the L ord’ s tem ple through out Je hoi a da’s life. JOASH’S APOSTASY 15 Je hoi a da died when he was old and full of days; he was 130 years old at his death. 16 He was bur ied in the city of Da vid with the kings be cause he had done what was good in Is ra el with re spect to God and his tem ple. 17 How ev er, af ter Je hoi a da died, the rul ers of Ju dah came and paid hom age to the king. Then the king lis tened to them, 18 and they aban doned the tem ple of the L ord, the God of their an ces tors, and served the Ashe rah poles and the idols. So there was wrath against Ju dah and Je ru sa lem for this guilt of theirs. 19 Nev er- the less, he sent them proph ets to bring them back to the L ord; they ad mon ished them, but the peo ple would not lis ten. 20 The Spir it of God en vel oped c Zech a ri ah son of Je hoi a da the priest. He stood above the peo ple and said to them, “ This is what God says, ‘ Why are you transgressing the L ord’ s com mands so that you do not pros per? Be- cause you have aban doned the L ord, he has aban doned you.’ ” 21 But they con spired against him and stoned him at the king’s com mand in the court yard of the L ord’ s tem ple. 22 King Jo ash didn’t re mem ber the kind ness that Zech - a ri ah’s fa ther Je hoi a da had ex tend ed to him, but killed his son. While he was dy ing, he said, “ May the L ord see and de mand an ac count.” a23:18 Lit song on the hands of b24:14 Or dishes, or spoons ; lit palms c24:20 Lit clothed 393 2 CHRONICLES 23-24 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 393 10/26/17 9:00 PM ARAMEAN INVASION OF JUDAH 23 At the turn of the year, an Ar a me an army at tacked Jo ash. They en tered Ju dah and Je- ru sa lem and de stroyed all the lead ers of the peo ple among them and sent all the plun der to the king of Da mas cus. 24 Al though the Ar - a me an army came with only a few men, the L ord hand ed over a vast army to them be cause the peo ple of Ju dah had aban doned the L ord, the God of their an ces tors. So they ex e cut ed judg ment on Jo ash. JOASH ASSASSINATED 25 When the Ar a me ans saw that Jo ash had many wounds, they left him. His ser vants con- spired against him, and killed him on his bed, be cause he had shed the blood of the sons of the priest Je hoi a da. So he died, and they bur - ied him in the city of Da vid, but they did not bury him in the tombs of the kings. 26 Those who con spired against him were Za bad, son of the Am mon ite wom an Shim e ath, and Je hoz a bad, son of the Mo ab ite wom an Shim rith. a 27 The ac counts con cern ing his sons, the many di vine pronouncements about him, and the res to ra tion of God’s tem ple are re- cord ed in the Writ ing of the Book of the Kings. His son Am a zi ah be came king in his place. JUDAH’S KING AMAZIAH 25 Am a zi ah be came king when he was twenty-five years old, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Je ru sa lem. His moth er’s name was Je ho ad dan; she was from Je ru sa lem. 2 He did what was right in the L ord ’ s sight but not whole heart ed ly . 3 As soon as the king dom was firm ly in his grasp, b he ex e cut ed his ser vants who had killed his fa ther the king. 4 How ev er, he did not put their chil dren to death, be cause — as it is writ ten in the Law , in the book of Mo ses, where the L ord com mand ed — “Fa thers are not to die be cause of chil dren, and chil dren are not to die be cause of fa thers, but each one will die for his own sin.” AMAZIAH’S CAMPAIGN AGAINST EDOM 5 Then Am a zi ah gath ered Ju dah and as sem bled them ac cord ing to an ces tral fam i lies, c ac cord ing to com mand ers of thou sands, and ac cord ing to com mand ers of hun dreds. He num bered those twen ty years old or more for all Ju dah and Ben ja min. He found there to be three hun- dred thou sand fit young men who could serve in the army , bear ing spear and shield. 6 Then for 7,500 pounds d of sil ver he hired one hun dred thou sand val iant war riors from Is ra el. 7 How ev er, a man of God came to him and said, “ King, do not let Is ra el’s army go with you, for the L ord is not with Is ra el — all the Ephra im ites. 8 But if you go with them, do it! Be strong for bat tle! But God will make you stum ble be fore the en e my , for God has the pow er to help or to make one stum ble.” 9 Then Am a zi ah said to the man of God, “ What should I do about the 7,500 pounds of sil ver I gave to Is ra el’s di vi sion? ” The man of God re plied, “ The L ord is able to give you much more than this.” 10 So Am a zi ah re leased the di vi sion that came to him from Ephra im to go home. But they got very an gry with Ju dah and re turned home in a fierce rage. 11 Am a zi ah strength ened his po si tion and led his peo ple to the Salt Val ley . He struck down ten thou sand Seir ites, e 12 and the Ju da hites cap tured ten thou sand alive. They took them to the top of a cliff where they threw them off, and all of them were dashed to pieces. 13 As for the men of the di vi sion that Am a- zi ah sent back so they would not go with him into bat tle, they raid ed the cit ies of Ju dah from Sa mar ia to Beth-ho ron, struck down three thou sand of their peo ple, and took a great deal of plun der. 14 Af ter Am a zi ah came from the at tack on the Edom ites, he brought the gods of the Seir ites and set them up as his gods. He wor shiped be fore them and burned in cense to them. 15 So the L ord’ s an ger was against Am a zi ah, and he sent a proph et to him, who said, “ Why have you sought a peo ple’s gods that could not res- cue their own peo ple from you? ” 16 While he was still speak ing to him, the king asked, “ Have we made you the king’s coun- sel or? Stop, why should you lose your life? ” So the proph et stopped, but he said, “ I know that God in tends to de stroy you, be cause you have done this and have not lis tened to my ad vice.” AMAZIAH’S WAR WITH ISRAEL’S KING JOASH 17 King Am a zi ah of Ju dah took coun sel and sent word to Je ho ash f son of Je ho a haz, son a24:26 = Shomer in 2Kg 12:21 b25:3 LXX, Syr; MT reads was strong on him ; 1Kg 14:4 c25:5 Lit house of fathers d25:6 Lit 100 talents, also in v. 9 e25:11 = Edomites, also in v. 14 f25:17 Lit Joash2 CHRONICLES 24-25 394 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 394 10/26/17 9:00 PM of Jehu, king of Is ra el, and chal lenged him: “ Come, let’s meet face to face.” 18 King Je ho ash of Is ra el sent word to King Am a zi ah of Ju dah, say ing, “ The this tle
👑 Royal Pride and Punishment
🏰 King Amaziah's overconfidence after defeating Edom led to his downfall when he challenged Israel's King Jehoash, resulting in Jerusalem's walls being broken down and its treasures plundered
🛡️ King Uzziah achieved remarkable military success and technological innovation during his 52-year reign, building towers, digging wells, and creating advanced weapons that spread his fame widely
🔥 Pride corrupted Uzziah when he illegally entered the temple to burn incense, resulting in divine punishment through a skin disease that forced him into isolation until death
⚖️ Kings Jotham and Ahaz represent contrasting leadership—Jotham strengthened Judah through obedience to God, while Ahaz embraced idolatry, sacrificed his children, and plundered the temple
🧹 King Hezekiah initiated spiritual renewal by reopening and cleansing the temple, removing impurities, and restoring proper worship practices abandoned by previous generations
🔄 The cyclical pattern of faithfulness bringing prosperity versus disobedience bringing destruction demonstrates divine sovereignty over the fate of Judah's kings and people
in Leb- a non sent a mes sage to the ce dar in Leb a non, say ing, ‘ Give your daugh ter to my son as a wife.’ Then a wild an i mal in Leb a non passed by and tram pled the this tle. 19 You have said, ‘ Look, I a have de feat ed Edom,’ and you have be come over con fi dent b that you will get glo ry . Now stay at home. Why stir up such trou ble so that you fall and Ju dah with you? ” 20 But Am a zi ah would not lis ten, for this turn of events was from God in or der to hand them over to their en e mies be cause they went af ter the gods of Edom. 21 So King Je ho ash of Is ra el ad vanced. He and King Am a zi ah of Ju dah met face to face at Beth-she mesh that be longed to Ju dah. 22 Ju dah was rout ed be fore Is ra el, and each man fled to his own tent. 23 King Je ho ash of Is ra el cap tured Ju dah’s King Am a zi ah son of Jo ash, son of Je ho a haz, c at Beth-she mesh. Then Je ho ash took him to Je ru sa lem and broke down two hun dred yards d of Je ru sa lem’s wall from the Ephra im Gate to the Cor ner Gate. e 24 He took all the gold, sil ver, all the uten sils that were found with Obed-edom in God’s tem ple, the trea sures of the king’s pal ace, and the hos tag es. Then he re turned to Sa mar ia. AMAZIAH’S DEATH 25 Ju dah’s King Am a zi ah son of Jo ash lived fif teen years af ter the death of Is ra el’s King Je ho ash son of Je ho a haz. 26 The rest of the events of Am a zi ah’s reign, from be gin ning to end, are writ ten in the Book of the Kings of Ju dah and Is ra el. 27 From the time Am a zi ah turned from fol- low ing the L ord, a con spir a cy was formed against him in Je ru sa lem, and he fled to La- chish. How ev er, men were sent af ter him to La- chish, and they put him to death there. 28 They car ried him back on hors es and bur ied him with his fa thers in the city of Ju dah. f JUDAH’S KING UZZIAH 26 All the peo ple of Ju dah took Uz zi ah, g who was six teen years old, and made him king in place of his fa ther Am a zi ah. 2 Af- ter Am a zi ah the king rest ed with his fa thers, Uz zi ah re built Eloth h and re stored it to Ju dah.3 Uz zi ah was six teen years old when he be- came king, and he reigned fifty-two years in Je ru sa lem. His moth er’s name was Jec o li ah; she was from Je ru sa lem. 4 He did what was right in the L ord’ s sight just as his fa ther Am- a zi ah had done. 5 He sought God through out the life time of Zech a ri ah, the teach er of the fear i of God. Dur ing the time that he sought the L ord, God gave him suc cess. UZZIAH’S EXPLOITS 6 Uz zi ah went out to wage war against the Phi lis tines, and he tore down the wall of Gath, the wall of Jab neh, and the wall of Ash dod. Then he built cit ies in the vi cin i ty of Ash dod and among the Phi lis tines. 7 God helped him against the Phi lis tines, the Arabs that live in Gur-baal, and the Me u nites. 8 The Am mon ites j paid trib ute to Uz zi ah, and his fame spread as far as the en trance of Egypt, for God made him very pow er ful. 9 Uz zi ah built tow ers in Je ru sa lem at the Cor ner Gate, the Val ley Gate, and the cor ner but tress, and he for ti fied them. 10 Since he had many cat tle both in the Ju de an foot hills k and the plain, he built tow ers in the desert and dug many wells. And since he was a lov er of the soil, he had farm ers and vine - dressers in the hills and in the fer tile lands. l 11 Uz zi ah had an army equipped for combat that went out to war by di vi sion ac cord ing to their as sign ments, as re cord ed by Je i el the court sec re tary and Ma a se iah the off i cer un der the au thor i ty of Han a ni ah, one of the king’s com mand ers. 12 The to tal num ber of fam i ly heads was 2,600 val iant war riors. 13 Un der their au thor i ty was an army of 307,500 equipped for combat, a pow er ful force to help the king against the en e my . 14 Uz zi ah pro vid ed the en - tire army with shields, spears, hel mets, ar mor, bows, and sling stones. 15 He made skill ful ly de signed de vic es in Je ru sa lem to shoot ar - rows and catapult large stones for use on the tow ers and on the cor ners. So his fame spread even to dis tant plac es, for he was wondrously helped un til he be came strong. UZZIAH’S DISEASE 16 But when he be came strong, he grew ar ro- gant, and it led to his own de struc tion. He act ed un faith ful ly against the L ord his God by go ing into the L ord’ s sanc tu ary to burn in cense on a25:19 Some LXX mss, Old Lat, Tg, Vg; MT reads you b25:19 Lit and your heart has lifted you c25:23 = Ahaziah in 2Kg 14:13 d25:23 Lit 400 cubits e25:23 Some Hb mss; other Hb mss read to Happoneh f25:28 Some Hb mss read city of David g26:1 = Azariah in 2Kg 14:21 h26:2 LXX, Syr , Vg read Elath i26:5 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr , Tg, Arabic; other Hb mss, Vg read visions j26:8 LXX reads Meunites k26:10 Or the Shephelah l26:10 Or in Carmel 395 2 CHRONICLES 25-26 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 395 10/26/17 9:00 PM the in cense al tar. 17 The priest Az a ri ah, along with eighty brave priests of the L ord, went in af ter him. 18 They took their stand against King Uz zi ah and said, “Uz zi ah, you have no right to off er in cense to the L ord — only the con se crat ed priests, the de scen dants of Aar - on, have the right to off er in cense. Leave the sanc tu ary , for you have act ed un faith ful ly! You will not re ceive hon or from the L ord God.” 19 Uz zi ah, with a firepan in his hand to off er in cense, was en raged. But when he be came en raged with the priests, in the pres ence of the priests in the L ord’ s tem ple be side the al tar of in cense, a skin dis ease broke out on his fore head. 20 Then Az a ri ah the chief priest and all the priests turned to him and saw that he was dis eased on his fore head. They rushed him out of there. He him self also hur ried to get out be cause the L ord had afflicted him. 21 So King Uz zi ah was dis eased to the time of his death. He lived in quar an tine a with a se ri ous skin dis ease and was ex clud ed from ac cess to the L ord’ s tem ple, while his son Jo tham was over the king’s house hold gov ern ing the peo ple of the land. 22 Now the proph et Isa iah son of Amoz wrote about the rest of the events of Uz zi ah’s reign, from be gin ning to end. 23 Uz zi ah rest ed with his fa thers, and he was bur ied with his fa thers in the buri al ground of the kings’ cem e tery , for they said, “ He has a skin dis ease.” His son Jo tham be came king in his place. JUDAH’S KING JOTHAM 27 Jo tham was twenty-five years old when he be came king, and he reigned six teen years in Je ru sa lem. His moth er’s name was Jerushah daugh ter of Za dok. 2 He did what was right in the L ord’ s sight just as his fa ther Uz zi ah had done. In ad di tion, he didn’t en ter the L ord’ s sanc tu ary , but the peo ple still be- haved cor rupt ly . 3 Jo tham built the Up per Gate of the L ord’ s tem ple, and he built extensively on the wall of Ophel. 4 He also built cit ies in the hill coun- try of Ju dah and for tress es and tow ers in the for ests. 5 He waged war against the king of the Am mon ites. He over pow ered the Am- mon ites, and that year they gave him 7,500 pounds b of sil ver, 50,000 bush els c of wheat, and 50,000 bush els of bar ley . They paid him the same in the sec ond and third years. 6 So Jo tham strength ened his po si tion be cause he did not wa ver in obey ing d the L ord his God. 7 As for the rest of the events of Jo tham’s reign, along with all his wars and his ways, note that they are writ ten in the Book of the Kings of Is ra el and Ju dah. 8 He was twenty-five years old when he be came king, and he reigned six teen years in Je ru sa lem. 9 Jo tham rest ed with his fa thers and was bur ied in the city of Da vid. His son Ahaz be came king in his place. JUDAH’S KING AHAZ 28 Ahaz was twen ty years old when he be came king, and he reigned six teen years in Je ru sa lem. He did not do what was right in the L ord’ s sight like his an ces tor Da- vid, 2 for he walked in the ways of the kings of Is ra el and made cast im ages of the Baals. 3 He burned in cense in Ben Hin nom Val ley and burned his chil dren in e the fire, imitating the de test able prac tic es of the na tions the L ord had dispossessed be fore the Is ra el ites. 4 He sac ri ficed and burned in cense on the high plac es, on the hills, and un der ev ery green tree. 5 So the L ord his God hand ed Ahaz over to the king of Aram. He at tacked him and took many cap tives to Da mas cus. Ahaz was also hand ed over to the king of Is ra el, who struck him with great force: 6 Pe kah son of Rem a li ah killed one hun dred twen ty thou sand in Ju dah in one day — all brave men — be cause they had aban doned the L ord God of their an ces tors. 7 An Ephra im ite war rior named Zichri killed the king’s son Ma a se iah, Az ri kam gov er nor of the pal ace, and El ka nah who was sec ond to the king. 8 Then the Is ra el- ites took two hun dred thou sand cap tives from their broth ers — wom en, sons, and daugh ters. They also took a great deal of plun der from them and brought it to Sa mar ia. 9 A proph et of the L ord named Oded was there. He went out to meet the army that came to Sa mar ia and said to them, “ Look, the L ord God of your an ces tors hand ed them over to you be cause of his wrath against Ju dah, but you slaugh tered them in a rage that has reached heav en. 10 Now you plan to re duce the peo ple of Ju dah and Je ru sa lem, male and fe male, to slav ery . Are you not also guilty be- fore the L ord your God? 11 Lis ten to me and re turn the cap tives you took from your broth- ers, for the L ord’ s burn ing an ger is on you.” a26:21 Lit in a house of exemption from duty b27:5 Lit 100 talents c27:5 Lit 10,000 cors d27:6 Lit he established his ways before e28:3 LXX, Syr , Tg read and passed his children through2 CHRONICLES 26-28 396 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 396 10/26/17 9:00 PM 12 So some men who were lead ers of the Ephra im ites — Az a ri ah son of Je ho ha nan, Ber e chi ah son of Me shil le moth, Je hiz ki ah son of Shal lum, and Am a sa son of Had lai — stood in op po si tion to those com ing from the war. 13 They said to them, “ You must not bring the cap tives here, for you plan to bring guilt on us from the L ord to add to our sins and our guilt. For we have much guilt, and burn ing an ger is on Is ra el.” 14 The army left the cap tives and the plun der in the pres ence of the off i cers and the con gre- ga tion. 15 Then the men who were des ig nat- ed by name took charge of the cap tives and pro vid ed clothes for their na ked ones from the plun der. They clothed them, gave them san dals, food and drink, dressed their wounds, and pro vid ed don keys for all the fee ble. The Is ra el ites brought them to Jer i cho, the City of Palms, among their broth ers. Then they re turned to Sa mar ia. 16 At that time King Ahaz asked the king of As syr ia for help. 17 The Edom ites came again, at tacked Ju dah, and took cap tives. 18 The Phi- lis tines also raid ed the cit ies of the Ju de an foot hills a and the Ne gev of Ju dah. They cap- tured and oc cu pied Beth-she mesh, Ai ja lon, and Ge de roth, as well as Soco, Tim nah, and Gim zo with their sur round ing vil lages. 19 For the L ord hum bled Ju dah be cause of King Ahaz of Ju dah, b who threw off re straint in Ju dah and was un faith ful to the L ord. 20 Then King Tiglath-pileser c of As syr ia came against Ahaz; he op pressed him and did not give him sup- port. 21 Al though Ahaz plun dered the L ord’ s tem ple and the pal ace of the king and of the rul ers and gave the plun der to the king of As syr ia, it did not help him. 22 At the time of his dis tress, King Ahaz him- self be came more un faith ful to the L ord. 23 He sac ri ficed to the gods of Da mas cus which had de feat ed him; he said, “ Since the gods of the kings of Aram are help ing them, I will sac ri fice to them so that they will help me.” But they were the down fall of him and of all Is ra el. 24 Then Ahaz gath ered up the uten sils of God’s tem ple, cut them into pieces, shut the doors of the L ord’ s tem ple, and made him self al tars on ev ery street cor ner in Je ru sa lem. 25 He made high plac es in ev ery city of Ju dah to off er in cense to oth er gods, and he an gered the L ord, the God of his an ces tors.AHAZ’S DEATH 26 As for the rest of his deeds and all his ways, from be gin ning to end, they are writ ten in the Book of the Kings of Ju dah and Is ra el. 27 Ahaz rest ed with his fa thers and was bur ied in the city , in Je ru sa lem, but they did not bring him into the tombs of the kings of Is ra el. His son Hez e ki ah be came king in his place. JUDAH’S KING HEZEKIAH 29 Hez e ki ah was twenty-five years old when he be came king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Je ru sa lem. His moth er’s name was Abi jah d daugh ter of Zech a ri ah. 2 He did what was right in the L ord’ s sight just as his an ces tor Da vid had done. 3 In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the L ord’ s tem ple and re paired them. 4 Then he brought in the priests and Le vites and gath ered them in the east ern pub lic square. 5 He said to them, “ Hear me, Le vites. Con se crate your selves now and con se crate the tem ple of the L ord, the God of your an ces tors. Re move ev ery thing im pure from the holy place. 6 For our fa thers were un faith ful and did what is evil in the sight of the L ord our God. They aban doned him, turned their fac es away from the L ord ’ s dwell ing place, and turned their backs on him. e 7 They also closed the doors of the por ti co, ex- tin guished the lamps, did not burn in cense, and did not off er burnt off er ings in the holy place of the God of Is ra el. 8 There fore, the wrath of the L ord was on Ju dah and Je ru sa- lem, and he made them an ob ject of ter ror, hor ror, and mock ery , f as you see with your own eyes. 9 Our fa thers fell by the sword, and our sons, our daugh ters, and our wives are in cap tiv i ty be cause of this. 10 It is in my heart now to make a cov enant with the L ord, the God of Is ra el so that his burn ing an ger may turn away from us. 11 My sons, don’t be neg- li gent now , for the L ord has cho sen you to stand in his pres ence, to serve him, and to be his min is ters and burners of in cense.” CLEANSING THE TEMPLE 12 Then the Le vites stood up: Mahath son of Amasai and Joel son of Azariah from the Kohathites; Kish son of Abdi and Azariah son of Jehallelel from the Merarites; a28:18 Or the Shephelah b28:19 Some Hb mss; other Hb mss read Israel c28:20 Text emended; MT reads Tilgath-pilneser ; 1Ch 5:6,26 d29:1 = Abi in 2Kg 18:2 e29:6 Lit and they gave the back of the neck f29:8 Lit hissing 397 2 CHRONICLES 28-29 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 397 10/26/17 9:00 PM Joah son of Zimmah and Eden son of Joah from the Gershonites; 13 Shimri and Jeuel from the Elizaphanites; Zechariah and Mattaniah from the Asaphites; 14 Jehiel a and Shimei from the Hemanites; Shemaiah and Uzziel from the Jeduthunites. 15 They gath ered their broth ers to geth er, con- se crat ed them selves, and went ac cord ing to the king’s com mand by the words of the L ord to cleanse the L ord’ s tem ple. 16 The priests went to the en trance of the L ord’ s tem ple to cleanse it. They took all the un clean things they found in the L ord’ s sanc- tu ary to the court yard of the L ord’ s tem ple. Then the Le vites re ceived them and took them out side to the Kid ron Val ley . 17 They be gan the con se cra tion on the first day of the first month, and on the eighth day of the month they came to the por ti co of the L ord’ s tem- ple. They con se crat ed the L ord’ s tem ple for eight days, and on the six teenth day of the first month they fin ished. 18 Then they went in side to King Hez e ki ah and said, “ We have cleansed the whole tem ple of the L ord, the al tar of burnt off er ing and all its uten sils, and the ta ble for the rows of the Bread of the Pres ence and all its uten sils. 19 We have set up and con se crat ed all the uten sils that King Ahaz re ject ed dur ing his reign when he be came un faith ful. They are in front of the al tar of the L ord.” RENEWAL OF TEMPLE WORSHIP 20 King Hez e ki ah got up ear ly , gath ered the city off i cials, and went to the L ord’ s tem ple. 21 They brought sev en bulls, sev en rams, sev en lambs, and sev en male goats as a sin off er ing for the king dom, for the sanc tu ary , and for Ju dah. Then he told the de scen dants of Aar - on, the priests, to off er them on the al tar of the L ord. 22 So they slaugh tered the bulls, and the priests re ceived the blood and splattered it on the al tar. They slaugh tered the rams and splattered the blood on the al tar. They slaugh- tered the lambs and splattered the blood on the al tar. 23 Then they brought the goats for the sin off er ing right into the pres ence of the king and the con gre ga tion, who laid their hands on them. 24 The priests slaugh tered the goats and put their blood on the al tar for a sin off er ing, to make atone ment for all Is ra el, for the king said that the burnt off er ing and sin off er ing were for all Is ra el. 25 Hez e ki ah sta tioned the Le vites in the L ord’ s tem ple with cym bals, harps, and lyres ac cord ing to
🛐 Hezekiah's Temple Restoration
🏛️ King Hezekiah revitalized worship in Jerusalem by reestablishing temple sacrifices, consecrating priests and Levites, and removing idolatrous objects throughout the land
🐑 The Passover celebration united Israel and Judah in unprecedented joy, with abundant offerings (thousands of animals) and extended festivities that surpassed anything since Solomon's time
🛡️ When facing Assyrian invasion under Sennacherib, Hezekiah strengthened Jerusalem's defenses while encouraging the people to trust in divine protection rather than human strength
⚔️ Despite Assyrian mockery of God and intimidation tactics, Hezekiah and Isaiah prayed fervently, resulting in miraculous divine deliverance through an angel who defeated the enemy forces
🙏 Hezekiah's religious reforms established proper tithing systems that provided abundantly for priests and Levites, demonstrating his commitment to "what was good and upright and true"
💔 Despite his faithfulness, Hezekiah's later pride following his recovery from illness revealed the human weakness that existed alongside his remarkable spiritual leadership
the com mand of Da vid, Gad the king’s seer, and the proph et Na than. For the com mand was from the L ord through his proph ets. 26 The Le vites stood with the in- stru ments of Da vid, and the priests with the trum pets. 27 Then Hez e ki ah or dered that the burnt of- fer ing be o ff ered on the al tar. When the burnt off er ings be gan, the song of the L ord and the trum pets be gan, ac com pa nied by the in stru- ments of King Da vid of Is ra el. 28 The whole as sem bly was wor ship ing, sing ing the song, and blow ing the trum pets — all this con tin- ued un til the burnt off er ing was com plet ed. 29 When the burnt o ff er ings were com plet ed, the king and all those pre sent with him bowed down and wor shiped. 30 Then King Hez e ki ah and the off i cials told the Le vites to sing praise to the L ord in the words of Da vid and of the seer Asaph. So they sang prais es with re joic- ing and knelt low and wor shiped. 31 Hez e ki ah con clud ed, “ Now you are con- se crat ed b to the L ord. Come near and bring sac ri fic es and thank off er ings to the L ord’ s tem ple.” So the con gre ga tion brought sac ri- fic es and thank off er ings, and all those with will ing hearts brought burnt off er ings. 32 The num ber of burnt off er ings the con gre ga tion brought was sev en ty bulls, one hun dred rams, and two hun dred lambs; all these were for a burnt off er ing to the L ord. 33 Six hun dred bulls and three thou sand sheep and goats were con se crat ed. 34 How ev er, since there were not enough priests, they weren’t able to skin all the burnt off er ings, so their Le vite broth ers helped them un til the work was fin ished and un til the priests con se crat ed them selves. For the Le vites were more con sci en tious c to con se- crate them selves than the priests were. 35 Fur - ther more, the burnt off er ings were abun dant, along with the fat of the fel low ship off er ings and with the drink off er ings for the burnt off er ing. So the ser vice of the L ord’ s tem ple was es- tab lished. 36 Then Hez e ki ah and all the peo ple re joiced over how God had pre pared the peo - ple, for it had come about sud den ly . a29:14 Alt Hb tradition reads Jehuel b29:31 Lit Now you have filled your hands c29:34 Lit upright of heart ; Ps 32:11; 64:102 CHRONICLES 29 398 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 398 10/26/17 9:00 PM CELEBRATION OF THE PASSOVER 30 Then Hez e ki ah sent word through- out all Is ra el and Ju dah, and he also wrote let ters to Ephra im and Ma nas seh to come to the L ord’ s tem ple in Je ru sa lem to ob serve the Pass over of the L ord, the God of Is ra el. 2 For the king and his off i cials and the en tire con gre ga tion in Je ru sa lem de cid ed to ob serve the Pass over of the L ord in the sec- ond month, 3 be cause they were not able to ob serve it at the ap pro pri ate time. Not enough of the priests had con se crat ed them selves, and the peo ple hadn’t been gath ered to geth er in Je ru sa lem. 4 The pro pos al pleased the king and the con gre ga tion, 5 so they affirmed the pro pos al and spread the mes sage through out all Is ra el, from Be er-she ba to Dan, to come to ob serve the Pass over of the L ord, the God of Is ra el in Je ru sa lem, for they hadn’t ob served it of ten, a as pre scribed. b 6 So the cou ri ers went through out Is ra el and Ju dah with let ters from the hand of the king and his of fi cials, and ac cord ing to the king’s com mand, say ing, “Is ra el ites, re turn to the L ord, the God of Abra ham, Isaac, and Is ra el so that he may re turn to those of you who re main, who have es caped the grasp of the kings of As syr ia. 7 Don’t be like your fa thers and your broth ers who were un faith - ful to the L ord , the God of their an ces tors so that he made them an ob ject of hor ror as you your selves see. 8 Don’t be come ob sti nate c now like your fa thers did. Give your al le giance d to the L ord, and come to his sanc tu ary that he has con se crat ed for ev er. Serve the L ord your God so that he may turn his burn ing an ger away from you, 9 for when you re turn to the L ord, your broth ers and your sons will re ceive mer cy in the pres ence of their cap tors and will re turn to this land. For the L ord your God is gra cious and mer ci ful; he will not turn his face away from you if you re turn to him.” 10 The cou ri ers trav eled from city to city in the land of Ephra im and Ma nas seh as far as Zeb u lun, but the in hab i tants e laughed at them and mocked them. 11 But some from Ash er, Ma nas seh, and Zeb u lun hum bled them selves and came to Je ru sa lem. 12 Also, the pow er of God was at work in Ju dah to unite them f to car ry out the com mand of the king and his off i cials by the word of the L ord.13 A very large as sem bly of peo ple was gath- ered in Je ru sa lem to ob serve the Fes ti val of Un leav ened Bread in the sec ond month. 14 They pro ceed ed to take away the al tars that were in Je ru sa lem, and they took away the in cense al tars and threw them into the Kid ron Val- ley . 15 They slaugh tered the Pass over lamb on the four teenth day of the sec ond month. The priests and Le vites were ashamed, and they con se crat ed them selves and brought burnt off er ings to the L ord’ s tem ple. 16 They stood at their pre scribed posts, ac cord ing to the law of Mo ses, the man of God. The priests splattered the blood re ceived from the Le vites, 17 for there were many in the as sem bly who had not con se crat ed them selves, and so the Le vites were in charge of slaugh ter ing the Pass over lambs for ev ery un clean per son to con se crate the lambs to the L ord. 18 A large num ber of the peo ple — many from Ephra im, Ma nas seh, Is sa char, and Zeb u lun — were rit - ually un clean, yet they had eat en the Pass over con trary to what was writ ten. But Hez e ki ah had in ter ced ed for them, say ing, “ May the good L ord pro vide atone ment on be half of 19 who - ev er sets his whole heart on seek ing God, the L ord, the God of his an ces tors, even though not ac cord ing to the pu ri fi ca tion rules of the sanc tu ary .” 20 So the L ord heard Hez e ki ah and healed the peo ple. 21 The Is ra el ites who were pre sent in Je ru sa lem ob served the Fes ti val of Un leav ened Bread sev en days with great joy , and the Le vites and the priests praised the L ord day af ter day with loud in stru ments. 22 Then Hez e ki ah en cour aged g all the Le vites who per formed skill ful ly be fore the L ord. They ate at the ap point ed fes ti val for sev en days, sac ri fic ing fel low ship off er ings and giv ing thanks to the L ord, the God of their an ces tors. 23 The whole con gre ga tion de cid ed to ob- serve sev en more days, so they ob served sev en days with joy , 24 for King Hez e ki ah of Ju dah con trib ut ed one thou sand bulls and sev en thou sand sheep for the con gre ga tion. Also, the off i cials con trib ut ed one thou sand bulls and ten thou sand sheep for the con gre ga tion, and many priests con se crat ed them selves. 25 Then the whole as sem bly of Ju dah with the priests and Le vites, the whole as sem bly that came from Is ra el, the res i dent aliens who came from the land of Is ra el, and those who were liv ing in Ju dah, re joiced. 26 There was great a30:5 Or in great numbers b30:5 Lit often, according to what is written c30:8 Lit Don’t stiffen your neck d30:8 Lit hand e30:10 Lit but they f30:12 Lit to give them one heart g30:22 Lit spoke to the heart of 399 2 CHRONICLES 30 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 399 10/26/17 9:00 PM re joic ing in Je ru sa lem, for noth ing like this was known since the days of Sol o mon son of Da vid, the king of Is ra el. 27 Then the priests and the Le vites stood to bless the peo ple, and God heard them, and their prayer came into his holy dwell ing place in heav en. REMOVAL OF IDOLATRY 31 When all this was com plet ed, all Is ra el who had at tend ed went out to the cit- ies of Ju dah and broke up the sa cred pil lars, chopped down the Ashe rah poles, and tore down the high plac es and al tars through out Ju dah and Ben ja min, as well as in Ephra im and Ma nas seh, to the last one. a Then all the Is ra el ites re turned to their cit ies, each to his own pos ses sion. OFFERINGS FOR LEVITES 2 Hez e ki ah re es tab lished the di vi sions of the priests and Le vites for the burnt off er ings and fel low ship off er ings, for min is try , for giv ing thanks, and for praise in the gates of the camp of the L ord, each di vi sion cor re spond ing to his ser vice among the priests and Le vites. 3 The king con trib ut ed b from his own pos ses sions for the reg u lar morn ing and eve ning burnt off er ings, the burnt off er ings of the Sab baths, of the New Moons, and of the ap point ed feasts, as writ ten in the law of the L ord. 4 He told the peo ple who lived in Je ru sa lem to give a con- tri bu tion for the priests and Le vites so that they could de vote their en er gy to the law of the L ord. 5 When the word spread, the Is ra el- ites gave lib er al ly of the best of the grain, new wine, fresh oil, hon ey , and of all the pro duce of the field, and they brought in an abun dance, a tenth of ev ery thing. 6 As for the Is ra el ites and Ju da hites who lived in the cit ies of Ju dah, they also brought a tenth of the herds and flocks, and a tenth of the ded i cat ed things that were con se crat ed to the L ord their God. They gath- ered them into large piles. 7 In the third month they be gan build ing up the piles, and they fin - ished in the sev enth month. 8 When Hez e ki ah and his off i cials came and viewed the piles, they blessed the L ord and his peo ple Is ra el. 9 Hez e ki ah asked the priests and Le vites about the piles. 10 The chief priest Az a ri ah, of the house hold of Za dok, an swered him, “ Since they be gan bring ing the off er ing to the L ord’ s tem ple, we eat and are sat is fied and there is plen ty left over be cause the L ord has blessed his peo ple; this abun dance is what is left over.” 11 Hez e ki ah told them to pre pare cham bers in the L ord’ s tem ple, and they pre pared them. 12 The off er ing, the tenth, and the ded i cat ed things were brought faith ful ly . Con a ni ah the Le vite was the off i cer in charge of them, and his broth er Shim ei was sec ond. 13 Je hi el, Az a zi ah, Na hath, As a hel, Jer i moth, Joz a bad, Eli el, Ismachiah, Ma hath, and Be na iah were deputies un der the au thor i ty of Con a ni ah and his broth er Shim ei by ap point ment of King Hez e ki ah and of Az a ri ah the chief off i cial of God’s tem ple. 14 Kore son of Im nah the Le vite, the keep er of the East Gate, was over the free will off er- ings to God to dis trib ute the con tri bu tion to the L ord and the con se crat ed things. 15 Eden, Min ia min, Jesh ua, She ma iah, Am a ri ah, and Shec a ni ah in the cit ies of the priests were to dis trib ute it faith ful ly un der his au thor i ty to their broth ers by di vi sions, wheth er large or small. 16 In ad di tion, they dis trib ut ed it to males reg is tered by ge ne al o gy three c years old and above; to all who would en ter the L ord’ s tem ple for their dai ly duty , for their ser vice in their re spon si bil i ties ac cord ing to their di vi sions. 17 They dis trib ut ed also to those re- cord ed by ge ne al o gy of the priests by their an ces tral fam i lies and the Le vites twen ty years old and above, by their re spon si bil i ties in their di vi sions; 18 to those reg is tered by ge ne al o- gy — with all their de pen dents, wives, sons, and daugh ters — of the whole as sem bly ( for they had faith ful ly con se crat ed them selves as holy); 19 and to the de scen dants of Aar on, the priests, in the com mon fields of their cit ies, in each and ev ery city . There were men who were reg is tered by name to dis trib ute a por - tion to ev ery male among the priests and to ev ery Le vite re cord ed by ge ne al o gy . 20 Hez e ki ah did this through out all Ju dah. He did what was good and up right and true be fore the L ord his God. 21 He was dil i gent in ev ery deed that he be gan in the ser vice of God’s tem ple, in the in struc tion and the com mands, in or der to seek his God, and he pros pered. SENNACHERIB’S INVASION 32 Af ter these faith ful deeds, King Sen nach- er ib of As syr ia came and en tered Ju dah. He laid siege to the for ti fied cit ies and in tend- ed d to break into them. 2 Hez e ki ah saw that a31:1 Lit Manasseh, until finishing b31:3 Lit The king’s portion c31:16 Or 30 ; 1Ch 23:3 d32:1 Lit said to himself2 CHRONICLES 30-32 400 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 400 10/26/17 9:00 PM Sen nach er ib had come and that he planned a war on Je ru sa lem, 3 so he con sult ed with his off i cials and his war riors about stop ping up the wa ter of the springs that were out side the city , and they helped him. 4 Many peo ple gath ered and stopped up all the springs and the stream that flowed through the land; they said, “ Why should the kings of As syr ia come and find abun dant wa ter? ” 5 Then Hez e ki ah strength ened his po si tion by re build ing the en tire broken-down wall and heightening the tow ers and the oth er out side wall. He re- paired the sup port ing ter rac es of the city of Da vid, and made an abun dance of weap ons and shields. 6 He set mil i tary com mand ers over the peo- ple and gath ered the peo ple in the square of the city gate. Then he en cour aged them, b say ing, 7 “ Be strong and cou ra geous! Don’t be afraid or dis cour aged be fore the king of As syr ia or be fore the large army that is with him, for there are more with us than with him. 8 He has only hu man strength, c but we have the L ord our God to help us and to fight our bat- tles.” So the peo ple re lied on the words of King Hez e ki ah of Ju dah. SENNACHERIB’S SERVANT’S SPEECH 9 Af ter this, while King Sen nach er ib of As syr ia with all his armed forc es be sieged d La chish, he sent his ser vants to Je ru sa lem against King Hez e ki ah of Ju dah and against all those of Ju- dah who were in Je ru sa lem, say ing, 10 “ This is what King Sen nach er ib of As syr ia says: ‘ What are you relying on that you re main in Je ru sa- lem un der siege? 11 Isn’t Hez e ki ah mis lead ing you to give you over to death by fam ine and thirst when he says, “ The L ord our God will keep us from the grasp of the king of As syr ia”? 12 Didn’t Hez e ki ah him self re move his high plac es and his al tars and say to Ju dah and Je- ru sa lem, “ You must wor ship be fore one al tar, and you must burn in cense on it”? 13 “ ‘ Don’t you know what I and my fa thers have done to all the peo ples of the lands? Have any of the na tion al gods of the lands been able to res cue their land from my pow er? 14 Who among all the gods of these na tions that my pre de ces sors com plete ly de stroyed was able to res cue his peo ple from my pow er, that your God should be able to de liv er you from my pow er? 15 So now , don’t let Hez e ki ah de ceive you, and don’t let him mis lead you like this. Don’t be lieve him, for no god of any na tion or king dom has been able to res cue his peo ple from my pow er or the pow er of my fa thers. How much less will your God res cue you from my pow er! ’ ” 16 His ser vants said more against the L ord God and against his ser vant Hez e ki ah. 17 He also wrote let ters to mock the L ord, the God of Is ra el, say ing against him: Just like the national gods of the lands that did not rescue their people from my power, so Hezekiah’s God will not rescue his people from my power. 18 Then they called out loud ly in He brew e to the peo ple of Je ru sa lem, who were on the wall, to fright en and dis cour age them in or der that he might cap ture the city . 19 They spoke against the God of Je ru sa lem like they had spo ken against the gods of the peo ples of the earth, which were made by hu man hands. DELIVERANCE FROM SENNACHERIB 20 King Hez e ki ah and the proph et Isa iah son of Amoz prayed about this and cried out to heav en, 21 and the L ord sent an an gel who an ni hi lat ed ev ery val iant war rior, lead er, and com mand er in the camp of the king of As syr - ia. So the king of As syr ia re turned in dis grace to his land. He went to the tem ple of his god, and there some of his own chil dren struck him down with the sword. 22 So the L ord saved Hez e ki ah and the in- hab i tants of Je ru sa lem from the pow er of King Sen nach er ib of As syr ia and from the pow er of all oth ers. He gave them rest f on ev ery side. 23 Many were bring ing an o ff er ing to the L ord to Je ru sa lem and valu able gifts to King Hez e- ki ah of Ju dah, and he was ex alt ed in the eyes of all the na tions af ter that. HEZEKIAH’S ILLNESS AND PRIDE 24 In those days Hez e ki ah be came sick to the point of death, so he prayed to the L ord, and he spoke to him and gave him a mi rac u lous sign. 25 How ev er, be cause his heart was proud, Hez- e ki ah didn’t re spond ac cord ing to the ben e
📜 Hezekiah to Josiah's Reign
👑 King Hezekiah demonstrated both pride and humility, accumulating vast wealth and successfully undertaking major infrastructure projects like channeling water to Jerusalem while ultimately humbling himself before God
🛐 Manasseh's transformation reveals dramatic spiritual reversal—from establishing idolatry and practicing witchcraft to experiencing captivity, repenting sincerely, and rebuilding Jerusalem's defenses after God restored him to power
📖 Josiah's reforms began at age sixteen when he purged idolatry throughout the land, repaired the temple, and rediscovered the Book of the Law, leading to national covenant renewal and spiritual revival
🐑 The Passover celebration under Josiah represented meticulous adherence to Mosaic law with extraordinary offerings (30,000 sheep and 3,000 cattle), careful organization of priests and Levites, and proper preparation of sacrifices
🔄 The cycle of faithfulness throughout these reigns demonstrates how leadership directly influenced national spiritual health—faithful kings brought blessing while unfaithful ones led to divine judgment
⚖️ Divine response consistently matched human action: God tested Hezekiah to reveal his heart, punished Manasseh through Assyrian captivity, responded to repentance with restoration, and acknowledged Josiah's reforms
fit that had come to him. So there was wrath on him, Ju dah, and Je ru sa lem. 26 Then Hez e ki ah hum bled him self for the pride of his heart — he and the in hab i tants of Je ru sa lem — so a32:2 Lit that his face was for b32:6 Lit he spoke to their hearts c32:8 Lit With him an arm of flesh d32:9 Lit with his dominion was against e32:18 Lit Judahite f32:22 Lit He led them ; Ps 23:2 401 2 CHRONICLES 32 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 401 10/26/17 9:00 PM the L ord’ s wrath didn’t come on them dur ing Hez e ki ah’s life time. HEZEKIAH’S WEALTH AND WORKS 27 Hez e ki ah had abun dant rich es and glo ry , and he made him self trea sur ies for sil ver, gold, pre cious stones, spic es, shields, and ev ery de sir able item. 28 He made warehouses for the har vest of grain, new wine, and fresh oil, and stalls for all kinds of cat tle, and pens for flocks. 29 He made cit ies for him self, and he ac quired vast num bers of flocks and herds, for God gave him abun dant pos ses sions. 30 This same Hez e ki ah blocked the out let of the wa ter of the Up per Gi hon and chan neled it smooth ly down ward and west ward to the city of Da vid. Hez e ki ah suc ceed ed in ev ery thing he did. 31 When the am bas sa dors of Bab ylon’s rul ers were sent a to him to in quire about the mi rac u lous sign that hap pened in the land, God left him to test him and dis cov er what was in his heart. HEZEKIAH’S DEATH 32 As for the rest of the events of Hez e ki ah’s reign and his deeds of faith ful love, note that they are writ ten in the Vi sions of the Proph et Isa iah son of Amoz, and in the Book of the Kings of Ju dah and Is ra el. 33 Hez e ki ah rest ed with his fa thers and was bur ied on the as cent to the tombs of Da vid’s de scen dants. All Ju dah and the in hab i tants of Je ru sa lem paid him hon or at his death. His son Ma nas seh be came king in his place. JUDAH’S KING MANASSEH 33 Ma nas seh was twelve years old when he be came king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Je ru sa lem. 2 He did what was evil in the L ord’ s sight, imitating the de test able prac tic es of the na tions that the L ord had dispossessed be fore the Is ra el ites. 3 He re built the high plac es that his fa ther Hez e ki ah had torn down and re es tab lished the al tars for the Baals. He made Ashe rah poles, and he bowed in wor ship to all the stars in the sky and served them. 4 He built al tars in the L ord’ s tem ple, where the L ord had said, “Je ru sa lem is where my name will re main for ev er.” 5 He built al tars to all the stars in the sky in both court yards of the L ord’ s tem ple. 6 He passed his sons through the fire in Ben Hin nom Val ley . He prac ticed witch craft, div i na tion, and sor cery , and con sult ed me di- ums and spir it ists. He did a huge amount of evil in the L ord’ s sight, angering him. 7 Ma nas seh set up a carved im age of the idol, which he had made, in God’s tem ple that God had spo ken about to Da vid and his son Sol o- mon: “ I will es tab lish my name for ev er b in this tem ple and in Je ru sa lem, which I have cho sen out of all the tribes of Is ra el. 8 I will nev er again re move the feet of the Is ra el ites from the land where I sta tioned your c an ces tors, if only they will be care ful to do all I have com mand ed them through Mo ses — all the law , stat utes, and judg ments.” 9 So Ma nas seh caused Ju dah and the in hab i tants of Je ru sa lem to stray so that they did worse evil than the na tions the L ord had de stroyed be fore the Is ra el ites. MANASSEH’S REPENTANCE 10 The L ord spoke to Ma nas seh and his peo ple, but they didn’t lis ten. 11 So he brought against them the mil i tary com mand ers of the king of As syr ia. They cap tured Ma nas seh with hooks, bound him with bronze shack les, and took him to Bab ylon. 12 When he was in dis tress, he sought the fa vor of the L ord his God and ear nest ly hum bled him self be fore the God of his an ces tors. 13 He prayed to him, and the L ord was receptive to his prayer. He grant ed his re quest and brought him back to Je ru sa- lem, to his king dom. So Ma nas seh came to know that the L ord is God. 14 Af ter this, he built the out er wall of the city of Da vid from west of Gi hon in the val ley to the en trance of the Fish Gate; he brought it around the Ophel, and he heightened it con sid- er ably . He also placed mil i tary com mand ers in all the for ti fied cit ies of Ju dah. 15 He re moved the for eign gods and the idol from the L ord ’ s tem ple, along with all the al tars that he had built on the moun tain of the L ord’ s tem ple and in Je ru sa lem, and he threw them out side the city . 16 He built d the al tar of the L ord and off ered fel low ship and thank off er ings on it. Then he told Ju dah to serve the L ord, the God of Is ra el. 17 How ev er, the peo ple still sac ri ficed at the high plac es, but only to the L ord their God. MANASSEH’S DEATH 18 The rest of the events of Ma nas seh’s reign, along with his prayer to his God and the words a32:31 LXX, Tg, Vg; MT reads of Babylon sent b33:7 LXX, Syr , Tg, Vg; 2Kg 21:7; MT reads name for Elom c33:8 LXX, Syr , Vg read land I gave to their ; 2Kg 21:8 d33:16 Some Hb mss, Syr , Tg, Arabic; other Hb mss, LXX, Vg read restored2 CHRONICLES 32-33 402 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 402 10/26/17 9:00 PM of the seers who spoke to him in the name of the L ord, the God of Is ra el, are writ ten in the Events of Is ra el’s Kings. 19 His prayer and how God was receptive to his prayer, and all his sin and un faith ful ness and the sites where he built high plac es and set up Ashe rah poles and carved im ages be fore he hum bled him- self, they are writ ten in the Events of Ho zai. 20 Ma nas seh rest ed with his fa thers, and he was bur ied in his own house. His son Amon be came king in his place. JUDAH’S KING AMON 21 Amon was twenty-two years old when he be came king, and he reigned two years in Je ru sa lem. 22 He did what was evil in the L ord’ s sight, just as his fa ther Ma nas seh had done. Amon sac ri ficed to all the carved im ages that his fa ther Ma nas seh had made, and he served them. 23 But he did not hum- ble him self be fore the L ord like his fa ther Ma nas seh hum bled him self; in stead, Amon in creased his guilt. 24 So his ser vants con spired against him and put him to death in his own house. 25 The com mon peo ple a killed all who had con spired against King Amon, and they made his son Jo si ah king in his place. JUDAH’S KING JOSIAH 34 Jo si ah was eight years old when he be- came king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Je ru sa lem. 2 He did what was right in the L ord ’ s sight and walked in the ways of his an ces tor Da vid; he did not turn aside to the right or the left. JOSIAH’S REFORM 3 In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still a youth, Jo si ah be gan to seek the God of his an ces tor Da vid, and in the twelfth year he be gan to cleanse Ju dah and Je ru sa lem of the high plac es, the Ashe rah poles, the carved im- ages, and the cast im ages. 4 Then in his pres ence the al tars of the Baals were torn down, and he chopped down the shrines b that were above them. He shat tered the Ashe rah poles, the carved im ages, and the cast im ages, crushed them to dust, and scat tered them over the graves of those who had sac ri ficed to them. 5 He burned the bones of the priests on their al tars. So he cleansed Ju dah and Je ru sa lem. 6 He did the same in the cit ies of Ma nas seh, Ephra im, and Sim e on, and as far as Naph ta li and on their sur round ing moun tain shrines. c 7 He tore down the al tars, and he smashed the Ashe rah poles and the carved im ages to pow der. He chopped down all the shrines through out the land of Is ra el and re turned to Je ru sa lem. JOSIAH’S REPAIR OF THE TEMPLE 8 In the eigh teenth year of his reign, in or der to cleanse the land and the tem ple, Jo si ah sent Sha phan son of Az a li ah, along with Ma a se iah the gov er nor of the city and the court historian Joah son of Jo a haz, to re pair the tem ple of the L ord his God. 9 So they went to the high priest Hil ki ah and gave him the sil ver brought into God’s tem ple. The Le vites and the door keep ers had col lect ed it from Ma nas seh, Ephra im, and from the en tire rem nant of Is ra el, and from all Ju dah, Ben ja min, and the in hab i tants of Je ru sa lem. 10 They gave it to those do ing the work — those who oversaw the L ord’ s tem- ple. They gave it to the work men who were work ing in the L ord’ s tem ple, to re pair and re store the tem ple; 11 they gave it to the car - pen ters and build ers and also used it to buy quarried stone and tim bers — for join ing and mak ing beams — for the build ings that Ju dah’s kings had de stroyed. 12 The men were do ing the work with in teg- ri ty . Their over seers were Ja hath and Oba di ah, Le vites from the Me ra rites, and Zech a ri ah and Me shul lam from the Ko hath ites as su- per vi sors. The Le vites were all skilled with mu si cal in stru ments. 13 They were also over the por ters and were su per vis ing all those do- ing the work task by task. Some of the Le vites were sec re tar ies, off i cers, and gate keep ers. THE RECOVERY OF THE BOOK OF THE LAW 14 When they brought out the sil ver that had been de pos it ed in the L ord ’ s tem ple, the priest Hil ki ah found the book of the law of the L ord writ ten by the hand of Mo ses. 15 Con se quent ly , Hil ki ah told the court sec re tary Sha phan, “ I have found the book of the law in the L ord’ s tem ple,” and he gave the book to Sha phan. 16 Sha phan took the book to the king, and also re port ed, “ Your ser vants are do ing all that was placed in their hands. 17 They have a33:25 Lit The people of the land b34:4 Lit incense altars, also in v. 7 c34:6 One Hb tradition reads Naphtali with their swords ; alt Hb tradition, Syr , Vg read Naphtali, the ruins all around ; Hb obscure 403 2 CHRONICLES 33-34 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 403 10/26/17 9:00 PM emp tied out the sil ver that was found in the L ord’ s tem ple and have giv en it to the over - seers and to those do ing the work.” 18 Then the court sec re tary Sha phan told the king, “ The priest Hil ki ah gave me a book,” and Sha phan read from it in the pres ence of the king. 19 When the king heard the words of the law , he tore his clothes. 20 Then he com mand ed Hil ki ah, Ahi kam son of Sha phan, Ab don son of Mi cah, the court sec re tary Sha phan, and the king’s ser vant Asa iah, 21 “ Go and in quire of the L ord for me and for those re main ing in Is ra el and Ju dah, con cern ing the words of the book that was found. For great is the L ord’ s wrath that is poured out on us be cause our an ces tors have not kept the word of the L ord in or der to do ev ery thing writ ten in this book.” HULDAH’S PROPHECY OF JUDGMENT 22 So Hil ki ah and those the king had des ig nat- ed a went to the proph et ess Hul dah, the wife of Shal lum son of Tok hath, son of Has rah, keep er of the ward robe. She lived in Je ru sa- lem in the Sec ond Dis trict. They spoke with her about this. 23 She said to them, “ This is what the L ord God of Is ra el says: Say to the man who sent you to me, 24 ‘ This is what the L ord says: I am about to bring di sas ter on this place and on its in hab i tants, ful fill ing b all the curs es writ ten in the book that they read in the pres ence of the king of Ju dah, 25 be cause they have aban doned me and burned in cense to oth er gods so as to an ger me with all the works of their hands. My wrath will be poured out on this place, and it will not be quenched.’ 26 Say this to the king of Ju dah who sent you to in quire of the L ord : ‘ This is what the L ord God of Is ra el says: As for the words that you heard, 27 be cause your heart was ten der and you hum bled your self be fore God when you heard his words against this place and against its in hab i tants, and be- cause you hum bled your self be fore me, and you tore your clothes and wept be fore me, I my self have heard’ — this is the L ord’ s dec- la ra tion. 28 ‘ I will in deed gath er you to your fa thers, and you will be gath ered to your grave in peace. Your eyes will not see all the di sas- ter that I am bring ing on this place and on its in hab i tants.’ ” Then they re port ed to the king.AFFIRMATION OF THE COVENANT BY JOSIAH AND THE PEOPLE 29 So the king sent mes sen gers and gath ered all the el ders of Ju dah and Je ru sa lem. 30 The king went up to the L ord ’ s tem ple with all the men of Ju dah and the in hab i tants of Je ru sa- lem, as well as the priests and the Le vites — all the peo ple from the old est to the youn gest. He read in their hear ing all the words of the book of the cov enant that had been found in the L ord’ s tem ple. 31 Then the king stood at his post and made a cov enant in the L ord’ s pres ence to fol low the L ord and to keep his com mands, his de crees, and his stat utes with all his heart and with all his soul in or der to car ry out the words of the cov enant writ ten in this book. 32 He had all those pre sent in Je ru sa lem and Ben ja min agree c to it. So all the in hab i tants of Je ru sa lem car ried out the cov enant of God, the God of their an ces tors. 33 So Jo si ah re moved ev ery thing that was de test able from all the lands be long ing to the Is ra el ites, and he re quired all who were pre sent in Is ra el to serve the L ord their God. Through out his reign they did not turn aside from fol low ing the L ord, the God of their an- ces tors. JOSIAH’S PASSOVER OBSERVANCE 35 Jo si ah ob served the L ord’ s Pass over and slaugh tered the Pass over lambs on the four teenth day of the first month. 2 He ap point ed the priests to their re spon si bil i ties and en cour aged them to serve in the L ord’ s tem ple. 3 He said to the Le vites who taught all Is ra el the holy things of the L ord, “ Put the holy ark in the tem ple built by Sol o mon son of Da vid king of Is ra el. Since you do not have to car ry it on your shoul ders, now serve the L ord your God and his peo ple Is ra el. 4 “Organize your an ces tral fam i lies d by your di vi sions ac cord ing to the writ ten in- struc tion of King Da vid of Is ra el and that of his son Sol o mon. 5 Serve in the holy place by the groupings of the an ces tral fam i lies e for your broth ers, the lay peo ple, f and ac cord- ing to the di vi sion of the Le vites by fam i ly . 6 Slaugh ter the Pass over lambs, con se crate your selves, and make prep a ra tions for your broth ers to car ry out the word of the L ord through Mo ses.” a34:22 LXX; MT omits designated b34:24 fulfilling supplied for clarity c34:32 Lit take a stand. d35:4 Lit the house of your fathers e35:5 Lit the house of the fathers f35:5 Lit the sons of the people, also in vv. 7,12,132 CHRONICLES 34-35 404 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 404 10/26/17 9:00 PM 7 Then Jo si ah do nat ed thir ty thou sand sheep, lambs, and young goats, plus three thou sand cat tle from his own pos ses sions, for the Pass- over sac ri fic es for all the lay peo ple who were pre sent. 8 His off i cials also do nat ed will ing ly for the peo ple, the priests, and the Le vites. Hil ki ah, Zech a ri ah, and Je hi el, chief off i cials of God’s tem ple, gave twenty-six hun dred Pass over sac ri fic es and three hun dred cat tle for the priests. 9 Con a ni ah and his broth ers She ma- iah and Ne than el, and Hash a bi ah, Je i el, and Joz a bad, off i cers of the Le vites, do nat ed five thou sand Pass over sac ri fic es for the Le vites, plus five hun dred cat tle. 10 So the ser vice was es tab lished; the priests stood at their posts and the Le vites in their di vi sions ac cord ing to the king’s com mand. 11 Then they slaugh tered the Pass over lambs, and while the Le vites were skinning the an- i mals, the priests splattered the blood a they had been giv en. b 12 They re moved the burnt off er ings so that they might be giv en to the groupings of the an ces tral fam i lies c of the lay peo ple to off er to the L ord, ac cord ing to what is writ ten in the book of Mo ses; they did the same with the cat tle. 13 They roast- ed the Pass over lambs with fire ac cord ing to reg u la tion. They boiled the holy sac ri fic es in pots, ket tles, and bowls; and they quick ly brought them to the lay peo ple. 14 Af ter ward, they made prep a ra tions for them selves and for the priests, since the priests, the de scen- dants of Aar on, were busy off er ing up burnt off er ings and fat un til night. So the Le vites made prep a ra tions for them selves and for the priests, the de scen dants of Aar on. 15 The sing ers, the de scen dants of Asaph, were at their stations ac cord ing to the com- mand of Da vid, Asaph, He man, and Je du thun the king’s seer. Also, the gate keep ers were at each tem ple gate. None of them left their tasks be cause their Le vite broth ers had made prep a ra tions for them. 16 So all the ser vice of the L ord was es tab- lished that day for ob serv ing the Pass over and for o ff er ing burnt o ff er ings on the al tar of the L ord, ac cord ing to the com mand of King Jo si ah. 17 The Is ra el ites who were pre sent in Ju dah also ob served the Pass over at that time and the Fes ti val of Un leav ened Bread for sev
📜 Josiah's Final Days and Israel's Exile
🏛️ King Josiah celebrated an unprecedented Passover in his eighteenth year of reign, but later died in battle against Egypt's King Neco despite divine warnings to avoid the conflict
👑 A succession of Judean kings (Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, Zedekiah) followed Josiah, each ruling briefly and "doing evil in the Lord's sight" while facing increasing Babylonian dominance
🔥 Jerusalem and the temple were ultimately destroyed by Babylonian forces after the people repeatedly rejected God's messengers, fulfilling Jeremiah's prophecy of seventy years of desolation
✨ King Cyrus of Persia issued a decree allowing Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple, leading to a significant homecoming of Israelites who brought offerings and restored worship
🛠️ The returning exiles faced opposition from local inhabitants while rebuilding the temple foundation, yet persisted through a mixture of joy and mourning as they reestablished their sacred practices
en days. 18 No Pass over had been ob served like it in Is ra el since the days of the proph et Sam uel. None of the kings of Is ra el ever ob served a Pass over like the one that Jo si ah ob served with the priests, the Le vites, all Ju dah, the Is ra el ites who were pre sent in Ju dah, and the in hab i- tants of Je ru sa lem. 19 In the eigh teenth year of Jo si ah’s reign, this Pass over was ob served. JOSIAH’S LAST DEEDS AND DEATH 20 Af ter all this that Jo si ah had pre pared for the tem ple, King Neco of Egypt marched up to fight at Car che mish by the Eu phra tes, and Jo si ah went out to con front him. 21 But Neco sent mes sen gers to him, say ing, “ What is the is sue be tween you and me, king of Ju dah? I have not come against you to day d but I am fight ing an oth er dy nas ty . e God told me to hur - ry . Stop op pos ing God who is with me; don’t make him de stroy you! ” 22 But Jo si ah did not turn away from him; in stead, in or der to fight with him he dis guised him self. f He did not lis ten to Neco’s words from the mouth of God, but went to the Val- ley of Me gid do to fight. 23 The ar chers shot King Jo si ah, and he said to his ser vants, “ Take me away , for I am se vere ly wound ed! ” 24 So his ser vants took him out of the war char - i ot, car ried him in his sec ond char i ot, and brought him to Je ru sa lem. Then he died, and they bur ied him in the tomb of his fa thers. All Ju dah and Je ru sa lem mourned for Jo si ah. 25 Jer e mi ah chanted a dirge over Jo si ah, and all the male and fe male sing ers still speak of Jo si ah in their dirges to day . They es tab lished them as a stat ute for Is ra el, and in deed they are writ ten in the Dirges. 26 The rest of the events of Jo si ah’s reign, along with his deeds of faith ful love ac cord ing to what is writ ten in the law of the L ord, 27 and his words, from be gin ning to end, are writ ten in the Book of the Kings of Is ra el and Ju dah. JUDAH’S KING JEHOAHAZ 36 Then the com mon peo ple g took Je ho- a haz son of Jo si ah and made him king in Je ru sa lem in place of his fa ther. 2 Je ho a haz h was twenty-three years old when he be came king, and he reigned three months in Je ru sa lem. 3 The king of Egypt de- posed him in Je ru sa lem and fined the land seventy-five hun dred pounds i of sil ver and seventy-five pounds j of gold. a35:11 LXX, Vg, Tg; MT omits blood b35:11 Lit splattered from their hand c35:12 Lit house of fathers d35:21 LXX, Syr , Tg, Vg; MT reads Not against you, you today e35:21 Lit house f35:22 LXX reads he was determined g36:1 Lit the people of the land h36:2 = Joahaz, also in v. 4 i36:3 Lit 100 talents j36:3 Lit one talent 405 2 CHRONICLES 35-36 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 405 10/26/17 9:00 PM JUDAH’S KING JEHOIAKIM 4 Then King Neco of Egypt made Je ho a haz’s broth er Eli a kim king over Ju dah and Je ru sa lem and changed Eli a kim’s name to Je hoi a kim. But Neco took his broth er Je ho a haz and brought him to Egypt. 5 Je hoi a kim was twenty-five years old when he be came king, and he reigned elev en years in Je ru sa lem. He did what was evil in the sight of the L ord his God. 6 Now King Neb u chad nez- zar of Bab ylon at tacked him and bound him in bronze shack les to take him to Bab ylon. 7 Also Neb u chad nez zar took some of the ar ti cles of the L ord’ s tem ple to Bab ylon and put them in his tem ple in Bab ylon. 8 The rest of the deeds of Je hoi a kim, the de- test able ac tions he com mit ted, and what was found against him, are writ ten in the Book of Is ra el’s Kings. His son Je hoi a chin be came king in his place. JUDAH’S KING JEHOIACHIN 9 Je hoi a chin was eigh teen a years old when he be came king, and he reigned three months and ten days in Je ru sa lem. He did what was evil in the L ord’ s sight. 10 In the spring b Neb- u chad nez zar sent for him and brought him to Bab ylon along with the valu able ar ti cles of the L ord’ s tem ple. Then he made Je hoi a- chin’s broth er Zed e ki ah king over Ju dah and Je ru sa lem. JUDAH’S KING ZEDEKIAH 11 Zed e ki ah was twenty-one years old when he be came king, and he reigned elev en years in Je ru sa lem. 12 He did what was evil in the sight of the L ord his God and did not hum ble him- self be fore the proph et Jer e mi ah at the L ord’ s com mand. 13 He also re belled against King Neb u chad nez zar who had made him swear al le giance by God. He be came ob sti nate c and hard ened his heart against re turn ing to the L ord, the God of Is ra el. 14 All the lead ers of the priests and the peo ple mul ti plied their un faith ful deeds, imitating all the de test able prac tic es of the na tions, and they de filed the L ord’ s tem ple that he had con se crat ed in Je- ru sa lem. THE DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM 15 But the L ord, the God of their an ces tors sent word against them by the hand of his mes sen- gers, send ing them time and time again, for he had com pas sion on his peo ple and on his dwell ing place. 16 But they kept ridiculing God’s mes sen gers, despising his words, and scoff ing at his proph ets, un til the L ord ’ s wrath was so stirred up against his peo ple that there was no rem e dy . 17 So he brought up against them the king of the Chal de ans, who killed their fit young men with the sword in the house of their sanc tu ary . He had no pity on young men or young wom en, el der ly or aged; he hand ed them all over to him. 18 He took ev ery thing to Bab ylon — all the ar ti cles of God’s tem ple, large and small, the trea sures of the L ord’ s tem ple, and the trea sures of the king and his off i cials. 19 Then the Chal de ans burned God’s tem ple. They tore down Je ru sa lem’s wall, burned all its pal aces, and de stroyed all its valu able ar ti cles. 20 He de port ed those who es caped from the sword to Bab ylon, and they be came ser vants to him and his sons un til the rise of the Per - sian d king dom. 21 This ful filled the word of the L ord through Jer e mi ah, and the land en joyed its Sab bath rest all the days of the des o la tion un til sev en ty years were ful filled. THE DECREE OF CYRUS 22 In the first year of King Cy rus of Per sia, in or der to ful fill the word of the L ord spo ken through e Jer e mi ah, the L ord roused the spir it of King Cy rus of Per sia to is sue a proc la ma- tion through out his en tire king dom and also to put it in writ ing: 23 This is what King Cyrus of Persia says: The Lord, the God of the heavens, has giv - en me all the kingdoms of the earth and has appointed me to build him a temple at Jerusalem in Judah. Any of his people among you may go up, and may the Lord his God be with him. a36:9 Some Hb mss, LXX; 2Kg 24:8; other Hb mss read eight b36:10 Lit At the return of the year c36:13 Lit He stiffened his neck d36:20 LXX reads Median e36:22 Lit Lord by the mouth of2 CHRONICLES 36 406 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 406 10/26/17 9:00 PM ezra THE DECREE OF CYRUS 1 In the first year of King Cy rus of Per sia, in or der to ful fill the word of the L ord spo- ken through Jer e mi ah, the L ord roused the spir it of King Cy rus to is sue a proc la ma tion through out his en tire king dom and to put it in writ ing: 2 This is what King Cyrus of Persia says: “The Lord, the God of the heavens, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and has appointed me to build him a house at Jerusalem in Judah. 3 Any of his people among you, may his God be with him, and may he go to Jerusalem in Judah and build the house of the Lord, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem. 4 Let every survivor, wherever he resides, be assisted by the men of that region with silver, gold, goods, and livestock, along with a freewill offering for the house of God in Jerusalem.” RETURN FROM EXILE 5 So the fam i ly heads of Ju dah and Benja - min, along with the priests and Le vites — ev ery one whose spir it God had roused — pre pared to go up and re build the L ord’ s house in Je ru sa lem. 6 All their neigh bors sup port ed them a with sil ver ar ti cles, gold, goods, live stock, and valu ables, in ad di tion to all that was giv en as a free will of fer ing. 7 King Cy rus also brought out the ar ti cles of the L ord’ s house that Neb u chad nez zar had tak en from Je ru sa lem and had placed in the house of his gods. 8 King Cy rus of Per sia had them brought out un der the su per vi sion of Mith re dath the trea sur er, who count ed them out to Shesh baz zar the prince of Ju dah. 9 This was the in ven to ry: 30 gold basins, 1,000 silver basins, 29 silver knives, 10 30 gold bowls, 410 various b silver bowls, and 1,000 other articles. 11 The gold and sil ver ar ti cles to taled 5,400. Shesh baz zar brought all of them when the ex iles went up from Bab ylon to Je ru sa lem.THE EXILES WHO RETURNED 2 These now are the peo ple of the prov ince who came from those cap tive ex iles King Neb u chad nez zar of Bab ylon c had de port ed to Bab ylon. They re turned to Je ru sa lem and Ju dah, each to his own town. 2 They came with Ze rub ba bel, Jesh ua, Ne he mi ah, Se ra iah, Re el a iah, Mor de cai, Bil shan, Mis par, Big vai, Re hum, and Ba a nah. The num ber of the Is ra el ite men in clud ed d 3 Parosh’s descendants 2,172 4 Shephatiah’s descendants 372 5 Arah’s descendants 775 6 Pahath-moab’s descendants: Jeshua’s and Joab’s descendants 2,812 7 Elam’s descendants 1,254 8 Zattu’s descendants 945 9 Zaccai’s descendants 760 10 Bani’s descendants 642 11 Bebai’s descendants 623 12 Azgad’s descendants 1,222 13 Adonikam’s descendants 666 14 Bigvai’s descendants 2,056 15 Adin’s descendants 454 16 Ater’s descendants: of Hezekiah 98 17 Bezai’s descendants 323 18 Jorah’s descendants 112 19 Hashum’s descendants 223 20 Gibbar’s descendants 95 21 Bethlehem’s people 123 22 Netophah’s men 56 23 Anathoth’s men 128 24 Azmaveth’s people 42 25 Kiriatharim’s, Chephirah’s, and Beeroth’s people 743 26 Ramah’s and Geba’s people 621 27 Michmas’s men 122 28 Bethel’s and Ai’s men 223 29 Nebo’s people 52 30 Magbish’s people 156 31 the other Elam’s people 1,254 32 Harim’s people 320 33 Lod’s, Hadid’s, and Ono’s people 725 34 Jericho’s people 345 35 Senaah’s people 3,630 36 The priests in clud ed a 1:6 Lit strengthened their hands b 1:10 Or similar c 2:1 Nebuchadnezzar reigned 605–562 BC d 2:2 Lit the men of the people of Israel CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 407 10/26/17 9:00 PM Jedaiah’s descendants of the house of Jeshua 973 37 Immer’s descendants 1,052 38 Pashhur’s descendants 1,247 39 and Harim’s descendants 1,017 40 The Le vites in clud ed Jeshua’s and Kadmiel’s descendants from Hodaviah’s descendants 74 41 The sing ers in clud ed Asaph’s descendants 128 42 The gate keep ers’ de scen dants in clud ed Shallum’s descendants, Ater’s descendants, Talmon’s descendants, Akkub’s descendants, Hatita’s descendants, Shobai’s descendants, in all 139 43 The tem ple ser vants in clud ed Ziha’s descendants, Hasupha’s descendants, Tabbaoth’s descendants, 44 Keros’s descendants, Siaha’s descendants, Padon’s descendants, 45 Lebanah’s descendants, Hagabah’s descendants, Akkub’s descendants, 46 Hagab’s descendants, Shalmai’s a descendants, Hanan’s descendants, 47 Giddel’s descendants, Gahar’s descendants, Reaiah’s descendants, 48 Rezin’s descendants, Nekoda’s descendants, Gazzam’s descendants, 49 Uzza’s descendants, Paseah’s descendants, Besai’s descendants, 50 Asnah’s descendants, Meunim’s b descendants, Nephusim’s c descendants, 51 Bakbuk’s descendants, Hakupha’s descendants, Harhur’s descendants, 52 Bazluth’s descendants, Mehida’s descendants, Harsha’s descendants, 53 Barkos’s descendants, Sisera’s descendants, Temah’s descendants, 54 Neziah’s descendants, and Hatipha’s descendants. 55 The de scen dants of Sol o mon’s ser vants in clud ed Sotai’s descendants, Hassophereth’s descendants, Peruda’s descendants, 56 Jaalah’s descendants, Darkon’s descendants, Giddel’s descendants, 57 Shephatiah’s descendants, Hattil’s descendants, Pochereth-hazzebaim’s descendants, and Ami’s descendants. 58 All the temple servants and the descendants of Solomon’s servants 392 59 The fol low ing are those who came from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cher ub, Ad dan, and Im mer but were un able to prove that their an ces tral fam i lies d and their lineage were Is ra el ite: 60 Delaiah’s descendants, Tobiah’s descendants, Nekoda’s descendants 652 61 and from the de scen dants of the priests: the de scen dants of Ho ba iah, the de scen dants of Hak koz, the de scen dants of Bar zil lai — who had tak en a wife from the daugh ters of Bar zil lai the Gil e ad ite and who bore their name. 62 These searched for their entries in the ge ne alog i cal rec ords, but they could not be found, so they were dis qual i fied from the priest hood. 63 The gov er nor or dered them not to eat the most holy things un til there was a priest who could con sult the Urim and Thum mim. 64 The whole combined assembly numbered 42,360 65 not including their 7,337 male and female servants, and their 200 male and female singers. 66 They had 736 horses, 245 mules, 67 435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys. GIFTS FOR THE WORK 68 Af ter they ar rived at the L ord’ s house in Je- ru sa lem, some of the fam i ly heads gave free will . a 2:46 Alt Hb tradition reads Shamlai’s b 2:50 Alt Hb tradition reads Meinim’s c 2:50 Alt Hb tradition reads Nephisim’s d 2:59 Lit that the house of their fathersEZRA 2 408 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 408 10/26/17 9:00 PM off er ings for the house of God in or der to have it re built on its orig i nal site. 69 Based on what they could give, they gave 61,000 gold coins, a 6,250 pounds b of sil ver, and 100 priest ly gar - ments to the trea sury for the project. 70 The priests, Le vites, sing ers, gate keep ers, tem ple ser vants, and some of the peo ple set tled in their towns, and the rest of Is ra el set tled in their towns. SACRIFICE RESTORED 3 When the sev enth month ar rived, and the Is ra el ites were in their towns, the peo ple gath ered as one in Je ru sa lem. 2 Jesh ua son of Joz a dak and his broth ers the priests along with Ze rub ba bel son of She al ti el and his broth - ers be gan to build the al tar of Is ra el’s God in or der to off er burnt off er ings on it, as it is writ ten in the law of Mo ses, the man of God. 3 They set up the al tar on its foun da tion and off ered burnt off er ings for the morn ing and eve ning on it to the L ord even though they feared the sur round ing peo ples. 4 They cel e- brat ed the Fes ti val of Shel ters as pre scribed, and off ered burnt off er ings each day , based on the num ber spec i fied by or di nance for each fes ti val day . 5 Af ter that, they off ered the reg u lar burnt off er ing and the off er ings for the be gin ning of each month c and for all the L ord’ s ap point ed holy oc ca sions, as well as the free will off er ings brought to d the L ord. 6 On the first day of the sev enth month they be gan to off er burnt off er ings to the L ord, even though the foun da tion of the L ord’ s tem ple had not yet been laid. 7 They gave mon ey to the stone cut ters and ar ti sans, and gave food, drink, and oil to the peo ple of Si don and Tyre, so they would bring ce dar wood from Leb a non to Jop pa by sea, ac cord ing to the au tho ri za tion giv en them by King Cy rus of Per sia. REBUILDING THE TEMPLE 8 In the sec ond month of the sec ond year af- ter they ar rived at God’s house in Je ru sa lem, Ze rub ba bel son of She al ti el, Jesh ua son of Joz a dak, and the rest of their broth ers, in- clud ing the priests, the Le vites, and all who had re turned to Je ru sa lem from the cap tiv i ty , be gan to build. They ap point ed the Le vites who were twen ty years old or more to su per vise the work on the L ord’ s house. 9 Jesh ua with his sons and broth ers, Kad mi el with his sons, and the sons of Ju dah e and of Hen a dad, with their sons and broth ers, the Le vites, joined to geth er to su per vise those work ing on the house of God. TEMPLE FOUNDATION COMPLETED 10 When the build ers had laid the foun da tion of the L ord’ s tem ple, the priests, dressed in their robes and hold ing trum pets, and the Le vites de scend ed from Asaph, hold ing cym bals, took their po si tions to praise the L ord, as King Da - vid of Is ra el had in struct ed. 11 They sang with praise and thanks giv ing to the L ord: “ For he is good; his faith ful love to Is ra el en dures for - ev er.” Then all the peo ple gave a great shout of praise to the L ord be cause the foun da tion of the L ord’ s house had been laid. 12 But many of the old er priests, Le vites, and fam i ly heads, who had seen the first tem ple, wept loud ly when they saw the foun da tion of this tem ple, but many oth ers shout ed joy- ful ly . 13 The peo ple could not dis tin guish the sound of the joy ful shout ing from that of the f weep ing, be cause the peo ple were shout ing so loud ly . And the sound was heard far away . OPPOSITION TO REBUILDING THE TEMPLE 4 When the en e mies of Ju dah and Ben- ja min heard that the re turned ex iles g were build ing a tem ple for the L ord, the God of Is ra el, 2 they ap proached Ze rub ba- bel and the fam i ly heads and said to them, “ Let us build with you, for we also wor ship your God and have been sac ri fic ing to him h since the time King Esar- had don of As syr ia brought us here.” 3 But Ze rub ba bel, Jesh ua, and the oth er heads of Is ra el’s fam i lies an swered them, “ You may have no part with us in build ing a house for our God, since we alone will build it for the L ord, the God of Is ra el, as King Cy rus, the king of Per sia has com mand ed us.” 4 Then the peo ple who were al ready in the land i dis cour aged j the peo ple of Ju dah and made them afraid to build. 5 They also bribed off i cials to act against them to frus trate their plans through out the reign of King Cy rus of Per sia and un til the reign of King Da ri us of Per sia. OPPOSITION TO REBUILDING THE CITY 6 At the be gin ning of the reign of Ahas u e rus, the peo ple who were al ready in the land wrote a 2:69 Or drachmas, or darics b 2:69 Lit 5,000 minas c 3:5 Lit for the new moons d 3:5 Lit well as those of everyone making a freewill offering to e 3:9 Or Hodaviah ; Neh 7:43; 1 Esdras 5:58 f 3:13 Lit the people g 4:1 Lit the sons of the exile h 4:2 Alt Hb tradition reads have not been sacrificing i 4:4 Lit people of the land, also in v. 6 j 4:4 Lit weakened the hands of 409 EZRA 2-4 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 409 10/26/17 9:00 PM an ac cu sa tion against the res i dents of Ju dah and Je ru sa lem. 7 Dur ing the time of King Arta- xerxes of Per sia,
🏛️ Jerusalem's Contested Rebuilding
🏙️ Jewish exiles return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple and city walls, sparking political tension with neighboring officials who view them as a potential threat to royal authority
📜 Local governors write to King Artaxerxes warning that Jerusalem has historically been a rebellious city, resulting in a temporary halt to construction
👑 King Darius later discovers Cyrus's original decree authorizing the temple reconstruction and issues his own supportive edict, providing royal funding and protection for the project
🔄 The temple is successfully completed and dedicated with joyful celebration, marking a significant milestone in the restoration of Jewish religious life after exile
📚 Ezra the scribe arrives with royal authorization from King Artaxerxes, bringing additional exiles and resources to strengthen Jerusalem's religious practices and teach God's law
Bish lam, Mith re dath, Ta be el and the rest of his col leagues wrote to King Artaxerxes. The let ter was writ ten in Ar a ma ic and trans lat ed. a 8 Re hum the chief dep u ty and Shim shai the scribe wrote a let ter to King Artaxerxes con- cern ing Je ru sa lem as fol lows: 9 From Rehum b the chief deputy , Shim - shai the scribe, and the rest of their col - leagues — the judges and magistrates c from Tripolis, Persia, Erech, Babylon, Susa (that is, the people of Elam), d 10 and the rest of the peoples whom the great and illustrious Ashurbanipal e deported and settled in the cities of Samaria and the region west of the Euphrates River. 11 This is the text of the let ter they sent to him: To King Artaxerxes from your servants, the men from the region west of the Euphrates River: 12 Let it be known to the king that the Jews who came from you have returned to us at Jerusalem. They are rebuilding that rebellious and evil city , finishing its walls, and repairing its foundations. 13 Let it now be known to the king that if that city is rebuilt and its walls are finished, they will not pay tribute, duty , or land tax, and the royal revenue d will suffer. 14 Since we have taken an oath of loyalty to the king, f and it is not right for us to witness his dishonor, we have sent to inform the king 15 that a search should be made in your fathers’ record books. In these record books you will discover and verify that the city is a rebellious city , harmful to kings and provinces. There have been revolts in it since ancient times. That is why this city was destroyed. 16 We advise the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls are finished, you will not have any possession west of the Euphrates. ARTAXERXES’S REPLY 17 The king sent a re ply to his chief dep u ty Re- hum, Shim shai the scribe, and the rest of their col leagues liv ing in Sa mar ia and else where in the re gion west of the Eu phra tes Riv er:Greetings. 18 The letter you sent us has been translated and read g in my presence. 19 I issued a decree and a search was conducted. It was discovered that this city has had uprisings against kings since ancient times, and there have been rebellions and revolts in it. 20 Powerful kings have also ruled over Jerusalem and exercised authority over the whole region west of the Euphrates River, and tribute, duty , and land tax were paid to them. 21 Therefore, issue an order for these men to stop, so that this city will not be rebuilt until a further decree has been pronounced by me. 22 See that you not neglect this matter. Otherwise, the damage will increase and the royal interests h will suffer. 23 As soon as the text of King Artaxerxes’s let ter was read to Re hum, Shim shai the scribe, and their col leagues, they im me di ate ly went to the Jews in Je ru sa lem and forc ibly stopped them. REBUILDING OF THE TEMPLE RESUMED 24 Now the con struc tion of God’s house in Je- ru sa lem had stopped and re mained at a stand- still un til the sec ond year of the reign of King 5 Da ri us of Per sia. 1 But when the proph ets Hag gai and Zech a ri ah son of Iddo proph- e sied to the Jews who were in Ju dah and Je- ru sa lem, in the name of the God of Is ra el who was over them, 2 Ze rub ba bel son of She al ti el and Jesh ua son of Joz a dak be gan to re build God’s house in Je ru sa lem. The proph ets of God were with them, help ing them. 3 At that time Tat te nai the gov er nor of the re gion west of the Eu phra tes Riv er, Shethar- bozenai, and their col leagues came to the Jews and asked, “ Who gave you the or der to re build this tem ple and fin ish this struc- ture? ” i 4 They also asked them, “ What are the names of the work ers j who are con struct ing this build ing? ” 5 But God was watch ing k over the Jew ish el ders. These men wouldn’t stop them un til a re port was sent to Da ri us, so that they could re ceive writ ten in struc tions about this mat ter. a4:7 Ezr 4:8–6:18 is written in Aramaic. b4:9 Lit Then Rehum c4:9 Or ambassadors d4:9,13 Aramaic obscure e4:10 Lit Osnappar f4:14 Lit have eaten the salt of the palace g4:18 Or been read clearly h4:22 Lit the kings i 5:3 Or finish its furnishings, also in v. 9 j 5:4 One Aramaic ms, LXX, Syr; MT reads Then we told them exactly what the names of the men were k 5:5 Lit But the eye of their God wasEZRA 4-5 410 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 410 10/26/17 9:00 PM THE LETTER TO DARIUS 6 This is the text of the let ter that Tat te nai the gov er nor of the re gion west of the Eu phra tes Riv er, Shethar-bozenai, and their col leagues, the off i cials in the re gion, sent to King Da ri us. 7 They sent him a re port, writ ten as fol lows: To King Darius: All greetings. 8 Let it be known to the king that we went to the house of the great God in the prov - ince of Judah. It is being built with cut a stones, and its beams are being set in the walls. This work is being done diligently and succeeding through the people’s efforts. 9 So we questioned the elders and asked, “Who gave you the order to rebuild this temple and finish this structure? ” 10 We also asked them for their names, so that we could write down the names of their leaders for your information. 11 This is the reply they gave us: We are the servants of the God of the heavens and earth, and we are rebuilding the temple that was built many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and finished. 12 But since our fathers angered the God of the heavens, he handed them over to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this temple and deported the people to Babylon. 13 However, in the first year of King Cyrus of Babylon, he issued a decree to rebuild the house of God. 14 He also took from the temple in Babylon the gold and silver arti - cles of God’s house that Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem and carried them to the temple in Bab - ylon. He released them from the temple in Babylon to a man named Sheshbazzar, the governor by the appointment of King Cyrus. 15 Cyrus told him, “Take these arti - cles, put them in the temple in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be rebuilt on its original site.” 16 Then this same Shesh - bazzar came and laid the foundation of God’s house in Jerusalem. It has been under construction from that time until now , but it has not been completed.17 So if it pleases the king, let a search of the royal archives b in Babylon be con - ducted to see if it is true that a decree was issued by King Cyrus to rebuild the house of God in Jerusalem. Let the king’s deci - sion regarding this matter be sent to us. DARIUS’S SEARCH 6 King Da ri us gave the or der, and they searched in the library of Bab ylon in the ar chives. c 2 But it was in the for tress of Ec bat- a na in the prov ince of Me dia that a scroll was found with this rec ord writ ten on it: 3 In the first year of King Cyrus, he issued a decree concerning the house of God in Jerusalem: Let the house be rebuilt as a place for offering sacrifices, and let its original foundations be retained. d Its height is to be ninety feet e and its width ninety feet, 4 with three layers of cut a stones and one of timber. The cost is to be paid from the royal treasury . f 5 The gold and silver arti - cles of God’s house that Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple in Jerusalem and carried to Babylon must also be returned. They are to be brought to the temple in Jerusalem where they belong g and put into the house of God. DARIUS’S DECREE 6 Therefore, you must stay away from that place, Tattenai governor of the region west of the Euphrates River, Shethar-boz - enai, and your h colleagues, the officials in the region. 7 Leave the construction of the house of God alone. Let the governor and elders of the Jews rebuild this house of God on its original site. 8 I hereby issue a decree concerning what you are to do, so that the elders of the Jews can rebuild the house of God: The cost is to be paid in full to these men out of the royal revenues from the taxes of the region west of the Euphrates River, so that the work will not stop. 9 Whatever is needed — young bulls, rams, and lambs for burnt offerings to the God of the heavens, or wheat, salt, wine, and oil, as a 5:8; 6:4 Or huge b 5:17 Lit treasure house c 6:1 Lit Babylon where the treasures were stored d 6:3 Lit be brought forth e 6:3 Lit 60 cubits f6:4 Lit the king’s house g 6:5 Lit Jerusalem, to its place, h 6:6 Lit their 411 EZRA 5-6 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 411 10/26/17 9:00 PM requested by the priests in Jerusalem — let it be given to them every day without fail, 10 so that they can offer sacrifices of pleasing aroma to the God of the heavens and pray for the life of the king and his sons. 11 I also issue a decree concerning any man who interferes with this directive: Let a beam be torn from his house and raised up; he will be impaled on it, and his house will be made into a garbage dump because of this offense. 12 May the God who caused his name to dwell there overthrow any king or people who dares a to harm or interfere with this house of God in Jerusalem. I, Darius, have issued the decree. Let it be carried out diligently . 13 Then Tat te nai gov er nor of the re gion west of the Eu phra tes Riv er, Shethar-bozenai, and their col leagues dil i gent ly car ried out what King Da ri us had de creed. 14 So the Jew ish el- ders con tin ued suc cess ful ly with the build ing un der the proph e sy ing of Hag gai the proph- et and Zech a ri ah son of Iddo. They fin ished the build ing ac cord ing to the com mand of the God of Is ra el and the de crees of Cy rus, Da ri us, and King Artaxerxes of Per sia. 15 This house was com plet ed on the third day of the month of Adar in the sixth year of the reign of King Da ri us. TEMPLE DEDICATION AND THE PASSOVER 16 Then the Is ra el ites, in clud ing the priests, the Le vites, and the rest of the ex iles, cel e brat ed the ded i ca tion of the house of God with joy . 17 For the ded i ca tion of God’s house they of- fered one hun dred bulls, two hun dred rams, and four hun dred lambs, as well as twelve male goats as a sin off er ing for all Is ra el — one for each Is ra el ite tribe. 18 They also ap point ed the priests by their di vi sions and the Le vites by their groups to the ser vice of God in Je- ru sa lem, ac cord ing to what is writ ten in the book of Mo ses. 19 The ex iles ob served the Pass over on the four teenth day of the first month. 20 All of the priests and Le vites were cer e mo ni al ly clean, be cause they had pu ri fied them selves. They killed the Pass over lamb for them selves, their priest ly broth ers, and all the ex iles. 21 The Is ra el ites who had re turned from ex ile ate it, to geth er with all who had sep a rat- ed them selves from the un clean ness of the Gen tiles of the land b in or der to wor ship the L ord, the God of Is ra el. 22 They ob served the Fes ti val of Un leav ened Bread for sev en days with joy , be cause the L ord had made them joy ful, hav ing changed the As syr ian king’s at ti tude to ward them, so that he sup- port ed them c in the work on the house of the God of Is ra el. EZR A’S ARRIVAL 7 Af ter these events, dur ing the reign of King Artaxerxes of Per sia, Ezra — Seraiah’s son, Azariah’s son, Hilkiah’s son, 2 Shallum’s son, Zadok’s son, Ahitub’s son, 3 Amariah’s son, Azariah’s son, Meraioth’s son, 4 Zerahiah’s son, Uzzi’s son, Bukki’s son, 5 Abishua’s son, Phinehas’s son, Eleazar’s son, the chief priest Aaron’s son 6 — came up from Bab ylon. He was a scribe skilled in the law of Mo ses, which the L ord, the God of Is ra el, had giv en. The king had grant- ed him ev ery thing he re quest ed be cause the hand of the L ord his God was on him. 7 Some of the Is ra el ites, priests, Le vites, sing ers, gate- keep ers, and tem ple ser vants ac com pa nied him to Je ru sa lem in the sev enth year of King Artaxerxes. 8 Ezra d came to Je ru sa lem in the fifth month, dur ing the sev enth year of the king. 9 He be- gan the jour ney from Bab ylon on the first day of the first month and ar rived in Je ru sa lem on the first day of the fifth month since the gra cious hand of his God was on him. 10 Now Ezra had de ter mined in his heart to study the law of the L ord, obey it, and teach its stat utes and or di nances in Is ra el. LETTER FROM ARTAXERXES 11 This is the text of the let ter King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest and scribe, an ex pert in mat ters of the L ord’ s com mands and stat- utes for Is ra el: e 12 Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, an expert in the law of the God of the heavens: a 6:12 Lit who stretches out its hand b 6:21 Lit land to them c 6:22 Lit strengthened their hands d 7:8 LXX, Syr , Vg read They e 7:11 Ezr 7:12-26 is written in Aramaic.EZRA 6-7 412 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 412 10/26/17 9:00 PM Greetings. 13 I issue a decree that any of the Isra - elites in my kingdom, including their priests and Levites, who want to go to Jerusalem, may go with you. 14 You are sent by the king and his seven coun - selors to evaluate Judah and Jerusalem according to the law of your God, which is in your possession. 15 You are also to bring the silver and gold the king and his counselors have willingly given to the God of Israel, whose dwelling is in Jerusalem, 16 and all the silver and gold you receive throughout the province of Babylon, together with the freewill offerings given by the people and the priests to the house of their God in Jerusalem. 17 Then you are to be diligent to buy with this money bulls, rams, and lambs, along with their grain and drink offerings, and offer them on the altar at the house of your God in Jerusalem. 18 You may do whatever seems best to you and your brothers with the rest of the silver and gold, according to the will of your God. 19 Deliver to the God of Jerusalem all the articles given to you for the service of the house of your God. 20 You may use the royal treasury a to pay for anything else needed for the house of your God. 21 I, King Artaxerxes, issue a decree to all the treasurers in the region west of the Euphrates River: Whatever Ezra the priest, an expert in the law of the God of the heavens, asks of you must be provided in full, 22 up to 7,500 pounds b of silver, 500 bushels c of wheat, 550 gallons d of wine, 550 gallons of oil, and salt without limit. e 23 Whatev - er is commanded by the God of heaven must be done diligently for the house of the God of the heavens, so that wrath will not fall on the realm of the king and his sons. 24 Be advised that you do not have authority to impose tribute, duty , and land tax on any priests, Levites, singers, doorkeepers, temple servants, or other servants of this house of God.25 And you, Ezra, according to f God’s wisdom that you possess, appoint magis - trates and judges to judge all the people in the region west of the Euphrates who know the laws of your God and to teach anyone who does not know them. 26 Any - one who does not keep the law of your God and the law of the king, let the appro - priate judgment be executed against him, whether death, banishment, confiscation of property , or imprisonment. 27 Blessed be the L ord , the God of our fa thers, who has put it into the king’s mind to glo ri fy the house of the L ord in Je ru sa lem, 28 and who has shown fa vor to me be fore the king, his coun sel ors, and all his pow er ful off i cers. So I took cour age be cause I was strength ened by the hand of the L ord my God, g and I gath ered Is ra el ite lead ers to re turn with me. THOSE RETURNING WITH EZRA 8 These are the fam i ly heads and the ge ne- alog i cal rec ords of those who re turned with me from Bab ylon dur ing the reign of King Artaxerxes: 2 Gershom, from Phinehas’s descendants; Daniel, from Ithamar’s descendants; Hattush, from David’s descendants, 3 who was of Shecaniah’s descendants; Zechariah, from Parosh’s descendants, and 150 men h with him who were registered by genealogy; 4 Eliehoenai son of Zerahiah from Pahath-moab’s descendants, and 200 men with him; 5 Shecaniah i son of Jahaziel from Zattu’s descendants, and 300 men with him; 6 Ebed son of Jonathan from Adin’s descendants, and 50 men with him; 7 Jeshaiah son of Athaliah from Elam’s descendants, and 70 men with him; 8 Zebadiah son of Michael from Shephatiah’s descendants, and 80 men with him; 9 Obadiah son of Jehiel from Joab’s descendants, and 218 men with him; a 7:20 Lit the king’s house b 7:22 Lit 100 talents c 7:22 Lit 100 cors d 7:22 Lit 100 baths e 7:22 Lit without instruction f 7:25 Lit to your g 7:28 Lit because the hand of the Lord my God was on me h 8:3 Or males ; also in vv. 4-14 i 8:5 LXX, 1 Esdras 8:32; MT reads the descendants of Shecaniah 413 EZRA 7-8 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 413 10/26/17 9:00 PM 10 Shelomith a son of Josiphiah from Bani’s descendants, and 160 men with him; 11 Zechariah son of Bebai from Bebai’s descendants, and 28 men with him; 12 Johanan son of Hakkatan from Azgad’s descendants, and 110 men with him; 13 these are the last ones, from Adonikam’s descendants, and their names are Eliphelet, Jeuel, and Shemaiah, and 60 men with them; 14 Uthai and Zaccur b from Bigvai’s descendants, and 70 men with them. 15 I gath ered them at the riv er c that flows to Aha va, and we camped there for three days. I searched among the peo ple and priests, but found no Le vites there. 16 Then I sum moned the lead ers: El i e zer, Ari el, She ma iah, El na than, Ja rib, El na than, Na than, Zech a ri ah, and Me- shul lam, as well as the teach ers Joi a rib and El na than. 17 I sent them to Iddo, the lead er at Ca siph ia, with a mes sage for d him and his broth ers, the tem ple ser vants at Ca siph ia, that they should bring us min is ters for the house of our God. 18 Since the gra cious hand of our God was on us, they brought us Sher e bi ah — a man of in sight from the de scen dants of Mah li, a de scen dant of Levi son of Is ra el — along with his sons and broth ers, 18 men, 19 plus Hash a bi ah, along with Je sha iah, from the de scen dants of Me ra ri, and his broth ers and their sons, 20 men. 20 There were also 220 of the tem ple ser vants, who had been ap point ed by Da vid and the lead ers for the work of the Le vites. All were identified by name. PREPARING TO RETURN 21 I pro claimed a fast by the Aha va Riv er, e so that we might hum ble our selves be fore our God and ask him for a safe jour ney for us, our de pen dents, and all our pos ses sions. 22 I did this be cause I was ashamed to ask the king for infantry and cav al ry to pro tect us from en e mies dur ing the jour ney , since we had told him, “ The hand of our God is gra cious to all who seek him, but his fierce an ger is against all who aban don him.” 23 So we fast ed and plead ed with our God about this, and he was receptive to our prayer. 24 I se lect ed twelve of the lead ing priests, along with Sher e bi ah, Hash a bi ah, and ten of their broth ers. 25 I weighed out to them the sil ver, the gold, and the ar ti cles — the con- tri bu tion for the house of our God that the king, his coun sel ors, his lead ers, and all the Is ra el ites who were pre sent had off ered. 26 I weighed out
🏛️ Sacred Treasures and Restoration
🛡️ Holy treasures were carefully transported to Jerusalem, including 24 tons of silver, 7,500 pounds of gold, and precious vessels, with priests and Levites appointed as guardians during the journey ✨
🙏 Spiritual renewal confronted the crisis of intermarriage, as Ezra and leaders recognized how foreign marriages threatened Israel's covenant relationship with God and cultural identity
🔄 Radical reformation required painful separation from foreign wives and children, demonstrating the community's commitment to purification and covenant faithfulness
🧱 Rebuilding efforts under Nehemiah faced opposition from neighboring peoples while reconstructing Jerusalem's walls, symbolizing both physical protection and spiritual boundaries
🌱 Divine providence sustained the returning exiles through challenges, with leaders acknowledging God's hand in both their punishment and preservation as a remnant
to them 24 tons f of sil ver, sil- ver ar ti cles weigh ing 7,500 pounds, g 7,500 pounds of gold, 27 twen ty gold bowls worth a thou sand gold coins, h and two ar ti cles of fine gleam ing bronze, as valu able as gold. 28 Then I said to them, “ You are holy to the L ord, and the ar ti cles are holy . The sil ver and gold are a free will off er ing to the L ord God of your fa- thers. 29 Guard them care ful ly un til you weigh them out in the cham bers of the L ord’ s house be fore the lead ing priests, Le vites, and heads of the Is ra el ite fam i lies in Je ru sa lem.” 30 So the priests and Le vites took charge of the sil- ver, the gold, and the ar ti cles that had been weighed out, to bring them to the house of our God in Je ru sa lem. ARRIVAL IN JERUSALEM 31 We set out from the Aha va Riv er on the twelfth day of the first month to go to Je ru- sa lem. We were strength ened by our God, i and he kept us from the grasp of the en e my and from am bush along the way . 32 So we ar rived at Je ru sa lem and rest ed there for three days. 33 On the fourth day the sil ver, the gold, and the ar ti cles were weighed out in the house of our God into the care of the priest Mer e moth son of Uri ah. El e a zar son of Phin e has was with him. The Le vites Joz a bad son of Jesh ua and No a di ah son of Bin nui were also with them. 34 Ev ery thing was ver i fied by num ber and weight, and the to tal weight was re cord ed at that time. 35 The ex iles who had re turned from the cap tiv i ty off ered burnt off er ings to the God of Is ra el: twelve bulls for all Is ra el, ninety-six rams, and seventy-seven lambs, along with twelve male goats as a sin off er ing. All this was a burnt off er ing for the L ord. 36 They also de liv ered the king’s edicts to the roy al sa traps and gov er nors of the re gion west of the Eu phra tes, so that they would sup port the peo ple and the house of God. a 8:10 Some LXX mss, 1 Esdras 8:36; MT reads the descendants of Shelomith b 8:14 Alt Hb tradition, some LXX mss read Zabud c 8:15 Or canal d 8:17 Lit Casiphia, and I put in their mouth the words to speak to e 8:21 Or Canal, also in v. 31 f 8:26 Lit 650 talents g 8:26 Lit 100 talents h 8:27 Or 1,000 drachmas, or 1,000 darics i 8:31 Lit The hand of our God was on usEZRA 8 414 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 414 10/26/17 9:00 PM ISRAEL’S INTERMARRIAGE 9 Af ter these things had been done, the lead- ers ap proached me and said: “ The peo ple of Is ra el, the priests, and the Le vites have not sep a rat ed them selves from the sur round ing peo ples whose de test able prac tic es are like those of the Ca naan ites, Heth ites, Per iz zites, Jeb u sites, Am mon ites, Mo ab ites, Egyp tians, and Am o rites. 2 In deed, the Is ra el ite men a have tak en some of their daugh ters as wives for them selves and their sons, so that the holy seed has be come mixed with the sur round- ing peo ples. The lead ers b and off i cials have tak en the lead in this un faith ful ness! ” 3 When I heard this re port, I tore my tu nic and robe, pulled out some of the hair from my head and beard, and sat down dev as tat ed. EZRA’S CONFESSION 4 Ev ery one who trem bled at the words of the God of Is ra el gath ered around me, be cause of the un faith ful ness of the ex iles, while I sat dev as tat ed un til the eve ning off er ing. 5 At the eve ning off er ing, I got up from my time of hu- mil i a tion, with my tu nic and robe torn. Then I fell on my knees and spread out my hands to the L ord my God. 6 And I said: My God, I am ashamed and embarrassed to lift my face toward you, my God, because our iniquities are higher than our heads and our guilt is as high as the heavens. 7 Our guilt has been terrible from the days of our fathers until the present. Because of our iniquities we have been handed over, along with our kings and priests, to the surrounding kings, and to the sword, captivity , plun - dering, and open shame, as it is today . 8 But now , for a brief moment, grace has come from the Lord our God to preserve a remnant for us and give us a stake in his holy place. Even in our slavery , God has given us a little relief and light to our eyes. 9 Though we are slaves, our God has not abandoned us in our slavery . He has extended grace to us in the presence of the Persian kings, giving us relief, so that we can rebuild the house of our God and repair its ruins, to give us a wall in Judah and Jerusalem. 10 Now , our God, what can we say in light of c this? For we have abandoned the commands 11 you gave through your servants the prophets, saying: “The land you are entering to possess is an impure land. The surrounding peoples have filled it from end to end with their uncleanness by their impurity and detestable prac - tices. 12 So do not give your daughters to their sons in marriage or take their daughters for your sons. Never pursue their welfare or prosperity , so that you will be strong, eat the good things of the land, and leave it as an inheritance to your sons forever.” 13 After all that has happened to us because of our evil deeds and terrible guilt — though you, our God, have punished us less than our iniquities deserve and have allowed us to survive d — 14 should we break your commands again and intermarry with the peoples who commit these detest - able practices? Wouldn’t you become so angry with us that you would destroy us, leaving neither remnant nor survivor? 15 Lord God of Israel, you are righteous, for we survive as a remnant today . Here we are before you with our guilt, though no one can stand in your presence be - cause of this. SENDING AWAY FOREIGN WIVES 10 While Ezra prayed and con fessed, weep ing and fall ing face down be fore the house of God, an ex treme ly large as sem- bly of Is ra el ite men, wom en, and chil dren gath ered around him. The peo ple also wept bit ter ly . 2 Then Shec a ni ah son of Je hi el, an Elam ite, re spond ed to Ezra: “ We have been un faith ful to our God by mar ry ing for eign wom en from the sur round ing peo ples, but there is still hope for Is ra el in spite of this. 3 Let us there fore make a cov enant be fore our God to send away all the for eign wives and their chil dren, ac cord ing to the coun sel of my lord and of those who trem ble at the com mand of our God. Let it be done ac cord- ing to the law . 4 Get up, for this mat ter is your re spon si bil i ty , and we sup port you. Be strong and take ac tion! ” 5 Then Ezra got up and made the lead ing priests, Le vites, and all Is ra el take an oath to do what had been said; so they took the oath. 6 Ezra then went from the house of God and walked to the cham ber of Je ho ha nan a 9:2 Lit they b 9:2 Lit hand of the leaders c 9:10 Lit say after d 9:13 Lit and gave us a remnant like this 415 EZRA 9-10 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 415 10/26/17 9:00 PM son of Eli a shib, where he spent the night. a He did not eat food or drink wa ter, be cause he was mourn ing over the un faith ful ness of the ex iles. 7 They cir cu lat ed a proc la ma tion through- out Ju dah and Je ru sa lem that all the ex iles should gath er at Je ru sa lem. 8 Who ev er did not come with in three days would for feit all his pos ses sions, b ac cord ing to the de ci sion of the lead ers and el ders, and would be ex clud ed from the as sem bly of the ex iles. 9 So all the men of Ju dah and Ben ja min gath- ered in Je ru sa lem with in the three days. On the twen ti eth day of the ninth month, all the peo ple sat in the square at the house of God, trem bling be cause of this mat ter and be cause of the heavy rain. 10 Then the priest Ezra stood up and said to them, “ You have been un faith ful by mar ry ing for eign wom en, add ing to Is ra el’s guilt. 11 There fore, make a con fes sion to the L ord, the God of your fa thers, and do his will. Sep a rate your selves from the sur round ing peo ples and your for eign wives.” 12 Then all the as sem bly re spond ed loud ly: “ Yes, we will do as you say! 13 But there are many peo ple, and it is the rainy sea son. We don’t have the stamina to stay out in the open. This isn’t some thing that can be done in a day or two, for we have re belled ter ri bly in this mat ter. 14 Let our lead ers rep re sent the en- tire as sem bly . Then let all those in our towns who have mar ried for eign wom en come at ap point ed times, to geth er with the el ders and judg es of each town, in or der to avert the fierce an ger of our God con cern ing c this mat ter.” 15 Only Jon a than son of As a hel and Jah ze iah son of Tik vah op posed this, with Me shul lam and Shab be thai the Le vite sup- port ing them. 16 The ex iles did what had been pro posed. The priest Ezra se lect ed men d who were fam- i ly heads, all identified by name, to rep re sent e their an ces tral fam i lies. f They con vened on the first day of the tenth month to in ves ti gate the mat ter, 17 and by the first day of the first month they had dealt with all the men who had mar ried for eign wom en. THOSE MARRIED TO FOREIGN WIVES 18 The fol low ing were found to have mar ried for eign wom en from the de scen dants of the priests:from the descendants of Jeshua son of Jozadak and his brothers: Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah. 19 They pledged g to send their wives away , and being guilty , they offered a ram from the flock for their guilt; 20 Hanani and Zebadiah from Immer’s descendants; 21 Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel, and Uzziah from Harim’s descendants; 22 Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, and Elasah from Pashhur’s descendants. 23 The Le vites: Jozabad, Shimei, Kelaiah (that is Kelita), Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer. 24 The sing ers: Eliashib. The gate keep ers: Shallum, Telem, and Uri. 25 The Is ra el ites: Parosh’s descendants: Ramiah, Izziah, Malchijah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Malchijah, h and Benaiah; 26 Elam’s descendants: Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth, and Elijah; 27 Zattu’s descendants: Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth, Zabad, and Aziza; 28 Bebai’s descendants: Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and Athlai; 29 Bani’s descendants: Meshullam, Malluch, Adaiah, Jashub, Sheal, and Jeremoth; 30 Pahath-moab’s descendants: Adna, Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui, and Manasseh; 31 Harim’s descendants: Eliezer, Isshijah, Malchijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon, 32 Benjamin, Malluch, and Shemariah; 33 Hashum’s descendants: Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and Shimei; 34 Bani’s descendants: Maadai, Amram, Uel, 35 Benaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluhi, 36 Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib, a 10:6 1 Esdras 9:2, Syr; MT , Vg read he went b 10:8 Lit would set apart all his possessions for destruction c 10:14 Some Hb mss, LXX, Vg; other Hb mss read until d 10:16 1 Esdras 9:16, Syr; MT , Vg read priest and men were selected e 10:16 Lit name, for f 10:16 Lit the house of their fathers g 10:19 Lit gave their hand h 10:25 Some LXX mss, 1 Esdras 9:26 read HashabiahEZRA 10 416 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 416 10/26/17 9:00 PM 37 Mattaniah, Mattenai, Jaasu, 38 Bani, Binnui, Shimei, 39 Shelemiah, Nathan, Adaiah, 40 Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai, 41 Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah, 42 Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph; 43 Nebo’s descendants: Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai, Joel, and Benaiah. 44 All of these had mar ried for eign wom en, and some of the wives had giv en birth to chil dren. 417 EZRA 10 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 417 10/26/17 9:00 PM nehemiah 1 The words of Ne he mi ah son of Hac a li ah: NEWS FROM JERUSALEM Dur ing the month of Chislev in the twen ti- eth year, when I was in the for tress city of Susa, 2 Ha na ni, one of my broth ers, ar rived with men from Ju dah, and I ques tioned them about Je ru sa lem and the Jew ish rem nant that had sur vived the ex ile. 3 They said to me, “ The rem nant in the prov ince, who sur vived the ex ile, are in great trou ble and dis grace. Je ru- sa lem’s wall has been bro ken down, and its gates have been burned.” NEHEMIAH’S PRAYER 4 When I heard these words, I sat down and wept. I mourned for a num ber of days, fast ing and pray ing be fore the God of the heav ens. 5 I said, Lord, the God of the heavens, the great and awe-inspiring God who keeps his gracious covenant with those who love him and keep his commands, 6 let your eyes be open and your ears be atten - tive to hear your servant’s prayer that I now pray to you day and night for your servants, the Israelites. I confess the sins a we have committed against you. Both I and my father’s family have sinned. 7 We have acted corruptly toward you and have not kept the commands, statutes, and ordinances you gave your servant Moses. 8 Please remember what you commanded your servant Moses: “If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples. 9 But if you return to me and carefully observe my commands, even though your exiles were banished to the farthest horizon, b I will gather them from there and bring them to the place where I chose to have my name dwell.” 10 They are your servants and your people. You redeemed them by your great power and strong hand. 11 Please, Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant and to that of your servants who delight to revere your name. Give your servant success today , and grant him compassion in the presence of this man. c At the time, I was the king’s cup bear er. NEHEMIAH SENT TO JERUSALEM 2 Dur ing the month of Ni san in the twen ti- eth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was set be fore him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had nev er been sad in his pres- ence, 2 so the king said to me, “ Why are you d sad, when you aren’t sick? This is noth ing but sad ness of heart.” I was over whelmed with fear 3 and re plied to the king, “ May the king live for ev er! Why should I e not be sad when the city where my an ces tors are bur ied lies in ru ins and its gates have been de stroyed by fire? ” 4 Then the king asked me, “ What is your re- quest? ” So I prayed to the God of the heav ens 5 and an swered the king, “ If it pleas es the king, and if your ser vant has found fa vor with you, send me to Ju dah and to the city where my an ces tors are bur ied, f so that I may re build it.” 6 The king, with the queen seat ed be side him, asked me, “ How long will your jour ney take, and when will you re turn? ” So I gave him a defi nite time, and it pleased the king to send me. 7 I also said to the king: “ If it pleas es the king, let me have let ters writ ten to the gov er nors of the re gion west of the Eu phra tes Riv er, so that they will grant me safe pas sage un til I reach Ju- dah. 8 And let me have a let ter writ ten to Asaph, keep er of the king’s for est, so that he will give me tim ber to re build the gates of the tem ple’s for tress, the city wall, and the home where I will live.” g The king grant ed my re quests, for the gra cious hand of my God was on me. 9 I went to the gov er nors of the re gion west of the Eu phra tes and gave them the king’s let ters. The king had also sent off i cers of the infantry and cav al ry with me. 10 When San- bal lat the Hor o nite and To bi ah the Am mon- ite off i cial heard that some one had come to pur sue the pros per i ty of the Is ra el ites, they were great ly dis pleased. a 1:6 Lit sins of the Israelites b 1:9 Lit skies c 1:11 = the king d 2:2 Lit “Why is your face e 2:3 Lit my face f 2:5 Lit city, the house of the graves of my fathers, g 2:8 Lit enter CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 418 10/26/17 9:00 PM PREPARING TO REBUILD THE WALLS 11 Af ter I ar rived in Je ru sa lem and had been there three days, 12 I got up at night and took a few men with me. I didn’t tell any one what my God had laid on my heart to do for Je ru sa- lem. The only an i mal I took a was the one I was rid ing. 13 I went out at night through the Val ley Gate to ward the Ser pent’s b Well and the Dung Gate, and I in spect ed the walls of Je ru sa lem that had been bro ken down and its gates that had been de stroyed by fire. 14 I went on to the Foun tain Gate and the King’s Pool, but far ther down it be came too nar row for my an i mal to go through. 15 So I went up at night by way of the val ley and in spect ed the wall. Then head- ing back, I en tered through the Val ley Gate and re turned. 16 The off i cials did not know where I had gone or what I was do ing, for I had not yet told the Jews, priests, no bles, off i cials, or the rest of those who would be do ing the work. 17 So I said to them, “ You see the trou ble we are in. Je ru sa lem lies in ru ins and its gates have been burned. Come, let’s re build Je ru sa lem’s wall, so that we will no lon ger be a dis grace.” 18 I told them how the gra cious hand of my God had been on me, and what the king had said to me. They said, “ Let’s start re build ing,” and their hands were strength ened c to do this good work. 19 When San bal lat the Hor o nite, To bi ah the Am mon ite off i cial, and Ge shem the Arab heard about this, they mocked and de spised us, and said, “ What is this you’re do ing? Are you re- bel ling against the king? ” 20 I gave them this re ply , “ The God of the heav ens is the one who will grant us suc cess. We, his ser vants, will start build ing, but you have no share, right, or his tor ic claim in Je- ru sa lem.” REBUILDING THE WALLS 3 The high priest Eli a shib and his fel low priests be gan re build ing the Sheep Gate. They ded i cat ed it and in stalled its doors. Af ter build ing the wall to the Tow er of the Hun dred and the Tow er of Han a nel, they ded i cat ed it. 2 The men of Jer i cho built next to Eli a shib, and next to them Zac cur son of Imri built. FISH GATE 3 The sons of Has se na ah built the Fish Gate. They built it with beams and in stalled its doors, bolts, and bars. 4 Next to them Mer - e moth son of Uri ah, son of Hak koz, made re pairs. Be side them Me shul lam son of Ber e- chi ah, son of Me shez a bel, made re pairs. Next to them Za dok son of Ba a na made re pairs. 5 Be side them the Te ko ites made re pairs, but their no bles did not lift a fin ger to help d their su per vi sors. OLD GATE, BROAD WALL, AND TOWER OF THE OVENS 6 Joi a da son of Pa se ah and Me shul lam son of Bes o de iah re paired the Old e Gate. They built it with beams and in stalled its doors, bolts, and bars. 7 Next to them the re pairs were done by Mel a ti ah the Gib e on ite, Ja don the Me ron o thite, and the men of Gib e on and Miz pah, who were un der the au thor i ty f of the gov er nor of the
🏗️ Jerusalem's Wall Rebuilt
🧱 Nehemiah's leadership mobilized diverse groups to rebuild Jerusalem's walls despite significant opposition, with each family taking responsibility for sections near their homes
🛡️ Workers demonstrated remarkable resilience and vigilance by building with one hand while holding weapons with the other, creating an effective defense strategy against threats
💰 Nehemiah confronted social injustice within the community, compelling wealthy Jews to stop charging interest and return property to their struggling countrymen
🤝 Opposition leaders (Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem) employed multiple tactics to derail the project—mockery, threats of violence, false rumors, and attempts to intimidate Nehemiah
🏆 Despite overwhelming challenges, the wall was completed in just 52 days, demonstrating divine assistance and restoring security to Jerusalem
📜 Following the construction, Nehemiah organized the resettlement of Jerusalem, appointing officials and registering returning exiles by genealogy to reestablish the community
re gion west of the Eu phra tes Riv er. 8 Af ter him Uz zi el son of Har ha iah, the gold smith, made re pairs, and next to him Han a ni ah son of the per fum er made re pairs. They re stored Je ru sa lem as far as the Broad Wall. 9 Next to them Re pha iah son of Hur, rul er of half the dis trict of Je ru sa lem, made re pairs. 10 Af ter them Je da iah son of Ha ru maph made re pairs across from his house. Next to him Hat tush the son of Hash ab ne i ah made re pairs. 11 Mal chi jah son of Ha rim and Has shub son of Pahath-moab made re pairs to an oth er sec tion, as well as to the Tow er of the Ov ens. 12 Be side him Shal lum son of Hal lo hesh, rul er of half the dis trict of Je ru sa lem, made re pairs — he and his daugh ters. VALLEY GATE, DUNG GATE, AND FOUNTAIN GATE 13 Ha nun and the in hab i tants of Za no ah re- paired the Val ley Gate. They re built it and in stalled its doors, bolts, and bars, and re- paired five hun dred yards g of the wall to the Dung Gate. 14 Mal chi jah son of Re chab, rul er of the dis trict of Beth-haccherem, re paired the Dung Gate. He re built it and in stalled its doors, bolts, and bars. 15 Shal lun h son of Col-hozeh, rul er of the dis trict of Miz pah, re paired the Foun tain Gate. He re built it and roofed it. Then he in stalled its doors, bolts, and bars. He also made re pairs to the wall of the Pool of She lah near the king’s gar den, as far as the stairs that de scend from the city of Da vid. a 2:12 Lit animal with me b 2:13 Or Dragon’s c 2:18 Lit they put their hands d 3:5 Lit not bring their neck to the work of e 3:6 Or Jeshanah f 3:7 Or Mizpah, the seat g 3:13 Lit 1,000 cubits h 3:15 Some Hb mss, Syr read Shallum 419 NEHEMIAH 2-3 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 419 10/26/17 9:00 PM 16 Af ter him Ne he mi ah son of Az buk, rul er of half the dis trict of Beth-zur, made re pairs up to a point op po site the tombs of Da vid, as far as the artificial pool and the House of the War riors. 17 Next to him the Le vites made re pairs un der Re hum son of Bani. Be side him Hash a bi ah, rul er of half the dis trict of Ke i lah, made re pairs for his dis trict. 18 Af ter him their fel low Le vites made re pairs un- der Bin nui a son of Hen a dad, rul er of half the dis trict of Ke i lah. 19 Next to him Ezer son of Jesh ua, rul er of Miz pah, made re pairs to an oth er sec tion op po site the as cent to the ar mory at the An gle. THE ANGLE, WATER GATE, AND TOWER ON THE OPHEL 20 Af ter him Bar uch son of Zab bai b dil i gent ly re paired an oth er sec tion, from the An gle to the door of the house of the high priest Eli a- shib. 21 Be side him Mer e moth son of Uri ah, son of Hak koz, made re pairs to an oth er sec tion, from the door of Eli a shib’s house to the end of his house. 22 And next to him the priests from the sur round ing area made re pairs. 23 Af ter them Ben ja min and Has shub made re pairs op po site their house. Be side them Az- a ri ah son of Ma a se iah, son of An a ni ah, made re pairs be side his house. 24 Af ter him Bin nui son of Hen a dad made re pairs to an oth er sec- tion, from the house of Az a ri ah to the An gle and the cor ner. 25 Pa lal son of Uzai made re pairs op po site the An gle and tow er that juts out from the king’s up per pal ace, c by the court- yard of the guard. Be side him Pe da iah son of Pa rosh 26 and the tem ple ser vants liv ing on Ophel made re pairs op po site the Wa ter Gate to ward the east and the tow er that juts out. 27 Next to him the Te ko ites made re pairs to an- oth er sec tion from a point op po site the great tow er that juts out, as far as the wall of Ophel. HORSE GATE, INSPECTION GATE, AND SHEEP GATE 28 Each of the priests made re pairs above the Horse Gate, each op po site his own house. 29Af- ter them Za dok son of Im mer made re pairs op po site his house. And be side him She ma- iah son of Shec a ni ah, guard of the East Gate, made re pairs. 30 Next to him Han a ni ah son of Shel e mi ah and Ha nun the sixth son of Za laph made re pairs to an oth er sec tion.Af ter them Me shul lam son of Ber e chi ah made re pairs op po site his room. 31 Next to him Mal chi jah, one of the gold smiths, made re pairs to the house of the tem ple ser vants and the mer chants, op po site the In spec tion d Gate, and as far as the up stairs room on the cor ner. 32 The gold smiths and mer chants made re pairs be tween the up stairs room on the cor - ner and the Sheep Gate. PROGRESS IN SPITE OF OPPOSITION 4 When San bal lat heard that we were re- build ing the wall, he be came fu ri ous. He mocked the Jews 2 be fore his col leagues and the pow er ful men e of Sa mar ia, and said, “ What are these pathetic Jews do ing? Can they re store it by them selves? Will they off er sac ri fic es? Will they ever fin ish it? Can they bring these burnt stones back to life from the mounds of rub ble? ” 3 Then To bi ah the Am mon ite, who was be side him, said, “In deed, even if a fox climbed up what they are build ing, he would break down their stone wall! ” 4 Lis ten, our God, for we are de spised. Make their in sults re turn on their own heads and let them be tak en as plun der to a land of cap- tiv i ty . 5 Do not cov er their guilt or let their sin be erased from your sight, be cause they have an gered f the build ers. 6 So we re built the wall un til the en tire wall was joined to geth er up to half its height, for the peo ple had the will to keep work ing. 7 When San bal lat, To bi ah, and the Arabs, Am mon ites, and Ash dod ites heard that the re pair to the walls of Je ru sa lem was progress- ing and that the gaps were be ing closed, they be came fu ri ous. 8 They all plot ted to geth er to come and fight against Je ru sa lem and throw it into con fu sion. 9 So we prayed to our God and sta tioned a guard be cause of them day and night. 10 In Ju dah, it was said: g The strength of the laborer fails, since there is so much rubble. We will never be able to rebuild the wall. 11 And our en e mies said, “ They won’t re al ize it h un til we’re among them and can kill them and stop the work.” 12 When the Jews who lived near by ar rived, they said to us time and again, i “Ev ery where you turn, they at tack j a 3:18 Some Hb mss, Syr , LXX; Neh 3:24; other Hb mss, Vg read Bavvai b 3:20 Alt Hb tradition, Vg read Zaccai ; Ezr 2:9 c 3:25 Or and the upper tower that juts out from the palace d 3:31 Or Muster e 4:2 Or the army f 4:5 Or provoked you in front of g 4:10 Lit Judah said h 4:11 Lit won’t know or see i 4:12 Lit us 10 times j 4:12 Or again from every place, “You must return toNEHEMIAH 3-4 420 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 420 10/26/17 9:00 PM us.” 13 So I sta tioned peo ple be hind the low est sec tions of the wall, at the vulnerable areas. I sta tioned them by fam i lies with their swords, spears, and bows. 14 Af ter I made an in spec tion, I stood up and said to the no bles, the off i cials, and the rest of the peo ple, “ Don’t be afraid of them. Re mem ber the great and awe-inspiring Lord, and fight for your coun try men, your sons and daugh ters, your wives and homes.” SWORD AND TROWEL 15 When our en e mies heard that we knew their scheme and that God had frus trat ed it, ev ery one of us re turned to his own work on the wall. 16 From that day on, half of my men did the work while the oth er half held spears, shields, bows, and ar mor. The off i cers sup port ed all the peo ple of Ju dah, 17 who were re build ing the wall. The la bor ers who car ried the loads worked with one hand and held a weap on with the oth er. 18 Each of the build ers had his sword strapped around his waist while he was build ing, and the trumpeter was be side me. 19 Then I said to the no bles, the off i cials, and the rest of the peo ple: “ The work is enor mous and spread out, and we are sep a rat ed far from one an oth er along the wall. 20 Wher ev er you hear the trum pet sound, ral ly to us there. Our God will fight for us! ” 21 So we con tin ued the work, while half of the men were hold ing spears from day break un til the stars came out. 22 At that time, I also said to the peo ple, “ Let ev ery one and his ser vant spend the night in side Je ru- sa lem, so that they can stand guard by night and work by day .” 23 And I, my broth ers, my ser vants, and the men of the guard with me nev er took off our clothes. Each car ried his weap on, even when wash ing. a SOCIAL INJUSTICE 5 There was a wide spread out cry from the peo ple and their wives against their Jew- ish coun try men. 2 Some were say ing, “ We, our sons, and our daugh ters are nu mer ous. Let us get grain so that we can eat and live.” 3 Oth ers were say ing, “ We are mort gag ing our fields, vine yards, and homes to get grain dur ing the fam ine.” 4 Still oth ers were say ing, “ We have bor rowed mon ey to pay the king’s tax on our fields and vine yards. 5 We and our chil dren are just like our coun try men and their chil dren, yet we are sub ject ing our sons and daugh ters to slav ery . Some of our daugh ters are al ready en slaved, but we are pow er less b be cause our fields and vine yards be long to oth ers.” 6 I be came ex treme ly an gry when I heard their out cry and these com plaints. 7Af ter se - riously considering the mat ter, I ac cused the no bles and off i cials, say ing to them, “ Each of you is charg ing his coun try men in ter est.” So I called a large as sem bly against them 8 and said, “ We have done our best to buy back our Jew ish coun try men who were sold to for eign- ers, but now you sell your own coun try men, and we have to buy them back.” They re mained si lent and could not say a word. 9 Then I said, “ What you are do ing isn’t right. Shouldn’t you walk in the fear of our God and not in vite the re proach of our for eign en e mies? 10 Even I, as well as my broth ers and my ser vants, have been lend ing them mon ey and grain. Please, let us stop charg ing this in ter est. c 11 Re turn their fields, vine yards, ol ive groves, and hous es to them im me di ate ly , along with the percentage d of the mon ey , grain, new wine, and fresh oil that you have been assessing them.” 12 They re spond ed: “ We will re turn these things and re quire noth ing more from them. We will do as you say .” So I sum moned the priests and made ev ery- one take an oath to do this. 13 I also shook the folds of my robe and said, “ May God like wise shake from his house and prop er ty ev ery one who doesn’t keep this prom ise. May he be shak en out and have noth ing! ” The whole as sem bly said, “ Amen,” and they praised the L ord. Then the peo ple did as they had prom ised. GOOD AND BAD GOVERNORS 14 Fur ther more, from the day King Artaxerxes ap point ed me to be their gov er nor in the land of Ju dah — from the twen ti eth year un til his thirty-second year, twelve years — I and my as so ci ates nev er ate from the food al lot ted to the gov er nor. 15 The gov er nors who pre ced ed me had heavi ly bur dened the peo ple, tak ing from them food and wine as well as a pound e of sil ver. Their sub or di nates also op pressed the peo ple, but be cause of the fear of God, I didn’t do this. 16 In stead, I de vot ed my self to the con struc tion of this wall, and all my sub- or di nates were gath ered there for the work. We didn’t buy any land. a 4:23 Lit Each his weapon the water b 5:5 Lit but there is not the power in our hand c 5:10 Or us forgive these debts d 5:11 Lit hundred e 5:15 Lit 40 shekels 421 NEHEMIAH 4-5 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 421 10/26/17 9:00 PM 17 There were 150 Jews and off i cials, as well as guests from the sur round ing na tions at my ta ble. 18 Each a day , one ox, six choice sheep, and some fowl were pre pared for me. An abun- dance of all kinds of wine was pro vid ed ev ery ten days. But I didn’t de mand the food al lot ted to the gov er nor, be cause the bur den on the peo ple was so heavy . 19 Re mem ber me fa vor ably , my God, for all that I have done for this peo ple. ATTEMPTS TO DISCOURAGE THE BUILDERS 6 When San bal lat, To bi ah, Ge shem the Arab, and the rest of our en e mies heard that I had re built the wall and that no gap was left in it — though at that time I had not in stalled the doors in the city gates — 2 San bal lat and Ge shem sent me a mes sage: “ Come, let’s meet to geth er in the vil lages of b the Ono Val ley .” They were plan ning to harm me. 3 So I sent mes sen gers to them, say ing, “ I am do ing im por tant work and can not come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you? ” 4 Four times they sent me the same pro pos al, and I gave them the same re ply . 5 San bal lat sent me this same mes sage a fifth time by his aide, who had an open let ter in his hand. 6 In it was writ ten: It is reported among the nations — and Geshem c agrees — that you and the Jews plan to rebel. This is the reason you are building the wall. According to these reports, you are to become their king 7 and have even set up the prophets in Jerusalem to proclaim on your behalf: “There is a king in Judah.” These rumors will be heard by the king. So come, let’s confer together. 8 Then I re plied to him, “ There is noth ing to these ru mors you are spread ing; you are inventing them in your own mind.” 9 For they were all try ing to in tim i date us, say ing, “ They will drop their hands from d the work, and it will nev er be fin ished.” But now , my God, strength en my hands. ATTEMPTS TO INTIMIDATE NEHEMIAH 10 I went to the house of She ma iah son of De- la iah, son of Me het a bel, who was re strict ed to his house. He said: Let’s meet at the house of God, inside the temple. Let’s shut the temple doors because they’re coming to kill you. They’re coming to kill you tonight! e 11 But I said, “ Should a man like me run away? How can some one like me en ter the tem ple and live? I will not go.” 12 I re al ized that God had not sent him, be cause of the proph e cy he spoke against me. To bi ah and San bal lat had hired him. 13 He was hired, so that I would be intimidated, do as he sug gest ed, sin, and get a bad rep u ta tion, in or der that they could dis cred it me. 14 My God, re mem ber To bi ah and San bal lat for what they have done, and also the proph- et ess No a di ah and the oth er proph ets who want ed to in tim i date me. THE WALL COMPLETED 15 The wall was com plet ed in fifty-two days, on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul. 16 When all our en e mies heard this, all the sur round ing na tions were intimidated and lost their con fi dence, f for they re al ized that this task had been ac com plished by our God. 17 Dur ing those days, the no bles of Ju dah sent many let ters to To bi ah, and To bi ah’s let ters came to them. 18 For many in Ju dah were bound by oath to him, since he was a son-in-law of Shec a ni ah son of Arah, and his son Je ho ha nan had mar ried the daugh ter of Me shul lam son of Ber e chi ah. 19 These no bles kept men tion ing To bi ah’s good deeds to me, and they re port ed my words to him. And To bi ah sent let ters to in tim i date me. THE EXILES RETURN 7 When the wall had been re built and I had the doors in stalled, the gate keep ers, sing ers, and Le vites were ap point ed. 2 Then I put my broth er Ha na ni in charge of Je ru sa lem, along with Han a ni ah, com mand er of the for tress, be cause he was a faith ful man who feared God more than most. 3 I said to them, “ Do not open the gates of Je ru sa lem un til the sun is hot, and let the doors be shut and se cure ly fas tened while the guards are on duty . Sta tion the cit i zens of Je ru sa lem as guards, some at their posts and some at their homes.” 4 The city was large and spa cious, but there were few peo ple in it, and no hous es had a 5:18 Lit And that which was prepared each b 6:2 Or together at Kephirim in c 6:6 Lit Gashmu d 6:9 Or will give up on e 6:10 Or by night f 6:16 Lit and fell greatly in their eyesNEHEMIAH 5-7 422 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 422 10/26/17 9:00 PM been built yet. 5 Then my God put it into my mind to as sem ble the no bles, the of fi cials, and the peo ple to be reg is tered by ge ne al o gy . I found the ge ne alog i cal rec ord of those who came back first, and I found the fol low ing writ ten in it: 6 These are the peo ple of the prov ince who went up among the cap tive ex iles de port ed by King Neb u chad nez zar of Bab ylon. Each of them re turned to Je ru sa lem and Ju dah, to his own town. 7 They came with Ze rub ba bel, Jesh ua, Ne he mi ah, Az a ri ah, Ra a mi ah, Na ha- ma ni, Mor de cai, Bil shan, Mis pe reth, Big vai, Ne hum, and Ba a nah. The num ber of the Is ra el ite men in clud ed a 8 Parosh’s descendants 2,172 9 Shephatiah’s descendants 372 10 Arah’s descendants 652 11 Pahath-moab’s descendants: Jeshua’s and Joab’s descendants 2,818 12 Elam’s descendants 1,254 13 Zattu’s descendants 845 14 Zaccai’s descendants 760 15 Binnui’s descendants 648 16 Bebai’s descendants 628 17 Azgad’s descendants 2,322 18 Adonikam’s descendants 667 19 Bigvai’s descendants 2,067 20 Adin’s descendants 655 21 Ater’s descendants: of Hezekiah 98 22 Hashum’s descendants 328 23 Bezai’s descendants 324 24 Hariph’s descendants 112 25 Gibeon’s b descendants 95 26 Bethlehem’s and Netophah’s men 188 27 Anathoth’s men 128 28 Beth-azmaveth’s men 42 29 Kiriath-jearim’s, Chephirah’s, and Beeroth’s men 743 30 Ramah’s and Geba’s men 621 31 Michmas’s men 122 32 Bethel’s and Ai’s men 123 33 the other Nebo’s men 52 34 the other Elam’s people 1,254 35 Harim’s people 320 36 Jericho’s people 345 37 Lod’s, Hadid’s, and Ono’s people 721 38 Senaah’s people 3,930. 39 The priests in clud ed Jedaiah’s descendants of the house of Jeshua 973 40 Immer’s descendants 1,052 41
📜 Biblical Census and Restoration
🧮 Detailed genealogical records track the returning exiles to Jerusalem, documenting 42,360 Israelites plus servants and livestock who resettled their ancestral homeland
📖 Ezra leads a powerful public reading of the Law where people gather attentively, resulting in both weeping and celebration as they understand God's words
🏕️ The community revives the Festival of Shelters (not celebrated properly since Joshua's time), building temporary dwellings and reading scripture daily
🙏 Israelites offer a profound national confession, acknowledging God's faithfulness throughout history while confronting their ancestors' repeated disobedience
✍️ Leaders establish a binding covenant with specific commitments: proper Sabbath observance, temple support through tithes, and separation from surrounding peoples
🏙️ The resettlement of Jerusalem occurs through both voluntary relocation and a lottery system, with one-tenth of the population chosen to inhabit the holy city
Pashhur’s descendants 1,247 42 Harim’s descendants 1,017. 43 The Le vites in clud ed Jeshua’s descendants: of Kadmiel Hodevah’s descendants 74. 44 The sing ers in clud ed Asaph’s descendants 148. 45 The gate keep ers in clud ed Shallum’s descendants, Ater’s descendants, Talmon’s descendants, Akkub’s descendants, Hatita’s descendants, Shobai’s descendants 138. 46 The tem ple ser vants in clud ed Ziha’s descendants, Hasupha’s descendants, Tabbaoth’s descendants, 47 Keros’s descendants, Sia’s descendants, Padon’s descendants, 48 Lebanah’s descendants, Hagabah’s descendants, Shalmai’s descendants, 49 Hanan’s descendants, Giddel’s descendants, Gahar’s descendants, 50 Reaiah’s descendants, Rezin’s descendants, Nekoda’s descendants, 51 Gazzam’s descendants, Uzza’s descendants, Paseah’s descendants, 52 Besai’s descendants, Meunim’s descendants, Nephishesim’s c descendants, 53 Bakbuk’s descendants, Hakupha’s descendants, Harhur’s descendants, 54 Bazlith’s descendants, Mehida’s descendants, Harsha’s descendants, 55 Barkos’s descendants, Sisera’s descendants, Temah’s descendants, 56 Neziah’s descendants, Hatipha’s descendants. 57 The de scen dants of Sol o mon’s ser vants in clud ed a 7:7 Lit the men of the people of Israel b 7:25 = Gibbar’s in Ezr 2:20 c 7:52 Alt Hb tradition reads Nephushesim’s 423 NEHEMIAH 7 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 423 10/26/17 9:00 PM Sotai’s descendants, Sophereth’s descendants, Perida’s descendants, 58 Jaala’s descendants, Darkon’s descendants, Giddel’s descendants, 59 Shephatiah’s descendants, Hattil’s descendants, Pochereth-hazzebaim’s descendants, Amon’s descendants. 60 All the temple servants and the descendants of Solomon’s servants 392. 61 The fol low ing are those who came from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cher ub, Ad don, and Im mer, but were un able to prove that their an ces tral fam i lies a and their lineage were Is ra el ite: 62 Delaiah’s descendants, Tobiah’s descendants, and Nekoda’s descendants 642 63 and from the priests: the de scen dants of Ho ba iah, the de scen dants of Hak koz, and the de scen dants of Bar zil lai — who had tak en a wife from the daugh ters of Bar zil lai the Gil e ad ite and who bore their name. 64 These searched for their entries in the ge ne alog i cal rec ords, but they could not be found, so they were dis qual i fied from the priest hood. 65 The gov er nor or dered them not to eat the most holy things un til there was a priest who could con sult the Urim and Thum mim. 66 The whole combined assembly numbered 42,360 67 not including their 7,337 male and female servants, as well as their 245 male and female singers. 68 They had 736 horses, 245 mules, b 69 435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys. 70 Some of the fam i ly heads con trib ut ed to the project. The gov er nor gave 1,000 gold coins, c 50 bowls, and 530 priest ly gar ments to the trea sury . 71 Some of the fam i ly heads gave 20,000 gold coins and 2,200 sil ver minas to the trea sury for the project. 72 The rest of the peo ple gave 20,000 gold coins, 2,000 sil- ver minas, and 67 priest ly gar ments. 73 The priests, Le vites, gate keep ers, tem ple sing ers, some of the peo ple, tem ple ser vants, and all Is ra el set tled in their towns. PUBLIC READING OF THE LAW When the sev enth month came and the Is- 8 ra el ites had set tled in their towns, 1 all the peo ple gath ered to geth er at the square in front of the Wa ter Gate. They asked the scribe Ezra to bring the book of the law of Mo ses that the L ord had giv en Is ra el. 2 On the first day of the sev enth month, the priest Ezra brought the law be fore the as sem bly of men, wom en, and all who could lis ten with un der stand ing. 3 While he was fac ing the square in front of the Wa ter Gate, he read out of it from day break un til noon be fore the men, the wom en, and those who could un der stand. All the peo ple lis tened attentively d to the book of the law . 4 The scribe Ezra stood on a high wood en plat form made for this pur pose. Mat ti thi ah, She ma, Anai ah, Uri ah, Hil ki ah, and Ma a se iah stood be side him on his right; to his left were Pe da iah, Mish a el, Mal chi jah, Ha shum, Hash-baddanah, Zech a ri ah, and Me shul lam. 5 Ezra opened the book in full view of all the peo ple, since he was el e vat ed above ev ery one. As he opened it, all the peo ple stood up. 6 Ezra blessed the L ord, the great God, and with their hands up lift ed all the peo ple said, “ Amen, Amen! ” Then they knelt low and wor shiped the L ord with their fac es to the ground. 7 Jesh ua, Bani, Sher e bi ah, Ja min, Ak kub, Shab be thai, Ho di ah, Ma a se iah, Kel i ta, Az a- ri ah, Joz a bad, Ha nan, and Pe la iah, who were Le vites, e ex plained the law to the peo ple as they stood in their plac es. 8 They read out of the book of the law of God, translating and giv ing the mean ing so that the peo ple could un der stand what was read. 9 Ne he mi ah the gov er nor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Le vites who were in struct ing the peo ple said to all of them, “ This day is holy to the L ord your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the peo ple were weep ing as they heard the words of the law . 10 Then he said to them, “ Go and eat what is rich, drink what is sweet, and send por tions to those who have noth ing pre pared, since to day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, be cause the joy of the L ord is your strength.” f 11 And the Le vites qui et ed all the peo ple, say- ing, “ Be still, since to day is holy . Don’t grieve.” 12 Then all the peo ple be gan to eat and drink, a 7:61 Lit the house of their fathers b 7:68 Some Hb mss, LXX; Ezr 2:66; other Hb mss omit v. 68 c 7:70 Or drachmas, or darics ; also in vv. 71,72 d 8:3 Lit The ears of all the people listened e 8:7 Vg, 1 Esdras 9:48; MT reads Pelaiah and the Levites f8:10 Or strongholdNEHEMIAH 7-8 424 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 424 10/26/17 9:00 PM send por tions, and have a great cel e bra tion, be cause they had un der stood the words that were ex plained to them. FESTIVAL OF SHELTERS OBSERVED 13 On the sec ond day , the fam i ly heads of all the peo ple, along with the priests and Le vites, as sem bled be fore the scribe Ezra to study the words of the law . 14 They found writ ten in the law how the L ord had com mand ed through Mo ses that the Is ra el ites should dwell in shel- ters dur ing the fes ti val of the sev enth month. 15 So they pro claimed and spread this news through out their towns and in Je ru sa lem, say - ing, “ Go out to the hill coun try and bring back branch es of ol ive, wild ol ive, myr tle, palm, and oth er leafy trees to make shel ters, just as it is writ ten.” 16 The peo ple went out, brought back branch es, and made shel ters for them selves on each of their rooftops and court yards, the court of the house of God, the square by the Wa ter Gate, and the square by the Ephra im Gate. 17 The whole com mu ni ty that had re- turned from ex ile made shel ters and lived in them. The Is ra el ites had not cel e brat ed like this from the days of Josh ua son of Nun un til that day . And there was tre men dous joy . 18 Ezra a read out of the book of the law of God ev ery day , from the first day to the last. The Is ra- el ites cel e brat ed the fes ti val for sev en days, and on the eighth day there was an as sem bly , ac cord ing to the or di nance. NATIONAL CONFESSION OF SIN 9 On the twenty-fourth day of this month the Is ra el ites as sem bled; they were fast- ing, wear ing sack cloth, and had put dust on their heads. 2 Those of Is ra el ite de scent sep- a rat ed them selves from all for eign ers, and they stood and con fessed their sins and the in iq ui ties of their fa thers. 3 While they stood in their plac es, they read from the book of the law of the L ord their God for a fourth of the day and spent an oth er fourth of the day in con fes sion and wor ship of the L ord their God. 4 Jesh ua, Bani, Kad mi el, Sheb a ni ah, Bun- ni, Sher e bi ah, Bani, and Chenani stood on the raised plat form built for the Le vites and cried out loud ly to the L ord their God. 5 Then the Le vites — Jesh ua, Kad mi el, Bani, Hash ab ne i ah, Sher e bi ah, Ho di ah, Sheb a ni ah, and Peth a hi ah — said, “ Stand up. Blessed be the L ord your God from ever last ing to ever last ing.” Blessed be your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise. 6 You, b Lord, are the only God. c You created the heavens, the highest heavens with all their stars, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to all of them, and all the stars of heaven worship you. 7 You, the Lord, are the God who chose Abram and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans, and changed his name to Abraham. 8 You found his heart faithful in your sight, and made a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanites, Hethites, Amorites, Perizzites, Jebusites, and Girgashites — to give it to his descendants. You have fulfilled your promise, for you are righteous. 9 You saw the oppression of our ancestors in Egypt and heard their cry at the Red Sea. 10 You performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh, all his officials, and all the people of his land, for you knew how arrogantly they treated our ancestors. You made a name for yourself that endures to this day . 11 You divided the sea before them, and they crossed through it on dry ground. You hurled their pursuers into the depths like a stone into raging water. 12 You led them with a pillar of cloud by day , and with a pillar of fire by night, to illuminate the way they should go. 13 You came down on Mount Sinai, and spoke to them from heaven. You gave them impartial ordinances, reliable instructions, and good statutes and commands. 14 You revealed your holy Sabbath to them, and gave them commands, statutes, and instruction through your servant Moses. a 8:18 Some Hb mss, Syr read They b 9:6 LXX reads And Ezra said: You c 9:6 Lit are alone 425 NEHEMIAH 8-9 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 425 10/26/17 9:00 PM 15 You provided bread from heaven for their hunger; you brought them water from the rock for their thirst. You told them to go in and possess the land you had sworn a to give them. 16 But our ancestors acted arrogantly; they became stiff-necked and did not listen to your commands. 17 They refused to listen and did not remember your wonders you performed among them. They became stiff-necked and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt. b But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love, and you did not abandon them. 18 Even after they had cast an image of a calf for themselves and said, “This is your god who brought you out of Egypt,” and they had committed terrible blasphemies, 19 you did not abandon them in the wilderness because of your great compassion. During the day the pillar of cloud never turned away from them, guiding them on their journey . And during the night the pillar of fire illuminated the way they should go. 20 You sent your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold your manna from their mouths, and you gave them water for their thirst. 21 You provided for them in the wilderness forty years, and they lacked nothing. Their clothes did not wear out, and their feet did not swell. 22 You gave them kingdoms and peoples and established boundaries for them. They took possession of the land of King Sihon c of Heshbon and of the land of King Og of Bashan. 23 You multiplied their descendants like the stars of the sky and brought them to the land you told their ancestors to go in and possess. 24 So their descendants went in and possessed the land: You subdued the Canaanites who inhabited the land before them and handed their kings and the surrounding peoples over to them, to do as they pleased with them. 25 They captured fortified cities and fertile land and took possession of well-supplied houses, cisterns cut out of rock, vineyards, olive groves, and fruit trees in abundance. They ate, were filled, became prosperous, and delighted in your great goodness. 26 But they were disobedient and rebelled against you. They flung your law behind their backs and killed your prophets who warned them in order to turn them back to you. They committed terrible blasphemies. 27 So you handed them over to their enemies, who oppressed them. In their time of distress, they cried out to you, and you heard from heaven. In your abundant compassion you gave them deliverers, who rescued them from the power of their enemies. 28 But as soon as they had relief, they again did what was evil in your sight. So you abandoned them to the power of their enemies, who dominated them. When they cried out to you again, you heard from heaven and rescued them many times in your compassion. a 9:15 Lit lifted your hand b 9:17 Some Hb mss, LXX; other Hb mss read in their rebellion c 9:22 One Hb ms, LXX; other Hb mss, Vg read of Sihon, even the land of the kingNEHEMIAH 9 426 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 426 10/26/17 9:00 PM 29 You warned them to turn back to your law , but they acted arrogantly and would not obey your commands. They sinned against your ordinances, which a person will live by if he does them. They stubbornly resisted, a stiffened their necks, and would not obey . 30 You were patient with them for many years, and your Spirit warned them through your prophets, but they would not listen. Therefore, you handed them over to the surrounding peoples. 31 However, in your abundant compassion, you did not destroy them or abandon them, for you are a gracious and compassionate God. 32 So now , our God — the great, mighty , and awe-inspiring God who keeps his gracious covenant — do not view lightly all the hardships that have afflicted us, our kings and leaders, our priests and prophets, our ancestors and all your people, from the days of the Assyrian kings until today . 33 You are righteous concerning all that has happened to us, because you have acted faithfully , while we have acted wickedly . 34 Our kings, leaders, priests, and ancestors did not obey your law or listen to your commands and warnings you gave them. 35 When they were in their kingdom, with your abundant goodness that you gave them, and in the spacious and fertile land you set before them, they would not serve you or turn from their wicked ways. 36 Here we are today , slaves in the land you gave our ancestors so that they could enjoy its fruit and its goodness. Here we are — slaves in it! 37 Its abundant harvest goes to the kings you have set over us, because of our sins. They rule over our bodies and our livestock as they please. We are in great distress. ISRAEL’S VOW OF FAITHFULNESS 38 In view of all this, we are mak ing a bind ing agree ment in writ ing on a sealed doc u ment con tain ing the names of our lead ers, Le vites, and priests. 10 Those whose seals were on the doc u- ment were the governor Nehemiah son of Hacaliah, and Zedekiah, 2 Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah, 3 Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah, 4 Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch, 5 Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah, 6 Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch, 7 Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin, 8 Maaziah, Bilgai, and Shemaiah. These were the priests. 9 The Levites were Jeshua son of Azaniah, Binnui of the sons of Henadad, Kadmiel, 10 and their brothers Shebaniah, Hodiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan, 11 Mica, Rehob, Hashabiah, 12 Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah, 13 Hodiah, Bani, and Beninu. 14 The heads of the people were Parosh, Pahath-moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani, 15 Bunni, Azgad, Bebai, 16 Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin, 17 Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur, 18 Hodiah, Hashum, Bezai, 19 Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai, 20 Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir, 21 Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua, 22 Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah, 23 Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub, 24 Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek, 25 Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah, 26 Ahijah, Hanan, Anan, 27 Malluch, Harim, Baanah. a 9:29 Lit They gave a stubborn shoulder 427 NEHEMIAH 9-10 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 427 10/26/17 9:00 PM 28 The rest of the peo ple — the priests, Le vites, gate keep ers, sing ers, and tem ple ser vants, along with their wives, sons, and daugh ters, ev ery one who is able to un der stand and who has sep a rat ed them selves from the sur round ing peo ples to obey the law of God — 29 join with their no ble broth ers and com mit them selves with a sworn oath a to fol low the law of God giv en through God’s ser vant Mo- ses and to obey care ful ly all the com mands, or di nances, and stat utes of the L ord our Lord. DETAILS OF THE VOW 30 We will not give our daughters in marriage to the surrounding peoples and will not take their daughters as wives for our sons. 31 When the surrounding peoples bring merchandise or any kind of grain to sell on the Sabbath day , we will not buy from them on the Sabbath or a holy day . We will also leave the land uncultivated in the seventh year and will cancel every debt. 32 We will impose the following com - mands on ourselves: To give an eighth of an ounce of silver b yearly for the service of the house of our God: 33 the bread displayed before the Lord, c the daily grain offering, the regu - lar burnt offering, the Sabbath and New Moon offerings, the appointed festivals, the holy things, the sin offerings to atone for Israel, and for all the work of the house of our God. 34 We have cast lots among the priests, Levites, and people for the donation of wood by our ancestral families d at the appointed times each year. They are to bring the wood to our God’s house to burn on the altar of the Lord our God, as it is written in the law . 35 We will bring the firstfruits of our land and of every fruit tree to the Lord’s house year by year. 36 We will also bring the firstborn of our sons and our livestock, as prescribed by the law , and will bring the firstborn of our herds and flocks to the house of our God, to the priests who serve in our God’s house. 37 We will bring a loaf from our first batch of dough to the priests at the storerooms of the house of our God. We will also bring the firstfruits of our grain offerings, of every fruit tree, and of the new wine and fresh oil. A tenth of our land’s produce belongs to the Levites, for the Levites are to collect the one-tenth offering in all our agricultural towns. 38 A priest from Aaron’s descen - dants is to accompany the Levites when they collect the tenth, and the Levites are to take a tenth of this offering to the storerooms of the treasury in the house of our God. 39 For the Israelites and the Levites are to bring the contributions of grain, new wine, and fresh oil to the storerooms where the articles of the sanctuary are kept and where the priests who minister are, along with the gate - keepers and singers. We will not neglect the house of our God. RESETTLING JERUSALEM 11 Now the lead ers of the peo ple stayed in Je ru sa lem, and the rest of the peo ple cast lots for one out of ten to come and live in Je ru sa lem, the holy city , while the oth er nine-tenths re mained in their towns. 2 The peo ple blessed all the men who vol un teered to live in Je ru sa lem. 3 These are the heads of the prov ince who stayed in Je ru sa lem ( but in the vil lages of Ju- dah each lived on his own prop er ty in their towns — the Is ra el ites, priests, Le vites, tem- ple ser vants, and de scen dants of Sol o mon’s ser vants — 4 while some of the de scen dants of Ju dah and Ben ja min set tled in Je ru sa lem): Judah’s descendants: Athaiah son of Uzziah, son of Zechariah, son of Amariah, son of Shephatiah, son of Mahalalel, of Perez’s descendants; 5 and Maaseiah son of Baruch, son of Col-hozeh, son of Hazaiah, son of Adaiah, son of Joiarib, son of Zechariah, a descendant of the Shilonite. 6 The total number of Perez’s descendants, who settled in Jeru - salem, was 468 capable men. 7 These were Benjamin’s descendants: a 10:29 Lit and enter in a curse and in an oath b 10:32 Lit give one-third of a shekel c 10:33 Lit rows of bread d 10:34 Lit the house of our fathersNEHEMIAH 10-11 428 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 428 10/26/17 9:00 PM Sallu son of Meshullam, son of Joed, son of Pedaiah, son of Kolaiah, son of Maase- iah, son of Ithiel, son of Jeshaiah, 8 and after him Gabbai and Sallai: 928. 9 Joel son of Zichri was the officer over them, and Judah son of Hassenuah was second in command over the city . 10 The priests: Jedaiah son of Joiarib, Jachin, and 11 Seraiah son of Hilkiah, son of Meshul - lam, son of Zadok, son of Meraioth, son of Ahitub, the chief official of God’s temple, 12 and their relatives who did the work at the temple: 822. Adaiah son of Jeroham,
📜 Biblical Genealogies and Ceremonies
🏛️ Temple organization meticulously documented through detailed family lineages of priests, Levites, gatekeepers, and temple servants who maintained Jerusalem's religious life
🎵 Worship ceremonies featured singers, musicians, and thanksgiving processions that circled Jerusalem's walls during the city's dedication, creating joy that "was heard far away"
🔄 Religious reforms implemented by Nehemiah included purifying the temple, reinstating proper support for Levites, enforcing Sabbath observance, and prohibiting intermarriage
💰 Resource management established through appointment of trustworthy treasurers to oversee storehouses containing offerings, tithes, and supplies for temple workers
🙏 Spiritual accountability emphasized through Nehemiah's repeated prayers asking God to "remember me" for his faithful actions in restoring proper worship practices
🛡️ Cultural preservation enforced through separation from foreign influences, including removal of foreigners from the assembly and prohibition of commerce on the Sabbath
son of Pelaliah, son of Amzi, son of Zechariah, son of Pashhur, son of Malchijah 13 and his relatives, the heads of families: 242. Amashsai son of Azarel, son of Ahzai, son of Meshillemoth, son of Immer, 14 and their relatives, capable men: 128. Zabdiel son of Haggedolim, was their chief. 15 The Levites: Shemaiah son of Hasshub, son of Azri - kam, son of Hashabiah, son of Bunni; 16 and Shabbethai and Jozabad, from the heads of the Levites, who supervised the work outside the house of God; 17 Mat - taniah son of Mica, son of Zabdi, son of Asaph, the one a who began the thanks - giving in prayer; Bakbukiah, second among his relatives; and Abda son of Shammua, son of Galal, son of Jeduthun. 18 All the Levites in the holy city: 284. 19 The gatekeepers: Akkub, Talmon, and their relatives, who guarded the city gates: 172. 20 The rest of Is ra el, the priests, and the Le vites were in all the vil lages of Ju dah, each on his own in her it ed prop er ty . 21 The tem ple ser vants lived on Ophel; Ziha and Gish pa su- per vised the tem ple ser vants. THE LEVITES AND PRIESTS 22 The lead er of the Le vites in Je ru sa lem was Uzzi son of Bani, son of Hash a bi ah, son of Mat ta ni ah, son of Mica, of the de scen dants of Asaph, who were sing ers for the ser vice of God’s house. 23 There was, in fact, a com mand of the king re gard ing them, and an or di nance regulating the sing ers’ dai ly tasks. 24 Peth a hi- ah son of Me shez a bel, of the de scen dants of Ze rah son of Ju dah, was the king’s agent b in ev ery mat ter con cern ing the peo ple. 25 As for the farming set tle ments with their fields: Some of Judah’s descendants lived in Kiriath-arba and Dibon and their surrounding villages, and Jekabzeel and its settlements; 26 in Jeshua, Moladah, Beth-pelet, 27 Hazar -shual, and Beer -sheba and its surrounding villages; 28 in Ziklag and Meconah and its surrounding villages; 29 in En-rimmon, Zorah, Jarmuth, and 30 Zanoah and Adullam with their settlements; in Lachish with its fields and Azekah and its surrounding villages. So they settled from Beer -sheba to Hinnom Valley . 31 Benjamin’s descendants: from Geba, c Michmash, Aija, and Bethel and its surrounding villages, 32 Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah, 33 Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim, 34 Hadid, Zeboim, Neballat, 35 Lod, and Ono, in Craftsmen’s Valley . 36 Some of the Judean divisions of Levites were in Benjamin. 12 These are the priests and Le vites who went up with Ze rub ba bel son of She al ti el and with Jesh ua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra, 2 Amariah, Malluch, Hattush, 3 Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth, 4 Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah, 5 Mijamin, Maadiah, Bilgah, 6 Shemaiah, Joiarib, Jedaiah, 7 Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, Jedaiah. These were the heads of the priests and their rel a tives in the days of Jesh ua. 8 The Le vites: Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah — a 11:17 Lit the head b 11:24 Lit was at the king’s hand c 11:31 Or descendants from Geba lived in 429 NEHEMIAH 11-12 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 429 10/26/17 9:00 PM he and his relatives were in charge of the songs of praise. 9 Bakbukiah, Unni, a and their relatives stood opposite them in the services. 10 Jeshua fathered Joiakim, Joiakim fathered Eliashib, Eliashib fathered Joiada, 11 Joiada fathered Jonathan, and Jonathan fathered Jaddua. b 12 In the days of Joi a kim, the heads of the priest ly fam i lies were Meraiah of Seraiah, Hananiah of Jeremiah, 13 Meshullam of Ezra, Jehohanan of Amariah, 14 Jonathan of Malluchi, Joseph of Shebaniah, 15 Adna of Harim, Helkai of Meraioth, 16 Zechariah of Iddo, Meshullam of Ginnethon, 17 Zichri of Abijah, Piltai of Moadiah, of Miniamin, 18 Shammua of Bilgah, Jehonathan of Shemaiah, 19 Mattenai of Joiarib, Uzzi of Jedaiah, 20 Kallai of Sallai, Eber of Amok, 21 Hashabiah of Hilkiah, and Nethanel of Jedaiah. 22 In the days of Eli a shib, Joi a da, Jo ha nan, and Jad dua, the heads of the fam i lies of the Le vites and priests were re cord ed while Da- ri us the Per sian ruled. 23 Levi’s de scen dants, the fam i ly heads, were re cord ed in the Book of the His tor i cal Events dur ing the days of Jo ha nan son of Eli a shib. 24 The heads of the Le vites — Hash a bi ah, Sher e bi ah, and Jesh ua son of Kad mi el, along with their rel a tives op po site them — gave praise and thanks, di vi sion by di vi sion, as Da vid the man of God had pre scribed. 25 This in clud ed Mat ta- ni ah, Bak bu ki ah, and Oba di ah. Me shul lam, Tal mon, and Ak kub were gate keep ers who guard ed the store rooms at the city gates. 26 These served in the days of Joi a kim son of Jesh ua, son of Joz a dak, and in the days of Ne he mi ah the gov er nor and Ezra the priest and scribe.DEDICATION OF THE WALL 27 At the ded i ca tion of the wall of Je ru sa lem, they sent for the Le vites wher ev er they lived and brought them to Je ru sa lem to cel e brate the joy ous ded i ca tion with thanks giv ing and sing ing ac com pa nied by cym bals, harps, and lyres. 28 The sing ers gath ered from the re gion around Je ru sa lem, from the set tle ments of the Ne toph a thites, 29 from Beth-gilgal, and from the fields of Geba and Az ma veth, for they had built set tle ments for them selves around Je- ru sa lem. 30 Af ter the priests and Le vites had pu ri fied them selves, they pu ri fied the peo ple, the city gates, and the wall. 31 Then I brought the lead ers of Ju dah up on top of the wall, and I ap point ed two large pro ces sions that gave thanks. One went to the right on the wall, to ward the Dung Gate. 32 Ho sha iah and half the lead ers of Ju dah fol- lowed, 33 along with Az a ri ah, Ezra, Me shul lam, 34 Ju dah, Ben ja min, She ma iah, Jer e mi ah, 35 and some of the priests’ sons with trum pets, and Zech a ri ah son of Jon a than, son of She ma- iah, son of Mat ta ni ah, son of Mi ca iah, son of Zac cur, son of Asaph fol lowed 36 as well as his rel a tives — She ma iah, Az a rel, Mil a lai, Gil a lai, Maai, Ne than el, Ju dah, and Ha na ni, with the mu si cal in stru ments of Da vid, the man of God. Ezra the scribe went in front of them. 37 At the Foun tain Gate they climbed the steps of the city of Da vid on the as cent of the wall and went above the house of Da vid to the Wa ter Gate on the east. 38 The sec ond thanks giv ing pro ces sion went to the left, and I fol lowed it with half the peo ple along the top of the wall, past the Tow er of the Ov ens to the Broad Wall, 39 above the Ephra im Gate, and by the Old Gate, the Fish Gate, the Tow er of Han a nel, and the Tow er of the Hun dred, to the Sheep Gate. They stopped at the Gate of the Guard. 40 The two thanks giv ing pro ces sions stood in the house of God. So did I and half of the of fi cials ac com pa ny ing me, 41 as well as the priests: Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah, with trumpets; 42 and Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam, and Ezer. Then the sing ers sang, with Jez ra hi ah as the lead er. 43 On that day they off ered great a 12:9 Alt Hb tradition reads Unno b 12:10-11 These men were high priests.NEHEMIAH 12 430 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 430 10/26/17 9:00 PM sac ri fic es and re joiced be cause God had giv- en them great joy . The wom en and chil dren also cel e brat ed, and Je ru sa lem’s re joic ing was heard far away . SUPPORT OF THE LEVITES’ MINISTRY 44 On that same day men were placed in charge of the rooms that housed the sup plies, con- tri bu tions, first fruits, and tenths. The legally re quired por tions for the priests and Le vites were gath ered from the vil lage fields, be- cause Ju dah was grate ful to the priests and Le vites who were serv ing. 45 They per formed the ser vice of their God and the ser vice of pu ri fi ca tion, along with the sing ers and gate- keep ers, as Da vid and his son Sol o mon had pre scribed. 46 For long ago, in the days of Da vid and Asaph, there were heads a of the sing ers and songs of praise and thanks giv ing to God. 47 So in the days of Ze rub ba bel and Ne he mi ah, all Is ra el con trib ut ed the dai ly por tions for the sing ers and gate keep ers. They also set aside dai ly por tions for the Le vites, and the Le vites set aside dai ly por tions for Aar on’s de scen dants. NEHEMIAH’S FURTHER REFORMS 13 At that time the book of Mo ses was read pub lic ly to b the peo ple. The com mand was found writ ten in it that no Am mon ite or Mo ab ite should ever en ter the as sem bly of God, 2 be cause they did not meet the Is ra el- ites with food and wa ter. In stead, they hired Ba laam against them to curse them, but our God turned the curse into a bless ing. 3 When they heard the law , they sep a rat ed all those of mixed de scent from Is ra el. 4 Now be fore this, the priest Eli a shib had been put in charge of the store rooms of the house of our God. He was a rel a tive c of To bi ah 5 and had pre pared a large room for him where they had pre vi ous ly stored the grain off er ings, the frank in cense, the ar ti cles, and the tenths of grain, new wine, and fresh oil pre scribed for the Le vites, sing ers, and gate keep ers, along with the con tri bu tions for the priests. 6 While all this was hap pen ing, I was not in Je ru sa lem, be cause I had re turned to King Artaxerxes of Bab ylon in the thirty-second year of his reign. It was only lat er that I asked the king for a leave of ab sence 7 so I could re- turn to Je ru sa lem. Then I dis cov ered the evil that Eli a shib had done on be half of To bi ah by pro vid ing him a room in the courts of God’s house. 8 I was great ly dis pleased and threw all of To bi ah’s house hold pos ses sions out of the room. 9 I or dered that the rooms be pu ri fied, and I had the ar ti cles of the house of God re stored there, along with the grain off er ing and frank in cense. 10 I also found out that be cause the por tions for the Le vites had not been giv en, each of the Le vites and the sing ers per form ing the ser vice had gone back to his own field. 11 There fore, I re buked the off i cials, ask ing, “ Why has the house of God been ne glect ed? ” I gath ered the Le vites and sing ers to geth er and sta tioned them at their posts. 12 Then all Ju dah brought a tenth of the grain, new wine, and fresh oil into the store- houses. 13 I ap point ed as trea sur ers over the store houses the priest Shel e mi ah, the scribe Za dok, and Pe da iah of the Le vites, with Ha nan son of Zac cur, son of Mat ta ni ah to as sist them, be cause they were con sid ered trust wor thy . They were re spon si ble for the dis tri bu tion to their col leagues. 14 Re mem ber me for this, my God, and don’t erase the deeds of faith ful love I have done for the house of my God and for its ser vices. 15 At that time I saw peo ple in Ju dah tread- ing wine press es on the Sab bath. They were also bring ing in stores of grain and load ing them on don keys, along with wine, grapes, and figs. All kinds of goods were be ing brought to Je ru sa lem on the Sab bath day . So I warned them against sell ing food on that day . 16 The Tyr i ans liv ing there were importing fish and all kinds of mer chan dise and sell ing them on the Sab bath to the peo ple of Ju dah in Je ru sa lem. 17 I re buked the no bles of Ju dah and said to them: “ What is this evil you are do ing — pro - faning the Sab bath day? 18 Didn’t your an ces- tors do the same, so that our God brought all this di sas ter on us and on this city? And now you are rekindling his an ger against Is ra el by profaning the Sab bath! ” 19 When shad ows be gan to fall on the city gates of Je ru sa lem just be fore the Sab bath, I gave or ders that the city gates be closed and not opened un til af ter the Sab bath. I post ed some of my men at the gates, so that no goods could en ter dur ing the Sab bath day . 20 Once or twice the mer chants and those who sell all kinds of goods camped out side Je ru sa lem, 21 but I warned them, “ Why are you camp- ing in front of the wall? If you do it again, a 12:46 Alt Hb tradition reads there was a head b 13:1 Lit read in the ears of c 13:4 Or an associate 431 NEHEMIAH 12-13 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 431 10/26/17 9:00 PM I’ll use force a against you.” Af ter that they did not come again on the Sab bath. 22 Then I in struct ed the Le vites to pu ri fy them selves and guard the city gates in or der to keep the Sab bath day holy . Re mem ber me for this also, my God, and look on me with com pas sion ac cord ing to the abun dance of your faith ful love. 23 In those days I also saw Jews who had mar ried wom en from Ash dod, Am mon, and Moab. 24 Half of their chil dren spoke the lan- guage of Ash dod or the lan guage of one of the oth er peo ples but could not speak He brew . b 25 I re buked them, cursed them, beat some of their men, and pulled out their hair. I forced them to take an oath be fore God and said, “ You must not give your daugh ters in mar - riage to their sons or take their daugh ters as wives for your sons or your selves! 26 Didn’t King Sol o mon of Is ra el sin in mat ters like this? There was not a king like him among many na tions. He was loved by his God, and God made him king over all Is ra el, yet for - eign wom en drew him into sin. 27 Why then should we hear about you do ing all this ter - ri ble evil and act ing un faith ful ly against our God by mar ry ing for eign wom en? ” 28 Even one of the sons of Je hoi a da, son of the high priest Eli a shib, had be come a son-in-law to San bal lat the Hor o nite. So I drove him away from me. 29 Re mem ber them, my God, for de fil ing the priest hood as well as the cov enant of the priest hood and the Le vites. 30 So I pu ri fied them from ev ery thing for - eign and as signed spe cifi c du ties to each of the priests and Le vites. 31 I also ar ranged for the do na tion of wood at the ap point ed times and for the first fruits. Re mem ber me, my God, with fa vor. a13:21 Lit again, I will send a hand b13:24 Lit JudahiteNEHEMIAH 13 432 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 432 10/26/17 9:00 PM esTher VASHTI ANGERS THE KING 1 These events took place dur ing the days of Ahas u e rus, who ruled 127 prov inces from In dia to Cush. 2 In those days King Ahas u e rus reigned from his roy al throne in the for tress at Susa. 3 He held a feast in the third year of his reign for all his off i cials and staff, the army of Per sia and Me dia, the no bles, and the off i cials from the prov inces. 4 He dis played the glo ri ous wealth of his king dom and the mag nifi cent splen dor of his great ness for a to tal of 180 days. 5 At the end of this time, the king held a week-long ban quet in the gar den court yard of the roy al pal ace for all the peo ple, from the great est to the least, who were pre sent in the for tress of Susa. 6 White and violet lin en hang ings were fas tened with fine white and pur ple lin en cords to sil ver rods on mar ble a col umns. Gold and sil ver couch es were ar - ranged on a mo sa ic pave ment of red feldspar, b mar ble, mother-of-pearl, and pre cious stones. 7 Drinks were served in an ar ray of gold gob- lets, each with a diff er ent de sign. Roy al wine flowed free ly , ac cord ing to the king’s boun ty . 8 The drink ing was ac cord ing to roy al de cree: “ There are no re stric tions.” The king had or - dered ev ery wine stew ard in his house hold to serve what ev er each per son want ed. 9 Queen Vash ti also gave a feast for the wom en of King Ahas u e rus’s pal ace. 10 On the sev enth day , when the king was feel ing good from the wine, Ahas u e rus com- mand ed Me hu man, Biz tha, Har bo na, Big tha, Abag tha, Ze thar, and Carkas — the sev en eu- nuchs who per son al ly served him — 11 to bring Queen Vash ti be fore him with her roy al crown. He want ed to show off her beau ty to the peo- ple and the off i cials, be cause she was very beau ti ful. 12 But Queen Vash ti re fused to come at the king’s com mand that was de liv ered by his eu nuchs. The king be came fu ri ous and his an ger burned with in him. THE KING’S DECREE 13 The king con sult ed the wise men who un- der stood the times, c for it was his normal pro ce dure to con fer with ex perts in law and jus tice. 14 The most trust ed ones d were Car she na, She thar, Ad ma tha, Tar shish, Me- res, Mar se na, and Me mu can. They were the sev en off i cials of Per sia and Me dia who had per son al ac cess to the king and oc cu pied the high est po si tions in the king dom. 15 The king asked, “ Ac cord ing to the law , what should be done with Queen Vash ti, since she re fused to obey King Ahas u e rus’s com mand that was de liv ered by the eu nuchs? ” 16 Me mu can said in the pres ence of the king and his off i cials, “ Queen Vash ti has wronged not only the king, but all the off i cials and the peo ples who are in ev ery one of King Ahas u- e rus’s prov inces. 17 For the queen’s ac tion will be come pub lic knowl edge to all the wom en and cause them to de spise their hus bands and say , ‘ King Ahas u e rus or dered Queen Vash ti brought be fore him, but she did not come.’ 18 Be fore this day is over, the no ble wom en of Per sia and Me dia who hear about the queen’s act will say the same thing to all the king’s of- fi cials, resulting in more con tempt and fury . 19 “ If it meets the king’s ap prov al, he should per son al ly is sue a roy al de cree. Let it be re cord- ed in the laws of Per sia and Me dia, so that it can not be re voked: Vash ti is not to en ter King Ahas u e rus’s pres ence, and her roy al po si tion is to be giv en to an oth er wom an who is more wor thy than she. 20 The de cree the king is sues will be heard through out his vast king dom, so all wom en will hon or their hus bands, from the great est to the least.” 21 The king and his coun sel ors ap proved the pro pos al, and he fol lowed Me mu can’s ad vice. 22 He sent let ters to all the roy al prov inces, to each prov ince in its own script and to each ethnic group in its own lan guage, that ev ery man should be mas ter of his own house and speak in the lan guage of his own peo ple. THE SEARCH FOR A NEW QUEEN 2 Some time lat er, when King Ahas u e
📜 Esther's Royal Destiny
👑 King Ahasuerus selects Esther, a Jewish orphan raised by her cousin Mordecai, to become queen after deposing Queen Vashti, unaware of Esther's Jewish identity which she keeps secret at Mordecai's instruction
🔍 Mordecai uncovers an assassination plot against the king, saving the monarch's life, but his refusal to bow to the king's official Haman triggers intense hatred
😡 Haman, filled with rage, manipulates the king into authorizing a decree to exterminate all Jews throughout the kingdom, offering a massive payment to the royal treasury
⚖️ Faced with imminent danger, Mordecai urges Esther to approach the king uninvited—risking death—with his famous challenge: "Who knows, perhaps you have come to your royal position for such a time as this"
🙏 Esther, after three days of fasting, courageously approaches the king, gains his favor, and strategically invites both the king and Haman to two banquets before revealing her request
🔄 In a dramatic reversal, Haman is forced to publicly honor Mordecai—the very man he planned to execute—signaling the beginning of Haman's downfall as he faces the king's wrath
rus’s rage had cooled down, he re mem bered Vash ti, what she had done, and what was de cid- ed against her. 2 The king’s per son al at ten dants sug gest ed, “ Let a search be made for beau ti- ful young vir gins for the king. 3 Let the king ap point com mis sion ers in each prov ince of a 1:6 Or alabaster b 1:6 Or of porphyry c 1:13 Or understood propitious times d 1:14 Lit Those near him CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 433 10/26/17 9:00 PM his king dom, so that they may gath er all the beau ti ful young vir gins to the har em at the for tress of Susa. Put them un der the su per vi- sion of Heg ai, the king’s eu nuch, keep er of the wom en, and give them the re quired beau ty treat ments. 4 Then the young wom an who pleas es the king will be come queen in stead of Vash ti.” This sug ges tion pleased the king, and he did ac cord ing ly . 5 In the for tress of Susa, there was a Jew- ish man named Mor de cai son of Jair, son of Shim ei, son of Kish, a Ben ja min ite. 6 He had been tak en into ex ile from Je ru sa lem with the oth er cap tives when King Neb u chad nez zar of Bab ylon took King Jec o ni ah of Ju dah into ex ile. 7 Mor de cai was the le gal guard ian of his cous in a Ha das sah ( that is, Es ther), be cause she had no fa ther or moth er. The young wom- an had a beau ti ful fig ure and was ex treme ly good-looking. When her fa ther and moth er died, Mor de cai had adopt ed her as his own daugh ter. 8 When the king’s com mand and edict be came pub lic knowl edge and when many young wom en were gath ered at the for tress of Susa un der Heg ai’s su per vi sion, Es ther was tak en to the pal ace, into the su per vi- sion of Heg ai, keep er of the wom en. 9 The young wom an pleased him and gained his fa vor so that he accelerated the process of the beau ty treat ments and the spe cial diet that she re ceived. He as signed sev en hand- picked fe male ser vants to her from the pal ace and trans ferred her and her ser vants to the har em’s best quar ters. 10 Es ther did not re veal her ethnicity or her fam i ly back ground, be cause Mor de cai had or dered her not to make them known. 11 Ev- ery day Mor de cai took a walk in front of the har em’s court yard to learn how Es ther was do ing and to see what was hap pen ing to her. 12 Dur ing the year be fore each young wom- an’s turn to go to King Ahas u e rus, the har em reg u la tion re quired her to re ceive beau ty treat - ments with oil of myrrh for six months and then with per fumes and cos met ics for an oth er six months. 13 When the young wom an would go to the king, she was giv en what ev er she re quest ed to take with her from the har em to the pal ace. 14 She would go in the eve ning, and in the morn ing she would re turn to a sec ond har em un der the su per vi sion of the king’s eu nuch Sha ash gaz, keep er of the con cu bines. She nev er went to the king again, un less he de sired her and sum moned her by name. ESTHER BECOMES QUEEN 15 Es ther was the daugh ter of Ab i hail, the un- cle of Mor de cai who had adopt ed her as his own daugh ter. When her turn came to go to the king, she did not ask for any thing ex cept what Heg ai, the king’s eu nuch, keep er of the wom en, sug gest ed. Es ther gained fa vor in the eyes of ev ery one who saw her. 16 She was tak en to King Ahas u e rus in the pal ace in the tenth month, the month Te beth, in the sev enth year of his reign. 17 The king loved Es ther more than all the oth er wom en. She won more fa vor and ap prov al from him than did any of the oth er vir gins. He placed the roy al crown on her head and made her queen in place of Vash ti. 18 The king held a great ban quet for all his off i cials and staff. It was Es ther’s ban quet. He freed his prov inces from tax pay ments and gave gifts wor thy of the king’s boun ty . MORDECAI SAVES THE KING 19 When the vir gins were gath ered a sec ond time, Mor de cai was sit ting at the King’s Gate. 20 (Es ther had not re vealed her fam i ly back- ground or her ethnicity , as Mor de cai had di- rect ed. She obeyed Mor de cai’s or ders, as she al ways had while he raised her.) 21 Dur ing those days while Mor de cai was sit ting at the King’s Gate, Big than and Te resh, two of the king’s eu nuchs who guard ed the en trance, be came in fu ri at ed and planned to as sas si nate b King Ahas u e rus. 22 When Mor de- cai learned of the plot, he re port ed it to Queen Es ther, and she told the king on Mor de cai’s be half. 23 When the re port was in ves ti gat ed and ver i fied, both men were hanged on the gal lows. This event was re cord ed in the His- tor i cal Rec ord in the king’s pres ence. HAMAN’S PLAN TO KILL THE JEWS 3 Af ter all this took place, King Ahas u e rus hon ored Ha man, son of Ham me da tha the Ag ag ite. He pro mot ed him in rank and gave him a high er po si tion than all the oth er off i cials. 2 The en tire roy al staff at the King’s Gate bowed down and paid hom age to Ha man, be cause the king had com mand ed this to be done for him. But Mor de cai would not bow down or pay hom age. 3 The mem bers of the roy al staff a 2:7 Lit uncle’s daughter b 2:21 Lit and they sought to stretch out a hand againstESTHER 2-3 434 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 434 10/26/17 9:00 PM at the King’s Gate asked Mor de cai, “ Why are you dis obey ing the king’s com mand? ” 4 When they had warned him day af ter day and he still would not lis ten to them, they told Ha man in or der to see if Mor de cai’s ac tions would be tol er at ed, since he had told them he was a Jew . 5 When Ha man saw that Mor de cai was not bow ing down or pay ing him hom age, he was filled with rage. 6 And when he learned of Mor - de cai’s ethnic identity , it seemed repugnant to Ha man to do away with a Mor de cai alone. He planned to de stroy all of Mor de cai’s peo ple, the Jews, through out Ahas u e rus’s king dom. 7 In the first month, the month of Ni san, in King Ahas u e rus’s twelfth year, the Pur — that is, the lot — was cast be fore Ha man for each day in each month, and it fell on the twelfth month, the month Adar. 8 Then Ha man in- formed King Ahas u e rus, “ There is one ethnic group, scat tered through out the peo ples in ev ery prov ince of your king dom, keep ing them selves sep a rate. Their laws are diff er ent from ev ery one else’s and they do not obey the king’s laws. It is not in the king’s best in ter est to tol er ate them. 9 If the king ap proves, let an or der be drawn up au tho riz ing their de struc- tion, and I will pay 375 tons of sil ver to b the off i cials for de pos it in the roy al trea sury .” 10 The king re moved his sig net ring from his fin ger and gave it to Ha man son of Ham- me da tha the Ag ag ite, the en e my of the Jew- ish peo ple. 11 Then the king told Ha man, “ The mon ey and peo ple are giv en to you to do with as you see fit.” 12 The roy al scribes were sum moned on the thir teenth day of the first month, and the or der was writ ten ex act ly as Ha man com mand ed. It was in tend ed for the roy al sa traps, the gov er- nors of each of the prov inces, and the off i cials of each ethnic group and writ ten for each prov ince in its own script and to each ethnic group in its own lan guage. It was writ ten in the name of King Ahas u e rus and sealed with the roy al sig net ring. 13 Let ters were sent by cou ri ers to each of the roy al prov inces tell ing the off i cials to de stroy , kill, and an ni hi late all the Jew ish peo ple — young and old, wom en and chil dren — and plun der their pos ses sions on a sin gle day , the thir teenth day of Adar, the twelfth month. c 14 A copy of the text, is sued as law through- out ev ery prov ince, was dis trib ut ed to all the peo ples so that they might get ready for that day . 15 The cou ri ers left, spurred on by roy al com mand, and the law was is sued in the for tress of Susa. The king and Ha man sat down to drink, while the city of Susa was in con fu sion. MORDECAI APPEALS TO ESTHER 4 When Mor de cai learned all that had oc- curred, he tore his clothes, put on sack- cloth and ash es, went into the mid dle of the city , and cried loud ly and bit ter ly . 2 He went only as far as the King’s Gate, since the law prohibited any one wear ing sack cloth from en ter ing the King’s Gate. 3 There was great mourn ing among the Jew ish peo ple in ev ery prov ince where the king’s com mand and edict came. They fast ed, wept, and la ment ed, and many lay in sack cloth and ash es. 4 Es ther’s fe male ser vants and her eu nuchs came and re port ed the news to her, and the queen was over come with fear. She sent clothes for Mor de cai to wear so that he would take off his sack cloth, but he did not ac cept them. 5 Es ther sum moned Ha thach, one of the king’s eu nuchs who at tend ed her, and dis patched him to Mor de cai to learn what he was do ing and why . d 6 So Ha thach went out to Mor de cai in the city square in front of the King’s Gate. 7 Mor de cai told him ev ery thing that had hap- pened as well as the ex act amount of mon ey Ha man had prom ised to pay the roy al trea sury for the slaugh ter of the Jews. 8 Mor de cai also gave him a copy of the writ- ten de cree is sued in Susa ordering their de- struc tion, so that Ha thach might show it to Es ther, ex plain it to her, and com mand her to ap proach the king, im plore his fa vor, and plead with him per son al ly for her peo ple. 9 Ha thach came and re peat ed Mor de cai’s re- sponse to Es ther. 10 Es ther spoke to Ha thach and com mand ed him to tell Mor de cai, 11 “ All the roy al off i cials and the peo ple of the roy al prov inces know that one law ap plies to ev ery man or wom an who ap proach es the king in the in ner court- yard and who has not been sum moned — the death pen al ty — un less the king ex tends the gold scep ter, al low ing that per son to live. I have not been sum moned to ap pear be fore the king for the last e thir ty days.” 12 Es ther’s re sponse was re port ed to Mor de cai. a 3:6 Lit to stretch out a hand against b 3:9 Lit will weigh 10,000 silver talents on the hands of c 3:13 LXX adds the text of Ahasuerus’s letter here. d 4:5 Lit what is this and why is this e 4:11 Lit king these 435 ESTHER 3-4 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 435 10/26/17 9:00 PM 13 Mor de cai told the mes sen ger to re ply to Es ther, “ Don’t think that you will es cape the fate of all the Jews be cause you are in the king’s pal ace. 14 If you keep si lent at this time, re - lief and de liv er ance will come to the Jew ish peo ple from an oth er place, but you and your fa ther’s fam i ly will be de stroyed. Who knows, per haps you have come to your roy al po si tion for such a time as this.” 15 Es ther sent this re ply to Mor de cai: 16 “ Go and as sem ble all the Jews who can be found in Susa and fast for me. Don’t eat or drink for three days, night or day . I and my fe male ser - vants will also fast in the same way . Af ter that, I will go to the king even if it is against the law . If I per ish, I per ish.” 17 So Mor de cai went and did ev ery thing Es ther had com mand ed him. ESTHER APPROACHES THE KING 5 On the third day , Es ther dressed in her roy al cloth ing and stood in the in ner court yard of the pal ace fac ing it. The king was sit ting on his roy al throne in the roy al courtroom, a fac ing its en trance. 2 As soon as the king saw Queen Es ther stand ing in the court yard, she gained fa vor in his eyes. The king ex tend ed the gold scep ter in his hand to ward Es ther, and she ap proached and touched the tip of the scep ter. 3 “ What is it, Queen Es ther? ” the king asked her. “What ev er you want, even to half the king- dom, will be giv en to you.” 4 “ If it pleas es the king,” Es ther re plied, “ may the king and Ha man come to day to the ban- quet I have pre pared for them.” 5 The king said, “Hur ry , and get Ha man so we can do as Es ther has re quest ed.” So the king and Ha man went to the ban quet Es ther had pre pared. 6 While drink ing the b wine, the king asked Es ther, “What ev er you ask will be giv en to you. What ev er you want, even to half the king dom, will be done.” 7 Es ther an swered, “ This is my pe ti tion and my re quest: 8 If I have found fa vor in the eyes of the king, and if it pleas es the king to grant my pe ti tion and per form my re quest, may the king and Ha man come to the ban quet I will pre pare for them. To mor row I will do what the king has asked.” 9 That day Ha man left full of joy and in good spir its. c But when Ha man saw Mor de cai at the King’s Gate, and Mor de cai didn’t rise or trem ble in fear at his pres ence, Ha man was filled with rage to ward Mor de cai. 10 Yet Ha- man con trolled him self and went home. He sent for his friends and his wife Ze resh to join him. 11 Then Ha man de scribed for them his glo ri ous wealth and his many sons. He told them all how the king had hon ored him and pro mot ed him in rank over the oth er off i cials and the roy al staff. 12 “ What’s more,” Ha man add ed, “ Queen Es ther in vit ed no one but me to join the king at the ban quet she had pre- pared. I am in vit ed again to mor row to join her with the king. 13 Still, none of this sat is fies me since I see Mor de cai the Jew sit ting at the King’s Gate all the time.” 14 His wife Ze resh and all his friends told him, “ Have them build a gal lows seventy-five feet d tall. Ask the king in the morn ing to hang Mor de cai on it. Then go to the ban quet with the king and en joy your self.” The ad vice pleased Ha man, so he had the gal lows con struct ed. MORDECAI HONORED BY THE KING 6 That night sleep es caped the king, so he or dered the book recording dai ly events to be brought and read to the king. 2 They found the writ ten re port of how Mor de cai had in- formed on Big tha na and Te resh, two of the king’s eu nuchs who guard ed the en trance, when they planned to as sas si nate King Ahas- u e rus. 3 The king in quired, “ What hon or and spe cial rec og ni tion have been giv en to Mor - de cai for this act? ” The king’s per son al at ten dants re plied, “Noth ing has been done for him.” 4 The king asked, “ Who is in the court? ” Now Ha man was just en ter ing the out er court of the pal ace to ask the king to hang Mor de cai on the gal lows he had pre pared for him. 5 The king’s at ten dants an swered him, “Ha- man is there, stand ing in the court.” “ Have him en ter,” the king or dered. 6 Ha man en tered, and the king asked him, “ What should be done for the man the king wants to hon or? ” Ha man thought to him self, “ Who is it the king would want to hon or more than me? ” 7 Ha man told the king, “ For the man the king wants to hon or: 8 Have them bring a roy al gar ment that the king him self has worn and a horse the king him self has rid den, which has a roy al crown on its head. 9 Put the gar ment and the horse un der the charge of one of the king’s most no ble off i cials. Have them clothe a 5:1 Lit house b 5:6 Lit During the banquet of c 5:9 Lit left rejoicing and good of heart d 5:14 Lit 50 cubitsESTHER 4-6 436 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 436 10/26/17 9:00 PM the man the king wants to hon or, pa rade him on the horse through the city square, and pro- claim be fore him, ‘ This is what is done for the man the king wants to hon or.’ ” 10 The king told Ha man, “Hur ry , and do just as you pro posed. Take a gar ment and a horse for Mor de cai the Jew , who is sit ting at the King’s Gate. Do not leave out any thing you have sug gest ed.” 11 So Ha man took the gar ment and the horse. He clothed Mor de cai and paraded him through the city square, cry ing out be fore him, “ This is what is done for the man the king wants to hon or.” 12 Then Mor de cai re turned to the King’s Gate, but Ha man hur ried off for home, mourn- ful and with his head cov ered. 13 Ha man told his wife Ze resh and all his friends ev ery thing that had hap pened. His ad vis ers and his wife Ze resh said to him, “ Since Mor de cai is Jew ish, and you have be gun to fall be fore him, you won’t over come him, be cause your down fall is cer tain.” 14 While they were still speak ing with him, the king’s eu nuchs ar rived and rushed Ha man to the ban quet Es ther had pre pared. HAMAN IS EXECUTED 7 The king and Ha man came to feast a with Es ther the queen. 2 Once again, on the sec- ond day while drink ing wine, the king asked Es ther, “ Queen Es ther, what ev er you ask will be giv en to you. What ev er you seek, even to half the king dom, will be done.” 3 Queen Es ther an swered, “ If I have found fa vor in your eyes, Your Maj es ty , and if the king is pleased, spare my life; this is my re quest. And spare my peo ple; this is my de sire. 4 For my peo ple and I have been sold to de struc tion, death, and extermination. If we had mere ly been sold as male and fe male slaves, I would have kept si lent. In deed, the trou ble wouldn’t be worth bur den ing the king.” 5 King Ahas u e rus spoke up and asked Queen Es ther, “ Who is this, and where is the one who would de vise such a scheme? ” b 6 Es ther an swered, “ The ad ver sary and en- e my is this evil Ha man.” Ha man stood ter ri fied be fore the king and queen. 7 The king arose in an ger and went from where they were drink ing wine to the pal ace gar
📜 Esther's Triumph and Purim
🤴 King Ahasuerus executes Haman after discovering his plot against the Jews, hanging him on the very gallows prepared for Mordecai
👑 Queen Esther and Mordecai receive Haman's estate and the king's signet ring, granting them authority to issue new decrees to protect the Jewish people
⚔️ The Jews are given royal permission to defend themselves against their enemies, resulting in victory as they kill those who sought to destroy them
🎉 The Feast of Purim is established as an annual celebration commemorating the Jews' deliverance, with days of feasting, rejoicing, and gift-giving
📝 Mordecai records these events in letters sent throughout the provinces, ensuring the memory of this deliverance would be preserved for future generations
🌟 Mordecai rises to become second only to the king, using his position to pursue prosperity and well-being for all his people
den. c Ha man re mained to beg Queen Es ther for his life be cause he re al ized the king was plan ning some thing ter ri ble for him. 8 Just as the king re turned from the pal ace gar den to the ban quet hall, d Ha man was fall ing on the couch where Es ther was re clin ing. The king ex claimed, “ Would he ac tu al ly vi o late the queen while I am in the house? ” As soon as the state ment left the king’s mouth, they cov ered Ha man’s face. 9 Har bo na, one of the king’s eu nuchs, said: “ There is a gal lows seventy-five feet e tall at Ha man’s house that he made for Mor de cai, who gave the re port that saved f the king.” The king said, “ Hang him on it.” 10 They hanged Ha man on the gal lows he had pre pared for Mor de cai. Then the king’s an ger sub sid ed. ESTHER INTERVENES FOR THE JEWS 8 That same day King Ahas u e rus awarded Queen Es ther the es tate of Ha man, the en- e my of the Jews. Mor de cai en tered the king’s pres ence be cause Es ther had re vealed her re la tion ship to Mor de cai. 2 The king re moved his sig net ring he had re cov ered from Ha man and gave it to Mor de cai, and Es ther put him in charge of Ha man’s es tate. 3 Then Es ther ad dressed the king again. She fell at his feet, wept, and begged him to re voke the evil of Ha man the Ag ag ite and his plot he had de vised against the Jews. 4 The king ex tend ed the gold scep ter to ward Es ther, so she got up and stood be fore the king. 5 She said, “ If it pleas es the king and I have found fa vor be fore him, if the mat ter seems right to the king and I am pleas ing in his eyes, let a roy al edict be writ ten. Let it re voke the doc u ments the schem ing Ha man son of Ham - me da tha the Ag ag ite wrote to de stroy the Jews who are in all the king’s prov inces. 6 For how could I bear to see the di sas ter that would come on my peo ple? How could I bear to see the de struc tion of my rel a tives? ” 7 King Ahas u e rus said to Es ther the queen and to Mor de cai the Jew , “ Look, I have giv en Ha man’s es tate to Es ther, and he was hanged on the gal lows be cause he at tacked g the Jews. 8 Write in the king’s name what ev er pleas es you con cern ing the Jews, and seal it with the roy al sig net ring. A doc u ment writ ten in the king’s name and sealed with the roy al sig net ring can not be re voked.” a 7:1 Lit drink b 7:5 Lit who would fill his heart to do this c 7:7 Lit the garden of the house, also in v. 8 d 7:8 Or the house of wine e 7:9 Lit 50 cubits f 7:9 Lit who spoke good for g 8:7 Lit stretched out his hand against 437 ESTHER 6-8 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 437 10/26/17 9:00 PM 9 On the twenty-third day of the third month — that is, the month Si van — the roy al scribes were sum moned. Ev ery thing was writ ten ex - act ly as Mor de cai com mand ed for the Jews, to the sa traps, the gov er nors, and the off i- cials of the 127 prov inces from In dia to Cush. The edict was writ ten for each prov ince in its own script, for each ethnic group in its own lan guage, and to the Jews in their own script and lan guage. 10 Mor de cai wrote in King Ahas u e rus’s name and sealed the edicts with the roy al sig net ring. He sent the doc u ments by mount ed cou ri ers, who rode fast hors es bred in the roy al stables. 11 The king’s edict gave the Jews in each and ev ery city the right to as sem ble and de fend them selves, to de stroy , kill, and an ni hi late ev ery ethnic and pro vin cial army hos tile to them, in clud ing wom en and chil dren, and to take their pos ses sions as spoils of war. 12 This would take place on a sin gle day through- out all the prov inces of King Ahas u e rus, on the thir teenth day of the twelfth month, the month Adar. 13 A copy of the text, is sued as law through- out ev ery prov ince, was dis trib ut ed to all the peo ples so the Jews could be ready to avenge them selves against their en e mies on that day . 14 The cou ri ers rode out in haste on their roy- al hors es at the king’s ur gent com mand. The law was also is sued in the for tress of Susa. 15 Mor de cai went from the king’s pres ence clothed in roy al pur ple and white, with a great gold crown and a pur ple robe of fine lin en. The city of Susa shout ed and re joiced, 16 and the Jews cel e brat ed a with glad ness, joy , and hon or. 17 In ev ery prov ince and ev ery city , wher ev- er the king’s com mand and his law reached, joy and re joic ing took place among the Jews. There was a cel e bra tion and a hol i day . b And many of the ethnic groups of the land pro- fessed them selves to be Jews be cause fear of the Jews had over come them. VICTORIES OF THE JEWS 9 The king’s com mand and law went into eff ect on the thir teenth day of the twelfth month, the month Adar. On the day when the Jews’ en e mies had hoped to over pow er them, just the op po site hap pened. The Jews over pow- ered those who hat ed them. 2 In each of King Ahas u e rus’s prov inces the Jews as sem bled in their cit ies to at tack those who in tend ed to harm them. c Not a sin gle per son could with stand them; fear of them fell on ev ery na tion al i ty . 3 All the off i cials of the prov inces, the sa- traps, the gov er nors, and the roy al civil ad- min is tra tors d aided the Jews be cause they feared Mor de cai. 4 For Mor de cai ex er cised great pow er in the pal ace, and his fame spread through out the prov inces as he be came more and more pow er ful. 5 The Jews put all their en e mies to the sword, kill ing and de stroy ing them. They did what they pleased to those who hat ed them. 6 In the for tress of Susa the Jews killed and de stroyed five hun dred men, 7 in clud ing Par shan da tha, Dal phon, As pa tha, 8 Po ra tha, Ada lia, Arid a- tha, 9 Par mash ta, Aris ai, Arid ai, and Vai za tha. 10 They killed these ten sons of Ha man son of Ham me da tha, the en e my of the Jews. How ev er, they did not seize e any plun der. 11 On that day the num ber of peo ple killed in the for tress of Susa was re port ed to the king. 12 The king said to Queen Es ther, “ In the for tress of Susa the Jews have killed and de stroyed five hun dred men, in clud ing Ha man’s ten sons. What have they done in the rest of the roy al prov inces? What ev er you ask will be giv en to you. What ev er you seek will also be done.” 13 Es ther an swered, “ If it pleas es the king, may the Jews who are in Susa also have to- mor row to car ry out to day’s law , and may the bod ies of Ha man’s ten sons be hung on the gal lows.” 14 The king gave the or ders for this to be done, so a law was an nounced in Susa, and they hung the bod ies of Ha man’s ten sons. 15 The Jews in Susa as sem bled again on the four teenth day of the month of Adar and killed three hun dred men in Susa, but they did not seize any plun der. 16 The rest of the Jews in the roy al prov inces as sem bled, de fend ed them selves, and gained re lief from their en e mies. They killed seven - ty-five thou sand f of those who hat ed them, but they did not seize any plun der. 17 They fought on the thir teenth day of the month of Adar and rest ed on the four teenth, and it be came a day of feast ing and re joic ing. 18 But the Jews in Susa had as sem bled on the thir teenth and the four teenth days of the month. They rest ed on the fif teenth day of the month, and it be came a day of feast ing and a 8:16 Lit had light b 8:17 Lit good day c 9:2 Lit cities to send out a hand against the seekers of their evil d 9:3 Lit and those who do the king’s work ; Est 3:9 e 9:10 Lit not put their hands on, also in vv. 15,16 f 9:16 Some LXX mss read 10,107 ; other LXX mss read 15,000ESTHER 8-9 438 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 438 10/26/17 9:00 PM re joic ing. 19 This ex plains why the ru ral Jews who live in vil lages ob serve the four teenth day of the month of Adar as a time of re joic ing and feast ing. It is a hol i day when they send gifts to one an oth er. 20 Mor de cai re cord ed these events and sent let ters to all the Jews in all of King Ahas u e rus’s prov inces, both near and far. 21 He or dered them to cel e brate the four teenth and fif teenth days of the month of Adar ev ery year 22 be- cause dur ing those days the Jews gained re lief from their en e mies. That was the month when their sor row was turned into re joic ing and their mourn ing into a hol i day . They were to be days of feast ing, re joic ing, and of send ing gifts to one an oth er and to the poor. 23 So the Jews agreed to con tin ue the prac- tice they had be gun, as Mor de cai had writ ten them to do. 24 For Ha man son of Ham me da tha the Ag ag ite, the en e my of all the Jews, had plot ted against the Jews to de stroy them. He cast the Pur — that is, the lot — to crush and de stroy them. 25 But when the mat ter was brought be fore the king, he com mand ed by let ter that the evil plan Ha man had de- vised against the Jews re turn on his own head and that he should be hanged with his sons on the gal lows. 26 For this rea son these days are called Pu rim, from the word Pur. Be cause of all the in struc tions in this let ter as well as what they had wit nessed and what had hap pened to them, 27 the Jews bound them selves, their de scen dants, and all who joined with them to a commitment that they would not fail to cel e brate these two days each and ev ery year ac cord ing to the writ ten in struc tions and ac cord ing to the time ap point ed. 28 These days are re mem- bered and cel e brat ed by ev ery gen er a tion, fam i ly , prov ince, and city , so that these days of Pu rim will not lose their significance in Jew ish life a and their mem o ry will not fade from their de scen dants. 29 Queen Es ther, daugh ter of Ab i hail, along with Mor de cai the Jew , wrote this sec ond let ter with full au thor i ty to con firm the let ter about Pu rim. 30 He sent let ters with assurances of peace and se cu ri ty b to all the Jews who were in the 127 prov inces of the king dom of Ahas- u e rus, 31 in or der to con firm these days of Pu- rim at their prop er time just as Mor de cai the Jew and Es ther the queen had es tab lished them and just as they had com mit ted them selves and their de scen dants to the prac tic es of fast- ing and lam en ta tion. 32 So Es ther’s com mand con firmed these cus toms of Pu rim, which were then writ ten into the rec ord. MORDECAI’S FAME 10 King Ahas u e rus im posed a tax through - out the land even to the far thest shores. c 2 All of his pow er ful and mag nifi cent ac com- plish ments and the de tailed ac count of Mor - de cai’s great rank with which the king had hon ored him, have they not been writ ten in the Book of the His tor i cal Events of the Kings of Me dia and Per sia? 3 Mor de cai the Jew was sec ond only to King Ahas u e rus. He was fa - mous among the Jews and high ly es teemed by many of his rel a tives. He con tin ued to pur sue pros per i ty for his peo ple and to speak for the well-being of all his de scen dants. a 9:28 LXX reads will be celebrated into all times b 9:30 Or of peace and faithfulness c 10:1 Or imposed forced labor on the land and the coasts of the sea 439 ESTHER 9-10 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 439 10/26/17 9:00 PM Job JOB AND HIS FAMILY 1 There was a man in the coun try of Uz named Job. He was a man of com plete in teg ri ty , who feared God and turned away from evil. 2 He had sev en sons and three daugh ters. 3 His es tate in clud ed sev en thou sand sheep and goats, three thou sand cam els, five hun dred yoke of oxen, five hun dred fe male don keys, and a very large num ber of ser vants. Job was the great est man among all the peo ple of the east. 4 His sons used to take turns hav ing ban- quets at their homes. They would send an in- vi ta tion to their three sis ters to eat and drink with them. 5 When ev er a round of banqueting was over, Job would send for his chil dren and pu ri fy them, ris ing ear ly in the morn ing to off er burnt off er ings for a all of them. For Job thought, “Per haps my chil dren have sinned, hav ing cursed God in their hearts.” This was Job’s reg u lar prac tice. SATAN’S FIRST TEST OF JOB 6 One day the sons of God came to pre sent them- selves be fore the L ord, and Sa tan b also came with them. 7 The L ord asked Sa tan, “ Where have you come from? ” “ From roam ing through the earth,” Sa tan an swered him, “ and walk ing around on it.” 8 Then the L ord said to Sa tan, “ Have you con sid ered my ser vant Job? No one else on earth is like him, a man of per fect in teg ri ty , who fears God and turns away from evil.” 9 Sa tan an swered the L ord, “ Does Job fear God for noth ing? 10 Haven’t you placed a hedge around him, his house hold, and ev ery thing he owns? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his pos ses sions have in creased in the land. 11 But stretch out your hand and strike ev ery thing he owns, and he will sure ly curse you to your face.” 12 “ Very well,” the L ord told Sa tan, “ev ery- thing he owns is in your pow er. How ev er, do not lay a hand on Job him self.” So Sa tan left the L ord’ s pres ence. 13 One day when Job’s sons and daugh ters were eat ing and drink ing wine in their old est broth er’s house, 14 a mes sen ger came to Job and re port ed: “ While the oxen were plow ing and the don keys graz ing near by , 15 the Sa be- ans swooped down and took them away . They struck down the ser vants with the sword, and I alone have es caped to tell you! ” 16 He was still speak ing when an oth er mes- sen ger came and re port ed: “ God’s fire fell from heav en. It burned the sheep and the ser vants and de voured them, and I alone have es caped to tell you! ” 17 That mes sen ger was still speak ing when yet an oth er came and re port ed: “ The Chal - de ans formed three bands, made a raid on the cam els, and took them away . They struck down the ser vants with the sword, and I alone have es caped to tell you! ” 18 He was still speak ing when an oth er mes- sen ger came and re port ed: “ Your sons and daugh ters were eat ing and drink ing wine in their old est broth er’s house. 19 Sud den ly a pow er ful wind swept in from the desert and struck the four cor ners of the house. It col lapsed on the young peo ple so that they died, and I alone have es caped to tell you! ” 20 Then Job stood up, tore his robe, and shaved his head. He fell to the ground and wor shiped, 21 say ing: Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will leave this life. c The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away . Blessed be the name of the Lord. 22 Through out all this Job did not sin or blame God for any thing. d SATAN’S SECOND TEST OF JOB 2 One day the sons of God came again to pre sent them selves be fore the L ord, and Sa tan also came with them to pre sent him- self be fore the L ord. 2 The L ord asked Sa tan, “ Where have you come from? ” “ From roam ing through the earth,” Sa tan an swered him, “ and walk ing around on it.” 3 Then the L ord said to Sa tan, “ Have you con sid ered my ser vant Job? No one else on earth is like him, a man of per fect in teg ri ty , who fears God and turns away from evil. He still re tains his in teg ri ty , even though you a1:5 Lit for the number of b1:6 Or the adversary c1:21 Lit will return there ; Ps 139:13,15 d1:22 Lit or ascribe blame to God CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 440 10/26/17 9:00 PM in cit ed me against him, to de stroy him for no good rea son.” 4 “ Skin for skin! ” Sa tan an swered the L ord . “ A man will give up ev ery thing he owns in ex change for his life. 5 But stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will sure ly curse you to your face.” 6 “ Very well,” the L ord told Sa tan, “ he is in your pow er; only spare his life.” 7 So Sa tan left the L ord ’ s pres ence and in fect ed Job with ter - ri ble boils from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. 8 Then Job took a piece of bro ken pot tery to scrape him self while he sat among the ash es. 9 His wife said to him, “ Are you still hold- ing on to your in teg ri ty? Curse God and die! ” 10 “ You speak as a fool ish wom an speaks,” he told her. “ Should we ac cept only good from God and not ad ver si ty? ” Through out all this Job did not sin in what he said. a JOB’S THREE FRIENDS 11 Now when Job’s three friends — El i phaz the Te man ite, Bil dad the Shu hite, and Zo phar the Na a ma thite — heard about all this ad ver si ty that had hap pened to him, each of them came from his home. They met to geth er to go and sym pa thize with him and com fort him. 12 When they looked from a dis tance, they could bare ly rec og nize him. They wept aloud, and each man tore his robe and threw dust into the air and on his head. 13 Then they sat on the ground with him sev en days and nights, but no one spoke a word to him be cause they saw that his suff er ing was very in tense. JOB’S OPENING SPEECH 3 Af ter this, Job be gan to speak and cursed the day he was born. 2 He said: 3 May the day I was born perish, and the night that said, “ A boy is conceived.” 4 If only that day had turned to darkness! May God above not care about it, or light shine on it. 5 May darkness and gloom reclaim it, and a cloud settle over it. May what darkens the day terrify it. 6 If only darkness had taken that night away! May it not appear b among the days of the year or be listed in the calendar. c 7 Yes, may that night be barren; may no joyful shout be heard in it. 8 Let those who curse days condemn it, those who are ready to rouse Leviathan. 9 May its morning stars grow
🌑 Lament in Darkness
🥀 Profound suffering overwhelms Job as he questions why he was born, wishing instead for death's peaceful release from his torment
👥 Three friends (Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar) attempt to explain Job's suffering through traditional wisdom: the righteous prosper while the wicked suffer
⚖️ Job maintains his innocence against their accusations, challenging their simplistic moral framework and questioning God's justice in allowing the blameless to suffer
🔍 The text explores the limits of human understanding when confronting divine purposes, revealing how conventional wisdom fails in the face of inexplicable suffering
🌪️ Job's raw emotional honesty contrasts sharply with his friends' theological certainty, creating a powerful dialogue about faith during life's darkest moments
🙏 Despite his anguish, Job continues to engage with God directly rather than abandoning faith, demonstrating the complexity of maintaining belief amid suffering
dark. May it wait for daylight but have none; may it not see the breaking d of dawn. 10 For that night did not shut the doors of my mother’s womb, and hide sorrow from my eyes. 11 Why was I not stillborn; why didn’t I die as I came from the womb? 12 Why did the knees receive me, and why were there breasts for me to nurse? 13 Now I would certainly be lying down in peace; I would be asleep. Then I would be at rest 14 with the kings and counselors of the earth, who rebuilt ruined cities for themselves, 15 or with princes who had gold, who filled their houses with silver. 16 Or why was I not hidden like a miscarried child, like infants who never see daylight? 17 There the wicked cease to make trouble, and there the weary find rest. 18 The captives are completely at rest; they do not hear a taskmaster’s voice. 19 Both small and great are there, and the slave is set free from his master. 20 Why is light given to one burdened with grief, and life to those whose existence is bitter, 21 who wait for death, but it does not come, and search for it more than for hidden treasure, 22 who are filled with much joy and are glad when they reach the grave? 23 Why is life given to a man whose path is hidden, a2:10 Lit sin with his lips b3:6 LXX, Syr , Tg, Vg; MT reads rejoice c3:6 Lit or enter the number of months d3:9 Lit the eyelids 441 JOB 2-3 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 441 10/26/17 9:00 PM whom God has hedged in? 24 I sigh when food is put before me, a and my groans pour out like water. 25 For the thing I feared has overtaken me, and what I dreaded has happened to me. 26 I cannot relax or be calm; I have no rest, for turmoil has come. FIRST SERIES OF SPEECHES ELIPHAZ SPEAKS 4 Then El i phaz the Te man ite re plied: 2 Should anyone try to speak with you when you are exhausted? Yet who can keep from speaking? 3 Indeed, you have instructed many and have strengthened weak hands. 4 Your words have steadied the one who was stumbling and braced the knees that were buckling. 5 But now that this has happened to you, you have become exhausted. It strikes you, and you are dismayed. 6 Isn’t your piety your confidence, and the integrity of your life b your hope? 7 Consider: Who has perished when he was innocent? Where have the honest c been destroyed? 8 In my experience, those who plow injustice and those who sow trouble reap the same. 9 They perish at a single blast from God and come to an end by the breath of his nostrils. 10 The lion may roar and the fierce lion growl, but the teeth of young lions are broken. 11 The strong lion dies if it catches no prey , and the cubs of the lioness are scattered. 12 A word was brought to me in secret; my ears caught a whisper of it. 13 Among unsettling thoughts from visions in the night, when deep sleep comes over men, 14 fear and trembling came over me and made all my bones shake. 15 I felt a draft d on my face, and the hair on my body stood up. 16 A figure stood there, but I could not recognize its appearance; a form loomed before my eyes. I heard a whispering voice: 17 “Can a mortal be righteous before God? Can a man be more pure than his Maker? ” 18 If God puts no trust in his servants and he charges his angels with foolishness, e 19 how much more those who dwell in clay houses, whose foundation is in the dust, who are crushed like a moth! 20 They are smashed to pieces from dawn to dusk; they perish forever while no one notices. 21 Are their tent cords not pulled up? They die without wisdom. 5 Call out! Will anyone answer you? Which of the holy ones will you turn to? 2 For anger kills a fool, and jealousy slays the gullible. 3 I have seen a fool taking root, but I immediately pronounced a curse on his home. 4 His children are far from safety . They are crushed at the city gate, with no one to rescue them. 5 The hungry consume his harvest, even taking it out of the thorns. f The thirsty g pant for his children’s wealth. 6 For distress does not grow out of the soil, and trouble does not sprout from the ground. 7 But humans are born for trouble as surely as sparks fly upward. 8 However, if I were you, I would appeal to God and would present my case to him. a3:24 Or My sighing serves as my food b4:6 Lit ways c4:7 Or the upright, or those with integrity d4:15 Or a spirit e4:18 Or error ; Hb obscure f5:5 Hb obscure g5:5 Aq, Sym, Syr , Vg; MT reads snaresJOB 3-5 442 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 442 10/26/17 9:00 PM 9 He does great and unsearchable things, wonders without number. 10 He gives rain to the earth and sends water to the fields. 11 He sets the lowly on high, and mourners are lifted to safety . 12 He frustrates the schemes of the crafty so that they a achieve no success. 13 He traps the wise in their craftiness so that the plans of the deceptive are quickly brought to an end. 14 They encounter darkness by day , and they grope at noon as if it were night. 15 He saves the needy from their sharp words b and from the clutches of the powerful. 16 So the poor have hope, and injustice shuts its mouth. 17 See how happy is the person whom God corrects; so do not reject the discipline of the Almighty . 18 For he wounds but he also bandages; he strikes, but his hands also heal. 19 He will rescue you from six calamities; no harm will touch you in seven. 20 In famine he will redeem you from death, and in battle, from the power of the sword. 21 You will be safe from slander c and not fear destruction when it comes. 22 You will laugh at destruction and hunger and not fear the land’s wild creatures. 23 For you will have a covenant with the stones of the field, and the wild animals will be at peace with you. 24 You will know that your tent is secure, and nothing will be missing when you inspect your home. 25 You will also know that your offspring will be many and your descendants like the grass of the earth. 26 You will approach the grave in full vigor, as a stack of sheaves is gathered in its season. 27 We have investigated this, and it is true! Hear it and understand it for yourself. JOB’S REPLY TO ELIPHAZ 6 Then Job an swered: 2 If only my grief could be weighed and my devastation placed with it on the scales. 3 For then it would outweigh the sand of the seas! That is why my words are rash. 4 Surely the arrows of the Almighty have pierced d me; my spirit drinks their poison. God’s terrors are arrayed against me. 5 Does a wild donkey bray over fresh grass or an ox low over its fodder? 6 Is bland food eaten without salt? Is there flavor in an egg white? e 7 I refuse to touch them; they are like contaminated food. 8 If only my request would be granted and God would provide what I hope for: 9 that he would decide to crush me, to unleash his power and cut me off! 10 It would still bring me comfort, and I would leap for joy in unrelenting pain that I have not denied f the words of the Holy One. 11 What strength do I have, that I should continue to hope? What is my future, that I should be patient? 12 Is my strength that of stone, or my flesh made of bronze? 13 Since I cannot help myself, the hope for success has been banished from me. 14 A despairing man should receive loyalty from his friends, g even if he abandons the fear of the Almighty . 15 My brothers are as treacherous as a wadi, as seasonal streams that overflow 16 and become darkened h because of ice, and the snow melts into them. a5:12 Lit their hands b5:15 Lit from the sword of their mouth ; Ps 55:21; 59:7 c5:21 Lit be hidden from the whip of the tongue d6:4 Lit Almighty are in e6:6 Hb obscure f6:10 Lit hidden g6:14 Lit To the despairing his friend loyalty h6:16 Or turbid 443 JOB 5-6 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 443 10/26/17 9:00 PM 17 The wadis evaporate in warm weather; they disappear from their channels in hot weather. 18 Caravans turn away from their routes, go up into the desert, and perish. 19 The caravans of Tema look for these streams. The traveling merchants of Sheba hope for them. 20 They are ashamed because they had been confident of finding water. When they arrive there, they are disappointed. 21 So this is what you have now become to me. a When you see something dreadful, you are afraid. 22 Have I ever said: “Give me something” or “Pay a bribe for me from your wealth” 23 or “Deliver me from the enemy’s hand” or “Redeem me from the hand of the ruthless”? 24 Teach me, and I will be silent. Help me understand what I did wrong. 25 How painful honest words can be! But what does your rebuke prove? 26 Do you think that you can disprove my words or that a despairing man’s words are mere wind? 27 No doubt you would cast lots for a fatherless child and negotiate a price to sell your friend. 28 But now , please look at me; I will not lie to your face. 29 Reconsider; don’t be unjust. Reconsider; my righteousness is still the issue. 30 Is there injustice on my tongue or can my palate not taste disaster? 7 Isn’t each person consigned to forced labor on earth? Are not his days like those of a hired worker? 2 Like a slave he longs for shade; like a hired worker he waits for his pay . 3 So I have been made to inherit months of futility , and troubled nights have been assigned to me. 4 When I lie down I think, “When will I get up? ” But the evening drags on endlessly , and I toss and turn until dawn. 5 My flesh is clothed with maggots and encrusted with dirt. b My skin forms scabs c and then oozes. 6 My days pass more swiftly than a weaver’s shuttle; they come to an end without hope. 7 Remember that my life is but a breath. My eye will never again see anything good. 8 The eye of anyone who looks on me will no longer see me. Your eyes will look for me, but I will be gone. 9 As a cloud fades away and vanishes, so the one who goes down to Sheol will never rise again. 10 He will never return to his house; his hometown will no longer remember d him. 11 Therefore I will not restrain my mouth. I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul. 12 Am I the sea e or a sea monster, that you keep me under guard? 13 When I say , “My bed will comfort me, and my couch will ease my complaint,” 14 then you frighten me with dreams, and terrify me with visions, 15 so that I prefer strangling f — death rather than life in this body . g 16 I give up! I will not live forever. Leave me alone, for my days are a breath. h 17 What is a mere human, that you think so highly of him and pay so much attention to him? 18 You inspect him every morning, and put him to the test every moment. 19 Will you ever look away from me, or leave me alone long enough to swallow? i 20 If I have sinned, what have I done to you, a6:21 Alt Hb tradition reads So you have now become nothing b7:5 Or and dirty scabs c7:5 Lit skin hardens d7:10 Lit know e7:12 Or the sea god f7:15 Or suffocation g7:15 Lit than my bones h7:16 Or are futile i7:19 Lit swallow my saliva?JOB 6-7 444 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 444 10/26/17 9:00 PM Watcher of humanity? Why have you made me your target, so that I have become a burden to you? a 21 Why not forgive my sin and pardon my iniquity? For soon I will lie down in the grave. You will eagerly seek me, but I will be gone. BILDAD SPEAKS 8 Then Bil dad the Shu hite re plied: 2 How long will you go on saying these things? Your words are a blast of wind. 3 Does God pervert justice? Does the Almighty pervert what is right? 4 Since your children sinned against him, he gave them over to their rebellion. 5 But if you earnestly seek God and ask the Almighty for mercy , 6 if you are pure and upright, then he will move even now on your behalf and restore the home where your righteousness dwells. 7 Then, even if your beginnings were modest, your final days will be full of prosperity . 8 For ask the previous generation, and pay attention to what their fathers discovered, 9 since we were born only yesterday and know nothing. Our days on earth are but a shadow . 10 Will they not teach you and tell you and speak from their understanding? 11 Does papyrus grow where there is no marsh? Do reeds flourish without water? 12 While still uncut shoots, they would dry up quicker than any other plant. 13 Such is the destiny b of all who forget God; the hope of the godless will perish. 14 His source of confidence is fragile; c what he trusts in is a spider’s web. 15 He leans on his web, but it doesn’t stand firm. He grabs it, but it does not hold up. 16 He is a well-watered plant in the sunshine; his shoots spread out over his garden. 17 His roots are intertwined around a pile of rocks. He looks for a home among the stones. 18 If he is uprooted d from his place, it will deny knowing him, saying, “I never saw you.” 19 Surely this is the joy of his way of life; yet others will sprout from the dust. 20 Look, God does not reject a person of integrity , and he will not support e evildoers. 21 He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with a shout of joy . 22 Your enemies will be clothed with shame; the tent of the wicked will no longer exist. JOB’S REPLY TO BILDAD 9 Then Job an swered: 2 Yes, I know what you’ve said is true, but how can a person be justified before God? 3 If one wanted to take him to court, he could not answer God f once in a thousand times. 4 God is wise and all-powerful. Who has opposed him and come out unharmed? 5 He removes mountains without their knowledge, overturning them in his anger. 6 He shakes the earth from its place so that its pillars tremble. 7 He commands the sun not to shine and seals off the stars. 8 He alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea. g 9 He makes the stars: the Bear, h Orion, the Pleiades, and the constellations i of the southern sky . 10 He does great and unsearchable things, wonders without number. 11 If he passed by me, I wouldn’t see him; if he went by , I wouldn’t recognize him. 12 If he snatches something, who can stop j him? Who can ask him, “What are you doing? ” a7:20 Alt Hb tradition, LXX; MT , Vg read myself b8:13 Lit Such are the ways c8:14 Or cut off ; Hb obscure d8:18 Or destroyed e8:20 Lit grasp the hand of f9:3 Or court, God would not answer him g9:8 Or and walks on the back of the sea god h9:9 Or Aldebaran i9:9 Or chambers j9:12 Or dissuade 445 JOB 7-9 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 445 10/26/17 9:00 PM 13 God does not hold back his anger; Rahab’s assistants cringe in fear beneath him! 14 How then can I answer him or choose my arguments against him? 15 Even if I were in the right, I could not answer. I could only beg my Judge for mercy . 16 If I summoned him and he answered me, I do not believe he would pay attention to what I said. 17 He batters me with a whirlwind and multiplies my wounds without cause. 18 He doesn’t let me catch my breath but fills me with bitter experiences. 19 If it is a matter of strength, look, he is the powerful one! If it is a matter of justice, who can summon him? a 20 Even if I were in the right, my own mouth would condemn me; if I were blameless, my mouth would declare me guilty . 21 Though I am blameless, I no longer care about myself; I renounce my life. 22 It is all the same. Therefore I say , “He destroys both the blameless and the wicked.” 23 When catastrophe b brings sudden death, he mocks the despair of the innocent. 24 The earth c is handed over to the wicked; he blindfolds d its judges. If it isn’t he, then who is it? 25 My days fly by faster than a runner; e they flee without seeing any good. 26 They sweep by like boats made of papyrus, like an eagle swooping down on its prey . 27 If I said, “I will forget my complaint, change my expression, and smile,” 28 I would still live in terror of all my pains. I know you will not acquit me. 29 Since I will be found guilty , why should I struggle in vain? 30 If I wash myself with snow , and cleanse my hands with lye, 31 then you dip me in a pit of mud, and my own clothes despise me! 32 For he is not a man like me, that I can answer him, that we can take each other to court. 33 There is no mediator between us, to lay his hand on both of us. 34 Let him take his rod away from me so his terror will no longer frighten me. 35 Then I would speak and not fear him. But that is not the case; I am on my own. 10 I am disgusted with my life. I will give vent to my complaint and speak in the bitterness of my soul. 2 I will say to God, “Do not declare me guilty! Let me know why you prosecute me. 3 Is it good for you to oppress, to reject the work of your hands, and favor f the plans of the wicked? 4 Do you have eyes of flesh, or do you see as a human sees? 5 Are your days like those of a human, or your years like those of a man, 6 that you look for my iniquity and search for my sin, 7 even though you know that I am not wicked and that there is no one who can rescue from your power? 8 “Your hands shaped me and formed me. Will you now turn and destroy me? 9 Please remember that you formed me like clay . Will you now return me to dust? 10 Did you not pour me out like milk and curdle me like cheese? 11 You clothed me with skin and flesh, and wove me together with bones and tendons. 12 You gave me life and faithful love, and your care has guarded my life. 13 “Yet you concealed these thoughts in your heart; a9:19 LXX; MT reads me b9:23 Or whip ; Hb obscure c9:24 Or land d9:24 Lit covers the faces of e9:25 = a royal messenger f10:3 Lit shine onJOB 9-10 446 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 446 10/26/17 9:00 PM I know that this was your hidden plan: a 14 if I sin, you would notice, b and would not acquit me of my iniquity . 15 If I am wicked, woe to me! And even if I am righteous, I cannot lift up my head. I am filled with shame and have drunk deeply of c my affliction. 16 If I am proud, d you hunt me like a lion and again display your miraculous power against me. 17 You produce new witnesses e against me and multiply your anger toward me. Hardships assault me, wave after wave. f 18 “Why did you bring me out of the womb? I should have died and never been seen. 19 I wish g I had never existed but had been carried from the womb to the grave. 20 Are my days not few? Stop it! h Leave me alone, so that I can smile a little 21 before I go to a land of darkness and gloom, never to return. 22 It is a land of blackness like the deepest darkness, gloomy and chaotic, where even the light is like i the darkness.” ZOPHAR SPEAKS 11 Then Zo phar the Na a ma thite re plied: 2 Should this abundance of words go unanswered and such a talker j be acquitted? 3 Should your babbling put others to silence, so that you can keep on ridiculing with no one to humiliate you? 4 You have said, “My teaching is sound, and I am pure in your sight.” 5 But if only God would speak and open his lips against you! 6 He would show you the secrets of wisdom, for true wisdom has two sides. Know then that God has chosen to overlook some of your iniquity . 7 Can you fathom the depths of God or discover the limits of the Almighty? 8 They are higher than the heavens — what can you do? They are deeper than Sheol — what can you know? 9 Their measure is longer than the earth and wider than the sea. 10 If he passes by and throws someone in prison or convenes a court, who can stop him? 11 Surely he knows which people are worthless. If he sees iniquity , will he not take note of it? 12 But a stupid person will gain understanding as soon as a wild donkey is born a human! 13 As for you, if you redirect your heart and spread out your hands to him in prayer — 14 if there is iniquity in your hand, remove it, and don’t allow injustice to dwell in your tents — 15 then you will hold your head high, free from fault. You will be firmly established and unafraid. 16 For you will forget your suffering, recalling it only as water that has flowed by . 17 Your life will be brighter than noonday; its darkness k will be like the morning. 18 You will be confident, because there is hope. You will look carefully about and lie down in safety . 19 You will lie down with no one to frighten you, and many will seek your favor. 20
🔥 Job's Righteous Defiance
🧠 Job's wisdom challenges his friends' simplistic theology, asserting "I am not inferior to you" while maintaining his integrity despite overwhelming suffering
🌪️ Divine sovereignty permeates Job's understanding—"Wisdom and strength belong to God"—even as he questions God's apparent injustice toward him
👥 False comfort from Job's friends reveals their shallow understanding, as they mistake his suffering for divine punishment while offering "worthless" counsel
💪 Unwavering faith shines through Job's darkest moments: "Even if he kills me, I will hope in him" and "I know that my Redeemer lives"
🔄 Cycles of accusation intensify as Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar insist Job must have sinned, while Job maintains his innocence and demands a fair hearing
⚖️ Divine justice remains the central question—whether God truly rewards righteousness and punishes wickedness as Job's friends claim, or if suffering follows a deeper, more mysterious pattern
But the sight of the wicked will fail. Their way of escape will be cut off, and their only hope is their last breath. a10:13 Lit was with you b10:14 Lit notice me c10:15 Or and look at d10:16 Lit If he lifts up e10:17 Or You bring fresh troops f10:17 Lit Changes and a host are with me g10:19 Lit As if h10:20 Alt Hb tradition reads Will he not leave my few days alone? i10:22 Lit chaotic, and shines as j11:2 Lit a man of lips k11:17 Text emended; MT reads noonday; you are dark, you 447 JOB 10-11 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 447 10/26/17 9:00 PM JOB’S REPLY TO ZOPHAR 12 Then Job an swered: 2 No doubt you are the people, and wisdom will die with you! 3 But I also have a mind like you; I am not inferior to you. Who doesn’t know the things you are talking about? a 4 I am a laughingstock to my b friends, by calling on God, who answers me. c The righteous and upright man is a laughingstock. 5 The one who is at ease holds calamity in contempt and thinks it is prepared for those whose feet are slipping. 6 The tents of robbers are safe, and those who trouble God are secure; God holds them in his hands. d 7 But ask the animals, and they will instruct you; ask the birds of the sky , and they will tell you. 8 Or speak to the earth, and it will instruct you; let the fish of the sea inform you. 9 Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? 10 The life of every living thing is in his hand, as well as the breath of all mankind. 11 Doesn’t the ear test words as the palate tastes food? 12 Wisdom is found with the elderly , and understanding comes with long life. 13 Wisdom and strength belong to God; counsel and understanding are his. 14 Whatever he tears down cannot be rebuilt; whoever he imprisons cannot be released. 15 When he withholds water, everything dries up, and when he releases it, it destroys the land. 16 True wisdom and power belong to him. The deceived and the deceiver are his. 17 He leads counselors away barefoot and makes judges go mad. 18 He releases the bonds e put on by kings and fastens a belt around their waists. 19 He leads priests away barefoot and overthrows established leaders. 20 He deprives trusted advisers of speech and takes away the elders’ good judgment. 21 He pours out contempt on nobles and disarms f the strong. 22 He reveals mysteries from the darkness and brings the deepest darkness into the light. 23 He makes nations great, then destroys them; he enlarges nations, then leads them away . 24 He deprives the world’s leaders of reason, and makes them wander in a trackless wasteland. 25 They grope around in darkness without light; he makes them stagger like a drunkard. 13 Look, my eyes have seen all this; my ears have heard and understood it. 2 Everything you know , I also know; I am not inferior to you. 3 Yet I prefer to speak to the Almighty and argue my case before God. 4 You use lies like plaster; you are all worthless healers. 5 If only you would shut up and let that be your wisdom! 6 Hear now my argument, and listen to my defense. g 7 Would you testify unjustly on God’s behalf or speak deceitfully for him? 8 Would you show partiality to him or argue the case in his defense? 9 Would it go well if he examined you? Could you deceive him as you would deceive a man? 10 Surely he would rebuke you if you secretly showed partiality . 11 Would God’s majesty not terrify you? Would his dread not fall on you? a12:3 Lit With whom are not such things as these? b12:4 Lit his c12:4 Lit him d12:6 Or secure; to those who bring their god in their hands e12:18 Text emended; MT reads discipline f12:21 Lit and loosens the belt of g13:6 Lit to the claims of my lipsJOB 12-13 448 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 448 10/26/17 9:00 PM 12 Your memorable sayings are proverbs of ash; your defenses are made of clay . 13 Be quiet, a and I will speak. Let whatever comes happen to me. 14 I will put b myself at risk c and take my life in my own hands. 15 Even if he kills me, I will hope in him. d I will still defend my ways before him. 16 Yes, this will result in my deliverance, for no godless person can appear before him. 17 Pay close attention to my words; let my declaration ring in your ears. 18 Now then, I have prepared my case; I know that I am right. 19 Can anyone indict me? If so, I will be silent and die. 20 Only grant these two things to me, God, so that I will not have to hide from your presence: 21 remove your hand from me, and do not let your terror frighten me. 22 Then call, and I will answer, or I will speak, and you can respond to me. 23 How many iniquities and sins have I committed? e Reveal to me my transgression and sin. 24 Why do you hide your face and consider me your enemy? 25 Will you frighten a wind-driven leaf? Will you chase after dry straw? 26 For you record bitter accusations against me and make me inherit the iniquities of my youth. 27 You put my feet in the stocks and stand watch over all my paths, setting a limit for the soles f of my feet. 28 A person wears out like something rotten, like a moth-eaten garment. 14 Anyone born of woman is short of days and full of trouble. 2 He blossoms like a flower, then withers; he flees like a shadow and does not last. 3 Do you really take notice of one like this? Will you bring me into judgment against you? g 4 Who can produce something pure from what is impure? No one! 5 Since a person’s days are determined and the number of his months depends on you, and since you have set h limits he cannot pass, 6 look away from him and let him rest so that he can enjoy his day like a hired worker. 7 There is hope for a tree: If it is cut down, it will sprout again, and its shoots will not die. 8 If its roots grow old in the ground and its stump starts to die in the soil, 9 the scent of water makes it thrive and produce twigs like a sapling. 10 But a person dies and fades away; he breathes his last — where is he? 11 As water disappears from a lake and a river becomes parched and dry , 12 so people lie down never to rise again. They will not wake up until the heavens are no more; they will not stir from their sleep. 13 If only you would hide me in Sheol and conceal me until your anger passes. If only you would appoint a time for me and then remember me. 14 When a person dies, will he come back to life? If so, I would wait all the days of my struggle until my relief comes. 15 You would call, and I would answer you. You would long for the work of your hands. 16 For then you would count my steps but would not take note of my sin. 17 My rebellion would be sealed up in a bag, and you would cover over my iniquity . 18 But as a mountain collapses and crumbles a13:13 Lit quiet before me b13:14 LXX; MT reads Why do I put c13:14 Lit I take my flesh in my teeth d13:15 Some Hb mss read I will be without hope e13:23 Lit sins are to me f13:27 Lit paths. You mark a line around the roots g14:3 LXX, Syr , Vg read him h14:5 Lit set his 449 JOB 13-14 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 449 10/26/17 9:00 PM and a rock is dislodged from its place, 19 as water wears away stones and torrents wash away the soil from the land, so you destroy a man’s hope. 20 You completely overpower him, and he passes on; you change his appearance and send him away . 21 If his sons receive honor, he does not know it; if they become insignificant, he is unaware of it. 22 He feels only the pain of his own body and mourns only for himself. SECOND SERIES OF SPEECHES ELIPHAZ SPEAKS 15 Then El i phaz the Te man ite re plied: 2 Does a wise man answer with empty a counsel or fill himself b with the hot east wind? 3 Should he argue with useless talk or with words that serve no good purpose? 4 But you even undermine the fear of God and hinder meditation before him. 5 Your iniquity teaches you what to say , and you choose the language of the crafty . 6 Your own mouth condemns you, not I; your own lips testify against you. 7 Were you the first human ever born, or were you brought forth before the hills? 8 Do you listen in on the council of God, or have a monopoly on wisdom? 9 What do you know that we don’t? What do you understand that is not clear to us? 10 Both the gray-haired and the elderly are with us— older than your father. 11 Are God’s consolations not enough for you, even the words that deal gently with you? 12 Why has your heart misled you, and why do your eyes flash 13 as you turn your anger c against God and allow such words to leave your mouth? 14 What is a mere human, that he should be pure, or one born of a woman, that he should be righteous? 15 If God puts no trust in his holy ones and the heavens are not pure in his sight, 16 how much less one who is revolting and corrupt, who drinks injustice like water? 17 Listen to me and I will inform you. I will describe what I have seen, 18 what the wise have declared and not concealed, that came from their ancestors, 19 to whom alone the land was given when no foreigner passed among them. 20 A wicked person writhes in pain all his days, throughout the number of years reserved for the ruthless. 21 Dreadful sounds fill his ears; when he is at peace, a robber attacks him. 22 He doesn’t believe he will return from darkness; he is destined for the sword. 23 He wanders about for food, asking, “Where is it? ” He knows the day of darkness is at hand. 24 Trouble and distress terrify him, overwhelming him like a king prepared for battle. 25 For he has stretched out his hand against God and has arrogantly opposed the Almighty . 26 He rushes headlong at him with his thick, studded shields. 27 Though his face is covered with fat d and his waistline bulges with it, 28 he will dwell in ruined cities, in abandoned houses destined to become piles of rubble. 29 He will no longer be rich; his wealth will not endure. a15:2 Lit windy ; Jb 16:3 b15:2 Lit his belly c15:13 Or spirit d15:27 Lit with his fatJOB 14-15 450 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 450 10/26/17 9:00 PM His possessions a will not increase in the land. 30 He will not escape from the darkness; flames will wither his shoots, and by the breath of God’s mouth, he will depart. 31 Let him not put trust in worthless things, being led astray , for what he gets in exchange will prove worthless. 32 It will be accomplished before his time, and his branch will not flourish. 33 He will be like a vine that drops its unripe grapes and like an olive tree that sheds its blossoms. 34 For the company of the godless will have no children, and fire will consume the tents of those who offer bribes. 35 They conceive trouble and give birth to evil; their womb prepares deception. JOB’S REPLY TO ELIPHAZ 16 Then Job an swered: 2 I have heard many things like these. You are all miserable comforters. 3 Is there no end to your empty b words? What provokes you that you continue testifying? 4 If you were in my place I could also talk like you. I could string words together against you and shake my head at you. 5 Instead, I would encourage you with my mouth, and the consolation from my lips would bring relief. 6 If I speak, my suffering is not relieved, and if I hold back, does any of it leave me? 7 Surely he c has now exhausted me. You have devastated my entire family . 8 You have shriveled me up d — it has become a witness; my frailty rises up against me and testifies to my face. 9 His anger tears at me, and he harasses me. He gnashes his teeth at me. My enemy pierces me with his eyes. 10 They open their mouths against me and strike my cheeks with contempt; they join themselves together against me. 11 God hands me over to the unjust; e he throws me to the wicked. 12 I was at ease, but he shattered me; he seized me by the scruff of the neck and smashed me to pieces. He set me up as his target; 13 his archers f surround me. He pierces my kidneys without mercy and pours my bile on the ground. 14 He breaks through my defenses again and again; g he charges at me like a warrior. 15 I have sewn sackcloth over my skin; I have buried my strength h in the dust. 16 My face has grown red with weeping, and darkness covers my eyes, 17 although my hands are free from violence and my prayer is pure. 18 Earth, do not cover my blood; may my cry for help find no resting place. 19 Even now my witness is in heaven, and my advocate is in the heights! 20 My friends scoff at me as I weep before God. 21 I wish that someone might argue for a man with God just as anyone i would for a friend. 22 For only a few years will pass before I go the way of no return. 17 My spirit is broken. My days are extinguished. A graveyard awaits me. 2 Surely mockers surround j me, and my eyes must gaze at their rebellion. 3 Accept my pledge! Put up security for me. Who else will be my sponsor? k 4 You have closed their minds to understanding, a15:29 Text emended; MT reads Their gain b16:3 Lit windy ; Jb 15:2 c16:7 Or it d16:8 Or have seized me ; Hb obscure e16:11 LXX, Vg; MT reads to a boy f16:13 Or arrows g16:14 Lit through me, breach on breach h16:15 Lit horn i16:21 Lit a son of man j17:2 Lit are with k17:3 Or Who is there that will shake hands with me? 451 JOB 15-17 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 451 10/26/17 9:00 PM therefore you will not honor them. 5 If a man denounces his friends for a price, the eyes of his children will fail. 6 He has made me an object of scorn to the people; I have become a man people spit at. a 7 My eyes have grown dim from grief, and my whole body has become but a shadow . 8 The upright are appalled at this, and the innocent are roused against the godless. 9 Yet the righteous person will hold to his way , and the one whose hands are clean will grow stronger. 10 But come back and try again, all of you. b I will not find a wise man among you. 11 My days have slipped by; my plans have been ruined, even the things dear to my heart. 12 They turned night into day and made light seem near in the face of darkness. 13 If I await Sheol as my home, spread out my bed in darkness, 14 and say to corruption, “You are my father,” and to the maggot, “My mother” or “My sister,” 15 where then is my hope? Who can see any hope for me? 16 Will it go down to the gates of Sheol, or will we descend together to the dust? BILDAD SPEAKS 18 Then Bil dad the Shu hite re plied: 2 How long until you stop talking? Show some sense, and then we can talk. 3 Why are we regarded as cattle, as stupid in your sight? 4 You who tear yourself in anger c — should the earth be abandoned on your account, or a rock be removed from its place? 5 Yes, the light of the wicked is extinguished; the flame of his fire does not glow . 6 The light in his tent grows dark, and the lamp beside him is put out. 7 His powerful stride is shortened, and his own schemes trip him up. 8 For his own feet lead him into a net, and he strays into its mesh. 9 A trap catches him by the heel; a noose seizes him. 10 A rope lies hidden for him on the ground, and a snare waits for him along the path. 11 Terrors frighten him on every side and harass him at every step. 12 His strength is depleted; disaster lies ready for him to stumble. d 13 Parts of his skin are eaten away; death’s firstborn consumes his limbs. 14 He is ripped from the security of his tent and marched away to the king of terrors. 15 Nothing he owned remains in his tent. Burning sulfur is scattered over his home. 16 His roots below dry up, and his branches above wither away . 17 All memory of him perishes from the earth; he has no name anywhere. e 18 He is driven from light to darkness and chased from the inhabited world. 19 He has no children or descendants among his people, no survivor where he used to live. 20 Those in the west are appalled at his fate, while those in the east tremble in horror. 21 Indeed, such is the dwelling of the unjust man, and this is the place of the one who does not know God. JOB’S REPLY TO BILDAD 19 Then Job an swered: 2 How long will you torment me and crush me with words? 3 You have humiliated me ten times now , and you mistreat f me without shame. 4 Even if it is true that I have sinned, a17:6 Lit become a spitting to the faces b17:10 Some Hb mss, LXX, Vg; other Hb mss read them c18:4 Lit He who tears himself in his anger d18:12 Or disaster hungers for him e18:17 Or name in the streets f19:3 Hb obscureJOB 17-19 452 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 452 10/26/17 9:00 PM my mistake concerns only a me. 5 If you really want to appear superior to me and would use my disgrace as evidence against me, 6 then understand that it is God who has wronged me and caught me in his net. 7 I cry out: “Violence! ” but get no response; I call for help, but there is no justice. 8 He has blocked my way so that I cannot pass through; he has veiled my paths with darkness. 9 He has stripped me of my honor and removed the crown from my head. 10 He tears me down on every side so that I am ruined. b He uproots my hope like a tree. 11 His anger burns against me, and he regards me as one of his enemies. 12 His troops advance together; they construct a ramp c against me and camp around my tent. 13 He has removed my brothers from me; my acquaintances have abandoned me. 14 My relatives stop coming by , and my close friends have forgotten me. 15 My house guests d and female servants regard me as a stranger; I am a foreigner in their sight. 16 I call for my servant, but he does not answer, even if I beg him with my own mouth. 17 My breath is offensive to my wife, and my own family e finds me repulsive. 18 Even young boys scorn me. When I stand up, they mock me. 19 All of my best friends f despise me, and those I love have turned against me. 20 My skin and my flesh cling to my bones; I have escaped with only the skin of my teeth. 21 Have mercy on me, my friends, have mercy , for God’s hand has struck me. 22 Why do you persecute me as God does? Will you never get enough of my flesh? 23 I wish that my words were written down, that they were recorded on a scroll 24 or were inscribed in stone forever by an iron stylus and lead! 25 But I know that my Redeemer lives, g and at the end he will stand on the dust. 26 Even after my skin has been destroyed, h yet I will see God in i my flesh. 27 I will see him myself; my eyes will look at him, and not as a stranger. j My heart longs k within me. 28 If you say , “How will we pursue him, since the root of the problem lies with him? ” l 29 then be afraid of the sword, because wrath brings punishment by the sword, so that you may know there is a judgment. ZOPHAR SPEAKS 20 Then Zo phar the Na a ma thite re plied: 2 This is why my unsettling thoughts compel me to answer, because I am upset! m 3 I have heard a rebuke that insults me, and my understanding n makes me reply . 4 Don’t you know that ever since antiquity , from the time a human was placed on earth, 5 the joy of the wicked has been brief and the happiness of the godless has lasted only a moment? 6 Though his arrogance reaches heaven, and his head touches the clouds, 7 he will vanish forever like his own dung. Those who know o him will ask, “Where is he? ” a19:4 Lit mistake lives with b19:10 Lit gone c19:12 Lit they raise up their way d19:15 Or The resident aliens in my household e19:17 Lit and the sons of my belly f19:19 Lit of the men of my council g19:25 Or know my living Redeemer h19:26 Lit skin which they destroyed, or skin they destroyed in this way i19:26 Or apart from j19:27 Or not a stranger k19:27 Lit My kidneys grow faint l19:28 Some Hb mss, LXX, Vg; other Hb mss read me m20:2 Lit because of my feeling within me n20:3 Lit and a spirit from my understanding o20:7 Lit have seen 453 JOB 19-20 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 453 10/26/17 9:00 PM 8 He will fly away like a dream and never be found; he will be chased away like a vision in the night. 9 The eye that saw him will see him no more, and his household will no longer see him. 10 His children will beg from a the poor, for his own hands must give back his wealth. 11 His frame may be full of youthful vigor, but it will lie down with him in dust. 12 Though evil tastes sweet in his mouth and he conceals it under his tongue, 13 though
🔄 Divine Justice and Retribution
🔥 Moral consequences inevitably follow human actions—the wicked may prosper temporarily but ultimately face divine judgment when their ill-gotten wealth "turns into cobras' venom" inside them
⚖️ The justice debate rages between Job and his friends, with Zophar and Eliphaz insisting that suffering proves guilt, while Job questions why the wicked often "continue to live, growing old and becoming powerful"
🛡️ Job maintains his personal integrity despite overwhelming suffering, refusing to admit wrongdoing and declaring "I will cling to my righteousness and never let it go"
💎 True wisdom transcends human understanding—it cannot be mined like precious metals or purchased with gold, for "the fear of the Lord—that is wisdom"
🌟 Job's former prosperity reflected divine favor, when "God's friendship rested on my tent" and he served as "eyes to the blind and feet to the lame"
he cherishes it and will not let it go but keeps it in his mouth, 14 yet the food in his stomach turns into cobras’ venom inside him. 15 He swallows wealth but must vomit it up; God will force it from his stomach. 16 He will suck the poison of cobras; a viper’s fangs b will kill him. 17 He will not enjoy the streams, the rivers flowing with honey and curds. 18 He must return the fruit of his labor without consuming it; he doesn’t enjoy the profits from his trading. 19 For he oppressed and abandoned the poor; he seized a house he did not build. 20 Because his appetite is never satisfied, c he does not let anything he desires escape. 21 Nothing is left for him to consume; therefore, his prosperity will not last. 22 At the height of his success d distress will come to him; the full weight of misery e will crush him. 23 When he fills his stomach, God will send his burning anger against him, raining it down on him while he is eating. f 24 If he flees from an iron weapon, an arrow from a bronze bow will pierce him. 25 He pulls it out of his back, the flashing tip out of his liver. g Terrors come over him. 26 Total darkness is reserved for his treasures. A fire unfanned by human hands will consume him; it will feed on what is left in his tent. 27 The heavens will expose his iniquity , and the earth will rise up against him. 28 The possessions in his house will be removed, flowing away on the day of God’s anger. 29 This is the wicked person’s lot from God, the inheritance God ordained for him. JOB’S REPLY TO ZOPHAR 21 Then Job an swered: 2 Pay close attention to my words; let this be the consolation you offer. 3 Bear with me while I speak; then after I have spoken, you may continue mocking. 4 As for me, is my complaint against a human being? Then why shouldn’t I be impatient? 5 Look at me and shudder; put your hand over your mouth. 6 When I think about it, I am terrified and my body trembles in horror. 7 Why do the wicked continue to live, growing old and becoming powerful? 8 Their children are established while they are still alive, h and their descendants, before their eyes. 9 Their homes are secure and free of fear; no rod from God strikes them. 10 Their bulls breed without fail; their cows calve and do not miscarry . 11 They let their little ones run around like lambs; their children skip about, 12 singing to the tambourine and lyre and rejoicing at the sound of the flute. 13 They spend i their days in prosperity and go down to Sheol in peace. a20:10 Or children must compensate b20:16 Lit tongue c20:20 Lit Because he does not know ease in his stomach d20:22 Lit In the fullness of his excess e20:22 Some Hb mss, LXX, Vg; other Hb mss read the hand of everyone in misery f20:23 Text emended; MT reads him, against his flesh g20:25 Or gallbladder h21:8 Lit established before them with them i21:13 Alt Hb tradition reads fully enjoyJOB 20-21 454 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 454 10/26/17 9:00 PM 14 Yet they say to God, “Leave us alone! We don’t want to know your ways. 15 Who is the Almighty , that we should serve him, and what will we gain by pleading with him? ” 16 But their prosperity is not of their own doing. The counsel of the wicked is far from me! 17 How often is the lamp of the wicked put out? Does disaster a come on them? Does he apportion destruction in his anger? 18 Are they like straw before the wind, like chaff a storm sweeps away? 19 God reserves a person’s punishment for his children. Let God repay the person himself, so that he may know it. 20 Let his own eyes see his demise; let him drink from the Almighty’s wrath! 21 For what does he care about his family once he is dead, when the number of his months has run out? 22 Can anyone teach God knowledge, since he judges the exalted ones? b 23 One person dies in excellent health, c completely secure d and at ease. 24 His body is e well fed, f and his bones are full of marrow . g 25 Yet another person dies with a bitter soul, having never tasted prosperity . 26 But they both lie in the dust, and worms cover them. 27 I know your thoughts very well, the schemes by which you would wrong me. 28 For you say , “Where now is the nobleman’s house? ” and “Where are the tents the wicked lived in? ” 29 Have you never consulted those who travel the roads? Don’t you accept their reports? h 30 Indeed, the evil person is spared from the day of disaster, rescued from the day of wrath. 31 Who would denounce his behavior to his face? Who would repay him for what he has done? 32 He is carried to the grave, and someone keeps watch over his tomb. 33 The dirt on his grave is i sweet to him. Everyone follows behind him, and those who go before him are without number. 34 So how can you offer me such futile comfort? Your answers are deceptive. THIRD SERIES OF SPEECHES ELIPHAZ SPEAKS 22 Then El i phaz the Te man ite re plied: 2 Can a man be of any use to God? Can even a wise man be of use to him? 3 Does it delight the Almighty if you are righteous? Does he profit if you perfect your behavior? 4 Does he correct you and take you to court because of your piety? 5 Isn’t your wickedness abundant and aren’t your iniquities endless? 6 For you took collateral from your brothers without cause, stripping off their clothes and leaving them naked. 7 You gave no water to the thirsty and withheld food from the famished, 8 while the land belonged to a powerful man and an influential man lived on it. 9 You sent widows away empty-handed, and the strength of the fatherless was j crushed. 10 Therefore snares surround you, and sudden dread terrifies you, 11 or darkness, so you cannot see, and a flood of water covers you. a21:17 Lit their disaster b21:22 Probably angels c21:23 Lit in bone of his perfection d21:23 Text emended; MT reads health, all at ease e21:24 Or His sides are ; Hb obscure f21:24 Lit is full of milk g21:24 Lit and the marrow of his bones is watered h21:29 Lit signs i21:33 Lit The clods of the wadi are j22:9 LXX, Syr , Vg, Tg read you have 455 JOB 21-22 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 455 10/26/17 9:00 PM 12 Isn’t God as high as the heavens? And look at the highest stars — how lofty they are! 13 Yet you say , “What does God know? Can he judge through total darkness? 14 Clouds veil him so that he cannot see, as he walks on the circle of the sky .” 15 Will you continue on the ancient path that wicked men have walked? 16 They were snatched away before their time, and their foundations were washed away by a river. 17 They were the ones who said to God, “Leave us alone! ” and “What can the Almighty do to us? ” a 18 But it was he who filled their houses with good things. The counsel of the wicked is far from me! 19 The righteous see this and rejoice; the innocent mock them, saying, 20 “Surely our opponents are destroyed, and fire has consumed what they left behind.” 21 Come to terms with God and be at peace; in this way b good will come to you. 22 Receive instruction from his mouth, and place his sayings in your heart. 23 If you return to the Almighty , you will be renewed. If you banish injustice from your tent 24 and consign your gold to the dust, the gold of Ophir to the stones in the wadis, 25 the Almighty will be your gold and your finest silver. 26 Then you will delight in the Almighty and lift up your face to God. 27 You will pray to him, and he will hear you, and you will fulfill your vows. 28 When you make a decision, it will be carried out, c and light will shine on your ways. 29 When others are humiliated and you say , “Lift them up,” God will save the humble. d 30 He will even rescue the guilty one, who will be rescued by the purity of your hands. JOB’S REPLY TO ELIPHAZ 23 Then Job an swered: 2 Today also my complaint is bitter. e His f hand is heavy despite my groaning. 3 If only I knew how to find him, so that I could go to his throne. 4 I would plead my case before him and fill my mouth with arguments. 5 I would learn how g he would answer me; and understand what he would say to me. 6 Would he prosecute me forcefully? No, he would certainly pay attention to me. 7 Then an upright man could reason with him, and I would escape from my Judge h forever. 8 If I go east, he is not there, and if I go west, I cannot perceive him. 9 When he is at work to the north, I cannot see him; when he turns south, I cannot find him. 10 Yet he knows the way I have taken; i when he has tested me, I will emerge as pure gold. 11 My feet have followed in his tracks; I have kept to his way and not turned aside. 12 I have not departed from the commands from his lips; I have treasured j the words from his mouth more than my daily food. 13 But he is unchangeable; who can oppose him? He does what he desires. 14 He will certainly accomplish what he has decreed for me, and he has many more things like these in mind. k 15 Therefore I am terrified in his presence; when I consider this, I am afraid of him. a22:17 LXX, Syr; MT reads them b22:21 Lit peace; by them c22:28 Lit out for you d22:29 Lit bowed of eyes e23:2 Syr , Tg, Vg; MT reads rebellion f23:2 LXX, Syr; MT reads My g23:5 Lit the words h23:7 Or judgment i23:10 Lit way with me j23:12 LXX, Vg read treasured in my bosom k23:14 Lit these with himJOB 22-23 456 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 456 10/26/17 9:00 PM 16 God has made my heart faint; the Almighty has terrified me. 17 Yet I am not destroyed a by the darkness, by the thick darkness that covers my face. 24 Why does the Almighty not reserve times for judgment? Why do those who know him never see his days? 2 The wicked displace boundary markers. They steal a flock and provide pasture for it. 3 They drive away the donkeys owned by the fatherless and take the widow’s ox as collateral. 4 They push the needy off the road; the poor of the land are forced into hiding. 5 Like wild donkeys in the wilderness, the poor go out to their task of foraging for food; the desert provides nourishment for their children. 6 They gather their fodder in the field and glean the vineyards of the wicked. 7 Without clothing, they spend the night naked, having no covering against the cold. 8 Drenched by mountain rains, they huddle against b the rocks, shelterless. 9 The fatherless infant is snatched from the breast; the nursing child of the poor is seized as collateral. c 10 Without clothing, they wander about naked. They carry sheaves but go hungry . 11 They crush olives in their presses; d they tread the winepresses, but go thirsty . 12 From the city , men e groan; the mortally wounded cry for help, yet God pays no attention to this crime. 13 The wicked are those who rebel against the light. They do not recognize its ways or stay on its paths. 14 The murderer rises at dawn to kill the poor and needy , and by night he becomes a thief. 15 The adulterer’s eye watches for twilight, thinking, “No eye will see me,” and he covers his face. 16 In the dark they break f into houses; by day they lock themselves in, g never experiencing the light. 17 For the morning is like darkness to them. Surely they are familiar with the terrors of darkness! 18 They float h on the surface of the water. Their section of the land is cursed, so that they never go to their vineyards. 19 As dry ground and heat snatch away the melted snow , so Sheol steals those who have sinned. 20 The womb forgets them; worms feed on them; they are remembered no more. So injustice is broken like a tree. 21 They prey on i the childless woman who is unable to conceive, and do not deal kindly with the widow . 22 Yet God drags away j the mighty by his power; when he rises up, they have no assurance of life. 23 He gives them a sense of security , so they can rely on it, but his eyes watch over their ways. 24 They are exalted for a moment, then gone; they are brought low and shrivel up like everything else. k They wither like heads of grain. 25 If this is not true, then who can prove me a liar and show that my speech is worthless? BILDAD SPEAKS 25 Then Bil dad the Shu hite re plied: 2 Dominion and dread belong to him, the one who establishes harmony in his heights. a23:17 Or silenced b24:8 Lit they embrace c24:9 Text emended; MT reads breast; they seize collateral against the poor d24:11 Lit olives between their rows e24:12 One Hb ms, Syr read the dying f24:16 Lit dig g24:16 Lit they seal for themselves h24:18 Lit are insignificant i24:21 LXX, Tg read They harm j24:22 Or God prolongs the life of k24:24 LXX reads like a mallow plant in the heat 457 JOB 23-25 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 457 10/26/17 9:00 PM 3 Can his troops be numbered? Does his light not shine on everyone? 4 How can a human be justified before God? How can one born of woman be pure? 5 If even the moon does not shine and the stars are not pure in his sight, 6 how much less a human, who is a maggot, a son of man, a who is a worm! JOB’S REPLY TO BILDAD 26 Then Job an swered: 2 How you have helped the powerless and delivered the arm that is weak! 3 How you have counseled the unwise and abundantly provided insight! 4 With whom did you speak these words? Whose breath came out of your mouth? 5 The departed spirits tremble beneath the waters and all that inhabit them. 6 Sheol is naked before God, and Abaddon has no covering. 7 He stretches the northern skies over empty space; he hangs the earth on nothing. 8 He wraps up the water in his clouds, yet the clouds do not burst beneath its weight. 9 He obscures the view of his throne, spreading his cloud over it. 10 He laid out the horizon on the surface of the waters at the boundary between light and darkness. 11 The pillars that hold up the sky tremble, astounded at his rebuke. 12 By his power he stirred the sea, and by his understanding he crushed Rahab. 13 By his breath the heavens gained their beauty; his hand pierced the fleeing serpent. b 14 These are but the fringes of his ways; how faint is the word we hear of him! Who can understand his mighty thunder?27 Job con tin ued his dis course, say ing: 2 As God lives, who has deprived me of justice, and the Almighty who has made me bitter, 3 as long as my breath is still in me and the breath from God remains in my nostrils, 4 my lips will not speak unjustly , and my tongue will not utter deceit. 5 I will never affirm that you are right. I will maintain my integrity c until I die. 6 I will cling to my righteousness and never let it go. My conscience will not accuse me as long as I live! 7 May my enemy be like the wicked and my opponent like the unjust. 8 For what hope does the godless person have when he is cut off, when God takes away his life? 9 Will God hear his cry when distress comes on him? 10 Will he delight in the Almighty? Will he call on God at all times? 11 I will teach you about God’s power. I will not conceal what the Almighty has planned. d 12 All of you have seen this for yourselves, why do you keep up this empty talk? 13 This is a wicked man’s lot from God, the inheritance the ruthless receive from the Almighty . 14 Even if his children increase, they are destined for the sword; his descendants will never have enough food. 15 Those who survive him will be buried by the plague, yet their widows will not weep for them. 16 Though he piles up silver like dust and heaps up fine clothing like clay — 17 he may heap it up, but the righteous will wear it, and the innocent will divide up his silver. 18 The house he built is like a moth’s cocoon a25:6 Or a mere mortal b26:13 = Leviathan c27:5 Lit will not remove my integrity from me d27:11 Lit what is with the AlmightyJOB 25-27 458 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 458 10/26/17 9:00 PM or a shelter set up by a watchman. 19 He lies down wealthy , but will do so no more; when he opens his eyes, it is gone. 20 Terrors overtake him like a flood; a storm wind sw eeps him away at night. 21 An east wind picks him up, and he is gone; it carries him a way from his place. 22 It blasts at him without mercy , while he flees despera tely from its force. 23 It claps its hands at him and scoffs a t him from its place. A HYMN TO WISDOM 28 Surely there is a mine for silver and a p lace where gold is refined. 2 Iron is taken from the ground, and copper is smelted from ore. 3 A miner puts an end to the darkness; he probes a the deepest recesses f or ore in the gloomy darkness. 4 He cuts a shaft far from human habitation, in p laces unknown to those who walk above ground. Suspended f ar away from people, the miners swing back and forth. 5 Food may come from the earth, but belo w the surface the earth is transformed as by fire. 6 Its rocks are a source of lapis lazuli, containing flecks of gold. 7 No bird of prey knows that path; no f alcon’s eye has seen it. 8 Proud beasts have never walked on it; no lion has ev er prowled over it. 9 The miner uses a flint tool and turns up ore from the root of the mountains. 10 He cuts out channels in the rocks, and his ey es spot every treasure. 11 He dams up the streams from flowing b so tha t he may bring to light what is hidden. 12 But where can wisdom be found, and where is understanding located? 13 No one can know its value, c since it cannot be found in the land of the living. 14 The ocean depths say , “It’s not in me,” while the sea declares , “I don’t have it.” 15 Gold cannot be exchanged for it, and sil ver cannot be weighed out for its price. 16 Wisdom cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, in precious on yx or lapis lazuli. 17 Gold and glass do not compare with it, and articles of fine gold cannot be exchanged for it. 18 Coral and quartz are not w orth mentioning. The price of wisdom is beyond pearls. 19 Topaz from Cush cannot compare with it, and it cannot be valued in pure gold. 20 Where then does wisdom come from, and where is understanding loca ted? 21 It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing and concealed from the birds of the sky . 22 Abaddon and Death say , “W e have heard news of it with our ears.” 23 But God understands the way to wisdom, and he kno ws its location. 24 For he looks to the ends of the earth and sees ev erything under the heavens. 25 When God fixed the weight of the wind and distributed the water by measure, 26 when he established a limit d for the rain and a pa th for the lightning, 27 he considered wisdom and evaluated it; he estab lished it and examined it. 28 He said to mankind, “The f ear of the Lord—that is wisdom. And to turn from evil is understanding.” JOB’S FINAL CLAIM OF INNOCENCE 29 Job con tin ued his dis course, say ing: 2 If only I could be as in months gone by , in the da ys when God watched over me, 3 when his lamp shone above my head, and I w alked through darkness by his light! a28:3 Lit probes all b28:11 LXX, Vg read He explores the sources of the streams c28:13 LXX reads way d28:26 Or decree 459 J OB 27-29 CSB_UltraThinindb.indb 20 11/7/17 3:22 PM 4 I would be as I was in the days of my youth when God’s friendship rested on my tent, 5 when the Almighty was still with me and my children were around me, 6 when my feet were bathed in curds and the rock poured out streams of oil for me! 7 When I went out to the city gate and took my seat in the town square, 8 the young men saw me and withdrew , while older men stood to their feet. 9 City officials stopped talking and covered their mouths with their hands. 10 The noblemen’s voices were hushed, and their tongues stuck to the roof of their mouths. 11 When they heard me, they blessed me, and when they saw me, they spoke well of me. a 12 For I rescued the poor who cried out for help, and the fatherless child who had no one to support him. 13 The dying blessed me, and I made the widow’s heart rejoice. 14 I clothed myself in righteousness, and it enveloped me; my just decisions were like a robe and a turban. 15 I was eyes to the blind and feet to the lame. 16 I was a father to the needy , and I examined the case of the stranger. 17 I shattered the fangs of the unjust and snatched the prey from his teeth. 18 So I thought, “I will die in my own nest and multiply my days as the sand. b 19 My roots will have access to water, and the dew will rest on my branches all night. 20 My whole being will be refreshed within me, and my bow will be renewed in my hand.” 21 Men listened to me with expectation, waiting silently for my advice. 22 After a word from me they did not speak again; my speech settled on them
🌪️ From Glory to Despair
🏆 Job's former status commanded respect and honor, with people waiting for his words like rain and kings valuing his counsel
📉 Dramatic reversal of fortune transformed Job from respected leader to social outcast, mocked by those he once would have considered beneath him
🤕 Physical and emotional suffering overwhelms Job as he experiences bodily pain, social rejection, and divine silence despite his cries for help
⚖️ Job's moral defense presents his ethical integrity through specific examples of how he treated the poor, widows, orphans, and strangers with compassion
🗣️ Elihu's angry response challenges Job's self-righteousness, arguing that God uses suffering to discipline, teach, and redirect human behavior
🔍 Divine justice operates beyond human understanding, with God being impartial and sovereign while still attentive to human suffering
like dew . 23 They waited for me as for the rain and opened their mouths as for spring showers. 24 If I smiled at them, they couldn’t believe it; they were thrilled at c the light of my countenance. 25 I directed their course and presided as chief. I lived as a king among his troops, like one who comforts those who mourn. 30 But now they mock me, men younger than I am, whose fathers I would have refused to put with my sheep dogs. 2 What use to me was the strength of their hands? Their vigor had left them. 3 Emaciated from poverty and hunger, they gnawed the dry land, the desolate wasteland by night. 4 They plucked mallow d among the shrubs, and the roots of the broom tree were their food. 5 They were banished from human society; people shouted at them as if they were thieves. 6 They are living on the slopes of the wadis, among the rocks and in holes in the ground. 7 They bray among the shrubs; they huddle beneath the thistles. 8 Foolish men, without even a name. They were forced to leave the land. 9 Now I am mocked by their songs; I have become an object of scorn to them. 10 They despise me and keep their distance from me; they do not hesitate to spit in my face. 11 Because God has loosened my e bowstring and oppressed me, a29:11 Lit When an ear heard, it called me blessed, and when an eye saw, it testified for me b29:18 Or as the phoenix c29:24 Lit they did not cast down d30:4 Or saltwort e30:11 Alt Hb tradition, LXX, Vg read hisJOB 29-30 460 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 460 10/26/17 9:00 PM they have cast off restraint in my presence. 12 The rabble a rise up at my right; they trap b my feet and construct their siege ramp c against me. 13 They tear up my path; they contribute to my destruction, without anyone to help them. 14 They advance as through a gaping breach; they keep rolling in through the ruins. 15 Terrors are turned loose against me; they chase my dignity away like the wind, and my prosperity has passed by like a cloud. 16 Now my life is poured out before me, and days of suffering have seized me. 17 Night pierces my bones, but my gnawing pains never rest. 18 My clothing is distorted with great force; he chokes me by the neck of my garment. a 19 He throws me into the mud, and I have become like dust and ashes. 20 I cry out to you for help, but you do not answer me; when I stand up, you merely look at me. 21 You have turned against me with cruelty; you harass me with your strong hand. 22 You lift me up on the wind and make me ride it; you scatter me in the storm. 23 Yes, I know that you will lead me to death — the place appointed for all who live. 24 Yet no one would stretch out his hand against a ruined person d when he cries out to him for help because of his distress. 25 Have I not wept for those who have fallen on hard times? Has my soul not grieved for the needy? 26 But when I hoped for good, evil came; when I looked for light, darkness came. 27 I am churning within e and cannot rest; days of suffering confront me. 28 I walk about blackened, but not by the sun. f I stood in the assembly and cried out for help. 29 I have become a brother to jackals and a companion of ostriches. 30 My skin blackens and flakes off, g and my bones burn with fever. 31 My lyre is used for mourning and my flute for the sound of weeping. 31 I have made a covenant with my eyes. How then could I look at a young woman? h 2 For what portion would I have from God above, or what inheritance from the Almighty on high? 3 Doesn’t disaster come to the unjust and misfortune to evildoers? 4 Does he not see my ways and number all my steps? 5 If I have walked in falsehood or my foot has rushed to deceit, 6 let God weigh me on accurate scales, and he will recognize my integrity . 7 If my step has turned from the way , my heart has followed my eyes, or impurity has stained my hands, 8 let someone else eat what I have sown, and let my crops be uprooted. 9 If my heart has gone astray over a woman or I have lurked at my neighbor’s door, 10 let my own wife grind grain for another man, and let other men sleep with i her. 11 For that would be a disgrace; it would be an iniquity deserving punishment. 12 For it is a fire that consumes down to Abaddon; it would destroy my entire harvest. 13 If I have dismissed the case of my male or female servants when they made a complaint against me, 14 what could I do when God stands up to judge? a30:12,18 Hb obscure b30:12 Lit stretch out c30:12 Lit and raise up their destructive paths d30:24 Lit a heap of ruins e30:27 Lit My bowels boil f30:28 Or walk in sunless gloom g30:30 Lit blackens away from me h31:1 Or a virgin i31:10 Lit men kneel down over 461 JOB 30-31 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 461 10/26/17 9:00 PM How should I answer him when he calls me to account? 15 Did not the one who made me in the womb also make them? Did not the same God form us both in the womb? 16 If I have refused the wishes of the poor or let the widow’s eyes go blind, 17 if I have eaten my few crumbs alone without letting the fatherless eat any of it — 18 for from my youth, I raised him as his father, and since the day I was born a I guided the widow — 19 if I have seen anyone dying for lack of clothing or a needy person without a cloak, 20 if he b did not bless me while warming himself with the fleece from my sheep, 21 if I ever cast my vote c against a fatherless child when I saw that I had support in the city gate, 22 then let my shoulder blade fall from my back, and my arm be pulled from its socket. 23 For disaster from God terrifies me, and because of his majesty I could not do these things. 24 If I placed my confidence in gold or called fine gold my trust, 25 if I have rejoiced because my wealth is great or because my own hand has acquired so much, 26 if I have gazed at the sun when it was shining or at the moon moving in splendor, 27 so that my heart was secretly enticed and I threw them a kiss, d 28 this would also be an iniquity deserving punishment, for I would have denied God above. 29 Have I rejoiced over my enemy’s distress, or become excited when trouble came his way? 30 I have not allowed my mouth to sin by asking for his life with a curse. 31 Haven’t the members of my household said, “Who is there who has not had enough to eat at Job’s table? ” 32 No stranger had to spend the night on the street, for I opened my door to the traveler. 33 Have I covered my transgressions as others do e by hiding my iniquity in my heart 34 because I greatly feared the crowds and because the contempt of the clans terrified me, so I grew silent and would not go outside? 35 If only I had someone to hear my case! Here is my signature; let the Almighty answer me. Let my Opponent compose his indictment. 36 I would surely carry it on my shoulder and wear it like a crown. 37 I would give him an account of all my steps; I would approach him like a prince. 38 If my land cries out against me and its furrows join in weeping, 39 if I have consumed its produce without payment or shown contempt for its tenants, f 40 then let thorns grow instead of wheat and stinkweed instead of barley . The words of Job are con clud ed. ELIHU’S ANGRY RESPONSE 32 So these three men quit an swer ing Job, be cause he was righ teous in his own eyes. 2 Then Eli hu son of Barachel the Bu zite from the fam i ly of Ram be came an gry . He was an gry at Job be cause he had jus ti fied him self rath er than God. 3 He was also an gry at Job’s three friends be cause they had failed to re fute him and yet had con demned him. g 4 Now Eli hu had wait ed to speak to Job be- cause they were all old er than he. 5 But when he saw that the three men could not an swer Job, he be came an gry . a31:18 Lit and from my mother’s womb b31:20 Lit his loins c31:21 Lit I raise my hand d31:27 Lit and my hand kissed my mouth e31:33 Or as Adam f31:39 Lit or caused the breath of its tenants to breathe out g32:3 Alt Hb tradition reads condemned GodJOB 31-32 462 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 462 10/26/17 9:00 PM 6 So Eli hu son of Barachel the Bu zite re plied: I am young in years, while you are old; therefore I was timid and afraid to tell you what I know . 7 I thought that age should speak and maturity should teach wisdom. 8 But it is the spirit in a person— the breath from the Almighty— that gives anyone understanding. 9 It is not only the old who are wise or the elderly who understand how to judge. 10 Therefore I say , “Listen to me. I too will declare what I know .” 11 Look, I waited for your conclusions; I listened to your insights as you sought for words. 12 I paid close attention to you. Yet no one proved Job wrong; not one of you refuted his arguments. 13 So do not claim, “We have found wisdom; let God deal with him, not man.” 14 But Job has not directed his argument to me, and I will not respond to him with your arguments. 15 Job’s friends are dismayed and can no longer answer; words have left them. 16 Should I continue to wait now that they are silent, now that they stand there and no longer answer? 17 I too will answer; a yes, I will tell what I know . 18 For I am full of words, and my spirit b compels me to speak. 19 My heart c is like unvented wine; it is about to burst like new wineskins. 20 I must speak so that I can find relief; I must open my lips and respond. 21 I will be partial to no one, and I will not give anyone an undeserved title. 22 For I do not know how to give such titles; otherwise, my Maker would remove me in an instant.ELIHU CONFRONTS JOB 33 But now , Job, pay attention to my speech, and listen to all my words. 2 I am going to open my mouth; my tongue will form words on my palate. 3 My words come from my upright heart, and my lips speak with sincerity what they know . 4 The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life. 5 Refute me if you can. Prepare your case against me; take your stand. 6 I am just like you before God; I was also pinched off from a piece of clay . 7 Fear of me should not terrify you; no pressure from me should weigh you down. 8 Surely you have spoken in my hearing, and I have heard these very d words: 9 “I am pure, without transgression; I am clean and have no iniquity . 10 But he finds reasons to oppose me; he regards me as his enemy . 11 He puts my feet in the stocks; he stands watch over all my paths.” 12 But I tell you that you are wrong in this matter, since God is greater than man. 13 Why do you take him to court for not answering anything a person asks? e 14 For God speaks time and again, but a person may not notice it. 15 In a dream, a vision in the night, when deep sleep comes over people as they slumber on their beds, 16 he uncovers their ears and terrifies them f with warnings, 17 in order to turn a person from his actions and suppress the pride of a person. 18 God spares his soul from the Pit, his life from crossing the river of death. g 19 A person may be disciplined on his bed with pain a32:17 Lit answer my part b32:18 Lit and the spirit of my belly c32:19 Lit belly d33:8 Lit heard a sound of e33:13 Lit court, for he does not answer all his words f33:16 LXX; MT reads and seals g33:18 Or from perishing by the sword 463 JOB 32-33 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 463 10/26/17 9:00 PM and constant distress in his bones, 20 so that he detests bread, and his soul despises his favorite food. 21 His flesh wastes away to nothing, a and his unseen bones stick out. 22 He draws near to the Pit, and his life to the executioners. 23 If there is an angel on his side, one mediator out of a thousand, to tell a person what is right for him b 24 and to be gracious to him and say , “Spare him from going down to the Pit; I have found a ransom,” 25 then his flesh will be healthier c than in his youth, and he will return to the days of his youthful vigor. 26 He will pray to God, and God will delight in him. That person will see his face with a shout of joy , and God will restore his righteousness to him. 27 He will look at men and say , “I have sinned and perverted what was right; yet I did not get what I deserved. d 28 He redeemed my soul from going down to the Pit, and I will continue to see the light.” 29 God certainly does all these things two or three times to a person 30 in order to turn him back from the Pit, so he may shine with the light of life. 31 Pay attention, Job, and listen to me. Be quiet, and I will speak. 32 But if you have something to say , e answer me; speak, for I would like to justify you. 33 If not, then listen to me; be quiet, and I will teach you wisdom. 34 Then Eli hu con tin ued, f say ing: 2 Hear my words, you wise ones, and listen to me, you knowledgeable ones. 3 Doesn’t the ear test words as the palate tastes food? 4 Let us judge for ourselves what is right; let us decide together what is good. 5 For Job has declared, “I am righteous, yet God has deprived me of justice. 6 Would I lie about my case? My wound g is incurable, though I am without transgression.” 7 What man is like Job? He drinks derision like water. 8 He keeps company with evildoers and walks with wicked men. 9 For he has said, “ A man gains nothing when he becomes God’s friend.” 10 Therefore listen to me, you men of understanding. It is impossible for God to do wrong, and for the Almighty to act unjustly . 11 For he repays a person according to his deeds, and he gives him what his conduct deserves. h 12 Indeed, it is true that God does not act wickedly and the Almighty does not pervert justice. 13 Who gave him authority over the earth? Who put him in charge of the entire world? 14 If he put his mind to it and withdrew the spirit and breath he gave, 15 every living thing would perish together and mankind would return to the dust. 16 If you have understanding, hear this; listen to what I have to say . 17 Could one who hates justice govern the world? Will you condemn the mighty Righteous One, 18 who says to a king, “Worthless man! ” and to nobles, “Wicked men! ”? 19 God is not partial to princes and does not favor the rich over the poor, for they are all the work of his hands. 20 They die suddenly in the middle of the night; people shudder, then pass away . Even the mighty are removed without effort. 21 For his eyes watch over a man’s ways, and he observes all his steps. a33:21 Lit away from sight b33:23 Or to vouch for a person’s uprightness c33:25 Hb obscure d33:27 Lit and the same was not to me e33:32 Lit If there are words f34:1 Lit answered g34:6 Lit arrow h34:11 Lit and like a path of a man, he causes him to findJOB 33-34 464 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 464 10/26/17 9:00 PM 22 There is no darkness, no deep darkness, where evildoers can hide. 23 God does not need to examine a person further, that one should a approach him in court. 24 He shatters the mighty without an investigation and sets others in their place. 25 Therefore, he recognizes their deeds and overthrows them by night, and they are crushed. 26 In full view of the public, b he strikes them for their wickedness, 27 because they turned aside from following him and did not understand any of his ways 28 but caused the poor to cry out to him, and he heard the outcry of the needy . 29 But when God is silent, who can declare him guilty? When he hides his face, who can see him? Yet he watches over both individuals and nations, 30 so that godless men should not rule or ensnare the people. 31 Suppose someone says to God, “I have endured my punishment; I will no longer act wickedly . 32 Teach me what I cannot see; if I have done wrong, I won’t do it again.” 33 Should God repay you on your terms when you have rejected his? You must choose, not I! So declare what you know . 34 Reasonable men will say to me, along with the wise men who hear me, 35 “Job speaks without knowledge; his words are without insight.” 36 If only Job were tested to the limit, because his answers are like those of wicked men. 37 For he adds rebellion to his sin; he scornfully claps in our presence, while multiplying his words against God. 35 Then Eli hu con tin ued, say ing: 2 Do you think it is just when you say , “I am righteous before God”? 3 For you ask, “What does it profit you, c and what benefit comes to me, if I do not sin? ” 4 I will answer you and your friends with you. 5 Look at the heavens and see; gaze at the clouds high above you. 6 If you sin, how does it affect God? If you multiply your transgressions, what does it do to him? 7 If you are righteous, what do you give him, or what does he receive from your hand? 8 Your wickedness affects a person like yourself, and your righteousness, a son of man. d 9 People cry out because of severe oppression; they shout for help because of the power of the mighty . 10 But no one asks, “Where is God my Maker, who provides us with songs in the night, 11 who gives us more understanding than the animals of the earth and makes us wiser than the birds of the sky? ” 12 There they cry out, but he does not answer, because of the pride of evil people. 13 Indeed, God does not listen to empty cries, and the Almighty does not take note of it — 14 how much less when e you complain f that you do not see him, that your case is before him and you are waiting for him. 15 But now , because God’s anger does not punish and he does not pay attention to transgression, g 16 Job opens his mouth in vain and multiplies words without knowledge. 36 Then Eli hu con tin ued, say ing: 2 Be patient with me a little longer, and I will inform you, for there is still more to be said on God’s behalf. 3 I will get my knowledge from a distant place a34:23 Some emend to God has not appointed a time for man to b34:26 Lit In a place of spectators c35:3 Some emend to me d35:8 Or a mere mortal e35:14 Or how then can f35:14 Lit say g35:15 LXX, Vg; MT reads folly, or arrogance ; Hb obscure 465 JOB 34-36 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 465 10/26/17 9:00 PM and ascribe justice to my Maker. 4 Indeed, my words are not false; one who has complete knowledge is with you. 5 Yes, God is mighty , but he despises no one; he understands all things. a 6 He does not keep the wicked alive, but he gives justice to the oppressed. 7 He does not withdraw his gaze from the righteous, but he seats them forever with enthroned kings, and they are exalted. 8 If people are bound with chains and trapped by the cords of affliction, 9 God tells them what they have done and how arrogantly they have transgressed. 10 He opens their ears to correction and tells them to repent from iniquity . 11 If they listen and serve him, they will end their days in prosperity and their years in happiness. 12 But if they do not listen, they will cross the river of death b and die without knowledge. 13 Those who have a godless heart harbor anger; even when God binds them, they do not cry for help. 14 They die in their youth; their life ends among male cult prostitutes. 15 God rescues the afflicted by their affliction; he instructs them by their torment. 16 Indeed, he lured you from the jaws c of distress to a spacious and unconfined place. Your table was spread with choice food. 17 Yet now you are obsessed with the judgment due the wicked; judgment and justice have seized you. 18 Be careful that no one lures you with riches; d do not let a large ransom e lead you astray . 19 Can your wealth f or all your physical exertion keep you from distress? 20 Do not long for the night when nations will disappear from their places. 21 Be careful that you do not turn to iniquity , for that is why you have been tested by g affliction. 22 Look, God shows himself exalted by his power. Who is a teacher like him? 23 Who has appointed his way for him, and who has declared, “You have done wrong”? 24 Remember that you should praise his work, which people have sung about. 25 All mankind has seen it; people have looked at it from a distance. 26 Yes, God is exalted beyond our knowledge; the number of his years cannot be counted. 27 For he makes waterdrops evaporate; h they distill the
🌩️ Divine Power in Nature
🌩️ Thunderstorms reveal God's majestic power, with lightning, thunder, and rain demonstrating His sovereignty over creation
🌍 The natural elements (snow, rain, wind, clouds) operate under divine command, serving as instruments of both judgment and blessing
🦁 Wild animals showcase God's creative wisdom, each species uniquely designed with distinct characteristics and behaviors beyond human control
🧠 Human understanding pales in comparison to divine knowledge, highlighting the vast gap between Creator and creation
👑 God's authority challenges human pride, demanding humility and recognition of our limited perspective
🙏 Restoration follows submission, as acknowledging divine sovereignty leads to blessing and renewal
rain into its i mist, 28 which the clouds pour out and shower abundantly on mankind. 29 Can anyone understand how the clouds spread out or how the thunder roars from God’s pavilion? 30 See how he spreads his lightning around him and covers the depths of the sea. 31 For he judges the nations with these; he gives food in abundance. 32 He covers his hands with lightning and commands it to hit its mark. 33 The j thunder declares his presence; k the cattle also, the approaching storm. 37 My heart pounds at this and leaps from my chest. l 2 Just listen to his thunderous voice and the rumbling that comes from his mouth. 3 He lets it loose beneath the entire sky; his lightning to the ends of the earth. a36:5 Lit he is mighty in strength of heart b36:12 Or will perish by the sword c36:16 Lit from a mouth of narrowness d36:18 Or you into mockery e36:18 Or bribe f36:19 Or cry for help g36:21 Or for you have preferred this to h36:27 Lit he draws in waterdrops i36:27 Or his j36:33 Lit His, or Its k36:33 Lit thunder announces concerning him or it l37:1 Lit from its placeJOB 36-37 466 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 466 10/26/17 9:00 PM 4 Then there comes a roaring sound; God thunders with his majestic voice. He does not restrain the lightning when his rumbling voice is heard. 5 God thunders wondrously with his voice; he does great things that we cannot comprehend. 6 For he says to the snow , “Fall to the earth,” and the torrential rains, his mighty torrential rains, 7 serve as his sign to all mankind, so that all men may know his work. 8 The wild animals enter their lairs and stay in their dens. 9 The windstorm comes from its chamber, and the cold from the driving north winds. 10 Ice is formed by the breath of God, and watery expanses are frozen. 11 He saturates clouds with moisture; he scatters his lightning through them. 12 They swirl about, turning round and round at his direction, accomplishing everything he commands them over the surface of the inhabited world. 13 He causes this to happen for punishment, for his land, or for his faithful love. 14 Listen to this, Job. Stop and consider God’s wonders. 15 Do you know how God directs his clouds or makes their lightning flash? 16 Do you understand how the clouds float, those wonderful works of him who has perfect knowledge? 17 You whose clothes get hot when the south wind brings calm to the land, 18 can you help God spread out the skies as hard as a cast metal mirror? 19 Teach us what we should say to him; we cannot prepare our case because of our darkness. 20 Should he be told that I want to speak? Can a man speak when he is confused? 21 Now no one can even look at the sun when it is in the skies, after a wind has swept through and cleared the clouds away . a 22 Yet out of the north he comes, shrouded in a golden glow; awesome majesty surrounds him. 23 The Almighty — we cannot reach him — he is exalted in power! He will not violate justice and abundant righteousness, 24 therefore, men fear him. He does not look favorably on any who are wise in heart. THE LORD SPEAKS 38 Then the L ord an swered Job from the whirl wind. He said: 2 Who is this who obscures my counsel with ignorant words? 3 Get ready to answer me like a man; when I question you, you will inform me. 4 Where were you when I established the earth? Tell me, if you have b understanding. 5 Who fixed its dimensions? Certainly you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? 6 What supports its foundations? Or who laid its cornerstone 7 while the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy? 8 Who enclosed the sea behind doors when it burst from the womb, 9 when I made the clouds its garment and total darkness its blanket, c 10 when I determined its boundaries d and put its bars and doors in place, 11 when I declared: “You may come this far, but no farther; your proud waves stop here”? 12 Have you ever in your life commanded the morning or assigned the dawn its place, 13 so it may seize the edges of the earth and shake the wicked out of it? 14 The earth is changed as clay is by a seal; its hills stand out like the folds of a garment. a37:21 Lit and cleaned them b38:4 Lit know c38:9 Lit swaddling clothes d38:10 Lit I broke my statute on it 467 JOB 37-38 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 467 10/26/17 9:00 PM 15 Light a is withheld from the wicked, and the arm raised in violence is broken. 16 Have you traveled to the sources of the sea or walked in the depths of the oceans? 17 Have the gates of death been revealed to you? Have you seen the gates of deep darkness? 18 Have you comprehended the extent of the earth? Tell me, if you know all this. 19 Where is the road to the home of light? Do you know where darkness lives, 20 so you can lead it back to its border? Are you familiar with the paths to its home? 21 Don’t you know? You were already born; you have lived so long! b 22 Have you entered the place where the snow is stored? Or have you seen the storehouses of hail, 23 which I hold in reserve for times of trouble, for the day of warfare and battle? 24 What road leads to the place where light is dispersed? c Where is the source of the east wind that spreads across the earth? 25 Who cuts a channel for the flooding rain or clears the way for lightning, 26 to bring rain on an uninhabited land, on a desert with no human life, d 27 to satisfy the parched wasteland and cause the grass to sprout? 28 Does the rain have a father? Who fathered the drops of dew? 29 Whose womb did the ice come from? Who gave birth to the frost of heaven 30 when water becomes as hard as stone, e and the surface of the watery depths is frozen? 31 Can you fasten the chains of the Pleiades or loosen the belt of Orion? 32 Can you bring out the constellations f in their season and lead the Bear g and her cubs? 33 Do you know the laws of heaven? Can you impose its h authority on earth? 34 Can you command i the clouds so that a flood of water covers you? 35 Can you send out lightning bolts, and they go? Do they report to you: “Here we are”? 36 Who put wisdom in the heart j or gave the mind understanding? 37 Who has the wisdom to number the clouds? Or who can tilt the water jars of heaven 38 when the dust hardens like cast metal and the clods of dirt stick together? 39 Can you hunt prey for a lioness or satisfy the appetite of young lions 40 when they crouch in their dens and lie in wait within their lairs? 41 Who provides the raven’s food when its young cry out to God and wander about for lack of food? 39 Do you know when mountain goats give birth? Have you watched the deer in labor? 2 Can you count the months they are pregnant k so you can know the time they give birth? 3 They crouch down to give birth to their young; they deliver their newborn. l 4 Their offspring are healthy and grow up in the open field. They leave and do not return. m 5 Who set the wild donkey free? Who released the swift donkey from its harness? 6 I made the desert its home, and the salty wasteland its dwelling. 7 It scoffs at the noise of the village and never hears the shouts of a driver. 8 It roams the mountains for its pastureland, a38:15 Lit Their light b38:21 Lit born; the number of your days is great c38:24 Or where lightning is distributed d38:26 Lit no man in it e38:30 Lit water hides itself as the stone f38:32 Or Mazzaroth ; Hb obscure g38:32 Or lead Aldebaran h38:33 Or God’s i38:34 Lit lift up your voice to j38:36 Or the inner self ; Ps 51:6 k39:2 Lit months they fulfill l39:3 Or they send away their labor pains m39:4 Lit return to themJOB 38-39 468 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 468 10/26/17 9:00 PM searching for anything green. 9 Would the wild ox be willing to serve you? Would it spend the night by your feeding trough? 10 Can you hold the wild ox to a furrow by its harness? Will it plow the valleys behind you? 11 Can you depend on it because its strength is great? Would you leave it to do your hard work? 12 Can you trust the wild ox to harvest your grain and bring it to your threshing floor? 13 The wings of the ostrich flap joyfully , but are her feathers and plumage like the stork’s? a 14 She abandons her eggs on the ground and lets them be warmed in the sand. 15 She forgets that a foot may crush them or that some wild animal may trample them. 16 She treats her young harshly , as if they were not her own, with no fear that her labor may have been in vain. 17 For God has deprived her of wisdom; he has not endowed her with understanding. 18 When she proudly a spreads her wings, she laughs at the horse and its rider. 19 Do you give strength to the horse? Do you adorn his neck with a mane? a 20 Do you make him leap like a locust? His proud snorting fills one with terror. 21 He paws b in the valley and rejoices in his strength; he charges into battle. c 22 He laughs at fear, since he is afraid of nothing; he does not run from the sword. 23 A quiver rattles at his side, along with a flashing spear and a javelin. 24 He charges ahead d with trembling rage; he cannot stand still at the trumpet’s sound. 25 When the trumpet blasts, he snorts defiantly . e He smells the battle from a distance; he hears the officers’ shouts and the battle cry . 26 Does the hawk take flight by your understanding and spread its wings to the south? 27 Does the eagle soar at your command and make its nest on high? 28 It lives on a cliff where it spends the night; its stronghold is on a rocky crag. 29 From there it searches for prey; its eyes penetrate the distance. 30 Its brood gulps down blood, and where the slain are, it is there. 40 The L ord an swered Job: 2 Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him? Let him who argues with God give an answer. f 3 Then Job an swered the L ord: 4 I am so insignificant. How can I answer you? I place my hand over my mouth. 5 I have spoken once, and I will not reply; twice, but now I can add nothing. 6 Then the L ord an swered Job from the whirl wind: 7 Get ready to answer me like a man; When I question you, you will inform me. 8 Would you really challenge my justice? Would you declare me guilty to justify yourself? 9 Do you have an arm like God’s? Can you thunder with a voice like his? 10 Adorn yourself with majesty and splendor, and clothe yourself with honor and glory . 11 Pour out your raging anger; look on every proud person and humiliate him. 12 Look on every proud person and humble him; trample the wicked where they stand. g 13 Hide them together in the dust; a39:13,18,19 Hb obscure b39:21 LXX, Syr; MT reads They dig c39:21 Lit he goes out to meet the weaponry d39:24 Lit He swallows the ground e39:25 Lit he says, “ Aha! ” f40:2 Lit God respond to it g40:12 Lit wicked in their place 469 JOB 39-40 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 469 10/26/17 9:00 PM imprison them in the grave. a 14 Then I will confess to you that your own right hand can deliver you. 15 Look at Behemoth, which I made along with you. He eats grass like cattle. 16 Look at the strength of his back b and the power in the muscles of his belly . 17 He stiffens his tail like a cedar tree; the tendons of his thighs are woven firmly together. 18 His bones are bronze tubes; his limbs are like iron rods. 19 He is the foremost of God’s works; only his Maker can draw the sword against him. 20 The hills yield food for him, while all sorts of wild animals play there. 21 He lies under the lotus plants, hiding in the protection c of marshy reeds. 22 Lotus plants cover him with their shade; the willows by the brook surround him. 23 Though the river rages, Behemoth is unafraid; he remains confident, even if the Jordan surges up to his mouth. 24 Can anyone capture him while he looks on, d or pierce his nose with snares? 41 Can you pull in Leviathan with a hook or tie his tongue down with a rope? 2 Can you put a cord e through his nose or pierce his jaw with a hook? 3 Will he beg you for mercy or speak softly to you? 4 Will he make a covenant with you so that you can take him as a slave forever? 5 Can you play with him like a bird or put him on a leash f for your girls? 6 Will traders bargain for him or divide him among the merchants? 7 Can you fill his hide with harpoons or his head with fishing spears? 8 Lay a g hand on him. You will remember the battle and never repeat it! 9 Any hope of capturing him proves false. Does a person not collapse at the very sight of him? 10 No one is ferocious enough to rouse Leviathan; who then can stand against me? 11 Who confronted me, that I should repay him? Everything under heaven belongs to me. 12 I cannot be silent about his limbs, his power, and his graceful proportions. 13 Who can strip off his outer covering? Who can penetrate his double layer of armor? h 14 Who can open his jaws, i surrounded by those terrifying teeth? 15 His pride is in his rows of scales, closely sealed together. 16 One scale is so close to another j that no air can pass between them. 17 They are joined to one another, so closely connected k they cannot be separated. 18 His snorting l flashes with light, while his eyes are like the rays m of dawn. 19 Flaming torches shoot from his mouth; fiery sparks fly out! 20 Smoke billows from his nostrils as from a boiling pot or burning reeds. 21 His breath sets coals ablaze, and flames pour out of his mouth. 22 Strength resides in his neck, and dismay dances before him. 23 The folds of his flesh are joined together, solid as metal n and immovable. 24 His heart is as hard as a rock, as hard as a lower millstone! 25 When Leviathan rises, the mighty o are terrified; they withdraw because of his thrashing. a40:13 Lit together; bind their faces in the hidden place b40:16 Or waist c40:21 Lit plants, in the hiding place d40:24 Lit capture it in its eyes e41:2 Lit reed f41:5 Lit or bind him g41:8 Lit your h41:13 LXX; MT reads double bridle i41:14 Lit open the doors of his face j41:16 Lit One by one they approach k41:17 Lit another; they cling together and l41:18 Or sneezing m41:18 Lit eyelids n41:23 Lit together, hard on him o41:25 Or the divine beingsJOB 40-41 470 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 470 10/26/17 9:00 PM 26 The sword that reaches him will have no effect, nor will a spear, dart, or arrow . 27 He regards iron as straw , and bronze as rotten wood. 28 No arrow can make him flee; slingstones become like stubble to him. 29 A club is regarded as stubble, and he laughs at the sound of a javelin. 30 His undersides are jagged potsherds, spreading the mud like a threshing sledge. 31 He makes the depths seethe like a cauldron; he makes the sea like an ointment jar. 32 He leaves a shining wake behind him; a one would think the deep had gray hair! 33 He has no equal on earth — a creature devoid of fear! 34 He surveys everything that is haughty; he is king over all the proud beasts. b JOB REPLIES TO THE LORD 42 Then Job re plied to the L ord: 2 I c know that you can do anything and no plan of yours can be thwarted. 3 You asked, “Who is this who conceals my counsel with ignorance? ” Surely I spoke about things I did not understand, things too wondrous for me to d know . 4 You said, “Listen now , and I will speak. When I question you, you will inform me.” 5 I had heard reports about you, but now my eyes have seen you. 6 Therefore, I reject my words and am sorry for them; I am dust and ashes. e,f7 Af ter the L ord had fin ished speak ing g to Job, he said to El i phaz the Te man ite: “ I am an gry with you and your two friends, for you have not spo ken the truth about me, as my ser vant Job has. 8 Now take sev en bulls and sev en rams, go to my ser vant Job, and off er a burnt off er ing for your selves. Then my ser - vant Job will pray for you. I will sure ly ac cept his prayer and not deal with you as your fol ly de serves. For you have not spo ken the truth about me, as my ser vant Job has.” 9 Then El- i phaz the Te man ite, Bil dad the Shu hite, and Zo phar the Na a ma thite went and did as the L ord had told them, and the L ord ac cept ed Job’s prayer. GOD RESTORES JOB 10 Af ter Job had prayed for his friends, the L ord re stored his for tunes and doubled his pre vi ous pos ses sions. 11 All his broth ers, sis ters, and for mer ac quain tanc es came to him and dined with him in his house. They sym pa thized with him and com fort ed him con cern ing all the ad ver si ty the L ord had brought on him. Each one gave him a piece of sil ver h and a gold ear ring. 12 So the L ord blessed the last part of Job’s life more than the first. He owned four teen thou- sand sheep and goats, six thou sand cam els, one thou sand yoke of oxen, and one thou sand fe male don keys. 13 He also had sev en sons and three daugh ters. 14 He named his first daugh- ter Je mi mah, his sec ond Ke zi ah, and his third Keren-happuch. 15 No wom en as beau ti ful as Job’s daugh ters could be found in all the land, and their fa ther grant ed them an in her i tance with their broth ers. 16 Job lived 140 years af ter this and saw his chil dren and their chil dren to the fourth gen- er a tion. 17 Then Job died, old and full of days. a41:32 Lit a path b41:34 Lit the children of pride c42:2 Alt Hb tradition reads You d42:3 Lit me, and I did not e42:6 LXX reads I despise myself and melt; I consider myself dust and ashes f42:6 Lit I reject and I relent, concerning dust and ashes g42:7 Lit speaking these words h42:11 Lit a qesitah ; the value of this currency is unknown 471 JOB 41-42 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 471 10/26/17 9:00 PM Psalms BOOK I (Psalms 1–41) THE TWO WAYS 1 How happy is the one who does not walk in the advice of the wicked or stand in the pathway with sinners or sit in the company of mockers! 2 Instead, his delight is in the Lord’s instruction, and he meditates on it day and night. 3 He is like a tree planted beside flowing streams a that bears its fruit in its season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. 4 The wicked are not like this; instead, they are like chaff that the wind blows away . 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand up in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. 6 For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to ruin. CORONATION OF THE SON 2 Why do the nations rageand the peoples plot in vain? 2 The kings of the earth take their stand, and the rulers conspire together against the Lord and his Anointed One: b 3 “Let’s tear off their chains and throw their ropes off of us.” 4 The one enthroned c in heaven laughs; the Lord ridicules them. 5 Then he speaks to them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath: 6 “I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain.” 7 I will declare the Lord’s decree. He said to me, “You are my Son; d today I have become your Father. 8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance and the ends of the earth your possession. 9 You will break them with an iron scepter; you will shatter them like pottery .” 10 So now , kings, be wise; receive instruction, you judges of the earth. 11 Serve the Lord with reverential awe and rejoice with trembling. 12 Pay homage to e the Son or he will be angry and you will perish in your rebellion, f for his anger may ignite at any moment. All who take refuge in him are happy . CONFIDENCE IN TROUBLED TIMES 3 A psalm of David when he fled from his son Absalom. 1 Lord, how my foes increase! There are many who attack me. 2 Many say about me, “There is no help for him in God.” Selah 3 But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory , and the one who lifts up my head. 4 I cry aloud to the Lord, and he answers me from his holy mountain. Selah 5 I lie down and sleep; I wake again because the Lord sustains me. 6 I will not be afraid of thousands of people who have taken their stand against me on every side. 7 Rise up, Lord! Save me, my God! a1:3 Or beside irrigation channels b2:2 Or anointed one c2:4 Lit who sits d2:7 Or son, also in v. 12 e2:12 Lit Kiss f2:12 Lit perish in the way CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 472 10/26/17 9:00 PM 473 PSALMS 3-6 You strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked. 8 Salvation belongs to the Lord; may your blessing be on your people. Selah A NIGHT PRAYER 4 For the choir director:
📜 Psalms of Divine Refuge
🙏 Prayer serves as the faithful's direct connection to God, who listens attentively to cries for help, vindicates the righteous, and provides safety amid affliction
🛡️ The righteous find shelter in God's presence while the wicked face divine judgment—their schemes ultimately returning upon their own heads
🌌 Despite human insignificance compared to the vast cosmos, God crowns humanity with dignity and honor, placing creation under our stewardship
💪 God's deliverance manifests through dramatic intervention—pulling the faithful from deep waters, scattering enemies, and bringing them to spacious places
🔥 The wicked are characterized by deceit, violence, and arrogance, believing themselves beyond accountability while oppressing the vulnerable
✨ Ultimate hope rests in seeing God's face, experiencing his presence, and dwelling in his tent—a satisfaction beyond what worldly abundance can provide
with stringed instruments. A psalm of David. 1 Answer me when I call, God, who vindicates me. a You freed me from affliction; be gracious to me and hear my prayer. 2 How long, exalted ones, b will my honor be insulted? How long will you love what is worthless and pursue a lie? Selah 3 Know that the Lord has set apart the faithful for himself; the Lord will hear when I call to him. 4 Be angry c and do not sin; on your bed, reflect in your heart and be still. Selah 5 Offer sacrifices in righteousness d and trust in the Lord. 6 Many are asking, “Who can show us anything good? ” Let the light of your face shine on us, Lord. 7 You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and new wine abound. 8 I will both lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, Lord, make me live in safety . THE REFUGE OF THE RIGHTEOUS 5 For the choir director: with the flutes. A psalm of David. 1 Listen to my words, Lord; consider my sighing. 2 Pay attention to the sound of my cry , my King and my God, for I pray to you. 3 In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I plead my case to you and watch expectantly . 4 For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil cannot dwell with you. 5 The boastful cannot stand in your sight; you hate all evildoers. 6 You destroy those who tell lies; the Lord abhors violent and treacherous people. 7 But I enter your house by the abundance of your faithful love; I bow down toward your holy temple in reverential awe of you. 8 Lord, lead me in your righteousness because of my adversaries; make your way straight before me. 9 For there is nothing reliable in what they say; destruction is within them; their throat is an open grave; they flatter with their tongues. 10 Punish them, God; let them fall by their own schemes. Drive them out because of their many crimes, for they rebel against you. 11 But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them shout for joy forever. May you shelter them, and may those who love your name boast about you. 12 For you, Lord, bless the righteous one; you surround him with favor like a shield. A PRAYER FOR MERCY 6 For the choir director: with stringed instruments, according to Sheminith . A psalm of David. 1 Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger; do not discipline me in your wrath. 2 Be gracious to me, Lord, for I am weak; e heal me, Lord, for my bones are shaking; 3 my whole being is shaken with terror. And you, Lord — how long? 4 Turn, Lord! Rescue me; save me because of your faithful love. 5 For there is no remembrance of you in death; a4:1 Or God of my righteousness b4:2 Lit long, sons of a man c4:4 Or Tremble d4:5 Or Offer right sacrifices e6:2 Or sick CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 473 10/26/17 9:00 PM PSALMS 6-8 474 who can thank you in Sheol? 6 I am weary from my groaning; with my tears I dampen my bed and drench my couch every night. 7 My eyes are swollen from grief; they grow old because of all my enemies. 8 Depart from me, all evildoers, for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping. 9 The Lord has heard my plea for help; the Lord accepts my prayer. 10 All my enemies will be ashamed and shake with terror; they will turn back and suddenly be disgraced. PRAYER FOR JUSTICE 7 A Shiggaion of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning the words of Cush, a Benjaminite. 1 Lord my God, I seek refuge in you; save me from all my pursuers and rescue me 2 or they a will tear me like a lion, ripping me apart with no one to rescue me. 3 Lord my God, if I have done this, if there is injustice on my hands, 4 if I have done harm to one at peace with me or have plundered b my adversary without cause, 5 may an enemy pursue and overtake me; may he trample me to the ground and leave my honor in the dust. Selah 6 Rise up, Lord, in your anger; lift yourself up against the fury of my adversaries; awake for me; c you have ordained a judgment. 7 Let the assembly of peoples gather around you; take your seat on high over it. 8 The Lord judges the peoples; vindicate me, Lord, according to my righteousness and my integrity . 9 Let the evil of the wicked come to an end, but establish the righteous. The one who examines the thoughts and emotions d is a righteous God. 10 My shield is with God, who saves the upright in heart. 11 God is a righteous judge and a God who shows his wrath every day . 12 If anyone does not repent, he will sharpen his sword; he has strung his bow and made it ready . 13 He has prepared his deadly weapons; he tips his arrows with fire. 14 See, the wicked one is pregnant with evil, conceives trouble, and gives birth to deceit. 15 He dug a pit and hollowed it out but fell into the hole he had made. 16 His trouble comes back on his own head; his own violence comes down on top of his head. 17 I will thank the Lord for his righteousness; I will sing about the name of the Lord Most High. GOD’S GLORY, HUMAN DIGNITY 8 For the choir director: on the Gittith . A psalm of David. 1 Lord, our Lord, how magnificent is your name throughout the earth! You have covered the heavens with your majesty . e 2 From the mouths of infants and nursing babies, you have established a stronghold f on account of your adversaries in order to silence the enemy and the avenger. 3 When I observe your heavens, the work of your fingers, a7:2 Lit he b7:4 Or me and have spared c7:6 LXX reads awake, Lord my God d7:9 Lit examines hearts and kidneys e8:1 Lit earth, which has set your splendor upon the heavens f8:2 LXX reads established praise CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 474 10/26/17 9:00 PM 475 PSALMS 8-10 the moon and the stars, which you set in place, 4 what is a human being that you remember him, a son of man a that you look after him? 5 You made him little less than God b,c and crowned him with glory and honor. 6 You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: 7 all the sheep and oxen, as well as the animals in the wild, 8 the birds of the sky , and the fish of the sea that pass through the currents of the seas. 9 Lord, our Lord, how magnificent is your name throughout the earth! CELEBRATION OF GOD’S JUSTICE 9 For the choir director: according to Muth-labben . A psalm of David. 1 I will thank the Lord with all my heart; I will declare all your wondrous works. 2 I will rejoice and boast about you; I will sing about your name, Most High. 3 When my enemies retreat, they stumble and perish before you. 4 For you have upheld my just cause; you are seated on your throne as a righteous judge. 5 You have rebuked the nations: You have destroyed the wicked; you have erased their name forever and ever. 6 The enemy has come to eternal ruin. You have uprooted the cities, and the very memory of them has perished. 7 But the Lord sits enthroned forever; he has established his throne for judgment. 8 And he judges the world with righteousness; he executes judgment on the nations with fairness. 9 The Lord is a refuge for the persecuted, a refuge in times of trouble. 10 Those who know your name trust in you because you have not abandoned those who seek you, Lord. 11 Sing to the Lord, who dwells in Zion; proclaim his deeds among the nations. 12 For the one who seeks an accounting for bloodshed remembers them; he does not forget the cry of the oppressed. 13 Be gracious to me, Lord; consider my affliction at the hands of those who hate me. Lift me up from the gates of death, 14 so that I may declare all your praises. I will rejoice in your salvation within the gates of Daughter Zion. 15 The nations have fallen into the pit they made; their foot is caught in the net they have concealed. 16 The Lord has made himself known; he has executed justice, snaring the wicked by the work of their hands. Higgaion. Selah 17 The wicked will return to Sheol — all the nations that forget God. 18 For the needy will not always be forgotten; the hope of the oppressed d will not perish forever. 19 Rise up, Lord! Do not let mere humans prevail; let the nations be judged in your presence. 20 Put terror in them, Lord; let the nations know they are only humans. Selah NEED FOR GOD’S JUSTICE 10 Lord, e,f why do you stand so far away? Why do you hide in times of trouble? a8:4 Or a mere mortal b8:5 LXX reads angels c8:5 Or heavenly beings ; Hb Elohim d9:18 Alt Hb tradition reads humble e10:1 Some Hb mss, LXX connect Pss 9–10. f10:1 Together Pss 9–10 form a partial acrostic. CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 475 10/26/17 9:00 PM PSALMS 10-12 476 2 In arrogance the wicked relentlessly pursue their victims; let them be caught in the schemes they have devised. 3 For the wicked one boasts about his own cravings; the one who is greedy curses a and despises the Lord. 4 In all his scheming, the wicked person arrogantly thinks, b “There’s no accountability , since there’s no God.” 5 His ways are always secure; c your lofty judgments have no effect on him; d he scoffs at all his adversaries. 6 He says to himself, “I will never be moved — from generation to generation without calamity .” 7 Cursing, deceit, and violence fill his mouth; trouble and malice are under his tongue. 8 He waits in ambush near settlements; he kills the innocent in secret places. His eyes are on the lookout for the helpless; 9 he lurks in secret like a lion in a thicket. He lurks in order to seize a victim; he seizes a victim and drags him in his net. 10 So he is oppressed and beaten down; helpless people fall because of the wicked one’s strength. 11 He says to himself, “God has forgotten; he hides his face and will never see.” 12 Rise up, Lord God! Lift up your hand. Do not forget the oppressed. 13 Why has the wicked person despised God? He says to himself, “You will not demand an account.” 14 But you yourself have seen trouble and grief, observing it in order to take the matter into your hands. The helpless one entrusts himself to you; you are a helper of the fatherless. 15 Break the arm of the wicked, evil person, until you look for his wickedness, but it can’t be found. 16 The Lord is King forever and ever; the nations will perish from his land. 17 Lord, you have heard the desire of the humble; you will strengthen their hearts. You will listen carefully , 18 doing justice for the fatherless and the oppressed so that mere humans from the earth may terrify them no more. REFUGE IN THE LORD 11 For the choir director. Of David. 1 I have taken refuge in the Lord. How can you say to me, “Escape to the mountains e like a bird! 2 For look, the wicked string bows; they put their arrows on bowstrings to shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart. 3 When the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do? ” 4 The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord—his throne is in heaven. His eyes watch; his gaze f examines everyone. g 5 The Lord examines the righteous, but he hates the wicked and h those who love violence. 6 Let him rain burning coals i and sulfur on the wicked; let a scorching wind be the portion in their cup. 7 For the Lord is righteous; he loves righteous deeds. The upright will see his face. OPPRESSION BY THE WICKED 12 For the choir director: according to Sheminith . A psalm of David. 1 Help, Lord, for no faithful one remains; the loyal have disappeared from the human race. j 2 They lie to one another; a10:3 Or he blesses the greedy b10:4 Lit wicked according to the height of his nose c10:5 Or prosperous d10:5 Lit judgments are away from in front of him e11:1 Lit your mountain f11:4 Lit eyelids g11:4 Or examines the descendants of Adam h11:5 Or righteous and the wicked, and he hates i11:6 Sym; MT reads rain snares, fire j12:1 Or the descendants of Adam, also in v. 8 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 476 10/26/17 9:00 PM 477 PSALMS 12-15 they speak with flattering lips and deceptive hearts. 3 May the Lord cut off all flattering lips and the tongue that speaks boastfully . 4 They say , “Through our tongues we have power; our lips are our own — who can be our master? ” 5 “Because of the devastation of the needy and the groaning of the poor, I will now rise up,” says the Lord. “I will provide safety for the one who longs for it.” 6 The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined in an earthen furnace, purified seven times. 7 You, Lord, will guard us; a you will protect us b from this generation forever. 8 The wicked prowl c all around, and what is worthless is exalted by the human race. A PLEA FOR DELIVERANCE 13 For the choir director. A psalm of David. 1 How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? 2 How long will I store up anxious concerns d within me, agony in my mind every day? How long will my enemy dominate me? 3 Consider me and answer, Lord my God. Restore brightness to my eyes; otherwise, I will sleep in death. 4 My enemy will say , “I have triumphed over him,” and my foes will rejoice because I am shaken. 5 But I have trusted in your faithful love; my heart will rejoice in your deliverance. 6 I will sing to the Lord because he has treated me generously .A PORTRAIT OF SINNERS 14 For the choir director. Of David. The fool says in his heart, “There’s no God.” They are corrupt; they do vile deeds. There is no one who does good. 2 The Lord looks down from heaven on the human race e to see if there is one who is wise, one who seeks God. 3 All have turned away; all alike have become corrupt. There is no one who does good, not even one. 4 Will evildoers never understand? They consume my people as they consume bread; they do not call on the Lord. 5 Then f they will be filled with dread, for God is with those who are g righteous. 6 You sinners frustrate the plans of the oppressed, but the Lord is his refuge. 7 Oh, that Israel’s deliverance would come from Zion! When the Lord restores the fortunes of his people, h let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad. A DESCRIPTION OF THE GODLY 15 A psalm of David. Lord, who can dwell in your tent? Who can live on your holy mountain? 2 The one who lives blamelessly , practices righteousness, and acknowledges the truth in his heart — 3 who does not slander with his tongue, who does not harm his friend or discredit his neighbor, 4 who despises the one rejected by the Lord i but honors those who fear the Lord, who keeps his word whatever the cost, 5 who does not lend his silver at interest or take a bribe against the innocent — a12:7 Some Hb mss, LXX, Jer; other Hb mss read them b12:7 Some Hb mss, LXX; other Hb mss read him c12:8 Lit walk about d13:2 Or up counsels e14:2 Or the descendants of Adam f14:5 Or There g14:5 Lit with the generation of the h14:7 Or restores his captive people i15:4 Lit in his eyes the rejected is despised CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 477 10/26/17 9:00 PM PSALMS 15-17 478 the one who does these things will never be shaken. CONFIDENCE IN THE LORD 16 A Miktam of David. Protect me, God, for I take refuge in you. 2 I a said to the Lord, “You are my Lord; I have nothing good besides you.” b 3 As for the holy people who are in the land, they are the noble ones. All my delight is in them. 4 The sorrows of those who take another god for themselves will multiply; I will not pour out their drink offerings of blood, and I will not speak their names with my lips. 5 Lord, you are my portion c and my cup of blessing; you hold my future. 6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance. 7 I will bless the Lord who counsels me — even at night when my thoughts trouble me. d 8 I always let the Lord guide me. e Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. 9 Therefore my heart is glad and my whole being rejoices; my body also rests securely . 10 For you will not abandon me to Sheol; you will not allow your faithful one to see decay . 11 You reveal the path of life to me; in your presence is abundant joy; at your right hand are eternal pleasures. A PRAYER FOR PROTECTION 17 A prayer of David. Lord, hear a just cause; pay attention to my cry; listen to my prayer — from lips free of deceit. 2 Let my vindication come from you, for you see what is right. 3 You have tested my heart; you have examined me at night. You have tried me and found nothing evil; I have determined that my mouth will not sin. f 4 Concerning what people do: by the words from your lips I have avoided the ways of the violent. 5 My steps are on your paths; my feet have not slipped. 6 I call on you, God, because you will answer me; listen closely to me; hear what I say . 7 Display the wonders of your faithful love, Savior of all who seek refuge from those who rebel against your right hand. g 8 Protect me as the pupil of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings 9 from h the wicked who treat me violently , i my deadly enemies who surround me. 10 They are uncaring; j their mouths speak arrogantly . 11 They advance against me; k now they surround me. They are determined l to throw me to the ground. 12 They are m like a lion eager to tear, like a young lion lurking in ambush. 13 Rise up, Lord! Confront him; bring him down. With your sword, save me from the wicked. 14 With your hand, Lord, save me from men, from men of the world whose portion is in this life: You fill their bellies with what you have in store; their sons are satisfied, a16:2 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr , Jer; other Hb mss read You b16:2 Or “Lord, my good; there is none besides you.” c16:5 Or allotted portion d16:7 Or at night my heart instructs me e16:8 Lit I place the Lord in front of me always f17:3 Or evil; my mouth will not sin g17:7 Or love, you who save with your right hand those seeking refuge from adversaries h17:9 Lit from the presence of i17:9 Or who plunder me j17:10 Lit have closed up their fat k17:11 Vg; MT reads Our steps l17:11 Lit They set their eyes m17:12 Lit He is CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 478 10/26/17 9:00 PM 479 PSALMS 17-18 and they leave their surplus to their children. 15 But I will see your face in righteousness; when I awake, I will be satisfied with your presence. a PRAISE FOR DELIVERANCE 18 For the choir director. Of the servant of the Lord, David, who spoke the words of this song to the Lord on the day the Lord rescued him from the grasp of all his enemies and from the power of Saul. He said: 1 I love you, Lord, my strength. 2 The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock where I seek refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. 3 I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I was saved from my enemies. 4 The ropes of death were wrapped around me; the torrents of destruction terrified me. 5 The ropes of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me. 6 I called to the Lord in my distress, and I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears. 7 Then the earth shook and quaked; the foundations of the mountains trembled; they shook because he burned with anger. 8 Smoke rose from his nostrils, and consuming fire came from his mouth; coals were set ablaze by it. b 9 He bent the heavens and came down, total darkness beneath his feet. 10 He rode on a cherub and flew , soaring on the wings of the wind. 11 He made darkness his hiding place, dark storm clouds his canopy around him. 12 From the radiance of his presence, his clouds swept onward with hail and blazing coals. 13 The Lord thundered from c heaven; the Most High made his voice heard. d 14 He shot his arrows and scattered them; he hurled e lightning bolts and routed them. 15 The depths of the sea became visible, the foundations of the world were exposed, at your rebuke, Lord, at the blast of the breath of your nostrils. 16 He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he pulled me out of deep water. 17 He rescued me from my powerful enemy and from those who hated me, for they were too strong for me. 18 They confronted me in the day of my calamity , but the Lord was my support. 19 He brought me out to a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me. 20 The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; he repaid me according to the cleanness of my hands. 21 For I have kept the ways of the Lord and have not turned from my God to wickedness. 22 Indeed, I let all his ordinances guide me f and have not disregarded his statutes. 23 I was blameless toward him and kept myself from my iniquity . 24 So the Lord repaid me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight. 25 With the faithful you prove yourself faithful, with the blameless you prove yourself blameless, 26 with the pure you prove yourself pure; a17:15 Lit form b18:8 Or him c18:13 Some Hb mss, LXX, Tg, Jer; other Hb mss read in d18:13 Some Hb mss read
🛡️ Divine Protection and Praise
🙏 Unwavering trust in God transforms suffering into salvation, as the psalmist moves from desperate pleas ("My God, why have you abandoned me?") to confident declarations of divine protection
🌌 The natural world proclaims God's glory without words—heavens declare His majesty, day and night pour out divine knowledge, revealing the Creator's power
🧠 God's perfect instruction renews life, makes the inexperienced wise, and brings joy—more valuable than gold and sweeter than honey, warning against sin and offering abundant rewards
🐑 The Lord as shepherd provides complete care—green pastures, quiet waters, guidance, comfort in dark valleys, and overflowing abundance even amid enemies
👑 The King of Glory deserves worship and entrance—only those with clean hands and pure hearts may approach, while the Lord of Armies stands mighty in battle
🔊 The powerful voice of the Lord demonstrates divine authority—breaking cedars, flashing fire, shaking wilderness, and ultimately blessing His people with strength and peace
voice, with hail and blazing coals e18:14 Or multiplied f18:22 Lit Indeed, all his ordinances have been in front of me CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 479 10/26/17 9:00 PM PSALMS 18-19 480 but with the crooked you prove yourself shrewd. 27 For you rescue an oppressed people, but you humble those with haughty eyes. 28 Lord, you light my lamp; my God illuminates my darkness. 29 With you I can attack a barricade, a and with my God I can leap over a wall. 30 God — his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is pure. He is a shield to all who take refuge in him. 31 For who is God besides the Lord? And who is a rock? Only our God. 32 God — he clothes me with strength and makes my way perfect. 33 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer and sets me securely on the heights. b 34 He trains my hands for war; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. 35 You have given me the shield of your salvation; your right hand upholds me, and your humility exalts me. 36 You make a spacious place beneath me for my steps, and my ankles do not give way . 37 I pursue my enemies and overtake them; I do not turn back until they are wiped out. 38 I crush them, and they cannot get up; they fall beneath my feet. 39 You have clothed me with strength for battle; you subdue my adversaries beneath me. 40 You have made my enemies retreat before me; c I annihilate those who hate me. 41 They cry for help, but there is no one to save them — they cry to the Lord, but he does not answer them. 42 I pulverize them like dust before the wind; I trample them d like mud in the streets. 43 You have freed me from the feuds among the people; you have appointed me the head of nations; a people I had not known serve me. 44 Foreigners submit to me cringing; as soon as they hear they obey me. 45 Foreigners lose heart and come trembling from their fortifications. 46 The Lord lives — blessed be my rock! The God of my salvation is exalted. 47 God — he grants me vengeance and subdues peoples under me. 48 He frees me from my enemies. You exalt me above my adversaries; you rescue me from violent men. 49 Therefore I will give thanks to you among the nations, Lord; I will sing praises about your name. 50 He gives great victories to his king; he shows loyalty to his anointed, to David and his descendants forever. THE WITNESS OF CREATION AND SCRIPTURE 19 For the choir director. A psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God, and the expanse proclaims the work of his hands. 2 Day after day they pour out speech; night after night they communicate knowledge. e 3 There is no speech; there are no words; their voice is not heard. 4 Their message f has gone out to the whole earth, and their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun. 5 It is like a bridegroom coming from his home; it rejoices like an athlete running a course. 6 It rises from one end of the heavens and circles to their other end; nothing is hidden from its heat. 7 The instruction of the Lord is perfect, renewing one’s life; a18:29 Or a ridge, or raiders b18:33 Or on my high places c18:40 Or You gave me the necks of my enemies d18:42 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr , Tg; other Hb mss read I poured them out e19:2 Or Day to day pours out speech, and night to night communicates knowledge f19:4 LXX, Sym, Syr , Vg; MT reads line CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 480 10/26/17 9:00 PM 481 PSALMS 19-21 the testimony of the Lord is trustworthy , making the inexperienced wise. 8 The precepts of the Lord are right, making the heart glad; the command of the Lord is radiant, making the eyes light up. 9 The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever; the ordinances of the Lord are reliable and altogether righteous. 10 They are more desirable than gold — than an abundance of pure gold; and sweeter than honey dripping from a honeycomb. 11 In addition, your servant is warned by them, and in keeping them there is an abundant reward. 12 Who perceives his unintentional sins? Cleanse me from my hidden faults. 13 Moreover, keep your servant from willful sins; do not let them rule me. Then I will be blameless and cleansed from blatant rebellion. 14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, L ord, my rock and my Redeemer. DELIVERANCE IN BATTLE 20 For the choir director. A psalm of David. May the Lord answer you in a day of trouble; may the name of Jacob’s God protect you. 2 May he send you help from the sanctuary and sustain you from Zion. 3 May he remember all your offerings and accept your burnt offering. Selah 4 May he give you what your heart desires and fulfill your whole purpose. 5 Let us shout for joy at your victory and lift the banner in the name of our God. May the Lord fulfill all your requests. 6 Now I know that the Lord gives victory to his anointed; he will answer him from his holy heaven with mighty victories from his right hand. 7 Some take pride in chariots, and others in horses, but we take pride in the name of the Lord our God. 8 They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand firm. 9 Lord, give victory to the king! May he a answer us on the day that we call. THE KING’S VICTORY 21 For the choir director. A psalm of David. Lord, the king finds joy in your strength. How greatly he rejoices in your victory! 2 You have given him his heart’s desire and have not denied the request of his lips. Selah 3 For you meet him with rich blessings; you place a crown of pure gold on his head. 4 He asked you for life, and you gave it to him — length of days forever and ever. 5 His glory is great through your victory; you confer majesty and splendor on him. 6 You give him blessings forever; you cheer him with joy in your presence. 7 For the king relies on the Lord; through the faithful love of the Most High he is not shaken. 8 Your hand will capture all your enemies; your right hand will seize those who hate you. 9 You will make them burn like a fiery furnace when you appear; the Lord will engulf them in his wrath, and fire will devour them. 10 You will wipe their progeny from the earth and their offspring from the human race. b 11 Though they intend to harm c you and devise a wicked plan, they will not prevail. a20:9 Or Lord, save. May the king b21:10 Or the descendants of Adam c21:11 Lit they stretch out harm against CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 481 10/26/17 9:00 PM PSALMS 21-22 482 12 Instead, you will put them to flight when you ready your bowstrings to shoot at them. 13 Be exalted, Lord, in your strength; we will sing and praise your might. FROM SUFFERING TO PRAISE 22 For the choir director: according to “The Deer of the Dawn.” A psalm of David. 1 My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far from my deliverance and from my words of groaning? 2 My God, I cry by day , but you do not answer, by night, yet I have no rest. 3 But you are holy , enthroned on the praises of Israel. 4 Our fathers trusted in you; they trusted, and you rescued them. 5 They cried to you and were set free; they trusted in you and were not disgraced. 6 But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by people. 7 Everyone who sees me mocks me; they sneer a and shake their heads: 8 “He relies on b the Lord; let him save him; let the Lord c rescue him, since he takes pleasure in him.” 9 It was you who brought me out of the womb, making me secure at my mother’s breast. 10 I was given over to you at birth; d you have been my God from my mother’s womb. 11 Don’t be far from me, because distress is near and there’s no one to help. 12 Many bulls surround me; strong ones of Bashan encircle me. 13 They open their mouths against me — lions, mauling and roaring. 14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are disjointed; my heart is like wax, melting within me. 15 My strength is dried up like baked clay; my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. You put me into the dust of death. 16 For dogs have surrounded me; a gang of evildoers has closed in on me; they pierced e my hands and my feet. 17 I can count all my bones; people f look and stare at me. 18 They divided my garments among themselves, and they cast lots for my clothing. 19 But you, Lord, don’t be far away . My strength, come quickly to help me. 20 Rescue my life from the sword, my only life g from the power of these dogs. 21 Save me from the lion’s mouth, from the horns of wild oxen. You answered me! h 22 I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters; I will praise you in the assembly . 23 You who fear the Lord, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor him! All you descendants of Israel, revere him! 24 For he has not despised or abhorred the torment of the oppressed. He did not hide his face from him but listened when he cried to him for help. 25 I will give praise in the great assembly because of you; I will fulfill my vows before those who fear you. i 26 The humble will eat and be satisfied; those who seek the Lord will praise him. May your hearts live forever! 27 All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord. All the families of the nations will bow down before you, 28 for kingship belongs to the Lord; he rules the nations. a22:7 Lit separate with the lip b22:8 Or Rely on c22:8 Lit let him d22:10 Lit was cast on you from the womb e22:16 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr; other Hb mss read me; like a lion f22:17 Lit they g22:20 Lit my only one h22:21 Or oxen you rescued me i22:25 Lit him CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 482 10/26/17 9:00 PM 483 PSALMS 22-25 29 All who prosper on earth will eat and bow down; all those who go down to the dust will kneel before him — even the one who cannot preserve his life. 30 Their descendants will serve him; the next generation will be told about the Lord. 31 They will come and declare his righteousness; to a people yet to be born they will declare what he has done. THE GOOD SHEPHERD 23 A psalm of David. The Lord is my shepherd; I have what I need. 2 He lets me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside quiet waters. 3 He renews my life; he leads me along the right paths a for his name’s sake. 4 Even when I go through the darkest valley , b I fear no danger, for you are with me; your rod and your staff — they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in c the house of the Lord as long as I live. d THE KING OF GLORY 24 A psalm of David. The earth and everything in it, the world and its inhabitants, belong to the Lord; 2 for he laid its foundation on the seas and established it on the rivers. 3 Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? 4 The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not appealed to e what is false, and who has not sworn deceitfully . 5 He will receive blessing from the Lord, and righteousness f from the God of his salvation. 6 Such is the generation of those who inquire of him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. g Selah 7 Lift up your heads, you gates! Rise up, ancient doors! Then the King of glory will come in. 8 Who is this King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty , the Lord, mighty in battle. 9 Lift up your heads, you gates! Rise up, ancient doors! Then the King of glory will come in. 10 Who is he, this King of glory? The Lord of Armies, he is the King of glory . Selah DEPENDENCE ON THE LORD 25 Of David. Lord, I appeal to you. h 2 My God, I trust in you. Do not let me be disgraced; do not let my enemies gloat over me. 3 No one who waits for you will be disgraced; those who act treacherously without cause will be disgraced. 4 Make your ways known to me, Lord; teach me your paths. 5 Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; I wait for you all day long. 6 Remember, Lord, your compassion and your faithful love, for they have existed from antiquity . i 7 Do not remember the sins of my youth or my acts of rebellion; in keeping with your faithful love, remember me because of your goodness, Lord. a23:3 Or me in paths of righteousness b23:4 Or the valley of the shadow of death c23:6 LXX, Sym, Syr , Tg, Vg, Jer; MT reads will return to d23:6 Lit Lord for length of days ; traditionally L ord forever e24:4 Lit not lifted up his soul to f24:5 Or vindication g24:6 LXX; some Hb mss, Syr read seek your face, God of Jacob ; some Hb mss read seek your face, Jacob h25:1 Or To you, Lord, I lift up my soul i25:6 Or everlasting CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 483 10/26/17 9:00 PM PSALMS 25-27 484 8 The Lord is good and upright; therefore he shows sinners the way . 9 He leads the humble in what is right and teaches them his way . 10 All the Lord’s ways show faithful love and truth to those who keep his covenant and decrees. 11 Lord, for the sake of your name, forgive my iniquity , for it is immense. 12 Who is this person who fears the Lord? He will show him the way he should choose. 13 He will live a good life, and his descendants will inherit the land. a 14 The secret counsel of the Lord is for those who fear him, and he reveals his covenant to them. 15 My eyes are always on the Lord, for he will pull my feet out of the net. 16 Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am alone and afflicted. 17 The distresses of my heart increase; b bring me out of my sufferings. 18 Consider my affliction and trouble, and forgive all my sins. 19 Consider my enemies; they are numerous, and they hate me violently . 20 Guard me and rescue me; do not let me be put to shame, for I take refuge in you. 21 May integrity and what is right watch over me, for I wait for you. 22 God, redeem Israel, from all its distresses. PRAYER FOR VINDICATION 26 Of David. Vindicate me, Lord, because I have lived with integrity and have trusted in the Lord without wavering. 2 Test me, Lord, and try me; examine my heart and mind. 3 For your faithful love guides me, c and I live by your truth. 4 I do not sit with the worthless or associate with hypocrites. 5 I hate a crowd of evildoers, and I do not sit with the wicked. 6 I wash my hands in innocence and go around your altar, Lord, 7 raising my voice in thanksgiving and telling about your wondrous works. 8 Lord, I love the house where you dwell, the place where your glory resides. 9 Do not destroy me along with sinners, or my life along with men of bloodshed 10 in whose hands are evil schemes and whose right hands are filled with bribes. 11 But I live with integrity; redeem me and be gracious to me. 12 My foot stands on level ground; I will bless the Lord in the assemblies. MY STRONGHOLD 27 Of David. The Lord is my light and my salvation — whom should I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life — whom should I dread? 2 When evildoers came against me to devour my flesh, my foes and my enemies stumbled and fell. 3 Though an army deploys against me, my heart will not be afraid; though a war breaks out against me, I will still be confident. 4 I have asked one thing from the Lord; it is what I desire: to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, gazing on the beauty of the Lord and seeking him in his temple. 5 For he will conceal me in his shelter in the day of adversity; he will hide me under the cover of his tent; he will set me high on a rock. 6 Then my head will be high above my enemies around me; a25:13 Or earth b25:17 Or Relieve the distresses of my heart c26:3 Lit love is in front of my eyes CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 484 10/26/17 9:00 PM 485 PSALMS 27-29 I will offer sacrifices in his tent with shouts of joy . I will sing and make music to the Lord. 7 Lord, hear my voice when I call; be gracious to me and answer me. 8 My heart says this about you: “Seek a his face.” L ord, I will seek your face. 9 Do not hide your face from me; do not turn your servant away in anger. You have been my helper; do not leave me or abandon me, God of my salvation. 10 Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord cares for me. 11 Because of my adversaries, show me your way , Lord, and lead me on a level path. 12 Do not give me over to the will of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, breathing violence. 13 I am certain that I will see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living. 14 Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart be courageous. Wait for the Lord. MY STRENGTH 28 Of David. Lord, I call to you; my rock, do not be deaf to me. If you remain silent to me, I will be like those going down to the Pit. 2 Listen to the sound of my pleading when I cry to you for help, when I lift up my hands toward your holy sanctuary . 3 Do not drag me away with the wicked, with the evildoers, who speak in friendly ways with their neighbors while malice is in their hearts. 4 Repay them according to what they have done — according to the evil of their deeds. Repay them according to the work of their hands; give them back what they deserve. 5 Because they do not consider what the Lord has done or the work of his hands, he will tear them down and not rebuild them. 6 Blessed be the Lord, for he has heard the sound of my pleading. 7 The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. Therefore my heart celebrates, and I give thanks to him with my song. 8 The Lord is the strength of his people; b he is a stronghold of salvation for his anointed. 9 Save your people, bless your possession, shepherd them, and carry them forever. THE VOICE OF THE LORD 29 A psalm of David. Ascribe to the Lord, you heavenly beings, c ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. 2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness. d 3 The voice of the Lord is above the waters. The God of glory thunders — the Lord, above the vast water, 4 the voice of the Lord in power, the voice of the Lord in splendor. 5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; the Lord shatters the cedars of Lebanon. 6 He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, and Sirion, like a young wild ox. 7 The voice of the Lord flashes flames of fire. 8 The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness; a27:8 The command is pl in Hb b28:8 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr; other Hb mss read strength for them c29:1 Or you sons of gods, or you sons of mighty ones d29:2 Or in holy attire, or in holy appearance CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 485 10/26/17 9:00 PM PSALMS 29-31 486 the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. 9 The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth a and strips the woodlands bare. In his temple all cry , “Glory! ” 10 The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord sits enthroned, King forever. 11 The Lord gives his people strength; the Lord blesses his people with peace. JOY IN THE MORNING 30 A psalm; a dedication song for the house. Of David. 1 I will exalt you, Lord, because you have lifted me up and have not allowed my enemies to triumph over me. 2 Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you healed me. 3 Lord, you brought me up from Sheol; you spared me from among those going down b to the Pit. 4 Sing to the Lord, you his faithful ones, and praise his holy name. 5 For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor, a lifetime. Weeping may stay overnight, but there is joy in the morning. 6 When I was secure, I said, “I will never be shaken.” 7 Lord, when you showed your favor, you made me stand like a strong mountain; when you hid your face, I was terrified. 8 Lord, I called to you; I sought favor from my Lord: 9 “What gain is there in my death, if I go down to the Pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it proclaim your truth? 10 Lord, listen and be gracious to me; L ord, be my helper.” 11 You turned my lament into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, 12 so that I can sing to you and not be silent. L ord my God, I will praise you forever. A PLEA FOR PROTECTION 31 For the choir director. A psalm of David. Lord, I seek refuge in you; let me never be disgraced. Save me by your righteousness. 2 Listen closely to me; rescue me quickly . Be a rock of refuge for me, a mountain fortress to save me. 3 For you are my rock and my fortress;
🙏 Divine Refuge in Distress
🛡️ Trust in God serves as the ultimate refuge during times of affliction, providing protection from enemies and deliverance from troubles
😔 Human suffering and distress manifest through physical pain, emotional anguish, and social isolation, yet become opportunities to deepen faith
✨ God's faithful love surrounds those who seek Him, offering redemption, forgiveness, and restoration to those who confess their transgressions
⚖️ The contrast between the righteous and wicked reveals God's ultimate justice—the righteous find lasting inheritance while the wicked face destruction
🕊️ Prayer and praise function as powerful spiritual practices that transform despair into hope and connect the faithful to divine protection
⏳ Recognizing life's brevity and fragility redirects focus from worldly pursuits to eternal values, placing hope in God rather than temporary circumstances
you lead and guide me for your name’s sake. 4 You will free me from the net that is secretly set for me, for you are my refuge. 5 Into your hand I entrust my spirit; you have redeemed me, c Lord, God of truth. 6 I d hate those who are devoted to worthless idols, but I trust in the Lord. 7 I will rejoice and be glad in your faithful love because you have seen my affliction. You know the troubles of my soul 8 and have not handed me over to the enemy . You have set my feet in a spacious place. 9 Be gracious to me, Lord, because I am in distress; my eyes are worn out from frustration — my whole being e as well. 10 Indeed, my life is consumed with grief and my years with groaning; my strength has failed because of my iniquity , f and my bones waste away . 11 I am ridiculed by all my adversaries and even by my neighbors. I am dreaded by my acquaintances; those who see me in the street run from me. 12 I am forgotten: gone from memory like a dead person — like broken pottery . a29:9 Or the oaks shake b30:3 Some Hb mss, LXX, Theod, Orig, Syr; other Hb mss, Aq, Sym, Tg, Jer read from going down c31:5 Or spirit. Redeem me d31:6 One Hb ms, LXX, Syr , Vg, Jer read You e31:9 Lit my soul and my belly f31:10 LXX, Syr , Sym read affliction CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 486 10/26/17 9:00 PM 487 PSALMS 31-32 13 I have heard the gossip of many; terror is on every side. When they conspired against me, they plotted to take my life. 14 But I trust in you, Lord; I say , “You are my God.” 15 The course of my life is in your power; rescue me from the power of my enemies and from my persecutors. 16 Make your face shine on your servant; save me by your faithful love. 17 Lord, do not let me be disgraced when I call on you. Let the wicked be disgraced; let them be quiet a,b in Sheol. 18 Let lying lips that arrogantly speak against the righteous in proud contempt be silenced. 19 How great is your goodness that you have stored up for those who fear you and accomplished in the sight of everyone c for those who take refuge in you. 20 You hide them in the protection of your presence; you conceal them in a shelter from human schemes, from quarrelsome tongues. 21 Blessed be the Lord, for he has wondrously shown his faithful love to me in a city under siege. 22 In my alarm I said, “I am cut off from your sight.” But you heard the sound of my pleading when I cried to you for help. 23 Love the Lord, all his faithful ones. The Lord protects the loyal, but fully repays the arrogant. 24 Be strong, and let your heart be courageous, all you who put your hope in the Lord.THE JOY OF FORGIVENESS 32 Of David. A Maskil . How joyful is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered! 2 How joyful is a person whom the Lord does not charge with iniquity and in whose spirit is no deceit! 3 When I kept silent, my bones became brittle from my groaning all day long. 4 For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was drained d as in the summer’s heat. Selah 5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not conceal my iniquity . I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah 6 Therefore let everyone who is faithful pray to you immediately . e When great floodwaters come, they will not reach him. 7 You are my hiding place; you protect me from trouble. You surround me with joyful shouts of deliverance. Selah 8 I will instruct you and show you the way to go; with my eye on you, I will give counsel. 9 Do not be like a horse or mule, without understanding, that must be controlled with bit and bridle or else it will not come near you. 10 Many pains come to the wicked, but the one who trusts in the Lord will have faithful love surrounding him. 11 Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous ones; shout for joy , all you upright in heart. a31:17 LXX reads brought down b31:17 Or them wail c31:19 Or of the descendants of Adam d32:4 Hb obscure e32:6 Lit you at a time of finding CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 487 10/26/17 9:00 PM PSALMS 33-34 488 PRAISE TO THE CREATOR 33 Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous ones; praise from the upright is beautiful. 2 Praise the Lord with the lyre; make music to him with a ten-stringed harp. 3 Sing a new song to him; play skillfully on the strings, with a joyful shout. 4 For the word of the Lord is right, and all his work is trustworthy . 5 He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the Lord’s unfailing love. 6 The heavens were made by the word of the Lord, and all the stars, by the breath of his mouth. 7 He gathers the water of the sea into a heap; a he puts the depths into storehouses. 8 Let the whole earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. 9 For he spoke, and it came into being; he commanded, and it came into existence. 10 The Lord frustrates the counsel of the nations; he thwarts the plans of the peoples. 11 The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart from generation to generation. 12 Happy is the nation whose God is the Lord — the people he has chosen to be his own possession! 13 The Lord looks down from heaven; he observes everyone. 14 He gazes on all the inhabitants of the earth from his dwelling place. 15 He forms the hearts of them all; he considers all their works. 16 A king is not saved by a large army; a warrior will not be rescued by great strength. 17 The horse is a false hope for safety; it provides no escape by its great power. 18 But look, the Lord keeps his eye on those who fear him — those who depend on his faithful love 19 to rescue them from death and to keep them alive in famine. 20 We wait for the Lord; he is our help and shield. 21 For our hearts rejoice in him because we trust in his holy name. 22 May your faithful love rest on us, Lord, for we put our hope in you. THE LORD DELIVERS THE RIGHTEOUS 34 Concerning David, when he pretended to be insane in the presence of Abimelech, who drove him out, and he departed. 1 I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. 2 I will boast in the Lord; the humble will hear and be glad. 3 Proclaim the Lord’s greatness with me; let us exalt his name together. 4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me and rescued me from all my fears. 5 Those who look to him are b radiant with joy; their faces will never be ashamed. 6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him from all his troubles. 7 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and rescues them. 8 Taste and see that the Lord is good. How happy is the person who takes refuge in him! 9 You who are his holy ones, fear the Lord, for those who fear him lack nothing. 10 Young lions c lack food and go hungry , but those who seek the Lord will not lack any good thing. 11 Come, children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. a33:7 LXX, Tg, Syr , Vg, Jer read sea as in a bottle b34:5 Some Hb mss, LXX, Aq, Syr , Jer read Look to him and be c34:10 LXX, Syr , Vg read The rich CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 488 10/26/17 9:00 PM 489 PSALMS 34-35 12 Who is someone who desires life, loving a long life to enjoy what is good? 13 Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from deceitful speech. 14 Turn away from evil and do what is good; seek peace and pursue it. 15 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their cry for help. 16 The face of the Lord is set against those who do what is evil, to remove a all memory of them from the earth. 17 The righteous b cry out, and the Lord hears, and rescues them from all their troubles. 18 The Lord is near the brokenhearted; he saves those crushed in spirit. 19 One who is righteous has many adversities, but the Lord rescues him from them all. 20 He protects all his bones; not one of them is broken. 21 Evil brings death to the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be punished. 22 The Lord redeems the life of his servants, and all who take refuge in him will not be punished. PRAYER FOR VICTORY 35 Of David. Oppose my opponents, Lord; fight those who fight me. 2 Take your shields — large and small — and come to my aid. 3 Draw the spear and javelin against my pursuers, and assure me: “I am your deliverance.” 4 Let those who intend to take my life be disgraced and humiliated; let those who plan to harm me be turned back and ashamed. 5 Let them be like chaff in the wind, with the angel of the Lord driving them away . 6 Let their way be dark and slippery , with the angel of the Lord pursuing them. 7 They hid their net for me without cause; they dug a pit for me without cause. 8 Let ruin come on him unexpectedly , and let the net that he hid ensnare him; let him fall into it — to his ruin. 9 Then I will rejoice in the Lord; I will delight in his deliverance. 10 All my bones will say , “Lord, who is like you, rescuing the poor from one too strong for him, the poor or the needy from one who robs him? ” 11 Malicious witnesses come forward; they question me about things I do not know . 12 They repay me evil for good, making me desolate. 13 Yet when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth; I humbled myself with fasting, and my prayer was genuine. c 14 I went about mourning as if for my friend or brother; I was bowed down with grief, like one mourning for a mother. 15 But when I stumbled, they gathered in glee; they gathered against me. Assailants I did not know tore at me and did not stop. 16 With godless mockery d they gnashed their teeth at me. 17 Lord, how long will you look on? Rescue me from their ravages; rescue my precious life from the young lions. 18 I will praise you in the great assembly; I will exalt you among many people. 19 Do not let my deceitful enemies rejoice over me; do not let those who hate me without cause wink at me maliciously . 20 For they do not speak in friendly ways, but contrive fraudulent schemes e a34:16 Or cut off b34:17 Lit They c35:13 Lit prayer returned to my chest d35:16 Hb obscure e35:20 Lit but devise fraudulent words CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 489 10/26/17 9:00 PM PSALMS 35-37 490 against those who live peacefully in the land. 21 They open their mouths wide against me and say , “ Aha, aha! We saw it! ” a 22 You saw it, Lord; do not be silent. Lord, do not be far from me. 23 Wake up and rise to my defense, to my cause, my God and my Lord! 24 Vindicate me, Lord my God, in keeping with your righteousness, and do not let them rejoice over me. 25 Do not let them say in their hearts, “ Aha! Just what we wanted.” Do not let them say , “We have swallowed him up! ” 26 Let those who rejoice at my misfortune be disgraced and humiliated; let those who exalt themselves over me be clothed with shame and reproach. 27 Let those who want my vindication shout for joy and be glad; let them continually say , “The Lord be exalted. He takes pleasure in his servant’s well-being.” 28 And my tongue will proclaim your righteousness, your praise all day long. HUMAN WICKEDNESS AND GOD’S LOVE 36 For the choir director. Of David. the Lord’s servant. 1 An oracle within my heart concerning the transgression of the wicked person: Dread of God has no effect on him. b 2 For with his flattering opinion of himself, he does not discover and hate his iniquity . 3 The words from his mouth are malicious and deceptive; he has stopped acting wisely and doing good. 4 Even on his bed he makes malicious plans. He sets himself on a path that is not good, and he does not reject evil. 5 Lord, your faithful love reaches to heaven, your faithfulness to the clouds. 6 Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, your judgments like the deepest sea. L ord, you preserve people and animals. 7 How priceless your faithful love is, God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings. 8 They are filled from the abundance of your house. You let them drink from your refreshing stream. 9 For the wellspring of life is with you. By means of your light we see light. 10 Spread your faithful love over those who know you, and your righteousness over the upright in heart. 11 Do not let the foot of the arrogant come near me or the hand of the wicked drive me away . 12 There! The evildoers have fallen. They have been thrown down and cannot rise. INSTRUCTION IN WISDOM 37 Of David. Do not be agitated by evildoers; do not envy those who do wrong. 2 For they wither quickly like grass and wilt like tender green plants. 3 Trust in the Lord and do what is good; dwell in the land and live securely . c 4 Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. 5 Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act, 6 making your righteousness shine like the dawn, your justice like the noonday . 7 Be silent before the Lord and wait expectantly for him; do not be agitated by one who prospers in his way , a35:21 Lit Our eyes saw! b36:1 Lit There is no dread of God in front of his eyes c37:3 Or and cultivate faithfulness, or and befriend faithfulness CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 490 10/26/17 9:00 PM 491 PSALM 37 by the person who carries out evil plans. 8 Refrain from anger and give up your rage; do not be agitated — it can only bring harm. 9 For evildoers will be destroyed, but those who put their hope in the Lord will inherit the land. 10 A little while, and the wicked person will be no more; though you look for him, he will not be there. 11 But the humble will inherit the land and will enjoy abundant prosperity . 12 The wicked person schemes against the righteous and gnashes his teeth at him. 13 The Lord laughs at him because he sees that his day is coming. 14 The wicked have drawn the sword and strung the a bow to bring down the poor and needy and to slaughter those whose way is upright. 15 Their swords will enter their own hearts, and their bows will be broken. 16 The little that the righteous person has is better than the abundance of many wicked people. 17 For the arms of the wicked will be broken, but the Lord supports the righteous. 18 The Lord watches over the blameless all their days, and their inheritance will last forever. 19 They will not be disgraced in times of adversity; they will be satisfied in days of hunger. 20 But the wicked will perish; the Lord’s enemies, like the glory of the pastures, will fade away — they will fade away like smoke. 21 The wicked person borrows and does not repay , but the righteous one is gracious and giving. 22 Those who are blessed by the Lord will inherit the land, but those cursed by him will be destroyed. 23 A person’s steps are established by the Lord, and he takes pleasure in his way . 24 Though he falls, he will not be overwhelmed, because the Lord supports him with his hand. 25 I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous abandoned or his children begging for bread. 26 He is always generous, always lending, and his children are a blessing. 27 Turn away from evil, do what is good, and settle permanently . 28 For the Lord loves justice and will not abandon his faithful ones. They are kept safe forever, but the children of the wicked will be destroyed. 29 The righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it permanently . 30 The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom; his tongue speaks what is just. 31 The instruction of his God is in his heart; his steps do not falter. 32 The wicked one lies in wait for the righteous and intends to kill him; 33 the Lord will not leave him in the power of the wicked one or allow him to be condemned when he is judged. 34 Wait for the Lord and keep his way , and he will exalt you to inherit the land. You will watch when the wicked are destroyed. a37:14 Lit their CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 491 10/26/17 9:00 PM PSALMS 37-39 492 35 I have seen a wicked, violent person well-rooted, a like a flourishing native tree. 36 Then I b passed by and noticed he was gone; I searched for him, but he could not be found. 37 Watch the blameless and observe the upright, for the person of peace will have a future. c 38 But transgressors will all be eliminated; the future of the wicked will be destroyed. 39 The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord, their refuge in a time of distress. 40 The Lord helps and delivers them; he will deliver them from the wicked and will save them because they take refuge in him. PRAYER OF A SUFFERING SINNER 38 A psalm of David for remembrance. Lord, do not punish me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath. 2 For your arrows have sunk into me, and your hand has pressed down on me. 3 There is no soundness in my body because of your indignation; there is no health d in my bones because of my sin. 4 For my iniquities have flooded over my head; they are a burden too heavy for me to bear. 5 My wounds are foul and festering because of my foolishness. 6 I am bent over and brought very low; all day long I go around in mourning. 7 For my insides are full of burning pain, and there is no soundness in my body . 8 I am faint and severely crushed; I groan because of the anguish of my heart. 9 Lord, my every desire is in front of you; my sighing is not hidden from you. 10 My heart races, my strength leaves me, and even the light of my eyes has faded. e 11 My loved ones and friends stand back from my affliction, and my relatives stand at a distance. 12 Those who intend to kill me set traps, and those who want to harm me threaten to destroy me; they plot treachery all day long. 13 I am like a deaf person; I do not hear. I am like a speechless person who does not open his mouth. 14 I am like a man who does not hear and has no arguments in his mouth. 15 For I put my hope in you, Lord; you will answer me, my Lord, my God. 16 For I said, “Don’t let them rejoice over me — those who are arrogant toward me when I stumble.” 17 For I am about to fall, and my pain is constantly with me. 18 So I confess my iniquity; I am anxious because of my sin. 19 But my enemies are vigorous and powerful; f many hate me for no reason. 20 Those who repay evil for good attack me for pursuing good. 21 Lord, do not abandon me; my God, do not be far from me. 22 Hurry to help me, my Lord, my salvation. THE FLEETING NATURE OF LIFE 39 For the choir director, for Jeduthun. A psalm of David. I said, “I will guard my ways so that I may not sin with my tongue; I will guard my mouth with a muzzle as long as the wicked are in my presence.” 2 I was speechless and quiet; I kept silent, even from speaking good, and my pain intensified. 3 My heart grew hot within me; as I mused, a fire burned. I spoke with my tongue: 4 “Lord, make me aware of my end a37:35 Hb obscure b37:36 LXX, Syr , Vg, Jer; MT reads he c37:37 Or posterity, also in v. 38 d38:3 Hb shalom e38:10 Or and the light of my eyes — even that is not with me f38:19 Or numerous CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 492 10/26/17 9:00 PM 493 PSALMS 39-40 and the number of my days so that I will know how short-lived I am. 5 In fact, you have made my days just inches long, and my life span is as nothing to you. Yes, every human being stands as only a vapor. Selah 6 Yes, a person goes about like a mere shadow . Indeed, they rush around in vain, gathering possessions without knowing who will get them. 7 “Now , Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in you. 8 Rescue me from all my transgressions; do not make me the taunt of fools. 9 I am speechless; I do not open my mouth because of what you have done. 10 Remove your torment from me. Because of the force of your hand I am finished. 11 You discipline a person with punishment for iniquity , consuming like a moth what is precious to him; yes, every human being is only a vapor. Selah 12 “Hear my prayer, Lord, and listen to my cry for help; do not be silent at my tears. For I am here with you as an alien, a temporary resident like all my ancestors. 13 Turn your angry gaze from me so that I may be cheered up before I die and am gone.” THANKSGIVING AND A CRY FOR HELP 40 For the choir director. A psalm of David. I waited patiently for the Lord, and he turned to me and heard my cry for help. 2 He brought me up from a desolate a pit, out of the muddy clay , and set my feet on a rock, making my steps secure. 3 He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and they will trust in the Lord. 4
🙏 Divine Trust and Deliverance
🛡️ Trust in God brings genuine happiness and protection, contrasting sharply with those who chase after worldly falsehoods and pride
🎵 The psalmist delights in God's will, proclaiming divine righteousness, faithfulness, and salvation openly rather than hiding these truths
💧 During times of deep distress, the soul thirsts for God like a deer longs for water, finding hope amid tears and taunts from enemies
⚔️ God serves as our refuge and strength in trouble—a present help when nations rage and mountains tremble
💰 Wealth and riches ultimately fail as security; they cannot redeem a life or prevent death, while God redeems His faithful from the grave
🔥 The Lord appears as righteous judge, desiring heartfelt worship rather than mere ritual sacrifices, calling for genuine repentance and thanksgiving
How happy is anyone who has put his trust in the Lord and has not turned to the proud or to those who run after lies! 5 Lord my God, you have done many things — your wondrous works and your plans for us; none can compare with you. If I were to report and speak of them, they are more than can be told. 6 You do not delight in sacrifice and offering; you open my ears to listen. b You do not ask for a whole burnt offering or a sin offering. 7 Then I said, “See, I have come; in the scroll it is written about me. 8 I delight to do your will, my God, and your instruction is deep within me.” 9 I proclaim righteousness in the great assembly; see, I do not keep my mouth closed c — as you know , Lord. 10 I did not hide your righteousness in my heart; I spoke about your faithfulness and salvation; I did not conceal your constant love and truth from the great assembly . 11 Lord, you do not d withhold your compassion from me. Your constant love and truth will always guard me. 12 For troubles without number have surrounded me; my iniquities have overtaken me; I am unable to see. They are more than the hairs of my head, and my courage leaves me. 13 Lord, be pleased to rescue me; hurry to help me, Lord. 14 Let those who intend to take my life be disgraced and confounded. Let those who wish me harm a40:2 Or watery b40:6 Lit you hollow out ears for me c40:9 Lit not restrain my lips d40:11 Or Lord, do not CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 493 10/26/17 9:00 PM PSALMS 40-42 494 be turned back and humiliated. 15 Let those who say to me, “ Aha, aha! ” be appalled because of their shame. 16 Let all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; let those who love your salvation continually say , “The Lord is great! ” 17 I am oppressed and needy; may the Lord think of me. You are my helper and my deliverer; my God, do not delay . VICTORY IN SPITE OF BETRAYAL 41 For the choir director. A psalm of David. Happy is one who is considerate of the poor; the Lord will save him in a day of adversity . 2 The Lord will keep him and preserve him; he will be blessed in the land. You will not give him over to the desire of his enemies. 3 The Lord will sustain him on his sickbed; you will heal him on the bed where he lies. 4 I said, “Lord, be gracious to me; heal me, for I have sinned against you.” 5 My enemies speak maliciously about me: “When will he die and be forgotten? ” 6 When one of them comes to visit, he speaks deceitfully; he stores up evil in his heart; he goes out and talks. 7 All who hate me whisper together about me; they plan to harm me. 8 “Something awful has overwhelmed him, a and he won’t rise again from where he lies! ” 9 Even my friend b in whom I trusted, one who ate my bread, has raised his heel against me. 10 But you, Lord, be gracious to me and raise me up; then I will repay them. 11 By this I know that you delight in me: my enemy does not shout in triumph over me. 12 You supported me because of my integrity and set me in your presence forever. 13 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Amen and amen. BOOK II (Psalms 42–72) LONGING FOR GOD 42 For the choir director. A Maskil of the sons of Korah. 1 As a deer longs for flowing streams, so I long for you, God. 2 I thirst for God, the living God. When can I come and appear before God? 3 My tears have been my food day and night, while all day long people say to me, “Where is your God? ” 4 I remember this as I pour out my heart: how I walked with many , leading the festive procession to the house of God, with joyful and thankful shouts. 5 Why , my soul, are you so dejected? Why are you in such turmoil? Put your hope in God, for I will still praise him, my Savior and my God. 6 I c am deeply depressed; therefore I remember you from the land of Jordan and the peaks of Hermon, from Mount Mizar. 7 Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your breakers and your billows have swept over me. 8 The Lord will send his faithful love by day; his song will be with me in the night — a prayer to the God of my life. 9 I will say to God, my rock, “Why have you forgotten me? a41:8 Lit “ A thing of worthlessness has been poured into him b41:9 Lit Even a man of my peace c42:5-6 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr; other Hb mss read him, the salvation of his presence. 6My God, I CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 494 10/26/17 9:00 PM 495 PSALMS 42-44 Why must I go about in sorrow because of the enemy’s oppression? ” 10 My adversaries taunt me, as if crushing my bones, while all day long they say to me, “Where is your God? ” 11 Why , my soul, are you so dejected? Why are you in such turmoil? Put your hope in God, for I will still praise him, my Savior and my God. 43a Vindicate me, God, and champion my cause against an unfaithful nation; rescue me from the deceitful and unjust person. 2 For you are the God of my refuge. Why have you rejected me? Why must I go about in sorrow because of the enemy’s oppression? 3 Send your light and your truth; let them lead me. Let them bring me to your holy mountain, to your dwelling place. 4 Then I will come to the altar of God, to God, my greatest joy . I will praise you with the lyre, God, my God. 5 Why , my soul, are you so dejected? Why are you in such turmoil? Put your hope in God, for I will still praise him, my Savior and my God. ISRAEL’S COMPLAINT 44 For the choir director. A Maskil of the sons of Korah. 1 God, we have heard with our ears — our ancestors have told us — the work you accomplished in their days, in days long ago: 2 In order to plant them, you displaced the nations by your hand; in order to settle them, you brought disaster on the peoples. 3 For they did not take the land by their sword — their arm did not bring them victory — but by your right hand, your arm, and the light of your face, because you were favorable toward them. 4 You are my King, my God, who ordains b victories for Jacob. 5 Through you we drive back our foes; through your name we trample our enemies. 6 For I do not trust in my bow , and my sword does not bring me victory . 7 But you give us victory over our foes and let those who hate us be disgraced. 8 We boast in God all day long; we will praise your name forever. Selah 9 But you have rejected and humiliated us; you do not march out with our armies. 10 You make us retreat from the foe, and those who hate us have taken plunder for themselves. 11 You hand us over to be eaten like sheep and scatter us among the nations. 12 You sell your people for nothing; you make no profit from selling them. 13 You make us an object of reproach to our neighbors, a source of mockery and ridicule to those around us. 14 You make us a joke among the nations, a laughingstock c among the peoples. 15 My disgrace is before me all day long, and shame has covered my face, 16 because of the taunts d of the scorner and reviler, because of the enemy and avenger. 17 All this has happened to us, but we have not forgotten you or betrayed your covenant. 18 Our hearts have not turned back; our steps have not strayed from your path. 19 But you have crushed us in a haunt of jackals and have covered us with deepest darkness. 20 If we had forgotten the name of our God and spread out our hands to a foreign god, aPs 43 Many Hb mss connect Pss 42 and 43 b44:4 LXX, Syr , Aq; MT reads King, God; ordain c44:14 Lit shaking of the head d44:16 Lit voice CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 495 10/26/17 9:00 PM PSALMS 44-46 496 21 wouldn’t God have found this out, since he knows the secrets of the heart? 22 Because of you we are being put to death all day long; we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered. 23 Wake up, Lord! Why are you sleeping? Get up! Don’t reject us forever! 24 Why do you hide and forget our affliction and oppression? 25 For we have sunk down to the dust; our bodies cling to the ground. 26 Rise up! Help us! Redeem us because of your faithful love. A ROYAL WEDDING SONG 45 For the choir director: according to “The Lilies.” A Maskil of the sons of Korah. A love song. 1 My heart is moved by a noble theme as I recite my verses to the king; my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer. 2 You are the most handsome of men; a grace flows from your lips. Therefore God has blessed you forever. 3 Mighty warrior, strap your sword at your side. In your majesty and splendor — 4 in your splendor ride triumphantly in the cause of truth, humility , and justice. May your right hand show your awe-inspiring acts. 5 Your sharpened arrows pierce the hearts of the king’s enemies; the peoples fall under you. 6 Your throne, God, is b forever and ever; the scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of justice. 7 You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of joy more than your companions. 8 Myrrh, aloes, and cassia perfume all your garments; from ivory palaces harps bring you joy . 9 Kings’ daughters are among your honored women; the queen, adorned with gold from Ophir, stands at your right hand. 10 Listen, daughter, pay attention and consider: forget your people and your father’s house, 11 and the king will desire your beauty . Bow down to him, for he is your lord. 12 The daughter of Tyre, the wealthy people, will seek your favor with gifts. 13 In her chamber, the royal daughter is all glorious, her clothing embroidered with gold. 14 In colorful garments she is led to the king; after her, the virgins, her companions, are brought to you. 15 They are led in with gladness and rejoicing; they enter the king’s palace. 16 Your sons will succeed your ancestors; you will make them princes throughout the land. 17 I will cause your name to be remembered for all generations; therefore the peoples will praise you forever and ever. GOD OUR REFUGE 46 For the choir director. A song of the sons of Korah. According to Alamoth . 1 God is our refuge and strength, a helper who is always found in times of trouble. 2 Therefore we will not be afraid, though the earth trembles and the mountains topple into the depths of the seas, 3 though its water roars and foams and the mountains quake with its turmoil. Selah 4 There is a river — its streams delight the city of God, the holy dwelling place of the Most High. 5 God is within her; she will not be toppled. a45:2 Or of the descendants of Adam b45:6 Or Your divine throne is, or Your throne is God’s CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 496 10/26/17 9:00 PM 497 PSALMS 46-49 God will help her when the morning dawns. 6 Nations rage, kingdoms topple; the earth melts when he lifts his voice. 7 The Lord of Armies is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah 8 Come, see the works of the Lord, who brings devastation on the earth. 9 He makes wars cease throughout the earth. He shatters bows and cuts spears to pieces; he sets wagons ablaze. 10 “Stop your fighting, and know that I am God, exalted among the nations, exalted on the earth.” 11 The Lord of Armies is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah GOD OUR KING 47 For the choir director. A psalm of the sons of Korah. 1 Clap your hands, all you peoples; shout to God with a jubilant cry . 2 For the Lord, the Most High, is awe-inspiring, a great King over the whole earth. 3 He subdues peoples under us and nations under our feet. 4 He chooses for us our inheritance — the pride of Jacob, whom he loves. Selah 5 God ascends among shouts of joy , the Lord, with the sound of trumpets. 6 Sing praise to God, sing praise; sing praise to our King, sing praise! 7 Sing a song of wisdom, a for God is King of the whole earth. 8 God reigns over the nations; God is seated on his holy throne. 9 The nobles of the peoples have assembled with the people of the God of Abraham. For the leaders b of the earth belong to God; he is greatly exalted.ZION EXALTED 48 A song. A psalm of the sons of Korah. The Lord is great and highly praised in the city of our God. His holy mountain, 2 rising splendidly , is the joy of the whole earth. Mount Zion — the summit of Zaphon — is the city of the great King. 3 God is known as a stronghold in its citadels. 4 Look! The kings assembled; they advanced together. 5 They looked and froze with fear; they fled in terror. 6 Trembling seized them there, agony like that of a woman in labor, 7 as you wrecked the ships of Tarshish with the east wind. 8 Just as we heard, so we have seen in the city of the Lord of Armies, in the city of our God; God will establish it forever. Selah 9 God, within your temple, we contemplate your faithful love. 10 Like your name, God, so your praise reaches to the ends of the earth; your right hand is filled with justice. 11 Mount Zion is glad. Judah’s villages c rejoice because of your judgments. 12 Go around Zion, encircle it; count its towers, 13 note its ramparts; tour its citadels so that you can tell a future generation: 14 “This God, our God forever and ever — he will always lead us.” d MISPLACED TRUST IN WEALTH 49 For the choir director. A psalm of the sons of Korah. 1 Hear this, all you peoples; listen, all who inhabit the world, 2 both low and high, rich and poor together. 3 My mouth speaks wisdom; my heart’s meditation brings understanding. a47:7 Or Sing a maskil b47:9 Lit shields c48:11 Lit daughters d48:14 Some Hb mss, LXX; other Hb mss read over death CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 497 10/26/17 9:00 PM PSALMS 49-50 498 4 I turn my ear to a proverb; I explain my riddle with a lyre. 5 Why should I fear in times of trouble? The iniquity of my foes surrounds me. 6 They trust in their wealth and boast of their abundant riches. 7 Yet these cannot redeem a person a or pay his ransom to God — 8 since the price of redeeming him is too costly , one should forever stop trying b — 9 so that he may live forever and not see the Pit. 10 For one can see that the wise die; the foolish and stupid also pass away . Then they leave their wealth to others. 11 Their graves are their permanent homes, c their dwellings from generation to generation, though they have named estates after themselves. 12 But despite his assets, d mankind will not last; he is like the animals that perish. 13 This is the way of those who are arrogant, and of their followers, who approve of their words. e Selah 14 Like sheep they are headed for Sheol; Death will shepherd them. The upright will rule over them in the morning, and their form will waste away in Sheol, f far from their lofty abode. 15 But God will redeem me from the power of Sheol, for he will take me. Selah 16 Do not be afraid when a person gets rich, when the wealth g of his house increases. 17 For when he dies, he will take nothing at all; his wealth will not follow him down. 18 Though he blesses himself during his lifetime — and you are acclaimed when you do well for yourself — 19 he will go to the generation of his fathers; they will never see the light. 20 Mankind, with his assets but without understanding, is like the animals that perish. GOD AS JUDGE 50 A psalm of Asaph. The Mighty One, God, h the Lord, speaks; he summons the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting. 2 From Zion, the perfection of beauty , God appears in radiance. i 3 Our God is coming; he will not be silent! Devouring fire precedes him, and a storm rages around him. 4 On high, he summons heaven and earth in order to judge his people: 5 “Gather my faithful ones to me, those who made a covenant with me by sacrifice.” 6 The heavens proclaim his righteousness, for God is the Judge. Selah 7 “Listen, my people, and I will speak; I will testify against you, Israel. I am God, your God. 8 I do not rebuke you for your sacrifices or for your burnt offerings, which are continually before me. 9 I will not take a bull from your household or male goats from your pens, 10 for every animal of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. 11 I know every bird of the mountains, and the creatures of the field are mine. 12 If I were hungry , I would not tell you, for the world and everything in it is mine. 13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats? 14 Sacrifice a thank offering to God, and pay your vows to the Most High. 15 Call on me in a day of trouble; I will rescue you, and you will honor me.” a49:7 Or Certainly he cannot redeem himself, or Yet he cannot redeem a brother b49:8 Or costly, it will cease forever c49:11 LXX, Syr , Tg; MT reads Their inner thought is that their houses are eternal d49:12 Or honor e49:13 Lit and after them with their mouth they were pleased f49:14 Hb obscure g49:16 Or glory, also in v. 17 h50:1 Or The God of gods i50:2 Or God shines forth CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 498 10/26/17 9:00 PM 499 PSALMS 50-52 16 But God says to the wicked: “What right do you have to recite my statutes and to take my covenant on your lips? 17 You hate instruction and fling my words behind you. 18 When you see a thief, you make friends with him, and you associate with adulterers. 19 You unleash your mouth for evil and harness your tongue for deceit. 20 You sit, maligning your brother, slandering your mother’s son. 21 You have done these things, and I kept silent; you thought I was just like you. But I will rebuke you and lay out the case before you. a 22 “Understand this, you who forget God, or I will tear you apart, and there will be no one to rescue you. 23 Whoever sacrifices a thank offering honors me, and whoever orders his conduct, I will show him the salvation of God.” A PRAYER FOR RESTORATION 51 For the choir director. A psalm of David, when the prophet Nathan came to him after he had gone to Bathsheba. 1 Be gracious to me, God, according to your faithful love; according to your abundant compassion, blot out my rebellion. 2 Completely wash away my guilt and cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I am conscious of my rebellion, and my sin is always before me. 4 Against you — you alone — I have sinned and done this evil in your sight. So you are right when you pass sentence; you are blameless when you judge. 5 Indeed, I was guilty when I was born; I was sinful when my mother conceived me. 6 Surely you desire integrity in the inner self, and you teach me wisdom deep within. 7 Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow . 8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. 9 Turn your face away b from my sins and blot out all my guilt. 10 God, create a clean heart for me and renew a steadfast c spirit within me. 11 Do not banish me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore the joy of your salvation to me, and sustain me by giving me a willing spirit. 13 Then I will teach the rebellious your ways, and sinners will return to you. 14 Save me from the guilt of bloodshed, God — God of my salvation — and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. 15 Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. 16 You do not want a sacrifice, or I would give it; you are not pleased with a burnt offering. 17 The sacrifice pleasing to God is d a broken spirit. You will not despise a broken and humbled heart, God. 18 In your good pleasure, cause Zion to prosper; build the walls of Jerusalem. 19 Then you will delight in righteous sacrifices, whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on your altar. GOD JUDGES THE PROUD 52 For the choir director. A Maskil of David. When Doeg the Edomite went and reported to Saul, telling him, “David went to Ahimelech’s house.” 1 Why boast about evil, you hero! God’s faithful love is constant. 2 Like a sharpened razor, your tongue devises destruction, working treachery . a50:21 Lit lay it out before your eyes b51:9 Lit Hide your face c51:10 Or right d51:17 Lit The sacrifices of God are CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 499 10/26/17 9:00 PM PSALMS 52-55 500 3 You love evil instead of good, lying instead of speaking truthfully . Selah 4 You love any words that destroy , you treacherous tongue! 5 This is why God will bring you down forever. He will take you, ripping you out of your tent; he will uproot you from the land of the living. Selah 6 The righteous will see and fear, and they will derisively say about that hero, a 7 “Here is the man who would not make God his refuge, but trusted in the abundance of his riches, taking refuge in his destructive behavior.” 8 But I am like a flourishing olive tree in the house of God; I trust in God’s faithful love forever and ever. 9 I will praise you forever for what you have done. In the presence of your faithful people, I will put my hope in your name, for it is good. A PORTRAIT OF SINNERS 53 For the
🙏 Divine Refuge and Retribution
🛡️ God's protection serves as a steadfast refuge for the righteous during persecution, offering shelter from enemies who scheme, threaten, and attack
🌍 The foolishness of denying God leads to corruption and evil deeds, while those who trust in divine strength find security even when surrounded by adversaries
⚖️ Divine justice promises vindication for the faithful and punishment for evildoers, with God ultimately bringing down those who practice wickedness and oppression
🎵 Praise and thanksgiving flow naturally from those who experience God's deliverance, leading to joyful worship and public testimony of divine faithfulness
💧 God's abundant provision enriches the earth with water, growth, and harvest, demonstrating care for both creation and humanity
🌩️ The majesty and power of God inspires awe, as the divine presence causes enemies to scatter while providing special care for the vulnerable
choir director: on Mahalath . A Maskil of David. 1 The fool says in his heart, “There’s no God.” They are corrupt, and they do vile deeds. There is no one who does good. 2 God looks down from heaven on the human race b to see if there is one who is wise, one who seeks God. 3 All have turned away; all alike have become corrupt. There is no one who does good, not even one. 4 Will evildoers never understand? They consume my people as they consume bread; they do not call on God. 5 Then they will be filled with dread — dread like no other — because God will scatter the bones of those who besiege you. You will put them to shame, for God has rejected them. 6 Oh, that Israel’s deliverance would come from Zion! When God restores the fortunes of his people, c let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad. PRAYER FOR DELIVERANCE 54 For the choir director: with stringed instruments. A Maskil of David. When the Ziphites went and said to Saul, “Is David not hiding among us? ” 1 God, save me by your name, and vindicate me by your might! 2 God, hear my prayer; listen to the words from my mouth. 3 For strangers rise up against me, and violent men intend to kill me. They do not let God guide them. d Selah 4 God is my helper; the Lord is the sustainer of my life. e 5 He will repay my adversaries for their evil. Because of your faithfulness, annihilate them. 6 I will sacrifice a freewill offering to you. I will praise your name, Lord, because it is good. 7 For he has rescued me from every trouble, and my eye has looked down on my enemies. BETRAYAL BY A FRIEND 55 For the choir director: with stringed instruments. A Maskil of David. 1 God, listen to my prayer and do not hide from my plea for help. 2 Pay attention to me and answer me. I am restless and in turmoil with my complaint, 3 because of the enemy’s words, f because of the pressure g of the wicked. a52:6 Lit about him b53:2 Or the descendants of Adam c53:6 Or restores his captive people d54:3 Lit They do not set God in front of them e54:4 Or is with those who sustain my life f55:3 Lit voice g55:3 Or threat, or oppression CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 500 10/26/17 9:00 PM 501 PSALMS 55-56 For they bring down disaster on me and harass me in anger. 4 My heart shudders within me; terrors of death sweep over me. 5 Fear and trembling grip me; horror has overwhelmed me. 6 I said, “If only I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and find rest. 7 How far away I would flee; I would stay in the wilderness. Selah 8 I would hurry to my shelter from the raging wind and the storm.” 9 Lord, confuse a and confound their speech, b for I see violence and strife in the city; 10 day and night they make the rounds on its walls. Crime and trouble are within it; 11 destruction is inside it; oppression and deceit never leave its marketplace. 12 Now it is not an enemy who insults me — otherwise I could bear it; it is not a foe who rises up against me — otherwise I could hide from him. 13 But it is you, a man who is my peer, my companion and good friend! 14 We used to have close fellowship; we walked with the crowd into the house of God. 15 Let death take them by surprise; let them go down to Sheol alive, because evil is in their homes and within them. 16 But I call to God, and the Lord will save me. 17 I complain and groan morning, noon, and night, and he hears my voice. 18 Though many are against me, he will redeem me from my battle unharmed. 19 God, the one enthroned from long ago, will hear and will humiliate them Selah because they do not change and do not fear God. 20 My friend acts violently against those at peace with him; he violates his covenant. 21 His buttery words are smooth, but war is in his heart. His words are softer than oil, but they are drawn swords. 22 Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never allow the righteous to be shaken. 23 God, you will bring them down to the Pit of destruction; men of bloodshed and treachery will not live out half their days. But I will trust in you. A CALL FOR GOD’S PROTECTION 56 For the choir director: according to “ A Silent Dove Far Away.” A Miktam of David. When the Philistines seized him in Gath. 1 Be gracious to me, God, for a man is trampling me; he fights and oppresses me all day long. 2 My adversaries trample me all day , for many arrogantly fight against me. c 3 When I am afraid, I will trust in you. 4 In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? 5 They twist my words all day long; all their thoughts against me are evil. 6 They stir up strife, d they lurk; they watch my steps while they wait to take my life. 7 Will they escape in spite of such sin? God, bring down the nations in wrath. 8 You yourself have recorded my wanderings. e Put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book? 9 Then my enemies will retreat on the day when I call. This I know: God is for me. a55:9 Or destroy b55:9 Lit and divide their tongue c56:2 Or many fight against me, O exalted one, or many fight against me from the heights d56:6 Or They attack e56:8 Or misery CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 501 10/26/17 9:00 PM PSALMS 56-59 502 10 In God, whose word I praise, in the Lord, whose word I praise, 11 in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mere humans do to me? 12 I am obligated by vows a to you, God; I will make my thank offerings to you. 13 For you rescued me from death, even my feet from stumbling, to walk before God in the light of life. PRAISE FOR GOD’S PROTECTION 57 For the choir director: “Do Not Destroy.” A Miktam of David. When he fled before Saul into the cave. 1 Be gracious to me, God, be gracious to me, for I take refuge in you. I will seek refuge in the shadow of your wings until danger passes. 2 I call to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me. b 3 He reaches down from heaven and saves me, challenging the one who tramples me. Selah God sends his faithful love and truth. 4 I am surrounded by lions; I lie down among devouring lions — people whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords. 5 God, be exalted above the heavens; let your glory be over the whole earth. 6 They prepared a net for my steps; I was despondent. They dug a pit ahead of me, but they fell into it! Selah 7 My heart is confident, God, my heart is confident. I will sing; I will sing praises. 8 Wake up, my soul! Wake up, harp and lyre! I will wake up the dawn. 9 I will praise you, Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations. 10 For your faithful love is as high as the heavens; your faithfulness reaches the clouds. 11 God, be exalted above the heavens; let your glory be over the whole earth. A CRY AGAINST INJUSTICE 58 For the choir director: “Do Not Destroy.” A Miktam of David. 1 Do you really speak righteously , you mighty ones? c Do you judge people fairly? 2 No, you practice injustice in your hearts; with your hands you weigh out violence in the land. 3 The wicked go astray from the womb; liars wander about from birth. 4 They have venom like the venom of a snake, like the deaf cobra that stops up its ears, 5 that does not listen to the sound of the charmers who skillfully weave spells. 6 God, knock the teeth out of their mouths; L ord, tear out the young lions’ fangs. 7 May they vanish like water that flows by; may they aim their blunted arrows. d 8 Like a slug that moves along in slime, like a woman’s miscarried child, may they not see the sun. 9 Before your pots can feel the heat of the thorns — whether green or burning — he will sweep them away . e 10 The righteous one will rejoice when he sees the retribution; he will wash his feet in the blood of the wicked. 11 Then people will say , “Yes, there is a reward for the righteous! There is a God who judges on earth! ” GOD OUR STRONGHOLD 59 For the choir director: “Do Not Destroy.” A Miktam of David. When Saul sent agents to watch the house and kill him. 1 Rescue me from my enemies, my God; protect me from those who rise up against me. a56:12 Lit On me the vows b57:2 Or who avenges me c58:1 Or Can you really speak righteousness in silence? d58:7 Hb obscure e58:9 Or thorns, he will sweep it away, whether raw or cooking CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 502 10/26/17 9:00 PM 503 PSALMS 59-60 2 Rescue me from those who practice sin, and save me from men of bloodshed. 3 Because look, Lord, they set an ambush for me. Powerful men attack me, but not because of any sin or rebellion of mine. 4 For no fault of mine, they run and take up a position. Awake to help me, and take notice. 5 Lord God of Armies, you are the God of Israel. Rise up to punish all the nations; do not show favor to any wicked traitors. Selah 6 They return at evening, snarling like dogs and prowling around the city . 7 Look, they spew from their mouths — sharp words from a their lips. “For who,” they say , “will hear? ” 8 But you laugh at them, Lord; you ridicule all the nations. 9 I will keep watch for you, my b strength, because God is my stronghold. 10 My faithful God c will come to meet me; God will let me look down on my adversaries. 11 Do not kill them; otherwise, my people will forget. By your power, make them homeless wanderers and bring them down, Lord, our shield. 12 For the sin of their mouths and the words of their lips, let them be caught in their pride. They utter curses and lies. 13 Consume them in rage; consume them until they are gone. Then people will know throughout d the earth that God rules over Jacob. Selah 14 And they return at evening, snarling like dogs and prowling around the city . 15 They scavenge for food; they growl if they are not satisfied. 16 But I will sing of your strength and will joyfully proclaim your faithful love in the morning. For you have been a stronghold for me, a refuge in my day of trouble. 17 To you, my strength, I sing praises, because God is my stronghold — my faithful God. PRAYER IN DIFFICULT TIMES 60 For the choir director: according to “The Lily of Testimony.” A Miktam of David for teaching. When he fought with Aram-naharaim and Aram-zobah, and Joab returned and struck Edom in Salt Valley, killing twelve thousand. 1 God, you have rejected us; you have broken us down; you have been angry . Restore us! e 2 You have shaken the land and split it open. Heal its fissures, for it shudders. 3 You have made your people suffer hardship; you have given us wine to drink that made us stagger. 4 You have given a signal flag to those who fear you, so that they can flee before the archers. f Selah 5 Save with your right hand, and answer me, so that those you love may be rescued. 6 God has spoken in his sanctuary: g “I will celebrate! I will divide up Shechem. I will apportion the Valley of Succoth. 7 Gilead is mine, Manasseh is mine, and Ephraim is my helmet; Judah is my scepter. 8 Moab is my washbasin. I throw my sandal on Edom; I shout in triumph over Philistia.” 9 Who will bring me to the fortified city? Who will lead me to Edom? 10 God, haven’t you rejected us? God, you do not march out with our armies. 11 Give us aid against the foe, for human help is worthless. a59:7 Lit swords are on b59:9 Some Hb mss, LXX, Vg, Tg; other Hb mss read his c59:10 Alt Hb tradition reads My God in his faithful love d59:13 Lit know to the ends of e60:1 Or Turn back to us f60:4 Or can rally before the archers, or can rally because of the truth g60:6 Or has promised by his holy nature CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 503 10/26/17 9:00 PM PSALMS 60-63 504 12 With God we will perform valiantly; he will trample our foes. SECURITY IN GOD 61 For the choir director: on stringed instruments. Of David. 1 God, hear my cry; pay attention to my prayer. 2 I call to you from the ends of the earth when my heart is without strength. Lead me to a rock that is high above me, 3 for you have been a refuge for me, a strong tower in the face of the enemy . 4 I will dwell in your tent forever and take refuge under the shelter of your wings. Selah 5 God, you have heard my vows; you have given a heritage to those who fear your name. 6 Add days to the king’s life; may his years span many generations. 7 May he sit enthroned before God forever. Appoint faithful love and truth to guard him. 8 Then I will continually sing of your name, fulfilling my vows day by day . TRUST IN GOD ALONE 62 For the choir director: according to Jeduthun. A psalm of David. 1 I am at rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. 2 He alone is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I will never be shaken. 3 How long will you threaten a man? Will all of you attack a as if he were a leaning wall or a tottering fence? 4 They only plan to bring him down from his high position. They take pleasure in lying; they bless with their mouths, but they curse inwardly . Selah 5 Rest in God alone, my soul, for my hope comes from him. 6 He alone is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I will not be shaken. 7 My salvation and glory depend on God, my strong rock. My refuge is in God. 8 Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts before him. God is our refuge. Selah 9 Common people are only a vapor; important people, an illusion. Together on a scale, they weigh less than b a vapor. 10 Place no trust in oppression, or false hope in robbery . If wealth increases, don’t set your heart on it. 11 God has spoken once; I have heard this twice: strength belongs to God, 12 and faithful love belongs to you, Lord. For you repay each according to his works. PRAISE GOD WHO SATISFIES 63 A psalm of David. When he was in the Wilderness of Judah. 1 God, you are my God; I eagerly seek you. I thirst for you; my body faints for you in a land that is dry , desolate, and without water. 2 So I gaze on you in the sanctuary to see your strength and your glory . 3 My lips will glorify you because your faithful love is better than life. 4 So I will bless you as long as I live; at your name, I will lift up my hands. 5 You satisfy me as with rich food; c my mouth will praise you with joyful lips. 6 When I think of you as I lie on my bed, I meditate on you during the night watches 7 because you are my helper; I will rejoice in the shadow of your wings. 8 I follow close to you; your right hand holds on to me. 9 But those who intend to destroy my life will go into the depths of the earth. a62:3 Some Hb mss read you be struck down b62:9 Lit they go up more than c63:5 Lit with fat and fatness CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 504 10/26/17 9:00 PM 505 PSALMS 63-66 10 They will be given over to the power of the sword; they will become a meal for jackals. 11 But the king will rejoice in God; all who swear by him will boast, for the mouths of liars will be shut. PROTECTION FROM EVILDOERS 64 For the choir director. A psalm of David. God, hear my voice when I am in anguish. Protect my life from the terror of the enemy . 2 Hide me from the scheming of wicked people, from the mob of evildoers, 3 who sharpen their tongues like swords and aim bitter words like arrows, 4 shooting from concealed places at the blameless. They shoot at him suddenly and are not afraid. 5 They adopt a an evil plan; they talk about hiding traps and say , “Who will see them? ” b 6 They devise crimes and say , “We have perfected a secret plan.” The inner man and the heart are mysterious. 7 But God will shoot them with arrows; suddenly , they will be wounded. 8 They will be made to stumble; their own tongues work against them. All who see them will shake their heads. 9 Then everyone will fear and will tell about God’s work, for they will understand what he has done. 10 The righteous one rejoices in the Lord and takes refuge in him; all those who are upright in heart will offer praise. GOD’S CARE FOR THE EARTH 65 For the choir director. A psalm of David. A song. 1 Praise is rightfully yours, c God, in Zion; vows to you will be fulfilled. 2 All humanity will come to you, the one who hears prayer. 3 Iniquities overwhelm me; only you can atone for our rebellions. 4 How happy is the one you choose and bring near to live in your courts! We will be satisfied with the goodness of your house, the holiness of your temple. d 5 You answer us in righteousness, with awe-inspiring works, God of our salvation, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the distant seas. 6 You establish the mountains by your power; you are robed with strength. 7 You silence the roar of the seas, the roar of their waves, and the tumult of the nations. 8 Those who live far away are awed by your signs; you make east and west shout for joy . 9 You visit the earth and water it abundantly , enriching it greatly . God’s stream is filled with water, for you prepare the earth in this way , providing people with grain. 10 You soften it with showers and bless its growth, soaking its furrows and leveling its ridges. 11 You crown the year with your goodness; your carts overflow with plenty . e 12 The wilderness pastures overflow , and the hills are robed with joy . 13 The pastures are clothed with flocks and the valleys covered with grain. They shout in triumph; indeed, they sing. PRAISE FOR GOD’S MIGHTY ACTS 66 For the choir director. A song. A psalm. Let the whole earth shout joyfully to God! 2 Sing about the glory of his name; make his praise glorious. a64:5 Or They strengthen themselves with b64:5 Or it c65:1 Or Praise is silence to you, or Praise awaits you d65:4 Or house, your holy temple e65:11 Lit your paths drip with fat CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 505 10/26/17 9:00 PM PSALMS 66-68 506 3 Say to God, “How awe-inspiring are your works! Your enemies will cringe before you because of your great strength. 4 The whole earth will worship you and sing praise to you. They will sing praise to your name.” Selah 5 Come and see the wonders of God; his acts for humanity a are awe-inspiring. 6 He turned the sea into dry land, and they crossed the river on foot. There we rejoiced in him. 7 He rules forever by his might; he keeps his eye on the nations. The rebellious should not exalt themselves. Selah 8 Bless our God, you peoples; let the sound of his praise be heard. 9 He keeps us alive b and does not allow our feet to slip. 10 For you, God, tested us; you refined us as silver is refined. 11 You lured us into a trap; you placed burdens on our backs. 12 You let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but you brought us out to abundance. c 13 I will enter your house with burnt offerings; I will pay you my vows 14 that my lips promised and my mouth spoke during my distress. 15 I will offer you fattened sheep as burnt offerings, with the fragrant smoke of rams; I will sacrifice bulls with goats. Selah 16 Come and listen, all who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for me. 17 I cried out to him with my mouth, and praise was on my tongue. 18 If I had been aware of malice in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. 19 However, God has listened; he has paid attention to the sound of my prayer. 20 Blessed be God! He has not turned away my prayer or turned his faithful love from me. ALL WILL PRAISE GOD 67 For the choir director: with stringed instruments. A psalm. A song. 1 May God be gracious to us and bless us; may he make his face shine upon us Selah 2 so that your way may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations. 3 Let the peoples praise you, God; let all the peoples praise you. 4 Let the nations rejoice and shout for joy , for you judge the peoples with fairness and lead the nations on earth. Selah 5 Let the peoples praise you, God, let all the peoples praise you. 6 The earth has produced its harvest; God, our God, blesses us. 7 God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth will fear him. GOD’S MAJESTIC POWER 68 For the choir director. A psalm of David. A song. 1 God arises. His enemies scatter, and those who hate him flee from his presence. 2 As smoke is blown away , so you blow them away . As wax melts before the fire, so the wicked are destroyed before God. 3 But the righteous are glad; they rejoice before God and celebrate with joy . 4 Sing to God! Sing praises to his name. Exalt him who rides on the clouds d — his name is the Lord e — and celebrate before him. 5 God in his holy dwelling is a father of the fatherless and a champion of widows. 6 God provides homes for those who are deserted. a66:5 Or for the descendants of Adam b66:9 Lit He sets our
📜 Divine Sovereignty and Deliverance
🛡️ God's protection manifests through powerful deliverance, rescuing the oppressed and judging the wicked with divine authority
🙏 The psalmist's personal laments reveal profound emotional struggles—from sinking in deep waters to facing enemies—while maintaining unwavering faith in God's salvation
👑 Divine kingship establishes justice for the afflicted, with the righteous ruler bringing prosperity like rain on parched land and extending dominion "from sea to sea"
⚖️ The apparent prosperity of the wicked creates spiritual tension until resolved through understanding their ultimate destiny in God's sanctuary
🔥 Even in times of national crisis when enemies destroy sacred spaces, remembrance of God's historical acts of deliverance provides hope for present troubles
🌅 Intergenerational faith emerges as the elderly psalmist proclaims God's wondrous works to the next generation, ensuring divine righteousness endures through time
soul in life c66:12 Or a place of satisfaction d68:4 Or rides through the desert e68:4 Hb Yah CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 506 10/26/17 9:00 PM 507 PSALM 68 He leads out the prisoners to prosperity , a but the rebellious live in a scorched land. 7 God, when you went out before your people, when you marched through the desert, Selah 8 the earth trembled and the skies poured rain before God, the God of Sinai, b before God, the God of Israel. 9 You, God, showered abundant rain; you revived your inheritance when it languished. 10 Your people settled in it; God, you provided for the poor by your goodness. 11 The Lord gave the command; a great company of women brought the good news: 12 “The kings of the armies flee — they flee! ” She who stays at home divides the spoil. 13 While c you lie among the sheep pens, d the wings of a dove are covered with silver, and its feathers with glistening gold. 14 When the Almighty scattered kings in the land, it snowed on Zalmon. e 15 Mount Bashan is God’s towering mountain; Mount Bashan is a mountain of many peaks. 16 Why gaze with envy , you mountain peaks, at the mountain God desired for his abode? The Lord will dwell there forever! 17 God’s chariots are tens of thousands, thousands and thousands; the Lord is among them in the sanctuary f as he was at Sinai. 18 You ascended to the heights, taking away captives; you received gifts from g people, even from the rebellious, so that the Lord God might dwell there. h 19 Blessed be the Lord! Day after day he bears our burdens; God is our salvation. Selah 20 Our God is a God of salvation, and escape from death belongs to the Lord my Lord. 21 Surely God crushes the heads of his enemies, the hairy brow of one who goes on in his guilty acts. 22 The Lord said, “I will bring them back from Bashan; I will bring them back from the depths of the sea 23 so that your foot may wade i in blood and your dogs’ tongues may have their share from the enemies.” 24 People have seen your procession, God, the procession of my God, my King, in the sanctuary . 25 Singers lead the way , with musicians following; among them are young women playing tambourines. 26 Bless God in the assemblies; bless the Lord from the fountain of Israel. 27 There is Benjamin, the youngest, leading them, the rulers of Judah in their assembly , j the rulers of Zebulun, the rulers of Naphtali. 28 Your God has decreed your strength. Show your strength, God, you who have acted on our behalf. 29 Because of your temple at Jerusalem, kings will bring tribute to you. 30 Rebuke the beast in the reeds, the herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples. Trample underfoot those with bars of silver. k Scatter the peoples who take pleasure in war. a68:6 Or prisoners with joyous music ; Hb uncertain b68:8 Or God, this one of Sinai c68:13 Or If d68:13 Or the campfires, or the saddlebags ; Hb obscure e68:14 Or Black Mountain f68:17 Or in holiness, also in v. 24 g68:18 Lit among h68:18 Or even those rebelling against the Lord God’s living there ; Hb obscure i68:23 LXX, Syr read dip j68:27 Hb obscure k68:30 Or peoples, trampling on those who take pleasure in silver, or peoples, trampling on the bars of silver, or peoples, who trample each other for bars of silver CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 507 10/26/17 9:00 PM PSALMS 68-69 508 31 Ambassadors will come a from Egypt; Cush will stretch out its hands to God. 32 Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth; sing praise to the Lord, Selah 33 to him who rides in the ancient, highest heavens. Look, he thunders with his powerful voice! 34 Ascribe power to God. His majesty is over Israel, his power is among the clouds. 35 God, you are awe-inspiring in your sanctuaries. The God of Israel gives power and strength to his people. Blessed be God! A PLEA FOR RESCUE 69 For the choir director: according to “The Lilies.” Of David. 1 Save me, God, for the water has risen to my neck. 2 I have sunk in deep mud, and there is no footing; I have come into deep water, and a flood sweeps over me. 3 I am weary from my crying; my throat is parched. My eyes fail, looking for my God. 4 Those who hate me without cause are more numerous than the hairs of my head; my deceitful enemies, who would destroy me, are powerful. Though I did not steal, I must repay . 5 God, you know my foolishness, and my guilty acts are not hidden from you. 6 Do not let those who put their hope in you be disgraced because of me, Lord God of Armies; do not let those who seek you be humiliated because of me, God of Israel. 7 For I have endured insults because of you, and shame has covered my face. 8 I have become a stranger to my brothers and a foreigner to my mother’s sons 9 because zeal for your house has consumed me, and the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me. 10 I mourned and fasted, but it brought me insults. 11 I wore sackcloth as my clothing, and I was a joke to them. 12 Those who sit at the city gate talk about me, and drunkards make up songs about me. 13 But as for me, Lord, my prayer to you is for a time of favor. In your abundant, faithful love, God, answer me with your sure salvation. 14 Rescue me from the miry mud; don’t let me sink. Let me be rescued from those who hate me and from the deep water. 15 Don’t let the floodwaters sweep over me or the deep swallow me up; don’t let the Pit close its mouth over me. 16 Answer me, Lord, for your faithful love is good. In keeping with your abundant compassion, turn to me. 17 Don’t hide your face from your servant, for I am in distress. Answer me quickly! 18 Come near to me and redeem me; ransom me because of my enemies. 19 You know the insults I endure — my shame and disgrace. You are aware of all my adversaries. 20 Insults have broken my heart, and I am in despair. I waited for sympathy , but there was none; for comforters, but found no one. 21 Instead, they gave me gall for my food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. 22 Let their table set before them be a snare, a68:31 Or They bring red cloth, or They bring bronze CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 508 10/26/17 9:00 PM 509 PSALMS 69-71 and let it be a trap for their allies. 23 Let their eyes grow too dim to see, and let their hips continually quake. 24 Pour out your rage on them, and let your burning anger overtake them. 25 Make their fortification desolate; may no one live in their tents. 26 For they persecute the one you struck and talk about the pain of those you wounded. 27 Charge them with crime on top of crime; do not let them share in your righteousness. 28 Let them be erased from the book of life and not be recorded with the righteous. 29 But as for me — poor and in pain — let your salvation protect me, God. 30 I will praise God’s name with song and exalt him with thanksgiving. 31 That will please the Lord more than an ox, more than a bull with horns and hooves. 32 The humble will see it and rejoice. You who seek God, take heart! 33 For the Lord listens to the needy and does not despise his own who are prisoners. 34 Let heaven and earth praise him, the seas and everything that moves in them, 35 for God will save Zion and build up a the cities of Judah. They will live there and possess it. 36 The descendants of his servants will inherit it, and those who love his name will live in it. A CALL FOR DELIVERANCE 70 For the choir director. Of David. To bring remembrance. 1 God, hurry to rescue me. L ord, hurry to help me! 2 Let those who seek to kill me be disgraced and confounded; let those who wish me harm be turned back and humiliated. 3 Let those who say , “ Aha, aha! ” retreat because of their shame. 4 Let all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; let those who love your salvation continually say , “God is great! ” 5 I am oppressed and needy; hurry to me, God. You are my help and my deliverer; L ord, do not delay . GOD’S HELP IN OLD AGE 71 Lord, I seek refuge in you; let me never be disgraced. 2 In your justice, rescue and deliver me; listen closely to me and save me. 3 Be a rock of refuge for me, where I can always go. Give the command to save me, for you are my rock and fortress. 4 Deliver me, my God, from the power of the wicked, from the grasp of the unjust and oppressive. 5 For you are my hope, Lord God, my confidence from my youth. 6 I have leaned on you from birth; you took me from my mother’s womb. My praise is always about you. 7 I am like a miraculous sign to many , and you are my strong refuge. 8 My mouth is full of praise and honor to you all day long. 9 Don’t discard me in my old age. As my strength fails, do not abandon me. 10 For my enemies talk about me, and those who spy on me plot together, 11 saying, “God has abandoned him; chase him and catch him, for there is no one to rescue him.” 12 God, do not be far from me; my God, hurry to help me. 13 May my adversaries be disgraced and destroyed; may those who intend to harm me be covered with disgrace and humiliation. 14 But I will hope continually and will praise you more and more. a69:35 Or and rebuild CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 509 10/26/17 9:00 PM PSALMS 71-72 510 15 My mouth will tell about your righteousness and your salvation all day long, though I cannot sum them up. 16 I come because of the mighty acts of the Lord God; I will proclaim your righteousness, yours alone. 17 God, you have taught me from my youth, and I still proclaim your wondrous works. 18 Even while I am old and gray , God, do not abandon me, while I proclaim your power to another generation, your strength to all who are to come. 19 Your righteousness reaches the heights, God, you who have done great things; God, who is like you? 20 You caused me to experience many troubles and misfortunes, but you will revive me again. You will bring me up again, even from the depths of the earth. 21 You will increase my honor and comfort me once again. 22 Therefore, I will praise you with a harp for your faithfulness, my God; I will sing to you with a lyre, Holy One of Israel. 23 My lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to you because you have redeemed me. 24 Therefore, my tongue will proclaim your righteousness all day long, for those who intend to harm me will be disgraced and confounded. A PRAYER FOR THE KING 72 Of Solomon. God, give your justice to the king and your righteousness to the king’s son. 2 He will judge your people with righteousness and your afflicted ones with justice. 3 May the mountains bring well-being a to the people and the hills, righteousness. 4 May he vindicate the afflicted among the people, help the poor, and crush the oppressor. 5 May they fear you b while the sun endures and as long as the moon, throughout all generations. 6 May the king be like rain that falls on the cut grass, like spring showers that water the earth. 7 May the righteous c flourish in his days and well-being abound until the moon is no more. 8 May he rule from sea to sea and from the Euphrates to the ends of the earth. 9 May desert tribes kneel before him and his enemies lick the dust. 10 May the kings of Tarshish and the coasts and islands bring tribute, the kings of Sheba and Seba offer gifts. 11 Let all kings bow in homage to him, all nations serve him. 12 For he will rescue the poor who cry out and the afflicted who have no helper. 13 He will have pity on the poor and helpless and save the lives of the poor. 14 He will redeem them from oppression and violence, for their lives are d precious e in his sight. 15 May he live long! May gold from Sheba be given to him. May prayer be offered for him continually , and may he be blessed all day long. 16 May there be plenty of grain in the land; may it wave on the tops of the mountains. May its crops be like Lebanon. May people flourish in the cities like the grass of the field. 17 May his name endure forever; as long as the sun shines, may his fame increase. May all nations be blessed by him and call him blessed. a72:3 Or peace, also in v. 7 b72:5 LXX reads May he continue c72:7 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr , Jer read May righteousness d72:14 Lit their blood is e72:14 Or valuable CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 510 10/26/17 9:00 PM 511 PSALMS 72-74 18 Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who alone does wonders. 19 Blessed be his glorious name forever; the whole earth is filled with his glory . Amen and amen. 20 The prayers of David son of Jesse are concluded. BOOK III (Psalms 73–89) GOD’S WAYS VINDICATED 73 A psalm of Asaph. God is indeed good to Israel, to the pure in heart. 2 But as for me, my feet almost slipped; my steps nearly went astray . 3 For I envied the arrogant; I saw the prosperity of the wicked. 4 They have an easy time until they die, a and their bodies are well fed. b 5 They are not in trouble like others; they are not afflicted like most people. 6 Therefore, pride is their necklace, and violence covers them like a garment. 7 Their eyes bulge out from fatness; the imaginations of their hearts run wild. 8 They mock, and they speak maliciously; they arrogantly threaten oppression. 9 They set their mouths against heaven, and their tongues strut across the earth. 10 Therefore his people turn to them c and drink in their overflowing words. d 11 The wicked say , “How can God know? Does the Most High know everything? ” 12 Look at them — the wicked! They are always at ease, and they increase their wealth. 13 Did I purify my heart and wash my hands in innocence for nothing? 14 For I am afflicted all day long and punished every morning. 15 If I had decided to say these things aloud, I would have betrayed your people. e 16 When I tried to understand all this, it seemed hopeless f 17 until I entered God’s sanctuary . Then I understood their destiny . 18 Indeed, you put them in slippery places; you make them fall into ruin. 19 How suddenly they become a desolation! They come to an end, swept away by terrors. 20 Like one waking from a dream, Lord, when arising, you will despise their image. 21 When I became embittered and my innermost being g was wounded, 22 I was stupid and didn’t understand; I was an unthinking animal toward you. 23 Yet I am always with you; you hold my right hand. 24 You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me up in glory . h 25 Who do I have in heaven but you? And I desire nothing on earth but you. 26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength i of my heart, my portion forever. 27 Those far from you will certainly perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you. 28 But as for me, God’s presence is my good. I have made the Lord God my refuge, so I can tell about all you do. PRAYER FOR ISRAEL 74 A Maskil of Asaph. Why have you rejected us forever, God? Why does your anger burn against the sheep of your pasture? 2 Remember your congregation, which you purchased long ago and redeemed as the tribe for your own possession. Remember Mount Zion where you dwell. 3 Make your way j to the perpetual ruins, to all that the enemy has destroyed in the sanctuary . a73:4 Lit For there are no pangs to their death b73:4 Lit fat c73:10 Lit turn here d73:10 Lit and waters of fullness are drained by them e73:15 Lit betrayed the generation of your sons f73:16 Lit it was trouble in my eyes g73:21 Lit my kidneys h 73:24 Or will receive me with honor i 73:26 Lit rock j 74:3 Lit Lift up your steps CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 511 10/26/17 9:00 PM PSALMS 74-75 512 4 Your adversaries roared in the meeting place where you met with us. a They set up their emblems as signs. 5 It was like men in a thicket of trees, wielding axes, 6 then smashing all the carvings with hatchets and picks. 7 They set your sanctuary on fire; they utterly b desecrated the dwelling place of your name. 8 They said in their hearts, “Let us oppress them relentlessly .” They burned every place throughout the land where God met with us. c 9 There are no signs for us to see. There is no longer a prophet. And none of us knows how long this will last. 10 God, how long will the enemy mock? Will the foe insult your name forever? 11 Why do you hold back your hand? Stretch out d your right hand and destroy them! 12 God my King is from ancient times, performing saving acts on the earth. 13 You divided the sea with your strength; you smashed the heads of the sea monsters in the water; 14 you crushed the heads of Leviathan; you fed him to the creatures of the desert. 15 You opened up springs and streams; you dried up ever -flowing rivers. 16 The day is yours, also the night; you established the moon and the sun. 17 You set all the boundaries of the earth; you made summer and winter. 18 Remember this: the enemy has mocked the Lord, and a foolish people has insulted your name. 19 Do not give to beasts the life of your dove; e do not forget the lives of your poor people forever. 20 Consider the covenant, for the dark places of the land are full of violence. 21 Do not let the oppressed turn away in shame; let the poor and needy praise your name. 22 Rise up, God, champion your cause! Remember the insults that fools bring against you all day long. 23 Do not forget the clamor of your adversaries, the tumult of your opponents that goes up constantly . GOD JUDGES THE WICKED 75 For the choir director: “Do Not Destroy.” A psalm of Asaph. A song. We give thanks to you, God; we give thanks to you, for your name is near. People tell about your wondrous works. 2 “When I choose a time, I will judge fairly . 3 When the earth and all its inhabitants shake, I am the one who steadies its pillars. Selah 4 I say to the boastful, ‘Do not boast,’ and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horn. 5 Do not lift up your horn against heaven f or speak arrogantly .’ ” 6 Exaltation does not come from the east, the west, or the desert, 7 for God is the Judge: He brings down one and exalts another. 8 For there is a cup in the Lord’s hand, full of wine blended with spices, and he pours from it. All the wicked of the earth will drink, draining it to the dregs. 9 As for me, I will tell about him forever; I will sing praise to the God of Jacob. 10 “I will cut off all the horns of the wicked, but the horns of the righteous will be lifted up.” a74:4 Lit in your meeting place b74:7 Lit they to the ground c74:8 Lit every meeting place of God in the land d74:11 Lit From your bosom e74:19 One Hb ms, LXX, Syr read life that praises you f75:5 Lit horn to the height CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 512 10/26/17 9:00 PM 513 PSALMS 76-77 GOD, THE POWERFUL JUDGE 76 For the choir director: with stringed instruments. A psalm of Asaph. A song. 1 God is known in Judah; his name is great in Israel. 2 His tent is in Salem, his dwelling place in Zion. 3 There he shatters the bow’s flaming arrows, the shield, the sword, and the weapons of war. Selah 4 You are resplendent and majestic coming down from the mountains of prey . 5 The brave-hearted have been plundered; they have slipped into their final sleep. None of the warriors was able to lift a hand. 6 At your rebuke, God of Jacob, both chariot and horse lay still. 7 And you — you are to be feared. a When you are angry , who can stand before you? 8 From heaven you pronounced judgment. The earth feared and grew quiet 9 when God rose up to judge and to save all the lowly of the earth. Selah 10 Even human wrath will praise you; you will clothe yourself with the wrath that remains. b 11 Make and keep your vows to the Lord your God; let all who are around him bring tribute to the awe-inspiring one. c 12 He humbles the spirit of leaders; he is feared by the kings of the earth. CONFIDENCE IN A TIME OF CRISIS 77 For the choir director: according to Jeduthun. Of Asaph. A psalm. I cry aloud to God, aloud to God, and he will hear me. 2 I sought the Lord in my day of trouble. My hands were continually lifted up all night long; I refused to be comforted. 3 I think of God; I groan; I meditate; my spirit becomes weak. Selah 4 You have kept me from closing my eyes; I am troubled and cannot speak. 5 I consider days of old, years long past. 6 At night I remember my music; I meditate in my heart, and my spirit ponders. 7 “Will the Lord reject forever and never again show favor? 8 Has his faithful love ceased forever? Is his promise at an end for all generations? 9 Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he in anger withheld his compassion? ” Selah 10 So I say , “I am grieved that the right hand of the Most High has changed.” b 11 I will remember the Lord’s works; yes, I will remember your ancient wonders. 12 I will reflect on all you have done and meditate on your actions. 13 God, your way is holy . What god is great like God? 14 You are the God who works wonders; you revealed your strength among the peoples. 15
🙏 Divine Faithfulness Amid Rebellion
🌊 God's power manifests dramatically through nature—splitting seas, providing water from rocks, and guiding with clouds—demonstrating sovereign control over creation for His people's deliverance
🔄 Israel's cycle of rebellion persists despite witnessing miraculous provisions, as they repeatedly test God, forget His works, and break His covenant
🕊️ Despite human unfaithfulness, God shows compassionate restraint, remembering people's frailty and not unleashing His full wrath, repeatedly offering restoration to those who return
🛡️ The sanctuary (tabernacle/temple) represents God's dwelling among His people, becoming both the object of enemy destruction and the place where faithful hearts long to dwell
🙌 Prayer becomes the lifeline for the faithful during times of distress, as they plead for God to restore His favor, protect His people, and bring justice against oppressors
🌱 The ultimate hope rests in God's promise to establish Zion as His dwelling place and appoint faithful leadership (David) to shepherd His people with skill and integrity
With power you redeemed your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph. Selah 16 The water saw you, God. The water saw you; it trembled. Even the depths shook. 17 The clouds poured down water. The storm clouds thundered; your arrows flashed back and forth. 18 The sound of your thunder was in the whirlwind; lightning lit up the world. The earth shook and quaked. 19 Your way went through the sea and your path through the vast water, but your footprints were unseen. a76:7 Or are awe-inspiring b76:10; 77:10 Hb obscure c76:11 Or tribute with awe CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 513 10/26/17 9:00 PM PSALMS 77-78 514 20 You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron. LESSONS FROM ISRAEL’S PAST 78 A Maskil of Asaph. My people, hear my instruction; listen to the words from my mouth. 2 I will declare wise sayings; I will speak mysteries from the past — 3 things we have heard and known and that our fathers have passed down to us. 4 We will not hide them from their children, but will tell a future generation the praiseworthy acts of the Lord, his might, and the wondrous works he has performed. 5 He established a testimony in Jacob and set up a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children 6 so that a future generation — children yet to be born — might know . They were to rise and tell their children 7 so that they might put their confidence in God and not forget God’s works, but keep his commands. 8 Then they would not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not loyal and whose spirit was not faithful to God. 9 The Ephraimite archers turned back on the day of battle. 10 They did not keep God’s covenant and refused to live by his law . 11 They forgot what he had done, the wondrous works he had shown them. 12 He worked wonders in the sight of their fathers in the land of Egypt, the territory of Zoan. 13 He split the sea and brought them across; the water stood firm like a wall. 14 He led them with a cloud by day and with a fiery light throughout the night. 15 He split rocks in the wilderness and gave them drink as abundant as the depths. 16 He brought streams out of the stone and made water flow down like rivers. 17 But they continued to sin against him, rebelling in the desert against the Most High. 18 They deliberately a tested God, demanding the food they craved. 19 They spoke against God, saying, “Is God able to provide food in the wilderness? 20 Look! He struck the rock and water gushed out; torrents overflowed. But can he also provide bread or furnish meat for his people? ” 21 Therefore, the Lord heard and became furious; then fire broke out against Jacob, and anger flared up against Israel 22 because they did not believe God or rely on his salvation. 23 He gave a command to the clouds above and opened the doors of heaven. 24 He rained manna for them to eat; he gave them grain from heaven. 25 People b ate the bread of angels. c He sent them an abundant supply of food. 26 He made the east wind blow in the skies and drove the south wind by his might. 27 He rained meat on them like dust, and winged birds like the sand of the seas. 28 He made them fall in the camp, all around the tents. 29 The people ate and were completely satisfied, for he gave them what they craved. 30 Before they had turned from what they craved, while the food was still in their mouths, 31 God’s anger flared up against them, and he killed some of their best men. He struck down Israel’s fit young men. 32 Despite all this, they kept sinning and did not believe his wondrous works. 33 He made their days end in futility , a78:18 Lit in their heart b78:25 Lit Man c78:25 Lit mighty ones CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 514 10/26/17 9:00 PM 515 PSALM 78 their years in sudden disaster. 34 When he killed some of them, the rest began to seek him; they repented and searched for God. 35 They remembered that God was their rock, the Most High God, their Redeemer. 36 But they deceived him with their mouths, they lied to him with their tongues, 37 their hearts were insincere toward him, and they were unfaithful to his covenant. 38 Yet he was compassionate; he atoned for their iniquity and did not destroy them. He often turned his anger aside and did not unleash a all his wrath. 39 He remembered that they were only flesh, a wind that passes and does not return. 40 How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness and grieved him in the desert. 41 They constantly tested God and provoked the Holy One of Israel. 42 They did not remember his power shown on the day he redeemed them from the foe, 43 when he performed his miraculous signs in Egypt and his wonders in the territory of Zoan. 44 He turned their rivers into blood, and they could not drink from their streams. 45 He sent among them swarms of flies, which fed on them, and frogs, which devastated them. 46 He gave their crops to the caterpillar and the fruit of their labor to the locust. 47 He killed their vines with hail and their sycamore fig trees with a flood. 48 He handed over their livestock to hail and their cattle to lightning bolts. 49 He sent his burning anger against them: fury , indignation, and calamity — a band of deadly messengers. b 50 He cleared a path for his anger. He did not spare them from death but delivered their lives to the plague. 51 He struck all the firstborn in Egypt, the first progeny of the tents of Ham. 52 He led his people out like sheep and guided them like a flock in the wilderness. 53 He led them safely , and they were not afraid; but the sea covered their enemies. 54 He brought them to his holy territory , to the mountain his right hand acquired. 55 He drove out nations before them. He apportioned their inheritance by lot and settled the tribes of Israel in their tents. 56 But they rebelliously tested the Most High God, for they did not keep his decrees. 57 They treacherously turned away like their fathers; they became warped like a faulty bow . 58 They enraged him with their high places and provoked his jealousy with their carved images. 59 God heard and became furious; he completely rejected Israel. 60 He abandoned the tabernacle at Shiloh, the tent where he resided among mankind. 61 He gave up his strength to captivity and his splendor to the hand of a foe. 62 He surrendered his people to the sword because he was enraged with his heritage. 63 Fire consumed his chosen young men, and his young women had no wedding songs. c 64 His priests fell by the sword, and the widows could not lament. 65 The Lord awoke as if from sleep, like a warrior from the effects of wine. 66 He beat back his foes; he gave them lasting disgrace. 67 He rejected the tent of Joseph and did not choose the tribe of Ephraim. a78:38 Or stir up b78:49 Or angels c78:63 Lit virgins were not praised CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 515 10/26/17 9:00 PM PSALMS 78-80 516 68 He chose instead the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which he loved. 69 He built his sanctuary like the heights, like the earth that he established forever. 70 He chose David his servant and took him from the sheep pens; 71 he brought him from tending ewes to be shepherd over his people Jacob — over Israel, his inheritance. 72 He shepherded them with a pure heart and guided them with his skillful hands. FAITH AMID CONFUSION 79 A psalm of Asaph. God, the nations have invaded your inheritance, desecrated your holy temple, and turned Jerusalem into ruins. 2 They gave the corpses of your servants to the birds of the sky for food, the flesh of your faithful ones to the beasts of the earth. 3 They poured out their blood like water all around Jerusalem, and there was no one to bury them. 4 We have become an object of reproach to our neighbors, a source of mockery and ridicule to those around us. 5 How long, Lord? Will you be angry forever? Will your jealousy keep burning like fire? 6 Pour out your wrath on the nations that don’t acknowledge you, on the kingdoms that don’t call on your name, 7 for they have devoured Jacob and devastated his homeland. 8 Do not hold past iniquities a against us; let your compassion come to us quickly , for we have become very weak. 9 God of our salvation, help us — for the glory of your name. Rescue us and atone for our sins, for your name’s sake. 10 Why should the nations ask, “Where is their God? ” Before our eyes, let vengeance for the shed blood of your servants be known among the nations. 11 Let the groans of the prisoners reach you; according to your great power, preserve those condemned to die. 12 Pay back sevenfold to our neighbors the reproach they have hurled at you, Lord. 13 Then we, your people, the sheep of your pasture, will thank you forever; we will declare your praise to generation after generation. A PRAYER FOR RESTORATION 80 For the choir director: according to “The Lilies.” A testimony of Asaph. A psalm. 1 Listen, Shepherd of Israel, who leads Joseph like a flock; you who sit enthroned between the cherubim, shine 2 on Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh. Rally your power and come to save us. 3 Restore us, God; make your face shine on us, so that we may be saved. 4 Lord God of Armies, how long will you be angry with your people’s prayers? 5 You fed them the bread of tears and gave them a full measure b of tears to drink. 6 You put us at odds with our neighbors; our enemies mock us. 7 Restore us, God of Armies; make your face shine on us, so that we may be saved. 8 You dug up a vine from Egypt; you drove out the nations and planted it. 9 You cleared a place for it; it took root and filled the land. 10 The mountains were covered by its shade, and the mighty cedars c with its branches. a79:8 Or hold the sins of past generations b80:5 Lit a one-third measure c80:10 Lit the cedars of God CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 516 10/26/17 9:00 PM 517 PSALMS 80-82 11 It sent out sprouts toward the Sea a and shoots toward the River. b 12 Why have you broken down its walls so that all who pass by pick its fruit? 13 Boars from the forest tear at it and creatures of the field feed on it. 14 Return, God of Armies. Look down from heaven and see; take care of this vine, 15 the root c your right hand planted, the son d that you made strong for yourself. 16 It was cut down and burned; they e perish at the rebuke of your countenance. 17 Let your hand be with the man at your right hand, with the son of man you have made strong for yourself. 18 Then we will not turn away from you; revive us, and we will call on your name. 19 Restore us, Lord, God of Armies; make your face shine on us, so that we may be saved. A CALL TO OBEDIENCE 81 For the choir director: on the Gittith . Of Asaph. 1 Sing for joy to God our strength; shout in triumph to the God of Jacob. 2 Lift up a song — play the tambourine, the melodious lyre, and the harp. 3 Blow the horn on the day of our feasts f during the new moon and during the full moon. 4 For this is a statute for Israel, an ordinance of the God of Jacob. 5 He set it up as a decree for Joseph when he went throughout g the land of Egypt. I heard an unfamiliar language: 6 “I relieved his shoulder from the burden; his hands were freed from carrying the basket. 7 You called out in distress, and I rescued you; I answered you from the thundercloud. I tested you at the Waters of Meribah. Selah 8 Listen, my people, and I will admonish you. Israel, if you would only listen to me! 9 There must not be a strange god among you; you must not bow down to a foreign god. 10 I am the Lord your God, who brought you up from the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it. 11 “But my people did not listen to my voice; Israel did not obey me. 12 So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own plans. 13 If only my people would listen to me and Israel would follow my ways, 14 I would quickly subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes.” 15 Those who hate the Lord would cower to him; their doom would last forever. 16 But he would feed Israel h with the best wheat. “I would satisfy you with honey from the rock.” A PLEA FOR RIGHTEOUS JUDGMENT 82 A psalm of Asaph. God stands in the divine assembly; he pronounces judgment among the gods: i 2 “How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Selah 3 Provide justice for the needy and the fatherless; uphold the rights of the oppressed and the destitute. 4 Rescue the poor and needy; save them from the power of the wicked.” 5 They do not know or understand; they wander in darkness. All the foundations of the earth are shaken. 6 I said, “You are gods; you are all sons of the Most High. a80:11 = the Mediterranean b80:11 = the Euphrates c80:15 Hb obscure d80:15 Or shoot e80:16 Or may they f81:3 Lit feast g81:5 Or went out against h81:16 Lit him i82:1 Or the heavenly beings, or the earthly rulers ; Hb elohim CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 517 10/26/17 9:00 PM PSALMS 82-84 518 7 However, you will die like humans and f all like any other ruler.” 8 Rise up, God, judge the earth, f or all the nations belong to you. PRAYER AGAINST ENEMIES 83 A song. A psalm of Asaph. God, do not keep silent. Do not be deaf , God; do not be quiet. 2 See how your enemies make an uproar; those who ha te you have acted arrogantly . a 3 They devise clever schemes against your people; they conspire against your treasured ones. 4 They say , “Come, let us wipe them out as a nation so tha t Israel’s name will no longer be remembered.” 5 For they have conspired with one mind; they f orm an alliance b against you — 6 the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, Moab and the Hagrites, 7 Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek, Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre. 8 Even Assyria has joined them; they lend support c to the sons of Lot. d Selah 9 Deal with them as you did with Midian, as y ou did with Sisera and Jabin at the Kishon River. 10 They were destroyed at En-dor; they became manure f or the ground. 11 Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb, and all their tribal leaders lik e Zebah and Zalmunna, 12 who said, “Let us seize God’s pastures f or ourselves.” 13 Make them like tumbleweed, my God, lik e straw before the wind. 14 As fire burns a forest, as a flame b lazes through mountains, 15 so pursue them with your tempest and terrify them with your storm. 16 Cover their faces with shame so tha t they will seek your name, Lord. 17 Let them be put to shame and terrified forever; let them perish in disgrace. 18 May they know that you alone — whose name is the Lord — are the Most High over the whole earth. LONGING FOR GOD’S HOUSE 84 For the choir director: on the Gittith . A psalm of the sons of Korah. 1 How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord of Armies. 2 I long and yearn f or the courts of the Lord; m y heart and flesh cry out for e the living God. 3 Even a sparrow finds a home, and a sw allow , a nest for herself where she p laces her young — near y our altars, Lord of Armies, m y King and my God. 4 How happy are those who reside in your house, who praise y ou continually . Selah 5 Happy are the people whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage. 6 As they pass through the Valley of Baca, f they mak e it a source of springwater; ev en the autumn rain will cover it with blessings. g 7 They go from strength to strength; each appears bef ore God in Zion. 8 Lord God of Armies, hear my prayer; listen, God of Jacob. Selah 9 Consider our shield, h God; look on the f ace of your anointed one. 10 Better a day in your courts than a thousand anywhere else. I w ould rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God than li ve in the tents of wicked people. 11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield. The Lord grants favor and honor; he does not withhold the good from those who live with integrity . 12 Happy is the person who trusts in you, Lord of Armies! a83:2 Lit have lifted their head b83:5 Lit they cut a covenant c83:8 Lit they are an arm d83:8 = Moab and Ammon e84:2 Or flesh shout for joy to f84:6 Or Valley of Tears g84:6 Or pools h84:9 = the king CSB_UltraThinindb.indb 47 11/7/17 3:22 PM 519 PSALMS 85-87 RESTORATION OF FAVOR 85 For the choir director. A psalm of the sons of Korah. 1 Lord, you showed favor to your land; you restored the fortunes of Jacob. a 2 You forgave your people’s guilt; you covered all their sin. Selah 3 You withdrew all your fury; you turned from your burning anger. 4 Return to us, God of our salvation, and abandon your displeasure with us. 5 Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your anger for all generations? 6 Will you not revive us again so that your people may rejoice in you? 7 Show us your faithful love, Lord, and give us your salvation. 8 I will listen to what God will say; surely the Lord will declare peace to his people, his faithful ones, and not let them go back to foolish ways. 9 His salvation is very near those who fear him, so that glory may dwell in our land. 10 Faithful love and truth will join together; righteousness and peace will embrace. 11 Truth will spring up from the earth, and righteousness will look down from heaven. 12 Also, the Lord will provide what is good, and our land will yield its crops. 13 Righteousness will go before him to prepare the way for his steps. LAMENT AND PETITION 86 A prayer of David. Listen, Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy . 2 Protect my life, for I am faithful. You are my God; save your servant who trusts in you. 3 Be gracious to me, Lord, for I call to you all day long. 4 Bring joy to your servant’s life, because I appeal to you, Lord. 5 For you, Lord, are kind and ready to forgive, abounding in faithful love to all who call on you. 6 Lord, hear my prayer; listen to my plea for mercy . 7 I call on you in the day of my distress, for you will answer me. 8 Lord, there is no one like you among the gods, and there are no works like yours. 9 All the nations you have made will come and bow down before you, Lord, and will honor your name. 10 For you are great and perform wonders; you alone are God. 11 Teach me your way , Lord, and I will live by your truth. Give me an undivided mind to fear your name. 12 I will praise you with all my heart, Lord my God, and will honor your name forever. 13 For your faithful love for me is great, and you rescue my life from the depths of Sheol. 14 God, arrogant people have attacked me; a gang of ruthless men intends to kill me. They do not let you guide them. b 15 But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth. 16 Turn to me and be gracious to me. Give your strength to your servant; save the son of your female servant. 17 Show me a sign of your goodness; my enemies will see and be put to shame because you, Lord, have helped and comforted me. ZION, THE CITY OF GOD 87 A psalm of the sons of Korah. A song. The city he founded c is on the holy mountains. 2 The Lord loves Zion’s city gates a85:1 Or restored Jacob from captivity b86:14 Lit They do not set you in front of them c87:1 Lit His foundation CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 519 10/26/17 9:00 PM PSALMS 87-89 520 more than all the dwellings of Jacob. 3 Glorious things are said about you, city of God. Selah 4 “I will make a record of those who know me: Rahab, Babylon, Philistia, Tyre, and Cush — each one was born there.” 5 And it will be said of Zion, “This one and that one were born in her.” The Most High himself will establish her. 6 When he registers the peoples, the Lord will record, “This one was born there.” Selah 7 Singers and dancers a alike will say , b “My whole source of joy is c in you.” A CRY OF DESPERATION 88 A song. A psalm of the sons of Korah. For the choir director: according to Mahalath Leannoth. A Maskil of Heman the Ezrahite. 1 Lord, God of my salvation, I cry out before you day and night. 2 May my prayer reach your presence; listen to my cry . 3 For I have had enough troubles, and my life is near Sheol. 4 I am counted among those going down to the Pit. I am like a man without strength, 5 abandoned d among the dead. I am like the slain lying in the grave, whom you no longer remember, and who are cut off from your care. e 6 You have put me in the lowest part of the Pit, in the darkest places, in the depths. 7 Your wrath weighs heavily on me; you have overwhelmed me with all your waves. Selah 8 You have distanced my friends from me; you have made me repulsive to them. I am shut in and cannot go out. 9 My eyes are worn out from crying. L ord, I cry out to you all day long; I spread out my hands to you. 10 Do you work wonders for the dead? Do departed spirits rise up to praise you? Selah 11 Will your faithful love
🙏 Divine Faithfulness Amid Suffering
🛡️ God's faithfulness remains constant through generations, serving as a protective shield and refuge even when believers experience profound suffering and abandonment
🌊 Human life appears tragically brief compared to God's eternal nature—our days "ebb away" like grass that sprouts in morning but withers by evening
👑 The sovereignty of God manifests through both creation and judgment, with nature itself (mountains, seas, rivers) acknowledging His supreme authority
✨ Worship and thanksgiving emerge as the proper response to God's majesty, with believers called to "enter His presence with thanksgiving" and "sing a new song"
💔 The psalms honestly express the tension between God's promises and the painful reality of suffering, questioning "Lord, why do you reject me?" while still affirming trust
🔄 The contrast between human mortality and divine eternity creates perspective, teaching us to "number our days carefully so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts"
be declared in the grave, your faithfulness in Abaddon? 12 Will your wonders be known in the darkness or your righteousness in the land of oblivion? 13 But I call to you for help, Lord; in the morning my prayer meets you. 14 Lord, why do you reject me? Why do you hide your face from me? 15 From my youth, I have been suffering and near death. I suffer your horrors; I am desperate. 16 Your wrath sweeps over me; your terrors destroy me. 17 They surround me like water all day long; they close in on me from every side. 18 You have distanced loved one and neighbor from me; darkness is my only friend. f PERPLEXITY ABOUT GOD’S PROMISES 89 A Maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite. I will sing about the Lord’s faithful love forever; I will proclaim your faithfulness to all generations with my mouth. 2 For I will declare, “Faithful love is built up forever; you establish your faithfulness in the heavens.” 3 The Lord said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one; I have sworn an oath to David my servant: 4 ‘I will establish your offspring forever and build up your throne for all generations.’ ” Selah 5 Lord, the heavens praise your wonders — your faithfulness also — in the assembly of the holy ones. a87:7 Or musicians b87:7 Or As they dance they will sing c87:7 Lit “ All my springs, are d88:5 Or set free e88:5 Or hand f88:18 Or from me, my friends. Oh darkness! CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 520 10/26/17 9:00 PM 521 PSALM 89 6 For who in the skies can compare with the Lord? Who among the heavenly beings a is like the Lord? 7 God is greatly feared in the council of the holy ones, more awe-inspiring than b all who surround him. 8 Lord God of Armies, who is strong like you, Lord? Your faithfulness surrounds you. 9 You rule the raging sea; when its waves surge, you still them. 10 You crushed Rahab like one who is slain; you scattered your enemies with your powerful arm. 11 The heavens are yours; the earth also is yours. The world and everything in it — you founded them. 12 North and south — you created them. Tabor and Hermon shout for joy at your name. 13 You have a mighty arm; your hand is powerful; your right hand is lifted high. 14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; faithful love and truth go before you. 15 Happy are the people who know the joyful shout; L ord, they walk in the light from your face. 16 They rejoice in your name all day long, and they are exalted by your righteousness. 17 For you are their magnificent strength; by your favor our horn is exalted. 18 Surely our shield c belongs to the Lord, our king to the Holy One of Israel. 19 You once spoke in a vision to your faithful ones and said: “I have granted help to a warrior; I have exalted one chosen d from the people. 20 I have found David my servant; I have anointed him with my sacred oil. 21 My hand will always be with him, and my arm will strengthen him. 22 The enemy will not oppress e him; the wicked will not afflict him. 23 I will crush his foes before him and strike those who hate him. 24 My faithfulness and love will be with him, and through my name his horn will be exalted. 25 I will extend his power to the sea and his right hand to the rivers. 26 He will call to me, ‘You are my Father, my God, the rock of my salvation.’ 27 I will also make him my firstborn, greatest of the kings of the earth. 28 I will always preserve my faithful love for him, and my covenant with him will endure. 29 I will establish his line forever, his throne as long as heaven lasts. f 30 If his sons abandon my instruction and do not live by my ordinances, 31 if they dishonor my statutes and do not keep my commands, 32 then I will call their rebellion to account with the rod, their iniquity with blows. 33 But I will not withdraw my faithful love from him or betray my faithfulness. 34 I will not violate my covenant or change what my lips have said. 35 Once and for all I have sworn an oath by my holiness; I will not lie to David. 36 His offspring will continue forever, his throne like the sun before me, 37 like the moon, established forever, a faithful witness in the sky .” Selah 38 But you have spurned and rejected him; you have become enraged with your anointed. 39 You have repudiated the covenant with your servant; you have completely dishonored his crown. g 40 You have broken down all his walls; you have reduced his fortified cities to ruins. 41 All who pass by plunder him; he has become an object of ridicule to his neighbors. a89:6 Or the angels, or the sons of the mighty b89:7 Or ones, revered by c89:18 = the king d89:19 Or exalted a young man e89:22 Or not exact tribute from f89:29 Lit as days of heaven g89:39 Lit have dishonored his crown to the ground CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 521 10/26/17 9:00 PM PSALMS 89-90 522 42 You have lifted high the right hand of his foes; you have made all his enemies rejoice. 43 You have also turned back his sharp sword and have not let him stand in battle. 44 You have made his splendor a cease and have overturned his throne. 45 You have shortened the days of his youth; you have covered him with shame. Selah 46 How long, Lord? Will you hide forever? Will your anger keep burning like fire? 47 Remember how short my life is. Have you created everyone for nothing? 48 What courageous person can live and never see death? Who can save himself from the power of Sheol? Selah 49 Lord, where are the former acts of your faithful love that you swore to David in your faithfulness? 50 Remember, Lord, the ridicule against your servants — in my heart I carry abuse from all the peoples — 51 how your enemies have ridiculed, Lord, how they have ridiculed every step of your anointed. 52 Blessed be the Lord forever. Amen and amen. BOOK IV (Psalms 90–106) ETERNAL GOD AND MORTAL MAN 90 A prayer of Moses, the man of God. Lord, you have been our refuge b in every generation. 2 Before the mountains were born, before you gave birth to the earth and the world, from eternity to eternity , you are God. 3 You return mankind to the dust, saying, “Return, descendants of Adam.” 4 For in your sight a thousand years are like yesterday that passes by , like a few hours of the night. 5 You end their lives; c they sleep. They are like grass that grows in the morning — 6 in the morning it sprouts and grows; by evening it withers and dries up. 7 For we are consumed by your anger; we are terrified by your wrath. 8 You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence. 9 For all our days ebb away under your wrath; we end our years like a sigh. 10 Our lives last d seventy years or, if we are strong, eighty years. Even the best of them are e struggle and sorrow; indeed, they pass quickly and we fly away. 11 Who understands the power of your anger? Your wrath matches the fear that is due you. 12 Teach us to number our days carefully so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts. f 13 Lord — how long? Turn and have compassion on your servants. 14 Satisfy us in the morning with your faithful love so that we may shout with joy and be glad all our days. 15 Make us rejoice for as many days as you have humbled us, for as many years as we have seen adversity . 16 Let your work be seen by your servants, and your splendor by their children. 17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be on us; establish for us the work of our hands — establish the work of our hands! a89:44 Hb obscure b 90:1 Some Hb mss, LXX; other Hb mss read dwelling place c90:5 Or You overwhelm them ; Hb obscure d90:10 Lit The days of our years in them e 90:10 LXX, Tg, Syr , Vg read Even their span is ; Hb obscure f 90:12 Or develop a heart of wisdom CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 522 10/26/17 9:00 PM 523 PSALMS 91-93 THE PROTECTION OF THE MOST HIGH 91 The one who lives under the protection of the Most High dwells in the shadow of the Almighty . 2 I will say a concerning the Lord, who is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust: 3 He himself will rescue you from the bird trap, from the destructive plague. 4 He will cover you with his feathers; you will take refuge under his wings. His faithfulness will be a protective shield. 5 You will not fear the terror of the night, the arrow that flies by day , 6 the plague that stalks in darkness, or the pestilence that ravages at noon. 7 Though a thousand fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand, the pestilence will not reach you. 8 You will only see it with your eyes and witness the punishment of the wicked. 9 Because you have made the Lord — my refuge, the Most High — your dwelling place, 10 no harm will come to you; no plague will come near your tent. 11 For he will give his angels orders concerning you, to protect you in all your ways. 12 They will support you with their hands so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. 13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the young lion and the serpent. 14 Because he has his heart set on me, I will deliver him; I will protect him because he knows my name. 15 When he calls out to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble. I will rescue him and give him honor. 16 I will satisfy him with a long life and show him my salvation.GOD’S LOVE AND FAITHFULNESS 92 A psalm. A song for the Sabbath day. It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praise to your name, Most High, 2 to declare your faithful love in the morning and your faithfulness at night, 3 with a ten-stringed harp b and the music of a lyre. 4 For you have made me rejoice, Lord, by what you have done; I will shout for joy because of the works of your hands. 5 How magnificent are your works, Lord, how profound your thoughts! 6 A stupid person does not know , a fool does not understand this: 7 though the wicked sprout like grass and all evildoers flourish, they will be eternally destroyed. 8 But you, Lord, are exalted forever. 9 For indeed, Lord, your enemies — indeed, your enemies will perish; all evildoers will be scattered. 10 You have lifted up my horn like that of a wild ox; I have been anointed c with the finest oil. 11 My eyes look at my enemies; when evildoers rise against me, my ears hear them. 12 The righteous thrive like a palm tree and grow like a cedar tree in Lebanon. 13 Planted in the house of the Lord, they thrive in the courts of our God. 14 They will still bear fruit in old age, healthy and green, 15 to declare: “The Lord is just; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.” GOD’S ETERNAL REIGN 93 The Lord reigns! He is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed, enveloped in strength. The world is firmly established; it cannot be shaken. a 91:1-2 LXX, Syr , Jer read 2Almighty, saying, or 2Almighty, he will say b 92:3 Or ten-stringed instrument and a harp c 92:10 Syr reads you have anointed me CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 523 10/26/17 9:00 PM PSALMS 93-95 524 2 Your throne has been established from the beginning; a you are from eternity . 3 The floods have lifted up, Lord, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their pounding waves. 4 Greater than the roar of a huge torrent — the mighty breakers of the sea — the Lord on high is majestic. 5 Lord, your testimonies are completely reliable; holiness adorns your house for all the days to come. THE JUST JUDGE 94 Lord, God of vengeance — God of vengeance, shine! 2 Rise up, Judge of the earth; repay the proud what they deserve. 3 Lord, how long will the wicked — how long will the wicked celebrate? 4 They pour out arrogant words; all the evildoers boast. 5 Lord, they crush your people; they oppress your heritage. 6 They kill the widow and the resident alien and murder the fatherless. 7 They say , “The Lord doesn’t see it. The God of Jacob doesn’t pay attention.” 8 Pay attention, you stupid people! Fools, when will you be wise? 9 Can the one who shaped the ear not hear, the one who formed the eye not see? 10 The one who instructs nations, the one who teaches mankind knowledge — does he not discipline? 11 The Lord knows the thoughts of mankind; they are futile. 12 Lord, how happy is anyone you discipline and teach from your law 13 to give him relief from troubled times until a pit is dug for the wicked. 14 The Lord will not leave his people or abandon his heritage, 15 for the administration of justice will again be righteous, and all the upright in heart will follow b it. 16 Who stands up for me against the wicked? Who takes a stand for me against evildoers? 17 If the Lord had not been my helper, I would soon rest in the silence of death. 18 If I say , “My foot is slipping,” your faithful love will support me, Lord. 19 When I am filled with cares, your comfort brings me joy . 20 Can a corrupt throne be your ally , a throne that makes evil laws? 21 They band together against the life of the righteous and condemn the innocent to death. 22 But the Lord is my refuge; my God is the rock of my protection. 23 He will pay them back for their sins and destroy them for their evil. The Lord our God will destroy them. WORSHIP AND WARNING 95 Come, let us shout joyfully to the Lord, shout triumphantly to the rock of our salvation! 2 Let us enter his presence with thanksgiving; let us shout triumphantly to him in song. 3 For the Lord is a great God, a great King above all gods. 4 The depths of the earth are in his hand, and the mountain peaks are his. 5 The sea is his; he made it. His hands formed the dry land. 6 Come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. 7 For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, the sheep under his care. c a 93:2 Lit from then b 94:15 Or heart will support ; lit heart after c 95:7 Lit sheep of his hand CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 524 10/26/17 9:00 PM 525 PSALMS 95-97 Today , if you hear his voice: 8 Do not harden your hearts as at Meribah, as on that day at Massah in the wilderness 9 where your fathers tested me; they tried me, though they had seen what I did. 10 For forty years I was disgusted with that generation; I said, “They are a people whose hearts go astray; they do not know my ways.” 11 So I swore in my anger, “They will not enter my rest.” KING OF THE EARTH 96 Sing a new song to the Lord; let the whole earth sing to the Lord. 2 Sing to the Lord, bless his name; proclaim his salvation from day to day . 3 Declare his glory among the nations, his wondrous works among all peoples. 4 For the Lord is great and is highly praised; he is feared above all gods. 5 For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the Lord made the heavens. 6 Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary . 7 Ascribe to the Lord, you families of the peoples, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. 8 Ascribe to the Lord the glory of his name; bring an offering and enter his courts. 9 Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness; let the whole earth tremble before him. 10 Say among the nations: “The Lord reigns. The world is firmly established; it cannot be shaken. He judges the peoples fairly .” 11 Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice; let the sea and all that fills it resound. 12 Let the fields and everything in them celebrate. Then all the trees of the forest will shout for joy 13 before the Lord, for he is coming — for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with his faithfulness. THE MAJESTIC KING 97 The Lord reigns! Let the earth rejoice; let the many coasts and islands be glad. 2 Clouds and total darkness surround him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne. 3 Fire goes before him and burns up his foes on every side. 4 His lightning lights up the world; the earth sees and trembles. 5 The mountains melt like wax at the presence of the Lord — at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth. 6 The heavens proclaim his righteousness; all the peoples see his glory . 7 All who serve carved images, those who boast in idols, will be put to shame. All the gods a must worship him. 8 Zion hears and is glad, Judah’s villages b rejoice because of your judgments, Lord. 9 For you, Lord, are the Most High over the whole earth; you are exalted above all the gods. 10 You who love the Lord, hate evil! He protects the lives of his faithful ones; he rescues them from the power of the wicked. 11 Light dawns c,d for the righteous, gladness for the upright in heart. 12 Be glad in the Lord, you righteous ones, and give thanks to his holy name. e a 97:7 LXX, Syr read All his angels ; Heb 1:6 b 97:8 Lit daughters c 97:11 One Hb ms, LXX, some ancient versions read rises to shine ; Ps 112:4 d 97:11 Lit Light is sown e 97:12 Lit to the memory of his holiness CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 525 10/26/17 9:00 PM PSALMS 98-101 526 PRAISE THE KING 98 A psalm. Sing a new song to the Lord, for he has performed wonders; his right hand and holy arm have won him victory . 2 The Lord has made his victory known; he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations. 3 He has remembered his love and faithfulness to the house of Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen our God’s victory . 4 Let the whole earth shout to the Lord; be jubilant, shout for joy , and sing. 5 Sing to the Lord with the lyre, with the lyre and melodious song. 6 With trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn shout triumphantly in the presence of the Lord, our King. 7 Let the sea and all that fills it, the world and those who live in it, resound. 8 Let the rivers clap their hands; let the mountains shout together for joy 9 before the Lord, for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world righteously and the peoples fairly . THE KING IS HOLY 99 The Lord reigns! Let the peoples tremble. He is enthroned between the cherubim. Let the earth quake. 2 The Lord is great in Zion; he is exalted above all the peoples. 3 Let them praise your great and awe-inspiring name. He is holy . 4 The mighty King loves justice. You have established fairness; you have administered justice and righteousness in Jacob. 5 Exalt the Lord our God; bow in worship at his footstool. He is holy . 6 Moses and Aaron were among his priests; Samuel also was among those calling on his name. They called to the Lord and he answered them. 7 He spoke to them in a pillar of cloud; they kept his decrees and the statutes he gave them. 8 Lord our God, you answered them. You were a forgiving God to them, but an avenger of their sinful actions. 9 Exalt the Lord our God; bow in worship at his holy mountain, for the Lord our God is holy . BE THANKFUL 100 A psalm of thanksgiving. Let the whole earth shout triumphantly to God! 2 Serve the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. 3 Acknowledge that the Lord is God. He made us, and we are his a— his people, the sheep of his pasture. 4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and bless his name. 5 For the Lord is good, and his faithful love endures forever; his faithfulness, through all generations. A VOW OF INTEGRITY 101 A psalm of David. I will sing of faithful love and justice; I will sing praise to you, Lord. 2 I will pay attention to the way of integrity . When will you come to me? I will live with a heart of integrity in my house. 3 I will not let anything worthless guide me. b I hate the practice of transgression; it will not cling to me. 4 A devious heart will be far from me; I will not be involved with c evil. 5 I will destroy anyone who secretly slanders his neighbor; a100:3 Alt Hb tradition, some Hb mss, LXX, Syr , Vg read and not we ourselves b101:3 Lit I will not put a worthless thing in front of my eyes c101:4 Lit not know CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 526 10/26/17 9:00 PM 527 PSALMS 101-102 I cannot tolerate anyone with haughty eyes or an arrogant heart. 6 My eyes favor the faithful of the land so that they may sit down with me. The one who follows the way of integrity may serve me. 7 No one who acts deceitfully will live in my palace; the one who tells lies will not be retained here to guide me. a 8 Every morning I will destroy all the wicked of the land, wiping out all evildoers from the Lord’s city . AFFLICTION IN LIGHT OF ETERNITY 102 A prayer of a suffering person who is weak and pours out his lament before the Lord. 1 Lord, hear my prayer; let my cry for help come before you. 2 Do not hide your face from me in my day of trouble. Listen closely to me; answer me quickly when I call. 3 For my days vanish like smoke, and my bones burn like a furnace. 4 My heart is suffering, withered like grass; I even forget to eat my food. 5 Because of the sound of my groaning, my flesh sticks to my bones. 6
🙏 Divine Faithfulness Amid Suffering
😔 Personal anguish manifests through vivid metaphors of isolation, where the psalmist compares himself to solitary birds, withering grass, and one who "eats ashes like bread and mingles drinks with tears"
⏳ Human transience contrasts sharply with God's eternal nature—our days are "like lengthening shadows" while the Lord is "enthroned forever" and "will never end"
🌊 Divine compassion flows abundantly toward those who fear Him, removing transgressions "as far as the east is from the west" and showing fatherly understanding of human frailty
🌍 Creation's testimony reveals God's majesty through natural wonders—from mountains and seas to plants and animals—all sustained by His ongoing care
🛡️ Covenant faithfulness persists despite Israel's repeated rebellion, with God remembering His promises and responding to cries for help even after His people "aligned with Baal" and "mingled with nations"
🙌 Thanksgiving emerges as the proper response to divine deliverance, with multiple calls to "give thanks to the Lord for His faithful love" after rescue from various forms of distress
I am like an eagle owl, like a little owl among the ruins. 7 I stay awake; I am like a solitary bird on a roof. 8 My enemies taunt me all day long; they ridicule and use my name as a curse. 9 I eat ashes like bread and mingle my drinks with tears 10 because of your indignation and wrath; for you have picked me up and thrown me aside. 11 My days are like a lengthening shadow , and I wither away like grass. 12 But you, Lord, are enthroned forever; your fame endures to all generations. 13 You will rise up and have compassion on Zion, for it is time to show favor to her — the appointed time has come. 14 For your servants take delight in its stones and favor its dust. 15 Then the nations will fear the name of the Lord, and all the kings of the earth your glory , 16 for the Lord will rebuild Zion; he will appear in his glory . 17 He will pay attention to the prayer of the destitute and will not despise their prayer. 18 This will be written for a later generation, and a people who have not yet been created will praise the Lord: 19 He looked down from his holy heights — the Lord gazed out from heaven to earth — 20 to hear a prisoner’s groaning, to set free those condemned to die, b 21 so that they might declare the name of the Lord in Zion and his praise in Jerusalem, 22 when peoples and kingdoms are assembled to serve the Lord. 23 He has broken my c strength in midcourse; he has shortened my days. 24 I say: “My God, do not take me in the middle of my life! d Your years continue through all generations. 25 Long ago you established the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. 26 They will perish, but you will endure; all of them will wear out like clothing. You will change them like a garment, and they will pass away . 27 But you are the same, and your years will never end. 28 Your servants’ children will dwell securely , and their offspring will be established before you.” a101:7 Lit be established in front of my eyes b102:20 Lit free sons of death c102:23 Some Hb mss, LXX read his d102:24 Lit my days CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 527 10/26/17 9:00 PM PSALMS 103-104 528 THE FORGIVING GOD 103 Of David. My soul, bless the Lord, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. 2 My soul, bless the Lord, and do not forget all his benefits. 3 He forgives all your iniquity; he heals all your diseases. 4 He redeems your life from the Pit; he crowns you with faithful love and compassion. 5 He satisfies you a with good things; your youth is renewed like the eagle. 6 The Lord executes acts of righteousness and justice for all the oppressed. 7 He revealed his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel. 8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love. 9 He will not always accuse us or be angry forever. 10 He has not dealt with us as our sins deserve or repaid us according to our iniquities. 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his faithful love toward those who fear him. 12 As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. 13 As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him. 14 For he knows what we are made of, remembering that we are dust. 15 As for man, his days are like grass — he blooms like a flower of the field; 16 when the wind passes over it, it vanishes, and its place is no longer known. b 17 But from eternity to eternity the Lord’s faithful love is toward those who fear him, and his righteousness toward the grandchildren 18 of those who keep his covenant, who remember to observe his precepts. 19 The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all. 20 Bless the Lord, all his angels of great strength, who do his word, obedient to his command. 21 Bless the Lord, all his armies, his servants who do his will. 22 Bless the Lord, all his works in all the places where he rules. My soul, bless the Lord! GOD THE CREATOR 104 My soul, bless the Lord! Lord my God, you are very great; you are clothed with majesty and splendor. 2 He wraps himself in light as if it were a robe, spreading out the sky like a canopy , 3 laying the beams of his palace on the waters above, making the clouds his chariot, walking on the wings of the wind, 4 and making the winds his messengers, c flames of fire his servants. 5 He established the earth on its foundations; it will never be shaken. 6 You covered it with the deep as if it were a garment; the water stood above the mountains. 7 At your rebuke the water fled; at the sound of your thunder they hurried away — 8 mountains rose and valleys sank d — to the place you established for them. 9 You set a boundary they cannot cross; they will never cover the earth again. 10 He causes the springs to gush into the valleys; they flow between the mountains. 11 They supply water for every wild beast; the wild donkeys quench their thirst. a103:5 Lit satisfies your ornament ; Hb obscure b103:16 Lit place no longer knows it c104:4 Or angels d104:7-8 Or away. They flowed over the mountains and went down valleys CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 528 10/26/17 9:00 PM 529 PSALMS 104-105 12 The birds of the sky live beside the springs; they make their voices heard among the foliage. 13 He waters the mountains from his palace; the earth is satisfied by the fruit of your labor. 14 He causes grass to grow for the livestock and provides crops for man to cultivate, producing food from the earth, 15 wine that makes human hearts glad — making his face shine with oil — and bread that sustains human hearts. 16 The trees of the Lord flourish, a the cedars of Lebanon that he planted. 17 There the birds make their nests; storks make their homes in the pine trees. 18 The high mountains are for the wild goats; the cliffs are a refuge for hyraxes. 19 He made the moon to mark the b festivals; c the sun knows when to set. 20 You bring darkness, and it becomes night, when all the forest animals stir. 21 The young lions roar for their prey and seek their food from God. 22 The sun rises; they go back and lie down in their dens. 23 Man goes out to his work and to his labor until evening. 24 How countless are your works, Lord! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. d 25 Here is the sea, vast and wide, teeming with creatures beyond number — living things both large and small. 26 There the ships move about, and Leviathan, which you formed to play there. 27 All of them wait for you to give them their food at the right time. 28 When you give it to them, they gather it; when you open your hand, they are satisfied with good things. 29 When you hide your face, they are terrified; when you take away their breath, they die and return to the dust. 30 When you send your breath, e they are created, and you renew the surface of the ground. 31 May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works. 32 He looks at the earth, and it trembles; he touches the mountains, and they pour out smoke. 33 I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God while I live. 34 May my meditation be pleasing to him; I will rejoice in the Lord. 35 May sinners vanish from the earth and wicked people be no more. My soul, bless the Lord! Hallelujah! GOD’S FAITHFULNESS TO HIS PEOPLE 105 Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; proclaim his deeds among the peoples. 2 Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell about all his wondrous works! 3 Honor his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. 4 Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his face always. 5 Remember the wondrous works he has done, his wonders, and the judgments he has pronounced, f 6 you offspring of Abraham his servant, Jacob’s descendants — his chosen ones. 7 He is the Lord our God; his judgments govern the whole earth. 8 He remembers his covenant forever, the promise he ordained for a thousand generations — a104:16 Lit are satisfied b104:19 Lit moon for c104:19 Or the appointed times d104:24 Lit possessions e104:30 Or Spirit f105:5 Lit judgments of his mouth CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 529 10/26/17 9:00 PM PSALMS 105-106 530 9 the covenant he made with Abraham, swore a to Isaac, 10 and confirmed to Jacob as a decree and to Israel as a permanent covenant: 11 “I will give the land of Canaan to you as your inherited portion.” 12 When they were few in number, very few indeed, and resident aliens in Canaan, 13 wandering from nation to nation and from one kingdom to another, 14 he allowed no one to oppress them; he rebuked kings on their behalf: 15 “Do not touch my anointed ones, or harm my prophets.” 16 He called down famine against the land and destroyed the entire food supply . 17 He had sent a man ahead of them — Joseph, who was sold as a slave. 18 They hurt his feet with shackles; his neck was put in an iron collar. 19 Until the time his prediction came true, the word of the Lord tested him. 20 The king sent for him and released him; the ruler of peoples set him free. 21 He made him master of his household, ruler over all his possessions — 22 binding b his officials at will and instructing his elders. 23 Then Israel went to Egypt; Jacob lived as an alien in the land of Ham. c 24 The Lord d made his people very fruitful; he made them more numerous than their foes, 25 whose hearts he turned to hate his people and to deal deceptively with his servants. 26 He sent Moses his servant, and Aaron, whom he had chosen. 27 They performed his miraculous signs among them, and wonders in the land of Ham. 28 He sent darkness, and it became dark — for did they not defy his commands? 29 He turned their water into blood and caused their fish to die. 30 Their land was overrun with frogs, even in their royal chambers. 31 He spoke, and insects came — gnats throughout their country . 32 He gave them hail for rain, and lightning throughout their land. 33 He struck their vines and fig trees and shattered the trees of their territory . 34 He spoke, and locusts came — young locusts without number. 35 They devoured all the vegetation in their land and consumed the produce of their land. 36 He struck all the firstborn in their land, all their first progeny . 37 Then he brought Israel out with silver and gold, and no one among his tribes stumbled. 38 Egypt was glad when they left, for the dread of Israel e had fallen on them. 39 He spread a cloud as a covering and gave a fire to light up the night. 40 They asked, and he brought quail and satisfied them with bread from heaven. 41 He opened a rock, and water gushed out; it flowed like a stream in the desert. 42 For he remembered his holy promise to Abraham his servant. 43 He brought his people out with rejoicing, his chosen ones with shouts of joy . 44 He gave them the lands of the nations, and they inherited what other peoples had worked for. 45 All this happened so that they might keep his statutes and obey his instructions. Hallelujah! ISRAEL’S UNFAITHFULNESS TO GOD 106 Hallelujah! Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his faithful love endures forever. 2 Who can declare the Lord’s mighty acts or proclaim all the praise due him? a105:9 Lit and his oath b105:22 LXX, Syr , Vg read teaching c105:23 = Egypt, also in v. 27 d105:24 Lit He e105:38 Lit them CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 530 10/26/17 9:00 PM 531 PSALM 106 3 How happy are those who uphold justice, who practice righteousness at all times. 4 Remember me, Lord, when you show favor to your people. Come to me with your salvation 5 so that I may enjoy the prosperity of your chosen ones, rejoice in the joy of your nation, and boast about your heritage. 6 Both we and our fathers have sinned; we have done wrong and have acted wickedly . 7 Our fathers in Egypt did not grasp the significance of your wondrous works or remember your many acts of faithful love; instead, they rebelled by the sea — the Red Sea. 8 Yet he saved them for his name’s sake, to make his power known. 9 He rebuked the Red Sea, and it dried up; he led them through the depths as through a desert. 10 He saved them from the power of the adversary; he redeemed them from the power of the enemy . 11 Water covered their foes; not one of them remained. 12 Then they believed his promises and sang his praise. 13 They soon forgot his works and would not wait for his counsel. 14 They were seized with craving in the wilderness and tested God in the desert. 15 He gave them what they asked for, but sent a wasting disease among them. 16 In the camp they were envious of Moses and of Aaron, the Lord’s holy one. 17 The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan; it covered the assembly of Abiram. 18 Fire blazed throughout their assembly; flames consumed the wicked. 19 At Horeb they made a calf and worshiped the cast metal image. 20 They exchanged their glory a,b for the image of a grass-eating ox. 21 They forgot God their Savior, who did great things in Egypt, 22 wondrous works in the land of Ham, c awe-inspiring acts at the Red Sea. 23 So he said he would have destroyed them — if Moses his chosen one had not stood before him in the breach to turn his wrath away from destroying them. 24 They despised the pleasant land and did not believe his promise. 25 They grumbled in their tents and did not listen to the Lord. 26 So he raised his hand against them with an oath that he would make them fall in the desert 27 and would disperse their descendants d among the nations, scattering them throughout the lands. 28 They aligned themselves with Baal of Peor and ate sacrifices offered to lifeless gods. e 29 They angered the Lord with their deeds, and a plague broke out against them. 30 But Phinehas stood up and intervened, and the plague was stopped. 31 It was credited to him as righteousness throughout all generations to come. 32 They angered the Lord at the Waters of Meribah, and Moses suffered f because of them; 33 for they embittered his spirit, g and he spoke rashly with his lips. 34 They did not destroy the peoples as the Lord had commanded them 35 but mingled with the nations and adopted their ways. 36 They served their idols, a106:20 Alt Hb tradition reads his glory, or my glory b106:20 = God c106:22 = Egypt d106:27 Syr; MT reads would make their descendants fall e106:28 Lit sacrifices for dead ones f106:32 Lit and it was evil for Moses g106:33 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr , Jer; other Hb mss read they rebelled against his Spirit CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 531 10/26/17 9:00 PM PSALMS 106-107 532 which became a snare to them. 37 They sacrificed their sons and daughters to demons. 38 They shed innocent blood — the blood of their sons and daughters whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan; so the land became polluted with blood. 39 They defiled themselves by their actions and prostituted themselves by their deeds. 40 Therefore the Lord’s anger burned against his people, and he abhorred his own inheritance. 41 He handed them over to the nations; those who hated them ruled over them. 42 Their enemies oppressed them, and they were subdued under their power. 43 He rescued them many times, but they continued to rebel deliberately and were beaten down by their iniquity . 44 When he heard their cry , he took note of their distress, 45 remembered his covenant with them, and relented according to the abundance of his faithful love. 46 He caused them to be pitied before all their captors. 47 Save us, Lord our God, and gather us from the nations, so that we may give thanks to your holy name and rejoice in your praise. 48 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Let all the people say , “ Amen! ” Hallelujah! BOOK V (Psalms 107–150) THANKSGIVING FOR GOD’S DELIVERANCE 107 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his faithful love endures forever. 2 Let the redeemed of the Lord proclaim that he has redeemed them from the power of the foe 3 and has gathered them from the lands — from the east and the west, from the north and the south. 4 Some a wandered in the desolate wilderness, finding no way to a city where they could live. 5 They were hungry and thirsty; their spirits failed b within them. 6 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble; he rescued them from their distress. 7 He led them by the right path to go to a city where they could live. 8 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his faithful love and his wondrous works for all humanity . 9 For he has satisfied the thirsty and filled the hungry with good things. 10 Others sat in darkness and gloom c — prisoners in cruel chains — 11 because they rebelled against God’s commands and despised the counsel of the Most High. 12 He broke their spirits d with hard labor; they stumbled, and there was no one to help. 13 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble; he saved them from their distress. 14 He brought them out of darkness and gloom and broke their chains apart. 15 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his faithful love and his wondrous works for all humanity . 16 For he has broken down the bronze gates and cut through the iron bars. 17 Fools suffered affliction because of their rebellious ways and their iniquities. 18 They loathed all food and came near the gates of death. 19 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble; he saved them from their distress. a107:4 Lit They, also in vv. 10,23 b107:5 Lit their soul fainted c107:10 Or the shadow of death, also in v. 14 d107:12 Lit hearts CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 532 10/26/17 9:00 PM 533 PSALMS 107-108 20 He sent his word and healed them; he rescued them from the Pit. 21 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his faithful love and his wondrous works for all humanity . 22 Let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving and announce his works with shouts of joy . 23 Others went to sea in ships, conducting trade on the vast water. 24 They saw the Lord’s works, his wondrous works in the deep. 25 He spoke and raised a stormy wind that stirred up the waves of the sea. a 26 Rising up to the sky , sinking down to the depths, their courage b melting away in anguish, 27 they reeled and staggered like a drunkard, and all their skill was useless. 28 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress. 29 He stilled the storm to a whisper, and the waves of the sea c were hushed. 30 They rejoiced when the waves d grew quiet. Then he guided them to the harbor they longed for. 31 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his faithful love and his wondrous works for all humanity . 32 Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people and praise him in the council of the elders. 33 He turns rivers into desert, springs into thirsty ground, 34 and fruitful land into salty wasteland, because of the wickedness of its inhabitants. 35 He turns a desert into a pool, dry land into springs. 36 He causes the hungry to settle there, and they establish a city where they can live. 37 They sow fields and plant vineyards that yield a fruitful harvest. 38 He blesses them, and they multiply greatly; he does not let their livestock decrease. 39 When they are diminished and are humbled by cruel oppression and sorrow , 40 he pours contempt on nobles and makes them wander in a trackless wasteland. 41 But he lifts the needy out of their suffering and makes their families multiply like flocks. 42 The upright see it and rejoice, and all injustice shuts its mouth. 43 Let whoever is wise pay attention to these things and consider the Lord’s acts of faithful love. A PLEA FOR VICTORY 108 A song. A psalm of David. My heart is confident, God; I will sing; I will sing praises with the whole of my being. e 2 Wake up, harp and lyre! I will wake up the dawn. 3 I will praise you, Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations. 4 For your faithful love is higher than the heavens, and your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. 5 God, be exalted above the heavens, and let your glory be over the whole earth. 6 Save with your right hand and answer me so that those you love may be rescued. 7 God has spoken in his sanctuary: f “I will celebrate! I will divide up Shechem. I will apportion the Valley of Succoth. 8 Gilead is mine, Manasseh is mine, and Ephraim is my helmet; a107:25 Lit of it b107:26 Lit souls c107:29 Lit of them d107:30 Lit when they e108:1 Lit praises, even my glory f108:7 Or has promised by his holy nature CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 533 10/26/17 9:00 PM PSALMS 108-109 534 Judah is my scepter. 9 Moab is my washbasin; I throw my sandal on Edom. I shout in triumph over Philistia.” 10 Who will bring me to the fortified city? Who will lead me to Edom? 11 God, haven’t you rejected us? God, you do not march out with our armies. 12 Give us aid against the foe, for human help is worthless. 13 With God we will perform valiantly; he will trample our foes. PRAYER AGAINST AN ENEMY 109 For the choir director. A psalm of David. God of my praise, do not be silent. 2 For wicked and deceitful mouths open against me; they speak against me with lying tongues. 3 They surround me with hateful words and attack me without cause. 4 In return for my love they accuse me, but
📜 Psalms of Divine Justice
🙏 Imprecatory prayers in Psalm 109 invoke divine judgment against enemies, revealing the psalmist's deep anguish while seeking God's intervention against those who repay good with evil
⚖️ Divine righteousness permeates these passages, establishing God as the ultimate judge who upholds the faithful while bringing consequences to the wicked
🌟 The priestly kingship of Psalm 110 prophetically points to a Messianic figure who combines royal authority with eternal priesthood "according to the pattern of Melchizedek"
🎵 Praise and thanksgiving flow throughout these psalms, celebrating God's faithful love, deliverance, and compassion toward those who fear Him
🛡️ The refuge found in trusting God rather than humans forms a central theme, with repeated declarations that "His faithful love endures forever"
📖 Psalm 119 expresses profound devotion to God's Word, describing it as a source of life, wisdom, comfort in affliction, and guidance for righteous living
I continue to pray . a 5 They repay me evil for good, and hatred for my love. 6 Set a wicked person over him; let an accuser b stand at his right hand. 7 When he is judged, let him be found guilty , and let his prayer be counted as sin. 8 Let his days be few; let another take over his position. 9 Let his children be fatherless and his wife a widow . 10 Let his children wander as beggars, searching for food far c from their demolished homes. 11 Let a creditor seize all he has; let strangers plunder what he has worked for. 12 Let no one show him kindness, and let no one be gracious to his fatherless children. 13 Let the line of his descendants be cut off; let their name be blotted out in the next generation. 14 Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the Lord, and do not let his mother’s sin be blotted out. 15 Let their sins d always remain before the Lord, and let him remove e all memory of them from the earth. 16 For he did not think to show kindness, but pursued the suffering, needy , and brokenhearted in order to put them to death. 17 He loved cursing — let it fall on him; he took no delight in blessing — let it be far from him. 18 He wore cursing like his coat — let it enter his body like water and go into his bones like oil. 19 Let it be like a robe he wraps around himself, like a belt he always wears. 20 Let this be the Lord’s payment to my accusers, to those who speak evil against me. 21 But you, Lord, my Lord, deal kindly with me for your name’s sake; because your faithful love is good, rescue me. 22 For I am suffering and needy; my heart is wounded within me. 23 I fade away like a lengthening shadow; I am shaken off like a locust. 24 My knees are weak from fasting, and my body is emaciated. f 25 I have become an object of ridicule to my accusers; g when they see me, they shake their heads in scorn. 26 Help me, Lord my God; save me according to your faithful love 27 so they may know that this is your hand and that you, Lord, have done it. 28 Though they curse, you will bless. When they rise up, they will be put to shame, but your servant will rejoice. 29 My accusers will be clothed with disgrace; a109:4 Lit but I, prayer b109:6 Or adversary c109:10 LXX reads beggars, driven far d109:15 Lit Let them e109:15 Or cut off f109:24 Lit denied from fat g109:25 Lit to them CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 534 10/26/17 9:00 PM 535 PSALMS 109-112 they will wear their shame like a cloak. 30 I will fervently thank the Lord with my mouth; I will praise him in the presence of many . 31 For he stands at the right hand of the needy to save him from those who would condemn him. THE PRIESTLY KING 110 A psalm of David. This is the declaration of the Lord to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.” 2 The Lord will extend your mighty scepter from Zion. Rule a over your surrounding b enemies. 3 Your people will volunteer on your day of battle. c In holy splendor, from the womb of the dawn, the dew of your youth belongs to you. d 4 The Lord has sworn an oath and will not take it back: “You are a priest forever according to the pattern of Melchizedek.” 5 The Lord is at your right hand; he will crush kings on the day of his anger. 6 He will judge the nations, heaping up corpses; he will crush leaders over the entire world. 7 He will drink from the brook by the road; therefore, he will lift up his head. PRAISE FOR THE LORD’S WORKS 111 Hallelujah! e I will praise the Lord with all my heart in the assembly of the upright and in the congregation. 2 The Lord’s works are great, studied by all who delight in them. 3 All that he does is splendid and majestic; his righteousness endures forever. 4 He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered. The Lord is gracious and compassionate. 5 He has provided food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever. 6 He has shown his people the power of his works by giving them the inheritance of the nations. 7 The works of his hands are truth and justice; all his instructions are trustworthy . 8 They are established forever and ever, enacted in truth and in uprightness. 9 He has sent redemption to his people. He has ordained his covenant forever. His name is holy and awe-inspiring. 10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his instructions f have good insight. His praise endures forever. THE TRAITS OF THE RIGHTEOUS 112 Hallelujah! e Happy is the person who fears the Lord, taking great delight in his commands. 2 His descendants will be powerful in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. 3 Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever. 4 Light shines in the darkness for the upright. He is gracious, compassionate, and righteous. 5 Good will come to the one who lends generously and conducts his business fairly . 6 He will never be shaken. The righteous one will be remembered forever. 7 He will not fear bad news; his heart is confident, trusting in the Lord. 8 His heart is assured; he will not fear. a110:2 One Hb ms, LXX, Tg read You will rule b110:2 Lit Rule in the midst of your c110:3 Lit power d110:3 Hb obscure e111:1; 112:1 The lines of this poem form an acrostic. f111:10 Lit follow them CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 535 10/26/17 9:00 PM PSALMS 112-115 536 In the end he will look in triumph on his foes. 9 He distributes freely to the poor; his righteousness endures forever. His horn will be exalted in honor. 10 The wicked one will see it and be angry; he will gnash his teeth in despair. The desire of the wicked leads to ruin. PRAISE TO THE MERCIFUL GOD 113 Hallelujah! Give praise, servants of the Lord; praise the name of the Lord. 2 Let the name of the Lord be blessed both now and forever. 3 From the rising of the sun to its setting, let the name of the Lord be praised. 4 The Lord is exalted above all the nations, his glory above the heavens. 5 Who is like the Lord our God — the one enthroned on high, 6 who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth? 7 He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the trash heap 8 in order to seat them with nobles — with the nobles of his people. 9 He gives the childless woman a household, making her the joyful mother of children. Hallelujah! GOD’S DELIVERANCE OF ISRAEL 114 When Israel came out of Egypt — the house of Jacob from a people who spoke a foreign language — 2 Judah became his sanctuary , Israel, his dominion. 3 The sea looked and fled; the Jordan turned back. 4 The mountains skipped like rams, the hills, like lambs. 5 Why was it, sea, that you fled? Jordan, that you turned back? 6 Mountains, that you skipped like rams? Hills, like lambs? 7 Tremble, earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob, 8 who turned the rock into a pool, the flint into a spring. GLORY TO GOD ALONE 115 Not to us, Lord, not to us,but to your name give glory because of your faithful love, because of your truth. 2 Why should the nations say , “Where is their God? ” 3 Our God is in heaven and does whatever he pleases. 4 Their idols are silver and gold, made by human hands. 5 They have mouths but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see. 6 They have ears but cannot hear, noses, but cannot smell. 7 They have hands but cannot feel, feet, but cannot walk. They cannot make a sound with their throats. 8 Those who make them are a just like them, as are all who trust in them. 9 Israel, b trust in the Lord! He is their help and shield. 10 House of Aaron, trust in the Lord! He is their help and shield. 11 You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord! He is their help and shield. 12 The Lord remembers us and will bless us. He will bless the house of Israel; he will bless the house of Aaron; 13 he will bless those who fear the Lord — small and great alike. 14 May the Lord add to your numbers, both yours and your children’s. 15 May you be blessed by the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. 16 The heavens are the Lord’s, c but the earth he has given to the human race. 17 It is not the dead who praise the Lord, a115:8 Or May those who make them become b115:9 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr read House of Israel c115:16 Lit the Lord’s heavens CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 536 10/26/17 9:00 PM 537 PSALMS 115-118 nor any of those descending into the silence of death. 18 But we will bless the Lord, both now and forever. Hallelujah! THANKS TO GOD FOR DELIVERANCE 116 I love the Lord because he has heard my appeal for mercy . 2 Because he has turned his ear to me, I will call out to him as long as I live. 3 The ropes of death were wrapped around me, and the torments of Sheol overcame me; I encountered trouble and sorrow . 4 Then I called on the name of the Lord: “Lord, save me! ” 5 The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is compassionate. 6 The Lord guards the inexperienced; I was helpless, and he saved me. 7 Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you. 8 For you, Lord, rescued me from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling. 9 I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living. 10 I believed, even when I said, “I am severely oppressed.” 11 In my alarm I said, “Everyone is a liar.” 12 How can I repay the Lord for all the good he has done for me? 13 I will take the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord. 14 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people. 15 The death of his faithful ones is valuable in the Lord’s sight. 16 Lord, I am indeed your servant; I am your servant, the son of your female servant. You have loosened my bonds. 17 I will offer you a sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the Lord. 18 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people, 19 in the courts of the Lord’s house — within you, Jerusalem. Hallelujah! UNIVERSAL CALL TO PRAISE 117 Praise the Lord, all nations!Glorify him, all peoples! 2 For his faithful love to us is great; the Lord’s faithfulness endures forever. Hallelujah! THANKSGIVING FOR VICTORY 118 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his faithful love endures forever. 2 Let Israel say , “His faithful love endures forever.” 3 Let the house of Aaron say , “His faithful love endures forever.” 4 Let those who fear the Lord s ay, “His faithful love endures forever.” 5 I called to the Lord in distress; the Lord answered me and put me in a spacious place. a 6 The Lord is for me; I will not be afraid. What can a mere mortal do to me? 7 The Lord is my helper, Therefore, I will look in triumph on those who hate me. 8 It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humanity . 9 It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in nobles. 10 All the nations surrounded me; in the name of the Lord I destroyed them. 11 They surrounded me, yes, they surrounded me; in the name of the Lord I destroyed them. 12 They surrounded me like bees; they were extinguished like a fire among thorns; in the name of the Lord I destroyed them. 13 They b pushed me hard to make me fall, but the Lord helped me. 14 The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. a118:5 Or answered me with freedom b118:13 Lit You CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 537 10/26/17 9:00 PM PSALMS 118-119 538 15 There are shouts of joy and victory in the tents of the righteous: “The Lord’s right hand performs valiantly! 16 The Lord’s right hand is raised. The Lord’s right hand performs valiantly! ” 17 I will not die, but I will live and proclaim what the Lord has done. 18 The Lord disciplined me severely but did not give me over to death. 19 Open the gates of righteousness for me; I will enter through them and give thanks to the Lord. 20 This is the Lord’s gate; the righteous will enter through it. 21 I will give thanks to you because you have answered me and have become my salvation. 22 The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. 23 This came from the Lord; it is wondrous in our sight. 24 This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. 25 Lord, save us! L ord, please grant us success! 26 He who comes in the name of the Lord is blessed. From the house of the Lord we bless you. 27 The Lord is God and has given us light. Bind the festival sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar. 28 You are my God, and I will give you thanks. You are my God; I will exalt you. 29 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his faithful love endures forever. DELIGHT IN GOD’S WORD א Aleph 119 How a happy are those whose way is blameless, who walk according to the Lord’s instruction! 2 Happy are those who keep his decrees and seek him with all their heart. 3 They do nothing wrong; they walk in his ways. 4 You have commanded that your precepts be diligently kept. 5 If only my ways were committed to keeping your statutes! 6 Then I would not be ashamed when I think about all your commands. 7 I will praise you with an upright heart when I learn your righteous judgments. 8 I will keep your statutes; never abandon me. ב Beth 9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping your b word. 10 I have sought you with all my heart; don’t let me wander from your commands. 11 I have treasured your word in my heart so that I may not sin against you. 12 Lord, may you be blessed; teach me your statutes. 13 With my lips I proclaim all the judgments from your mouth. 14 I rejoice in the way revealed by your decrees as much as in all riches. 15 I will meditate on your precepts and think about your ways. 16 I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word. ג Gimel 17 Deal generously with your servant so that I might live; then I will keep your word. 18 Open my eyes so that I may contemplate wondrous things from your instruction. 19 I am a resident alien on earth; do not hide your commands from me. 20 I am continually overcome with longing for your judgments. 21 You rebuke the arrogant, the ones under a curse, who wander from your commands. 22 Take insult and contempt away from me, for I have kept your decrees. 23 Though princes sit together speaking against me, your servant will think about your statutes; a119:1 The stanzas of this poem form an acrostic. b119:9 Or keeping it according to your CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 538 10/26/17 9:00 PM 539 PSALM 119 24 your decrees are my delight and my counselors. ד Daleth 25 My life is down in the dust; give me life through your word. 26 I told you about my life, and you answered me; teach me your statutes. 27 Help me understand the meaning of your precepts so that I can meditate on your wonders. 28 I am weary a from grief; strengthen me through your word. 29 Keep me from the way of deceit and graciously give me your instruction. 30 I have chosen the way of truth; I have set your ordinances before me. 31 I cling to your decrees; L ord, do not put me to shame. 32 I pursue the way of your commands, for you broaden my understanding. b ה He 33 Teach me, Lord, the meaning c of your statutes, and I will always keep them. d 34 Help me understand your instruction, and I will obey it and follow it with all my heart. 35 Help me stay on the path of your commands, for I take pleasure in it. 36 Turn my heart to your decrees and not to dishonest profit. 37 Turn my eyes from looking at what is worthless; give me life in your ways. e 38 Confirm what you said to your servant, for it produces reverence for you. 39 Turn away the disgrace I dread; indeed, your judgments are good. 40 How I long for your precepts! Give me life through your righteousness. ו Waw 41 Let your faithful love come to me, Lord, your salvation, as you promised. 42 Then I can answer the one who taunts me, for I trust in your word. 43 Never take the word of truth from my mouth, for I hope in your judgments. 44 I will always obey your instruction, forever and ever. 45 I will walk freely in an open place because I study your precepts. 46 I will speak of your decrees before kings and not be ashamed. 47 I delight in your commands, which I love. 48 I will lift up my hands to your commands, which I love, and will meditate on your statutes. ז Zayin 49 Remember your word to your servant; you have given me hope through it. 50 This is my comfort in my affliction: Your promise has given me life. 51 The arrogant constantly ridicule me, but I do not turn away from your instruction. 52 Lord, I remember your judgments from long ago and find comfort. 53 Rage seizes me because of the wicked who reject your instruction. 54 Your statutes are the theme of my song during my earthly life. f 55 Lord, I remember your name in the night, and I obey your instruction. 56 This is my practice: I obey your precepts. ח Cheth 57 The Lord is my portion; g I have promised to keep your words. 58 I have sought your favor with all my heart; be gracious to me according to your promise. 59 I thought about my ways and turned my steps back to your decrees. 60 I hurried, not hesitating to keep your commands. 61 Though the ropes of the wicked were wrapped around me, a119:28 Or I weep b119:32 Lit you enlarge my heart c119:33 Lit way d119:33 Or will keep it as my reward e119:37 Some Hb mss, Tg read word f119:54 Lit song in the house of my sojourning g119:57 Lit You are my portion, Lord CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 539 10/26/17 9:00 PM PSALM 119 540 I did not forget your instruction. 62 I rise at midnight to thank you for your righteous judgments. 63 I am a friend to all who fear you, to those who keep your precepts. 64 Lord, the earth is filled with your faithful love; teach me your statutes. ט Teth 65 Lord, you have treated your servant well, just as you promised. 66 Teach me good judgment and discernment, for I rely on your commands. 67 Before I was afflicted I went astray , but now I keep your word. 68 You are good, and you do what is good; teach me your statutes. 69 The arrogant have smeared me with lies, but I obey your precepts with all my heart. 70 Their hearts are hard and insensitive, but I delight in your instruction. 71 It was good for me to be afflicted so that I could learn your statutes. 72 Instruction from your lips is better for me than thousands of gold and silver pieces. י Yod 73 Your hands made me and formed me; give me understanding so that I can learn your commands. 74 Those who fear you will see me and rejoice, for I put my hope in your word. 75 I know , Lord, that your judgments are just and that you have afflicted me fairly . 76 May your faithful love comfort me as you promised your servant. 77 May your compassion come to me so that I may live, for your instruction is my delight. 78 Let the arrogant be put to shame for slandering me with lies; I will meditate on your precepts. 79 Let those who fear you, those who know your decrees, turn to me. 80 May my heart be blameless regarding your statutes so that I will not be put to shame.כ Kaph 81 I long for your salvation; I put my hope in your word. 82 My eyes grow weary looking for what you have promised; I ask, “When will you comfort me? ” 83 Though I have become like a wineskin dried by smoke, I do not forget your statutes. 84 How many days must your servant wait? When will you execute judgment on my persecutors? 85 The arrogant have dug pits for me; they violate your instruction. 86 All your commands are true; people persecute me with lies — help me! 87 They almost ended my life on earth, but I did not abandon your precepts. 88 Give me life in accordance with your faithful love, and I will obey the decree you have spoken. ל Lamed 89 Lord, your word is forever; it is firmly fixed in heaven. 90 Your faithfulness is for all generations; you established the earth, and it stands firm. 91 Your judgments stand firm today , for all things are your servants. 92 If your instruction had not been my delight, I would have died in my affliction. 93 I will never forget your precepts, for you have given me life through them. 94 I am yours; save me, for I have studied your precepts. 95 The wicked hope to destroy me, but I contemplate your decrees. 96 I have seen a limit to all perfection, but your command is without limit. מ Mem 97 How I love your instruction! It is my meditation all day long. 98 Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are always with me. 99 I have more insight than all my teachers because your decrees are my meditation. CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 540 10/26/17 9:00 PM 541 PSALM 119 100 I understand more than the elders because I obey your precepts. 101 I have kept my feet from every evil path to follow your word. 102 I have not turned from your judgments, for you yourself have instructed me. 103 How sweet your word is to my taste
📜 Divine Word as Life Guide
🔥 God's word serves as a guiding light through life's darkest moments, illuminating paths and providing unwavering direction when everything else fails
🛡️ The Lord's protection manifests as a constant shelter that never slumbers, guarding believers from harm and standing as a fortress against oppression
⚖️ Divine righteousness establishes perfect justice while offering compassion, creating a foundation where truth endures forever despite human failings
🙏 Faithful love extends eternally through all circumstances, sustaining the weary, redeeming the broken, and restoring those who place their trust in divine promises
🌱 Those who align with divine instruction experience abundant peace, finding stability like an unshakable mountain even amid persecution and hardship
🎵 The proper response to divine goodness is wholehearted praise, acknowledging God's faithfulness through generations and finding joy in communal worship
— sweeter than honey in my mouth. 104 I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every false way . נ Nun 105 Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path. 106 I have solemnly sworn to keep your righteous judgments. 107 I am severely afflicted; L ord, give me life according to your word. 108 Lord, please accept my freewill offerings of praise, and teach me your judgments. 109 My life is constantly in danger, a yet I do not forget your instruction. 110 The wicked have set a trap for me, but I have not wandered from your precepts. 111 I have your decrees as a heritage forever; indeed, they are the joy of my heart. 112 I am resolved to obey your statutes to the very end. b ס Samek 113 I hate those who are double-minded, but I love your instruction. 114 You are my shelter and my shield; I put my hope in your word. 115 Depart from me, you evil ones, so that I may obey my God’s commands. 116 Sustain me as you promised, and I will live; do not let me be ashamed of my hope. 117 Sustain me so that I can be safe and always be concerned about your statutes. 118 You reject all who stray from your statutes, for their deceit is a lie. 119 You remove all the wicked on earth as if they were c dross from metal; therefore, I love your decrees. 120 I tremble d in awe of you; I fear your judgments. ע Ayin 121 I have done what is just and right; do not leave me to my oppressors. 122 Guarantee your servant’s well-being; do not let the arrogant oppress me. 123 My eyes grow weary looking for your salvation and for your righteous promise. 124 Deal with your servant based on your faithful love; teach me your statutes. 125 I am your servant; give me understanding so that I may know your decrees. 126 It is time for the Lord to act, for they have violated your instruction. 127 Since I love your commands more than gold, even the purest gold, 128 I carefully follow all your precepts and hate every false way . פ Pe 129 Your decrees are wondrous; therefore I obey them. 130 The revelation of your words brings light and gives understanding to the inexperienced. 131 I open my mouth and pant because I long for your commands. 132 Turn to me and be gracious to me, as is your practice toward those who love your name. 133 Make my steps steady through your promise; don’t let any sin dominate me. 134 Redeem me from human oppression, and I will keep your precepts. 135 Make your face shine on your servant, and teach me your statutes. 136 My eyes pour out streams of tears because people do not follow your instruction. צ Tsade 137 You are righteous, Lord, and your judgments are just. 138 The decrees you issue are righteous and altogether trustworthy . a119:109 Lit in my hand b119:112 Or statutes; the reward is eternal c119:119 Some Hb mss, DSS, LXX, Aq, Sym, Jer read All the wicked of the earth you count as d119:120 Lit My flesh shudders CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 541 10/26/17 9:00 PM PSALMS 119-120 542 139 My anger overwhelms me because my foes forget your words. 140 Your word is completely pure, and your servant loves it. 141 I am insignificant and despised, but I do not forget your precepts. 142 Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and your instruction is true. 143 Trouble and distress have overtaken me, but your commands are my delight. 144 Your decrees are righteous forever. Give me understanding, and I will live. ק Qoph 145 I call with all my heart; answer me, Lord. I will obey your statutes. 146 I call to you; save me, and I will keep your decrees. 147 I rise before dawn and cry out for help; I put my hope in your word. 148 I am awake through each watch of the night to meditate on your promise. 149 In keeping with your faithful love, hear my voice. L ord, give me life in keeping with your justice. 150 Those who pursue evil plans a come near; they are far from your instruction. 151 You are near, Lord, and all your commands are true. 152 Long ago I learned from your decrees that you have established them forever. ר Resh 153 Consider my affliction and rescue me, for I have not forgotten your instruction. 154 Champion my cause and redeem me; give me life as you promised. 155 Salvation is far from the wicked because they do not study your statutes. 156 Your compassions are many , Lord; give me life according to your judgments. 157 My persecutors and foes are many . I have not turned from your decrees. 158 I have seen the disloyal and feel disgust because they do not keep your word. 159 Consider how I love your precepts; L ord, give me life according to your faithful love. 160 The entirety of your word is truth, each of your righteous judgments endures forever. שׂ Sin / שׁ Shin 161 Princes have persecuted me without cause, but my heart fears only your word. 162 I rejoice over your promise like one who finds vast treasure. 163 I hate and abhor falsehood, but I love your instruction. 164 I praise you seven times a day for your righteous judgments. 165 Abundant peace belongs to those who love your instruction; nothing makes them stumble. 166 Lord, I hope for your salvation and carry out your commands. 167 I obey your decrees and love them greatly . 168 I obey your precepts and decrees, for all my ways are before you. ת Taw 169 Let my cry reach you, Lord; give me understanding according to your word. 170 Let my plea reach you; rescue me according to your promise. 171 My lips pour out praise, for you teach me your statutes. 172 My tongue sings about your promise, for all your commands are righteous. 173 May your hand be ready to help me, for I have chosen your precepts. 174 I long for your salvation, Lord, and your instruction is my delight. 175 Let me live, and I will praise you; may your judgments help me. 176 I wander like a lost sheep; seek your servant, for I do not forget your commands. A CRY FOR TRUTH AND PEACE 120 A song of ascents. In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me. 2 “Lord, rescue me from lying lips and a deceitful tongue.” a119:150 Some Hb mss, LXX, Sym, Jer read who maliciously persecute me CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 542 10/26/17 9:00 PM 543 PSALMS 120-124 3 What will he give you, and what will he do to you, you deceitful tongue? 4 A warrior’s sharp arrows with burning charcoal! a 5 What misery that I have stayed in Meshech, b that I have lived among the tents of Kedar! c 6 I have dwelt too long with those who hate peace. 7 I am for peace; but when I speak, they are for war. THE LORD OUR PROTECTOR 121 A song of ascents. I lift my eyes toward the mountains. Where will my help come from? 2 My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. 3 He will not allow your foot to slip; your Protector will not slumber. 4 Indeed, the Protector of Israel does not slumber or sleep. 5 The Lord protects you; the Lord is a shelter right by your side. d 6 The sun will not strike you by day or the moon by night. 7 The Lord will protect you from all harm; he will protect your life. 8 The Lord will protect your coming and going both now and forever. A PRAYER FOR JERUSALEM 122 A song of ascents. Of David. I rejoiced with those who said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord.” 2 Our feet were standing within your gates, Jerusalem — 3 Jerusalem, built as a city should be, solidly united, 4 where the tribes, the Lord’s tribes, go up to give thanks to the name of the Lord. (This is an ordinance for Israel.) 5 There, thrones for judgment are placed, thrones of the house of David. 6 Pray for the well-being e of Jerusalem: “May those who love you be secure; 7 may there be peace within your walls, security within your fortresses.” 8 Because of my brothers and friends, I will say , “May peace be in you.” f 9 Because of the house of the Lord our God, I will pursue your prosperity . LOOKING FOR GOD’S FAVOR 123 A song of ascents. I lift my eyes to you, the one enthroned in heaven. 2 Like a servant’s eyes on his master’s hand, like a servant girl’s eyes on her mistress’s hand, so our eyes are on the Lord our God until he shows us favor. 3 Show us favor, Lord, show us favor, for we’ve had more than enough contempt. 4 We’ve had more than enough scorn from the arrogant and contempt from the proud. THE LORD IS ON OUR SIDE 124 A song of ascents. Of David. If the Lord had not been on our side — let Israel say — 2 If the Lord had not been on our side when people attacked us, 3 then they would have swallowed us alive in their burning anger against us. 4 Then the water would have engulfed us; the torrent would have swept over us; 5 the raging water would have swept over us. 6 Blessed be the Lord, who has not let us be ripped apart by their teeth. 7 We have escaped like a bird from the hunter’s net; the net is torn, and we have escaped. 8 Our help is in the name of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. a120:4 Lit with coals of the broom bush b120:5 = a people far to the north of Palestine c120:5 = a nomadic people of the desert to the southeast d121:5 Lit is your shelter at your right hand e122:6 Or peace f122:8 = Jerusalem CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 543 10/26/17 9:00 PM PSALMS 125-129 544 ISRAEL ’S STABILITY 125 A song of ascents. Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion. It cannot be shaken; it remains forever. 2 The mountains surround Jerusalem and the Lord surrounds his people, both now and forever. 3 The scepter of the wicked will not remain over the land allotted to the righteous, so that the righteous will not apply their hands to injustice. 4 Do what is good, Lord, to the good, to those whose hearts are upright. 5 But as for those who turn aside to crooked ways, the Lord will banish them with the evildoers. Peace be with Israel. ZION’S RESTORATION 126 A song of ascents. When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, a we were like those who dream. 2 Our mouths were filled with laughter then, and our tongues with shouts of joy . Then they said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.” 3 The Lord had done great things for us; we were joyful. 4 Restore our fortunes, b Lord, like watercourses in the Negev . 5 Those who sow in tears will reap with shouts of joy . 6 Though one goes along weeping, carrying the bag of seed, he will surely come back with shouts of joy , carrying his sheaves. THE BLESSING OF THE LORD 127 A song of ascents. Of Solomon. Unless the Lord builds a house, its builders labor over it in vain; unless the Lord watches over a city , the watchman stays alert in vain. 2 In vain you get up early and stay up late, working hard to have enough food — yes, he gives sleep to the one he loves. c 3 Sons are indeed a heritage from the Lord, offspring, a reward. 4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the sons born in one’s youth. 5 Happy is the man who has filled his quiver with them. They will never be put to shame when they speak with their enemies at the city gate. BLESSINGS FOR THOSE WHO FEAR GOD 128 A song of ascents. How happy is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways! 2 You will surely eat what your hands have worked for. You will be happy , and it will go well for you. 3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house, your children, like young olive trees around your table. 4 In this very way the man who fears the Lord will be blessed. 5 May the Lord bless you from Zion, so that you will see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life 6 and will see your children’s children! Peace be with Israel. PROTECTION OF THE OPPRESSED 129 A song of ascents. Since my youth they have often attacked me — let Israel say — 2 Since my youth they have often attacked me, but they have not prevailed against me. 3 Plowmen plowed over my back; they made their furrows long. 4 The Lord is righteous; he has cut the ropes of the wicked. a126:1 Or Lord returned those of Zion who had been captives b126:4 Or Return our captives c127:2 Or yes, he gives such things to his loved ones while they sleep CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 544 10/26/17 9:00 PM 545 PSALMS 129-132 5 Let all who hate Zion be driven back in disgrace. 6 Let them be like grass on the rooftops, which withers before it grows up a 7 and can’t even fill the hands of the reaper or the arms of the one who binds sheaves. 8 Then none who pass by will say , “May the Lord’s blessing be on you. We bless you in the name of the Lord.” AWAITING REDEMPTION 130 A song of ascents. Out of the depths I call to you, Lord! 2 Lord, listen to my voice; let your ears be attentive to my cry for help. 3 Lord, if you kept an account of iniquities, Lord, who could stand? 4 But with you there is forgiveness, so that you may be revered. 5 I wait for the Lord; I wait and put my hope in his word. 6 I wait for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning — more than watchmen for the morning. 7 Israel, put your hope in the Lord. For there is faithful love with the Lord, and with him is redemption in abundance. 8 And he will redeem Israel from all its iniquities. A CHILDLIKE SPIRIT 131 A song of ascents. Of David. Lord, my heart is not proud; my eyes are not haughty . I do not get involved with things too great or too wondrous for me. 2 Instead, I have calmed and quieted my soul like a weaned child with its mother; my soul is like a weaned child. 3 Israel, put your hope in the Lord, both now and forever.DAVID AND ZION CHOSEN 132 A song of ascents. Lord, remember David and all the hardships he endured, 2 and how he swore an oath to the Lord, making a vow to the Mighty One of Jacob: 3 “I will not enter my house or get into my bed, 4 I will not allow my eyes to sleep or my eyelids to slumber 5 until I find a place for the Lord, a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.” 6 We heard of the ark in Ephrathah; b we found it in the fields of Jaar. c 7 Let us go to his dwelling place; let us worship at his footstool. 8 Rise up, Lord, come to your resting place, you and your powerful ark. 9 May your priests be clothed with righteousness, and may your faithful people shout for joy . 10 For the sake of your servant David, do not reject your anointed one. d 11 The Lord swore an oath to David, a promise he will not abandon: “I will set one of your offspring e on your throne. 12 If your sons keep my covenant and my decrees that I will teach them, their sons will also sit on your throne forever.” 13 For the Lord has chosen Zion; he has desired it for his home: 14 “This is my resting place forever; I will make my home here because I have desired it. 15 I will abundantly bless its food; I will satisfy its needy with bread. 16 I will clothe its priests with salvation, and its faithful people will shout for joy . 17 There I will make a horn grow for David; I have prepared a lamp for my anointed one. a129:6 Or it can be pulled out b132:6 = Bethlehem c132:6 = Kiriath-jearim d132:10 = the king e132:11 Lit set the fruit of your belly CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 545 10/26/17 9:00 PM PSALMS 132-136 546 18 I will clothe his enemies with shame, but the crown he wears a will be glorious.” LIVING IN HARMONY 133 A song of ascents. Of David. How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony! 2 It is like fine oil on the head, running down on the beard, running down Aaron’s beard onto his robes. 3 It is like the dew of Hermon b falling on the mountains of Zion. For there the Lord has appointed the blessing — life forevermore. CALL TO EVENING WORSHIP 134 A song of ascents. Now bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord who stand in the Lord’s house at night! 2 Lift up your hands in the holy place and bless the Lord! 3 May the Lord, Maker of heaven and earth, bless you from Zion. THE LORD IS GREAT 135 Hallelujah! Praise the name of the Lord. Give praise, you servants of the Lord 2 who stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God. 3 Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; sing praise to his name, for it is delightful. 4 For the Lord has chosen Jacob for himself, Israel as his treasured possession. 5 For I know that the Lord is great; our Lord is greater than all gods. 6 The Lord does whatever he pleases in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all the depths. 7 He causes the clouds to rise from the ends of the earth. He makes lightning for the rain and brings the wind from his storehouses. 8 He struck down the firstborn of Egypt, both people and animals. 9 He sent signs and wonders against you, Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his officials. 10 He struck down many nations and slaughtered mighty kings: 11 Sihon king of the Amorites, Og king of Bashan, and all the kings of Canaan. 12 He gave their land as an inheritance, an inheritance to his people Israel. 13 Lord, your name endures forever, your reputation, Lord, through all generations. 14 For the Lord will vindicate his people and have compassion on his servants. 15 The idols of the nations are of silver and gold, made by human hands. 16 They have mouths but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see. 17 They have ears but cannot hear; indeed, there is no breath in their mouths. 18 Those who make them are just like them, as are all who trust in them. 19 House of Israel, bless the Lord! House of Aaron, bless the Lord! 20 House of Levi, bless the Lord! You who revere the Lord, bless the Lord! 21 Blessed be the Lord from Zion; he dwells in Jerusalem. Hallelujah! GOD’S LOVE IS ETERNAL 136 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His faithful love endures forever. 2 Give thanks to the God of gods. His faithful love endures forever. 3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords. His faithful love endures forever. 4 He alone does great wonders. His faithful love endures forever. 5 He made the heavens skillfully . a132:18 Lit but on him his crown b133:3 The tallest mountain in the region, noted for its abundant precipitation CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 546 10/26/17 9:00 PM 547 PSALMS 136-138 His faithful love endures forever. 6 He spread the land on the waters. His faithful love endures forever. 7 He made the great lights: His faithful love endures forever. 8 the sun to rule by day , His faithful love endures forever. 9 the moon and stars to rule by night. His faithful love endures forever. 10 He struck the firstborn of the Egyptians His faithful love endures forever. 11 and brought Israel out from among them His faithful love endures forever. 12 with a strong hand and outstretched arm. His faithful love endures forever. 13 He divided the Red Sea His faithful love endures forever. 14 and led Israel through, His faithful love endures forever. 15 but hurled Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea. His faithful love endures forever. 16 He led his people in the wilderness. His faithful love endures forever. 17 He struck down great kings His faithful love endures forever. 18 and slaughtered famous kings — His faithful love endures forever. 19 Sihon king of the Amorites His faithful love endures forever. 20 and Og king of Bashan — His faithful love endures forever. 21 and gave their land as an inheritance, His faithful love endures forever. 22 an inheritance to Israel his servant. His faithful love endures forever. 23 He remembered us in our humiliation His faithful love endures forever. 24 and rescued us from our foes. His faithful love endures forever. 25 He gives food to every creature. His faithful love endures forever. 26 Give thanks to the God of heaven! His faithful love endures forever. LAMENT OF THE EXILES 137 By the rivers of Babylon — there we sat down and wept when we remembered Zion. 2 There we hung up our lyres on the poplar trees, 3 for our captors there asked us for songs, and our tormentors, for rejoicing: “Sing us one of the songs of Zion.” 4 How can we sing the Lord’s song on foreign soil? 5 If I forget you, Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its skill. 6 May my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not exalt Jerusalem as my greatest joy! 7 Remember, Lord, what the Edomites said that day a at Jerusalem: “Destroy it! Destroy it down to its foundations! ” 8 Daughter Babylon, doomed to destruction, happy is the one who pays you back what you have done to us. 9 Happy is he who takes your little ones and dashes them against the rocks. A THANKFUL HEART 138 Of David. I will give you thanks with all my heart; I will sing your praise before the heavenly beings. b 2 I will bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your constant love and truth. You have exalted your name and your promise above everything else. c 3 On the day I called, you answered me; you increased strength within me. d 4 All the kings on earth will give you thanks, Lord, when they hear what you have promised. e 5 They will sing of the Lord’s ways, for the Lord’s glory is great. 6 Though the Lord is exalted, he takes note of the humble; a137:7 The day Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians in 586 BC b138:1 Or before the gods, or before judges, or before kings ; Hb elohim c138:2
🙏 Divine Omnipresence and Protection
🔍 God's complete knowledge of humanity extends to our thoughts, words, and movements—nothing escapes divine awareness, creating both comfort and accountability (Psalm 139:1-6)
🌌 Divine omnipresence spans heaven, earth, darkness, and light—there exists no place beyond God's reach, offering both refuge for the faithful and inescapability for the wicked (Psalm 139:7-12)
✨ Human creation reflects divine craftsmanship—God intimately forms each person from conception, knowing our days before they unfold and valuing each life as "remarkably and wondrously made" (Psalm 139:13-16)
🛡️ Divine protection shields the righteous from enemies—God's faithful love preserves believers through danger, fulfills divine purposes, and delivers from those who plot harm (Psalms 138:7-8, 140:4-7)
🎵 Praise and worship serve as the proper response to God's greatness—all creation should acknowledge divine power, mercy, and righteousness through continual thanksgiving (Psalms 145-150)
Or You have exalted your promise above all your name d138:3 Hb obscure e138:4 Lit hear the words of your mouth CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 547 10/26/17 9:00 PM PSALMS 138-140 548 but he knows the haughty from a distance. 7 If I walk into the thick of danger, you will preserve my life from the anger of my enemies. You will extend your hand; your right hand will save me. 8 The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me. L ord, your faithful love endures forever; do not abandon the work of your hands. THE ALL-KNOWING, EVER-PRESENT GOD 139 For the choir director. A psalm of David. Lord, you have searched me and known me. 2 You know when I sit down and when I stand up; you understand my thoughts from far away . 3 You observe my travels and my rest; you are aware of all my ways. 4 Before a word is on my tongue, you know all about it, Lord. 5 You have encircled me; you have placed your hand on me. 6 This wondrous knowledge is beyond me. It is lofty; I am unable to reach it. 7 Where can I go to escape your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? 8 If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there. 9 If I live at the eastern horizon or settle at the western limits, a 10 even there your hand will lead me; your right hand will hold on to me. 11 If I say , “Surely the darkness will hide me, and the light around me will be night” — 12 even the darkness is not dark to you. The night shines like the day; darkness and light are alike to you. 13 For it was you who created my inward parts; b you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I will praise you because I have been remarkably and wondrously made. c,d Your works are wondrous, and I know this very well. 15 My bones were not hidden from you when I was made in secret, when I was formed in the depths of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw me when I was formless; all my days were written in your book and planned before a single one of them began. 17 God, how precious e your thoughts are to me; how vast their sum is! 18 If I counted them, they would outnumber the grains of sand; when I wake up, f I am still with you. 19 God, if only you would kill the wicked — you bloodthirsty men, stay away from me — 20 who invoke you deceitfully . Your enemies swear by you falsely . 21 Lord, don’t I hate those who hate you, and detest those who rebel against you? 22 I hate them with extreme hatred; I consider them my enemies. 23 Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns. 24 See if there is any offensive g way in me; lead me in the everlasting way . PRAYER FOR RESCUE 140 For the choir director. A psalm of David. Rescue me, Lord, from evil men. Keep me safe from violent men 2 who plan evil in their hearts. They stir up wars all day long. 3 They make their tongues as sharp as a snake’s bite; viper’s venom is under their lips. Selah 4 Protect me, Lord, from the power of the wicked. Keep me safe from violent men who plan to make me stumble. h a139:9 Lit I take up the wings of the dawn; I dwell at the end of the sea b139:13 Lit my kidneys c139:14 DSS, some LXX mss, Syr , Jer read because you are remarkable and wonderful d139:14 Hb obscure e139:17 Or difficult f139:18 Some Hb mss read I come to an end g139:24 Or idolatrous h140:4 Lit to trip up my steps CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 548 10/26/17 9:00 PM 549 PSALMS 140-142 5 The proud hide a trap with ropes for me; they spread a net along the path and set snares for me. Selah 6 I say to the Lord, “You are my God.” Listen, Lord, to my cry for help. 7 Lord, my Lord, my strong Savior, you shield my head on the day of battle. 8 Lord, do not grant the desires of the wicked; do not let them achieve their goals. Otherwise, they will become proud. Selah 9 When those who surround me rise up, a may the trouble their lips cause overwhelm them. 10 Let hot coals fall on them. Let them be thrown into the fire, into the abyss, never again to rise. 11 Do not let a slanderer stay in the land. Let evil relentlessly b hunt down a violent man. 12 I c know that the Lord upholds the just cause of the poor, justice for the needy . 13 Surely the righteous will praise your name; the upright will live in your presence. PROTECTION FROM SIN AND SINNERS 141 A psalm of David. Lord, I call on you; hurry to help me. Listen to my voice when I call on you. 2 May my prayer be set before you as incense, the raising of my hands as the evening offering. 3 Lord, set up a guard for my mouth; keep watch at the door of my lips. 4 Do not let my heart turn to any evil thing or perform wicked acts with men who commit sin. Do not let me feast on their delicacies. 5 Let the righteous one strike me — it is an act of faithful love; let him rebuke me — it is oil for my head; let me d not refuse it. Even now my prayer is against the evil acts of the wicked. e 6 When their rulers f will be thrown off the sides of a cliff, the people g will listen to my words, for they are pleasing. 7 As when one plows and breaks up the soil, turning up rocks, so our h bones have been scattered at the mouth of Sheol. 8 But my eyes look to you, Lord, my Lord. I seek refuge in you; do not let me die. i 9 Protect me from the trap they have set for me, and from the snares of evildoers. 10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I pass by safely . A CRY OF DISTRESS 142 A Maskil of David. When he was in the cave. A prayer. I cry aloud to the Lord; I plead aloud to the Lord for mercy . 2 I pour out my complaint before him; I reveal my trouble to him. 3 Although my spirit is weak within me, you know my way . Along this path I travel they have hidden a trap for me. 4 Look to the right and see: j no one stands up for me; there is no refuge for me; no one cares about me. 5 I cry to you, Lord; I say , “You are my shelter, my portion in the land of the living.” 6 Listen to my cry , for I am very weak. Rescue me from those who pursue me, for they are too strong for me. 7 Free me from prison so that I can praise your name. The righteous will gather around me because you deal generously with me. a140:9 Lit Head of those who surround me b140:11 Hb obscure c140:12 Alt Hb tradition reads You d141:5 Lit my head e141:5 Lit of them f141:6 Or judges g141:6 Lit cliff, and they h141:7 DSS reads my ; some LXX mss, Syr read their i141:8 Or not pour out my life j142:4 DSS, LXX, Syr , Vg, Tg read I look to the right and I see CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 549 10/26/17 9:00 PM PSALMS 143-144 550 A CRY FOR HELP 143 A psalm of David. Lord, hear my prayer. In your faithfulness listen to my plea, and in your righteousness answer me. 2 Do not bring your servant into judgment, for no one alive is righteous in your sight. 3 For the enemy has pursued me, crushing me to the ground, making me live in darkness like those long dead. 4 My spirit is weak within me; my heart is overcome with dismay . 5 I remember the days of old; I meditate on all you have done; I reflect on the work of your hands. 6 I spread out my hands to you; I am like parched land before you. Selah 7 Answer me quickly , Lord; my spirit fails. Don’t hide your face from me, or I will be like those going down to the Pit. 8 Let me experience your faithful love in the morning, for I trust in you. Reveal to me the way I should go because I appeal to you. 9 Rescue me from my enemies, Lord; I come to you for protection. a 10 Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. May your gracious Spirit lead me on level ground. 11 For your name’s sake, Lord, let me live. In your righteousness deliver me from trouble, 12 and in your faithful love destroy my enemies. Wipe out all those who attack me, for I am your servant. A KING’S PRAYER 144 Of David. Blessed be the Lord, my rock who trains my hands for battle and my fingers for warfare. 2 He is my faithful love and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer. He is my shield, and I take refuge in him; he subdues my people b under me. 3 Lord, what is a human that you care for him, a son of man c that you think of him? 4 A human is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow . 5 Lord, part your heavens and come down. Touch the mountains, and they will smoke. 6 Flash your lightning and scatter the foe; d shoot your arrows and rout them. 7 Reach down e from on high; rescue me from deep water, and set me free from the grasp of foreigners 8 whose mouths speak lies, whose right hands are deceptive. 9 God, I will sing a new song to you; I will play on a ten-stringed harp for you — 10 the one who gives victory to kings, who frees his servant David from the deadly sword. 11 Set me free and rescue me from foreigners whose mouths speak lies, whose right hands are deceptive. 12 Then our sons will be like plants nurtured in their youth, our daughters, like corner pillars that are carved in the palace style. 13 Our storehouses will be full, supplying all kinds of produce; our flocks will increase by thousands and tens of thousands in our open fields. 14 Our cattle will be well fed. f There will be no breach in the walls, no going into captivity , g and no cry of lament in our public squares. 15 Happy are the people with such blessings. Happy are the people whose God is the Lord. a143:9 One Hb ms, LXX; some Hb mss read I cover myself to you b144:2 Some Hb mss, DSS, Aq, Syr , Tg, Jer read subdues peoples ; 2Sm 22:48; Ps 18:47 c144:3 Or a mere mortal d144:6 Lit scatter them e144:7 Lit down your hands f144:14 Or will bear heavy loads, or will be pregnant g144:14 Or be no plague, no miscarriage CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 550 10/26/17 9:00 PM 551 PSALMS 145-146 PRAISING GOD’S GREATNESS 145 A hymn of David. I a exalt you, my God the King, and bless your name forever and ever. 2 I will bless you every day; I will praise your name forever and ever. 3 The Lord is great and is highly praised; his greatness is unsearchable. 4 One generation will declare your works to the next and will proclaim your mighty acts. 5 I b will speak of your splendor and glorious majesty and c your wondrous works. 6 They will proclaim the power of your awe-inspiring acts, and I will declare your greatness. d 7 They will give a testimony of your great goodness and will joyfully sing of your righteousness. 8 The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and great in faithful love. 9 The Lord is good to everyone; his compassion rests on all he has made. 10 All you have made will thank you, Lord; the e faithful will bless you. 11 They will speak of the glory of your kingdom and will declare your might, 12 informing all people of your mighty acts and of the glorious splendor of your f kingdom. 13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom; your rule is for all generations. The Lord is faithful in all his words and gracious in all his actions. g 14 The Lord helps all who fall; he raises up all who are oppressed. h 15 All eyes look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. 16 You open your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing. 17 The Lord is righteous in all his ways and faithful in all his acts. 18 The Lord is near all who call out to him, all who call out to him with integrity . 19 He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry for help and saves them. 20 The Lord guards all those who love him, but he destroys all the wicked. 21 My mouth will declare the Lord’s praise; let every living thing bless his holy name forever and ever. THE GOD OF COMPASSION 146 Hallelujah! My soul, praise the Lord. 2 I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing to my God as long as I live. 3 Do not trust in nobles, in a son of man, i who cannot save. 4 When his breath j leaves him, he returns to the ground; on that day his plans die. 5 Happy is the one whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, 6 the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea and everything in them. He remains faithful forever, 7 executing justice for the exploited and giving food to the hungry . The Lord frees prisoners. 8 The Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord raises up those who are oppressed. h The Lord loves the righteous. 9 The Lord protects resident aliens and helps the fatherless and the widow , but he frustrates the ways of the wicked. 10 The Lord reigns forever; Zion, your God reigns for all generations. Hallelujah! a145:1 The lines of this poem form an acrostic. b145:5 LXX, Syr read They c145:5 LXX, Syr read and they will tell of d145:6 Alt Hb tradition, Jer read great deeds e145:10 Lit your f145:12 LXX, Syr , Jer; MT reads his g145:13 One Hb ms, DSS, LXX, Syr; some Hb mss omit The Lord is faithful in all his words and gracious in all his actions. h145:14; 146:8 Lit bowed down i146:3 Or a mere mortal j146:4 Or spirit CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 551 10/26/17 9:00 PM PSALMS 147-149 552 GOD RESTORES JERUSALEM 147 Hallelujah! How good it is to sing to our God, for praise is pleasant and lovely . 2 The Lord rebuilds Jerusalem; he gathers Israel’s exiled people. 3 He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds. 4 He counts the number of the stars; he gives names to all of them. 5 Our Lord is great, vast in power; his understanding is infinite. a 6 The Lord helps the oppressed but brings the wicked to the ground. 7 Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; play the lyre to our God, 8 who covers the sky with clouds, prepares rain for the earth, and causes grass to grow on the hills. 9 He provides the animals with their food, and the young ravens, what they cry for. 10 He is not impressed by the strength of a horse; he does not value the power of a warrior. b 11 The Lord values those who fear him, those who put their hope in his faithful love. 12 Exalt the Lord, Jerusalem; praise your God, Zion! 13 For he strengthens the bars of your city gates and blesses your children within you. 14 He endows your territory with prosperity; c he satisfies you with the finest wheat. 15 He sends his command throughout the earth; his word runs swiftly . 16 He spreads snow like wool; he scatters frost like ashes; 17 he throws his hailstones like crumbs. Who can withstand his cold? 18 He sends his word and melts them; he unleashes his winds, d and the water flows. 19 He declares his word to Jacob, his statutes and judgments to Israel. 20 He has not done this for every nation; they do not know his judgments. Hallelujah! CREATION’S PRAISE OF THE LORD 148 Hallelujah!Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights. 2 Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his heavenly armies. 3 Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars. 4 Praise him, highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens. 5 Let them praise the name of the Lord, for he commanded, and they were created. 6 He set them in position forever and ever; he gave an order that will never pass away . 7 Praise the Lord from the earth, all sea monsters and ocean depths, 8 lightning e and hail, snow and cloud, stormy wind that executes his command, 9 mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, 10 wild animals and all cattle, creatures that crawl and flying birds, 11 kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all judges of the earth, 12 young men as well as young women, old and young together. 13 Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted. His majesty covers heaven and earth. 14 He has raised up a horn for his people, resulting in praise to all his faithful ones, to the Israelites, the people close to him. Hallelujah! PRAISE FOR GOD’S TRIUMPH 149 Hallelujah!Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise in the assembly of the faithful. a147:5 Lit understanding has no number b147:10 Lit the legs of the man c147:14 Or peace d147:18 Or breath e148:8 Or fire CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 552 10/26/17 9:00 PM 553 PSALMS 149-150 2 Let Israel celebrate its Maker; let the children of Zion rejoice in their King. 3 Let them praise his name with dancing and make music to him with tambourine and lyre. 4 For the Lord takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with salvation. 5 Let the faithful celebrate in triumphal glory; let them shout for joy on their beds. 6 Let the exaltation of God be in their mouths a and a double-edged sword in their hands, 7 inflicting vengeance on the nations and punishment on the peoples, 8 binding their kings with chains and their dignitaries with iron shackles, 9 carrying out the judgment decreed against them. This honor is for all his faithful people. Hallelujah! PRAISE THE LORD 150 Hallelujah! Praise God in his sanctuary . Praise him in his mighty expanse. 2 Praise him for his powerful acts; praise him for his abundant greatness. 3 Praise him with trumpet blast; praise him with harp and lyre. 4 Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and flute. 5 Praise him with resounding cymbals; praise him with clashing cymbals. 6 Let everything that breathes praise the Lord. Hallelujah! a149:6 Lit throat CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 553 10/26/17 9:00 PM Proverbs THE PURPOSE OF PROVERBS 1 The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: 2 For learning wisdom and discipline; for understanding insightful sayings; 3 for receiving prudent instruction in righteousness, justice, and integrity; 4 for teaching shrewdness to the inexperienced, a knowledge and discretion to a young man — 5 let a wise person listen and increase learning, and let a discerning person obtain guidance — 6 for understanding a proverb or a parable, b the words of the wise, and their riddles. 7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and discipline. AVOID THE PATH OF THE VIOLENT 8 Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction, and don’t reject your mother’s teaching, 9 for they will be a garland of favor on your head and pendants c around your neck. 10 My son, if sinners entice you, don’t be persuaded. 11 If they say — “Come with us! Let’s set an ambush and kill someone. d Let’s attack some innocent person just for fun! e 12 Let’s swallow them alive, like Sheol, whole, like those who go down to the Pit. 13 We’ll find all kinds of valuable property and fill our houses with plunder. 14 Throw in your lot with us, and we’ll all share the loot” f — 15 my son, don’t travel that road with them or set foot on their path, 16 because their feet run toward evil and they hurry to shed blood. 17 It is useless to spread a net where any bird can see it, 18 but they set an ambush to kill themselves; g they attack their own lives. 19 Such are the paths of all who make profit dishonestly; it takes the lives of those who receive it. h WISDOM’S PLEA 20 Wisdom calls out in the street; she makes her voice heard in the public squares. 21 She cries out above i the commotion; she speaks at the entrance of the city gates: 22 “How long, inexperienced ones, will you love ignorance? How long will you mockers enjoy mocking and you fools hate knowledge? 23 If you respond to my warning, j then I will pour out my spirit on you and teach you my words. 24 Since I called out and you refused, extended my hand and no one paid attention, 25 since you neglected all my counsel and did not accept my correction, 26 I, in turn, will laugh at your calamity . I will mock when terror strikes you, 27 when terror strikes you like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when trouble and stress overcome you. 28 Then they will call me, but I won’t answer; they will search for me, but won’t find me. 29 Because they hated knowledge, didn’t choose to fear the Lord, 30 were not interested in my counsel, and rejected all my correction, 31 they will eat the fruit of their way and be glutted with their own schemes. a1:4 Or simple, or gullible b1:6 Or an enigma c1:9 Lit chains d1:11 Lit Let’s ambush for blood e1:11 Lit person for no reason f1:14 Lit us; one bag will be for all of us g1:18 Lit they ambush for their blood h1:19 Lit takes the life of its masters i1:21 Lit at the head of j1:23 Lit you turn back to my reprimand CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 554 10/26/17 9:00 PM 32 For the apostasy of the inexperienced will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them. 33 But whoever listens to me will live securely and be undisturbed by the dread of danger.” WISDOM’S WORTH 2 My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, 2 listening closely a to wisdom and directing your heart to understanding; 3 furthermore, if you call out to insight and lift your voice to understanding, 4 if you seek it like silver and search for it like hidden treasure, 5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord and discover the knowledge of God. 6 For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge
📜 Wisdom's Path to Life
🛡️ Wisdom serves as a protective shield, guiding the upright along paths of justice and integrity while rescuing them from evil influences and forbidden relationships
💖 Trust in the Lord requires wholehearted commitment, rejecting self-reliance, and embracing divine guidance that straightens our paths and brings healing to body and spirit
💎 Pursuing wisdom yields greater rewards than gold or jewels, bringing happiness, long life, honor, and security to those who cherish and embrace it
🏠 Marriage and family thrive when protected from seduction and adultery, with faithfulness bringing joy while waywardness leads to destruction and death
🚫 Avoiding evil means rejecting laziness, dishonesty, pride, and perverse speech—qualities the Lord detests—while cultivating righteousness that leads to prosperity
⚖️ Two paths contrast throughout life: the righteous path grows brighter like dawn while the wicked path leads to darkness, stumbling, and ultimately being cut off from life
and understanding. 7 He stores up success b for the upright; He is a shield for those who live with integrity 8 so that he may guard the paths of justice and protect the way of his faithful followers. 9 Then you will understand righteousness, justice, and integrity — every good path. 10 For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will delight you. 11 Discretion will watch over you, and understanding will guard you. 12 It will rescue you from the way of evil — from anyone who says perverse things, 13 from those who abandon the right paths to walk in ways of darkness, 14 from those who enjoy doing evil and celebrate perversion, 15 whose paths are crooked, and whose ways are devious. 16 It will rescue you from a forbidden woman, from a wayward woman with her flattering talk, 17 who abandons the companion of her youth and forgets the covenant of her God; 18 for her house sinks down to death and her ways to the land of the departed spirits. 19 None return who go to her; none reach the paths of life. 20 So follow the way of the good, and keep to the paths of the righteous. 21 For the upright will inhabit the land, and those of integrity will remain in it; 22 but the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the treacherous ripped out of it. TRUST THE LORD 3 My son, don’t forget my teaching,but let your heart keep my commands; 2 for they will bring you many days, a full life, c and well-being. 3 Never let loyalty and faithfulness leave you. Tie them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 Then you will find favor and high regard with God and people. 5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways know him, and he will make your paths straight. 7 Don’t be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and turn away from evil. 8 This will be healing for your body d and strengthening for your bones. 9 Honor the Lord with your possessions and with the first produce of your entire harvest; 10 then your barns will be completely filled, and your vats will overflow with new wine. 11 Do not despise the Lord’s instruction, my son, and do not loathe his discipline; 12 for the Lord disciplines the one he loves, just as a father disciplines the son in whom he delights. a2:2 Lit you, stretching out your ear b2:7 Or resourcefulness c3:2 Lit days, years of life d3:8 Lit navel 555 PROVERBS 1-3 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 555 10/26/17 9:00 PM WISDOM BRINGS HAPPINESS 13 Happy is a man who finds wisdom and who acquires understanding, 14 for she is more profitable than silver, and her revenue is better than gold. 15 She is more precious than jewels; nothing you desire can equal her. 16 Long life a is in her right hand; in her left, riches and honor. 17 Her ways are pleasant, and all her paths, peaceful. 18 She is a tree of life to those who embrace her, and those who hold on to her are happy . 19 The Lord founded the earth by wisdom and established the heavens by understanding. 20 By his knowledge the watery depths broke open, and the clouds dripped with dew . 21 Maintain sound wisdom and discretion. My son, don’t lose sight of them. 22 They will be life for you b and adornment c for your neck. 23 Then you will go safely on your way; your foot will not stumble. 24 When you lie d down, you will not be afraid; you will lie down, and your sleep will be pleasant. 25 Don’t fear sudden danger or the ruin of the wicked when it comes, 26 for the Lord will be your confidence e and will keep your foot from a snare. TREAT OTHERS FAIRLY 27 When it is in your power, f don’t withhold good from the one to whom it belongs. 28 Don’t say to your neighbor, “Go away! Come back later. I’ll give it tomorrow” — when it is there with you. 29 Don’t plan any harm against your neighbor, for he trusts you and lives near you. 30 Don’t accuse anyone without cause, when he has done you no harm. 31 Don’t envy a violent man or choose any of his ways; 32 for the devious are detestable to the Lord, but he is a friend g to the upright. 33 The Lord’s curse is on the household of the wicked, but he blesses the home of the righteous; 34 He mocks those who mock, but gives grace to the humble. 35 The wise will inherit honor, but he holds up fools to dishonor. h A FATHER’S EXAMPLE 4 Listen, sons, to a father’s discipline, and pay attention so that you may gain understanding, 2 for I am giving you good instruction. Don’t abandon my teaching. 3 When I was a son with my father, tender and precious to my mother, 4 he taught me and said: “Your heart must hold on to my words. Keep my commands and live. 5 Get wisdom, get understanding; don’t forget or turn away from the words from my mouth. 6 Don’t abandon wisdom, and she will watch over you; love her, and she will guard you. 7 Wisdom is supreme — so get wisdom. And whatever else you get, get understanding. 8 Cherish her, and she will exalt you; if you embrace her, she will honor you. 9 She will place a garland of favor on your head; she will give you a crown of beauty .” TWO WAYS OF LIFE 10 Listen, my son. Accept my words, and you will live many years. 11 I am teaching you the way of wisdom; I am guiding you on straight paths. 12 When you walk, your steps will not be hindered; when you run, you will not stumble. 13 Hold on to instruction; don’t let go. Guard it, for it is your life. 14 Keep off the path of the wicked; don’t proceed on the way of evil ones. a3:16 Lit Length of days b3:22 Or be your throat c3:22 Or grace d3:24 LXX reads sit e3:26 Or be at your side f3:27 Lit in the power of your hands g3:32 Or confidential counsel h3:35 Or but haughty fools dishonor, or but fools exalt dishonorPROVERBS 3-4 556 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 556 10/26/17 9:00 PM 15 Avoid it; don’t travel on it. Turn away from it, and pass it by . 16 For they can’t sleep unless they have done what is evil; they are robbed of sleep unless they make someone stumble. 17 They eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence. 18 The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, shining brighter and brighter until midday . 19 But the way of the wicked is like the darkest gloom; they don’t know what makes them stumble. THE STRAIGHT PATH 20 My son, pay attention to my words; listen closely to my sayings. 21 Don’t lose sight of them; keep them within your heart. 22 For they are life to those who find them, and health to one’s whole body . 23 Guard your heart above all else, a for it is the source of life. 24 Don’t let your mouth speak dishonestly , and don’t let your lips talk deviously . 25 Let your eyes look forward; fix your gaze b straight ahead. 26 Carefully consider the path c for your feet, and all your ways will be established. 27 Don’t turn to the right or to the left; keep your feet away from evil. AVOID SEDUCTION 5 My son, pay attention to my wisdom; listen closely d to my understanding 2 so that you may maintain discretion and your lips safeguard knowledge. 3 Though the lips of the forbidden woman drip honey and her words are e smoother than oil, 4 in the end she’s as bitter as wormwood and as sharp as a double-edged sword. 5 Her feet go down to death; her steps head straight for Sheol. 6 She doesn’t consider the path of life; she doesn’t know that her ways are unstable. 7 So now , sons, listen to me, and don’t turn away from the words from my mouth. 8 Keep your way far from her. Don’t go near the door of her house. 9 Otherwise, you will give up your vitality to others and your years to someone cruel; 10 strangers will drain your resources, and your hard-earned pay will end up in a foreigner’s house. 11 At the end of your life, you will lament when your physical body has been consumed, 12 and you will say , “How I hated discipline, and how my heart despised correction. 13 I didn’t obey my teachers or listen closely f to my instructors. 14 I am on the verge of complete ruin before the entire community .” ENJOY MARRIAGE 15 Drink water from your own cistern, water flowing from your own well. 16 Should your springs flow in the streets, streams in the public squares? 17 They should be for you alone and not for you to share with strangers. 18 Let your fountain be blessed, and take pleasure in the wife of your youth. 19 A loving deer, a graceful doe g — let her breasts always satisfy you; be lost in her love forever. 20 Why , my son, would you lose yourself with a forbidden woman or embrace a wayward woman? 21 For a man’s ways are before the Lord’s eyes, and he considers all his paths. 22 A wicked man’s iniquities will trap him; he will become tangled in the ropes of his own sin. 23 He will die because there is no discipline, and be lost because of his great stupidity . a4:23 Or heart with all diligence b4:25 Lit eyelids c4:26 Or Clear a path d5:1 Lit wisdom; stretch out your ear e5:3 Lit her palate is f5:13 Lit or turn my ear g5:19 Or graceful mountain goat 557 PROVERBS 4-5 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 557 10/26/17 9:00 PM FINANCIAL ENTANGLEMENTS 6 My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor a or entered into an agreement with b a stranger, 2 you have been snared by the words of your mouth trapped by the words from your mouth. 3 Do this, then, my son, and free yourself, for you have put yourself in your neighbor’s power: Go, humble yourself, and plead with your neighbor. 4 Don’t give sleep to your eyes or slumber to your eyelids. 5 Escape like a gazelle from a hunter, c like a bird from a hunter’s trap. c LAZINESS 6 Go to the ant, you slacker! Observe its ways and become wise. 7 Without leader, administrator, or ruler, 8 it prepares its provisions in summer; it gathers its food during harvest. 9 How long will you stay in bed, you slacker? When will you get up from your sleep? 10 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the arms to rest, 11 and your poverty will come like a robber, your need, like a bandit. THE MALICIOUS MAN 12 A worthless person, a wicked man goes around speaking dishonestly , 13 winking his eyes, signaling with his feet, and gesturing with his fingers. 14 He always plots evil with perversity in his heart; he stirs up trouble. 15 Therefore calamity will strike him suddenly; he will be shattered instantly , beyond recovery . WHAT THE LORD HATES 16 The Lord hates six things; in fact, seven are detestable to him: 17 arrogant eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, 18 a heart that plots wicked schemes, feet eager to run to evil, 19 a lying witness who gives false testimony , and one who stirs up trouble among brothers. WARNING AGAINST ADULTERY 20 My son, keep your father’s command, and don’t reject your mother’s teaching. 21 Always bind them to your heart; tie them around your neck. 22 When you walk here and there, they will guide you; when you lie down, they will watch over you; when you wake up, they will talk to you. 23 For a command is a lamp, teaching is a light, and corrective discipline is the way to life. 24 They will protect you from an evil woman, d from the flattering e tongue of a wayward woman. 25 Don’t lust in your heart for her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyelashes. 26 For a prostitute’s fee is only a loaf of bread, f but the wife of another man g goes after a precious life. 27 Can a man embrace fire and his clothes not be burned? 28 Can a man walk on burning coals without scorching his feet? 29 So it is with the one who sleeps with another man’s wife; no one who touches her will go unpunished. 30 People don’t despise the thief if he steals to satisfy himself when he is hungry . 31 Still, if caught, he must pay seven times as much; he must give up all the wealth in his house. 32 The one who commits adultery h lacks sense; whoever does so destroys himself. 33 He will get a beating i and dishonor, a6:1 Or friend b6:1 Lit or slapped hands for c6:5 Lit hand d6:24 LXX reads from a married woman e6:24 Lit smooth f6:26 Or On account of a prostitute, one is left with only a loaf of bread g6:26 Lit but a wife of a man h6:32 Lit commits adultery with a woman i 6:33 Or plaguePROVERBS 6 558 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 558 10/26/17 9:00 PM and his disgrace will never be removed. 34 For jealousy enrages a husband, and he will show no mercy when he takes revenge. 35 He will not be appeased by anything or be persuaded by lavish bribes. 7 My son, obey my words, and treasure my commands. 2 Keep my commands and live, and guard my instructions as you would the pupil of your eye. 3 Tie them to your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,” and call understanding your relative. 5 She will keep you from a forbidden woman, a wayward woman with her flattering talk. A STORY OF SEDUCTION 6 At the window of my house I looked through my lattice. 7 I saw among the inexperienced, a I noticed among the youths, a young man lacking sense. 8 Crossing the street near her corner, he strolled down the road to her house 9 at twilight, in the evening, in the dark of the night. 10 A woman came to meet him dressed like a prostitute, having a hidden agenda. b 11 She is loud and defiant; her feet do not stay at home. 12 Now in the street, now in the squares, she lurks at every corner. 13 She grabs him and kisses him; she brazenly says c to him, 14 “I’ve made fellowship offerings; today I’ve fulfilled my vows. 15 So I came out to meet you, to search for you, and I’ve found you. 16 I’ve spread coverings on my bed — richly colored linen from Egypt. 17 I’ve perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. 18 Come, let’s drink deeply of lovemaking until morning. Let’s feast on each other’s love! 19 My husband isn’t home; he went on a long journey . 20 He took a bag of silver with him and will come home at the time of the full moon.” 21 She seduces him with her persistent pleading; she lures with her flattering d talk. 22 He follows her impulsively like an ox going to the slaughter, like a deer bounding toward a trap e 23 until an arrow pierces its f liver, like a bird darting into a snare — he doesn’t know it will cost him his life. 24 Now , sons, listen to me, and pay attention to the words from my mouth. 25 Don’t let your heart turn aside to her ways; don’t stray onto her paths. 26 For she has brought many down to death; her victims are countless. g 27 Her house is the road to Sheol, descending to the chambers of death. WISDOM’S APPEAL 8 Doesn’t wisdom call out?Doesn’t understanding make her voice heard? 2 At the heights overlooking the road, at the crossroads, she takes her stand. 3 Beside the gates leading into the city , at the main entrance, she cries out: 4 “People, I call out to you; my cry is to the children of Adam. 5 Learn to be shrewd, you who are inexperienced; develop common sense, you who are foolish. 6 Listen, for I speak of noble things, and what my lips say is right. 7 For my mouth tells the truth, and wickedness is detestable to my lips. 8 All the words from my mouth are righteous; none of them are deceptive or perverse. 9 All of them are clear to the perceptive, and right to those who discover knowledge. 10 Accept my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than pure gold. a 7:7 Or simple, or gullible, or naive b 7:10 Or prostitute with a guarded heart c 7:13 Lit she makes her face strong and says d 7:21 Lit smooth e 7:22 Text emended; MT reads like a shackle to the discipline of a fool ; Hb obscure f 7:23 Or his g 7:26 Or and powerful men are all her victims 559 PROVERBS 6-8 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 559 10/26/17 9:00 PM 11 For wisdom is better than jewels, and nothing desirable can equal it. 12 I, wisdom, share a home with shrewdness and have knowledge and discretion. 13 To fear the Lord is to hate evil. I hate arrogant pride, evil conduct, and perverse speech. 14 I possess good advice and sound wisdom; a I have understanding and strength. 15 It is by me that kings reign and rulers enact just law; 16 by me, princes lead, as do nobles and all righteous judges. b 17 I love those who love me, and those who search for me find me. 18 With me are riches and honor, lasting wealth and righteousness. 19 My fruit is better than solid gold, and my harvest than pure silver. 20 I walk in the ways of righteousness, along the paths of justice, 21 giving wealth as an inheritance to those who love me, and filling their treasuries. 22 “The Lord acquired c me at the beginning of his creation, d before his works of long ago. 23 I was formed e before ancient times, from the beginning, before the earth began. 24 I was born when there were no watery depths and no springs filled with water. 25 Before the mountains were established, prior to the hills, I was given birth — 26 before he made the land, the fields, or the first soil on earth. 27 I was there when he established the heavens, when he laid out the horizon on the surface of the ocean, 28 when he placed the skies above, when the fountains of the ocean gushed out, 29 when he set a limit for the sea so that the waters would not violate his command, when he laid out the foundations of the earth. 30 I was a skilled craftsman f beside him. I was his g delight every day , always rejoicing before him. 31 I was rejoicing in his inhabited world, delighting in the children of Adam. 32 “ And now , sons, listen to me; those who keep my ways are happy . 33 Listen to instruction and be wise; don’t ignore it. 34 Anyone who listens to me is happy , watching at my doors every day , waiting by the posts of my doorway . 35 For the one who finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord, 36 but the one who misses me h harms himself; all who hate me love death.” WISDOM VERSUS FOOLISHNESS 9 Wisdom has built her house; she has carved out her seven pillars. 2 She has prepared her meat; she has mixed her wine; she has also set her table. 3 She has sent out her female servants; she calls out from the highest points of the city: 4 “Whoever is inexperienced, enter here! ” To the one who lacks sense, she says, 5 “Come, eat my bread, and drink the wine I have mixed. 6 Leave inexperience behind, and you will live; pursue the way of understanding. 7 The one who corrects a mocker will bring abuse on himself; the one who rebukes the wicked will get hurt. i 8 Don’t rebuke a mocker, or he will hate you; rebuke the wise, and he will love you. 9 Instruct the wise, and he will be wiser still; teach the righteous, and he will learn more. 10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. a8:14 Or resourcefulness b8:16 Some Hb mss, LXX read nobles who judge the earth c8:22 Or possessed, or made d8:22 Lit way e8:23 Or consecrated f8:30 Or a confidant, or a child, or was constantly g8:30 LXX; MT omits his h8:36 Or who sins against me i9:7 Lit man: his blemishPROVERBS 8-9 560 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 560 10/26/17 9:00 PM 11 For by me your days will be many , and years will be added to your life. 12 If you are wise, you are wise for your own benefit; if you mock, you alone will bear the consequences.” 13 Folly is a rowdy woman; she is gullible and knows nothing. 14 She sits by the doorway of her house, on a seat at the highest point of the city , 15 calling to those who pass by , who go straight ahead on their paths: 16 “Whoever is inexperienced, enter here! ” To the one who lacks sense, she says, 17 “Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten secretly is tasty! ” 18 But he doesn’t know that the departed spirits are there, that her guests are in the depths of Sheol. A COLLECTION OF SOLOMON’S PROVERBS 10 Sol o mon’s prov erbs: A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish son, heartache to his mother. 2 Ill-gotten gains do not profit anyone, but righteousness rescues from death. 3 The Lord will not let the righteous go hungry , but he denies the wicked what they crave. 4 Idle hands make one poor, but diligent hands bring riches. 5 The son who gathers during summer is prudent; the son who sleeps during harvest is disgraceful. 6 Blessings are on the head of the righteous, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence. 7 The remembrance of the righteous is a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot. 8 A wise heart accepts commands, but foolish lips will be destroyed. 9 The one who lives with integrity lives securely , but whoever perverts his ways will be found out. 10 A sly wink of the eye causes grief, and foolish lips will be destroyed. 11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence. 12 Hatred stirs up conflicts, but love covers all offenses. 13 Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning, but a rod is for the back of the one who lacks sense. 14 The wise store up knowledge, but the mouth of the fool hastens destruction. 15 The wealth of the rich is his fortified city; the poverty of the poor is their destruction. 16 The reward
🌱 Wisdom's Path to Righteousness
👑 Righteous living produces life, honor, and prosperity while wickedness leads to destruction and punishment
👄 Words matter profoundly—the righteous speak wisdom and healing while fools spread slander, lies, and destruction
💰 True wealth comes through diligence, generosity, and integrity rather than dishonest gain which ultimately leads to ruin
🧠 Wisdom flourishes through humility, discipline, and accepting correction while pride and arrogance precede destruction
❤️ Character qualities like patience, self-control, and kindness bring lasting rewards while quick tempers and laziness lead to trouble
👪 Relationships thrive through trustworthiness, discretion, and good counsel—the wise choose companions carefully and build rather than tear down
of the righteous is life; the wages of the wicked is punishment. 17 The one who follows instruction is on the path to life, but the one who rejects correction goes astray . 18 The one who conceals hatred has lying lips, and whoever spreads slander is a fool. 19 When there are many words, sin is unavoidable, but the one who controls his lips is prudent. 20 The tongue of the righteous is pure silver; the heart of the wicked is of little value. 21 The lips of the righteous feed many , but fools die for lack of sense. 561 PROVERBS 9-10 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 561 10/26/17 9:00 PM 22 The Lord’s blessing enriches, and he adds no painful effort to it. a 23 As shameful conduct is pleasure for a fool, so wisdom is for a person of understanding. 24 What the wicked dreads will come to him, but what the righteous desire will be given to them. 25 When the whirlwind passes, the wicked are no more, but the righteous are secure forever. 26 Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so the slacker is to the one who sends him on an errand. 27 The fear of the Lord prolongs life, b but the years of the wicked are cut short. 28 The hope of the righteous is joy , but the expectation of the wicked will perish. 29 The way of the Lord is a stronghold for the honorable, but destruction awaits the malicious. 30 The righteous will never be shaken, but the wicked will not remain on the earth. 31 The mouth of the righteous produces wisdom, but a perverse tongue will be cut out. 32 The lips of the righteous know what is appropriate, but the mouth of the wicked, only what is perverse. 11 Dishonest scales are detestable to the Lord, but an accurate weight is his delight. 2 When arrogance comes, disgrace follows, but with humility comes wisdom. 3 The integrity of the upright guides them, but the perversity of the treacherous destroys them. 4 Wealth is not profitable on a day of wrath, but righteousness rescues from death. 5 The righteousness of the blameless clears his path, but the wicked person will fall because of his wickedness. 6 The righteousness of the upright rescues them, but the treacherous are trapped by their own desires. 7 When the wicked person dies, his expectation comes to nothing, and hope placed in wealth c,d vanishes. 8 The righteous one is rescued from trouble; in his place, the wicked one goes in. 9 With his mouth the ungodly destroys his neighbor, but through knowledge the righteous are rescued. 10 When the righteous thrive, a city rejoices; when the wicked die, there is joyful shouting. 11 A city is built up by the blessing of the upright, but it is torn down by the mouth of the wicked. 12 Whoever shows contempt for his neighbor lacks sense, but a person with understanding keeps silent. a10:22 Or and painful effort adds nothing to it b10:27 Lit Lord adds to days c11:7 LXX reads hope of the ungodly d11:7 Or strengthPROVERBS 10-11 562 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 562 10/26/17 9:00 PM 13 A gossip goes around revealing a secret, but a trustworthy person keeps a confidence. 14 Without guidance, a people will fall, but with many counselors there is deliverance. 15 If someone puts up security for a stranger, he will suffer for it, but the one who hates such agreements is protected. 16 A gracious woman gains honor, but violent a people gain only riches. 17 A kind man benefits himself, but a cruel person brings ruin on himself. 18 The wicked person earns an empty wage, but the one who sows righteousness, a true reward. 19 Genuine righteousness leads to life, but pursuing evil leads to death. 20 Those with twisted minds are detestable to the Lord, but those with blameless conduct are his delight. 21 Be assured b that a wicked person will not go unpunished, but the offspring of the righteous will escape. 22 A beautiful woman who rejects good sense is like a gold ring in a pig’s snout. 23 The desire of the righteous turns out well, but the hope of the wicked leads to wrath. 24 One person gives freely , yet gains more; another withholds what is right, only to become poor. 25 A generous person will be enriched, and the one who gives a drink of water will receive water. 26 People will curse anyone who hoards grain, but a blessing will come to the one who sells it. 27 The one who searches for what is good seeks favor, but if someone looks for trouble, it will come to him. 28 Anyone trusting in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like foliage. 29 The one who brings ruin on his household will inherit the wind, and a fool will be a slave to someone whose heart is wise. 30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and a wise person captivates people. 31 If the righteous will be repaid on earth, how much more the wicked and sinful. 12 Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but one who hates correction is stupid. 2 One who is good obtains favor from the Lord, but he condemns a person who schemes. 3 No one can be made secure by wickedness, but the root of the righteous is immovable. 4 A wife of noble character c is her husband’s crown, but a wife who causes shame is like rottenness in his bones. 5 The thoughts of the righteous are just, but guidance from the wicked is deceitful. a11:16 Or ruthless b11:21 Lit Hand to hand c12:4 Or A wife of quality, or A wife of good character 563 PROVERBS 11-12 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 563 10/26/17 9:00 PM 6 The words of the wicked are a deadly ambush, but the speech of the upright rescues them. 7 The wicked are overthrown and perish, but the house of the righteous will stand. 8 A man is praised for his insight, but a twisted mind is despised. 9 Better to be disregarded, yet have a servant, than to act important but have no food. 10 The righteous cares about his animal’s health, but even the merciful acts of the wicked are cruel. 11 The one who works his land will have plenty of food, but whoever chases fantasies lacks sense. 12 The wicked desire what evil people have caught, a but the root of the righteous is productive. 13 By rebellious speech an evil person is trapped, but a righteous person escapes from trouble. 14 A person will be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth, and the work of a person’s hands will reward him. 15 A fool’s way is right in his own eyes, but whoever listens to counsel is wise. 16 A fool’s displeasure is known at once, but whoever ignores an insult is sensible. 17 Whoever speaks the truth declares what is right, but a false witness speaks deceit. 18 There is one who speaks rashly , like a piercing sword; but the tongue of the wise brings healing. 19 Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue, only a moment. 20 Deceit is in the hearts of those who plot evil, but those who promote peace have joy . 21 No disaster overcomes the righteous, but the wicked are full of misery . 22 Lying lips are detestable to the Lord, but faithful people are his delight. 23 A shrewd person conceals knowledge, but a foolish heart publicizes stupidity . 24 The diligent hand will rule, but laziness will lead to forced labor. 25 Anxiety in a person’s heart weighs it down, but a good word cheers it up. 26 A righteous person is careful in dealing with his neighbor, b but the ways of the wicked lead them astray . 27 A lazy hunter doesn’t roast his game, but to a diligent person, his wealth is precious. 28 There is life in the path of righteousness, and in its path there is no death. c 13 A wise son responds to his father’s discipline, but a mocker doesn’t listen to rebuke. 2 From the fruit of his mouth, a person will enjoy good things, but treacherous people have an appetite for violence. 3 The one who guards his mouth protects his life; a12:12 Or desire a stronghold of evil b12:26 Or person guides his neighbor c12:28 Or righteousness, but the crooked way leads to deathPROVERBS 12-13 564 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 564 10/26/17 9:00 PM the one who opens his lips invites his own ruin. 4 The slacker craves, yet has nothing, but the diligent is fully satisfied. 5 The righteous hate lying, but the wicked bring disgust and shame. 6 Righteousness guards people of integrity , a but wickedness undermines the sinner. 7 One person pretends to be rich but has nothing; another pretends to be poor but has abundant wealth. 8 Riches are a ransom for a person’s life, but a poor person hears no threat. 9 The light of the righteous shines brightly , but the lamp of the wicked is put out. 10 Arrogance leads to nothing but strife, but wisdom is gained by those who take advice. 11 Wealth obtained by fraud will dwindle, but whoever earns it through labor b will multiply it. 12 Hope delayed makes the heart sick, but desire fulfilled is a tree of life. 13 The one who has contempt for instruction will pay the penalty , but the one who respects a command will be rewarded. 14 A wise person’s instruction is a fountain of life, turning people away from the snares of death. 15 Good sense wins favor, but the way of the treacherous never changes. c 16 Every sensible person acts knowledgeably , but a fool displays his stupidity . 17 A wicked envoy falls into trouble, but a trustworthy courier brings healing. 18 Poverty and disgrace come to those who ignore discipline, but the one who accepts correction will be honored. 19 Desire fulfilled is sweet to the taste, but to turn from evil is detestable to fools. 20 The one who walks with the wise will become wise, but a companion of fools will suffer harm. 21 Disaster pursues sinners, but good rewards the righteous. 22 A good man leaves an inheritance to his d grandchildren, but the sinner’s wealth is stored up for the righteous. 23 The uncultivated field of the poor yields abundant food, but without justice, it is swept away . 24 The one who will not use the rod hates his son, but the one who loves him disciplines him diligently . 25 A righteous person eats until he is satisfied, but the stomach of the wicked is empty . 14 Every wise woman builds her house, but a foolish one tears it down with her own hands. 2 Whoever lives with integrity fears the Lord, but the one who is devious in his ways despises him. 3 The proud speech of a fool brings a rod of discipline, e but the lips of the wise protect them. a13:6 Lit guards integrity of way b13:11 Lit whoever gathers upon his hand c13:15 LXX, Syr , Tg read treacherous will perish d13:22 Or inheritance: his e14:3 Some emend to In the mouth of a fool is a rod for his back 565 PROVERBS 13-14 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 565 10/26/17 9:00 PM 4 Where there are no oxen, the feeding trough is empty , a but an abundant harvest comes through the strength of an ox. 5 An honest witness does not deceive, but a dishonest witness utters lies. 6 A mocker seeks wisdom and doesn’t find it, but knowledge comes easily to the perceptive. 7 Stay away from a foolish person; you will gain no knowledge from his speech. 8 The sensible person’s wisdom is to consider his way , but the stupidity of fools deceives them. 9 Fools mock at making reparation, b but there is goodwill among the upright. 10 The heart knows its own bitterness, and no outsider shares in its joy . 11 The house of the wicked will be destroyed, but the tent of the upright will flourish. 12 There is a way that seems right to a person, but its end is the way to death. 13 Even in laughter a heart may be sad, and joy may end in grief. 14 The disloyal one will get what his conduct deserves, and a good one, what his deeds deserve. 15 The inexperienced one believes anything, but the sensible one watches c his steps. 16 A wise person is cautious and turns from evil, but a fool is easily angered and is careless. d 17 A quick-tempered person acts foolishly , and one who schemes is hated. 18 The inexperienced inherit foolishness, but the sensible are crowned with knowledge. 19 The evil bow before those who are good, and the wicked, at the gates of the righteous. 20 A poor person is hated even by his neighbor, but there are many who love the rich. 21 The one who despises his neighbor sins, but whoever shows kindness to the poor will be happy . 22 Don’t those who plan evil go astray? But those who plan good find loyalty and faithfulness. 23 There is profit in all hard work, but endless talk e leads only to poverty . 24 The crown of the wise is their wealth, but the foolishness of fools produces foolishness. 25 A truthful witness rescues lives, but one who utters lies is deceitful. 26 In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence and his children have a refuge. 27 The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, turning people away from the snares of death. 28 A large population is a king’s splendor, but a shortage of people is a ruler’s devastation. 29 A patient person shows great understanding, but a quick-tempered one promotes foolishness. a14:4 Or clean b14:9 Or at guilt offerings c14:15 Lit the prudent understand d14:16 Or and falls e14:23 Lit but word of lipsPROVERBS 14 566 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 566 10/26/17 9:00 PM 30 A tranquil heart is life to the body , but jealousy is rottenness to the bones. 31 The one who oppresses the poor person insults his Maker, but one who is kind to the needy honors him. 32 The wicked one is thrown down by his own sin, but the righteous one has a refuge in his death. 33 Wisdom resides in the heart of the discerning; she is known a even among fools. 34 Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people. 35 A king favors a prudent servant, but his anger falls on a disgraceful one. 15 A gentle answer turns away anger, but a harsh word stirs up wrath. 2 The tongue of the wise makes knowledge attractive, but the mouth of fools blurts out foolishness. 3 The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, observing the wicked and the good. 4 The tongue that heals is a tree of life, but a devious tongue b breaks the spirit. 5 A fool despises his father’s discipline, but a person who accepts correction is sensible. 6 The house of the righteous has great wealth, but trouble accompanies the income of the wicked. 7 The lips of the wise broadcast knowledge, but not so the heart of fools. 8 The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable to the Lord, but the prayer of the upright is his delight. 9 The Lord detests the way of the wicked, but he loves the one who pursues righteousness. 10 Discipline is harsh for the one who leaves the path; the one who hates correction will die. 11 Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the Lord — how much more, human hearts. 12 A mocker doesn’t love one who corrects him; he will not consult the wise. 13 A joyful heart makes a face cheerful, but a sad heart produces a broken spirit. 14 A discerning mind seeks knowledge, but the mouth of fools feeds on foolishness. 15 All the days of the oppressed are miserable, but a cheerful heart has a continual feast. 16 Better a little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure with turmoil. 17 Better a meal of vegetables where there is love than a fattened ox with hatred. 18 A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict, but one slow to anger calms strife. 19 A slacker’s way is like a thorny hedge, but the path of the upright is a highway . 20 A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish man despises his mother. 21 Foolishness brings joy to one without sense, but a person with understanding walks a straight path. a14:33 LXX reads unknown b15:4 Lit but crookedness in it 567 PROVERBS 14-15 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 567 10/26/17 9:00 PM 22 Plans fail when there is no counsel, but with many advisers they succeed. 23 A person takes joy in giving an answer; a and a timely word — how good that is! 24 For the prudent the path of life leads upward, so that he may avoid going down to Sheol. 25 The Lord tears apart the house of the proud, but he protects the widow’s territory . 26 The Lord detests the plans of the one who is evil, but pleasant words are pure. 27 The one who profits dishonestly troubles his household, but the one who hates bribes will live. 28 The mind of the righteous person thinks before answering, but the mouth of the wicked blurts out evil things. 29 The Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous. 30 Bright eyes cheer the heart; good news strengthens b the bones. 31 One who c listens to life-giving rebukes will be at home among the wise. 32 Anyone who ignores discipline despises himself, but whoever listens to correction acquires good sense. d 33 The fear of the Lord is what wisdom teaches, and humility comes before honor. 16 The reflections of the heart belong to mankind, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. 2 All a person’s ways seem right to him, but the Lord weighs motives. e 3 Commit your activities to the Lord, and your plans will be established. 4 The Lord has prepared everything for his purpose — even the wicked for the day of disaster. 5 Everyone with a proud heart is detestable to the Lord; be assured, f he will not go unpunished. 6 Iniquity is atoned for by loyalty and faithfulness, and one turns from evil by the fear of the Lord. 7 When a person’s ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. 8 Better a little with righteousness than great income with injustice. 9 A person’s heart plans his way , but the Lord determines his steps. 10 God’s verdict is on the lips of a king; g his mouth should not give an unfair judgment. 11 Honest balances and scales are the Lord’s; all the weights in the bag are his concern. 12 Wicked behavior is detestable to kings, since a throne is established through righteousness. 13 Righteous lips are a king’s delight, and he loves one who speaks honestly . 14 A king’s fury is a messenger of death, but a wise person appeases it. 15 When a king’s face lights up, there is life; his favor is like a cloud with spring rain. a15:23 Lit in an answer of his mouth b15:30 Lit makes fat c15:31 Lit An ear that d15:32 Lit acquires a heart e16:2 Lit spirits f16:5 Lit hand to hand g16:10 Or A divination is on the lips of a kingPROVERBS 15-16 568 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 568 10/26/17 9:00 PM 16 Get wisdom — how much better it is than gold! And get understanding — it is preferable to silver. 17 The highway of the upright avoids evil; the one who guards his way protects his life. 18 Pride comes before destruction, and an arrogant spirit before a fall. 19 Better to be lowly of spirit with the humble a than to divide plunder with the proud. 20 The one who understands a matter finds success, and the one who trusts in the Lord will be happy . 21 Anyone with a wise heart is called discerning, and pleasant speech b increases learning. 22 Insight is a fountain of life for its possessor, but the discipline of fools is folly . 23 The heart of a wise person instructs his mouth; it adds learning to his speech. c 24 Pleasant words are a honeycomb: sweet to the taste d and health to the body . e 25 There is a way that seems right to a person, but its end is the way to death. 26 A worker’s appetite works for him because his hunger f urges him on. 27 A worthless person digs up evil, and his speech is like a scorching fire. 28 A contrary person spreads conflict, and a gossip separates close friends. 29 A violent person lures his neighbor, leading him on a path that is not good. 30 The one who narrows his eyes is planning deceptions; the one who compresses his lips brings about evil. 31 Gray hair is a glorious crown; it is found in the ways of righteousness. 32 Patience is better than power, and controlling one’s emotions, g than capturing a city . 33 The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord. 17 Better a dry crust with peace than a house full of feasting with strife. 2 A prudent servant will rule over a disgraceful son and share an inheritance among brothers. 3 A crucible for silver, and a smelter for gold, and the Lord is the tester of hearts. 4 A wicked person listens to malicious talk; h a liar pays attention to a destructive tongue. 5 The one who mocks the poor insults his Maker, and one who rejoices over calamity will not go unpunished. 6 Grandchildren are the crown of the elderly , and the pride of children is their fathers. 7 Eloquent words are not appropriate on a fool’s lips; how much worse are lies for a ruler. 8 A bribe seems like a magic stone to its owner; wherever he turns, he succeeds. 9 Whoever conceals an offense promotes love, a16:19 Alt Hb tradition reads afflicted b16:21 Lit and sweetness of lips c16:23 Lit learning upon his lips d16:24 Lit throat e16:24 Lit bones f16:26 Lit mouth g16:32 Lit and ruling over one’s spirit h17:4 Lit to lips of iniquity 569 PROVERBS 16-17 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 569 10/26/17 9:00 PM but whoever gossips about it separates friends. 10 A rebuke cuts into a perceptive person more than a hundred lashes into a fool. 11 An evil person desires only rebellion; a cruel messenger a will be sent against him. 12 Better for a person to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool in his foolishness. 13 If anyone returns evil for good, evil will never depart from his house. 14 To start a conflict is to release a flood; stop the dispute before it breaks out. 15 Acquitting the guilty and condemning the just — both are detestable to the Lord. 16 Why does a fool have money in his hand with no intention of buying wisdom? 17 A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a difficult time. 18 One without sense enters an agreement b and puts up security for his friend. 19 One who loves to offend loves strife; one who builds a high threshold invites injury . 20 One with a twisted mind will not succeed, and one with
🧠 Wisdom's Practical Guidance
🗣️ Words carry immense power—they can heal or destroy, bring life or death, and reveal one's true character through careful or careless speech
👑 Integrity distinguishes the wise from fools—righteous people act with honesty, avoid partiality, and maintain self-control while fools pursue selfish desires
🤝 Relationships require careful navigation—choosing friends wisely, honoring parents, finding a good spouse, and avoiding quarrels shape one's life trajectory
💰 Wealth demands ethical management—diligence leads to profit while laziness leads to poverty, and generosity toward the poor brings divine blessing
🛡️ Discipline forms character—correction, instruction and self-restraint develop wisdom, while avoiding punishment leads to destruction
⚖️ Justice reflects divine values—the Lord weighs hearts, champions the oppressed, and ensures ultimate accountability beyond human judgment
deceitful speech will fall into ruin. 21 A man fathers a fool to his own sorrow; the father of a fool has no joy . 22 A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones. 23 A wicked person secretly takes a bribe to subvert the course of justice. 24 Wisdom is the focus of the perceptive, but a fool’s eyes roam to the ends of the earth. 25 A foolish son is grief to his father and bitterness to the one who bore him. 26 It is certainly not good to fine an innocent person or to beat a noble for his honesty . c 27 The one who has knowledge restrains his words, and one who keeps a cool head d is a person of understanding. 28 Even a fool is considered wise when he keeps silent — discerning, when he seals his lips. 18 One who isolates himself pursues selfish desires; he rebels against all sound wisdom. 2 A fool does not delight in understanding, but only wants to show off his opinions. e 3 When a wicked person comes, contempt also comes, and along with dishonor, derision. 4 The words of a person’s mouth are deep waters, a flowing river, a fountain of wisdom. f 5 It is not good to show partiality to the guilty , denying an innocent person justice. 6 A fool’s lips lead to strife, and his mouth provokes a beating. 7 A fool’s mouth is his devastation, and his lips are a trap for his life. 8 A gossip’s words are like choice food that goes down to one’s innermost being. g a17:11 Or a merciless angel b17:18 Lit sense slaps hands c17:26 Or noble unfairly d17:27 Lit spirit e18:2 Lit to uncover his heart f18:4 Or waters; a fountain of wisdom is a flowing river g18:8 Lit to the chambers of the bellyPROVERBS 17-18 570 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 570 10/26/17 9:00 PM 9 The one who is lazy in his work is brother to a vandal. a 10 The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are protected. b 11 The wealth of the rich is his fortified city; in his imagination it is like a high wall. 12 Before his downfall a person’s heart is proud, but humility comes before honor. 13 The one who gives an answer before he listens — this is foolishness and disgrace for him. 14 A person’s spirit can endure sickness, but who can survive a broken spirit? 15 The mind of the discerning acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks it. 16 A person’s gift opens doors c for him and brings him before the great. 17 The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him. 18 Casting the lot ends quarrels and separates powerful opponents. 19 An offended brother is harder to reach d than a fortified city , and quarrels are like the bars of a fortress. 20 From the fruit of a person’s mouth his stomach is satisfied; he is filled with the product of his lips. 21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit. 22 A man who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord. 23 The poor person pleads, but the rich one answers roughly . 24 One with many friends may be harmed, e but there is a friend who stays closer than a brother. 19 Better a poor person who lives with integrity than someone who has deceitful lips and is a fool. 2 Even zeal is not good without knowledge, and the one who acts hastily f sins. 3 A person’s own foolishness leads him astray , yet his heart rages against the Lord. 4 Wealth attracts many friends, but a poor person is separated from his friend. 5 A false witness will not go unpunished, and one who utters lies will not escape. 6 Many seek a ruler’s favor, and everyone is a friend of one who gives gifts. 7 All the brothers of a poor person hate him; how much more do his friends keep their distance from him! He may pursue them with words, but they are not there. g 8 The one who acquires good sense h loves himself; one who safeguards understanding finds success. 9 A false witness will not go unpunished, and one who utters lies perishes. 10 Luxury is not appropriate for a fool — how much less for a slave to rule over princes! a18:9 Lit master of destruction b18:10 Lit raised high c18:16 Lit gift makes room d18:19 LXX, Syr , Tg, Vg read is stronger e18:24 Some LXX mss, Syr , Tg, Vg read friends must be friendly f19:2 Lit who is hasty with feet g19:7 Hb uncertain h19:8 Lit acquires a heart 571 PROVERBS 18-19 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 571 10/26/17 9:00 PM 11 A person’s insight gives him patience, and his virtue is to overlook an offense. 12 A king’s rage is like the roaring of a lion, but his favor is like dew on the grass. 13 A foolish son is his father’s ruin, and a wife’s nagging is an endless dripping. 14 A house and wealth are inherited from fathers, but a prudent wife is from the Lord. 15 Laziness induces deep sleep, and a lazy person will go hungry . 16 The one who keeps commands preserves himself; one who disregards a his ways will die. 17 Kindness to the poor is a loan to the Lord, and he will give a reward to the lender. b 18 Discipline your son while there is hope; don’t set your heart on being the cause of his death. c 19 A person with intense anger bears the penalty; if you rescue him, you’ll have to do it again. 20 Listen to counsel and receive instruction so that you may be wise later in life. d 21 Many plans are in a person’s heart, but the Lord’s decree will prevail. 22 What is desirable in a person is his fidelity; better to be a poor person than a liar. 23 The fear of the Lord leads to life; one will sleep at night e without danger. 24 The slacker buries his hand in the bowl; he doesn’t even bring it back to his mouth! 25 Strike a mocker, and the inexperienced learn a lesson; rebuke the discerning, and he gains knowledge. 26 The one who plunders his father and evicts his mother is a disgraceful and shameful son. 27 If you stop listening to correction, my son, you will stray from the words of knowledge. 28 A worthless witness mocks justice, and a wicked mouth swallows iniquity . 29 Judgments are prepared for mockers, and beatings for the backs of fools. 20 Wine is a mocker, beer is a brawler; whoever goes astray f because of them is not wise. 2 A king’s terrible wrath is like the roaring of a lion; anyone who provokes him endangers himself. 3 Honor belongs to the person who ends a dispute, but any fool can get himself into a quarrel. 4 The slacker does not plow during planting season; g at harvest time he looks, h and there is nothing. 5 Counsel in a person’s heart is deep water; but a person of understanding draws it out. 6 Many a person proclaims his own loyalty , but who can find a trustworthy person? 7 A righteous person acts with integrity; his children who come after him will be happy . a19:16 Or despises, or treats lightly b19:17 Lit to him c19:18 Lit don’t lift up your soul to his death d19:20 Lit in your end e19:23 Lit will spend the night satisfied f20:1 Or whoever staggers g20:4 Lit plow in winter h20:4 Lit inquiresPROVERBS 19-20 572 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 572 10/26/17 9:00 PM 8 A king sitting on a throne to judge separates out all evil with his eyes. 9 Who can say , “I have kept my heart pure; I am cleansed from my sin”? 10 Differing weights and varying measures a — both are detestable to the Lord. 11 Even a young man is known by his actions — by whether his behavior is pure and upright. 12 The hearing ear and the seeing eye — the Lord made them both. 13 Don’t love sleep, or you will become poor; open your eyes, and you’ll have enough to eat. 14 “It’s worthless, it’s worthless! ” the buyer says, but after he is on his way , he gloats. 15 There is gold and a multitude of jewels, but knowledgeable lips are a rare treasure. 16 Take his garment, for he has put up security for a stranger; get collateral if it is for foreigners. 17 Food gained by fraud is sweet to a person, but afterward his mouth is full of gravel. 18 Finalize plans with counsel, and wage war with sound guidance. 19 The one who reveals secrets is a constant gossip; avoid someone with a big mouth. 20 Whoever curses his father or mother — his lamp will go out in deep darkness. 21 An inheritance gained prematurely will not be blessed ultimately . 22 Don’t say , “I will avenge this evil! ” Wait on the Lord, and he will rescue you. 23 Differing weights b are detestable to the Lord, and dishonest scales are unfair. 24 Even a courageous person’s steps are determined by the Lord, so how can anyone understand his own way? 25 It is a trap for anyone to dedicate something rashly and later to reconsider his vows. 26 A wise king separates out the wicked and drives the threshing wheel over them. 27 The Lord’s lamp sheds light on a person’s life, c searching the innermost parts. d 28 Loyalty and faithfulness guard a king; through loyalty he maintains his throne. 29 The glory of young men is their strength, and the splendor of old men is gray hair. 30 Lashes and wounds purge away evil, and beatings cleanse the innermost parts. e 21 A king’s heart is like channeled water in the Lord’s hand: He directs it wherever he chooses. 2 All a person’s ways seem right to him, but the Lord weighs hearts. 3 Doing what is righteous and just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice. a20:10 Lit Stone and stone, measure and measure b20:23 Lit A stone and a stone c20:27 Lit breath d20:27 Lit the chambers of the belly e20:30 Lit beatings the chambers of the belly 573 PROVERBS 20-21 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 573 10/26/17 9:00 PM 4 The lamp that guides the wicked — haughty eyes and an arrogant heart — is sin. 5 The plans of the diligent certainly lead to profit, but anyone who is reckless certainly becomes poor. 6 Making a fortune through a lying tongue is a vanishing mist, a a pursuit of death. b,c 7 The violence of the wicked sweeps them away because they refuse to act justly . 8 A guilty one’s conduct is crooked, but the behavior of the innocent is upright. 9 Better to live on the corner of a roof than to share a house with a nagging wife. 10 A wicked person desires evil; he has no consideration d for his neighbor. 11 When a mocker is punished, the inexperienced become wiser; when one teaches a wise man, he acquires knowledge. 12 The Righteous One e considers the house of the wicked; he brings the wicked to ruin. 13 The one who shuts his ears to the cry of the poor will himself also call out and not be answered. 14 A secret gift soothes anger, and a covert bribe, fierce rage. 15 Justice executed is a joy to the righteous but a terror to those who practice iniquity . 16 The person who strays from the way of prudence will come to rest in the assembly of the departed spirits. 17 The one who loves pleasure will become poor; whoever loves wine and oil will not get rich. 18 The wicked are a ransom for the righteous, and the treacherous, for f the upright. 19 Better to live in a wilderness than with a nagging and hot-tempered wife. 20 Precious treasure and oil are in the dwelling of a wise person, but a fool consumes them. g 21 The one who pursues righteousness and faithful love will find life, righteousness, and honor. 22 A wise person went up against a city of warriors and brought down its secure fortress. 23 The one who guards his mouth and tongue keeps himself out of trouble. 24 The arrogant and proud person, named “Mocker,” acts with excessive arrogance. 25 A slacker’s craving will kill him because his hands refuse to work. 26 He is filled with craving h all day long, but the righteous give and don’t hold back. 27 The sacrifice of a wicked person is detestable — how much more so when he brings it with ulterior motives! 28 A lying witness will perish, but the one who listens will speak successfully . a21:6 Or a breath blown away b21:6 Some Hb mss, LXX, Vg read a snare of death c21:6 Lit is vanity, ones seeking death d21:10 Or favor e21:12 Or righteous one f21:18 Or in place of g21:20 Lit it h21:26 Lit He craves a cravingPROVERBS 21 574 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 574 10/26/17 9:00 PM 29 A wicked person puts on a bold face, but the upright one considers his way . 30 No wisdom, no understanding, and no counsel will prevail against the Lord. 31 A horse is prepared for the day of battle, but victory comes from the Lord. 22 A good name is to be chosen over great wealth; favor is better than silver and gold. 2 Rich and poor have this in common: a the Lord makes them all. 3 A sensible person sees danger and takes cover, but the inexperienced keep going and are punished. 4 Humility , the fear of the Lord, results in wealth, honor, and life. 5 There are thorns and snares on the way of the crooked; the one who guards himself stays far from them. 6 Start a youth out on his way; even when he grows old he will not depart from it. 7 The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is a slave to the lender. 8 The one who sows injustice will reap disaster, and the rod of his fury will be destroyed. 9 A generous person b will be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor. 10 Drive out a mocker, and conflict goes too; then quarreling and dishonor will cease. 11 The one who loves a pure heart and gracious lips — the king is his friend. 12 The Lord’s eyes keep watch over knowledge, but he overthrows the words of the treacherous. 13 The slacker says, “There’s a lion outside! I’ll be killed in the public square! ” 14 The mouth of the forbidden woman is a deep pit; a man cursed by the Lord will fall into it. 15 Foolishness is bound to the heart of a youth; a rod of discipline will separate it from him. 16 Oppressing the poor to enrich oneself, and giving to the rich — both lead only to poverty . WORDS OF THE WISE 17 Listen closely , c pay attention to the words of the wise, and apply your mind to my knowledge. 18 For it is pleasing if you keep them within you and if they are d constantly on your lips. 19 I have instructed you today — even you — so that your confidence may be in the Lord. 20 Haven’t I written for you thirty sayings e about counsel and knowledge, 21 in order to teach you true and reliable words, so that you may give a dependable report f to those who sent you? 22 Don’t rob a poor person because he is poor, and don’t crush the oppressed at the city gate, 23 for the Lord will champion their cause a22:2 Lit poor meet b22:9 Lit Good of eye c22:17 Lit Stretch out your ear d22:18 Or you; let them be, or you, so that they are e22:20 Text emended; one Hb tradition reads you previously ; alt Hb tradition reads you excellent things ; LXX, Syr , Vg read you three times f22:21 Lit give dependable words 575 PROVERBS 21-22 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 575 10/26/17 9:00 PM and will plunder those who plunder them. 24 Don’t make friends with an angry person, a and don’t be a companion of a hot-tempered one, 25 or you will learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare. 26 Don’t be one of those who enter agreements, b who put up security for loans. 27 If you have nothing with which to pay , even your bed will be taken from under you. 28 Don’t move an ancient boundary marker that your fathers set up. 29 Do you see a person skilled in his work? He will stand in the presence of kings. He will not stand in the presence of the unknown. 23 When you sit down to dine with a ruler, consider carefully what c is before you, 2 and put a knife to your throat if you have a big d appetite; 3 don’t desire his choice food, for that food is deceptive. 4 Don’t wear yourself out to get rich; because you know better, stop! 5 As soon as your eyes fly to it, it disappears, for it makes wings for itself and flies like an eagle to the sky . 6 Don’t eat a stingy person’s bread, e and don’t desire his choice food, 7 for it’s like someone calculating inwardly . f “Eat and drink,” he says to you, but his heart is not with you. 8 You will vomit the little you’ve eaten and waste your pleasant words. 9 Don’t speak to g a fool, for he will despise the insight of your words. 10 Don’t move an ancient boundary marker, and don’t encroach on the fields of the fatherless, 11 for their Redeemer is strong, and he will champion their cause against you. 12 Apply yourself to discipline and listen to words of knowledge. 13 Don’t withhold discipline from a youth; if you punish him with a rod, he will not die. 14 Punish him with a rod, and you will rescue his life from Sheol. 15 My son, if your heart is wise, my heart will indeed rejoice. 16 My innermost being will celebrate when your lips say what is right. 17 Don’t let your heart envy sinners; instead, always fear the Lord. 18 For then you will have a future, and your hope will not be dashed. 19 Listen, my son, and be wise; keep your mind on the right course. 20 Don’t associate with those who drink too much wine or with those who gorge themselves on meat. 21 For the drunkard and the glutton will become poor, and grogginess will clothe them in rags. 22 Listen to your father who gave you life, and don’t despise your mother when h she is old. 23 Buy — and do not sell — truth, wisdom, instruction, and understanding. 24 The father of a righteous son will rejoice greatly , and one who fathers a wise son will delight in him. 25 Let your father and mother have joy , and let her who gave birth to you rejoice. a22:24 Lit with a master of anger b22:26 Lit Don’t be among hand slappers c23:1 Or who d23:2 Lit you are the master of an e23:6 Lit eat bread of an evil eye f23:7 LXX reads it is like someone swallowing a hair in the throat g23:9 Lit in the ears of h23:22 Or becausePROVERBS 22-23 576 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 576 10/26/17 9:00 PM 26 My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways. 27 For a prostitute is a deep pit, and a wayward woman is a narrow well; 28 indeed, she sets an ambush like a robber and increases the number of unfaithful people. 29 Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has conflicts? Who has complaints? Who has wounds for no reason? Who has red eyes? 30 Those who linger over wine; those who go looking for mixed wine. 31 Don’t gaze at wine because it is red, because it gleams in the cup and goes down smoothly . 32 In the end it bites like a snake and stings like a viper. 33 Your eyes will see strange things, and you will say absurd things. a 34 You’ll be like someone sleeping out at sea or lying down on the top of a ship’s mast. 35 “They struck me, but b I feel no pain! They beat me, but I didn’t know it! When will I wake up? I’ll look for another drink.” 24 Don’t envy the evil or desire to be with them, 2 for their hearts plan violence, and their words stir up trouble. 3 A house is built by wisdom, and it is established by understanding; 4 by knowledge the rooms are filled with every precious and beautiful treasure. 5 A wise warrior is better than a strong one, c and a man of knowledge than one of strength; d 6 for you should wage war with sound guidance — victory comes with many counselors. 7 Wisdom is inaccessible to e a fool; he does not open his mouth at the city gate. 8 The one who plots evil will be called a schemer. 9 A foolish scheme is sin, and a mocker is detestable to people. 10 If you do nothing in a difficult time, your strength is limited. 11 Rescue those being taken off to death, and save those stumbling toward slaughter. 12 If you say , “But we didn’t know about this,” won’t he who weighs hearts consider it? Won’t he who protects your life know? Won’t he repay a person according to his work? 13 Eat honey , my son, for it is good, and the honeycomb is sweet to your palate; 14 realize that wisdom is the same for you. If you find it, you will have a future, and your hope will never fade. 15 Don’t set an ambush, you wicked one, at the camp of the righteous man; don’t destroy his dwelling. 16 Though a righteous person falls seven times, he will get up, but the wicked will stumble into ruin. 17 Don’t gloat when your enemy falls, and don’t let your heart rejoice when he stumbles, 18 or the Lord will see, be displeased, and turn his wrath away from him. 19 Don’t be agitated by evildoers, and don’t envy the wicked. 20 For the evil have no future; the lamp of the wicked will be put out. 21 My son, fear the Lord, as well as the king, and don’t associate with rebels, f a23:33 Or will speak perversities, or inverted things b23:35 LXX, Syr , Tg, Vg read me,” you will say, “but c24:5 LXX, Syr; MT reads one is in strength d24:5 LXX, Syr , Tg; MT reads knowledge exerts strength e24:7 Lit is too high for f24:21 Or those given to change 577 PROVERBS 23-24 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 577 10/26/17 9:00 PM 22 for destruction will come suddenly from them; who knows what distress these two can bring? 23 These sayings also belong to the wise: It is not good to show partiality in judgment. 24 Whoever says to the guilty , “You are innocent” — peoples will curse him, and nations will denounce him; 25 but it will go well with those who convict the guilty , and a generous blessing will come to them. 26 He who gives an honest answer
📜 Wisdom for Daily Living
🚫 Avoid foolishness by rejecting laziness, gossip, and hasty speech—these lead to poverty, conflict, and damaged relationships
🧠 Cultivate discernment through diligent work, careful speech, and thoughtful responses that demonstrate wisdom rather than impulsive reactions
👑 Leadership principles emphasize justice, integrity, and humility—rulers who oppress the poor or listen to lies undermine their own authority
💪 Personal discipline in controlling anger, avoiding greed, and accepting correction builds character and prevents unnecessary hardship
👨👩👧👦 Family relationships thrive when parents discipline children wisely and spouses demonstrate trustworthiness and noble character
💎 The virtuous wife described in chapter 31 embodies industriousness, generosity, and wisdom—bringing honor to her household through her strength and capability
gives a kiss on the lips. 27 Complete your outdoor work, and prepare your field; afterward, build your house. 28 Don’t testify against your neighbor without cause. Don’t deceive with your lips. 29 Don’t say , “I’ll do to him what he did to me; I’ll repay the man for what he has done.” 30 I went by the field of a slacker and by the vineyard of one lacking sense. 31 Thistles had come up everywhere, weeds covered the ground, and the stone wall was ruined. 32 I saw , and took it to heart; I looked, and received instruction: 33 a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the arms to rest, 34 and your poverty will come like a robber, and your need, like a bandit. HEZEKIAH’S COLLECTION 25 These too are proverbs of Solomon, which the men of King Hezekiah of Judah, copied. 2 It is the glory of God to conceal a matter and the glory of kings to investigate a matter. 3 As the heavens are high and the earth is deep, so the hearts of kings cannot be investigated. 4 Remove impurities from silver, and material will be produced a for a silversmith. b 5 Remove the wicked from the king’s presence, and his throne will be established in righteousness. 6 Don’t boast about yourself before the king, and don’t stand in the place of the great; 7 for it is better for him to say to you, “Come up here! ” than to demote you in plain view of a noble. c 8 Don’t take a matter to court hastily . Otherwise, what will you do afterward if your opponent d humiliates you? 9 Make your case with your opponent without revealing another’s secret; 10 otherwise, the one who hears will disgrace you, and you’ll never live it down. e 11 A word spoken at the right time is like gold apples in silver settings. 12 A wise correction to a receptive ear is like a gold ring or an ornament of gold. 13 To those who send him, a trustworthy envoy is like the coolness of snow on a harvest day; he refreshes the life of his masters. 14 The one who boasts about a gift that does not exist is like clouds and wind without rain. 15 A ruler can be persuaded through patience, and a gentle tongue can break a bone. a25:4 Lit will come out ; Ex 32:24 b25:4 Or and a vessel will be produced by a silversmith c25:7 Lit you before a noble whom your eyes see d25:8 Or neighbor, also in v. 9 e25:10 Lit and your evil report will not turn backPROVERBS 24-25 578 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 578 10/26/17 9:00 PM 16 If you find honey , eat only what you need; otherwise, you’ll get sick from it and vomit. 17 Seldom set foot in your neighbor’s house; otherwise, he’ll get sick of you and hate you. 18 A person giving false testimony against his neighbor is like a club, a sword, or a sharp arrow . 19 Trusting an unreliable person in a difficult time is like a rotten tooth or a faltering foot. 20 Singing songs to a troubled heart is like taking off clothing on a cold day or like pouring vinegar on soda. a 21 If your enemy is hungry , give him food to eat, and if he is thirsty , give him water to drink; 22 for you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you. 23 The north wind produces rain, and a backbiting tongue, angry looks. 24 Better to live on the corner of a roof than to share a house with a nagging wife. 25 Good news from a distant land is like cold water to a parched throat. b 26 A righteous person who yields to the wicked is like a muddied spring or a polluted well. 27 It is not good to eat too much honey or to seek glory after glory . c 28 A person who does not control his temper is like a city whose wall is broken down. 26 Like snow in summer and rain at harvest, honor is inappropriate for a fool. 2 Like a flitting sparrow or a fluttering swallow , an undeserved curse goes nowhere. 3 A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey , and a rod for the backs of fools. 4 Don’t answer a fool according to his foolishness or you’ll be like him yourself. 5 Answer a fool according to his foolishness or he’ll become wise in his own eyes. 6 The one who sends a message by a fool’s hand cuts off his own feet and drinks violence. 7 A proverb in the mouth of a fool is like lame legs that hang limp. 8 Giving honor to a fool is like binding a stone in a sling. 9 A proverb in the mouth of a fool is like a stick with thorns, brandished by d the hand of a drunkard. 10 The one who hires a fool or who hires those passing by is like an archer who wounds everyone. 11 As a dog returns to its vomit, so also a fool repeats his foolishness. 12 Do you see a person who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him. 13 The slacker says, “There’s a lion in the road — a lion in the public square! ” 14 A door turns on its hinges, and a slacker, on his bed. 15 The slacker buries his hand in the bowl; he is too weary to bring it to his mouth! 16 In his own eyes, a slacker is wiser than seven who can answer sensibly . 17 A person who is passing by and meddles in a quarrel that’s not his is like one who grabs a dog by the ears. 18 Like a madman who throws flaming darts and deadly arrows, 19 so is the person who deceives his neighbor and says, “I was only joking! ” 20 Without wood, fire goes out; without a gossip, conflict dies down. a25:20 Lit natron, or sodium carbonate b25:25 Or a weary person c25:27 Lit seek their glory, glory d26:9 Lit thorn that goes up into 579 PROVERBS 25-26 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 579 10/26/17 9:00 PM 21 As charcoal for embers and wood for fire, so is a quarrelsome person for kindling strife. 22 A gossip’s words are like choice food that goes down to one’s innermost being. a 23 Smooth b lips with an evil heart are like glaze on an earthen vessel. 24 A hateful person disguises himself with his speech and harbors deceit within. 25 When he speaks graciously , don’t believe him, for there are seven detestable things in his heart. 26 Though his hatred is concealed by deception, his evil will be revealed in the assembly . 27 The one who digs a pit will fall into it, and whoever rolls a stone — it will come back on him. 28 A lying tongue hates those it crushes, and a flattering mouth causes ruin. 27 Don’t boast about tomorrow , for you don’t know what a day might bring. 2 Let another praise you, and not your own mouth — a stranger, and not your own lips. 3 A stone is heavy and sand, a burden, but aggravation from a fool outweighs them both. 4 Fury is cruel, and anger a flood, but who can withstand jealousy? 5 Better an open reprimand than concealed love. 6 The wounds of a friend are trustworthy , but the kisses of an enemy are excessive. 7 A person who is full tramples on a honeycomb, but to a hungry person, any bitter thing is sweet. 8 Anyone wandering from his home is like a bird wandering from its nest. 9 Oil and incense bring joy to the heart, and the sweetness of a friend is better than self-counsel. c 10 Don’t abandon your friend or your father’s friend, and don’t go to your brother’s house in your time of calamity; better a neighbor nearby than a brother far away . 11 Be wise, my son, and bring my heart joy , so that I can answer anyone who taunts me. 12 A sensible person sees danger and takes cover; the inexperienced keep going and are punished. 13 Take his garment, for he has put up security for a stranger; get collateral if it is for foreigners. d 14 If one blesses his neighbor with a loud voice early in the morning, it will be counted as a curse to him. 15 An endless dripping on a rainy day and a nagging wife are alike; 16 the one who controls her controls the wind and grasps oil with his right hand. 17 Iron sharpens iron, and one person sharpens another. e 18 Whoever tends a fig tree will eat its fruit, and whoever looks after his master will be honored. 19 As water reflects the face, so the heart reflects the person. 20 Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied, and people’s eyes are never satisfied. a26:22 Lit to the chambers of the belly b26:23 LXX; MT reads Burning c27:9 LXX reads heart, but the soul is torn up by affliction d27:13 Lit a foreign woman e27:17 Lit and a man sharpens his friend’s facePROVERBS 26-27 580 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 580 10/26/17 9:00 PM 21 A crucible refines silver, a smelter refines gold, and a person refines his praise. 22 Though you grind a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with grain, you will not separate his foolishness from him. 23 Know well the condition of your flock, and pay attention to your herds, 24 for wealth is not forever; not even a crown lasts for all time. 25 When hay is removed and new growth appears and the grain from the hills is gathered in, 26 lambs will provide your clothing, and goats, the price of a field; 27 there will be enough goat’s milk for your food — food for your household and nourishment for your female servants. 28 The wicked flee when no one is pursuing them, but the righteous are as bold as a lion. 2 When a land is in rebellion, it has many rulers, but with a discerning and knowledgeable person, it endures. 3 A destitute leader a who oppresses the poor is like a driving rain that leaves no food. 4 Those who reject the law praise the wicked, but those who keep the law pit themselves against them. 5 The evil do not understand justice, but those who seek the Lord understand everything. 6 Better the poor person who lives with integrity than the rich one who distorts right and wrong. b 7 A discerning son keeps the law , but a companion of gluttons humiliates his father. 8 Whoever increases his wealth through excessive interest collects it for one who is kind to the poor. 9 Anyone who turns his ear away from hearing the law — even his prayer is detestable. 10 The one who leads the upright into an evil way will fall into his own pit, but the blameless will inherit what is good. 11 A rich person is wise in his own eyes, but a poor one who has discernment sees through him. 12 When the righteous triumph, there is great rejoicing, c but when the wicked come to power, people hide. 13 The one who conceals his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them will find mercy . 14 Happy is the one who is always reverent, but one who hardens his heart falls into trouble. 15 A wicked ruler over a helpless people is like a roaring lion or a charging bear. 16 A leader who lacks understanding is very oppressive, but one who hates dishonest profit prolongs his life. 17 Someone burdened by bloodguilt d will be a fugitive until death. Let no one help him. 18 The one who lives with integrity will be helped, a28:3 LXX reads A wicked man b28:6 Lit who twists two ways c28:12 Lit glory d28:17 Lit the blood of a person 581 PROVERBS 27-28 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 581 10/26/17 9:00 PM but one who distorts right and wrong a will suddenly fall. 19 The one who works his land will have plenty of food, but whoever chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty . 20 A faithful person will have many blessings, but one in a hurry to get rich will not go unpunished. 21 It is not good to show partiality — yet even a courageous person may sin for a piece of bread. 22 A greedy one b is in a hurry for wealth; he doesn’t know that poverty will come to him. 23 One who rebukes a person will later find more favor than one who flatters c with his tongue. 24 The one who robs his father or mother and says, “That’s no sin,” is a companion to a person who destroys. 25 A greedy person stirs up conflict, but whoever trusts in the Lord will prosper. 26 The one who trusts in himself d is a fool, but one who walks in wisdom will be safe. 27 The one who gives to the poor will not be in need, but one who turns his eyes away e will receive many curses. 28 When the wicked come to power, people hide, but when they are destroyed, the righteous flourish. 29 One who becomes stiff-necked, after many reprimands will be shattered instantly — beyond recovery . 2 When the righteous flourish, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, people groan. 3 A man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father, but one who consorts with prostitutes destroys his wealth. 4 By justice a king brings stability to a land, but a person who demands “contributions” f demolishes it. 5 A person who flatters g his neighbor spreads a net for his feet. 6 An evil person is caught by sin, but the righteous one sings and rejoices. 7 The righteous person knows the rights h of the poor, but the wicked one does not understand these concerns. 8 Mockers inflame a city , but the wise turn away anger. 9 If a wise person goes to court with a fool, there will be ranting and raving but no resolution. i 10 Bloodthirsty men hate an honest person, but the upright care about him. j 11 A fool gives full vent to his anger, k but a wise person holds it in check. 12 If a ruler listens to lies, all his officials will be wicked. 13 The poor and the oppressor have this in common: l the Lord gives light to the eyes of both. 14 A king who judges the poor with fairness — his throne will be established forever. a28:18 Lit who is twisted regarding two ways b28:22 Lit A man with an evil eye c28:23 Lit is smooth d28:26 Lit his heart e28:27 Lit who shuts his eyes f29:4 The Hb word for contributions usually refers to offerings in worship. g29:5 Lit is smooth on h29:7 Lit justice i29:9 Lit rest j29:10 Or person, and seek the life of the upright k29:11 Lit spirit l29:13 Lit oppressor meetPROVERBS 28-29 582 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 582 10/26/17 9:00 PM 15 A rod of correction imparts wisdom, but a youth left to himself a is a disgrace to his mother. 16 When the wicked increase, rebellion increases, but the righteous will see their downfall. 17 Discipline your child, and it will bring you peace of mind and give you delight. 18 Without revelation b people run wild, but one who follows divine instruction will be happy . 19 A servant cannot be disciplined by words; though he understands, he doesn’t respond. 20 Do you see someone who speaks too soon? There is more hope for a fool than for him. 21 A servant pampered from his youth will become arrogant c later on. 22 An angry person stirs up conflict, and a hot-tempered one d increases rebellion. 23 A person’s pride will humble him, but a humble spirit will gain honor. 24 To be a thief’s partner is to hate oneself; he hears the curse but will not testify . 25 The fear of mankind is a snare, but the one who trusts in the Lord is protected. e 26 Many desire a ruler’s favor, but a person receives justice from the Lord. 27 An unjust person is detestable to the righteous, and one whose way is upright is detestable to the wicked. THE WORDS OF AGUR 30 The words of Agur son of Jakeh. The pronouncement. f The man’s oration to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal: g 2 I am more stupid than any other person, h and I lack a human’s ability to understand. 3 I have not gained wisdom, and I have no knowledge of the Holy One. 4 Who has gone up to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in his hands? Who has bound up the waters in a cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is the name of his son — if you know? 5 Every word of God is pure; i he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. 6 Don’t add to his words, or he will rebuke you, and you will be proved a liar. 7 Two things I ask of you; don’t deny them to me before I die: 8 Keep falsehood and deceitful words far from me. Give me neither poverty nor wealth; feed me with the food I need. 9 Otherwise, I might have too much and deny you, saying, “Who is the Lord? ” or I might have nothing and steal, profaning j the name of my God. 10 Don’t slander a servant to his master or he will curse you, and you will become guilty . a29:15 Lit youth sent away b29:18 Lit vision c29:21 Hb obscure d29:22 Lit a master of rage e29:25 Lit raised high f30:1 Or son of Jakeh from Massa ; Pr 31:1 g30:1 Hb uncertain. Sometimes read with different word division as oration: I am weary, God, I am weary, God, and I am exhausted, or oration: I am not God, I am not God, that I should prevail. LXX reads My son, fear my words and when you have received them repent. The man says these things to the believers in God, and I pause. h30:2 Lit I am more stupid than a man i30:5 Lit refined j30:9 Lit grabbing 583 PROVERBS 29-30 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 583 10/26/17 9:00 PM 11 There is a generation that curses its father and does not bless its mother. 12 There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes, yet is not washed from its filth. 13 There is a generation — how haughty its eyes and pretentious its looks. a 14 There is a generation whose teeth are swords, whose fangs are knives, devouring the oppressed from the land and the needy from among mankind. 15 The leech has two daughters: “Give, Give! ” Three things are never satisfied; four never say , “Enough! ”: 16 Sheol; a childless womb; earth, which is never satisfied with water; and fire, which never says, “Enough! ” 17 As for the eye that ridicules a father and despises obedience to a mother, may ravens of the valley pluck it out and young vultures eat it. 18 Three things are too wondrous for me; four I can’t understand: 19 the way of an eagle in the sky , the way of a snake on a rock, the way of a ship at sea, and the way of a man with a young woman. 20 This is the way of an adulteress: she eats and wipes her mouth and says, “I’ve done nothing wrong.” 21 The earth trembles under three things; it cannot bear up under four: 22 a servant when he becomes king, a fool when he is stuffed with food, 23 an unloved woman when she marries, and a servant girl when she ousts her queen. 24 Four things on earth are small, yet they are extremely wise: 25 ants are not a strong people, yet they store up their food in the summer; 26 hyraxes are not a mighty people, yet they make their homes in the cliffs; 27 locusts have no king, yet all of them march in ranks; 28 a lizard b can be caught in your hands, yet it lives in kings’ palaces. 29 Three things are stately in their stride; four are stately in their walk: 30 a lion, which is mightiest among beasts and doesn’t retreat before anything; 31 a strutting rooster; c a goat; and a king at the head of his army . d 32 If you have been foolish by exalting yourself or if you’ve been scheming, put your hand over your mouth. 33 For the churning of milk produces butter, and twisting a nose draws blood, and stirring up anger produces strife. THE WORDS OF LEMUEL 31 The words of King Lemuel, a pronouncement e that his mother taught him: 2 What should I say , my son? What, son of my womb? What, son of my vows? 3 Don’t spend your energy on women or your efforts on those who destroy kings. 4 It is not for kings, Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine or for rulers to desire beer. 5 Otherwise, he will drink, forget what is decreed, and pervert justice for all the oppressed. f 6 Give beer to one who is dying and wine to one whose life is bitter. 7 Let him drink so that he can forget his poverty and remember his trouble no more. 8 Speak up g for those who have no voice, h a30:13 Lit and its eyelids lifted up b30:28 Or spider c30:31 Or a greyhound d30:31 LXX reads king addressing his people e31:1 Or of Lemuel, king of Massa, or of King Lemuel, a burden f31:5 Lit sons of affliction g31:8 Lit Open your mouth, also in v. 9 h31:8 Lit who are mutePROVERBS 30-31 584 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 584 10/26/17 9:00 PM for the justice of all who are dispossessed. a 9 Speak up, judge righteously , and defend the cause of the oppressed and needy . IN PRAISE OF A WIFE OF NOBLE CHARACTER 10 Who can find a wife of noble character? b She is far more precious than jewels. c 11 The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will not lack anything good. 12 She rewards him with good, not evil, all the days of her life. 13 She selects wool and flax and works with willing hands. 14 She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from far away . 15 She rises while it is still night and provides food for her household and portions d for her female servants. 16 She evaluates a field and buys it; she plants a vineyard with her earnings. e 17 She draws on her strength f and reveals that her arms are strong. 18 She sees that her profits are good, and her lamp never goes out at night. 19 She extends her hands to the spinning staff, and her hands hold the spindle. 20 Her hands reach g out to the poor, and she extends her hands to the needy . 21 She is not afraid for her household when it snows, for all in her household are doubly clothed. h 22 She makes her own bed coverings; her clothing is fine linen and purple. 23 Her husband is known at the city gates, where he sits among the elders of
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💪 Strength and honor clothe the virtuous woman who manages her household with wisdom, works diligently with her hands, and extends compassion to those in need
👑 Her true value transcends physical appearance—"charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting"—as her character and reverence for God form her lasting legacy
⏳ The text contrasts this enduring worth with life's futility under the sun, where wealth, pleasure, and achievements ultimately prove empty pursuits
🔄 Despite life's cyclical nature where "what has been is what will be," finding contentment in simple joys—eating, drinking, and enjoying one's work—emerges as wisdom
🕰️ Time's mystery reveals purpose in every season—"a time to weep and a time to laugh"—while acknowledging the limitations of human understanding against eternity
💎 True wealth isn't measured in possessions but in God's gifts of joy, meaningful work, and the ability to appreciate life's goodness amid its brevity
the land. 24 She makes and sells linen garments; she delivers belts i to the merchants. 25 Strength and honor are her clothing, and she can laugh at the time to come. 26 Her mouth speaks wisdom, and loving instruction j is on her tongue. 27 She watches over the activities of her household and is never idle. k 28 Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also praises her: 29 “Many women l have done noble deeds, but you surpass them all! ” 30 Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord will be praised. 31 Give her the reward of her labor, m and let her works praise her at the city gates. a31:8 Lit all the sons of passing away b31:10 Or a wife of quality, or a capable wife c31:10 Vv. 10-31 form an acrostic. d31:15 Or tasks e31:16 Or vineyard by her own labors f31:17 Lit She wraps strength around her like a belt g31:20 Lit Her hand reaches h31:21 LXX, Vg; MT reads are dressed in scarlet i31:24 Or sashes j31:26 Or and the teaching of kindness k31:27 Lit and does not eat the bread of idleness l31:29 Lit daughters m31:31 Lit the fruit of her hands 585 PROVERBS 31 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 585 10/26/17 9:00 PM ecclesias Tes EVERYTHING IS FUTILE 1 The words of the Teach er, a son of Da vid, king in Je ru sa lem. 2 “ Absolute futility ,” says the Teacher. “ Absolute futility . Everything is futile.” 3 What does a person gain for all his efforts that he labors at under the sun? 4 A generation goes and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever. 5 The sun rises and the sun sets; panting, it returns to the place where it rises. 6 Gusting to the south, turning to the north, turning, turning, goes the wind, and the wind returns in its cycles. 7 All the streams flow to the sea, yet the sea is never full; to the place where the streams flow , there they flow again. 8 All things b are wearisome, more than anyone can say . The eye is not satisfied by seeing or the ear filled with hearing. 9 What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing new under the sun. 10 Can one say about anything, “Look, this is new”? It has already existed in the ages before us. 11 There is no remembrance of those who c came before; and of those who will come after there will also be no remembrance by those who follow them. THE LIMITATIONS OF WISDOM 12 I, the Teach er, have been d king over Is ra el in Je ru sa lem. 13 I ap plied my mind to ex am ine and ex plore through wis dom all that is done un der heav en. God has giv en peo ple e this mis- er a ble task to keep them oc cu pied. 14 I have seen all the things that are done un der the sun and have found ev ery thing to be fu tile, a pur suit of the wind. f 15 What is crooked cannot be straightened; what is lacking cannot be counted. 16 I said to my self, “ See, I have amassed wis - dom far be yond all those who were over Je ru- sa lem be fore me, and my mind has thor ough ly grasped g wis dom and knowl edge.” 17 I ap plied my mind to know wis dom and knowl edge, mad ness and fol ly; I learned that this too is a pur suit of the wind. 18 For with much wisdom is much sorrow; as knowledge increases, grief increases. THE EMPTINESS OF PLEASURE 2 I said to my self, “ Go ahead, I will test you with plea sure; en joy what is good.” But it turned out to be fu tile. 2 I said about laugh ter, “ It is mad ness,” and about plea sure, “ What does this ac com plish? ” 3 I ex plored with my mind the pull of wine on my body — my mind still guid ing me with wis dom — and how to grasp fol ly , un til I could see what is good for peo ple to do un der heav en h dur ing the few days of their lives. THE EMPTINESS OF POSSESSIONS 4 I in creased my achieve ments. I built hous es and plant ed vine yards for my self. 5 I made gar dens and parks for my self and plant ed ev ery kind of fruit tree in them. 6 I con struct ed res er voirs for my self from which to irrigate a grove of flour ish ing trees. 7 I ac quired male and fe male ser vants and had slaves who were born in my house. I also owned live stock — large herds and flocks — more than all who were be fore me in Je ru sa lem. 8 I also amassed sil ver and gold for my self, and the trea sure of kings and prov inces. I gath ered male and fe male sing ers for my self, and many con cu bines, the de lights of men. i,j 9 So I be came great and sur - passed all who were be fore me in Je ru sa lem; my wis dom also re mained with me. 10 All that a1:1 Or of Qoheleth, or of the Leader of the Assembly b1:8 Or words c1:11 Or of the things that d1:12 Or Teacher, was e1:13 Or given the descendants of Adam f1:14 Or a feeding on wind, or an affliction of spirit ; also in v. 17 g1:16 Or discerned h2:3 Two Hb mss, LXX, Syr read the sun i2:8 LXX, Theod, Syr read and male cupbearers and female cupbearers ; Aq, Tg, Vg read a cup and cups ; Hb obscure j2:8 Or many treasures that people delight in CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 586 10/26/17 9:00 PM my eyes de sired, I did not deny them. I did not re fuse my self any plea sure, for I took plea sure in all my strug gles. This was my re ward for all my strug gles. 11 When I con sid ered all that I had ac com plished a and what I had la bored to achieve, I found ev ery thing to be fu tile and a pur suit of the wind. b There was noth ing to be gained un der the sun. THE RELATIVE VALUE OF WISDOM 12 Then I turned to con sid er wis dom, mad ness, and fol ly , for what will the king’s suc ces sor c be like? He d will do what has al ready been done. 13 And I re al ized that there is an ad van tage to wis dom over fol ly , like the ad van tage of light over dark ness. 14 The wise person has eyes in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. Yet I also knew that one fate comes to them both. 15 So I said to my self, “ What hap pens to the fool will also hap pen to me. Why then have I been over ly wise? ” And I said to my self that this is also fu tile. 16 For, just like the fool, there is no last ing re mem brance of the wise, since in the days to come both will be for got ten. How is it that the wise per son dies just like the fool? 17 There fore, I hat ed life be cause the work that was done un der the sun was dis- tress ing to me. For ev ery thing is fu tile and a pur suit of the wind. THE EMPTINESS OF WORK 18 I hat ed all my work that I la bored at un der the sun be cause I must leave it to the one who comes af ter me. 19 And who knows wheth- er he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will take over all my work that I la bored at skill ful ly un der the sun. This too is fu tile. 20 So I be gan to give my self over e to de spair con cern ing all my work that I had la bored at un der the sun. 21 When there is a per son whose work was done with wis dom, knowl edge, and skill, and he must give his por tion to a per son who has not worked for it, this too is fu tile and a great wrong. 22 For what does a per son get with all his work and all his eff orts that he la bors at un der the sun? 23 For all his days are filled with grief, and his oc cu pa tion is sor row ful; even at night, his mind does not rest. This too is fu tile.24 There is noth ing bet ter for a per son than to eat, drink, and en joy f,g his work. I have seen that even this is from God’s hand, 25 be cause who can eat and who can en joy life h apart from him? i 26 For to the per son who is pleas- ing in his sight, he gives wis dom, knowl edge, and joy; but to the sin ner he gives the task of gath er ing and accumulating in or der to give to the one who is pleas ing in God’s sight. This too is fu tile and a pur suit of the wind. THE MYSTERY OF TIME 3 There is an occasion for everything, and a time for every activity under heaven: 2 a time to give birth and a time to die; a time to plant and a time to uproot; j 3 a time to kill and a time to heal; a time to tear down and a time to build; 4 a time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance; 5 a time to throw stones and a time to gather stones; a time to embrace and a time to avoid embracing; 6 a time to search and a time to count as lost; a time to keep and a time to throw away; 7 a time to tear and a time to sew; a time to be silent and a time to speak; 8 a time to love and a time to hate; a time for war and a time for peace. 9 What does the work er gain from his strug - gles? 10 I have seen the task that God has giv en the chil dren of Adam to keep them oc cu pied. 11 He has made ev ery thing ap pro pri ate k in its time. He has also put eter ni ty in their hearts, l but no one can dis cov er the work God has done from be gin ning to end. 12 I know that there is noth ing bet ter for them than to re joice and en joy the m good life. 13 It is also the gift of God when ev er any one eats, drinks, and en joys all his eff orts. 14 I know that ev ery thing God does will last for ev er; there is no add ing to it or tak ing from it. God works so that peo ple will be in awe of him. 15 What ev er is, has al ready been, and what ev er will be, al ready is. How- ev er, God seeks jus tice for the per se cut ed. n a2:11 Lit all my works that my hands had done b2:11 Or a feeding on wind, or an affliction of spirit ; also in vv. 17,26 c2:12 Lit the man who comes after the king d2:12 Some Hb mss read They e2:20 Lit And I turned to cause my heart f2:24 Syr , Tg; MT reads There is no good in a person who eats and drinks and enjoys g2:24 Lit and his soul sees good h2:25 LXX, Theod, Syr read can drink i2:25 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr read me j3:2 Lit uproot what is planted k3:11 Or beautiful l3:11 Or has put a sense of past and future into their minds, or has placed ignorance in their hearts m3:12 Lit his n3:15 Lit God seeks what is pursued 587 ECCLESIASTES 2-3 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 587 10/26/17 9:00 PM THE MYSTERY OF INJUSTICE AND DEATH 16 I also ob served un der the sun: there is wick- ed ness at the place of judg ment and there is wick ed ness at the place of righ teous ness. 17 I said to my self, “ God will judge the righ teous and the wick ed, since there is a time for ev ery ac tiv i ty and ev ery work.” 18 I said to my self, “ This hap pens so that God may test the chil- dren of Adam and they may see for them selves that they are like an i mals.” 19 For the fate of the chil dren of Adam and the fate of an i mals is the same. As one dies, so dies the oth er; they all have the same breath. Peo ple have no ad van tage over an i mals since ev ery thing is fu tile. 20 All are go ing to the same place; all come from dust, and all re turn to dust. 21 Who knows if the spir its of the chil dren of Adam go up ward and the spir its of an i mals go down- ward to the earth? 22 I have seen that there is noth ing bet ter than for a per son to en joy his ac tivi ties be cause that is his re ward. For who can en able him to see what will hap pen af ter he dies? a 4 Again, I ob served all the acts of op pres- sion be ing done un der the sun. Look at the tears of those who are op pressed; they have no one to com fort them. Pow er is with those who op press them; they have no one to com fort them. 2 So I com mend ed the dead, who have al ready died, more than the liv ing, who are still alive. 3 But bet ter than ei ther of them is the one who has not yet ex ist ed, who has not seen the evil ac tiv i ty that is done un- der the sun. THE LONELINESS OF WEALTH 4 I saw that all la bor and all skill ful work is due to one per son’s jeal ou sy of an oth er. This too is fu tile and a pur suit of the wind. b 5 The fool folds his arms and consumes his own flesh. 6 Better one handful with rest than two handfuls with effort and a pursuit of the wind. 7 Again, I saw fu til i ty un der the sun: 8 There is a per son with out a com pan ion, c with out even a son or broth er, and though there is no end to all his strug gles, his eyes are still not con tent with rich es. “ Who am I strug gling for,” he asks, “ and de priv ing my self of good things? ” This too is fu tile and a mis er a ble task.9 Two are bet ter than one be cause they have a good re ward for their eff orts. 10 For if ei ther falls, his com pan ion can lift him up; but pity the one who falls with out an oth er to lift him up. 11 Also, if two lie down to geth er, they can keep warm; but how can one per son alone keep warm? 12 And if some one over pow ers one per son, two can re sist him. A cord of three strands is not eas i ly bro ken. 13 Bet ter is a poor but wise youth than an old but fool ish king who no lon ger pays at ten- tion to warn ings. 14 For he came from pris on to be king, even though he was born poor in his king dom. 15 I saw all the liv ing, who move about un der the sun, fol low d a sec ond youth who suc ceeds him. 16 There is no lim it to all the peo ple who were be fore them, yet those who come lat er will not re joice in him. This too is fu tile and a pur suit of the wind. CAUTION IN GOD’S PRESENCE 5 Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Bet ter to ap proach in obe di ence than to off er the sac ri fice as fools do, for they ignorantly do wrong. 2 Do not be hasty to speak, and do not be im pul sive to make a speech be fore God. God is in heav en and you are on earth, so let your words be few . 3 Just as dreams ac com pa ny much la bor, so also a fool’s voice comes with many words. 4 When you make a vow to God, don’t de lay ful fill ing it, be cause he does not de light in fools. Ful fill what you vow. 5 Bet ter that you do not vow than that you vow and not ful fill it. 6 Do not let your mouth bring guilt on you, and do not say in the pres ence of the mes sen ger that it was a mis take. Why should God be an gry with your words and de stroy the work of your hands? 7 For many dreams bring fu til i ty , so do many words. There fore, fear God. THE REALITIES OF WEALTH 8 If you see op pres sion of the poor and per - ver sion of jus tice and righ teous ness in the prov ince, don’t be as ton ished at the sit u a tion, be cause one off i cial pro tects an oth er off i cial, and high er off i cials pro tect them. 9 The profi t from the land is tak en by all; the king is served by the field. e 10 The one who loves sil ver is nev er sat is fied with sil ver, and who ev er loves wealth is nev er sat is fied with in come. This too is fu tile. 11 When a3:22 Lit after him b4:4 Or a feeding on wind, or an affliction of spirit ; also in vv. 6,16 c4:8 Lit person, but there is not a second, d4:15 Lit with e5:9 Hb obscureECCLESIASTES 3-5 588 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 588 10/26/17 9:00 PM good things in crease, the ones who con sume them mul ti ply; what, then, is the profi t to the own er, ex cept to gaze at them with his eyes? 12 The sleep of the work er is sweet, wheth er he eats lit tle or much, but the abun dance of the rich per mits him no sleep. 13 There is a sickening trag e dy I have seen un der the sun: wealth kept by its own er to his harm. 14 That wealth was lost in a bad ven- ture, so when he fa thered a son, he was emp - ty-handed. 15 As he came from his moth er’s womb, so he will go again, na ked as he came; he will take noth ing for his eff orts that he can car ry in his hands. 16 This too is a sickening trag e dy: ex act ly as he comes, so he will go. What does the one gain who strug gles for the wind? 17 What is more, he eats in dark ness all his days, with much frus tra tion, sick ness, and an ger. 18 Here is what I have seen to be good: It is ap pro pri ate to eat, drink, and ex pe ri ence good in all the la bor one does un der the sun dur ing the few days of his life God has giv en him, be cause that is his re ward. 19 Fur ther more, ev ery one to whom God has giv en rich es and wealth, he has also al lowed him to en joy them, take his re ward, and re joice in his la bor. This is a gift of God, 20 for he does not of ten con sid- er the days of his life be cause God keeps him oc cu pied with the joy of his heart. 6 Here is a trag e dy I have ob served un der the sun, and it weighs heavi ly on hu man- i ty: a 2 God gives a per son rich es, wealth, and hon or so that he lacks noth ing of all he de- sires for him self, but God does not al low him to en joy them. In stead, a strang er will en joy them. This is fu tile and a sickening trag e dy . 3 A man may fa ther a hun dred chil dren and live many years. No mat ter how long he lives, b if he is not sat is fied by good things and does not even have a prop er buri al, I say that a still born child is bet ter off than he. 4 For he comes in fu til i ty and he goes in dark ness, and his name is shroud ed in dark ness. 5 Though a still born child does not see the sun and is not con scious, it has more rest than he. 6 And if a per son lives a thou sand years twice, but does not ex pe ri ence hap pi ness, do not both go to the same place? 7 All of a person’s labor is for his stomach, c yet the appetite is never satisfied.8 What ad van tage then does the wise per son have over the fool? What ad van tage is there for the poor per son who knows how to con duct him self be fore oth ers? 9 Bet ter what the eyes see than wan der ing de sire. This too is fu tile and a pur suit of the wind. d 10 What ev er ex ists was giv en its name long ago, e and it is known what man kind is. But he is not able to con tend with the one stron ger than he. 11 For when there are many words, they in crease fu til i ty . What is the ad van tage for man kind? 12 For who knows what is good for any one in life, in the few days of his fu- tile life that he spends like a shad ow? Who can tell any one what will hap pen af ter him un der the sun? WISE SAYINGS 7 A good name is better than fine perfume, and the day of one’s death is better
🌿 Wisdom in Life's Seasons
🌅 Embracing adversity transforms character—grief, rebuke, and mourning develop wisdom while pleasure and feasting breed foolishness
⚖️ Moderation in all things serves as the path to fulfillment—avoid excessive righteousness, wickedness, or wisdom that leads to self-destruction
🌱 Invest wisely in your fleeting days—send your "bread upon waters," sow seeds generously, and enjoy life's simple pleasures while remembering accountability
👑 Authority and wisdom operate under limitations—even the wisest advice goes unheeded, rulers act arbitrarily, and human understanding cannot fully grasp God's work
🏛️ Final conclusion: fear God and keep His commandments—this represents humanity's ultimate purpose as every deed faces divine judgment
than the day of one’s birth. 2 It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, since that is the end of all mankind, and the living should take it to heart. 3 Grief is better than laughter, for when a face is sad, a heart may be glad. 4 The heart of the wise is in a house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in a house of pleasure. 5 It is better to listen to rebuke from a wise person than to listen to the song of fools, 6 for like the crackling of burning thorns under the pot, so is the laughter of the fool. This too is futile. 7 Surely , the practice of extortion turns a wise person into a fool, and a bribe corrupts the mind. 8 The end of a matter is better than its beginning; a patient spirit is better than a proud spirit. 9 Don’t let your spirit rush to be angry , for anger abides in the heart of fools. 10 Don’t say , “Why were the former days better than these? ” since it is not wise of you to ask this. a6:1 Or it is common among men b6:3 Lit how many years c6:7 Lit mouth d6:9 Or a feeding on wind, or an affliction of spirit e6:10 Lit name already 589 ECCLESIASTES 5-7 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 589 10/26/17 9:00 PM 11 Wisdom is as good as an inheritance and an advantage to those who see the sun, 12 because wisdom is protection as silver is protection; but the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of its owner. 13 Consider the work of God, for who can straighten out what he has made crooked? 14 In the day of pros per i ty be joy ful, but in the day of ad ver si ty , con sid er: God has made the one as well as the oth er, so that no one can dis cov er any thing that will come af ter him. AVOIDING EXTREMES 15 In my fu tile life a I have seen ev ery thing: some one righ teous per ish es in spite of his righ teous ness, and some one wick ed lives long in spite of his evil. 16 Don’t be excessively righ- teous, and don’t be over ly wise. Why should you de stroy your self? 17 Don’t be excessively wick ed, and don’t be fool ish. Why should you die be fore your time? 18 It is good that you grasp the one and do not let the oth er slip from your hand. For the one who fears God will end up with both of them. 19 Wisdom makes the wise person stronger than ten rulers of a city . 20 There is certainly no one righteous on the earth who does good and never sins. 21 Don’t pay at ten tion b to ev ery thing peo ple say , or you may hear your ser vant curs ing you, 22 for in your heart you know that many times you your self have cursed oth ers. WHAT THE TEACHER FOUND 23 I have test ed all this by wis dom. I re solved, “ I will be wise,” but it was be yond me. 24 What ex ists is be yond reach and very deep. Who can dis cov er it? 25 I turned my thoughts to know , ex plore, and ex am ine wis dom and an ex pla na- tion for things, and to know that wick ed ness is stu pid i ty and fol ly is mad ness. 26 And I find more bit ter than death the wom an who is a trap: her heart a net and her hands chains. The one who pleas es God will es cape her, but the sin ner will be cap tured by her. 27 “ Look,” says the Teach er, “ I have dis cov ered this by add ing one thing to an oth er to find out the ex pla na tion, 28 which my soul con tin u al ly search es for but does not find: I found one per son in a thou sand, but none of those was a wom an. 29 Only see this: I have dis cov ered that God made peo ple up right, but they pur - sued many schemes.” WISDOM, AUTHORITIES, AND INEQUITIES 8 Who is like the wise per son, and who knows the in ter pre ta tion of a mat ter? A per son’s wis dom bright ens his face, and the stern ness of his face is changed. 2 Keep c the king’s com mand be cause of your oath made be fore God. 3 Do not be in a hur ry; leave his pres ence, and don’t per sist in a bad cause, since he will do what ev er he wants. 4 For the king’s word is authoritative, and who can say to him, “ What are you do- ing? ” 5 The one who keeps a com mand will not ex pe ri ence any thing harm ful, and a wise heart knows the right time and pro ce dure. 6 For ev ery ac tiv i ty there is a right time and pro ce dure, even though a per son’s trou bles are heavy on him. 7 Yet no one knows what will hap pen be cause who can tell him what will hap pen? 8 No one has au thor i ty over the wind d to re strain it, and there is no au thor i ty over the day of death; no one is dis charged dur ing bat tle, and wick ed ness will not al low those who prac tice it to es cape. 9 All this I have seen, ap ply ing my mind to all the work that is done un der the sun, at a time when one per - son has au thor i ty over an oth er to his harm. 10 In such cir cum stanc es, I saw the wick ed bur ied. They came and went from the holy place, and they were praised e in the city where they did those things. This too is fu tile. 11 Be- cause the sen tence against an evil act is not car ried out quick ly , the heart of peo ple is filled with the de sire to com mit evil. 12 Al though a sin ner does evil a hun dred times and prolongs his life, I also know that it will go well with God-fearing peo ple, for they are rev er ent be- fore him. 13 How ev er, it will not go well with the wick ed, and they will not length en their days like a shad ow , for they are not rev er ent be fore God. 14 There is a fu til i ty that is done on the earth: there are righ teous peo ple who get what the a7:15 Lit days b7:21 Lit Don’t give your heart c8:2 Some Hb mss, LXX, Vg, Tg, Syr; other Hb mss read I, keep d8:8 Or life- breath e8:10 Some Hb mss, LXX, Aq, Theod, Sym; other Hb mss read forgottenECCLESIASTES 7-8 590 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 590 10/26/17 9:00 PM ac tions of the wick ed de serve, and there are wick ed peo ple who get what the ac tions of the righ teous de serve. I say that this too is fu tile. 15 So I com mend ed en joy ment be cause there is noth ing bet ter for a per son un der the sun than to eat, drink, and en joy him self, for this will ac com pa ny him in his la bor dur ing the days of his life that God gives him un der the sun. 16 When I ap plied my mind to know wis dom and to ob serve the ac tiv i ty that is done on the earth ( even though one’s eyes do not close in sleep day or night), 17 I ob served all the work of God and con clud ed that a per son is un able to dis cov er the work that is done un der the sun. Even though a per son la bors hard to ex- plore it, he can not find it; even if a wise per son claims to know it, he is un able to dis cov er it. ENJOY LIFE DESPITE DEATH 9 In deed, I took all this to heart and ex plained it all: The righ teous, the wise, and their works are in God’s hands. Peo ple don’t know wheth er to ex pect love or hate. Ev ery thing lies ahead of them. 2 Ev ery thing is the same for ev ery one: There is one fate for the righ teous and the wick ed, for the good and the bad, a for the clean and the un clean, for the one who sac- ri fic es and the one who does not sac ri fice. As it is for the good, so also it is for the sin ner; as it is for the one who takes an oath, so also for the one who fears an oath. 3 This is an evil in all that is done un der the sun: there is one fate for ev ery one. In ad di tion, the hearts of peo ple are full of evil, and mad ness is in their hearts while they live; af ter that they go to the dead. 4 But there is hope for who ev er is joined b with all the liv ing, since a live dog is bet ter than a dead lion. 5 For the liv ing know that they will die, but the dead don’t know any thing. There is no lon ger a re ward for them be cause the mem o ry of them is for got ten. 6 Their love, their hate, and their envy have al ready dis ap peared, and there is no lon ger a por tion for them in all that is done un der the sun. 7 Go, eat your bread with plea sure, and drink your wine with a cheer ful heart, for God has al ready ac cept ed your works. 8 Let your clothes be white all the time, and nev er let oil be lack ing on your head. 9 En joy life with the wife you love all the days of your fleet ing c life, which has been giv en to you un der the sun, all your fleet ing days. For that is your por tion in life and in your strug gle un der the sun. 10 What ev er your hands find to do, do with all your strength, be cause there is no work, plan ning, knowl edge, or wis dom in She ol where you are go ing. THE LIMITATIONS OF WISDOM 11 Again I saw un der the sun that the race is not to the swift, or the bat tle to the strong, or bread to the wise, or rich es to the dis cern ing, or fa vor to the skill ful; rath er, time and chance hap pen to all of them. 12 For cer tain ly no one knows his time: like fish caught in a cru el net or like birds caught in a trap, so peo ple are trapped in an evil time as it sud den ly falls on them. 13 I have ob served that this also is wis dom un der the sun, and it is sig nifi cant to me: 14 There was a small city with few men in it. A great king came against it, sur round ed it, and built large siege works against it. 15 Now a poor wise man was found in the city , and he de liv ered the city by his wis dom. Yet no one re mem bered that poor man. 16 And I said, “Wis- dom is bet ter than strength, but the wis dom of the poor man is de spised, and his words are not heed ed.” 17 The calm words of the wise are heeded more than the shouts of a ruler over fools. 18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner can destroy much good. THE BURDEN OF FOLLY 10 Dead flies make a perfumer’s oil ferment and stink; so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor. 2 A wise person’s heart goes to the d right, but a fool’s heart to the left. 3 Even when the fool walks along the road, his heart lacks sense, and he shows everyone he is a fool. 4 If the ruler’s anger rises against you, don’t leave your post, for calmness puts great offenses to rest. 5 There is an evil I have seen un der the sun, an er ror proceeding from the pres ence of the rul er: 6 The fool is appointed to great heights, but the rich remain in lowly positions. a9:2 LXX, Aq, Syr , Vg; MT omits and the bad b9:4 Alt Hb tradition reads chosen c9:9 Or futile d10:2 Lit his 591 ECCLESIASTES 8-10 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 591 10/26/17 9:00 PM 7 I have seen slaves on horses, but princes walking on the ground like slaves. 8 The one who digs a pit may fall into it, and the one who breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake. 9 The one who quarries stones may be hurt by them; the one who splits logs may be endangered by them. 10 If the ax is dull, and one does not sharpen its edge, then one must exert more strength; however, the advantage of wisdom is that it brings success. 11 If the snake bites before it is charmed, then there is no advantage for the charmer. a 12 The words from the mouth of a wise person are gracious, but the lips of a fool consume him. 13 The beginning of the words from his mouth is folly , but the end of his speaking is evil madness; 14 yet the fool multiplies words. No one knows what will happen, and who can tell anyone what will happen after him? 15 The struggles of fools weary them, for they don’t know how to go to the city . 16 Woe to you, land, when your king is a youth and your princes feast in the morning. 17 Blessed are you, land, when your king is a son of nobles and your princes feast at the proper time — for strength and not for drunkenness. 18 Because of laziness the roof caves in, and because of negligent hands the house leaks. 19 A feast is prepared for laughter, and wine makes life happy , and money b is the answer for everything. 20 Do not curse the king even in your thoughts, and do not curse a rich person even in your bedroom, for a bird of the sky may carry the message, and a winged creature may report the matter. INVEST IN LIFE 11 Send your bread on the surface of the water, for after many days you may find it. 2 Give a portion to seven or even to eight, for you don’t know what disaster may happen on earth. 3 If the clouds are full, they will pour out rain on the earth; whether a tree falls to the south or the north, the place where the tree falls, there it will lie. 4 One who watches the wind will not sow , and the one who looks at the clouds will not reap. 5 Just as you don’t know the path of the wind, or how bones develop in c the womb of a pregnant woman, so also you don’t know the work of God who makes everything. 6 In the morning sow your seed, and at evening do not let your hand rest, because you don’t know which will succeed, whether one or the other, or if both of them will be equally good. 7 Light is sweet, and it is pleasing for the eyes to see the sun. 8 Indeed, if someone lives many years, let him rejoice in them all, and let him remember the days of darkness, since they will be many . All that comes is futile. 9 Rejoice, young person, while you are young, and let your heart be glad in the days of your youth. And walk in the ways of your heart and in the desire of your eyes; but know that for all of these things God will bring you to judgment. 10 Remove sorrow from your heart, and put away pain from your flesh, because youth and the prime of life are fleeting. a10:11 Lit master of the tongue b10:19 Lit silver c11:5 Or know how the life-breath comes to the bones inECCLESIASTES 10-11 592 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 592 10/26/17 9:00 PM THE TWILIGHT OF LIFE 12 So re mem ber your Cre a tor in the days of your youth: Before the days of adversity come, and the years approach when you will say , “I have no delight in them”; 2 before the sun and the light are darkened, and the moon and the stars, and the clouds return after a the rain; 3 on the day when the guardians of the house tremble, and the strong men stoop, the women who grind grain cease because they are few , and the ones who watch through the windows see dimly , 4 the doors at the street are shut while the sound of the mill fades; when one rises at the sound of a bird, and all the daughters of song grow faint. 5 Also, they are afraid of heights and dangers on the road; the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper loses its spring, b and the caper berry has no effect; for the mere mortal is headed to his eternal home, and mourners will walk around in the street; 6 before the silver cord is snapped, c and the gold bowl is broken, and the jar is shattered at the spring, and the wheel is broken into the well; 7 and the dust returns to the earth as it once was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it. 8 “ Ab so lute fu til i ty ,” says the Teach er. “Ev ery- thing is fu tile.” THE TEACHER’S OBJECTIVES AND CONCLUSION 9 In ad di tion to the Teach er be ing a wise man, he con stant ly taught the peo ple knowl edge; he weighed, ex plored, and ar ranged many prov- erbs. 10 The Teach er sought to find de light ful say ings and write words of truth ac cu rate ly . 11 The say ings of the wise are like cat tle prods, and those from mas ters of col lec tions are like firm ly em bed ded nails. The say ings are giv en by one Shep herd. d 12 But be yond these, my son, be warned: there is no end to the mak ing of many books, and much study wea ries the body . 13 When all has been heard, the con clu sion of the mat ter is this: fear God and keep his com mands, be- cause this is for all e hu man i ty . 14 For God will bring ev ery act to judg ment, in clud ing ev ery hid den thing, wheth er good or evil. a12:2 Or with b12:5 Or grasshopper is weighed down, or grasshopper drags itself along c12:6 Alt Hb tradition reads removed d12:11 Or by a shepherd e12:13 Or is the whole duty of 593 ECCLESIASTES 12 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 593 10/26/17 9:00 PM sonG of s onG s 1 The Song of Songs, which is Solomon’s. Woman 2 Oh, that he would kiss me with the kisses of his mouth! For your caresses a are more delightful than wine. 3 The fragrance of your perfume is intoxicating; your name is perfume poured out. No wonder young women b adore you. 4 Take me with you — let’s hurry . Oh, that the king would bring c me to his chambers. Young Women We will rejoice and be glad in you; we will celebrate your caresses more than wine. Woman It is only right that they adore you. 5 Daughters of Jerusalem, I am dark like the tents of Kedar, yet lovely like the curtains of Solomon. 6 Do not stare at me because I am dark, for the sun has gazed on me. My mother’s sons were angry with me; they made me take care of the vineyards. I have not taken care of my own vineyard. 7 Tell me, you whom I love: Where do you pasture your sheep? Where do you let them rest at noon? Why should I be like one who veils herself d beside the flocks of your companions?Man e 8 If you do not know , most beautiful of women, follow f the tracks of the flock, and pasture your young goats near the shepherds’ tents. 9 I compare you, my darling, to a g mare among Pharaoh’s chariots. 10 Your cheeks are beautiful with jewelry , your neck with its necklace. 11 We will make gold jewelry for you, accented with silver.Woman 12 While the king is on his couch, h my perfume i releases its fragrance. 13 The one I love is a sachet of myrrh to me, spending the night between my breasts. 14 The one I love is a cluster of henna blossoms to me, in the vineyards of En-gedi.Man 15 How beautiful you are, my darling. How very beautiful! Your eyes are doves.Woman 16 How handsome you are, my love. How delightful! Our bed is verdant; 17 the beams of our house are cedars, and our rafters are cypresses. j 2 I am a wildflower k of Sharon, a lily l of the valleys. Man 2 Like a lily among thorns, so is my darling among the young women. Woman 3 Like an apricot m tree among the trees of the forest, so is my love among the young men. I delight to sit in his shade, and his fruit is sweet to my taste. 4 He brought me to the banquet hall, n and he looked on me with love. o 5 Sustain me with raisins; a1:2 Or acts of love b1:3 Or wonder virgins c1:4 Or The king has brought d1:7 Or who wanders e1:8 Some understand the young women to be the speakers in this verse. f1:8 Lit go out for yourself into g1:9 Lit my h1:12 Or is at his table i1:12 Lit nard j1:17 Or firs, or pines k2:1 Traditionally rose l2:1 Or lotus m2:3 Or apple n2:4 Lit the house of wine o2:4 Or and his banner over me is love CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 594 10/26/17 9:00 PM refresh me with apricots, a for I am lovesick. 6 May his left hand be under my head, and his right arm embrace me. 7 Young women of Jerusalem, I charge you by the gazelles and the wild does of the field, do not stir up or awaken love until the appropriate time. b 8 Listen! My love is approaching. Look! Here he comes, leaping over the mountains, bounding over the hills. 9 My love is like a gazelle or a young stag. See, he is standing behind our wall, gazing through the windows, peering through
🌹 Divine Love's Passionate Pursuit
💞 Sacred romance unfolds through intimate dialogue between lovers who celebrate each other's beauty with vivid natural imagery of blossoming gardens, flowing myrrh, and ripening fruit
🌿 The seasonal progression from winter's end to flowering spring symbolizes love's awakening and maturation, creating a rhythm of separation and reunion that intensifies desire
👑 Physical attraction and emotional longing intertwine as the lovers describe each other's bodies with elaborate metaphors of precious materials, architecture, and landscapes
🔥 Love emerges as a powerful force "as strong as death," whose flames cannot be extinguished by floods or purchased with wealth
🛡️ The text balances vulnerability and protection, with lovers seeking shelter in gardens, vineyards, and mountain clefts while navigating the challenges of separation
🌄 Mutual possession ("I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine") establishes a relationship of reciprocity and commitment that transcends physical distance
the lattice. 10 My love calls to me: Man Arise, my darling. Come away , my beautiful one. 11 For now the winter is past; the rain has ended and gone away . 12 The blossoms appear in the countryside. The time of singing c has come, and the turtledove’s cooing is heard in our land. 13 The fig tree ripens its figs; the blossoming vines give off their fragrance. Arise, my darling. Come away , my beautiful one. 14 My dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the crevices of the cliff, let me see your face, d let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely .Woman e 15 Catch the foxes for us — the little foxes that ruin the vineyards — for our vineyards are in bloom.Woman 16 My love is mine and I am his; he feeds among the lilies. 17 Until the day breaks f and the shadows flee, turn around, my love, and be like a gazelle or a young stag on the divided mountains. g 3 In my bed at night h I sought the one I love; I sought him, but did not find him. i 2 I will arise now and go about the city , through the streets and the plazas. I will seek the one I love. I sought him, but did not find him. 3 The guards who go about the city found me. I asked them, “Have you seen the one I love? ” 4 I had just passed them when I found the one I love. I held on to him and would not let him go until I brought him to my mother’s house — to the chamber of the one who conceived me. 5 Young women of Jerusalem, I charge you by the gazelles and the wild does of the field, do not stir up or awaken love until the appropriate time. b Narrator 6 Who is this coming up from the wilderness like columns of smoke, scented with myrrh and frankincense from every fragrant powder of the merchant? 7 Look! Solomon’s bed surrounded by sixty warriors from the mighty men of Israel. 8 All of them are skilled with swords and trained in warfare. Each has his sword at his side to guard against the terror of the night. 9 King Solomon made a carriage for himself with wood from Lebanon. a2:5 Or apples b2:7; 3:5 Lit until it pleases c2:12 Or pruning d2:14 Or form e2:15 The speaker could be the woman, the man, or both. f2:17 Lit breathes g2:17 Or the Bether mountains, or the mountains of spices ; Hb obscure h3:1 Or bed night after night i3:1 LXX adds I called him, but he did not answer me 595 SONG OF SONGS 2-3 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 595 10/26/17 9:00 PM 10 He made its posts of silver, its back a of gold, and its seat of purple. Its interior is inlaid with love b by the young women of Jerusalem. 11 Go out, young women of Zion, and gaze at King Solomon, wearing the crown his mother placed on him on the day of his wedding — the day of his heart’s rejoicing. Man 4 How beautiful you are, my darling. How very beautiful! Behind your veil, your eyes are doves. Your hair is like a flock of goats streaming down Mount Gilead. 2 Your teeth are like a flock of newly shorn sheep coming up from washing, each one bearing twins, and none has lost its young. c 3 Your lips are like a scarlet cord, and your mouth d is lovely . Behind your veil, your brow e is like a slice of pomegranate. 4 Your neck is like the tower of David, constructed in layers. A thousand shields are hung on it — all of them shields of warriors. 5 Your breasts are like two fawns, twins of a gazelle, that feed among the lilies. 6 Until the day breaks f and the shadows flee, I will make my way to the mountain of myrrh and the hill of frankincense. 7 You are absolutely beautiful, my darling; there is no imperfection in you. 8 Come with me from Lebanon, g my bride; come with me from Lebanon! Descend from the peak of Amana, from the summit of Senir and Hermon, from the dens of the lions, from the mountains of the leopards. 9 You have captured my heart, my sister, my bride. You have captured my heart with one glance of your eyes, with one jewel of your necklace. 10 How delightful your caresses are, my sister, my bride. Your caresses are much better than wine, and the fragrance of your perfume than any balsam. 11 Your lips drip sweetness like the honeycomb, my bride. Honey and milk are under your tongue. The fragrance of your garments is like the fragrance of Lebanon. 12 My sister, my bride, you are a locked garden — a locked garden h and a sealed spring. 13 Your branches are a paradise i of pomegranates with choicest fruits; henna with nard, 14 nard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon, with all the trees of frankincense, myrrh and aloes, with all the best spices. 15 You are a garden spring, a well of flowing water streaming from Lebanon. Woman 16 Awaken, north wind; come, south wind. Blow on my garden, and spread the fragrance of its spices. Let my love come to his garden and eat its choicest fruits.Man 5 I have come to my garden — my sister, my bride. I gather j my myrrh with my spices. I eat my honeycomb with my honey . I drink my wine with my milk.Narrator Eat, friends! Drink, be intoxicated with caresses! k a3:10 Or base, or canopy b3:10 Or leather c4:2 Lit and no one bereaved among them d4:3 Or speech e4:3 Or temple, or cheek, or lips f4:6 Lit breathes g4:8 In Hb, the word for Lebanon is similar to “frankincense” in Sg 4:6,14,15. h4:12 Some Hb mss read locked fountain i4:13 Or park, or orchard j5:1 Lit pluck k5:1 Or Drink your fill, loversSONG OF SONGS 3-5 596 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 596 10/26/17 9:00 PM Woman 2 I was sleeping, but my heart was awake. A sound! My love was knocking! Man Open to me, my sister, my darling, my dove, my perfect one. For my head is drenched with dew , my hair with droplets of the night.Woman 3 I have taken off my clothing. How can I put it back on? I have washed my feet. How can I get them dirty? 4 My love thrust his hand through the opening, and my feelings were stirred for him. 5 I rose to open for my love. My hands dripped with myrrh, my fingers with flowing myrrh on the handles of the bolt. 6 I opened to my love, but my love had turned and gone away . My heart sank a because he had left. b I sought him, but did not find him. I called him, but he did not answer. 7 The guards who go about the city found me. They beat and wounded me; they took my cloak c from me — the guardians of the walls. 8 Young women of Jerusalem, I charge you, if you find my love, tell him that I am lovesick.Young Women 9 What makes the one you love better than another, most beautiful of women? What makes him better than another, that you would give us this charge?Woman 10 My love is fit and strong, d notable among ten thousand. 11 His head is purest gold. His hair is wavy e and black as a raven. 12 His eyes are like doves beside flowing streams, washed in milk and set like jewels. f 13 His cheeks are like beds of spice, mounds of g perfume. His lips are lilies, dripping with flowing myrrh. 14 His arms h are rods of gold set i with beryl. His body j is an ivory panel covered with lapis lazuli. 15 His legs are alabaster pillars set on pedestals of pure gold. His presence is like Lebanon, as majestic as the cedars. 16 His mouth is sweetness. He is absolutely desirable. This is my love, and this is my friend, young women of Jerusalem.Young Women 6 Where has your love gone, most beautiful of women? Which way has he k turned? We will seek him with you. Woman 2 My love has gone down to his garden, to beds of spice, to feed in the gardens and gather lilies. 3 I am my love’s and my love is mine; he feeds among the lilies.Man 4 You are as beautiful as Tirzah, my darling, lovely as Jerusalem, awe-inspiring as an army with banners. 5 Turn your eyes away from me, for they captivate me. Your hair is like a flock of goats streaming down from Gilead. 6 Your teeth are like a flock of ewes coming up from washing, each one having a twin, and not one missing. l 7 Behind your veil, your brow m is like a slice of pomegranate. 8 There are sixty queens and eighty concubines a5:6 Lit My soul went out b5:6 Or spoken c5:7 Or veil, or shawl d5:10 Or is radiant and ruddy e5:11 Or is like palm leaves ; Hb obscure f5:12 Lit milk sitting in fullness g5:13 LXX, Vg read spice, yielding h5:14 Lit hands i5:14 Lit filled ; Sg 5:2,12 j5:14 Lit abdomen k6:1 Lit your love l6:6 Lit and no one bereaved among them m6:7 Or temple, or cheek, or lips 597 SONG OF SONGS 5-6 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 597 10/26/17 9:00 PM and young women a without number. 9 But my dove, my virtuous one, is unique; she is the favorite of her mother, perfect to the one who gave her birth. Women see her and declare her fortunate; queens and concubines also, and they sing her praises: 10 Who is this who shines like the dawn, as beautiful as the moon, bright as the sun, awe-inspiring as an army with banners? Woman 11 I came down to the walnut grove to see the blossoms of the valley , to see if the vines were budding and the pomegranates blooming. 12 I didn’t know what was happening to me. I felt like I was in a chariot with a nobleman. b Young Women 13 Come back, come back, Shulammite! c Come back, come back, that we may look at you! Man How you gaze at the Shulammite, as you look at the dance of the two camps! d 7 How beautiful are your sandaled feet, princess! e The curves of your thighs are like jewelry , the handiwork of a master. 2 Your navel is a rounded bowl; it never lacks mixed wine. Your belly is a mound of wheat surrounded by lilies. 3 Your breasts are like two fawns, twins of a gazelle. 4 Your neck is like a tower of ivory , your eyes like pools in Heshbon by Bath-rabbim’s gate. Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon looking toward Damascus. 5 Your head crowns you f like Mount Carmel, the hair of your head like purple cloth — a king could be held captive in your tresses. 6 How beautiful you are and how pleasant, my love, with such delights! 7 Your stature is like a palm tree; your breasts are clusters of fruit. 8 I said, “I will climb the palm tree and take hold of its fruit.” May your breasts be like clusters of grapes, and the fragrance of your breath like apricots. 9 Your mouth g is like fine wine — Woman flowing smoothly for my love, gliding past my lips and teeth! h 10 I am my love’s, and his desire is for me. 11 Come, my love, let’s go to the field; let’s spend the night among the henna blossoms. i 12 Let’s go early to the vineyards; let’s see if the vine has budded, if the blossom has opened, if the pomegranates are in bloom. There I will give you my caresses. 13 The mandrakes give off a fragrance, and at our doors is every delicacy , both new and old. I have treasured them up for you, my love. 8 If only I could treat you like my brother, j one who nursed at my mother’s breasts, I would find you in public and kiss you, and no one would scorn me. 2 I would lead you, I would take you, to the house of my mother who taught me. k I would give you spiced wine to drink from the juice of my pomegranate. a6:8 Or and virgins ; Sg 1:3 b6:12 Hb obscure c6:13 Or the perfect one, or the peaceable one d6:13 Or dance of Mahanaim e7:1 Lit daughter of a nobleman, or prince f7:5 Lit head upon you is g7:9 Lit palate h7:9 LXX, Syr , Vg; MT reads past lips of sleepers i7:11 Or the villages j8:1 Lit Would that you were like a brother to me k8:2 LXX adds and into the chamber of the one who bore meSONG OF SONGS 6-8 598 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 598 10/26/17 9:00 PM 3 May his left hand be under my head, and his right arm embrace me. 4 Young women of Jerusalem, I charge you, do not stir up or awaken love until the appropriate time. Young Women 5 Who is this coming up from the wilderness, leaning on the one she loves?Woman I awakened you under the apricot tree. There your mother conceived you; there she conceived and gave you birth. 6 Set me as a seal on your heart, as a seal on your arm. For love is as strong as death; jealousy is as unrelenting as Sheol. Love’s flames are fiery flames — an almighty flame! a 7 A huge torrent cannot extinguish love; rivers cannot sweep it away . If a man were to give all his wealth b for love, it would be utterly scorned.Brothers 8 Our sister is young; she has no breasts. What will we do for our sister on the day she is spoken for? 9 If she is a wall, we will build a silver barricade on her. If she is a door, we will enclose her with cedar planks.Woman 10 I am c a wall and my breasts like towers. So in his eyes I have become like one who finds d peace. e 11 Solomon owned a vineyard in Baal-hamon. He leased the vineyard to tenants. Each was to bring for his fruit one thousand pieces of silver. 12 I have my own vineyard. f The one thousand are for you, Solomon, but two hundred for those who take care of its fruits. Man 13 You g who dwell in the gardens, companions are listening for your voice; let me hear you!Woman 14 Run away with me, h my love, and be like a gazelle or a young stag on the mountains of spices. a8:6 Or the blaze of the Lord b8:7 Lit all the wealth of his house c8:10 Or was d8:10 Or brings e8:10 In Hb, the word for peace sounds similar to Solomon and Shulammite. f8:12 Lit My vineyard, which is mine, is before me ; Sg 1:6 g8:13 In Hb, the word for You is feminine. h8:14 Lit Flee 599 SONG OF SONGS 8 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 599 10/26/17 9:00 PM isaiah 1 The vi sion con cern ing Ju dah and Je ru sa- lem that Isa iah son of Amoz saw dur ing the reigns a,b of Kings Uz zi ah, Jo tham, Ahaz, and Hez e ki ah of Ju dah. JUDAH ON TRIAL 2 Listen, heavens, and pay attention, earth, for the Lord has spoken: “I have raised children c and brought them up, but they have rebelled against me. 3 The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s feeding trough, but Israel does not know; my people do not understand.” 4 Oh sinful nation, people weighed down with iniquity , brood of evildoers, depraved children! They have abandoned the Lord; they have despised the Holy One of Israel; they have turned their backs on him. 5 Why do you want more beatings? Why do you keep on rebelling? The whole head is hurt, and the whole heart is sick. 6 From the sole of the foot even to the head, no spot is uninjured — wounds, welts, and festering sores not cleansed, bandaged, or soothed with oil. 7 Your land is desolate, your cities burned down; foreigners devour your fields right in front of you — a desolation, like a place demolished by foreigners. 8 Daughter Zion is abandoned like a shelter in a vineyard, like a shack in a cucumber field, like a besieged city . 9 If the Lord of Armies had not left us a few survivors, we would be like Sodom, we would resemble Gomorrah. 10 Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom! Listen to the instruction of our God, you people of Gomorrah! 11 “What are all your sacrifices to me? ” asks the Lord. “I have had enough of burnt offerings and rams and the fat of well-fed cattle; I have no desire for the blood of bulls, lambs, or male goats. 12 When you come to appear before me, who requires this from you — this trampling of my courts? 13 Stop bringing useless offerings. Your incense is detestable to me. New Moons and Sabbaths, and the calling of solemn assemblies — I cannot stand iniquity with a festival. 14 I hate your New Moons and prescribed festivals. They have become a burden to me; I am tired of putting up with them. 15 When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will refuse to look at you; even if you offer countless prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood. PURIFICATION OF JERUSALEM 16 “Wash yourselves. Cleanse yourselves. Remove your evil deeds from my sight. Stop doing evil. 17 Learn to do what is good. Pursue justice. Correct the oppressor. d Defend the rights of the fatherless. Plead the widow’s cause. 18 “Come, let us settle this,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are scarlet, a1:1 Lit saw in the days b1:1 ca 792–686 BC c1:2 Or sons, also in v. 4 d1:17 Or Aid the oppressed CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 600 10/26/17 9:00 PM they will be as white as snow; though they are crimson red, they will be like wool. 19 If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good things of the land. 20 But if you refuse and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.” For the mouth of the Lord has spoken. 21 The faithful town — what an adulteress a she has become! She was once full of justice. Righteousness once dwelt in her, but now , murderers! 22 Your silver has become dross to be discarded, your beer b is diluted with water. 23 Your rulers are rebels, friends of thieves. They all love graft and chase after bribes. They do not defend the rights of the fatherless, and the widow’s case never comes before them. 24 Therefore the Lord God of Armies, the Mighty One of Israel, declares: “ Ah, I will get even with my foes; I will take revenge against my enemies. 25 I will turn my hand against you and will burn away your dross completely; c I will remove all your impurities. 26 I will restore your judges to what they were at first, d and your advisers to what they were at the start. e Afterward you will be called the Righteous City , a Faithful Town.” 27 Zion will be redeemed by justice, those who repent, by righteousness. 28 At the same time both rebels and sinners will be broken, and those who abandon the Lord will perish. 29 Indeed, they f will be ashamed of the sacred trees you desired, and you will be embarrassed because of the garden shrines you have chosen. 30 For you will become like an oak whose leaves are withered, and like a garden without water. 31 The strong one will become tinder, and his work a spark; both will burn together, with no one to extinguish the flames. THE CITY OF PEACE 2 The vi sion that Isa iah son of Amoz saw con cern ing Ju dah and Je ru sa lem: 2 In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s house will be established at the top of the mountains and will be raised above the hills. All nations will stream to it, 3 and many peoples will come and say , “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us about his ways so that we may walk in his paths.” For instruction will go out of Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. 4 He will settle disputes among the nations and provide arbitration for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plows and their spears into pruning knives. Nation will not take up the sword against nation, and they will never again train for war. THE DAY OF THE LORD 5 House of Jacob, come and let us walk in the Lord’s light. 6 For you have abandoned your people, the house of Jacob, because they are full of divination from the East and of fortune-tellers like the Philistines. They are in league g with foreigners. 7 Their h,i land is full of silver and gold, and there is no limit to their treasures; a1:21 Or prostitute b1:22 Or wine c1:25 Lit dross as with lye d1:26 Lit judges as at the first e1:26 Lit advisers as at the beginning f1:29 Some Hb mss; other Hb mss, Tg read you g2:6 Or They teem, or They partner ; Hb obscure h2:7 Lit Its i2:7 = the house of Jacob 601 ISAIAH 1-2 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 601 10/26/17 9:00 PM their land is full of horses, and there is no limit to their chariots. 8 Their land is full of idols; they worship the work of their hands, what their fingers have made. 9 So humanity is brought low , and each person is humbled. Do not forgive them! 10 Go into the rocks and hide in the dust from the terror of the Lord and from his majestic splendor. 11 The pride of mankind a will be humbled, and human loftiness will be brought low; the Lord alone will be exalted on that day . 12 For a day belonging to the Lord of Armies is coming against all that is proud and lofty , against all that is lifted up — it will be humbled — 13 against all the cedars of Lebanon, lofty and lifted up, against all the oaks of Bashan, 14 against all the high mountains, against all the lofty hills, 15 against every high tower, against every fortified wall, 16 against every ship of Tarshish, and against every splendid sea vessel. 17 The pride of mankind will be brought low , and human loftiness will be humbled; the Lord alone will be exalted on that day . 18 The idols will vanish completely . 19 People will go into caves in the rocks and holes in the ground, away from the terror of the Lord and from his majestic splendor, when he rises to terrify the earth. 20 On that day people will throw their silver and gold idols, which they made to worship, to the moles and the bats. 21 They will go into the caves of the rocks and the crevices in the cliffs, away from the terror of the Lord and from his majestic splendor, when he rises to terrify the earth. 22
🔥 Divine Judgment Unleashed
🏛️ Jerusalem and Judah face imminent destruction as God removes all security—food, water, leadership, and protection—due to their defiance against His glory and oppression of the vulnerable
👑 Failed leadership receives harsh condemnation, with corrupt elders, arrogant youth, and prideful women specifically targeted for their exploitation of the poor and excessive vanity
🌿 The vineyard metaphor portrays Israel as God's cherished planting that produced "worthless grapes" instead of justice and righteousness, leading to its deliberate abandonment
⚔️ Foreign invasion becomes God's instrument of judgment, with Assyria depicted as an unstoppable force that will devastate the land like a mighty flood reaching up to the neck
👶 Amid darkness and judgment emerges the promise of Immanuel ("God with us") and a future child-ruler who will establish endless peace and justice as "Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace"
🔮 Isaiah's prophetic calling reveals the tension between divine holiness and human sinfulness, with the prophet commissioned to deliver a message that many will hear but not understand
Put no more trust in a mere human, who has only the breath in his nostrils. What is he really worth? JUDAH’S LEADERS JUDGED 3 Note this: The Lord God of Armies is about to remove from Jerusalem and from Judah every kind of security: the entire supply of bread and water, 2 heroes and warriors, judges and prophets, fortune-tellers and elders, 3 commanders of fifty and dignitaries, counselors, cunning magicians, b and necromancers. c 4 “I will make youths their leaders, and unstable rulers d will govern them.” 5 The people will oppress one another, man against man, neighbor against neighbor; the young will act arrogantly toward the old, and the worthless toward the honorable. 6 A man will even seize his brother in his father’s house, saying: “You have a cloak — you be our leader! This heap of rubble will be under your control.” 7 On that day he will cry out, saying: “I’m not a healer. I don’t even have food or clothing in my house. Don’t make me the leader of the people! ” 8 For Jerusalem has stumbled and Judah has fallen because they have spoken and acted against the Lord, defying his glorious presence. 9 The look on their faces testifies against them, and like Sodom, they flaunt their sin; they do not conceal it. Woe to them, for they have brought disaster on themselves. 10 Tell the righteous that it will go well for them, for they will eat the fruit of their labor. 11 Woe to the wicked — it will go badly for them, a2:11 Lit Mankind’s proud eyes b3:3 Or skilled craftsmen c3:3 Or mediums d3:4 Or mischief-makersISAIAH 2-3 602 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 602 10/26/17 9:00 PM for what they have done will be done to them. 12 Youths oppress my people, and women rule over them. My people, your leaders mislead you; they confuse the direction of your paths. 13 The Lord rises to argue the case and stands to judge the people. 14 The Lord brings this charge against the elders and leaders of his people: “You have devastated the vineyard. The plunder from the poor is in your houses. 15 Why do you crush my people and grind the faces of the poor? ” This is the declaration of the Lord God of Armies. JERUSALEM’S WOMEN JUDGED 16 The L ord also says: Because the daughters of Zion are haughty , walking with heads held high and seductive eyes, prancing along, jingling their ankle bracelets, 17 the Lord will put scabs on the heads of the daughters of Zion, and the Lord will shave their foreheads bare. 18 On that day the Lord will strip their fin- ery: an kle brace lets, head bands, cres cents, 19 pen dants, brace lets, veils, 20 head dress es, an kle jew el ry , sash es, per fume bot tles, am u- lets, 21 sig net rings, nose rings, 22 fes tive robes, capes, cloaks, purses, 23 gar ments, lin en clothes, tur bans, and shawls. 24 Instead of perfume there will be a stench; instead of a belt, a rope; instead of beautifully styled hair, baldness; instead of fine clothes, sackcloth; instead of beauty , branding. a 25 Your men will fall by the sword, your warriors in battle. 26 Then her gates will lament and mourn; deserted, she will sit on the ground.4 On that day seven womenwill seize one man, saying, “We will eat our own bread and provide our own clothing. Just let us bear your name. Take away our disgrace.” ZION’S FUTURE GLORY 2 On that day the Branch b of the L ord will be beau ti ful and glo ri ous, and the fruit of the land will be the pride and glo ry of Is ra el’s sur vi vors. 3 Who ev er re mains in Zion and who ev er is left in Je ru sa lem will be called holy — all in Je ru sa lem writ ten in the book of life c — 4 when the Lord has washed away the filth of the daugh ters of Zion and cleansed the blood guilt from the heart of Je ru sa lem by a spir it of judg ment and a spir it of burn ing. 5 Then the L ord will cre ate a cloud of smoke by day and a glow ing flame of fire by night over the en tire site of Mount Zion and over its as sem blies. For there will be a can o py over all the glo ry , d 6 and there will be a shel ter for shade from heat by day , and a ref uge and shel- ter from storm and rain. SONG OF THE VINEYARD 5 I will sing about the one I love,a song about my loved one’s vineyard: The one I love had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. 2 He broke up the soil, cleared it of stones, and planted it with the finest vines. He built a tower in the middle of it and even dug out a winepress there. He expected it to yield good grapes, but it yielded worthless grapes. 3 So now , residents of Jerusalem and men of Judah, please judge between me and my vineyard. 4 What more could I have done for my vineyard than I did? Why , when I expected a yield of good grapes, did it yield worthless grapes? 5 Now I will tell you what I am about to do to my vineyard: I will remove its hedge, and it will be consumed; a3:24 DSS read shame b4:2 Or plant c4:3 Lit Jerusalem recorded for life d4:5 Or For glory will be a canopy over all 603 ISAIAH 3-5 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 603 10/26/17 9:00 PM I will tear down its wall, and it will be trampled. 6 I will make it a wasteland. It will not be pruned or weeded; thorns and briers will grow up. I will also give orders to the clouds that rain should not fall on it. 7 For the vineyard of the Lord of Armies is the house of Israel, and the men a of Judah, the plant he delighted in. He expected justice but saw injustice; he expected righteousness, but heard cries of despair. JUDAH’S SINS DENOUNCED 8 Woe to those who add house to house and join field to field until there is no more room and you alone are left in the land. 9 I heard the L ord of Ar mies say: Indeed, many houses will become desolate, grand and lovely ones without inhabitants. 10 For a ten-acre b vineyard will yield only six gallons of wine, c and ten bushels d of seed will yield only one bushel of grain. e 11 Woe to those who rise early in the morning in pursuit of beer, who linger into the evening, inflamed by wine. 12 At their feasts they have lyre, harp, tambourine, flute, and wine. They do not perceive the Lord’s actions, and they do not see the work of his hands. 13 Therefore my people will go into exile because they lack knowledge; her f dignitaries are starving, and her masses are parched with thirst. 14 Therefore Sheol enlarges its throat and opens wide its enormous jaws, and down go Zion’s dignitaries, her masses, her crowds, and those who celebrate in her! 15 Humanity is brought low , each person is humbled, and haughty eyes are humbled. 16 But the Lord of Armies is exalted by his justice, and the holy God shows that he is holy through his righteousness. 17 Lambs will graze as if in g their own pastures, and resident aliens h will eat among the ruins of the rich. 18 Woe to those who drag iniquity with cords of deceit and pull sin along with cart ropes, 19 to those who say: “Let him hurry up and do his work quickly so that we can see it! Let the plan of the Holy One of Israel take place so that we can know it! ” 20 Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness, who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. 21 Woe to those who consider themselves wise and judge themselves clever. i 22 Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine, who are champions at pouring beer, 23 who acquit the guilty for a bribe and deprive the innocent of justice. 24 Therefore, as a tongue of fire consumes straw and as dry grass shrivels in the flame, so their roots will become like something rotten and their blossoms will blow away like dust, for they have rejected the instruction of the Lord of Armies, and they have despised the word of the Holy One of Israel. 25 Therefore the Lord’s anger burned against his people. a5:7 Lit man b5:10 Lit ten-yoke c5:10 Lit one bath d5:10 Lit one homer e5:10 Lit yield an ephah f5:13 Lit its g5:17 Syr reads graze in h5:17 LXX reads sheep i5:21 Lit and clever before their faceISAIAH 5 604 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 604 10/26/17 9:00 PM He raised his hand against them and struck them; the mountains quaked, and their corpses were like garbage in the streets. In all this, his anger has not turned away , and his hand is still raised to strike. 26 He raises a signal flag for the distant nations and whistles for them from the ends of the earth. Look — how quickly and swiftly they come! 27 None of them grows weary or stumbles; no one slumbers or sleeps. No belt is loose and no sandal strap broken. 28 Their arrows are sharpened, and all their bows strung. Their horses’ hooves are like flint; their chariot wheels are like a whirlwind. 29 Their roaring is like a lion’s; they roar like young lions; they growl and seize their prey and carry it off, and no one can rescue it. 30 On that day they will roar over it, like the roaring of the sea. When one looks at the land, there will be darkness and distress; light will be obscured by clouds. a ISAIAH’S CALL AND MISSION 6 In the year that King Uz zi ah died, I saw the Lord seat ed on a high and lofty throne, and the hem of his robe filled the tem ple. 2 Sera - phim b were stand ing above him; they each had six wings: with two they cov ered their fac es, with two they cov ered their feet, and with two they flew . 3 And one called to an oth er: Holy , holy , holy is the Lord of Armies; his glory fills the whole earth. 4 The foun da tions of the door ways shook at the sound of their voices, and the tem ple was filled with smoke. 5 Then I said: Woe is me for I am ruined c because I am a man of unclean lips and live among a people of unclean lips, and because my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Armies. 6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, and in his hand was a glow ing coal that he had tak en from the al tar with tongs. 7 He touched my mouth with it and said: Now that this has touched your lips, your iniquity is removed and your sin is atoned for. 8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord ask ing: Who should I send? Who will go for us? I said: Here I am. Send me. 9 And he re plied: Go! Say to these people: Keep listening, but do not understand; keep looking, but do not perceive. 10 Make the minds d of these people dull; deafen their ears and blind their eyes; otherwise they might see with their eyes and hear with their ears, understand with their minds, turn back, and be healed. 11 Then I said, “Un til when, Lord? ” And he re plied: Until cities lie in ruins without inhabitants, houses are without people, the land is ruined and desolate, 12 and the Lord drives the people far away , leaving great emptiness in the land. 13 Though a tenth will remain in the land, it will be burned again. Like the terebinth or the oak that leaves a stump when felled, the holy seed is the stump. THE MESSAGE TO AHAZ 7 This took place dur ing the reign of Ahaz, son of Jo tham, son of Uz zi ah king of Ju dah: Aram’s King Re zin and Is ra el’s King Pe kah son of Rem a li ah went to fight against Je ru sa lem, but they were not able to con quer it. 2 When it be came known to the house of Da vid that Aram had oc cu pied Ephra im, the a5:30 Lit its clouds b6:2 = heavenly beings c6:5 Or I must be silent d6:10 Lit heart 605 ISAIAH 5-7 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 605 10/26/17 9:00 PM heart of Ahaz a and the hearts of his peo ple trem bled like trees of a for est shak ing in the wind. 3 The L ord said to Isa iah, “ Go out with your son Shear-jashub b to meet Ahaz at the end of the conduit of the up per pool, by the road to the Laun der er’s Field. 4 Say to him: Calm down and be qui et. Don’t be afraid or cow ard ly be cause of these two smol der ing sticks, the fierce an ger of Re zin and Aram, and the son of Rem a li ah. 5 For Aram, along with Ephra im and the son of Rem a li ah, has plot ted harm against you. They say , 6 ‘ Let us go up against Ju dah, terrorize it, and con quer it for our selves. Then we can install Ta be el’s son as king in it.’ ” 7 This is what the Lord G od says: It will not happen; it will not occur. 8 The c chief city of Aram is Damascus, the chief of Damascus is Rezin (within sixty-five years Ephraim will be too shattered to be a people), 9 the chief city of Ephraim is Samaria, and the chief of Samaria is the son of Remaliah. If you do not stand firm in your faith, then you will not stand at all. THE IMMANUEL PROPHECY 10 Then the L ord spoke again to Ahaz: 11 “ Ask for a sign from the L ord your God — it can be as deep as She ol or as high as heav en.” 12 But Ahaz re plied, “ I will not ask. I will not test the L ord.” 13 Isa iah said, “Lis ten, house of Da vid! Is it not enough for you to try the pa tience of men? Will you also try the pa tience of my God? 14 There fore, the Lord him self will give you d a sign: See, the vir gin will con ceive, e have a son, and name him Im man u el. f 15 By the time he learns to re ject what is bad and choose what is good, he will be eat ing curds g and hon ey . 16 For be fore the boy knows to re ject what is bad and choose what is good, the land of the two kings you dread will be aban doned. 17 The L ord will bring on you, your peo ple, and your fa ther’s house such a time as has nev er been since Ephra im sep a rat ed from Judah: He will bring the king of As syr ia.” 18 On that day the Lord will whistle to flies at the farthest streams of the Nile and to bees in the land of Assyria. 19 All of them will come and settle in the steep ravines, in the clefts of the rocks, in all the thornbushes, and in all the water holes. 20 On that day the Lord will use a ra zor hired from be yond the Eu phra tes Riv er — the king of As syr ia — to shave the hair on your heads, the hair on your legs, and even your beards. 21 On that day a man will raise a young cow and two sheep, 22 and from the abundant milk they give he will eat curds, for every survivor in the land will eat curds and honey . 23 And on that day every place where there were a thousand vines, worth a thousand pieces of silver, will become thorns and briers. 24 A man will go there with bow and arrows because the whole land will be thorns and briers. 25 You will not go to all the hills that were once tilled with a hoe, for fear of the thorns and briers. Those hills will be places for oxen to graze and for sheep to trample. THE COMING ASSYRIAN INVASION 8 Then the L ord said to me, “ Take a large piece of parchment h and write on it with an or di nary pen: i Maher-shalal-hash-baz. j 2 I have ap point ed k trust wor thy wit ness es — the priest Uri ah and Zech a ri ah son of Je ber e chi ah.” 3 I was then in ti mate with the proph et ess, and she con ceived and gave birth to a son. The L ord said to me, “ Name him Maher-shalal- hash-baz, 4 for be fore the boy knows how to call ‘Fa ther,’ or ‘Moth er,’ the wealth of Da mas- cus and the spoils of Sa mar ia will be car ried off to the king of As syr ia.” 5 The L ord spoke to me again: 6 Because these people rejected a7:2 Lit Aram has rested upon Ephraim, his heart b7:3 = A Remnant Will Return c7:8 Lit For the d7:14 In Hb, the word you is pl e7:14 Or virgin is pregnant, will f7:14 = God With Us g7:15 Or sour milk h8:1 Hb obscure i8:1 Lit with the pen of a man j8:1 = Speeding to the Plunder , Hurrying to the Spoil k8:2 Vg; MT , one DSS ms read I will appoint ; one DSS ms, LXX, Syr , Tg read AppointISAIAH 7-8 606 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 606 10/26/17 9:00 PM the slowly flowing water of Shiloah and rejoiced with a Rezin and the son of Remaliah, 7 the Lord will certainly bring against them the mighty rushing water of the Euphrates River — the king of Assyria and all his glory . It will overflow its channels and spill over all its banks. 8 It will pour into Judah, flood over it, and sweep through, reaching up to the neck; and its flooded banks b will fill your entire land, Immanuel! 9 Band together, c peoples, and be broken; pay attention, all you distant lands; prepare for war, and be broken; prepare for war, and be broken. 10 Devise a plan; it will fail. Make a prediction; it will not happen. For God is with us. d THE LORD OF ARMIES, THE ONLY REFUGE 11 For this is what the L ord said to me with great pow er, to keep e me from go ing the way of this peo ple: 12 Do not call everything a conspiracy these people say is a conspiracy . Do not fear what they fear; do not be terrified. 13 You are to regard only the Lord of Armies as holy . Only he should be feared; only he should be held in awe. 14 He will be a sanctuary; but for the two houses of Israel, he will be a stone to stumble over and a rock to trip over, and a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 15 Many will stumble over these; they will fall and be broken; they will be snared and captured. 16 Bind up the testimony . Seal up the instruction among my disciples. 17 I will wait for the Lord, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob. I will wait for him. 18 Here I am with the chil dren the L ord has giv en me to be signs and won ders in Is ra el from the L ord of Ar mies who dwells on Mount Zion. 19 When they say to you, “In quire of the me di ums and the spir it ists who chirp and mut ter,” shouldn’t a peo ple in quire of their God? f Should they in quire of the dead on be- half of the liv ing? 20 Go to God’s in struc tion and tes ti mo ny! If they do not speak ac cord ing to this word, there will be no dawn for them. 21 They will wan der through the land, de ject- ed and hun gry . When they are fam ished, they will be come en raged, and, look ing up ward, will curse their king and their God. 22 They will look to ward the earth and see only dis tress, dark ness, and the gloom of affliction, and they will be driv en into thick dark ness. BIRTH OF THE PRINCE OF PEACE 9 Nev er the less, the gloom of the dis tressed land will not be like that of the for mer times when he hum bled the land of Zeb u lun and the land of Naph ta li. But in the fu ture he will bring hon or to the way of the sea, to the land east of the Jor dan, and to Gal i lee of the na tions. 2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; a light has dawned on those living in the land of darkness. 3 You have enlarged the nation and increased its joy . g The people have rejoiced before you as they rejoice at harvest time and as they rejoice when dividing spoils. 4 For you have shattered their oppressive yoke and the rod on their shoulders, the staff of their oppressor, just as you did on the day of Midian. 5 For every trampling boot of battle and the bloodied garments of war will be burned as fuel for the fire. 6 For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on his shoulders. a8:6 Or and rejoiced over b8:8 Lit its outspread wings c8:9 Or Raise the war cry, or Be shattered d8:10 Hb Immanuel e8:11 DSS; MT reads instruct f8:19 Or gods g9:3 Alt Hb tradition reads have not increased joy 607 ISAIAH 8-9 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 607 10/26/17 9:00 PM He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. 7 The dominion will be vast, and its prosperity will never end. He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from now on and forever. The zeal of the Lord of Armies will accomplish this. THE HAND RAISED AGAINST ISRAEL 8 The Lord sent a message against Jacob; it came against Israel. 9 All the people — Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria — will know it. They will say with pride and arrogance: 10 “The bricks have fallen, but we will rebuild with cut stones; the sycamores have been cut down, but we will replace them with cedars.” 11 The Lord has raised up Rezin’s adversaries against him and stirred up his enemies. 12 Aram from the east
🔥 Divine Judgment and Restoration
🌪️ God's wrath against Israel manifests through foreign powers, with His "hand still raised to strike" as punishment for wickedness, idolatry, and social injustice
👑 Corrupt leadership bears special responsibility—leaders who mislead the people, enact crooked statutes, and oppress the vulnerable face severe divine judgment
⚔️ Assyria and Babylon serve as instruments of God's punishment but will themselves be destroyed for their arrogance and cruelty when their purpose is fulfilled
🌱 The remnant of faithful believers will survive the devastation and return to their homeland, trusting in God rather than foreign powers
🕊️ Messianic hope emerges through the promise of a righteous king from Jesse's line who will establish justice, peace, and transform even natural enemies into companions
🎵 Ultimate restoration culminates in songs of praise, as God's people acknowledge His salvation and the nations recognize His sovereignty
and Philistia from the west have consumed Israel with open mouths. In all this, his anger has not turned away , and his hand is still raised to strike. 13 The people did not turn to him who struck them; they did not seek the Lord of Armies. 14 So the Lord cut off Israel’s head and tail, palm branch and reed in a single day . 15 The head is the elder, the honored one; the tail is the prophet, the one teaching lies. 16 The leaders of the people mislead them, and those they mislead are swallowed up. a 17 Therefore the Lord does not rejoice over b Israel’s young men and has no compassion on its fatherless and widows, for everyone is a godless evildoer, and every mouth speaks folly . In all this, his anger has not turned away , and his hand is still raised to strike. 18 For wickedness burns like a fire that consumes thorns and briers and kindles the forest thickets so that they go up in a column of smoke. 19 The land is scorched by the wrath of the Lord of Armies, and the people are like fuel for the fire. No one has compassion on his brother. 20 They carve meat on the right, but they are still hungry; they have eaten on the left, but they are still not satisfied. Each one eats the flesh of his own arm. 21 Manasseh is with Ephraim, and Ephraim with Manasseh; together, both are against Judah. In all this, his anger has not turned away , and his hand is still raised to strike. 10 Woe to those enacting crooked statutes and writing oppressive laws 2 to keep the poor from getting a fair trial and to deprive the needy among my people of justice, so that widows can be their spoil and they can plunder the fatherless. 3 What will you do on the day of punishment when devastation comes from far away? Who will you run to for help? Where will you leave your wealth? 4 There will be nothing to do except crouch among the prisoners or fall among the slain. In all this, his anger has not turned away , and his hand is still raised to strike. ASSYRIA, THE INSTRUMENT OF WRATH 5 Woe to Assyria, the rod of my anger — the staff in their hands is my wrath. 6 I will send him against a godless nation; I will command him to go against a people destined for my rage, a9:16 Or are confused b9:17 DSS read not spareISAIAH 9-10 608 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 608 10/26/17 9:00 PM to take spoils, to plunder, and to trample them down like clay in the streets. 7 But this is not what he intends; this is not what he plans. It is his intent to destroy and to cut off many nations. 8 For he says, “ Aren’t all my commanders kings? 9 Isn’t Calno like Carchemish? Isn’t Hamath like Arpad? Isn’t Samaria like Damascus? a 10 As my hand seized the idolatrous kingdoms, whose idols exceeded those of Jerusalem and Samaria, 11 and as I did to Samaria and its worthless images will I not also do to Jerusalem and its idols? ” JUDGMENT ON ASSYRIA 12 But when the Lord finishes all his work against Mount Zion and Je ru sa lem, he will say , “ I b will pun ish the king of As syr ia for his ar ro gant acts and the proud look in his eyes.” 13 For he said: I have done this by my own strength and wisdom, for I am clever. I abolished the borders of nations and plundered their treasures; like a mighty warrior, I subjugated the inhabitants. c 14 My hand has reached out, as if into a nest, to seize the wealth of the nations. Like one gathering abandoned eggs, I gathered the whole earth. No wing fluttered; no beak opened or chirped. 15 Does an ax exalt itself above the one who chops with it? Does a saw magnify itself above the one who saws with it? It would be like a rod waving the one who lifts d it! It would be like a staff lifting the one who isn’t wood! 16 Therefore the Lord God of Armies will inflict an emaciating disease on the well-fed of Assyria, and he will kindle a burning fire under its glory . 17 Israel’s Light will become a fire, and its Holy One, a flame. In one day it will burn and consume Assyria’s thorns and thistles. 18 He will completely destroy the glory of its forests and orchards as a sickness consumes a person. 19 The remaining trees of its forest will be so few in number that a child could count them. THE REMNANT WILL RETURN 20 On that day the rem nant of Is ra el and the sur vi vors of the house of Ja cob will no lon- ger de pend on the one who struck them, but they will faith ful ly de pend on the L ord, the Holy One of Is ra el. 21 The remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the Mighty God. 22 Israel, even if your people were as numerous as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will return. Destruction has been decreed; justice overflows. 23 For throughout the land the Lord God of Armies is carrying out a destruction that was decreed. 24 There fore, the Lord G od of Ar mies says this: “ My peo ple who dwell in Zion, do not fear As syr ia, though they strike you with a rod and raise their staff over you as the Egyp tians did. 25 In just a lit tle while my wrath will be spent and my an ger will turn to their de struc tion.” 26 And the L ord of Ar mies will bran dish a whip against him as he did when he struck Mid i an at the rock of Oreb; and he will raise his staff over the sea as he did in Egypt. GOD WILL JUDGE ASSYRIA 27 On that day his burden will fall from your shoulders, and his yoke from your neck. The yoke will be broken because your neck will be too large. e 28 Assyria has come to Aiath a10:9 Cities conquered by Assyria b10:12 LXX reads Jerusalem, he c10:13 Or I brought down their kings d10:15 Some Hb mss, Syr , Vg read wave he who lifts e10:27 Lit because of fatness ; Hb obscure 609 ISAIAH 10 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 609 10/26/17 9:00 PM and has gone through Migron, storing their equipment at Michmash. 29 They crossed over at the ford, saying, “We will spend the night at Geba.” The people of Ramah are trembling; those at Gibeah of Saul have fled. 30 Cry aloud, daughter of Gallim! Listen, Laishah! Anathoth is miserable. 31 Madmenah has fled. The inhabitants of Gebim have sought refuge. 32 Today the Assyrians will stand at Nob, shaking their fists at the mountain of Daughter Zion, the hill of Jerusalem. 33 Look, the Lord God of Armies will chop off the branches with terrifying power, and the tall trees will be cut down, the high trees felled. 34 He is clearing the thickets of the forest with an ax, and Lebanon with its majesty will fall. REIGN OF THE DAVIDIC KING 11 Then a shoot will grow from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots will bear fruit. 2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him — a Spirit of wisdom and understanding, a Spirit of counsel and strength, a Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. 3 His delight will be in the fear of the Lord. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, he will not execute justice by what he hears with his ears, 4 but he will judge the poor righteously and execute justice for the oppressed of the land. He will strike the land with a scepter a from his mouth, and he will kill the wicked with a command b from his lips. 5 Righteousness will be a belt around his hips; faithfulness will be a belt around his waist. 6 The wolf will dwell with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the goat. The calf, the young lion, and the fattened calf will be together, and a child will lead them. 7 The cow and the bear will graze, their young ones will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like cattle. 8 An infant will play beside the cobra’s pit, and a toddler will put his hand into a snake’s den. 9 They will not harm or destroy each other on my entire holy mountain, for the land will be as full of the knowledge of the Lord as the sea is filled with water. ISRAEL REGATHERED 10 On that day the root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples. The nations will look to him for guidance, and his resting place will be glorious. 11 On that day the Lord will ex tend his hand a sec ond time to re cov er the rem nant of his peo ple who sur vive — from As syr ia, Egypt, Path ros, Cush, Elam, Shi nar, Ha math, and the coasts and is lands of the west. 12 He will lift up a banner for the nations and gather the dispersed of Israel; he will collect the scattered of Judah from the four corners of the earth. 13 Ephraim’s envy will cease; Judah’s harassing will end. Ephraim will no longer be envious of Judah, and Judah will not harass Ephraim. 14 But they will swoop down on the Philistine flank to the west. Together they will plunder the people of the east. They will extend their power over Edom and Moab, and the Ammonites will be their subjects. 15 The Lord will divide c,d the Gulf of Suez. e a11:4 Lit the rod b11:4 Lit with the breath c11:15 Text emended; MT reads destroy d11:15 Or dry up e11:15 Lit the Sea of EgyptISAIAH 10-11 610 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 610 10/26/17 9:00 PM He will wave his hand over the Euphrates with his mighty wind and will split it into seven streams, letting people walk through on foot. 16 There will be a highway for the remnant of his people who will survive from Assyria, as there was for Israel when they came up from the land of Egypt. A SONG OF PRAISE 12 On that day you will say: “I will give thanks to you, Lord, although you were angry with me. Your anger has turned away , and you have comforted me. 2 Indeed, God is my salvation; I will trust him and not be afraid, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my song. He has become my salvation.” 3 You will joyfully draw water from the springs of salvation, 4 and on that day you will say: “Give thanks to the Lord; proclaim his name! Make his works known among the peoples. Declare that his name is exalted. 5 Sing to the Lord, for he has done glorious things. Let this be known throughout the earth. 6 Cry out and sing, citizen of Zion, for the Holy One of Israel is among you in his greatness.” A PRONOUNCEMENT AGAINST BABYLON 13 A pronouncement con cern ing Bab ylon that Isa iah son of Amoz saw: 2 Lift up a banner on a barren mountain. Call out to them. Signal with your hand, and they will go through the gates of the nobles. 3 I have commanded my consecrated ones; yes, I have called my warriors, who celebrate my triumph, to execute my wrath. 4 Listen, a commotion on the mountains, like that of a mighty people! Listen, an uproar among the kingdoms, like nations being gathered together! The Lord of Armies is mobilizing an army for war. 5 They are coming from a distant land, from the farthest horizon — the Lord and the weapons of his wrath — to destroy the whole country . a 6 Wail! For the day of the Lord is near. It will come as destruction from the Almighty . 7 Therefore everyone’s hands will become weak, and every man will lose heart. b 8 They will be horrified; pain and agony will seize them; they will be in anguish like a woman in labor. They will look at each other, their faces flushed with fear. 9 Look, the day of the Lord is coming — cruel, with rage and burning anger — to make the earth a desolation and to destroy its sinners. 10 Indeed, the stars of the sky and its constellations c will not give their light. The sun will be dark when it rises, and the moon will not shine. 11 I will punish the world for its evil, and wicked people for their iniquities. I will put an end to the pride of the arrogant and humiliate the insolence of tyrants. 12 I will make a human more scarce than fine gold, and mankind more rare than the gold of Ophir. 13 Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will shake from its foundations at the wrath of the Lord of Armies, on the day of his burning anger. 14 Like wandering gazelles and like sheep without a shepherd, each one will turn to his own people, each one will flee to his own land. 15 Whoever is found will be stabbed, and whoever is caught will die by the sword. a13:5 Or earth b13:7 Lit every man’s heart will melt c13:10 Or Orions 611 ISAIAH 11-13 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 611 10/26/17 9:00 PM 16 Their children will be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses will be looted, and their wives raped. 17 Look! I am stirring up the Medes against them, who cannot be bought off with a silver and who have no desire for gold. 18 Their bows will cut young men to pieces. They will have no compassion on offspring; they will not look with pity on children. 19 And Babylon, the jewel of the kingdoms, the glory of the pride of the Chaldeans, will be like Sodom and Gomorrah when God overthrew them. 20 It will never be inhabited or lived in from generation to generation; a nomad will not pitch his tent there, and shepherds will not let their flocks rest there. 21 But desert creatures will lie down there, and owls will fill the houses. Ostriches will dwell there, and wild goats will leap about. 22 Hyenas will howl in the fortresses, and jackals, in the luxurious palaces. Babylon’s time is almost up; her days are almost over. ISR A E L’S RE TURN 14 For the L ord will have com pas sion on Ja cob and will choose Is ra el again. He will set tle them on their own land. The res i- dent alien will join them and be unit ed with the house of Ja cob. 2 The na tions will es cort Is ra el and bring it to its home land. Then the house of Is ra el will pos sess them as male and fe male slaves in the L ord’ s land. They will make cap tives of their cap tors and will rule over their op pres sors. DOWNFALL OF THE KING OF BABYLON 3 When the L ord gives you rest from your pain, tor ment, and the hard la bor you were forced to do, 4 you will sing this song of con tempt about the king of Bab ylon and say: How the oppressor has quieted down, and how the raging b has become quiet! 5 The Lord has broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of the rulers. 6 It struck the peoples in anger with unceasing blows. It subdued the nations in rage with relentless persecution. 7 The whole earth is calm and at rest; people shout with a ringing cry . 8 Even the cypresses and the cedars of Lebanon rejoice over you: “Since you have been laid low , no lumberjack has come against us.” 9 Sheol below is eager to greet your coming, stirring up the spirits of the departed for you — all the rulers c of the earth — making all the kings of the nations rise from their thrones. 10 They all respond to you, saying, “You too have become as weak as we are; you have become like us! 11 Your splendor has been brought down to Sheol, along with the music of your harps. Maggots are spread out under you, and worms cover you.” 12 Shining morning star, d how you have fallen from the heavens! You destroyer of nations, you have been cut down to the ground. 13 You said to yourself, “I will ascend to the heavens; I will set up my throne above the stars of God. I will sit on the mount of the gods’ assembly , in the remotest parts of the North. e 14 I will ascend above the highest clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” 15 But you will be brought down to Sheol into the deepest regions of the Pit. 16 Those who see you will stare at you; they will look closely at you: a13:17 Lit who have no regard for b14:4 DSS; Hb uncertain c14:9 Lit rams d14:12 Or Day Star, son of the dawn e14:13 Or of ZaphonISAIAH 13-14 612 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 612 10/26/17 9:00 PM “Is this the man who caused the earth to tremble, who shook the kingdoms, 17 who turned the world into a wilderness, who destroyed its cities and would not release the prisoners to return home? ” 18 All the kings of the nations lie in splendor, each in his own tomb. 19 But you are thrown out without a grave, like a worthless branch, covered by those slain with the sword and dumped into a rocky pit like a trampled corpse. 20 You will not join them in burial, because you destroyed your land and slaughtered your own people. The offspring of evildoers will never be mentioned again. 21 Prepare a place of slaughter for his sons, because of the iniquity of their fathers. They will never rise up to possess a land or fill the surface of the earth with cities. 22 “ I will rise up against them” — this is the dec la ra tion of the L ord of Ar mies — “ and I will cut off from Bab ylon her rep u ta tion, rem nant, off spring, and pos ter i ty” — this is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion. 23 “ I will make her a swamp land and a re gion for herons, a and I will sweep her away with the broom of de- struc tion.” This is the dec la ra tion of the L ord of Ar mies. ASSYRIA WILL BE DESTROYED 24 The L ord of Ar mies has sworn: As I have purposed, so it will be; as I have planned it, so it will happen. 25 I will break Assyria in my land; I will tread him down on my mountain. Then his yoke will be taken from them, and his burden will be removed from their shoulders. 26 This is the plan prepared for the whole earth, and this is the hand stretched out against all the nations. 27 The Lord of Armies himself has planned it; therefore, who can stand in its way? It is his hand that is outstretched, so who can turn it back? A PRONOUNCEMENT AGAINST PHILISTIA 28 In the year that King Ahaz died, this pro - nouncement came: 29 Don’t rejoice, all of you in Philistia, because the rod of the one who struck you is broken. For a viper will come from the root b of a snake, and from its egg comes a flying serpent. 30 Then the firstborn of the poor will be well fed, and the impoverished will lie down in safety , but I will kill your root with hunger, and your remnant will be slain. 31 Wail, you gates! Cry out, city! Tremble with fear, all Philistia! For a cloud of dust is coming from the north, and there is no one missing from the invader’s ranks. 32 What answer will be given to the messengers from that nation? The Lord has founded Zion, and his oppressed people find refuge in her. A PRONOUNCEMENT AGAINST MOAB 15 A pronouncement con cern ing Moab: Ar in Moab is devastated, destroyed in a night. Kir in Moab is devastated, destroyed in a night. 2 Dibon went up to its temple to weep at its high places. Moab wails on Nebo and at c Medeba. Every head is shaved; every beard is chopped short. 3 In its streets they wear sackcloth; on its rooftops and in its public squares everyone wails, falling down and weeping. 4 Heshbon and Elealeh cry out; their voices are heard as far away as Jahaz. Therefore the soldiers of Moab cry out, and they tremble. d 5 My heart cries out over Moab, a14:23 Or hedgehogs ; Hb obscure b14:29 Or stock c15:2 Or wails over Nebo and over d15:4 Lit out, he trembles within himself 613 ISAIAH 14-15 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 613 10/26/17 9:00 PM whose fugitives flee as far as Zoar, to Eglath-shelishiyah; they go up the Ascent of Luhith weeping; they raise a cry of destruction on the road to Horonaim. 6 The Waters of Nimrim are desolate; the grass is withered, the foliage is gone, and the vegetation has vanished. 7 So they carry their wealth and belongings over the Wadi of the Willows. 8 For their cry echoes throughout the territory of Moab. Their wailing reaches Eglaim; their wailing reaches Beer -elim. 9 The Waters of Dibon a are full of blood, but I will bring on Dibon a even more than this — a lion for those who escape from Moab, and for the survivors in the land. 16 Send lambs to the ruler of the land, from Sela in the desert to the mountain of Daughter Zion. 2 Like a bird fleeing, forced from the nest, the daughters of Moab will be at the fords of the Arnon. 3 Give us counsel and make a decision. Shelter us at noonday with shade that is as dark as night. Hide the refugees; do not betray the one who flees. 4 Let my refugees stay with you; be a refuge for Moab b from the aggressor. When the oppressor has gone, destruction has ended, and marauders have vanished from the land, 5 a throne will be established in love, and one will sit on it faithfully c in the tent of David, judging and pursuing what is right, quick to execute justice. 6 We have heard of Moab’s pride — how very proud he is — his haughtiness, his pride, his arrogance, and his empty boasting. 7 Therefore let Moab wail; let every one of them wail for Moab. You who are completely devastated, mourn for the raisin cakes of Kir -hareseth. 8 For Heshbon’s terraced vineyards and the grapevines of Sibmah have withered. The rulers of the nations have trampled its choice vines that reached as far as Jazer and spread to the desert. Their shoots spread out and reached the sea. 9 So I join with Jazer to weep for the vines of Sibmah; I drench Heshbon and Elealeh with my tears. Triumphant shouts have fallen silent d over your summer fruit and your harvest. 10 Joy and
🌋 Divine Judgment Prophecies
🔥 Prophetic pronouncements against nations reveal God's sovereignty over world powers, including Egypt, Damascus, Babylon, and Tyre, demonstrating no kingdom stands secure against divine judgment
🏙️ Jerusalem's failure to trust God during crisis leads to condemnation of their revelry ("Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!") instead of proper repentance
🌍 The earth's desolation results directly from humanity breaking the "permanent covenant," polluting the land through transgression and bringing universal judgment
🔄 Restoration promises emerge amid judgment—Egypt will eventually know the Lord, a highway will connect former enemies (Egypt and Assyria), and they'll worship together with Israel
💫 God's pattern of judgment and healing reveals His ultimate purpose: "Egypt my people, Assyria my handiwork, and Israel my inheritance are blessed"
⏳ Divine timing operates on God's schedule—Tyre's judgment lasts "seventy years," after which even its commerce will ultimately serve "those who live in the Lord's presence"
rejoicing have been removed from the orchard; no one is singing or shouting for joy in the vineyards. No one tramples grapes e in the winepresses. I have put an end to the shouting. 11 Therefore I moan like the sound of a lyre for Moab, as does my innermost being for Kir -heres. 12 When Moab appears and tires himself out on the high place and comes to his sanctuary to pray , it will do him no good. 13 This is the mes sage that the L ord pre vi- ous ly an nounced about Moab. 14 And now the L ord says, “ In three years, as a hired work er counts years, Moab’s splen dor will be come an ob ject of con tempt, in spite of a very large pop u la tion. And those who are left will be few and weak.” A PRONOUNCEMENT AGAINST DAMASCUS 17 A pronouncement con cern ing Da mas cus: Look, Damascus is no longer a city . It has become a ruined heap. a15:9 DSS, some LXX mss, Vg; MT reads Dimon b16:4 Or you; Moab — be a refuge for him c16:5 Or continually d16:9 Or Battle cries have fallen e16:10 Lit wineISAIAH 15-17 614 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 614 10/26/17 9:00 PM 2 The cities of Aroer are abandoned; they will be places for flocks. They will lie down without fear. 3 The fortress disappears from Ephraim, and a kingdom from Damascus. The remnant of Aram will be like the splendor of the Israelites. This is the dec la ra tion of the L ord of Ar mies. JUDGMENT AGAINST ISRAEL 4 On that day the splendor of Jacob will fade, and his healthy body a will become emaciated. 5 It will be as if a reaper had gathered standing grain — his arm harvesting the heads of grain — and as if one had gleaned heads of grain in the Valley of Rephaim. 6 Only gleanings will be left in Israel, as if an olive tree had been beaten — two or three olives at the very top of the tree, four or five on its fruitful branches. This is the declaration of the Lord, the God of Israel. 7 On that day peo ple will look to their Mak- er and will turn their eyes to the Holy One of Is ra el. 8 They will not look to the al tars they made with their hands or to the Ashe rahs and shrines b they made with their fin gers. 9 On that day their strong cities will be like the abandoned woods and mountaintops that were abandoned because of the Israelites; there will be desolation. 10 For you have forgotten the God of your salvation, and you have failed to remember the rock of your strength; therefore you will plant beautiful plants and set out cuttings from exotic vines. 11 On the day that you plant, you will help them to grow , and in the morning you will help your seed to sprout, but the harvest will vanish on the day of disease and incurable pain. JUDGMENT AGAINST THE NATIONS 12 Ah! The roar of many peoples — they roar like the roaring of the seas. The raging of the nations — they rage like the rumble of rushing water. 13 The nations rage like the rumble of a huge torrent. He rebukes them, and they flee far away , driven before the wind like chaff on the hills and like tumbleweeds before a gale. 14 In the evening — sudden terror! Before morning — it is gone! This is the fate of those who plunder us and the lot of those who ravage us. THE LORD’S MESSAGE TO CUSH 18 Woe to the land of buzzing insect wings c beyond the rivers of Cush, 2 which sends envoys by sea, in reed vessels over the water. Go, swift messengers, to a nation tall and smooth-skinned, to a people feared far and near, a powerful nation with a strange language, d whose land is divided by rivers. 3 All you inhabitants of the world and you who live on the earth, when a banner is raised on the mountains, look! When a trumpet sounds, listen! 4 For the L ord said to me: I will quietly look out from my place, like shimmering heat in sunshine, like a rain cloud in harvest heat. 5 For before the harvest, when the blossoming is over and the blossom becomes a ripening grape, he will cut off the shoots with a pruning knife, and tear away and remove the branches. a17:4 Lit and the fat of his flesh b17:8 Or incense altars c18:1 Or of sailing ships d18:2 Hb obscure 615 ISAIAH 17-18 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 615 10/26/17 9:00 PM 6 They will all be left for the birds of prey on the hills and for the wild animals of the land. The birds of prey will spend the summer feeding on them, and all the wild animals the winter. 7 At that time a gift will be brought to the L ord of Ar mies from a a peo ple tall and smooth- skinned, a peo ple feared far and near, a pow- er ful na tion with a strange lan guage, whose land is di vid ed by riv ers — to Mount Zion, the place of the name of the L ord of Ar mies. A PRONOUNCEMENT AGAINST EGYPT 19 A pronouncement con cern ing Egypt: Look, the Lord rides on a swift cloud and is coming to Egypt. Egypt’s idols will tremble before him, and Egypt will lose heart. b 2 I will provoke Egyptians against Egyptians; each will fight against his brother and each against his friend, city against city , kingdom against kingdom. 3 Egypt’s spirit will be disturbed within it, and I will frustrate its plans. Then they will inquire of idols, ghosts, and spiritists. 4 I will hand over Egypt to harsh masters, and a strong king will rule it. This is the declaration of the Lord God of Armies. 5 The water of the sea will dry up, and the river will be parched and dry . 6 The channels will stink; they will dwindle, and Egypt’s canals will be parched. Reed and rush will wilt. 7 The reeds by the Nile, by the mouth of the river, and all the cultivated areas of the Nile will wither, blow away , and vanish. 8 Then the fishermen will mourn. All those who cast hooks into the Nile will lament, and those who spread nets on the water will give up. 9 Those who work with flax will be dismayed; those combing it and weaving linen will turn pale. c 10 Egypt’s weavers d will be dejected; all her wage earners will be demoralized. 11 The princes of Zoan are complete fools; Pharaoh’s wisest advisers give stupid advice! How can you say to Pharaoh, “I am one e of the wise, a student of eastern f kings”? 12 Where then are your wise men? Let them tell you and reveal what the Lord of Armies has planned against Egypt. 13 The princes of Zoan have been fools; the princes of Memphis are deceived. Her tribal chieftains have led Egypt astray . 14 The Lord has mixed within her a spirit of confusion. The leaders have made Egypt stagger in all she does, as a drunkard staggers in his vomit. 15 No head or tail, palm or reed, will be able to do anything for Egypt. EGYPT WILL KNOW THE LORD 16 On that day Egypt will be like wom en and will trem ble with fear be cause of the threatening hand of the L ord of Ar mies when he rais es it against them. 17 The land of Ju dah will ter ri fy Egypt; when ev er Ju dah is men tioned, Egypt will trem ble be cause of what the L ord of Ar - mies has planned against it. 18 On that day five cit ies in the land of Egypt will speak the lan guage of Ca naan and swear loy al ty to the L ord of Ar mies. One of the cit ies will be called the City of the Sun. g,h 19 On that day there will be an al tar to the L ord in the cen ter of the land of Egypt and a pil lar to the L ord near her bor der. 20 It will be a sign and wit ness to the L ord of Ar mies in the land of Egypt. When they cry out to the L ord be cause of their op pres sors, he will send them a sav ior and lead er, and he will res cue them. 21 The L ord will make him self known to Egypt, and Egypt will know the L ord on that day . They will off er sac ri fic es and off er ings; they will make vows a18:7 DSS, LXX, Vg; MT omits from b19:1 Lit Egypt’s heart will melt within it c19:9 DSS, Tg; MT reads weavers of white cloth d19:10 Or foundations e19:11 Lit a son f19:11 Lit a son of ancient g19:18 Some Hb mss, DSS, Sym, Tg, Vg, Arabic; other Hb mss read of Destruction ; LXX reads of Righteousness h19:18 = the ancient Egyptian city HeliopolisISAIAH 18-19 616 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 616 10/26/17 9:00 PM to the L ord and ful fill them. 22 The L ord will strike Egypt, strik ing and heal ing. Then they will turn to the L ord and he will be receptive to their prayers and heal them. 23 On that day there will be a high way from Egypt to As syr ia. As syr ia will go to Egypt, Egypt to As syr ia, and Egypt will wor ship with As syr ia. 24 On that day Is ra el will form a triple al- li ance with Egypt and As syr ia — a bless ing with in the land. 25 The L ord of Ar mies will bless them, say ing, “ Egypt my peo ple, As syr - ia my hand i work, and Is ra el my in her i tance are blessed.” NO HELP FROM CUSH OR EGYPT 20 In the year that the chief com mand er, sent by King Sar gon of As syr ia, came to Ash dod and at tacked and cap tured it — 2 dur - ing that time the L ord had spo ken through Isa iah son of Amoz, say ing, “ Go, take off your sack cloth a and re move the san dals from your feet,” and he did that, go ing stripped and bare- foot — 3 the L ord said, “ As my ser vant Isa iah has gone stripped and bare foot three years as a sign and omen against Egypt and Cush, 4 so the king of As syr ia will lead the cap tives of Egypt and the ex iles of Cush, young and old alike, stripped and bare foot, with bared but- tocks — to Egypt’s shame. 5 Those who made Cush their hope and Egypt their boast will be dis mayed and ashamed. 6 And the in hab i tants of this coastland will say on that day , ‘ Look, this is what has hap pened to those we re lied on and fled to for help to res cue us from the king of As syr ia! Now , how will we es cape? ’ ” A JUDGMENT ON BABYLON 21 A pronouncement con cern ing the desert by the sea: Like storms that pass over the Negev , it comes from the desert, from the land of terror. 2 A troubling vision is declared to me: “The treacherous one acts treacherously , and the destroyer destroys. Advance, Elam! Lay siege, you Medes! I will put an end to all the groaning.” 3 Therefore I am b filled with anguish. Pain grips me, like the pain of a woman in labor. I am too perplexed to hear, too dismayed to see. 4 My heart staggers; horror terrifies me. He has turned my last glimmer of hope c into sheer terror. 5 Prepare a table, and spread out a carpet! Eat and drink! Rise up, you princes, and oil the shields! 6 For the Lord has said to me, “Go, post a lookout; let him report what he sees. 7 When he sees riders — pairs of horsemen, riders on donkeys, riders on camels — he must pay close attention.” 8 Then the lookout d reported, “Lord, I stand on the watchtower all day , and I stay at my post all night. 9 Look, riders come — horsemen in pairs.” And he answered, saying, “Babylon has fallen, has fallen. All the images of her gods have been shattered on the ground.” 10 My people who have been crushed on the threshing floor, I have declared to you what I have heard from the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel. A PRONOUNCEMENT AGAINST DUMAH 11 A pronouncement con cern ing Du mah: e One calls to me from Seir, “Watchman, what is left of the night? Watchman, what is left of the night? ” 12 The watchman said, “Morning has come, and also night. If you want to ask, ask! Come back again.” A PRONOUNCEMENT AGAINST ARABIA 13 A pronouncement con cern ing Ara bia: In the desert f brush you will camp for the night, you caravans of Dedanites. a20:2 Lit off the sackcloth from your waist b21:3 Lit my waist is, or my insides are c21:4 Lit my twilight d21:8 DSS, Syr; MT reads Then a lion e21:11 Some Hb mss, LXX read Edom f21:13 LXX, Syr , Tg, Vg read desert at evening 617 ISAIAH 19-21 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 617 10/26/17 9:00 PM 14 Bring water for the thirsty . The inhabitants of the land of Tema meet a the refugees with food. 15 For they have fled from swords, from the drawn sword, from the bow that is strung, and from the stress of battle. 16 For the Lord said this to me: “With in one year, as a hired work er counts years, all the glo ry of Ke dar will be gone. 17 The re main ing Kedarite ar chers will be few in num ber.” For the L ord, the God of Is ra el, has spo ken. A PRONOUNCEMENT AGAINST JERUSALEM 22 A pronouncement con cern ing the Val - ley of Vi sion: What’s the matter with you? Why have all of you gone up to the rooftops? 2 The noisy city , the jubilant town, is filled with celebration. Your dead did not die by the sword; they were not killed in battle. 3 All your rulers have fled together, captured without a bow . All your fugitives were captured together; they had fled far away . 4 Therefore I said, “Look away from me! Let me weep bitterly! Do not try to comfort me about the destruction of my dear b people.” 5 For the Lord God of Armies had a day of tumult, trampling, and confusion in the Valley of Vision — people shouting c and crying to the mountains; 6 Elam took up a quiver with chariots and horsemen, d and Kir uncovered the shield. 7 Your best valleys were full of chariots, and horsemen were positioned at the city gates. 8 He removed the defenses of Judah. On that day you looked to the weap ons in the House of the For est. 9 You saw that there were many breach es in the walls of the city of Da vid. You col lect ed wa ter from the low er pool. 10 You count ed the hous es of Je ru sa lem so that you could tear them down to fortify the wall. 11 You made a res er voir be tween the walls for the wa ter of the an cient pool, but you did not look to the one who made it, or con sid er the one who cre at ed it long ago. 12 On that day the Lord God of Armies called for weeping, for wailing, for shaven heads, and for the wearing of sackcloth. 13 But look: joy and gladness, butchering of cattle, slaughtering of sheep and goats, eating of meat, and drinking of wine — “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die! ” 14 The Lord of Armies has directly revealed to me: “This iniquity will not be wiped out for you people as long as you live.” e The Lord God of Armies has spoken. A PRONOUNCEMENT AGAINST SHEBNA 15 The Lord G od of Ar mies said: “ Go to Sheb na, that stew ard who is in charge of the pal ace, and say to him: 16 What are you do ing here? Who au tho rized you to carve out a tomb for your self here, carving your tomb on the height and cut ting a rest ing place for your self out of rock? 17 Look, you strong man! The L ord is about to shake you vi o lent ly . He will take hold of you, 18 wind you up into a ball, and sling you into a wide land. f There you will die, and there your glo ri ous char i ots will be — a dis grace to the house of your lord. 19 I will re move you from your off ice; you will be oust ed from your po si tion. 20 “ On that day I will call for my ser vant, Eli- a kim son of Hil ki ah. 21 I will clothe him with your robe and tie your sash around him. I will hand your au thor i ty over to him, and he will be like a fa ther to the in hab i tants of Je ru sa- lem and to the house of Ju dah. 22 I will place the key of the house of Da vid on his shoul der; what he opens, no one can close; what he clos- es, no one can open. 23 I will drive him, like a peg, into a firm place. He will be a throne of hon or for his fa ther’s fam i ly . 24 They will hang on him all the glo ry of his fa ther’s fam i ly: the de scen dants and the off shoots — all the small ves sels, from bowls to ev ery kind of jar. a21:14 LXX, Syr , Tg, Vg read meet as a command b22:4 Lit of the daughter of my c22:5 Or Vision — a tearing down of a wall, or Vision — Kir raged ; Hb obscure d22:6 Lit chariots of man e22:14 Lit for you until you die f22:17-18 Hb obscureISAIAH 21-22 618 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 618 10/26/17 9:00 PM 25 On that day” — the dec la ra tion of the L ord of Ar mies — “ the peg that was driv en into a firm place will give way , be cut off, and fall, and the load on it will be de stroyed.” In deed, the L ord has spo ken. A PRONOUNCEMENT AGAINST TYRE 23 A pronouncement con cern ing Tyre: Wail, ships of Tarshish, for your haven has been destroyed. Word has reached them from the land of Cyprus. a 2 Mourn, inhabitants of the coastland, you merchants of Sidon; your agents have crossed the sea b 3 over deep water. Tyre’s revenue was the grain from Shihor — the harvest of the Nile. She was the merchant among the nations. 4 Be ashamed, Sidon, the stronghold of the sea, for the sea has spoken: “I have not been in labor or given birth. I have not raised young men or brought up young women.” 5 When the news reaches Egypt, they will be in anguish over the news about Tyre. 6 Cross over to Tarshish; wail, inhabitants of the coastland! 7 Is this your jubilant city , whose origin was in ancient times, whose feet have taken her to reside far away? 8 Who planned this against Tyre, the bestower of crowns, whose traders are princes, whose merchants are the honored ones of the earth? 9 The Lord of Armies planned it, to desecrate all its glorious beauty , to disgrace all the honored ones of the earth. 10 Overflow c your land like the Nile, daughter of Tarshish; there is no longer anything to restrain you. d 11 He stretched out his hand over the sea; he made kingdoms tremble. The Lord has commanded that the Canaanite fortresses be destroyed. 12 He said, “You will not celebrate anymore, ravished young woman, daughter of Sidon. Get up and cross over to Cyprus — even there you will have no rest! ” 13 Look at the land of the Chaldeans — a people who no longer exist. Assyria destined it for desert creatures. They set up their siege towers and stripped its palaces. They made it a ruin. 14 Wail, ships of Tarshish, because your fortress is destroyed! 15 On that day Tyre will be for got ten for sev- en ty years — the life span of one king. At the end of sev en ty years, what the song says about the pros ti tute will hap pen to Tyre: 16 Pick up your lyre, stroll through the city , you forgotten prostitute. Play skillfully , sing many a song so that you will be remembered. 17 And at the end of the sev en ty years, the L ord will re store Tyre and she will go back into busi ness, pros ti tut ing her self with all the king doms of the world through out the earth. 18 But her profi ts and wag es will be ded i cat ed to the L ord. They will not be stored or saved, for her profi t will go to those who live in the L ord’ s pres ence, to pro vide them with ample food and sa cred cloth ing. THE EARTH JUDGED 24 Look, the Lord is stripping the earth bare and making it desolate. He will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants: 2 people and priest alike, servant and master, female servant and mistress, buyer and seller, lender and borrower, creditor and debtor. 3 The earth will be stripped completely bare a23:1 Hb Kittim b23:2 DSS; MT reads Sidon, whom the seafarers have filled c23:10 DSS, LXX read Work d23:10 Or longer any harbor 619 ISAIAH 22-24 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 619 10/26/17 9:00 PM and will be totally plundered, for the Lord has spoken this message. 4 The earth mourns and withers; the world wastes away and withers; the exalted people of the earth waste away . 5 The earth is polluted by its inhabitants, for they have transgressed teachings, overstepped decrees, and broken the permanent covenant. 6 Therefore a curse has consumed the earth, and its inhabitants have become guilty; the earth’s inhabitants have been burned, and only a few survive. 7 The new wine mourns; the vine withers. All the carousers now groan. 8 The joyful tambourines have ceased. The noise of the jubilant has stopped. The joyful lyre has ceased. 9 They no longer sing and drink wine; beer is bitter to those who drink it. 10 The city of chaos is shattered; every house is closed to entry . 11 In the streets they cry a for wine. All joy grows dark; earth’s rejoicing goes into exile. 12 Only desolation remains in the city; its gate has collapsed in ruins. 13 For this is how it will be
🌋 Divine Judgment and Restoration
🔥 God's judgment sweeps across nations with devastating force, shaking earth's foundations and bringing down the proud like a drunkard staggering under divine wrath
🏰 The fortified cities of the arrogant will crumble to dust while God establishes a refuge for the poor and needy, demonstrating His perfect justice amid chaos
🎺 On "that day," the Lord will host a magnificent feast on Mount Zion, destroy death forever, wipe away all tears, and reveal Himself as the long-awaited savior
🌱 Trust in the Lord provides "perfect peace" amid turmoil—a stark contrast to those making "covenants with death" through deception and false refuges
🦁 Rebellious nations seeking protection from human powers (like Egypt) rather than God will find only shame and humiliation, their plans ultimately worthless
🌈 Despite punishment, God patiently waits to show mercy to His people, promising guidance ("This is the way. Walk in it") and restoration after discipline
on earth among the nations: like a harvested olive tree, like a gleaning after a grape harvest. 14 They raise their voices, they sing out; they proclaim in the west the majesty of the Lord. 15 Therefore, in the east honor the Lord! In the coasts and islands of the west honor the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. 16 From the ends of the earth we hear songs: The Splendor of the Righteous One. But I said, “I waste away! I waste away! b Woe is me.” The treacherous act treacherously; the treacherous deal very treacherously . 17 Panic, pit, and trap await you who dwell on the earth. 18 Whoever flees at the sound of panic will fall into a pit, and whoever escapes from the pit will be caught in a trap. For the windows on high are opened, and the foundations of the earth are shaken. 19 The earth is completely devastated; the earth is split open; the earth is violently shaken. 20 The earth staggers like a drunkard and sways like a hut. Earth’s rebellion weighs it down, and it falls, never to rise again. 21 On that day the Lord will punish the army of the heights in the heights and the kings of the ground on the ground. 22 They will be gathered together like prisoners in a pit. They will be confined to a dungeon; after many days they will be punished. 23 The moon will be put to shame and the sun disgraced, because the Lord of Armies will reign as king on Mount Zion in Jerusalem, and he will display his glory in the presence of his elders. SALVATION AND JUDGMENT ON THAT DAY 25 Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you. I will praise your name, for you have accomplished wonders, plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness. 2 For you have turned the city into a pile of rocks, a fortified city , into ruins; the fortress of barbarians is no longer a city; it will never be rebuilt. 3 Therefore, a strong people will honor you. The cities of violent nations will fear you. 4 For you have been a stronghold for the poor person, a24:11 Lit streets she cries b24:16 Hb obscureISAIAH 24-25 620 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 620 10/26/17 9:00 PM a stronghold for the needy in his distress, a refuge from storms and a shade from heat. When the breath of the violent is like a storm against a wall, 5 like heat in a dry land, you will subdue the uproar of barbarians. As the shade of a cloud cools the heat of the day , so he will silence the song of the violent. 6 On this mountain, a the Lord of Armies will prepare for all the peoples a feast of choice meat, a feast with aged wine, prime cuts of choice meat, b fine vintage wine. 7 On this mountain he will destroy the burial shroud, the shroud over all the peoples, the sheet covering all the nations; 8 he will destroy death forever. The Lord God will wipe away the tears from every face and remove his people’s disgrace from the whole earth, for the Lord has spoken. 9 On that day it will be said, “Look, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he has saved us. This is the Lord; we have waited for him. Let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.” 10 For the Lord’s power will rest on this mountain. But Moab will be trampled in his place c as straw is trampled in a dung pile. 11 He will spread out his arms in the middle of it, as a swimmer spreads out his arms to swim. His pride will be brought low , along with the trickery of his hands. 12 The high-walled fortress will be brought down, thrown to the ground, to the dust.THE SONG OF JUDAH 26 On that day this song will be sung in the land of Ju dah: We have a strong city . Salvation is established as walls and ramparts. 2 Open the gates so a righteous nation can come in — one that remains faithful. 3 You will keep the mind that is dependent on you in perfect peace, for it is trusting in you. 4 Trust in the Lord forever, because in the Lord, the Lord himself, is an everlasting rock! 5 For he has humbled those who live in lofty places — an inaccessible city . He brings it down; he brings it down to the ground; he throws it to the dust. 6 Feet trample it, the feet of the humble, the steps of the poor. GOD’S PEOPLE VINDICATED 7 The path of the righteous is level; you clear a straight path for the righteous. 8 Yes, Lord, we wait for you in the path of your judgments. Our desire is for your name and renown. 9 I long for you in the night; yes, my spirit within me diligently seeks you, for when your judgments are in the land, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. 10 But if the wicked man is shown favor, he does not learn righteousness. In a righteous land he acts unjustly and does not see the majesty of the Lord. 11 Lord, your hand is lifted up to take action, but they do not see it. Let them see your zeal for your people and be put to shame. Let fire consume your adversaries. a25:6 = Mount Zion b25:6 Lit wine, fat full of marrow c25:10 Or trampled under him 621 ISAIAH 25-26 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 621 10/26/17 9:00 PM 12 Lord, you will establish peace for us, for you have also done all our work for us. 13 Lord our God, lords other than you have owned a us, but we remember your name alone. 14 The dead do not live; departed spirits do not rise up. Indeed, you have punished and destroyed them; you have wiped out all memory of them. 15 You have added to the nation, Lord. You have added to the nation; you are honored. You have expanded all the borders of the land. 16 Lord, they went to you in their distress; they poured out whispered prayers because your discipline fell on them. b 17 As a pregnant woman about to give birth writhes and cries out in her pains, so we were before you, Lord. 18 We became pregnant, we writhed in pain; we gave birth to wind. We have won no victories on earth, and the earth’s inhabitants have not fallen. 19 Your dead will live; their bodies c will rise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in the dust! For you will be covered with the morning dew , d and the earth will bring out the departed spirits. 20 Go, my people, enter your rooms and close your doors behind you. Hide for a little while until the wrath has passed. 21 For look, the Lord is coming from his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity . The earth will reveal the blood shed on it and will no longer conceal her slain.LEVIATHAN SLAIN 27 On that day the L ord with his re lent less, large, strong sword will bring judg ment on Le vi a than, the flee ing ser pent — Le vi a than, the twist ing ser pent. He will slay the mon ster that is in the sea. THE LORD’S VINEYARD 2 On that day sing about a desirable vineyard: 3 I am the Lord, who watches over it to water it regularly . So that no one disturbs it, I watch over it night and day . 4 I am not angry . If only there were thorns and briers for me to battle, I would trample them and burn them to the ground. 5 Or let it take hold of my strength; let it make peace with me — make peace with me. 6 In days to come, Jacob will take root. Israel will blossom and bloom and fill the whole world with fruit. 7 Did the Lord strike Israel as he struck the one who struck Israel? Was Israel killed like those killed by the Lord? 8 You disputed with Israel by banishing and driving her away . b He removed her with his severe storm on the day of the east wind. 9 Therefore Jacob’s iniquity will be atoned for in this way , and the result of the removal of his sin will be this: when he makes all the altar stones like crushed bits of chalk, no Asherah poles or incense altars will remain standing. 10 For the fortified city will be desolate, pastures deserted and abandoned like a wilderness. Calves will graze there, and there they will spread out and strip its branches. 11 When its branches dry out, they will be broken off. Women will come and make fires with them, a26:13 Or married b26:16; 27:8 Hb obscure c26:19 Lit live; my body they d26:19 Lit For your dew is a dew of lightsISAIAH 26-27 622 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 622 10/26/17 9:00 PM for they are not a people with understanding. Therefore their Maker will not have compassion on them, and their Creator will not be gracious to them. 12 On that day the Lord will thresh grain from the Euphrates River as far as the Wadi of Egypt, and you Israelites will be gathered one by one. 13 On that day a great trumpet will be blown, and those lost in the land of Assyria will come, as well as those dispersed in the land of Egypt; and they will worship the Lord at Jerusalem on the holy mountain. WOE TO SAMARIA 28 Woe to the majestic crown of Ephraim’s drunkards, and to the fading flower of its beautiful splendor, which is on the summit above the rich valley . Woe to those overcome with wine. 2 Look, the Lord has a strong and mighty one — like a devastating hail storm, like a storm with strong flooding water. He will bring it across the land with his hand. 3 The majestic crown of Ephraim’s drunkards will be trampled underfoot. 4 The fading flower of his beautiful splendor, which is on the summit above the rich valley , will be like a ripe fig before the summer harvest. Whoever sees it will swallow it while it is still in his hand. 5 On that day the Lord of Armies will become a crown of beauty and a diadem of splendor to the remnant of his people, 6 a spirit of justice to the one who sits in judgment, and strength to those who repel attacks at the city gate. 7 Even these stagger because of wine and stumble under the influence of beer: priest and prophet stagger because of beer, they are confused by wine. They stumble because of beer, they are muddled in their visions, they stumble in their judgments. 8 Indeed, all their tables are covered with vomit; there is no place without a stench. 9 Who is he trying to teach? Who is he trying to instruct? Infants a just weaned from milk? Babies a removed from the breast? 10 “Law after law , law after law , line after line, line after line, a little here, a little there.” b 11 For he will speak to this people with stammering speech and in a foreign language. 12 He had said to them: “This is the place of rest; let the weary rest; this is the place of repose.” But they would not listen. 13 The word of the Lord will come to them: “Law after law , law after law , line after line, line after line, a little here, a little there,” so they go stumbling backward, to be broken, trapped, and captured. A DEAL WITH DEATH 14 Therefore hear the word of the Lord, you scoffers who rule this people in Jerusalem. 15 For you said, “We have made a covenant with Death, and we have an agreement with Sheol; when the overwhelming catastrophe c passes through, it will not touch us, because we have made falsehood our refuge and have hidden behind treachery .” a28:9 Lit Those b28:10 Hb obscure, also in v. 13 c28:15 Or whip ; Hb obscure, also in v. 18 623 ISAIAH 27-28 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 623 10/26/17 9:00 PM 16 Therefore the Lord God said: “Look, I have laid a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; the one who believes will be unshakable. a 17 And I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the mason’s level.” Hail will sweep away the false refuge, and water will flood your hiding place. 18 Your covenant with Death will be dissolved, and your agreement with Sheol will not last. When the overwhelming catastrophe passes through, you will be trampled. 19 Every time it passes through, it will carry you away; it will pass through every morning — every day and every night. Only terror will cause you to understand the message. b 20 Indeed, the bed is too short to stretch out on, and its cover too small to wrap up in. 21 For the Lord will rise up as he did at Mount Perazim. He will rise in wrath, as at the Valley of Gibeon, to do his work, his unexpected work, and to perform his task, his unfamiliar task. 22 So now , do not scoff, or your shackles will become stronger. Indeed, I have heard from the Lord God of Armies a decree of destruction for the whole land. GOD’S WONDERFUL ADVICE 23 Listen and hear my voice. Pay attention and hear what I say . 24 Does the plowman plow every day to plant seed? Does he continuously break up and cultivate the soil? 25 When he has leveled its surface, does he not then scatter black cumin and sow cumin? He plants wheat in rows and barley in plots, with spelt as their border. 26 His God teaches him order; he instructs him. 27 Certainly black cumin is not threshed with a threshing board, and a cart wheel is not rolled over the cumin. But black cumin is beaten out with a stick, and cumin with a rod. 28 Bread grain is crushed, but is not threshed endlessly . Though the wheel of the farmer’s cart rumbles, his horses do not crush it. 29 This also comes from the Lord of Armies. He gives wondrous advice; he gives great wisdom. WOE TO JERUSALEM 29 Woe to Ariel, c Ariel, the city where David camped! Continue year after year; let the festivals recur. 2 I will oppress Ariel, and there will be mourning and crying, and she will be to me like an Ariel. 3 I will camp in a circle around you; I will besiege you with earth ramps, and I will set up my siege towers against you. 4 You will be brought down; you will speak from the ground, and your words will come from low in the dust. Your voice will be like that of a spirit from the ground; your speech will whisper from the dust. 5 Your many foes d will be like fine dust, and many of the ruthless, like blowing chaff. Then suddenly , in an instant, 6 you will be punished by the Lord of Armies with thunder, earthquake, and loud noise, a28:16 Lit will not hurry b28:19 Or The understanding of the message will cause sheer terror c29:1 Or Altar Hearth, or Lion of God ; Hb obscure, also in v. 2 d29:5 Lit foreignersISAIAH 28-29 624 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 624 10/26/17 9:00 PM storm, tempest, and a flame of consuming fire. 7 All the many nations going out to battle against Ariel — all the attackers, the siege works against her, and those who oppress her — will then be like a dream, a vision in the night. 8 It will be like a hungry one who dreams he is eating, then wakes and is still hungry; and like a thirsty one who dreams he is drinking, then wakes and is still thirsty , longing for water. So it will be for all the many nations who go to battle against Mount Zion. 9 Stop and be astonished; blind yourselves and be blind! They are drunk, a but not with wine; they stagger, b but not with beer. 10 For the Lord has poured out on you an overwhelming urge to c sleep; he has shut your eyes (the prophets) and covered your heads (the seers). 11 For you the en tire vi sion will be like the words of a sealed doc u ment. If it is giv en to one who can read and he is asked to read it, d he will say , “ I can’t read it, be cause it is sealed.” 12 And if the doc u ment is giv en to one who can not read and he is asked to read it, e he will say , “ I can’t read.” 13 The Lord said: These people approach me with their speeches to honor me with lip-service f — yet their hearts are far from me, and human rules direct their worship of me. g 14 Therefore, I will again confound these people with wonder after wonder. The wisdom of their wise will vanish, and the perception of their perceptive will be hidden. 15 Woe to those who go to great lengths to hide their plans from the Lord. They do their works in the dark, and say , “Who sees us? Who knows us? ” 16 You have turned things around, as if the potter were the same as the clay . How can what is made say about its maker, “He didn’t make me”? How can what is formed say about the one who formed it, “He doesn’t understand what he’s doing”? 17 Isn’t it true that in just a little while Lebanon will become an orchard, and the orchard will seem like a forest? 18 On that day the deaf will hear the words of a document, and out of a deep darkness the eyes of the blind will see. 19 The humble will have joy after joy in the Lord, and the poor people will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. 20 For the ruthless one will vanish, the scorner will disappear, and all those who lie in wait with evil intent will be killed — 21 those who, with their speech, accuse a person of wrongdoing, who set a trap for the one mediating at the city gate and without cause deprive the righteous of justice. 22 There fore, the L ord who re deemed Abra- ham says this about the house of Ja cob: Jacob will no longer be ashamed, and his face will no longer be pale. 23 For when he sees his children, the work of my hands within his nation, they will honor my name, they will honor the Holy One of Jacob and stand in awe of the God of Israel. 24 Those who are confused will gain understanding, and those who grumble will accept instruction. CONDEMNATION OF THE EGYPTIAN ALLIANCE 30 Woe to the rebellious children! This is the Lord’s declaration. They carry out a plan, but not mine; they make an alliance, a29:9 LXX, Tg, Vg read Be drunk b29:9 Tg, Vg read wine; stagger c29:10 Lit you a spirit of d29:11 Lit If one gives it to one who knows the document, saying, “Read this, please” e29:12 Lit who does not know the document, saying, “Read this, please” f29:13 Lit their mouth and honor me with its lips g29:13 Lit their fearing of me is a taught command of men 625 ISAIAH 29-30 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 625 10/26/17 9:00 PM but against my will, piling sin on top of sin. 2 Without asking my advice they set out to go down to Egypt in order to seek shelter under Pharaoh’s protection and take refuge in Egypt’s shadow . 3 But Pharaoh’s protection will become your shame, and refuge in Egypt’s shadow your humiliation. 4 For though his a princes are at Zoan and his messengers reach as far as Hanes, 5 everyone will be ashamed because of a people who can’t help. They are of no benefit, they are no help; they are good for nothing but shame and disgrace. 6 A pronouncement con cern ing the an i mals of the Ne gev: b Through a land of trouble and distress, of lioness and lion, of viper and flying serpent, they carry their wealth on the backs of donkeys and their treasures on the humps of camels, to a people who will not help them. 7 Egypt’s help is completely worthless; therefore, I call her: Rahab Who Just Sits. 8 Go now , write it on a tablet in their presence and inscribe it on a scroll; it will be for the future, forever and ever. 9 They are a rebellious people, deceptive children, children who do not want to listen to the Lord’s instruction. 10 They say to the seers, “Do not see,” and to the prophets, “Do not prophesy the truth to us. Tell us flattering things. Prophesy illusions. 11 Get out of the way! Leave the pathway . Rid us of the Holy One of Israel.” 12 Therefore the Holy One of Israel says: “Because you have rejected this message and have trusted in oppression and deceit, and have depended on them, 13 this iniquity of yours will be like a crumbling gap, a bulge in a high wall whose collapse will come in an instant — suddenly! 14 Its collapse will be like the shattering of a potter’s jar, crushed to pieces, so that not even a fragment of pottery will be found among its shattered remains — no fragment large enough to take fire from a hearth or scoop water from a cistern.” 15 For the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, has said: “You will be delivered by returning and resting; your strength will lie in quiet confidence. But you are not willing.” 16 You say , “No! We will escape on horses” — therefore you will escape! — and, “We will ride on fast horses” — but those who pursue you will be faster. 17 One thousand will flee at the threat of one, at the threat of five you will flee, until you remain like a solitary pole on a mountaintop or a banner on a hill. THE LORD’S MERCY TO ISRAEL 18 Therefore the Lord is waiting to show you mercy , and is rising up to show you compassion, for the Lord is a just God. All who wait patiently for him are happy . 19 For peo ple will live on Zion in Je ru sa lem. You will nev er weep again; he will show fa vor to you at the sound of your out cry; as soon as he hears, he will an swer you. 20 The Lord will give you meager bread and wa ter dur ing op pres sion, but your Teach er c will not hide any lon ger. Your eyes will see your Teach er, a30:4 Or Judah’s b30:6 Or Southland c30:20 Or teachersISAIAH 30 626 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 626 10/26/17 9:00 PM 21 and when ev er you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear this com mand be hind you: “ This is the way . Walk in it.” 22 Then you will de file your silver-plated idols and your gold-plated im ages. You will throw them away like men stru al cloths, and call them filth. 23 Then he will send rain for your seed that you have sown in
🔥 Divine Judgment and Redemption
🌍 Nations face divine wrath for their rebellion, with Assyria and Edom specifically targeted for destruction through natural disasters, warfare, and complete desolation
🛡️ God's protection manifests for the faithful who trust in Him rather than earthly powers like Egypt, whose help is compared to a "splintered reed of a staff"
🌱 Restoration promises transform barren landscapes into fertile abundance—deserts bloom, streams flow in dry places, and the redeemed return to Zion with "unending joy"
👑 Righteous leadership will establish justice, with rulers providing shelter and refuge like "flowing streams in a dry land" and "shade of a massive rock in an arid land"
👁️ Physical and spiritual healing awaits God's people—"the eyes of the blind will be opened," "the lame will leap like a deer," and "the tongue of the mute will sing for joy"
⚔️ Historical conflict between King Hezekiah and Assyria's Sennacherib illustrates the tension between trusting human alliances versus relying on divine deliverance
the ground, and the food, the pro duce of the ground, will be rich and plen ti ful. On that day your cat tle will graze in open pas tures. 24 The oxen and don keys that work the ground will eat salt ed fod der scat tered with win now ing shov el and fork. 25 Streams flow ing with wa ter will be on ev- ery high moun tain and ev ery raised hill on the day of great slaugh ter when the tow ers fall. 26 The moonlight will be as bright as the sun light, and the sun light will be sev en times bright er — like the light of sev en days — on the day that the L ord bandages his peo ple’s injuries and heals the wounds he in flict ed. ANNIHILATION OF THE ASSYRIANS 27 Look there! The Lord a is coming from far away , his anger burning and heavy with smoke. b His lips are full of fury , and his tongue is like a consuming fire. 28 His breath is like an overflowing torrent that rises to the neck. He comes to sift the nations in a sieve of destruction and to put a bridle on the jaws of the peoples to lead them astray . 29 Your singing will be like that on the night of a holy festival, and your heart will rejoice like one who walks to the music of a flute, going up to the mountain of the Lord, to the Rock of Israel. 30 And the Lord will make the splendor of his voice heard and reveal his arm striking in angry wrath and a flame of consuming fire, in driving rain, a torrent, and hailstones. 31 Assyria will be shattered by the voice of the Lord. He will strike with a rod. 32 And every stroke of the appointed c staff that the Lord brings down on him will be to the sound of tambourines and lyres; he will fight against him with brandished weapons. 33 Indeed! Topheth has been ready for the king for a long time. Its funeral pyre is deep and wide, with plenty of fire and wood. The breath of the Lord, like a torrent of burning sulfur, kindles it. THE LORD, THE ONLY HELP 31 Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help and who depend on horses! They trust in the abundance of chariots and in the large number of horsemen. They do not look to the Holy One of Israel and they do not seek the Lord. 2 But he also is wise and brings disaster. He does not go back on what he says; he will rise up against the house of the wicked and against the allies of evildoers. 3 Egyptians are men, not God; their horses are flesh, not spirit. When the Lord raises his hand to strike, the helper will stumble and the one who is helped will fall; both will perish together. 4 For this is what the L ord said to me: As a lion or young lion growls over its prey when a band of shepherds is called out against it, and is not terrified by their shouting or subdued by their noise, so the Lord of Armies will come down to fight on Mount Zion and on its hill. 5 Like hovering birds, so the Lord of Armies will protect Jerusalem — by protecting it, he will rescue it, by sparing it, he will deliver it. a30:27 Or Look, the name of the Lord b30:27 Hb obscure c30:32 Some Hb mss read punishing 627 ISAIAH 30-31 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 627 10/26/17 9:00 PM 6 Re turn to the one the Is ra el ites have great ly re belled against. 7 For on that day , ev ery one of you will re ject the sil ver and gold idols that your own hands have sinfully made. 8 Then Assyria will fall, but not by human sword; a sword will devour him, but not one made by man. He will flee from the sword; his young men will be put to forced labor. 9 His rock a will pass away because of fear, and his officers will be afraid because of the signal flag. This is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion — whose fire is in Zion and whose fur nace is in Je ru sa lem. THE RIGHTEOUS KINGDOM ANNOUNCED 32 Indeed, a king will reign righteously , and rulers will rule justly . 2 Each will be like a shelter from the wind, a refuge from the rain, like flowing streams in a dry land and the shade of a massive rock in an arid land. 3 Then the eyes of those who see will not be closed, and the ears of those who hear will listen. 4 The reckless mind will gain knowledge, and the stammering tongue will speak clearly and fluently . 5 A fool will no longer be called a noble, nor a scoundrel said to be important. 6 For a fool speaks foolishness and his mind plots iniquity . He lives in a godless way and speaks falsely about the Lord. He leaves the hungry empty and deprives the thirsty of drink. 7 The scoundrel’s weapons are destructive; he hatches plots to destroy the needy with lies, even when the poor person says what is right. 8 But a noble person plans noble things; he stands up for noble causes. 9 Stand up, you complacent women; listen to me. Pay attention to what I say , you overconfident daughters. 10 In a little more than a year you overconfident ones will shudder, for the grapes will fail and the harvest will not come. 11 Shudder, you complacent ones; tremble, you overconfident ones! Strip yourselves bare and put sackcloth around your waists. 12 Beat your breasts in mourning for the delightful fields and the fruitful vines, 13 for the ground of my people growing thorns and briers, indeed, for every joyous house in the jubilant city . 14 For the palace will be deserted, the busy city abandoned. The hill and the watchtower will become barren places forever, the joy of wild donkeys, and a pasture for flocks, 15 until the Spirit b from on high is poured out on us. Then the desert will become an orchard, and the orchard will seem like a forest. 16 Then justice will inhabit the wilderness, and righteousness will dwell in the orchard. 17 The result of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quiet confidence forever. 18 Then my people will dwell in a peaceful place, in safe and secure dwellings. 19 But hail will level the forest, c and the city will sink into the depths. 20 You will be happy as you sow seed beside abundant water, and as you let oxen and donkeys range freely . THE LORD RISES UP 33 Woe, you destroyer never destroyed,you traitor never betrayed! When you have finished destroying, you will be destroyed. When you have finished betraying, they will betray you. a31:9 Perhaps the Assyrian king b32:15 Or a wind c32:19 Hb obscureISAIAH 31-33 628 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 628 10/26/17 9:00 PM 2 Lord, be gracious to us! We wait for you. Be our strength every morning and our salvation in time of trouble. 3 The peoples flee at the thunderous noise; the nations scatter when you rise in your majesty . 4 Your spoil will be gathered as locusts are gathered; people will swarm over it like an infestation of locusts. 5 The Lord is exalted, for he dwells on high; he has filled Zion with justice and righteousness. 6 There will be times of security for you — a storehouse of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge. The fear of the Lord is Zion’s treasure. 7 Listen! Their warriors cry loudly in the streets; the messengers of peace weep bitterly . 8 The highways are deserted; travel has ceased. An agreement has been broken, cities a despised, and human life disregarded. 9 The land mourns and withers; Lebanon is ashamed and wilted. Sharon is like a desert; Bashan and Carmel shake off their leaves. 10 “Now I will rise up,” says the Lord. “Now I will lift myself up. Now I will be exalted. 11 You will conceive chaff; you will give birth to stubble. Your breath is fire that will consume you. 12 The peoples will be burned to ashes, like thorns cut down and burned in a fire. 13 You who are far off, hear what I have done; you who are near, know my strength.” 14 The sinners in Zion are afraid; trembling seizes the ungodly: “Who among us can dwell with a consuming fire? Who among us can dwell with ever -burning flames? ” 15 The one who lives righteously and speaks rightly , who refuses profit from extortion, whose hand never takes a bribe, who stops his ears from listening to murderous plots and shuts his eyes against evil schemes — 16 he will dwell on the heights; his refuge will be the rocky fortresses, his food provided, his water assured. 17 Your eyes will see the King in his beauty; you will see a vast land. 18 Your mind will meditate on the past terror: “Where is the accountant? b Where is the tribute collector? c Where is the one who spied out our defenses? ” d 19 You will no longer see the barbarians, a people whose speech is difficult to comprehend — who stammer in a language that is not understood. 20 Look at Zion, the city of our festival times. Your eyes will see Jerusalem, a peaceful pasture, a tent that does not wander; its tent pegs will not be pulled up nor will any of its cords be loosened. 21 For the majestic one, our Lord, will be there, a place of rivers and broad streams where ships that are rowed will not go, and majestic vessels will not pass. 22 For the Lord is our Judge, the Lord is our Lawgiver, the Lord is our King. He will save us. 23 Your ropes are slack; they cannot hold the base of the mast or spread out the flag. Then abundant spoil will be divided, the lame will plunder it, 24 and none there will say , “I am sick.” The people who dwell there will be forgiven their iniquity . a33:8 DSS read witnesses b33:18 Lit counter c33:18 Lit weigher d33:18 Lit who counts towers 629 ISAIAH 33 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 629 10/26/17 9:00 PM THE JUDGMENT OF THE NATIONS 34 You nations, come here and listen; you peoples, pay attention! Let the earth and all that fills it hear, the world and all that comes from it. 2 The Lord is angry with all the nations, furious with all their armies. He will set them apart for destruction, giving them over to slaughter. 3 Their slain will be thrown out, and the stench of their corpses will rise; the mountains will flow a with their blood. 4 All b the stars in the sky will dissolve. The sky will roll up like a scroll, and its stars will all wither as leaves wither on the vine, and foliage on the fig tree. THE JUDGMENT OF EDOM 5 When my sword has drunk its fill c in the heavens, it will then come down on Edom and on the people I have set apart for destruction. 6 The Lord’s sword is covered with blood. It drips with fat, with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams. For the Lord has a sacrifice in Bozrah, a great slaughter in the land of Edom. 7 The wild oxen will be struck d down with them, and young bulls with the mighty bulls. Their land will be soaked with e blood, and their soil will be saturated with fat. 8 For the Lord has a day of vengeance, a time of paying back Edom for its hostility against Zion. 9 Edom’s streams will be turned into pitch, her soil into sulfur; her land will become burning pitch. 10 It will never go out — day or night. Its smoke will go up forever. It will be desolate, from generation to generation; no one will pass through it forever and ever. 11 Eagle owls f and herons g will possess it, and long-eared owls and ravens will dwell there. The Lord will stretch out a measuring line and a plumb line over her for her destruction and chaos. 12 No nobles will be left to proclaim a king, and all her princes will come to nothing. 13 Her palaces will be overgrown with thorns; her fortified cities, with thistles and briers. She will become a dwelling for jackals, an abode h for ostriches. 14 The desert creatures will meet hyenas, and one wild goat will call to another. Indeed, the night birds will stay there and will find a resting place. 15 Sand partridges i will make their nests there; they will lay and hatch their eggs and will gather their broods under their shadows. Indeed, the birds of prey will gather there, each with its mate. 16 Search and read the scroll of the Lord: Not one of them will be missing, none will be lacking its mate, because he has ordered it by my j mouth, and he will gather them by his Spirit. 17 He has cast the lot for them; his hand allotted their portion with a measuring line. They will possess it forever; they will dwell in it from generation to generation. THE RANSOMED RETURN TO ZION 35 The wilderness and the dry land will be glad; the desert will rejoice and blossom like a wildflower. k 2 It will blossom abundantly and will also rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon. a34:3 Or melt, or dissolve b34:4 DSS read And the valleys will be split, and all c34:5 DSS read sword will appear d34:7 Or will go e34:7 Or will drink its fill of f34:11 Or Pelicans g34:11 Or hedgehogs h34:13 DSS, LXX, Syr , Tg; MT reads jackals, grass i34:15 Or Arrow snakes, or Owls j34:16 Some Hb mss; other Hb mss, DSS, Syr , Tg read his k35:1 Or meadow saffron ; traditionally roseISAIAH 34-35 630 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 630 10/26/17 9:00 PM They will see the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God. 3 Strengthen the weak hands, steady the shaking knees! 4 Say to the cowardly: “Be strong; do not fear! Here is your God; vengeance is coming. God’s retribution is coming; he will save you.” 5 Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped. 6 Then the lame will leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute will sing for joy , for water will gush in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; 7 the parched ground will become a pool, and the thirsty land springs. In the haunt of jackals, in their lairs, there will be grass, reeds, and papyrus. 8 A road will be there and a way; it will be called the Holy Way . The unclean will not travel on it, but it will be for the one who walks the path. Fools will not wander on it. 9 There will be no lion there, and no vicious beast will go up on it; they will not be found there. But the redeemed will walk on it, 10 and the redeemed of the Lord will return and come to Zion with singing, crowned with unending joy . Joy and gladness will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee. SENNACHERIB’S INVASION 36 In the four teenth year of King Hez e ki ah, King Sen nach er ib of As syr ia at tacked all the for ti fied cit ies of Ju dah and cap tured them. 2 Then the king of As syr ia sent his roy al spokes man, along with a mas sive army , from La chish to King Hez e ki ah at Je ru sa lem. The As syr ian stood near the conduit of the up per pool, by the road to the Laun der er’s Field. 3 Eli- a kim son of Hil ki ah, who was in charge of the pal ace, Sheb na the court sec re tary , and Joah son of Asaph, the court historian, came out to him. 4 The roy al spokes man said to them, “ Tell Hez e ki ah:The great king, the king of Assyria, says this: What are you relying on? a 5 You b think mere words are strategy and strength for war. Who are you now relying on that you have rebelled against me? 6 Look, you are relying on Egypt, that splintered reed of a staff that will pierce the hand of anyone who grabs it and leans on it. This is how Pharaoh king of Egypt is to all who rely on him. 7 Suppose you say to me, ‘We rely on the Lord our God.’ Isn’t he the one whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed, saying to Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You are to wor - ship at this altar’? 8 “Now make a deal with my master, the king of Assyria. I’ll give you two thou - sand horses if you’re able to supply riders for them! 9 How then can you drive back a single officer among the least of my master’s servants? How can you rely on Egypt for chariots and horsemen? 10 Have I attacked this land to destroy it without the Lord’s approval? The Lord said to me, ‘ Attack this land and destroy it.’ ” 11 Then Eli a kim, Sheb na, and Joah said to the roy al spokes man, “ Please speak to your ser vants in Ar a ma ic, since we un der stand it. Don’t speak to us in He brew c with in earshot of the peo ple who are on the wall.” 12 But the roy al spokes man re plied, “ Has my mas ter sent me to speak these words to your mas ter and to you, and not to the men who are sit ting on the wall, who are des tined with you to eat their own ex cre ment and drink their own urine? ” 13 Then the roy al spokes man stood and called out loud ly in He brew: Listen to the words of the great king, the king of Assyria! 14 This is what the king says: “Don’t let Hezekiah deceive you, for he cannot rescue you. 15 Don’t let Heze - kiah persuade you to rely on the Lord, saying, ‘The Lord will certainly rescue us! This city will not be handed over to the king of Assyria.’ ” 16 Don’t listen to Hezekiah, for this is what the king of Assyria says: “Make peace d with me and surrender to me. Then every a36:4 Lit What is this trust that you trust b36:5 Many Hb mss, DSS, 2Kg 18:20; MT reads I c36:11 Lit Judahite, also in v. 13 d36:16 Lit a blessing 631 ISAIAH 35-36 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 631 10/26/17 9:00 PM one of you may eat from his own vine and his own fig tree and drink water from his own cistern 17 until I come and take you away to a land like your own land — a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards. 18 Beware that Hezekiah does not mislead you by saying, ‘The Lord will rescue us.’ Has any one of the gods of the nations rescued his land from the power of the king of Assyria? 19 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sephar - vaim? Have they rescued Samaria from my power? 20 Who among all the gods of these lands ever rescued his land from my power? So will the Lord rescue Jeru - salem from my power? ” 21 But they kept si lent; they didn’t say any- thing, for the king’s com mand was, “ Don’t an swer him.” 22 Then Eli a kim son of Hil ki ah, who was in charge of the pal ace, Sheb na the court sec re tary , and Joah son of Asaph, the court historian, came to Hez e ki ah with their clothes torn and re port ed to him the words of the roy al spokes man. HEZEKIAH SEEKS ISAIAH’S COUNSEL 37 When King Hez e ki ah heard their re port, he tore his clothes, put on sack cloth, and went to the L ord’ s tem ple. 2 He sent Eli a- kim, who was in charge of the pal ace, Sheb na the court sec re tary , and the lead ing priests, who were wear ing sack cloth, to the proph et Isa iah son of Amoz. 3 They said to him, “ This is what Hez e ki ah says: ‘To day is a day of dis- tress, re buke, and dis grace. It is as if chil dren have come to the point of birth, and there is no strength to de liv er them. 4 Per haps the L ord your God will hear all the words of the roy al spokes man, whom his mas ter the king of As syr ia sent to mock the liv ing God, and will re buke him for the words that the L ord your God has heard. There fore o ff er a prayer for the sur viv ing rem nant.’ ” 5 So the ser vants of King Hez e ki ah went to Isa iah, 6 who said to them, “ Tell your mas ter, ‘ The L ord says this: Don’t be afraid be cause of the words you have heard, with which the king of As syr ia’s at ten dants have blas phemed me. 7 I am about to put a spir it in him and he will hear a ru mor and re turn to his own land, where I will cause him to fall by the sword.’ ”SENNACHERIB’S LETTER 8 When the roy al spokes man heard that the king of As syr ia had pulled out of La chish, he left and found him fight ing against Lib nah. 9 The king had heard con cern ing King Tir ha kah of Cush, “ He has set out to fight against you.” So when he heard this, he sent mes sen gers to Hez e ki ah, say ing, 10 “ Say this to King Hez e ki ah of Ju dah: ‘ Don’t let your God, on whom you rely , de ceive you by promising that Je ru sa lem won’t be hand ed over to the king of As syr ia. 11 Look, you have heard what the kings of As syr ia have done to all the coun tries: they com plete ly de- stroyed them. Will you be res cued? 12 Did the gods of the na tions that my pre de ces sors de- stroyed res cue them — Go zan, Ha ran, Re zeph, and the Edenites in Te las sar? 13 Where is the king of Ha math, the king of Ar pad, the king of the city of a Seph ar va im, Hena, or Iv vah? ’ ” HEZEKIAH’S PRAYER 14 Hez e ki ah took the let ter from the mes- sen gers’ hands, read it, then went up to the L ord’ s tem ple and spread it out be fore the L ord. 15
🙏 Divine Deliverance and Sovereignty
🛡️ Hezekiah's prayer demonstrates profound faith during crisis, appealing to God as the supreme ruler over all kingdoms and the only true deity compared to man-made idols
⚔️ God's dramatic intervention against Assyria culminates in the miraculous destruction of 185,000 enemy soldiers, proving divine protection over Jerusalem and validating Hezekiah's trust
🤒 Hezekiah's terminal illness and subsequent healing reveals God's compassion and power over life and death, adding fifteen years to the king's life as a direct response to sincere prayer
🌟 The comfort passage (Isaiah 40) presents a magnificent portrait of God's transcendent power alongside His tender care, comparing Him to a shepherd who gently carries lambs
🌍 God's incomparable nature stands in stark contrast to idols and earthly powers, emphasizing His role as Creator who "stretches out the heavens like thin cloth" while sustaining all creation
🕊️ The Servant prophecy introduces a gentle yet powerful figure who will "bring justice to the nations" without breaking "a bruised reed," establishing God's covenant with all peoples
Then Hez e ki ah prayed to the L ord: 16 Lord of Armies, God of Israel, en - throned between the cherubim, you are God — you alone — of all the kingdoms of the earth. You made the heavens and the earth. 17 Listen closely , Lord, and hear; open your eyes, Lord, and see. Hear all the words that Sennacherib has sent to mock the living God. 18 Lord, it is true that the kings of Assyria have devastated all these countries and their lands. 19 They have thrown their gods into the fire, for they were not gods but made from wood and stone by human hands. So they have destroyed them. 20 Now , Lord our God, save us from his power so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, Lord, are God b — you alone. GOD’S ANSWER THROUGH ISAIAH 21 Then Isa iah son of Amoz sent a mes sage to Hez e ki ah: “ The L ord, the God of Is ra el, says, ‘Be cause you prayed to me about King Sen- nach er ib of As syr ia, 22 this is the word the L ord has spo ken against him: Virgin Daughter Zion despises you and scorns you; Daughter Jerusalem shakes her head behind your back. a37:13 Or king of Lair, b37:20 are God supplied for clarity; see v. 16ISAIAH 36-37 632 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 632 10/26/17 9:00 PM 23 Who is it you have mocked and blasphemed? Against whom have you raised your voice and lifted your eyes in pride? Against the Holy One of Israel! 24 You have mocked the Lord through a your servants. You have said, “With my many chariots I have gone up to the heights of the mountains, to the far recesses of Lebanon. I cut down its tallest cedars, its choice cypress trees. I came to its distant heights, its densest forest. 25 I dug wells and drank water in foreign lands. b I dried up all the streams of Egypt with the soles of my feet.” 26 Have you not heard? I designed it long ago; I planned it in days gone by . I have now brought it to pass, and you have crushed fortified cities into piles of rubble. 27 Their inhabitants have become powerless, dismayed, and ashamed. They are plants of the field, tender grass, grass on the rooftops, blasted by the east wind. c 28 But I know your sitting down, your going out and your coming in, and your raging against me. 29 Because your raging against me and your arrogance have reached my ears, I will put my hook in your nose and my bit in your mouth; I will make you go back the way you came. 30 “ ‘ This will be the sign for you: This year you will eat what grows on its own, and in the sec ond year what grows from that. But in the third year sow and reap, plant vine yards and eat their fruit. 31 The sur viv ing rem nant of the house of Ju dah will again take root down ward and bear fruit up ward. 32 For a rem nant will go out from Je ru sa lem, and sur vi vors from Mount Zion. The zeal of the L ord of Ar mies will ac com plish this.’ 33 “There fore, this is what the L ord says about the king of As syr ia: He will not enter this city , shoot an arrow here, come before it with a shield, or build up a siege ramp against it. 34 He will go back the way he came, and he will not enter this city . This is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion. 35 I will defend this city and rescue it for my sake and for the sake of my servant David.” DEFEAT AND DEATH OF SENNACHERIB 36 Then the an gel of the L ord went out and struck down one hun dred eighty-five thou- sand in the camp of the As syr ians. When the peo ple got up the next morn ing — there were all the dead bod ies! 37 So King Sen nach er ib of As syr ia broke camp and left. He re turned home and lived in Nin e veh. 38 One day , while he was wor ship ing in the tem ple of his god Nis roch, his sons Adram- me lech and Sha re zer struck him down with the sword and es caped to the land of Ar a rat. Then his son Esar- had don be came king in his place. HEZEKIAH’S ILLNESS AND RECOVERY 38 In those days Hez e ki ah be came ter - mi nal ly ill. The proph et Isa iah son of Amoz came and said to him, “ This is what the L ord says: ‘ Set your house in or der, for you are about to die; you will not re cov er.’ ” d 2 Then Hez e ki ah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the L ord. 3 He said, “ Please, L ord, re mem ber how I have walked be fore you faith ful ly and whole heart ed ly , and have done what pleas es you.” e And Hez e ki ah wept bit ter ly . 4 Then the word of the L ord came to Isa iah: 5 “ Go and tell Hez e ki ah, ‘ This is what the L ord God of your an ces tor Da vid says: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Look, I am go ing to add fif teen years to your life. f 6 And I will res cue you and this city from the grasp of the king of As syr ia; I will de fend this city . a37:24 Lit by the hand of b37:25 DSS, 2Kg 19:24; MT omits in foreign lands c37:27 DSS; MT reads rooftops, field before standing grain d38:1 Lit live e38:3 Lit what is good in your eyes f38:5 Lit days, also in v. 10 633 ISAIAH 37-38 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 633 10/26/17 9:00 PM 7 This is the sign to you from the L ord that he will do what a he has prom ised: b 8 I am go ing to make the sun’s shad ow that goes down on the stair way of Ahaz go back by ten steps.’ ” So the sun’s shad ow c went back the ten steps it had de scend ed. 9 A poem by King Hez e ki ah of Ju dah af ter he had been sick and had re cov ered from his ill ness: 10 I said: In the prime d of my life I must go to the gates of Sheol; I am deprived of the rest of my years. 11 I said: I will never see the Lord, the Lord in the land of the living; I will not look on humanity any longer with the inhabitants of what is passing away . e 12 My dwelling is plucked up and removed from me like a shepherd’s tent. I have rolled up my life like a weaver; he cuts me off from the loom. By nightfall f you make an end of me. 13 I thought until the morning: He will break all my bones like a lion. By nightfall you make an end of me. 14 I chirp like a swallow or a crane; I moan like a dove. My eyes grow weak looking upward. Lord, I am oppressed; support me. 15 What can I say? He has spoken to me, and he himself has done it. I walk along slowly all my years because of the bitterness of my soul. 16 Lord, by such things people live, and in every one of them my spirit finds life; you have restored me to health and let me live. 17 Indeed, it was for my own well-being that I had such intense bitterness; but your love has delivered me from the Pit of destruction, for you have thrown all my sins behind your back. 18 For Sheol cannot thank you; Death cannot praise you. Those who go down to the Pit cannot hope for your faithfulness. 19 The living, only the living can thank you, as I do today; a father will make your faithfulness known to children. 20 The Lord is ready to save me; we will play stringed instruments all the days of our lives at the house of the Lord. 21 Now Isa iah had said, “ Let them take a lump of pressed figs and ap ply it to his in fect ed skin, so that he may re cov er.” 22 And Hez e ki ah had asked, “ What is the sign that I will go up to the L ord’ s tem ple? ” HEZEKIAH’S FOLLY 39 At that time Merodach-baladan son of Bal a dan, king of Bab ylon, sent let ters and a gift to Hez e ki ah since he heard that he had been sick and had re cov ered. 2 Hez e ki ah was pleased with the let ters, and he showed the en voys his trea sure house — the sil ver, the gold, the spic es, and the pre cious oil — and all his ar mory , and ev ery thing that was found in his trea sur ies. There was noth ing in his pal ace and in all his realm that Hez e ki ah did not show them. 3 Then the proph et Isa iah came to King Hez- e ki ah and asked him, “ What did these men say , and where did they come to you from? ” Hez e ki ah re plied, “ They came to me from a dis tant coun try , from Bab ylon.” 4 Isa iah asked, “ What have they seen in your pal ace? ” Hez e ki ah an swered, “ They have seen ev ery- thing in my pal ace. There isn’t any thing in my trea sur ies that I didn’t show them.” 5 Then Isa iah said to Hez e ki ah, “ Hear the word of the L ord of Ar mies: 6 ‘ Look, the days are com ing when ev ery thing in your pal ace and all that your fa thers have stored up un til to day will be car ried off to Bab ylon; noth ing will be left,’ says the L ord. 7 ‘ Some of your de- scen dants — who come from you, whom you fa ther — will be tak en away , and they will be come eu nuchs in the pal ace of the king of Bab ylon.’ ” 8 Then Hez e ki ah said to Isa iah, “ The word of the L ord that you have spo ken is good,” for he thought: There will be peace and se cu ri ty dur ing my life time. a38:7 Lit this thing b38:7 Lit said c38:8 Lit And the sun d38:10 Lit quiet e38:11 Some Hb mss, Tg read of the world f38:12 Lit From day until night, also in v. 13ISAIAH 38-39 634 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 634 10/26/17 9:00 PM GOD’S PEOPLE COMFORTED 40 “Comfort, comfort my people,” says your God. 2 “Speak tenderly to a Jerusalem, and announce to her that her time of forced labor is over, her iniquity has been pardoned, and she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.” 3 A voice of one cry ing out: Prepare the way of the Lord in the wilderness; make a straight highway for our God in the desert. 4 Every valley will be lifted up, and every mountain and hill will be leveled; the uneven ground will become smooth and the rough places, a plain. 5 And the glory of the Lord will appear, and all humanity b together will see it, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken. 6 A voice was saying, “Cry out! ” Another said, c “What should I cry out? ” “ All humanity is grass, and all its goodness is like the flower of the field. 7 The grass withers, the flowers fade when the breath d of the Lord blows on them; e indeed, the people are grass. 8 The grass withers, the flowers fade, but the word of our God remains forever.” 9 Zion, herald of good news, go up on a high mountain. Jerusalem, herald of good news, raise your voice loudly . Raise it, do not be afraid! Say to the cities of Judah, “Here is your God! ” 10 See, the Lord God comes with strength, and his power establishes his rule. His wages are with him, and his reward accompanies him. 11 He protects his flock like a shepherd; he gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them in the fold of his garment. He gently leads those that are nursing. 12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand or marked off the heavens with the span of his hand? Who has gathered the dust of the earth in a measure or weighed the mountains on a balance and the hills on the scales? 13 Who has directed f the Spirit of the Lord, or who gave him counsel? 14 Who did he consult? Who gave him understanding and taught him the paths of justice? Who taught him knowledge and showed him the way of understanding? 15 Look, the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are considered as a speck of dust on the scales; he lifts up the islands like fine dust. 16 Lebanon’s cedars are not enough for fuel, or its animals enough for a burnt offering. 17 All the nations are as nothing before him; they are considered by him as empty nothingness. 18 With whom will you compare God? What likeness will you set up for comparison with him? 19 An idol? — something that a smelter casts and a metalworker plates with gold and makes silver chains for? 20 A poor person contributes wood for a pedestal that will not rot. g He looks for a skilled craftsman to set up an idol that will not fall over. 21 Do you not know? Have you not heard? a40:2 Lit Speak to the heart of b40:5 Lit flesh c40:6 DSS, LXX, Vg read I said d40:7 Or wind, or Spirit e40:7 Lit it f40:13 Or measured, or comprehended g40:20 Or who is too poor for such an offering, or who chooses mulberry wood as a votive gift ; Hb obscure 635 ISAIAH 40 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 635 10/26/17 9:00 PM Has it not been declared to you from the beginning? Have you not considered the foundations of the earth? 22 God is enthroned above the circle of the earth; its inhabitants are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like thin cloth and spreads them out like a tent to live in. 23 He reduces princes to nothing and makes judges of the earth like a wasteland. 24 They are barely planted, barely sown, their stem hardly takes root in the ground when he blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind carries them away like stubble. 25 “To whom will you compare me, or who is my equal? ” asks the Holy One. 26 Look up a and see! Who created these? He brings out the stars by number; he calls all of them by name. Because of his great power and strength, not one of them is missing. 27 Jacob, why do you say , and, Israel, why do you assert: “My way is hidden from the Lord, and my claim is ignored by my God”? 28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the whole earth. He never becomes faint or weary; there is no limit to his understanding. 29 He gives strength to the faint and strengthens the powerless. 30 Youths may become faint and weary , and young men stumble and fall, 31 but those who trust in the Lord will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not become weary , they will walk and not faint.THE LORD VERSUS THE NATIONS’ GODS 41 “Be silent before me, coasts and islands! And let peoples renew their strength. Let them approach; let them testify; let’s come together for the trial. 2 Who has stirred up someone from the east? In righteousness he calls him to serve. b,c The Lord hands nations over to him, and he subdues kings. He makes them like dust with his sword, like wind-driven stubble with his bow . 3 He pursues them, going on safely , hardly touching the path with his feet. 4 Who has performed and done this, calling the generations from the beginning? I am the Lord, the first and with the last — I am he.” 5 The coasts and islands see and are afraid, the whole earth trembles. They approach and arrive. 6 Each one helps the other, and says to another, “Take courage! ” 7 The craftsman encourages the metalworker; the one who flattens with the hammer encourages the one who strikes the anvil, saying of the soldering, “It is good.” He fastens it with nails so that it will not fall over. 8 But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, descendant of Abraham, my friend — 9 I brought d you from the ends of the earth and called you from its farthest corners. I said to you: You are my servant; I have chosen you; I haven’t rejected you. 10 Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with my righteous right hand. a40:26 Lit Lift up your eyes on high b41:2 Or Righteousness calls him to serve c41:2 Lit to his foot d41:9 Or seizedISAIAH 40-41 636 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 636 10/26/17 9:00 PM 11 Be sure that all who are enraged against you will be ashamed and disgraced; those who contend with you will become as nothing and will perish. 12 You will look for those who contend with you, but you will not find them. Those who war against you will become absolutely nothing. 13 For I am the Lord your God, who holds your right hand, who says to you, ‘Do not fear, I will help you. 14 Do not fear, you worm Jacob, you men a of Israel. I will help you’ — this is the Lord’s declaration. Your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel. 15 See, I will make you into a sharp threshing board, new , with many teeth. You will thresh mountains and pulverize them and make hills into chaff. 16 You will winnow them and a wind will carry them away , a whirlwind will scatter them. But you will rejoice in the Lord; you will boast in the Holy One of Israel. 17 The poor and the needy seek water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. I will answer them. I am the Lord, the God of Israel. I will not abandon them. 18 I will open rivers on the barren heights, and springs in the middle of the plains. I will turn the desert into a pool and dry land into springs. 19 I will plant cedars, acacias, myrtles, and olive trees in the wilderness. I will put juniper trees, elms, and cypress trees together in the desert, 20 so that all may see and know , consider and understand, that the hand of the Lord has done this, the Holy One of Israel has created it. 21 “Submit your case,” says the Lord. “Present your arguments,” says Jacob’s King. 22 “Let them come and tell us what will happen. Tell us the past events, so that we may reflect on them and know the outcome, or tell us the future. 23 Tell us the coming events, then we will know that you are gods. Indeed, do something good or bad, then we will be in awe b when we see it. 24 Look, you are nothing and your work is worthless. Anyone who chooses you is detestable. 25 “I have stirred up one from the north, and he has come, one from the east who invokes my c name. He will march over rulers as if they were mud, like a potter who treads the clay . 26 Who told about this from the beginning, so that we might know , and from times past, so that we might say , ‘He is right’? No one announced it, no one told it, no one heard your words. 27 I was the first to say to Zion, d ‘Look! Here they are! ’ And I gave Jerusalem a herald with good news. 28 When I look, there is no one; there is no counselor among them; when I ask them, they have nothing to say . 29 Look, all of them are a delusion; e their works are nonexistent; their images are wind and emptiness. THE SERVANT’S MISSION 42 “This is my servant; I strengthen him, this is my chosen one; I delight in him. I have put my Spirit on him; he will bring justice f to the nations. 2 He will not cry out or shout or make his voice heard in the streets. a41:14 LXX reads small number ; DSS read dead ones b41:23 DSS read we may hear c41:25 DSS read his d41:27 Lit First to Zion e41:29 DSS, Syr read are nothing f42:1 DSS read his justice 637 ISAIAH 41-42 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 637 10/26/17 9:00 PM 3 He will not break a bruised reed, and he will not put out a smoldering wick; he will faithfully bring justice. 4 He will not grow weak or be discouraged until he has established justice on earth. The coasts and islands will wait for his instruction.” 5 This is what God, the Lord, says — who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk on it — 6 “I am the Lord. I have called you for a righteous purpose, a and I will hold you by your hand. I will watch over you, and I will appoint you to be a covenant for the people and a light to the nations, 7 in order to open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the dungeon, and those sitting in darkness from the prison house. 8 I am the Lord. That is my name, and I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols. 9 The past events have indeed happened. Now I declare new events; I announce them to you before they occur.” A SONG OF PRAISE 10 Sing a new song to the Lord; sing his praise from the ends of the earth, you who go down to the sea with all that fills it, you coasts and islands with your b inhabitants. 11 Let the desert and its cities shout, the settlements where Kedar dwells cry aloud. Let the inhabitants of Sela sing for joy; let them cry out from the mountaintops. 12 Let them give glory to the Lord and declare his praise in the coasts and islands. 13 The Lord advances like a warrior; he stirs up his zeal like a soldier. He shouts, he
🔥 Divine Redemption and Judgment
🌊 God's promise of protection remains steadfast through trials—"when you pass through waters... rivers... fire"—offering redemption and claiming His people as His own precious possession
👁️ Spiritual blindness plagues Israel despite witnessing God's power, creating a tragic irony where those who should see most clearly have become deaf to divine instruction
🛐 Idol worship reveals human folly—craftsmen create gods from the same wood they use for cooking, highlighting the absurdity of bowing to human-made objects
🌟 Divine uniqueness stands uncontested—"I am the first and the last... there is no God but me"—establishing God as the sole creator, redeemer, and sovereign over history
🔄 Restoration through Cyrus demonstrates God's control over world powers, using even pagan kings as instruments to fulfill divine purposes and rebuild Jerusalem
🏛️ Babylon's fall serves as divine judgment against pride and self-sufficiency, showing how those who declare "I am, and there is no one else" face inevitable destruction
roars aloud, he prevails over his enemies. 14 “I have kept silent from ages past; I have been quiet and restrained myself. But now , I will groan like a woman in labor, gasping breathlessly . 15 I will lay waste mountains and hills and dry up all their vegetation. I will turn rivers into islands and dry up marshes. 16 I will lead the blind by a way they did not know; I will guide them on paths they have not known. I will turn darkness to light in front of them and rough places into level ground. This is what I will do for them, and I will not abandon them. 17 They will be turned back and utterly ashamed — those who trust in an idol and say to a cast image, ‘You are our gods! ’ ISRAEL ’S BLINDNESS AND DEAFNESS 18 “Listen, you deaf! Look, you blind, so that you may see. 19 Who is blind but my servant, or deaf like my messenger I am sending? Who is blind like my dedicated one, c or blind like the servant of the Lord? 20 Though seeing many things, d you pay no attention. Though his ears are open, he does not listen.” 21 Because of his righteousness, the Lord was pleased to magnify his instruction and make it glorious. 22 But this is a people plundered and looted, a42:6 Or you by my righteousness ; lit you in righteousness b42:10 Lit their c42:19 Hb obscure d42:20 Alt Hb tradition reads You see many things;ISAIAH 42 638 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 638 10/26/17 9:00 PM all of them trapped in holes or imprisoned in dungeons. They have become plunder with no one to rescue them and loot, with no one saying, “Give it back! ” 23 Who among you will hear this? Let him listen and obey in the future. 24 Who gave Jacob to the robber, a and Israel to the plunderers? Was it not the Lord? Have we not sinned against him? They were not willing to walk in his ways, and they would not listen to his instruction. 25 So he poured out his furious anger and the power of war on Jacob. It surrounded him with fire, but he did not know it; it burned him, but he didn’t take it to heart. RESTORATION OF ISRAEL 43 Now this is what the Lord says — the one who created you, Jacob, and the one who formed you, Israel — “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are mine. 2 I will be with you when you pass through the waters, and when you pass through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. You will not be scorched when you walk through the fire, and the flame will not burn you. 3 For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, and your Savior. I have given Egypt as a ransom for you, Cush and Seba in your place. 4 Because you are precious in my sight and honored, and I love you, I will give people in exchange for you and nations instead of your life. 5 Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your descendants from the east, and gather you from the west. 6 I will say to the north, ‘Give them up! ’ and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back! ’ Bring my sons from far away , and my daughters from the ends of the earth — 7 everyone who bears my name and is created for my glory . I have formed them; indeed, I have made them.” 8 Bring out a people who are blind, yet have eyes, and are deaf, yet have ears. 9 All the nations are gathered together, and the peoples are assembled. Who among them can declare this, and tell us the former things? Let them present their witnesses to vindicate themselves, so that people may hear and say , “It is true.” 10 “You are my witnesses” — this is the Lord’s declaration — “and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. No god was formed before me, and there will be none after me. 11 I — I am the Lord. Besides me, there is no Savior. 12 I alone declared, saved, and proclaimed — and not some foreign god b among you. So you are my witnesses” — this is the Lord’s declaration — “and c I am God. 13 Also, from today on I am he alone, and none can rescue from my power. I act, and who can reverse it? ” GOD’S DELIVERANCE OF REBELLIOUS ISRAEL 14 This is what the L ord, your Re deem er, the Holy One of Is ra el says: Because of you, I will send an army d to Babylon and bring all of them as fugitives, e even the Chaldeans in the ships in which they rejoice. f 15 I am the Lord, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King. 16 This is what the Lord says — who makes a way in the sea, and a path through raging water, a42:24 Lit to loot b43:12 Lit not a foreigner c43:12 Or that d43:14 an army supplied for clarity e43:14 Or will break down all their bars f43:14 Hb obscure 639 ISAIAH 42-43 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 639 10/26/17 9:00 PM 17 who brings out the chariot and horse, the army and the mighty one together (they lie down, they do not rise again; they are extinguished, put out like a wick) — 18 “Do not remember the past events, pay no attention to things of old. 19 Look, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming. Do you not see it? Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness, rivers a in the desert. 20 Wild animals — jackals and ostriches — will honor me, because I provide water in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my chosen people. 21 The people I formed for myself will declare my praise. 22 “But, Jacob, you have not called on me, because, Israel, you have become weary of me. 23 You have not brought me your sheep for burnt offerings or honored me with your sacrifices. I have not burdened you with offerings or wearied you with incense. b 24 You have not bought me aromatic cane with silver, or satisfied me with the fat of your sacrifices. But you have burdened me with your sins; you have wearied me with your iniquities. 25 “I — I sweep away your transgressions for my own sake and remember your sins no more. 26 Remind me. Let’s argue the case together. Recount the facts, so that you may be vindicated. 27 Your first father sinned, and your mediators have rebelled against me. 28 So I defiled the officers of the sanctuary , and set Jacob apart for destruction and Israel for scorn.SPIRITUAL BLESSING 44 “ And now listen, Jacob my servant, Israel whom I have chosen. 2 This is the word of the Lord your Maker, the one who formed you from the womb: He will help you. Do not fear, Jacob my servant, Jeshurun c whom I have chosen. 3 For I will pour water on the thirsty land and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your descendants and my blessing on your offspring. 4 They will sprout among d the grass like poplars by flowing streams. 5 This one will say , ‘I am the Lord’s’; another will use the name of Jacob; still another will write on his hand, ‘The Lord’s,’ and take on the name of Israel.” NO GOD OTHER THAN THE LORD 6 This is what the L ord, the King of Is ra el and its Re deem er, the L ord of Ar mies, says: I am the first and I am the last. There is no God but me. 7 Who, like me, can announce the future? Let him say so and make a case before me, since I have established an ancient people. Let these gods declare e the coming things, and what will take place. 8 Do not be startled or afraid. Have I not told you and declared it long ago? You are my witnesses! Is there any God but me? There is no other Rock; I do not know any . 9 All who make idols are nothing, and what they treasure benefits no one. Their witnesses do not see or know anything, so they will be put to shame. 10 Who makes a god or casts a metal image that benefits no one? 11 Look, all its worshipers will be put to shame, a43:19 DSS read paths b43:23 I.e., with demands for offerings and incense c44:2 = Upright One d44:4 Some Hb mss, DSS, LXX read as among e44:7 Lit declare them —ISAIAH 43-44 640 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 640 10/26/17 9:00 PM and the craftsmen are humans. They all will assemble and stand; they all will be startled and put to shame. 12 The ironworker labors over the coals, shapes the idol with hammers, and works it with his strong arm. Also he grows hungry and his strength fails; he doesn’t drink water and is faint. 13 The woodworker stretches out a measuring line, he outlines it with a stylus; he shapes it with chisels and outlines it with a compass. He makes it according to a human form, like a beautiful person, to dwell in a temple. 14 He cuts down a cedars for his use, or he takes a cypress or an oak. He lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest. He plants a laurel, and the rain makes it grow . 15 A person can use it for fuel. He takes some of it and warms himself; also he kindles a fire and bakes bread; he even makes it into a god and worships it; he makes an idol from it and bows down to it. 16 He burns half of it in a fire, and he roasts meat on that half. He eats the roast and is satisfied. He warms himself and says, “ Ah! I am warm, I see the blaze.” 17 He makes a god or his idol with the rest of it. He bows down to it and worships; he prays to it, “Save me, for you are my god.” 18 Such people b do not comprehend and cannot understand, for he has shut their eyes c so they cannot see, and their minds so they cannot understand. 19 No one comes to his senses; d no one has the perception or insight to say , “I burned half of it in the fire, I also baked bread on its coals, I roasted meat and ate. Should I make something detestable with the rest of it? Should I bow down to a block of wood? ” 20 He feeds on e ashes. His deceived mind has led him astray , and he cannot rescue himself, or say , “Isn’t there a lie in my right hand? ” 21 Remember these things, Jacob, and Israel, for you are my servant; I formed you, you are my servant; Israel, you will never be forgotten by me. f 22 I have swept away your transgressions like a cloud, and your sins like a mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you. 23 Rejoice, heavens, for the Lord has acted; shout, depths of the earth. Break out into singing, mountains, forest, and every tree in it. For the Lord has redeemed Jacob, and glorifies himself through Israel. RESTORATION OF ISRAEL THROUGH CYRUS 24 This is what the L ord, your Re deem er who formed you from the womb, says: I am the Lord, who made everything; who stretched out the heavens by myself; who alone spread out the earth; 25 who destroys the omens of the false prophets and makes fools of diviners; who confounds the wise and makes their knowledge foolishness; 26 who confirms the message of his servant and fulfills the counsel of his messengers; who says to Jerusalem, “She will be inhabited,” and to the cities of Judah, “They will be rebuilt,” a44:14 Lit To cut down for himself b44:18 Lit They c44:18 Or for their eyes are shut d44:19 Lit No one returns to his heart e44:20 Or He shepherds f44:21 DSS, LXX, Tg read Israel, do not forget me 641 ISAIAH 44 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 641 10/26/17 9:00 PM and I will restore her ruins; 27 who says to the depths of the sea, “Be dry ,” and I will dry up your rivers; 28 who says to Cyrus, “My shepherd, he will fulfill all my pleasure” and says to Jerusalem, “She will be rebuilt,” and of the temple, “Its foundation will be laid.” 45 The Lord says this to Cyrus, his anointed, whose right hand I have grasped to subdue nations before him and disarm a kings, to open doors before him, and even city gates will not be shut: 2 “I will go before you and level the uneven places; b I will shatter the bronze doors and cut the iron bars in two. 3 I will give you the treasures of darkness and riches from secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord. I am the God of Israel, who calls you by your name. 4 I call you by your name, for the sake of my servant Jacob and Israel my chosen one. I give a name to you, though you do not know me. 5 I am the Lord, and there is no other; there is no God but me. I will strengthen c you, though you do not know me, 6 so that all may know from the rising of the sun to its setting that there is no one but me. I am the Lord, and there is no other. 7 I form light and create darkness, I make success and create disaster; I am the Lord, who does all these things. 8 “Heavens, sprinkle from above, and let the skies shower righteousness. Let the earth open up so that salvation will sprout and righteousness will spring up with it. I, the Lord, have created it. 9 “Woe to the one who argues with his Maker — one clay pot among many . d Does clay say to the one forming it, ‘What are you making? ’ Or does your work say , ‘He has no hands’? e 10 Woe to the one who says to his father, ‘What are you fathering? ’ or to his mother, f ‘What are you giving birth to? ’ ” 11 This is what the Lord, the Holy One of Israel and its Maker, says: “ Ask me what is to happen to g my sons, and instruct me about the work of my hands. 12 I made the earth, and created humans on it. It was my hands that stretched out the heavens, and I commanded everything in them. 13 I have stirred him up in righteousness, and will level all roads for him. He will rebuild my city , and set my exiles free, not for a price or a bribe,” says the Lord of Armies. GOD ALONE IS THE SAVIOR 14 This is what the L ord says: “The products of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush and the Sabeans, men of stature, will come over to you and will be yours; they will follow you, they will come over in chains and bow down to you. They will confess h to you, ‘God is indeed with you, and there is no other; there is no other God.’ ” 15 Yes, you are a God who hides, God of Israel, Savior. 16 All of them are put to shame, even humiliated; a45:1 Lit unloosen the waist of b45:2 DSS, LXX read the mountains c45:5 Lit gird d45:9 Lit a clay pot with clay pots of the ground e45:9 Or making? Your work has no hands. f45:10 Lit to a woman g45:11 Or me the coming things about h45:14 Lit prayISAIAH 44-45 642 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 642 10/26/17 9:00 PM the makers of idols go in humiliation together. 17 Israel will be saved by the Lord with an everlasting salvation; you will not be put to shame or humiliated for all eternity . 18 For this is what the Lord says — the Creator of the heavens, the God who formed the earth and made it, the one who established it (he did not create it to be a wasteland, but formed it to be inhabited) — he says, “I am the Lord, and there is no other. 19 I have not spoken in secret, somewhere in a land of darkness. I did not say to the descendants of Jacob: Seek me in a wasteland. I am the Lord, who speaks righteously , who declares what is right. 20 “Come, gather together, and approach, you fugitives of the nations. Those who carry their wooden idols and pray to a god who cannot save have no knowledge. 21 Speak up and present your case a — yes, let them consult each other. Who predicted this long ago? Who announced it from ancient times? Was it not I, the Lord? There is no other God but me, a righteous God and Savior; there is no one except me. 22 Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth. For I am God, and there is no other. 23 By myself I have sworn; truth has gone from my mouth, a word that will not be revoked: Every knee will bow to me, every tongue will swear allegiance. 24 It will be said about me, ‘Righteousness and strength are found only in the Lord.’ ” All who are enraged against him will come to him and be put to shame. 25 All the descendants of Israel will be justified and find glory through the Lord. THERE IS NO ONE LIKE GOD 46 Bel crouches; Nebo cowers. Idols depicting them are consigned to beasts and cattle. The images you carry are loaded, as a burden for the weary animal. 2 The gods cower; they crouch together; they are not able to rescue the burden, but they themselves go into captivity . 3 “Listen to me, house of Jacob, all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been sustained from the womb, carried along since birth. 4 I will be the same until your old age, and I will bear you up when you turn gray . I have made you, and I will carry you; I will bear and rescue you. 5 “Who will you compare me or make me equal to? Who will you measure me with, so that we should be like each other? 6 Those who pour out their bags of gold and weigh out silver on scales — they hire a goldsmith and he makes it into a god. Then they kneel and bow down to it. 7 They lift it to their shoulder and bear it along; they set it in its place, and there it stands; it does not budge from its place. They cry out to it but it doesn’t answer; it saves no one from his trouble. 8 “Remember this and be brave; b take it to heart, you transgressors! 9 Remember what happened long ago, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and no one is like me. 10 I declare the end from the beginning, and from long ago what is not yet done, saying: my plan will take place, and I will do all my will. 11 I call a bird of prey c from the east, a45:21 Lit and approach b46:8 Hb obscure c46:11 = Cyrus 643 ISAIAH 45-46 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 643 10/26/17 9:00 PM a man for my purpose from a far country . Yes, I have spoken; so I will also bring it about. I have planned it; I will also do it. 12 Listen to me, you hardhearted, far removed from justice: 13 I am bringing my justice near; it is not far away , and my salvation will not delay . I will put salvation in Zion, my splendor in Israel. THE FALL OF BABYLON 47 “Go down and sit in the dust, Virgin Daughter Babylon. Sit on the ground without a throne, Daughter Chaldea! For you will no longer be called pampered and spoiled. 2 Take millstones and grind flour; remove your veil, strip off your skirt, bare your thigh, wade through the streams. 3 Your nakedness will be uncovered, and your disgrace will be exposed. I will take vengeance; I will spare no one.” a 4 The Holy One of Israel is our Redeemer; The Lord of Armies is his name. 5 “Daughter Chaldea, sit in silence and go into darkness. For you will no longer be called mistress of kingdoms. 6 I was angry with my people; I profaned my possession, and I handed them over to you. You showed them no mercy; you made your yoke very heavy on the elderly . 7 You said, ‘I will be the queen forever.’ You did not take these things to heart or think about their outcome. 8 “So now hear this, lover of luxury , who sits securely , who says to herself, ‘I am, and there is no one else. I will never be a widow or know the loss of children.’ 9 These two things will happen to you suddenly , in one day: loss of children and widowhood. They will happen to you in their entirety , in spite of your many sorceries and the potency of your spells. 10 You were secure in your wickedness; you said, ‘No one sees me.’ Your wisdom and knowledge led you astray . You said to yourself, ‘I am, and there is no one else.’ 11 But disaster will happen to you; you will not know how to avert it. And it will fall on you, but you will be unable to ward it off. b Devastation will happen to you suddenly and unexpectedly . 12 So take your stand with your spells and your many sorceries, which you have wearied yourself with from your youth. Perhaps you will be able to succeed; perhaps you will inspire terror! 13 You are worn out with your many consultations. So let the astrologers stand and save you — those who observe the stars, those who predict monthly what will happen to you. 14 Look, they are like stubble; fire burns them. They cannot rescue themselves from the power c of the flame. This is not a coal for warming themselves, or a fire to sit beside! 15 This is what they are to you — those who have wearied you and have traded with you from your youth — each wanders on his own way; no one can save you. ISRAEL MUST LEAVE BABYLON 48 “Listen to this, house of Jacob — those who are called by the name Israel and have descended from d Judah, who swear by the name of the Lord and declare the God of Israel, but not in truth or righteousness. a47:3 Hb obscure b47:11 Or to atone for it c47:14 Lit hand d48:1 Lit have come from the waters ofISAIAH 46-48 644 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 644 10/26/17 9:00 PM 2 For they are named after the Holy City , and lean on the God of Israel; his name is the Lord of Armies. 3 I declared the past events long ago; they came out of my mouth; I proclaimed them. Suddenly I acted, and they occurred.
🛡️ Divine Redemption Promised
🔥 God confronts Israel's stubbornness with both rebuke and promise, declaring His sovereignty over idols and revealing His plan to refine His people through affliction rather than destroy them
🌟 The Suffering Servant emerges as central figure who will be despised, wounded, and killed for others' transgressions, yet ultimately exalted and victorious—bearing sins and bringing justification to many
🕊️ Salvation extends beyond Israel to all nations, as God promises to make His servant "a light for the nations" and bring redemption "to the ends of the earth"
🏙️ Zion's restoration is assured despite apparent abandonment, with God promising to rebuild Jerusalem, comfort His people, and establish an everlasting covenant of peace
💪 God's sovereign power is repeatedly emphasized through His creation of heaven and earth, control over nature, and ability to predict future events before they happen
🤲 The text contrasts human faithlessness with divine faithfulness—God remains committed to His people despite their rebellion, declaring "I will not forget you" and inscribing them on the palms of His hands
4 Because I know that you are stubborn, and your neck is iron a and your forehead bronze, 5 therefore I declared to you long ago. I announced it to you before it occurred, so you could not claim, ‘My idol caused them; my carved image and cast idol control them.’ 6 You have heard it. Observe it all. Will you not acknowledge it? From now on I will announce new things to you, hidden things that you have not known. 7 They have been created now , and not long ago; you have not heard of them before today , so you could not claim, ‘I already knew them! ’ 8 You have never heard; you have never known; for a long time your ears have not been open. For I knew that you were very treacherous, and were known as a rebel from birth. 9 I will delay my anger for the sake of my name, and I will restrain myself for your benefit and for my praise, so that you will not be destroyed. 10 Look, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested b you in the furnace of affliction. 11 I will act for my own sake, indeed, my own, for how can I c be defiled? I will not give my glory to another. 12 “Listen to me, Jacob, and Israel, the one called by me: I am he; I am the first, I am also the last. 13 My own hand founded the earth, and my right hand spread out the heavens; when I summoned them, they stood up together. 14 All of you, assemble and listen! Who among the idols d has declared these things? The Lord loves him; e he will accomplish his will against Babylon, and his arm will be against the Chaldeans. 15 I — I have spoken; yes, I have called him; I have brought him, and he will succeed in his mission. 16 Approach me and listen to this. From the beginning I have not spoken in secret; from the time anything existed, I was there.” And now the Lord God has sent me and his Spirit. 17 This is what the L ord , your Re deem er, the Holy One of Is ra el says: I am the Lord your God, who teaches you for your benefit, who leads you in the way you should go. 18 If only you had paid attention to my commands. Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea. 19 Your descendants would have been as countless as the sand, and the offspring of your body like its grains; their name would not be cut off or eliminated from my presence. 20 Leave Babylon, flee from the Chaldeans! Declare with a shout of joy , proclaim this, let it go out to the end of the earth; announce, “The Lord has redeemed his servant Jacob! ” a48:4 Lit is an iron sinew b48:10 DSS; MT reads chosen c48:11 DSS, Syr; MT reads it d48:14 Lit among them e48:14 = Cyrus 645 ISAIAH 48 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 645 10/26/17 9:00 PM 21 They did not thirst when he led them through the deserts; he made water flow from the rock for them; he split the rock, and water gushed out. 22 “There is no peace for the wicked,” says the Lord. THE SERVANT BRINGS SALVATION 49 Coasts and islands, a listen to me; distant peoples, pay attention. The Lord called me before I was born. He named me while I was in my mother’s womb. 2 He made my words like a sharp sword; he hid me in the shadow of his hand. He made me like a sharpened arrow; he hid me in his quiver. 3 He said to me, “You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified.” 4 But I myself said: I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and futility; yet my vindication is with the Lord, and my reward is with my God. 5 And now , says the Lord, who formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him so that Israel might be gathered to him; for I am honored in the sight of the Lord, and my God is my strength — 6 he says, “It is not enough for you to be my servant raising up the tribes of Jacob and restoring the protected ones of Israel. I will also make you a light for the nations, to be my salvation to the ends of the earth.” 7 This is what the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, his Holy One, says to one who is despised, to one abhorred by people, b to a servant of rulers: “Kings will see, princes will stand up, and they c will all bow down because of the Lord, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel — and he has chosen you.” 8 This is what the L ord says: I will answer you in a time of favor, and I will help you in the day of salvation. I will keep you, and I will appoint you to be a covenant for the people, to restore the land, to make them possess the desolate inheritances, 9 saying to the prisoners: Come out, and to those who are in darkness: Show yourselves. They will feed along the pathways, and their pastures will be on all the barren heights. 10 They will not hunger or thirst, the scorching heat or sun will not strike them; for their compassionate one will guide them, and lead them to springs. 11 I will make all my mountains into a road, and my highways will be raised up. 12 See, these will come from far away , from the north and from the west, d and from the land of Sinim. e,f 13 Shout for joy , you heavens! Earth, rejoice! Mountains break into joyful shouts! For the Lord has comforted his people, and will have compassion on his afflicted ones. ZION REMEMBERED 14 Zion says, “The Lord has abandoned me; the Lord has forgotten me! ” 15 “Can a woman forget her nursing child, or lack compassion for the child of her womb? Even if these forget, yet I will not forget you. 16 Look, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me. 17 Your builders g hurry; a49:1 Or Islands b49:7 Or by the nation c49:7 Lit princes and they d49:12 Lit sea e49:12 DSS read of the Syenites f49:12 Perhaps modern Aswan in southern Egypt g49:17 DSS, Aq, Theod, Vg; MT , Syr , Sym read sonsISAIAH 48-49 646 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 646 10/26/17 9:00 PM those who destroy and devastate you will leave you. 18 Look up, and look around. They all gather together; they come to you. As I live” — this is the Lord’s declaration — “you will wear all your children a as jewelry , and put them on as a bride does. 19 For your waste and desolate places and your land marked by ruins — will now be indeed too small for the inhabitants, and those who swallowed you up will be far away . 20 Yet as you listen, the children that you have been deprived of will say , ‘This place is too small for me; make room for me so that I may settle.’ 21 Then you will say within yourself, ‘Who fathered these for me? I was deprived of my children and unable to conceive, exiled and wandering — but who brought them up? See, I was left by myself — but these, where did they come from? ’ ” b 22 This is what the Lord G od says: Look, I will lift up my hand to the nations, and raise my banner to the peoples. They will bring your sons in their arms, and your daughters will be carried on their shoulders. 23 Kings will be your guardians and their queens c your nursing mothers. They will bow down to you with their faces to the ground and lick the dust at your feet. Then you will know that I am the Lord; those who put their hope in me will not be put to shame. 24 Can the prey be taken from a mighty man, or the captives of a tyrant d be delivered? 25 For this is what the Lord says: “Even the captives of a mighty man will be taken, and the prey of a tyrant will be delivered; I will contend with the one who contends with you, and I will save your children. 26 I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh, and they will be drunk with their own blood as with sweet wine. Then all people will know that I, the Lord, am your Savior, and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.” 50 This is what the L ord says: Where is your mother’s divorce certificate that I used to send her away? Or to which of my creditors did I sell you? Look, you were sold for your iniquities, and your mother was sent away because of your transgressions. 2 Why was no one there when I came? Why was there no one to answer when I called? Is my arm too weak to redeem? Or do I have no power to rescue? Look, I dry up the sea by my rebuke; I turn the rivers into a wilderness; their fish rot because of lack of water and die of thirst. 3 I dress the heavens in black and make sackcloth their clothing. THE OBEDIENT SERVANT 4 The Lord God has given me the tongue of those who are instructed to know how to sustain the weary with a word. He awakens me each morning; he awakens my ear to listen like those being instructed. 5 The Lord God has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious; I did not turn back. 6 I gave my back to those who beat me, and my cheeks to those who tore out my beard. I did not hide my face from scorn and spitting. 7 The Lord God will help me; therefore I have not been humiliated; a49:18 Lit all of them b49:21 Lit where are they c49:23 Lit princesses d49:24 DSS, Syr , Vg; MT reads a righteous man 647 ISAIAH 49-50 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 647 10/26/17 9:00 PM therefore I have set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame. 8 The one who vindicates me is near; who will contend with me? Let us confront each other. a Who has a case against me? b Let him come near me! 9 In truth, the Lord God will help me; who will condemn me? Indeed, all of them will wear out like a garment; a moth will devour them. 10 Who among you fears the Lord and listens to his servant? Who among you walks in darkness, and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord; let him lean on his God. 11 Look, all you who kindle a fire, who encircle yourselves with c torches; walk in the light of your fire and of the torches you have lit! This is what you’ll get from my hand: you will lie down in a place of torment. SALVATION FOR ZION 51 Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, you who seek the Lord: Look to the rock from which you were cut, and to the quarry from which you were dug. 2 Look to Abraham your father, and to Sarah who gave birth to you. When I called him, he was only one; I blessed him and made him many . 3 For the Lord will comfort Zion; he will comfort all her waste places, and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and melodious song. 4 Pay attention to me, my people, and listen to me, my nation; for instruction will come from me, and my justice for a light to the nations. I will bring it about quickly . 5 My righteousness is near, my salvation appears, and my arms will bring justice to the nations. The coasts and islands will put their hope in me, and they will look to my strength. d 6 Look up to the heavens, and look at the earth beneath; for the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment, and its inhabitants will die like gnats. e But my salvation will last forever, and my righteousness will never be shattered. 7 Listen to me, you who know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my instruction: do not fear disgrace by men, and do not be shattered by their taunts. 8 For moths will devour them like a garment, and worms will eat them like wool. But my righteousness will last forever, and my salvation for all generations. 9 Wake up, wake up! Arm of the Lord, clothe yourself with strength. Wake up as in days past, as in generations long ago. Wasn’t it you who hacked Rahab to pieces, who pierced the sea monster? 10 Wasn’t it you who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep, who made the sea-bed into a road for the redeemed to pass over? 11 And the redeemed of the Lord will return and come to Zion with singing, crowned with unending joy . Joy and gladness will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee. 12 I — I am the one who comforts you. Who are you that you should fear humans who die, or a son of man who is given up like grass? a50:8 Lit us stand b50:8 Lit Who is lord of my judgment c50:11 Syr reads who set ablaze d51:5 Lit arm e51:6 Or die in like mannerISAIAH 50-51 648 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 648 10/26/17 9:00 PM 13 But you have forgotten the Lord, your Maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth. You are in constant dread all day long because of the fury of the oppressor, who has set himself to destroy . But where is the fury of the oppressor? 14 The prisoner a is soon to be set free; he will not die and go to the Pit, and his food will not be lacking. 15 For I am the Lord your God who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar — his name is the Lord of Armies. 16 I have put my words in your mouth, and covered you in the shadow of my hand, in order to plant b the heavens, to found the earth, and to say to Zion, “You are my people.” 17 Wake yourself, wake yourself up! Stand up, Jerusalem, you who have drunk the cup of his fury from the Lord’s hand; you who have drunk the goblet to the dregs — the cup that causes people to stagger. 18 There is no one to guide her among all the children she has raised; there is no one to take hold of her hand among all the offspring she has brought up. 19 These two things have happened to you: devastation and destruction, famine and sword. Who will grieve for you? How can I c comfort you? 20 Your children have fainted; they lie at the head of every street like an antelope in a net. They are full of the Lord’s fury , the rebuke of your God. 21 So listen to this, suffering and drunken one — but not with wine. 22 This is what your Lord says — the Lord, even your God, who defends his people — “Look, I have removed from your hand the cup that causes staggering; that goblet, the cup of my fury . You will never drink it again. 23 I will put it into the hands of your tormentors, who said to you: Lie down, so we can walk over you. You made your back like the ground, and like a street for those who walk on it. 52 “Wake up, wake up; put on your strength, Zion! Put on your beautiful garments, Jerusalem, the Holy City! For the uncircumcised and the unclean will no longer enter you. 2 Stand up, shake the dust off yourself! Take your seat, Jerusalem. Remove the bonds d from your neck, captive Daughter Zion.” 3 For this is what the Lord says: “You were sold for nothing, and you will be redeemed without silver.” 4 For this is what the Lord God says: “ At first my people went down to Egypt to reside there, then Assyria oppressed them without cause. e 5 So now what have I here” — this is the Lord’s declaration — “that my people are taken away for nothing? Its rulers wail” — this is the Lord’s declaration — “and my name is continually blasphemed all day long. 6 Therefore my people will know my name; therefore they will know on that day that I am he who says: Here I am.” 7 How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the herald, who proclaims peace, who brings news of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns! ” 8 The voices of your watchmen — they lift up their voices, a51:14 Hb obscure b51:16 Syr reads to stretch out c51:19 DSS, LXX, Syr , Vg read you? Who can d52:2 Alt Hb tradition reads The bonds are removed e52:4 Or them at last, or them for nothing 649 ISAIAH 51-52 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 649 10/26/17 9:00 PM shouting for joy together; for every eye will see when the Lord returns to Zion. 9 Be joyful, rejoice together, you ruins of Jerusalem! For the Lord has comforted his people; he has redeemed Jerusalem. 10 The Lord has displayed his holy arm in the sight of all the nations; all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God. 11 Leave, leave, go out from there! Do not touch anything unclean; go out from her, purify yourselves, you who carry the vessels of the Lord. 12 For you will not leave in a hurry , and you will not have to take flight; because the Lord is going before you, and the God of Israel is rear guard. THE SERVANT’S SUFFERING AND EXALTATION 13 See, my servant a will be successful; b he will be raised and lifted up and greatly exalted. 14 Just as many were appalled at you c — his appearance was so disfigured that he did not look like a man, and his form did not resemble a human being — 15 so he will sprinkle many nations. d Kings will shut their mouths because of him, for they will see what had not been told them, and they will understand what they had not heard. 53 Who has believed what we have heard? e And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 2 He grew up before him like a young plant and like a root out of dry ground. He didn’t have an impressive form or majesty that we should look at him, no appearance that we should desire him. 3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of suffering who knew what sickness was. He was like someone people turned away from; f he was despised, and we didn’t value him. 4 Yet he himself bore our sicknesses, and he carried our pains; but we in turn regarded him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced because of our rebellion, crushed because of our iniquities; punishment for our peace was on him, and we are healed by his wounds. 6 We all went astray like sheep; we all have turned to our own way; and the Lord has punished him for g the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth. Like a lamb led to the slaughter and like a sheep silent before her shearers, he did not open his mouth. 8 He was taken away because of oppression and judgment; and who considered his fate? h For he was cut off from the land of the living; he was struck because of my people’s rebellion. 9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, but he was with a rich man at his death, because he had done no violence and had not spoken deceitfully . 10 Yet the Lord was pleased to crush him severely . i When j you make him a guilt offering, he will see his seed, he will prolong his days, and by his hand, the Lord’s pleasure will be accomplished. 11 After his anguish, he will see light k and be satisfied. By his knowledge, my righteous servant will justify many , a52:13 Tg adds the Messiah b52:13 Or will act wisely c52:14 Some Hb mss, Syr , Tg read him d52:15 LXX reads so many nations will marvel at him e53:1 Or believed our report f53:3 Lit And like a hiding of faces from him g53:6 Or has placed on him ; lit with h53:8 Or and as for his generation, who considered him? i53:10 Or him; he made him sick. j53:10 Or If k53:11 DSS, LXX; MT omits lightISAIAH 52-53 650 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 650 10/26/17 9:00 PM and he will carry their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will give him a the many as a portion, and he will receive b the mighty as spoil, because he willingly submitted to death, and was counted among the rebels; yet he bore the sin of many and interceded for the rebels. FUTURE GLORY FOR ISRAEL 54 “Rejoice, childless one, who did not give birth; burst into song and shout, you who have not been in labor! For the children of the desolate one will be more than the children of the married woman,” says the Lord. 2 “Enlarge the site of your tent, and let your tent curtains be stretched out; do not hold back; lengthen your ropes, and drive your pegs deep. 3 For you will spread out to the right and to the left, and your descendants will dispossess nations and inhabit the desolate cities. 4 “Do not be afraid, for you will not be put to shame; don’t be humiliated, for you will not be disgraced. For you will forget the shame of your youth, and you will no longer remember the disgrace of your widowhood. 5 Indeed, your husband is your Maker — his name is the Lord of Armies — and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of the whole earth. 6 For the Lord has called you, like a wife deserted and wounded in spirit, a wife of one’s youth when she is rejected,” says your God. 7 “I deserted you for a brief moment, but I will take you back with abundant compassion. 8 In a surge of anger I hid my face from you for a moment, but I will have compassion on you with everlasting love,” says the Lord your Redeemer. 9 “For this is like the days c of Noah to me: when I swore that the water of Noah would never flood the earth again, so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you or rebuke you. 10 Though the mountains move and the hills shake, my love will not be removed from you and my covenant of peace will not be shaken,” says your compassionate Lord. 11 “Poor Jerusalem, storm-tossed, and not comforted, I
🏰 Divine Restoration Promise
🛡️ Divine protection transforms vulnerability into strength—foundations of precious stones replace ruins, and no weapon formed against God's people will succeed
🌊 Abundant provision flows freely to the thirsty and hungry without cost, contrasting sharply with worldly pursuits that leave people unsatisfied and empty
🙏 True worship requires justice and compassion—genuine fasting means breaking chains of oppression, feeding the hungry, and clothing the naked rather than empty rituals
🔍 Sin separates people from God—iniquities create barriers between humanity and divine blessing, causing justice to stumble and truth to fall in public squares
✨ Glorious redemption arrives through God's intervention—darkness gives way to divine light, mourning transforms to joy, and ruins become renewed cities
🌍 Universal invitation extends to all nations—foreigners, eunuchs, and outcasts are welcomed into God's house of prayer, creating a community that transcends boundaries
will set your stones in black mortar, d and lay your foundations in lapis lazuli. 12 I will make your fortifications e out of rubies, your gates out of sparkling stones, and all your walls out of precious stones. 13 Then all your children will be taught by the Lord, their prosperity will be great, 14 and you will be established on a foundation of righteousness. You will be far from oppression, you will certainly not be afraid; you will be far from terror, it will certainly not come near you. 15 If anyone attacks you, it is not from me; whoever attacks you will fall before you. 16 Look, I have created the craftsman who blows on the charcoal fire and produces a weapon suitable for its task; and I have created the destroyer to cause havoc. 17 No weapon formed against you will succeed, and you will refute any accusation f raised against you in court. a53:12 Or him with b53:12 Or receive with c54:9 DSS, Cairo Geniza; MT , LXX read waters d54:11 Lit in antimony e54:12 Lit suns ; perhaps shields ; Ps 84:11 f54:17 Lit refute every tongue 651 ISAIAH 53-54 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 651 10/26/17 9:00 PM This is the heritage of the Lord’s servants, and their vindication is from me.” This is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion. COME TO THE LORD 55 “Come, everyone who is thirsty , come to the water; and you without silver, come, buy , and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without silver and without cost! 2 Why do you spend silver on what is not food, and your wages on what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and you will enjoy the choicest of foods. a 3 Pay attention and come to me; listen, so that you will live. I will make a permanent covenant with you on the basis of the faithful kindnesses of David. b 4 Since I have made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples, 5 so you will summon a nation you do not know , and nations who do not know you will run to you. For the Lord your God, even the Holy One of Israel, has glorified you.” 6 Seek the Lord while he may be found; call to him while he is near. 7 Let the wicked one abandon his way and the sinful one his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, so he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will freely forgive. 8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not my ways.” This is the Lord’s declaration. 9 “For as heaven is higher than earth, so my ways are higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. 10 For just as rain and snow fall from heaven and do not return there without saturating the earth and making it germinate and sprout, and providing seed to sow and food to eat, 11 so my word that comes from my mouth will not return to me empty , but it will accomplish what I please and will prosper in what I send it to do.” 12 You will indeed go out with joy and be peacefully guided; the mountains and the hills will break into singing before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. 13 Instead of the thornbush, a cypress will come up, and instead of the brier, a myrtle will come up; this will stand as a monument for the Lord, an everlasting sign that will not be destroyed. A HOUSE OF PRAYER FOR ALL 56 This is what the L ord says: Preserve justice and do what is right, for my salvation is coming soon, and my righteousness will be revealed. 2 Happy is the person who does this, the son of man who holds it fast, who keeps the Sabbath without desecrating it, and keeps his hand from doing any evil. 3 No foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord should say , “The Lord will exclude me from his people,” and the eunuch should not say , “Look, I am a dried-up tree.” 4 For the Lord says this: “For the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, and choose what pleases me, and hold firmly to my covenant, a55:2 Lit enjoy fatness b55:3 Or with you, the faithful acts of kindness shown to DavidISAIAH 54-56 652 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 652 10/26/17 9:00 PM 5 I will give them, in my house and within my walls, a memorial and a name better than sons and daughters. I will give each of them an everlasting name that will never be cut off. 6 As for the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord, and to become his servants — all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it and who hold firmly to my covenant — 7 I will bring them to my holy mountain and let them rejoice in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be acceptable on my altar, for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.” 8 This is the declaration of the Lord God, who gathers the dispersed of Israel: “I will gather to them still others besides those already gathered.” UNRIGHTEOUS LEADERS CONDEMNED 9 All you animals of the field and forest, come and eat! 10 Israel’s a watchmen are blind, all of them, they know nothing; all of them are mute dogs, they cannot bark; they dream, lie down, and love to sleep. 11 These dogs have fierce appetites; they never have enough. And they are shepherds who have no discernment; all of them turn to their own way , every last one for his own profit. 12 “Come, let me get some wine, let’s guzzle some beer; and tomorrow will be like today , only far better! ” 57 The righteous person perishes, and no one takes it to heart; the faithful are taken away , with no one realizing that the righteous person is taken away because of b evil. 2 He will enter into peace — they will rest on their beds c — everyone who lives uprightly . PAGAN RELIGION DENOUNCED 3 But come here, you witch’s sons, offspring of an adulterer and a prostitute! d 4 Who are you mocking? Who are you opening your mouth and sticking out your tongue at? Isn’t it you, you rebellious children, you offspring of liars, 5 who burn with lust among the oaks, under every green tree, who slaughter children in the wadis below the clefts of the rocks? 6 Your portion is among the smooth stones of the wadi; indeed, they are your lot. You have even poured out a drink offering to them; you have offered a grain offering; should I be satisfied with these? 7 You have placed your bed on a high and lofty mountain; you also went up there to offer sacrifice. 8 You have set up your memorial behind the door and doorpost. For away from me, you stripped, went up, and made your bed wide, and you have made a bargain e for yourself with them. You have loved their bed; you have gazed on their genitals. f,g 9 You went to the king with oil and multiplied your perfumes; you sent your envoys far away and sent them down even to Sheol. 10 You became weary on your many journeys, but you did not say , “It’s hopeless! ” You found a renewal of your strength; h therefore you did not grow weak. 11 Who was it you dreaded and feared, so that you lied and didn’t remember me or take it to heart? a56:10 Or His, or Its b57:1 Or taken away from the presence of c57:2 Either their deathbeds or their graves d57:3 Lit and she acted as a prostitute e57:8 Lit you cut f57:8 Lit hand g57:8 In Hb, the word “hand” is probably a euphemism for genitals. h57:10 Lit found life of your hand 653 ISAIAH 56-57 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 653 10/26/17 9:00 PM I have kept silent for a long time, haven’t I? a So you do not fear me. 12 I will announce your righteousness, and your works — they will not profit you. 13 When you cry out, let your collection of idols rescue you! The wind will carry all of them off, a breath will take them away . But whoever takes refuge in me will inherit the land and possess my holy mountain. HEALING AND PEACE 14 He said, “Build it up, build it up, prepare the way , remove every obstacle from my people’s way .” 15 For the High and Exalted One, who lives forever, whose name is holy , says this: “I live in a high and holy place, and with the oppressed and lowly of spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and revive the heart of the oppressed. 16 For I will not accuse you forever, and I will not always be angry; for then the spirit would grow weak before me, even the breath, which I have made. 17 Because of his sinful greed I was angry , so I struck him; I was angry and hid; but he went on turning back to the desires of his heart. 18 I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will lead him and restore comfort to him and his mourners, 19 creating words of praise.” b The Lord says, “Peace, peace to the one who is far or near, and I will heal him. 20 But the wicked are like the storm-tossed sea, for it cannot be still, and its water churns up mire and muck. 21 There is no peace for the wicked,” says my God.TRUE FASTING 58 “Cry out loudly , c don’t hold back! Raise your voice like a trumpet. Tell my people their transgression and the house of Jacob their sins. 2 They seek me day after day and delight to know my ways, like a nation that does what is right and does not abandon the justice of their God. They ask me for righteous judgments; they delight in the nearness of God.” 3 “Why have we fasted, but you have not seen? We have denied ourselves, but you haven’t noticed! ” d “Look, you do as you please on the day of your fast, and oppress all your workers. 4 You fast with contention and strife to strike viciously with your fist. You cannot fast as you do today , hoping to make your voice heard on high. 5 Will the fast I choose be like this: A day for a person to deny himself, to bow his head like a reed, and to spread out sackcloth and ashes? Will you call this a fast and a day acceptable to the Lord? 6 Isn’t this the fast I choose: To break the chains of wickedness, to untie the ropes of the yoke, to set the oppressed free, and to tear off every yoke? 7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry , to bring the poor and homeless into your house, to clothe the naked when you see him, and not to ignore your own flesh and blood? e 8 Then your light will appear like the dawn, and your recovery will come quickly . Your righteousness will go before you, and the Lord’s glory will be your rear guard. 9 At that time, when you call, the Lord will answer; when you cry out, he will say , ‘Here I am.’ a57:11 LXX reads And I, when I see you, I pass by b57:19 Lit creating fruit of the lips c58:1 Lit with throat d58:3 These are Israel’s words to God. e58:7 Lit not hide yourself from your fleshISAIAH 57-58 654 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 654 10/26/17 9:00 PM If you get rid of the yoke among you, the finger -pointing and malicious speaking, 10 and if you offer yourself a to the hungry , and satisfy the afflicted one, then your light will shine in the darkness, and your night will be like noonday . 11 The Lord will always lead you, satisfy you in a parched land, and strengthen your bones. You will be like a watered garden and like a spring whose water never runs dry . 12 Some of you will rebuild the ancient ruins; you will restore the foundations laid long ago; you will be called the repairer of broken walls, the restorer of streets where people live. 13 “If you keep from desecrating b the Sabbath, from doing whatever you want on my holy day; if you call the Sabbath a delight, and the holy day of the Lord honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways, seeking your own pleasure, or talking business; c,d 14 then you will delight in the Lord, and I will make you ride over the heights of the land, and let you enjoy the heritage of your father Jacob.” For the mouth of the Lord has spoken. SIN AND REDEMPTION 59 Indeed, the Lord’s arm is not too weak to save, and his ear is not too deaf to hear. 2 But your iniquities are separating you from your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not listen. 3 For your hands are defiled with blood and your fingers, with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, and your tongues mutter injustice. 4 No one makes claims justly; no one pleads honestly . They trust in empty and worthless words; they conceive trouble and give birth to iniquity . 5 They hatch viper’s eggs and weave spider’s webs. Whoever eats their eggs will die; crack one open, and a viper is hatched. 6 Their webs cannot become clothing, and they cannot cover themselves with their works. Their works are sinful works, and violent acts are in their hands. 7 Their feet run after evil, and they rush to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are sinful thoughts; ruin and wretchedness are in their paths. 8 They have not known the path of peace, and there is no justice in their ways. They have made their roads crooked; no one who walks on them will know peace. 9 Therefore justice is far from us, and righteousness does not reach us. We hope for light, but there is darkness; for brightness, but we live in the night. 10 We grope along a wall like the blind; we grope like those without eyes. We stumble at noon as though it were twilight; we are like the dead among those who are healthy . 11 We all growl like bears and moan like doves. We hope for justice, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far from us. 12 For our transgressions have multiplied before you, and our sins testify against us. For our transgressions are with us, and we know our iniquities: 13 transgression and deception against the Lord, turning away from following our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering lying words from the heart. a58:10 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr read offer your bread b58:13 Lit keep your foot from c58:13 Or idly d58:13 Lit or speak a word 655 ISAIAH 58-59 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 655 10/26/17 9:00 PM 14 Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands far off. For truth has stumbled in the public square, and honesty cannot enter. 15 Truth is missing, and whoever turns from evil is plundered. The Lord saw that there was no justice, and he was offended. 16 He saw that there was no man — he was amazed that there was no one interceding; so his own arm brought salvation, and his own righteousness supported him. 17 He put on righteousness as body armor, and a helmet of salvation on his head; he put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and he wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak. 18 So he will repay according to their deeds: fury to his enemies, retribution to his foes, and he will repay the coasts and islands. 19 They will fear the name of the Lord in the west and his glory in the east; a for he will come like a rushing stream driven by the wind of the Lord. 20 “The Redeemer will come to Zion, and to those in Jacob who turn from transgression.” This is the Lord’s declaration. 21 “ As for me, this is my cov enant with them,” says the L ord: “ My Spir it who is on you, and my words that I have put in your mouth, will not de part from your mouth, or from the mouths of your chil dren, or from the mouths of your chil dren’s chil dren, from now on and for ev er,” says the L ord. THE LORD’S GLORY IN ZION 60 Arise, shine, for your light has come,and the glory of the Lord shines over you. b 2 For look, darkness will cover the earth, and total darkness the peoples; but the Lord will shine over you, and his glory will appear over you. 3 Nations will come to your light, and kings to your shining brightness. 4 Raise your eyes and look around: they all gather and come to you; your sons will come from far away , and your daughters on the hips of nannies. 5 Then you will see and be radiant, and your heart will tremble and rejoice, c because the riches of the sea will become yours and the wealth of the nations will come to you. 6 Caravans of camels will cover your land d — young camels of Midian and Ephah — all of them will come from Sheba. They will carry gold and frankincense and proclaim the praises of the Lord. 7 All the flocks of Kedar will be gathered to you; the rams of Nebaioth will serve you and go up on my altar as an acceptable sacrifice. I will glorify my beautiful house. 8 Who are these who fly like a cloud, like doves to their shelters? 9 Yes, the coasts and islands will wait for me with the ships of Tarshish in the lead, to bring your children from far away , their silver and gold with them, for the honor of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, who has glorified you. 10 Foreigners will rebuild your walls, and their kings will serve you. Although I struck you in my wrath, yet I will show mercy to you with my favor. 11 Your city gates will always be open; they will never be shut day or night so that the wealth of the nations may be brought into you, with their kings being led in procession. 12 For the nation and the kingdom that will not serve you will perish; those nations will be annihilated. a59:19 Lit sunrise b60:1 = Jerusalem c60:5 Lit expand d60:6 Lit cover youISAIAH 59-60 656 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 656 10/26/17 9:00 PM 13 The glory of Lebanon will come to you — its pine, elm, and cypress together — to beautify the place of my sanctuary , and I will glorify my dwelling place. a 14 The sons of your oppressors will come and bow down to you; all who reviled you will fall facedown at your feet. They will call you the City of the Lord, Zion of the Holy One of Israel. 15 Instead of your being deserted and hated, with no one passing through, I will make you an object of eternal pride, a joy from age to age. 16 You will nurse on the milk of nations, and nurse at the breast of kings; you will know that I, the Lord, am your Savior and Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob. 17 I will bring gold instead of bronze; I will bring silver instead of iron, bronze instead of wood, and iron instead of stones. I will appoint peace as your government and righteousness as your overseers. 18 Violence will never again be heard of in your land; devastation and destruction will be gone from your borders. You will call your walls Salvation and your city gates Praise. 19 The sun will no longer be your light by day , and the brightness of the moon will not shine on you. The Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your splendor. 20 Your sun will no longer set, and your moon will not fade; for the Lord will be your everlasting light, and the days of your sorrow will be over. 21 All your people will be righteous; they will possess the land forever; they are the branch I planted, the work of my b hands, so that I may be glorified. 22 The least will become a thousand, the smallest a mighty nation. I am the Lord; I will accomplish it quickly in its time. MESSIAH’S JUBILEE 61 The Spirit of the Lord God is on me,because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal c the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners; 2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of our God’s vengeance; to comfort all who mourn, 3 to provide for those who mourn in Zion; to give them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, festive oil instead of mourning, and splendid clothes instead of despair. d And they will be called righteous trees, planted by the Lord to glorify him. 4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins; they will restore the former devastations; they will renew the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations. 5 Strangers will stand and feed your flocks, and foreigners will be your plowmen and vinedressers. 6 But you will be called the Lord’s priests; they will speak of you as ministers of our God; you will eat the wealth of the nations, and you will boast in their riches. 7 In place of your shame, you will have a double portion; in place of disgrace, they will rejoice over their share. So they will possess double in their land, and eternal joy will be theirs. 8 For I the Lord love justice; I hate robbery and injustice; e a60:13 Lit glorify the place of my feet b60:21 LXX, DSS read his c61:1 Lit bind up d61:3 Lit a dim spirit e61:8 Some Hb mss, DSS, LXX, Syr , Tg, Vg; other Hb mss read robbery with a burnt offering 657 ISAIAH 60-61 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 657 10/26/17 9:00 PM I will faithfully reward my people and make a permanent covenant with them. 9 Their descendants will be known among the nations, and their posterity among the peoples. All who see them will recognize that they are a people the Lord has blessed. 10 I rejoice greatly in the Lord, I exult in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation and wrapped me in a robe of righteousness, as a groom wears a turban and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. 11 For as the earth produces its growth, and as a garden enables what is sown to spring up, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations. ZION’S RESTORATION 62 I will not keep silent because of Zion, and I will not keep still because of Jerusalem, until her righteousness shines like a bright light and her salvation, like a flaming torch. 2 Nations will see your righteousness and all kings, your glory . You will be given a new name that the Lord’s mouth will announce.
🙏 Divine Restoration and Judgment
🌟 God's transformative love promises to rename Israel from "Deserted" to "My Delight" and "Married," establishing a covenant relationship where He rejoices over His people like a bridegroom over his bride
🔄 Divine reversal turns desolation into abundance, as God pledges to protect Jerusalem's harvests, appoint watchmen on her walls, and transform her into "a City Not Deserted"
⚖️ Righteous judgment comes through God's personal intervention—He tramples enemies like grapes in a winepress, bringing vengeance against those who rebel while redeeming the faithful
🌱 New creation emerges where "former troubles will be forgotten," establishing a Jerusalem of joy where people build homes, plant vineyards, and enjoy long lives without suffering
🛐 True worship requires humility and trembling at God's word, not empty rituals—God looks favorably on the submissive while rejecting those who perform religious acts without heart
🌍 Universal gathering culminates history as God brings people from all nations to worship Him, establishing His glory worldwide while the rebellious face eternal judgment
3 You will be a glorious crown in the Lord’s hand, and a royal diadem in the palm of your God’s hand. 4 You will no longer be called Deserted, and your land will not be called Desolate; instead, you will be called My Delight Is in Her, a and your land Married; b for the Lord delights in you, and your land will be married. 5 For as a young man marries a young woman, so your sons will marry you; and as a groom rejoices over his bride, so your God will rejoice over you. 6 Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen on your walls; they will never be silent, day or night. There is no rest for you, who remind the Lord. 7 Do not give him rest until he establishes and makes Jerusalem the praise of the earth. 8 The Lord has sworn with his right hand and his strong arm: I will no longer give your grain to your enemies for food, and foreigners will not drink the new wine for which you have labored. 9 For those who gather grain will eat it and praise the Lord, and those who harvest the grapes will drink the wine in my holy courts. 10 Go out, go out through the city gates; prepare a way for the people! Build it up, build up the highway; clear away the stones! Raise a banner for the peoples. 11 Look, the Lord has proclaimed to the ends of the earth, “Say to Daughter Zion: Look, your salvation is coming, his wages are with him, and his reward accompanies him.” 12 And they will be called c the Holy People, the Lord’s Redeemed; and you will be called Cared For, A City Not Deserted. THE LORD’S DAY OF VENGEANCE 63 Who is this coming from Edom in crimson-stained garments from Bozrah — this one who is splendid in his apparel, striding in his formidable d might? It is I, proclaiming vindication, e powerful to save. a62:4 Or Hephzibah b62:4 Or Beulah c62:12 Lit will call them d63:1 Syr , Vg read apparel, striding forward in e63:1 Or righteousnessISAIAH 61-63 658 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 658 10/26/17 9:00 PM 2 Why are your clothes red, and your garments like one who treads a winepress? 3 I trampled the winepress alone, and no one from the nations was with me. I trampled them in my anger and ground them underfoot in my fury; their blood spattered my garments, and all my clothes were stained. 4 For I planned the day of vengeance, and the year of my redemption a came. 5 I looked, but there was no one to help, and I was amazed that no one assisted; so my arm accomplished victory for me, and my wrath assisted me. 6 I crushed nations in my anger; I made them drunk with my wrath and poured out their blood on the ground. REMEMBRANCE OF GRACE 7 I will make known the Lord’s faithful love and the Lord’s praiseworthy acts, because of all the Lord has done for us — even the many good things he has done for the house of Israel, which he did for them based on his compassion and the abundance of his faithful love. 8 He said, “They are indeed my people, children who will not be disloyal,” and he became their Savior. 9 In all their suffering, he suffered, b and the angel of his presence saved them. He redeemed them because of his love and compassion; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of the past. 10 But they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit. So he became their enemy and fought against them. 11 Then he c remembered the days of the past, the days of Moses and his people. Where is he who brought them out of the sea with the shepherds d of his flock? Where is he who put his Holy Spirit among the flock? 12 He made his glorious strength available at the right hand of Moses, divided the water before them to make an eternal name for himself, 13 and led them through the depths like a horse in the wilderness, so that they did not stumble. 14 Like cattle that go down into the valley , the Spirit of the Lord gave them e rest. You led your people this way to make a glorious name for yourself. ISRAEL’S PRAYER 15 Look down from heaven and see from your lofty home — holy and beautiful. Where is your zeal and your might? Your yearning f and your compassion are withheld from me. 16 Yet you are our Father, even though Abraham does not know us and Israel doesn’t recognize us. You, Lord, are our Father; your name is Our Redeemer from Ancient Times. 17 Why , Lord, do you make us stray from your ways? You harden our hearts so we do not fear g you. Return, because of your servants, the tribes of your heritage. 18 Your holy people had a possession h for a little while, but our enemies have trampled down your sanctuary . 19 We have become like those you never ruled, like those who did not bear your name. 64 If only you would tear the heavens open and come down, so that mountains would quake at your presence — 2 just as fire kindles brushwood, and fire boils water — a63:4 Or blood retribution b63:9 Alt Hb tradition reads did not suffer c63:11 Or they d63:11 LXX, Tg, Syr read shepherd e63:14 Lit him f63:15 Lit The agitation of your inward parts g63:17 Lit our heart from fearing h63:18 Or Your people possessed your holy place 659 ISAIAH 63-64 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 659 10/26/17 9:00 PM to mak e your name known to your enemies, so tha t nations will tremble at your presence! 3 When you did awesome works tha t we did not expect, y ou came down, and the mountains quak ed at your presence. 4 From ancient times no one has heard, no one has listened to, no ey e has seen any God except you who acts on behalf of the one who waits for him. 5 You welcome the one who joyfully does wha t is right; they remember y ou in your ways. But w e have sinned, and you were angry . Ho w can we be saved if we remain in our sins? a 6 All of us have become like something unclean, and all our righteous acts are like a polluted b garment; all of us wither lik e a leaf, and our iniquities carry us a way like the wind. 7 No one calls on your name, stri ving to take hold of you. For y ou have hidden your face from us and made us melt because of c ,d our iniquity . 8 Yet Lord, you are our Father; w e are the clay , and you are our potter; w e all are the work of your hands. 9 Lord, do not be terribly angry or remember our iniquity forever. Please look — all of us are your people! 10 Your holy cities have become a wilderness; Zion has become a wilderness, J erusalem a desolation. 11 Our holy and beautiful e temple, where our f athers praised you, has been burned do wn, and all tha t was dear to us lies in ruins. 12 Lord, after all this, will you restrain yourself? W ill you keep silent and afflict us severely? THE LORD’S RESPONSE 65 “I was sought by those who did not ask; I w as found by those who did not seek me. I said, ‘Here I am, here I am,’ to a na tion that did not call on f my name. 2 I spread out my hands all day long to a re bellious people who w alk in the path that is not good, f ollowing their own thoughts. 3 These people continually anger me to m y face, sacrificing in gardens, burning incense on bricks, 4 sitting among the graves, spending nights in secret places, ea ting the meat of pigs, and putting polluted broth in their bowls. g 5 They say , ‘Keep to yourself, don’t come near me , for I am too holy for y ou! ’ These practices are smoke in my nostrils, a fire tha t burns all day long. 6 Look, it is written in front of me: I will not k eep silent, but I will repay; I will re pay them fully h 7 for your iniquities and the iniquities of your i fathers together,” sa ys the Lord. “Because they burned incense on the mountains and re proached me on the hills, I will re ward them fully j f or their former deeds.” 8 The L ord says this: “ As the new wine is found in a bunch of grapes, and one sa ys, ‘Don’t destroy it, f or there’s some good k in it,’ so I will act because of my servants and not destro y them all. 9 I will produce descendants from Jacob, and heirs to m y mountains from Judah; a64:5 Lit angry; in them continually and we will be saved ; Hb obscure b64:6 Lit menstrual c64:7 LXX, Syr , Vg, Tg read and delivered us into the hand of d64:7 Lit melt by the hand of e64:11 Or glorious ; Is 60:7 f65:1 Or that was not called by g65:3-4 These vv. describe pagan worship. h65:6 Lit repay into their lap i65:7 LXX, Syr read for their iniquities and the iniquities of their j65:7 Lit reward into their lap k65:8 Or there’s a blessingISAIAH 64-65 660 CSB_UltraThinindb.indb 61 11/7/17 3:22 PM my chosen ones will possess it, and my servants will dwell there. 10 Sharon will be a pasture for flocks, and the Valley of Achor a place for herds to lie down, for my people who have sought me. 11 But you who abandon the Lord, who forget my holy mountain, who prepare a table for Fortune and fill bowls of mixed wine for Destiny , a 12 I will destine you for the sword, and all of you will kneel down to be slaughtered, because I called and you did not answer, I spoke and you did not hear; you did what was evil in my sight and chose what I did not delight in.” 13 There fore, this is what the Lord G od says: “My servants will eat, but you will be hungry; my servants will drink, but you will be thirsty; my servants will rejoice, but you will be put to shame. 14 My servants will shout for joy from a glad heart, but you will cry out from an anguished heart, and you will lament out of a broken spirit. 15 You will leave your name behind as a curse for my chosen ones, and the Lord God will kill you; but he will give his servants another name. 16 Whoever asks for a blessing in the land will ask for a blessing by the God of truth, and whoever swears in the land will swear by the God of truth. For the former troubles will be forgotten and hidden from my sight. A NEW CREATION 17 “For I will create a new heaven and a new earth; the past events will not be remembered or come to mind. 18 Then be glad and rejoice forever in what I am creating; for I will create Jerusalem to be a joy and its people to be a delight. 19 I will rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in my people. The sound of weeping and crying will no longer be heard in her. 20 In her, a nursing infant will no longer live only a few days, b or an old man not live out his days. Indeed, the one who dies at a hundred years old will be mourned as a young man, c and the one who misses a hundred years will be considered cursed. 21 People will build houses and live in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. 22 They will not build and others live in them; they will not plant and others eat. For my people’s lives will be like the lifetime of a tree. My chosen ones will fully enjoy the work of their hands. 23 They will not labor without success or bear children destined for disaster, for they will be a people blessed by the Lord along with their descendants. 24 Even before they call, I will answer; while they are still speaking, I will hear. 25 The wolf and the lamb will feed together, d and the lion will eat straw like cattle, but the serpent’s food will be dust! They will not do what is evil or destroy on my entire holy mountain,” says the Lord. FINAL JUDGMENT AND JOYOUS RESTORATION 66 This is what the L ord says: Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool. Where could you possibly build a house for me? And where would my resting place be? 2 My hand made all these things, a65:11 Pagan gods b65:20 Lit her, no longer infant of days c65:20 Lit the youth of a hundred years will die d65:25 Lit as one 661 ISAIAH 65-66 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 661 10/26/17 9:00 PM and so they all came into being. This is the Lord’s declaration. I will look favorably on this kind of person: one who is humble, submissive a in spirit, and trembles at my word. 3 One person slaughters an ox, another kills a person; one person sacrifices a lamb, another breaks a dog’s neck; one person offers a grain offering, another offers pig’s blood; one person offers incense, another praises an idol — all these have chosen their ways and delight in their abhorrent practices. 4 So I will choose their punishment, and I will bring on them what they dread because I called and no one answered; I spoke and they did not listen; they did what was evil in my sight and chose what I did not delight in. 5 You who tremble at his word, hear the word of the Lord: “Your brothers who hate and exclude you for my name’s sake have said, ‘Let the Lord be glorified so that we can see your joy! ’ But they will be put to shame.” 6 A sound of uproar from the city! A voice from the temple — the voice of the Lord, paying back his enemies what they deserve! 7 Before Zion was in labor, she gave birth; before she was in pain, she delivered a boy . 8 Who has heard of such a thing? Who has seen such things? Can a land be born in one day or a nation be delivered in an instant? Yet as soon as Zion was in labor, she gave birth to her sons. 9 “Will I bring a baby to the point of birth and not deliver it? ” says the Lord; “or will I who deliver, close the womb? ” says your God. 10 Be glad for Jerusalem and rejoice over her, all who love her. Rejoice greatly with her, all who mourn over her — 11 so that you may nurse and be satisfied from her comforting breast and drink deeply and delight yourselves from her glorious breasts. 12 For this is what the L ord says: I will make peace flow to her like a river, and the wealth b of nations like a flood; you will nurse and be carried on her hip and bounced on her lap. 13 As a mother comforts her son, so I will comfort you, and you will be comforted in Jerusalem. 14 You will see, you will rejoice, and you c will flourish like grass; then the Lord’s power will be revealed to his servants, but he will show his wrath against his enemies. 15 Look, the Lord will come with fire — his chariots are like the whirlwind — to execute his anger with fury and his rebuke with flames of fire. 16 For the Lord will execute judgment on all people with his fiery sword, and many will be slain by the Lord. 17 “ Those who ded i cate and pu ri fy them selves to en ter the groves fol low ing their lead er, d eat ing meat from pigs, vermin, e and rats, will per ish to geth er.” This is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion. 18 “Know ing f their works and their thoughts, I have come to gath er all na tions and lan guages; they will come and see my glo ry . 19 I will es- tab lish a sign among them, and I will send sur vi vors from them to the na tions — to Tar - shish, Put, g Lud ( who are ar chers), Tu bal, Ja van, a66:2 Lit broken b66:12 Or glory c66:14 Lit your bones d66:17 Hb obscure e66:17 Lit abhorrent things f66:18 LXX, Syr; MT omits Knowing g66:19 LXX; MT reads PulISAIAH 66 662 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 662 10/26/17 9:00 PM and the coasts and is lands far away — who have not heard about me or seen my glo ry . And they will pro claim my glo ry among the na tions. 20 They will bring all your broth ers from all the na tions as a gift to the L ord on hors es and char i ots, in litters, and on mules and cam els, to my holy moun tain Je ru sa lem,” says the L ord, “ just as the Is ra el ites bring an off er ing in a clean ves sel to the house of the L ord. 21 I will also take some of them as priests and Le vites,” says the L ord. 22 “For just as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, will remain before me” — this is the Lord’s declaration — “so your offspring and your name will remain. 23 All mankind will come to worship me from one New Moon to another and from one Sabbath to another,” says the Lord. 24 “ As they leave, they will see the dead bod- ies of those who have re belled against me; for their worm will nev er die, their fire will nev er go out, and they will be a hor ror to all man kind.” 663 ISAIAH 66 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 663 10/26/17 9:00 PM Jeremiah 1 The words of Jer e mi ah, the son of Hil ki ah, one of the priests liv ing in An a thoth in the ter ri to ry of Ben ja min. 2 The word of the L ord came to him in the thir teenth year of the reign of Jo si ah son of Amon, king of Ju dah. 3 It also came through out the days of Je hoi a kim son of Jo si ah, king of Ju dah, un til the fifth month of the elev enth year of Zed e ki ah son of Jo si ah, king of Ju dah, when the peo ple of Je ru sa lem went into ex ile. THE CALL OF JEREMIAH 4 The word of the L ord came to me: 5 I chose you before I formed you in the womb; I set you apart before you were born. I appointed you a prophet to the nations. 6 But I pro test ed, “ Oh no, Lord G od! Look, I don’t know how to speak since I am only a youth.” 7 Then the L ord said to me: Do not say , “I am only a youth,” for you will go to everyone I send you to and speak whatever I tell you. 8 Do not be afraid of anyone, for I will be with you to rescue you. This is the Lord’s declaration. 9 Then the L ord reached out his hand, touched my mouth, and told me: I have now filled your mouth with my words. 10 See, I have appointed you today over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and demolish, to build and plant. TWO VISIONS 11 Then the word of the L ord came to me, ask - ing, “ What do you see, Jer e mi ah? ” I re plied, “ I see a branch of an al mond tree.” 12 The L ord said to me, “ You have seen cor - rect ly , for I watch over a my word to ac com- plish it.” 13 Again the word of the L ord came to me ask ing, “ What do you see? ” And I re plied, “ I see a boil ing pot, its lip tilted from the north to the south.” 14 Then the L ord said to me, “Di sas ter will be poured out b from the north on all who live in the land. 15 In deed, I am about to sum mon all the clans and king doms of the north.” This is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion. They will come, and each king will set up his throne at the entrance to Jerusalem’s gates. They will attack all her surrounding walls and all the other cities of Judah. 16 “ I will pro nounce my judg ments against them for all the evil they did when they aban doned me to burn in cense to oth er gods and to wor - ship the works of their own hands. 17 “ Now , get ready . Stand up and tell them ev ery thing that I com mand you. Do not be intimidated by them or I will cause you to cow er be fore them. 18 To day , I am the one who has made you a for ti fied city , an iron pil lar, and bronze walls against the whole land — against the kings of Ju dah, its off i cials, its priests, and the pop u la tion. 19 They will fight against you but nev er pre vail over you, since I am with you to res cue you.” This is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion. ISRAEL ACCUSED OF APOSTASY 2 The word of the L ord came to me: 2 “ Go and an nounce di rect ly to Je ru sa lem that this is what the L ord says: I remember the loyalty of your youth, your love as a bride — how you followed me in the wilderness, in a land not sown. 3 Israel was holy to the Lord, the firstfruits of his harvest. All who ate of it found themselves guilty; disaster came on them.” This is the Lord’s declaration. 4 Hear the word of the Lord, house of Jacob and all families of the house of Israel. 5 This is what the Lord says: a1:12 In Hb, the word for almond tree sounds like the word for watch over b1:14 LXX reads will boil CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 664 10/26/17 9:00 PM What fault did your fathers find in me that they went so far from me, followed worthless idols, and became worthless themselves? 6 They stopped asking, “Where is the Lord who brought us from the land of Egypt, who led us through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and ravines, through a land of drought and darkness, a a land no one traveled through and where no one lived? ” 7 I brought you to a fertile land to eat its fruit and bounty , but after you entered, you defiled my land; you made my inheritance detestable. 8
🔥 Divine Indictment Against Apostasy
🏛️ Israel's betrayal of God is portrayed as a shocking, unprecedented act—a nation exchanging their glorious God for worthless idols while abandoning the "fountain of living water" for broken cisterns that cannot hold water
🌍 Despite God's faithful leadership and provision, the people stubbornly pursue false worship through Baal, prostituting themselves "on every high hill and under every green tree" while claiming innocence
⚖️ The consequences of rebellion are severe—invasion from the north, destruction of cities, and exile—yet God repeatedly offers opportunities for repentance and restoration
🔍 Society has become thoroughly corrupt, with leaders who "rule by their own authority," prophets who "prophesy falsely," and people who have become "skilled in doing evil" but don't know how to do good
💔 God's emotional response fluctuates between righteous anger ("I will bring a case against you") and deep hurt ("My anguish, my anguish!"), revealing the personal nature of this broken covenant relationship
🌱 Despite the severity of judgment, God promises not to "finish them off" completely—a remnant will survive, suggesting hope for eventual restoration and renewal of the covenant
The priests quit asking, “Where is the Lord? ” The experts in the law no longer knew me, and the rulers rebelled against me. The prophets prophesied by b Baal and followed useless idols. 9 Therefore, I will bring a case against you again. This is the Lord’s declaration. I will bring a case against your children’s children. 10 Cross over to the coasts of Cyprus c and take a look. Send someone to Kedar and consider carefully; see if there has ever been anything like this: 11 Has a nation ever exchanged its gods? (But they were not gods!) Yet my people have exchanged their d Glory for useless idols. 12 Be appalled at this, heavens; be shocked and utterly desolated! This is the Lord’s declaration. 13 For my people have committed a double evil: They have abandoned me, the fountain of living water, and dug cisterns for themselves — cracked cisterns that cannot hold water.CONSEQUENCES OF APOSTASY 14 Is Israel a slave? Was he born into slavery? e Why else has he become a prey? 15 The young lions have roared at him; they have roared loudly . They have laid waste his land. His cities are in ruins, without inhabitants. 16 The men of Memphis and Tahpanhes have also broken your skull. 17 Have you not brought this on yourself by abandoning the Lord your God while he was leading you along the way? 18 Now what will you gain by traveling along the way to Egypt to drink the water of the Nile? f What will you gain by traveling along the way to Assyria to drink the water of the Euphrates? 19 Your own evil will discipline you; your own apostasies will reprimand you. Recognize g how evil and bitter it is for you to abandon the Lord your God and to have no fear of me. This is the declaration of the Lord God of Armies. 20 For long ago I h broke your yoke; I h tore off your chains. You insisted, “I will not serve! ” On every high hill and under every green tree you lay down like a prostitute. 21 I planted you, a choice vine from the very best seed. How then could you turn into a degenerate, foreign vine? 22 Even if you wash with lye and use a great amount of bleach, i the stain of your iniquity is still in front of me. This is the Lord God’s declaration. 23 How can you protest, “I am not defiled; I have not followed the Baals”? Look at your behavior in the valley; acknowledge what you have done. You are a swift young camel twisting and turning on her way , a2:6 Or shadow of death b2:8 = in the name of c2:10 Lit to the islands of Kittim d2:11 Alt Hb tradition reads my e2:14 Lit born of a house f2:18 Lit of Shihor g2:19 Lit Know and see h2:20 LXX reads you i2:22 Lit cleansing agent 665 JEREMIAH 2 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 665 10/26/17 9:00 PM 24 a wild donkey at home a in the wilderness. She sniffs the wind in the heat of her desire. Who can control her passion? All who look for her will not become weary; they will find her in her mating season. b 25 Keep your feet from going bare and your throat from thirst. But you say , “It’s hopeless; I love strangers, and I will continue to follow them.” 26 Like the shame of a thief when he is caught, so the house of Israel has been put to shame. They , their kings, their officials, their priests, and their prophets 27 say to a tree, “You are my father,” and to a stone, “You gave birth to me.” For they have turned their back to me and not their face, yet in their time of disaster they beg, “Rise up and save us! ” 28 But where are your gods you made for yourself? Let them rise up and save you in your time of disaster if they can, for your gods are as numerous as your cities, Judah. JUDGMENT DESERVED 29 Why do you bring a case against me? All of you have rebelled against me. This is the Lord’s declaration. 30 I have struck down your children in vain; they would not accept discipline. Your own sword has devoured your prophets like a ravaging lion. 31 Evil generation, pay attention to the word of the Lord! Have I been a wilderness to Israel or a land of dense darkness? Why do my people claim, “We will go where we want; c we will no longer come to you”? 32 Can a young woman forget her jewelry or a bride her wedding sash? Yet my people have forgotten me for countless days. 33 How skillfully you pursue love; you also teach evil women your ways. 34 Moreover, your skirts are stained with the blood of the innocent poor. You did not catch them breaking and entering. But in spite of all these things 35 you claim, “I am innocent. His anger is sure to turn away from me.” But I will certainly judge you because you have said, “I have not sinned.” 36 How unstable you are, constantly changing your ways! You will be put to shame by Egypt just as you were put to shame by Assyria. 37 Moreover, you will be led out from here with your hands on your head since the Lord has rejected those you trust; you will not succeed even with their help. d WAGES OF APOSTASY 3 If e a man divorces his wife and she leaves him to marry another, can he ever return to her? Wouldn’t such a land f become totally defiled? But you! You have prostituted yourself with many partners — can you return to me? This is the Lord’s declaration. 2 Look to the barren heights and see. Where have you not been immoral? You sat waiting for them beside the highways like a nomad in the desert. You have defiled the land with your prostitution and wickedness. 3 This is why the showers haven’t come — why there has been no spring rain. You have the brazen look of a prostitute g and refuse to be ashamed. 4 Haven’t you recently called to me, “My Father. a2:24 Lit donkey taught b2:24 Lit her month c2:31 Or “We have taken control, or “We can roam d2:37 Lit with them e3:1 One Hb ms, LXX, Syr; other Hb mss read Saying: If f3:1 LXX reads woman g3:3 Lit have a prostitute’s foreheadJEREMIAH 2-3 666 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 666 10/26/17 9:00 PM You were my friend in my youth. 5 Will he bear a grudge forever? Will he be endlessly infuriated? ” This is what you have said, but you have done the evil things you are capable of. UNFAITHFUL ISRAEL, TREACHEROUS JUDAH 6 In the days of King Jo si ah the L ord asked me, “ Have you seen what un faith ful Is ra el has done? She has as cend ed ev ery high hill and gone un der ev ery green tree to pros ti- tute her self there. 7 I thought, ‘ Af ter she has done all these things, she will re turn to me.’ But she didn’t re turn, and her treach er ous sis ter Ju dah saw it. 8 I a ob served that it was be cause un faith ful Is ra el had com mit ted adul- tery that I had sent her away and had giv en her a cer tifi cate of di vorce. Nev er the less, her treach er ous sis ter Ju dah was not afraid but also went and pros ti tut ed her self. 9 Indifferent to b her pros ti tu tion, she de filed the land and com mit ted adul tery with stones and trees. 10 Yet in spite of all this, her treach er ous sis ter Ju dah didn’t re turn to me with all her heart — only in pre tense.” This is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion. 11 The L ord an nounced to me, “Un faith ful Is ra el has shown her self more righ teous than treach er ous Ju dah. 12 Go, pro claim these words to the north, and say , ‘Return, unfaithful Israel. This is the Lord’s declaration. I will not look on you with anger, c for I am unfailing in my love. This is the Lord’s declaration. I will not be angry forever. 13 Only acknowledge your guilt — you have rebelled against the Lord your God. You have scattered your favors to strangers under every green tree and have not obeyed me. This is the Lord’s declaration. 14 “ ‘Re turn, you faith less chil dren — this is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion — for I am your mas ter, d and I will take you, one from a city and two from a fam i ly , and I will bring you to Zion. 15 I will give you shep herds who are loy al to me, e and they will shep herd you with knowl edge and skill. 16 When you mul ti ply and in crease in the land, in those days — this is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion — no one will say again, “ The ark of the L ord’ s cov enant.” It will nev er come to mind, and no one will re mem ber or miss it. An oth er one will not be made. f 17 At that time Je ru sa lem will be called The L ord’ s Throne, and all the na tions will be gath ered to it, to the name of the L ord in Je ru sa lem. They will cease to fol low the stub born ness of their evil hearts. 18 In those days the house of Ju dah will join with the house of Is ra el, and they will come to geth er from the land of the north to the land I have giv en your an ces tors to in her it.’ ” TRUE REPENTANCE 19 I thought, “How I long to make you my sons and give you a desirable land, the most beautiful inheritance of all the nations.” I thought, “You will call me ‘My Father’ and never turn away from me.” 20 However, as a woman may betray her lover, g so you have betrayed me, house of Israel. This is the Lord’s declaration. 21 A sound is heard on the barren heights: the children of Israel weeping and begging for mercy , for they have perverted their way; they have forgotten the Lord their God. 22 Return, you faithless children. I will heal your unfaithfulness. “Here we are, coming to you, for you are the Lord our God. 23 Surely , falsehood comes from the hills, commotion from the mountains, but the salvation of Israel is only in the Lord our God. 24 From the time of our youth the shameful one h has consumed what our fathers have worked for — their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters. 25 Let us lie down in our shame; let our disgrace cover us. We have sinned against the Lord our God, both we and our fathers, a3:8 One Hb ms, Syr read She b3:9 Lit From the lightness of c3:12 Lit not cause my face to fall on you d3:14 Or husband e3:15 Lit shepherds according to my heart f3:16 Or It will no longer be done g3:20 Lit friend h3:24 = Baal 667 JEREMIAH 3 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 667 10/26/17 9:00 PM from the time of our youth even to this day . We have not obeyed the Lord our God.” BLESSING OR CURSE 4 If you return, a Israel — this is the Lord’s declaration — you will return to me, if you remove your abhorrent idols from my presence and do not waver, 2 then you can swear, “ As the Lord lives,” in truth, in justice, and in righteousness, then the nations will be blessed b by him and will pride themselves in him. 3 For this is what the L ord says to the men of Ju dah and Je ru sa lem: Break up the unplowed ground; do not sow among the thorns. 4 Circumcise yourselves to the Lord; remove the foreskin of your hearts, men of Judah and residents of Jerusalem. Otherwise, my wrath will break out like fire and burn with no one to extinguish it because of your evil deeds. JUDGMENT FROM THE NORTH 5 De clare in Ju dah, pro claim in Je ru sa lem, and say: Blow the ram’s horn throughout the land. Cry out loudly and say: Assemble yourselves, and let’s flee to the fortified cities. 6 Lift up a signal flag toward Zion. Run for cover! Don’t stand still! For I am bringing disaster from the north — a crushing blow . 7 A lion has gone up from his thicket; a destroyer of nations has set out. He has left his lair to make your land a waste. Your cities will be reduced to uninhabited ruins. 8 Because of this, put on sackcloth; mourn and wail, for the Lord’s burning anger has not turned away from us. 9 “ On that day” — this is the L ord’ s dec la- ra tion — “ the king and the off i cials will lose their cour age. The priests will trem ble in fear, and the proph ets will be scared speech less.” 10 I said, “ Oh no, Lord G od, you have cer - tain ly de ceived this peo ple and Je ru sa lem, by an nounc ing, ‘ You will have peace,’ while a sword is at c our throats.” 11 “ At that time it will be said to this peo ple and to Je ru sa lem, ‘ A sear ing wind blows from the bar ren heights in the wil der ness on the way to my dear d peo ple. It comes not to win- now or to sift; 12 a wind too strong for this comes at my call. e Now I will also pro nounce judg ments against them.’ ” 13 Look, he advances like clouds; his chariots are like a storm. His horses are swifter than eagles. Woe to us, for we are ruined! 14 Wash the evil from your heart, Jerusalem, so that you will be delivered. How long will you harbor malicious thoughts? 15 For a voice announces from Dan, proclaiming malice from Mount Ephraim. 16 Warn the nations: Look! Proclaim to Jerusalem: Those who besiege are coming from a distant land; they raise their voices against the cities of Judah. 17 They have her surrounded like those who guard a field, because she has rebelled against me. This is the Lord’s declaration. 18 Your way and your actions have brought this on you. This is your punishment. It is very bitter, because it has reached your heart! JEREMIAH’S LAMENT 19 My anguish, my anguish! f I writhe in agony! Oh, the pain in g my heart! My heart pounds; I cannot be silent. a4:1 Or Repent b4:2 Or will bless themselves c4:10 Lit sword touches d4:11 Lit to the daughter of my e4:12 Lit comes for me f4:19 Lit My inner parts, my inner parts g4:19 Lit the walls ofJEREMIAH 3-4 668 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 668 10/26/17 9:00 PM For you, my soul, have heard the sound of the ram’s horn — the shout of battle. 20 Disaster after disaster is reported because the whole land is destroyed. Suddenly my tents are destroyed, my tent curtains, in a moment. 21 How long must I see the signal flag and hear the sound of the ram’s horn? 22 “For my people are fools; they do not know me. They are foolish children, without understanding. They are skilled in doing what is evil, but they do not know how to do what is good.” 23 I looked at the earth, and it was formless and empty . I looked to the heavens, and their light was gone. 24 I looked at the mountains, and they were quaking; all the hills shook. 25 I looked, and there was no human being, and all the birds of the sky had fled. 26 I looked, and the fertile field was a wilderness. All its cities were torn down because of the Lord and his burning anger. 27 For this is what the L ord says: The whole land will be a desolation, but I will not finish it off. 28 Because of this, the earth will mourn; the skies above will grow dark. I have spoken; I have planned, and I will not relent or turn back from it. 29 Every city flees at the sound of the horseman and the archer. They enter the thickets and climb among the rocks. Every city is abandoned; no inhabitant is left. 30 And you, devastated one, what are you doing that you dress yourself in scarlet, that you adorn yourself with gold jewelry , that you enhance your eyes with makeup? You beautify yourself for nothing. Your lovers reject you; they intend to take your life. 31 I hear a cry like a woman in labor, a cry of anguish like one bearing her first child. The cry of Daughter Zion gasping for breath, stretching out her hands: “Woe is me, for my life is weary because of the murderers! ” THE DEPRAVITY OF JERUSALEM 5 Roam through the streets of Jerusalem. Investigate; a search in her squares. If you find one person, any who acts justly , who pursues faithfulness, then I will forgive her. 2 When they say , “ As the Lord lives,” they are swearing falsely . 3 Lord, don’t your eyes look for faithfulness? You have struck them, but they felt no pain. You finished them off, but they refused to accept discipline. They made their faces harder than rock, and they refused to return. 4 Then I thought: They are just the poor; they have been foolish. For they don’t understand the way of the Lord, the justice of their God. 5 I will go to the powerful and speak to them. Surely they know the way of the Lord, the justice of their God. However, these also had broken the yoke and torn off the chains. 6 Therefore, a lion from the forest will strike them down. A wolf from arid plains will ravage them. A leopard stalks their cities. a5:1 Lit See and know 669 JEREMIAH 4-5 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 669 10/26/17 9:00 PM Anyone who leaves them will be torn to pieces because their rebellious acts are many , their unfaithful deeds numerous. 7 Why should I forgive you? Your children have abandoned me and sworn by those who are not gods. I satisfied their needs, yet they committed adultery; they gashed themselves at the a prostitute’s house. 8 They are well-fed, b eager c stallions, each neighing after someone else’s wife. 9 Should I not punish them for these things? This is the Lord’s declaration. Should I not avenge myself on such a nation as this? 10 Go up among her vineyard terraces and destroy them, but do not finish them off. Prune away her shoots, for they do not belong to the Lord. 11 They , the house of Israel and the house of Judah, have dealt very treacherously with me. This is the Lord’s declaration. 12 They have contradicted the Lord and insisted, “It won’t happen. d Harm won’t come to us; we won’t see sword or famine.” 13 The prophets become only wind, for the Lord’s word is not in them. This will in fact happen to them. COMING JUDGMENT 14 There fore, this is what the Lord G od of Ar - mies says: Because you have spoken this word, I am going to make my words become fire in your mouth. These people are the wood, and the fire will consume them. 15 I am about to bring a nation from far away against you, house of Israel. This is the Lord’s declaration. It is an established nation, an ancient nation, a nation whose language you do not know and whose speech you do not understand. 16 Their quiver is like an open grave; they are all warriors. 17 They will consume your harvest and your food. They will consume your sons and your daughters. They will consume your flocks and your herds. They will consume your vines and your fig trees. With the sword they will destroy your fortified cities in which you trust. 18 “ But even in those days” — this is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion — “ I will not fin ish you off. 19 When peo ple ask, ‘ For what o ff ense has the L ord our God done all these things to us? ’ You will re spond to them, ‘ Just as you aban doned me and served for eign gods in your land, so will you serve strang ers in a land that is not yours.’ 20 “De clare this in the house of Ja cob; pro- claim it in Ju dah, say ing: 21 Hear this, you foolish and senseless e people. They have eyes, but they don’t see. They have ears, but they don’t hear. 22 Do you not fear me? This is the Lord’s declaration. Do you not tremble before me, the one who set the sand as the boundary of the sea, an enduring barrier that it cannot cross? The waves surge, but they cannot prevail. They roar but cannot pass over it. 23 But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts. They have turned aside and have gone away . 24 They have not said to themselves, ‘Let’s fear the Lord our God, who gives the seasonal rains, both autumn and spring, who guarantees to us the fixed weeks of the harvest.’ 25 Your guilty acts have diverted these things from you. a5:7 Or adultery and trooped to the, or adultery and lodged at the ; Hb obscure b5:8 Lit well-equipped ; Hb obscure c5:8 Lit early-rising ; Hb obscure d5:12 Lit “He does not exist e5:21 Lit without heartJEREMIAH 5 670 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 670 10/26/17 9:00 PM Your sins have withheld my bounty from you, 26 for wicked men live among my people. They watch like hunters a lying in wait. b They set a trap; they catch men. 27 Like a cage full of birds, so their houses are full of deceit. Therefore they have grown powerful and rich. 28 They have become fat and sleek. They have also excelled in evil matters. They have not taken up cases, such as the case of the fatherless, so they might prosper, and they have not defended the rights of the needy . 29 Should I not punish them for these things? This is the Lord’s declaration. Should I not avenge myself on such a nation as this? 30 An appalling, horrible thing has taken place in the land. 31 The prophets prophesy falsely , and the priests rule by their own authority . My people love it like this. But what will you do at the end of it? THREATENED SIEGE OF JERUSALEM 6 “Run for cover out of Jerusalem, Benjaminites. Sound the ram’s horn in Tekoa; raise a smoke signal over Beth-haccherem, c for disaster threatens from the north, even a crushing blow . 2 Though she is beautiful and delicate, I will destroy d Daughter Zion. 3 Shepherds and their flocks will come against her; they will pitch their tents all around her. Each
📜 Divine Judgment Proclaimed
🔥 God's wrath against Jerusalem and Judah stems from their persistent moral corruption, including oppression, violence, dishonesty, and idolatry, triggering inevitable punishment
🏛️ The people's false security in religious institutions (particularly the temple) proves worthless when divorced from genuine ethical behavior and covenant faithfulness
🌱 Despite repeated prophetic warnings and opportunities to return to "ancient paths," the people stubbornly refuse to listen, choosing deceit over truth and ritual over righteousness
💔 The coming destruction will be comprehensive—affecting leaders, common people, and even the land itself—with exile, death, and desolation as consequences
🧠 True wisdom lies not in human strength, wealth, or religious performance, but in understanding and knowing God's character of "faithful love, justice, and righteousness"
will pasture his own portion. 4 Set them apart for war against her; rise up, let’s attack at noon. Woe to us, for the day is passing; the evening shadows grow long. 5 Rise up, let’s attack by night. Let us destroy her fortresses.”6 For this is what the L ord of Ar mies says: Cut down the trees; raise a siege ramp against Jerusalem. This city must be punished. There is nothing but oppression within her. 7 As a well gushes out its water, so she pours out her evil. e Violence and destruction resound in her. Sickness and wounds keep coming to my attention. 8 Be warned, Jerusalem, or I will turn away from you; I will make you a desolation, a land without inhabitants. WRATH ON ISRAEL 9 This is what the L ord of Ar mies says: Glean the remnant of Israel as thoroughly as a vine. Pass your hand once more like a grape gatherer over the branches. 10 Who can I speak to and give such a warning f that they will listen? Look, their ear is uncircumcised, g so they cannot pay attention. See, the word of the Lord has become contemptible to them — they find no pleasure in it. 11 But I am full of the Lord’s wrath; I am tired of holding it back. Pour it out on the children in the street, on the gathering of young men as well. For both husband and wife will be captured, the old with the very old. h 12 Their houses will be turned over to others, their fields and wives as well, for I will stretch out my hand against the inhabitants of the land. This is the Lord’s declaration. 13 For from the least to the greatest of them, everyone is making profit dishonestly . From prophet to priest, everyone deals falsely . a5:26 Lit hunters of birds b5:26 Hb obscure c6:1 = House of the Vineyard d6:2 Or silence e6:7 Or well keeps its water fresh, so she keeps her evil fresh f6:10 Or and bear witness g6:10 They are unresponsive to God. h6:11 Lit with fullness of days 671 JEREMIAH 5-6 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 671 10/26/17 9:00 PM 14 They have treated my people’s brokenness superficially , claiming, “Peace, peace,” when there is no peace. 15 Were they ashamed when they acted so detestably? They weren’t at all ashamed. They can no longer feel humiliation. Therefore, they will fall among the fallen. When I punish them, they will collapse, says the Lord. DISASTER BECAUSE OF DISOBEDIENCE 16 This is what the L ord says: Stand by the roadways and look. Ask about the ancient paths, “Which is the way to what is good? ” Then take it and find rest for yourselves. But they protested, “We won’t! ” 17 I appointed watchmen over you and said, “Listen for the sound of the ram’s horn.” But they protested, “We won’t listen! ” 18 Therefore listen, you nations and you witnesses, learn what the charge is against them. 19 Listen, earth! I am about to bring disaster on these people, the fruit of their own plotting, for they have paid no attention to my words. They have rejected my instruction. 20 What use to me is frankincense from Sheba or sweet cane from a distant land? Your burnt offerings are not acceptable; your sacrifices do not please me. 21 Therefore, this is what the Lord says: I am going to place stumbling blocks before these people; fathers and sons together will stumble over them; friends and neighbors will also perish. A CRUEL NATION FROM THE NORTH 22 This is what the L ord says: Look, an army is coming from a northern land; a great nation will be stirred up from the remote regions of the earth. 23 They grasp bow and javelin. They are cruel and show no mercy . Their voice roars like the sea, and they ride on horses, lined up like men in battle formation against you, Daughter Zion. 24 We have heard about it, and our hands have become weak. Distress has seized us — pain, like a woman in labor. 25 Don’t go out to the fields; don’t walk on the road. For the enemy has a sword; terror is on every side. 26 My dear a people, dress yourselves in sackcloth and roll in the dust. Mourn as you would for an only son, a bitter lament, for suddenly the destroyer will come on us. JEREMIAH APPOINTED AS AN EXAMINER 27 I have appointed you to be an assayer among my people — a refiner b — so you may know and assay their way of life. 28 All are stubborn rebels spreading slander. They are bronze and iron; all of them are corrupt. 29 The bellows blow , blasting the lead with fire. The refining is completely in vain; the evil ones are not separated out. 30 They are called rejected silver, for the Lord has rejected them. FALSE TRUST IN THE TEMPLE 7 This is the word that came to Jer e mi ah from the L ord: 2 “ Stand in the gate of the house of the L ord and there call out this word: ‘ Hear the word of the L ord, all you peo ple of Ju dah who en ter through these gates to wor ship the L ord. 3 “ ‘ This is what the L ord of Ar mies, the God of Is ra el, says: Cor rect your ways and your ac- tions, and I will al low you to live in this place. 4 Do not trust de ceit ful words, chanting, “ This is the tem ple of the L ord, the tem ple of the a6:26 Lit Daughter of my b6:27 Text emended; MT reads fortressJEREMIAH 6-7 672 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 672 10/26/17 9:00 PM L ord, the tem ple of the L ord.” 5 In stead, if you real ly cor rect your ways and your ac tions, if you act just ly to ward one an oth er, a 6 if you no lon ger op press the res i dent alien, the fa- ther less, and the wid ow and no lon ger shed in no cent blood in this place or fol low oth er gods, bring ing harm on your selves, 7 I will al low you to live in this place, the land I gave to your an ces tors long ago and for ev er. 8 But look, you keep trust ing in de ceit ful words that can not help. 9 “ ‘ Do you steal, mur der, com mit adul tery , swear false ly , burn in cense to Baal, and fol low oth er gods that you have not known? 10 Then do you come and stand be fore me in this house that bears my name and say , “ We are res cued, so we can con tin ue do ing all these de test able acts”? 11 Has this house, which bears my name, be come a den of rob bers in your view? Yes, I too have seen it. This is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion. SHILOH AS A WARNING 12 “ ‘ But re turn to my place that was at Shi loh, where I made my name dwell at first. See what I did to it be cause of the evil of my peo ple Is- ra el. 13 Now , be cause you have done all these things — this is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion — and be cause I have spo ken to you time and time again b but you wouldn’t lis ten, and I have called to you, but you wouldn’t an swer, 14 what I did to Shi loh I will do to the house that bears my name — the house in which you trust — the place that I gave you and your an ces tors. 15 I will ban ish you from my pres ence, just as I ban ished all of your broth ers, all the de scen- dants of Ephra im.’ DO NOT PRAY FOR JUDAH 16 “ As for you, do not pray for these peo ple. Do not off er a cry or a prayer on their be half, and do not beg me, for I will not lis ten to you. 17 Don’t you see how they be have in the cit ies of Ju dah and in the streets of Je ru sa lem? 18 The sons gath er wood, the fa thers light the fire, and the wom en knead dough to make cakes for the queen of heav en, c and they pour out drink off er ings to oth er gods so that they pro voke me to an ger. 19 But are they real ly pro vok ing me? ” This is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion. “ Isn’t it they them selves be ing pro voked to dis grace? ”20 There fore, this is what the Lord G od says: “ Look, my an ger — my burn ing wrath — is about to be poured out on this place, on peo ple and an i mals, on the tree of the field, and on the pro duce of the land. My wrath will burn and not be quenched.” OBEDIENCE OVER SACRIFICE 21 This is what the L ord of Ar mies, the God of Is ra el, says: “ Add your burnt off er ings to your oth er sac ri fic es, and eat the meat your selves, 22 for when I brought your an ces tors out of the land of Egypt, I did not speak with them or com mand them con cern ing burnt off er ing and sac ri fice. 23 How ev er, I did give them this com mand: ‘ Obey me, and then I will be your God, and you will be my peo ple. Fol low ev ery way I com mand you so that it may go well with you.’ 24 Yet they didn’t lis ten or pay at ten tion but fol lowed their own ad vice and their own stub- born, evil heart. They went back ward and not for ward. 25 Since the day your an ces tors came out of the land of Egypt un til to day , I have sent all my ser vants the proph ets to you time and time again. d 26 How ev er, my peo ple wouldn’t lis ten to me or pay at ten tion but be came ob sti - nate; e they did more evil than their an ces tors. A LAMENT FOR DISOBEDIENT JUDAH 27 “ When you speak all these things to them, they will not lis ten to you. When you call to them, they will not an swer you. 28 There fore, de clare to them, ‘ This is the na tion that would not lis ten to the L ord their God and would not ac cept dis ci pline. Truth f has per ished — it has dis ap peared from their mouths. 29 Cut off the hair of your sa cred vow g and throw it away . Raise up a dirge on the bar ren heights, for the L ord has re ject ed and aban doned the gen er a tion un der his wrath.’ 30 “ For the Ju de ans have done what is evil in my sight.” This is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion. “ They have set up their ab hor rent things in the house that bears my name in or der to de file it. 31 They have built the high plac es of To pheth h in Ben Hin nom Val ley i in or der to burn their sons and daugh ters in the fire, a thing I did not com mand; I nev er en ter tained the thought. j 32 “There fore, look, the days are com ing” — the L ord’ s dec la ra tion — “ when this place will no lon ger be called To pheth and Ben Hin nom a7:5 Lit justly between a man and his neighbor b7:13 Lit you rising early and speaking c7:18 = a pagan goddess d7:25 Lit you, each day rising early and sending e7:26 Lit but stiffened their neck f7:28 Or Faithfulness g7:29 Lit off your consecration h7:31 Lit of the fireplace i7:31 A valley south of Jerusalem j7:31 Lit command, and it did not arise on my heart 673 JEREMIAH 7 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 673 10/26/17 9:00 PM Val ley , but the Val ley of Slaugh ter. To pheth will be come a cem e tery , a be cause there will be no oth er buri al place. 33 The corpses of these peo ple will be come food for the birds of the sky and for the wild an i mals of the land, with no one to scare them away . 34 I will re move from the cit ies of Ju dah and the streets of Je ru sa lem the sound of joy and glad ness and the voices of the groom and the bride, for the land will be come a des o late waste. DEATH OVER LIFE 8 “ At that time” — this is the L ord’ s dec la- ra tion — “ the bones of the kings of Ju dah, the bones of her of fi cials, the bones of the priests, the bones of the proph ets, and the bones of the res i dents of Je ru sa lem will be brought out of their graves. 2 They will be ex- posed to the sun, the moon, and all the stars in the sky , which they have loved, served, fol lowed, con sult ed, and wor shiped. Their bones will not be col lect ed and bur ied but will be come like ma nure on the soil’s sur face. 3 Death will be cho sen over life by all the sur - vi vors of this evil fam i ly , those who re main wher ev er I have ban ished them.” This is the dec la ra tion of the L ord of Ar mies. 4 “ You are to say to them: This is what the L ord says: Do people fall and not get up again? If they turn away , do they not return? 5 Why have these people turned away? Why is Jerusalem always turning away? They take hold of deceit; they refuse to return. 6 I have paid careful attention. They do not speak what is right. No one regrets his evil, asking, ‘What have I done? ’ Everyone has stayed his course like a horse rushing into battle. 7 Even storks in the sky know their seasons. Turtledoves, swallows, and cranes b are aware of their migration, but my people do not know the requirements of the Lord. PUNISHMENT FOR JUDAH’S LEADERS 8 “How can you claim, ‘We are wise; the law of the Lord is with us’? In fact, the lying pen of scribes has produced falsehood. 9 The wise will be put to shame; they will be dismayed and snared. They have rejected the word of the Lord, so what wisdom do they really have? 10 Therefore, I will give their wives to other men, their fields to new occupants, for from the least to the greatest, everyone is making profit dishonestly . From prophet to priest, everyone deals falsely . 11 They have treated the brokenness of my dear c people superficially , claiming, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace. 12 Were they ashamed when they acted so detestably? They weren’t at all ashamed. They can no longer feel humiliation. Therefore, they will fall among the fallen. When I punish them, they will collapse,” says the Lord. 13 I will gather them and bring them to an end. d This is the Lord’s declaration. There will be no grapes on the vine, no figs on the fig tree, and even the leaf will wither. Whatever I have given them will be lost to them. GOD’S PEOPLE UNREPENTANT 14 Why are we just sitting here? Gather together; let us enter the fortified cities and perish there, e for the Lord our God has destroyed f us. He has given us poisoned water to drink, because we have sinned against the Lord. 15 We hoped for peace, but there was nothing good; for a time of healing, but there was only terror. 16 From Dan, the snorting of horses is heard. At the sound of the neighing of mighty steeds, a7:32 Lit They will bury in Topheth b8:7 Hb obscure c8:11 Lit of the daughter of my, also in vv. 19,21,22 d8:13 Lit Gathering I will end them e8:14 Or there be silenced f8:14 Or silencedJEREMIAH 7-8 674 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 674 10/26/17 9:00 PM the whole land quakes. They come to devour the land and everything in it, the city and all its residents. 17 Indeed, I am about to send snakes among you, poisonous vipers that cannot be charmed. They will bite you. This is the Lord’s declaration. LAMENT OVER JUDAH 18 My joy has flown away; grief has settled on me. My heart is sick. 19 Listen — the cry of my dear people from a faraway land, “Is the Lord no longer in Zion, her King not within her? ” Why have they angered me with their carved images, with their worthless foreign idols? 20 Harvest has passed, summer has ended, but we have not been saved. 21 I am broken by the brokenness of my dear people. I mourn; horror has taken hold of me. 22 Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? So why has the healing of my dear people not come about? 9 If my head were a flowing spring, my eyes a fountain of tears, I would weep day and night over the slain of my dear a people. 2 If only I had a traveler’s lodging place in the wilderness, I would abandon my people and depart from them, for they are all adulterers, a solemn assembly of treacherous people. 3 They bent their tongues like their bows; lies and not faithfulness prevail in the land, for they proceed from one evil to another, and they do not take me into account. This is the Lord’s declaration.IMMINENT RUIN AND EXILE 4 Everyone has to be on guard against his friend. Don’t trust any brother, for every brother will certainly deceive, and every friend spread slander. 5 Each one betrays his friend; no one tells the truth. They have taught their tongues to speak lies; they wear themselves out doing wrong. 6 You live in a world of deception. b In their deception they refuse to know me. This is the Lord’s declaration. 7 There fore, this is what the L ord of Ar mies says: I am about to refine them and test them, for what else can I do because of my dear c people? d 8 Their tongues are deadly arrows — they speak deception. With his mouth one speaks peaceably with his friend, but inwardly he sets up an ambush. 9 Should I not punish them for these things? This is the Lord’s declaration. Should I not avenge myself on such a nation as this? 10 I will raise weeping and a lament over the mountains, a dirge over the wilderness grazing land, for they have been so scorched that no one passes through. The sound of cattle is no longer heard. From the birds of the sky to the animals, everything has fled — they have gone away . 11 I will make Jerusalem a heap of rubble, a jackals’ den. I will make the cities of Judah a desolation, an uninhabited place. 12 Who is the per son wise enough to un der - stand this? Who has the L ord spo ken to, that a9:1 Lit slain among the daughter of my b9:6 LXX reads Oppression on oppression, deceit on deceit c9:7 Lit of the daughter of my d9:7 LXX, Tg read because of their evils 675 JEREMIAH 8-9 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 675 10/26/17 9:00 PM he may ex plain it? Why is the land de stroyed and scorched like a wil der ness, so no one can pass through? 13 The L ord said, “ It is be cause they aban- doned my in struc tion, which I set be fore them, and did not obey my voice or walk ac cord ing to it. 14 In stead, they fol lowed the stub born ness of their hearts and fol lowed the Baals as their fa thers taught them.” 15 There fore, this is what the L ord of Ar mies, the God of Is ra el, says: “ I am about to feed this peo ple worm wood and give them poi son ous wa ter to drink. 16 I will scat ter them among the na tions that they and their fa thers have not known. I will send a sword af ter them un til I have fin ished them off.” MOURNING OVER JUDAH 17 This is what the L ord of Ar mies says: Consider, and summon the women who mourn; send for the skillful women. 18 Let them come quickly to raise a lament over us so that our eyes may overflow with tears, our eyelids be soaked with weeping. 19 For a sound of lamentation is heard from Zion: How devastated we are. We are greatly ashamed, for we have abandoned the land; our dwellings have been torn down. 20 Now hear the word of the Lord, you women. Pay attention to a the words from his mouth. Teach your daughters a lament and one another a dirge, 21 for Death has climbed through our windows; it has entered our fortresses, cutting off children from the streets, young men from the squares. 22 “ Speak as fol lows: ‘ This is what the L ord de clares: Hu man corpses will fall like ma nure on the sur face of the field, like new ly cut grain af ter the reap er with no one to gath er it. BOAST IN THE LORD 23 “ ‘ This is what the L ord says: The wise person should not boast in his wisdom; the strong should not boast in his strength; the wealthy should not boast in his wealth. 24 But the one who boasts should boast in this: that he understands and knows me — that I am the Lord, showing faithful love, justice, and righteousness on the earth, for I delight in these things. This is the Lord’s declaration. 25 “ ‘ Look, the days are com ing — this is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion — when I will pun ish all the cir cum cised yet un cir cum cised: 26 Egypt, Ju dah, Edom, the Am mon ites, Moab, and all the in hab i tants of the desert who clip the hair on their tem ples. b All these na tions are un- cir cum cised, and the whole house of Is ra el is un cir cum cised in heart.’ ” FALSE GODS CONTRASTED WITH THE CREATOR 10 Hear the word that the L ord has spo ken to c you, house of Is ra el. 2 This is what the L ord says: Do not learn the way of the nations or be terrified by signs in the heavens, although the nations are terrified by them, 3 for the customs of the peoples
🛐 Idolatry vs. True Worship
🪵 False idols are powerless objects made by human hands, decorated with precious metals but unable to speak, walk, or act in any meaningful way
⚡ In stark contrast, the living God demonstrates true power through creation, controlling weather, establishing the world through wisdom, and causing nations to tremble
📜 The broken covenant between God and His people stems from their persistent disobedience, idol worship, and refusal to heed repeated warnings
🌧️ Natural disasters like drought serve as divine judgment, reflecting God's displeasure with the people's spiritual unfaithfulness
🔮 False prophets proclaim peace and security while the true prophet Jeremiah delivers uncomfortable messages of coming judgment
🙏 Despite the severity of judgment, the text contains moments of lament and intercession, revealing the tension between divine justice and mercy
are worthless. Someone cuts down a tree from the forest; it is worked by the hands of a craftsman with a chisel. 4 He decorates it with silver and gold. It is fastened with hammer and nails, so it won’t totter. 5 Like scarecrows in a cucumber patch, their idols cannot speak. They must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them for they can do no harm — and they cannot do any good. 6 Lord, there is no one like you. You are great; your name is great in power. 7 Who should not fear you, King of the nations? It is what you deserve. a9:20 Lit Your ears must receive b9:26 Or who live in distant places c10:1 Or againstJEREMIAH 9-10 676 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 676 10/26/17 9:00 PM For among all the wise people of the nations and among all their kingdoms, there is no one like you. 8 They are both stupid and foolish, instructed by worthless idols made of wood! 9 Beaten silver is brought from Tarshish and gold from Uphaz. a The work of a craftsman and of a goldsmith’s hands is clothed in blue and purple, all the work of skilled artisans. 10 But the Lord is the true God; he is the living God and eternal King. The earth quakes at his wrath, and the nations cannot endure his rage. 11 You are to say this to them: “ The gods that did not make the heav ens and the earth will per ish from the earth and from un der these heav ens.” b 12 He made the earth by his power, established the world by his wisdom, and spread out the heavens by his understanding. 13 When he thunders, c the waters in the heavens are in turmoil, and he causes the clouds to rise from the ends of the earth. He makes lightning for the rain and brings the wind from his storehouses. 14 Everyone is stupid and ignorant. Every goldsmith is put to shame by his carved image, for his cast images are a lie; there is no breath in them. 15 They are worthless, a work to be mocked. At the time of their punishment they will be destroyed. 16 Jacob’s Portion d is not like these because he is the one who formed all things. Israel is the tribe of his inheritance; the Lord of Armies is his name. EXILE AFTER THE SIEGE 17 Gather up your belongings e from the ground, you who live under siege.18 For this is what the L ord says: Look, I am flinging away the land’s residents at this time and bringing them such distress that they will feel it. JEREMIAH GRIEVES 19 Woe to me because of my brokenness — I am severely wounded! I exclaimed, “This is my intense suffering, but I must bear it.” 20 My tent is destroyed; all my tent cords are snapped. My sons have departed from me and are no more. I have no one to pitch my tent again or to hang up my curtains. 21 For the shepherds are stupid: They don’t seek the Lord. Therefore they have not prospered, and their whole flock is scattered. 22 Listen! A noise — it is coming — a great commotion from the land to the north. The cities of Judah will be made desolate, a jackals’ den. 23 I know , Lord, that a person’s way of life is not his own; no one who walks determines his own steps. 24 Discipline me, Lord, but with justice — not in your anger, or you will reduce me to nothing. 25 Pour out your wrath on the nations that don’t recognize you and on the families that don’t call on your name, for they have consumed Jacob; they have consumed him and finished him off and made his homeland desolate. REMINDER OF THE COVENANT 11 This is the word that came to Jer e mi- ah from the L ord: 2 “Lis ten to the words of this cov enant and tell them to the men of Ju dah and the res i dents of Je ru sa lem. 3 Tell a10:9 Or Ophir b10:11 This is the only Aramaic v. in Jr . c10:13 Lit At his giving of the voice d10:16 = the Lord e10:17 Lit bundle 677 JEREMIAH 10-11 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 677 10/26/17 9:00 PM them, ‘ This is what the L ord, the God of Is ra- el, says: “ Let a curse be on the man who does not obey the words of this cov enant, 4 which I com mand ed your an ces tors when I brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the iron fur nace.” I de clared, “ Obey me, and do ev ery- thing that I com mand you, and you will be my peo ple, and I will be your God,” 5 in or der to es tab lish the oath I swore to your an ces tors, to give them a land flow ing with milk and hon ey , as it is to day .’ ” I an swered, “ Amen, L ord.” 6 The L ord said to me, “Pro claim all these words in the cit ies of Ju dah and in the streets of Je ru sa lem: ‘ Obey the words of this cov enant and car ry them out.’ 7 For I strong ly warned your an ces tors when I brought them out of the land of Egypt un til to day , warn ing them time and time again, a ‘ Obey me.’ 8 Yet they would not obey or pay at ten tion; each one fol lowed the stub born ness of his evil heart. So I brought on them all the curs es of this cov enant, be cause they had not done what I com mand ed them to do.” 9 The L ord said to me, “ A con spir a cy has been dis cov ered among the men of Ju dah and the res i dents of Je ru sa lem. 10 They have re turned to the in iq ui ties of their fa thers who re fused to obey my words and have fol lowed oth er gods to wor ship them. The house of Is ra el and the house of Ju dah broke my cov enant I made with their an ces tors. 11 “There fore, this is what the L ord says: I am about to bring on them di sas ter that they can not es cape. They will cry out to me, but I will not hear them. 12 Then the cit ies of Ju dah and the res i dents of Je ru sa lem will go and cry out to the gods they have been burn ing in cense to, but they cer tain ly will not save them in their time of di sas ter. 13 Your gods are in deed as nu mer ous as your cit ies, Ju dah, and the al tars you have set up to Shame b — al tars to burn in cense to Baal — as nu mer ous as the streets of Je ru sa lem. 14 “ As for you, do not pray for these peo ple. Do not raise up a cry or a prayer on their be- half, for I will not be lis ten ing when they call out to me at the time of their di sas ter. 15 What right does my beloved have to be in my house, having carried out so many evil schemes? Can holy meat c prevent your disaster d so you can celebrate? 16 The Lord named you a flourishing olive tree, beautiful with well-formed fruit. He has set fire to it, and its branches are consumed e with the sound of a mighty tumult. 17 “ The L ord of Ar mies who plant ed you has de creed di sas ter against you, be cause of the di sas ter f the house of Is ra el and the house of Ju dah brought on them selves when they an gered me by burn ing in cense to Baal.” 18 The Lord informed me, so I knew . Then you helped me to see their deeds, 19 for I was like a docile g lamb led to slaughter. I didn’t know that they had devised plots against me: “Let’s destroy the tree with its fruit; h let’s cut him off from the land of the living so that his name will no longer be remembered.” 20 But, Lord of Armies, who judges righteously , who tests heart i and mind, let me see your vengeance on them, for I have presented my case to you. 21 There fore, here is what the L ord says con- cern ing the peo ple of An a thoth who in tend to take your life. They warn, “ Do not proph e sy in the name of the L ord, or you will cer tain ly die at our hand.” 22 There fore, this is what the L ord of Ar mies says: “ I am about to pun ish them. The young men will die by the sword; their sons and daugh ters will die by fam ine. 23 They will have no rem nant, for I will bring di sas ter on the peo ple of An a thoth in the year of their pun ish ment.” JEREMIAH’S COMPLAINT 12 You will be righteous, Lord, even if I bring a case against you. Yet, I wish to contend with you: Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all the treacherous live at ease? 2 You planted them, and they have taken root. a11:7 Lit today, rising early and warning b11:13 = Baal c11:15 = sacrificial meat d11:15 LXX; MT reads meat pass from you e11:16 Vg; MT reads broken f11:17 Or evil g11:19 Or pet h11:19 Lit bread i11:20 Lit kidneysJEREMIAH 11-12 678 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 678 10/26/17 9:00 PM They have grown and produced fruit. You are ever on their lips, a but far from their conscience. b 3 As for you, Lord, you know me; you see me. You test whether my heart is with you. Drag the wicked away like sheep to slaughter and set them apart for the day of killing. 4 How long will the land mourn and the grass of every field wither? Because of the evil of its residents, animals and birds have been swept away , for the people have said, “He cannot see what our end will be.” c THE LORD’S RESPONSE 5 If you have raced with runners and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses? If you stumble d in a peaceful land, what will you do in the thickets of the Jordan? 6 Even your brothers — your own father’s family — even they were treacherous to you; even they have cried out loudly after you. Do not have confidence in them, though they speak well of you. 7 I have abandoned my house; I have deserted my inheritance. I have handed the love of my life over to her enemies. 8 My inheritance has behaved toward me like a lion in the forest. She has roared against me. Therefore, I hate her. 9 Is my inheritance like a hyena e to me? Are birds of prey circling her? Go, gather all the wild animals; bring them to devour her. 10 Many shepherds have destroyed my vineyard; they have trampled my plot of land. They have turned my desirable plot into a desolate wasteland. 11 They have made it a desolation. It mourns, desolate, before me. All the land is desolate, but no one takes it to heart. 12 Over all the barren heights in the wilderness the destroyers have come, for the Lord has a sword that devours from one end of the earth to the other. No one has peace. 13 They have sown wheat but harvested thorns. They have exhausted themselves but have no profit. Be put to shame by your harvests because of the Lord’s burning anger. 14 This is what the L ord says: “Con cern ing all my evil neigh bors who at tack the in her i- tance that I bequeathed to my peo ple, Is ra el, I am about to up root them from their land, and I will up root the house of Ju dah from them. 15 Af ter I have up root ed them, I will once again have com pas sion on them and re turn each one to his in her i tance and to his land. 16 If they will dil i gent ly learn the ways of my peo ple — to swear by my name, ‘ As the L ord lives,’ just as they taught my peo ple to swear by Baal — they will be built up among my peo ple. 17 How ev er, if they will not obey , then I will up root and de stroy that na tion.” This is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion. LINEN UNDERWEAR 13 This is what the L ord said to me: “ Go and buy your self a lin en un der gar ment and put it on. f But do not put it in wa ter.” 2 So I bought underwear as the L ord in struct ed me and put it on. 3 Then the word of the L ord came to me a sec ond time: 4 “ Take the underwear that you bought and are wear ing, g and go at once to the Eu phra tes h and hide it in a rocky crev ice.” 5 So I went and hid it by the Eu phra tes, as the L ord com mand ed me. 6 A long time lat er the L ord said to me, “ Go at once to the Eu phra tes and get the underwear that I com mand ed you to hide there.” 7 So I went to the Eu phra tes and dug up the underwear and got it from the place where I had hid den it, but it was ru ined — of no use at all. 8 Then the word of the L ord came to me: 9 “ This is what the L ord says: Just like this I will ruin the great pride of both Ju dah and Je ru sa lem. 10 These evil peo ple, who re fuse to a12:2 Lit are near in their mouth b12:2 Lit kidneys c12:4 LXX reads see our ways d12:5 Or you are secure e12:9 Hb obscure f13:1 Lit around your waist g13:4 Lit wearing around your waist h13:4-7 Perhaps a place near Anathoth with the same spelling as the river 679 JEREMIAH 12-13 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 679 10/26/17 9:00 PM lis ten to me, who fol low the stub born ness of their own hearts, and who have fol lowed oth er gods to serve and bow in wor ship — they will be like this underwear, of no use at all. 11 Just as underwear clings to one’s waist, so I fas tened the whole house of Is ra el and of Ju dah to me” — this is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion — “ so that they might be my peo ple for my fame, praise, and glo ry , but they would not obey . THE WINE JARS 12 “ Say this to them: ‘ This is what the L ord, the God of Is ra el, says: Ev ery jar should be filled with wine.’ Then they will re spond to you, ‘ Don’t we know that ev ery jar should be filled with wine? ’ 13 And you will say to them, ‘ This is what the L ord says: I am about to fill all who live in this land — the kings who reign for Da vid on his throne, the priests, the proph ets, and all the res i dents of Je ru sa lem — with drunk en ness. 14 I will smash them against each oth er, fa thers and sons alike — this is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion. I will al low no mer cy , pity , or com pas sion to keep me from de stroy ing them.’ ” THE LORD’S WARNING 15 Listen and pay attention. Do not be proud, for the Lord has spoken. 16 Give glory to the Lord your God before he brings darkness, before your feet stumble on the mountains at dusk. You wait for light, but he brings darkest gloom a and makes total darkness. 17 But if you will not listen, my innermost being will weep in secret because of your pride. My eyes will overflow with tears, for the Lord’s flock has been taken captive. 18 Say to the king and the queen mother: Take a humble seat, for your glorious crowns have fallen from your heads. 19 The cities of the Negev are under siege; no one can help them. All of Judah has been taken into exile, taken completely into exile. 20 Look up and see those coming from the north. Where is the flock entrusted to you, the sheep that were your pride? THE DESTINY OF JERUSALEM 21 What will you say when he appoints close friends as leaders over you, ones you yourself trained? Won’t labor pains seize you, as they do a woman in labor? 22 And when you ask yourself, “Why have these things happened to me? ” it is because of your great guilt that your skirts have been stripped off, your body exposed. b 23 Can the Cushite change his skin, or a leopard his spots? If so, you might be able to do what is good, you who are instructed in evil. 24 I will scatter you c like drifting chaff before the desert wind. 25 This is your lot, what I have decreed for you — this is the Lord’s declaration — because you have forgotten me and trusted in lies. 26 I will pull your skirts up over your face so that your shame might be seen. 27 Your adulteries and your lustful neighing, your depraved prostitution on the hills, in the fields — I have seen your abhorrent acts. Woe to you, Jerusalem! You are unclean — for how long yet? THE DROUGHT 14 This is the word of the L ord that came to Jer e mi ah con cern ing the drought: 2 Judah mourns; her city gates languish. Her people are on the ground in mourning; Jerusalem’s cry rises up. 3 Their nobles send their servants d for water. They go to the cisterns; they find no water; their containers return empty . They are ashamed and humiliated; they cover their heads. a13:16 Or brings a shadow of death b13:22 Lit your heels have suffered violence c13:24 Lit them d14:3 Lit little onesJEREMIAH 13-14 680 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 680 10/26/17 9:00 PM 4 The ground is cracked since no rain has fallen on the land. The farmers are ashamed; they cover their heads. 5 Even the doe in the field gives birth and abandons her fawn since there is no grass. 6 Wild donkeys stand on the barren heights panting for air like jackals. Their eyes fail because there are no green plants. 7 Though our iniquities testify against us, L ord, act for your name’s sake. Indeed, our rebellions are many; we have sinned against you. 8 Hope of Israel, its Savior in time of distress, why are you like a resident alien in the land, like a traveler stopping only for the night? 9 Why are you like a helpless man, like a warrior unable to save? Yet you are among us, Lord, and we bear your name. Don’t leave us! 10 This is what the L ord says con cern ing these peo ple: Truly they love to wander; they never rest their feet. So the Lord does not accept them. Now he will remember their iniquity and punish their sins. FALSE PROPHETS TO BE PUNISHED 11 Then the L ord said to me, “ Do not pray for the well-being of these peo ple. 12 If they fast, I will not hear their cry of de spair. If they o ff er burnt off er ing and grain off er ing, I will not ac cept them. Rath er, I will fin ish them off by sword, fam ine, and plague.” 13 And I re plied, “ Oh no, Lord G od! The proph - ets are tell ing them, ‘ You won’t see sword or suff er fam ine. I will cer tain ly give you last ing peace in this place.’ ” 14 But the L ord said to me, “ These proph- ets are proph e sy ing a lie in my name. I did not send them, nor did I com mand them or speak to them. They are proph e sy ing to you a false vi sion, worth less div i na tion, the de ceit of their own minds.15 “There fore, this is what the L ord says con- cern ing the proph ets who proph e sy in my name, though I did not send them, and who say , ‘ There will nev er be sword or fam ine in this land.’ By sword and fam ine these proph- ets will meet their end. 16 The peo ple they are proph e sy ing to will be thrown into the streets of Je ru sa lem be cause of the fam ine and the sword. There will be no one to bury them — they , their wives, their sons, and their daugh- ters. I will pour out their own evil on them.” JEREMIAH’S REQUEST 17 You are to speak this word to them: Let my eyes overflow with tears; day and night may they not stop, for the virgin daughter of my people has been destroyed by a crushing blow , an extremely severe wound. 18 If I go out to the field, look — those slain by the sword! If I enter the city , look — those ill from famine! For both prophet and priest travel to a land they do not know . 19 Have you completely rejected Judah? Do you detest Zion? Why do you strike us with no hope of healing for us? We hoped for peace, but there was nothing good; for a time of healing, but there was only terror. 20 We acknowledge our wickedness, Lord, the iniquity of our fathers; indeed, we have sinned against you. 21 For your name’s sake, don’t despise us. Don’t disdain your glorious throne. Remember your covenant with us; do not break it. 22 Can any of the worthless idols of the nations bring rain? Or can the skies alone give showers? Are you not the Lord our God? We therefore put our hope in you, for you have done all these things. THE LORD’S NEGATIVE RESPONSE 15 Then the L ord said to me: “ Even if Mo ses and Sam uel should stand be fore me, my com pas sions would not reach out to these peo ple. Send them from my pres ence, and let them go. 2 If they ask you, ‘ Where will we go? ’ tell them: This is what the L ord says: 681 JEREMIAH 14-15 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 681 10/26/17 9:00 PM Those destined for death, to death; those destined for the sword, to the sword. Those destined for famine, to famine; those destined for captivity ,
🔥 Divine Judgment Unleashed
🏙️ Jerusalem faces devastating judgment for abandoning God, with promised destruction through sword, famine, and exile as consequences for their persistent idolatry and disobedience
🙏 Jeremiah's lament reveals his personal anguish as God's messenger, caught between faithfulness to his prophetic calling and the hostility of his own people who plot against him
🧠 The deceitful heart metaphor exposes humanity's self-deception, with God declaring "The heart is more deceitful than anything else, and incurable—who can understand it?"
🏺 The potter and clay parable illustrates God's sovereignty over nations—He can reshape, build up, or tear down based on their response to His warnings
🛑 Despite the severity of judgment, God consistently offers the possibility of repentance and restoration, promising to relent from disaster if the people turn from evil
⏳ The Sabbath observance represents a tangible test of obedience, with Jerusalem's future hanging on whether the people will honor this covenant sign
to captivity . 3 “ I will or dain four kinds a of judg ment for them” — this is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion — “ the sword to kill, the dogs to drag away , and the birds of the sky and the wild an i mals of the land to de vour and de stroy . 4 I will make them a hor - ror to all the king doms of the earth be cause of Ma nas seh son of Hez e ki ah, the king of Ju dah, for what he did in Je ru sa lem. 5 Who will have pity on you, Jerusalem? Who will show sympathy toward you? Who will turn aside to ask about your well-being? 6 You have left me.” This is the Lord’s declaration. “You have turned your back, so I have stretched out my hand against you and destroyed you. I am tired of showing compassion. 7 I scattered them with a winnowing fork at the city gates of the land. I made them childless; I destroyed my people. They would not turn from their ways. 8 I made their widows more numerous than the sand of the seas. I brought a destroyer at noon against the mother of young men. I suddenly released on her agitation and terrors. 9 The mother of seven grew faint; she breathed her last breath. Her sun set while it was still day; she was ashamed and humiliated. The rest of them I will give over to the sword in the presence of their enemies.” This is the Lord’s declaration. JEREMIAH’S COMPLAINT 10 Woe is me, my mother, that you gave birth to me, a man who incites dispute and conflict in all the land. I did not lend or borrow , yet everyone curses me.THE LORD’S RESPONSE 11 The L ord said: Haven’t I set you loose for your good? Haven’t I punished you in a time of trouble, in a time of distress with the enemy? b 12 Can anyone smash iron, iron from the north, or bronze? 13 I will give up your wealth and your treasures as plunder, without cost, for all your sins in all your borders. 14 Then I will make you serve your enemies c in a land you do not know , for my anger will kindle a fire that will burn against you. JEREMIAH’S PRAYER FOR VENGEANCE 15 You know , Lord; remember me and take note of me. Avenge me against my persecutors. In your patience, d don’t take me away . Know that I suffer disgrace for your honor. 16 Your words were found, and I ate them. Your words became a delight to me and the joy of my heart, for I bear your name, L ord God of Armies. 17 I never sat with the band of revelers, and I did not celebrate with them. Because your hand was on me, I sat alone, for you filled me with indignation. 18 Why has my pain become unending, my wound incurable, refusing to be healed? You truly have become like a mirage to me — water that is not reliable. JEREMIAH TOLD TO REPENT 19 There fore, this is what the L ord says: If you return, I will take you back; you will stand in my presence. And if you speak noble words, rather than worthless ones, you will be my spokesman. It is they who must return to you; you must not return to them. a15:3 Lit families b15:11 Hb obscure c15:14 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr , Tg; other Hb mss read you pass through d15:15 Lit In the slowness of your angerJEREMIAH 15 682 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 682 10/26/17 9:00 PM 20 Then I will make you a fortified wall of bronze to this people. They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you to save you and rescue you. This is the Lord’s declaration. 21 I will rescue you from the power of evil people and redeem you from the grasp of the ruthless. NO MARRIAGE FOR JEREMIAH 16 The word of the L ord came to me: 2 “ Do not mar ry or have sons or daugh ters in this place. 3 For this is what the L ord says con cern ing sons and daugh ters born in this place as well as con cern ing the moth ers who bear them and the fa thers who fa ther them in this land: 4 They will die from dead ly dis eas es. They will not be mourned or bur ied but will be like ma nure on the soil’s sur face. They will be fin ished off by sword and fam ine. Their corpses will be come food for the birds of the sky and for the wild an i mals of the land. 5 “ For this is what the L ord says: Don’t en ter a house where a mourn ing feast is tak ing place. a Don’t go to la ment or sym pa thize with them, for I have re moved my peace from these peo ple as well as my faith ful love and com pas sion.” This is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion. 6 “ Both great and small will die in this land with out buri al. No la ment will be made for them, nor will any one cut him self or shave his head for them. b 7 Food won’t be pro vid ed for the mourner to com fort him be cause of the dead. A con sol ing drink won’t be giv en him for the loss of his fa ther or moth er. 8 Do not en ter the house where feast- ing is tak ing place to sit with them to eat and drink. 9 For this is what the L ord of Ar mies, the God of Is ra el, says: I am about to elim i nate from this place, be fore your very eyes and in your time, the sound of joy and glad ness, the voice of the groom and the bride. ABANDONING THE LORD AND HIS LAW 10 “ When you tell these peo ple all these things, they will say to you, ‘ Why has the L ord de clared all this ter ri ble di sas ter against us? What is our in iq ui ty? What is our sin that we have com mit- ted against the L ord our God? ’ 11 Then you will an swer them, ‘Be cause your fa thers aban doned me — this is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion — and fol lowed oth er gods, served them, and bowed in wor ship to them. In deed, they aban doned me and did not keep my in struc tion. 12 You did more evil than your fa thers. Look, each one of you was fol low ing the stub born ness of his evil heart, not obey ing me. 13 So I will hurl you from this land into a land that you and your fa thers are not fa mil iar with. There you will wor ship oth er gods both day and night, for I will not grant you grace.’ c 14 “How ev er, look, the days are com ing” — the L ord’ s dec la ra tion — “ when it will no lon- ger be said, ‘ As the L ord lives who brought the Is ra el ites from the land of Egypt,’ 15 but rath er, ‘ As the L ord lives who brought the Is ra el ites from the land of the north and from all the oth er lands where he had ban ished them.’ For I will re turn them to their land that I gave to their an ces tors. PUNISHMENT OF EXILE 16 “ I am about to send for many fish er men” — this is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion — “ and they will fish for them. Then I will send for many hunt ers, and they will hunt them down on ev ery moun tain and hill and out of the clefts of the rocks, 17 for my gaze takes in all their ways. They are not con cealed from me, and their in iq ui ty is not hid den from my sight. 18 I will first re pay them dou ble for their in iq ui ty and sin be cause they have pol lut ed my land. They have filled my in her i tance with the car - cass es of their ab hor rent and de test able idols.” 19 Lord, my strength and my stronghold, my refuge in a time of distress, the nations will come to you from the ends of the earth, and they will say , “Our fathers inherited only lies, worthless idols of no benefit at all.” 20 Can one make gods for himself? But they are not gods. 21 “Therefore, I am about to inform them, and this time I will make them know my power and my might; then they will know that my name is the Lord.” THE PERSISTENT SIN OF JUDAH 17 The sin of Judah is inscribed with an iron stylus. With a diamond point a16:5 Lit house of mourning b16:6 This custom demonstrated pagan mourning rituals. c16:13 Or compassion 683 JEREMIAH 15-17 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 683 10/26/17 9:00 PM it is engraved on the tablet of their hearts and on the horns of their a altars, 2 while their children remember their altars and their Asherah poles, by the green trees on the high hills — 3 my mountains in the countryside. I will give up your wealth and all your treasures as plunder because of the sin of your high places b in all your borders. 4 You will, on your own, relinquish your inheritance that I gave you. I will make you serve your enemies in a land you do not know , for you have set my anger on fire; it will burn forever. CURSE AND BLESSING 5 This is what the L ord says: Cursed is the person who trusts in mankind. He makes human flesh his strength, and his heart turns from the Lord. 6 He will be like a juniper in the Arabah; he cannot see when good comes but dwells in the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land where no one lives. 7 The person who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence indeed is the Lord, is blessed. 8 He will be like a tree planted by water: it sends its roots out toward a stream, it doesn’t fear when heat comes, and its foliage remains green. It will not worry in a year of drought or cease producing fruit. THE DECEITFUL HEART 9 The heart is more deceitful than anything else, and incurable — who can understand it? 10 I, the Lord, examine the mind, I test the heart c to give to each according to his way , according to what his actions deserve. 11 He who makes a fortune unjustly is like a partridge that hatches eggs it didn’t lay . In the middle of his life his riches will abandon him, so in the end he will be a fool. 12 A glorious throne on high from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary . 13 Lord, the hope of Israel, all who abandon you will be put to shame. All who turn away from me will be written in the dirt, for they have abandoned the Lord, the fountain of living water. JEREMIAH’S PLEA 14 Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed; save me, and I will be saved, for you are my praise. 15 Hear how they keep challenging me, “Where is the word of the Lord? Let it come! ” 16 But I have not run away from being your shepherd, and I have not longed for the fatal day . You know my words were spoken in your presence. 17 Don’t become a terror to me. You are my refuge in the day of disaster. 18 Let my persecutors be put to shame, but don’t let me be put to shame. Let them be terrified, but don’t let me be terrified. Bring on them the day of disaster; shatter them with total d destruction. OBSERVING THE SABBATH 19 This is what the L ord said to me, “ Go and stand at the Peo ple’s Gate, through which the kings of Ju dah en ter and leave, as well as at all the gates of Je ru sa lem. 20 An nounce to them, ‘ Hear the word of the L ord , kings of Ju dah, all Ju dah, and all the res i dents of Je ru sa lem who en ter through these gates. 21 This is what the L ord says: Watch your selves; do not pick up a load and bring it in through Je ru sa lem’s gates on the Sab bath day . 22 Do not car ry a load out of your hous es on the Sab bath day or do any work, but keep the Sab bath day holy , just as I com mand ed your an ces tors. 23 They wouldn’t lis ten or pay at ten tion but be came ob sti nate, not lis ten ing or ac cept ing dis ci pline. a17:1 Some Hb mss, Syr , Vg; other Hb mss read your b17:3 Lit plunder, your high places because of sin c17:10 Lit kidneys d17:18 Lit doubleJEREMIAH 17 684 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 684 10/26/17 9:00 PM 24 “ ‘How ev er, if you lis ten to me — this is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion — and do not bring loads through the gates of this city on the Sab bath day , but keep the Sab bath day holy and do no work on it, 25 kings and princ es will en ter through the gates of this city . They will sit on the throne of Da vid; they will ride in char i ots and on hors es with their of fi cials, the men of Ju dah, and the res i dents of Je- ru sa lem. This city will be in hab it ed for ev er. 26 Then peo ple will come from the cit ies of Ju dah and from the area around Je ru sa- lem, from the land of Ben ja min and from the Ju de an foot hills, from the hill coun try and from the Ne gev bring ing burnt of fer ings and sac ri fic es, grain of fer ings and frank in- cense, and thank of fer ings to the house of the L ord. 27 But if you do not lis ten to me to keep the Sab bath day holy by not car ry ing a load while en ter ing the gates of Je ru sa lem on the Sab bath day , I will set fire to its gates, and it will con sume the cit a dels of Je ru sa lem and not be ex tin guished.’ ” PARABLE OF THE POTTER 18 This is the word that came to Jer e mi- ah from the L ord: 2 “ Go down at once to the pot ter’s house; there I will re veal my words to you.” 3 So I went down to the pot ter’s house, and there he was, work ing away at the wheel. a 4 But the jar that he was mak ing from the clay be came flawed in the pot ter’s hand, so he made it into an oth er jar, as it seemed right for him to do. 5 The word of the L ord came to me: 6 “ House of Is ra el, can I not treat you as this pot ter treats his clay? ” — this is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion. “ Just like clay in the pot ter’s hand, so are you in my hand, house of Is ra el. 7 At one mo ment I might an nounce con cern ing a na tion or a king dom that I will up root, tear down, and de- stroy it. 8 How ev er, if that na tion about which I have made the an nounce ment turns from its evil, I will re lent con cern ing the di sas ter I had planned to do to it. 9 At an oth er time I might an nounce con cern ing a na tion or a king dom that I will build and plant it. 10 How ev er, if it does what is evil in my sight by not lis ten ing to me, I will re lent con cern ing the good I had said I would do to it. 11 So now , say to the men of Ju dah and to the res i dents of Je ru sa lem, ‘ This is what the L ord says: Look, I am about to bring harm to you and make plans against you. Turn now , each from your evil way , and cor rect your ways and your deeds.’ 12 But they will say , ‘ It’s hope less. We will con tin ue to fol- low our plans, and each of us will con tin ue to act ac cord ing to the stub born ness of his evil heart.’ ” DELUDED ISRAEL 13 There fore, this is what the L ord says: Ask among the nations, who has heard things like these? Virgin Israel has done a most horrible thing. 14 Does the snow of Lebanon ever leave the highland crags? Or does cold water flowing from a distance ever fail? 15 Yet my people have forgotten me. They burn incense to worthless idols that make them stumble in their ways on the ancient roads, and make them walk on new paths, not the highway . 16 They have made their land a horror, a perpetual object of scorn; b all who pass by it will be appalled and shake their heads. 17 I will scatter them before the enemy like the east wind. I will show them c my back and not my face on the day of their calamity . PLOT AGAINST JEREMIAH 18 Then cer tain ones said, “ Come, let’s make plans against Jer e mi ah, for in struc tion will nev er be lost from the priest, or coun sel from the wise, or a word from the proph et. Come, let’s de nounce him d and pay no at ten tion to all his words.” 19 Pay attention to me, Lord. Hear what my opponents are saying! 20 Should good be repaid with evil? Yet they have dug a pit for me. Remember how I stood before you to speak good on their behalf, to turn your anger from them. 21 Therefore, hand their children over to famine, and give them over to the power of the sword. a18:3 Lit pair of stones b18:16 Lit hissing c18:17 LXX, Lat, Syr , Tg; MT reads will look at them d18:18 Lit let’s strike him with the tongue 685 JEREMIAH 17-18 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 685 10/26/17 9:00 PM Let their wives become childless and widowed, their husbands slain by deadly disease, a their young men struck down by the sword in battle. 22 Let a cry be heard from their houses when you suddenly bring raiders against them, for they have dug a pit to capture me and have hidden snares for my feet. 23 But you, Lord, know all their deadly plots against me. Do not wipe out their iniquity; do not blot out their sin before you. Let them be forced to stumble before you; deal with them in the time of your anger. THE CLAY JAR 19 This is what the L ord says: “ Go, buy a pot ter’s clay jar. Take b some of the el ders of the peo ple and some of the lead ing priests 2 and go out to Ben Hin nom Val ley near the en trance of the Pot sherd Gate. Pro claim there the words I speak to you. 3 Say , ‘ Hear the word of the L ord, kings of Ju dah and res i dents of Je ru sa lem. This is what the L ord of Ar mies, the God of Is ra el, says: I am go ing to bring such di sas ter on this place that ev ery one who hears about it will shud der c 4 be cause they have aban doned me and made this a for eign place. They have burned in cense in it to oth er gods that they , their fa thers, and the kings of Ju dah have nev er known. They have filled this place with the blood of the in no cent. 5 They have built high plac es to Baal on which to burn their chil dren in the fire as burnt off er ings to Baal, some thing I have nev er com mand ed or men tioned; I nev er en ter tained the thought. d 6 “ ‘There fore, look, the days are com ing — this is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion — when this place will no lon ger be called To pheth and Ben Hin nom Val ley , but Slaugh ter Val ley . 7 I will spoil the plans of Ju dah and Je ru sa lem in this place. I will make them fall by the sword be fore their en e mies, by the hand of those who in tend to take their life. I will pro vide their corpses as food for the birds of the sky and for the wild an i mals of the land. 8 I will make this city des o late, an ob ject of scorn. Ev ery one who pass es by it will be ap palled and scoff be cause of all its wounds. 9 I will make them eat the flesh of their sons and their daugh ters, and they will eat each oth er’s flesh in the dis tress ing siege in flict ed on them by their en e mies who in tend to take their life.’ 10 “ Then you are to shat ter the jar in the pres- ence of the peo ple go ing with you, 11 and you are to pro claim to them, ‘ This is what the L ord of Ar mies says: I will shat ter these peo ple and this city , like one shat ters a pot ter’s jar that can nev er again be mend ed. They will bury the dead in To pheth be cause there is no oth er place for buri als. 12 That is what I will do to this place — this is the dec la ra tion of the L ord — and to its res i dents, mak ing this city like To pheth. 13 The hous es of Je ru sa lem and the hous es of the kings of Ju dah will be come im- pure like that place To pheth — all the hous es on whose rooftops they have burned in cense to all the stars in the sky and poured out drink off er ings to oth er gods.’ ” 14 Jer e mi ah re turned from To pheth, where the L ord had
📜 Jeremiah's Prophetic Burden
🔥 Divine judgment looms over Jerusalem as Jeremiah prophesies destruction for the disobedient city, facing persecution, imprisonment, and mockery for delivering God's unwelcome message
👑 Corrupt leadership receives harsh condemnation—kings who build palaces through injustice, shepherds who scatter God's flock, and false prophets who speak comforting lies instead of God's truth
⚔️ The coming Babylonian exile forms the central punishment, with King Nebuchadnezzar described as God's instrument to conquer Jerusalem, destroy the temple, and deport the people
🌱 Amid devastation, God promises a future restoration through a "Righteous Branch of David" who will reign with justice and gather the scattered remnant back to their homeland
🔍 True prophecy comes directly from standing in "the council of the Lord"—God's authentic word burns like fire and shatters like a hammer, contrasting sharply with the self-serving dreams of false prophets
💔 Jeremiah's emotional turmoil reveals the personal cost of faithful prophecy—feeling deceived by God, wishing he'd never been born, yet compelled to speak as God's message becomes "a fire burning in my heart"
sent him to proph e sy , stood in the court yard of the L ord’ s tem ple, and pro- claimed to all the peo ple, 15 “ This is what the L ord of Ar mies, the God of Is ra el, says: ‘ I am about to bring on this city — and on all its cit ies — ev ery di sas ter that I spoke against it, for they have be come ob sti nate, not obey ing my words.’ ” JEREMIAH BEATEN BY PASHHUR 20 Pash hur the priest, the son of Im mer and chief off i cial in the tem ple of the L ord, heard Jer e mi ah proph e sy ing these things. 2 So Pash hur had the proph et Jer e mi ah beat en and put him in the stocks at the Up per Ben ja min Gate in the L ord’ s tem ple. 3 The next day , when Pash hur re leased Jer e mi ah from the stocks, Jer e mi ah said to him, “ The L ord does not call you Pash hur, but Ter ror Is on Ev ery Side, e 4 for this is what the L ord says, ‘ I am about to make you a ter ror to both your self and those you love. They will fall by the sword of their en e- mies be fore your very eyes. I will hand Ju dah over to the king of Bab ylon, and he will deport them to Bab ylon and put them to the sword. 5 I will give away all the wealth of this city , all its prod ucts and valu ables. In deed, I will hand all the trea sures of the kings of Ju dah over to their en e mies. They will plun der them, seize them, and car ry them off to Bab ylon. 6 As for a18:21 Lit by death b19:1 Syr , Tg; MT omits Take c19:3 Lit about it, his ears will tingle ; Hb obscure d19:5 Lit mentioned, and it did not arise on my heart e20:3 = Magor-missabibJEREMIAH 18-20 686 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 686 10/26/17 9:00 PM you, Pash hur, and all who live in your house, you will go into cap tiv i ty . You will go to Bab- ylon. There you will die, and there you will be bur ied, you and all your friends to whom you proph e sied lies.’ ” JEREMIAH COMPELLED TO PREACH 7 You deceived me, Lord, and I was deceived. You seized me and prevailed. I am a laughingstock all the time; everyone ridicules me. 8 For whenever I speak, I cry out, I proclaim, “Violence and destruction! ” so the word of the Lord has become my constant disgrace and derision. 9 I say , “I won’t mention him or speak any longer in his name.” But his message becomes a fire burning in my heart, shut up in my bones. I become tired of holding it in, and I cannot prevail. 10 For I have heard the gossip of many people, “Terror is on every side! Report him; let’s report him! ” Everyone I trusted a watches for my fall. “Perhaps he will be deceived so that we might prevail against him and take our vengeance on him.” 11 But the Lord is with me like a violent warrior. Therefore, my persecutors will stumble and not prevail. Since they have not succeeded, they will be utterly shamed, an everlasting humiliation that will never be forgotten. 12 Lord of Armies, testing the righteous and seeing the heart b and mind, let me see your vengeance on them, for I have presented my case to you. 13 Sing to the Lord! Praise the Lord, for he rescues the life of the needy from evil people. JEREMIAH’S LAMENT 14 May the day I was born be cursed. May the day my mother bore me never be blessed. 15 May the man be cursed who brought the news to my father, saying, “ A male child is born to you,” bringing him great joy . 16 Let that man be like the cities the Lord demolished without compassion. Let him hear an outcry in the morning and a war cry at noontime 17 because he didn’t kill me in the womb so that my mother might have been my grave, her womb eternally pregnant. 18 Why did I come out of the womb to see only struggle and sorrow , to end my life in shame? ZEDEKIAH’S REQUEST DENIED 21 This is the word that came to Jer e mi ah from the L ord when King Zed e ki ah sent Pash hur son of Mal chi jah and the priest Zeph- a ni ah son of Ma a se iah to Jer e mi ah, ask ing, 2 “In quire of the L ord on our be half, since King Neb u chad nez zar c of Bab ylon is mak ing war against us. Per haps the L ord will per form for us some thing like all his past won drous works so that Neb u chad nez zar will with draw from us.” 3 But Jer e mi ah an swered, “ This is what you are to say to Zed e ki ah: 4 ‘ This is what the L ord, the God of Is ra el, says: I am about to repel the weap ons of war in your hands, those you are us ing to fight the king of Bab ylon and the Chal de ans d who are be sieg ing you out side the wall, and I will bring them into the cen ter of this city . 5 I my self will fight against you with an out stretched hand and a strong arm, with an ger, rage, and in tense wrath. 6 I will strike the res i dents of this city , both peo ple and an i mals. They will die in a se vere plague. 7 Af ter ward — this is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion — King Zed- e ki ah of Ju dah, his off i cers, and the peo ple — those in this city who sur vive the plague, the sword, and the fam ine — I will hand over to King Neb u chad nez zar of Bab ylon, to their en e mies, yes, to those who in tend to take their lives. He will put them to the sword; he won’t spare them or show pity or com pas sion.’ A WARNING FOR THE PEOPLE 8 “ But tell this peo ple, ‘ This is what the L ord says: Look, I am set ting be fore you the way of life and the way of death. 9 Who ev er stays a20:10 Lit Every man of my peace b20:12 Lit kidneys c21:2 Lit Nebuchadrezzar d21:4 = Babylonians 687 JEREMIAH 20-21 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 687 10/26/17 9:00 PM in this city will die by the sword, fam ine, and plague, but who ev er goes out and sur ren ders to the Chal de ans who are be sieg ing you will live and will re tain his life like the spoils of war. 10 For I have set my face against this city to bring di sas ter and not good — this is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion. It will be hand ed over to the king of Bab ylon, who will burn it.’ 11 “ And to the house of the king of Ju dah say this: ‘ Hear the word of the L ord! 12 House of Da vid, this is what the L ord says: Administer justice every morning, and rescue the victim of robbery from his oppressor, or my anger will flare up like fire and burn unquenchably because of your evil deeds. 13 Beware! I am against you, you who sit above the valley , you atop the rocky plateau — this is the Lord’s declaration — you who say , “Who can come down against us? Who can enter our hiding places? ” 14 I will punish you according to what you have done — this is the Lord’s declaration. I will kindle a fire in your forest that will consume everything around it.’ ” JUDGMENT AGAINST SINFUL KINGS 22 This is what the L ord says: “ Go down to the pal ace of the king of Ju dah and an nounce this word there. 2 You are to say , ‘ Hear the word of the L ord, king of Ju dah, you who sit on the throne of Da vid — you, your off i cers, and your peo ple who en ter these gates. 3 This is what the L ord says: Ad min is ter jus tice and righ teous ness. Res cue the vic tim of rob bery from his op pres sor. Don’t ex ploit or bru tal ize the res i dent alien, the fa ther less, or the wid ow . Don’t shed in no cent blood in this place. 4 For if you conscientiously car ry out this word, then kings sit ting on Da vid’s throne will en ter through the gates of this pal ace rid ing on char i ots and hors es — they , their off i cers, and their peo ple. 5 But if you do not obey these words, then I swear by my self — this is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion — that this house will be come a ruin.’ ” 6 For this is what the L ord says con cern ing the house of the king of Ju dah: “You are like Gilead to me, or the summit of Lebanon, but I will certainly turn you into a wilderness, uninhabited cities. 7 I will set apart destroyers against you, each with his weapons. They will cut down the choicest of your cedars and throw them into the fire. 8 “ Many na tions will pass by this city and ask one an oth er, ‘ Why did the L ord do such a thing to this great city? ’ 9 They will an swer, ‘Be cause they aban doned the cov enant of the L ord their God and bowed in wor ship to oth er gods and served them.’ ” A MESSAGE CONCERNING SHALLUM 10 Do not weep for the dead; do not mourn for him. Weep bitterly for the one who has gone away , for he will never return again and see his native land. 11 For this is what the L ord says con cern ing Shal lum son of Jo si ah, king of Ju dah, who be came king in place of his fa ther Jo si ah, and who has left this place: “ He will nev er re turn here again, 12 but he will die in the place where they de port ed him, nev er see ing this land again.” A MESSAGE CONCERNING JEHOIAKIM 13 Woe for the one who builds his palace through unrighteousness, his upstairs rooms through injustice, who makes his neighbor serve without pay and will not give him his wages, 14 who says, “I will build myself a massive palace, with spacious upstairs rooms.” He will cut windows a in it, and it will be paneled with cedar and painted bright red. 15 Are you a king because you excel in cedar? Didn’t your father eat and drink and administer justice and righteousness? Then it went well with him. a22:14 Lit my windowsJEREMIAH 21-22 688 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 688 10/26/17 9:00 PM 16 He took up the case of the poor and needy; then it went well. Is this not what it means to know me? This is the Lord’s declaration. 17 But you have eyes and a heart for nothing except your own dishonest profit, shedding innocent blood and committing extortion and oppression. 18 There fore, this is what the L ord says con cern ing Je hoi a kim son of Jo si ah, king of Ju dah: They will not mourn for him, saying, “Woe, my brother! ” or “Woe, my sister! ” They will not mourn for him, saying, “Woe, lord! Woe, his majesty! ” 19 He will be buried like a donkey , dragged off and thrown outside Jerusalem’s gates. 20 Go up to Lebanon and cry out; raise your voice in Bashan; cry out from Abarim, for all your lovers a have been crushed. 21 I spoke to you when you were secure. You said, “I will not listen.” This has been your way since youth; indeed, you have never listened to me. 22 The wind will take charge of b all your shepherds, and your lovers will go into captivity . Then you will be ashamed and humiliated because of all your evil. 23 You residents of Lebanon, nestled among the cedars, how you will groan c when pains come on you, agony like a woman in labor. A MESSAGE CONCERNING CONIAH 24 “ As I live” — this is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion — “ though you, Coniah d son of Je hoi a kim, the king of Ju dah, were a sig net ring on my right hand, I would tear you from it. 25 In fact, I will hand you over to those you dread, who in tend to take your life, to Neb u chad nez zar king of Bab ylon and the Chal de ans. 26 I will hurl you and the moth er who gave birth to you into an oth er land, where nei ther of you were born, and there you will both die. 27 They will nev er re turn to the land they long to re- turn to.” 28 Is this man Coniah a despised, shattered pot, a jar no one wants? Why are he and his descendants hurled out and cast into a land they have not known? 29 Earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord! 30 This is what the L ord says: Record this man as childless, a man who will not be successful in his lifetime. None of his descendants will succeed in sitting on the throne of David or ruling again in Judah. THE LORD AND HIS SHEEP 23 “ Woe to the shep herds who de stroy and scat ter the sheep of my pas ture! ” This is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion. 2 “There fore, this is what the L ord, the God of Is ra el, says about the shep herds who tend my peo ple: You have scat tered my flock, ban ished them, and have not at tend ed to them. I am about to at tend to you be cause of your evil acts” — this is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion. 3 “ I will gath er the rem nant of my flock from all the lands where I have ban ished them, and I will re turn them to their graz ing land. They will be come fruit ful and nu mer ous. 4 I will raise up shep herds over them who will tend them. They will no lon ger be afraid or dis cour aged, nor will any be miss ing.” This is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion. THE RIGHTEOUS BRANCH OF DAVID 5 “Look, the days are coming” — this is the Lord’s declaration — “when I will raise up a Righteous Branch for David. He will reign wisely as king and administer justice and righteousness in the land. 6 In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely . This is the name he will be called: The Lord Is Our Righteousness. e a22:20 Or friends, or allies, also in v. 22 b22:22 Lit will shepherd c22:23 LXX, Syr , Vg; MT reads will be pitied d22:24 = Jehoiachin e23:6 = Yahweh-zidkenu 689 JEREMIAH 22-23 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 689 10/26/17 9:00 PM 7 “ Look, the days are com ing” — the L ord’ s dec la ra tion — “ when it will no lon ger be said, ‘ As the L ord lives who brought the Is ra el ites from the land of Egypt,’ 8 but, ‘ As the L ord lives, who brought and led the de scen dants of the house of Is ra el from the land of the north and from all the oth er coun tries where I a had ban ished them.’ They will dwell once more in their own land.” FALSE PROPHETS CONDEMNED 9 Con cern ing the proph ets: My heart is broken within me, and all my bones tremble. I have become like a drunkard, like a man overcome by wine, because of the Lord, because of his holy words. 10 For the land is full of adulterers; the land mourns because of the curse, and the grazing lands in the wilderness have dried up. Their way of life b has become evil, and their power is not rightly used 11 because both prophet and priest are ungodly , even in my house I have found their evil. This is the Lord’s declaration. 12 Therefore, their way will seem like slippery paths in the gloom. They will be driven away and fall down there, for I will bring disaster on them, the year of their punishment. This is the Lord’s declaration. 13 Among the prophets of Samaria I saw something disgusting: They prophesied by Baal and led my people Israel astray . 14 Among the prophets of Jerusalem also I saw a horrible thing: They commit adultery and walk in lies. They strengthen the hands of evildoers, and none turns his back on evil. They are all like Sodom to me; Jerusalem’s residents are like Gomorrah. 15 There fore, this is what the L ord of Ar mies says con cern ing the proph ets: I am about to feed them wormwood and give them poisoned water to drink, for from the prophets of Jerusalem ungodliness c has spread throughout the land. 16 This is what the L ord of Ar mies says: “ Do not lis ten to the words of the proph ets who proph e sy to you. They are deluding you. They speak vi sions from their own minds, not from the L ord’ s mouth. 17 They keep on say ing to those who de spise me, ‘ The L ord has spo ken: You will have peace.’ They have said to ev - ery one who fol lows the stub born ness of his heart, ‘ No harm will come to you.’ ” 18 For who has stood in the council of the Lord to see and hear his word? Who has paid attention to his word and obeyed? 19 Look, a storm from the Lord! Wrath has gone out, a whirling storm. It will whirl about the heads of the wicked. 20 The Lord’s anger will not turn away until he has completely fulfilled the purposes of his heart. In time to come you will understand it clearly . 21 I did not send out these prophets, yet they ran. I did not speak to them, yet they prophesied. 22 If they had really stood in my council, they would have enabled my people to hear my words and would have turned them from their evil ways and their evil deeds. 23 “ Am I a God who is only near” — this is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion — “ and not a God who is far away? 24 Can a per son hide in se cret plac es where I can not see him? ” — the L ord’ s dec- la ra tion. “ Do I not fill the heav ens and the earth? ” — the L ord’ s dec la ra tion. 25 “ I have heard what the proph ets who proph e sy a lie in my name have said: ‘ I had a dream! I had a dream! ’ 26 How long will this con tin ue in the minds of the proph ets proph- e sy ing lies, proph ets of the de ceit of their own minds? 27 Through their dreams that they tell one an oth er, they plan to cause my peo ple to for get my name as their fa thers for got my a23:8 LXX reads he b23:10 Lit Their manner of running c23:15 Or pollutionJEREMIAH 23 690 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 690 10/26/17 9:00 PM name through Baal wor ship. 28 The proph et who has only a dream should re count the dream, but the one who has my word should speak my word truth ful ly , for what is straw com pared to grain? ” — this is the L ord’ s dec- la ra tion. 29 “ Is not my word like fire” — this is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion — “ and like a ham mer that pulverizes rock? 30 There fore, take note! I am against the proph ets” — the L ord’ s dec la- ra tion — “ who steal my words from each oth- er. 31 I am against the proph ets” — the L ord’ s dec la ra tion — “ who use their own tongues to make a dec la ra tion. 32 I am against those who proph e sy false dreams” — the L ord’ s dec la ra tion — “tell ing them and lead ing my peo ple astray with their reck less lies. It was not I who sent or com mand ed them, and they are of no ben e fit at all to these peo ple” — this is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion. THE BURDEN OF THE LORD 33 “ Now when these peo ple or a proph et or a priest asks you, ‘ What is the bur den a of the L ord? ’ you will re spond to them, ‘ What is the bur den? I will throw you away! This is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion.’ 34 As for the proph et, priest, or peo ple who say , ‘ The bur den of the L ord,’ I will pun ish that man and his house- hold. 35 This is what each man is to say to his friend and to his broth er: ‘ What has the L ord an swered? ’ or ‘ What has the L ord spo ken? ’ 36 But no lon ger re fer to b the bur den of the L ord, for each man’s word be comes his bur - den and you per vert the words of the liv ing God, the L ord of Ar mies, our God. 37 Say to the proph et, ‘ What has the L ord an swered you? ’ or ‘ What has the L ord spo ken? ’ 38 But if you say , ‘ The bur den of the L ord,’ then this is what the L ord says: Be cause you have said, ‘ The bur den of the L ord,’ and I specifically told you not to say , ‘ The bur den of the L ord,’ 39 I will sure ly for get you. c I will throw you away from my pres ence — both you and the city that I gave you and your fa thers. 40 I will bring on you ever last ing dis grace and hu mil- i a tion that will nev
🌿 Divine Judgment and Restoration
🧺 Two baskets of figs symbolize God's different treatment of Judean exiles—the good figs represent those who will be restored and given "a heart to know" God, while the bad figs represent those facing destruction
⏳ The seventy-year exile in Babylon represents divine punishment for Judah's disobedience, with God using Nebuchadnezzar as His instrument before eventually punishing Babylon itself
🏛️ Jeremiah's temple prophecy provokes death threats when he warns that Jerusalem will become like Shiloh (a destroyed sanctuary), yet officials spare him by recalling how King Hezekiah heeded similar warnings
🔗 The yoke of Babylon serves as both physical symbol and divine message—nations must submit to Nebuchadnezzar or face sword, famine and plague as part of God's sovereign plan
🌪️ God's cup of wrath extends beyond Judah to all nations, demonstrating that divine judgment is universal and inevitable—"How could you possibly go unpunished?"
🔄 Despite severe judgment, God promises eventual restoration for the exiles who will return "with all their heart" and the temple articles that will be brought back from Babylon
er be for got ten.” THE GOOD AND THE BAD FIGS 24 Af ter King Neb u chad nez zar of Bab- ylon had de port ed Jec o ni ah d son of Je hoi a kim king of Ju dah, the off i cials of Ju- dah, and the crafts men and metalsmiths from Je ru sa lem and had brought them to Bab ylon, the L ord showed me two bas kets of figs placed in front of the tem ple of the L ord. 2 One bas ket con tained very good figs, like ear ly figs, but the oth er bas ket con tained very bad figs, so bad they were in ed i ble. 3 The L ord said to me, “ What do you see, Jer e mi ah? ” I said, “ Figs! The good figs are very good, but the bad figs are ex treme ly bad, so bad they are in ed i ble.” 4 The word of the L ord came to me: 5 “ This is what the L ord, the God of Is ra el, says: Like these good figs, so I re gard as good the ex iles from Ju dah I sent away from this place to the land of the Chal de ans. 6 I will keep my eyes on them for their good and will re turn them to this land. I will build them up and not de mol ish them; I will plant them and not up root them. 7 I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the L ord. They will be my peo ple, and I will be their God be cause they will re turn to me with all their heart. 8 “ But as for the bad figs, so bad they are in ed i ble, this is what the L ord says: In this way I will deal with King Zed e ki ah of Ju dah, his off i cials, and the rem nant of Je ru sa lem — those re main ing in this land or liv ing in the land of Egypt. 9 I will make them an ob ject of hor ror and a di sas ter to all the king doms of the earth, an ex am ple for dis grace, scorn, rid i cule, and curs ing, wher ev er I have ban ished them. 10 I will send the sword, fam ine, and plague against them un til they have per ished from the land I gave to them and their an ces tors.” THE SEVENTY-YEAR EXILE 25 This is the word that came to Jer e mi ah con cern ing all the peo ple of Ju dah in the fourth year of Je hoi a kim son of Jo si ah, king of Ju dah ( which was the first year of King Neb u chad nez zar of Bab ylon). 2 The proph et Jer e mi ah spoke con cern ing all the peo ple of Ju dah and all the res i dents of Je ru sa lem as fol lows: 3 “ From the thir teenth year of Jo si ah son of Amon, king of Ju dah, un til this very day — twenty-three years — the word of the L ord has come to me, and I have spo ken to you time and time again, e but you have not obeyed. 4 The L ord sent all his ser vants the proph ets to you time and time again, f but you have not obeyed or even paid at ten tion. g 5 He an nounced, ‘ Turn, each of you, from your evil a23:33 The Hb word for burden (Ex 23:5; 2Sm 15:33) can also mean “oracle” (Is 13:1; Nah 1:10). b23:36 Or longer remember c23:39 Some Hb mss; other Hb mss, LXX, Syr , Vg read surely lift you up d24:1 = Jehoiachin e25:3 Lit you; rising early and speaking f25:4 Lit to you, rising early and sending g25:4 Lit even inclined your ear to hear 691 JEREMIAH 23-25 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 691 10/26/17 9:00 PM way of life and from your evil deeds. Live in the land the L ord gave to you and your an ces tors long ago and for ev er. 6 Do not fol low oth er gods to serve them and to bow in wor ship to them, and do not an ger me by the work of your hands. Then I will do you no harm. 7 “ ‘ But you have not obeyed me’ — this is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion — ‘ with the re sult that you have an gered me by the work of your hands and brought di sas ter on your selves.’ 8 “There fore, this is what the L ord of Ar mies says: ‘Be cause you have not obeyed my words, 9 I am go ing to send for all the fam i lies of the north’ — this is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion — ‘ and send for my ser vant Neb u chad nez zar king of Bab ylon, and I will bring them against this land, against its res i dents, and against all these sur round ing na tions, and I will com plete ly de stroy them and make them an ex am ple of hor ror and scorn, and ru ins for ev er. 10 I will elim i nate the sound of joy and glad ness from them — the voice of the groom and the bride, the sound of the mill stones and the light of the lamp. 11 This whole land will be come a des o late ruin, and these na tions will serve the king of Bab ylon for sev en ty years. 12 When the sev en ty years are com plet ed, I will pun ish the king of Bab ylon and that na tion’ — this is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion — ‘ the land of the Chal de ans, for their in iq ui ty , and I will make it a ruin for ev er. 13 I will bring on that land all my words I have spo ken against it, all that is writ ten in this book that Jer e mi ah proph e sied against all the na- tions. 14 For many na tions and great kings will en slave them, and I will re pay them ac cord ing to their deeds and the work of their hands.’ ” THE CUP OF GOD’S WRATH 15 This is what the L ord, the God of Is ra el, said to me: “ Take this cup of the wine of wrath from my hand and make all the na tions to whom I am send ing you drink from it. 16 They will drink, stag ger, a and go out of their minds be cause of the sword I am send ing among them.” 17 So I took the cup from the L ord ’ s hand and made all the na tions to whom the L ord sent me drink from it. 18 Jerusalem and the other cities of Judah, its kings and its officials, to make them a desolate ruin, an example for scorn and cursing — as it is today; 19 Pharaoh king of Egypt, his officers, his leaders, all his people,20 and all the mixed peoples; all the kings of the land of Uz; all the kings of the land of the Philistines — Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod; 21 Edom, Moab, and the Ammonites; 22 all the kings of Tyre, all the kings of Sidon,and the kings of the coasts and islands; 23 Dedan, Tema, Buz, and all those who clip the hair on their temples; b 24 all the kings of Arabia, and all the kings of the mixed peoples who have settled in the desert; 25 all the kings of Zimri, all the kings of Elam,and all the kings of Media; 26 all the kings of the north, both near and far from one another;that is, all the kingdoms of the world throughout the earth. Finally , the king of Sheshach c will drink after them. 27 “ Then you are to say to them, ‘ This is what the L ord of Ar mies, the God of Is ra el, says: Drink, get drunk, and vom it. Fall down and nev er get up again, as a re sult of the sword I am send ing among you.’ 28 If d they re fuse to ac cept the cup from your hand and drink, you are to say to them, ‘ This is what the L ord of Ar mies says: You must drink! 29 For I am al ready bring ing di sas ter on the city that bears my name, so how could you pos si bly go un pun- ished? You will not go un pun ished, for I am sum mon ing a sword against all the in hab i- tants of the earth. This is the dec la ra tion of the L ord of Ar mies.’ JUDGMENT ON THE WHOLE WORLD 30 “ As for you, you are to proph e sy all these things to them, and say to them: The Lord roars from on high; he makes his voice heard from his holy dwelling. He roars loudly over his grazing land; he calls out with a shout, like those who tread grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth. 31 The tumult reaches to the ends of the earth because the Lord brings a case against the nations. a25:16 Or vomit b25:23 Or who live in distant places c25:26 = Babylon d25:28 Or WhenJEREMIAH 25 692 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 692 10/26/17 9:00 PM He enters into judgment with all people. As for the wicked, he hands them over to the sword — this is the Lord’s declaration. 32 “ This is what the L ord of Ar mies says: Pay attention! Disaster spreads from nation to nation. A huge storm is stirred up from the ends of the earth.” 33 Those slain by the L ord on that day will be scat tered from one end of the earth to the oth er. They will not be mourned, gath ered, or bur ied. They will be like ma nure on the soil’s sur face. 34 Wail, you shepherds, and cry out. Roll in the dust, you leaders of the flock. Because the days of your slaughter have come, you will fall and become shattered like a precious vase. 35 Flight will be impossible for the shepherds, and escape, for the leaders of the flock. 36 Hear the sound of the shepherds’ cry , the wail of the leaders of the flock, for the Lord is destroying their pasture. 37 Peaceful grazing land will become lifeless because of the Lord’s burning anger. 38 He has left his den like a lion, for their land has become a desolation because of the sword a of the oppressor, because of his burning anger. JEREMIAH’S SPEECH IN THE TEMPLE 26 At the be gin ning of the reign of Je- hoi a kim son of Jo si ah, king of Ju dah, this word came from the L ord: 2 “ This is what the L ord says: Stand in the court yard of the L ord’ s tem ple and speak all the words I have com mand ed you to speak to all Ju dah’s cit ies that are com ing to wor ship there. Do not hold back a word. 3 Per haps they will lis ten and turn — each from his evil way of life — so that I might re lent con cern ing the di sas ter that I plan to do to them be cause of the evil of their deeds. 4 You are to say to them, ‘ This is what the L ord says: If you do not lis ten to me by liv ing ac cord ing to my in struc tion that I set be fore you 5 and by lis ten ing to the words of my ser vants the proph ets — whom I have been send ing to you time and time again, b though you did not lis ten — 6 I will make this tem ple like Shi loh. I will make this city an ex am ple for curs ing for all the na tions of the earth.’ ” JEREMIAH SEIZED 7 The priests, the proph ets, and all the peo ple heard Jer e mi ah speak ing these words in the tem ple of the L ord. 8 When he fin ished the ad dress the L ord had com mand ed him to de- liv er to all the peo ple, im me di ate ly the priests, the proph ets, and all the peo ple took hold of him, yell ing, “ You must sure ly die! 9 How dare you proph e sy in the name of the L ord, ‘ This tem ple will be come like Shi loh and this city will be come an uninhabited ruin’! ” Then all the peo ple crowd ed around Jer e mi ah at the L ord’ s tem ple. 10 When the off i cials of Ju dah heard about these things, they went from the king’s pal ace to the L ord’ s tem ple and sat at the en trance of the New Gate of the L ord’ s tem ple. c 11 Then the priests and proph ets said to the off i cials and all the peo ple, “ This man de serves the death sen tence be cause he has proph e sied against this city , as you have heard with your own ears.” JEREMIAH’S DEFENSE 12 Then Jer e mi ah said to all the off i cials and all the peo ple, “ The L ord sent me to proph e sy all the words that you have heard against this tem ple and city . 13 So now , cor rect your ways and deeds, and obey the L ord your God so that he might re lent con cern ing the di sas- ter he had pro nounced against you. 14 As for me, here I am in your hands; do to me what you think is good and right. 15 But know for cer tain that if you put me to death, you will bring in no cent blood on your selves, on this city , and on its res i dents, for it is cer tain the L ord has sent me to speak all these things di rect ly to you.” JEREMIAH RELEASED 16 Then the off i cials and all the peo ple told the priests and proph ets, “ This man doesn’t de serve the death sen tence, for he has spo- ken to us in the name of the L ord our God! ” a25:38 Some Hb mss, LXX, Tg; other Hb mss read burning b26:5 Lit you, rising early and sending c26:10 Many Hb mss, Syr , Tg, Vg; other Hb mss read the New Gate of the Lord 693 JEREMIAH 25-26 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 693 10/26/17 9:00 PM 17 Some of the el ders of the land stood up and said to all the as sem bled peo ple, 18 “Mi cah the Mo re shite proph e sied in the days of King Hez e ki ah of Ju dah and said to all the peo ple of Ju dah, ‘ This is what the L ord of Ar mies says: Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become ruins, and the temple’s mountain will be a high thicket.’ 19 Did King Hez e ki ah of Ju dah and all the peo ple of Ju dah put him to death? Did not the king fear the L ord and plead for the L ord’ s fa vor, a and did not the L ord re lent con cern ing the di sas ter he had pro nounced against them? We are about to bring a ter ri ble di sas ter on our selves! ” THE PROPHET URIAH 20 An oth er man was also proph e sy ing in the name of the L ord — Uri ah son of She ma iah from Kiriath-jearim. He proph e sied against this city and against this land in words like all those of Jer e mi ah. 21 King Je hoi a kim, all his war riors, and all the o ff i cials heard his words, and the king tried to put him to death. When Uri ah heard, he fled in fear and went to Egypt. 22 But King Je hoi a kim sent men to Egypt: El na than son of Ach bor and cer tain oth er men with him went to Egypt. 23 They brought Uri ah out of Egypt and took him to King Je hoi a kim, who ex e cut ed him with the sword and threw his corpse into the buri al place of the com mon peo ple. b 24 But Ahi kam son of Sha phan sup port ed Jer e mi ah, so he was not hand ed over to the peo ple to be put to death. THE YOKE OF BABYLON 27 At the be gin ning of the reign of Zed e- ki ah c son of Jo si ah, king of Ju dah, this word came to Jer e mi ah from the L ord: d 2 This is what the L ord said to me: “ Make chains and yoke bars for your self and put them on your neck. 3 Send word to the king of Edom, the king of Moab, the king of the Am mon ites, the king of Tyre, and the king of Si don through mes sen gers who are com ing to King Zed e ki ah of Ju dah in Je ru sa lem. 4 Com mand them to go to their mas ters, say ing, ‘ This is what the L ord of Ar mies, the God of Is ra el, says: Tell this to your mas ters: 5 “ By my great strength and out stretched arm, I made the earth, and the peo ple, and an i mals on the face of the earth. I give it to any one I please. e 6 So now I have placed all these lands un der the au thor i ty of my ser vant Neb u chad nez zar, king of Bab- ylon. I have even giv en him the wild an i mals to serve him. 7 All na tions will serve him, his son, and his grand son un til the time for his own land comes, and then many na tions and great kings will en slave him. 8 “ ‘ “ As for the na tion or king dom that does not serve King Neb u chad nez zar of Bab ylon and does not place its neck un der the yoke of the king of Bab ylon, that na tion I will pun ish by sword, fam ine, and plague — this is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion — un til through him I have de stroyed it. 9 So you should not lis ten to your proph ets, di vin ers, dream ers, fortune-tellers, or sor cer ers who say to you, ‘ Don’t serve the king of Bab ylon! ’ 10 They are proph e sy ing a lie to you so that you will be re moved from your land. I will ban ish you, and you will per ish. 11 But as for the na tion that will put its neck un der the yoke of the king of Bab ylon and serve him, I will leave it in its own land, and that na tion will cul ti vate f it and re side in it. This is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion.” ’ ” WARNING TO ZEDEKIAH 12 I spoke to King Zed e ki ah of Ju dah in the same way: “ Put your necks un der the yoke of the king of Bab ylon, serve him and his peo ple, and live! 13 Why should you and your peo ple die by the sword, fam ine, and plague as the L ord has threat ened against any na tion that does not serve the king of Bab ylon? 14 Do not lis ten to the words of the proph ets who are tell ing you, ‘ Don’t serve the king of Bab ylon,’ for they are proph e sy ing a lie to you. 15 ‘ I have not sent them’ — this is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion — ‘ and they are proph e sy ing false ly in my name; there fore, I will ban ish you, and you will per ish — you and the proph ets who are proph e sy ing to you.’ ” 16 Then I spoke to the priests and all these peo ple, say ing, “ This is what the L ord says: ‘ Do not lis ten to the words of your proph ets. They are proph e sy ing to you, claim ing, “ Look, very soon now the ar ti cles of the L ord’ s tem- ple will be brought back from Bab ylon.” They are proph e sy ing a lie to you. 17 Do not lis ten to them. Serve the king of Bab ylon and live! Why should this city be come a ruin? 18 If they are a26:19 Or and appease the Lord b26:23 Lit the sons of the people c27:1 Some Hb mss, Syr , Arabic; other Hb mss, DSS read Jehoiakim d27:1 LXX omits this v. e27:5 Lit to whomever is upright in my eyes f27:11 Lit workJEREMIAH 26-27 694 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 694 10/26/17 9:00 PM in deed proph ets and if the word of the L ord is with them, let them in ter cede with the L ord of Ar mies not to let the ar ti cles that re main in the L ord’ s tem ple, in the pal ace of the king of Ju dah, and in Je ru sa lem go to Bab ylon.’ 19 For this is what the L ord of Ar mies says about the pil lars, the ba sin, a the wa ter carts, and the rest of the ar ti cles that still re main in this city , 20 those King Neb u chad nez zar of Bab ylon did not take when he de port ed Jec o ni ah b son of Je hoi a kim, king of Ju dah, from Je ru sa lem to Bab ylon along with all the no bles of Ju dah and Je ru sa lem. 21 Yes, this is what the L ord of Ar - mies, the God of Is ra el, says about the ar ti cles that re main in the tem ple of the L ord, in the pal ace of the king of Ju dah, and in Je ru sa lem: 22 ‘ They will be tak en to Bab ylon and will re main there un til I at tend to them again.’ This is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion. ‘ Then I will bring them up
📜 Prophetic Confrontation and Restoration
🔥 False prophet Hananiah boldly contradicts Jeremiah by promising Babylon's swift defeat and the return of temple treasures within two years, leading to a dramatic confrontation where Hananiah breaks Jeremiah's symbolic yoke
⚖️ Divine judgment falls upon false prophets who mislead the people—Hananiah dies within a year as Jeremiah foretold, while Shemaiah faces punishment for preaching rebellion against God's plan
🏘️ God instructs the exiled Israelites to build homes, plant gardens, and seek peace in Babylon during their 70-year captivity, revealing His ultimate plan for their welfare and restoration
🌱 The promise of a new covenant transforms Israel's future—God will write His law on their hearts, gather His scattered people, and establish an everlasting relationship built on forgiveness rather than punishment
💔 Despite Israel's suffering, God speaks with deep parental compassion: "I have loved you with an everlasting love" and "Isn't Ephraim a precious son to me, a delightful child?"
🌄 The ultimate restoration will bring joy, abundance, and healing to God's people—"They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion" as mourning turns to dancing
and re store them to this place.’ ” HANANIAH’S FALSE PROPHECY 28 In that same year, at the be gin ning of the reign of King Zed e ki ah of Ju dah, in the fifth month of the fourth year, the proph et Han a ni ah son of Az zur from Gib e on said to me in the tem ple of the L ord in the pres ence of the priests and all the peo ple, 2 “ This is what the L ord of Ar mies, the God of Is ra el, says: ‘ I have bro ken the yoke of the king of Bab ylon. 3 With in two years I will re store to this place all the ar ti cles of the L ord’ s tem ple that King Neb u chad nez zar of Bab ylon took from here and transported to Bab ylon. 4 And I will re store to this place Jec o ni ah b son of Je hoi a kim, king of Ju dah, and all the ex iles from Ju dah who went to Bab ylon’ — this is the L ord’ s dec la- ra tion — ‘ for I will break the yoke of the king of Bab ylon.’ ” JEREMIAH’S RESPONSE TO HANANIAH 5 The proph et Jer e mi ah re plied to the proph et Han a ni ah in the pres ence of the priests and all the peo ple who were stand ing in the tem- ple of the L ord. 6 The proph et Jer e mi ah said, “ Amen! May the L ord do that. May the L ord make the words you have proph e sied come true and may he re store the ar ti cles of the L ord’ s tem ple and all the ex iles from Bab ylon to this place! 7 Only lis ten to this mes sage I am speak ing in your hear ing and in the hear ing of all the peo ple. 8 The proph ets who pre ced ed you and me from an cient times proph e sied war, di sas ter, c and plague against many lands and great king doms. 9 As for the proph et who proph e sies peace — only when the word of the proph et comes true will the proph et be rec og nized as one the L ord has tru ly sent.” HANANIAH BREAKS JEREMIAH’S YOKE 10 The proph et Han a ni ah then took the yoke bar from the neck of the proph et Jer e mi ah and broke it. 11 In the pres ence of all the peo- ple Han a ni ah pro claimed, “ This is what the L ord says: ‘ In this way , with in two years I will break the yoke of King Neb u chad nez zar of Bab ylon from the neck of all the na tions.’ ” The proph et Jer e mi ah then went on his way . THE LORD’S WORD AGAINST HANANIAH 12 Af ter the proph et Han a ni ah had bro ken the yoke bar from the neck of the proph et Jer e mi ah, the word of the L ord came to Jer - e mi ah: 13 “ Go say to Han a ni ah, ‘ This is what the L ord says: You broke a wood en yoke bar, but in its place you will make an iron yoke bar. 14 For this is what the L ord of Ar mies, the God of Is ra el, says: I have put an iron yoke on the neck of all these na tions that they might serve King Neb u chad nez zar of Bab ylon, and they will serve him. I have even put the wild an i mals un der him.’ ” 15 The proph et Jer e mi ah said to the proph et Han a ni ah, “Lis ten, Han a ni ah! The L ord did not send you, but you have led these peo ple to trust in a lie. 16 There fore, this is what the L ord says: ‘ I am about to send you off the face of the earth. You will die this year be cause you have preached re bel lion against the L ord.’ ” 17 And the proph et Han a ni ah died that year in the sev enth month. JEREMIAH’S LETTER TO THE EXILES 29 This is the text of the let ter that the proph et Jer e mi ah sent from Je ru sa lem to the re main ing ex iled el ders, the priests, the proph ets, and all the peo ple Neb u chad nez zar had de port ed from Je ru sa lem to Bab ylon. 2 This was af ter King Jec o ni ah, b the queen moth er, the court off i cials, the off i cials of Ju dah and Je ru sa lem, the crafts men, and the metalsmiths had left Je ru sa lem. 3 He sent the let ter with El a sah son of Sha phan and Gem a ri ah son of Hil ki ah, whom Zed e ki ah king of Ju dah sent to Bab ylon to King Neb u chad nez zar of Bab ylon. The let ter stat ed: a27:19 Lit sea b27:20; 28:4; 29:2 = Jehoiachin c28:8 Some Hb mss, Vg read famine 695 JEREMIAH 27-29 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 695 10/26/17 9:00 PM 4 This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says to all the exiles I deported from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 “Build hous - es and live in them. Plant gardens and eat their produce. 6 Find wives for yourselves, and have sons and daughters. Find wives for your sons and give your daughters to men in marriage so that they may bear sons and daughters. Multiply there; do not decrease. 7 Pursue the well-being a of the city I have deported you to. Pray to the Lord on its behalf, for when it thrives, you will thrive.” 8 For this is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says: “Don’t let your prophets who are among you and your diviners deceive you, and don’t listen to the dreams you elicit from them, 9 for they are prophesying falsely to you in my name. I have not sent them.” This is the Lord’s declaration. 10 For this is what the Lord says: “When seventy years for Babylon are complete, I will attend to you and will confirm my promise concerning you to restore you to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you” — this is the Lord’s declaration — “plans for your well-being, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. 12 You will call to me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you” — this is the Lord’s declaration — “and I will restore your fortunes b and gather you from all the nations and plac - es where I banished you” — this is the Lord’s declaration. “I will restore you to the place from which I deported you.” 15 You have said, “The Lord has raised up prophets for us in Babylon! ” 16 But this is what the Lord says concerning the king sitting on David’s throne and concerning all the people living in this city — that is, concerning your brothers who did not go with you into exile. 17 This is what the Lord of Armies says: “I am about to send sword, famine, and plague against them, and I will make them like rotten figs that are inedible because they are so bad. 18 I will pursue them with sword, famine, and plague. I will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth — a curse and a desolation, an object of scorn and a disgrace among all the nations where I have banished them. 19 I will do this because they have not listened to my words” — this is the Lord’s declaration — “the words that I sent to them with my servants the prophets time and time again. c And you too have not listened.” This is the Lord’s declaration. 20 Hear the word of the Lord, all you exiles I have sent from Jerusalem to Bab - ylon. 21 This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says about Ahab son of Kolaiah and concerning Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, the ones prophesying a lie to you in my name: “I am about to hand them over to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, and he will kill them before your very eyes. 22 Based on what happens to them, all the exiles of Judah who are in Babylon will create a curse that says, ‘May the Lord make you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire! ’ 23 because they have committed an outrage in Israel by com - mitting adultery with their neighbors’ wives and have spoken in my name a lie, which I did not command them. I am he who knows, and I am a witness.” This is the Lord’s declaration. 24 To Shemaiah the Nehelamite you are to say , 25 “This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says: You d in your own name have sent out letters to all the peo - ple of Jerusalem, to the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah, and to all the priests, saying, 26 ‘The Lord has appointed you priest in place of the priest Jehoiada to be the chief officer in the temple of the Lord, responsible for every madman who acts like a prophet. You must confine him in the stocks and an iron collar. 27 So now , why have you not rebuked Jeremiah of Anathoth who has been acting like a prophet among you? 28 For he has sent word to us in Babylon, claiming, “The exile will be long. Build houses and settle down. Plant gardens and eat their produce.” ’ ” a29:7 Or peace b29:14 Or will end your captivity c29:19 Lit prophets, rising up early and sending d29:25 Lit Because youJEREMIAH 29 696 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 696 10/26/17 9:00 PM 29 The priest Zeph a ni ah read this let ter in the hear ing of the proph et Jer e mi ah. A MESSAGE ABOUT SHEMAIAH 30 Then the word of the L ord came to Jer e mi ah: 31 “ Send a mes sage to all the ex iles, say ing, ‘ This is what the L ord says con cern ing She ma iah the Ne hel a mite. Be cause She ma iah proph e sied to you, though I did not send him, and made you trust a lie, 32 this is what the L ord says: I am about to pun ish She ma iah the Ne hel a mite and his de scen dants. There will not be even one of his de scen dants liv ing among these peo ple, nor will any ever see the good that I will bring to my peo ple — this is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion — for he has preached re bel lion against the L ord.’ ” RESTORATION FROM CAPTIVITY 30 This is the word that came to Jer e mi ah from the L ord. 2 “ This is what the L ord, the God of Is ra el, says: Write on a scroll all the words that I have spo ken to you, 3 for look, the days are com ing” — this is the L ord’ s dec la- ra tion — “ when I will re store the for tunes a of my peo ple Is ra el and Ju dah,” says the L ord. “ I will re store them to the land I gave to their an ces tors and they will pos sess it.” 4 These are the words the L ord spoke to Is ra el and Ju dah. 5 This is what the L ord says: We have heard a cry of terror, of dread — there is no peace. 6 Ask and see whether a male can give birth. Why then do I see every man with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor and every face turned pale? 7 How awful that day will be! There will be no other like it! It will be a time of trouble for Jacob, but he will be saved out of it. 8 On that day — this is the declaration of the Lord of Armies — I will break his yoke from your neck and tear off your chains, and strangers will never again enslave him. 9 They will serve the Lord their God and David their king, whom I will raise up for them. 10 As for you, my servant Jacob, do not be afraid — this is the Lord’s declaration — and do not be discouraged, Israel, for without fail I will save you out of a distant place, your descendants, from the land of their captivity! Jacob will return and have calm and quiet with no one to frighten him. 11 For I will be with you — this is the Lord’s declaration — to save you! I will bring destruction on all the nations where I have scattered you; however, I will not bring destruction on you. I will discipline you justly , and I will by no means leave you unpunished. HEALING ZION’S WOUNDS 12 For this is what the L ord says: Your injury is incurable; your wound most severe. 13 You have no defender for your case. There is no remedy for your sores, and no healing for you. b 14 All your lovers have forgotten you; they no longer look for you, for I have struck you as an enemy would, with the discipline of someone cruel, because of your enormous guilt and your innumerable sins. 15 Why do you cry out about your injury? Your pain has no cure! I have done these things to you because of your enormous guilt and your innumerable sins. 16 Nevertheless, all who devoured you will be devoured, and all your adversaries — all of them — will go off into exile. Those who plunder you will be plundered, and all who raid you will be raided. 17 But I will bring you health and will heal you of your wounds — this is the Lord’s declaration — a30:3 Or will end the captivity b30:13 Or No one pleads that your sores should be healed. There is no remedy for you. 697 JEREMIAH 29-30 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 697 10/26/17 9:00 PM for they call you Outcast, Zion whom no one cares about. RESTORATION OF THE LAND 18 This is what the L ord says: I will certainly restore the fortunes a of Jacob’s tents and show compassion on his dwellings. Every city will be rebuilt on its mound; every citadel will stand on its proper site. 19 Thanksgiving will come out of them, a sound of rejoicing. I will multiply them, and they will not decrease; I will honor them, and they will not be insignificant. 20 His children will be as in past days; his congregation will be established in my presence. I will punish all his oppressors. 21 Jacob’s leader will be one of them; his ruler will issue from him. I will invite him to me, and he will approach me, for who would otherwise risk his life to approach me? This is the Lord’s declaration. 22 You will be my people, and I will be your God. THE WRATH OF GOD 23 Look, a storm from the Lord! Wrath has gone out, a churning storm. It will whirl about the heads of the wicked. 24 The Lord’s burning anger will not turn back until he has completely fulfilled the purposes of his heart. In time to come you will understand it. GOD’S RELATIONSHIP WITH HIS PEOPLE 31 “ At that time” — this is the L ord’ s dec- la ra tion — “ I will be the God of all the fam i lies of Is ra el, and they will be my peo ple.” 2 This is what the L ord says: The people who survived the sword found favor in the wilderness. When Israel went to find rest, 3 the Lord appeared to him b from far away . I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore, I have continued to extend faithful love to you. 4 Again I will build you so that you will be rebuilt, Virgin Israel. You will take up your tambourines again and go out in joyful dancing. 5 You will plant vineyards again on the mountains of Samaria; the planters will plant and will enjoy the fruit. 6 For there will be a day when watchmen will call out in the hill country of Ephraim, “Come, let’s go up to Zion, to the Lord our God! ” GOD’S PEOPLE BROUGHT HOME 7 For this is what the L ord says: Sing with joy for Jacob; shout for the foremost of the nations! Proclaim, praise, and say , “Lord, save your people, the remnant of Israel! ” 8 Watch! I am going to bring them from the northern land. I will gather them from remote regions of the earth — the blind and the lame will be with them, along with those who are pregnant and those about to give birth. They will return here as a great assembly! 9 They will come weeping, but I will bring them back with consolation. c I will lead them to wadis filled with water, by a smooth way where they will not stumble, for I am Israel’s Father, and Ephraim is my firstborn. 10 Nations, hear the word of the Lord, and tell it among the far off coasts and islands! Say , “The one who scattered Israel will gather him. He will watch over him as a shepherd guards his flock, a30:18 Or certainly end the captivity b31:3 LXX; MT reads me c31:9 LXX; MT reads supplicationsJEREMIAH 30-31 698 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 698 10/26/17 9:00 PM 11 for the Lord has ransomed Jacob and redeemed him from the power of one stronger than he.” 12 They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion; they will be radiant with joy because of the Lord’s goodness, because of the grain, the new wine, the fresh oil, and because of the young of the flocks and herds. Their life will be like an irrigated garden, and they will no longer grow weak from hunger. 13 Then the young women will rejoice with dancing, while young and old men rejoice together. I will turn their mourning into joy , give them consolation, and bring happiness out of grief. 14 I will refresh the priests with an abundance, a and my people will be satisfied with my goodness. This is the Lord’s declaration. LAMENT TURNED TO JOY 15 This is what the L ord says: A voice was heard in Ramah, a lament with bitter weeping — Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted for her children because they are no more. 16 This is what the L ord says: Keep your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for the reward for your work will come — this is the Lord’s declaration — and your children will return from the enemy’s land. 17 There is hope for your future — this is the Lord’s declaration — and your children will return to their own territory . 18 I have surely heard Ephraim moaning, “You disciplined me, and I have been disciplined like an untrained calf. Take me back, so that I can return, for you, Lord, are my God. 19 After my return, I felt regret; After I was instructed, I struck my thigh in grief. I was ashamed and humiliated because I bore the disgrace of my youth.” 20 Isn’t Ephraim a precious son to me, a delightful child? Whenever I speak against him, I certainly still think about him. Therefore, my inner being yearns for him; I will truly have compassion on him. This is the Lord’s declaration. REPENTANCE AND RESTORATION 21 Set up road markers for yourself; establish signposts! Keep the highway in mind, the way you have traveled. Return, Virgin Israel! Return to these cities of yours. 22 How long will you turn here and there, faithless daughter? For the Lord creates something new in the land b — a female c will shelter d a man. 23 This is what the L ord of Ar mies, the God of Is ra el, says: “ When I re store their for tunes, e they will once again speak this word in the land of Ju dah and in its cit ies: ‘ May the L ord bless you, righ teous set tle ment, holy moun tain.’ 24 Ju dah and all its cit ies will live in it to geth er — also farm ers and those who move f with the flocks — 25 for I sat is fy the thirsty per son and feed all those who are weak.” 26 At this I awoke and looked around. My sleep had been most pleas ant to me. 27 “ Look, the days are com ing” — this is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion — “ when I will sow the house of Is ra el and the house of Ju dah with the seed of peo ple and the seed of an i mals. 28 Just as I watched over them to up root and to tear them down, to de mol ish and to de- stroy , and to cause di sas ter, so will I watch over them to build and to plant them” — this is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion. 29 “ In those days, it will nev er again be said, a31:14 Lit fatness b31:22 Or new on earth c31:22 Or woman d31:22 Or female surrounds, or female courts ; Hb obscure e31:23 Or I end their captivity f31:24 Tg, Vg, Aq, Sym; MT reads and they will move 699 JEREMIAH 31 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 699 10/26/17 9:00 PM ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.’ 30 Rath er, each will die for his own in iq ui ty . Any one who eats sour grapes — his own teeth will be set on edge. THE NEW COVENANT 31 “ Look, the days are com ing” — this is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion — “ when I will make a new cov enant with the house of Is ra el and with the house of Ju dah. 32 This one will not be like the cov enant I made with their an - ces tors on the day I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt — my cov enant that they broke even though I am their mas ter” a — the L ord’ s dec la ra tion. 33 “In- stead, this is the cov enant I will make with the house of Is ra el af ter those days” — the L ord’ s dec la ra tion. “ I will put my teach ing with in them and write
📜 Divine Covenant Promises
🔄 Restoration promised despite punishment—God declares He will gather His scattered people, rebuild Jerusalem, and restore prosperity to the desolate land
🤝 New covenant established with Israel that transforms hearts, forgives iniquity, and creates an unbreakable relationship where "I will be their God, and they will be my people"
👑 A future Righteous Branch from David's line will administer justice, with the promise that David's throne will never lack an heir
🏞️ Jeremiah's symbolic land purchase during Jerusalem's siege demonstrates faith in God's promise of return and restoration
🔊 God's covenant promises are as permanent as natural laws—as fixed as the order of sun, moon, and stars
🗣️ Despite imminent Babylonian captivity and judgment for disobedience, God assures ultimate redemption and the return of "joy and gladness" to the land
it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my peo ple. 34 No lon ger will one teach his neigh bor or his broth er, say ing, ‘ Know the L ord,’ for they will all know me, from the least to the great est of them” — this is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion. “ For I will for give their in iq ui ty and nev er again re mem ber their sin. 35 “ This is what the L ord says: The one who gives the sun for light by day , the fixed order of moon and stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea and makes its waves roar — the Lord of Armies is his name: 36 If this fixed order departs from before me — this is the Lord’s declaration — only then will Israel’s descendants cease to be a nation before me forever. 37 “ This is what the L ord says: Only if the heavens above can be measured and the foundations of the earth below explored, will I reject all of Israel’s descendants because of all they have done — this is the Lord’s declaration. 38 “ Look, the days are com ing” — the L ord’ s dec la ra tion — “ when the city b from the Tow er of Han a nel to the Cor ner Gate will be re built for the L ord. 39 A mea sur ing line will once again stretch out straight to the hill of Ga reb and then turn to ward Goah. 40 The whole val ley — the corpses, the ash es, and all the fields as far as the Kid ron Val ley to the cor ner of the Horse Gate to the east — will be holy to the L ord. It will nev er be up root ed or de mol ished again.” JEREMIAH’S LAND PURCHASE 32 This is the word that came to Jer e mi ah from the L ord in the tenth year of King Zed e ki ah of Ju dah, which was the eigh teenth year of Neb u chad nez zar. 2 At that time, the army of the king of Bab ylon was be sieg ing Je ru sa lem, and the proph et Jer e mi ah was im pris oned in the guard’s court yard in the pal ace of the king of Ju dah. 3 King Zed e ki ah of Ju dah had im pris oned him, say ing, “ Why are you proph e sy ing as you do? You say , ‘ This is what the L ord says: Look, I am about to hand this city over to Bab ylon’s king, and he will cap ture it. 4 King Zed e ki ah of Ju dah will not es cape from the Chal de ans; in deed, he will cer tain ly be hand ed over to Bab ylon’s king. They will speak face to face c and meet eye to eye. 5 He will take Zed e ki ah to Bab ylon, where he will stay un til I at tend to him — this is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion. For you will fight the Chal de ans, but you will not suc ceed.’ ” 6 Jer e mi ah re plied, “ The word of the L ord came to me: 7 Watch! Han a mel, the son of your un cle Shal lum, is com ing to you to say , ‘ Buy my field in An a thoth for your self, for you own the right of re demp tion to buy it.’ 8 “ Then, as the L ord had said, my cous in Han a mel came to the guard’s court yard and urged me, ‘ Please buy my field in An a thoth in the land of Ben ja min, for you own the right of in her i tance and re demp tion. Buy it for your - self.’ Then I knew that this was the word of the L ord. 9 So I bought the field in An a thoth from my cous in Han a mel, and I weighed out the sil ver to him — sev en teen shek els d of sil ver. 10 I re cord ed it on a scroll, sealed it, called in wit ness es, and weighed out the sil ver on the scales. 11 I took the pur chase agree ment — the sealed copy with its terms and con di tions and the open copy — 12 and gave the pur chase agree ment to Bar uch son of Ne ri ah, son of Mah se iah. I did this in the sight of my cous- in e Han a mel, the wit ness es who had signed a31:32 Or husband b31:38 = Jerusalem c32:4 Lit His mouth will speak with his mouth d32:9 About seven ounces e32:12 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr; other Hb mss read uncleJEREMIAH 31-32 700 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 700 10/26/17 9:00 PM the pur chase agree ment, and all the Ju de ans sit ting in the guard’s court yard. 13 “ I charged Bar uch in their sight, 14 ‘ This is what the L ord of Ar mies, the God of Is ra- el, says: Take these scrolls — this pur chase agree ment with the sealed copy and this open copy — and put them in an earth en stor age jar so they will last a long time. 15 For this is what the L ord of Ar mies, the God of Is ra el, says: Hous es, fields, and vine yards will again be bought in this land.’ 16 “ Af ter I had giv en the pur chase agree- ment to Bar uch, son of Ne ri ah, I prayed to the L ord: 17 Oh, Lord G od! You your self made the heav ens and earth by your great pow er and with your out stretched arm. Noth ing is too diff i cult for you! 18 You show faith ful love to thou sands but lay the fa thers’ in iq ui ty on their sons’ laps af ter them, great and mighty God whose name is the L ord of Ar mies, 19 the one great in coun sel and pow er ful in ac tion. Your eyes are on all the ways of the chil dren of men a in or der to re ward each per son ac- cord ing to his ways and as the re sult of his ac tions. 20 You per formed signs and won ders in the land of Egypt and still do to day , both in Is ra el and among all man kind. You made a name for your self, as is the case to day . 21 You brought your peo ple Is ra el out of Egypt with signs and won ders, with a strong hand and an out stretched arm, and with great ter ror. 22 You gave them this land you swore to give to their an ces tors, a land flow ing with milk and hon ey . 23 They en tered and pos sessed it, but they did not obey you or live ac cord ing to your in struc tions. They failed to per form all you com mand ed them to do, and so you have brought all this di sas ter on them. 24 Look! Siege ramps have come against the city to cap ture it, and the city , as a re sult of the sword, fam- ine, and plague, has been hand ed over to the Chal de ans who are fight ing against it. What you have spo ken has hap pened. Look, you can see it! 25 Yet you, Lord G od, have said to me, ‘Pur chase the field and call in wit ness es’ — even though the city has been hand ed over to the Chal de ans! ” 26 The word of the L ord came to Jer e mi ah: 27 “ Look, I am the L ord , the God over ev ery crea ture. Is any thing too diff i cult for me? 28 There fore, this is what the L ord says: I am about to hand this city over to the Chal de ans, to Bab ylon’s king Neb u chad nez zar, and he will cap ture it. 29 The Chal de ans who are fight ing against this city will come and set this city on fire. They will burn it, in clud ing the hous es where in cense has been burned to Baal on their rooftops and where drink off er ings have been poured out to oth er gods to an ger me. 30 From their youth, the Is ra el ites and Ju de- ans have done noth ing but what is evil in my sight! They have done noth ing but an ger me by the work of their hands” — this is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion — 31 “ for this city has caused my wrath and fury from the day it was built un til now . I will there fore re move it from my pres- ence 32 be cause of all the evil the Is ra el ites and Ju de ans have done to an ger me — they , their kings, their off i cials, their priests, and their proph ets, the men of Ju dah, and the res i dents of Je ru sa lem. 33 They have turned their backs to me and not their fac es. Though I taught them time and time again, b they do not lis ten and re ceive dis ci pline. 34 They have placed their ab hor rent things in the house that bears my name and have de filed it. 35 They have built the high plac es of Baal in Ben Hin nom Val ley to sac ri fice their sons and daugh ters in the fire c to Mo lech — some thing I had not com mand ed them. I had nev er en ter tained the thought d that they do this de test able act caus ing Ju dah to sin! 36 “ Now there fore, this is what the L ord, the God of Is ra el, says to this city about which you said, ‘ It has been hand ed over to Bab ylon’s king through sword, fam ine, and plague’: 37 I will cer tain ly gath er them from all the lands where I have ban ished them in my an ger, rage and in tense wrath, and I will re turn them to this place and make them live in safe ty . 38 They will be my peo ple, and I will be their God. 39 I will give them in teg ri ty of heart and ac tion e so that they will fear me al ways, for their good and for the good of their de scen dants af ter them. 40 “ I will make a per ma nent cov enant with them: I will nev er turn away from do ing good to them, and I will put fear of me in their hearts so they will nev er again turn away from me. 41 I will take de light in them to do what is good for them, and with all my heart and mind I will faith ful ly plant them in this land. 42 “ For this is what the L ord says: Just as I have brought all this ter ri ble di sas ter on these peo ple, so am I about to bring on them all the good I am promising them. 43 Fields a32:19 Or Adam b32:33 Lit them, rising up early and teaching c32:35 Lit to make their sons and daughters pass through the fire d32:35 Lit them, and it did not arise on my heart e32:39 Lit give them one heart and one way 701 JEREMIAH 32 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 701 10/26/17 9:00 PM will be bought in this land about which you are say ing, ‘ It’s a des o la tion with out peo ple or an i mals; it has been hand ed over to the Chal de ans! ’ 44 Fields will be pur chased, the trans ac tion writ ten on a scroll and sealed, and wit ness es will be called on in the land of Ben ja min, in the areas sur round ing Je ru sa- lem, and in Ju dah’s cit ies — the cit ies of the hill coun try , the cit ies of the Ju de an foot hills, and the cit ies of the Ne gev — be cause I will re store their for tunes.” a This is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion. ISRAEL’S RESTORATION 33 While he was still con fined in the guard’s court yard, the word of the L ord came to Jer e mi ah a sec ond time: 2 “ The L ord who made the earth, b the L ord who forms it to es tab lish it, the L ord is his name, says this: 3 Call to me and I will an swer you and tell you great and in com pre hen si ble things you do not know . 4 For this is what the L ord, the God of Is ra el, says con cern ing the hous es of this city and the pal aces of Ju dah’s kings, the ones torn down for de fense against the assault ramps and the sword: 5 The peo ple com ing to fight the Chal de ans will fill the hous es with the corpses of their own men that I strike down in my wrath and rage. I have hid den my face from this city be cause of all their evil. 6 Yet I will cer tain ly bring health and heal ing to it and will in deed heal them. I will let them ex- pe ri ence the abun dance c of true peace. 7 I will re store the for tunes d of Ju dah and of Is ra el and will re build them as in for mer times. 8 I will pu ri fy them from all the in iq ui ty they have com mit ted against me, and I will for give all the in iq ui ties they have com mit ted against me, re bel ling against me. 9 This city will bear on my be half a name of joy , praise, and glo ry be fore all the na tions of the earth, who will hear of all the pros per i ty I will give them. They will trem ble with awe be cause of all the good and all the peace I will bring about for them. 10 “ This is what the L ord says: In this place, which you say is a ruin, with out peo ple or an i mals — that is, in Ju dah’s cit ies and Je ru- sa lem’s streets that are a des o la tion with out peo ple, with out in hab i tants, and with out an- i mals — there will be heard again 11 a sound of joy and glad ness, the voice of the groom and the bride, and the voice of those say ing, Give thanks to the Lord of Armies, for the Lord is good; his faithful love endures forever as they bring thank off er ings to the tem ple of the L ord. For I will re store the for tunes of the land as in for mer times, says the L ord. 12 “ This is what the L ord of Ar mies says: In this des o late place — with out peo ple or an i mals — and in all its cit ies there will once more be a graz ing land where shep herds may rest flocks. 13 The flocks will again pass un der the hands of the one who counts them in the cit ies of the hill coun try , the cit ies of the Ju de- an foot hills, the cit ies of the Ne gev , the land of Ben ja min — the areas around Je ru sa lem and in Ju dah’s cit ies, says the L ord. GOD’S COVENANT WITH DAVID 14 “Look, the days are coming” — this is the Lord’s declaration — “when I will fulfill the good promise that I have spoken concerning the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 15 In those days and at that time I will cause a Righteous Branch to sprout up for David, and he will administer justice and righteousness in the land. 16 In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell securely , and this is what she will be named: The Lord Is Our Righteousness. e 17 “ For this is what the L ord says: Da vid will nev er fail to have a man sit ting on the throne of the house of Is ra el. 18 The Le vit i cal priests will nev er fail to have a man al ways be fore me to off er burnt off er ings, to burn grain of- fer ings, and to make sac ri fic es.” 19 The word of the L ord came to Jer e mi ah: 20 “ This is what the L ord says: If you can break my cov enant with the day and my cov enant with the night so that day and night cease to come at their reg u lar time, 21 then also my cov- enant with my ser vant Da vid may be bro ken. If that could hap pen, then he would not have a son reign ing on his throne and the Le vit i cal priests would not be my min is ters. 22 Even as the stars of heav en can not be count ed, and the sand of the sea can not be mea sured, so too I will make in nu mer a ble the de scen dants of a32:44 Or will end their captivity b33:2 LXX; MT reads made it c33:6 Or fragrance ; Hb obscure d33:7 Or will end the captivity, also in v. 11 e33:16 = Yahweh-zidkenuJEREMIAH 32-33 702 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 702 10/26/17 9:00 PM my ser vant Da vid and the Le vites who min- is ter to me.” 23 The word of the L ord came to Jer e mi ah: 24 “ Have you not no ticed what these peo ple have said? They say , ‘ The L ord has re ject ed the two fam i lies he had cho sen.’ My peo ple are treat ed with con tempt and no lon ger re- gard ed as a na tion among them. 25 This is what the L ord says: If I do not keep my cov enant with the day and with the night, and if I fail to es tab lish the fixed or der of heav en and earth, 26 then I might also re ject the de scen dants of Ja cob and of my ser vant Da vid. That is, I would not take rul ers from his de scen dants to rule over the de scen dants of Abra ham, Isaac, and Ja cob. But in fact, I will re store their for tunes a and have com pas sion on them.” JEREMIAH’S WORD TO KING ZEDEKIAH 34 This is the word that came to Jer e mi- ah from the L ord when King Neb u- chad nez zar of Bab ylon, his whole army , all the king doms of the lands un der his con trol, and all oth er peo ples were fight ing against Je- ru sa lem and all its sur round ing cit ies: 2 “ This is what the L ord, the God of Is ra el, says: Go, speak to King Zed e ki ah of Ju dah, and tell him, ‘ This is what the L ord says: I am about to hand this city over to the king of Bab ylon, and he will burn it. 3 As for you, you will not es cape from him but are cer tain to be cap tured and hand ed over to him. You will meet the king of Bab ylon eye to eye and speak face to face; b you will go to Bab ylon. 4 “ ‘ Yet hear the L ord’ s word, King Zed e ki ah of Ju dah. This is what the L ord says con cern ing you: You will not die by the sword; 5 you will die peace ful ly . There will be a burn ing cer e mo ny for you just like the burn ing cer e mo nies for your an ces tors, the kings of old who came be fore you. “ Oh, mas ter! ” will be the la ment for you, for I have spo ken this word. This is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion.’ ” 6 So the proph et Jer e mi ah re lat ed all these words to King Zed e ki ah of Ju dah in Je ru sa lem 7 while the king of Bab ylon’s army was at tack- ing Je ru sa lem and all of Ju dah’s re main ing cit- ies — that is, La chish and Aze kah, for they were the only ones left of Ju dah’s for ti fied cit ies. THE PEOPLE AND THEIR SLAVES 8 This is the word that came to Jer e mi ah from the L ord af ter King Zed e ki ah made a cov enant with all the peo ple who were in Je ru sa lem to pro claim free dom to them. 9 As a re sult, each was to let his male and fe male He brew slaves go free, and no one was to en slave his fel low Ju de an. 10 All the off i cials and peo ple who en tered into cov enant to let their male and fe male slaves go free — in or der not to en slave them any lon ger — obeyed and let them go free. 11 Af ter ward, how ev er, they changed their minds and took back their male and fe male slaves they had let go free and forced them to be come slaves again. 12 Then the word of the L ord came to Jer e- mi ah from the L ord: 13 “ This is what the L ord, the God of Is ra el, says: I made a cov enant with your an ces tors when I brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slav ery , say ing, 14 ‘ At the end of sev en years, each of you must let his fel low He brew who sold him self c to you go. He may serve you six years, but then you must let him go free from your ser vice.’ But your an ces tors did not obey me or pay any at ten tion. 15 To day you re pent ed and did
📜 Divine Covenant Betrayed
🔄 Covenant breaking leads to severe consequences as people initially proclaimed freedom for slaves but later forced them back into servitude, violating their sacred agreement with God
⚔️ God responds with a proclamation of judgment against the unfaithful, promising to deliver them to sword, plague, and famine as punishment for their hypocrisy
🏺 The Rechabites serve as a powerful contrast—a family who faithfully obeyed their ancestor's commands for generations, earning divine blessing while Judah repeatedly ignored prophetic warnings
🔥 King Jehoiakim's burning of the scroll containing Jeremiah's prophecies demonstrates the ultimate rejection of divine warning, leading to an even more comprehensive written judgment
🏛️ Jerusalem's final days unfold as King Zedekiah seeks divine guidance while simultaneously allowing Jeremiah's imprisonment, revealing the leadership's fatal inconsistency
💪 Faithful witnesses emerge amid widespread rebellion—Baruch records God's words despite danger, and Ebed-melech rescues Jeremiah from certain death in the muddy cistern
what pleased me, each of you pro claim ing free dom for his neigh bor. You made a cov enant be fore me at the house that bears my name. 16 But you have changed your minds and pro faned my name. Each has tak en back his male and fe male slaves who had been let go free to go wher ev er they want ed, and you have again forced them to be your slaves. 17 “There fore, this is what the L ord says: You have not obeyed me by pro claim ing free dom, each for his fel low He brew and for his neigh bor. I here by pro claim free dom for you — this is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion — to the sword, to plague, and to fam ine! I will make you a hor ror to all the earth’s king doms. 18 As for those who dis obeyed my cov enant, not keep ing the terms of the cov enant they made be fore me, I will treat them like the calf they cut in two in or der to pass be tween its pieces. 19 The off i cials of Ju dah and Je ru sa lem, the court off i cials, the priests, and all the peo ple of the land who passed be tween the pieces of the calf — 20 all these I will hand over to their en e mies, to those who in tend to take their life. Their corpses will be come food for the birds of the sky and for the wild an i mals of the land. 21 I will hand King Zed e ki ah of Ju dah and his off i cials over to their en e mies, to those who in tend to take their lives, to the king of Bab ylon’s army that is withdrawing. a33:26 Or I will end their captivity b34:3 Lit and his mouth will speak to your mouth c34:14 Or who was sold 703 JEREMIAH 33-34 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 703 10/26/17 9:00 PM 22 I am about to give the com mand — this is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion — and I will bring them back to this city . They will fight against it, cap- ture it, and burn it. I will make Ju dah’s cit ies a des o la tion, with out in hab i tant.” THE RECHABITES’ EXAMPLE 35 This is the word that came to Jer e mi ah from the L ord in the days of Je hoi a kim son of Jo si ah, king of Ju dah: 2 “ Go to the house of the Re chab ites, speak to them, and bring them to one of the cham bers of the tem ple of the L ord to off er them a drink of wine.” 3 So I took Ja az a ni ah son of Jer e mi ah, son of Hab az zi ni ah, and his broth ers and all his sons — the en tire house of the Re chab ites — 4 and I brought them into the tem ple of the L ord to a cham ber oc cu pied by the sons of Ha nan son of Ig da li ah, a man of God, who had a cham ber near the off i cials’ cham ber, which was above the cham ber of Ma a se iah son of Shal lum the door keep er. 5 I set jars filled with wine and some cups be fore the sons of the house of the Re chab ites and said to them, “ Drink wine! ” 6 But they re plied, “ We do not drink wine, for Jon a dab, son of our an ces tor Re chab, com- mand ed: ‘ You and your de scen dants must nev- er drink wine. 7 You must not build a house or sow seed or plant a vine yard. Those things are not for you. Rath er, you must live in tents your whole life, so you may live a long time on the soil where you stay as a res i dent alien.’ 8 We have obeyed Jon a dab, son of our an ces tor Re- chab, in all he com mand ed us. So we haven’t drunk wine our whole life — we, our wives, our sons, and our daugh ters. 9 We also have not built hous es to live in and do not have vine yard, field, or seed. 10 But we have lived in tents and have obeyed and done ev ery thing our an ces tor Jon a dab com mand ed us. 11 How- ev er, when King Neb u chad nez zar of Bab ylon marched into the land, we said, ‘ Come, let’s go into Je ru sa lem to get away from the Chal de an and Ar a me an ar mies.’ So we have been liv ing in Je ru sa lem.” 12 Then the word of the L ord came to Jer e- mi ah: 13 “ This is what the L ord of Ar mies, the God of Is ra el, says: Go, say to the men of Ju dah and the res i dents of Je ru sa lem, ‘ Will you not ac cept dis ci pline by lis ten ing to my words? — this is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion. 14 The words of Jon a dab, son of Re chab, have been car ried out. He com mand ed his de scen dants not to drink wine, and they have not drunk to this day be cause they have obeyed their ancestor’s com mand. But I have spo ken to you time and time again, a and you have not obeyed me! 15 Time and time again b I have sent you all my ser vants the proph ets, pro claim ing, “ Turn, each one from his evil way , and cor rect your ac tions. Stop fol low ing oth er gods to serve them. Live in the land that I gave you and your an ces tors.” But you did not pay at ten tion or obey me. 16 Yes, the sons of Jon a dab son of Re- chab car ried out their ancestor’s com mand he gave them, but these peo ple have not obeyed me. 17 There fore, this is what the L ord, the God of Ar mies, the God of Is ra el, says: I will cer tain- ly bring on Ju dah and on all the res i dents of Je ru sa lem all the di sas ter I have pro nounced against them be cause I have spo ken to them, but they have not obeyed, and I have called to them, but they did not an swer.’ ” 18 But to the house of the Re chab ites Jer e mi- ah said, “ This is what the L ord of Ar mies, the God of Is ra el, says: ‘Be cause you have obeyed the com mand of your an ces tor Jon a dab and have kept all his com mands and have done ev ery thing he com mand ed you, 19 this is what the L ord of Ar mies, the God of Is ra el, says: Jon a dab son of Re chab will nev er fail to have a man to stand be fore me al ways.’ ” JEREMIAH DICTATES A SCROLL 36 In the fourth year of Je hoi a kim son of Jo si ah, king of Ju dah, this word came to Jer e mi ah from the L ord: 2 “ Take a scroll, and write on it all the words I have spo ken to you con cern ing Is ra el, Ju dah, and all the na tions from the time I first spoke to you dur ing Jo- si ah’s reign un til to day . 3 Per haps when the house of Ju dah hears about all the di sas ter I am plan ning to bring on them, each one of them will turn from his evil way . Then I will for give their in iq ui ty and their sin.” 4 So Jer e mi ah sum moned Bar uch son of Ne- ri ah. At Jer e mi ah’s dic ta tion, c Bar uch wrote on a scroll all the words the L ord had spo ken to Jer e mi ah. 5 Then Jer e mi ah com mand ed Bar - uch, “ I am re strict ed; I can not en ter the tem ple of the L ord, 6 so you must go and read from the scroll — which you wrote at my dic ta tion d — the words of the L ord in the hear ing of the peo ple at the tem ple of the L ord on a day of a35:14 Lit you, rising up early and speaking b35:15 Lit Rising up early and sending c36:4 Lit From Jeremiah’s mouth d36:6 Lit wrote from my mouthJEREMIAH 34-36 704 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 704 10/26/17 9:00 PM fast ing. Read his words in the hear ing of all the Ju de ans who are com ing from their cit- ies. 7 Per haps their pe ti tion will come be fore the L ord, and each one will turn from his evil way , for the an ger and fury that the L ord has pro nounced against this peo ple are in tense.” 8 So Bar uch son of Ne ri ah did ev ery thing the proph et Jer e mi ah had com mand ed him. At the L ord’ s tem ple he read the L ord’ s words from the scroll. BARUCH READS THE SCROLL 9 In the fifth year of Je hoi a kim son of Jo si- ah, king of Ju dah, in the ninth month, all the peo ple of Je ru sa lem and all those com ing in from Ju dah’s cit ies into Je ru sa lem pro claimed a fast be fore the L ord. 10 Then at the L ord’ s tem ple, in the cham ber of Gem a ri ah son of Sha phan the scribe, in the up per court yard at the open ing of the New Gate of the L ord’ s tem ple, in the hear ing of all the peo ple, Bar - uch read Jer e mi ah’s words from the scroll. 11 When Mi ca iah son of Gem a ri ah, son of Sha- phan, heard all the words of the L ord from the scroll, 12 he went down to the scribe’s cham ber in the king’s pal ace. All the off i cials were sit ting there — Elish a ma the scribe, De la iah son of She ma iah, El na than son of Ach bor, Gem a ri ah son of Sha phan, Zed e ki ah son of Han a ni ah, and all the oth er off i cials. 13 Mi ca iah re port- ed to them all the words he had heard when Bar uch read from the scroll in the hear ing of the peo ple. 14 Then all the off i cials sent word to Bar uch through Je hu di son of Neth a ni ah, son of Shel e mi ah, son of Cu shi, say ing, “ Bring the scroll that you read in the hear ing of the peo ple, and come.” So Bar uch son of Ne ri ah took the scroll and went to them. 15 They said to him, “ Sit down and read it in our hear ing.” So Bar uch read it in their hear ing. 16 When they had heard all the words, they turned to each oth er in fear and said to Bar uch, “ We must sure ly tell the king all these things.” 17 Then they asked Bar uch, “ Tell us, how did you write all these words? At his dic ta tion? ” a 18 Bar uch said to them, “ At his dic ta tion. He re cit ed all these words to me while I was writ- ing on the scroll in ink.” JEHOIAKIM BURNS THE SCROLL 19 The off i cials said to Bar uch, “ You and Jer - e mi ah must hide and tell no one where you are.” 20 Then, af ter depositing the scroll in the cham ber of Elish a ma the scribe, the off i cials came to the king at the court yard and re port ed ev ery thing in the hear ing of the king. 21 The king sent Je hu di to get the scroll, and he took it from the cham ber of Elish a ma the scribe. Je hu di then read it in the hear ing of the king and all the o ff i cials who were stand ing by the king. 22 Since it was the ninth month, the king was sit ting in his win ter quar ters with a fire burn ing in front of him. 23 As soon as Je hu di would read three or four col umns, Je hoi a kim would cut the scroll b with a scribe’s knife and throw the col umns into the fire in the hearth un til the en tire scroll was con sumed by the fire in the hearth. 24 As they heard all these words, the king and all of his ser vants did not be come ter ri fied or tear their clothes. 25 Even though El na than, De la iah, and Gem a ri ah had urged the king not to burn the scroll, he did not lis ten to them. 26 Then the king com mand- ed Je rah me el the king’s son, Se ra iah son of Az ri el, and Shel e mi ah son of Ab de el to seize the scribe Bar uch and the proph et Jer e mi ah, but the L ord hid them. JEREMIAH DICTATES ANOTHER SCROLL 27 Af ter the king had burned the scroll and the words Bar uch had writ ten at Jer e mi ah’s dic ta tion, c the word of the L ord came to Jer - e mi ah: 28 “ Take an oth er scroll, and once again write on it the orig i nal words that were on the orig i nal scroll that King Je hoi a kim of Ju dah burned. 29 You are to pro claim con cern ing King Je hoi a kim of Ju dah, ‘ This is what the L ord says: You have burned the scroll, ask ing, “ Why have you writ ten on it that the king of Bab ylon will cer tain ly come and de stroy this land and cause it to be with out peo ple or an i- mals? ” 30 There fore, this is what the L ord says con cern ing King Je hoi a kim of Ju dah: He will have no one to sit on Da vid’s throne, and his corpse will be thrown out to be ex posed to the heat of day and the frost of night. 31 I will pun ish him, his de scen dants, and his off i cers for their in iq ui ty . I will bring on them, on the res i dents of Je ru sa lem, and on the peo ple of Ju dah all the di sas ter, which I warned them about but they did not lis ten.’ ” 32 Then Jer e mi ah took an oth er scroll and gave it to Bar uch son of Ne ri ah, the scribe, and he wrote on it at Jer e mi ah’s dic ta tion d all a36:17 Lit From his mouth, also in v. 18 b36:23 Lit columns, he would tear it c36:27 Lit written from Jeremiah’s mouth d36:32 Lit it from Jeremiah’s mouth 705 JEREMIAH 36 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 705 10/26/17 9:00 PM the words of the scroll that Je hoi a kim, Ju dah’s king, had burned in the fire. And many oth er words like them were add ed. JERUSALEM’S LAST DAYS 37 Zed e ki ah son of Jo si ah reigned as king in the land of Ju dah in place of Coniah a son of Je hoi a kim, for King Neb u chad nez zar of Bab ylon made him king. 2 He and his off i cers and the peo ple of the land did not obey the words of the L ord that he spoke through the proph et Jer e mi ah. 3 Nev er the less, King Zed e ki ah sent Je hu cal son of Shel e mi ah and Zeph a ni ah son of Ma- a se iah, the priest, to the proph et Jer e mi ah, re quest ing, “ Please pray to the L ord our God for us! ” 4 Jer e mi ah was go ing about his dai ly tasks b among the peo ple, for he had not yet been put into the pris on. 5 Pha raoh’s army had left Egypt, and when the Chal de ans, who were be sieg ing Je ru sa lem, heard the re port, they with drew from Je ru sa lem. 6 The word of the L ord came to the proph et Jer e mi ah: 7 “ This is what the L ord, the God of Is ra el, says: This is what you will say to Ju- dah’s king, who is send ing you to in quire of me: ‘ Watch: Pha raoh’s army , which has come out to help you, is go ing to re turn to its own land of Egypt. 8 The Chal de ans will then re turn and fight against this city . They will cap ture it and burn it. 9 This is what the L ord says: Don’t de ceive your selves by say ing, “ The Chal de ans will leave us for good,” for they will not leave. 10 In deed, if you were to strike down the en tire Chal de an army that is fight ing with you, and there re mained among them only the bad ly wound ed c men, each in his tent, they would get up and burn this city .’ ” JEREMIAH’S IMPRISONMENT 11 When the Chal de an army with drew from Je ru sa lem be cause of Pha raoh’s army , 12 Jer- e mi ah start ed to leave Je ru sa lem to go to the land of Ben ja min to claim his por tion there among the peo ple. 13 But when he was at the Ben ja min Gate, an off i cer of the guard was there, whose name was Iri jah son of Shel e mi- ah, son of Han a ni ah, and he apprehended the proph et Jer e mi ah, say ing, “ You are defecting to the Chal de ans.” 14 “ That’s a lie,” Jer e mi ah re plied. “ I am not defecting to the Chal de ans! ” Iri jah would not lis ten to him but apprehended Jer e mi ah and took him to the off i cials. 15 The off i cials were an gry at Jer e mi ah and beat him and placed him in jail in the house of Jon a than the scribe, for it had been made into a pris on. 16 So Jer - e mi ah went into a cell in the dun geon and stayed there many days. JEREMIAH SUMMONED BY ZEDEKIAH 17 King Zed e ki ah lat er sent for him and re ceived him, and in his house pri vate ly asked him, “ Is there a word from the L ord? ” “ There is,” Jer e mi ah re spond ed. He con- tin ued, “ You will be hand ed over to the king of Bab ylon.” 18 Then Jer e mi ah said to King Zed e ki ah, “ How have I sinned against you or your ser vants or these peo ple that you have put me in pris on? 19 Where are your proph ets who proph e sied to you, claim ing, ‘ The king of Bab ylon will not come against you and this land’? 20 So now please lis ten, my lord the king. May my pe ti tion come be fore you. Don’t send me back to the house of Jon a than the scribe, or I will die there.” 21 So King Zed e ki ah gave or ders, and Jer - e mi ah was placed in the guard’s court yard. He was giv en a loaf of bread each day from the bak ers’ street un til all the bread was gone from the city . So Jer e mi ah re mained in the guard’s court yard. JEREMIAH THROWN INTO A CISTERN 38 Now Sheph a ti ah son of Mat tan, Ged a- li ah son of Pash hur, Jucal d son of Shel- e mi ah, and Pash hur son of Mal chi jah heard the words Jer e mi ah was speak ing to all the peo ple: 2 “ This is what the L ord says: ‘Who- ev er stays in this city will die by the sword, fam ine, and plague, but who ev er sur ren ders to the Chal de ans will live. He will re tain his life like the spoils of war and will live.’ 3 This is what the L ord says: ‘ This city will most cer - tain ly be hand ed over to the king of Bab ylon’s army , and he will cap ture it.’ ” 4 The off i cials then said to the king, “ This man ought to die, be cause he is weak en ing the morale e of the war riors who re main in this city and of all the peo ple by speak ing to them in this way . This man is not pur su ing the wel fare of this peo ple, but their harm.” 5 King Zed e ki ah said, “ Here he is; he’s in your hands since the king can’t do any thing against you.” 6 So they took Jer e mi ah and dropped him into the cis tern of Mal chi ah the king’s son, a37:1 = Jehoiachin b37:4 Lit was coming in and going out c37:10 Lit the pierced d38:1 = Jehucal in Jr 37:3 e38:4 Lit handsJEREMIAH 36-38 706 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 706 10/26/17 9:00 PM which was in the guard’s court yard, lowering Jer e mi ah with ropes. There was no wa ter in the cis tern, only mud, and Jer e mi ah sank in the mud. 7 But Ebed-melech, a Cush ite court off i cial in the king’s pal ace, heard Jer e mi ah had been put into the cis tern. While the king was sit- ting at the Ben ja min Gate, 8 Ebed-melech went from the king’s pal ace and spoke to the king: 9 “ My lord the king, these men have been evil in all they have done to the proph et Jer e mi
🏛️ Jeremiah's Captivity and Counsel
🕳️ Jeremiah's rescue from a deadly cistern by Ebed-melech demonstrates divine protection amid persecution, showcasing how God preserves his messengers even in desperate circumstances
👑 King Zedekiah's secret meeting with Jeremiah reveals the tension between political survival and divine guidance, as the prophet urges surrender to Babylon while the king fears humiliation
🔥 Jerusalem's fall to Nebuchadnezzar fulfills Jeremiah's prophecies, with the city burned, leaders executed, and people exiled—a devastating consequence of ignoring divine warnings
🗡️ The assassination of Gedaliah, Babylon's appointed governor, by Ishmael creates further chaos among the remnant left in Judah, illustrating how violence perpetuates cycles of suffering
🛤️ The surviving Judeans seek divine guidance through Jeremiah about whether to flee to Egypt, but struggle to accept God's instruction to remain in the land despite their fears
🌱 God promises to rebuild and plant those who remain faithful in Judah rather than seeking security in Egypt, offering restoration amid devastation for those who trust divine protection
ah. They have dropped him into the cis tern where he will die from hun ger, be cause there is no more bread in the city .” 10 So the king com mand ed Ebed-melech, the Cush ite, “ Take from here thir ty men un der your au thor i ty a and pull the proph et Jer e mi ah up from the cis tern be fore he dies.” 11 So Ebed-melech took the men un der his au thor i ty b and went to the king’s pal ace to a place be low the store house. c From there he took old rags and worn-out clothes and low- ered them by ropes to Jer e mi ah in the cis tern. 12 Ebed-melech the Cush ite called down to Jer e mi ah, “ Place these old rags and clothes be tween your armpits and the ropes.” Jer e- mi ah did this. 13 They pulled him up with the ropes and lift ed him out of the cis tern, but he re mained in the guard’s court yard. ZEDEKIAH’S FINAL MEETING WITH JEREMIAH 14 King Zed e ki ah sent for the proph et Jer e mi ah and re ceived him at the third en trance of the L ord’ s tem ple. The king said to Jer e mi ah, “ I am go ing to ask you some thing; don’t hide any thing from me.” 15 Jer e mi ah re plied to Zed e ki ah, “ If I tell you, you will kill me, won’t you? Be sides, if I give you ad vice, you won’t lis ten to me anyway .” 16 King Zed e ki ah swore to Jer e mi ah in pri- vate, “ As the L ord lives, who has giv en us this life, I will not kill you or hand you over to these men who in tend to take your life.” 17 Jer e mi ah there fore said to Zed e ki ah, “ This is what the L ord, the God of Ar mies, the God of Is ra el, says: ‘ If in deed you sur ren der to the off i cials of the king of Bab ylon, then you will live, this city will not be burned, and you and your house hold will sur vive. 18 But if you do not sur ren der to the off i cials of the king of Bab ylon, then this city will be hand ed over to the Chal de ans. They will burn it, and you your self will not es cape from them.’ ” 19 But King Zed e ki ah said to Jer e mi ah, “ I am wor ried about the Ju de ans who have de fect ed to the Chal de ans. They may hand me over to the Ju de ans to abuse me.” 20 “ They will not hand you over,” Jer e mi ah re plied. “ Obey the L ord in what I am tell ing you, so it may go well for you and you can live. 21 But if you re fuse to sur ren der, this is the ver - dict d that the L ord has shown me: 22 ‘ All the wom en e who re main in the pal ace of Ju dah’s king will be brought out to the off i cials of the king of Bab ylon and will say to you, f “Your trusted friends g misled h you and overcame you. Your feet sank into the mire, and they deserted you.” 23 All your wives and chil dren will be brought out to the Chal de ans. You your self will not es cape from them, for you will be seized by the king of Bab ylon and this city will burn.’ ” 24 Then Zed e ki ah warned Jer e mi ah, “ Don’t let any one know about this con ver sa tion i or you will die. 25 The off i cials may hear that I have spo ken with you and come and de mand of you, ‘ Tell us what you said to the king; don’t hide any thing from us and we won’t kill you. Also, what did the king say to you? ’ 26 If they do, tell them, ‘ I was bring ing be fore the king my pe ti tion that he not re turn me to the house of Jon a than to die there.’ ” 27 All the off i cials did come to Jer e mi ah, and they ques tioned him. He re port ed the ex act words to them the king had com mand ed, and they quit speak ing with him be cause the con ver sa tion j had not been over heard. 28 Jer e mi ah re mained in the guard’s court yard un til the day Je ru sa lem was cap tured, and he was there when it hap pened. k THE FALL OF JERUSALEM TO BABYLON 39 In the ninth year of King Zed e ki ah of Ju dah, in the tenth month, King Neb- u chad nez zar of Bab ylon ad vanced against Je ru sa lem with his en tire army and laid siege to it. 2 In the fourth month of Zed e ki ah’s elev- enth year, on the ninth day of the month, the city was bro ken into. 3 All the off i cials of the king of Bab ylon en tered and sat at the Mid dle Gate: Nergal-sharezer, Sam gar, Ne bu sar se- chim l the chief of staff, Nergal-sharezer the a38:10 Lit men in your hand b38:11 Lit men in his hand c38:11 Or treasury d38:21 Or promise ; lit word e38:22 Or wives f38:22 to you supplied for clarity g38:22 Lit “The men of your peace h38:22 Or incited i38:24 Lit about these words j38:27 Lit word k38:28 Or captured. This is what happened when Jerusalem was captured: l39:3 LXX; MT reads Samgar-nebu, Sarsechim 707 JEREMIAH 38-39 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 707 10/26/17 9:00 PM chief sooth say er, and all the rest of the o ff i cials of Bab ylon’s king. 4 When King Zed e ki ah of Ju dah and all the fight ing men saw them, they fled. They left the city at night by way of the king’s gar den through the city gate be tween the two walls. They left along the route to the Ar a bah. 5 How- ev er, the Chal de an army pur sued them and over took Zed e ki ah in the plains of Jer i cho. They ar rest ed him and brought him up to Neb - u chad nez zar, Bab ylon’s king, at Rib lah in the land of Ha math. The king passed sen tence on him there. 6 At Rib lah the king of Bab ylon slaugh - tered Zed e ki ah’s sons be fore his eyes, and he also slaugh tered all Ju dah’s no bles. 7 Then he blind ed Zed e ki ah and put him in bronze chains to take him to Bab ylon. 8 The Chal de- ans next burned down the king’s pal ace and the peo ple’s hous es and tore down the walls of Je ru sa lem. 9 Neb u zar a dan, the cap tain of the guards, de port ed the rest of the peo ple to Bab ylon — those who had re mained in the city and those deserters who had de fect ed to him along with the rest of the peo ple who re- mained. 10 How ev er, Neb u zar a dan, the cap tain of the guards, left in the land of Ju dah some of the poor peo ple who owned noth ing, and he gave them vine yards and fields at that time. JEREMIAH FREED BY NEBUCHADNEZZAR 11 Speak ing through Neb u zar a dan, cap tain of the guards, King Neb u chad nez zar of Bab ylon gave or ders con cern ing Jer e mi ah: 12 “ Take him and look af ter him. Don’t do him any harm, but do for him what ev er he says.” 13 Neb u zar - a dan, cap tain of the guards, Neb u shaz ban the chief of staff, Nergal-sharezer the chief sooth say er, and all the cap tains of Bab ylon’s king 14 had Jer e mi ah brought from the guard’s court yard and turned him over to Ged a li ah son of Ahi kam, son of Sha phan, to take him home. So he set tled among his own peo ple. 15 Now the word of the L ord had come to Jer e mi ah when he was con fined in the guard’s court yard: 16 “ Go tell Ebed-melech the Cush- ite, ‘ This is what the L ord of Ar mies, the God of Is ra el, says: I am about to ful fill my words for di sas ter and not for good against this city . They will take place be fore your eyes on that day . 17 But I will res cue you on that day — this is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion — and you will not be hand ed over to the men you dread. 18 In deed, I will cer tain ly de liv er you so that you do not fall by the sword. Be cause you have trust ed in me, you will re tain your life like the spoils of war. This is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion.’ ” JEREMIAH STAYS IN JUDAH 40 This is the word that came to Jer e mi- ah from the L ord af ter Neb u zar a dan, cap tain of the guards, re leased him at Ra mah. When he found him, he was bound in chains with all the ex iles of Je ru sa lem and Ju dah who were be ing ex iled to Bab ylon. 2 The cap- tain of the guards took Jer e mi ah and said to him, “ The L ord your God de creed this di sas ter on this place, 3 and the L ord has ful filled it. He has done just what he de creed. Be cause you peo ple have sinned against the L ord and have not obeyed him, this thing has hap pened. 4 Now pay at ten tion: To day I am set ting you free from the chains that were on your hands. If it pleas es you to come with me to Bab ylon, come, and I will take care of you. But if it seems wrong to you to come with me to Bab ylon, go no far ther. a Look — the whole land is in front of you. Wher ev er it seems good and right for you to go, go there.” 5 When Jer e mi ah had not yet turned to go, Neb u zar a dan said to him, b “Re turn c to Ged a li ah son of Ahi kam, son of Sha phan, whom the king of Bab ylon has ap- point ed over the cit ies of Ju dah, and stay with him among the peo ple or go wher ev er it seems right for you to go.” So the cap tain of the guards gave him a ration and a gift and re leased him. 6 Jer e mi ah there fore went to Ged a li ah son of Ahi kam at Miz pah, and he stayed with him among the peo ple who re mained in the land. GEDALIAH ADVISES PEACE 7 All the com mand ers of the ar mies that were in the coun try side — they and their men — heard that the king of Bab ylon had ap point ed Ged a li ah son of Ahi kam over the land. He had been put in charge of the men, wom en, and chil dren from among the poor est of the land, who had not been de port ed to Bab ylon. 8 So they came to Ged a li ah at Miz pah. The com- mand ers in clud ed Ish ma el son of Neth a ni ah, Jo ha nan and Jon a than the sons of Ka re ah, Se ra iah son of Tan hu meth, the sons of Ephai the Ne toph a thite, and Jez a ni ah son of the Ma- ac a thite — they and their men. a40:4 Lit Babylon, stop b40:5 Nebuzaradan said to him supplied for clarity c40:5 LXX reads “But if not, run, return ; Hb obscureJEREMIAH 39-40 708 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 708 10/26/17 9:00 PM 9 Ged a li ah son of Ahi kam, son of Sha phan, swore an oath to them and their men, assur - ing them, “ Don’t be afraid to serve the Chal- de ans. Live in the land and serve the king of Bab ylon, and it will go well for you. 10 As for me, I am go ing to live in Miz pah to rep re sent you a be fore the Chal de ans who come to us. As for you, gath er wine, sum mer fruit, and oil, place them in your stor age jars, and live in the cit ies you have cap tured.” 11 When all the Ju de ans in Moab and among the Am mon ites and in Edom and in all the oth er lands also heard that the king of Bab ylon had left a rem nant in Ju dah and had ap point ed Ged a li ah son of Ahi kam, son of Sha phan, over them, 12 they all re turned from all the plac- es where they had been ban ished and came to the land of Ju dah, to Ged a li ah at Miz pah, and har vest ed a great amount of wine and sum mer fruit. 13 Mean while, Jo ha nan son of Ka re ah and all the com mand ers of the ar mies in the coun- try side came to Ged a li ah at Miz pah 14 and warned him, “ Don’t you re al ize that Ba a lis, king of the Am mon ites, has sent Ish ma el son of Neth a ni ah to kill you? ” But Ged a li ah son of Ahi kam would not be lieve them. 15 Then Jo ha nan son of Ka re ah sug gest ed to Ged a li ah in pri vate at Miz pah, “ Let me go kill Ish ma el son of Neth a ni ah. No one will know it. Why should he kill you and al low all of Ju dah that has gath ered around you to scat ter and the rem nant of Ju dah to per ish? ” 16 But Ged a li ah son of Ahi kam re spond ed to Jo ha nan son of Ka re ah, “ Don’t do that! What you’re say ing about Ish ma el is a lie.” GEDALIAH ASSASSINATED BY ISHMAEL 41 In the sev enth month, Ish ma el son of Neth a ni ah, son of Elish a ma, of the roy- al fam i ly and one of the king’s chief off i cers, came with ten men to Ged a li ah son of Ahi kam at Miz pah. They ate a meal to geth er there in Miz pah, 2 but then Ish ma el son of Neth a ni ah and the ten men who were with him got up and struck down Ged a li ah son of Ahi kam, son of Sha phan, with the sword; he killed the one the king of Bab ylon had ap point ed in the land. 3 Ish ma el also struck down all the Ju de ans who were with Ged a li ah at Miz pah, as well as the Chal de an sol diers who were there. 4 On the day af ter he had killed Ged a li ah, when no one knew yet, 5 eighty men came from She chem, Shi loh, and Sa mar ia who had shaved their beards, torn their clothes, and gashed them selves, and who were car ry ing grain and in cense o ff er ings to bring to the tem ple of the L ord. 6 Ish ma el son of Neth a ni ah came out of Miz pah to meet them, weep ing as he came. When he encountered them, he said, “ Come to Ged a li ah son of Ahi kam! ” 7 But when they came into the city , Ish ma el son of Neth a ni ah and the men with him slaugh tered them and threw them into b a cis tern. 8 How ev er, there were ten men among them who said to Ish ma el, “ Don’t kill us, for we have hid den trea sure in the field — wheat, bar ley , oil, and hon ey! ” So he stopped and did not kill them along with their com pan ions. 9 Now the cis tern where Ish ma el had thrown all the corpses of the men he had struck down was a large one c that King Asa had made in the en coun ter with King Ba a sha of Is ra el. Ish- ma el son of Neth a ni ah filled it with the slain. 10 Then Ish ma el took cap tive all the rest of the peo ple of Miz pah in clud ing the daugh ters of the king — all those who re mained in Miz- pah over whom Neb u zar a dan, cap tain of the guards, had ap point ed Ged a li ah son of Ahi kam. Ish ma el son of Neth a ni ah took them cap tive and set off to cross over to the Am mon ites. THE CAPTIVES RESCUED BY JOHANAN 11 When Jo ha nan son of Ka re ah and all the com mand ers of the ar mies with him heard of all the evil that Ish ma el son of Neth a ni ah had done, 12 they took all their men and went to fight with Ish ma el son of Neth a ni ah. They found him by the great pool in Gib e on. 13 When all the peo ple held by Ish ma el saw Jo ha nan son of Ka re ah and all the com mand ers of the army with him, they re joiced. 14 All the peo ple whom Ish ma el had tak en cap tive from Miz pah turned around and re joined Jo ha nan son of Ka- re ah. 15 But Ish ma el son of Neth a ni ah es caped from Jo ha nan with eight men and went to the Am mon ites. 16 Jo ha nan son of Ka re ah and all the com mand ers of the ar mies with him then took from Miz pah all the rem nant of the peo ple whom he had re cov ered from Ish ma el son of Neth a ni ah af ter Ish ma el had killed Ged a li ah son of Ahi kam — men, sol diers, wom en, chil- dren, and court o ff i cials whom he brought back from Gib e on. 17 They left, stop ping in Ge ruth Chim ham, which is near Beth le hem, in or der to make their way into Egypt, 18 away from a40:10 Lit to stand b41:7 Syr; MT reads slaughtered them in c41:9 LXX; MT reads down by the hand of Gedaliah 709 JEREMIAH 40-41 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 709 10/26/17 9:00 PM the Chal de ans. For they feared them be cause Ish ma el son of Neth a ni ah had struck down Ged a li ah son of Ahi kam, whom the king of Bab ylon had ap point ed over the land. THE PEOPLE SEEK JEREMIAH’S COUNSEL 42 Then all the com mand ers of the ar mies, along with Jo ha nan son of Ka re ah, Jez a ni ah son of Ho sha iah, and all the peo ple from the least to the great est, ap proached 2 the proph et Jer e mi ah and said, “ May our pe ti tion come be fore you; pray to the L ord your God on our be half, on be half of this en tire rem nant ( for few of us re main out of the many , as you can see with your own eyes), 3 that the L ord your God may tell us the way we should go and the thing we should do.” 4 So the proph et Jer e mi ah said to them, “ I have heard. I will now pray to the L ord your God ac cord ing to your words, and I will tell you ev ery word that the L ord an swers you; I won’t with hold a word from you.” 5 And they said to Jer e mi ah, “ May the L ord be a true and faith ful wit ness against us if we don’t act ac cord ing to ev ery word the L ord your God sends you to tell us. 6 Wheth er it is pleas ant or unpleasant, we will obey the L ord our God to whom we are send ing you so that it may go well with us. We will cer tain ly obey the L ord our God! ” JEREMIAH’S ADVICE TO STAY 7 At the end of ten days, the word of the L ord came to Jer e mi ah, 8 and he sum moned Jo ha- nan son of Ka re ah, all the com mand ers of the ar mies who were with him, and all the peo ple from the least to the great est. 9 He said to them, “ This is what the L ord says, the God of Is ra el to whom you sent me to bring your pe ti tion be fore him: 10 ‘ If you will in deed stay in this land, then I will re build and not de mol ish you, and I will plant and not up root you, be cause I re lent con cern ing the di sas ter that I have brought on you. 11 Don’t be afraid of the king of Bab ylon whom you now fear; don’t be afraid of him’ — this is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion — ‘be cause I am with you to save you and res cue you from him. 12 I will grant you com pas sion, and he a will have com pas sion on you and al low you to re turn to your own soil.’ 13 “ But if you say , ‘ We will not stay in this land,’ in or der to dis obey the L ord your God, 14 and if you say , ‘ No, in stead we’ll go to the land of Egypt where we will not see war or hear the sound of the ram’s horn or hun
📜 Divine Warnings Rejected
🔥 God's judgment awaits those who deliberately disobey divine instruction, particularly the remnant of Judah seeking refuge in Egypt against explicit warnings
👑 Nebuchadnezzar will serve as God's instrument of punishment, conquering Egypt and destroying its temples, demonstrating that no nation can provide shelter from divine consequences
🙏 The people's stubborn idolatry (especially worship of the "queen of heaven") directly causes their suffering, yet they perversely blame their hardships on ceasing these forbidden practices
🌊 Egypt's power is portrayed as temporary and illusory, destined to fall like rising waters that eventually recede before Babylon's superior might
⚔️ Despite pronouncing judgment on surrounding nations, God promises a remnant of Israel will survive, offering hope amid widespread destruction
💔 The text reveals a tragic pattern: prophetic warnings, willful rejection, and inevitable consequences—showcasing the tension between divine mercy and justice
ger for food, and we’ll live there,’ 15 then hear the word of the L ord, rem nant of Ju dah! This is what the L ord of Ar mies, the God of Is ra el, says: ‘ If you are firm ly re solved to go to Egypt and stay there for a while, 16 then the sword you fear will over take you there in the land of Egypt, and the fam ine you are wor ried about will fol low on your heels b there to Egypt, and you will die there. 17 All who resolve to go to Egypt to stay there for a while will die by the sword, fam ine, and plague. They will have no sur vi vor or fu gi tive from the di sas ter I will bring on them.’ 18 “ For this is what the L ord of Ar mies, the God of Is ra el, says: ‘ Just as my an ger and fury were poured out on Je ru sa lem’s res i dents, so will my fury pour out on you if you go to Egypt. You will be come an ex am ple for curs ing, scorn, execration, and dis grace, and you will nev er see this place again.’ 19 The L ord has spo ken con cern ing you, rem nant of Ju dah: ‘ Don’t go to Egypt.’ Know for cer tain that I have warned you to day! 20 You have gone astray at the cost of your lives c be cause you are the ones who sent me to the L ord your God, say ing, ‘ Pray to the L ord our God on our be half, and as for all that the L ord our God says, tell it to us, and we’ll act ac cord ing ly .’ 21 For I have told you to day , but you have not obeyed the L ord your God in ev ery thing he has sent me to tell you. 22 Now there fore, know for cer tain that by the sword, fam ine, and plague you will die in the place where you de sired to go to stay for a while.” JEREMIAH’S COUNSEL REJECTED 43 When Jer e mi ah had fin ished speak ing to all the peo ple all the words of the L ord their God — all these words the L ord their God had sent him to give them — 2 then Az a ri ah d son of Ho sha iah, Jo ha nan son of Ka re ah, and all the oth er ar ro gant men re- spond ed to Jer e mi ah, “ You are speak ing a lie! The L ord our God has not sent you to say , ‘ You must not go to Egypt to stay there for a while! ’ 3 Rath er, Bar uch son of Ne ri ah is in cit ing you against us to hand us over to the Chal de ans to put us to death or to deport us to Bab ylon! ” 4 So Jo ha nan son of Ka re ah, all the com mand - ers of the ar mies, and all the peo ple failed to obey the L ord’ s com mand to stay in the land of Ju dah. 5 In stead, Jo ha nan son of Ka re ah and a42:12 LXX reads I b42:16 Lit will cling after you c42:20 Or You have led your own selves astray d43:2 = JezaniahJEREMIAH 41-43 710 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 710 10/26/17 9:00 PM all the com mand ers of the ar mies led away the whole rem nant of Ju dah, those who had re turned to stay in the land of Ju dah from all the na tions where they had been ban ished. 6 They led away the men, wom en, chil dren, king’s daugh ters, and ev ery one whom Neb- u zar a dan, cap tain of the guards, had al lowed to re main with Ged a li ah son of Ahi kam son of Sha phan. They also led the proph et Jer e- mi ah and Bar uch son of Ne ri ah away . 7 They went to the land of Egypt be cause they did not obey the L ord. They went as far as Tah pan hes. GOD’S SIGN TO THE PEOPLE IN EGYPT 8 Then the word of the L ord came to Jer e mi ah at Tah pan hes: 9 “ Pick up some large stones and set them in the mor tar of the brick pave ment that is at the open ing of Pha raoh’s pal ace at Tah pan hes. Do this in the sight of the Ju de an men 10 and tell them, ‘ This is what the L ord of Ar mies, the God of Is ra el, says: I will send for my ser vant Neb u chad nez zar king of Bab ylon, and I will place his throne on these stones that I have em bed ded, and he will pitch his pa vil ion over them. 11 He will come and strike down the land of Egypt — those des tined for death, to death; those des tined for cap tiv i ty , to cap tiv i ty; and those des tined for the sword, to the sword. 12 I a will kin dle a fire in the tem ples of Egypt’s gods, and he will burn them and take them cap tive. He will clean the land of Egypt as a shep herd picks lice off b his clothes, and he will leave there un scathed. 13 He will smash the sa cred pil lars of the sun tem ple c,d in the land of Egypt and burn the tem ples of the Egyp tian gods.’ ” GOD’S JUDGMENT AGAINST HIS PEOPLE IN EGYPT 44 This is the word that came to Jer e mi- ah for all the Jews liv ing in the land of Egypt — at Mig dol, Tah pan hes, Mem phis, and in the land of Path ros: 2 “ This is what the L ord of Ar mies, the God of Is ra el, says: You have seen all the di sas ter I brought against Je ru sa lem and all Ju dah’s cit ies. Look, they are a ruin to day with out an in hab i tant in them 3 be cause of the evil they com mit ted to an ger me, by go ing and burn ing in cense to serve oth er gods that they , you, and your fa thers did not know . 4 So I sent you all my ser vants the proph ets time and time again, e say ing, ‘ Don’t com mit this de test able ac tion that I hate.’ 5 But they did not lis ten or pay at ten tion; they did not turn from their evil or stop burn ing in cense to oth er gods. 6 So my fierce wrath poured out and burned in Ju dah’s cit ies and Je ru sa lem’s streets so that they be came the des o late ruin they are to day . 7 “ So now , this is what the L ord, the God of Ar mies, the God of Is ra el, says: Why are you do ing such ter ri ble harm to your selves? You are cut ting off man and wom an, in fant and nurs ing baby from Ju dah, leav ing your selves with out a rem nant. 8 You are angering me by the work of your hands. You are burn ing in- cense to oth er gods in the land of Egypt where you have gone to stay for a while. As a re sult, you will be cut off and be come an ex am ple for curs ing and in sult among all the na tions of earth. 9 Have you for got ten the evils of your fa thers, the evils of Ju dah’s kings, the evils of their wives, your own evils, and the evils of your wives that were com mit ted in the land of Ju dah and in the streets of Je ru sa lem? 10 They have not be come hum ble to this day , and they have not feared or fol lowed my in struc tion or my stat utes that I set be fore you and your an ces tors. 11 “There fore, this is what the L ord of Ar - mies, the God of Is ra el, says: I am about to set my face against you to bring di sas ter, to cut off all Ju dah. 12 And I will take away the rem nant of Ju dah, those who have set their face to go to the land of Egypt to stay there. All of them will meet their end in the land of Egypt. They will fall by the sword; they will meet their end by fam ine. From the least to the great est, they will die by the sword and by fam ine. Then they will be come an ex am ple for curs ing, scorn, execration, and dis grace. 13 I will pun ish those liv ing in the land of Egypt just as I pun ished Je ru sa lem by sword, fam- ine, and plague. 14 Then the rem nant of Ju dah — those go ing to live for a while there in the land of Egypt — will have no fu gi tive or sur vi- vor to re turn to the land of Ju dah where they are long ing f to re turn to stay , for they will not re turn ex cept for a few fu gi tives.” THE PEOPLE’S STUBBORN RESPONSE 15 How ev er, all the men who knew that their wives were burn ing in cense to oth er gods, all the wom en stand ing by — a great as sem bly a43:12 LXX, Syr , Vg read He b43:12 Or will wrap himself in the land of Egypt as a shepherd wraps himself in c43:13 Or Beth-shemesh d43:13 = of Heliopolis e44:4 Lit prophets, rising up early and sending f44:14 Lit lifting up their soul 711 JEREMIAH 43-44 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 711 10/26/17 9:00 PM — and all the peo ple who were liv ing in the land of Egypt at Path ros an swered Jer e mi ah, 16 “ As for the word you spoke to us in the name of the L ord, we are not go ing to lis ten to you! 17 In stead, we will do ev ery thing we prom ised: a we will burn in cense to the queen of heav en b and off er drink off er ings to her just as we, our fa thers, our kings, and our off i cials did in Ju dah’s cit ies and in Je ru sa lem’s streets. Then we had enough food, we were well off, and we saw no di sas ter, 18 but from the time we ceased to burn in cense to the queen of heav en and to off er her drink off er ings, we have lacked ev ery thing, and through sword and fam ine we have met our end.” 19 And the wom en said, c “ When we burned in cense to the queen of heav en and poured out drink off er ings to her, was it apart from our hus bands’ knowl edge that we made sac - rificial cakes in her im age and poured out drink off er ings to her? ” 20 But Jer e mi ah re spond ed to all the peo ple — the men, wom en, and all the peo ple who were an swer ing him: 21 “ As for the in cense you burned in Ju dah’s cit ies and in Je ru sa lem’s streets — you, your fa thers, your kings, your off i cials, and the peo ple of the land — did the L ord not re mem ber them? He brought this to mind. 22 The L ord can no lon ger bear your evil deeds and the de test able acts you have com mit ted, so your land has be come a waste, a des o la tion, and an ex am ple for curs ing, with - out in hab i tant, as you see to day . 23 Be cause you burned in cense and sinned against the L ord and didn’t obey the L ord and didn’t fol low his in struc tion, his stat utes, and his tes ti mo nies, this di sas ter has come to you, as you see to day .” 24 Then Jer e mi ah said to all the peo ple, in- clud ing all the wom en, “ Hear the word of the L ord, all you peo ple of Ju dah who are in the land of Egypt. 25 This is what the L ord of Ar - mies, the God of Is ra el, says: ‘ As for you and your wives, you wom en have spo ken with your mouths, and you men ful filled it by your deeds, say ing, “ We will keep our vows that we have made to burn in cense to the queen of heav en and to pour out drink off er ings for her.” Go ahead, con firm your vows! Keep your vows! ’ 26 “There fore, hear the word of the L ord, all you Ju de ans who live in the land of Egypt: ‘ I have sworn by my great name, says the L ord, that my name will nev er again be in voked by any one of Ju dah in all the land of Egypt, say- ing, “ As the Lord G od lives.” 27 I am watch ing over them for di sas ter and not for good, and ev ery one from Ju dah who is in the land of Egypt will meet his end by sword or fam ine un til they are fin ished off. 28 Those who es cape the sword will re turn from the land of Egypt to the land of Ju dah only few in num ber, and the whole rem nant of Ju dah, the ones go ing to the land of Egypt to stay there for a while, will know whose word stands, mine or theirs! 29 This will be a sign to you’ — this is the L ord ’ s dec la ra tion — ‘ that I will pun ish you in this place, so you may know that my words of di- sas ter con cern ing you will cer tain ly come to pass. 30 This is what the L ord says: I am about to hand over Pha raoh Hoph ra, Egypt’s king, to his en e mies, to those who in tend to take his life, just as I hand ed over Ju dah’s King Zed e ki ah to Bab ylon’s King Neb u chad nez zar, who was his en e my , the one who in tend ed to take his life.’ ” THE LORD’S MESSAGE TO BARUCH 45 This is the word that the proph et Jer e mi- ah spoke to Bar uch son of Ne ri ah when he wrote these words on a scroll at Jer e mi ah’s dic ta tion d in the fourth year of Je hoi a kim son of Jo si ah, king of Ju dah: 2 “ This is what the L ord, the God of Is ra el, says to you, Bar - uch: 3 ‘ You have said, “ Woe is me, be cause the L ord has add ed mis ery to my pain! I am worn out with e groan ing and have found no rest.” ’ 4 “ This is what you are to say to him: ‘ This is what the L ord says: “ What I have built I am about to de mol ish, and what I have plant ed I am about to up root — the whole land! 5 But as for you, do you pur sue great things for your - self? Stop pur su ing! For I am about to bring di sas ter on ev ery one” — this is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion — “ but I will grant you your life like the spoils of war wher ev er you go.” ’ ” PROPHECIES AGAINST THE NATIONS 46 This is the word of the L ord that came to the proph et Jer e mi ah about the na- tions: PROPHECIES AGAINST EGYPT 2 About Egypt and the army of Pha raoh Neco, Egypt’s king, which was de feat ed at Car che mish on the Eu phra tes Riv er by King a44:17 Lit do every word that came from our mouth b44:17 = Ashtoreth, or Astarte c44:19 LXX, Syr; MT omits And the women said d45:1 Lit scroll from Jeremiah’s mouth e45:3 Lit I labored in myJEREMIAH 44-46 712 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 712 10/26/17 9:00 PM Neb u chad nez zar of Bab ylon in the fourth year of Ju dah’s King Je hoi a kim son of Jo si ah: 3 Deploy small shields and large; approach for battle! 4 Harness the horses; mount the steeds; a take your positions with helmets on! Polish the lances; put on armor! 5 Why have I seen this? They are terrified, they are retreating, their warriors are crushed, they flee headlong, they never look back, terror is on every side! This is the Lord’s declaration. 6 The swift cannot flee, and the warrior cannot escape! In the north by the bank of the Euphrates River, they stumble and fall. 7 Who is this, rising like the Nile, with waters that churn like rivers? 8 Egypt rises like the Nile, and its waters churn like rivers. He boasts, “I will go up, I will cover the earth; I will destroy cities with their residents.” 9 Rise up, you cavalry! Race furiously , you chariots! Let the warriors march out — Cush and Put, who are able to handle shields, and the men of Lud, who are able to handle and string the bow . 10 That day belongs to the Lord, the God of Armies, a day of vengeance to avenge himself against his adversaries. The sword will devour and be satisfied; it will drink its fill of their blood, because it will be a sacrifice to the Lord, the God of Armies, in the northern land by the Euphrates River. 11 Go up to Gilead and get balm, Virgin Daughter Egypt! You have multiplied remedies in vain; there is no healing for you. 12 The nations have heard of your dishonor, and your cries fill the earth, because warrior stumbles against warrior and together both of them have fallen. 13 This is the word the L ord spoke to the proph et Jer e mi ah about the com ing of King Neb u chad nez zar of Bab ylon to de feat the land of Egypt: 14 Announce it in Egypt, and proclaim it in Migdol! Proclaim it in Memphis and in Tahpanhes! Say , “Take positions! Prepare yourself, for the sword devours all around you.” 15 Why have your strong ones been swept away? Each has not stood, for the Lord has thrust him down. 16 He continues to stumble. Indeed, each falls over the other. They say , “Get up! Let’s return to our people and to our native land, away from the oppressor’s sword.” 17 There they will cry out, “Pharaoh king of Egypt was all noise; he let the opportune moment pass.” 18 As I live — this is the King’s declaration; the Lord of Armies is his name — the king of Babylon b will come like Tabor among the mountains and like Carmel by the sea. 19 Get your bags ready for exile, inhabitant of Daughter Egypt! For Memphis will become a desolation, uninhabited ruins. 20 Egypt is a beautiful young cow , but a horsefly from the north is coming against her. c 21 Even her mercenaries among her are like stall-fed calves. They too will turn back; together they will flee; they will not take their stand, for the day of their calamity is coming on them, the time of their punishment. a46:4 Or mount up, riders b46:18 Lit He c46:20 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr; other Hb mss read is coming, coming 713 JEREMIAH 46 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 713 10/26/17 9:00 PM 22 Egypt will hiss like a slithering snake, a for the enemy will come with an army; with axes they will come against her like those who cut trees. 23 They will cut down her forest — this is the Lord’s declaration — though it is dense, for they are more numerous than locusts; they cannot be counted. 24 Daughter Egypt will be put to shame, handed over to a northern people. 25 The L ord of Ar mies, the God of Is ra el, says, “ I am about to pun ish Amon, god of Thebes, along with Pha raoh, Egypt, her gods, and her kings — Pha raoh and those trust ing in him. 26 I will hand them over to those who in tend to take their lives — to King Neb u chad nez zar of Bab ylon and his o ff i cers. But af ter this, Egypt b will be in hab it ed again as in an cient times.” This is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion. REASSURANCE FOR ISRAEL 27 But you, my servant Jacob, do not be afraid, and do not be discouraged, Israel, for without fail I will save you from far away , and your descendants from the land of their captivity! Jacob will return and have calm and quiet with no one to frighten him. 28 And you, my servant Jacob, do not be afraid — this is the Lord’s declaration — for I will be with you. I will bring destruction on all the nations where I have banished you, but I will not bring destruction on you. I will discipline you with justice, and I will by no means leave you unpunished. PROPHECIES AGAINST THE PHILISTINES 47 This is the word of the L ord that came to the proph et Jer e mi ah about the Phi- lis tines be fore Pha raoh de feat ed Gaza. 2 This is what the L ord says: Look, water is rising from the north and becoming an overflowing wadi. It will overflow the land and everything in it, the cities and their inhabitants. The people will cry out, and every inhabitant of the land will wail. 3 At the sound of the stomping hooves of his stallions, the rumbling of his chariots, and the clatter of their wheels, fathers will not turn back for their sons. They will be utterly helpless c 4 on account of the day that is coming to destroy all the Philistines, to cut off from Tyre and Sidon every remaining ally . Indeed, the Lord is about to destroy the Philistines, the remnant of the coastland of Caphtor. d 5 Baldness is coming to Gaza; Ashkelon will become silent. Remnant of their valley , how long will you gash yourself? 6 Oh, sword of the Lord! How long will
📜 Divine Judgment Against Nations
🔥 God's wrath targets specific nations through prophetic declarations, promising destruction to Moab, Ammon, Edom, Damascus, and Babylon for their pride and opposition to God's people
🏛️ National arrogance consistently provokes divine punishment, with powerful imagery of fortresses demolished, treasures plundered, and once-mighty peoples scattered and humiliated
🌪️ The inevitability of judgment appears throughout as God declares "I will" statements that guarantee the downfall of nations who exalted themselves against Him
🕊️ Amidst declarations of destruction, restoration promises offer hope to some nations "in the last days," showing God's ultimate redemptive purpose beyond punishment
🔄 Israel's restoration contrasts with enemy nations' downfall, as God promises to return His scattered people, forgive their sins, and establish a "permanent covenant"
⚔️ Divine vengeance operates through human instruments, as God "stirs up" armies and nations to execute His judgment against those who harmed His people and temple
you be restless? Go back to your sheath; be still; be silent! 7 How can it e rest when the Lord has given it a command? He has assigned it against Ashkelon and the shore of the sea. PROPHECIES AGAINST MOAB 48 About Moab, this is what the L ord of Ar mies, the God of Is ra el, says: Woe to Nebo, because it is about to be destroyed; Kiriathaim will be put to shame; it will be taken captive. The fortress will be put to shame and dismayed! 2 There is no longer praise for Moab; they plan harm against her in Heshbon: Come, let’s cut her off from nationhood. Also, Madmen, you will be silenced; a46:22 Lit Her sound is like a snake as it goes b46:26 Lit it c47:3 Lit Because of weakened hands d47:4 Probably Crete e47:7 LXX, Vg; MT reads youJEREMIAH 46-48 714 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 714 10/26/17 9:00 PM the sword will follow you. 3 A voice cries out from Horonaim, “devastation and a crushing blow! ” 4 Moab will be shattered; her little ones will cry out. 5 For on the Ascent to Luhith they will be weeping continually , a and on the descent to Horonaim will be heard cries of distress over the destruction: 6 Flee! Save your lives! Be like a juniper bush b in the wilderness. 7 Because you trust in your works and treasures, you will be captured also. Chemosh will go into exile with his priests and officials. 8 The destroyer will move against every town; not one town will escape. The valley will perish, and the plain will be annihilated, as the Lord has said. 9 Make Moab a salt marsh, c for she will run away; d her towns will become a desolation, without inhabitant. 10 The one who does the Lord’s business deceitfully e is cursed, and the one who withholds his sword from bloodshed is cursed. 11 Moab has been left quiet since his youth, settled like wine on its dregs. He hasn’t been poured from one container to another or gone into exile. So his taste has remained the same, and his aroma hasn’t changed. 12 Therefore look, the days are coming — this is the Lord’s declaration — when I will send pourers to him, who will pour him out. They will empty his containers and smash his jars. 13 Moab will be put to shame because of Chemosh, just as the house of Israel was put to shame because of Bethel that they trusted in. 14 How can you say , “We are warriors — valiant men for battle”? 15 The destroyer of Moab and its towns has come up, f and the best of its young men have gone down to slaughter. This is the King’s declaration; the Lord of Armies is his name. 16 Moab’s calamity is near at hand; his disaster is rushing swiftly . 17 Mourn for him, all you surrounding nations, everyone who knows his name. Say , “How the mighty scepter is shattered, the glorious staff! ” 18 Come down from glory; sit on parched ground, resident of the daughter of Dibon, for the destroyer of Moab has come against you; he has destroyed your fortresses. 19 Stand by the highway and watch, resident of Aroer! Ask him who is fleeing or her who is escaping, “What happened? ” 20 Moab is put to shame, indeed dismayed. Wail and cry out! Declare by the Arnon that Moab is destroyed. 21 “Judg ment has come to the land of the pla- teau — to Ho lon, Jah zah, Meph a ath, 22 Di bon, Nebo, Beth-diblathaim, 23 Kir ia tha im, Beth- ga mul, Beth-me on, 24 Ke ri oth, Boz rah, and all the towns of the land of Moab, those far and near. 25 Moab’s horn is chopped off; his arm is shat tered.” This is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion. 26 “ Make him drunk, be cause he has ex alt ed him self against the L ord. Moab will wal low in his own vom it, and he will also be come a laugh ing stock. 27 Wasn’t Is ra el a laugh ing stock to you? Was he ever found among thieves? a48:5 Lit Luhith, weeping goes up with weeping b48:6 Or like Aroer ; Is 17:2; Jr 48:19 c48:9 LXX reads a sign ; Vg reads a flower ; Syr , Tg read a crown d48:9 Hb obscure e48:10 Or negligently f48:15 Or Moab is destroyed; he has come up against its cities 715 JEREMIAH 48 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 715 10/26/17 9:00 PM For when ev er you speak of him you shake your head.” 28 Abandon the towns! Live in the cliffs, residents of Moab! Be like a dove that nests inside the mouth of a cave. 29 We have heard of Moab’s pride, great pride, indeed — his insolence, arrogance, pride, and haughty heart. 30 I know his outburst. This is the Lord’s declaration. It is empty . His boast is empty . 31 Therefore, I will wail over Moab. I will cry out for Moab, all of it; he will moan for the men of Kir -heres. 32 I will weep for you, vine of Sibmah, with more than the weeping for Jazer. Your tendrils have extended to the sea; they have reached to the sea and to Jazer. a The destroyer has fallen on your summer fruit and grape harvest. 33 Gladness and celebration are taken from the fertile field and from the land of Moab. I have stopped the flow of wine from the winepresses; no one will tread with shouts of joy . The shouting is not a shout of joy . 34 “ There is a cry from Hesh bon to Ele a leh; they make their voices heard as far as Ja haz — from Zoar to Hor o na im and Eglath-shel- ishiyah — be cause even the Wa ters of Nim- rim have be come des o late. 35 In Moab, I will stop” — this is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion — “ the one who off ers sac ri fic es on the high place and burns in cense to his gods. 36 There fore, my heart moans like flutes for Moab, and my heart moans like flutes for the peo ple of Kir-heres. And there fore, the wealth he has gained has per ished. 37 In deed, ev ery head is bald and ev ery beard is chopped short. On ev ery hand is a gash and sack cloth around the waist. 38 On all the rooftops of Moab and in her pub lic squares, ev ery one is mourn ing be cause I have shat tered Moab like a jar no one wants.” This is the L ord ’ s dec la ra tion. 39 “ How bro ken it is! They wail! How Moab has turned his back! He is ashamed. Moab will be come a laugh ing stock and a shock to all those around him.” 40 For this is what the L ord says: Look! He will swoop down like an eagle and spread his wings against Moab. 41 The towns have b been captured, and the strongholds seized. In that day the heart of Moab’s warriors will be like the heart of a woman with contractions. 42 Moab will be destroyed as a people because he has exalted himself against the Lord. 43 Panic, pit, and trap await you, resident of Moab. This is the Lord’s declaration. 44 He who flees from the panic will fall in the pit, and he who climbs from the pit will be captured in the trap, for I will bring against Moab the year of their punishment. This is the Lord’s declaration. 45 Those who flee will stand exhausted in Heshbon’s shadow because fire has come out from Heshbon and a flame from within Sihon. It will devour Moab’s forehead and the skull of the noisemakers. 46 Woe to you, Moab! The people of Chemosh have perished because your sons have been taken captive and your daughters have gone into captivity . 47 Yet, I will restore the fortunes c of Moab in the last days. This is the Lord’s declaration. The judgment on Moab ends here. PROPHECIES AGAINST AMMON 49 About the Am mon ites, this is what the L ord says: Does Israel have no sons? Is he without an heir? Why then has Milcom d,e dispossessed Gad a48:32 Some Hb mss read reached as far as Jazer b48:41 Or Kerioth has c48:47 Or will end the captivity d49:1 LXX, Syr , Vg; MT reads Malkam e49:1 = MolechJEREMIAH 48-49 716 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 716 10/26/17 9:00 PM and his people settled in their cities? 2 Therefore look, the days are coming — this is the Lord’s declaration — when I will make the shout of battle heard against Rabbah of the Ammonites. It will become a desolate mound, and its surrounding villages will be set on fire. Israel will dispossess their dispossessors, says the Lord. 3 Wail, Heshbon, for Ai is devastated; cry out, daughters of Rabbah! Clothe yourselves with sackcloth, and lament; run back and forth within your walls, a because Milcom will go into exile together with his priests and officials. 4 Why do you boast about your valleys, your flowing valley , b you faithless daughter — you who trust in your treasures and say , “Who can attack me? ” 5 Look, I am about to bring terror on you — this is the declaration of the Lord God of Armies — from all those around you. You will be banished, each person headlong, with no one to gather up the fugitives. 6 But after that, I will restore the fortunes c of the Ammonites. This is the Lord’s declaration. PROPHECIES AGAINST EDOM 7 About Edom, this is what the L ord of Ar mies says: Is there no longer wisdom in Teman? Has counsel perished from the prudent? Has their wisdom rotted away? 8 Run! Turn back! Lie low , residents of Dedan, for I will bring Esau’s calamity on him at the time I punish him. 9 If grape harvesters came to you, wouldn’t they leave some gleanings? Were thieves to come in the night, they would destroy only what they wanted. 10 But I will strip Esau bare; I will uncover his secret places. He will try to hide, but he will be unable. His descendants will be destroyed along with his relatives and neighbors. He will exist no longer. 11 Abandon your fatherless; I will preserve them; let your widows trust in me. 12 For this is what the L ord says: “ If those who do not de serve to drink the cup must drink it, can you pos si bly re main un pun ished? You will not re main un pun ished, for you must drink it too. 13 For by my self I have sworn” — this is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion — “Boz rah d will be come a des o la tion, a dis grace, a ruin, and an ex am ple for curs ing, and all its sur round ing cit ies will be come ru ins for ev er.” 14 I have heard an envoy from the Lord; a messenger has been sent among the nations: Assemble yourselves to come against her. Rise up for war! 15 I will certainly make you insignificant among the nations, despised among humanity . 16 As to the terror you cause, e your arrogant heart has deceived you. You who live in the clefts of the rock, f you who occupy the mountain summit, though you elevate your nest like the eagles, even from there I will bring you down. This is the Lord’s declaration. 17 “ Edom will be come a des o la tion. Ev ery one who pass es by her will be ap palled and scoff be cause of all her wounds. 18 As when Sod om and Go mor rah were over thrown along with their neigh bors,” says the L ord, “ no one will live there; no hu man be ing will stay in it even temporarily . 19 “ Look, it will be like a lion com ing from the thick ets g of the Jor dan to the wa tered graz ing land. I will chase Edom away from her land in a flash. I will ap point who ev er is cho sen for her. For who is like me? Who will is sue me a sum mons? Who is the shep herd who can stand against me? ” 20 There fore, hear the plans that the L ord has drawn up against Edom and the strategies he a49:3 Or sheep pens b49:4 Or about your strength, your ebbing strength c49:6 Or will end the captivity, also in v. 39 d49:13 = Edom’s capital e49:16 Lit Your horror f49:16 = Petra g49:19 Lit pride 717 JEREMIAH 49 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 717 10/26/17 9:00 PM has de vised against the peo ple of Te man: The flock’s lit tle lambs will cer tain ly be dragged away , and their graz ing land will be made des- o late be cause of them. 21 At the sound of their fall the earth will quake; the sound of her cry will be heard at the Red Sea. 22 Look! It will be like an ea gle soaring up ward, then swoop ing down and spread ing its wings over Boz rah. In that day the hearts of Edom’s war riors will be like the heart of a wom an with contractions. PROPHECIES AGAINST DAMASCUS 23 About Da mas cus: Hamath and Arpad are put to shame, for they have heard a bad report and are agitated, like a the anxious sea that cannot be calmed. 24 Damascus has become weak; she has turned to run; panic has gripped her. Distress and labor pains have seized her like a woman in labor. 25 How can the city of praise not be abandoned, the town that brings me joy? 26 Therefore, her young men will fall in her public squares; all the warriors will perish in that day . This is the declaration of the Lord of Armies. 27 I will set fire to the wall of Damascus; it will consume Ben-hadad’s citadels. PROPHECIES AGAINST KEDAR AND HAZOR 28 About Ke dar and the king doms of Ha zor, which King Neb u chad nez zar of Bab ylon de- feat ed, this is what the L ord says: Rise up, attack Kedar, and destroy the people of the east! 29 They will take their tents and their flocks along with their tent curtains and all their equipment. They will take their camels for themselves. They will call out to them, “Terror is on every side! ” 30 Run! Escape quickly! Lie low , residents of Hazor — this is the Lord’s declaration — for King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon has drawn up a plan against you; he has devised a strategy against you. 31 Rise up, attack a nation at ease, one living in security . This is the Lord’s declaration. They have no doors, not even a gate bar; they live alone. 32 Their camels will become plunder, and their massive herds of cattle will become spoil. I will scatter them to the wind in every direction, those who clip the hair on their temples; I will bring calamity on them across all their borders. This is the Lord’s declaration. 33 Hazor will become a jackals’ den, a desolation forever. No one will live there; no human being will stay in it even temporarily . PROPHECIES AGAINST ELAM 34 This is the word of the L ord that came to the proph et Jer e mi ah about Elam b at the be gin- ning of the reign of King Zed e ki ah of Ju dah. 35 This is what the L ord of Ar mies says: I am about to shatter Elam’s bow , the source c of their might. 36 I will bring the four winds against Elam from the four corners of the heavens, and I will scatter them to all these winds. There will not be a nation to which Elam’s banished ones will not go. 37 I will devastate Elam before their enemies, before those who intend to take their lives. I will bring disaster on them, my burning anger. This is the Lord’s declaration. I will send the sword after them until I finish them off. 38 I will set my throne in Elam, and I will destroy the king and officials from there. This is the Lord’s declaration. 39 Yet, in the last days, I will restore the fortunes of Elam. This is the Lord’s declaration. a49:23 Lit in b49:34 = modern Iran c49:35 Lit firstJEREMIAH 49 718 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 718 10/26/17 9:00 PM PROPHECIES AGAINST BABYLON 50 This is the word the L ord spoke about Bab ylon, the land of the Chal de ans, through the proph et Jer e mi ah: 2 Announce to the nations; proclaim and raise up a signal flag; proclaim, and hide nothing. Say , “Babylon is captured; Bel is put to shame; Marduk is terrified.” Her idols are put to shame; her false gods, devastated. 3 For a nation from the north will attack her; it will make her land desolate. No one will be living in it — both people and animals will escape. a 4 In those days and at that time — this is the Lord’s declaration — the Israelites and Judeans will come together, weeping as they come, and will seek the Lord their God. 5 They will ask about Zion, turning their faces to this road. They will come and join themselves b to the Lord in a permanent covenant that will never be forgotten. 6 My people were lost sheep; their shepherds led them astray , guiding them the wrong way in the mountains. They wandered from mountain to hill; they forgot their resting place. 7 Whoever found them devoured them. Their adversaries said, “We’re not guilty; instead, they have sinned against the Lord, their righteous grazing land, the hope of their ancestors, the Lord.” 8 Escape from Babylon; depart from the Chaldeans’ land. Be like the rams that lead the flock. 9 For I will soon stir up and bring against Babylon an assembly of great nations from the north country . They will line up in battle formation against her; from there she will be captured. Their arrows will be like a skilled c warrior who does not return empty-handed. 10 The Chaldeans will become plunder; all Babylon’s plunderers will be fully satisfied. This is the Lord’s declaration. 11 Because you rejoice, because you celebrate — you who plundered my inheritance — because you frolic like a young cow treading grain and neigh like stallions, 12 your mother will be utterly humiliated; she who bore you will be put to shame. Look! She will lag behind all d the nations — an arid wilderness, a desert. 13 Because of the Lord’s wrath, she will not be inhabited; she will become a desolation, every bit of her. Everyone who passes through Babylon will be appalled and scoff because of all her wounds. 14 Line up in battle formation around Babylon, all you archers! Shoot at her! Do not spare an arrow , for she has sinned against the Lord. 15 Raise a war cry against her on every side! She has thrown up her hands in surrender; her defense towers have fallen; her walls are demolished. Since this is the Lord’s vengeance, take your vengeance on her; as she has done, do the same to her. 16 Cut off the sower from Babylon as well as him who wields the sickle at harvest time. Because of the oppressor’s sword, each will turn to his own people, each will flee to his own land. THE RETURN OF GOD’S PEOPLE 17 Israel is a stray lamb, chased by lions. The first who devoured him was the king of Assyria; a50:3 Lit escape; they will walk b50:5 LXX; MT reads Come and join yourselves c50:9 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr; other Hb mss read bereaving d50:12 Lit Look! The last of 719 JEREMIAH 50 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 719 10/26/17 9:00 PM the last who crushed his bones was King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. 18 There fore, this is what the L ord of Ar mies, the God of Is ra el, says: I am about to pun ish the king of Bab ylon and his land just as I pun- ished the king of As syr ia. 19 I will return Israel to his grazing land, and he will feed on Carmel and Bashan; he will be satisfied in the hill country of Ephraim and of Gilead. 20 In those days and at that time — this is the Lord’s declaration — one will search for Israel’s iniquity , but there will be none, and for Judah’s sins, but they will not be found, for I will forgive those I leave as a remnant. THE INVASION OF BABYLON 21 Attack the land of Merathaim, and those living in Pekod. Put them to the sword; completely destroy them — this is the Lord’s declaration — do everything I have commanded you. 22 The sound of war is in the land — a crushing blow! 23 How the hammer of the whole earth is cut down and smashed! What a horror Babylon has become among the nations! 24 Babylon, I laid a trap for you, and you were caught, but you did not even know it. You were found and captured because you pitted yourself against the Lord. 25 The Lord opened his armory and brought out his weapons of wrath, because it is a task of the Lord God of Armies in the land of the Chaldeans. 26 Come against her from the most distant places. a Open her granaries; pile her up like mounds of grain and completely destroy her. Leave her no survivors. 27 Put all her young bulls to the sword; let them go down to the slaughter. Woe to them because their day has come, the time of their punishment. THE HUMILIATION OF BABYLON 28 There is a voice of fugitives and refugees from the land of Babylon. The voice announces in Zion the vengeance of the Lord our God, the vengeance for his temple. 29 Summon the archers to Babylon, all who string the bow; camp all around her; let none escape. Repay her according to her deeds; just as she has done, do the same to her, for she has acted arrogantly against the Lord, against the Holy One of Israel. 30 Therefore, her young men will fall in her public squares; all the warriors will perish in that day . This is the Lord’s declaration. 31 Look, I am against you, you arrogant one — this is the declaration of the Lord God of Armies — for your day has come, the time when I will punish you. 32 The arrogant will stumble and fall with no one to pick him up. I will set fire to his cities, and it will consume everything around him. THE DESOLATION OF BABYLON 33 This is what the L ord of Ar mies says: Israelites and Judeans alike have been oppressed. All their captors hold them fast; they refuse to release them. 34 Their Redeemer is strong; the Lord of Armies is his name. He will fervently champion their cause so that he might bring rest to the earth but turmoil to those who live in Babylon. 35 A sword is over the Chaldeans — this is the Lord’s declaration —
🔥 Babylon's Prophesied Destruction
⚔️ Divine judgment against Babylon unfolds through repeated imagery of swords, destruction, and desolation, marking God's vengeance for oppressing Israel and Judah
🏙️ The once-mighty Babylon will fall from being a "gold cup in the Lord's hand" to a desolate wasteland inhabited only by wild animals, with her warriors terrified and her defenses shattered
🌊 Vivid metaphors portray Babylon as a devastating mountain to be leveled, a threshing floor to be trampled, and waters to be dried up—emphasizing the complete reversal of her power and prosperity
🔄 The text establishes a pattern of cosmic justice, where those who inflicted suffering will themselves suffer, with the Lord acting as the champion of His people's cause
🏛️ The final chapters document the historical fulfillment of these prophecies through Nebuchadnezzar's conquest of Jerusalem, the temple's destruction, and the exile of the Jewish people
😢 The narrative concludes with a brief moment of mercy as King Jehoiachin is pardoned and given a place at the Babylonian king's table—a small glimmer of hope amid national devastation
against those who live in Babylon, against her officials, and against her sages. 36 A sword is against the diviners, a50:26 Lit from the endJEREMIAH 50 720 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 720 10/26/17 9:00 PM and they will act foolishly . A sword is against her heroic warriors, and they will be terrified. 37 A sword is against his horses and chariots and against all the foreigners among them, and they will be like women. A sword is against her treasuries, and they will be plundered. 38 A drought will come on her waters, and they will be dried up. For it is a land of carved images, and they go mad because of terrifying things. a 39 Therefore, desert creatures b will live with hyenas, and ostriches will also live in her. It will never again be inhabited or lived in through all generations. 40 Just as God demolished Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighboring towns — this is the Lord’s declaration — so no one will live there; no human being will stay in it even temporarily as a temporary resident. THE CONQUEST OF BABYLON 41 Look! A people comes from the north. A great nation and many kings will be stirred up from the remote regions of the earth. 42 They grasp bow and javelin. They are cruel and show no mercy . Their voice roars like the sea, and they ride on horses, lined up like men in battle formation against you, Daughter Babylon. 43 The king of Babylon has heard about them; his hands have become weak. Distress has seized him — pain, like a woman in labor. 44 “ Look, it will be like a lion com ing from the thick ets c of the Jor dan to the wa tered graz ing land. I will chase Bab ylon d away from her land in a flash. I will ap point who ev er is cho sen for her. For who is like me? Who will is sue me a sum mons? Who is the shep herd who can stand against me? ” 45 There fore, hear the plans that the L ord has drawn up against Bab ylon and the strategies he has de vised against the land of the Chal- de ans: Cer tain ly the flock’s lit tle lambs will be dragged away; cer tain ly the graz ing land will be made des o late be cause of them. 46 At the sound of Bab ylon’s con quest the earth will quake; a cry will be heard among the na tions. GOD’S JUDGMENT ON BABYLON 51 This is what the L ord says: I am about to rouse the spirit of a destroyer e against Babylon and against the population of Leb-qamai. f,g 2 I will send strangers to Babylon who will scatter her and strip her land bare, for they will come against her from every side in the day of disaster. 3 Don’t let the archer string his bow; don’t let him put on h his armor. Don’t spare her young men; completely destroy her entire army! 4 Those who were slain will fall in the land of the Chaldeans, those who were pierced through, in her streets. 5 For Israel and Judah are not left widowed by their God, the Lord of Armies, though their land is full of guilt against the Holy One of Israel. 6 Leave Babylon; save your lives, each of you! Don’t perish because of her guilt. For this is the time of the Lord’s vengeance — he will pay her what she deserves. 7 Babylon was a gold cup in the Lord’s hand, making the whole earth drunk. The nations drank her wine; therefore, the nations go mad. 8 Suddenly Babylon fell and was shattered. Wail for her; get balm for her wound — perhaps she can be healed. a50:38 Or of dreaded gods b50:39 Or desert demons c50:44 Lit pride d50:44 Lit them e51:1 Or to stir up a destructive wind f51:1 Lit heart of my adversaries g51:1 = Chaldeans h51:3 Hb obscure 721 JEREMIAH 50-51 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 721 10/26/17 9:00 PM 9 We tried to heal Babylon, but she could not be healed. Abandon her! Let each of us go to his own land, for her judgment extends to the sky and reaches as far as the clouds. 10 The Lord has brought about our vindication; come, let’s tell in Zion what the Lord our God has accomplished. 11 Sharpen the arrows! Fill the quivers! a The Lord has roused the spirit of the kings of the Medes because his plan is aimed at Babylon to destroy her, for it is the Lord’s vengeance, vengeance for his temple. 12 Raise up a signal flag against the walls of Babylon; fortify the watch post; set the watchmen in place; prepare the ambush. For the Lord has both planned and accomplished what he has threatened against those who live in Babylon. 13 You who reside by abundant water, rich in treasures, your end has come, your life thread is cut. 14 The L ord of Ar mies has sworn by him self: I will fill you up with men as with locusts, and they will sing the victory song over you. 15 He made the earth by his power, established the world by his wisdom, and spread out the heavens by his understanding. 16 When he thunders, b the waters in the heavens are tumultuous, and he causes the clouds to rise from the ends of the earth. He makes lightning for the rain and brings the wind from his storehouses. 17 Everyone is stupid and ignorant. Every goldsmith is put to shame by his carved image, for his cast images are a lie; there is no breath in them. 18 They are worthless, a work to be mocked. At the time of their punishment they will be destroyed. 19 Jacob’s Portion c is not like these because he is the one who formed all things. Israel is the tribe of his inheritance; the Lord of Armies is his name. 20 You are my war club, my weapons of war. With you I will smash nations; with you I will bring kingdoms to ruin. 21 With you I will smash the horse and its rider; with you I will smash the chariot and its rider. 22 With you I will smash man and woman; with you I will smash the old man and the youth; with you I will smash the young man and the young woman. 23 With you I will smash the shepherd and his flock; with you I will smash the farmer and his ox-team. d With you I will smash governors and officials. 24 “Be fore your very eyes, I will re pay Bab- ylon and all the res i dents of Chal dea for all their evil they have done in Zion.” This is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion. 25 Look, I am against you, devastating mountain. This is the Lord’s declaration. You devastate the whole earth. I will stretch out my hand against you, roll you down from the cliffs, and turn you into a charred mountain. 26 No one will be able to retrieve a cornerstone or a foundation stone from you, because you will become desolate forever. This is the Lord’s declaration. a51:11 Or Grasp the shields! b51:16 Lit At his giving of the voice c51:19 = The Lord d51:23 Lit yokeJEREMIAH 51 722 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 722 10/26/17 9:00 PM 27 Raise a signal flag in the land; blow a ram’s horn among the nations; set apart the nations against her. Summon kingdoms against her — Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz. Appoint a marshal against her; bring up horses like a swarm a of locusts. 28 Set apart the nations for battle against her — the kings of Media, her governors and all her officials, and all the lands they rule. 29 The earth quakes and trembles because the Lord’s intentions against Babylon stand: to make the land of Babylon a desolation, without inhabitant. 30 Babylon’s warriors have stopped fighting; they sit in their strongholds. Their might is exhausted; they have become like women. Babylon’s homes have been set ablaze, her gate bars are shattered. 31 Messenger races to meet messenger, and herald to meet herald, to announce to the king of Babylon that his city has been captured from end to end. 32 The fords have been seized, the marshes set on fire, and the fighting men are terrified. 33 For this is what the L ord of Ar mies, the God of Is ra el, says: Daughter Babylon is like a threshing floor at the time it is trampled. In just a little while her harvest time will come. 34 “King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon has devoured me; he has crushed me. He has set me aside like an empty dish; he has swallowed me like a sea monster; he filled his belly with my delicacies; he has vomited me out. b 35 Let the violence done to me and my family be done to Babylon,” says the inhabitant of Zion. “Let my blood be on the inhabitants of Chaldea,” says Jerusalem.36 There fore, this is what the L ord says: I am about to champion your cause and take vengeance on your behalf; I will dry up her sea and make her fountain run dry . 37 Babylon will become a heap of rubble, a jackals’ den, a desolation and an object of scorn, without inhabitant. 38 They will roar together like young lions; they will growl like lion cubs. 39 While they are flushed with heat, I will serve them a feast, and I will make them drunk so that they celebrate. c Then they will fall asleep forever and never wake up. This is the Lord’s declaration. 40 I will bring them down like lambs to the slaughter, like rams together with male goats. 41 How Sheshach d has been captured, the praise of the whole earth seized. What a horror Babylon has become among the nations! 42 The sea has risen over Babylon; she is covered with its tumultuous waves. 43 Her cities have become a desolation, an arid desert, a land where no one lives, where no human being even passes through. 44 I will punish Bel in Babylon. I will make him vomit what he swallowed. The nations will no longer stream to him; even Babylon’s wall will fall. 45 Come out from among her, my people! Save your lives, each of you, from the Lord’s burning anger. 46 May you not become cowardly and fearful when the report is proclaimed in the land, for the report will come one year, and then another the next year. There will be violence in the land with ruler against ruler. 47 Therefore, look, the days are coming a51:27 Hb obscure b51:34 Lit has rinsed me off c51:39 LXX reads pass out d51:41 = Babylon 723 JEREMIAH 51 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 723 10/26/17 9:00 PM when I will punish Babylon’s carved images. Her entire land will suffer shame, and all her slain will lie fallen within her. 48 Heaven and earth and everything in them will shout for joy over Babylon because the destroyers from the north will come against her. This is the Lord’s declaration. 49 Babylon must fall because of the slain of Israel, even as the slain of the whole earth fell because of Babylon. 50 You who have escaped the sword, go and do not stand still! Remember the Lord from far away , and let Jerusalem come to your mind. 51 We are ashamed because we have heard insults. Humiliation covers our faces because foreigners have entered the holy places of the Lord’s temple. 52 Therefore, look, the days are coming — this is the Lord’s declaration — when I will punish her carved images, and the wounded will groan throughout her land. 53 Even if Babylon should ascend to the heavens and fortify her tall fortresses, destroyers will come against her from me. This is the Lord’s declaration. 54 The sound of a cry from Babylon! The sound of terrible destruction from the land of the Chaldeans! 55 For the Lord is going to devastate Babylon; he will silence her mighty voice. Their waves roar like a huge torrent; the tumult of their voice resounds, 56 for a destroyer is coming against her, against Babylon. Her warriors will be captured, their bows shattered, for the Lord is a God of retribution; he will certainly repay . 57 I will make her princes and sages drunk, along with her governors, officials, and warriors. Then they will fall asleep forever and never wake up. This is the King’s declaration; the Lord of Armies is his name. 58 This is what the L ord of Ar mies says: Babylon’s thick walls will be totally demolished, and her high gates set ablaze. The peoples will have labored for nothing; the nations will weary themselves only to feed the fire. 59 This is what the proph et Jer e mi ah com- mand ed Se ra iah son of Ne ri ah son of Mah- se iah, the quartermaster, when he went to Bab ylon with King Zed e ki ah of Ju dah in the fourth year of Zed e ki ah’s reign. 60 Jer e mi ah wrote on one scroll about all the di sas ter that would come to Bab ylon; all these words were writ ten against Bab ylon. 61 Jer e mi ah told Se ra iah, “ When you get to Bab ylon, see that you read all these words aloud. 62 Say , ‘ L ord, you have threat ened to cut off this place so that no one will live in it — peo ple or an i mals. In deed, it will re main des o late for ev er.’ 63 When you have fin ished read ing this scroll, tie a stone to it and throw it into the mid dle of the Eu phra tes Riv er. 64 Then say , ‘ In the same way , Bab ylon will sink and nev er rise again be cause of the di sas ter I am bring ing on her. They will grow wea ry .’ ” The words of Jer e mi ah end here. THE FALL OF JERUSALEM 52 Zed e ki ah was twenty-one years old when he be came king, and he reigned elev en years in Je ru sa lem. His moth er’s name was Ha mu tal daugh ter of Jer e mi ah; she was from Lib nah. 2 Zed e ki ah did what was evil in the L ord’ s sight just as Je hoi a kim had done. 3 Be cause of the L ord’ s an ger, it came to the point in Je ru sa lem and Ju dah that he fi nal ly ban ished them from his pres ence. Then Zed- e ki ah re belled against the king of Bab ylon. 4 In the ninth year of Zed e ki ah’s reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, King Neb- u chad nez zar of Bab ylon ad vanced against Je ru sa lem with his en tire army . They laid siege to the city and built a siege wall against it all around. 5 The city was un der siege un til King Zed e ki ah’s elev enth year. 6 By the ninth day of the fourth month the fam ine was so se vere in the city that the JEREMIAH 51-52 724 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 724 10/26/17 9:00 PM com mon peo ple had no food. 7 Then the city was bro ken into, and all the war riors fled. They left the city at night by way of the city gate be- tween the two walls near the king’s gar den, though the Chal de ans sur round ed the city . They made their way along the route to the Ar a bah. 8 The Chal de an army pur sued the king and over took Zed e ki ah in the plains of Jer i cho. Zed e ki ah’s en tire army left him and scat tered. 9 The Chal de ans seized the king and brought him to the king of Bab ylon at Rib lah in the land of Ha math, and he passed sen tence on him. 10 At Rib lah the king of Bab ylon slaugh tered Zed e ki ah’s sons be fore his eyes, and he also slaugh tered the Ju de an com mand ers. 11 Then he blind ed Zed e ki ah and bound him with bronze chains. The king of Bab ylon brought Zed e ki ah to Bab ylon, where he kept him in cus to dy a un til his dy ing day . 12 On the tenth day of the fifth month — which was the nine teenth year of King Neb u- chad nez zar, king of Bab ylon — Neb u zar a dan, the cap tain of the guards, en tered Je ru sa lem as the rep re sen ta tive of b the king of Bab ylon. 13 He burned the L ord’ s tem ple, the king’s pal ace, all the hous es of Je ru sa lem; he burned down all the great hous es. 14 The whole Chal de an army with the cap tain of the guards tore down all the walls sur round ing Je ru sa lem. 15 Neb u- zar a dan, the cap tain of the guards, de port ed some of the poor est of the peo ple, as well as the rest of the peo ple who re mained in the city , the deserters who had de fect ed to the king of Bab ylon, and the rest of the crafts- men. 16 But Neb u zar a dan, the cap tain of the guards, left some of the poor est of the land to be vinedressers and farm ers. 17 Now the Chal de ans broke into pieces the bronze pil lars for the L ord’ s tem ple and the wa ter carts and the bronze ba sin c that were in the L ord’ s tem ple, and they car ried all the bronze to Bab ylon. 18 They also took the pots, shov els, wick trim mers, sprin kling ba sins, dish es, and all the bronze ar ti cles used in the tem ple ser vice. 19 The cap tain of the guards took away the bowls, fire pans, sprin kling ba sins, pots, lamp stands, pans, and drink off er ing bowls — what ev er was gold or sil ver. 20 As for the two pil lars, the one ba sin, with the twelve bronze oxen un der it, and the wa ter carts d that King Sol o mon had made for the L ord’ s tem ple, the weight of the bronze of all these ar ti cles was be yond mea sure. 21 One pil lar was 27 feet e tall, had a cir cum fer ence of 18 feet, f was hol low — four fin gers thick — 22 and had a bronze cap i tal on top of it. One cap i tal, en cir cled by bronze grat ing and pome gran ates, stood 7 1/ 2 feet g high. The sec ond pil lar was the same, with pome gran ates. 23 Each cap i tal had ninety-six pome gran ates all around it. All the pome gran ates around the grat ing num bered one hun dred. 24 The cap tain of the guards also took away Se ra iah the chief priest, Zeph a ni ah the priest of the sec ond rank, and the three door keep- ers. 25 From the city he took a court off i cial h who had been ap point ed over the war riors; sev en trust ed roy al aides i found in the city; the sec re tary of the com mand er of the army , who enlisted the peo ple of the land for mil i tary duty; and six ty men from the com mon peo ple j who were found with in the city . 26 Neb u zar a- dan, the cap tain of the guards, took them and brought them to the king of Bab ylon at Rib lah. 27 The king of Bab ylon put them to death at Rib lah in the land of Ha math. So Ju dah went into ex ile from its land. 28 These are the peo ple Neb u chad nez zar de port ed: in the sev enth year, 3,023 Jews; 29 in his eigh teenth year, k 832 peo ple from Je ru- sa lem; 30 in Neb u chad nez zar’s twenty-third year, Neb u zar a dan, the cap tain of the guards, de port ed 745 Jews. Al to geth er, 4,600 peo ple were de port ed. JEHOIACHIN PARDONED 31 On the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth month of the thirty-seventh year of the ex ile of Ju- dah’s King Je hoi a chin, King Evil-merodach of Bab ylon, in the first year of his reign, par doned King Je hoi a chin of Ju dah and re leased him from pris on. 32 He spoke kind ly to him and set his throne above the thrones of the kings who were with him in Bab ylon. 33 So Je hoi a chin changed his pris on clothes, and he dined reg- u lar ly in the pres ence of the king of Bab ylon for the rest of his life. 34 As for his al low ance, a reg u lar al low ance was giv en to him by the king of Bab ylon, a por tion for each day un til the day of his death, for the rest of his life. a52:11 Lit in a house of guards b52:12 Lit Jerusalem; he stood before c52:17 Lit sea d52:20 LXX, Syr; MT reads oxen under the water carts e52:21 Lit 18 cubits f52:21 Lit 12 cubits g52:22 Lit five cubits h52:25 Or a eunuch i52:25 Lit seven men who look on the king’s face j52:25 Lit the people of the land k52:29 Some Hb mss, Syr add he deported 725 JEREMIAH 52 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 725 10/26/17 9:00 PM lamen TaTions LAMENT OVER JERUSALEM א Aleph 1 How a she sits alone, the city once crowded with people! She who was great among the nations has become like a widow . The princess among the provinces has been put to forced labor. ב Beth 2 She weeps bitterly during the night, with tears on her cheeks. There is no one to offer her comfort, not one from all her lovers. b All her friends have betrayed her; they have become her enemies. ג Gimel 3 Judah has gone into exile following c affliction and harsh slavery; she lives among the nations but finds no place to rest. All her pursuers have overtaken her in narrow places. ד Daleth 4 The roads to Zion mourn, for no one comes to the appointed festivals. All her gates are deserted; her priests groan, her young women grieve, and she herself is bitter. ה He 5 Her adversaries have become her masters; her enemies are at ease, for the Lord has made her suffer because of her many transgressions. Her children have gone away as captives before the adversary . ו Waw 6 All the splendor has vanished from Daughter Zion. Her leaders are like stags that find no pasture; they stumble away exhausted before the hunter. ז Zayin
📜 Jerusalem's Lament and Hope
😢 Jerusalem's devastation unfolds through poetic acrostic verses, depicting a once-glorious city now reduced to ruins, abandoned by allies, and mocked by enemies after God's righteous judgment
🔥 Divine punishment manifests as God becomes like an enemy, destroying the temple, abolishing festivals, and allowing horrific suffering including starvation so severe that mothers consume their own children
⚖️ Sin and consequences are directly linked—Jerusalem's transgressions, the priests' iniquities, and the prophets' deceptions all contributed to the city's downfall and the people's exile
🌅 Hope emerges amid despair through recognition of God's faithful love that "never ends" and is "new every morning," offering the possibility of restoration if the people return to the Lord
🙏 Communal prayer concludes with a desperate plea for God to "renew our days as in former times," acknowledging divine sovereignty while seeking mercy despite their sins
💔 The emotional intensity of the text creates a raw portrait of suffering through vivid imagery—tears flowing like rivers, bodies shriveled like wood, and hearts sick with grief
7 During the days of her affliction and homelessness Jerusalem remembers all her precious belongings that were hers in days of old. When her people fell into the adversary’s hand, she had no one to help. The adversaries looked at her, laughing over her downfall. ח Cheth 8 Jerusalem has sinned grievously; therefore, she has become an object of scorn. d All who honored her now despise her, for they have seen her nakedness. She herself groans and turns away . ט Teth 9 Her uncleanness stains her skirts. She never considered her end. Her downfall was astonishing; there was no one to comfort her. L ord, look on my affliction, for the enemy boasts. י Yod 10 The adversary has seized all her precious belongings. She has even seen the nations enter her sanctuary — those you had forbidden to enter your assembly . כ Kaph 11 All her people groan while they search for bread. They have traded their precious belongings for food in order to stay alive. L ord, look and see how I have become despised. a1:1 The stanzas in Lm 1–4 form an acrostic. b1:2 = Jerusalem’s political allies c1:3 Or because of d1:8 Or become impure CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 726 10/26/17 9:00 PM ל Lamed 12 Is this nothing to you, all you who pass by? Look and see! Is there any pain like mine, which was dealt out to me, which the Lord made me suffer on the day of his burning anger? מ Mem 13 He sent fire from on high into my bones; he made it descend. a He spread a net for my feet and turned me back. He made me desolate, sick all day long. נ Nun 14 My transgressions have been formed into a yoke, b,c fastened together by his hand; they have been placed on my neck, and the Lord has broken my strength. He has handed me over to those I cannot withstand. ס Samek 15 The Lord has rejected all the mighty men within me. He has summoned an army d against me to crush my young warriors. The Lord has trampled Virgin Daughter Judah like grapes in a winepress. ע Ayin 16 I weep because of these things; my eyes flow e with tears. For there is no one nearby to comfort me, no one to keep me alive. My children are desolate because the enemy has prevailed. פ Pe 17 Zion stretches out her hands; there is no one to comfort her. The Lord has issued a decree against Jacob that his neighbors should be his adversaries. Jerusalem has become something impure among them. צ Tsade 18 The Lord is just, for I have rebelled against his command. Listen, all you people; look at my pain. My young women and young men have gone into captivity . ק Qoph 19 I called to my lovers, but they betrayed me. My priests and elders perished in the city while searching for food to keep themselves alive. ר Resh 20 Lord, see how I am in distress. I am churning within; my heart is broken, f for I have been very rebellious. Outside, the sword takes the children; inside, there is death. שׁ Shin 21 People have heard me groaning, but there is no one to comfort me. All my enemies have heard of my misfortune; they are glad that you have caused it. Bring on the day you have announced, so that they may become like me. ת Taw 22 Let all their wickedness come before you, and deal with them as you have dealt with me because of all my transgressions. For my groans are many , and I am sick at heart. JUDGMENT ON JERUSALEM א Aleph 2 How the Lord has overshadowed Daughter Zion with his anger! He has thrown down Israel’s glory from heaven to earth. a1:13 DSS, LXX; MT reads bones, and it prevailed against them b1:14 Some Hb mss, LXX read He kept watch over my transgressions c1:14 Or The yoke of my transgressions is bound ; Hb obscure d1:15 Or has announced an appointed time e1:16 Lit my eye, my eye flows f1:20 Lit is turned within me 727 LAMENTATIONS 1-2 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 727 10/26/17 9:00 PM He did not acknowledge his footstool in the day of his anger. ב Beth 2 Without compassion the Lord has swallowed up all the dwellings of Jacob. In his wrath he has demolished the fortified cities of Daughter Judah. He brought them to the ground and defiled the kingdom and its leaders. ג Gimel 3 He has cut off every horn of Israel in his burning anger and withdrawn his right hand in the presence of the enemy . He has blazed against Jacob like a flaming fire that consumes everything. ד Daleth 4 He has strung his bow like an enemy; his right hand is positioned like an adversary . He has killed everyone who was the delight to the eye, pouring out his wrath like fire on the tent of Daughter Zion. ה He 5 The Lord is like an enemy; he has swallowed up Israel. He swallowed up all its palaces and destroyed its fortified cities. He has multiplied mourning and lamentation within Daughter Judah. ו Waw 6 He has wrecked his temple a as if it were merely a shack in a field, b destroying his place of meeting. The Lord has abolished appointed festivals and Sabbaths in Zion. He has despised king and priest in his fierce anger. ז Zayin 7 The Lord has rejected his altar, repudiated his sanctuary; he has handed the walls of her palaces over to the enemy . They have raised a shout in the house of the Lord as on the day of an appointed festival. ח Cheth 8 The Lord determined to destroy the wall of Daughter Zion. He stretched out a measuring line and did not restrain himself from destroying. He made the ramparts and walls grieve; together they waste away . ט Teth 9 Zion’s gates have fallen to the ground; he has destroyed and shattered the bars on her gates. Her king and her leaders live among the nations, instruction c is no more, and even her prophets receive no vision from the Lord. י Yod 10 The elders of Daughter Zion sit on the ground in silence. They have thrown dust on their heads and put on sackcloth. The young women of Jerusalem have bowed their heads to the ground. כ Kaph 11 My eyes are worn out from weeping; I am churning within. My heart is poured out in grief d because of the destruction of my dear people, because infants and nursing babies faint in the streets of the city . ל Lamed 12 They cry out to their mothers, “Where is the grain and wine? ” as they faint like the wounded in the streets of the city , as their life pours out in the arms of their mothers. מ Mem 13 What can I say on your behalf? What can I compare you to, Daughter Jerusalem? What can I liken you to, a2:6 Lit booth b2:6 Lit it were a garden c2:9 Or the law d2:11 Lit My liver is poured out on the groundLAMENTATIONS 2 728 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 728 10/26/17 9:00 PM so that I may console you, Virgin Daughter Zion? For your ruin is as vast as the sea. Who can heal you? נ Nun 14 Your prophets saw visions for you that were empty and deceptive; a they did not reveal your iniquity and so restore your fortunes. They saw pronouncements for you that were empty and misleading. ס Samek 15 All who pass by scornfully clap their hands at you. They hiss and shake their heads at Daughter Jerusalem: Is this the city that was called the perfection of beauty , the joy of the whole earth? פ Pe 16 All your enemies open their mouths against you. They hiss and gnash their teeth, saying, “We have swallowed her up. This is the day we have waited for! We have lived to see it.” ע Ayin 17 The Lord has done what he planned; he has accomplished his decree, which he ordained in days of old. He has demolished without compassion, letting the enemy gloat over you and exalting the horn of your adversaries. צ Tsade 18 The hearts of the people cry out to the Lord. Wall of Daughter Zion, let your tears run down like a river day and night. Give yourself no relief and your b eyes no rest. ק Qoph 19 Arise, cry out in the night from the first watch of the night. Pour out your heart like water before the Lord’s presence. Lift up your hands to him for the lives of your children who are fainting from hunger at the head of every street. ר Resh 20 Lord, look and consider to whom you have done this. Should women eat their own children, the infants they have nurtured? c Should priests and prophets be killed in the Lord’s sanctuary? שׁ Shin 21 Both young and old are lying on the ground in the streets. My young women and young men have fallen by the sword. You have killed them in the day of your anger, slaughtering without compassion. ת Taw 22 You summon those who terrorize me d on every side, as if for an appointed festival day; on the day of the Lord’s anger no one escaped or survived. My enemy has destroyed those I nurtured e and reared. HOPE THROUGH GOD’S MERCY א Aleph 3 I am the man who has seen affliction under the rod of God’s wrath. 2 He has driven me away and forced me to walk in darkness instead of light. 3 Yes, he repeatedly turns his hand against me all day long. ב Beth 4 He has worn away my flesh and skin; he has broken my bones. 5 He has laid siege against me, encircling me with bitterness and hardship. 6 He has made me dwell in darkness like those who have been dead for ages. a2:14 Or insipid b2:18 Lit and the daughter of your c2:20 Or infants in a healthy condition ; Hb obscure d2:22 Or terrors e2:22 Or I bore healthy ; Hb obscure 729 LAMENTATIONS 2-3 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 729 10/26/17 9:00 PM ג Gimel 7 He has walled me in so I cannot get out; he has weighed me down with chains. 8 Even when I cry out and plead for help, he blocks out my prayer. 9 He has walled in my ways with blocks of stone; he has made my paths crooked. ד Daleth 10 He is a a bear waiting in ambush, a lion in hiding. 11 He forced me off my way and tore me to pieces; he left me desolate. 12 He strung his bow and set me as the target for his arrow . ה He 13 He pierced my kidneys with shafts from his quiver. 14 I am a laughingstock to all my people, b mocked by their songs all day long. 15 He filled me with bitterness, satiated me with wormwood. ו Waw 16 He ground my teeth with gravel and made me cower c in the dust. 17 I have been deprived d of peace; I have forgotten what prosperity is. 18 Then I thought, “My future e is lost, as well as my hope from the Lord.” ז Zayin 19 Remember f my affliction and my homelessness, the wormwood and the poison. 20 I continually remember them and have become depressed. g 21 Yet I call this to mind, and therefore I have hope: ח Cheth 22 Because of the Lord’s faithful love we do not perish, h for his mercies never end. 23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness! 24 I say , “The Lord is my portion, therefore I will put my hope in him.”ט Teth 25 The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the person who seeks him. 26 It is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord. 27 It is good for a man to bear the yoke while he is still young. י Yod 28 Let him sit alone and be silent, for God has disciplined i him. 29 Let him put his mouth in the dust — perhaps there is still hope. 30 Let him offer his cheek to the one who would strike him; let him be filled with disgrace. כ Kaph 31 For the Lord will not reject us forever. 32 Even if he causes suffering, he will show compassion according to the abundance of his faithful love. 33 For he does not enjoy bringing affliction or suffering on mankind. ל Lamed 34 Crushing all the prisoners of the land j beneath one’s feet, 35 denying justice to a man in the presence of the Most High, 36 or subverting a person in his lawsuit — the Lord does not approve of these things. מ Mem 37 Who is there who speaks and it happens, unless the Lord has ordained it? 38 Do not both adversity and good come from the mouth of the Most High? 39 Why should any living person complain, any man, because of the punishment for his sins? a3:10 Lit is to me b3:14 Some Hb mss, LXX, Vg; other Hb mss, Syr read all peoples c3:16 Or and trampled me d3:17 Syr , Vg; MT reads You deprived my soul e3:18 Or splendor f3:19 Or I remember g3:20 Alt Hb tradition reads and you cause me to collapse h3:22 One Hb mss, Syr , Tg read The Lord’s faithful love, indeed, does not perish i3:28 Lit has laid a burden on j3:34 Or earthLAMENTATIONS 3 730 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 730 10/26/17 9:00 PM נ Nun 40 Let us examine and probe our ways, and turn back to the Lord. 41 Let us lift up our hearts and our hands to God in heaven: 42 “We have sinned and rebelled; you have not forgiven. ס Samek 43 “You have covered yourself in anger and pursued us; you have killed without compassion. 44 You have covered yourself with a cloud so that no prayer can get through. 45 You have made us disgusting filth among the peoples. פ Pe 46 “ All our enemies open their mouths against us. 47 We have experienced panic and pitfall, devastation and destruction.” 48 My eyes flow with streams of tears because of the destruction of my dear people. ע Ayin 49 My eyes overflow unceasingly , without end, 50 until the Lord looks down from heaven and sees. 51 My eyes bring me grief because of the fate of all the women in my city . צ Tsade 52 For no reason, my enemies a hunted me like a bird. 53 They smothered my life in b a pit and threw stones on me. 54 Water flooded over my head, and I thought, “I’m going to die! ” ק Qoph 55 I called on your name, Lord, from the depths of the pit. 56 You heard my plea: Do not ignore my cry for relief. 57 You came near whenever I called you; you said, “Do not be afraid.”ר Resh 58 You championed my cause, Lord; you redeemed my life. 59 Lord, you saw the wrong done to me; judge my case. 60 You saw all their vengefulness, all their plots against me. שׂ Sin / שׁ Shin 61 Lord, you heard their insults, all their plots against me. 62 The slander c and murmuring of my opponents attack me all day long. 63 When they sit and when they rise, look, I am mocked by their songs. ת Taw 64 You will pay them back what they deserve, Lord, according to the work of their hands. 65 You will give them a heart filled with anguish. d May your curse be on them! 66 You will pursue them in anger and destroy them under your heavens. e TERRORS OF THE BESIEGED CITY א Aleph 4 How the gold has become tarnished, the fine gold become dull! The stones of the temple f lie scattered at the head of every street. ב Beth 2 Zion’s precious children — once worth their weight in pure gold — how they are regarded as clay jars, the work of a potter’s hands! ג Gimel 3 Even jackals offer their breasts to nurse their young, but my dear people have become cruel like ostriches in the wilderness. ד Daleth 4 The nursing baby’s tongue clings to the roof of his mouth from thirst. a3:52 Or Those who were my enemies for no reason b3:53 Or They ended my life in ; Hb obscure c3:62 Lit lips d3:65 Or them an obstinate heart ; Hb obscure e3:66 Lit under the Lord’s heavens f4:1 Or The sacred gems 731 LAMENTATIONS 3-4 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 731 10/26/17 9:00 PM Infants beg for food, but no one gives them any . ה He 5 Those who used to eat delicacies are destitute in the streets; those who were reared in purple garments huddle in trash heaps. ו Waw 6 The punishment of my dear people is greater than that of Sodom, which was overthrown in an instant without a hand laid on it. ז Zayin 7 Her dignitaries were brighter than snow , whiter than milk; their bodies a were more ruddy than coral, their appearance like lapis lazuli. ח Cheth 8 Now they appear darker than soot; they are not recognized in the streets. Their skin has shriveled on their bones; it has become dry like wood. ט Teth 9 Those slain by the sword are better off than those slain by hunger, who waste away , pierced with pain because the fields lack produce. י Yod 10 The hands of compassionate women have cooked their own children; they became their food during the destruction of my dear people. כ Kaph 11 The Lord has exhausted his wrath, poured out his burning anger; he has ignited a fire in Zion, and it has consumed her foundations. ל Lamed 12 The kings of the earth and all the world’s inhabitants did not believe that an enemy or adversary could enter Jerusalem’s gates. מ Mem 13 Yet it happened because of the sins of her prophets and the iniquities of her priests, who shed the blood of the righteous within her. נ Nun 14 Blind, they stumbled in the streets, defiled by this blood, so that no one dared to touch their garments. ס Samek 15 “Stay away! Unclean! ” people shouted at them. “ Away , away! Don’t touch us! ” So they wandered aimlessly . It was said among the nations, “They can stay here no longer.” פ Pe 16 The Lord himself has scattered them; he no longer watches over them. The priests are not respected; the elders find no favor. ע Ayin 17 All the while our eyes were failing as we looked in vain for help; we watched from our towers for a nation that would not save us. צ Tsade 18 Our steps were closely followed so that we could not walk in our streets. Our end approached; our time ran out. Our end had come! ק Qoph 19 Those who chased us were swifter than eagles in the sky; they relentlessly pursued us over the mountains and ambushed us in the wilderness. ר Resh 20 The Lord’s anointed, the breath of our life, b was captured in their traps. a4:7 Lit bones b4:20 Lit nostrilsLAMENTATIONS 4 732 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 732 10/26/17 9:00 PM We had said about him, “We will live under his protection among the nations.” שׂ Sin 21 So rejoice and be glad, Daughter Edom, you resident of the land of Uz! Yet the cup will pass to you as well; you will get drunk and expose yourself. ת Taw 22 Daughter Zion, your punishment is complete; he will not lengthen your exile. a But he will punish your iniquity , Daughter Edom, and will expose your sins. PRAYER FOR RESTORATION 5 Lord, remember what has happened to us. Look, and see our disgrace! 2 Our inheritance has been turned over to strangers, our houses to foreigners. 3 We have become orphans, fatherless; our mothers are widows. 4 We must pay for the water we drink; our wood comes at a price. 5 We are closely pursued; we are tired, and no one offers us rest. 6 We made a treaty with b Egypt and with Assyria, to get enough food. 7 Our fathers sinned; they no longer exist, but we bear their punishment. 8 Slaves rule over us; no one rescues us from them. 9 We secure our food at the risk of our lives because of the sword in the wilderness. 10 Our skin is as hot c as an oven from the ravages of hunger. 11 Women have been raped in Zion, virgins in the cities of Judah. 12 Princes have been hung up by their hands; elders are shown no respect. 13 Young men labor at millstones; boys stumble under loads of wood. 14 The elders have left the city gate, the young men, their music. 15 Joy has left our hearts; our dancing has turned to mourning. 16 The crown has fallen from our head. Woe to us, for we have sinned. 17 Because of this, our heart is sick; because of these, our eyes grow dim: 18 because of Mount Zion, which lies desolate and has jackals prowling in it. 19 You, Lord, are enthroned forever; your throne endures from generation to generation. 20 Why do you continually forget us, abandon us for our entire lives? 21 Lord, bring us back to yourself, so we may return; renew our days as in former times, 22 unless you have completely rejected us and are intensely angry with us. a4:22 Or not deport you again b5:6 Lit We gave the hand to c5:10 Or black ; Hb obscure 733 LAMENTATIONS 4-5 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 733 10/26/17 9:00 PM ezeKiel 1 In the thir ti eth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, while I was among the ex iles by the Che bar Ca nal, the heav ens were opened and I saw vi sions of God. 2 On the fifth day of the month — it was the fifth year of King Je hoi a chin’s ex ile — 3 the word of the L ord came di rect ly to the priest Ezek iel son of Buzi, in the land of the Chal de ans by the Che bar Ca nal. The L ord’ s hand was on him there. VISION OF THE LORD’S GLORY 4 I looked, and there was a whirl wind com- ing from the north, a huge cloud with fire flash ing back and forth and bril liant light all around it. In the cen ter of the fire, there was a gleam like amber. 5 The like ness of four liv ing crea tures came from it, and this was their ap pear ance: They looked some thing like a hu man, 6 but each of them had four fac es and four wings. 7 Their legs were straight, and the soles of their feet were like the hooves of a calf, spar kling like the gleam of pol ished bronze. 8 They had hu man hands un der their wings on their four sides. All four of them had fac es and wings. 9 Their wings were touch ing. The crea tures did not turn as they moved; each one went straight ahead. 10 Their fac es looked some thing like the face of a hu man, and each of the four had the face of a lion on the right, the face of an ox on the left, and the face of an
🔮 Divine Vision of Ezekiel
🦁 Living creatures with four faces (human, lion, ox, eagle) move in perfect synchronization with wheels full of eyes, creating a supernatural spectacle of divine presence that transcends earthly understanding
🔥 Fire and light permeate the vision, with blazing coals, lightning, and brilliant amber glow representing the awesome power and glory of God's presence manifesting in the physical realm
📜 Ezekiel receives a prophetic commission to speak to the rebellious Israelites, consuming a scroll of "lamentation, mourning, and woe" that tastes sweet as honey despite its difficult message
⚠️ The prophet becomes a watchman with grave responsibility—warning the wicked and righteous alike, bearing accountability for those he fails to caution about impending judgment
🏙️ Through dramatic enactments (lying on his side, shaving his head, rationing food), Ezekiel physically embodies the coming siege and destruction of Jerusalem as divine punishment for idolatry
🌪️ God promises to scatter the Israelites among nations while preserving a remnant who will remember their sins, loathe themselves for their unfaithfulness, and ultimately recognize God's sovereignty
ea gle. 11 That is what their fac es were like. Their wings were spread up ward; each had two wings touch ing that of an oth er and two wings cov er ing its body . 12 Each crea ture went straight ahead. Wher ev er the Spir it a want ed to go, they went with out turn ing as they moved. 13 The like ness of the liv ing crea tures was like the ap pear ance of blaz ing coals of fire or like torch es. Fire was mov ing back and forth be tween the liv ing crea tures; it was bright, with light ning com ing out of it. 14 The crea- tures were dart ing back and forth like flash es of light ning. 15 When I looked at the liv ing crea tures, there was one wheel on the ground be side each of the four-faced crea tures. 16 The ap pear ance of the wheels and their crafts man ship was like the gleam of ber yl, and all four had the same like ness. Their ap pear ance and crafts man ship was like a wheel with in a wheel. 17 When they moved, they went in any of the four di rec tions, with out turn ing as they moved. 18 Their rims were tall and awe-inspiring. Each of their four rims were full of eyes all around. 19 When the liv ing crea tures moved, the wheels moved be - side them, and when the crea tures rose from the earth, the wheels also rose. 20 Wher ev er the Spir it want ed to go, the crea tures went in the di rec tion the Spir it was mov ing. The wheels rose along side them, for the spir it of the liv- ing crea tures was in the wheels. 21 When the crea tures moved, the wheels moved; when the crea tures stopped, the wheels stopped; and when the crea tures rose from the earth, the wheels rose along side them, for the spir it of the liv ing crea tures was in the wheels. 22 Over the heads of the liv ing crea tures the like ness of an ex panse was spread out. It gleamed like awe-inspiring crys tal, 23 and un der the ex panse their wings ex tend ed one to ward an oth er. They each also had two wings cov er ing their bod ies. 24 When they moved, I heard the sound of their wings like the roar of a huge tor rent, like the voice of the Al- mighty , and a sound of tu mult like the noise of an army . When they stopped, they low ered their wings. 25 A voice came from above the ex panse over their heads; when they stopped, they low ered their wings. 26 Some thing like a throne with the ap pear ance of lapis lazuli was above the ex panse over their heads. On the throne, high above, was some one who looked like a hu man. 27 From what seemed to be his waist up, I saw a gleam like amber, with what looked like fire enclosing it all around. From what seemed to be his waist down, I also saw what looked like fire. There was a bril liant light all around him. 28 The ap pear ance of the bril liant light all around was like that of a rain bow in a cloud on a rainy day . This was the ap pear ance of the like ness of the L ord’ s glo ry . When I saw it, I fell face- down and heard a voice speak ing. a1:12 Or spirit, also in v. 20 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 734 10/26/17 9:00 PM MISSION TO REBELLIOUS ISRAEL 2 He said to me, “ Son of man, stand up on your feet and I will speak with you.” 2 As he spoke to me, the Spir it en tered me and set me on my feet, and I lis tened to the one who was speak ing to me. 3 He said to me, “ Son of man, I am send ing you to the Is ra el ites, to a the re bel lious pa gans who have re belled against me. The Is ra el ites and their an ces tors have trans gressed against me to this day . 4 The de scen dants are ob sti nate b and hard heart- ed. I am send ing you to them, and you must say to them, ‘ This is what the Lord G od says.’ 5 Wheth er they lis ten or re fuse to lis ten — for they are a re bel lious house — they will know that a proph et has been among them. 6 “ But you, son of man, do not be afraid of them and do not be afraid of their words, even though bri ers and thorns are be side you and you live among scor pi ons. Don’t be afraid of their words or dis cour aged by the look on their fac es, for they are a re bel lious house. 7 Speak my words to them wheth er they lis- ten or re fuse to lis ten, for they are re bel lious. 8 “ And you, son of man, lis ten to what I tell you: Do not be re bel lious like that re bel lious house. Open your mouth and eat what I am giv ing you.” 9 So I looked and saw a hand reach- ing out to me, and there was a writ ten scroll in it. 10 When he un rolled it be fore me, it was writ ten on the front and back; words of lam en- ta tion, mourn ing, and woe were writ ten on it. 3 He said to me: “ Son of man, eat what you find here. Eat this scroll, then go and speak to the house of Is ra el.” 2 So I opened my mouth, and he fed me the scroll. 3 “ Son of man,” he said to me, “ feed your stom ach and fill your bel ly with this scroll I am giv ing you.” So I ate it, and it was as sweet as hon ey in my mouth. 4 Then he said to me: “ Son of man, go to the house of Is ra el and speak my words to them. 5 For you are not be ing sent to a peo ple of unintelligible speech or a diff i cult lan guage but to the house of Is ra el — 6 not to the many peo ples of unintelligible speech or a di ff i cult lan guage, whose words you can not un der - stand. No doubt, if I sent you to them, they would lis ten to you. 7 But the house of Is ra el will not want to lis ten to you be cause they do not want to lis ten to me. For the whole house of Is ra el is hardheaded and hard heart ed. 8 Look, I have made your face as hard as their fac es and your fore head as hard as their fore heads. 9 I have made your fore head like a diamond, hard er than flint. Don’t be afraid of them or dis cour aged by the look on their fac es, though they are a re bel lious house.” 10 Next he said to me: “ Son of man, lis ten care ful ly to all my words that I speak to you and take them to heart. 11 Go to your peo ple, the ex iles, and speak to them. Tell them, ‘ This is what the Lord G od says,’ wheth er they lis ten or re fuse to lis ten.” 12 The Spir it then lift ed me up, and I heard a loud rum bling sound be hind me — bless the glo ry of the L ord in his place! — 13 with the c sound of the liv ing crea tures’ wings brush- ing against each oth er and the sound of the wheels be side them, a loud rum bling sound. 14 The Spir it lift ed me up and took me away . I left in bit ter ness and in an an gry spir it, and the L ord’ s hand was on me pow er ful ly . 15 I came to the ex iles at Tel-abib, who were liv ing by the Che bar Ca nal, and I sat there among them stunned for sev en days. EZEKIEL AS A WATCHMAN 16 Now at the end of sev en days the word of the L ord came to me: 17 “ Son of man, I have made you a watch man over the house of Is- ra el. When you hear a word from my mouth, give them a warn ing from me. 18 If I say to the wick ed per son, ‘ You will sure ly die,’ but you do not warn him — you don’t speak out to warn him about his wick ed way in or der to save his life — that wick ed per son will die for his in iq ui ty . Yet I will hold you re spon si ble for his blood. 19 But if you warn a wick ed per son and he does not turn from his wick ed ness or his wick ed way , he will die for his in iq ui ty , but you will have res cued your self. 20 Now if a righ teous per son turns from his righ teous- ness and acts un just ly , and I put a stum bling block in front of him, he will die. If you did not warn him, he will die be cause of his sin, and the righ teous acts he did will not be re mem- bered. Yet I will hold you re spon si ble for his blood. 21 But if you warn the righ teous per son that he should not sin, and he does not sin, he will in deed live be cause he lis tened to your warn ing, and you will have res cued your self.” 22 The hand of the L ord was on me there, and he said to me, “ Get up, go out to the plain, and I will speak with you there.” 23 So I got up a2:3 Or Israelites and to b2:4 Lit hard of face c3:12-13 Some emend to behind me as the glory of the Lord rose from his place: 13the 735 EZEKIEL 2-3 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 735 10/26/17 9:00 PM and went out to the plain. The L ord ’ s glo ry was pre sent there, like the glo ry I had seen by the Che bar Ca nal, and I fell face down. 24 The Spir it en tered me and set me on my feet. He spoke with me and said: “ Go, shut your self in side your house. 25 As for you, son of man, they will put ropes on you and bind you with them so you can not go out among them. 26 I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth, and you will be mute and un able to be a me di a tor for a them, for they are a re bel lious house. 27 But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth, and you will say to them, ‘ This is what the Lord G od says.’ Let the one who lis tens, lis ten, and let the one who re fus es, re fuse — for they are a re bel lious house. JERUSALEM’S SIEGE DRAMATIZED 4 “ Now you, son of man, take a brick, set it in front of you, and draw the city of Je- ru sa lem on it. 2 Then lay siege against it: Con - struct a siege wall, build a ramp, pitch mil i tary camps, and place bat ter ing rams against it on all sides. 3 Take an iron plate and set it up as an iron wall be tween your self and the city . Face it so that it is un der siege, and be siege it. This will be a sign for the house of Is ra el. 4 “ Then lie down on your left side and place the in iq ui ty b of the house of Is ra el on it. You will bear their in iq ui ty for the num ber of days you lie on your side. 5 For I have as signed you the years of their in iq ui ty ac cord ing to the num ber of days you lie down, 390 days; so you will bear the in iq ui ty of the house of Is- ra el. 6 When you have com plet ed these days, lie down again, but on your right side, and bear the in iq ui ty of the house of Ju dah. I have as signed you for ty days, a day for each year. 7 Face the siege of Je ru sa lem with your arm bared, and proph e sy against it. 8 Be aware that I will put cords on you so you can not turn from side to side un til you have fin ished the days of your siege. 9 “ Also take wheat, bar ley , beans, len tils, mil- let, and spelt. Put them in a sin gle con tain er and make them into bread for your self. You are to eat it dur ing the num ber of days you lie on your side, 390 days. 10 The food you eat each day will weigh eight ounc es; c you will eat it at set times. d 11 You will also drink a ra - tion of wa ter, a sixth of a gallon, e which you will drink at set times. 12 You will eat it as you would a bar ley cake and bake it over dried hu man ex cre ment in their sight.” 13 The L ord said, “ This is how the Is ra el ites will eat their bread — cer e mo ni al ly un clean — among the na tions where I will ban ish them.” 14 But I said, “ Oh, Lord G od, I have nev er been de filed. From my youth un til now I have not eat - en any thing that died nat u ral ly or was mauled by wild beasts. And im pure meat has nev er en tered my mouth.” 15 He re plied to me, “ Look, I will let you use cow dung in stead of hu man ex cre ment, and you can make your bread over that.” 16 He said to me, “ Son of man, I am go ing to cut off the sup ply of bread in Je ru sa lem. They will anx- ious ly eat food they have weighed out and in dread drink ra tioned wa ter 17 for lack of bread and wa ter. Ev ery one will be dev as tat ed and waste away be cause of their in iq ui ty . EZEKIEL DRAMATIZES JERUSALEM’S FALL 5 “ Now you, son of man, take a sharp sword, use it as you would a bar ber’s ra zor, and shave your head and beard. Then take a set of scales and di vide the hair. 2 You are to burn a third of it in the city when the days of the siege have end ed; you are to take a third and slash it with the sword all around the city; and you are to scat ter a third to the wind, for I will draw a sword to chase af ter them. 3 But you are to take a few strands from the hair and se cure them in the folds of your robe. 4 Take some more of them, throw them into the fire, and burn them in it. A fire will spread from it to the whole house of Is ra el. 5 “ This is what the Lord G od says: I have set this Je ru sa lem in the cen ter of the na tions, with coun tries all around her. 6 She has re belled against my or di nances with more wick ed ness than the na tions, and against my stat utes more than the coun tries that sur round her. For her peo ple have re ject ed my or di nances and have not walked in my stat utes. 7 “There fore, this is what the Lord G od says: Be cause you have been more insubordinate than the na tions around you — you have not walked in my stat utes or kept my or di nances; you have not even kept the or di nances of the na tions around you — 8 there fore, this is what the Lord G od says: See, I my self am against you, Je ru sa lem, and I will ex e cute judg ments with in you in the sight of the na tions. 9 Be cause of all your de test able prac tic es, I will do to you what I have nev er done be fore and what a3:26 Or to rebuke b4:4 Or punishment c4:10 Lit 20 shekels d4:10 Lit from time to time, also in v. 11 e4:11 Lit hinEZEKIEL 3-5 736 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 736 10/26/17 9:00 PM I will nev er do again. 10 As a re sult, fa thers will eat their sons with in Je ru sa lem, a and sons will eat their fa thers. I will ex e cute judg ments against you and scat ter all your sur vi vors to ev ery di rec tion of the wind. 11 “There fore, as I live” — this is the dec la ra- tion of the Lord G od — “ I will with draw and show you no pity , be cause you have de filed my sanc tu ary with all your ab hor rent acts and de test able prac tic es. Yes, I will not spare you. 12 A third of your peo ple will die by plague and be con sumed by fam ine with in you; a third will fall by the sword all around you; and I will scat ter a third to ev ery di rec tion of the wind, and I will draw a sword to chase af ter them. 13 When my an ger is spent and I have vented my wrath on them, I will be ap peased. Then af ter I have spent my wrath on them, they will know that I, the L ord, have spo ken in my jeal ou sy . 14 “ I will make you a ruin and a dis grace among the na tions around you, in the sight of ev ery one who pass es by . 15 So you b will be a dis grace and a taunt, a warn ing and a hor - ror, to the na tions around you when I ex e cute judg ments against you in an ger, wrath, and fu ri ous re bukes. I, the L ord, have spo ken. 16 When I shoot dead ly ar rows of fam ine at them, ar rows for de struc tion that I will send to de stroy you, in hab i tants of Je ru sa lem, I will intensify the fam ine against you and cut off your sup ply of bread. 17 I will send fam ine and dan ger ous an i mals against you. They will leave you child less. Plague and blood shed will sweep through you, and I will bring a sword against you. I, the L ord, have spo ken.” PROPHECY AGAINST ISRAEL’S IDOLATRY 6 The word of the L ord came to me: 2 “ Son of man, face the moun tains of Is ra el and proph e sy against them. 3 You are to say: Moun- tains of Is ra el, hear the word of the Lord G od! This is what the Lord G od says to the moun tains and the hills, to the ra vines and the val leys: I am about to bring a sword against you, and I will de stroy your high plac es. 4 Your al tars will be desolated and your shrines c smashed. I will throw down your slain in front of your idols. 5 I will lay the corpses of the Is ra el ites in front of their idols and scat ter your bones around your al tars. 6 Wher ev er you live the cit ies will be in ru ins and the high plac es will be des o late, so that your al tars will lie in ru- ins and be des e crat ed, d your idols smashed and oblit er at ed, your shrines cut down, and what you have made wiped out. 7 The slain will fall among you, and you will know that I am the L ord. 8 “ Yet I will leave a rem nant when you are scat tered among the na tions, for through out the coun tries there will be some of you who will es cape the sword. 9 Then your sur vi vors will re mem ber me among the na tions where they are tak en cap tive, how I was crushed by their pro mis cu ous hearts that turned away from me and by their eyes that lust ed af ter their idols. They will loathe them selves be cause of the evil things they did, their de test able ac- tions of ev ery kind. 10 And they will know that I am the L ord; I did not threat en to bring this di sas ter on them with out a rea son. LAMENT OVER THE FALL OF JERUSALEM 11 “ This is what the Lord G od says: Clap your hands, stamp your feet, and cry out over all the evil and de test able prac tic es of the house of Is ra el, who will fall by the sword, fam ine, and plague. 12 The one who is far off will die by plague; the one who is near will fall by the sword; and the one who re mains and is spared e will die of fam ine. In this way I will ex haust my wrath on them. 13 You will all know that I am the L ord when their slain lie among their idols around their al tars, on ev ery high hill, on all the moun tain tops, and un der ev ery green tree and ev ery leafy oak — the plac es where they off ered pleas ing aro mas to all their idols. 14 I will stretch out my hand against them, and wher ev er they live I will make the land a des o late waste, from the wil der ness to Dib lah. f Then they will know that I am the L ord.” ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE END 7 The word of the L ord came to me: 2 “ Son of man, this is what the Lord G od says to the land of
🔥 Divine Judgment Unleashed
🌍 God's wrath descends upon Israel for their detestable practices, bringing destruction from "the four corners of the earth" with no pity or mercy shown
💰 Material wealth becomes worthless as "silver and gold will be unable to save them" during judgment, exposing how possessions became stumbling blocks leading to iniquity
🏛️ The temple's desecration through idol worship provokes God's departure, as leaders engage in secret pagan rituals while claiming "The Lord does not see us"
⚔️ Divine executioners mark the faithful who "sigh and groan" over evil practices before slaughtering the wicked, beginning at the sanctuary itself
👁️ God's glory dramatically departs Jerusalem in stages—moving from the cherubim to the threshold, then outside the city to the mountain east of Jerusalem
🔄 Despite severe judgment, God promises future restoration for the exiles, pledging to "give them integrity of heart" and "remove their heart of stone" to establish a renewed covenant relationship
Is ra el: An end! The end has come on the four corners of the earth. 3 The end is now upon you; I will send my anger against you and judge you according to your ways. I will punish you for all your detestable practices. a5:10 Lit you b5:15 DSS, LXX, Syr , Tg, Vg; MT reads she c6:4 Or incense altars, also in v. 6 d6:6 Hb obscure e6:12 Or besieged f6:14 Some Hb mss, some LXX mss read Riblah ; 2Kg 23:33; Jr 39:5 737 EZEKIEL 5-7 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 737 10/26/17 9:00 PM 4 I will not look on you with pity or spare you, but I will punish you for your ways and for your detestable practices within you. Then you will know that I am the Lord.” 5 This is what the Lord G od says: Look, one disaster after another is coming! 6 An end has come; the end has come! It has awakened against you. Look, it is coming! 7 Doom a has come on you, inhabitants of the land. The time has come; the day is near. There will be panic on the mountains and not celebration. 8 I will pour out my wrath on you very soon; I will exhaust my anger against you and judge you according to your ways. I will punish you for all your detestable practices. 9 I will not look on you with pity or spare you. I will punish you for your ways and for your detestable practices within you. Then you will know that it is I, the Lord, who strikes. 10 Here is the day! Here it comes! Doom is on its way . The rod has blossomed; arrogance has bloomed. 11 Violence has grown into a rod of wickedness. None of them will remain: none of that crowd, none of their wealth, and none of the eminent b among them. 12 The time has come; the day has arrived. Let the buyer not rejoice and the seller not mourn, for wrath is on her whole crowd. 13 The seller will certainly not return to what was sold as long as he and the buyer remain alive. c For the vision concerning her whole crowd will not be revoked, and because of the iniquity of each one, none will preserve his life. 14 They have blown the trumpet and prepared everything, but no one goes to war, for my wrath is on her whole crowd. 15 The sword is on the outside; plague and famine are on the inside. Whoever is in the field will die by the sword, and famine and plague will devour whoever is in the city . 16 The survivors among them will escape and live on the mountains. Like doves of the valley , all of them will moan, each over his own iniquity . 17 All their hands will become weak, and all their knees will run with urine. d 18 They will put on sackcloth, and horror will overwhelm them. Shame will cover all their faces, and all their heads will be bald. 19 They will throw their silver into the streets, and their gold will seem like something filthy . Their silver and gold will be unable to save them in the day of the Lord’s wrath. They will not satisfy their appetites or fill their stomachs, for these were the stumbling blocks that brought about their iniquity . 20 He appointed his beautiful ornaments for majesty , but e they made their detestable images from them, their abhorrent things. Therefore, I have made these into something filthy to them. 21 I will hand these things over to foreigners as plunder and to the wicked of the earth as spoil, and they will profane them. a7:7 Or A leash ; Hb obscure, also in v. 10 b7:11 Some Hb mss, Syr , Vg read and no rest c7:13 Lit sold, while still in life is their life d7:17 Lit knees will go water e7:20 Or They turned their beautiful ornaments into objects of pride, andEZEKIEL 7 738 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 738 10/26/17 9:00 PM 22 I will turn my face from them as they profane my treasured place. Violent men will enter it and profane it. 23 Forge the chain, for the land is filled with crimes of bloodshed, and the city is filled with violence. 24 So I will bring the most evil of nations to take possession of their houses. I will put an end to the pride of the strong, and their sacred places will be profaned. 25 Anguish is coming! They will look for peace, but there will be none. 26 Disaster after disaster will come, and there will be rumor after rumor. Then they will look for a vision from a prophet, but instruction will perish from the priests and counsel from the elders. 27 The king will mourn; the prince will be clothed in grief; and the hands of the people of the land will tremble. I will deal with them according to their own conduct, and I will judge them by their own standards. Then they will know that I am the Lord. VISIONARY JOURNEY TO JERUSALEM 8 In the sixth year, in the sixth month, on the fifth day of the month, I was sit ting in my house and the el ders of Ju dah were sit ting in front of me, and there the hand of the Lord G od came down on me. 2 I looked, and there was some one who looked like a man. a From what seemed to be his waist down was fire, and from his waist up was some thing that looked bright, like the gleam of amber. 3 He stretched out what ap peared to be a hand and took me by the hair of my head. Then the Spir it lift ed me up be tween earth and heav en and car ried me in vi sions of God to Je ru sa lem, to the en trance of the in ner gate that fac es north, where the of- fen sive stat ue that pro vokes jeal ou sy was lo cat ed. 4 I saw the glo ry of the God of Is ra el there, like the vi sion I had seen in the plain.PAGAN PRACTICES IN THE TEMPLE 5 The L ord said to me, “ Son of man, look to ward the north.” I looked to the north, and there was this off en sive stat ue north of the Al tar Gate, at the en trance. 6 He said to me, “ Son of man, do you see what they are do ing here — more de test able acts that the house of Is ra el is com- mit ting — so that I must de part from my sanc- tu ary? You will see even more de test able acts.” 7 Then he brought me to the en trance of the court, and when I looked there was a hole in the wall. 8 He said to me, “ Son of man, dig through the wall.” So I dug through the wall and dis cov ered a door way . 9 He said to me, “ Go in and see the de test able, wick ed acts they are com mit ting here.” 10 I went in and looked, and there en graved all around the wall was ev ery kind of ab hor - rent thing — crawl ing crea tures and beasts — as well as all the idols of the house of Is ra el. 11 Sev en ty el ders from the house of Is ra el were stand ing be fore them, with Ja az a ni ah son of Sha phan stand ing among them. Each had a firepan in his hand, and a fra grant cloud of in cense was ris ing up. 12 He said to me, “ Son of man, do you see what the el ders of the house of Is ra el are do ing in the dark ness, each at the shrine of his idol? For they are say ing, ‘ The L ord does not see us. The L ord has aban- doned the land.’ ” 13 Again he said to me, “ You will see even more de test able acts that they are com mit ting.” 14 Then he brought me to the en trance of the north gate of the L ord’ s house, and I saw wom en sit ting there weep ing for Tam muz. 15 And he said to me, “ Do you see this, son of man? You will see even more de test able acts than these.” 16 So he brought me to the in ner court of the L ord’ s house, and there were about twenty-five men at the en trance of the L ord’ s tem ple, be- tween the por ti co and the al tar, with their backs to the L ord’ s tem ple and their fac es turned to the east. They were bow ing to the east in wor ship of the sun. 17 And he said to me, “ Do you see this, son of man? Is it not enough for the house of Ju dah to com mit the de test able acts they are do ing here, that they must also fill the land with vi o lence and re peat ed ly an ger me, even put ting the branch to their nose? b 18 There fore I will re spond with wrath. I will not show pity or spare them. Though they call loud ly in my hear ing, I will not lis ten to them.” a8:2 LXX; MT , Vg read like fire b8:17 Alt Hb tradition reads my nose 739 EZEKIEL 7-8 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 739 10/26/17 9:00 PM VISION OF SLAUGHTER IN JERUSALEM 9 Then he called loud ly in my hear ing, “ Come near, ex e cu tion ers of the city , each of you with a de struc tive weap on in his hand.” 2 And I saw six men com ing from the di rec tion of the Up per Gate, which fac es north, each with a war club in his hand. There was an oth er man among them, clothed in lin en, car ry ing writ- ing equip ment. They came and stood be side the bronze al tar. 3 Then the glo ry of the God of Is ra el rose from above the cher ub where it had been, to the thresh old of the tem ple. He called to the man clothed in lin en and car ry ing writ- ing equip ment. 4 “ Pass through out the city of Je ru sa lem,” the L ord said to him, “ and put a mark on the fore heads of the men who sigh and groan over all the de test able prac tic es com mit ted in it.” 5 He spoke to the oth ers in my hear ing: “ Pass through the city af ter him and start kill ing; do not show pity or spare them! 6 Slaugh ter the old men, the young men and wom en, as well as the chil dren and old er wom en, but do not come near any one who has the mark. Be gin at my sanc tu ary .” So they be gan with the el- ders who were in front of the tem ple. 7 Then he said to them, “De file the tem ple and fill the courts with the slain. Go! ” So they went out kill ing peo ple in the city . 8 While they were kill ing, I was left alone. And I fell face down and cried out, “ Oh, Lord G od! Are you go ing to de stroy the en tire rem- nant of Is ra el when you pour out your wrath on Je ru sa lem? ” 9 He an swered me, “ The in iq ui ty of the house of Is ra el and Ju dah is ex treme ly great; the land is full of blood shed, and the city full of per ver si ty . For they say , ‘ The L ord has aban doned the land; he does not see.’ 10 But as for me, I will not show pity or spare them. I will bring their con duct down on their own heads.” 11 Then the man clothed in lin en and car ry- ing writ ing equip ment re port ed back, “ I have done all that you com mand ed me.” GOD’S GLORY LEAVES THE TEMPLE 10 Then I looked, and there above the ex- panse over the heads of the cher u bim was some thing like a throne with the ap pear - ance of lapis lazuli. 2 The L ord spoke to the man clothed in lin en and said, “ Go in side the wheelwork be neath the cher u bim. Fill your hands with blaz ing coals from among the cher u bim and scat ter them over the city .” So he went in as I watched. 3 Now the cher u bim were stand ing to the south of the tem ple when the man went in, and the cloud filled the in ner court. 4 Then the glo ry of the L ord rose from above the cher ub to the thresh old of the tem ple. The tem ple was filled with the cloud, and the court was filled with the bright ness of the L ord’ s glo ry . 5 The sound of the cher u bim’s wings could be heard as far as the out er court; it was like the voice of God Al mighty when he speaks. 6 Af ter the L ord com mand ed the man clothed in lin en, say ing, “ Take fire from in side the wheelwork, from among the cher u bim,” the man went in and stood be side a wheel. 7 Then the cher ub reached out his hand to the fire that was among them. He took some and put it into the hands of the man clothed in lin- en, who took it and went out. 8 The cher u bim ap peared to have the form of hu man hands un der their wings. 9 I looked, and there were four wheels be- side the cher u bim, one wheel be side each cher ub. The lus ter of the wheels was like the gleam of ber yl. 10 In ap pear ance, all four looked alike, like a wheel with in a wheel. 11 When they moved, they would go in any of the four di rec tions, with out pivoting as they moved. But wher ev er the head faced, they would go in that di rec tion, with out pivoting as they went. 12 Their en tire bod ies, in clud ing their backs, hands, wings, and the wheels that the four of them had, were full of eyes all around. 13 As I lis tened the wheels were called “ the wheelwork.” 14 Each one had four fac es: one was the face of a cher ub, the sec ond the face of a man, the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an ea gle. 15 The cher u bim as cend ed; these were the liv ing crea tures I had seen by the Che bar Ca- nal. 16 When the cher u bim moved, the wheels moved be side them, and when they lift ed their wings to rise from the earth, even then the wheels did not veer away from them. 17 When the cher u bim stopped, the wheels stood still, and when they as cend ed, the wheels as cend ed with them, for the spir it of the liv ing crea tures was in them. 18 Then the glo ry of the L ord moved away from the thresh old of the tem ple and stopped above the cher u bim. 19 The cher u bim lift ed their wings and as cend ed from the earth right be fore my eyes; the wheels were be side them as they went. The glo ry of the God of Is ra el was EZEKIEL 9-10 740 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 740 10/26/17 9:00 PM above them, and it stopped at the en trance to the east ern gate of the L ord’ s house. 20 These were the liv ing crea tures I had seen be neath the God of Is ra el by the Che bar Ca nal, and I rec og nized that they were cher u bim. 21 Each had four fac es and each had four wings, with what looked some thing like hu man hands un der their wings. 22 Their fac es looked like the same fac es I had seen by the Che bar Ca nal. Each crea ture went straight ahead. VISION OF ISRAEL’S CORRUPT LEADERS 11 The Spir it then lift ed me up and brought me to the east ern gate of the L ord’ s house, which fac es east, and at the gate’s en trance were twenty-five men. Among them I saw Ja az a ni ah son of Az zur, and Pel a ti ah son of Be na iah, lead ers of the peo ple. 2 The L ord a said to me, “ Son of man, these are the men who plot evil and give wick ed ad vice in this city . 3 They are say ing, ‘ Isn’t the time near to build hous es? b The city is the pot, and we are the meat.’ 4 There fore, proph e sy against them. Proph e sy , son of man! ” 5 Then the Spir it of the L ord came on me, and he told me, “ You are to say , ‘ This is what the L ord says: That is what you are think ing, house of Is ra el; and I know the thoughts that arise in your mind. 6 You have mul ti plied your slain in this city , fill ing its streets with them. 7 “ ‘There fore, this is what the Lord G od says: The slain you have put with in it are the meat, and the city is the pot, but I c will take you out of it. 8 You fear the sword, so I will bring the sword against you. This is the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od. 9 I will take you out of the city and hand you over to for eign ers; I will ex e cute judg ments against you. 10 You will fall by the sword, and I will judge you at the bor der of Is ra el. Then you will know that I am the L ord. 11 The city will not be a pot for you, and you will not be the meat with in it. I will judge you at the bor der of Is ra el, 12 so you will know that I am the L ord, whose stat utes you have not fol lowed and whose or di nances you have not prac ticed. In stead, you have act ed ac cord ing to the or di nances of the na tions around you.’ ” 13 Now while I was proph e sy ing, Pel a ti ah son of Be na iah died. Then I fell face down and cried out loud ly , “ Oh, Lord G od! You are bring- ing the rem nant of Is ra el to an end! ”PROMISE OF ISRAEL’S RESTORATION 14 The word of the L ord came to me again: 15 “ Son of man, your own rel a tives, those who have the right to re deem your prop er ty , d,e along with the en tire house of Is ra el — all of them — are those to whom the res i dents of Je ru sa lem have said, ‘ You are far from the L ord; this land has been giv en to us as a pos- ses sion.’ 16 “There fore say , ‘ This is what the Lord G od says: Though I sent them far away among the na tions and scat tered them among the coun- tries, yet for a lit tle while I have been a sanc- tu ary for them in the coun tries where they have gone.’ 17 “There fore say , ‘ This is what the Lord G od says: I will gath er you from the peo ples and as sem ble you from the coun tries where you have been scat tered, and I will give you the land of Is ra el.’ 18 “ When they ar rive there, they will re move all its ab hor rent acts and de test able prac tic es from it. 19 I will give them in teg ri ty of f heart and put a new spir it with in them; I will re move their heart of stone from their bod ies g and give them a heart of flesh, 20 so that they will fol low my stat utes, keep my or di nances, and prac tice them. They will be my peo ple, and I will be their God. 21 But as for those whose hearts pur sue their de sire for ab hor rent acts and de test able prac tic es, I will bring their con duct down on their own heads.” This is the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od. GOD’S GLORY LEAVES JERUSALEM 22 Then the cher u bim, with the wheels be side them, lift ed their wings, and the glo ry of the God of Is ra el was above them. 23 The glo ry of the L ord rose up from with in the city and stopped on the moun tain east of the city . h 24 The Spir it lift ed me up and brought me to Chal dea and to the ex iles in a vi sion from the Spir it of God. Af ter the vi sion I had seen left me, 25 I spoke to the ex iles about all the things the L ord had shown me. EZEKIEL DRAMATIZES THE EXILE 12 The word of the L ord came to me: 2 “ Son of man, you are liv ing among a re bel lious house. They have eyes to see but do not see, and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a re bel lious house. a11:2 Lit He b11:3 Or “The time is not near to build houses. c11:7 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr , Tg, Vg; other Hb mss read he d11:15 LXX, Syr read your relatives, your fellow exiles e11:15 Or own brothers, your relatives f11:19 Lit give them one g11:19 Lit flesh h11:23 = the Mount of Olives 741 EZEKIEL 10-12 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 741 10/26/17 9:00 PM 3 “ Now you, son of man, get your bags ready for ex ile and go into ex ile in their sight dur - ing the day . You will go into ex ile from your place to an oth er place while they watch; per - haps they will un der stand, though they are a re bel lious house. 4 Dur ing the day , bring out your bags like an ex ile’s bags while they look on.
📜 Ezekiel's Prophetic Dramatizations
🎭 Symbolic actions commanded by God transform Ezekiel into a living sign for Israel, as he digs through walls and carries bags like an exile to foretell Jerusalem's coming captivity
⚠️ Divine judgment against false prophets exposes those who speak from their own imagination rather than God's word, plastering "flimsy walls with whitewash" that will ultimately collapse
🛑 Idolatry's consequences are unavoidable—even righteous figures like Noah, Daniel, and Job could only save themselves through righteousness, not their families, when God's four devastating judgments arrive
🔥 The useless vine parable portrays Jerusalem as wood fit only for burning, having failed its purpose and betrayed its covenant relationship
💔 Jerusalem is depicted as God's adulterous wife who, despite being rescued, clothed in finery, and adorned with jewels, turned to prostitution and idol worship, even sacrificing her children
⏰ God promises that despite skepticism ("the days keep passing by, and every vision fails"), His word will be fulfilled without delay—"I will speak what message I will speak, and it will be done"
Then in the eve ning go out in their sight like those go ing into ex ile. 5 As they watch, dig through the wall and take the bags out through it. 6 And while they look on, lift the bags to your shoul der and take them out in the dark; cov er your face so that you can not see the land. For I have made you a sign to the house of Is ra el.” 7 So I did just as I was com mand ed. In the day time I brought out my bags like an ex ile’s bags. In the eve ning I dug through the wall by hand; I took them out in the dark, car ry ing them on my shoul der in their sight. 8 In the morn ing the word of the L ord came to me: 9 “ Son of man, hasn’t the house of Is ra el, that re bel lious house, asked you, ‘ What are you do ing? ’ 10 Say to them, ‘ This is what the Lord G od says: This pronouncement con cerns the prince a in Je ru sa lem and the whole house of Is ra el liv ing there.’ b 11 You are to say , ‘ I am a sign for you. Just as I have done, it will be done to them; they will go into ex ile, into cap tiv i ty .’ 12 The prince who is among them will lift his bags to his shoul der in the dark and go out. They c will dig through the wall to bring him out through it. He will cov er his face so he can not see the land with his eyes. 13 But I will spread my net over him, and he will be caught in my snare. I will bring him to Bab ylon, the land of the Chal de ans, yet he will not see it, and he will die there. 14 I will also scat ter all the at ten dants who sur round him and all his troops to ev ery di rec tion of the wind, and I will draw a sword to chase af ter them. 15 They will know that I am the L ord when I dis perse them among the na tions and scat ter them among the coun tries. 16 But I will spare a few of them from the sword, fam ine, and plague, so that among the na tions where they go they can tell about all their de test able prac tic es. Then they will know that I am the L ord.” EZEKIEL DRAMATIZES ISRAEL ’S ANXIETY 17 The word of the L ord came to me: 18 “ Son of man, eat your bread with trem bling and drink your wa ter with anx ious shak ing. 19 Then say to the peo ple of the land, ’ This is what the Lord G od says about the res i dents of Je ru sa lem in the land of Is ra el: They will eat their bread with anx i ety and drink their wa ter in dread, for their d,e land will be stripped of ev ery thing in it be cause of the vi o lence of all who live there. 20 The in hab it ed cit ies will be de stroyed, and the land will be come dread ful. Then you will know that I am the L ord.’ ” A DECEPTIVE PROVERB STOPPED 21 Again the word of the L ord came to me: 22 “ Son of man, what is this prov erb you peo ple have about the land of Is ra el, which goes, ‘ The days keep pass ing by , and ev ery vi sion fails’? 23 There fore say to them, ‘ This is what the Lord G od says: I will put a stop to this prov erb, and they will not use it again in Is ra el.’ But say to them, ‘ The days have ar rived, as well as the ful fill ment of ev ery vi sion. 24 For there will no lon ger be any false vi sion or flat ter ing div i na tion with in the house of Is ra el. 25 But I, the L ord, will speak what ev er mes sage I will speak, and it will be done. It will no lon ger be de layed. For in your days, re bel lious house, I will speak a mes sage and bring it to pass. This is the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od.’ ” 26 The word of the L ord came to me: 27 “ Son of man, no tice that the house of Is ra el is say- ing, ‘ The vi sion that he sees con cerns many years from now; he proph e sies about dis tant times.’ 28 There fore say to them, ‘ This is what the Lord G od says: None of my words will be de layed any lon ger. The mes sage I speak will be ful filled. This is the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od.’ ” ISRAEL’S FALSE PROPHETS CONDEMNED 13 The word of the L ord came to me: 2 “ Son of man, proph e sy against the proph ets of Is ra el who are proph e sy ing. Say to those who proph e sy out of their own imag i na tion, ‘ Hear the word of the L ord! 3 This is what the Lord G od says: Woe to the fool ish proph ets who fol low their own spir it and have seen noth ing. 4 Your proph ets, Is ra el, are like jack als among ru ins. 5 You did not go up to the gaps or re store the wall around the house of Is ra el so that it might stand in bat tle on the day of the L ord. 6 They saw false vi sions and their div i na tions were a lie. They claimed, “ This is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion,” when the L ord did not send them, yet they wait for the ful fill ment a12:10 = King Zedekiah b12:10 Lit Israel among them c12:12 LXX, Syr read He d12:19 Lit its e12:19 = Jerusalem’sEZEKIEL 12-13 742 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 742 10/26/17 9:00 PM of their mes sage. 7 Didn’t you see a false vi - sion and speak a ly ing div i na tion when you pro claimed, “ This is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion,” even though I had not spo ken? 8 “ ‘There fore, this is what the Lord G od says: You have spo ken false ly and had ly ing vi sions; that’s why you dis cov er that I am against you. This is the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od. 9 My hand will be against the proph ets who see false vi sions and speak ly ing div i na tions. They will not be pre sent in the coun cil of my peo ple or be re cord ed in the reg is ter of the house of Is- ra el, and they will not en ter the land of Is ra el. Then you will know that I am the Lord G od. 10 “ ‘ Since they have led my peo ple astray by say ing, “ Peace,” when there is no peace, and since when a flim sy wall is be ing built, they plas ter it with white wash, 11 there fore, tell those plastering it with white wash that it will fall. Torrential rain will come, and I will send hail stones plung ing a down, and a whirl wind will be re leased. 12 When the wall has fall en, will you not be asked, “Where’s the white wash you plas tered on it? ” 13 “ ‘ So this is what the Lord G od says: I will re lease a whirl wind in my wrath. Torrential rain will come in my an ger, and hail stones will fall in de struc tive fury . 14 I will de mol ish the wall you plas tered with white wash and knock it to the ground so that its foun da tion is ex posed. The city will fall, and you will be de stroyed with in it. Then you will know that I am the L ord. 15 Af ter I ex haust my wrath against the wall and against those who plas- ter it with white wash, I will say to you, “ The wall is no more and nei ther are those who plas tered it — 16 those proph ets of Is ra el who proph e sied to Je ru sa lem and saw a vi sion of peace for her when there was no peace.” This is the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od.’ 17 “ Now you, son of man, face b the wom - en among your peo ple who proph e sy out of their own imag i na tion, and proph e sy against them. 18 Say , ‘ This is what the Lord G od says: Woe to the wom en who sew mag ic bands on the wrist of ev ery hand and who make veils for the heads of peo ple of ev ery size in or der to en snare lives. Will you en snare the lives of my peo ple but pre serve your own? 19 You pro fane me among my peo ple for hand fuls of bar ley and scraps of bread; you put those to death who should not die and spare those who should not live, when you lie to my peo- ple, who lis ten to lies. 20 “ ‘There fore, this is what the Lord G od says: I am against your mag ic bands with which you en snare peo ple like birds, and I will tear them from your arms. I will free the peo ple you have en snared like birds. 21 I will also tear off your veils and res cue my peo ple from your hands, so that they will no lon ger be prey in your hands. Then you will know that I am the L ord. 22 Be cause you have dis heart ened the righ teous per son with lies ( when I in tend ed no dis tress), and be cause you have sup port ed c the wick ed per son so that he does not turn from his evil way to save his life, 23 there fore you will no lon ger see false vi sions or prac tice div i na tion. I will res cue my peo ple from your hands. Then you will know that I am the L ord.’ ” IDOLATROUS ELDERS PUNISHED 14 Some of the el ders of Is ra el came to me and sat down in front of me. 2 Then the word of the L ord came to me: 3 “ Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts and have put their sin ful stum bling blocks in front of them selves. Should I ac tu al ly let them in quire of me? 4 “There fore, speak to them and tell them, ‘ This is what the Lord G od says: When any one from the house of Is ra el sets up idols in his heart and puts his sin ful stum bling block in front of him self, and then comes to the proph et, I, the L ord, will an swer him ap pro pri ate ly . d I will an swer him ac cord ing to his many idols, 5 so that I may take hold of the house of Is ra el by their hearts. They are all es tranged from me be cause of their idols.’ 6 “There fore, say to the house of Is ra el, ‘ This is what the Lord G od says: Re pent and turn away from your idols; turn your fac es away from all your de test able things. 7 For when any one from the house of Is ra el or from the aliens who re side in Is ra el sep a rates him- self from me, set ting up idols in his heart and put ting his sin ful stum bling block in front of him self, and then comes to the proph et to in quire of me, I, the L ord, will an swer him my self. 8 I will turn against that one and make him a sign and a prov erb; I will cut him off from among my peo ple. Then you will know that I am the L ord. a13:11 One Hb ms, LXX, Vg; other Hb mss read and you, hailstones, will plunge b13:17 Lit set your face c13:22 Lit strengthened the hand of d14:4 Alt Hb tradition reads him who comes 743 EZEKIEL 13-14 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 743 10/26/17 9:00 PM 9 “ ‘ But if the proph et is de ceived and speaks a mes sage, it was I, the L ord, who de ceived that proph et. I will stretch out my hand against him and de stroy him from among my peo ple Is ra el. 10 They will bear their pun ish ment — the pun ish ment of the one who in quires will be the same as that of the proph et — 11 in or der that the house of Is ra el may no lon ger stray from fol low ing me and no lon ger de file them selves with all their trans gres sions. Then they will be my peo ple and I will be their God. This is the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od.’ ” FOUR DEVASTATING JUDGMENTS 12 The word of the L ord came to me: 13 “ Son of man, sup pose a land sins against me by act ing faithlessly , and I stretch out my hand against it to cut off its sup ply of bread, to send fam ine through it, and to wipe out both man and an i- mal from it. 14 Even if these three men — Noah, Dan iel, and Job — were in it, they would res cue only them selves by their righ teous ness.” This is the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od. 15 “Sup pose I al low dan ger ous an i mals to pass through the land and depopulate it so that it be comes des o late, with no one pass ing through it for fear of the an i mals. 16 Even if these three men were in it, as I live” — the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od — “ they could not res cue their sons or daugh ters. They alone would be res- cued, but the land would be des o late. 17 “ Or sup pose I bring a sword against that land and say , ‘ Let a sword pass through it,’ so that I wipe out both man and an i mal from it. 18 Even if these three men were in it, as I live” — the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od — “ they could not res cue their sons or daugh ters, but they alone would be res cued. 19 “ Or sup pose I send a plague into that land and pour out my wrath on it with blood shed to wipe out both man and an i mal from it. 20 Even if Noah, Dan iel, and Job were in it, as I live” — the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od — “ they could not res cue their son or daugh ter. They would res cue only them selves by their righ- teous ness. 21 “ For this is what the Lord G od says: How much worse will it be when I send my four devastating judg ments against Je ru sa lem — sword, fam ine, dan ger ous an i mals, and plague — in or der to wipe out both man and an i mal from it! 22 Even so, there will be sur vi vors left in it, sons and daugh ters who will be brought out. In deed, they will come out to you, and you will ob serve their con duct and ac tions. Then you will be con soled about the dev as ta tion I have brought on Je ru sa lem, about all I have brought on it. 23 They will bring you con so la tion when you see their con duct and ac tions, and you will know that it was not with out cause that I have done what I did to it.” This is the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od. PARABLE OF THE USELESS VINE 15 Then the word of the L ord came to me: 2 “ Son of man, how does the wood of the vine, that branch among the trees of the for est, com pare to any oth er wood? 3 Can wood be tak en from it to make some thing use ful? Or can any one make a peg from it to hang things on? 4 In fact, it is put into the fire as fuel. The fire de vours both of its ends, and the mid dle is charred. Can it be use ful for any thing? 5 Even when it was whole it could not be made into a use ful ob ject. How much less can it ever be made into any thing use ful when the fire has de voured it and it is charred! ” 6 There fore, this is what the Lord G od says, “ Like the wood of the vine among the trees of the for est, which I have giv en to the fire as fuel, so I will give up the res i dents of Je ru sa lem. 7 I will turn against them. They may have es caped from the fire, but it will still con sume them. And you will know that I am the L ord when I turn against them. 8 I will make the land des- o late be cause they have act ed un faith ful ly .” This is the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od. PARABLE OF GOD’S ADULTEROUS WIFE 16 The word of the L ord came to me again: 2 “ Son of man, con front Je ru sa lem with her de test able prac tic es. 3 You are to say , ‘ This is what the Lord G od says to Je ru sa lem: Your or i gin and your birth were in the land of the Ca naan ites. Your fa ther was an Am o rite and your moth er a Heth ite. 4 As for your birth, your umbilical cord wasn’t cut on the day you were born, and you weren’t washed clean a with wa ter. You were not rubbed with salt or wrapped in cloths. 5 No one cared enough about you to do even one of these things out of com pas sion for you. But you were thrown out into the open field be cause you were de- spised on the day you were born. 6 “ ‘ I passed by you and saw you thrash ing around in your blood, and I said to you as you a16:4 Hb obscureEZEKIEL 14-16 744 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 744 10/26/17 9:00 PM lay in your blood, “ Live! ” Yes, I said to you as you lay in your blood, “ Live! ” a 7 I made you thrive b like plants of the field. You grew up and matured and be came very beau ti ful. c Your breasts were formed and your hair grew , but you were stark na ked. 8 “ ‘ Then I passed by you and saw you, and you were in deed at the age for love. So I spread the edge of my gar ment over you and cov ered your na ked ness. I pledged my self to you, en- tered into a cov enant with you — this is the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od — and you be- came mine. 9 I washed you with wa ter, rinsed off your blood, and anoint ed you with oil. 10 I clothed you in em broi dered cloth and pro- vid ed you with fine leath er d san dals. I also wrapped you in fine lin en and cov ered you with silk. 11 I adorned you with jew el ry , put- ting brace lets on your wrists and a neck lace around your neck. 12 I put a ring in your nose, ear rings on your ears, and a beau ti ful crown on your head. 13 So you were adorned with gold and sil ver, and your cloth ing was made of fine lin en, silk, and em broi dered cloth. You ate fine flour, hon ey , and oil. You be came ex- treme ly beau ti ful and at tained roy al ty . 14 Your fame spread among the na tions be cause of your beau ty , for it was per fect through my splen dor, which I had be stowed on you. This is the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od. 15 “ ‘ But you trust ed in your beau ty and act- ed like a pros ti tute be cause of your fame. You lav ished your sex u al fa vors on ev ery one who passed by . Your beau ty be came his. d 16 You took some of your cloth ing and made col or ful high plac es for your self, and you en gaged in pros ti tu tion on them. These plac es should not have been built, and this should nev er have hap pened! d 17 You also took your beau ti ful jew el ry made from the gold and sil ver I had giv en you, and you made male im ages so that you could en gage in pros ti tu tion with them. 18 Then you took your em broi dered cloth ing to cov er them and set my oil and in cense be- fore them. 19 The food that I gave you — the fine flour, oil, and hon ey that I fed you — you set it be fore them as a pleas ing aro ma. That is what hap pened. This is the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od. 20 “ ‘ You even took your sons and daugh- ters you bore to me and sac ri ficed them to these im ages as food. Wasn’t your pros ti tu tion enough? 21 You slaugh tered my chil dren and gave them up when you passed them through the fire to the im ages. 22 In all your de test able prac tic es and acts of pros ti tu tion, you did not re mem ber the days of your youth when you were stark na ked and thrash ing around in your blood. 23 “ ‘ Then af
🔥 Divine Judgment on Unfaithfulness
🏙️ Jerusalem is portrayed as an unfaithful wife who abandoned her covenant relationship with God, pursuing alliances with foreign nations (Egypt, Assyria, Chaldea) symbolized through explicit sexual metaphors
💔 The betrayal is particularly egregious because God had rescued, nurtured, and elevated Jerusalem from nothing to royalty, making her ingratitude and rebellion all the more shocking
⚖️ Divine punishment will come through the very nations Jerusalem pursued, who will turn against her, strip away her wealth, and destroy her "high places" of idol worship
👯♀️ Jerusalem's corruption exceeds even her "sisters" Sodom and Samaria, whose sins of pride, selfishness, and neglect of the poor pale in comparison
🌱 Despite the severe judgment, God promises a future restoration and a new, permanent covenant relationship that will bring redemption and reconciliation
🦅 The text uses powerful symbolic imagery (eagles, vines, trees) to illustrate Israel's political relationships and God's ultimate sovereignty over nations and rulers
ter all your evil — Woe, woe to you! — the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od — 24 you built your self a mound and made your - self an el e vat ed place in ev ery square. 25 You built your el e vat ed place at the head of ev ery street and turned your beau ty into a de test- able thing. You spread your legs to ev ery one who passed by and in creased your pros ti tu- tion. 26 You en gaged in pro mis cu ous acts with Egyp tian men, your well-endowed neigh bors, and in creased your pros ti tu tion to an ger me. 27 “ ‘There fore, I stretched out my hand against you and re duced your pro vi sions. I gave you over to the de sire of those who hate you, the Phi lis tine wom en, who were em bar - rassed by your in de cent con duct. 28 Then you en gaged in pros ti tu tion with the As syr ian men be cause you were not sat is fied. Even though you did this with them, you were still not sat - is fied. 29 So you ex tend ed your pros ti tu tion to Chal dea, the land of mer chants, but you were not even sat is fied with this! 30 “ ‘ How your heart was in flamed with lust e — the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od — when you did all these things, the acts of a bra zen pros ti tute, 31 build ing your mound at the head of ev ery street and mak ing your el e vat ed place in ev ery square. But you were un like a pros- ti tute be cause you scorned pay ment. 32 You adul ter ous wife, who re ceives strang ers in- stead of her hus band! 33 Men give gifts to all pros ti tutes, but you gave gifts to all your lov- ers. You bribed them to come to you from all around for your sex u al fa vors. 34 So you were the op po site of oth er wom en in your acts of pros ti tu tion; no one solicited you. When you paid a fee in stead of one be ing paid to you, you were the op po site. 35 “ ‘There fore, you pros ti tute, hear the word of the L ord! 36 This is what the Lord G od says: Be cause your lust was poured out and your na ked ness ex posed by your acts of pros ti tu- tion with your lov ers, and be cause of all your de test able idols and the blood of your chil dren that you gave to them, 37 I am there fore go ing a16:6 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr omit Yes, I said to you as you lay in your blood, “Live! ” b16:7 LXX reads Thrive; I made you c16:7 Or matured and developed the loveliest of ornaments d16:10,15,16 Hb obscure e16:30 Or was sick 745 EZEKIEL 16 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 745 10/26/17 9:00 PM to gath er all the lov ers you pleased — all those you loved as well as all those you hat ed. I will gath er them against you from all around and ex pose your na ked ness to them so they see you com plete ly na ked. 38 I will judge you the way adul ter ess es and those who shed blood are judged. Then I will bring about the shed- ding of your blood in jeal ous wrath. 39 I will hand you over to them, and they will de mol ish your mounds and tear down your el e vat ed plac es. They will strip off your clothes, take your beau ti ful jew el ry , and leave you stark na ked. 40 They will bring a mob against you to stone you and to cut you to pieces with their swords. 41 They will burn your hous es and ex e cute judg ments against you in the sight of many wom en. I will stop you from be ing a pros ti tute, and you will nev er again pay fees for lov ers. 42 So I will sat is fy my wrath against you, and my jeal ou sy will turn away from you. Then I will be calm and no lon ger an gry . 43 Be cause you did not re mem ber the days of your youth but en raged me with all these things, I will also bring your con duct down on your own head. This is the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od. Haven’t you com mit ted de prav i ty in ad di tion to all your de test able prac tic es? 44 “ ‘ Look, ev ery one who uses prov erbs will quote this prov erb about you: “ Like moth- er, like daugh ter.” 45 You are the daugh ter of your moth er, who de spised her hus band and chil dren. You are the sis ter of your sis ters, who de spised their hus bands and chil dren. Your moth er was a Heth ite and your fa ther an Am o rite. 46 Your old er sis ter was Sa mar ia, who lived with her daugh ters to the north of you, and your youn ger sis ter was Sod om, who lived with her daugh ters to the south of you. 47 Didn’t you walk in their ways and do their de test able prac tic es? It was only a short time be fore all your ways were more cor rupt than theirs. 48 “ ‘ As I live — the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od — your sis ter Sod om and her daugh ters have not be haved as you and your daugh ters have. 49 Now this was the in iq ui ty of your sis- ter Sod om: She and her daugh ters had pride, plen ty of food, and comfortable se cu ri ty , but didn’t sup port a the poor and needy . 50 They were haugh ty and did de test able acts be fore me, so I re moved them when I saw this. b 51 But Sa mar ia did not com mit even half your sins. You have mul ti plied your de test able prac tic- es be yond theirs and made your sis ters ap- pear righ teous by all the de test able acts you have com mit ted. 52 You must also bear your dis grace, since you have helped your sis ters out. c For they ap pear more righ teous than you be cause of your sins, which you com mit ted more detestably than they did. So you also, be ashamed and bear your dis grace, since you have made your sis ters ap pear righ teous. 53 “ ‘ I will re store their for tunes, the for tunes of Sod om and her daugh ters and those of Sa- mar ia and her daugh ters. I will also re store d your for tunes among them, 54 so you will bear your dis grace and be ashamed of all you did when you com fort ed them. 55 As for your sis- ters, Sod om and her daugh ters and Sa mar ia and her daugh ters will re turn to their for mer state. You and your daugh ters will also re turn to your for mer state. 56 Didn’t you treat your sis ter Sod om as an ob ject of scorn when you were proud, 57 be fore your wick ed ness was ex posed? It was like the time you were scorned by the daugh ters of Aram e and all those around her, and by the daugh ters of the Phi lis tines — those who treat ed you with con tempt from ev ery side. 58 You your self must bear the con- se quenc es of your de prav i ty and de test able prac tic es — this is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion. 59 “ ‘ For this is what the Lord G od says: I will deal with you ac cord ing to what you have done, since you have de spised the oath by break ing the cov enant. 60 But I will re mem ber the cov enant I made with you in the days of your youth, and I will es tab lish a per ma nent cov enant with you. 61 Then you will re mem ber your ways and be ashamed when you f re ceive your old er and youn ger sis ters. I will give them to you as daugh ters, but not be cause of your cov enant. 62 I will es tab lish my cov enant with you, and you will know that I am the L ord, 63 so that when I make atone ment for all you have done, you will re mem ber and be ashamed, and nev er open your mouth again be cause of your dis grace. This is the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od.’ ” PARABLE OF THE EAGLES 17 The word of the L ord came to me: 2 “ Son of man, pose a rid dle and speak a par - a ble to the house of Is ra el. 3 You are to say , ‘ This is what the Lord G od says: A huge ea gle a16:49 Lit strengthen the hand of b16:50 Or them as you have seen c16:52 Lit you have been the advocate for your sisters d16:53 LXX, Vg; MT reads Samaria and her daughters and the fortunes of e16:57 Some Hb mss, Syr read Edom f16:61 Some LXX mss, Syr read IEZEKIEL 16-17 746 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 746 10/26/17 9:00 PM with pow er ful wings, long feath ers, and full plum age of many col ors came to Leb a non and took the top of the ce dar. 4 He plucked off its top most shoot, brought it to the land of mer chants, and set it in a city of trad ers. 5 Then he took some of the land’s seed and put it in a fer tile field; he set it like a wil low , a plant a by abun dant wa ter. 6 It sprout ed and be came a spread ing vine, low in height with its branch es turned to ward him, yet its roots stayed un der it. So it be came a vine, pro duced branch es, and sent out shoots. 7 “ ‘ But there was an oth er huge ea gle with pow er ful wings and thick plum age. And this vine bent its roots to ward him! It stretched out its branch es to him from the plot where it was plant ed, so that he might wa ter it. 8 It had been plant ed in a good field by abun dant wa ter in or der to pro duce branch es, bear fruit, and be come a splen did vine.’ 9 “ You are to say , ‘ This is what the Lord G od says: Will it flour ish? Will he not tear out its roots and strip off its fruit so that it shrivels? All its fresh leaves will with er! Great strength and many peo ple will not be need ed to pull it from its roots. 10 Even though it is plant ed, will it flour ish? Won’t it with er com plete ly when the east wind strikes it? It will with er on the plot where it sprout ed.’ ” 11 The word of the L ord came to me: 12 “ Now say to that re bel lious house, ‘ Don’t you know what these things mean? ’ Tell them, ‘ The king of Bab ylon came to Je ru sa lem, took its king and o ff i cials, and brought them back with him to Bab ylon. 13 He took one of the roy al fam i ly and made a cov enant with him, put ting him un der oath. Then he took away the lead ing men of the land, 14 so that the king dom would be hum ble and not ex alt it self but would keep his cov enant in or der to en dure. 15 How ev er, this king re volt ed against him by send ing his am bas sa dors to Egypt so they might give him hors es and a large army . Will he flour ish? Will the one who does such things es cape? Can he break a cov enant and still es cape? 16 “ ‘ As I live — this is the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od — he will die in Bab ylon, in the land of the king who put him on the throne, whose oath he de spised and whose cov enant he broke. 17 Pha raoh with his mighty army and vast com pa ny will not help him in bat tle, when ramps are built and siege walls con struct ed to de stroy many lives. 18 He de spised the oath by break ing the cov enant. He did all these things even though he gave his hand in pledge. He will not es cape! 19 “ ‘There fore, this is what the Lord G od says: As I live, I will bring down on his head my oath that he de spised and my cov enant that he broke. 20 I will spread my net over him, and he will be caught in my snare. I will bring him to Bab ylon and ex e cute judg ment on him there for the treach ery he com mit ted against me. 21 All the fu gi tives b among his troops will fall by the sword, and those who sur vive will be scat tered to ev ery di rec tion of the wind. Then you will know that I, the L ord, have spo ken. 22 “ ‘ This is what the Lord G od says: I will take a sprig from the lofty top of the cedar and plant it. I will pluck a tender sprig from its topmost shoots, and I will plant it on a high towering mountain. 23 I will plant it on Israel’s high mountain so that it may bear branches, produce fruit, and become a majestic cedar. Birds of every kind will nest under it, taking shelter in the shade of its branches. 24 Then all the trees of the field will know that I am the Lord. I bring down the tall tree, and make the low tree tall. I cause the green tree to wither and make the withered tree thrive. I, the Lord, have spoken and I will do it.’ ” PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR SIN 18 The word of the L ord came to me: 2 “ What do you mean by us ing this prov erb con- cern ing the land of Is ra el: ‘The fathers eat sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge’? 3 As I live” — this is the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od — “ you will no lon ger use this prov erb in Is ra el. 4 Look, ev ery life be longs to me. The life of the fa ther is like the life of the son — both be long to me. The per son who sins is the one who will die. 5 “Sup pose a man is righ teous and does what is just and right: 6 He does not eat at the moun tain shrines c or look to the idols a17:5 Hb obscure b17:21 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr , Tg read choice men c18:6 Lit the mountains, also in vv. 11,15 747 EZEKIEL 17-18 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 747 10/26/17 9:00 PM of the house of Is ra el. He does not de file his neigh bor’s wife or ap proach a wom an dur ing her men stru al im pu ri ty . 7 He doesn’t op press any one but re turns his col lat er al to the debt- or. He does not com mit rob bery , but gives his bread to the hun gry and cov ers the na ked with cloth ing. 8 He doesn’t lend at in ter est or for profi t but keeps his hand from in jus tice and car ries out true jus tice be tween men. 9 He fol lows my stat utes and keeps my or di nances, act ing faith ful ly . Such a per son is righ teous; he will cer tain ly live.” This is the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od. 10 “ But sup pose the man has a vi o lent son, who sheds blood and does any of these things, 11 though the fa ther has done none of them. In deed, when the son eats at the moun tain shrines and de files his neigh bor’s wife, 12 and when he op press es the poor and needy , com - mits rob bery , and does not re turn col lat er al, and when he looks to the idols, com mits de- test able acts, 13 and lends at in ter est or for profi t, will he live? He will not live! Since he has com mit ted all these de test able acts, he will cer tain ly die. His death will be his own fault. a 14 “ Now sup pose he has a son who sees all the sins his fa ther has com mit ted, and though he sees them, he does not do like wise. 15 He does not eat at the moun tain shrines or look to the idols of the house of Is ra el. He does not de file his neigh bor’s wife. 16 He doesn’t op press any one, hold col lat er al, or com mit rob bery . He gives his bread to the hun gry and cov ers the na ked with cloth ing. 17 He keeps his hand from harm ing the poor, not tak ing in ter est or profi t on a loan. He prac tic es my or di nances and fol lows my stat utes. Such a per son will not die for his fa ther’s in iq ui ty . He will cer tain ly live. 18 “ As for his fa ther, he will die for his own in iq ui ty be cause he prac ticed fraud, robbed his broth er, and did among his peo ple what was not good. 19 But you may ask, ‘ Why doesn’t the son suff er pun ish ment for the fa ther’s in iq ui ty? ’ Since the son has done what is just and right, care ful ly ob serv ing all my stat utes, he will cer tain ly live. 20 The per son who sins is the one who will die. A son won’t suff er pun ish ment for the fa ther’s in iq ui ty , and a fa ther won’t suff er pun ish ment for the son’s in iq ui ty . The righ teous ness of the righ teous per son will be on him, and the wick ed ness of the wick ed per son will be on him.21 “ But if the wick ed per son turns from all the sins he has com mit ted, keeps all my stat- utes, and does what is just and right, he will cer tain ly live; he will not die. 22 None of the trans gres sions he has com mit ted will be held against him. He will live be cause of the righ- teous ness he has prac ticed. 23 Do I take any plea sure in the death of the wick ed? ” This is the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od. “In stead, don’t I take plea sure when he turns from his ways and lives? 24 But when a righ teous per son turns from his righ teous ness and acts un just ly , com mit ting the same de test able acts that the wick ed do, will he live? None of the righ teous acts he did will be re mem bered. He will die be cause of the treach ery he has en gaged in and the sin he has com mit ted. 25 “ But you say , ‘ The Lord’s way isn’t fair.’ Now lis ten, house of Is ra el: Is it my way that is un fair? In stead, isn’t it your ways that are un fair? 26 When a righ teous per son turns from his righ teous ness and acts un just ly , he will die for this. He will die be cause of the in jus tice he has com mit ted. 27 But if a wick ed per son turns from the wick ed ness he has com mit ted and does what is just and right, he will pre- serve his life. 28 He will cer tain ly live be cause he thought it over and turned from all the trans gres sions he had com mit ted; he will not die. 29 But the house of Is ra el says, ‘ The Lord’s way isn’t fair.’ Is it my ways that are un fair, house of Is ra el? In stead, isn’t it your ways that are un fair? 30 “There fore, house of Is ra el, I will judge each one of you ac cord ing to his ways.” This is the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od. “Re pent and turn from all your re bel lious acts, so they will not be come a sin ful stum bling block to you. 31 Throw off all the trans gres sions you have com mit ted, and get your selves a new heart and a new spir it. Why should you die, house of Is ra el? 32 For I take no plea sure in any one’s death.” This is the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od. “ So re pent and live! A LAMENT FOR ISRAEL’S PRINCES 19 “ As for you, take up a la ment for the princ es of Is ra el, 2 and say: What was your mother? A lioness! She lay down among the lions; she reared her cubs among the young lions. 3 She brought up one of her cubs, a18:13 Lit His blood will be on himEZEKIEL 18-19 748 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 748 10/26/17 9:00 PM and he became a young lion. After he learned to tear prey , he devoured people. 4 When the nations heard about him, he was caught in their pit. Then they led him away with hooks to the land of Egypt. 5 When she saw that she waited in vain, that her hope was lost, she took another of her cubs and made him a young lion. 6 He prowled among the lions, and he became a young lion. After he learned to tear prey , he devoured people. 7 He devastated their
🔥 Divine Judgment Unleashed
🦁 Israel's rebellion portrayed through powerful imagery of a roaring lion and fruitful vine that were ultimately destroyed, representing the nation's fall from prominence and divine favor
⚖️ Covenant violation spans generations as Israel repeatedly rejected God's statutes, profaned the Sabbaths, and embraced idol worship despite divine warnings and opportunities for obedience
🗡️ God's sword of judgment emerges unsheathed against Jerusalem, depicted as an unstoppable force that will strike both righteous and wicked alike, with Babylon serving as the divine instrument of punishment
🏙️ Jerusalem's corruption runs deep with bloodshed, exploitation of the vulnerable, sexual immorality, and economic injustice, directly violating the covenant responsibilities established by God
🌱 Despite severe judgment, God promises future restoration where He will gather His people, purge the rebellious, and reestablish His covenant relationship with a purified Israel who will serve Him properly
🔄 The recurring pattern of divine patience shows God repeatedly withholding destruction "for the sake of my name," demonstrating both His justice and commitment to His covenant promises
strongholds a and destroyed their cities. The land and everything in it shuddered at the sound of his roaring. 8 Then the nations from the surrounding provinces set out against him. They spread their net over him; he was caught in their pit. 9 They put a wooden yoke on him b with hooks and led him away to the king of Babylon. They brought him into the fortresses so his roar could no longer be heard on the mountains of Israel. 10 Your mother was like a vine in your vineyard, c planted by the water; it was fruitful and full of branches because of abundant water. 11 It had strong branches, fit for the scepters of rulers; its height towered among the clouds. d So it was conspicuous for its height as well as its many branches. 12 But it was uprooted in fury , thrown to the ground, and the east wind dried up its fruit. Its strong branches were torn off and dried up; fire consumed them. 13 Now it is planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty land. 14 Fire has gone out from its main branch e and has devoured its fruit, so that it no longer has a strong branch, a scepter for ruling. This is a la ment and should be used as a la- ment.” ISRAEL’S REBELLION 20 In the sev enth year, in the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month, some of Is ra el’s el ders came to in quire of the L ord, and they sat down in front of me. 2 Then the word of the L ord came to me: 3 “ Son of man, speak with the el ders of Is ra el and tell them, ‘ This is what the Lord G od says: Are you com- ing to in quire of me? As I live, I will not let you in quire of me. This is the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od.’ 4 “ Will you pass judg ment against them, will you pass judg ment, son of man? Ex plain the de test able prac tic es of their fa thers to them. 5 Say to them, ‘ This is what the Lord G od says: On the day I chose Is ra el, I swore an oath f to the de scen dants of Ja cob’s house and made my self known to them in the land of Egypt. I swore to them, say ing, “ I am the L ord your God.” 6 On that day I swore g to them that I would bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land I had searched out for them, a land flow ing with milk and hon ey , the most beau ti ful of all lands. 7 I also said to them, “ Throw away , each of you, the ab hor rent things that you prize, h and do not de file your selves with the idols of Egypt. I am the L ord your God.” 8 “ ‘ But they re belled against me and were un will ing to lis ten to me. None of them threw away the ab hor rent things that they prized, i and they did not aban don the idols of Egypt. So I con sid ered pour ing out my wrath on them, exhausting my an ger against them with in the land of Egypt. 9 But I act ed for the sake of my name, so that it would not be pro faned in the eyes of the na tions they were liv ing among, in whose sight I had made my self known to Is ra el by bring ing them out of Egypt. 10 “ ‘ So I brought them out of the land of Egypt and led them into the wil der ness. 11 Then I gave them my stat utes and ex plained my or di nances to them — the per son who does them will live by them. 12 I also gave them my Sab baths to serve as a sign be tween me and them, so that they would know that I am the L ord who consecrates them. a19:7 Tg, Aq; MT reads knew their widows b19:9 Or put him in a cage c19:10 Some Hb mss; other Hb mss read blood d19:11 Or thick foliage e19:14 Lit from the branch of its parts f20:5 Lit I lifted my hand g20:6 Lit lifted my hand, also in vv. 15,23,28,42 h20:7 Lit things of your eyes i20:8 Lit things of their eyes 749 EZEKIEL 19-20 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 749 10/26/17 9:00 PM 13 “ ‘ But the house of Is ra el re belled against me in the wil der ness. They did not fol low my stat utes and they re ject ed my or di nances — the per son who does them will live by them. They also com plete ly pro faned my Sab baths. So I con sid ered pour ing out my wrath on them in the wil der ness to put an end to them. 14 But I act ed for the sake of my name, so that it would not be pro faned in the eyes of the na tions in whose sight I had brought them out. 15 How ev er, I swore to them in the wil der ness that I would not bring them into the land I had giv en them — the most beau ti ful of all lands, flow ing with milk and hon ey — 16 be cause they re ject ed my or di nances, pro faned my Sab baths, and did not fol low my stat utes. For their hearts went af ter their idols. 17 Yet I spared them from de struc tion and did not bring them to an end in the wil der ness. 18 “ ‘ Then I said to their chil dren in the wil- der ness, “ Don’t fol low the stat utes of your fa thers, de file your selves with their idols, or keep their or di nances. 19 I am the L ord your God. Fol low my stat utes, keep my or di nances, and prac tice them. 20 Keep my Sab baths holy , and they will be a sign be tween me and you, so you may know that I am the L ord your God.” 21 “ ‘ But the chil dren re belled against me. They did not fol low my stat utes or care ful ly keep my or di nances — the per son who does them will live by them. They also pro faned my Sab baths. So I con sid ered pour ing out my wrath on them and exhausting my an ger against them in the wil der ness. 22 But I with held my hand and act ed for the sake of my name, so that it would not be pro faned in the eyes of the na tions in whose sight I brought them out. 23 How ev er, I swore to them in the wil der ness that I would dis perse them among the na tions and scat ter them among the coun tries. 24 For they did not prac tice my or di nances but re- ject ed my stat utes and pro faned my Sab baths, and their eyes were fixed on their fa thers’ idols. 25 I also gave them stat utes that were not good and or di nances they could not live by . 26 When they sac ri ficed ev ery first born in the fire, a I de filed them through their gifts in or der to dev as tate them so they would know that I am the L ord.’ 27 “There fore, son of man, speak to the house of Is ra el, and tell them, ‘ This is what the Lord G od says: In this way also your fa thers blas phemed me by com mit ting treach ery against me: 28 When I brought them into the land that I swore to give them and they saw any high hill or leafy tree, they off ered their sac ri fic es and pre sent ed their off en sive of- fer ings there. They also sent up their pleas ing aro mas and poured out their drink off er ings there. 29 So I asked them, “ What is this high place you are go ing to? ” And it is still called Ba mah b to day .’ 30 “There fore say to the house of Is ra el, ‘ This is what the Lord G od says: Are you de fil ing your selves the way your fa thers did, and pros ti- tut ing your selves with their ab hor rent things? 31 When you off er your gifts, sac ri fic ing your chil dren in the fire, c you still con tin ue to de file your selves with all your idols to day . So should I let you in quire of me, house of Is ra el? As I live — this is the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od — I will not let you in quire of me! ISRAEL’S RESTORATION 32 “ ‘ When you say , “ Let us be like the na tions, like the clans of oth er coun tries, serv ing wood and stone,” what you have in mind will nev er hap pen. 33 As I live — the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od — I will reign over you with a strong hand, an out stretched arm, and out poured wrath. 34 I will bring you from the peo ples and gath er you from the coun tries where you were scat tered, with a strong hand, an out- stretched arm, and out poured wrath. 35 I will lead you into the wil der ness of the peo ples and en ter into judg ment with you there face to face. 36 Just as I en tered into judg ment with your fa thers in the wil der ness of the land of Egypt, so I will en ter into judg ment with you. This is the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od. 37 I will make you pass un der the rod and will bring you into the bond of the cov enant. 38 I will purge you of those who rebel and transgress against me. I will bring them out of the land where they live as for eign res i dents, but they will not en ter the land of Is ra el. Then you will know that I am the L ord. 39 “ ‘ As for you, house of Is ra el, this is what the Lord G od says: Go and serve your idols, each of you. But af ter ward you will sure ly lis ten to me, and you will no lon ger de file my holy name with your gifts and idols. 40 For on my holy moun tain, Is ra el’s high moun tain — the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od — there the a20:26 Lit they made every firstborn pass through the fire b20:29 = High Place c20:31 Lit gifts, making your children pass through the fireEZEKIEL 20 750 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 750 10/26/17 9:00 PM en tire house of Is ra el, all of them, will serve me in the land. There I will ac cept them and will re quire your con tri bu tions and choic est gifts, all your holy off er ings. 41 When I bring you from the peo ples and gath er you from the coun tries where you have been scat tered, I will ac cept you as a pleas ing aro ma. And I will dem on strate my ho li ness through you in the sight of the na tions. 42 When I lead you into the land of Is ra el, the land I swore to give your fa thers, you will know that I am the L ord. 43 There you will re mem ber your ways and all your deeds by which you have de filed your self, and you will loathe your selves for all the evil things you have done. 44 You will know that I am the L ord, house of Is ra el, when I have dealt with you for the sake of my name rath er than ac cord ing to your evil ways and cor rupt acts. This is the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od.’ ” FIRE IN THE SOUTH 45 The word of the L ord came to me: 46 “ Son of man, face the south and preach against it. Proph e sy against the for est land in the Ne gev , 47 and say to the for est there, ‘ Hear the word of the L ord! This is what the Lord G od says: I am about to ignite a fire in you, and it will de vour ev ery green tree and ev ery dry tree in you. The blaz ing flame will not be ex tin guished, and ev ery face from the south to the north will be scorched by it. 48 Then all peo ple will see that I, the L ord, have kin dled it. It will not be ex tin guished.’ ” 49 Then I said, “ Oh, Lord G od, they are say ing of me, ‘ Isn’t he just composing par a bles? ’ ” GOD’S SWORD OF JUDGMENT 21 The word of the L ord came to me again: 2 “ Son of man, face Je ru sa lem and preach against the sanc tu ar ies. Proph e sy against the land of Is ra el, 3 and say to it, ‘ This is what the L ord says: I am against you. I will draw my sword from its sheath and cut off from you both the righ teous and the wick ed. 4 Since I will cut off a both the righ teous and the wick - ed, my sword will there fore come out of its sheath against all peo ple from the south to the north. 5 So all peo ple will know that I, the L ord, have tak en my sword from its sheath — it will not be sheathed again.’ 6 “ But you, son of man, groan! Groan bit- ter ly with a bro ken heart b right be fore their eyes. 7 And when they ask you, ‘ Why are you groan ing? ’ then say , ‘Be cause of the news that is com ing. Ev ery heart will melt, and ev ery hand will be come weak. Ev ery spir it will be dis cour aged, and all knees will run with urine. c Yes, it is com ing and it will hap pen. This is the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od.’ ” 8 The word of the L ord came to me: 9 “ Son of man, proph e sy , ‘ This is what the Lord says! ’ You are to pro claim, ‘ A sword! A sword is sharpened and also polished. 10 It is sharpened for slaughter, polished to flash like lightning! Should we rejoice? The scepter of my son, the sword despises every tree. d 11 The sword is given to be polished, to be grasped in the hand. It is sharpened, and it is polished, to be put in the hand of the slayer.’ 12 “ Cry out and wail, son of man, for it is against my peo ple. It is against all the princ es of Is ra el! They are giv en over to the sword with my peo ple. There fore strike your thigh in grief. 13 Sure ly it will be a tri al! And what if the sword de spis es even the scep ter? The scep ter will not con tin- ue.” d This is the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od. 14 “ So you, son of man, proph e sy and clap your hands to geth er: Let the sword strike two times, even three. It is a sword for massacre, a sword for great massacre — it surrounds e them! 15 I have appointed a sword for slaughter d at all their gates, so that their hearts may melt and many may stumble. Yes! It is ready to flash like lightning; it is drawn d for slaughter. 16 Slash to the right; turn to the left — wherever your blade is directed. 17 I also will clap my hands to geth er, and I will sat is fy my wrath. I, the L ord, have spo ken.” 18 The word of the L ord came to me: 19 “ Now you, son of man, mark out two roads that the sword of Bab ylon’s king can take. Both of them should orig i nate from the same land. And make a sign post at the fork in the road to each city . a21:4 Lit off from you b21:6 Lit insides, or waist c21:7 Lit knees will go water d21:10,13,15 Hb obscure e21:14 Or penetrates 751 EZEKIEL 20-21 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 751 10/26/17 9:00 PM 20 Mark out a road that the sword can take to Rab bah of the Am mon ites and to Ju dah into for ti fied Je ru sa lem. 21 For the king of Bab ylon stands at the split in the road, at the fork of the two roads, to prac tice div i na tion: he shakes the ar rows, con sults the idols, and ob serves the liv er. 22 The an swer marked a Je ru sa lem ap pears in his right hand, in di cat ing that he should set up bat ter ing rams, give the or der to b slaugh ter, raise a bat tle cry , set bat ter ing rams against the gates, build a ramp, and con- struct a siege wall. 23 It will seem like false div i na tion to those who have sworn an oath to the Bab ylo ni ans, c but it will draw at ten tion to their guilt so that they will be cap tured. 24 “There fore, this is what the Lord G od says: Be cause you have drawn at ten tion to your guilt, ex pos ing your trans gres sions, so that your sins are re vealed in all your ac tions — since you have done this, you will be cap- tured by them. 25 And you, pro fane and wick ed prince of Is ra el, d the day has come for your pun ish ment. e 26 “ This is what the Lord G od says: Remove the turban, and take off the crown. Things will not remain as they are; f exalt the lowly and bring down the exalted. 27 A ruin, a ruin, I will make it a ruin! Yet this will not happen until he comes; I have given the judgment to him. g 28 “ Now you, son of man, proph e sy , and say , ‘ This is what the Lord G od says con cern ing the Am mon ites and their con tempt.’ You are to pro claim, ‘ A sword! A sword is drawn for slaughter, polished to consume, to flash like lightning. 29 While they offer false visions and lying divinations about you, the time has come to put you to the necks of the profane wicked ones; the day has come for final punishment. 30 “ ‘Return it to its sheath! “ ‘I will judge you h in the place where you were created, in the land of your origin. 31 I will pour out my indignation on you; I will blow the fire of my fury on you. I will hand you over to brutal men, skilled at destruction. 32 You will be fuel for the fire. Your blood will be spilled within the land. You will not be remembered, for I, the Lord, have spoken.’ ” INDICTMENT OF SINFUL JERUSALEM 22 The word of the L ord came to me: 2 “ A s for you, son of man, will you pass judg- ment? Will you pass judg ment against the city of blood? Then ex plain all her de test able prac tic es to her. 3 You are to say , ‘ This is what the Lord G od says: A city that sheds blood with in her walls so that her time of judg ment has come and who makes idols for her self so that she is de filed! 4 You are guilty of the blood you have shed, and you are de filed from the idols you have made. You have brought your judg ment i days near and have come to your years of pun ish ment. j There fore, I have made you a dis grace to the na tions and a mock ery to all the lands. 5 Those who are near and those far away from you will mock you, you in fa- mous one full of tur moil. 6 “ ‘ Look, ev ery prince of Is ra el with in you has used his strength to shed blood. 7 Fa ther and moth er are treat ed with con tempt, and the res i dent alien is ex ploit ed with in you. The fa ther less and wid ow are op pressed in you. 8 You de spise my holy things and pro- fane my Sab baths. 9 There are men with in you who slan der in or der to shed blood. Peo ple who live in you eat at the moun tain shrines; k they com mit de praved acts with in you. 10 Men with in you have sex u al intercourse with their fa ther’s wife and vi o late wom en dur ing their men stru al im pu ri ty . 11 One man with in you com mits a de test able act with his neigh bor’s wife; an oth er de files his daughter-in-law with de prav i ty; and yet an oth er vi o lates his sis ter, his fa ther’s daugh ter. 12 Peo ple who live in you ac cept bribes in or der to shed blood. You take in ter est and profi t on a loan and bru tal ly ex tort your neigh bors. You have for got ten me. This is the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od. a21:22 Lit The divination for b21:22 Lit rams, open the mouth in c21:23 Lit them d21:25 = King Zedekiah e21:25 Lit come in the time of the punishment of the end, also in v. 29 f21:26 Lit This not this g21:27 Or comes to whom it rightfully belongs, and I will give it to him h21:30 = the Ammonites i22:4 judgment supplied for clarity j22:4 punishment supplied for clarity k22:9 Lit the mountainsEZEKIEL 21-22 752 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 752 10/26/17 9:00 PM 13 “ ‘ Now look, I clap my hands to geth er against the dis hon est profi t you have made and against the blood shed among you. 14 Will your cour age en dure or your hands be strong in the days when I deal with you? I, the L ord, have spo ken, and I will act.
🔥 Divine Judgment Unleashed
🏙️ Jerusalem faces God's wrath as a corrupted city, compared to dross metal in a furnace where God will gather and melt His people as punishment for their wickedness and spiritual impurity
👑 The religious and political leaders bear special responsibility—priests profane holy things, prophets speak false visions, and officials are described as "wolves tearing prey" through exploitation and corruption
👯♀️ The allegory of two sisters (Oholah/Samaria and Oholibah/Jerusalem) portrays Israel's spiritual unfaithfulness as sexual promiscuity with foreign nations and their idols, bringing severe consequences
🍲 The boiling pot parable symbolizes Jerusalem under siege, with its corruption (bloodshed) that cannot be cleansed despite repeated attempts, leading to inevitable destruction
💔 Ezekiel's wife's death becomes a prophetic sign—his commanded lack of mourning represents how the people will be too devastated by coming judgment to properly grieve their losses
🌍 Surrounding nations (Ammon, Moab, Edom, Philistia) who rejoiced at Israel's downfall will also face divine retribution, showing God's sovereignty extends beyond His chosen people
15 I will dis perse you among the na tions and scat ter you among the coun tries; I will purge your un clean ness. 16 You a will be pro faned in the sight of the na - tions. Then you will know that I am the L ord.’ ” JERUSALEM AS GOD’S FURNACE 17 The word of the L ord came to me: 18 “ Son of man, the house of Is ra el has be come mere ly dross to me. All of them are cop per, tin, iron, and lead in side the fur nace; they are just dross from sil ver. 19 There fore, this is what the Lord G od says: Be cause all of you have be come dross, I am about to gath er you into Je ru sa lem. 20 Just as one gath ers sil ver, cop per, iron, lead, and tin into the fur nace to blow fire on them and melt them, so I will gath er you in my an- ger and wrath, put you in side, and melt you. 21 Yes, I will gath er you to geth er and blow on you with the fire of my fury , and you will be melt ed with in the city . 22 As sil ver is melt ed in side a fur nace, so you will be melt ed in side the city . Then you will know that I, the L ord, have poured out my wrath on you.” INDICTMENT OF A SINFUL LAND 23 The word of the L ord came to me: 24 “ Son of man, say to her, ‘ You are a land that has not been cleansed, that has not re ceived rain in the day of in dig na tion.’ 25 The con spir a cy of her proph ets with in her is b like a roar ing lion tear ing its prey: they de vour peo ple, seize wealth and valu ables, and mul ti ply the wid- ows with in her. 26 Her priests do vi o lence to my in struc tion and pro fane my holy things. They make no dis tinc tion be tween the holy and the com mon, and they do not ex plain the diff er ence be tween the clean and the un clean. They close their eyes to my Sab baths, and I am pro faned among them. 27 “ Her off i cials with in her are like wolves tear ing their prey , shed ding blood, and de - stroy ing lives in or der to make profi t dis hon- est ly . 28 Her proph ets plas ter for them with white wash by see ing false vi sions and ly ing div i na tions, say ing, ‘ This is what the Lord G od says,’ when the L ord has not spo ken. 29 The peo ple of the land have prac ticed ex tor tion and com mit ted rob bery . They have op pressed the poor and needy and unlawfully ex ploit- ed the res i dent alien. 30 I searched for a man among them who would re pair the wall and stand in the gap be fore me on be half of the land so that I might not de stroy it, but I found no one. 31 So I have poured out my in dig na tion on them and con sumed them with the fire of my fury . I have brought their con duct down on their own heads.” This is the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od. THE TWO IMMORAL SISTERS 23 The word of the L ord came to me again: 2 “ Son of man, there were two wom en, daugh ters of the same moth er, 3 who act ed like pros ti tutes in Egypt, behaving promiscuously in their youth. Their breasts were fon dled there, and their vir gin nipples ca ressed. 4 The old er one was named Oho lah, c and her sis ter was Ohol i bah. d They be came mine and gave birth to sons and daugh ters. As for their names, Oho lah rep re sents Sa mar ia and Ohol i bah rep- re sents Je ru sa lem. 5 “Oho lah act ed like a pros ti tute even though she was mine. She lust ed af ter her lov ers, the As syr ians: war riors 6 dressed in blue, gov er- nors and pre fects, all of them de sir able young men, horse men rid ing on steeds. 7 She off ered her sex u al fa vors to them; all of them were the elite of As syr ia. She de filed her self with all those she lust ed af ter and with all their idols. 8 She didn’t give up her pro mis cu i ty that be- gan in Egypt, when men slept with her in her youth, ca ressed her vir gin nipples, and poured out their lust on her. 9 There fore, I hand ed her over to her lov ers, the As syr ians she lust ed for. 10 They ex posed her na ked ness, seized her sons and daugh ters, and killed her with the sword. Since they ex e cut ed judg ment against her, she be came no to ri ous among wom en. 11 “ Now her sis ter Ohol i bah saw this, but she was even more de praved in her lust than Oho lah, and made her pro mis cu ous acts worse than those of her sis ter. 12 She lust ed af ter the As syr ians: gov er nors and pre fects, war riors splendidly dressed, horse men rid ing on steeds, all of them de sir able young men. 13 And I saw that she had de filed her self; both of them had tak en the same path. 14 But she in creased her pro mis cu i ty when she saw male fig ures carved a22:16 One Hb ms, LXX, Syr , Vg read I b22:24-25 LXX reads indignation, 25whose princes within her are c23:4 = Her Tent d23:4 = My Tent Is in Her 753 EZEKIEL 22-23 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 753 10/26/17 9:00 PM on the wall, im ages of the Chal de ans, en graved in bright red, 15 wear ing belts on their waists and flow ing tur bans on their heads; all of them looked like off i cers, a depiction of the Bab ylo- ni ans in Chal dea, their na tive land. 16 At the sight of them a she lust ed af ter them and sent mes sen gers to them in Chal dea. 17 Then the Bab ylo ni ans came to her, to the bed of love, and de filed her with their lust. But af ter she was de filed by them, she turned away from them in dis gust. 18 When she flaunted her pro - mis cu i ty and ex posed her na ked ness, I turned away from her in dis gust just as I turned away from her sis ter. 19 Yet she mul ti plied her acts of pro mis cu i ty , re mem ber ing the days of her youth when she act ed like a pros ti tute in the land of Egypt 20 and lust ed af ter their lov ers, whose sex u al mem bers b were like those of don keys and whose emis sion was like that of stal lions. 21 So you revisited the de prav i ty of your youth, when the Egyp tians ca ressed your nipples to en joy your youth ful breasts. 22 “There fore, Ohol i bah, this is what the Lord G od says: I am go ing to incite your lov ers against you, those you turned away from in dis gust. I will bring them against you from ev ery side: 23 the Bab ylo ni ans and all the Chal de ans; Pe kod, Shoa, and Koa; and all the As syr ians with them — de sir able young men, all of them gov er nors and pre fects, off i- cers and ad min is tra tors, all of them rid ing on steeds. 24 They will come against you with an as sem bly of peo ples and with weap ons, char - i ots, and c wag ons. They will set them selves against you on ev ery side with large and small shields and hel mets. I will delegate judg ment to them, and they will judge you by their own stan dards. 25 When I vent my jeal ous rage on you, they will deal with you in wrath. They will cut off your nose and ears, and the rest of you d will fall by the sword. They will seize your sons and daugh ters, and the rest of you will be con sumed by fire. 26 They will strip off your clothes and take your beau ti ful jew el ry . 27 So I will put an end to your de prav i ty and sex u al im mo ral i ty , which be gan in the land of Egypt, and you will not look longingly at them or re mem ber Egypt any more. 28 “ For this is what the Lord G od says: I am go ing to hand you over to those you hate, to those you turned away from in dis gust. 29 They will treat you with ha tred, take all you have worked for, and leave you stark na ked, so that the shame of your de bauch ery will be ex posed, both your de prav i ty and pro mis cu i ty . 30 These things will be done to you be cause you act- ed like a pros ti tute with the na tions, de fil ing your self with their idols. 31 You have fol lowed the path of your sis ter, so I will put her cup in your hand.” 32 This is what the Lord G od says: “You will drink your sister’s cup, which is deep and wide. You will be an object of e ridicule and scorn, for it holds so much. 33 You will be filled with drunkenness and grief, with a cup of devastation and desolation, the cup of your sister Samaria. 34 You will drink it and drain it; then you will gnaw its broken pieces, and tear your breasts. For I have spoken.” This is the declaration of the Lord God. 35 There fore, this is what the Lord G od says: “Be cause you have for got ten me and cast me be hind your back, you must bear the con se- quenc es of your indecency and pro mis cu i ty .” 36 Then the L ord said to me: “ Son of man, will you pass judg ment against Oho lah and Ohol i- bah? Then de clare their de test able prac tic es to them. 37 For they have com mit ted adul tery , and blood is on their hands; they have com mit ted adul tery with their idols. And the chil dren they bore to me they have sac ri ficed in the fire f as food for the idols. 38 They also did this to me: they de filed my sanc tu ary on that same day and pro faned my Sab baths. 39 On the same day they slaugh tered their chil dren for their idols, they en tered my sanc tu ary to pro fane it. Yes, that is what they did in side my house. 40 “ In ad di tion, they sent for men who came from far away when a mes sen ger was dis- patched to them. And look how they came! You bathed, paint ed your eyes, and adorned your self with jew el ry for them. 41 You sat on a lux u ri ous couch with a ta ble spread be fore it, on which you had set my in cense and oil. 42 The sound of a care free crowd was there. Drunk ards g from the desert were brought in, a23:16 Lit of her eyes b23:20 Lit whose flesh c23:24 LXX reads peoples, from the north, chariots and ; Hb obscure d23:25 Or and your descendants e23:32 Or It will bring f23:37 Lit have made pass through the fire g23:42 Or SabeansEZEKIEL 23 754 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 754 10/26/17 9:00 PM along with com mon men. They put brace lets on the wom en’s hands and beau ti ful ti aras on their heads. 43 Then I said con cern ing this wom an worn out by adul tery: Will they a now have il lic it sex with her, even her? 44 Yet they had sex with her as one does with a pros ti tute. This is how they had sex with Oho lah and Ohol- i bah, those de praved wom en. 45 But righ teous men will judge them the way adul ter ess es and those who shed blood are judged, for they are adul ter ess es and blood is on their hands. 46 “ This is what the Lord G od says: Sum mon b an as sem bly against them and con sign them to ter ror and plun der. 47 The as sem bly will stone them and cut them down with their swords. They will kill their sons and daugh ters and burn their hous es. 48 So I will put an end to de prav i ty in the land, and all the wom en will be ad mon ished not to im i tate your de praved be hav ior. 49 They will pun ish you for your de- prav i ty , and you will bear the con se quenc es for your sins of idol a try . Then you will know that I am the Lord G od.” PARABLE OF THE BOILING POT 24 The word of the L ord came to me in the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month: 2 “ Son of man, write down to day’s date, this very day . The king of Bab ylon has laid siege to Je ru sa lem this very day . 3 Now speak a par a ble to the re bel lious house. Tell them, ‘ This is what the Lord G od says: Put the pot on the fire — put it on, and then pour water into it! 4 Place the pieces of meat in it, every good piece — thigh and shoulder. Fill it with choice bones. 5 Take the choicest of the flock and also pile up the fuel c under it. Bring it to a boil and cook the bones in it. 6 “ ‘There fore, this is what the Lord G od says: Woe to the city of bloodshed, the pot that has corrosion inside it, and its corrosion has not come out of it! Empty it piece by piece; lots should not be cast for its contents. 7 For the blood she shed d is still within her. She put it out on the bare rock; she didn’t pour it on the ground to cover it with dust. 8 In order to stir up wrath and take vengeance, I have put her blood on the bare rock, so that it would not be covered. 9 “ ‘There fore, this is what the Lord G od says: Woe to the city of bloodshed! I myself will make the pile of kindling large. 10 Pile on the logs and kindle the fire! Cook the meat well and mix in the spices! e,f Let the bones be burned! 11 Set the empty pot on its coals so that it becomes hot and its copper glows. Then its impurity will melt inside it; its corrosion will be consumed. 12 It has frustrated every effort; g its thick corrosion will not come off. Into the fire with its corrosion! 13 Because of the depravity of your uncleanness — since I tried to purify you, but you would not be purified from your uncleanness — you will not be pure again until I have satisfied my wrath on you. 14 I, the Lord, have spoken. It is coming, and I will do it! I will not refrain, I will not show pity , and I will not relent. I h will judge you according to your ways and deeds. This is the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od.’ ” THE DEATH OF EZEKIEL’S WIFE: A SIGN 15 Then the word of the L ord came to me: 16 “ Son of man, I am about to take the de light of your eyes away from you with a fa tal blow . But you must not la ment or weep or let your tears flow . 17 Groan qui et ly; do not ob serve mourn ing rites for the dead. Put on your tur ban and strap your san dals on your feet; do not cov er your mus tache or eat the bread of mourn ers.” i 18 I spoke to the peo ple in the morn ing, and my wife died in the eve ning. The next morn- ing I did just as I was com mand ed. 19 Then the a23:43 Or They will b23:46 Or I will summon c24:5 Lit bones d24:7 Lit For her blood e24:10 Some Hb mss read well; remove the broth ; LXX reads fire so that the meat may be cooked and the broth may be reduced f24:10 Or and stir the broth g24:12 Hb obscure h24:14 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr , Tg, Vg; other Hb mss read They i24:17 Lit men, also in v. 22 755 EZEKIEL 23-24 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 755 10/26/17 9:00 PM peo ple asked me, “ Won’t you tell us what these things you are do ing mean for us? ” 20 So I an swered them: “ The word of the L ord came to me: 21 Say to the house of Is ra el, ‘ This is what the Lord G od says: I am about to des- e crate my sanc tu ary , the pride of your pow- er, the de light of your eyes, and the de sire of your heart. Also, the sons and daugh ters you left be hind will fall by the sword. 22 Then you will do just as I have done: You will not cov er your mus tache or eat the bread of mourn ers. 23 Your tur bans will re main on your heads and your san dals on your feet. You will not la ment or weep but will waste away be cause of your in iq ui ties and will groan to one an oth er. 24 Now Ezek iel will be a sign for you. You will do ev ery - thing that he has done. When this hap pens, you will know that I am the Lord G od.’ 25 “ As for you, son of man, know that on that day I will take from them their strong hold — their pride and joy , the de light of their eyes, and the long ing of their hearts — as well as their sons and daugh ters. 26 On that day a fu- gi tive will come to you and re port the news. 27 On that day your mouth will be opened to talk with him; you will speak and no lon ger be mute. So you will be a sign for them, and they will know that I am the L ord.” PROPHECIES AGAINST THE NATIONS JUDGMENT AGAINST AMMON 25 Then the word of the L ord came to me: 2 “ Son of man, face the Am mon ites and proph e sy against them. 3 Say to the Am mon ites, ‘ Hear the word of the Lord G od: This is what the Lord G od says: Be cause you said, “ Aha! ” about my sanc tu ary when it was des e crat- ed, about the land of Is ra el when it was laid waste, and about the house of Ju dah when they went into ex ile, 4 there fore I am about to give you to the peo ple of the east as a pos- ses sion. They will set up their encampments and pitch their tents among you. They will eat your fruit and drink your milk. 5 I will make Rab bah a pas ture for cam els and Am mon a rest ing place for sheep. Then you will know that I am the L ord. 6 “ ‘ For this is what the Lord G od says: Be- cause you clapped your hands, stamped your feet, and re joiced over the land of Is ra el with whole heart ed con tempt, 7 there fore I am about to stretch out my hand against you and give you as plun der to the na tions. I will cut you off from the peo ples and elim i nate you from the coun tries. I will de stroy you, and you will know that I am the L ord. JUDGMENT AGAINST MOAB 8 “ ‘ This is what the Lord G od says: Be cause Moab and Seir said, “ Look, the house of Ju dah is like all the oth er na tions.” 9 There fore I am about to ex pose Moab’s flank be gin ning with its a fron tier cit ies, the splen dor of the land: Beth-jesh i moth, Baal-meon, and Kir ia tha im. 10 I will give it along with Am mon to the peo ple of the east as a pos ses sion, so that Am mon will not be re mem bered among the na tions. 11 So I will ex e cute judg ments against Moab, and they will know that I am the L ord. JUDGMENT AGAINST EDOM 12 “ ‘ This is what the Lord G od says: Be cause Edom act ed vengefully against the house of Ju dah and incurred griev ous guilt by tak ing re venge on them, 13 there fore this is what the Lord G od says: I will stretch out my hand against Edom and cut off both man and an- i mal from it. I will make it a waste land; they will fall by the sword from Te man to De dan. 14 I will take my ven geance on Edom through my peo ple Is ra el, and they will deal with Edom ac cord ing to my an ger and wrath. So they will know my ven geance. This is the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od. JUDGMENT AGAINST PHILISTIA 15 “ ‘ This is what the Lord G od says: Be cause the Phi lis tines act ed in ven geance and took re venge with deep con tempt, de stroy ing be- cause of their perpetual ha tred, 16 there fore this is what the Lord G od says: I am about to stretch out my hand against the Phi lis tines, cut ting off the Cher e thites and wip ing out what re mains of the coastal peo ples. b 17 I will ex e cute se vere ven geance against them with fu ri ous re bukes.
🔥 Divine Judgment on Tyre
🏙️ Tyre's pride led to its downfall after mocking Jerusalem's destruction, believing it would profit from the city's ruin
⚔️ Nebuchadnezzar was appointed as God's instrument of judgment, bringing armies to destroy Tyre's walls, towers, and wealth, transforming the once-mighty port into barren rock
🌊 The maritime power that once dominated trade networks with its ships, goods, and international commerce would be utterly destroyed, causing worldwide economic ripples
👑 Tyre's ruler's arrogance in claiming divine status ("I am a god") directly provoked divine retribution, demonstrating how pride precedes destruction
🌍 This judgment serves as a warning to nations that earthly power, wealth and beauty are temporary when set against divine authority
🔄 The pattern of judgment extends to Egypt and Sidon, showing God's sovereignty over all nations who oppose His purposes
They will know that I am the L ord when I take my ven geance on them.’ ” THE DOWNFALL OF TYRE 26 In the elev enth year, on the first day of the month, the word of the L ord came to me: 2 “ Son of man, be cause Tyre said about Je ru sa lem, ‘ Aha! The gate way to the peo ples is shat tered. She has been turned over to me. c I will be filled now that she lies in ru ins,’ a25:9 Lit with the cities, with its b25:16 Lit the seacoast c26:2 Or It has swung open for meEZEKIEL 24-26 756 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 756 10/26/17 9:00 PM 3 there fore this is what the Lord G od says: See, I am against you, Tyre! I will raise up many na tions against you, just as the sea rais es its waves. 4 They will de stroy the walls of Tyre and de mol ish her tow ers. I will scrape the soil from her and turn her into a bare rock. 5 She will be come a place in the sea to spread nets, for I have spo ken.” This is the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od. “ She will be come plun der for the na tions, 6 and her vil lages on the main land will be slaugh tered by the sword. Then they will know that I am the L ord.” 7 For this is what the Lord G od says: “ See, I am about to bring King Neb u chad nez zar a of Bab ylon, king of kings, against Tyre from the north with hors es, char i ots, cav al ry , and a huge as sem bly of troops. 8 He will slaugh- ter your vil lages on the main land with the sword. He will set up siege works, build a ramp, and raise a wall of shields against you. 9 He will di rect the blows of his bat ter ing rams against your walls and tear down your tow ers with his iron tools. 10 His hors es will be so nu- mer ous that their dust will cov er you. When he en ters your gates as an army en ter ing a breached city , your walls will shake from the noise of cav al ry , wag ons, and char i ots. 11 He will tram ple all your streets with the hooves of his hors es. He will slaugh ter your peo ple with the sword, and your mighty pil lars will fall to the ground. 12 They will take your wealth as spoil and plun der your mer chan dise. They will also de mol ish your walls and tear down your beau ti ful homes. Then they will throw your stones, tim ber, and soil into the wa ter. 13 I will put an end to the noise of your songs, and the sound of your lyres will no lon ger be heard. 14 I will turn you into a bare rock, and you will be a place to spread nets. You will nev er be re built, for I, the L ord, have spo ken.” This is the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od. 15 This is what the Lord G od says to Tyre: “ Won’t the coasts and is lands quake at the sound of your down fall, when the wound- ed groan and slaugh ter oc curs with in you? 16 All the princ es of the sea will de scend from their thrones, re move their robes, and strip off their em broi dered gar ments. They will clothe them selves with trem bling; they will sit on the ground, trem ble con tin u al ly , and be ap palled at you. 17 Then they will la ment for you and say of you, ‘How you have perished, city of renown, you who were populated from the seas! b She who was powerful on the sea, she and all of her inhabitants inflicted their terror. c 18 Now the coastlands tremble on the day of your downfall; the islands in the sea are alarmed by your demise.’ ” 19 For this is what the Lord G od says: “ When I make you a ru ined city like oth er de sert ed cit ies, when I raise up the deep against you so that the mighty wa ters cov er you, 20 then I will bring you down to be with those who de scend to the Pit, to the peo ple of antiquity . I will make you dwell in the underworld d like e the an cient ru ins, with those who de scend to the Pit, so that you will no lon ger be in hab- it ed or dis play your splen dor f in the land of the liv ing. 21 I will make you an ob ject of hor - ror, and you will no lon ger ex ist. You will be sought but will nev er be found again.” This is the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od. THE SINKING OF TYRE 27 The word of the L ord came to me: 2 “ Now , son of man, la ment for Tyre. 3 Say to Tyre, who is lo cat ed at the en trance of the sea, mer chant of the peo ples to many coasts and is lands, ‘ This is what the Lord G od says: Tyre, you declared, “I am perfect in beauty .” 4 Your realm was in the heart of the sea; your builders perfected your beauty . 5 They constructed all your planking with pine trees from Senir. They took a cedar from Lebanon to make a mast for you. 6 They made your oars of oaks from Bashan. They made your deck of cypress wood from the coasts of Cyprus, inlaid with ivory . 7 Your sail was made of fine embroidered linen from Egypt, and served as your banner. Your awning was of blue and purple fabric from the coasts of Elishah. a26:7 Lit Nebuchadrezzar b26:17 Some LXX mss read ‘How you were destroyed from the seas, city of renown! c26:17 Lit and all her inhabitants who put their terror on all her inhabitants ; Hb obscure d26:20 Lit the lower parts of the earth e26:20 Some Hb mss, LXX; other Hb mss, Syr read in f26:20 LXX reads or appear 757 EZEKIEL 26-27 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 757 10/26/17 9:00 PM 8 The inhabitants of Sidon and Arvad were your rowers. Your wise men were within you, Tyre; they were your captains. 9 The elders of Gebal and its wise men were within you, repairing your leaks. “ ‘ All the ships of the sea and their sailors came to you to barter for your goods. 10 Men of Persia, Lud, and Put were in your army , serving as your warriors. They hung shields and helmets in you; they gave you splendor. 11 Men of Arvad and Helech were stationed on your walls all around, and Gammadites were in your towers. They hung their shields a all around your walls; they perfected your beauty . 12 “ ‘Tar shish was your trad ing part ner be- cause of your abun dant wealth of ev ery kind. They ex changed sil ver, iron, tin, and lead for your mer chan dise. 13 Ja van, Tu bal, and Me- shech were your mer chants. They ex changed slaves b and bronze uten sils for your goods. 14 Those from Beth-to gar mah ex changed hors es, war hors es, and mules for your mer - chan dise. 15 Men of De dan c were also your mer chants; many coasts and is lands were your reg u lar markets. They brought back ivo ry tusks and eb o ny as your pay ment. 16 Aram d was your trad ing part ner be cause of your nu- mer ous prod ucts. They ex changed tur quoise, e pur ple and em broi dered cloth, fine lin en, cor - al, e and ru bies e for your mer chan dise. 17 Ju dah and the land of Is ra el were your mer chants. They ex changed wheat from Min nith, meal, f hon ey , oil, and balm, for your goods. 18 Da mas- cus was also your trad ing part ner be cause of your nu mer ous prod ucts and your abun dant wealth of ev ery kind, trad ing in wine from Hel bon and white wool. g 19 Vedan h and Ja- van from Uzal e dealt in your mer chan dise; wrought iron, cas sia, and ar o mat ic cane were ex changed for your goods. 20 De dan was your mer chant in saddlecloths for rid ing. 21 Ara- bia and all the princ es of Ke dar were your busi ness part ners, trad ing with you in lambs, rams, and goats. 22 The mer chants of She ba and Ra a mah trad ed with you. For your mer - chan dise they ex changed the best of all spic es and all kinds of pre cious stones as well as gold. 23 Ha ran, Can neh, Eden, the mer chants of She ba, As shur, and Chilmad trad ed with you. 24 They were your mer chants in choice gar ments, cloaks of blue and em broi dered ma teri als, and mul ti col ored carpets, e which were bound and se cured with cords in your mar ket place. 25 Ships of Tar shish were the car ri ers for your goods. “ ‘So you became full and heavily loaded i in the heart of the sea. 26 Your rowers have brought you onto the high seas, but the east wind has wrecked you in the heart of the sea. 27 Your wealth, merchandise, and goods, your sailors and captains, those who repair your leaks, those who barter for your goods, and all the warriors on board, with all the other people within you, sink into the heart of the sea on the day of your downfall. 28 “ ‘The countryside shakes at the sound of your sailors’ cries. 29 All the oarsmen disembark from their ships. The sailors and all the captains of the sea stand on the shore. 30 Because of you, they raise their voices and cry out bitterly . They throw dust on their heads; they roll in ashes. 31 They shave their heads because of you and wrap themselves in sackcloth. They weep over you with deep anguish and bitter mourning. 32 “ ‘In their wailing they lament for you, mourning over you: “Who was like Tyre, silenced e in the middle of the sea? 33 When your merchandise was unloaded from the seas, you satisfied many peoples. a27:11 Or quivers ; Hb obscure b27:13 Lit souls of men c27:15 LXX reads Rhodes d27:16 Some Hb mss, Aq, Syr read Edom e27:16,19,24,32 Hb obscure f27:17 Or resin ; Hb obscure g27:18 Or and wool from Zahar h27:19 Or Dan i27:25 Or and very gloriousEZEKIEL 27 758 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 758 10/26/17 9:00 PM You enriched the kings of the earth with your abundant wealth and goods. 34 Now you are wrecked by the sea in the depths of the waters; your goods and the people within you have gone down. 35 All the inhabitants of the coasts and islands are appalled at you. Their kings shudder with fear; their faces are contorted. 36 Those who trade among the peoples scoff a at you; you have become an object of horror and will never exist again.” ’ ” THE FALL OF TYRE’S RULER 28 The word of the L ord came to me: 2 “ Son of man, say to the rul er of Tyre, ‘ This is what the Lord G od says: Your b heart is proud, and you have said, “ I am a god; I sit in the seat of gods in the heart of the sea.” Yet you are a man and not a god, though you have re gard ed your heart as that of a god. 3 Yes, you are wis er than Dan iel; no se cret is hid den from you! 4 By your wis dom and un der stand ing you have ac quired wealth for your self. You have ac quired gold and sil- ver for your trea sur ies. 5 By your great skill in trad ing you have in creased your wealth, but your heart has be come proud be cause of your wealth. 6 “ ‘There fore, this is what the Lord G od says: Because you regard your heart as that of a god, 7 I am about to bring strangers against you, ruthless men from the nations. They will draw their swords against your magnificent wisdom and will pierce your splendor. 8 They will bring you down to the Pit, and you will die a violent death in the heart of the sea. 9 Will you still say , “I am a god,” in the presence of those who slay c you? Yet you will be only a man, not a god, in the hands of those who kill you. 10 You will die the death of the uncircumcised at the hands of strangers. For I have spoken. This is the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od.’ ” A LAMENT FOR TYRE’S KING 11 The word of the L ord came to me: 12 “ Son of man, la ment for the king of Tyre and say to him, ‘ This is what the Lord G od says: You were the seal d of perfection, e full of wisdom and perfect in beauty . 13 You were in Eden, the garden of God. Every kind of precious stone covered you: carnelian, topaz, and diamond, e beryl, onyx, and jasper, lapis lazuli, turquoise f and emerald. g Your mountings and settings were crafted in gold; they were prepared on the day you were created. 14 You were an anointed guardian cherub, for h I had appointed you. You were on the holy mountain of God; you walked among the fiery stones. 15 From the day you were created you were blameless in your ways until wickedness was found in you. 16 Through the abundance of your trade, you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I expelled you in disgrace from the mountain of God, and banished you, guardian cherub, i from among the fiery stones. 17 Your heart became proud because of your beauty; For the sake of your splendor you corrupted your wisdom. So I threw you down to the ground; j I made you a spectacle before kings. 18 You profaned your sanctuaries by the magnitude of your iniquities in your dishonest trade. So I made fire come from within you, and it consumed you. I reduced you to ashes on the ground in the sight of everyone watching you. 19 All those who know you among the peoples are appalled at you. You have become an object of horror and will never exist again.’ ” a27:36 Lit hiss b28:2 Lit Because your c28:9 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr , Vg; other Hb mss read of the one who kills d28:12 Or sealer e28:12,13 Hb obscure f28:13 Or malachite, or garnet g28:13 Or beryl h28:14 Or With an anointed guardian cherub i28:16 Or and the guardian cherub banished you j28:17 Or earth 759 EZEKIEL 27-28 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 759 10/26/17 9:00 PM A PROPHECY AGAINST SIDON 20 The word of the L ord came to me: 21 “ Son of man, face Si don and proph e sy against it. 22 You are to say , ‘ This is what the Lord G od says: Look! I am against you, Sidon, and I will display my glory within you. They will know that I am the Lord when I execute judgments against her and demonstrate my holiness through her. 23 I will send a plague against her and bloodshed in her streets; the slain will fall within her, while the sword is against her a on every side. Then they will know that I am the Lord. 24 “ ‘ The house of Is ra el will no lon ger be hurt by b prickly bri ers or pain ful thorns from all their neigh bors who treat them with con tempt. Then they will know that I am the Lord G od. 25 “ ‘ This is what the Lord G od says: When I gath er the house of Is ra el from the peo ples where they are scat tered, I will dem on strate my ho li ness through them in the sight of the na tions, and they will live in their own land, which I gave to my ser vant Ja cob. 26 They will live there se cure ly , build hous es, and plant vine yards. They will live se cure ly when I ex- e cute judg ments against all their neigh bors who treat them with con tempt. Then they will know that I am the L ord their God.’ ” A PROPHECY OF EGYPT’S RUIN 29 In the tenth year, in the tenth month on the twelfth day of the month, the word of the L ord came to me: 2 “ Son of man, face Pha raoh king of Egypt and proph e sy against him and against all of Egypt. 3 Speak to him and say , ‘ This is what the Lord G od says: Look, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great monster c lying in the middle of his Nile, who says, “My Nile is my own; I made it for myself.” 4 I will put hooks in your jaws and make the fish of your streams cling to your scales. I will haul you up from the middle of your Nile, and all the fish of your streams will cling to your scales. 5 I will leave you in the desert, you and all the fish of your streams. You will fall on the open ground and will not be taken away or gathered for burial. I have given you to the wild creatures of the earth and the birds of the sky as food. 6 “ ‘Then all the inhabitants of Egypt will know that I am the Lord, for they d have been a staff made of reed to the house of Israel. 7 When Israel grasped you by the hand, you splintered, tearing all their shoulders; when they leaned on you, you shattered and made all their hips unsteady . e 8 “ ‘There fore, this is what the Lord G od says: I am go ing to bring a sword against you and cut off both man and an i mal from you. 9 The land of Egypt will be a des o late ruin. Then they will know that I am the L ord. Be cause you f said, “ The Nile is my own; I made it,” 10 there- fore, I am against you and your Nile. I will turn the land of Egypt into ru ins, a des o late waste from Mig dol to Syene, as far as the bor der of Cush. 11 No hu man foot will pass through it, and no an i mal foot will pass through it. It will be uninhabited for for ty years. 12 I will make the land of Egypt a des o la tion among g des o- late lands, and its cit ies will be a des o la tion among h ru ined cit ies for for ty years. I will dis perse the Egyp tians among the na tions and scat ter them through out the lands. 13 “ ‘ For this is what the Lord G od says: At the end of for ty years I will gath er the Egyp tians from the peo ples where they were dis persed. 14 I will re store the for tunes of Egypt and bring them back to the land of Path ros, the land of their or i gin. There they will be a low ly king- dom. 15 Egypt will be the low li est of king doms and will nev er again ex alt it self over the na- tions. I will make them so small they can not rule over the na tions. 16 It will nev er again be an ob ject of trust for the house of Is ra el, draw ing at ten tion to their in iq ui ty of turn ing to the Egyp tians. Then they will know that I am the Lord G od.’ ” a28:23 Or within her by the sword b28:24 Lit longer have c29:3 Or crocodile d29:6 LXX, Syr , Vg read you e29:7 LXX, Syr , Vg; MT reads and you caused their hips to stand f29:9 LXX, Syr , Vg; MT reads he g29:12 Or Egypt the most desolate of h29:12 Or be the most desolate ofEZEKIEL 28-29 760 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 760 10/26/17 9:00 PM BABYLON RECEIVES EGYPT AS COMPENSATION 17 In the twenty-seventh year, in the first month, on the first day of the month, the word of the L ord came to me: 18 “ Son of man, King Neb u- chad nez zar of Bab ylon made his army la bor strenuously against Tyre. Ev ery head was made bald and ev ery shoul der chafed, but he and his army re ceived no com pen sa tion from Tyre for the la bor he expended against it. 19 There fore, this is what the Lord G od says: I am go ing to give the land of Egypt to King Neb u chad nez zar of Bab ylon, and he will car ry off its wealth, seiz ing its spoil and tak ing its plun der. This will be his army’s com pen sa tion. 20 I have giv en him the land of Egypt as the pay he la bored for, since they worked for me.” This is the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od. 21 “ In that day I will cause a horn to sprout for the house of Is ra el, and I will en- able you to speak out among them. Then they will know that I am the L ord.” EGYPT’S DOOM 30 The word of the L ord came to me: 2 “ Son of man, proph e sy and say , ‘ This is what the Lord G od says: Wail, “Woe because of that day! ” 3 For a day is near; a day belonging to the Lord is near. It will be a day of clouds, a time of doom a for the nations. 4 A sword will come against Egypt, and there will be anguish in Cush when the slain fall in Egypt, and its wealth is taken away , and its foundations are demolished. 5 Cush, Put, and Lud, and all the various foreign troops, b plus Libya c and the men of the covenant land will fall by the sword along with them. 6 This is what the Lord says: Those who support Egypt will fall, and its proud strength will collapse. From Migdol to Syene they will fall within it by the sword. This is the declaration of the Lord God. 7 They will be desolate among d desolate lands, and their cities will lie among ruined e cities. 8 They will know that I am the Lord when I set fire to
🔥 Divine Judgment on Egypt
🌊 Egypt's downfall is prophesied through vivid imagery of destruction, with Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon serving as God's instrument to shatter Egyptian power and disperse its people among nations
🌲 The pride of nations leads to their destruction, illustrated through the metaphor of a mighty cedar tree that grew tall but was cut down—comparing Egypt's fate to Assyria's previous fall
⚔️ Death and Sheol await Egypt's pharaoh and his armies, joining other fallen nations (Assyria, Elam, Meshech, Tubal, Edom) in the underworld where all earthly power and terror are rendered meaningless
🔔 The prophet serves as a divine watchman, obligated to warn people of coming judgment while emphasizing personal responsibility—each person bears the consequences of their own choices
🔄 God takes "no pleasure in the death of the wicked" but desires repentance, offering the possibility of life even to those who have done wrong if they turn from evil ways
🏙️ Israel's survivors wrongly claim entitlement to the land while continuing in sinful practices, leading to further warnings of desolation and judgment
Egypt and all its allies are shattered. 9 On that day , mes sen gers will go out from me in ships to ter ri fy con fi dent Cush. An guish will come over them on the day of Egypt’s doom. f For in deed it is com ing. 10 “ ‘ This is what the Lord G od says: I will put an end to the hordes g of Egypt by the hand of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. 11 He along with his people, ruthless men from the nations, will be brought in to destroy the land. They will draw their swords against Egypt and fill the land with the slain. 12 I will make the streams dry and sell the land to evil men. I will bring desolation on the land and everything in it by the hands of foreigners. I, the Lord, have spoken. 13 “ ‘ This is what the Lord G od says: I will destroy the idols and put an end to the false gods in Memphis. There will no longer be a prince from the land of Egypt. And I will instill fear in that land. 14 I will make Pathros desolate, set fire to Zoan, and execute judgments on Thebes. 15 I will pour out my wrath on Pelusium, the stronghold of Egypt, and will wipe out the hordes of Thebes. 16 I will set fire to Egypt; Pelusium will writhe in anguish, Thebes will be breached, and Memphis will face foes in broad daylight. h 17 The young men of On i and Pi-beseth will fall by the sword, and those cities j will go into captivity . 18 The day will be dark k in Tehaphnehes, when I break the yoke of Egypt there and its proud strength comes to an end in the city . A cloud will cover Tehaphnehes, l and its surrounding villages will go into captivity . a30:3 of doom supplied for clarity b30:5 Or all Arabia c30:5 Lit Cub ; Hb obscure d30:7 Or be the most desolate of e30:7 Or will be the most ruined of f30:9 Lit of Egypt g30:10 Or pomp, or wealth, also in v. 15 h30:16 Or foes daily i30:17 LXX, Vg; MT reads iniquity j30:17 Or and the women ; lit and they k30:18 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr , Tg, Vg; other Hb mss read will withhold l30:18 Or Egypt 761 EZEKIEL 29-30 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 761 10/26/17 9:00 PM 19 So I will execute judgments against Egypt, and they will know that I am the Lord.’ ” PHARAOH’S POWER BROKEN 20 In the elev enth year, in the first month, on the sev enth day of the month, the word of the L ord came to me: 21 “ Son of man, I have bro ken the arm of Pha raoh king of Egypt. Look, it has not been ban daged — no med i cine has been ap plied and no splint put on to bandage it so that it can grow strong enough to han dle a sword. 22 There fore, this is what the Lord G od says: Look! I am against Pha raoh king of Egypt. I will break his arms, both the strong one and the one al ready bro ken, and will make the sword fall from his hand. 23 I will dis perse the Egyp tians among the na tions and scat ter them among the coun tries. 24 I will strength en the arms of Bab ylon’s king and place my sword in his hand. But I will break the arms of Pha raoh, and he will groan be fore him as a mor tal ly wound ed man. 25 I will strength en the arms of Bab ylon’s king, but Pha raoh’s arms will fall. They will know that I am the L ord when I place my sword in the hand of Bab ylon’s king and he wields it against the land of Egypt. 26 When I dis perse the Egyp tians among the na tions and scat ter them among the coun tries, they will know that I am the L ord.” DOWNFALL OF EGYPT AND ASSYRIA 31 In the elev enth year, in the third month, on the first day of the month, the word of the L ord came to me: 2 “ Son of man, say to Pha raoh king of Egypt and to his hordes, ‘Who are you like in your greatness? 3 Think of Assyria, a cedar in Lebanon, with beautiful branches and shady foliage and of lofty height. Its top was among the clouds. a 4 The waters caused it to grow; the underground springs made it tall, directing their rivers all around the place where the tree was planted and sending their channels to all the trees of the field. 5 Therefore the cedar became greater in height than all the trees of the field. Its branches multiplied, and its boughs grew long as it spread them out because of the abundant water. 6 All the birds of the sky nested in its branches, and all the animals of the field gave birth beneath its boughs; all the great nations lived in its shade. 7 It was beautiful in its size, in the length of its limbs, for its roots extended to abundant water. 8 The cedars in God’s garden could not eclipse it; the pine trees couldn’t compare with its branches, nor could the plane trees match its boughs. No tree in the garden of God could compare with it in beauty . 9 I made it beautiful with its many limbs, and all the trees of Eden, which were in God’s garden, envied it. 10 “ ‘There fore, this is what the Lord G od says: Since it b tow ered high in stat ure and set its top among the clouds, and it c grew proud on ac count of its height, 11 I de ter mined to hand it over to a rul er of na tions; he would sure ly deal with it. I ban ished it be cause of its wick- ed ness. 12 For eign ers, ruth less men from the na tions, cut it down and left it ly ing. Its limbs fell on the moun tains and in ev ery val ley; its boughs lay bro ken in all the earth’s ra vines. All the peo ples of the earth left its shade and aban doned it. 13 All the birds of the sky nest- ed on its fall en trunk, and all the an i mals of the field were among its boughs. 14 This hap- pened so that no trees plant ed be side wa ter would be come great in height and set their tops among the clouds, and so that no oth- er well-watered trees would reach them in height. For they have all been consigned to death, to the underworld, among the peo ple d who de scend to the Pit. 15 “ ‘ This is what the Lord G od says: I caused griev ing on the day the ce dar went down to She ol. I closed off the underground deep be cause of it: e I held back the riv ers of the deep, and its abun dant wa ter was re strained. I made Leb a non mourn on ac count of it, and a31:3 Or thick foliage, also in vv. 10,14 b31:10 Syr , Vg; MT , LXX read you c31:10 Lit its heart d31:14 Or the descendants of Adam e31:15 Or I covered it with the underground deepEZEKIEL 30-31 762 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 762 10/26/17 9:00 PM all the trees of the field faint ed be cause of it. 16 I made the na tions quake at the sound of its down fall, when I threw it down to She- ol to be with those who de scend to the Pit. Then all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Leb a non, all the well-watered trees, were com fort ed in the underworld. 17 They too de scend ed with it to She ol, to those slain by the sword. As its al lies a,b they had lived in its shade among the na tions. 18 “ ‘ Who then are you like in glo ry and great ness among Eden’s trees? You also will be brought down to the underworld to be with the trees of Eden. You will lie among the un- cir cum cised with those slain by the sword. This is Pha raoh and all his hordes. This is the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od.’ ” A LAMENT FOR PHARAOH 32 In the twelfth year, in the twelfth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the L ord came to me: 2 “ Son of man, la ment for Pha raoh king of Egypt and say to him, ‘You compare yourself to a lion of the nations, but c you are like a monster d in the seas. You thrash about in your rivers, churn up the waters with your feet, and muddy the e rivers. 3 “ ‘ This is what the Lord G od says: I will spread my net over you with an assembly of many peoples, and they f will haul you up in my net. 4 I will abandon you on the land and throw you onto the open field. I will cause all the birds of the sky to settle on you and let the wild creatures of the entire earth eat their fill of you. 5 I will put your flesh on the mountains and fill the valleys with your carcass. 6 I will drench the land with the flow of your blood, even to the mountains; the ravines will be filled with your gore. 7 “ ‘When I snuff you out, I will cover the heavens and darken their stars. I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon will not give its light. 8 I will darken all the shining lights in the heavens over you, and will bring darkness on your land. This is the declaration of the Lord God. 9 “ ‘I will trouble the hearts of many peoples, when I bring about your destruction among the nations, in countries you have not known. 10 I will cause many peoples to be appalled at you, and their kings will shudder with fear because of you when I brandish my sword in front of them. On the day of your downfall each of them will tremble every moment for his life. 11 “ ‘ For this is what the Lord G od says: The sword of Babylon’s king will come against you! 12 I will make your hordes fall by the swords of warriors, all of them ruthless men from the nations. They will ravage Egypt’s pride, and all its hordes will be destroyed. 13 I will slaughter all its cattle that are beside many waters. No human foot will churn them again, and no cattle hooves will disturb them. 14 Then I will let their waters settle and will make their rivers flow like oil. This is the declaration of the Lord God. 15 When I make the land of Egypt a desolation, so that it is emptied of everything in it, when I strike down all who live there, then they will know that I am the Lord. 16 “ ‘ The daugh ters of the na tions will chant that la ment. They will chant it over Egypt and all its hordes. This is the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od.’ ” a31:17 LXX, Syr read offspring b31:17 Lit arm c32:2 Or ‘Lion of the nations, you are destroyed; d32:2 Or crocodile e32:2 Lit their f32:3 LXX, Vg read I 763 EZEKIEL 31-32 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 763 10/26/17 9:00 PM EGYPT IN SHEOL 17 In the twelfth year, a on the fif teenth day of the month, the word of the L ord came to me: 18 “ Son of man, wail over the hordes of Egypt and bring Egypt and the daugh ters of mighty na tions down to the underworld, b to be with those who de scend to the Pit: 19 Who do you surpass in loveliness? Go down and be laid to rest with the uncircumcised! 20 They will fall among those slain by the sword. A sword is appointed! They drag her and all her hordes away . 21 Warrior leaders will speak from the middle of Sheol about him c and his allies: ‘They have come down; the uncircumcised lie slain by the sword.’ 22 “ Assyria is there with her whole assembly; her graves are all around her. All of them are slain, fallen by the sword. 23 Her graves are set in the deepest regions of the Pit, and her assembly is all around her burial place. All of them are slain, fallen by the sword — those who once spread terror in the land of the living. 24 “Elam is there with all her hordes around her grave. All of them are slain, fallen by the sword — those who went down to the underworld uncircumcised, who once spread their terror in the land of the living. They bear their disgrace with those who descend to the Pit. 25 Among the slain they prepare a bed for Elam with all her hordes. Her graves are all around her. All of them are uncircumcised, slain by the sword, although their terror was once spread in the land of the living. They bear their disgrace with those who descend to the Pit. They are placed among the slain. 26 “Meshech and Tubal d are there, with all their hordes. Their graves are all around them. All of them are uncircumcised, slain by the sword, although their terror was once spread in the land of the living. 27 They do not lie down with the fallen warriors of the uncircumcised, e who went down to Sheol with their weapons of war, whose swords were placed under their heads f and their shields g rested on their bones, although the terror of these warriors was once in the land of the living. 28 But you will be shattered and will lie down among the uncircumcised, with those slain by the sword. 29 “Edom is there, her kings and all her princes, who, despite their strength, have been placed among those slain by the sword. They lie down with the uncircumcised, with those who descend to the Pit. 30 All the leaders of the north and all the Sidonians are there. They went down in shame with the slain, despite the terror their strength inspired. They lie down uncircumcised with those slain by the sword. They bear their disgrace with those who descend to the Pit. 31 “Pharaoh will see them and be comforted over all his hordes — Pharaoh and his whole army , slain by the sword.” This is the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od. a32:17 LXX reads year, in the first month, b32:18 Lit the lower parts of the earth, also in v. 24 c32:21 Either Pharaoh or Egypt d32:26 Lit Meshech-tubal e32:27 LXX reads of antiquity f32:27 Or Do they not . . . heads? g32:27 Emended; MT reads iniquitiesEZEKIEL 32 764 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 764 10/26/17 9:00 PM 32 “For I will spread my a terror in the land of the living, so Pharaoh and all his hordes will be laid to rest among the uncircumcised, with those slain by the sword.” This is the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od. EZEKIEL AS ISRAEL’S WATCHMAN 33 The word of the L ord came to me: 2 “ Son of man, speak to your peo ple and tell them, ‘Sup pose I bring the sword against a land, and the peo ple of that land se lect a man from among them, ap point ing him as their watch man. 3 And sup pose he sees the sword com ing against the land and blows his trum pet to warn the peo ple. 4 Then, if any one hears the sound of the trum pet but ig nores the warn ing, and the sword comes and takes him away , his death will be his own fault. b 5 Since he heard the sound of the trum pet but ig nored the warn ing, his death is his own fault. c If he had tak en warn ing, he would have saved his life. 6 How ev er, sup pose the watch man sees the sword com ing but doesn’t blow the trum pet, so that the peo ple aren’t warned, and the sword comes and takes away their lives. Then they have been tak en away be cause of their in iq ui ty , but I will hold the watch man ac count able for their blood.’ 7 “ As for you, son of man, I have made you a watch man for the house of Is ra el. When you hear a word from my mouth, give them a warn ing from me. 8 If I say to the wick ed, ‘Wick ed one, you will sure ly die,’ but you do not speak out to warn him about his way , that wick ed per son will die for his in iq ui ty , yet I will hold you re spon si ble for his blood. 9 But if you warn a wick ed per son to turn from his way and he doesn’t turn from it, he will die for his in iq ui ty , but you will have res cued your self. 10 “ Now as for you, son of man, say to the house of Is ra el, ‘ You have said this: “ Our trans- gres sions and our sins are heavy on us, and we are wast ing away be cause of them! How then can we sur vive? ” ’ 11 Tell them, ‘ As I live — this is the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od — I take no plea sure in the death of the wick ed, but rath er that the wick ed per son should turn from his way and live. Re pent, re pent of your evil ways! Why will you die, house of Is ra el? ’12 “ Now , son of man, say to your peo ple, ‘ The righ teous ness of the righ teous per son will not save him on the day of his trans gres sion; nei ther will the wick ed ness of the wick ed per - son cause him to stum ble on the day he turns from his wick ed ness. The righ teous per son won’t be able to sur vive by his righ teous ness on the day he sins. 13 When I tell the righ teous per son that he will sure ly live, but he trusts in his righ teous ness and acts un just ly , then none of his righ teous ness will be re mem bered, and he will die be cause of the in jus tice he has com mit ted. 14 “ ‘ So when I tell the wick ed per son, “ You will sure ly die,” but he re pents of his sin and does what is just and right — 15 he re turns col lat er al, makes res ti tu tion for what he has sto len, and walks in the stat utes of life with out com mit ting in jus tice — he will cer tain ly live; he will not die. 16 None of the sins he com mit ted will be held d against him. He has done what is just and right; he will cer tain ly live. 17 “ ‘ But your peo ple say , “ The Lord’s way isn’t fair,” even though it is their own way that isn’t fair. 18 When a righ teous per son turns from his righ teous ness and com mits in jus tice, he will die for it. 19 But if a wick ed per son turns from his wick ed ness and does what is just and right, he will live be cause of it. 20 Yet you say , “ The Lord’s way isn’t fair.” I will judge each of you ac cord ing to his ways, house of Is ra el.’ ” THE NEWS OF JERUSALEM’S FALL 21 In the twelfth year of our ex ile, in the tenth month, on the fifth day of the month, a fu gi- tive from Je ru sa lem came to me and re port ed, “ The city has been tak en! ” 22 Now the hand of the L ord had been on me the eve ning be fore the fu gi tive ar rived, and he opened my mouth be fore the man came to me in the morn ing. So my mouth was opened and I was no lon- ger mute. ISRAEL’S CONTINUED REBELLION 23 Then the word of the L ord came to me: 24 “ Son of man, those who live in the e ru ins in the land of Is ra el are say ing, ‘ Abra ham was only one per son, yet he re ceived pos ses sion of the land. But we are many; sure ly the land has been giv en to us as a pos ses sion.’ 25 There- fore say to them, ‘ This is what the Lord G od says: You eat meat with blood in it, look to a32:32 Alt Hb tradition, LXX, Syr read his b33:4 Lit his blood will be on his head c33:5 Lit his blood will be on him d33:16 Lit remembered e33:24 Lit these 765 EZEKIEL 32-33 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 765 10/26/17 9:00 PM your idols, and shed blood. Should you then re ceive pos ses sion of the land? 26 You have re lied on your swords, you have com mit ted de test able acts, and each of you has de filed his neigh bor’s wife. Should you then re ceive pos ses sion of the land? ’ 27 “ Tell them this: ‘ This is what the Lord G od says: As sure ly as I live, those who are in the ru ins will fall by the sword, those in the open field I have giv en to wild an i mals to be de voured, and those in the strong holds and caves will die by plague. 28 I will make the land a des o late waste, and its proud strength will come to an end. The moun tains of Is ra el will be come des o late, with no one pass ing through. 29 They will know that I am the L ord when I make the land a des o late waste be cause of all the de test able acts they have com mit ted.’ 30 “ As for you, son of man, your peo ple are talk ing about you near the city walls and in the door ways of their hous es. One per son speaks to an oth er, each say ing to his broth- er, ‘ Come and hear what the mes sage is that comes from the L ord! ’ 31 So my peo ple come to you in crowds, a sit in front of you, and hear your words, but they don’t obey them. Their mouths go on passionately , but their hearts pur sue dis hon est profi t. 32 Yes, to them you are like a sing er of pas sion ate songs
🧑🌾 Divine Shepherding vs. False Leadership
🔥 God's judgment falls upon corrupt shepherds who exploit their flocks, consuming resources while neglecting responsibilities to strengthen the weak, heal the sick, and seek the lost
🌄 The Lord promises to personally intervene as the true shepherd of Israel, gathering scattered people from distant lands and providing rich pasture, security, and restoration
💧 A profound spiritual transformation awaits Israel—God will cleanse them from impurities, replace hearts of stone with hearts of flesh, and place His Spirit within them to enable obedience
🦴 The dramatic vision of dry bones coming to life illustrates God's power to resurrect the seemingly dead nation, breathing new life into what appeared hopeless
🌱 Despite Israel's unfaithfulness, God acts to protect His holy name, demonstrating His character through restoration that transforms desolate lands into Eden-like abundance
🤝 The joining of two sticks symbolizes the future reunification of the divided kingdom, pointing toward complete restoration under one shepherd
who has a beau ti ful voice and plays skill ful ly on an in stru ment. They hear your words, but they don’t obey them. 33 Yet when all this comes true — and it defi nite ly will — then they will know that a proph et has been among them.” THE SHEPHERDS AND GOD’S FLOCK 34 The word of the L ord came to me: 2 “ Son of man, proph e sy against the shep herds of Is ra el. Proph e sy , and say to them, ‘ This is what the Lord G od says to the shep herds: Woe to the shep herds of Is ra el, who have been feed ing them selves! Shouldn’t the shep herds feed their flock? 3 You eat the fat, wear the wool, and butcher the fat tened an i mals, but you do not tend the flock. 4 You have not strength ened the weak, healed the sick, ban daged the in jured, brought back the strays, or sought the lost. In stead, you have ruled them with vi o lence and cru el ty . 5 They were scat tered for lack of a shep herd; they be came food for all the wild an i mals when they were scat tered. 6 My flock went astray on all the moun tains and ev ery high hill. My flock was scat tered over the whole face of the earth, and there was no one search ing or seek ing for them. 7 “ ‘There fore, you shep herds, hear the word of the L ord. 8 As I live — this is the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od — be cause my flock, lack ing a shep herd, has be come prey and food for ev - ery wild an i mal, and be cause my shep herds do not search for my flock, and be cause the shep herds feed them selves rath er than my flock, 9 there fore, you shep herds, hear the word of the L ord! 10 “ ‘ This is what the Lord G od says: Look, I am against the shep herds. I will de mand my flock from them b and pre vent them from shepherding the flock. The shep herds will no lon ger feed them selves, for I will res cue my flock from their mouths so that they will not be food for them. 11 “ ‘ For this is what the Lord G od says: See, I my self will search for my flock and look for them. 12 As a shep herd looks for his sheep on the day he is among his scat tered flock, so I will look for my flock. I will res cue them from all the plac es where they have been scat tered on a day of clouds and to tal dark ness. 13 I will bring them out from the peo ples, gath er them from the coun tries, and bring them to their own soil. I will shep herd them on the moun tains of Is ra el, in the ra vines, and in all the in hab it ed plac es of the land. 14 I will tend them in good pas ture, and their graz ing place will be on Is ra el’s lofty moun tains. There they will lie down in a good graz ing place; they will feed in rich pas ture on the moun tains of Is ra el. 15 I will tend my flock and let them lie down. This is the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od. 16 I will seek the lost, bring back the strays, bandage the in jured, and strength en the weak, but I will de stroy c the fat and the strong. I will shep herd them with jus tice. 17 “ ‘ As for you, my flock, the Lord G od says this: Look, I am go ing to judge be tween one sheep and an oth er, be tween the rams and goats. 18 Isn’t it enough for you to feed on the good pas ture? Must you also tram ple the rest of the pas ture with your feet? Or isn’t it enough that you drink the clear wa ter? Must you also mud dy the rest with your feet? 19 Yet my flock has to feed on what your feet have tram pled, and drink what your feet have mud died. 20 “ ‘There fore, this is what the Lord G od says to them: See, I my self will judge be tween the a33:31 Lit you like the coming of a people b34:10 Lit their hand c34:16 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr , Vg read watch overEZEKIEL 33-34 766 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 766 10/26/17 9:00 PM fat sheep and the lean sheep. 21 Since you have pushed with flank and shoul der and butted all the weak ones with your horns un til you scat- tered them all over, 22 I will save my flock. They will no lon ger be prey , and I will judge be tween one sheep and an oth er. 23 I will es tab lish over them one shep herd, my ser vant Da vid, and he will shep herd them. He will tend them him self and will be their shep herd. 24 I, the L ord, will be their God, and my ser vant Da vid will be a prince among them. I, the L ord, have spo ken. 25 “ ‘ I will make a cov enant of peace with them and elim i nate dan ger ous crea tures from the land, so that they may live se cure ly in the wil- der ness and sleep in the for est. 26 I will make them and the area around my hill a bless ing: I will send down show ers in their sea son; they will be show ers of bless ing. 27 The trees of the field will yield their fruit, and the land will yield its pro duce; my flock will be se cure in their land. They will know that I am the L ord when I break the bars of their yoke and res cue them from the pow er of those who en slave them. 28 They will no lon ger be prey for the na tions, and the wild crea tures of the earth will not con sume them. They will live se cure ly , and no one will fright en them. 29 I will es tab lish for them a place re nowned for its agriculture, a and they will no lon ger be vic tims of fam ine in the land. They will no lon ger en dure the in sults of the na tions. 30 Then they will know that I, the L ord their God, am with them, and that they , the house of Is ra el, are my peo ple. This is the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od. 31 You are my flock, the hu man flock of my pas ture, and I am your God. This is the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od.’ ” A PROPHECY AGAINST EDOM 35 The word of the L ord came to me: 2 “ Son of man, face Mount Seir and proph e- sy against it. 3 Say to it, ‘ This is what the Lord G od says: Look! I am against you, Mount Seir. I will stretch out my hand against you and make you a desolate waste. 4 I will turn your cities into ruins, and you will become a desolation. Then you will know that I am the Lord. 5 “ ‘Be cause you main tained a perpetual ha- tred and gave the Is ra el ites over to the pow er of the sword in the time of their di sas ter, the time of fi nal pun ish ment, 6 there fore, as I live — this is the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od — I will des tine you for blood shed, and it will pur - sue you. Since you did not hate blood shed, it will pur sue you. 7 I will make Mount Seir a des o late waste and will cut off from it those who come and go. 8 I will fill its moun tains with the slain; those slain by the sword will fall on your hills, in your val leys, and in all your ra vines. 9 I will make you a perpetual des o la tion; your cit ies will not be in hab it ed. Then you will know that I am the L ord. 10 “ ‘Be cause you said, “ These two na tions and two lands will be mine, and we will pos- sess them” — though the L ord was there — 11 there fore, as I live — this is the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od — I will treat you ac cord ing to the an ger and jeal ou sy you showed in your ha tred of them. I will make my self known among them b when I judge you. 12 Then you will know that I, the L ord, have heard all the blas phe mies you ut tered against the moun- tains of Is ra el, say ing, “ They are des o late. They have been giv en to us to de vour! ” 13 You boast ed against me with your mouth, and spoke many words against me. I heard it my self! 14 “ ‘ This is what the Lord G od says: While the whole world re joic es, I will make you a des o la tion. 15 Just as you re joiced over the in her i tance of the house of Is ra el be cause it be came a des o la tion, I will deal the same way with you: you will be come a des o la tion, Mount Seir, and so will all Edom in its entirety . Then they will know that I am the L ord.’ RESTORATION OF ISRAEL’S MOUNTAINS 36 “ Son of man, proph e sy to the moun tains of Is ra el and say , ‘Moun tains of Is ra el, hear the word of the L ord. 2 This is what the Lord G od says: Be cause the en e my has said about you, “ Aha! The an cient heights have be come our pos ses sion,” ’ 3 there fore, proph- e sy and say: ‘ This is what the Lord G od says: Be cause they have made you des o late and have tram pled you from ev ery side, so that you be came a pos ses sion for the rest of the na tions and an ob ject of peo ple’s gos sip and slan der, 4 there fore, moun tains of Is ra el, hear the word of the Lord G od. This is what the Lord G od says to the moun tains and hills, to the ra vines and val leys, to the des o late ru ins and aban doned cit ies, which have be come plun der and a mock ery to the rest of the na- tions all around. a34:29 LXX, Syr read a plant of peace b35:11 LXX reads you 767 EZEKIEL 34-36 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 767 10/26/17 9:00 PM 5 “ ‘ This is what the Lord G od says: Cer tain ly in my burn ing zeal I speak against the rest of the na tions and all of Edom, who took a my land as their own pos ses sion with whole- heart ed re joic ing and ut ter con tempt so that its pas ture land be came b plun der. 6 There fore, proph e sy con cern ing the land of Is ra el and say to the moun tains and hills, to the ra vines and val leys: This is what the Lord G od says: Look, I speak in my burn ing zeal be cause you have en dured the in sults of the na tions. 7 There fore, this is what the Lord G od says: I swear c that the na tions all around you will en dure their own in sults. 8 “ ‘ You, moun tains of Is ra el, will pro duce your branch es and bear your fruit for my peo- ple Is ra el, since their ar riv al is near. 9 Look! I am on your side; I will turn to ward you, and you will be tilled and sown. 10 I will fill you with peo ple, with the whole house of Is ra el in its entirety . The cit ies will be in hab it ed and the ru ins re built. 11 I will fill you with peo ple and an i mals, and they will in crease and be fruit ful. I will make you in hab it ed as you once were and make you bet ter off than you were be fore. Then you will know that I am the L ord. 12 I will cause peo ple, my peo ple Is ra el, to walk on you; they will pos sess you, and you will be their in her i tance. You will no lon ger de prive them of their chil dren. 13 “ ‘ This is what the Lord G od says: Be cause some are say ing to you, “ You de vour peo ple and de prive your na tion of chil dren,” 14 there- fore, you will no lon ger de vour peo ple and de prive your na tion of chil dren. d This is the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od. 15 I will no lon ger al low the in sults of the na tions to be heard against you, and you will not have to en dure the re proach of the peo ples any more; you will no lon ger cause your na tion to stum ble. e This is the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od.’ ” RESTORATION OF ISRAEL’S PEOPLE 16 The word of the L ord came to me: 17 “ Son of man, while the house of Is ra el lived in their land, they de filed it with their con duct and ac tions. Their be hav ior be fore me was like men stru al im pu ri ty . 18 So I poured out my wrath on them be cause of the blood they had shed on the land, and be cause they had de filed it with their idols. 19 I dis persed them among the na tions, and they were scat tered among the coun tries. I judged them ac cord ing to their con duct and ac tions. 20 When they came to the na tions where they went, they pro faned my holy name, be cause it was said about them, ‘ These are the peo ple of the L ord , yet they had to leave his land in ex ile.’ 21 Then I had con cern for my holy name, which the house of Is ra el pro faned among the na tions where they went. 22 “There fore, say to the house of Is ra el, ‘ This is what the Lord G od says: It is not for your sake that I will act, house of Is ra el, but for my holy name, which you pro faned among the na tions where you went. 23 I will hon or the ho li ness of my great name, which has been pro faned among the na tions — the name you have pro faned among them. The na tions will know that I am the L ord — this is the dec la ra- tion of the Lord G od — when I dem on strate my ho li ness through you in their sight. 24 “ ‘ For I will take you from the na tions and gath er you from all the coun tries, and will bring you into your own land. 25 I will also sprin kle clean wa ter on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your im pu ri- ties and all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spir it with in you; I will re move your heart of stone f and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will place my Spir it with in you and cause you to fol low my stat utes and care ful ly ob serve my or di nances. 28 You will live in the land that I gave your fa thers; you will be my peo ple, and I will be your God. 29 I will save you from all your un clean ness. I will sum mon the grain and make it plen ti ful, and I will not bring fam ine on you. 30 I will also make the fruit of the trees and the pro duce of the field plen ti ful, so that you will no lon ger ex pe ri ence re proach among the na tions on ac count of fam ine. 31 “ ‘ You will re mem ber your evil ways and your deeds that were not good, and you will loathe your selves for your in iq ui ties and de- test able prac tic es. 32 It is not for your sake that I will act — this is the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od — let this be known to you. Be ashamed and hu mil i at ed be cause of your ways, house of Is ra el! 33 “ ‘ This is what the Lord G od says: On the day I cleanse you from all your in iq ui ties, I will cause the cit ies to be in hab it ed, and the ru ins will be re built. 34 The des o late land will be cul ti vat ed in stead of ly ing des o late in the a36:5 Lit gave b36:5 Or contempt, to empty it of ; Hb obscure c36:7 Lit lift up my hand d36:14 Alt Hb tradition reads and cause your nation to stumble e36:15 Some Hb mss, Tg read no longer bereave your nation of children f36:26 Lit stone from your fleshEZEKIEL 36 768 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 768 10/26/17 9:00 PM sight of ev ery one who pass es by . 35 They will say , “ This land that was des o late has be come like the gar den of Eden. The cit ies that were once ru ined, des o late, and de mol ished are now for ti fied and in hab it ed.” 36 Then the na tions that re main around you will know that I, the L ord, have re built what was de mol ished and have re plant ed what was des o late. I, the L ord, have spo ken and I will do it. 37 “ ‘ This is what the Lord G od says: I will re spond to the house of Is ra el and do this for them: I will mul ti ply them in num ber like a flock. a 38 So the ru ined cit ies will be filled with a flock of peo ple, just as Je ru sa lem is filled with a flock of sheep for sac ri fice b dur ing its ap point ed fes ti vals. Then they will know that I am the L ord.’ ” THE VALLEY OF DRY BONES 37 The hand of the L ord was on me, and he brought me out by his Spir it and set me down in the mid dle of the val ley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me all around them. There were a great many of them on the sur face of the val ley , and they were very dry . 3 Then he said to me, “ Son of man, can these bones live? ” I re plied, “ Lord G od, only you know .” 4 He said to me, “Proph e sy con cern ing these bones and say to them: Dry bones, hear the word of the L ord! 5 This is what the Lord G od says to these bones: I will cause breath to en ter you, and you will live. 6 I will put ten dons on you, make flesh grow on you, and cov er you with skin. I will put breath in you so that you come to life. Then you will know that I am the L ord.” 7 So I proph e sied as I had been com mand ed. While I was proph e sy ing, there was a noise, a rat tling sound, and the bones came to geth er, bone to bone. 8 As I looked, ten dons ap peared on them, flesh grew , and skin cov ered them, but there was no breath in them. 9 He said to me, “Proph e sy to the breath, c proph e sy , son of man. Say to it: This is what the Lord G od says: Breath, come from the four winds and breathe into these slain so that they may live! ” 10 So I proph e sied as he com mand ed me; the breath en tered them, and they came to life and stood on their feet, a vast army . 11 Then he said to me, “ Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Is ra el. Look how they say , ‘ Our bones are dried up, and our hope has per ished; we are cut off.’ 12 There fore, proph e sy and say to them: ‘ This is what the Lord G od says: I am go ing to open your graves and bring you up from them, my peo ple, and lead you into the land of Is ra el. 13 You will know that I am the L ord, my peo ple, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. 14 I will put my Spir it in you, and you will live, and I will set tle you in your own land. Then you will know that I am the L ord. I have spo ken, and I will do it. This is the dec la ra tion of the L ord.’ ” THE REUNIFICATION OF ISRAEL 15 The word of the L ord came to me: 16 “ Son of man, take a sin gle stick and write on it: Be long ing to Ju dah and the Is ra el ites as so- ci at ed with him. Then take an oth er stick and write on it: Be long ing to Jo seph — the stick of Ephra im — and all the house of Is ra el as- so ci at ed with him. 17 Then join them to geth er into a sin gle stick so that they be come one in your hand. 18 When your peo ple ask you, ‘ Won’t you ex plain to us what you mean by these things? ’ — 19 tell them, ‘ This is what the Lord G od says: I am go ing to take the
🔄 Israel's Restoration and Renewal
🤝 Reunification of Israel promised through the symbolic joining of two sticks representing Judah and Ephraim, ending centuries of division and establishing a single nation under one king
🏠 Return from exile guaranteed as God pledges to gather scattered Israelites from among foreign nations and restore them to their ancestral homeland
👑 Divine covenant established with the people, featuring a "servant David" as eternal prince, spiritual cleansing, and God's sanctuary dwelling permanently among them
⚔️ Defeat of Gog prophesied in dramatic detail, with hostile forces from the north ultimately destroyed, demonstrating God's power and holiness to all nations
🌱 Spiritual transformation culminates with God pouring out His Spirit upon Israel, removing their shame, and establishing an unbreakable relationship where "they will be my people, and I will be their God"
🏛️ New Temple vision begins with detailed measurements, representing God's perfect design for restored worship and His dwelling place among the people
stick of Jo seph, which is in the hand of Ephra im, and the tribes of Is ra el as so ci at ed with him, and put them to geth er with the stick of Ju dah. I will make them into a sin gle stick so that they be come one in my hand.’ 20 “ When the sticks you have writ ten on are in your hand and in full view of the peo ple, 21 tell them, ‘ This is what the Lord G od says: I am go ing to take the Is ra el ites out of the na tions where they have gone. I will gath er them from all around and bring them into their own land. 22 I will make them one na tion in the land, on the moun tains of Is ra el, and one king will rule over all of them. They will no lon ger be two na tions and will no lon ger be di vid ed into two king doms. 23 They will not de file them selves any more with their idols, their ab hor rent things, and all their trans gres- sions. I will save them from all their apos ta- sies by which d they sinned, and I will cleanse them. Then they will be my peo ple, and I will be their God. 24 My ser vant Da vid will be king over them, and there will be one shep herd for all of them. They will fol low my or di nances, and keep my stat utes and obey them. 25 “ ‘ They will live in the land that I gave to my ser vant Ja cob, where your fa thers lived. They will live in it for ev er with their chil dren and a36:37 Lit flock of people b36:38 Lit as the consecrated flock, as the flock of Jerusalem c37:9 Or wind, or spirit, also in v. 10 d37:23 Some Hb mss, LXX, Sym; other Hb mss read their settlements where 769 EZEKIEL 36-37 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 769 10/26/17 9:00 PM grand chil dren, and my ser vant Da vid will be their prince for ev er. 26 I will make a cov enant of peace with them; it will be a per ma nent cov enant with them. I will es tab lish and mul- ti ply them and will set my sanc tu ary among them for ev er. 27 My dwell ing place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my peo ple. 28 When my sanc tu ary is among them for ev er, the na tions will know that I, the L ord, sanc ti fy Is ra el.’ ” THE DEFEAT OF GOG 38 The word of the L ord came to me: 2 “ Son of man, face Gog, of the land of Ma- gog, the chief prince of a Me shech and Tu bal. Proph e sy against him 3 and say , ‘ This is what the Lord G od says: Look, I am against you, Gog, chief prince of Me shech and Tu bal. 4 I will turn you around, put hooks in your jaws, and bring you out with all your army , in clud- ing hors es and rid ers, who are all splendidly dressed, a huge as sem bly armed with large and small shields, all of them bran dish ing swords. 5 Per sia, Cush, and Put are with them, all of them with shields and hel mets; 6 Go mer with all its troops; and Beth-to gar mah from the re mot est parts of the north along with all its troops — many peo ples are with you. 7 “ ‘ Be pre pared and get your self ready , you and your whole as sem bly that has been mo- bi lized around you; you will be their guard. 8 Af ter a long time you will be sum moned. In the last years you will en ter a land that has been re stored from war b and regathered from many peo ples to the moun tains of Is ra el, which had long been a ruin. They were brought out from the peo ples, and all of them now live se cure ly . 9 You, all of your troops, and many peo ples with you will ad vance, com ing like a thun der storm; you will be like a cloud cov er ing the land. 10 “ ‘ This is what the Lord G od says: On that day , thoughts will arise in your mind, and you will de vise an evil plan. 11 You will say , “ I will ad vance against a land of open vil lages; I will come against a tranquil peo ple who are liv ing se cure ly , all of them liv ing with out walls and with out bars or gates” — 12 in or der to seize spoil and car ry off plun der, to turn your hand against ru ins now in hab it ed and against a peo ple gath ered from the na tions, who have been ac quir ing cat tle and pos ses sions and who live at the cen ter of the world. 13 She ba and De dan and the mer chants of Tar shish with all its rul ers c will ask you, “ Have you come to seize spoil? Have you mo bi lized your as sem bly to car ry off plun der, to make off with sil ver and gold, to take cat tle and pos ses sions, to seize plen ty of spoil? ” ’ 14 “There fore proph e sy , son of man, and say to Gog, ‘ This is what the Lord G od says: On that day when my peo ple Is ra el are dwell ing se cure ly , will you not know this 15 and come from your place in the re mot est parts of the north — you and many peo ples with you, who are all rid ing hors es — a huge as sem bly , a pow er ful army? 16 You will ad vance against my peo ple Is ra el like a cloud cov er ing the land. It will hap pen in the last days, Gog, that I will bring you against my land so that the na tions may know me, when I show my self holy through you in their sight. 17 “ ‘ This is what the Lord G od says: Are you the one I spoke about in for mer times through my ser vants, the proph ets of Is ra el, who for years proph e sied in those times that I would bring you against them? 18 Now on that day , the day when Gog comes against the land of Is ra el — this is the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od — my wrath will flare up. d 19 I swear in my zeal and fi ery rage: On that day there will be a great earth quake in the land of Is ra el. 20 The fish of the sea, the birds of the sky , the an i mals of the field, ev ery crea ture that crawls on the ground, and ev ery hu man be ing on the face of the earth will trem ble be fore me. The moun tains will be de mol ished, the cliffs will col lapse, and ev ery wall will fall to the ground. 21 I will call for a sword against him on all my moun tains — this is the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od — and ev ery man’s sword will be against his broth er. 22 I will ex e cute judg ment on him with plague and blood shed. I will pour out torrential rain, hail stones, fire, and burn- ing sul fur on him, as well as his troops and the many peo ples who are with him. 23 I will dis play my great ness and ho li ness, and will re veal my self in the sight of many na tions. Then they will know that I am the L ord.’ THE DISPOSAL OF GOG 39 “ As for you, son of man, proph e sy against Gog and say , ‘ This is what the Lord G od says: Look, I am against you, Gog, chief prince of e Me shech and Tu bal. 2 I will a38:2 Or the prince of Rosh, b38:8 Lit from the sword c38:13 Lit young lions, or villages d38:18 Lit up in my anger e39:1 Or Gog, prince of Rosh,EZEKIEL 37-39 770 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 770 10/26/17 9:00 PM turn you around, drive you on, and lead you up from the re mot est parts of the north. I will bring you against the moun tains of Is- ra el. 3 Then I will knock your bow from your left hand and make your ar rows drop from your right hand. 4 You, all your troops, and the peo ples who are with you will fall on the moun tains of Is ra el. I will give you as food to ev ery kind of predatory bird and to the wild an i mals. 5 You will fall on the open field, for I have spo ken. This is the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od. 6 “ ‘ I will send fire against Ma gog and those who live se cure ly on the coasts and is lands. Then they will know that I am the L ord. 7 So I will make my holy name known among my peo ple Is ra el and will no lon ger al low it to be pro faned. Then the na tions will know that I am the L ord, the Holy One in Is ra el. 8 Yes, it is com ing, and it will hap pen. This is the dec la- ra tion of the Lord G od. This is the day I have spo ken about. 9 “ ‘ Then the in hab i tants of Is ra el’s cit ies will go out, kin dle fires, and burn the weap- ons — the small and large shields, the bows and ar rows, the clubs and spears. For sev en years they will use them to make fires. 10 They will not gath er wood from the coun try side or cut it down from the for ests, for they will use the weap ons to make fires. They will take the loot from those who loot ed them and plun der those who plun dered them. This is the dec la- ra tion of the Lord G od. 11 “ ‘ Now on that day I will give Gog a buri al place there in Is ra el — the Trav el ers’ Val ley a east of the Sea. It will block those who trav el through, for Gog and all his hordes will be bur ied there. So it will be called Hordes of Gog b Val ley . 12 The house of Is ra el will spend sev en months bury ing them in or der to cleanse the land. 13 All the peo ple of the land will bury them and their fame will spread on the day I dis play my glo ry . This is the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od. 14 “ ‘ They will ap point men on a full-time ba sis to pass through the land and bury the in vad ers c who re main on the sur face of the ground, in or der to cleanse it. They will make their search at the end of the sev en months. 15 When they pass through the land and one of them sees a hu man bone, he will set up a mark er next to it un til the bur iers have bur ied it in Hordes of Gog Val ley . 16 There will even be a city named Ha mo nah d there. So they will cleanse the land.’ 17 “ Son of man, this is what the Lord G od says: Tell ev ery kind of bird and all the wild an i mals, ‘ As sem ble and come! Gath er from all around to my sacrificial feast that I am slaugh- ter ing for you, a great feast on the moun tains of Is ra el; you will eat flesh and drink blood. 18 You will eat the flesh of mighty men and drink the blood of the earth’s princ es: rams, lambs, male goats, and all the fat tened bulls of Ba shan. 19 You will eat fat un til you are sat- is fied and drink blood un til you are drunk, at my sacrificial feast that I have pre pared for you. 20 At my ta ble you will eat your fill of hors es and rid ers, of mighty men and all the war riors. This is the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od.’ ISRAEL’S RESTORATION TO GOD 21 “ I will dis play my glo ry among the na tions, and all the na tions will see the judg ment I have ex e cut ed and the hand I have laid on them. 22 From that day for ward the house of Is ra el will know that I am the L ord their God. 23 And the na tions will know that the house of Is ra el went into ex ile on ac count of their in iq ui ty , be cause they dealt un faith ful ly with me. There fore, I hid my face from them and hand ed them over to their en e mies, so that they all fell by the sword. 24 I dealt with them ac cord ing to their un clean ness and trans gres- sions, and I hid my face from them. 25 “ So this is what the Lord G od says: Now I will re store the for tunes of Ja cob and have com pas sion on the whole house of Is ra el, and I will be jeal ous for my holy name. 26 They will feel re morse for e,f their dis grace and all the un faith ful ness they com mit ted against me, when they live se cure ly in their land with no one to fright en them. 27 When I bring them back from the peo ples and gath er them from the coun tries of their en e mies, I will dem on- strate my ho li ness through them in the sight of many na tions. 28 They will know that I am the L ord their God when I regather them to their own land af ter hav ing ex iled them among the na tions. I will leave none of them be hind. g 29 I will no lon ger hide my face from them, for I will pour out my Spir it on the house of Is ra el.” This is the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od. a39:11 Hb obscure b39:11 = Hamon-gog, also in v. 15 c39:14 Or basis, some to pass through the land, and with them some to bury those d39:16 In Hb, Hamonah is related to the word “horde.” e39:26 Some emend to will forget f39:26 Lit will bear g39:28 Lit behind there any longer 771 EZEKIEL 39 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 771 10/26/17 9:00 PM THE NEW TEMPLE 40 In the twenty-fifth year of our ex ile, at the be gin ning of the year, on the tenth day of the month in the four teenth year af ter Je ru sa lem had been cap tured, on that very day the L ord’ s hand was on me, and he brought me there. 2 In vi sions of God he took me to the land of Is ra el and set me down on a very high moun tain. On its south ern slope was a struc ture re sem bling a city . 3 He brought me there, and I saw a man whose ap pear ance was like bronze, with a lin en cord and a mea sur - ing rod in his hand. He was stand ing by the city gate. 4 He spoke to me: “ Son of man, look with your eyes, lis ten with your ears, and pay at ten tion to ev ery thing I am go ing to show you, for you have been brought here so that I might show it to you. Re port ev ery thing you see to the house of Is ra el.” THE WALL AND OUTER GATES 5 Now there was a wall sur round ing the out- side of the tem ple. The mea sur ing rod in the man’s hand was six units of twenty-one inch - es; a each unit was the stan dard length plus three inch es. b He mea sured the thick ness of the wall struc ture; it was 10 1/ 2 feet, c and its height was the same. 6 Then he came to the gate that faced east and climbed its steps. He mea sured the thresh old of the gate; it was 10 1/ 2 feet deep — one thresh old was 10 1/ 2 feet deep. 7 Each recess was 10 1/ 2 feet long and 10 1/ 2 feet deep, and there was a space of 8 3/ 4 feet d be tween the re cess es. The in ner thresh old of the gate on the tem ple side next to the gate’s por ti co was 10 1/ 2 feet. 8 Next he mea sured the gate’s por ti co; 9 it e was 14 feet, f and its jambs were 3 1/ 2 feet. g The gate’s por ti co was on the tem ple side. 10 There were three re cess es on each side of the east gate, each with the same mea sure- ments, and the jambs on ei ther side also had the same mea sure ments. 11 Then he mea sured the width of the gate’s en trance; it was 17 1/ 2 feet, h while the width i of the gate was 22 3/ 4 feet. j 12 There was a bar ri er of 21 inch es k in front of the re cess es on both sides, and the re cess es on each side were 10 1/ 2 feet l square. 13 Then he mea sured the gate from the roof of one recess to the roof of the op po site one; the dis tance was 43 3/ 4 feet. m The open ings of the re cess es faced each oth er. 14 Next, he mea- sured the porch — 105 feet. n,o 15 The dis tance from the front of the gate at the en trance to the front of the gate’s por ti co on the in side was 87 1/ 2 feet. p 16 The re cess es and their jambs had beveled win dows all around the in side of the gate. The por ti coes also had win dows all around on the in side. Each jamb was dec- o rat ed with palm trees. 17 Then he brought me into the out er court, and there were cham bers and a paved sur face laid out all around the court. Thir ty cham bers faced the pave ment, 18 which flanked the court - yard’s gates and corresponded to the length of the gates; this was the low er pave ment. 19 Then he mea sured the dis tance from the front of the low er gate to the ex te ri or front of the in ner court; it was 175 feet. q This was the east; next the north is de scribed. 20 He mea sured the gate of the out er court fac ing north, both its length and width. 21 Its three re cess es on each side, its jambs, and its por ti co had the same mea sure ments as the first gate: 87 1/ 2 feet long and 43 3/ 4 feet wide. 22 Its win dows, por ti co, and palm trees had the same mea sure ments as those of the gate that faced east. Sev en steps led up to the gate, and its por ti co was ahead of them. 23 The in ner court had a gate fac ing the north gate, like the one on the east. He mea sured the dis tance from gate to gate; it was 175 feet. 24 He brought me to the south side, and there was also a gate on the south. He mea sured its jambs and por ti co; they had the same mea- sure ments as the oth ers. 25 Both the gate and its por ti co had win dows all around, like the oth er win dows. It was 87 1/ 2 feet long and 43 3/ 4 feet wide. 26 Its stair way had sev en steps, and its por ti co was ahead of them. It had palm trees on its jambs, one on each side. 27 The in ner court had a gate on the south. He mea sured from gate to gate on the south; it was 175 feet. THE INNER GATES 28 Then he brought me to the in ner court through the south gate. When he mea sured the south gate, it had the same mea sure ments a40:5 = a long cubit b40:5 Lit six cubits by the cubit and a handbreadth c40:5 Lit was one rod, also in v. 7 d40:7 Lit five cubits, also in v. 30 e40:8-9 Some Hb mss, Syr , Vg; other Hb mss read gate facing the temple side; it was one rod. 9Then he measured the gate’s portico; it f40:9 Lit eight cubits g40:9 Lit two cubits h40:11 Lit 10 cubits i40:11 Lit length j40:11 Lit 13 cubits k40:12 Lit one cubit, also in v. 42 l40:12 Lit six cubits m40:13 Lit 25 cubits, also in vv. 21, 25, 29, 33, 36 n40:14 MT adds To the jamb of the court, the gate was all around ; Hb obscure o40:14 Lit 60 cubits p40:15 Lit 50 cubits, also in vv. 21, 25, 29, 33, 36 q40:19 Lit 100 cubits, also in vv. 23,27,47EZEKIEL 40 772 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 772 10/26/17 9:00 PM as the oth ers. 29 Its re cess es, jambs, and por ti co had the same mea sure ments as the oth ers. Both it and its por ti co had win dows all around. It was 87 1/ 2 feet long and 43 3/ 4 feet wide. 30 ( There were por ti coes all around, 43 3/ 4 feet long and 8 3/ 4 feet wide. a) 31 Its por ti co faced the out er court, and its jambs were dec o rat ed with palm trees. Its stair way had eight steps. 32 Then he brought me to the in ner court on the east side. When he mea sured the gate, it had the same mea sure ments as the oth ers. 33 Its re cess es, jambs, and por ti co had the same mea sure ments as the oth ers. Both it and its por ti co had win dows all around. It was 87
📐 Temple Measurements and Sacred Spaces
🏛️ Detailed architectural specifications outline a temple complex with precise measurements for gates, courts, chambers, and the altar, creating a meticulously organized sacred space with distinct areas for different functions
🔄 The return of God's glory through the eastern gate transforms the temple into a divine dwelling place, restoring the sacred connection between God and Israel that had been broken
🧑⚖️ Priestly responsibilities are carefully delineated, with specific chambers, procedures, and garments for those who serve in the temple, particularly highlighting the role of the sons of Zadok
🔥 Sacrificial protocols establish a seven-day purification process for the altar, with precise instructions for offerings that create a pathway for divine acceptance and atonement
🚪 Sacred boundaries separate holy from common spaces, with restricted access points (including the permanently closed eastern gate) that preserve the sanctity of God's dwelling place
👑 The prince's special privilege to eat in the gate before the Lord establishes a unique relationship between leadership and divine authority within the temple structure
1/ 2 feet long and 43 3/ 4 feet wide. 34 Its por ti co faced the out er court, and its jambs were dec o rat ed with palm trees on each side. Its stair way had eight steps. 35 Then he brought me to the north gate. When he mea sured it, it had the same mea- sure ments as the oth ers, 36 as did its re cess es, jambs, and por ti co. It also had win dows all around. It was 87 1/ 2 feet long and 43 3/ 4 feet wide. 37 Its por ti co b faced the out er court, and its jambs were dec o rat ed with palm trees on each side. Its stair way had eight steps. ROOMS FOR PREPARING SACRIFICES 38 There was a cham ber whose door opened into the gate’s por ti co. c The burnt off er ing was to be washed there. 39 In side the gate’s por ti co there were two ta bles on each side, on which to slaugh ter the burnt off er ing, sin off er ing, and guilt o ff er ing. 40 Out side, as one ap proach es the en trance of the north gate, there were two ta bles on one side and two more ta bles on the oth er side of the gate’s por ti co. 41 So there were four ta bles in side the gate and four out side, eight ta bles in all on which the slaugh ter ing was to be done. 42 There were also four ta bles of cut stone for the burnt o ff er ing, each 31 1/ 2 inch es d long, 31 1/ 2 inch es wide, and 21 inch es high. The uten sils used to slaugh ter the burnt off er ings and oth er sac ri fic es were placed on them. 43 There were three-inch e hooks f fas tened all around the in side of the room, and the flesh of the off er ing was to be laid on the ta bles.ROOMS FOR SINGERS AND PRIESTS 44 Out side the in ner gate, with in the in ner court, there were cham bers for the sing ers: g one h be side the north gate, fac ing south, and an oth er be side the south i gate, fac ing north. 45 Then the man said to me: “ This cham ber that fac es south is for the priests who keep charge of the tem ple. 46 The cham ber that fac es north is for the priests who keep charge of the al tar. These are the sons of Za dok, the ones from the sons of Levi who may ap proach the L ord to serve him.” 47 Next he mea sured the court. It was square, 175 feet long and 175 feet wide. The al tar was in front of the tem ple. 48 Then he brought me to the por ti co of the tem ple and mea sured the jambs of the por ti- co; they were 8 3/ 4 feet thick on each side. The width of the gate was 24 1/ 2 feet, j and the side walls of the gate were k 5 1/ 4 feet l wide on each side. 49 The por ti co was 35 feet m across and 21 n feet o deep, and 10 steps led p up to it. There were pil lars by the jambs, one on each side. INSIDE THE TEMPLE 41 Next he brought me into the great hall and mea sured the jambs; on each side the width of the jamb was 10 1/ 2 feet. q,r 2 The width of the en trance was 17 1/ 2 feet, s and the side walls of the en trance were 8 3/ 4 feet t wide on each side. He also mea sured the length of the great hall, 70 feet, u and the width, 35 feet. v 3 He went in side the next room and mea sured the jambs at the en trance; they were 3 1/ 2 feet w wide. The en trance was 10 1/ 2 feet wide, and the width of the en trance’s side walls on each side x was 12 1/ 4 feet. y 4 He then mea sured the length of the room adjacent to the great hall, 35 feet, and the width, 35 feet. And he said to me, “ This is the most holy place.” OUTSIDE THE TEMPLE 5 Then he mea sured the wall of the tem ple; it was 10 1/ 2 feet thick. The width of the side rooms all around the tem ple was 7 feet. z 6 The side rooms were ar ranged one above an oth er in three sto ries of thir ty rooms each. aa There were ledges on the wall of the tem ple all around to serve as sup ports for the side a40:30 Some Hb mss, LXX omit v. 30 b40:37 LXX; MT reads jambs c40:38 Text emended; MT reads door was by the jambs, at the gates d40:42 Lit one and a half cubits e40:43 Lit one handbreadth f40:43 Or ledges g40:44 LXX reads were two chambers h40:44 LXX; MT reads singers, which was i40:44 LXX; MT reads east j40:48 Lit 14 cubits k40:48 LXX; MT omits 24 ½ feet, and the side walls of the gate were l40:48 Lit three cubits m40:49 Lit 20 cubits n40:49 LXX; MT reads 19 ¼ o40:49 Lit 12 cubits p40:49 MT reads and it was on steps that they would go q41:1 LXX; MT reads jambs; they were 10 ½ feet wide on each side — the width of the tabernacle r41:1 Lit six cubits, also in vv. 3,5 s41:2 Lit 10 cubits t41:2 Lit five cubits, also in vv. 9,11,12 u41:2 Lit 40 cubits v41:2 Lit 20 cubits, also in vv. 4,10 w41:3 Lit two cubits, also in v. 22 x41:3 LXX; MT reads width of the entrance y41:3 Lit seven cubits z41:5 Lit four cubits aa41:6 Lit another three and thirty times 773 EZEKIEL 40-41 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 773 10/26/17 9:00 PM rooms, so that the sup ports would not be in the tem ple wall it self. 7 The side rooms sur - round ing the tem ple wid ened at each suc ces- sive sto ry , for the struc ture sur round ing the tem ple went up by stages. This was the rea son for the tem ple’s broad ness as it rose. And so, one would go up from the low est sto ry to the high est by means of the mid dle one. a 8 I saw that the tem ple had a raised plat form sur round ing it; this foun da tion for the side rooms was 10 1/ 2 feet high. b 9 The thick ness of the out er wall of the side rooms was 8 3/ 4 feet. The free space be tween the side rooms of the tem ple 10 and the out er cham bers was 35 feet wide all around the tem ple. 11 The side rooms opened into the free space, one en trance to- ward the north and an oth er to the south. The area of free space was 8 3/ 4 feet wide all around. 12 Now the build ing that faced the tem ple yard to ward the west was 122 1/ 2 feet c wide. The wall of the build ing was 8 3/ 4 feet thick on all sides, and the building’s length was 157 1/ 2 feet. d 13 Then the man mea sured the tem ple; it was 175 feet e long. In ad di tion, the tem ple yard and the build ing, in clud ing its walls, were 175 feet long. 14 The width of the front of the tem ple along with the tem ple yard to the east was 175 feet. 15 Next he mea sured the length of the build ing fac ing the tem ple yard to the west, with its gal ler ies f on each side; it was 175 feet. INTERIOR WOODEN STRUCTURES The in te ri or of the great hall and the por ti coes of the court — 16 the thresh olds, the beveled win dows, and the balconies all around with their three lev els op po site the thresh old — were over laid with wood on all sides. They were pan eled from the ground to the win dows ( but the win dows were cov ered), 17 reach ing to the top of the en trance, and as far as the in ner tem ple and on the out side. On ev ery wall all around, on the in side and out side, was a pat tern 18 carved with cher u bim and palm trees. There was a palm tree be tween each pair of cher u bim. Each cher ub had two fac es: 19 a hu man face turned to ward the palm tree on one side, and a lion’s face turned to ward it on the oth er. They were carved through- out the tem ple on all sides. 20 Cher u bim and palm trees were carved from the ground to the top of the en trance and on the wall of the great hall. 21 The door posts of the great hall were square, and the front of the sanc tu ary had the same ap pear ance. 22 The al tar was g made of wood, 5 1/ 4 feet h high and 3 1/ 2 feet long. i It had cor ners, and its length j and sides were of wood. The man told me, “ This is the ta ble that stands be fore the L ord.” 23 The great hall and the sanc tu ary each had a dou ble door, 24 and each of the doors had two swinging pan els. There were two pan els for one door and two for the oth er. 25 Cher u bim and palm trees were carved on the doors of the great hall like those carved on the walls. There was a wood en can o py a out side, in front of the por ti co. 26 There were beveled win dows and palm trees on both sides, on the side walls of the por ti co, the side rooms of the tem ple, and the canopies. a THE PRIESTS’ CHAMBERS 42 Then the man led me out by way of the north gate into the out er court. He brought me to the group of cham bers op po site the tem ple yard and op po site the build ing to the north. 2 Along the length of the cham bers, which was 175 feet, k there was an en trance on the north; the width was 87 1/ 2 feet. l 3 Op po site the 35 foot space m be long ing to the in ner court and op po site the paved sur face be long ing to the out er court, the struc ture rose gal lery by gal lery in three tiers. 4 In front of the cham bers was a walkway to ward the in side, 17 1/ 2 feet n wide and 175 feet long, o and their en tranc es were on the north. 5 The up per cham bers were nar row er be cause the gal ler ies took away more space from them than from the low er and mid dle sto ries of the build ing. 6 For they were ar ranged in three sto ries and had no pil lars like the pil lars of the courts; there fore the up per cham bers were set back from the ground more than the low er and mid dle sto- ries. 7 A wall on the out side ran in front of the cham bers, par al lel to them, to ward the out er court; it was 87 1/ 2 feet long. 8 For the cham bers on the out er court were 87 1/ 2 feet long, while those fac ing the great hall were 175 feet long. 9 At the base of these cham bers there was an en try way on the east side as one en ters them from the out er court. a41:7,25,26 Hb obscure b41:8 Lit a full rod of six cubits of a joint ; Hb obscure c41:12 Lit 70 cubits d41:12 Lit 90 cubits e41:13 Lit 100 cubits f41:15 Or ledges g41:21-22 Or and in front of the sanctuary was something that looked like 22an altar h41:22 Lit three cubits i41:22 LXX reads long and 3 ½ feet wide j41:22 LXX reads base k42:2 Lit 100 cubits, also in vv. 4,8 l42:2 Lit 50 cubits, also in v. 7 m42:3 Lit 20 cubits n42:4 Lit 10 cubits o42:4 LXX, Syr; MT reads wide, a way of one cubitEZEKIEL 41-42 774 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 774 10/26/17 9:00 PM 10 In the thick ness of the wall of the court to ward the south, a there were cham bers fac- ing the tem ple yard and the west ern build ing, 11 with a pas sage way in front of them, just like the cham bers that faced north. Their length and width, as well as all their ex its, mea sure ments, and en tranc es, were iden ti cal. 12 The en trance at the be gin ning of the pas sage way , the way in front of the cor re spond ing b wall as one en ters on the east side, was sim i lar to the en tranc es of the cham bers that were on the south side. 13 Then the man said to me, “ The north ern and south ern cham bers that face the court yard are the holy cham bers where the priests who ap proach the L ord will eat the most holy off er- ings. There they will de pos it the most holy of- fer ings — the grain off er ings, sin off er ings, and guilt off er ings — for the place is holy . 14 Once the priests have en tered, they are not to go out from the holy area to the out er court un til they have re moved the clothes they min is ter in, for these are holy . They are to put on oth er clothes be fore they ap proach the pub lic area.” OUTSIDE DIMENSIONS OF THE TEMPLE COMPLEX 15 When he fin ished mea sur ing in side the tem- ple complex, he led me out by way of the gate that faced east and mea sured all around the complex. 16 He measured the east side with a measuring rod; it was 875 feet c by the measuring rod. d 17 He e measured the north side; it was 875 feet by the measuring rod. 18 He f measured the south side; it was 875 feet by the measuring rod. 19 Then he turned to the west side and measured 875 feet by the measuring rod. 20 He mea sured the tem ple complex on all four sides. It had a wall all around it, 875 feet long and 875 feet wide, to sep a rate the holy from the com mon. RETURN OF THE LORD’S GLORY 43 He led me to the gate, the one that fac es east, 2 and I saw the glo ry of the God of Is ra el com ing from the east. His voice sound ed like the roar of a huge tor rent, and the earth shone with his glo ry . 3 The vi sion I saw was like the one I had seen when he g came to de- stroy the city , and like the ones I had seen by the Che bar Ca nal. I fell face down. 4 The glo ry of the L ord en tered the tem ple by way of the gate that faced east. 5 Then the Spir it lift ed me up and brought me to the in ner court, and the glo ry of the L ord filled the tem ple. 6 While the man was stand ing be side me, I heard some one speak ing to me from the tem- ple. 7 He said to me: “ Son of man, this is the place of my throne and the place for the soles of my feet, where I will dwell among the Is ra el ites for ev er. The house of Is ra el and their kings will no lon ger de file my holy name by their re li gious pros ti tu tion and by the corpses h of their kings at their high plac es. i 8 When ev er they placed their thresh old next to my thresh- old and their door posts be side my door posts, with only a wall be tween me and them, they were de fil ing my holy name by the de test able acts they com mit ted. So I de stroyed them in my an ger. 9 Now let them re move their pros ti- tu tion and the corpses of their kings far from me, and I will dwell among them for ev er. 10 “ As for you, son of man, de scribe the tem- ple to the house of Is ra el, so that they may be ashamed of their in iq ui ties. Let them mea sure its pat tern, 11 and they will be ashamed of all that they have done. Re veal j the de sign of the tem ple to them — its layout with its ex its and en tranc es — its com plete de sign along with all its stat utes, de sign spec i fi ca tions, and laws. Write it down in their sight so that they may ob serve its com plete de sign and all its stat utes and may car ry them out. 12 This is the law of the tem ple: All its sur round ing ter ri to ry on top of the moun tain will be es pe cial ly holy . Yes, this is the law of the tem ple. THE ALTAR 13 “ These are the mea sure ments of the al tar in units of length ( each unit be ing the stan dard length plus three inch es): k The gut ter is 21 inch es l deep and 21 inch es wide, with a rim of nine inch es m around its edge. This is the base n of the al tar. 14 The dis tance from the gut ter on the ground to the low er ledge is 3 1/ 2 feet, o and the width of the ledge is 21 inch es. There a42:10 LXX; MT reads east b42:12 Or protective ; Hb obscure c42:16 Lit 500 in rods, also in vv. 17,18,19 d42:16 Lit rod all around, also in vv. 17,18,19 e42:17 LXX reads Then he turned to the north and f42:18 LXX reads Then he turned to the south and g43:3 Some Hb mss, Theod, Vg; other Hb mss, LXX, Syr read I h43:7 Or monuments, also in v. 9 i43:7 Some Hb mss, Theod, Tg read their death j43:10-11 LXX, Vg; MT reads pattern. 11And if they are ashamed . . . done, reveal k43:13 Lit in cubits (a cubit being a cubit plus a handbreadth) l43:13 Lit one cubit, also in vv. 14,17 m43:13 Lit one span n43:13 LXX reads height o43:14 Lit two cubits 775 EZEKIEL 42-43 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 775 10/26/17 9:00 PM are 7 feet a from the small ledge to the large ledge, whose width is also 21 inch es. 15 The al tar hearth b is 7 feet high, and four horns project up ward from the hearth. 16 The hearth is square, 21 feet c long by 21 feet wide. 17 The ledge is 24 1/ 2 feet d long by 24 1/ 2 feet wide, with four equal sides. The rim all around it is 10 1/ 2 inch es, e and its gut ter is 21 inch es all around it. The altar’s steps face east.” 18 Then he said to me: “ Son of man, this is what the Lord G od says: These are the stat utes for the al tar on the day it is con struct ed, so that burnt off er ings may be sac ri ficed on it and blood may be splattered on it: 19 You are to give a bull from the herd as a sin off er ing to the Le vit i cal priests who are from the off- spring of Za dok, who ap proach me in or der to serve me.” This is the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od. 20 “ You are to take some of its blood and ap ply it to the four horns of the al tar, the four cor ners of the ledge, and all around the rim. In this way you will pu ri fy the al tar and make atone ment for it. 21 Then you are to take away the bull for the sin off er ing, and it must be burned out side the sanc tu ary in the place ap point ed for the tem ple. 22 “ On the sec ond day you are to pre sent an un blem ished male goat as a sin off er ing. They will pu ri fy the al tar just as they did with the bull. 23 When you have fin ished the pu ri fi ca- tion, you are to pre sent a young, un blem ished bull and an un blem ished ram from the flock. 24 You are to pre sent them be fore the L ord; the priests will throw salt on them and sac ri fice them as a burnt off er ing to the L ord. 25 You will o ff er a goat for a sin o ff er ing each day for sev en days. A young bull and a ram from the flock, both un blem ished, are also to be of- fered. 26 For sev en days the priests are to make atone ment for the al tar and cleanse it. In this way they will con se crate it f 27 and com plete the days of pu ri fi ca tion. Then on the eighth day and af ter ward, the priests will off er your burnt off er ings and fel low ship off er ings on the al tar, and I will ac cept you.” This is the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od. THE PRINCE’S PRIVILEGE 44 The man then brought me back to- ward the sanc tu ary’s out er gate that faced east, and it was closed. 2 The L ord said to me: “ This gate will re main closed. It will not be opened, and no one will en ter through it, be cause the L ord , the God of Is ra el, has en tered through it. There fore it will re main closed. 3 The prince him self will sit in the gate to eat a meal be fore the L ord. He is to en ter by way of the por ti co of the gate and go out the same way .” 4 Then the man brought me by way of the north
🛕 Temple Regulations and Purification
🔍 Divine instructions establish strict protocols for temple access, requiring priests to maintain ritual purity through specific clothing, marriage restrictions, and ceremonial practices
⚖️ The Levitical priesthood faces consequences for past idolatry, with only descendants of Zadok permitted to serve in the inner sanctuary while other Levites receive lesser duties
🗺️ Sacred land allocation divides territory precisely, creating holy portions for priests, Levites, and the prince, preventing oppression and ensuring equitable distribution
🐑 Sacrificial system requires specific offerings at appointed times (Sabbaths, New Moons, Passover), with detailed measurements for grain, oil, and animals
💧 A life-giving river flows from the temple threshold, symbolizing divine blessing spreading outward and transforming the surrounding landscape
gate to the front of the tem ple. I looked, and the glo ry of the L ord filled his tem ple. And I fell face down. 5 The L ord said to me: “ Son of man, pay at ten tion; look with your eyes and lis ten with your ears to ev ery thing I tell you about all the stat utes and laws of the L ord’ s tem ple. Take care ful note of the en trance of the tem ple along with all the ex its of the sanc tu ary . THE LEVITES’ DUTIES AND PRIVILEGES 6 “ Say to the re bel lious peo ple, the house of Is ra el, ‘ This is what the Lord G od says: I have had enough of all your de test able prac tic es, house of Is ra el. 7 When you brought in for eign- ers, un cir cum cised in both heart and flesh, to oc cu py my sanc tu ary , you de filed my tem ple while you off ered my food — the fat and the blood. You g broke my cov enant by all your de- test able prac tic es. 8 You have not kept charge of my holy things but have ap point ed oth ers to keep charge of my sanc tu ary for you.’ 9 “ This is what the Lord G od says: No for - eign er, un cir cum cised in heart and flesh, may en ter my sanc tu ary , not even a for eign er who is among the Is ra el ites. 10 Sure ly the Le vites who wan dered away from me when Is ra el went astray , and who strayed from me af ter their idols, will bear the con se quenc es of their in iq ui ty . 11 Yet they will oc cu py my sanc tu ary , serv ing as guards at the tem ple gates and min- is ter ing at the tem ple. They will slaugh ter the burnt off er ings and oth er sac ri fic es for the peo ple and will stand be fore them to serve them. 12 Be cause they min is tered to the house of Is ra el be fore their idols and be came a sin ful stum bling block to them, there fore I swore an oath h against them” — this is the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od — “ that they would bear the con se quenc es of their in iq ui ty . 13 They must not ap proach me to serve me as priests or come near any of my holy things or the most holy things. They will bear their dis grace and the con se quenc es of the de test able acts they a43:14 Lit four cubits, also in v. 15 b43:15 Hb obscure c43:16 Lit 12 cubits d43:17 Lit 14 cubits e43:17 Lit one-half cubit f43:26 Lit will fill its hands g44:7 LXX, Syr , Vg; MT reads They h44:12 Lit I lifted my handEZEKIEL 43-44 776 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 776 10/26/17 9:00 PM com mit ted. 14 Yet I will make them re spon si ble for the du ties of the tem ple — for all its work and ev ery thing done in it. THE PRIESTS’ DUTIES AND PRIVILEGES 15 “ But the Le vit i cal priests de scend ed from Za- dok, who kept charge of my sanc tu ary when the Is ra el ites went astray from me, will ap proach me to serve me. They will stand be fore me to off er me fat and blood.” This is the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od. 16 “ They are the ones who may en ter my sanc tu ary and ap proach my ta ble to serve me. They will keep my mandate. 17 When they en ter the gates of the in ner court they are to wear lin en gar ments; they must not have on them any thing made of wool when they min is ter at the gates of the in ner court and with in it. 18 They are to wear lin en tur bans on their heads and lin en un der gar ments around their waists. They are not to put on any thing that makes them sweat. 19 Be fore they go out to the out er court, a to the peo ple, they must take off the clothes they have been min is ter ing in, leave them in the holy cham bers, and dress in oth er clothes so that they do not transmit ho li ness to the peo ple through their clothes. 20 “ They may not shave their heads or let their hair grow long, but are to care ful ly trim their hair. 21 No priest may drink wine be fore he en ters the in ner court. 22 He is not to mar ry a wid ow or a di vorced wom an, but may mar ry only a vir gin from the off spring of the house of Is ra el, or a wid ow who is the wid ow of a priest. 23 They are to teach my peo ple the dif- fer ence be tween the holy and the com mon, and ex plain to them the diff er ence be tween the clean and the un clean. 24 “ In a dis pute, they will off i ci ate as judg- es and de cide the case ac cord ing to my or - di nances. They are to ob serve my laws and stat utes re gard ing all my ap point ed fes ti vals, and keep my Sab baths holy . 25 A priest may not come near a dead per son so that he be comes de filed. How ev er, he may de file him self for a fa ther, a moth er, a son, a daugh ter, a broth er, or an un mar ried sis ter. 26 Af ter he is cleansed, he is to count off sev en days for him self. 27 On the day he goes into the sanc tu ary , into the in ner court to min is ter in the sanc tu ary , he is to pre sent his sin off er ing.” This is the dec- la ra tion of the Lord G od.28 “ This will be their in her i tance: I am their in her i tance. You are to give them no pos ses- sion in Is ra el: I am their pos ses sion. 29 They will eat the grain off er ing, the sin off er ing, and the guilt off er ing. Ev ery thing in Is ra el that is per ma nent ly ded i cat ed to the L ord will be long to them. 30 The best of all the first fruits of ev ery kind and con tri bu tion of ev ery kind from all your gifts will be long to the priests. You are to give your first batch of dough to the priest so that a bless ing may rest on your homes. 31 The priests may not eat any bird or an i mal that died nat u ral ly or was mauled by wild beasts. THE SACRED PORTION OF THE LAND 45 “ When you di vide the land by lot as an in her i tance, set aside a do na tion to the L ord, a holy por tion of the land, 8 1/ 3 miles b long and 6 2/ 3 miles c wide. This en tire re gion will be holy . 2 In this area there will be a square sec tion d for the sanc tu ary , 875 by 875 feet, e with 87 1/ 2 feet f of open space all around it. 3 From this holy por tion, g you will mea sure off an area 8 1/ 3 miles long and 3 1/ 3 miles h wide, in which the sanc tu ary , the most holy place, will stand. i 4 It will be a holy area of the land to be used by the priests who min is ter in the sanc tu ary , who ap proach to serve the L ord. It will be a place for their hous es, as well as a holy area for the sanc tu ary . 5 There will be an- oth er area 8 1/ 3 miles long and 3 1/ 3 miles wide for the Le vites who min is ter in the tem ple; it will be their pos ses sion for towns to live in. j 6 “ As the prop er ty of the city , set aside an area 1 2/ 3 miles k wide and 8 1/ 3 miles long, adjacent to the holy do na tion of land. It will be for the whole house of Is ra el. 7 And the prince will have the area on each side of the holy do na- tion of land and the city’s prop er ty , adjacent to the holy do na tion and the city’s prop er ty , stretch ing to the west on the west side and to the east on the east side. Its length will corre - spond to one of the trib al por tions from the west ern bound ary to the east ern bound ary . 8 This will be his land as a pos ses sion in Is ra el. My princ es will no lon ger op press my peo ple but give the rest of the land to the house of Is ra el ac cord ing to their tribes. 9 “ This is what the Lord G od says: You have gone too far, l princ es of Is ra el! Put away vi o- lence and op pres sion and do what is just and a44:19 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr , Vg; other Hb mss read court, to the outer court b45:1 Lit 25,000 cubits, also in vv. 3,5,6 c45:1 LXX reads 20,000 cubits ; MT reads 10,000 cubits d45:2 Lit square all around e45:2 Lit 500 by 500 cubits f45:2 Lit 50 cubits g45:3 Lit this measured portion h45:3 Lit 10,000 cubits, also in v. 5 i45:3 Lit be j45:5 LXX; MT , Syr , Tg, Vg read possession — 20 chambers k45:6 Lit 5,000 cubits l45:9 Lit Enough of you 777 EZEKIEL 44-45 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 777 10/26/17 9:00 PM right. Put an end to your evictions of my peo- ple.” This is the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od. 10 “ You are to have hon est scales, an hon est dry mea sure, a and an hon est liq uid mea sure. b 11 The dry mea sure c and the liq uid mea sure d will be uniform, with the liq uid mea sure con tain ing 5 1/ 2 gal lons e and the dry mea sure hold ing half a bushel. e Their mea sure ment will be a tenth of the stan dard larg er ca pac i ty mea sure. f 12 The shek el g will weigh twen ty ge rahs. Your mina will equal six ty shek els. THE PEOPLE’S CONTRIBUTION TO THE SACRIFICES 13 “ This is the con tri bu tion you are to off er: Three quarts h from five bush els i of wheat and j three quarts from five bush els of bar - ley . 14 The quo ta of oil in liq uid mea sures k will be one percent of ev ery l cor. The cor equals ten liq uid mea sures or one stan dard larg er ca pac i ty mea sure, m since ten liq uid mea sures equal one stan dard larg er ca pac i ty mea sure. 15 And the quo ta from the flock is one an i mal out of ev ery two hun dred from the well-watered pas tures of Is ra el. These are for the grain off er ings, burnt off er ings, and fel low ship off er ings, to make atone ment for the peo ple.” This is the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od. 16 “ All the peo ple of the land must take part in this con tri bu tion for the prince in Is ra el. 17 Then the burnt o ff er ings, grain off er ings, and drink off er ings for the fes ti- vals, New Moons, and Sab baths — for all the ap point ed times of the house of Is ra el — will be the prince’s re spon si bil i ty . He will pro- vide the sin off er ings, grain off er ings, burnt off er ings, and fel low ship off er ings to make atone ment on be half of the house of Is ra el. 18 “ This is what the Lord G od says: In the first month, on the first day of the month, you are to take a young, un blem ished bull and pu ri fy the sanc tu ary . 19 The priest is to take some of the blood from the sin off er ing and ap ply it to the tem ple door posts, the four cor ners of the altar’s ledge, and the door posts of the gate of the in ner court. 20 You are to do the same thing on the sev enth day of the month for ev ery one who sins un in ten tion al- ly or through ig no rance. In this way you will make atone ment for the tem ple.21 “ In the first month, on the four teenth day of the month, you are to cel e brate the Pass- over, a fes ti val of sev en days dur ing which un leav ened bread will be eat en. 22 On that day the prince will pro vide a bull as a sin off er ing on be half of him self and all the peo ple of the land. 23 Dur ing the sev en days of the fes ti val, he will pro vide sev en bulls and sev en rams with out blem ish as a burnt off er ing to the L ord on each of the sev en days, along with a male goat each day for a sin off er ing. 24 He will also pro vide a grain off er ing of half a bushel n per bull and half a bushel per ram, along with a gallon o of oil for ev ery half bushel. 25 At the fes ti val that be gins on the fif teenth day of the sev enth month, p he will pro vide the same things for sev en days — the same sin off er- ings, burnt off er ings, grain off er ings, and oil. SACRIFICES AT APPOINTED TIMES 46 “ This is what the Lord G od says: The gate of the in ner court that fac es east is to be closed dur ing the six days of work, but it will be opened on the Sab bath day and opened on the day of the New Moon. 2 The prince should en ter from the out side by way of the gate’s por ti co and stand at the gate’s door post while the priests sac ri fice his burnt off er ings and fel low ship off er ings. He will bow in wor ship at the gate’s thresh old and then de part, but the gate is not to be closed un til eve ning. 3 The peo ple of the land will also bow in wor ship be fore the L ord at the en trance of that gate on the Sab baths and New Moons. 4 “ The burnt off er ing that the prince pre- sents to the L ord on the Sab bath day is to be six un blem ished lambs and an un blem ished ram. 5 The grain off er ing will be half a bushel q with the ram, and the grain off er ing with the lambs will be what ev er he wants to give, as well as a gallon r of oil for ev ery half bushel. 6 On the day of the New Moon, the burnt off er- ing is to be a young, un blem ished bull, as well as six lambs and a ram with out blem ish. 7 He will pro vide a grain off er ing of half a bushel with the bull, half a bushel with the ram, and what ev er he can aff ord with the lambs, to geth- er with a gallon of oil for ev ery half bushel. 8 When the prince en ters, he is to go in by way of the gate’s por ti co and go out the same way . a45:10 Lit an honest ephah b45:10 Lit and an honest bath c45:11 Lit The ephah d45:11 Lit the bath e45:11 Lit one-tenth of a homer f45:11 Lit be based on the homer g45:12 A shekel is about two-fifths of an ounce of silver h45:13 Lit One-sixth of an ephah i45:13 Lit a homer j45:13 LXX, Vg; MT reads and you are to give k45:14 Lit oil, the bath, the oil l45:14 Lit be a tenth of the bath from the m45:14 Lit 10 baths, a homer n45:24 Lit an ephah o45:24 Lit a hin p45:25 = the Festival of Shelters q46:5 Lit an ephah, also in vv. 7,11 r46:5 Lit a hin, also in vv. 7,11EZEKIEL 45-46 778 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 778 10/26/17 9:00 PM 9 “ When the peo ple of the land come be fore the L ord at the ap point ed times, a who ev er en ters by way of the north gate to wor ship is to go out by way of the south gate, and who- ev er en ters by way of the south gate is to go out by way of the north gate. No one may re- turn through the gate by which he en tered, but is to go out by the op po site gate. 10 When the peo ple en ter, the prince will en ter with them, and when they leave, he will leave. 11 At the fes ti vals and ap point ed times, the grain off er ing will be half a bushel with the bull, half a bushel with the ram, and what ev er he wants to give with the lambs, along with a gallon of oil for ev ery half bushel. 12 “ When the prince makes a free will off er- ing, wheth er a burnt off er ing or a fel low ship off er ing as a free will off er ing to the L ord, the gate that fac es east is to be opened for him. He is to off er his burnt o ff er ing or fel low ship off er ing just as he does on the Sab bath day . Then he will go out, and the gate is to be closed af ter he leaves. 13 “ You are to off er an un blem ished year-old male lamb as a dai ly burnt off er ing to the L ord; you will off er it ev ery morn ing. 14 You are also to pre pare a grain o ff er ing ev ery morn ing along with it: three quarts, b with one-third of a gallon c of oil to moist en the fine flour — a grain o ff er ing to the L ord . This is a per ma nent stat ute to be ob served reg u lar ly . 15 They will off er the lamb, the grain off er ing, and the oil ev ery morn ing as a reg u lar burnt off er ing. TRANSFER OF ROYAL LANDS 16 “ This is what the Lord G od says: If the prince gives a gift to each of his sons as their in her i- tance, it will be long to his sons. It will be come their prop er ty by in her i tance. 17 But if he gives a gift from his in her i tance to one of his ser vants, it will be long to that ser vant un til the year of free dom, when it will re vert to the prince. His in her i tance be longs only to his sons; it is theirs. 18 The prince must not take any of the peo ple’s in her i tance, evicting them from their prop er - ty . He is to pro vide an in her i tance for his sons from his own prop er ty , so that none of my peo- ple will be displaced from his own prop er ty .” THE TEMPLE KITCHENS 19 Then he brought me through the en trance that was at the side of the gate, into the priests’ holy cham bers, which faced north. I saw a place there at the far west ern end. 20 He said to me, “ This is the place where the priests will boil the guilt off er ing and the sin off er ing, and where they will bake the grain off er ing, so that they do not bring them into the out er court and transmit ho li ness to the peo ple.” 21 Next he brought me into the out er court and led me past its four cor ners. There was a sep a rate court in each of its cor ners. 22 In the four cor ners of the out er court there were en closed d courts, 70 feet e long by 52 1/ 2 feet f wide. All four cor ner areas had the same di- men sions. 23 There was a stone wall g around the in side of them, around the four of them, with ov ens built at the base of the walls on all sides. 24 He said to me: “ These are the kitch ens where those who min is ter at the tem ple will cook the peo ple’s sac ri fic es.” THE LIFE-GIVING RIVER 47 Then he brought me back to the en- trance of the tem ple and there was wa ter flow ing from un der the thresh old of the tem ple to ward the east, for the tem ple faced east. The wa ter was com ing down from un der the south side of the thresh old of the tem ple, south of the al tar. 2 Next he brought me out by way of the north gate and led me around the out side to the out er gate that faced east; there the wa ter was trickling from the south side. 3 As the man went out east with a mea sur ing line in his hand, he mea sured off a third of a mile h and led me through the wa ter. It came up to my an kles. 4 Then he mea sured off a third of a mile and led me through the wa ter. It came up to my knees. He mea sured off an
🏙️ Divine River and Sacred Land
💧 Living waters flow from the temple sanctuary, transforming barren landscapes into thriving ecosystems with abundant fish, fruit trees, and healing vegetation
🗺️ The land division establishes precise boundaries for the twelve tribes of Israel, creating an orderly inheritance system that includes provisions for resident aliens
🛕 A holy portion is set apart at the center of the land, containing the sanctuary and designated areas for priests, Levites, and the city
🏛️ The new city features twelve gates named after the tribes of Israel, with three gates on each side forming a perfect square, culminating in the divine name "The Lord Is There"
🌊 The river's healing power increases progressively in depth and breadth, bringing life wherever it flows while leaving some areas as salt marshes
📏 Precise measurements govern every aspect of the land allocation, city design, and temple sanctuary, reflecting divine order and perfect harmony
oth er third of a mile and led me through the wa ter. It came up to my waist. 5 Again he mea sured off a third of a mile, and it was a riv er that I could not cross on foot. For the wa ter had ris en; it was deep enough to swim in, a riv er that could not be crossed on foot. 6 He asked me, “ Do you see this, son of man? ” Then he led me back to the bank of the riv er. 7 When I had re turned, I saw a very large num- ber of trees along both sides of the riv er bank. 8 He said to me, “ This wa ter flows out to the east ern re gion and goes down to the Ar a bah. When it en ters the sea, the sea of foul wa ter, i,j the wa ter of the sea be comes fresh. 9 Ev ery kind of liv ing crea ture that swarms will live a46:9 Or the festivals b46:14 Lit one-sixth of an ephah c46:14 Lit one-third of a hin d46:22 Hb obscure e46:22 Lit 40 cubits f46:22 Lit 30 cubits g46:23 Or a row h47:3 Lit 1,000 cubits, also in vv. 4,5 i47:8 Or enters the sea, being brought out to the sea ; Hb obscure j47:8 = the Dead Sea 779 EZEKIEL 46-47 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 779 10/26/17 9:00 PM wher ev er the riv er flows, a and there will be a huge num ber of fish be cause this wa ter goes there. Since the wa ter will be come fresh, there will be life ev ery where the riv er goes. 10 Fish- er men will stand be side it from En-gedi to En-eglaim. b These will be come plac es where nets are spread out to dry . Their fish will con- sist of many diff er ent kinds, like the fish of the Med i ter ra nean Sea. 11 Yet its swamps and marsh es will not be healed; they will be left for salt. 12 All kinds of trees pro vid ing food will grow along both banks of the riv er. Their leaves will not with er, and their fruit will not fail. Each month they will bear fresh fruit be- cause the wa ter comes from the sanc tu ary . Their fruit will be used for food and their leaves for med i cine.” THE BORDERS OF THE LAND 13 This is what the Lord G od says: “ This is c the bor der you will use to di vide the land as an in her i tance for the twelve tribes of Is ra el. Jo- seph will re ceive two shares. 14 You will in her it it in equal por tions, since I swore d to give it to your an ces tors. So this land will fall to you as an in her i tance. 15 This is to be the bor der of the land: On the north side it will extend from the Mediterranean Sea by way of Hethlon and Lebo-hamath to Zedad, e 16 Berothah, and Sibraim (which is between the bor - der of Damascus and the border of Ha - math), as far as Hazer-hatticon, which is on the border of Hauran. 17 So the border will run from the sea to Hazar-enon at the border of Damascus, with the territory of Hamath to the north. This will be the northern side. 18 On the east side it will run between Hauran and Damascus, along the Jordan between Gilead and the land of Israel; you will measure from the northern border to the eastern sea. f This will be the eastern side. 19 On the south side it will run from Tamar to the Waters of Meribath-kadesh, g and on to the Brook of Egypt as far as the Mediterranean Sea. This will be the southern side.20 On the west side the Mediterranean Sea will be the border, from the southern bor - der up to a point opposite Lebo-hamath. This will be the western side. 21 “ You are to di vide this land among your - selves ac cord ing to the tribes of Is ra el. 22 You will al lot it as an in her i tance for your selves and for the aliens residing among you, who have fa thered chil dren among you. You will treat them h like native-born Is ra el ites; along with you, they will be al lot ted an in her i tance among the tribes of Is ra el. 23 In what ev er tribe the alien re sides, you will as sign his in her i tance there.” This is the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od. THE TRIBAL ALLOTMENTS 48 “ Now these are the names of the tribes: From the northern end, along the road of Hethlon, to Lebo-hamath as far as Hazar -enon, at the northern border of Damascus, alongside Hamath and extending from the eastern side to the sea, will be Dan — one portion. 2 Next to the territory of Dan, from the east side to the west, will be Asher — one portion. 3 Next to the territory of Asher, from the east side to the west, will be Naphtali — one portion. 4 Next to the territory of Naphtali, from the east side to the west, will be Manasseh — one portion. 5 Next to the territory of Manasseh, from the east side to the west, will be Ephraim — one portion. 6 Next to the territory of Ephraim, from the east side to the west, will be Reuben — one portion. 7 Next to the territory of Reuben, from the east side to the west, will be Judah — one portion. 8 “ Next to the ter ri to ry of Ju dah, from the east side to the west, will be the por tion you donate to the L ord , 8 1/ 3 miles i wide, and as long as one of the trib al por tions from the east side to the west. The sanc tu ary will be in the mid dle of it. 9 “ The spe cial por tion you donate to the L ord will be 8 1/ 3 miles long and 3 1/ 3 miles j a47:9 LXX, Vg; MT reads the two rivers flow b47:10 Two springs near the Dead Sea c47:13 Tg, Vg; Syr reads The valley of d47:14 Lit lifted my hand e47:15 LXX; MT reads and Lebo to Zedad, Hamath ; Ezk 48:1 f47:18 = the Dead Sea g47:19 = Kadesh-barnea h47:22 Lit They will be to you i48:8 Lit 25,000 cubits, also in vv. 9, 10, 13, 15, 20, 21 j48:9 Lit 10,000 cubits, also in vv. 10,13,18EZEKIEL 47-48 780 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 780 10/26/17 9:00 PM wide. 10 This holy do na tion will be set apart for the priests alone. It will be 8 1/ 3 miles long on the north ern side, 3 1/ 3 miles wide on the west ern side, 3 1/ 3 miles wide on the east ern side, and 8 1/ 3 miles long on the south ern side. The L ord’ s sanc tu ary will be in the mid dle of it. 11 It is for the con se crat ed priests, the sons of Za dok, who kept my charge and did not go astray as the Le vites did when the Is ra el ites went astray . 12 It will be a spe cial do na tion for them out of the holy do na tion of the land, a most holy place adjacent to the ter ri to ry of the Le vites. 13 “ Next to the ter ri to ry of the priests, the Le vites will have an area 8 1/ 3 miles long and 3 1/ 3 miles wide. The to tal length will be 8 1/ 3 miles and the width 3 1/ 3 miles. 14 They must not sell or ex change any of it, and they must not trans fer this choice part of the land, for it is holy to the L ord. 15 “ The re main ing area, 1 2/ 3 miles a wide and 8 1/ 3 miles long, will be for com mon use by the city , for both residential and open space. The city will be in the mid dle of it. 16 These are the city’s mea sure ments: 1 1/2 miles b on the north side; 1 1/2 miles on the south side; 1 1/2 miles on the east side; and 1 1/2 miles on the west side. 17 The city’s open space will ex tend: 425 feet c to the north, 425 feet to the south, 425 feet to the east, and 425 feet to the west. 18 “ The re main der of the length along side the holy do na tion will be 3 1/ 3 miles to the east and 3 1/ 3 miles to the west. It will run along- side the holy do na tion. Its pro duce will be food for the work ers of the city . 19 The city’s work ers from all the tribes of Is ra el will cul - ti vate it. 20 The en tire do na tion will be 8 1/ 3 miles by 8 1/ 3 miles; you are to set apart the holy do na tion along with the city prop er ty as a square area. 21 “ The re main ing area on both sides of the holy do na tion and the city prop er ty will be long to the prince. He will own the land adjacent to the trib al por tions, next to the 8 1/ 3 miles of the do na tion as far as the east ern bor der and d next to the 8 1/ 3 miles of the do na tion as far as the west ern bor der. The holy do na tion and the sanc tu ary of the tem ple will be in the mid dle of it. 22 Ex cept for the Le vit i cal prop er ty and the city prop er ty in the mid dle of the area be long ing to the prince, the area be tween the ter ri to ry of Ju dah and that of Ben ja min will be long to the prince. 23 “ As for the rest of the tribes: From the east side to the west, will be Benjamin — one portion. 24 Next to the territory of Benjamin, from the east side to the west, will be Simeon — one portion. 25 Next to the territory of Simeon, from the east side to the west, will be Issachar — one portion. 26 Next to the territory of Issachar, from the east side to the west, will be Zebulun — one portion. 27 Next to the territory of Zebulun, from the east side to the west, will be Gad — one portion. 28 Next to the ter ri to ry of Gad to ward the south side, the bor der will run from Ta mar to the Wa ters of Meribath-kadesh, to the Brook of Egypt, and out to the Med i ter ra nean Sea. 29 This is the land you are to al lot as an in her i tance to Is ra el’s tribes, and these will be their por - tions.” This is the dec la ra tion of the Lord G od. THE NEW CITY 30 “ These are the ex its of the city: On the north side, which measures 1 1/2 miles, 31 there will be three gates facing north, the gates of the city being named for the tribes of Israel: one, the gate of Reuben; one, the gate of Judah; and one, the gate of Levi. 32 On the east side, which is 1 1/2 miles, there will be three gates: one, the gate of Joseph; one, the gate of Benjamin; and one, the gate of Dan. 33 On the south side, which measures 1 1/2 miles, there will be three gates: one, the gate of Simeon; one, the gate of Issachar; and one, the gate of Zebulun. 34 On the west side, which is 1 1/2 miles, there will be three gates: one, the gate of Gad; one, the gate of Asher; and one, the gate of Naphtali. 35 The perimeter of the city will be six miles, e and the name of the city from that day on will be, The L ord Is There.” a48:15 Lit 5,000 cubits b48:16 Lit 4,500 cubits, also in vv. 30,32,33,34 c48:17 Lit 250 cubits d48:21 Lit border, and to the west, e48:35 Lit 18,000 cubits 781 EZEKIEL 48 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 781 10/26/17 9:00 PM daniel DANIEL’S CAPTIVITY IN BABYLON 1 In the third year of the reign of King Je- hoi a kim of Ju dah, King Neb u chad nez zar a of Bab ylon came to Je ru sa lem and laid siege to it. 2 The Lord hand ed King Je hoi a kim of Ju dah over to him, along with some of the ves sels from the house of God. Neb u chad- nez zar car ried them to the land of Bab ylon, b to the house of his god, c and put the ves sels in the trea sury of his god. 3 The king or dered Ash pe naz, his chief eu- nuch, d to bring some of the Is ra el ites from the roy al fam i ly and from the no bil i ty — 4 young men with out any phys i cal de fect, good-looking, suit able for in struc tion in all wis dom, knowl - edgeable, per cep tive, and ca pa ble of serv ing in the king’s pal ace. He was to teach them the Chal de an lan guage and lit er a ture. 5 The king as signed them dai ly pro vi sions from the roy al food and from the wine that he drank. They were to be trained for three years, and at the end of that time they were to at tend the king. e 6 Among them, from the Ju da hites, were Dan iel, Han a ni ah, Mish a el, and Az a ri ah. 7 The chief eu nuch gave them names; he gave the name Bel te shaz zar to Dan iel, Sha drach to Han a ni ah, Me shach to Mish a el, and Abed ne go to Az a ri ah. FAITHFULNESS IN BABYLON 8 Dan iel de ter mined that he would not de file him self with the king’s food or with the wine he drank. So he asked per mis sion from the chief eu nuch not to de file him self. 9 God had grant ed Dan iel kind ness and com pas sion from the chief eu nuch, 10 yet he said to Dan iel, “ I fear my lord the king, who as signed your food and drink. What if he sees your fac es look ing thinner than the oth er young men your age? You would en dan ger my life f with the king.” 11 So Dan iel said to the guard whom the chief eu nuch had as signed to Dan iel, Han a ni ah, Mish a el, and Az a ri ah, 12 “ Please test your ser - vants for ten days. Let us be giv en veg e ta bles to eat and wa ter to drink. 13 Then ex am ine our ap pear ance and the ap pear ance of the young men who are eat ing the king’s food, and deal with your ser vants based on what you see.” 14 He agreed with them about this and test ed them for ten days. 15 At the end of ten days they looked bet ter and health i er g than all the young men who were eat ing the king’s food. 16 So the guard con tin ued to re move their food and the wine they were to drink and gave them veg e ta bles. FAITHFULNESS REWARDED 17 God gave these four young men knowl edge and un der stand ing in ev ery kind of lit er a - ture and wis dom. Dan iel also un der stood vi sions and dreams of ev ery kind. 18 At the end of the time that the king had said to pre sent them, the chief eu nuch pre sent ed them to Neb u chad nez zar. 19 The king interviewed them, and among all of them, no one was found equal to Dan iel, Han a ni ah, Mish a el, and Az a ri ah. So they be gan to at tend the king. 20 In ev ery mat ter of wis dom and un der stand ing that the king con sult ed them about, he found them ten times h bet ter than all the ma gi cians and me di ums in his en tire king dom. 21 Dan iel re- mained there un til the first year of King Cy rus. NEBUCHADNEZZAR’S DREAM 2 In the sec ond year of his reign, Neb u chad- nez zar had dreams that trou bled him, and sleep de sert ed him. 2 So the king gave or ders to sum mon the ma gi cians, me di ums, sor cer ers, and Chal de ans i to tell the king his dreams. When they came and stood be fore the king, 3 he said to them, “ I have had a dream and am anx ious to un der stand it.” 4 The Chal de ans spoke to the king (Ar a ma ic j be gins here): “ May the king live for ev er. Tell your ser vants the dream, and we will give the in ter pre ta tion.” 5 The king re plied to the Chal de ans, “ My word is fi nal: If you don’t tell me the dream and its in ter pre ta tion, you will be torn limb from limb, k and your hous es will be made a garbage dump. 6 But if you make the dream and its in ter pre ta tion known to me, you’ll re ceive gifts, a re ward, and great hon or from me. So make the dream and its in ter pre ta tion known to me.” a1:1 Or Nebuchadrezzar b1:2 Lit Shinar c1:2 Or gods d1:3 Or his eunuchs e1:5 Lit to stand before the king f1:10 Lit would make my head guilty g1:15 Lit fatter of flesh h1:20 Lit hands i2:2 In this chap. Chaldeans are influential Babylonian wise men. j2:4 Dn 2:4–7:28 is written in Aramaic. k2:5 Lit be made into limbs CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 782 10/26/17 9:00 PM 7 They an swered a sec ond time, “ May the king tell the dream to his ser vants, and we will make known the in ter pre ta tion.” 8 The king re plied, “ I know for cer tain you are try ing to gain some time, be cause you see that my word is fi nal. 9 If you don’t tell me the dream, there is one de cree for you. You have con spired to tell me some thing false or fraudulent un til the sit u a tion chang es. So tell me the dream and I will know you can give me its in ter pre ta tion.” 10 The Chal de ans an swered the king, “ No one on earth can make known what the king re quests. Con se quent ly , no king, how ev er great and pow er ful, has ever asked any thing like this of any ma gi cian, me di um, or Chal de an. 11 What the king is ask ing is so diff i cult that no one can make it known to him ex cept the gods, whose dwell ing is not with mor tals.” 12 Be cause of this, the king be came vi o lent ly an gry and gave or ders to de stroy all the wise men of Bab ylon. 13 The de cree was is sued that the wise men were to be ex e cut ed, and they searched for Dan iel and his friends, to ex e- cute them. 14 Then Dan iel re spond ed with tact and dis- cre tion to Ar i och, the cap tain of the king’s guard, a who had gone out to ex e cute the wise men of Bab ylon. 15 He asked Ar i och, the king’s off i cer, “ Why is the de cree from the king so harsh? ” b Then Ar i och ex plained the sit u a tion to Dan iel. 16 So Dan iel went and asked the king to give him some time, so that he could give the king the in ter pre ta tion. 17 Then Dan iel went to his house and told his friends Han a ni ah, Mish a el, and Az a ri ah about the mat ter, 18 urg ing them to ask the God of the heav ens for mer cy con cern ing this mys tery , so Dan iel and his friends would not be de stroyed with the rest of Bab ylon’s wise men. 19 The mys tery was then re vealed to Dan- iel in a vi sion at night, and Dan iel praised the God of the heav ens 20 and de clared: May the name of God be praised forever and ever, for wisdom and power belong to him. 21 He changes the times and seasons; he removes kings and establishes kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding. 22 He reveals the deep and hidden things; he knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells with him. 23 I offer thanks and praise to you, God of my fathers, because you have given me wisdom and power. And now you have let me know what we asked of you, for you have let us know the king’s mystery . c 24 There fore Dan iel went to Ar i och, whom the king had as signed to de stroy the wise men of Bab ylon. He came and said to him, “ Don’t de stroy the wise men of Bab ylon! Bring me be fore the king, and I will give him the in ter - pre ta tion.” 25 Then Ar i och quick ly brought Dan iel be- fore the king and said to him, “ I have found a man among the Ju de an ex iles who can let the king know the in ter pre ta tion.” 26 The king said in re ply to Dan iel, whose name was Bel te shaz zar, “ Are you able to tell me the dream I had and its in ter pre ta tion? ” 27 Dan iel an swered the king: “ No wise man, me di um, ma gi cian, or di vin er is able to make known to the king the mys tery he asked about. 28 But there is a God in heav en who re veals mys ter ies, and he has let King Neb u chad nez- zar know what will hap pen in the last days. Your dream
🏛️ Nebuchadnezzar's Divine Encounters
🔮 Daniel interprets the king's dream of a colossal statue with a gold head, silver chest, bronze stomach, and iron legs, revealing a prophetic timeline of future kingdoms that will ultimately be destroyed by God's eternal kingdom
👑 Nebuchadnezzar, filled with pride in his accomplishments, erects a massive golden statue and demands universal worship, threatening dissenters with death in a blazing furnace
🔥 Three faithful Hebrew men (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego) refuse to worship the statue, declaring "even if God does not rescue us... we will not serve your gods," and miraculously survive the furnace with divine protection
🌳 The king's second dream of a mighty tree cut down becomes reality when his pride leads to temporary madness—living like an animal for seven periods until acknowledging God's sovereignty
🙏 After his sanity returns, Nebuchadnezzar humbles himself and praises the Most High God, recognizing that "all his works are true and his ways are just. He is able to humble those who walk in pride"
🍷 The narrative transitions to King Belshazzar's feast, where sacred temple vessels are misused, setting the stage for divine judgment
and the vi sions that came into your mind as you lay in bed were these: 29 Your Maj es ty , while you were in your bed, thoughts came to your mind about what will hap pen in the fu ture. d The re veal er of mys ter ies has let you know what will hap pen. 30 As for me, this mys tery has been re vealed to me, not be cause I have more wis dom than any one liv ing, but in or der that the in ter pre ta tion might be made known to the king, and that you may un der - stand the thoughts of your mind. THE DREAM’S INTERPRETATION 31 “ Your Maj es ty , as you were watch ing, sud- den ly a colossal stat ue ap peared. That stat ue, tall and daz zling, was stand ing in front of you, and its ap pear ance was ter ri fy ing. 32 The head of the stat ue was pure gold, its chest and arms were sil ver, its stom ach and thighs were bronze, 33 its legs were iron, and its feet were part ly iron and part ly fired clay . 34 As you were watch ing, a stone broke off with out a hand touch ing it, e struck the stat ue on its a2:14 Or executioners b2:15 Or urgent c2:23 Lit matter d2:29 Lit happen after this, also in v. 45 e2:34 Lit off not by hands 783 DANIEL 2 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 783 10/26/17 9:00 PM feet of iron and fired clay , and crushed them. 35 Then the iron, the fired clay , the bronze, the sil ver, and the gold were shat tered and be came like chaff from the sum mer thresh ing floors. The wind car ried them away , and not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the stat ue be came a great moun tain and filled the whole earth. 36 “ This was the dream; now we will tell the king its in ter pre ta tion. 37 Your Maj es ty , you are king of kings. The God of the heav ens has giv en you sov er eign ty , pow er, strength, and glo ry . 38 Wher ev er peo ple live — or wild an- i mals, or birds of the sky — he has hand ed them over to you and made you rul er over them all. You are the head of gold. 39 “ Af ter you, there will arise an oth er king- dom, in fe ri or to yours, and then an oth er, a third king dom, of bronze, which will rule the whole earth. 40 A fourth king dom will be as strong as iron; for iron crush es and shat ters ev ery thing, and like iron that smash es, it will crush and smash all the oth ers. a 41 You saw the feet and toes, part ly of a pot ter’s fired clay and part ly of iron — it will be a di vid ed king dom, though some of the strength of iron will be in it. You saw the iron mixed with clay , 42 and that the toes of the feet were part ly iron and part ly fired clay — part of the king dom will be strong, and part will be brit tle. 43 You saw the iron mixed with clay — the peo ples will mix with one an oth er b but will not hold to geth er, just as iron does not mix with fired clay . 44 “ In the days of those kings, the God of the heav ens will set up a king dom that will nev er be de stroyed, and this king dom will not be left to an oth er peo ple. It will crush all these king doms and bring them to an end, but will it self en dure for ev er. 45 You saw a stone break off from the moun tain with out a hand touch ing it, c and it crushed the iron, bronze, fired clay , sil ver, and gold. The great God has told the king what will hap pen in the fu ture. The dream is cer tain, and its in ter pre ta tion re li able.” NEBUCHADNEZZAR’S RESPONSE 46 Then King Neb u chad nez zar fell face down, wor shiped Dan iel, and gave or ders to pre sent an off er ing and in cense to him. 47 The king said to Dan iel, “ Your God is in deed God of gods, Lord of kings, and a re veal er of mys ter ies, since you were able to re veal this mys tery .” 48 Then the king pro mot ed Dan iel and gave him many gen er ous gifts. He made him rul er over the en tire prov ince of Bab ylon and chief gov er nor over all the wise men of Bab ylon. 49 At Dan iel’s re quest, the king ap point ed Sha - drach, Me shach, and Abed ne go to man age the prov ince of Bab ylon. But Dan iel re mained at the king’s court. NEBUCHADNEZZAR’S GOLD STATUE 3 King Neb u chad nez zar made a gold stat ue, nine ty feet high and nine feet wide. d He set it up on the plain of Dura in the prov ince of Bab ylon. 2 King Neb u chad nez zar sent word to as sem ble the sa traps, pre fects, gov er nors, ad vis ers, trea sur ers, judg es, mag is trates, and all the rul ers of the prov inces to at tend the ded i ca tion of the stat ue King Neb u chad nez zar had set up. 3 So the sa traps, pre fects, gov er nors, ad vis ers, trea sur ers, judg es, mag is trates, and all the rul ers of the prov inces as sem bled for the ded i ca tion of the stat ue the king had set up. Then they stood be fore the stat ue Neb u- chad nez zar had set up. 4 A her ald loud ly pro claimed, “Peo ple of ev- ery na tion and lan guage, you are com mand ed: 5 When you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zith er, e lyre, f harp, drum, g and ev ery kind of mu sic, you are to fall face down and wor ship the gold stat ue that King Neb u chad nez zar has set up. 6 But who ev er does not fall down and wor ship will im me di ate ly be thrown into a fur nace of blaz ing fire.” 7 There fore, when all the peo ple heard the sound of the horn, flute, zith er, lyre, harp, and ev ery kind of mu sic, peo ple of ev ery na tion and lan guage fell down and wor shiped the gold stat ue that King Neb u chad nez zar had set up. THE FURNACE OF BLAZING FIRE 8 Some Chal de ans took this oc ca sion to come for ward and ma li cious ly ac cuse h the Jews. 9 They said to King Neb u chad nez zar, “ May the king live for ev er. 10 You as king have is sued a de cree that ev ery one who hears the sound of the horn, flute, zith er, lyre, harp, drum, and ev- ery kind of mu sic must fall down and wor ship the gold stat ue. 11 Who ev er does not fall down and wor ship will be thrown into a fur nace of blaz ing fire. 12 There are some Jews you have ap point ed to man age the prov ince of Bab ylon: a2:40 Lit all these b2:43 Lit another in the seed of men c2:45 Lit mountain, not by hands d3:1 Lit statue, its height sixty cubits, its width six cubits e3:5 Or lyre f3:5 Or sambuke g3:5 Or pipe h3:8 Lit and eat the pieces ofDANIEL 2-3 784 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 784 10/26/17 9:00 PM Sha drach, Me shach, and Abed ne go. These men have ig nored you, the king; they do not serve your gods or wor ship the gold stat ue you have set up.” 13 Then in a fu ri ous rage Neb u chad nez zar gave or ders to bring in Sha drach, Me shach, and Abed ne go. So these men were brought be - fore the king. 14 Neb u chad nez zar asked them, “Sha drach, Me shach, and Abed ne go, is it true that you don’t serve my gods or wor ship the gold stat ue I have set up? 15 Now if you’re ready , when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zith er, lyre, harp, drum, and ev ery kind of mu- sic, fall down and wor ship the stat ue I made. But if you don’t wor ship it, you will im me di- ate ly be thrown into a fur nace of blaz ing fire — and who is the god who can res cue you from my pow er? ” 16 Sha drach, Me shach, and Abed ne go re- plied to the king, “Neb u chad nez zar, we don’t need to give you an an swer to this ques tion. 17 If the God we serve ex ists, then he can res- cue us from the fur nace of blaz ing fire, and he can a res cue us from the pow er of you, the king. 18 But even if he does not res cue us, b we want you as king to know that we will not serve your gods or wor ship the gold stat ue you set up.” 19 Then Neb u chad nez zar was filled with rage, and the ex pres sion on his face changed to ward Sha drach, Me shach, and Abed ne go. He gave or ders to heat the fur nace sev en times more than was cus tom ary , 20 and he com mand ed some of the best sol diers in his army to tie up Sha drach, Me shach, and Abed ne go and throw them into the fur nace of blaz ing fire. 21 So these men, in their trou sers, robes, head cov er ings, c and oth er clothes, were tied up and thrown into the fur nace of blaz ing fire. 22 Since the king’s com mand was so ur gent d and the fur nace ex treme ly hot, the rag ing flames e killed those men who car ried Sha drach, Me- shach, and Abed ne go up. 23 And these three men, Sha drach, Me shach, and Abed ne go fell, bound, into the fur nace of blaz ing fire. DELIVERED FROM THE FIRE 24 Then King Neb u chad nez zar jumped up in alarm. He said to his ad vis ers, “ Didn’t we throw three men, bound, into the fire? ” “ Yes, of course, Your Maj es ty ,” they re plied to the king.25 He ex claimed, “ Look! I see four men, not tied, walk ing around in the fire un harmed; and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.” f 26 Neb u chad nez zar then ap proached the door of the fur nace of blaz ing fire and called: “Sha drach, Me shach, and Abed ne go, you ser - vants of the Most High God — come out! ” So Sha drach, Me shach, and Abed ne go came out of the fire. 27 When the sa traps, pre fects, gov er nors, and the king’s ad vis ers gath ered around, they saw that the fire had no eff ect on g the bod ies of these men: not a hair of their heads was singed, their robes were unaffect - ed, and there was no smell of fire on them. 28 Neb u chad nez zar ex claimed, “ Praise to the God of Sha drach, Me shach, and Abed ne go! He sent his an gel h and res cued his ser vants who trust ed in him. They vi o lat ed the king’s com mand and risked their lives rath er than serve or wor ship any god ex cept their own God. 29 There fore I is sue a de cree that any one of any peo ple, na tion, or lan guage who says any thing o ff en sive against the God of Sha - drach, Me shach, and Abed ne go will be torn limb from limb and his house made a garbage dump. For there is no oth er god who is able to de liv er like this.” 30 Then the king re ward- ed Sha drach, Me shach, and Abed ne go in the prov ince of Bab ylon. NEBUCHADNEZZAR’S PROCLAMATION 4 King Nebuchadnezzar, To those of every people, nation, and lan - guage, who live on the whole earth: May your prosperity increase. 2 I am pleased to tell you about the miracles and wonders the Most High God has done for me. 3 How great are his miracles, and how mighty his wonders! His kingdom is an eternal kingdom, and his dominion is from generation to generation. THE DREAM 4 I, Neb u chad nez zar, was at ease in my house and flour ish ing in my pal ace. 5 I had a dream, and it fright ened me; while in my bed, the im ages and vi sions in my mind alarmed me. a3:17 Or If the God whom we serve is willing to save us from the furnace of blazing fire, then he will b3:18 Lit But if not c3:21 The identity of these articles of clothing is uncertain. d3:22 Or harsh e3:22 Lit the flame of the fire f3:25 Or of a divine being g3:27 Lit fire had not overcome h3:28 Or messenger 785 DANIEL 3-4 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 785 10/26/17 9:00 PM 6 So I is sued a de cree to bring all the wise men of Bab ylon to me in or der that they might make the dream’s in ter pre ta tion known to me. 7 When the ma gi cians, me di ums, Chal de ans, and di vin ers came in, I told them the dream, but they could not make its in ter pre ta tion known to me. 8 Fi nal ly Dan iel, named Bel te shaz zar af ter the name of my god — and a spir it of the holy gods is in him — came be fore me. I told him the dream: 9 “Bel te shaz zar, head of the ma gi cians, be cause I know that you have the spir it of the holy gods and that no mys tery puzzles you, ex plain to me the vi sions of my dream that I saw , and its in ter pre ta tion. 10 In the vi sions of my mind as I was ly ing in bed, I saw this: There was a tree in the middle of the earth, and it was very tall. 11 The tree grew large and strong; its top reached to the sky , and it was visible to the ends of the a earth. 12 Its leaves were beautiful, its fruit was abundant, and on it was food for all. Wild animals found shelter under it, the birds of the sky lived in its branches, and every creature was fed from it. 13 “ As I was ly ing in my bed, I also saw in the vi sions of my mind a watch er, a holy one, b com- ing down from heav en. 14 He called out loud ly: Cut down the tree and chop off its branches; strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the animals flee from under it, and the birds from its branches. 15 But leave the stump with its roots in the ground and with a band of iron and bronze around it in the tender grass of the field. Let him be drenched with dew from the sky and share the plants of the earth with the animals. 16 Let his mind be changed from that of a human, and let him be given the mind of an animal for seven periods of time. c,d 17 This word is by decree of the watchers, and the decision is by command from the holy ones. This is so that the living will know that the Most High is ruler over human kingdoms. He gives them to anyone he wants and sets the lowliest of people over them. 18 This is the dream that I, King Neb u chad- nez zar, had. Now , Bel te shaz zar, tell me the in ter pre ta tion, be cause none of the wise men of my king dom can make the in ter pre ta tion known to me. But you can, be cause you have a spir it of the holy gods.” THE DREAM INTERPRETED 19 Then Dan iel, whose name is Bel te shaz zar, was stunned for a mo ment, and his thoughts alarmed him. The king said, “Bel te shaz zar, don’t let the dream or its in ter pre ta tion alarm you.” Bel te shaz zar an swered, “ My lord, may the dream ap ply to those who hate you, and its in ter pre ta tion to your en e mies! 20 The tree you saw , which grew large and strong, whose top reached to the sky and was vis i ble to the whole earth, 21 and whose leaves were beau ti ful and its fruit abun dant — and on it was food for all, un der it the wild an i mals lived, and in its branch es the birds of the sky lived — 22 that tree is you, Your Maj es ty . For you have be come great and strong: your great ness has grown and even reach es the sky , and your do min ion ex tends to the ends of the earth. 23 “ The king saw a watch er, a holy one, com ing down from heav en and say ing, ‘ Cut down the tree and de stroy it, but leave the stump with its roots in the ground and with a band of iron and bronze around it in the ten der grass of the field. Let him be drenched with dew from the sky and share food with the wild an i mals for sev en pe ri ods of time.’ 24 This is the in ter pre- ta tion, Your Maj es ty , and this is the de cree of the Most High that has been is sued against my lord the king: 25 You will be driv en away from peo ple to live with the wild an i mals. You will feed on grass like cat tle and be drenched with dew from the sky for sev en pe ri ods of time, un til you ac knowl edge that the Most High is rul er over hu man king doms, and he gives them to any one he wants. 26 As for the com mand to leave the tree’s stump with its roots, your king dom will be re stored e to you as a4:11 Lit of all the b4:13 = an angel c4:16 Lit animal as seven times pass over him d4:16 Perhaps seven years e4:26 Lit enduringDANIEL 4 786 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 786 10/26/17 9:00 PM soon as you ac knowl edge that Heav en a rules. 27 There fore, may my ad vice seem good to you my king. Sep a rate your self from your sins by do ing what is right, and from your in jus tices by show ing mer cy to the needy . Per haps there will be an ex ten sion of your pros per i ty .” THE SENTENCE EXECUTED 28 All this hap pened to King Neb u chad nez zar. 29 At the end of twelve months, as he was walk - ing on the roof of the roy al pal ace in Bab ylon, 30 the king ex claimed, “ Is this not Bab ylon the Great that I have built to be a roy al res i dence by my vast pow er and for my ma jes tic glo ry? ” 31 While the words were still in the king’s mouth, a voice came from heav en: “ King Neb- u chad nez zar, to you it is de clared that the king dom has de part ed from you. 32 You will be driv en away from peo ple to live with the wild an i mals, and you will feed on grass like cat tle for sev en pe ri ods of time, un til you ac- knowl edge that the Most High is rul er over hu man king doms, and he gives them to any- one he wants.” 33 At that mo ment the mes sage against Neb- u chad nez zar was ful filled. He was driv en away from peo ple. He ate grass like cat tle, and his body was drenched with dew from the sky , un til his hair grew like ea gles’ feath ers and his nails like birds’ claws. NEBUCHADNEZZAR’S PRAISE 34 But at the end of those days, I, Neb u chad- nez zar, looked up to heav en, and my san i ty re- turned to me. Then I praised the Most High and hon ored and glo ri fied him who lives for ev er: For his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation. 35 All the inhabitants of the earth are counted as nothing, and he does what he wants with the army of heaven and the inhabitants of the earth. There is no one who can block his hand or say to him, “What have you done? ” 36 At that time my san i ty re turned to me, and my maj es ty and splen dor re turned to me for the glo ry of my king dom. My ad vis ers and my no bles sought me out, I was re es tab lished over my king dom, and even more great ness came to me. 37 Now I, Neb u chad nez zar, praise, ex alt, and glo ri fy the King of the heav ens, be cause all his works are true and his ways are just. He is able to hum ble those who walk in pride. BELSHAZZAR’S FEAST 5 King Bel shaz zar held a great feast for a thou sand of his no bles and drank wine in their pres ence. 2 Un der the in flu ence of b the wine, Bel shaz zar gave or ders to bring in the gold and sil ver ves sels that his pre de ces sor c Neb u chad nez zar had tak en from the tem ple in Je ru sa lem, so that the king and his no bles, wives, and con cu bines could drink from them. 3 So they brought in the gold d ves sels that had been tak en from the tem ple, the house of God
📜 Divine Judgment Revealed
👑 King Belshazzar's feast turns to terror when a mysterious hand writes on the palace wall, prompting him to seek interpretation from Daniel after his own wise men fail
🦁 Daniel's unwavering faith and integrity shine through both the writing interpretation and later in the lions' den, demonstrating divine protection for those who remain faithful
🔮 The prophetic visions of four beasts and the ram and goat reveal God's sovereignty over earthly kingdoms and their ultimate replacement by an everlasting divine kingdom
👆 Divine accountability permeates the narrative as both Belshazzar and Darius witness God's power to humble the proud and elevate the faithful
🌍 The Ancient of Days and "one like a son of man" establish an everlasting dominion that transcends all earthly powers, offering hope amid political turmoil
in Je ru sa lem, and the king and his no bles, wives, and con cu bines drank from them. 4 They drank the wine and praised their gods made of gold and sil ver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone. THE HANDWRITING ON THE WALL 5 At that mo ment the fin gers of a man’s hand ap peared and be gan writ ing on the plas ter of the king’s pal ace wall next to the lamp stand. As the king watched the hand e that was writ - ing, 6 his face turned pale, f and his thoughts so ter ri fied him that he soiled him self g and his knees knocked to geth er. 7 The king shout ed to bring in the me di ums, Chal de ans, and di- vin ers. He said to these wise men of Bab ylon, “Who ev er reads this in scrip tion and gives me its in ter pre ta tion will be clothed in pur ple, have a gold chain around his neck, and have the third high est po si tion in the king dom.” 8 So all the king’s wise men came in, but none could read the in scrip tion or make its in ter pre- ta tion known to him. 9 Then King Bel shaz zar be came even more ter ri fied, his face turned pale, h and his no bles were be wil dered. 10 Be cause of the out cry of the king and his no bles, the queen i came to the ban quet hall. “ May the king live for ev er,” she said. “ Don’t let your thoughts ter ri fy you or your face be pale. j 11 There is a man in your king dom who has a spir it of the holy gods in him. In the days of your pre de ces sor he was found to have in sight, in tel li gence, and wis dom like the wis dom of the gods. Your pre de ces sor, King Neb u chad nez zar, ap point ed him chief of the ma gi cians, me di ums, Chal de ans, and di vin ers. Your own pre de ces sor, the king, 12 did a4:26 = God b5:2 Or When he tasted c5:2 Or father, or grandfather d5:3 Theod, Vg add and silver e5:5 Lit part of the hand f5:5-6 Lit writing, 6the king’s brightness changed g5:6 Lit that the knots of his loins were loosed h5:9 Lit his brightness changed on him i5:10 Perhaps the queen mother j5:10 Lit your brightness change 787 DANIEL 4-5 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 787 10/26/17 9:00 PM this be cause Dan iel, the one the king named Bel te shaz zar, was found to have an ex tra or di- nary spir it, knowl edge and in tel li gence, and the abil i ty to in ter pret dreams, ex plain rid- dles, and solve prob lems. There fore, sum mon Dan iel, and he will give the in ter pre ta tion.” DANIEL BEFORE THE KING 13 Then Dan iel was brought be fore the king. The king said to him, “ Are you Dan iel, one of the Ju de an ex iles that my pre de ces sor the king brought from Ju dah? 14 I’ve heard that you have a spir it of the gods in you, and that in sight, in tel li gence, and ex tra or di nary wis- dom are found in you. 15 Now the wise men and me di ums were brought be fore me to read this in scrip tion and make its in ter pre ta tion known to me, but they could not give its in ter - pre ta tion. 16 How ev er, I have heard about you that you can give in ter pre ta tions and solve prob lems. There fore, if you can read this in- scrip tion and give me its in ter pre ta tion, you will be clothed in pur ple, have a gold chain around your neck, and have the third high est po si tion in the king dom.” 17 Then Dan iel an swered the king, “ You may keep your gifts and give your re wards to some- one else; how ev er, I will read the in scrip tion for the king and make the in ter pre ta tion known to him. 18 Your Maj es ty , the Most High God gave sov er eign ty , great ness, glo ry , and maj es ty to your pre de ces sor Neb u chad nez zar. 19 Be cause of the great ness he gave him, all peo ples, na- tions, and lan guages were ter ri fied and fear ful of him. He killed any one he want ed and kept alive any one he want ed; he ex alt ed any one he want ed and hum bled any one he want ed. 20 But when his heart was ex alt ed and his spir it be came ar ro gant, he was de posed from his roy al throne and his glo ry was tak en from him. 21 He was driv en away from peo ple, his mind was like an an i mal’s, he lived with the wild don keys, he was fed grass like cat tle, and his body was drenched with dew from the sky un til he ac knowl edged that the Most High God is rul er over hu man king doms and sets any one he wants over them. 22 “ But you his suc ces sor, Bel shaz zar, have not hum bled your heart, even though you knew all this. 23 In stead, you have ex alt ed your self against the Lord of the heav ens. The ves sels from his house were brought to you, and as you and your no bles, wives, and con cu bines drank wine from them, you praised the gods made of sil ver and gold, bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or un der stand. But you have not glo ri fied the God who holds your life-breath in his hand and who con trols the whole course of your life. a 24 There fore, he sent the hand, and this writ ing was in scribed. THE INSCRIPTION’S INTERPRETATION 25 “ This is the writ ing that was in scribed: M ene, M ene, T ekel, and Parsin. 26 This is the in ter - pre ta tion of the mes sage: ‘Mene’ b means that God has numbered c the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end. 27 ‘Tekel’ d means that you have been weighed e on the balance and found deficient. 28 ‘Peres’ f,g means that your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians.” h 29 Then Bel shaz zar gave an or der, and they clothed Dan iel in pur ple, placed a gold chain around his neck, and is sued a proc la ma tion con cern ing him that he should be the third rul er in the king dom. 30 That very night Bel shaz zar the king of the Chal de ans was killed, 31 and Da ri us the Mede re ceived the king dom at the age of sixty-two. THE PLOT AGAINST DANIEL 6 Da ri us de cid ed i to ap point 120 sa traps over the king dom, sta tioned through out the realm, 2 and over them three ad min is tra tors, in clud ing Dan iel. These sa traps would be ac- count able to them so that the king would not be defrauded. 3 Dan iel j dis tin guished him self above the ad min is tra tors and sa traps be cause he had an ex tra or di nary spir it, so the king planned to set him over the whole realm. 4 The ad min is tra- tors and sa traps, there fore, kept try ing to find a charge against Dan iel re gard ing the king dom. But they could find no charge or cor rup tion, for he was trust wor thy , and no negligence or cor rup tion was found in him. 5 Then these men said, “ We will nev er find any charge against this Dan iel un less we find some thing against him con cern ing the law of his God.” a5:23 Lit and all your ways belong to him b5:26 Or a mina c5:26 The Aramaic word for numbered sounds like mene. d5:27 Or a shekel e5:27 The Aramaic word for weighed sounds like tekel. f5:28 Or half a shekel g5:28 In Aramaic, the word peres is the sg form of “parsin” in v. 25. h5:28 The Aramaic word for divided and Persians sounds like peres. i6:1 Lit It was pleasing before Darius j6:3 Lit Now this DanielDANIEL 5-6 788 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 788 10/26/17 9:00 PM 6 So the ad min is tra tors and sa traps went to- geth er to the king and said to him, “ May King Da ri us live for ev er. 7 All the ad min is tra tors of the king dom, the pre fects, sa traps, ad vis ers, and gov er nors have agreed that the king should es tab lish an or di nance and en force an edict that for thir ty days, any one who pe ti tions any god or man ex cept you, the king, will be thrown into the li ons’ den. 8 There fore, Your Maj es ty , es tab lish the edict and sign the doc u ment so that, as a law of the Medes and Per sians, it is ir rev o ca ble and can not be changed.” 9 So King Da ri us signed the writ ten edict. DANIEL IN THE LIONS’ DEN 10 When Dan iel learned that the doc u ment had been signed, he went into his house. The win dows in its up stairs room opened to ward Je ru sa lem, and three times a day he got down on his knees, prayed, and gave thanks to his God, just as he had done be fore. 11 Then these men went as a group and found Dan iel peti - tioning and imploring his God. 12 So they ap- proached the king and asked about his edict: “ Didn’t you sign an edict that for thir ty days any per son who pe ti tions any god or man ex cept you, the king, will be thrown into the li ons’ den? ” The king an swered, “ As a law of the Medes and Per sians, the or der stands a and is ir rev- o ca ble.” 13 Then they re plied to the king, “Dan iel, one of the Ju de an ex iles, has ig nored you, the king, and the edict you signed, for he prays three times a day .” 14 As soon as the king heard this, he was very dis pleased; he set his mind on res cu ing Dan iel and made ev ery eff ort un til sun down to de liv er him. 15 Then these men went to geth er to the king and said to him, “ You know , Your Maj es ty , that it is a law of the Medes and Per sians that no edict or or di nance the king es tab lish es can be changed.” 16 So the king gave the or der, and they brought Dan iel and threw him into the li ons’ den. The king said to Dan iel, “ May your God, whom you con tin u al ly serve, res cue you! ” 17 A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den. The king sealed it with his own sig- net ring and with the sig net rings of his no bles, so that noth ing in re gard to Dan iel could be changed. 18 Then the king went to his pal ace and spent the night fast ing. No diversions b were brought to him, and he could not sleep. DANIEL RELEASED 19 At the first light of dawn the king got up and hur ried to the li ons’ den. 20 When he reached the den, he cried out in an guish to Dan iel. “Dan iel, ser vant of the liv ing God,” the king said, c “ has your God, whom you con tin u al ly serve, been able to res cue you from the li ons? ” 21 Then Dan iel spoke with the king: “ May the king live for ev er. 22 My God sent his an gel and shut the li ons’ mouths; and they haven’t harmed me, for I was found in no cent be fore him. And also be fore you, Your Maj es ty , I have not done harm.” 23 The king was over joyed and gave or ders to take Dan iel out of the den. When Dan iel was brought up from the den, he was found to be un harmed, for he trust ed in his God. 24 The king then gave the com mand, and those men who had ma li cious ly ac cused Dan iel d were brought and thrown into the li ons’ den — they , their chil dren, and their wives. They had not reached the bot tom of the den be fore the li ons over pow ered them and crushed all their bones. DARIUS HONORS GOD 25 Then King Da ri us wrote to those of ev ery peo ple, na tion, and lan guage who live on the whole earth: “ May your pros per i ty abound. 26 I is sue a de cree that in all my roy al do min- ion, peo ple must trem ble in fear be fore the God of Dan iel: For he is the living God, and he endures forever; his kingdom will never be destroyed, and his dominion has no end. 27 He rescues and delivers; he performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth, for he has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.” 28 So Dan iel pros pered dur ing the reign of Da ri us and e the reign of Cy rus the Per sian. DANIEL’S VISION OF THE FOUR BEASTS 7 In the first year of King Bel shaz zar of Bab- ylon, Dan iel had a dream with vi sions in his mind as he was ly ing in his bed. He wrote down the dream, and here is the summary f of a6:12 Lit the word is certain b6:18 Aramaic obscure c6:20 Lit said to Daniel d6:24 Lit had eaten his pieces e6:28 Or Darius, even f7:1 Lit beginning 789 DANIEL 6-7 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 789 10/26/17 9:00 PM his ac count. 2 Dan iel said, “ In my vi sion at night I was watch ing, and sud den ly the four winds of heav en stirred up the great sea. 3 Four huge beasts came up from the sea, each diff er ent from the oth er. 4 “ The first was like a lion but had ea gle’s wings. I con tin ued watch ing un til its wings were torn off. It was lift ed up from the ground, set on its feet like a man, and giv en a hu man mind. 5 “Sud den ly , an oth er beast ap peared, a sec- ond one, that looked like a bear. It was raised up on one side, with three ribs in its mouth be tween its teeth. It was told, ‘ Get up! Gorge your self on flesh.’ 6 “ Af ter this, while I was watch ing, sud den ly an oth er beast ap peared. It was like a leop ard with four wings of a bird on its back. It had four heads, and it was giv en do min ion. 7 “ Af ter this, while I was watch ing in the night vi sions, sud den ly a fourth beast ap peared, fright en ing and dread ful, and incredibly strong, with large iron teeth. It de voured and crushed, and it tram pled with its feet what ev er was left. It was diff er ent from all the beasts be fore it, and it had ten horns. 8 “ While I was considering the horns, sud den- ly an oth er horn, a lit tle one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were up- root ed be fore it. And sud den ly in this horn there were eyes like the eyes of a hu man and a mouth that was speak ing ar ro gant ly . THE ANCIENT OF DAYS AND THE SON OF MAN 9 “ As I kept watch ing, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was white like snow , and the hair of his head like whitest wool. His throne was flaming fire; its wheels were blazing fire. 10 A river of fire was flowing, coming out from his presence. Thousands upon thousands served him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was convened, and the books were opened. 11 “ I watched, then, be cause of the sound of the ar ro gant words the horn was speak ing. As I con tin ued watch ing, the beast was killed and its body de stroyed and giv en over to the burn ing fire. 12 As for the rest of the beasts, their do min ion was re moved, but an ex ten- sion of life was grant ed to them for a cer tain pe ri od of time. 13 I con tin ued watch ing in the night vi sions, and suddenly one like a son of man was coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was escorted before him. 14 He was given dominion, and glory , and a kingdom; so that those of every people, nation, and language should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away , and his kingdom is one that will not be destroyed. INTERPRETATION OF THE VISION 15 “ As for me, Dan iel, my spir it was deep ly dis - tressed with in me, a and the vi sions in my mind ter ri fied me. 16 I ap proached one of those who were stand ing by and asked him to clarify all this. So he let me know the in ter pre ta tion of these things: 17 ‘ These huge beasts, four in num ber, are four kings who will rise from the earth. 18 But the holy ones of the Most High will re ceive the king dom and pos sess it for ev er, yes, for ev er and ever.’ 19 “ Then I want ed to be clear about the fourth beast, the one diff er ent from all the oth ers, ex treme ly ter ri fy ing, with iron teeth and bronze claws, de vour ing, crush ing, and tram pling with its feet what ev er was left. 20 I also want ed to know about the ten horns on its head and about the oth er horn that came up, be fore which three fell — the horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spoke ar ro gant ly , and that looked big ger than the oth ers. 21 As I was watch ing, this horn waged war against the holy ones and was prevailing over them 22 un til the An cient of Days ar rived and a judg- ment was giv en in fa vor of the holy ones of the Most High, for the time had come, and the holy ones took pos ses sion of the king dom. 23 “ This is what he said: ‘ The fourth beast will be a fourth king dom on the earth, diff er ent from all the oth er king doms. It will de vour the whole earth, tram ple it down, and crush it. 24 The ten horns are ten kings who will rise from this king dom. An oth er king, diff er ent a7:15 Lit was distressed in the middle of its sheathDANIEL 7 790 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 790 10/26/17 9:00 PM from the pre vi ous ones, will rise af ter them and sub due three kings. 25 He will speak words against the Most High and op press a the holy ones of the Most High. He will in tend to change re li gious fes ti vals b and laws, and the holy ones will be hand ed over to him for a time, times, and half a time. c 26 But the court will convene, and his do min ion will be tak en away , to be com plete ly de stroyed for ev er. 27 The king dom, do min ion, and great ness of the king doms un- der all of heav en will be giv en to the peo ple, the holy ones of the Most High. His king dom will be an ever last ing king dom, and all rul ers will serve and obey him.’ 28 “ This is the end of the ac count. As for me, Dan iel, my thoughts ter ri fied me great ly , and my face turned pale, d but I kept the mat ter to my self.” THE VISION OF A RAM AND A GOAT 8 In the third year of King Bel shaz zar’s reign, a vi sion ap peared to me, Dan iel, af ter the one that had ap peared to me ear li er. 2 I saw the vi sion, and as I watched, I was in the for tress city of Susa, in the prov ince of Elam. I saw in the vi sion that I was be side the Ulai Ca nal. 3 I looked up, e and there was a ram stand ing be side the ca nal. He had two horns. The two horns were long, but one was lon ger than the oth er, and the lon ger one came up last. 4 I saw the ram charg ing to the west, the north, and the south. No an i mal could stand against him, and there was no res cue from his pow er. He did what ev er he want ed and be came great. 5 As I was ob serv ing, a male goat ap peared, com ing from the west across the sur face of the en tire earth with out touch ing the ground. The goat had a con spic u ous horn f be tween his eyes. 6 He came to ward the two-horned ram I had seen stand ing be side the ca nal and rushed at him with sav age fury . 7 I saw him ap- proach ing the ram, and in fu ri at ed with him, he struck the ram, break ing his two horns, and the ram was not strong enough to stand against him. The goat threw him to the ground and tram pled him, and there was no one to res cue the ram from his pow er. 8 Then the male goat act ed even more ar ro gant ly ,
🔮 Daniel's Apocalyptic Visions
🐏 Symbolic beasts represent kingdoms and rulers, with horns depicting specific kings and powers that rise and fall in succession—Media-Persia, Greece, and subsequent empires unfold in divine revelation
🛡️ A little horn emerges with extraordinary power, acting arrogantly against heaven itself, trampling truth and desecrating the sanctuary for a specified period (2,300 evenings and mornings)
🙏 Daniel's fervent prayer acknowledges Israel's sin and appeals to God's compassion, recognizing that righteousness belongs to God while shame belongs to His rebellious people
⏳ The seventy weeks prophecy outlines a divine timeline for Jerusalem's restoration, the coming of an Anointed One who will be "cut off," and a final covenant that ends with desolation
👼 Angelic messengers (Gabriel and Michael) battle spiritual forces opposing God's purposes, revealing cosmic conflict behind earthly politics and explaining future events to Daniel
🌍 Detailed predictions about the kings of North and South describe complex political maneuvers, alliances through marriage, military campaigns, and a despised ruler who will rise through intrigue
but when he be came pow er ful, the large horn was bro ken. Four con spic u ous horns came up in its place, point ing to ward the four winds of heav en.THE LITTLE HORN 9 From one of them a lit tle horn emerged and grew extensively to ward the south and the east and to ward the beau ti ful land. g 10 It grew as high as the heav en ly army , made some of the army and some of the stars h fall to the earth, and tram pled them. 11 It act ed ar ro gant ly even against the Prince of the heav en ly army; it re- voked his reg u lar sac ri fice and over threw the place of his sanc tu ary . 12 In the re bel lion, the army was giv en up, to geth er with the reg u lar sac ri fice. The horn threw truth to the ground and was suc cess ful in what it did. 13 Then I heard a holy one speak ing, and an oth er holy one said to the speak er, “ How long will the events of this vi sion last — the reg u lar sac ri fice, the re bel lion that makes des o late, and the giv ing over of the sanc tu ary and of the army to be tram pled? ” 14 He said to me, i “ For 2,300 eve nings and morn ings; then the sanc tu ary will be re stored.” INTERPRETATION OF THE VISION 15 While I, Dan iel, was watch ing the vi sion and try ing to un der stand it, there stood be fore me some one who ap peared to be a man. 16 I heard a hu man voice call ing from the mid dle of the Ulai: “Ga bri el, ex plain the vi sion to this man.” 17 So he ap proached where I was stand ing; when he came near, I was ter ri fied and fell face down. “ Son of man,” he said to me, “un- der stand that the vi sion refers to the time of the end.” 18 While he was speak ing to me, I fell into a deep sleep, with my face to the ground. Then he touched me, made me stand up, 19 and said, “ I am here to tell you what will hap pen at the con clu sion of the time of wrath, be cause it refers to the ap point ed time of the end. 20 The two-horned ram that you saw rep re sents the kings of Me dia and Per sia. 21 The shag gy goat rep re sents the king of Greece, and the large horn be tween his eyes rep re sents the first king. j 22 The four horns that took the place of the bro ken horn rep re sent four king doms. They will rise from that na tion, but with out its pow er. 23 Near the end of their kingdoms, when the rebels have reached the full measure of their sin, k a ruthless l king, skilled in intrigue, m will come to the throne. a7:25 Lit wear out b7:25 Lit change times c7:25 Or for three and a half years d7:28 Lit my brightness changed on me e8:3 Lit I lifted my eyes and looked f8:5 Lit a horn of a vision g8:9 = Israel h8:10 Or some of the army, that is, some of the stars i8:14 LXX, Theod, Syr , Vg read him j8:21 = Alexander the Great k8:23 Lit have become complete l8:23 Lit strong of face m8:23 Lit king, and understanding riddles 791 DANIEL 7-8 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 791 10/26/17 9:00 PM 24 His power will be great, but it will not be his own. He will cause outrageous destruction and succeed in whatever he does. He will destroy the powerful along with the holy people. 25 He will cause deceit to prosper through his cunning and by his influence, and in his own mind he will exalt himself. He will destroy many in a time of peace; he will even stand against the Prince of princes. Yet he will be broken — not by human hands. 26 The vision of the evenings and the mornings that has been told is true. Now you are to seal up the vision because it refers to many days in the future.” 27 I, Dan iel, was over come and lay sick for days. Then I got up and went about the king’s busi ness. I was great ly dis turbed by the vi sion and could not un der stand it. DANIEL ’S PRAYER 9 In the first year of Da ri us, the son of Ahas - u e rus, a Mede by birth, who was made king over the Chal de an king dom — 2 in the first year of his reign, I, Dan iel, un der stood from the books ac cord ing to the word of the L ord to the proph et Jer e mi ah that the num ber of years for the des o la tion of Je ru sa lem would be sev en ty . 3 So I turned my at ten tion to the Lord God to seek him by prayer and pe ti tions, with fast ing, sack cloth, and ash es. 4 I prayed to the L ord my God and con fessed: Ah, Lord — the great and awe-inspiring God who keeps his gracious covenant with those who love him and keep his commands — 5 we have sinned, done wrong, acted wickedly , rebelled, and turned away from your commands and ordinances. 6 We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, leaders, fathers, and all the people of the land. 7 Lord, righteousness belongs to you, but this day public shame belongs to us: the men of Judah, the residents of Jerusalem, and all Israel — those who are near and those who are far, in all the countries where you have banished them because of the disloyalty they have shown toward you. 8 Lord, public shame belongs to us, our kings, our leaders, and our fathers, because we have sinned against you. 9 Compassion and forgiveness belong to the Lord our God, though we have rebelled against him 10 and have not obeyed the Lord our God by following his instructions that he set before us through his servants the prophets. 11 All Israel has broken your law and turned away , refusing to obey you. The promised curse a written in the law of Moses, the servant of God, has been poured out on us because we have sinned against him. 12 He has carried out his words that he spoke against us and against our rulers b by bringing on us a disaster that is so great that nothing like what has been done to Jerusalem has ever been done under all of heaven. 13 Just as it is written in the law of Moses, all this disaster has come on us, yet we have not sought the favor of the Lord our God by turning from our iniquities and paying attention to your truth. 14 So the Lord kept the disaster in mind and brought it on us, for the Lord our God is righteous in all he has done. But we have not obeyed him. 15 Now , Lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a strong hand and made your name re - nowned as it is this day , we have sinned, we have acted wickedly . 16 Lord, in keep - ing with all your righteous acts, may your anger and wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy mountain; for because of our sins and the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people have become an object of ridicule to all those around us. 17 Therefore, our God, hear the prayer and the petitions of your servant. Make your face shine on your desolate sanctuary for the Lord’s sake. 18 Listen closely , c my a9:11 Lit The curse and the oath b9:12 Lit against rulers who ruled us c9:18 Lit Stretch out your earDANIEL 8-9 792 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 792 10/26/17 9:00 PM God, and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations and the city that bears your name. For we are not presenting our petitions before you based on our righ - teous acts, but based on your abundant compassion. 19 Lord, hear! Lord, forgive! Lord, listen and act! My God, for your own sake, do not delay , because your city and your people bear your name. THE SEVENTY WEEKS OF YEARS 20 While I was speak ing, pray ing, con fess ing my sin and the sin of my peo ple Is ra el, and pre sent ing my pe ti tion be fore the L ord my God con cern ing the holy moun tain of my God — 21 while I was pray ing, Ga bri el, the man I had seen in the first vi sion, reached me in my ex treme weariness, about the time of the eve ning off er ing. 22 He gave me this ex- pla na tion: “Dan iel, I’ve come now to give you un der stand ing. 23 At the be gin ning of your pe ti tions an an swer went out, and I have come to give it, for you are trea sured by God. a So con- sid er the mes sage and un der stand the vi sion: 24 Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city — to bring the rebellion to an end, to put a stop to sin, to atone for iniquity , to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy , and to anoint the most holy place. 25 Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until an Anointed One, the ruler, b will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks. It will be rebuilt with a plaza and a moat, but in difficult times. 26 After those sixty-two weeks the Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing. The people of the coming ruler will destroy the city and the sanctuary . c The d end will come with a flood, and until the end there will be e war; desolations are decreed. 27 He will make a firm covenant f with many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and offering. And the abomination of desolation will be on a wing of the temple g,h until the decreed destruction is poured out on the desolator.” VISION OF A GLORIOUS ONE 10 In the third year of King Cy rus of Per - sia, a mes sage was re vealed to Dan iel, who was named Bel te shaz zar. The mes sage was true and was about a great con flict. He un der stood the mes sage and had un der stand- ing of the vi sion. 2 In those days I, Dan iel, was mourn ing for three full weeks. 3 I didn’t eat any rich food, no meat or wine en tered my mouth, and I didn’t put any oil on my body un til the three weeks were over. 4 On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, i as I was stand ing on the bank of the great riv er, the Ti gris, 5 I looked up, and there was a man dressed in lin en, with a belt of gold from Uphaz j around his waist. 6 His body was like ber yl, k his face like the bril liance of light ning, his eyes like flam ing torch es, his arms and feet like the gleam of pol ished bronze, and the sound of his words like the sound of a mul ti tude. 7 Only I, Dan iel, saw the vi sion. The men who were with me did not see it, but a great ter ror fell on them, and they ran and hid. 8 I was left alone, look ing at this great vi sion. No strength was left in me; my face grew death ly pale, l and I was pow er less. 9 I heard the words he said, and when I heard them I fell into a deep sleep, m with my face to the ground. ANGELIC CONFLICT 10 Sud den ly , a hand touched me and set me shak ing on my hands and knees. 11 He said to me, “Dan iel, you are a man trea sured by God. n Un der stand the words that I’m say ing to you. Stand on your feet, for I have now been sent to you.” Af ter he said this to me, I stood trem bling. a9:23 by God added for clarity b9:25 Or until an anointed one, a prince c9:26 MT; Theod, some mss read The city and the sanctuary will be destroyed when the ruler comes. d9:26 Lit Its, or His e9:26 Or end of a f9:27 Or will enforce a covenant g9:27 LXX; MT reads of abominations h9:27 Or And the desolator will be on the wing of abominations, or And the desolator will come on the wings of monsters (or of horror); Hb obscure i10:4 = Nisan (March–April) j10:5 Some Hb mss read Ophir k10:6 The identity of this stone is uncertain. l10:8 Lit my splendor was turned on me to ruin m10:9 Lit a sleep on my face n10:11 by God added for clarity, also in v. 19 793 DANIEL 9-10 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 793 10/26/17 9:00 PM 12 “ Don’t be afraid, Dan iel,” he said to me, “ for from the first day that you pur posed to un der - stand and to hum ble your self be fore your God, your prayers were heard. I have come be cause of your prayers. 13 But the prince of the king dom of Per sia op posed me for twenty-one days. Then Mi cha el, one of the chief princ es, came to help me af ter I had been left there with the kings of Per sia. 14 Now I have come to help you un der - stand what will hap pen to your peo ple in the last days, for the vi sion refers to those days.” 15 While he was say ing these words to me, I turned my face to ward the ground and was speech less. 16 Sud den ly one with hu man like- ness touched my lips. I opened my mouth and said to the one stand ing in front of me, “ My lord, be cause of the vi sion, an guish over - whelms me and I am pow er less. 17 How can some one like me, your ser vant, a speak with some one like you, my lord? Now I have no strength, and there is no breath in me.” 18 Then the one with a hu man ap pear ance touched me again and strength ened me. 19 He said, “ Don’t be afraid, you who are b trea sured by God. Peace to you; be very strong! ” As he spoke to me, I was strength ened and said, “ Let my lord speak, for you have strength- ened me.” 20 He said, “ Do you know why I’ve come to you? I must re turn at once to fight against the prince of Per sia, and when I leave, the prince of Greece will come. 21 How ev er, I will tell you what is re cord ed in the book of truth. ( No one has the cour age to sup port me against those 11 princ es ex cept Mi cha el, your prince. 1 In the first year of Da ri us the Mede, I stood up to strength en and pro tect him.) 2 Now I will tell you the truth. PROPHECIES ABOUT PERSIA AND GREECE “ Three more kings will arise in Per sia, and the fourth will be far rich er than the oth ers. By the pow er he gains through his rich es, he will stir up ev ery one against the king dom of Greece. 3 Then a war rior king will arise; he will rule a vast realm and do what ev er he wants. 4 But as soon as he is es tab lished, his king dom will be bro ken up and di vid ed to the four winds of heav en, but not to his de scen dants; it will not be the same king dom that he ruled, be cause his king dom will be up root ed and will go to oth ers be sides them.KINGS OF THE SOUTH AND THE NORTH 5 “ The king of the South will grow pow er ful, but one of his com mand ers will grow more pow er ful and will rule a king dom great er than his. 6 Af ter some years they will form an al li ance, and the daugh ter of the king of the South will go to the king of the North to seal the agree ment. She will not re tain pow er, and his strength will not en dure. She will be giv en up, to geth er with her entourage, her fa ther, c and the one who sup port ed her dur - ing those times. 7 In the place of the king of the South, one from her fam i ly d will rise up, come against the army , and en ter the for tress of the king of the North. He will take ac tion against them and tri umph. 8 He will take even their gods cap tive to Egypt, with their met al im ages and their pre cious ar ti cles of sil ver and gold. For some years he will stay away from the king of the North, 9 who will en ter the king dom of the king of the South and then re turn to his own land. 10 “ His sons will mobilize for war and as- sem ble a large num ber of armed forc es. They will ad vance, sweep ing through like a flood, e and will again wage war as far as his for tress. 11 In fu ri at ed, the king of the South will march out to fight with the king of the North, who will raise a large army , but they will be hand ed over to his en e my . 12 When the army is car ried off, he will be come ar ro gant and cause tens of thou sands to fall, but he will not tri umph. 13 The king of the North will again raise a mul ti tude larg er than the first. Af ter some years f he will ad vance with a great army and many sup plies. 14 “ In those times many will rise up against the king of the South. Vi o lent ones among your own peo ple will assert them selves to ful fill a vi sion, but they will fail. 15 Then the king of the North will come, build up a siege ramp, and cap ture a well-fortified city . The forc es of the South will not stand; even their se lect troops will not be able to re sist. 16 The king of the North who comes against him will do what ev er he wants, and no one can op pose him. He will es tab lish him self in the beau ti ful land g with to tal de struc tion in his hand. 17 He will resolve to come with the force of his whole king dom and will reach an agree ment with him. h He will give him a daugh ter in mar riage i to de stroy it, j but she will not stand with him or sup port him. 18 Then he will turn his at ten tion to the a10:17 Lit Can I, a servant of my lord b10:19 Lit afraid, man c11:6 Some Hb mss, Theod read the child ; Syr , Vg read her children d11:7 Lit from the shoot of her roots e11:10 Lit advance and overflow and pass through f11:13 Lit At the end of the times g11:16 = Israel h11:17 = the king of the South i11:17 Lit him the daughter of women j11:17 Perhaps the kingdomDANIEL 10-11 794 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 794 10/26/17 9:00 PM coasts and is lands a and cap ture many . But a com mand er will put an end to his taunting; in stead, he will turn his taunts against him. 19 He will turn his at ten tion back to the for - tress es of his own land, but he will stum ble, fall, and be no more. 20 “ In his place one will arise who will send out a tax col lec tor for the glo ry of the king- dom; but with in a few days he will be bro ken, though not in an ger b or in bat tle. 21 “ In his place a de spised per son will arise; roy al hon ors will not be giv en to him, but he will come dur ing a time of peace c and seize the king dom by in trigue. 22 A flood of forc es will be swept away be fore him; they will be bro ken, as well as the cov enant prince. 23 Af- ter an al li ance is made with him, he will act de ceit ful ly . He will rise to pow er with a small na tion. d 24 Dur ing a time of peace, e he will come into the rich est parts of the prov ince and do what his fa thers and pre de ces sors nev er did. He will lavish plun der, loot, and wealth on his fol low ers, and he will make plans against for ti fied cit ies, but only for a time. 25 “ With a large army he will stir up his pow er and his cour age against the king of the South. The king of the South will pre pare for bat tle with an ex treme ly large and pow er ful army , but he will not suc ceed, be cause plots will be made against him. 26 Those who eat his pro vi- sions will de stroy him; his army will be swept away , and many will fall slain. 27 The two kings, whose hearts are bent on evil, will speak lies at the same ta ble but to no avail, for still the end will come at the ap point ed time. 28 The king of the North will re turn to his land with great wealth, but his heart will be set against the holy cov enant; f he will take ac tion, then re turn to his own land. 29 “ At the ap point ed time he will come again to the South, but this time g will not be like the first. 30 Ships of Kit tim h will come against him, and be ing intimidated, he will with draw . Then he will rage against the holy cov enant and take ac tion. On his re
📜 Prophetic Visions of Judgment and Restoration
🔥 Divine judgment targets unfaithful Israel, portrayed as an adulterous wife whose promiscuity and idol worship provoke God's wrath through invasion, captivity, and destruction
👑 A powerful northern king will rise, desecrate sacred places, abolish sacrifices, and exalt himself above all gods before meeting his ultimate downfall
⏳ Specific time periods (1,290 days, 1,335 days) mark the duration between the "abomination of desolation" and promised deliverance, providing hope during tribulation
💔 God laments Israel's shallow devotion ("love like morning mist") while longing for "faithful love, not sacrifice" and "knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings"
🌱 Despite severe punishment, God promises restoration through a new covenant: "I will take you to be my wife forever... in righteousness, justice, love, and compassion"
✨ The righteous who endure suffering will be purified and ultimately "shine like the bright expanse of the heavens... like stars forever and ever"
turn, he will fa vor those who aban don the holy cov enant. 31 His forc es will rise up and des e crate the tem ple for tress. They will abol ish the reg u lar sac ri- fice and set up the abom i na tion of des o la tion. 32 With flat tery he will cor rupt those who act wick ed ly to ward the cov enant, but the peo ple who know their God will be strong and take ac tion. 33 Those who have in sight among the peo ple will give un der stand ing to many , yet they will fall by the sword and flame, and be cap tured and plun dered for a time. 34 When they fall, they will be helped by some, but many oth ers will join them insincerely . 35 Some of those who have in sight will fall so that they may be re fined, pu ri fied, and cleansed un til the time of the end, for it will still come at the ap point ed time. 36 “ Then the king will do what ev er he wants. He will ex alt and mag ni fy him self above ev ery god, and he will say out ra geous things against the God of gods. He will be suc cess ful un til the time of wrath is com plet ed, be cause what has been de creed will be ac com plished. 37 He will not show re gard for the gods i of his fa thers, the god de sired by wom en, or for any oth er god, be cause he will mag ni fy him self above all. 38 In stead, he will hon or a god of for tress es — a god his fa thers did not know — with gold, sil ver, pre cious stones, and rich es. 39 He will deal with the stron gest for tress es with the help of a for eign god. He will great ly hon or those who ac knowl edge him, j mak ing them rul ers over many and dis trib ut ing land as a re ward. 40 “ At the time of the end, the king of the South will en gage him in bat tle, but the king of the North will storm against him with char i ots, horse men, and many ships. He will in vade coun tries and sweep through them like a flood. 41 He will also in vade the beau ti ful land, and many will fall. But these will es cape from his pow er: Edom, Moab, and the prom i nent peo - ple k of the Am mon ites. 42 He will ex tend his pow er against the coun tries, and not even the land of Egypt will es cape. 43 He will get con trol over the hid den trea sures of gold and sil ver and over all the rich es of Egypt. The Lib y ans and Cush ites will also be in sub mis sion. l 44 But re ports from the east and the north will ter - ri fy him, and he will go out with great fury to an ni hi late and com plete ly de stroy many . 45 He will pitch his roy al tents be tween the sea and m the beau ti ful holy moun tain, but he will meet his end with no one to help him. 12 At that time Michael, the great prince who stands watch over your people, will rise up. There will be a time of distress such as never has occurred a11:18 of the Mediterranean b11:20 Or not openly c11:21 Or come without warning d11:23 Or a few people e11:24 Or Without warning f11:28 Or the Jewish people and religion g11:29 Lit but the last h11:30 = the Romans i11:37 Or God j11:39 Or those he acknowledges k11:41 Lit the first l11:43 Lit Cushites at his steps m11:45 Or the seas at 795 DANIEL 11-12 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 795 10/26/17 9:00 PM since nations came into being until that time. But at that time all your people who are found written in the book will escape. 2 Many who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake, some to eternal life, and some to disgrace and eternal contempt. 3 Those who have insight will shine like the bright expanse of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. 4 “ But you, Dan iel, keep these words se cret and seal the book un til the time of the end. Many will roam about, and knowl edge will in crease.” a 5 Then I, Dan iel, looked, and two oth ers were stand ing there, one on this bank of the riv er and one on the oth er. 6 One of them said to the man dressed in lin en, who was above the wa ter of the riv er, “ How long un til the end of these won drous things? ” 7 Then I heard the man dressed in lin en, who was above the wa ter of the riv er. He raised both his hands b to ward heav en and swore by him who lives eter nal ly that it would be for a time, times, and half a time. When the pow er of the holy peo ple is shat tered, all these things will be com plet ed. 8 I heard but did not un der stand. So I asked, “ My lord, what will be the out come of these things? ” 9 He said, “ Go on your way , Dan iel, for the words are se cret and sealed un til the time of the end. 10 Many will be pu ri fied, cleansed, and re fined, but the wick ed will act wick ed ly; none of the wick ed will un der stand, but those who have in sight will un der stand. 11 From the time the dai ly sac ri fice is abol ished and the abom i na tion of des o la tion is set up, there will be 1,290 days. 12 Hap py is the one who waits for and reach es 1,335 days. 13 But as for you, go on your way to the end; c you will rest, and then you will stand to re ceive your al lot ted in her i tance at the end of the days.” a12:4 LXX reads and the earth will be filled with unrighteousness b12:7 Lit raised his right and his left c12:13 LXX omits to the endDANIEL 12 796 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 796 10/26/17 9:00 PM hosea 1 The word of the L ord that came to Ho sea son of Be e ri dur ing the reigns of Uz zi ah, Jo tham, Ahaz, and Hez e ki ah, kings of Ju dah, and of Jer o bo am son of Je ho ash, king of Is ra el. HOSEA’S MARRIAGE AND CHILDREN 2 When the L ord first spoke to Ho sea, he said this to him: Go and marry a woman of promiscuity , and have children of promiscuity , for the land is committing blatant acts of promiscuity by abandoning the Lord. 3 So he went and mar ried Go mer daugh ter of Dib la im, and she con ceived and bore him a son. 4 Then the L ord said to him: Name him Jezreel, a for in a little while I will bring the bloodshed of Jezreel on the house of Jehu and put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. 5 On that day I will break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel. 6 She con ceived again and gave birth to a daugh ter, and the L ord said to him: Name her Lo-ruhamah, b for I will no longer have compassion on the house of Israel. I will certainly take them away . 7 But I will have compassion on the house of Judah, and I will deliver them by the Lord their God. I will not deliver them by bow , sword, or war, or by horses and cavalry . 8 Af ter Go mer had weaned Lo-ruhamah, she con ceived and gave birth to a son. 9 Then the L ord said: Name him Lo-ammi, c for you are not my people, and I will not be your God. d 10 Yet the number of the Israelites will be like the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or counted. And in the place where they were told: You are not my people, they will be called: Sons of the living God. 11 And the Judeans and the Israelites will be gathered together. They will appoint for themselves a single ruler and go up from e the land. For the day of Jezreel will be great. 2 Call f your brothers: My People and your sisters: Compassion. ISRAEL’S ADULTERY REBUKED 2 Rebuke your mother; rebuke her. For she is not my wife and I am not her husband. Let her remove the promiscuous look from her face and her adultery from between her breasts. 3 Otherwise, I will strip her naked and expose her as she was on the day of her birth. I will make her like a desert and like a parched land, and I will let her die of thirst. 4 I will have no compassion on her children because they are the children of promiscuity . 5 Yes, their mother is promiscuous; she conceived them and acted shamefully . For she thought, “I will follow my lovers, the men who give me my food and water, my wool and flax, my oil and drink.” 6 Therefore, this is what I will do: I will block her g way with thorns; I will enclose her with a wall, so that she cannot find her paths. 7 She will pursue her lovers but not catch them; she will look for them but not find them. a1:4 = God Sows b1:6 = No Compassion c1:9 = Not My People d1:9 Lit not be yours e1:11 Or and flourish in ; Hb obscure f2:1 Lit Say to g2:6 LXX, Syr; MT reads your CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 797 10/26/17 9:00 PM Then she will think, “I will go back to my former husband, for then it was better for me than now .” 8 She does not recognize that it is I who gave her the grain, the new wine, and the fresh oil. I lavished silver and gold on her, which they used for Baal. 9 Therefore, I will take back my grain in its time and my new wine in its season; I will take away my wool and linen, which were to cover her nakedness. 10 Now I will expose her shame in the sight of her lovers, and no one will rescue her from my power. 11 I will put an end to all her celebrations: her feasts, New Moons, and Sabbaths — all her festivals. 12 I will devastate her vines and fig trees. She thinks that these are her wages that her lovers have given her. I will turn them into a thicket, and the wild animals will eat them. 13 And I will punish her for the days of the Baals, to which she burned incense. She put on her rings and her jewelry and followed her lovers, but she forgot me. This is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion. ISRAEL’S ADULTERY FORGIVEN 14 Therefore, I am going to persuade her, lead her to the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her. a 15 There I will give her vineyards back to her and make the Valley of Achor b into a gateway of hope. There she will respond as she did in the days of her youth, as in the day she came out of the land of Egypt. 16 In that day — this is the Lord’s declaration — you will call me, “My husband,” and no longer call me, “My Baal.” c 17 For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth; they will no longer be remembered by their names. 18 On that day I will make a covenant for them with the wild animals, the birds of the sky , and the creatures that crawl on the ground. I will shatter bow , sword, and weapons of war in the land d and will enable the people to rest securely . 19 I will take you to be my wife forever. I will take you to be my wife in righteousness, justice, love, and compassion. 20 I will take you to be my wife in faithfulness, and you will know the Lord. 21 On that day I will respond — this is the Lord’s declaration. I will respond to the sky , and it will respond to the earth. 22 The earth will respond to the grain, the new wine, and the fresh oil, and they will respond to Jezreel. 23 I will sow her e in the land for myself, and I will have compassion on Lo-ruhamah; I will say to Lo-ammi: You are my people, and he will say , “You are my God.” WAITING FOR RESTORATION 3 Then the L ord said to me, “ Go again; show love to a wom an who is loved by an oth er man and is an adul ter ess, just as the L ord loves the Is ra el ites though they turn to oth er gods and love rai sin cakes.” 2 So I bought her for fif teen shek els of sil ver and five bush els of bar ley . f,g 3 I said to her, “ You are to live with me many days. You must not be pro mis cu ous or be long to any man, and I will act the same way to ward you.” 4 For the Is ra el ites must live many days with- out king or prince, with out sac ri fice or sa cred pil lar, and with out ephod or house hold idols. 5 Af ter ward, the peo ple of Is ra el will re turn and seek the L ord their God and Da vid their king. They will come with awe to the L ord and to his good ness in the last days. a2:14 Lit speak to her heart b2:15 = Trouble c2:16 Or My Master d2:18 Or war on the earth e2:23 = Israel f3:2 LXX reads barley and a measure of wine g3:2 Lit silver, a homer of barley, and a lethek of barleyHOSEA 2-3 798 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 798 10/26/17 9:00 PM GOD’S CASE AGAINST ISRAEL 4 Hear the word of the Lord, people of Israel, for the Lord has a case against the inhabitants of the land: There is no truth, no faithful love, and no knowledge of God in the land! 2 Cursing, lying, murder, stealing, and adultery are rampant; one act of bloodshed follows another. 3 For this reason the land mourns, and everyone who lives in it languishes, along with the wild animals and the birds of the sky; even the fish of the sea disappear. 4 But let no one dispute; let no one argue, for my case is against you priests. a,b 5 You will stumble by day; the prophet will also stumble with you by night. And I will destroy your mother. 6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I will reject you from serving as my priest. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget your sons. 7 The more they multiplied, the more they sinned against me. I c will change their d honor into disgrace. 8 They feed on the sin e of my people; they have an appetite for their iniquity . 9 The same judgment will happen to both people and priests. I will punish them for their ways and repay them for their deeds. 10 They will eat but not be satisfied; they will be promiscuous but not multiply . For they have abandoned their devotion to the Lord. 11 Promiscuity , wine, and new wine take away one’s understanding. 12 My people consult their wooden idols, and their divining rods inform them. For a spirit of promiscuity leads them astray; they act promiscuously in disobedience to f their God. 13 They sacrifice on the mountaintops, and they burn offerings on the hills, and under oaks, poplars, and terebinths, because their shade is pleasant. And so your daughters act promiscuously and your daughters-in-law commit adultery . 14 I will not punish your daughters when they act promiscuously or your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery , for the men themselves go off with prostitutes and make sacrifices with cult prostitutes. People without discernment are doomed. WARNINGS FOR ISRAEL AND JUDAH 15 Israel, if you act promiscuously , don’t let Judah become guilty! Do not go to Gilgal or make a pilgrimage to Beth-aven, g and do not swear an oath: As the Lord lives! 16 For Israel is as obstinate as a stubborn cow . Can the Lord now shepherd them like a lamb in an open meadow? 17 Ephraim is attached to idols; leave him alone! 18 When their drinking is over, they turn to promiscuity . Israel’s leaders h fervently love disgrace. b 19 A wind with its wings will carry them off, i and they will be ashamed of their sacrifices. 5 Hear this, priests! Pay attention, house of Israel! Listen, royal house! For the judgment applies to you because you have been a snare at Mizpah and a net spread out on Tabor. a4:4 Text emended; MT reads argue, and your people are like those contending with a priest b4:4,18 Hb obscure c4:7 Alt Hb tradition, Syr , Tg read They d4:7 Alt Hb tradition reads my e4:8 Or sin offerings f4:12 Lit promiscuously from under g4:15 = House of Wickedness h4:18 Lit Her shields ; Ps 47:9; 89:18 i4:19 Lit wind will bind it in its wings 799 HOSEA 4-5 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 799 10/26/17 9:00 PM 2 Rebels are deeply involved in slaughter; I will be a punishment for all of them. a 3 I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hidden from me. For now , Ephraim, you have acted promiscuously; Israel is defiled. 4 Their actions do not allow them to return to their God, for a spirit of promiscuity is among them, and they do not know the Lord. 5 Israel’s arrogance testifies against them. b Both Israel and Ephraim stumble because of their iniquity; even Judah will stumble with them. 6 They go with their flocks and herds to seek the Lord but do not find him; he has withdrawn from them. 7 They betrayed the Lord; indeed, they gave birth to illegitimate children. Now the New Moon will devour them along with their fields. 8 Blow the horn in Gibeah, the trumpet in Ramah; raise the war cry in Beth-aven: Look behind you, c Benjamin! 9 Ephraim will become a desolation on the day of punishment; I announce what is certain among the tribes of Israel. 10 The princes of Judah are like those who move boundary markers; I will pour out my fury on them like water. 11 Ephraim is oppressed, crushed in judgment, for he is determined to follow what is worthless. d 12 So I am like rot to Ephraim and like decay to the house of Judah. 13 When Ephraim saw his sickness and Judah his wound, Ephraim went to Assyria and sent a delegation to the great king. e But he cannot cure you or heal your wound. 14 For I am like a lion to Ephraim and like a young lion to the house of Judah. Yes, I will tear them to pieces and depart. I will carry them off, and no one can rescue them. 15 I will depart and return to my place until they recognize their guilt and seek my face; they will search for me in their distress. A CALL TO REPENTANCE 6 Come, let us return to the Lord. For he has torn us, and he will heal us; he has wounded us, and he will bind up our wounds. 2 He will revive us after two days, and on the third day he will raise us up so we can live in his presence. 3 Let us strive to know the Lord. His appearance is as sure as the dawn. He will come to us like the rain, like the spring showers that water the land. THE LORD’S FIRST LAMENT 4 What am I going to do with you, Ephraim? What am I going to do with you, Judah? Your love is like the morning mist and like the early dew that vanishes. 5 This is why I have used the prophets to cut them down; f I have killed them with the words from my mouth. My judgment strikes like lightning. g 6 For I desire faithful love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. 7 But they , like Adam, h have violated the covenant; there they have betrayed me. 8 Gilead is a city of evildoers, tracked with bloody footprints. 9 Like raiders who wait in ambush for someone, a band of priests murders on the road to Shechem. They commit atrocities. a5:2 Hb obscure b5:5 Lit against his face c5:8 Or We will follow you d5:11 Or follow a command ; Hb obscure e5:13 Or to King Yareb f6:5 Or have cut down the prophets g6:5 LXX, Syr , Tg; MT reads Your judgments go out as light h6:7 Or they, as at Adam, or they, like men,HOSEA 5-6 800 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 800 10/26/17 9:00 PM 10 I have seen something horrible in the house of Israel: Ephraim’s promiscuity is there; Israel is defiled. 11 A harvest is also appointed for you, Judah. When I a return my people from captivity , 7 1 when I heal Israel, the iniquity of Ephraim and the crimes of Samaria will be exposed. For they practice fraud; a thief breaks in; a raiding party pillages outside. 2 But they never consider that I remember all their evil. Now their actions are all around them; they are right in front of my face. ISRAEL ’S CORRUPTION 3 They please the king with their evil, the princes with their lies. 4 All of them commit adultery; they are like an oven heated by a baker who stops stirring the fire from the kneading of the dough until it is leavened. 5 On the day of our king, the princes are sick with the heat of wine — there is a conspiracy with traitors. b 6 For they — their hearts like an oven — draw him into their oven. Their anger smolders all night; in the morning it blazes like a flaming fire. 7 All of them are as hot as an oven, and they consume their rulers. All their kings fall; not one of them calls on me. c 8 Ephraim has allowed himself to get mixed up with the nations. Ephraim is unturned bread baked on a griddle. 9 Foreigners consume his strength, but he does not notice. Even his hair is streaked with gray , but he does not notice. 10 Israel’s arrogance testifies against them, d yet they do not return to the Lord their God, and for all this, they do not seek him. 11 So Ephraim has become like a silly , senseless dove; they call to Egypt, and they go
📜 Divine Judgment and Restoration
🔥 Israel's unfaithfulness provokes God's judgment through military defeat, economic collapse, and exile as punishment for idolatry and moral corruption
🌪️ The day of the Lord approaches with devastating force, described as armies of locusts and foreign invaders that consume everything in their path
💔 Despite Israel's repeated betrayal and rebellion, God expresses profound emotional conflict—"How can I give you up, Ephraim?"—revealing divine compassion amid righteous anger
🙏 Repentance offers the only path forward: "Return to the Lord your God... tear your hearts, not just your clothes" to receive healing and restoration
🌱 God promises ultimate restoration through vivid agricultural imagery—"I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like the lily"—showing that divine punishment serves redemptive purposes
🕊️ The final vision presents a renewed covenant relationship where God declares "I will heal their apostasy; I will freely love them" and Israel flourishes under divine care
to Assyria. 12 As they are going, I will spread my net over them; I will bring them down like birds of the sky . I will discipline them in accordance with the news that reaches e their assembly . THE LORD’S SECOND LAMENT 13 Woe to them, for they fled from me; destruction to them, for they rebelled against me! Though I want to redeem them, they speak lies against me. 14 They do not cry to me from their hearts; rather, they wail on their beds. They slash themselves f for grain and new wine; they turn away from me. 15 I trained and strengthened their arms, but they plot evil against me. 16 They turn, but not to what is above; g they are like a faulty bow . Their leaders will fall by the sword because of their insolent tongue. They will be ridiculed for this in the land of Egypt. ISRAEL’S FALSE HOPES 8 Put the horn to your mouth! One like an eagle comes against the house of the Lord, because they transgress my covenant and rebel against my law . 2 Israel cries out to me, “My God, we know you! ” 3 Israel has rejected what is good; an enemy will pursue him. 4 They have installed kings, but not through me. They have appointed leaders, but without my approval. a6:11 Or you. Judah, when I b7:5 Lit wine — he stretches out his hand to scorners ; Hb obscure c7:3-7 These vv. may refer to a king’s assassination; Hb obscure. d7:10 Lit against his face e7:12 Lit news to f7:14 Some Hb mss, LXX; other Hb mss read They stay g7:16 Some emend to turn to what is useless 801 HOSEA 6-8 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 801 10/26/17 9:00 PM They make their silver and gold into idols for themselves for their own destruction. a 5 Your calf-idol b is rejected, Samaria. My anger burns against them. How long will they be incapable of innocence? 6 For this thing is from Israel — a craftsman made it, and it is not God. The calf of Samaria will be smashed to bits! 7 Indeed, they sow the wind and reap the whirlwind. There is no standing grain; what sprouts fails to yield flour. Even if they did, foreigners would swallow it up. 8 Israel is swallowed up! Now they are among the nations like discarded pottery . 9 For they have gone up to Assyria like a wild donkey going off on its own. Ephraim has paid for love. 10 Even though they hire lovers among the nations, I will now round them up, and they will begin to decrease in number under the burden of the king and leaders. 11 When Ephraim multiplied his altars for sin, they became his altars for sinning. 12 Though I were to write out for him ten thousand points of my instruction, they would be c regarded as something strange. 13 Though they offer sacrificial gifts d and eat the flesh, the Lord does not accept them. Now he will remember their guilt and punish their sins; they will return to Egypt. 14 Israel has forgotten his Maker and built palaces; Judah has also multiplied fortified cities. I will send fire on their cities, and it will consume their citadels.THE COMING EXILE 9 Israel, do not rejoice jubilantly as the nations do, for you have acted promiscuously , leaving your God. You love the wages of a prostitute on every grain-threshing floor. 2 Threshing floor and wine vat will not sustain them, and the new wine will fail them. 3 They will not stay in the land of the Lord. Instead, Ephraim will return to Egypt, and they will eat unclean food in Assyria. 4 They will not pour out their wine offerings to the Lord, and their sacrifices will not please him. Their food will be like the bread of mourners; all who eat it become defiled. For their bread will be for their appetites alone; it will not enter the house of the Lord. 5 What will you do on a festival day , on the day of the Lord’s feast? 6 For even if they flee from devastation, Egypt will gather them, and Memphis will bury them. Thistles will take possession of their precious silver; thorns will invade their tents. 7 The days of punishment have come; the days of retribution have come. Let Israel recognize it! The prophet is a fool, and the inspired man is insane, because of the magnitude of your iniquity and hostility . 8 Ephraim’s watchman is with my God. Yet the prophet encounters a bird trap on all his pathways. Hostility is in the house of his God! 9 They have deeply corrupted themselves as in the days of Gibeah. He will remember their iniquity; he will punish their sins. EPHRAIM BEREAVED OF OFFSPRING 10 I discovered Israel like grapes in the wilderness. I saw your fathers a8:4 Lit themselves that it might be cut off b8:5 Lit calf c8:12 Or Though I wrote out . . . instruction, they are d8:13 Hb obscureHOSEA 8-9 802 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 802 10/26/17 9:00 PM like the first fruit of the fig tree in its first season. But they went to Baal-peor, consecrated themselves to Shame, a and became abhorrent, like the thing they loved. 11 Ephraim’s glory will fly away like a bird: no birth, no pregnancy , no conception. 12 Even if they raise children, I will bereave them of each one. Yes, woe to them when I depart from them! 13 I have seen Ephraim like Tyre, planted in a meadow , so Ephraim will bring out his children to the executioner. 14 Give them, Lord — What should you give? Give them a womb that miscarries and breasts that are dry! 15 All their evil appears at Gilgal, for there I began to hate them. I will drive them from my house because of their evil, wicked actions. I will no longer love them; all their leaders are rebellious. 16 Ephraim is struck down; their roots are withered; they cannot bear fruit. Even if they bear children, I will kill the precious offspring of their wombs. 17 My God will reject them because they have not listened to him; they will become wanderers among the nations. THE VINE AND THE CALF 10 Israel is a lush b vine; it yields fruit for itself. The more his fruit increased, the more he increased the altars. The better his land produced, the better they made the sacred pillars. 2 Their hearts are devious; c now they must bear their guilt. The Lord will break down their altars and demolish their sacred pillars. 3 In fact, they are now saying, “We have no king! For we do not fear the Lord. What can a king do for us? ” 4 They speak mere words, taking false oaths while making covenants. So lawsuits break out like poisonous weeds in the furrows of a field. 5 The residents of Samaria will have anxiety over the calf of Beth-aven. Indeed, its idolatrous priests rejoiced over it; the people will mourn over it, over its glory . It will certainly go into exile. 6 The calf itself will be taken to Assyria as an offering to the great king. d Ephraim will experience shame; Israel will be ashamed of its counsel. 7 Samaria’s king will disappear e like foam f on the surface of the water. 8 The high places of Aven, the sin of Israel, will be destroyed; thorns and thistles will grow over their altars. They will say to the mountains, “Cover us! ” and to the hills, “Fall on us! ” ISRAEL’S DEFEAT BECAUSE OF SIN 9 Israel, you have sinned since the days of Gibeah; they have taken their stand there. Will not war against the unjust overtake them in Gibeah? 10 I will discipline them at my discretion; nations will be gathered against them to put them in bondage g for their double iniquity . 11 Ephraim is a well-trained calf that loves to thresh, but I will place a yoke on h her fine neck. I will harness Ephraim; Judah will plow; Jacob will do the final plowing. 12 Sow righteousness for yourselves and reap faithful love; break up your unplowed ground. It is time to seek the Lord a9:10 = Baal b10:1 Or ravaged c10:2 Or divided d10:6 Or to King Yareb e10:7 Or will be cut off f10:7 Or a stick g10:10 LXX, Syr , Vg read against them when they are disciplined h10:11 Lit will pass over 803 HOSEA 9-10 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 803 10/26/17 9:00 PM until he comes and sends righteousness on you like the rain. 13 You have plowed wickedness and reaped injustice; you have eaten the fruit of lies. Because you have trusted in your own way a and in your large number of soldiers, 14 the roar of battle will rise against your people, and all your fortifications will be demolished in a day of war, like Shalman’s destruction of Beth-arbel. Mothers will be dashed to pieces along with their children. 15 So it will be done to you, Bethel, because of your extreme evil. At dawn the king of Israel will be totally destroyed. THE LORD’S LOVE FOR ISRAEL 11 When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. 2 Israel called to the Egyptians even as Israel was leaving them. b They kept sacrificing to the Baals and burning offerings to idols. 3 It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them c by the hand, d but they never knew that I healed them. 4 I led them with human cords, with ropes of love. To them I was like one who eases the yoke from their jaws; I bent down to give them food. 5 Israel will not return to the land of Egypt and Assyria will be his king, because they refused to repent. 6 A sword will whirl through his cities; it will destroy and devour the bars of his gates, e because of their schemes. 7 My people are bent on turning from me. Though they call to him on high, he will not exalt them at all. 8 How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I surrender you, Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I treat you like Zeboiim? I have had a change of heart; my compassion is stirred! 9 I will not vent the full fury of my anger; I will not turn back to destroy Ephraim. For I am God and not man, the Holy One among you; I will not come in rage. f 10 They will follow the Lord; he will roar like a lion. When he roars, his children will come trembling from the west. 11 They will be roused like birds from Egypt and like doves from the land of Assyria. Then I will settle them in their homes. This is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion. 12 Ephraim surrounds me with lies, the house of Israel, with deceit. Judah still wanders with God and is faithful to the holy ones. g GOD’S CASE AGAINST JACOB’S HEIRS 12 Ephraim chases h the wind and pursues the east wind. He continually multiplies lies and violence. He makes a covenant with Assyria, and olive oil is carried to Egypt. 2 The Lord also has a dispute with Judah. He is about to punish Jacob according to his conduct; he will repay him based on his actions. 3 In the womb he grasped his brother’s heel, and as an adult he wrestled with God. 4 Jacob struggled with the angel and prevailed; he wept and sought his favor. He found him at Bethel, and there he spoke with him. i 5 The Lord is the God of Armies; the Lord is his name. 6 But you must return to your God. Maintain love and justice, and always put your hope in God. a10:13 LXX reads your chariots b11:2 Lit They called to them; thus they went from before them c11:3 LXX, Syr , Vg; MT reads him d11:3 Lit them on his arms e11:6 Or devour his empty talkers, or devour his limbs ; Hb obscure f11:9 Or come into any city ; Hb obscure g11:12 Hb obscure h12:1 Or grazes on, or tends i12:4 LXX, Syr; MT reads usHOSEA 10-12 804 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 804 10/26/17 9:00 PM 7 A merchant loves to extort with dishonest scales in his hands. 8 But Ephraim thinks, “How rich I have become; I made it all myself. In all my earnings, no one can find any iniquity in me that I can be punished for! ” a JUDGMENT ON APOSTATE ISRAEL 9 I have been the Lord your God ever since b the land of Egypt. I will make you live in tents again, as in the festival days. 10 I will speak through the prophets and grant many visions; I will give parables through the prophets. 11 Since Gilead is full of evil, they will certainly come to nothing. They sacrifice bulls in Gilgal; even their altars will be like piles of rocks on the furrows of a field. FURTHER INDICTMENT OF JACOB’S HEIRS 12 Jacob fled to the territory of Aram. Israel worked to earn a wife; he tended flocks for a wife. 13 The Lord brought Israel from Egypt by a prophet, and Israel was tended by a prophet. 14 Ephraim has provoked bitter anger, so his Lord will leave his bloodguilt on him and repay him for his contempt. 13 When Ephraim spoke, there was trembling; he was exalted in Israel. But he incurred guilt through Baal and died. 2 Now they continue to sin and make themselves a cast image, idols skillfully made from their silver, all of them the work of craftsmen. People say about them, “Let the men who sacrifice c kiss the calves.” 3 Therefore, they will be like the morning mist, like the early dew that vanishes, like chaff blown from a threshing floor, or like smoke from a window . DEATH AND RESURRECTION 4 I have been the Lord your God ever since d the land of Egypt; you know no God but me, and no Savior exists besides me. 5 I knew e you in the wilderness, in the land of drought. 6 When they had pasture, they became satisfied; they were satisfied, and their hearts became proud. Therefore they forgot me. 7 So I will be like a lion to them; I will lurk like a leopard on the path. 8 I will attack them like a bear robbed of her cubs and tear open the rib cage over their hearts. I will devour them there like a lioness, like a wild beast that would rip them open. 9 I will destroy you, Israel; you have no help but me. f 10 Where now is your king, g that he may save you in all your cities, and the h rulers i you demanded, saying, “Give me a king and leaders”? 11 I give you a king in my anger and take away a king in my wrath. 12 Ephraim’s guilt is preserved; his sin is stored up. 13 Labor pains come on him. He is not a wise son; when the time comes, he will not be born. j 14 I will ransom them from the power of Sheol. I will redeem k them from death. Death, where are your barbs? Sheol, where is your sting? Compassion is hidden from my eyes. a12:8 Lit iniquity which is sin b12:9 LXX reads God who brought you out of c13:2 Or “Those who make human sacrifices d13:4 DSS, LXX read God who brought you out of e13:5 LXX, Syr read fed f13:9 LXX reads At your destruction, Israel, who will help you? g13:10 LXX, Syr , Vg; MT reads I will be your king h13:10 Lit your i13:10 Or judges j13:13 Lit he will not present himself at the opening of the womb for sons k13:14 Or Should I ransom . . . ? Should I redeem . . . ? 805 HOSEA 12-13 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 805 10/26/17 9:00 PM THE COMING JUDGMENT 15 Although he flourishes among his brothers, a an east wind will come, a wind from the Lord rising up from the desert. His water source will fail, and his spring will run dry . The wind b will plunder the treasury of every precious item. 16 Samaria will bear her guilt because she has rebelled against her God. They will fall by the sword; their children will be dashed to pieces, and their pregnant women ripped open. A PLEA TO REPENT 14 Israel, return to the Lord your God, for you have stumbled in your iniquity . 2 Take words of repentance with you and return to the Lord. Say to him: “Forgive all our iniquity and accept what is good, so that we may repay you with praise c from our d lips. 3 Assyria will not save us, we will not ride on horses, and we will no longer proclaim, ‘Our gods! ’ to the work of our hands. For the fatherless receives compassion in you.”A PROMISE OF RESTORATION 4 I will heal their apostasy; I will freely love them, for my anger will have turned from him. 5 I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like the lily and take root like the cedars of Lebanon. 6 His new branches will spread, and his splendor will be like the olive tree, his fragrance, like the forest of Lebanon. 7 The people will return and live beneath his shade. They will grow grain and blossom like the vine. His renown will be like the wine of Lebanon. 8 Ephraim, why should I e have anything more to do with idols? It is I who answer and watch over him. I am like a flourishing pine tree; your fruit comes from me. 9 Let whoever is wise understand these things, and whoever is insightful recognize them. For the ways of the Lord are right, and the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious stumble in them. a13:15 Or among reeds b13:15 Probably the Assyrian king c14:2 LXX reads with the fruit d14:2 Lit repay the bulls of our e14:8 LXX reads heHOSEA 13-14 806 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 806 10/26/17 9:00 PM Joel 1 The word of the L ord that came to Joel son of Pe thu el: A PLAGUE OF LOCUSTS 2 Hear this, you elders; listen, all you inhabitants of the land. Has anything like this ever happened in your days or in the days of your ancestors? 3 Tell your children about it, and let your children tell their children, and their children the next generation. 4 What the devouring locust has left, the swarming locust has eaten; what the swarming locust has left, the young locust has eaten; and what the young locust has left, the destroying locust has eaten. 5 Wake up, you drunkards, and weep; wail, all you wine drinkers, because of the sweet wine, for it has been taken from your mouth. 6 For a nation has invaded my land, powerful and without number; its teeth are the teeth of a lion, and it has the fangs of a lioness. 7 It has devastated my grapevine and splintered my fig tree. It has stripped off its bark and thrown it away; its branches have turned white. 8 Grieve like a young woman dressed in sackcloth, mourning for the husband of her youth. 9 Grain and drink offerings have been cut off from the house of the Lord; the priests, who are ministers of the Lord, mourn. 10 The fields are destroyed; the land grieves; indeed, the grain is destroyed; the new wine is dried up; and the fresh oil fails. 11 Be ashamed, you farmers, wail, you vinedressers, a over the wheat and the barley , because the harvest of the field has perished. 12 The grapevine is dried up, and the fig tree is withered; the pomegranate, the date palm, and the apple — all the trees of the orchard — have withered. Indeed, human joy has dried up. 13 Dress in sackcloth and lament, you priests; wail, you ministers of the altar. Come and spend the night in sackcloth, you ministers of my God, because grain and drink offerings are withheld from the house of your God. 14 Announce a sacred fast; proclaim an assembly! Gather the elders and all the residents of the land at the house of the Lord your God, and cry out to the Lord. THE DAY OF THE LORD 15 Woe because of that day! For the day of the Lord is near and will come as devastation from the Almighty . 16 Hasn’t the food been cut off before our eyes, joy and gladness from the house of our God? 17 The seeds lie shriveled in their casings. b The storehouses are in ruin, and the granaries are broken down, because the grain has withered away . 18 How the animals groan! The herds of cattle wander in confusion since they have no pasture. Even the flocks of sheep and goats suffer punishment. 19 I call to you, Lord, for fire has consumed the pastures of the wilderness, and flames have devoured all the trees of the orchard. a1:11 Or The farmers are dismayed, the vinedressers wail b1:17 Or clods ; Hb obscure CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 807 10/26/17 9:00 PM 20 Even the wild animals cry out to a you, for the river beds are dried up, and fire has consumed the pastures of the wilderness. 2 Blow the horn in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the residents of the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming; in fact, it is near — 2 a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and total darkness, like the dawn spreading over the mountains; a great and strong people appears, such as never existed in ages past and never will again in all the generations to come. 3 A fire devours in front of them, and behind them a flame blazes. The land in front of them is like the garden of Eden, but behind them, it is like a desert wasteland; there is no escape from them. 4 Their appearance is like that of horses, and they gallop like war horses. 5 They bound on the tops of the mountains. Their sound is like the sound of chariots, like the sound of fiery flames consuming stubble, like a mighty army deployed for war. 6 Nations writhe in horror before them; all faces turn pale. 7 They attack as warriors attack; they scale walls as men of war do. Each goes on his own path, and they do not change their course. 8 They do not push each other; each proceeds on his own path. They dodge the arrows, never stopping. 9 They storm the city; they run on the wall; they climb into the houses; they enter through the windows like thieves. 10 The earth quakes before them; the sky shakes. The sun and moon grow dark, and the stars cease their shining. 11 The Lord makes his voice heard in the presence of his army . His camp is very large; those who carry out his command are powerful. Indeed, the day of the Lord is terrible and dreadful — who can endure it? GOD’S CALL FOR REPENTANCE 12 Even now — this is the Lord’s declaration — turn to me with all your heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning. 13 Tear your hearts, not just your clothes, and return to the Lord your God. For he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in faithful love, and he
🙏 Divine Restoration and Judgment
🌱 God's mercy shines through Joel's prophecy, promising to restore what was destroyed and transform devastation into abundance after the people's sincere repentance
🔥 The Day of the Lord brings both judgment for the wicked and refuge for God's people, culminating in cosmic signs and ultimate salvation for those who call on His name
💧 God's Spirit will be poured out on all humanity—regardless of age, gender, or social status—enabling prophecy, dreams, and visions among God's people
⚖️ The nations face divine judgment for their mistreatment of Israel, with God promising to gather them for a final reckoning in the Valley of Jehoshaphat
🌍 Social justice emerges as a central theme in Amos, as God condemns those who "trample the heads of the poor" and "sell a righteous person for silver"
🏙️ Despite religious ceremonies and offerings, God rejects empty worship, demanding instead that "justice flow like water, and righteousness like an unfailing stream"
relents from sending disaster. 14 Who knows? He may turn and relent and leave a blessing behind him, so you can offer grain and wine to the Lord your God. 15 Blow the horn in Zion! Announce a sacred fast; proclaim an assembly . 16 Gather the people; sanctify the congregation; assemble the aged; b gather the infants, even babies nursing at the breast. Let the groom leave his bedroom, and the bride her honeymoon chamber. 17 Let the priests, the Lord’s ministers, weep between the portico and the altar. Let them say: “Have pity on your people, Lord, and do not make your inheritance a disgrace, an object of scorn among the nations. Why should it be said among the peoples, ‘Where is their God? ’ ” GOD’S RESPONSE TO HIS PEOPLE 18 Then the L ord be came jeal ous for his land and spared his peo ple. 19 The L ord an swered his peo ple: a1:20 Or animals pant for ; Hb obscure b2:16 Or eldersJOEL 1-2 808 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 808 10/26/17 9:00 PM Look, I am about to send you grain, new wine, and fresh oil. You will be satiated with them, and I will no longer make you a disgrace among the nations. 20 I will drive the northerner far from you and banish him to a dry and desolate land, his front ranks into the Dead Sea, and his rear guard into the Mediterranean Sea. His stench will rise; yes, his rotten smell will rise, for he has done astonishing things. 21 Don’t be afraid, land; rejoice and be glad, for the Lord has done astonishing things. 22 Don’t be afraid, wild animals, for the wilderness pastures have turned green, the trees bear their fruit, and the fig tree and grapevine yield their riches. 23 Children of Zion, rejoice and be glad in the Lord your God, because he gives you the autumn rain for your vindication. a He sends showers for you, both autumn and spring rain as before. 24 The threshing floors will be full of grain, and the vats will overflow with new wine and fresh oil. 25 I will repay you for the years that the swarming locust ate, the young locust, the destroying locust, and the devouring locust — my great army that I sent against you. 26 You will have plenty to eat and be satisfied. You will praise the name of the Lord your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. My people will never again be put to shame. 27 You will know that I am present in Israel and that I am the Lord your God, and there is no other. My people will never again be put to shame. GOD’S PROMISE OF HIS SPIRIT 28 After this I will pour out my Spirit on all humanity; then your sons and your daughters will prophesy , your old men will have dreams, and your young men will see visions. 29 I will even pour out my Spirit on the male and female slaves in those days. 30 I will display wonders in the heavens and on the earth: blood, fire, and columns of smoke. 31 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes. 32 Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved, for there will be an escape for those on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, as the Lord promised, among the survivors the Lord calls. JUDGMENT OF THE NATIONS 3 Yes, in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, 2 I will gather all the nations and take them to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. b I will enter into judgment with them there because of my people, my inheritance Israel. The nations have scattered the Israelites in foreign countries and divided up my land. 3 They cast lots for my people; they bartered a boy for a prostitute and sold a girl for wine to drink. 4 And also: Tyre, Si don, and all the ter ri to ries of Phi lis tia — what are you to me? Are you pay ing me back or try ing to get even with me? I will quick ly bring ret ri bu tion on your heads. 5 For you took my sil ver and gold and car ried my fin est trea sures to your tem ples. a2:23 Or righteousness b3:2 = The Lord Will Judge 809 JOEL 2-3 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 809 10/26/17 9:00 PM 6 You sold the peo ple of Ju dah and Je ru sa lem to the Greeks to re move them far from their own ter ri to ry . 7 Look, I am about to rouse them up from the place where you sold them; I will bring ret ri bu tion on your heads. 8 I will sell your sons and daugh ters to the peo ple of Ju- dah, and they will sell them to the Sa be ans, a to a dis tant na tion, for the L ord has spo ken. 9 Proclaim this among the nations: Prepare for holy war; rouse the warriors; let all the men of war advance and attack! 10 Beat your plows into swords and your pruning knives into spears. Let even the weakling say , “I am a warrior.” 11 Come quickly , b all you surrounding nations; gather yourselves. Bring down your warriors there, Lord. 12 Let the nations be roused and come to the Valley of Jehoshaphat, for there I will sit down to judge all the surrounding nations. 13 Swing the sickle because the harvest is ripe. Come and trample the grapes because the winepress is full; the wine vats overflow because the wickedness of the nations is extreme. 14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. 15 The sun and moon will grow dark, and the stars will cease their shining. 16 The Lord will roar from Zion and make his voice heard from Jerusalem; heaven and earth will shake. But the Lord will be a refuge for his people, a stronghold for the Israelites. ISRAEL BLESSED 17 Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, who dwells in Zion, my holy mountain. Jerusalem will be holy , and foreigners will never overrun it again. 18 In that day the mountains will drip with sweet wine, and the hills will flow with milk. All the streams of Judah will flow with water, and a spring will issue from the Lord’s house, watering the Valley of Acacias. c 19 Egypt will become desolate, and Edom a desert wasteland, because of the violence done to the people of Judah in whose land they shed innocent blood. 20 But Judah will be inhabited forever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation. 21 I will pardon their bloodguilt, d which I have not pardoned, for the Lord dwells in Zion. a3:8 Probably the south Arabian kingdom of Sheba (modern Y emen) b3:11 LXX, Syr , Tg read Gather yourselves and come ; Hb obscure c3:18 Or Shittim d3:21 LXX, Syr read I will avenge their bloodJOEL 3 810 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 810 10/26/17 9:00 PM amos 1 The words of Amos, who was one of the sheep breed ers a from Te koa — what he saw re gard ing Is ra el in the days of King Uz zi ah of Ju dah and Jer o bo am son of Je ho ash, king of Is ra el, two years be fore the earth quake. 2 He said: The Lord roars from Zion and makes his voice heard from Jerusalem; the pastures of the shepherds mourn, b and the summit of Carmel withers. JUDGMENT ON ISRAEL’S NEIGHBORS 3 The L ord says: I will not relent from punishing Damascus for three crimes, even four, because they threshed Gilead with iron sledges. 4 Therefore, I will send fire against Hazael’s palace, and it will consume Ben-hadad’s citadels. 5 I will break down the gates c of Damascus. I will cut off the ruler from the Valley of Aven, and the one who wields the scepter from Beth-eden. The people of Aram will be exiled to Kir. The Lord has spoken. 6 The L ord says: I will not relent from punishing Gaza for three crimes, even four, because they exiled a whole community , handing them over to Edom. 7 Therefore, I will send fire against the walls of Gaza, and it will consume its citadels. 8 I will cut off the ruler from Ashdod, and the one who wields the scepter from Ashkelon. I will also turn my hand against Ekron, and the remainder of the Philistines will perish. The Lord God has spoken.9 The L ord says: I will not relent from punishing Tyre for three crimes, even four, because they handed over a whole community of exiles to Edom and broke d a treaty of brotherhood. 10 Therefore, I will send fire against the walls of Tyre, and it will consume its citadels. 11 The L ord says: I will not relent from punishing Edom for three crimes, even four, because he pursued his brother with the sword. He stifled his compassion, his anger tore at him continually , and he harbored his rage incessantly . 12 Therefore, I will send fire against Teman, and it will consume the citadels of Bozrah. 13 The L ord says: I will not relent from punishing the Ammonites for three crimes, even four, because they ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead in order to enlarge their territory . 14 Therefore, I will set fire to the walls of Rabbah, and it will consume its citadels. There will be shouting on the day of battle and a violent wind on the day of the storm. 15 Their king and his princes will go into exile together. The Lord has spoken. 2 The L ord says: I will not relent from punishing Moab for three crimes, even four, because he burned the bones of the king of Edom to lime. 2 Therefore, I will send fire against Moab, and it will consume the citadels of Kerioth. a1:1 Or the shepherds b1:2 Or dry up c1:5 Lit gate bars d1:9 Lit and did not remember CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 811 10/26/17 9:00 PM Moab will die with a tumult, with shouting and the sound of the ram’s horn. 3 I will cut off the judge from the land and kill all its officials with him. The Lord has spoken. JUDGMENT ON JUDAH 4 The L ord says: I will not relent from punishing Judah for three crimes, even four, because they have rejected the instruction of the Lord and have not kept his statutes. The lies that their ancestors followed have led them astray . 5 Therefore, I will send fire against Judah, and it will consume the citadels of Jerusalem. JUDGMENT ON ISRAEL 6 The L ord says: I will not relent from punishing Israel for three crimes, even four, because they sell a righteous person for silver and a needy person for a pair of sandals. 7 They trample the heads of the poor on the dust of the ground and obstruct the path of the needy . A man and his father have sexual relations with the same girl, profaning my holy name. 8 They stretch out beside every altar on garments taken as collateral, and in the house of their God they drink wine obtained through fines. 9 Yet I destroyed the Amorite as Israel advanced; his height was like the cedars, and he was as sturdy as the oaks; I destroyed his fruit above and his roots beneath. 10 And I brought you from the land of Egypt and led you forty years in the wilderness in order to possess the land of the Amorite. 11 I raised up some of your sons as prophets and some of your young men as Nazirites. Is this not the case, Israelites? This is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion. 12 But you made the Nazirites drink wine and commanded the prophets, “Do not prophesy .” 13 Look, I am about to crush a you in your place as a wagon crushes when full of grain. 14 Escape will fail the swift, the strong one will not maintain his strength, and the warrior will not save his life. 15 The archer will not stand his ground, the one who is swift of foot will not save himself, and the one riding a horse will not save his life. 16 Even the most courageous of the warriors will flee naked on that day — this is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion. GOD’S REASONS FOR PUNISHING ISRAEL 3 Lis ten to this mes sage that the L ord has spo ken against you, Is ra el ites, against the en tire clan that I brought from the land of Egypt: 2 I have known only you out of all the clans of the earth; therefore, I will punish you for all your iniquities. 3 Can two walk together without agreeing to meet? 4 Does a lion roar in the forest when it has no prey? Does a young lion growl from its lair unless it has captured something? 5 Does a bird land in a trap on the ground if there is no bait for it? Does a trap spring from the ground when it has caught nothing? 6 If a ram’s horn is blown in a city , aren’t people afraid? If a disaster occurs in a city , hasn’t the Lord done it? 7 Indeed, the Lord God does nothing without revealing his counsel to his servants the prophets. 8 A lion has roared; a2:13 Or hinder ; Hb obscureAMOS 2-3 812 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 812 10/26/17 9:00 PM who will not fear? The Lord God has spoken; who will not prophesy? 9 Proclaim on the citadels in Ashdod and on the citadels in the land of Egypt: Assemble on the mountains of Samaria, and see the great turmoil in the city and the acts of oppression within it. 10 The people are incapable of doing right — this is the Lord’s declaration — those who store up violence and destruction in their citadels. 11 There fore, the Lord G od says: An enemy will surround the land; he will destroy your strongholds and plunder your citadels. 12 The L ord says: As the shepherd snatches two legs or a piece of an ear from the lion’s mouth, so the Israelites who live in Samaria will be rescued with only the corner of a bed or the a cushion b of a couch. c 13 Listen and testify against the house of Jacob — this is the declaration of the Lord God, the God of Armies. 14 I will punish the altars of Bethel on the day I punish Israel for its crimes; the horns of the altar will be cut off and fall to the ground. 15 I will demolish the winter house and the summer house; the houses inlaid with ivory will be destroyed, and the great houses will come to an end. This is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion. SOCIAL AND SPIRITUAL CORRUPTION 4 Listen to this message, you cows of Bashan who are on the hill of Samaria, women who oppress the poor and crush the needy , who say to their husbands, “Bring us something to drink.” 2 The Lord G od has sworn by his ho li ness: Look, the days are coming d when you will be taken away with hooks, every last one of you with fishhooks. 3 You will go through breaches in the wall, each woman straight ahead, and you will be driven along toward Harmon. This is the Lord’s declaration. 4 Come to Bethel and rebel; rebel even more at Gilgal! Bring your sacrifices every morning, your tenths every three days. 5 Offer leavened bread as a thank offering, and loudly proclaim your freewill offerings, for that is what you Israelites love to do! This is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion. GOD’S DISCIPLINE AND ISRAEL’S APOSTASY 6 I gave you absolutely nothing to eat e in all your cities, a shortage of food in all your communities, yet you did not return to me. This is the Lord’s declaration. 7 I also withheld the rain from you while there were still three months until harvest. I sent rain on one city but no rain on another. One field received rain while a field with no rain withered. 8 Two or three cities staggered to another city to drink water but were not satisfied, yet you did not return to me. This is the Lord’s declaration. 9 I struck you with blight and mildew; the locust devoured your many gardens and vineyards, your fig trees and olive trees, a3:12 Or Israelites will be rescued, those who sit in Samaria on a corner of a bed or a b3:12 Hb obscure c3:12 LXX, Aq, Sym, Theod, Syr , Tg, Vg read or in Damascus d4:2 Lit coming on you e4:6 Lit you cleanness of teeth 813 AMOS 3-4 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 813 10/26/17 9:00 PM yet you did not return to me. This is the Lord’s declaration. 10 I sent plagues like those of Egypt; I killed your young men with the sword, along with your captured horses. I caused the stench of your camp to fill your nostrils, yet you did not return to me. This is the Lord’s declaration. 11 I overthrew some of you as I a overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and you were like a burning stick snatched from a fire, yet you did not return to me — This is the Lord’s declaration. 12 Therefore, Israel, that is what I will do to you, and since I will do that to you, Israel, prepare to meet your God! 13 He is here: the one who forms the mountains, creates the wind, and reveals his thoughts to man, the one who makes the dawn out of darkness and strides on the heights of the earth. The Lord, the God of Armies, is his name. LAMENTATION FOR ISRAEL 5 Lis ten to this mes sage that I am sing ing for you, a la ment, house of Is ra el: 2 She has fallen; Virgin Israel will never rise again. She lies abandoned on her land with no one to raise her up. 3 For the Lord G od says: The city that marches out a thousand strong will have only a hundred left, and the one that marches out a hundred strong will have only ten left in the house of Israel. SEEK GOD AND LIVE 4 For the L ord says to the house of Is ra el: Seek me and live! 5 Do not seek Bethel or go to Gilgal or journey to Beer -sheba, for Gilgal will certainly go into exile, and Bethel will come to nothing. 6 Seek the Lord and live, or he will spread like fire throughout the house of Joseph; it will consume everything with no one at Bethel to extinguish it. 7 Those who turn justice into wormwood also throw righteousness to the ground. 8 The one who made the Pleiades and Orion, who turns darkness b into dawn and darkens day into night, who summons the water of the sea and pours it out over the surface of the earth — the Lord is his name. 9 He brings destruction c on the strong, d and it falls on the fortress. 10 They hate the one who convicts the guilty at the city gate, and they despise the one who speaks with integrity . 11 Therefore, because you trample on the poor and exact a grain tax from him, you will never live in the houses of cut stone you have built; you will never drink the wine from the lush vineyards you have planted. 12 For I know your crimes are many and your sins innumerable. They oppress the righteous, take a bribe, and deprive the poor of justice at the city gates. 13 Therefore, those who have insight will keep silent e at such a time, for the days are evil. 14 Pursue good and not evil so that you may live, and the Lord, the God of Armies, will be with you as you have claimed. a4:11 Lit God b5:8 Or turns the shadow of death c5:9 Hb obscure d5:9 Or stronghold e5:13 Or who are prudent will perishAMOS 4-5 814 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 814 10/26/17 9:00 PM 15 Hate evil and love good; establish justice in the city gate. Perhaps the Lord, the God of Armies, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph. 16 There fore the L ord, the God of Ar mies, the Lord, says: There will be wailing in all the public squares; they will cry out in anguish a in all the streets. The farmer will be called on to mourn, and professional mourners b to wail. 17 There will be wailing in all the vineyards, for I will pass among you. The Lord has spoken. THE DAY OF THE LORD 18 Woe to you who long for the day of the Lord! What will the day of the Lord be for you? It will be darkness and not light. 19 It will be like a man who flees from a lion only to have a bear confront him. He goes home and rests his hand against the wall only to have a snake bite him. 20 Won’t the day of the Lord be darkness rather than light, even gloom without any brightness in it? 21 I hate, I despise, your feasts! I can’t stand the stench of your solemn assemblies. 22 Even if you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; I will have no regard for your fellowship offerings of fattened cattle. 23 Take away from me the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. 24 But let justice flow like water, and righteousness, like an unfailing stream.25 “ House of Is ra el, was it sac ri fic es and grain off er ings that you pre sent ed to me dur ing the for ty years in the wil der ness? 26 But you have tak en up c Sakkuth your king and Kaiwan your star god, d im ages you have made for your - selves. 27 So I will send you into ex ile be yond Da mas cus.” The L ord, the God of Ar mies, is his name. He has spo ken. WOE TO THE COMPLACENT 6 Woe to those who are at ease in Zion and to those who feel secure on the hill of Samaria — the notable people in this first of the nations, those the house of Israel comes to. 2 Cross over to Calneh and see; go from there to great Hamath; then go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are you better than these kingdoms? Is their territory larger than yours? 3 You dismiss any thought of the evil day and bring in a reign of violence. 4 They lie on beds inlaid with ivory , sprawled out on their couches, and dine on lambs from the flock and calves from the stall. 5 They improvise songs e to the sound of the harp and invent f their own musical instruments like David. 6 They drink wine by the bowlful and anoint themselves with the finest oils but do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph. 7 Therefore, they will now go into exile as the first of the captives,
📜 Divine Judgment and Restoration
🔥 God's judgment against Israel and surrounding nations stems from their pride, oppression of the poor, and religious hypocrisy, with vivid imagery of destruction and exile
⚖️ The Lord establishes a moral plumb line against which nations are measured, demanding justice rather than empty religious rituals and condemning those who "trample on the needy"
🏃♂️ Prophetic resistance emerges through figures like Amos and Jonah, who initially flee but ultimately deliver God's message despite opposition from religious and political authorities
🌊 Divine sovereignty extends everywhere—from heaven to Sheol, from mountaintops to sea depths—making escape from God's presence impossible, as Jonah dramatically discovers
🌱 Despite severe judgment, God promises ultimate restoration and renewal for the faithful remnant, with mountains "dripping sweet wine" and people rebuilding ruined cities
🌍 The text concludes with a vision of universal justice where "saviors will ascend Mount Zion" and "the kingdom will be the Lord's"
and the feasting of those who sprawl out will come to an end. ISRAEL’S PRIDE JUDGED 8 The Lord G od has sworn by him self — this is the dec la ra tion of the L ord, the God of Ar mies: I loathe Jacob’s pride and hate his citadels, so I will hand over the city and everything in it. 9 And if there are ten men left in one house, they will die. 10 A close rel a tive g and burner h a5:16 Lit will say, “ Alas! Alas! ” b5:16 Lit and those skilled in lamentation c5:26 Or you will lift up d5:26 LXX reads taken up the tent of Molech and the star of your god Rephan ; Ac 7:43 e6:5 Hb obscure f6:5 Or compose on g6:10 Lit His uncle h6:10 A burner of incense, a memorial fire, or a body; Hb obscure 815 AMOS 5-6 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 815 10/26/17 9:00 PM will re move his corpse a from the house. He will call to some one in the in ner re cess es of the house, “ Any more with you? ” That per son will re ply , “ None.” Then he will say , “Si lence, be cause the L ord’ s name must not be in voked.” 11 For the L ord com mands: The large house will be smashed to pieces, and the small house to rubble. 12 Do horses gallop on the cliffs? Does anyone plow there with oxen? b Yet you have turned justice into poison and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood — 13 you who rejoice over Lo-debar and say , “Didn’t we capture Karnaim for ourselves by our own strength? ” 14 But look, I am raising up a nation against you, house of Israel — this is the declaration of the Lord, the God of Armies — and they will oppress you from the entrance of Hamath c to the Brook of the Arabah. d FIRST VISION: LOCUSTS 7 The Lord G od showed me this: He was form- ing a swarm of lo custs at the time the spring crop first be gan to sprout — af ter the cut ting of the king’s hay . 2 When the lo custs fin ished eat ing the veg e ta tion of the land, I said, “ Lord G od, please for give! How will Ja cob sur vive since he is so small? ” 3 The L ord re lent ed con cern ing this. “ It will not hap pen,” he said. SECOND VISION: FIRE 4 The Lord G od showed me this: The Lord G od was call ing for a judg ment by fire. It con sumed the great deep and de voured the land. 5 Then I said, “ Lord G od, please stop! How will Ja cob sur vive since he is so small? ” 6 The L ord re lent ed con cern ing this. “ This will not hap pen ei ther,” said the Lord G od. THIRD VISION: A PLUMB LINE 7 He showed me this: The Lord was stand ing there by a vertical wall with a plumb line in his hand. 8 The L ord asked me, “ What do you see, Amos? ” I re plied, “ A plumb line.” Then the Lord said, “ I am set ting a plumb line among my peo ple Is ra el; I will no lon ger spare them: 9 Isaac’s high places will be deserted, and Israel’s sanctuaries will be in ruins; I will rise up against the house of Jeroboam with a sword.” AMAZIAH’S OPPOSITION 10 Am a zi ah the priest of Beth el sent word to King Jer o bo am of Is ra el, say ing, “ Amos has con spired against you right here in the house of Is ra el. The land can not en dure all his words, 11 for Amos has said this: ‘Jer o bo am will die by the sword, and Is ra el will cer tain ly go into ex ile from its home land.’ ” 12 Then Am a zi ah said to Amos, “ Go away , you seer! Flee to the land of Ju dah. Earn your liv ing e and give your proph e cies there, 13 but don’t ever proph e sy at Beth el again, for it is the king’s sanc tu ary and a roy al tem ple.” 14 So Amos an swered Am a zi ah, “ I was f not a proph et or the son of a proph et; g rath er, I was f a herdsman, and I took care of syc a more figs. 15 But the L ord took me from fol low ing the flock and said to me, ‘ Go, proph e sy to my peo ple Is ra el.’ ” 16 Now hear the word of the L ord. You say: Do not prophesy against Israel; do not preach against the house of Isaac. 17 There fore, this is what the L ord says: Your wife will be a prostitute in the city , your sons and daughters will fall by the sword, and your land will be divided up with a measuring line. You yourself will die on pagan h soil, and Israel will certainly go into exile from its homeland. FOURTH VISION: A BASKET OF SUMMER FRUIT 8 The Lord G od showed me this: a bas ket of sum mer fruit. 2 He asked me, “ What do you see, Amos? ” I re plied, “ A bas ket of sum mer fruit.” i The L ord said to me, “ The end has come for my peo ple Is ra el; I will no lon ger spare them. a6:10 Lit remove bones b6:12 Some emend to plow the sea c6:14 Or from Lebo-hamath d6:14 Probably the Valley of Zared at the southeast end of the Dead Sea e7:12 Lit Eat bread f7:14 Or am g7:14 = a prophet’s disciple or a member of a prophetic guild h7:17 Lit unclean i8:2 In Hb the word for summer fruit sounds like the word for end.AMOS 6-8 816 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 816 10/26/17 9:00 PM 3 In that day the tem ple a songs will be come wail ing” — this is the Lord G od’ s dec la ra tion. “ Many dead bod ies, thrown ev ery where! Si- lence! ” 4 Hear this, you who trample on the needy and do away with the poor of the land, 5 asking, “When will the New Moon be over so we may sell grain, and the Sabbath, so we may market wheat? We can reduce the measure while increasing the price b and cheat with dishonest scales. 6 We can buy the poor with silver and the needy for a pair of sandals and even sell the chaff! ” 7 The L ord has sworn by the Pride of Ja cob: c I will never forget all their deeds. 8 Because of this, won’t the land quake and all who dwell in it mourn? All of it will rise like the Nile; it will surge and then subside like the Nile in Egypt. 9 And in that day — this is the declaration of the Lord God — I will make the sun go down at noon; I will darken the land in the daytime. 10 I will turn your feasts into mourning and all your songs into lamentation; I will cause everyone d to wear sackcloth and every head to be shaved. I will make that grief like mourning for an only son and its outcome like a bitter day . 11 Look, the days are coming — this is the declaration of the Lord God — when I will send a famine through the land: not a famine of bread or a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord. 12 People will stagger from sea to sea and roam from north to east seeking the word of the Lord, but they will not find it. 13 In that day the beautiful young women, the young men also, will faint from thirst. 14 Those who swear by the guilt of Samaria and say , “ As your god lives, Dan,” or, “ As the way e,f of Beer -sheba lives” — they will fall, never to rise again. FIFTH VISION: THE LORD BESIDE THE ALTAR 9 I saw the Lord stand ing be side the al tar, and he said: Strike the capitals of the pillars so that the thresholds shake; knock them down on the heads of all the people. Then I will kill the rest of them with the sword. None of those who flee will get away; none of the fugitives will escape. 2 If they dig down to Sheol, from there my hand will take them; if they climb up to heaven, from there I will bring them down. 3 If they hide on the top of Carmel, from there I will track them down and seize them; if they conceal themselves from my sight on the sea floor, from there I will command the sea serpent to bite them. 4 And if they are driven by their enemies into captivity , from there I will command the sword to kill them. I will keep my eye on them for harm and not for good. 5 The Lord, the God of Armies — he touches the earth; it melts, and all who dwell in it mourn; all of it rises like the Nile and subsides like the Nile of Egypt. 6 He builds his upper chambers in the heavens and lays the foundation of his vault on the earth. He summons the water of the sea and pours it out over the surface of the earth. The Lord is his name. a8:3 Or palace b8:5 Lit reduce the ephah and make the shekel great c8:7 = the Lord or the promised land d8:10 Lit every waist e8:14 LXX reads god f8:14 Or power 817 AMOS 8-9 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 817 10/26/17 9:00 PM ANNOUNCEMENT OF JUDGMENT 7 Israelites, are you not like the Cushites to me? This is the Lord’s declaration. Didn’t I bring Israel from the land of Egypt, the Philistines from Caphtor, a and the Arameans from Kir? 8 Look, the eyes of the Lord God are on the sinful kingdom, and I will obliterate it from the face of the earth. However, I will not totally destroy the house of Jacob — this is the Lord’s declaration — 9 for I am about to give the command, and I will shake the house of Israel among all the nations, as one shakes a sieve, but not a pebble will fall to the ground. 10 All the sinners among my people who say: “Disaster will never overtake b or confront us,” will die by the sword. ANNOUNCEMENT OF RESTORATION 11 In that day I will restore the fallen shelter of David: I will repair its gaps, restore its ruins, and rebuild it as in the days of old, 12 so that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations that bear my name — c this is the declaration of the Lord; he will do this. 13 Look, the days are coming — this is the Lord’s declaration — when the plowman will overtake the reaper and the one who treads grapes, the sower of seed. The mountains will drip with sweet wine, and all the hills will flow with it. 14 I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel. d They will rebuild and occupy ruined cities, plant vineyards and drink their wine, make gardens and eat their produce. 15 I will plant them on their land, and they will never again be uprooted from the land I have given them. The Lord your God has spoken. a9:7 Probably Crete b9:10 Or “You will not let disaster come near c9:12 LXX reads so that the remnant of man and all the nations . . . may seek me ; Ac 15:17 d9:14 Or restore my people Israel from captivityAMOS 9 818 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 818 10/26/17 9:00 PM obadiah T he vi sion of Oba di ah. EDOM’S CERTAIN JUDGMENT This is what the Lord G od has said about Edom: We have heard a message from the Lord; an envoy has been sent among the nations: “Rise up, and let us go to war against her.” a 2 Look, I will make you insignificant among the nations; you will be deeply despised. 3 Your arrogant heart has deceived you, you who live in clefts of the rock b,c in your home on the heights, who say to yourself, “Who can bring me down to the ground? ” 4 Though you seem to soar d like an eagle and make your nest among the stars, even from there I will bring you down. This is the Lord’s declaration. 5 If thieves came to you, if marauders by night — how ravaged you would be! — wouldn’t they steal only what they wanted? If grape pickers came to you, wouldn’t they leave some grapes? 6 How Esau will be pillaged, his hidden treasures searched out! 7 Everyone who has a treaty with you will drive you to the border; everyone at peace with you will deceive and conquer you. Those who eat your bread will set e a trap for you. He will be unaware of it. 8 In that day — this is the Lord’s declaration — will I not eliminate the wise ones of Edom and those who understand from the hill country of Esau? 9 Teman, f your warriors will be terrified so that everyone from the hill country of Esau will be destroyed by slaughter. EDOM’S SINS AGAINST JUDAH 10 You will be covered with shame and destroyed forever because of violence done to your brother Jacob. 11 On the day you stood aloof, on the day strangers captured his wealth, g while foreigners entered his city gate and cast lots for Jerusalem, you were just like one of them. 12 Do not h gloat over your brother in the day of his calamity; do not rejoice over the people of Judah in the day of their destruction; do not boastfully mock i in the day of distress. 13 Do not enter my people’s city gate in the day of their disaster. Yes, you — do not gloat over their misery in the day of their disaster, and do not appropriate their possessions in the day of their disaster. 14 Do not stand at the crossroads j to cut off their fugitives, and do not hand over their survivors in the day of distress. JUDGMENT OF THE NATIONS 15 For the day of the Lord is near, against all the nations. As you have done, it will be done to you; what you deserve will return on your own head. 16 As you have drunk on my holy mountain, a1 = Edom b3 Or in Sela ; probably = Petra c3 Probably Petra d4 Or to build high e7 Some LXX mss, Sym, Tg, Vg; MT reads They will set your bread as f9 = a region or city in Edom g11 Or forces h12-14 Or You should not throughout vv. 12-14 i12 Lit not make your mouth big j14 Hb obscure CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 819 10/26/17 9:00 PM so all the nations will drink continually . They will drink and gulp down and be as though they had never been. 17 But there will be a deliverance on Mount Zion, and it will be holy; the house of Jacob will dispossess those who dispossessed them. a 18 Then the house of Jacob will be a blazing fire, and the house of Joseph, a burning flame, but the house of Esau will be stubble; Jacob b will set them on fire and consume Edom. c Therefore no survivor will remain of the house of Esau, for the Lord has spoken.FUTURE BLESSING FOR ISRAEL 19 People from the Negev will possess the hill country of Esau; those from the Judean foothills will possess the land of the Philistines. They d will possess the territories of Ephraim and Samaria, while Benjamin will possess Gilead. 20 The exiles of the Israelites who are in Halah e and who are among the Canaanites as far as Zarephath as well as the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad will possess the cities of the Negev . 21 Saviors f will ascend Mount Zion to rule over the hill country of Esau, but the kingdom will be the Lord’s. a17 DSS, LXX, Syr , Vg, Tg; MT reads Jacob will possess its inheritance b18 Lit they c18 Lit them d19 = The house of Jacob e20 Or of this host of the Israelites ; Hb obscure f21 Or Those who have been deliveredOBADIAH 820 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 820 10/26/17 9:00 PM Jonah JONAH’S FLIGHT 1 The word of the L ord came to Jo nah son of Am it tai: 2 “ Get up! Go to the great city of Nin e veh and preach against it be cause their evil has come up be fore me.” 3 Jo nah got up to flee to Tar shish from the L ord ’ s pres ence. He went down to Jop pa and found a ship go ing to Tar shish. He paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tar shish from the L ord’ s pres ence. 4 But the L ord threw a great wind onto the sea, and such a great storm arose on the sea that the ship threat ened to break apart. 5 The sail ors were afraid, and each cried out to his god. They threw the ship’s car go into the sea to light en the load. Mean while, Jo nah had gone down to the low est part of the ves sel and had stretched out and fall en into a deep sleep. 6 The cap tain ap proached him and said, “ What are you do ing sound asleep? Get up! Call to your god. a May be this god will con- sid er us, and we won’t per ish.” 7 “ Come on! ” the sail ors said to each oth- er. “ Let’s cast lots. Then we’ll know who is to blame for this trou ble we’re in.” So they cast lots, and the lot sin gled out Jo nah. 8 Then they said to him, “ Tell us who is to blame for this trou ble we’re in. What is your busi ness, and where are you from? What is your coun try , and what peo ple are you from? ” 9 He an swered them, “ I’m a He brew . I wor - ship b the L ord, the God of the heav ens, who made the sea and the dry land.” 10 Then the men were seized by a great fear and said to him, “ What is this you’ve done? ” The men knew he was flee ing from the L ord’ s pres ence be cause he had told them. 11 So they said to him, “ What should we do to you so that the sea will calm down for us? ” For the sea was get ting worse and worse. 12 He an swered them, “ Pick me up and throw me into the sea so that it will calm down for you, for I know that I’m to blame for this great storm that is against you.” 13 Nev er the less, the men rowed hard to get back to dry land, but they couldn’t be cause the sea was rag ing against them more and more.14 So they called out to the L ord: “ Please, L ord, don’t let us per ish be cause of this man’s life, and don’t charge us with in no cent blood! For you, L ord, have done just as you pleased.” 15 Then they picked up Jo nah and threw him into the sea, and the sea stopped its rag ing. 16 The men were seized by great fear of the L ord, and they off ered a sac ri fice to the L ord and made vows. 17 The L ord ap point ed a great fish to swal- low Jo nah, and Jo nah was in the bel ly of the fish three days and three nights. JONAH’S PRAYER 2 Jo nah prayed to the L ord his God from the bel ly of the fish: 2 I called to the Lord in my distress, and he answered me. I cried out for help from deep inside c Sheol; you heard my voice. 3 You threw me into the depths, into the heart of the seas, and the current d overcame me. All your breakers and your billows swept over me. 4 But I said, “I have been banished from your sight, yet I will look once more e toward your holy temple. 5 The water engulfed me up to the neck; f the watery depths overcame me; seaweed was wrapped around my head. 6 I sank to the foundations of the mountains, the earth’s gates shut behind me forever! Then you raised my life from the Pit, Lord my God! 7 As my life was fading away , I remembered the Lord, and my prayer came to you, to your holy temple. 8 Those who cherish worthless idols abandon their faithful love, 9 but as for me, I will sacrifice to you with a voice of thanksgiving. a1:6 Or God b1:9 Or fear c2:2 Lit from the stomach of d2:3 Lit river e2:4 LXX reads said, “Indeed, will I look . . . ? f2:5 Or me, threatening my life CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 821 10/26/17 9:00 PM I will fulfill what I have vowed. Salvation a belongs to the Lord.” 10 Then the L ord com mand ed the fish, and it vom it ed Jo nah onto dry land. JONAH’S PREACHING 3 The word of the L ord came to Jo nah a sec ond time: 2 “ Get up! Go to the great city of Nin e veh and preach the mes sage that I tell you.” 3 Jo nah got up and went to Nin e veh ac- cord ing to the L ord’ s com mand. Now Nin e veh was an ex treme ly great city , b a three-day walk. 4 Jo nah set out on the first day of his walk in the city and pro claimed, “ In for ty days Nin e veh will be de mol ished! ” 5 Then the peo ple of Nin e veh be lieved God. They pro claimed a fast and dressed in sack- cloth — from the great est of them to the least. 6 When word reached the king of Nin e veh, he got up from his throne, took off his roy al robe, put on sack cloth, and sat in ash es. 7 Then he is sued a de cree in Nin e veh: By order of the king and his nobles: No person or animal, herd or flock, is to taste anything at all. They must not eat or drink water. 8 Furthermore, both peo - ple and animals must be covered with sackcloth, and everyone must call out earnestly to God. Each must turn from his evil ways and from his wrongdoing. c 9 Who knows? God may turn and relent; he may turn from his burning anger so that we will not perish. 10 God saw their ac tions — that they had turned from their evil ways — so God re lent-
🔥 Divine Judgment and Mercy
🌊 God's justice manifests through both punishment and compassion, as seen in Jonah's anger when Nineveh was spared and Micah's prophecies against corrupt leaders
👑 Corrupt leadership faces divine condemnation—rulers who "hate good and love evil," priests who "teach for payment," and prophets practicing divination receive harsh judgment for exploiting the vulnerable
🏙️ Cities under judgment (Samaria, Jerusalem, Nineveh) face destruction for their wickedness, yet God consistently offers pathways to redemption through repentance
🌱 The faithful remnant will be preserved and restored despite widespread corruption, becoming "like dew from the Lord" among many peoples
🧎♂️ True worship requires more than rituals—God demands people "act justly, love faithfulness, and walk humbly with your God" rather than empty sacrifices
✨ Divine compassion ultimately triumphs as God "will again have compassion on us" and "cast all our sins into the depths of the sea," showing faithful love as promised
ed from the di sas ter he had threat ened them with. And he did not do it.JONAH’S ANGER 4 Jo nah was great ly dis pleased and be came fu ri ous. 2 He prayed to the L ord: “ Please, L ord, isn’t this what I thought while I was still in my own coun try? That’s why I fled to ward Tar shish in the first place. I knew that you are a gra cious and com pas sion ate God, slow to an ger, abounding in faith ful love, and one who re lents from send ing di sas ter. 3 And now , L ord, take my life from me, for it is bet ter for me to die than to live.” 4 The L ord asked, “ Is it right for you to be an gry? ” 5 Jo nah left the city and found a place east of it. He made him self a shel ter there and sat in its shade to see what would hap pen to the city . 6 Then the L ord God ap point ed a plant, and it grew over Jo nah to pro vide shade for his head to res cue him from his trou ble. d Jo nah was great ly pleased with the plant. 7 When dawn came the next day , God ap point ed a worm that at tacked the plant, and it with ered. 8 As the sun was ris ing, God ap point ed a scorch ing east wind. The sun beat down on Jo nah’s head so much that he al most faint ed, and he want ed to die. He said, “ It’s bet ter for me to die than to live.” 9 Then God asked Jo nah, “ Is it right for you to be an gry about the plant? ” “ Yes, it’s right! ” he re plied. “ I’m an gry enough to die! ” 10 So the L ord said, “ You cared about the plant, which you did not la bor over and did not grow . It ap peared in a night and per ished in a night. 11 But may I not care about the great city of Nin e veh, which has more than a hun- dred and twen ty thou sand peo ple who can not dis tin guish be tween their right and their left, as well as many an i mals? ” a2:9 Or Deliverance b3:3 Or was a great city to God c3:8 Or injustice, or violence d4:6 Or disaster, or evilJONAH 2-4 822 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 822 10/26/17 9:00 PM micah 1 The word of the L ord that came to Mi cah the Mo re shite — what he saw re gard ing Sa mar ia and Je ru sa lem in the days of Jo tham, Ahaz, and Hez e ki ah, kings of Ju dah. COMING JUDGMENT ON ISRAEL 2 Listen, all you peoples; pay attention, earth a and everyone in it! The Lord God will be a witness against you, the Lord, from his holy temple. 3 Look, the Lord is leaving his place and coming down to trample the heights b of the earth. 4 The mountains will melt beneath him, and the valleys will split apart, like wax near a fire, like water cascading down a mountainside. 5 All this will happen because of Jacob’s rebellion and the sins of the house of Israel. What is the rebellion of Jacob? Isn’t it Samaria? And what is the high place of Judah? Isn’t it Jerusalem? 6 Therefore, I will make Samaria a heap of ruins in the countryside, a planting area for a vineyard. I will roll her stones into the valley and expose her foundations. 7 All her carved images will be smashed to pieces; all her wages will be burned in the fire, and I will destroy all her idols. Since she collected the wages of a prostitute, they will be used again for a prostitute. MICAH’S LAMENT 8 Because of this I will lament and wail; I will walk barefoot and naked. I will howl like the jackals and mourn like ostriches. c 9 For her wound is incurable and has reached even Judah; it has approached my people’s city gate, as far as Jerusalem. 10 Don’t announce it in Gath, don’t weep at all. Roll in the dust in Beth-leaphrah. 11 Depart in shameful nakedness, you residents of Shaphir; the residents of Zaanan will not come out. Beth-ezel is lamenting; its support d is taken from you. 12 Though the residents of Maroth anxiously wait for something good, disaster has come from the Lord to the gate of Jerusalem. 13 Harness the horses to the chariot, you residents of Lachish. This was the beginning of sin for Daughter Zion because Israel’s acts of rebellion can be traced to you. 14 Therefore, send farewell gifts to Moresheth-gath; the houses of Achzib are a deception to the kings of Israel. 15 I will again bring a conqueror against you who live in Mareshah. The nobility e of Israel will come to Adullam. 16 Shave yourselves bald and cut off your hair in sorrow for your precious children; make yourselves as bald as an eagle, for they have been taken from you into exile. OPPRESSORS JUDGED 2 Woe to those who dream up wickedness and prepare evil plans on their beds! At morning light they accomplish it because the power is in their hands. 2 They covet fields and seize them; they also take houses. They deprive a man of his home, a person of his inheritance. a1:2 Or land b1:3 Or high places c1:8 Or eagle owls ; lit daughters of the desert d1:11 Lit its standing place ; Hb obscure e1:15 Lit glory CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 823 10/26/17 9:00 PM 3 There fore, the L ord says: I am now planning a disaster against this nation; you cannot free your necks from it. Then you will not walk so proudly because it will be an evil time. 4 In that day one will take up a taunt against you and lament mournfully , saying, “We are totally ruined! He measures out the allotted land of my people. How he removes it from me! He allots our fields to traitors.” 5 Therefore, there will be no one in the assembly of the Lord to divide the land by casting lots. a GOD’S WORD REJECTED 6 “Quit your preaching,” they b preach. “They should not preach these things; shame will not overtake us.” c 7 House of Jacob, should it be asked, “Is the Spirit of the Lord impatient? Are these the things he does? ” Don’t my words bring good to the one who walks uprightly? 8 But recently my people have risen up like an enemy: You strip off the splendid robe from those who are passing through confidently , like those returning from war. 9 You force the women of my people out of their comfortable homes, and you take my blessing d from their children forever. 10 Get up and leave, for this is not your place of rest because defilement brings destruction — a grievous destruction! 11 If a man comes and utters empty lies — “I will preach to you about wine and beer” — he would be just the preacher for this people! THE REMNANT REGATHERED 12 I will indeed gather all of you, Jacob; I will collect the remnant of Israel. I will bring them together like sheep in a pen, like a flock in the middle of its pasture. It will be noisy with people. 13 One who breaks open the way will advance before them; they will break out, pass through the city gate, and leave by it. Their King will pass through before them, the Lord as their leader. UNJUST LEADERS JUDGED 3 Then I said, “Now listen, leaders of Jacob, you rulers of the house of Israel. Aren’t you supposed to know what is just? 2 You hate good and love evil. You tear off people’s skin and strip their flesh from their bones. 3 You eat the flesh of my people after you strip their skin from them and break their bones. You chop them up like flesh for the cooking pot, like meat in a cauldron.” 4 Then they will cry out to the Lord, but he will not answer them. He will hide his face from them at that time because of the crimes they have committed. FALSE PROPHETS JUDGED 5 This is what the Lord says concerning the prophets who lead my people astray , who proclaim peace when they have food to sink their teeth into but declare war against the one who puts nothing in their mouths. 6 Therefore, it will be night for you — without visions; it will grow dark for you — without divination. The sun will set on these prophets, and the daylight will turn black over them. 7 Then the seers will be ashamed a2:5 Lit Lord stretching the measuring line by lot b2:6 = the prophets c2:6 Text emended; MT reads things. Shame will not depart d2:9 Perhaps the landMICAH 2-3 824 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 824 10/26/17 9:00 PM and the diviners disappointed. They will all cover their mouths a because there will be no answer from God. 8 As for me, however, I am filled with power by the Spirit of the Lord, with justice and courage, to proclaim to Jacob his rebellion and to Israel his sin. ZION’S DESTRUCTION 9 Listen to this, leaders of the house of Jacob, you rulers of the house of Israel, who abhor justice and pervert everything that is right, 10 who build Zion with bloodshed and Jerusalem with injustice. 11 Her leaders issue rulings for a bribe, her priests teach for payment, and her prophets practice divination for silver. Yet they lean on the Lord, saying, “Isn’t the Lord among us? No disaster will overtake us.” 12 Therefore, because of you, Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become ruins, and the temple’s mountain will be a high thicket. THE LORD’S RULE FROM RESTORED ZION 4 In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s house will be established at the top of the mountains and will be raised above the hills. Peoples will stream to it, 2 and many nations will come and say , “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us about his ways so we may walk in his paths.” For instruction will go out of Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. 3 He will settle disputes among many peoples and provide arbitration for strong nations that are far away . They will beat their swords into plows and their spears into pruning knives. Nation will not take up the sword against nation, and they will never again train for war. 4 But each person will sit under his grapevine and under his fig tree with no one to frighten him. For the mouth of the Lord of Armies has spoken. 5 Though all the peoples each walk in the name of their gods, we will walk in the name of the Lord our God forever and ever. 6 On that day — this is the Lord’s declaration — I will assemble the lame and gather the scattered, those I have injured. 7 I will make the lame into a remnant, those far removed into a strong nation. Then the Lord will reign over them in Mount Zion from this time on and forever. 8 And you, watchtower for the flock, fortified hill b of Daughter Zion, the former rule will come to you; sovereignty will come to Daughter Jerusalem. FROM EXILE TO VICTORY 9 Now , why are you shouting loudly? Is there no king with you? Has your counselor perished so that anguish grips you like a woman in labor? 10 Writhe and cry out, c Daughter Zion, like a woman in labor, for now you will leave the city and camp in the open fields. You will go to Babylon; there you will be rescued; there the Lord will redeem you from the grasp of your enemies! 11 Many nations have now assembled against you; they say , “Let her be defiled, and let us feast our eyes on Zion.” a3:7 Lit mustache b4:8 Or flock, Ophel c4:10 Hb obscure 825 MICAH 3-4 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 825 10/26/17 9:00 PM 12 But they do not know the Lord’s intentions or understand his plan, that he has gathered them like sheaves to the threshing floor. 13 Rise and thresh, Daughter Zion, for I will make your horns iron and your hooves bronze so you can crush many peoples. Then you a will set apart their plunder for the Lord, their wealth for the Lord of the whole earth. FROM DEFEATED RULER TO CONQUERING KING 5 Now , daughter who is under attack, you slash yourself in grief; a siege is set against us! They are striking the judge of Israel on the cheek with a rod. 2 Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are small among the clans of Judah; one will come from you to be ruler over Israel for me. His origin b is from antiquity , from ancient times. 3 Therefore, Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labor has given birth; then the rest of the ruler’s brothers will return to the people of Israel. 4 He will stand and shepherd them in the strength of the Lord, in the majestic name of the Lord his God. They will live securely , for then his greatness will extend to the ends of the earth. 5 He will be their peace. When Assyria invades our land, when it marches against our fortresses, we will raise against it seven shepherds, even eight leaders of men. 6 They will shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword, the land of Nimrod with a drawn blade. c So he will rescue us from Assyria when it invades our land, when it marches against our territory . THE GLORIOUS AND PURIFIED REMNANT 7 Then the remnant of Jacob will be among many peoples like dew from the Lord, like showers on the grass, which do not wait for anyone or linger for mankind. 8 Then the remnant of Jacob will be among the nations, among many peoples, like a lion among animals of the forest, like a young lion among flocks of sheep, which tramples and tears as it passes through, and there is no one to rescue them. 9 Your hand will be lifted up against your adversaries, and all your enemies will be destroyed. 10 In that day — this is the Lord’s declaration — I will remove your horses from you and wreck your chariots. 11 I will remove the cities of your land and tear down all your fortresses. 12 I will remove sorceries from your hands, and you will not have any more fortune-tellers. 13 I will remove your carved images and sacred pillars from you so that you will no longer worship the work of your hands. 14 I will pull up the Asherah poles from among you and demolish your cities. d 15 I will take vengeance in anger and wrath against the nations that have not obeyed me. GOD’S LAWSUIT AGAINST JUDAH 6 Now lis ten to what the L ord is say ing: Rise, plead your case before the mountains, and let the hills hear your complaint. e 2 Listen to the Lord’s lawsuit, you mountains and enduring foundations of the earth, a4:13 LXX, Syr , Tg; MT reads I b5:2 Lit His going out c5:6 Aq, Vg; MT , Sym read Nimrod at its gateways d5:14 Or shrines e6:1 Lit voiceMICAH 4-6 826 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 826 10/26/17 9:00 PM because the Lord has a case against his people, and he will argue it against Israel. 3 My people, what have I done to you, or how have I wearied you? Testify against me! 4 Indeed, I brought you up from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from that place of slavery . I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam ahead of you. 5 My people, remember what King Balak of Moab proposed, what Balaam son of Beor answered him, and what happened from the Acacia Grove a to Gilgal so that you may acknowledge the Lord’s righteous acts. 6 What should I bring before the Lord when I come to bow before God on high? Should I come before him with burnt offerings, with year -old calves? 7 Would the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams or with ten thousand streams of oil? Should I give my firstborn for my transgression, the offspring of my body for my own sin? 8 Mankind, he has told each of you what is good and what it is the Lord requires of you: to act justly , to love faithfulness, and to walk humbly with your God. VERDICT OF JUDGMENT 9 The voice of the Lord calls out to the city b (and it is wise to fear your name): “Pay attention to the rod and the one who ordained it. c 10 Are there still d the treasures of wickedness and the accursed short measure in the house of the wicked? 11 Can I excuse wicked scales or bags of deceptive weights? 12 For the wealthy of the city are full of violence, and its residents speak lies; the tongues in their mouths are deceitful. 13 “ As a result, I have begun to strike you severely , e bringing desolation because of your sins. 14 You will eat but not be satisfied, for there will be hunger within you. What you acquire, you cannot save, and what you do save, I will give to the sword. d 15 You will sow but not reap; you will press olives but not anoint yourself with oil; and you will tread grapes but not drink the wine. 16 The statutes of Omri and all the practices of Ahab’s house have been observed; you have followed their policies. Therefore, I will make you a desolate place and the city’s f residents an object of contempt; g you will bear the scorn of my people.” h ISRAEL’S MORAL DECLINE 7 How sad for me! For I am like one who — when the summer fruit has been gathered after the gleaning of the grape harvest — finds no grape cluster to eat, no early fig, which I crave. 2 Faithful people have vanished from the land; there is no one upright among the people. All of them wait in ambush to shed blood; they hunt each other with a net. 3 Both hands are good at accomplishing evil: the official and the judge demand a bribe; a6:5 Or from Shittim b6:9 = Jerusalem c6:9 Or attention, you tribe. Who has ordained it? ; Hb obscure d6:10,14 Hb obscure e6:13 LXX, Aq, Theod, Syr , Vg; MT reads I have made you sick by striking you down f6:16 Lit and its g6:16 Lit residents a hissing h6:16 LXX reads of the peoples 827 MICAH 6-7 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 827 10/26/17 9:00 PM when the powerful man communicates his evil desire, they plot it together. 4 The best of them is like a brier; the most upright is worse than a hedge of thorns. The day of your watchmen, the day of your punishment, is coming; at this time their panic is here. 5 Do not rely on a friend; don’t trust in a close companion. Seal your mouth from the woman who lies in your arms. 6 Surely a son considers his father a fool, a daughter opposes her mother, and a daughter -in-law is against her mother -in-law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own household. 7 But I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me. ZION’S VINDICATION 8 Do not rejoice over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will stand up; though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light. 9 Because I have sinned against him, I must endure the Lord’s rage until he champions my cause and establishes justice for me. He will bring me into the light; I will see his salvation. a 10 Then my enemy will see, and she will be covered with shame, the one who said to me, “Where is the Lord your God? ” My eyes will look at her in triumph; at that time she will be trampled like mud in the streets. 11 A day will come for rebuilding your walls; on that day your boundary will be extended. 12 On that day people will come to you from Assyria and the cities of Egypt, even from Egypt to the Euphrates River and from sea to sea and mountain to mountain. 13 Then the earth will become a wasteland because of its inhabitants and as a result of their actions. MICAH’S PRAYER ANSWERED 14 Shepherd your people with your staff, the flock that is your possession. They live alone in a woodland surrounded by pastures. Let them graze in Bashan and Gilead as in ancient times. 15 I will perform miracles for them b as in the days of your exodus from the land of Egypt. 16 Nations will see and be ashamed of c all their power. They will put their hands over their mouths, and their ears will become deaf. 17 They will lick the dust like a snake; they will come trembling out of their hiding places like reptiles slithering on the ground. They will tremble in the presence of the Lord our God; they will stand in awe of you. 18 Who is a God like you, forgiving iniquity and passing over rebellion for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not hold on to his anger forever because he delights in faithful love. 19 He will again have compassion on us; he will vanquish our iniquities. You will cast all our d sins into the depths of the sea. 20 You will show loyalty to Jacob and faithful love to Abraham, as you swore to our fathers from days long ago. a7:9 Or righteousness b7:15 = Israel c7:16 Or ashamed in spite of d7:19 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr , Vg; other Hb mss read theirMICAH 7 828 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 828 10/26/17 9:00 PM nahum 1 The pronouncement con cern ing Nin e veh. The book of the vi sion of Na hum the El- kosh ite. GOD’S VENGEANCE 2 The Lord is a jealous and avenging God; the Lord takes vengeance and is fierce in a wrath. The Lord takes vengeance against his foes; he is furious with his enemies. 3 The Lord is slow to anger but great in power; the Lord will never leave the guilty unpunished. His path is in the whirlwind and storm, and clouds are the dust beneath his feet. 4 He rebukes the sea and dries it up, and he makes all the rivers run dry . Bashan and Carmel wither; even the flower of Lebanon withers. 5 The mountains quake before him, and the hills melt; the earth trembles b,c at his presence — the world and all who live in it. 6 Who can withstand his indignation? Who can endure his burning anger? His wrath is poured out like fire; even rocks are shattered before him. DESTRUCTION OF NINEVEH 7 The Lord is good, a stronghold in a day of distress; he cares for those who take refuge in him. 8 But he will completely destroy Nineveh d with an overwhelming flood, and he will chase his enemies into darkness. 9 Whatever you
🔥 Divine Judgment and Redemption
🌪️ God's wrath against wickedness manifests as complete destruction, targeting both Judah and surrounding nations like Assyria, Nineveh, and Philistia for their violence, idolatry, and arrogance
⚔️ The prophets vividly describe the day of the Lord as a time of darkness, distress, and devastation when the proud will be humbled and the wicked consumed like "entangled thorns"
🏙️ Nineveh's downfall is portrayed in graphic detail—once mighty and secure, the "city of blood" will become desolate ruins where wild animals roam, demonstrating that no earthly power can withstand divine judgment
🙏 Amid warnings of destruction, a path to salvation emerges for the humble who seek righteousness—"the righteous one will live by faith" while God promises to "restore the fortunes" of the faithful remnant
🌄 Even in despair, hope persists—Habakkuk's powerful declaration that "though the fig tree does not bud... yet I will celebrate in the Lord" shows that faith transcends circumstances
🛡️ The prophetic message culminates in the assurance that "the Lord my Lord is my strength," offering divine protection and guidance to those who remain faithful during times of judgment
e plot against the Lord, he will bring it to complete destruction; oppression will not rise up a second time. 10 For they will be consumed like entangled thorns, like the drink of a drunkard and like straw that is fully dry . f 11 One has gone out from you, g who plots evil against the Lord, and is a wicked counselor. PROMISE OF JUDAH’S DELIVERANCE 12 This is what the L ord says: Though they are strong h and numerous, they will still be mowed down, and he i will pass away . Though I have punished you, j I will punish you no longer. 13 For I will now break off his yoke from you and tear off your shackles. THE ASSYRIAN KING’S DEMISE 14 The L ord has is sued an or der con cern ing you: There will be no offspring to carry on your name. k I will eliminate the carved idol and cast image from the house of your gods; I will prepare your grave, for you are contemptible. 15 Look to the mountains — the feet of the herald, who proclaims peace. Celebrate your festivals, Judah; fulfill your vows. For the wicked one will never again march through you; he will be entirely wiped out. ATTACK AGAINST NINEVEH 2 One who scatters is coming up against you. Man the fortifications! Watch the road! Brace l yourself! Summon all your strength! a1:2 Lit is a master of b1:5 Some emend to earth is laid waste c1:5 Lit lifts d1:8 Lit her place e1:9 = Nineveh f1:10 Hb obscure g1:11 Possibly Nineveh h1:12 Lit intact i1:12 Either the king of Assyria or his army j1:12 = Judah k1:14 Lit It will not be sown from your name any longer l2:1 Lit Strengthen CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 829 10/26/17 9:00 PM 2 For the Lord will restore the majesty of Jacob, yes, a the majesty of Israel, though ravagers have ravaged them and ruined their vine branches. 3 The shields of his b warriors are dyed red; the valiant men are dressed in scarlet. The fittings of the chariot flash like fire on the day of its battle preparations, and the spears are brandished. 4 The chariots dash madly through the streets; they rush around in the plazas. They look like torches; they dart back and forth like lightning. 5 He gives orders to his officers; they stumble as they advance. They race to its wall; the protective shield is set in place. 6 The river gates are opened, and the palace erodes away . 7 Beauty c is stripped; d she is carried away; her ladies-in-waiting moan like the sound of doves and beat their breasts. 8 Nineveh has been like a pool of water from her first days, d but they are fleeing. “Stop! Stop! ” they cry , but no one turns back. 9 “Plunder the silver! Plunder the gold! ” There is no end to the treasure, an abundance of every precious thing. 10 Desolation, decimation, devastation! Hearts melt, knees tremble, insides churn, every face grows pale! 11 Where is the lions’ lair, or the feeding ground of the young lions, where the lion and lioness prowled, and the lion’s cub, with nothing to frighten them away? 12 The lion mauled whatever its cubs needed and strangled prey for its lionesses. It filled up its dens with the kill, and its lairs with mauled prey . 13 Beware, I am against you. This is the declaration of the Lord of Armies. I will make your chariots go up in smoke, e and the sword will devour your young lions. I will cut off your prey from the earth, and the sound of your messengers will never be heard again. NINEVEH’S DOWNFALL 3 Woe to the city of blood, totally deceitful, full of plunder, never without prey . 2 The crack of the whip and rumble of the wheel, galloping horse and jolting chariot! 3 Charging horseman, flashing sword, shining spear; heaps of slain, mounds of corpses, dead bodies without end — they stumble over their dead. 4 Because of the continual prostitution of the prostitute, the attractive mistress of sorcery , who treats nations and clans like merchandise by her prostitution and sorcery , 5 I am against you. This is the declaration of the Lord of Armies. I will lift your skirts over your face and display your nakedness to nations, your shame to kingdoms. 6 I will throw filth on you and treat you with contempt; I will make a spectacle of you. 7 Then all who see you will recoil from you, saying, “Nineveh is devastated; who will show sympathy to her? ” Where can I find anyone to comfort you? 8 Are you better than Thebes f that sat along the Nile with water surrounding her, a2:2 Or like b2:3 = the army commander attacking Nineveh c2:7 Text emended; MT reads Huzzab d2:7,8 Hb obscure e2:13 Lit will burn her chariots in smoke f3:8 Hb No-amonNAHUM 2-3 830 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 830 10/26/17 9:00 PM whose rampart was the sea, the river a,b her wall? 9 Cush and Egypt were her endless source of strength; Put and Libya were among her c allies. 10 Yet she became an exile; she went into captivity . Her children were also dashed to pieces at the head of every street. They cast lots for her dignitaries, and all her nobles were bound in chains. 11 You d also will become drunk; you will hide. e You also will seek refuge from the enemy . 12 All your fortresses are fig trees with figs that ripened first; when shaken, they fall — right into the mouth of the eater! 13 Look, your troops are like women among you; your land’s city gates are wide open to your enemies. Fire will devour the bars of your gates. 14 Draw water for the siege; strengthen your fortresses. Step into the clay and tread the mortar; take hold of the brick-mold! 15 The fire will devour you there; the sword will cut you down. It will devour you like the young locust. Multiply yourselves like the young locust; multiply like the swarming locust! 16 You have made your merchants more numerous than the stars of the sky . The young locust strips f the land and flies away . 17 Your court officials are like the swarming locust, and your scribes like clouds of locusts, which settle on the walls on a cold day; when the sun rises, they take off, and no one knows where they are. 18 King of Assyria, your shepherds slumber; your officers sleep. Your people are scattered across the mountains with no one to gather them together. 19 There is no remedy for your injury; your wound is severe. All who hear the news about you will clap their hands because of you, for who has not experienced your constant cruelty? a3:8 LXX, Syr , Vg read water b3:8 Lit sea from sea c3:9 Lit your d3:11 = Nineveh e3:11 Or will be overcome f3:16 Or sheds its skin 831 NAHUM 3 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 831 10/26/17 9:00 PM habaKK uK 1 The pronouncement that the proph et Ha- bak kuk saw . HABAKKUK’S FIRST PRAYER 2 How long, Lord, must I call for help and you do not listen or cry out to you about violence and you do not save? 3 Why do you force me to look at injustice? Why do you tolerate a wrongdoing? Oppression and violence are right in front of me. Strife is ongoing, and conflict escalates. 4 This is why the law is ineffective and justice never emerges. For the wicked restrict the righteous; therefore, justice comes out perverted. GOD’S FIRST ANSWER 5 Look at the nations b and observe — be utterly astounded! For I am doing something in your days that you will not believe when you hear about it. 6 Look! I am raising up the Chaldeans, c that bitter, impetuous nation that marches across the earth’s open spaces to seize territories not its own. 7 They are fierce and terrifying; their views of justice and sovereignty stem from themselves. 8 Their horses are swifter than leopards and more fierce d than wolves of the night. Their horsemen charge ahead; their horsemen come from distant lands. They fly like eagles, swooping to devour. 9 All of them come to do violence; their faces are set in determination. e They gather prisoners like sand. 10 They mock kings, and rulers are a joke to them. They laugh at every fortress and build siege ramps to capture it. 11 Then they sweep by like the wind and pass through. They are guilty; f their strength is their god. HABAKKUK’S SECOND PRAYER 12 Are you not from eternity , Lord my God? My Holy One, you g will not die. L ord, you appointed them to execute judgment; my Rock, you destined them to punish us. 13 Your eyes are too pure to look on evil, and you cannot tolerate wrongdoing. So why do you tolerate those who are treacherous? Why are you silent while one h who is wicked swallows up one i who is more righteous than himself? 14 You have made mankind like the fish of the sea, like marine creatures that have no ruler. 15 The Chaldeans pull them all up with a hook, catch them in their dragnet, and gather them in their fishing net; that is why they are glad and rejoice. 16 That is why they sacrifice to their dragnet and burn incense to their fishing net, for by these things their portion is rich and their food plentiful. 17 Will they therefore empty their net and continually slaughter nations without mercy? HABAKKUK WAITS FOR GOD’S RESPONSE 2 I will stand at my guard post and station myself on the lookout tower. I will watch to see what he will say to me a1:3 Lit observe, also in v. 13 b1:5 DSS, LXX, Syr read Look, you treacherous people c1:6 = the Babylonians d1:8 Or and quicker e1:9 Hb obscure f1:11 Or wind, and transgress and incur guilt g1:12 Alt Hb tradition reads we h1:13 = Babylon i1:13 = Judah CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 832 10/26/17 9:00 PM and what I should a reply about my complaint. GOD’S SECOND ANSWER 2 The L ord an swered me: Write down this vision; clearly inscribe it on tablets so one may easily read it. b 3 For the vision is yet for the appointed time; it testifies about the end and will not lie. Though it delays, wait for it, since it will certainly come and not be late. 4 Look, his ego is inflated; c he is without integrity . But the righteous one will live by his faith. d 5 Moreover, wine e betrays; an arrogant man is never at rest. f He enlarges his appetite like Sheol, and like Death he is never satisfied. He gathers all the nations to himself; he collects all the peoples for himself. THE FIVE WOE ORACLES 6 Won’t all of these take up a taunt against him, with mockery and riddles about him? They will say: Woe to him who amasses what is not his — how much longer? — and loads himself with goods taken in pledge. 7 Won’t your creditors suddenly arise, and those who disturb you wake up? Then you will become spoil for them. 8 Since you have plundered many nations, all the peoples who remain will plunder you — because of human bloodshed and violence against lands, cities, and all who live in them. 9 Woe to him who dishonestly makes wealth for his house g to place his nest on high, to escape the grasp of disaster! 10 You have planned shame for your house by wiping out many peoples and sinning against your own self. 11 For the stones will cry out from the wall, and the rafters will answer them from the woodwork. 12 Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed and founds a town with injustice! 13 Is it not from the Lord of Armies that the peoples labor only to fuel the fire and countries exhaust themselves for nothing? 14 For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord’s glory , as the water covers the sea. 15 Woe to him who gives his neighbors drink, pouring out your wrath h and even making them drunk, in order to look at their nakedness! 16 You will be filled with disgrace instead of glory . You also — drink, and expose your uncircumcision! i The cup in the Lord’s right hand will come around to you, and utter disgrace will cover your glory . 17 For your violence against Lebanon will overwhelm you; the destruction of animals will terrify you j because of your human bloodshed and violence against lands, cities, and all who live in them. 18 What use is a carved idol after its craftsman carves it? It is only a cast image, a teacher of lies. For the one who crafts its shape trusts in it and makes idols that cannot speak. 19 Woe to him who says to wood: Wake up! or to mute stone: Come alive! a2:1 Syr reads what he will b2:2 Lit one who reads in it may run c2:4 Hb obscure d2:4 Or faithfulness e2:5 DSS read wealth f2:5 Or man does not endure ; Hb obscure g2:9 Or dynasty h2:15 Or venom i2:16 DSS, LXX, Aq, Syr , Vg read and stagger j2:17 DSS, LXX, Aq, Syr , Tg, Vg; MT reads them 833 HABAKKUK 2 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 833 10/26/17 9:00 PM Can it teach? Look! It may be plated with gold and silver, yet there is no breath in it at all. 20 But the Lord is in his holy temple; let the whole earth be silent in his presence. HABAKKUK’S THIRD PRAYER 3 A prayer of the proph et Ha bak kuk. Ac cord- ing to Shig i o noth. a 2 Lord, I have heard the report about you; L ord, I stand in awe of your deeds. Revive your work in these years; make it known in these years. In your wrath remember mercy! 3 God comes from Teman, the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah His splendor covers the heavens, and the earth is full of his praise. 4 His brilliance is like light; rays are flashing from his hand. This is where his power is hidden. 5 Plague goes before him, and pestilence follows in his steps. 6 He stands and shakes b the earth; he looks and startles the nations. The age-old mountains break apart; the ancient hills sink down. His pathways are ancient. 7 I see the tents of Cushan c in distress; the tent curtains of the land of Midian tremble. 8 Are you angry at the rivers, Lord? Is your wrath against the rivers? Or is your rage against the sea when you ride on your horses, your victorious chariot? 9 You took the sheath from your bow; the arrows are ready d to be used with an oath. e Selah You split the earth with rivers. 10 The mountains see you and shudder; a downpour of water sweeps by . The deep roars with its voice and lifts its waves f high. 11 Sun and moon stand still in their lofty residence, at the flash of your flying arrows, at the brightness of your shining spear. 12 You march across the earth with indignation; you trample down the nations in wrath. 13 You come out to save your people, to save your anointed. g You crush the leader of the house of the wicked and strip him from foot h to neck. Selah 14 You pierce his head with his own spears; his warriors storm out to scatter us, gloating as if ready to secretly devour the weak. 15 You tread the sea with your horses, stirring up the vast water. HABAKKUK’S CONFIDENCE IN GOD EXPRESSED 16 I heard, and I trembled within; my lips quivered at the sound. Rottenness entered my bones; I trembled where I stood. Now I must quietly wait for the day of distress to come against the people invading us. 17 Though the fig tree does not bud and there is no fruit on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though the flocks disappear from the pen and there are no herds in the stalls, 18 yet I will celebrate in the Lord; I will rejoice in the God of my salvation! 19 The Lord my Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like those of a deer and enables me to walk on mountain heights! For the choir di rec tor: on i stringed in stru - ments. a3:1 Perhaps a passionate song with rapid changes of rhythm, or a dirge b3:6 Or surveys c3:7 = Midian d3:9 Or set e3:9 Hb obscure f3:10 Lit hands g3:13 The Davidic king or the nation of Israel h3:13 Lit foundation i3:19 Lit on myHABAKKUK 2-3 834 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 834 10/26/17 9:00 PM zePhaniah 1 The word of the L ord that came to Zeph- a ni ah son of Cu shi, son of Ged a li ah, son of Am a ri ah, son of Hez e ki ah, in the days of Jo si ah son of Amon, king of Ju dah. THE GREAT DAY OF THE LORD 2 I will completely sweep away everything from the face of the earth — this is the Lord’s declaration. 3 I will sweep away people and animals; I will sweep away the birds of the sky and the fish of the sea, and the ruins a along with the wicked. I will cut off mankind from the face of the earth. This is the Lord’s declaration. 4 I will stretch out my hand against Judah and against all the residents of Jerusalem. I will cut off every vestige of Baal from this place, the names of the pagan priests along with the priests; 5 those who bow in worship on the rooftops to the stars in the sky; those who bow and pledge loyalty to the Lord but also pledge loyalty to Milcom; b 6 and those who turn back from following the Lord, who do not seek the Lord or inquire of him. 7 Be silent in the presence of the Lord God, for the day of the Lord is near. Indeed, the Lord has prepared a sacrifice; he has consecrated his guests. 8 On the day of the Lord’s sacrifice I will punish the officials, the king’s sons, and all who are dressed in foreign clothing. 9 On that day I will punish all who skip over the threshold, c who fill their master’s house with violence and deceit. 10 On that day — this is the Lord’s declaration — there will be an outcry from the Fish Gate, a wailing from the Second District, and a loud crashing from the hills. 11 Wail, you residents of the Hollow , d for all the merchants e will be silenced; all those loaded with silver will be cut off. 12 And at that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps and punish those who settle down comfortably , f who say to themselves: The Lord will not do good or evil. 13 Their wealth will become plunder and their houses a ruin. They will build houses but never live in them, plant vineyards but never drink their wine. 14 The great day of the Lord is near, near and rapidly approaching. Listen, the day of the Lord — then the warrior’s cry is bitter. 15 That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of destruction and desolation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and total darkness, 16 a day of trumpet blast and battle cry against the fortified cities, and against the high corner towers. 17 I will bring distress on mankind, and they will walk like the blind because they have sinned against the Lord. Their blood will be poured out like dust and their flesh like dung. a1:3 Perhaps objects connected with idolatry b1:5 Some LXX mss, Syr , Vg; MT , other LXX mss read their king c1:9 Hb obscure d1:11 Or the market district e1:11 Or Canaanites f1:12 Lit who thicken on their dregs CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 835 10/26/17 9:00 PM 18 Their silver and their gold will be unable to rescue them on the day of the Lord’s wrath. The whole earth will be consumed by the fire of his jealousy , for he will make a complete, yes, a horrifying end of all the inhabitants of the earth. A CALL TO REPENTANCE 2 Gather yourselves together; gather together, undesirable a nation, 2 before the decree takes effect and the day passes like chaff, before the burning of the Lord’s anger overtakes you, before the day of the Lord’s anger overtakes you. 3 Seek the Lord, all you humble of the earth, who carry out what he commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be concealed on the day of the Lord’s anger. JUDGMENT AGAINST THE NATIONS 4 For Gaza will be abandoned, and Ashkelon will become a ruin. Ashdod will be driven out at noon, and Ekron will be uprooted. 5 Woe, inhabitants of the seacoast, nation of the Cherethites! b The word of the Lord is against you, Canaan, land of the Philistines: I will destroy you until there is no one left. 6 The seacoast will become pasturelands with caves for shepherds and pens for sheep. 7 The coastland will belong to the remnant of the house of Judah; they will find pasture there. They will lie down in the evening among the houses of Ashkelon, for the Lord their God will return to them and restore their fortunes. 8 I have heard the taunting of Moab and the insults of the Ammonites, who have taunted my people and threatened their territory . 9 Therefore, as I live — this is the declaration of the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel — Moab will be like Sodom and the Ammonites like Gomorrah: a place overgrown with weeds, a salt pit, and a perpetual wasteland. The remnant of my people will plunder them; the remainder of my nation will dispossess them. 10 This is what they get for their pride, because they have taunted and acted arrogantly against the people of the Lord of Armies. 11 The Lord will be terrifying to them when he starves all the gods of the earth. Then all the distant coasts and islands of the nations will bow in worship to him, each in its own place. 12 You Cushites will also be slain by my sword. 13 He will also stretch out his hand against the north and destroy Assyria; he will make Nineveh a desolate ruin, dry as the desert. 14 Herds will lie down in the middle of it, every kind of wild animal. c Both eagle owls d and herons e will roost in the capitals of its pillars. Their calls will sound f from the window , but devastation g will be on the threshold, for he will expose the cedar work. h 15 This is the jubilant city that lives in security , that thinks to herself: I exist, and there is no one else. What a desolation she has become, a place for wild animals to lie down! Everyone who passes by her scoffs i and shakes his fist. a2:1 Or shameless b2:5 = Sea Peoples c2:14 Lit every wild animal of a nation d2:14 Or the pelicans e2:14 Or the hedgehogs f2:14 Lit sing g2:14 LXX, Vg read ravens h2:14 Hb obscure i2:15 Or hissesZEPHANIAH 1-2 836 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 836 10/26/17 9:00 PM
🔥 Divine Judgment and Restoration
🏙️ Jerusalem faces divine wrath for rebellion, corruption, and refusal to accept discipline, with leaders characterized as predatory animals who abuse their positions
🌍 God promises to gather nations for judgment, pouring out "burning anger" as consequences for persistent disobedience and moral failure
🕊️ A future restoration awaits where God will purify speech, remove arrogance, and leave a "meek and humble people" who will find refuge in the Lord
🏗️ The temple rebuilding becomes central to spiritual renewal, with God challenging people who prioritize personal comfort ("paneled houses") while His house lies in ruins
💫 God promises His presence ("I am with you") and pledges that the rebuilt temple's "final glory will be greater than the first," culminating in peace and blessing
👑 The prophecies culminate in a vision of messianic hope through symbols like the Branch, the cleansing of the High Priest, and the promise that God will "dwell among you"
WOE TO OPPRESSIVE JERUSALEM 3 Woe to the city that is rebellious a and defiled, the oppressive city! 2 She has not obeyed; she has not accepted discipline. She has not trusted in the Lord; she has not drawn near to her God. 3 The b princes within her are roaring lions; her judges are wolves of the night, which leave nothing for c the morning. 4 Her prophets are reckless — treacherous men. Her priests profane the sanctuary; they do violence to instruction. 5 The righteous Lord is in her; he does no wrong. He applies his justice morning by morning; he does not fail at dawn, yet the one who does wrong knows no shame. 6 I have cut off nations; their corner towers are destroyed. I have laid waste their streets, with no one to pass through. Their cities lie devastated, without a person, without an inhabitant. 7 I thought: You will certainly fear me and accept correction. Then her dwelling place d would not be cut off based on all that I had allocated to her. However, they became more corrupt in all their actions. 8 Therefore, wait for me — this is the Lord’s declaration — until the day I rise up for plunder. e For my decision is to gather nations, to assemble kingdoms, in order to pour out my indignation on them, all my burning anger; for the whole earth will be consumed by the fire of my jealousy . FINAL RESTORATION PROMISED 9 For I will then restore pure speech to the peoples so that all of them may call on the name of the Lord and serve him with a single purpose. f 10 From beyond the rivers of Cush my supplicants, my dispersed people, will bring an offering to me. 11 On that day you g will not be put to shame because of everything you have done in rebelling against me. For then I will remove from among you your jubilant, arrogant people, and you will never again be haughty on my holy mountain. 12 I will leave a meek and humble people among you, and they will take refuge in the name of the Lord. 13 The remnant of Israel will no longer do wrong or tell lies; a deceitful tongue will not be found in their mouths. They will pasture and lie down, with nothing to make them afraid. 14 Sing for joy , Daughter Zion; shout loudly , Israel! Be glad and celebrate with all your heart, Daughter Jerusalem! 15 The Lord has removed your punishment; he has turned back your enemy . The King of Israel, the Lord, is among you; you need no longer fear harm. 16 On that day it will be said to Jerusalem: “Do not fear; Zion, do not let your hands grow weak. 17 The Lord your God is among you, a warrior who saves. He will rejoice over you with gladness. He will be quiet h in his love. He will delight in you with singing.” 18 I will gather those who have been driven from the appointed festivals; they will be a tribute from you i and a reproach on her. j a3:1 Or filthy b3:3 Lit Her c3:3 Or that had nothing to gnaw in d3:7 LXX, Syr read her eyes e3:8 LXX, Syr read for a witness ; Vg reads up forever f3:9 Lit with one shoulder g3:11 = Israel h3:17 LXX, Syr read He will renew you i3:18 = Jerusalem j3:18 Hb obscure 837 ZEPHANIAH 3 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 837 10/26/17 9:00 PM 19 Yes, at that time I will deal with all who oppress you. I will save the lame and gather the outcasts; I will make those who were disgraced throughout the earth receive praise and fame. 20 At that time I will bring you a back, yes, at the time I will gather you. I will give you fame and praise among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes. The Lord has spoken. a3:20 = people of IsraelZEPHANIAH 3 838 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 838 10/26/17 9:00 PM haGGai COMMAND TO REBUILD THE TEMPLE 1 In the sec ond year of King Da ri us, a on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the L ord came through the proph et Hag gai to Ze rub ba bel son of She al ti el, the gov er nor of Ju dah, and to Josh ua son of Je hoz a dak, the high priest: 2 “ The L ord of Ar mies says this: These peo- ple say: The time has not come for the house of the L ord to be re built.” 3 The word of the L ord came through the proph et Hag gai: 4 “ Is it a time for you your - selves to live in your pan eled hous es, while this house b lies in ru ins? ” 5 Now , the L ord of Ar mies says this: “ Think care ful ly about c your ways: 6 You have planted much but harvested little. You eat but never have enough to be satisfied. You drink but never have enough to be happy . You put on clothes but never have enough to get warm. The wage earner puts his wages into a bag with a hole in it.” 7 The L ord of Ar mies says this: “ Think care- ful ly about your ways. 8 Go up into the hills, bring down lum ber, and build the house; and I will be pleased with it and be glo ri fied,” says the L ord. 9 “ You ex pect ed much, but then it amount ed to lit tle. When you brought the har - vest to your house, I ru ined d it. Why? ” This is the dec la ra tion of the L ord of Ar mies. “Be cause my house still lies in ru ins, while each of you is busy with his own house. 10 So on your account, e the skies have withheld the dew and the land its crops. 11 I have summoned a drought on the fields and the hills, on the grain, new wine, fresh oil, and whatever the ground yields, on man and animal, and on all that your hands produce.”THE PEOPLE’S RESPONSE 12 Then Ze rub ba bel son of She al ti el, the high priest Josh ua son of Je hoz a dak, and the en tire rem nant of the peo ple obeyed the L ord their God and the words of the proph et Hag gai, be cause the L ord their God had sent him. So the peo ple feared the L ord. 13 Then Hag gai, the L ord’ s mes sen ger, de- liv ered the L ord’ s mes sage to the peo ple: “ I am with you — this is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion.” 14 The L ord roused the spir it of Ze rub ba bel son of She al ti el, gov er nor of Ju dah, the spir it of the high priest Josh ua son of Je hoz a dak, and the spir it of all the rem nant of the peo ple. They be gan work on the house of the L ord of Ar mies, their God, 15 on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month, in the sec ond year of King Da ri us. ENCOURAGEMENT AND PROMISE 2 On the twenty-first day of the sev enth month, the word of the L ord came through the proph et Hag gai: 2 “ Speak to Ze rub ba bel son of She al ti el, gov er nor of Ju dah, to the high priest Josh ua son of Je hoz a dak, and to the rem nant of the peo ple: 3 ‘ Who is left among you who saw this house in its for mer glo ry? How does it look to you now? Doesn’t it seem to you like noth ing by com par i son? 4 Even so, be strong, Ze rub ba bel — this is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion. Be strong, Josh ua son of Je hoz- a dak, high priest. Be strong, all you peo ple of the land — this is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion. Work! For I am with you — the dec la ra tion of the L ord of Ar mies. 5 This is the prom ise I made to you when you came out of Egypt, and my Spir it is pre sent among you; don’t be afraid.’ ” 6 For the L ord of Ar mies says this: “ Once more, in a lit tle while, I am go ing to shake the heav ens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. 7 I will shake all the na tions so that the trea sures of all the na tions will come, and I will fill this house with glo ry ,” says the L ord of Ar mies. 8 “ The sil ver and gold be long to me” — this is the dec la ra tion of the L ord of Ar mies. 9 “ The fi nal glo ry of this house f will a1:1 King of Persia reigned 522–486 BC b1:4 = the temple c1:5 Lit Place your heart on, also in v. 7 d1:9 Lit blew on e1:10 Or So above you f2:9 Or The glory of this latter house CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 839 10/26/17 9:00 PM be great er than the first,” says the L ord of Ar mies. “ I will pro vide peace in this place” — this is the dec la ra tion of the L ord of Ar mies. FROM DEPRIVATION TO BLESSING 10 On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the sec ond year of Da ri us, the word of the L ord came to the proph et Hag gai: 11 “ This is what the L ord of Ar mies says: Ask the priests for a rul ing. 12 If a man is car ry ing con se crat ed meat in the fold of his gar ment, and it touch es bread, stew , wine, oil, or any oth er food, does it be come holy? ” The priests an swered, “ No.” 13 Then Hag gai asked, “ If some one de filed by con tact with a corpse touch es any of these, does it be come de filed? ” The priests an swered, “ It be comes de filed.” 14 Then Hag gai re plied, “ So is this peo ple, and so is this na tion be fore me — this is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion. And so is ev ery work of their hands; even what they o ff er there is de filed. 15 “ Now from this day on, think care ful ly: Be fore one stone was placed on an oth er in the L ord’ s tem ple, 16 what state were you in? a When some one came to a grain heap of twen ty mea sures, it only amount ed to ten; when one came to the wine press to dip fif ty mea sures from the vat, it only amount ed to twen ty . 17 I struck you — all the work of your hands — with blight, mil dew , and hail, but you didn’t turn to me — this is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion. 18 “ From this day on, think care ful ly; from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, from the day the foun da tion of the L ord’ s tem ple was laid; think care ful ly . 19 Is there still seed left in the granary? The vine, the fig, the pome gran- ate, and the ol ive tree have not yet pro duced. But from this day on I will bless you.” PROMISE TO ZERUBBABEL 20 The word of the L ord came to Hag gai a sec ond time on the twenty-fourth day of the month: 21 “ Speak to Ze rub ba bel, gov er nor of Ju dah: I am go ing to shake the heav ens and the earth. 22 I will over turn roy al thrones and de stroy the pow er of the Gen tile king doms. I will over turn char i ots and their rid ers. Hors es and their rid ers will fall, each by his broth er’s sword. 23 On that day” — this is the dec la ra tion of the L ord of Ar mies — “ I will take you, Ze- rub ba bel son of She al ti el, my ser vant” — this is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion — “ and make you like my sig net ring, for I have cho sen you.” This is the dec la ra tion of the L ord of Ar mies. a2:16 Hb obscureHAGGAI 2 840 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 840 10/26/17 9:00 PM zechariah A PLEA FOR REPENTANCE 1 In the eighth month, in the sec ond year of Da ri us, the word of the L ord came to the proph et Zech a ri ah son of Ber e chi ah, son of Iddo: 2 “ The L ord was ex treme ly an gry with your an ces tors. 3 So tell the peo ple, ‘ This is what the L ord of Ar mies says: Re turn to me — this is the dec la ra tion of the L ord of Ar mies — and I will re turn to you, says the L ord of Ar mies. 4 Do not be like your an ces tors; the ear li er proph ets pro claimed to them: This is what the L ord of Ar mies says: Turn from your evil ways and your evil deeds. But they did not lis ten or pay at ten tion to me — this is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion. 5 Where are your an ces tors now? And do the proph ets live for - ev er? 6 But didn’t my words and my stat utes that I com mand ed my ser vants the proph ets over take your an ces tors? ’ ” So the peo ple re pent ed and said, “ As the L ord of Ar mies de cid ed to deal with us for our ways and our deeds, so he has dealt with us.” THE NIGHT VISIONS 7 On the twenty-fourth day of the elev enth month, which is the month of She bat, in the sec ond year of Da ri us, the word of the L ord came to the proph et Zech a ri ah son of Ber e- chi ah, son of Iddo: FIRST VISION: HORSEMEN 8 I looked out in the night and saw a man rid ing on a chestnut a horse. He was stand ing among the myr tle trees in the val ley . b Be hind him were chestnut, brown, and white hors es. 9 I asked, “ What are these, my lord? ” The an gel who was talk ing to me re plied, “ I will show you what they are.” 10 Then the man stand ing among the myr tle trees ex plained, “ They are the ones the L ord has sent to pa trol the earth.” 11 They re port ed to the an gel of the L ord stand ing among the myr tle trees, “ We have patrolled the earth, and right now the whole earth is calm and qui et.” 12 Then the an gel of the L ord re spond ed, “ How long, L ord of Ar mies, will you with hold mer cy from Je ru sa lem and the cit ies of Ju dah that you have been an gry with these sev en ty years? ” 13 The L ord re plied with kind and com- fort ing words to the an gel who was speak ing with me. 14 So the an gel who was speak ing with me said, “Pro claim: The L ord of Ar mies says: I am ex treme ly jeal ous for Je ru sa lem and Zion. 15 I am fierce ly an gry with the na tions that are at ease, for I was a lit tle an gry , but they made the de struc tion worse. c 16 There fore, this is what the L ord says: In mer cy , I have re turned to Je ru sa lem; my house will be re built with in it — this is the dec la ra tion of the L ord of Ar mies — and a mea sur ing line will be stretched out over Je ru sa lem. 17 “Pro claim fur ther: This is what the L ord of Ar mies says: My cit ies will again over flow with pros per i ty; the L ord will once more com fort Zion and again choose Je ru sa lem.” SECOND VISION: FOUR HORNS AND CRAFTSMEN 18 Then I looked up and saw four horns. 19 So I asked the an gel who was speak ing with me, “ What are these? ” And he said to me, “ These are the horns that scat tered Ju dah, Is ra el, and Je ru sa lem.” 20 Then the L ord showed me four crafts- men. 21 I asked, “ What are they com ing to do? ” He re plied, “ These are the horns that scat- tered Ju dah so no one could raise his head. These crafts men have come to ter ri fy them, to cut off d the horns of the na tions that raised a horn against the land of Ju dah to scat ter it.” THIRD VISION: SURVEYOR 2 I looked up and saw a man with a mea- sur ing line in his hand. 2 I asked, “ Where are you go ing? ” He an swered me, “ To mea sure Je ru sa lem to de ter mine its width and length.” 3 Then the an gel who was speak ing with me went out, and an oth er an gel went out to meet him. 4 He said to him, “ Run and tell this young man: Je ru sa lem will be in hab it ed with- out walls be cause of the num ber of peo ple and live stock in it.” 5 The dec la ra tion of the L ord: a1:8 Lit red b1:8 Lit depths c1:15 Lit they helped for evil d1:21 Lit throw down CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 841 10/26/17 9:00 PM “ I my self will be a wall of fire around it, and I will be the glo ry with in it.” 6 “Lis ten! Lis ten! Flee from the land of the north” — this is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion — “ for I have scat tered you like the four winds of heav- en” — this is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion. 7 “Lis ten, Zion! Es cape, you who are liv ing with Daugh ter Bab ylon.” 8 For the L ord of Ar mies says this: “ In pur suit of his glo ry , he sent me against the na tions plundering you, for who ev er touch es you touch es the pupil a of my b eye. 9 For look, I am rais ing my hand against them, and they will be come plun der for their own ser vants. Then you will know that the L ord of Ar mies has sent me. 10 “Daugh ter Zion, shout for joy and be glad, for I am com ing to dwell among you” — this is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion. 11 “ Many na tions will join them selves to the L ord on that day and be come my c peo ple. I will dwell among you, and you will know that the L ord of Ar mies has sent me to you. 12 The L ord will take pos ses sion of Ju dah as his por tion in the Holy Land, and he will once again choose Je ru sa lem. 13 Let all peo ple be si lent be fore the L ord , for from his holy dwell ing he has roused him self.” FOURTH VISION: HIGH PRIEST AND BRANCH 3 Then he showed me the high priest Josh ua stand ing be fore the an gel of the L ord, with Sa tan d stand ing at his right side to ac cuse him. 2 The L ord e said to Sa tan: “ The L ord re buke you, Sa tan! May the L ord who has cho sen Je- ru sa lem re buke you! Isn’t this man a burn ing stick snatched from the fire? ” 3 Now Josh ua was dressed with filthy f clothes as he stood be fore the an gel. 4 So the an gel of the L ord g spoke to those h stand ing be fore him, “ Take off his filthy clothes! ” Then he said to him, “ See, I have re moved your in- iq ui ty from you, and I will clothe you with fes tive robes.” 5 Then I said, “ Let them put a clean tur ban on his head.” So a clean tur ban was placed on his head, and they clothed him in gar ments while the an gel of the L ord was stand ing near by . 6 Then the an gel of the L ord charged Josh- ua: 7 “ This is what the L ord of Ar mies says: If you walk in my ways and keep my mandates, you will both rule my house and take care of my courts; I will also grant you ac cess among these who are stand ing here.8 “Lis ten, High Priest Josh ua, you and your col leagues sit ting be fore you; in deed, these men are a sign that I am about to bring my ser vant, the Branch. 9 No tice the stone I have set be fore Josh ua; on that one stone are sev- en eyes. I will en grave an in scrip tion on it” — this is the dec la ra tion of the L ord of Ar - mies — “ and I will take away the in iq ui ty of this land in a sin gle day . 10 On that day , each of you will in vite his neigh bor to sit un der his vine and fig tree.” This is the dec la ra tion of the L ord of Ar mies. FIFTH VISION: GOLD LAMPSTAND 4 The an gel who was speak ing with me then re turned and roused me as one awak ened out of sleep. 2 He asked me, “ What do you see? ” I re plied, “ I see a sol id gold lamp stand with a bowl at the top. The lamp stand also has sev en lamps at the top with sev en spouts for each of i the lamps. 3 There are also two ol ive trees be side it, one on the right of the bowl and the oth er on its left.” 4 Then I asked the an gel who was
📜 Divine Restoration Prophecy
🏗️ Zerubbabel will complete the temple "not by strength or might, but by my Spirit," establishing God's presence through divine empowerment rather than human effort
👑 The Branch (messianic figure) will unite royal and priestly offices, creating perfect harmony between leadership roles and establishing lasting peace
⚖️ God condemns empty religious rituals while demanding social justice—caring for the vulnerable, making fair decisions, and speaking truth are the true expressions of faithfulness
🌍 Jerusalem will be transformed from desolation to restoration, becoming a magnet for nations seeking God, with streets filled with elderly people and playing children
🐎 The humble king arrives on a donkey rather than a warhorse, bringing righteousness and peace to all nations while freeing prisoners and restoring double to those who hope
🌧️ God promises to strengthen His people like warriors, gathering them from distant lands and making them as numerous as before despite their scattering
speak ing with me, “ What are these, my lord? ” 5 “ Don’t you know what they are? ” re plied the an gel who was speak ing with me. I said, “ No, my lord.” 6 So he an swered me, “ This is the word of the L ord to Ze rub ba bel: ‘ Not by strength or by might, but by my Spir it,’ says the L ord of Ar mies. 7 ‘ What are you, great moun tain? Be- fore Ze rub ba bel you will be come a plain. And he will bring out the cap stone ac com pa nied by shouts of: Grace, grace to it! ’ ” 8 Then the word of the L ord came to me: 9 “Ze rub ba bel’s hands have laid the foun da tion of this house, and his hands will com plete it. Then you will know that the L ord of Ar mies has sent me to you. 10 For who de spis es the day of small things? These sev en eyes of the L ord, which scan through out the whole earth, will re joice when they see the cer e mo ni al stone j in Ze rub ba bel’s hand.” 11 I asked him, “ What are the two ol ive trees on the right and left of the lamp stand? ” 12 And I ques tioned him fur ther, “ What are the two streams k of the ol ive trees, from which the gold en oil is pour ing through the two gold en conduits? ” 13 Then he in quired of me, “ Don’t you know what these are? ” a2:8 Or apple b2:8 Alt Hb tradition; MT reads his c2:11 LXX, Syr read his d3:1 Or the accuser e3:2 Syr reads The Angel of the Lord f3:3 Probably stained with human excrement g3:4 Lit he h3:4 = the angels i4:2 Or seven lips to j4:10 Lit the tin stone k4:12 Or branchesZECHARIAH 2-4 842 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 842 10/26/17 9:00 PM “ No, my lord,” I re plied. 14 “ These are the two anoint ed ones,” a he said, “ who stand by the Lord of the whole earth.” SIXTH VISION: FLYING SCROLL 5 I looked up again and saw a fly ing scroll. 2 “ What do you see? ” he asked me. “ I see a fly ing scroll,” I re plied, “thir ty feet b long and fif teen feet c wide.” 3 Then he said to me, “ This is the curse that is go ing out over the whole land, for ev ery one who is a thief, con trary to what is writ ten on one side, has gone un pun ished, d and ev ery one who swears false ly , con trary to what is writ- ten on the oth er side, has gone un pun ished. 4 I will send it out,” — this is the dec la ra tion of the L ord of Ar mies — “ and it will en ter the house of the thief and the house of the one who swears false ly by my name. It will stay in side his house and de stroy it along with its tim bers and stones.” SEVENTH VISION: WOMAN IN THE BASKET 5 Then the an gel who was speak ing with me came for ward and told me, “ Look up and see what this is that is ap proach ing.” 6 So I asked, “ What is it? ” He re spond ed, “ It’s a mea sur ing bas ket e that is ap proach ing.” And he con tin ued, “ This is their in iq ui ty f in all the land.” 7 Then a lead cov er was lift ed, and there was a wom an sit- ting in side the bas ket. 8 “ This is Wick ed ness,” he said. He shoved her down into the bas ket and pushed the lead weight over its open ing. 9 Then I looked up and saw two wom en ap- proach ing with the wind in their wings. Their wings were like those of a stork, and they lift ed up the bas ket be tween earth and sky . 10 So I asked the an gel who was speak ing with me, “ Where are they tak ing the bas ket? ” 11 “ To build a shrine for it in the land of Shi- nar,” he told me. “ When that is ready , the bas ket will be placed there on its ped es tal.” EIGHTH VISION: FOUR CHARIOTS 6 Then I looked up again and saw four char - i ots com ing from be tween two moun tains. The moun tains were made of bronze. 2 The first char i ot had chestnut g hors es, the sec- ond char i ot black hors es, 3 the third char i ot white hors es, and the fourth char i ot dap pled hors es — all strong hors es. 4 So I in quired of the an gel who was speak ing with me, “ What are these, my lord? ” 5 The an gel told me, “ These are the four spir - its h of heav en go ing out af ter pre sent ing them- selves to the Lord of the whole earth. 6 The one with the black hors es is go ing to the land of the north, the white hors es are go ing af ter them, but the dap pled hors es are go ing to the land of the south.” 7 As the strong hors es went out, they want ed to go pa trol the earth, and the L ord said, “ Go, pa trol the earth.” So they patrolled the earth. 8 Then he sum moned me say ing, “ See, those go ing to the land of the north have pacified my Spir it in the north ern land.” CROWNING OF THE BRANCH 9 The word of the L ord came to me: 10 “ Take an off er ing from the ex iles, from Hel dai, To bi jah, and Je da iah, who have ar rived from Bab ylon, and go that same day to the house of Jo si ah son of Zeph a ni ah. 11 Take sil ver and gold, make a crown, i and place it on the head of Josh ua son of Je hoz a dak, the high priest. 12 You are to tell him: This is what the L ord of Ar mies says: Here is a man whose name is Branch; he will branch out from his place and build the L ord’ s tem ple. 13 Yes, he will build the L ord’ s tem ple; he will be clothed in splen dor and will sit on his throne and rule. There will also be a priest on his throne, and there will be peace ful coun sel be tween the two of them. 14 The crown will re side in the L ord’ s tem ple as a me mo ri al to Hel dai, To bi jah, Je da iah, and Hen j son of Zeph a ni ah. 15 Peo ple who are far off will come and build the L ord’ s tem ple, and you will know that the L ord of Ar mies has sent me to you. This will hap pen when you ful ly obey the L ord your God.” DISOBEDIENCE AND FASTING 7 In the fourth year of King Da ri us, the word of the L ord came to Zech a ri ah on the fourth day of the ninth month, which is Chislev . 2 Now the peo ple of Beth el had sent Sha re zer, Re - gem-melech, and their men to plead for the L ord’ s fa vor 3 by ask ing the priests who were at the house of the L ord of Ar mies as well as the proph ets, “ Should we mourn and fast in the fifth month as we have done these many years? ” 4 Then the word of the L ord of Ar mies came to me: 5 “ Ask all the peo ple of the land and the a4:14 = Joshua and Zerubbabel b5:2 Lit 20 cubits c5:2 Lit 10 cubits d5:3 Or side, will be removed e5:6 Lit It’s an ephah f5:6 One Hb ms, LXX, Syr; other Hb mss read eye g6:2 Lit red h6:5 Or winds i6:11 Lit crowns j6:14 Probably Josiah 843 ZECHARIAH 4-7 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 843 10/26/17 9:00 PM priests: When you fast ed and la ment ed in the fifth and in the sev enth months for these sev- en ty years, did you real ly fast for me? 6 When you eat and drink, don’t you eat and drink sim ply for your selves? 7 Aren’t these the words that the L ord pro claimed through the ear li er proph ets when Je ru sa lem was in hab it ed and se cure, a along with its sur round ing cit ies, and when the south ern re gion and the Ju de an foot hills were in hab it ed? ” 8 The word of the L ord came to Zech a ri ah: 9 “ The L ord of Ar mies says this: ‘ Make fair de- ci sions. Show faith ful love and com pas sion to one an oth er. 10 Do not op press the wid ow or the fa ther less, the res i dent alien or the poor, and do not plot evil in your hearts against one an oth er.’ 11 But they re fused to pay at ten tion and turned a stub born shoul der; they closed their ears so they could not hear. 12 They made their hearts like a rock so as not to obey the law or the words that the L ord of Ar mies had sent by his Spir it through the ear li er proph- ets. There fore in tense an ger came from the L ord of Ar mies. 13 Just as he had called, and they would not lis ten, so when they called, I would not lis ten, says the L ord of Ar mies. 14 I scat tered them with a wind storm over all the na tions that had not known them, and the land was left des o late be hind them, with no one com ing or go ing. They turned a pleas ant land into a des o la tion.” OBEDIENCE AND FEASTING 8 The word of the L ord of Ar mies came: 2 The L ord of Ar mies says this: “I am ex- treme ly jeal ous for Zion; I am jeal ous for her with great wrath.” 3 The L ord says this: “ I will re turn to Zion and live in Je ru sa lem. Then Je ru sa lem will be called the Faith ful City; the moun tain of the L ord of Ar mies will be called the Holy Moun tain.” 4 The L ord of Ar mies says this: “ Old men and wom en will again sit along the streets of Je ru sa lem, each with a staff in hand be cause of ad vanced age. 5 The streets of the city will be filled with boys and girls play ing in them.” 6 The L ord of Ar mies says this: “ Though it may seem im pos si ble to the rem nant of this peo ple in those days, should it also seem im pos si ble to me? ” — this is the dec la ra tion of the L ord of Ar mies. 7 The L ord of Ar mies says this: “ I will save my peo ple from the land of the east and the land of the west. b 8 I will bring them back to live in Je ru sa lem. They will be my peo ple, and I will be their faith ful and righ teous God.” 9 The L ord of Ar mies says this: “ Let your hands be strong, you who now hear these words that the proph ets spoke when the foun da tions were laid for the re build ing of the tem ple, the house of the L ord of Ar mies. 10 For pri or to those days nei ther man nor an i mal had wag es. There was no safe ty from the en e my for any one who came or went, for I turned ev ery one against his neigh bor. 11 But now , I will not treat the rem nant of this peo ple as in the for mer days” — this is the dec la ra- tion of the L ord of Ar mies. 12 “ For they will sow in peace: the vine will yield its fruit, the land will yield its pro duce, and the skies will yield their dew . I will give the rem nant of this peo ple all these things as an in her i tance. 13 As you have been a curse among the na tions, house of Ju dah and house of Is ra el, so I will save you, and you will be a bless ing. Don’t be afraid; let your hands be strong.” 14 For the L ord of Ar mies says this: “ As I re solved to treat you bad ly when your fa thers pro voked me to an ger, and I did not re lent,” says the L ord of Ar mies, 15 “ so I have re solved again in these days to do what is good to Je ru sa- lem and the house of Ju dah. Don’t be afraid. 16 These are the things you must do: Speak truth to one an oth er; make true and sound de ci sions with in your city gates. 17 Do not plot evil in your hearts against your neigh bor, and do not love per ju ry , for I hate all this” — this is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion. 18 Then the word of the L ord of Ar mies came to me: 19 The L ord of Ar mies says this: “The fast of the fourth month, the fast of the fifth, the fast of the sev enth, and the fast of the tenth will be come times of joy , glad ness, and cheer ful fes ti vals for the house of Ju dah. There fore, love truth and peace.” 20 The L ord of Ar mies says this: “Peo ples will yet come, the res i dents of many cit ies; 21 the res i dents of one city will go to an oth er, say ing: Let’s go at once to plead for the L ord’ s fa vor and to seek the L ord of Ar mies. I am also go ing. 22 Many peo ples and strong na tions will come to seek the L ord of Ar mies in Je ru sa lem and to plead for the L ord’ s fa vor.” 23 The L ord of Ar mies says this: “ In those days, ten men from na tions of ev ery lan guage will grab the robe of a Jew ish man tight ly , urg ing: Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.” a7:7 Or prosperous b8:7 Lit sunsetZECHARIAH 7-8 844 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 844 10/26/17 9:00 PM JUDGMENT OF ZION’S ENEMIES 9 A pronouncement: The word of the Lord is against the land of Hadrach, and Damascus is its resting place — for the eyes of humanity and all the tribes of Israel are on the Lord a — 2 and also against Hamath, which borders it, as well as Tyre and Sidon, though they are very shrewd. 3 Tyre has built herself a fortress; she has heaped up silver like dust and gold like the dirt of the streets. 4 Listen! The Lord will impoverish her and cast her wealth into the sea; she herself will be consumed by fire. 5 Ashkelon will see it and be afraid; Gaza too, and will writhe in great pain, as will Ekron, for her hope will fail. There will cease to be a king in Gaza, and Ashkelon will become uninhabited. 6 A mongrel people will live in Ashdod, and I will destroy the pride of the Philistines. 7 I will remove the blood from their mouths and the abhorrent things from between their teeth. Then they too will become a remnant for our God; they will become like a clan in Judah and Ekron like the Jebusites. 8 I will encamp at my house as a guard, against those who march back and forth, and no oppressor will march against them again, for now I have seen with my own eyes. THE COMING OF ZION’S KING 9 Rejoice greatly , Daughter Zion! Shout in triumph, Daughter Jerusalem! Look, your King is coming to you; he is righteous and victorious, b humble and riding on a donkey , on a colt, the foal of a donkey . 10 I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalem. The bow of war will be removed, and he will proclaim peace to the nations. His dominion will extend from sea to sea, from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth. 11 As for you, because of the blood of your covenant, I will release your prisoners from the waterless cistern. 12 Return to a stronghold, you prisoners who have hope; today I declare that I will restore double to you. 13 For I will bend Judah as my bow; I will fill that bow with Ephraim. I will rouse your sons, Zion, against your sons, Greece. c I will make you like a warrior’s sword. 14 Then the Lord will appear over them, and his arrow will fly like lightning. The Lord God will sound the trumpet and advance with the southern storms. 15 The Lord of Armies will defend them. They will consume and conquer with slingstones; they will drink and be rowdy as if with wine. They will be as full as the sprinkling basin, like those at the corners of the altar. 16 The Lord their God will save them on that day as the flock of his people; for they are like jewels in a crown, sparkling over his land. 17 How lovely and beautiful! Grain will make the young men flourish, and new wine, the young women. THE LORD RESTORES HIS PEOPLE 10 Ask the Lord for rainin the season of spring rain. The Lord makes the rain clouds, and he will give them showers of rain and crops in the field for everyone. 2 For the idols speak falsehood, and the diviners see illusions; they relate empty dreams and offer empty comfort. Therefore the people wander like sheep; they suffer affliction because there is no shepherd. 3 My anger burns against the shepherds, a9:1 Or eyes of the Lord are on mankind — b9:9 Or and has salvation c9:13 Lit Javan 845 ZECHARIAH 9-10 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 845 10/26/17 9:00 PM so I will punish the leaders. a For the Lord of Armies has tended his flock, the house of Judah; he will make them like his majestic steed in battle. 4 The cornerstone will come from Judah. b The tent peg will come from them and also the battle bow and every c ruler. Together 5 they will be like warriors in battle trampling down the mud of the streets. They will fight because the Lord is with them, and they will put horsemen to shame. 6 I will strengthen the house of Judah and deliver the house of Joseph. d I will restore e them because I have compassion on them, and they will be as though I had never rejected them. For I am the Lord their God, and I will answer them. 7 Ephraim will be like a warrior, and their hearts will be glad as if with wine. Their children will see it and be glad; their hearts will rejoice in the Lord. 8 I will whistle and gather them because I have redeemed them; they will be as numerous as they once were. 9 Though I sow them among the nations, they will remember me in the distant lands; they and their children will live and return. 10 I will bring them back from the land of Egypt and gather them from Assyria. I will bring them to the land of Gilead and to Lebanon, but it will not be enough for them. 11 The Lord f will pass through the sea of distress and strike the waves of the sea; all the depths of the Nile will dry up. The pride of Assyria will be brought down, and the scepter of Egypt will come to an end. 12 I will strengthen them in the Lord, and they will march in his name — this is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion. ISRAEL’S SHEPHERDS: GOOD AND BAD 11 Open your gates, Lebanon, and fire will consume your cedars. 2 Wail, cypress, for the cedar has fallen; the glorious trees are destroyed! Wail, oaks of Bashan, for the stately forest has fallen! 3 Listen to the wail of the shepherds, for their glory is destroyed. Listen to the roar of young lions, for the thickets of the Jordan are g destroyed. 4 The L ord my God says this: “Shep herd the flock in tend ed for slaugh ter. 5 Those who buy them slaugh ter them but are not pun ished. Those who sell them say: Blessed be the L ord be cause I have be come rich! Even their own shep herds have no com pas sion for them. 6 In deed, I will no lon ger have com pas sion on the in hab i tants of the land” — this is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion. “In stead, I will turn ev ery- one over to his neigh bor and his king. They will dev as tate the land, and I will not res cue it from their hand.” 7 So I shep herd ed the flock in tend ed for slaugh ter, the op pressed of the flock. h I took two staffs, call ing one Fa vor and the oth er Union, and I shep herd ed the flock. 8 In one month I got rid of three shep herds. I be came im pa tient with them, and they also de test ed me. 9 Then I said, “ I will no lon ger shep herd you. Let what is dy ing die, and let what is per - ish ing per ish; let the rest de vour each oth er’s flesh.” 10 Next I took my staff called Fa vor and cut it in two, annulling the cov enant I had made with all the peo ples. 11 It was an nulled on that day , and so the op pressed of the flock i who were watch ing me knew that it was the word of the L ord. 12 Then I said to them, “ If it seems right to you, give me my wag es; but if not, keep them.” So they weighed my wag es, thir ty pieces of sil ver. 13 “ Throw it to the pot ter,” j the L ord
🔥 Divine Judgment and Restoration
🛡️ Jerusalem's security will be established when God defends the city against surrounding nations, transforming even the weakest inhabitants into mighty warriors like David
🌊 A cleansing fountain will wash away sin and impurity, purifying God's people while removing false prophets and idolatry from the land
⚔️ The shepherd will be struck and two-thirds of the people will perish, but the remaining third will be refined like precious metals through fire, ultimately acknowledging God as their own
👑 The Lord will become King over the whole earth, with living water flowing from Jerusalem and all nations coming to worship Him at the Festival of Shelters
🔄 Priests who dishonor God through defiled offerings face severe rebuke, as the Lord desires genuine reverence rather than contemptible sacrifices
💔 God witnesses the marital unfaithfulness of His people, condemning both their spiritual betrayal and their treachery against the wives of their youth
said to me — this mag nifi cent price I was val ued by them. So I took the thir ty pieces of sil ver and threw it into the house of the L ord, to the a10:3 Lit male goats b10:4 Lit him c10:4 Lit also from him the . . . , from him every d10:6 = the northern kingdom e10:6 Other Hb mss, LXX read settle f10:11 Lit He g11:3 Lit for the majesty of the Jordan is h11:7 LXX reads slaughter that belonged to the sheep merchants i11:11 LXX reads and the sheep merchants j11:13 Syr reads treasuryZECHARIAH 10-11 846 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 846 10/26/17 9:00 PM pot ter. a 14 Then I cut in two my sec ond staff, Union, annulling the broth er hood be tween Ju dah and Is ra el. 15 The L ord also said to me: “ Take the equip- ment of a fool ish shep herd. 16 I am about to raise up a shep herd in the land who will not care for those who are per ish ing, and he will not seek the lost b or heal the bro ken. He will not sus tain the healthy , c but he will de vour the flesh of the fat sheep and tear off their hooves. 17 Woe to the worthless shepherd who deserts the flock! May a sword strike d his arm and his right eye! May his arm wither away and his right eye go completely blind! ” JUDAH’S SECURITY 12 A pronouncement: The word of the Lord concerning Israel. A declaration of the Lord, who stretched out the heavens, laid the foundation of the earth, and formed the spirit of man within him. 2 “ Look, I will make Je ru sa lem a cup that caus es stag ger ing for the peo ples who sur - round the city . The siege against Je ru sa lem will also in volve Ju dah. 3 On that day I will make Je ru sa lem a heavy stone for all the peo ples; all who try to lift it will in jure them selves se- vere ly when all the na tions of the earth gath er against her. 4 On that day” — this is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion — “ I will strike ev ery horse with pan ic and its rid er with mad ness. I will keep a watch ful eye on the house of Ju dah but strike all the hors es of the na tions with blind ness. 5 Then each of the lead ers of Ju dah will think to him self: The res i dents of Je ru sa lem are my strength through the L ord of Ar mies, their God. 6 On that day I will make the lead ers of Ju dah like a fire pot in a wood pile, like a flam ing torch among sheaves; they will con sume all the peo ples around them on the right and the left, while Je ru sa lem con tin ues to be in hab it ed on its site, in Je ru sa lem. 7 The L ord will save the tents of Ju dah first, so that the glo ry of Da vid’s house and the glo ry of Je ru sa lem’s res i dents may not be great er than that of Ju dah. 8 On that day the L ord will de fend the in hab i tants of Je ru sa lem, so that on that day the one who is weak est among them will be like Da vid on that day , and the house of Da vid will be like God, like the an gel of the L ord, be fore them. 9 On that day I will set out to de stroy all the na tions that come against Je ru sa lem. MOURNING FOR THE PIERCED ONE 10 “ Then I will pour out a spir it e of grace and prayer on the house of Da vid and the res i dents of Je ru sa lem, and they will look at f me whom they pierced. They will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child and weep bit ter ly for him as one weeps for a first born. 11 On that day the mourn ing in Je ru sa lem will be as great as the mourn ing of Hadad-rimmon in the plain of Me gid do. 12 The land will mourn, ev ery fam i ly by it self: the fam i ly of Da vid’s house by it self and their wom en by them selves; the fam i ly of Na than’s g house by it self and their wom en by them selves; 13 the fam i ly of Levi’s house by it self and their wom en by them selves; the fam i ly of Shim ei h by it self and their wom en by them selves; 14 all the re main ing fam i lies, ev ery fam i ly by it self, and their wom en by them selves. GOD’S PEOPLE CLEANSED 13 “ On that day a foun tain will be opened for the house of Da vid and for the res i dents of Je ru sa lem, to wash away sin and im pu ri ty . 2 On that day” — this is the dec la ra tion of the L ord of Ar mies — “ I will re move the names of the idols from the land, and they will no lon ger be re mem bered. I will ban ish the proph ets i and the un clean spir it from the land. 3 If a man still proph e sies, his fa ther and his moth er who bore him will say to him: You can not re main alive be cause you have spo ken a lie in the name of the L ord. When he proph e sies, his fa ther and his moth er who bore him will pierce him through. 4 On that day ev ery proph et will be ashamed of his vi sion when he proph e sies; they will not put on a hairy cloak in or der to de ceive. 5 He will say: I am not a proph et; I work the land, for a man pur chased j me as a ser vant since my youth. 6 If some one asks him: What are these wounds on your chest? k — then he will an swer: I re ceived the wounds in the house of my friends. 7 Sword, awake against my shepherd, against the man who is my associate — this is the declaration of the Lord of Armies. a11:13 One Hb ms, Syr read treasury b11:16 Or young c11:16 Or exhausted d11:17 Lit be against e12:10 Or out the Spirit f12:10 Or to g12:12 = a son of David h12:13 = a descendant of Levi i13:2 = false prophets j13:5 Or sold k13:6 Lit wounds between your hands 847 ZECHARIAH 11-13 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 847 10/26/17 9:00 PM Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered; I will turn my hand against the little ones. 8 In the whole land — this is the Lord’s declaration — two-thirds a will be cut off and die, but a third will be left in it. 9 I will put this third through the fire; I will refine them as silver is refined and test them as gold is tested. They will call on my name, and I will answer them. I will say: They are my people, and they will say: The Lord is our God.” THE LORD’S TRIUMPH AND REIGN 14 Look, a day be long ing to the L ord is com ing when the plun der tak en from you will be di vid ed in your pres ence. 2 I will gath er all the na tions against Je ru sa lem for bat tle. The city will be cap tured, the hous es loot ed, and the wom en raped. Half the city will go into ex ile, but the rest of the peo ple will not be re moved from the city . 3 Then the L ord will go out to fight against those na tions as he fights on a day of bat tle. 4 On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Ol ives, which fac es Je ru sa lem on the east. The Mount of Ol ives will be split in half from east to west, form ing a huge val ley , so that half the moun tain will move to the north and half to the south. 5 You will flee by my moun tain val ley , b for the val ley of the moun tains will ex tend to Azal. You will flee as you fled c from the earth quake in the days of King Uz zi ah of Ju dah. Then the L ord my God will come and all the holy ones with him. d 6 On that day there will be no light; the sun- light and moonlight will di min ish. e,f 7 It will be a unique day known only to the L ord, with out day or night, but there will be light at eve ning. 8 On that day liv ing wa ter will flow out from Je ru sa lem, half of it to ward the east ern sea g and the oth er half to ward the west ern sea, h in sum mer and win ter alike. 9 On that day the L ord will be come King over the whole earth — the L ord alone, and his name alone. 10 All the land from Geba to Rim mon south of Je ru sa lem will be changed into a plain. But Je ru sa lem will be raised up and will re- main i on its site from the Ben ja min Gate to the place of the First Gate, j to the Cor ner Gate, and from the Tow er of Han a nel to the roy al wine press es. 11 Peo ple will live there, and nev er again will there be a curse of com- plete de struc tion. So Je ru sa lem will dwell in se cu ri ty . 12 This will be the plague with which the L ord strikes all the peo ple who have warred against Je ru sa lem: their flesh will rot while they stand on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sock ets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths. 13 On that day a great pan ic from the L ord will be among them, so that each will seize the hand of an oth er, and the hand of one will rise against the oth er. 14 Ju dah will also fight at Je ru sa lem, and the wealth of all the sur round ing na tions will be col lect ed: gold, sil ver, and cloth ing in great abun dance. 15 The same plague as the pre vi ous one will strike k the hors es, mules, cam els, don keys, and all the an i mals that are in those camps. 16 Then all the sur vi vors from the na tions that came against Je ru sa lem will go up year af ter year to wor ship the King, the L ord of Ar mies, and to cel e brate the Fes ti val of Shel- ters. 17 Should any of the fam i lies of the earth not go up to Je ru sa lem to wor ship the King, the L ord of Ar mies, rain will not fall on them. 18 And if the peo ple l of Egypt will not go up and en ter, then rain will not fall on them; this will be the plague the L ord in flicts on the na tions who do not go up to cel e brate the Fes ti val of Shel ters. 19 This will be the pun ish ment of Egypt and all the na tions that do not go up to cel e brate the Fes ti val of Shel ters. 20 On that day , the words H oly to the L ord will be on the bells of the hors es. The pots in the house of the L ord will be like the sprin- kling ba sins be fore the al tar. 21 Ev ery pot in Je ru sa lem and in Ju dah will be holy to the L ord of Ar mies. All who sac ri fice will come and use the pots to cook in. And on that day there will no lon ger be a Ca naan ite m in the house of the L ord of Ar mies. a13:8 Lit two-thirds in it b14:5 Some Hb mss, LXX, Sym, Tg read The valley of my mountains will be blocked c14:5 LXX reads It will be blocked as it was blocked d14:5 Some Hb mss, LXX, Vg, Tg, Syr; other Hb mss read you e14:6 LXX, Sym, Syr , Tg, Vg read no light or cold or ice f14:6 Lit no light; the precious ones will congeal g14:8 = the Dead Sea h14:8 = the Mediterranean Sea i14:10 Or will be inhabited j14:10 Or the former gate k14:15 Lit be on l14:18 Lit family m14:21 Or merchantZECHARIAH 13-14 848 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 848 10/26/17 9:00 PM malachi THE LORD’S LOVE FOR ISRAEL 1 A pronouncement: The word of the L ord to Is ra el through Mal a chi. a 2 “ I have loved you,” says the L ord. Yet you ask, “ How have you loved us? ” “ Wasn’t Esau Ja cob’s broth er? ” This is the L ord’ s dec la ra tion. “ Even so, I loved Ja cob, 3 but I hat ed Esau. I turned his moun tains into a waste land, and gave his in her i tance to the desert jack als.” 4 Though Edom says: “ We have been dev- as tat ed, but we will re build b the ru ins,” the L ord of Ar mies says this: “ They may build, but I will de mol ish. They will be called a wick ed coun try and the peo ple the L ord has cursed c for ev er. 5 Your own eyes will see this, and you your selves will say , ‘ The L ord is great, even be yond d the bor ders of Is ra el.’ DISOBEDIENCE OF THE PRIESTS 6 “ A son hon ors his fa ther, and a ser vant his mas ter. But if I am a fa ther, where is my hon- or? And if I am a mas ter, where is your fear of me? says the L ord of Ar mies to you priests, who de spise my name.” Yet you ask: “ How have we de spised your name? ” 7 “ By pre sent ing de filed food on my al tar.” “ How have we de filed you? ” you ask. When you say: “ The L ord’ s ta ble is con- tempt ible.” 8 “ When you pre sent a blind an i mal for sac- ri fice, is it not wrong? And when you pre sent a lame or sick an i mal, is it not wrong? Bring it to your gov er nor! Would he be pleased with you or show you fa vor? ” asks the L ord of Ar - mies. 9 “ And now plead for God’s fa vor. Will he be gra cious to us? Since this has come from your hands, will he show any of you fa vor? ” asks the L ord of Ar mies. 10 “ I wish one of you would shut the tem ple doors, so that you would no lon ger kin dle a use less fire on my al tar! I am not pleased with you,” says the L ord of Ar mies, “ and I will ac cept no off er ing from your hands.11 “ My name will be great among the na- tions, from the ris ing of the sun to its set ting. In cense e and pure off er ings will be pre sent ed in my name in ev ery place be cause my name will be great among the na tions,” f says the L ord of Ar mies. 12 “ But you are profaning it when you say: ‘ The Lord’s ta ble is de filed, and its prod uct, its food, is con tempt ible.’ 13 You also say: ‘ Look, what a nui sance! ’ And you scorn g it,” h says the L ord of Ar mies. “ You bring sto len, i lame, or sick an i mals. You bring this as an off er ing! Am I to ac cept that from your hands? ” asks the L ord. 14 “ The de ceiv er is cursed who has an ac- cept able male in his flock and makes a vow but sac ri fic es a defective an i mal to the Lord. For I am a great King,” says the L ord of Ar - mies, “ and my name will be feared among the na tions. WARNING TO THE PRIESTS 2 “There fore, this de cree is for you priests: 2 If you don’t lis ten, and if you don’t take it to heart to hon or my name,” says the L ord of Ar mies, “ I will send a curse among you, and I will curse your bless ings. In fact, I have al ready be gun to curse them be cause you are not tak ing it to heart. 3 “ Look, I am go ing to re buke your de scen- dants, and I will spread an i mal waste j over your fac es, the waste from your fes ti val sac ri fic es, and you will be tak en away with it. 4 Then you will know that I sent you this de cree, so that my cov enant with Levi may con tin ue,” says the L ord of Ar mies. 5 “ My cov enant with him was one of life and peace, and I gave these to him; it called for rev er- ence, and he re vered me and stood in awe of my name. 6 True in struc tion was in his mouth, and noth ing wrong was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and in- teg ri ty and turned many from in iq ui ty . 7 For the lips of a priest should guard knowl edge, and peo ple should de sire in struc tion from his mouth, be cause he is the mes sen ger of the L ord of Ar mies. a1:1 = My Messenger b1:4 Or will return and build c1:4 Or Lord is angry with d1:5 Or great over e1:11 Or Burnt offerings f1:11 Or is great . . . are presented . . . is great g1:13 Lit blow at h1:13 Alt Hb tradition reads me i1:13 Or injured j2:3 Dung or entrails CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 849 10/26/17 9:00 PM 8 “ You, on the oth er hand, have turned from the way . You have caused many to stum ble by your in struc tion. You have vi o lat ed a the cov enant of Levi,” says the L ord of Ar mies. 9 “ So I in turn have made you de spised and hu mil i at ed be fore all the peo ple be cause you are not keep ing my ways but are show ing par tial i ty in your in struc tion.” JUDAH’S MARITAL UNFAITHFULNESS 10 Don’t all of us have one Fa ther? Didn’t one God cre ate us? Why then do we act treach- er ous ly against one an oth er, profaning the cov enant of our fa thers? 11 Ju dah has act ed treach er ous ly , and a de test able act has been done in Is ra el and in Je ru sa lem. For Ju dah has pro faned the L ord’ s sanc tu ary , b which he loves, and has mar ried the daugh ter of a for eign god. c 12 May the L ord cut off from the tents of Ja cob the man who does this, who ev er he may be, d even if he pre sents an off er ing to the L ord of Ar mies. 13 This is an oth er thing you do. You are cov- er ing the L ord’ s al tar with tears, with weep ing and groan ing, be cause he no lon ger re spects your off er ings or re ceives them glad ly from your hands. 14 And you ask, “ Why? ” Be cause even though the L ord has been a wit ness be tween you and the wife of your youth, you have act ed treach- er ous ly against her. She was your mar riage part ner and your wife by cov enant. 15 Didn’t God make them one and give them a por tion of spir it? What is the one seek ing? d God ly off spring. So watch your selves care ful ly , e so that no one acts treach er ous ly against the wife of his f youth. 16 “ If he hates and di vorc es his wife,” says the L ord God of Is ra el, “ he g cov ers his gar - ment with in jus tice,” says the L ord of Ar mies. There fore, watch your selves care ful ly , h and do not act treach er ous ly . JUDGMENT AT THE LORD’S COMING 17 You have wea ried the L ord with your words. Yet you ask, “ How have we wea ried him? ” When you say , “Ev ery one who does what is evil is good in the L ord’ s sight, and he is de light ed with them, or else where is the God of jus tice? ”3 “ See, I am go ing to send my mes sen ger, and he will clear the way be fore me. Then the Lord you seek will sud den ly come to his tem ple, the Mes sen ger of the cov enant you de light in — see, he is com ing,” says the L ord of Ar mies. 2 But who can en dure the day of his com ing? And who will be able to stand when he ap pears? For he will be like a re- fin er’s fire and like laun der er’s bleach. i 3 He will be like a re fin er and pu ri fi er of sil ver; he will pu ri fy the sons of Levi and re fine them like gold and sil ver. Then they will pre- sent of fer ings to the L ord in righ teous ness. 4 And the of fer ings of Ju dah and Je ru sa lem will please the L ord as in days of old and years gone by . 5 “ I will come to you in judg ment, and I will be ready to wit ness against sor cer ers
📜 Divine Justice and Covenant Renewal
🔍 Covenant faithfulness demands proper worship, ethical behavior, and generous giving of tithes, with God promising to "open the floodgates of heaven" for those who honor these obligations
⚖️ The text establishes a clear distinction between the righteous and wicked, promising ultimate judgment where evildoers become "stubble" while those who fear God receive healing and compassion
🔄 Repentance serves as the pathway to restoration—"Return to me, and I will return to you"—highlighting God's unchanging nature despite human inconsistency
🌅 The Day of the Lord represents both judgment and redemption, with the "sun of righteousness" rising for the faithful while consuming the arrogant
💰 Robbing God through withholding tithes brings curses, while faithful giving invites divine protection against "devourers" that would otherwise destroy prosperity
👪 The text concludes with a promise to "turn the hearts of fathers to their children," emphasizing relational healing as part of divine restoration
and adul ter ers; against those who swear false ly; against those who op press the hired work er, the wid ow , and the fa ther less; and against those who deny jus tice to the res i dent alien. They do not fear me,” says the L ord of Ar - mies. 6 “Be cause I, the L ord, have not changed, you de scen dants of Ja cob have not been de- stroyed. j ROBBING GOD 7 “ Since the days of your fa thers, you have turned from my stat utes; you have not kept them. Re turn to me, and I will re turn to you,” says the L ord of Ar mies. Yet you ask, “ How can we re turn? ” 8 “ Will a man rob God? Yet you are rob bing me! ” “ How do we rob you? ” you ask. “ By not mak ing the pay ments of the tenth and the con tri bu tions. 9 You are suff er ing un der a curse, yet k you — the whole na tion — are still rob bing me. 10 Bring the full tenth into the store house so that there may be food in my house. Test me in this way ,” says the L ord of Ar mies. “ See if I will not open the flood gates of heav en and pour out a bless ing for you with out mea sure. 11 I will re buke the devourer l for you, so that it will not ruin the pro duce of your land and your vine in your field will not fail to pro duce fruit,” says the L ord of Ar mies. 12 “ Then all the na tions will con sid er you for tu nate, for you will be a de- light ful land,” says the L ord of Ar mies. a2:8 Lit corrupted b2:11 Or profaned what is holy to the Lord c2:11 = a woman who worshiped a foreign god d2:12,15 Hb obscure e2:15 Lit So guard yourselves in your spirit f2:15 Lit your g2:16 Or The Lord God of Israel says that he hates divorce and the one who h2:16 Lit Therefore, guard yourselves in your spirit i 3:2 Lit cleansing agent j 3:6 Or Because I, the Lord, do not change, you descendants of Jacob are not destroyed k3:9 Or because l3:11 Perhaps locustsMALACHI 2-3 850 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 850 10/26/17 9:00 PM THE RIGHTEOUS AND THE WICKED 13 “ Your words against me are harsh,” says the L ord. Yet you ask, “ What have we spo ken against you? ” 14 You have said: “ It is use less to serve God. What have we gained by keep ing his re quire- ments and walk ing mourn ful ly be fore the L ord of Ar mies? 15 So now we con sid er the ar ro gant to be for tu nate. Not only do those who com mit wick ed ness pros per, they even test God and es cape.” 16 At that time those who feared the L ord spoke to one an oth er. The L ord took no tice and lis tened. So a book of re mem brance was writ ten be fore him for those who feared the L ord and had high re gard for his name. 17 “ They will be mine,” says the L ord of Ar mies, “ my own pos ses sion on the day I am pre par ing. I will have com pas sion on them as a man has com pas sion on his son who serves him. 18 So you will again see the diff er ence be tween the righ teous and the wick ed, be tween one who serves God and one who does not serve him.THE DAY OF THE LORD 4 “ For look, the day is com ing, burn ing like a fur nace, when all the ar ro gant and ev- ery one who com mits wick ed ness will be come stub ble. The com ing day will con sume them,” says the L ord of Ar mies, “ not leav ing them root or branch es. 2 But for you who fear my name, the sun of righ teous ness will rise with heal ing in its wings, and you will go out and playfully jump like calves from the stall. a 3 You will tram ple the wick ed, for they will be ash es un der the soles of your feet on the day I am pre par ing,” says the L ord of Ar mies. A FINAL WARNING 4 “Re mem ber the in struc tion of Mo ses my ser vant, the stat utes and or di nances I com- mand ed him at Ho reb for all Is ra el. 5 Look, I am go ing to send you the proph et Eli jah be fore the great and ter ri ble day of the L ord comes. 6 And he will turn the hearts of fa thers to their chil dren and the hearts of chil dren to their fa thers. Oth er wise, I will come and strike the land b with a curse.” a4:2 Or like stall-fed calves b4:6 Or earth 851 MALACHI 3-4 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 851 10/26/17 9:00 PM CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 852 10/26/17 9:00 PM The new Tes Tamen T CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 853 10/26/17 9:00 PM CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 854 10/26/17 9:00 PM maTThew THE GENEALOGY OF JESUS CHRIST 1 An ac count of the ge ne al o gy of Jesus Christ, the Son of Da vid, the Son of Abra ham: FROM ABRAHAM TO DAVID 2 Abraham fathered a Isaac, Isaac fathered Jacob, Jacob fathered Judah and his brothers, 3 Judah fathered Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez fathered Hezron, Hezron fathered Aram, 4 Aram fathered Amminadab, Amminadab fathered Nahshon, Nahshon fathered Salmon, 5 Salmon fathered Boaz by Rahab, Boaz fathered Obed by Ruth, Obed fathered Jesse, 6 and Jesse fathered King David. FROM DAVID TO THE BABYLONIAN EXILE David fathered Solomon b by Uriah’s wife, 7 Solomon fathered Rehoboam, Rehoboam fathered Abijah, Abijah fathered Asa, c 8 Asa c fathered Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat fathered Joram, d Joram fathered Uzziah, 9 Uzziah fathered Jotham, Jotham fathered Ahaz, Ahaz fathered Hezekiah, 10 Hezekiah fathered Manasseh, Manasseh fathered Amon, e Amon fathered Josiah, 11 and Josiah fathered Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon. FROM THE EXILE TO THE CHRIST 12 After the exile to Babylon Jeconiah fathered Shealtiel, Shealtiel fathered Zerubbabel, 13 Zerubbabel fathered Abiud, Abiud fathered Eliakim, Eliakim fathered Azor, 14 Azor fathered Zadok, Zadok fathered Achim, Achim fathered Eliud, 15 Eliud fathered Eleazar, Eleazar fathered Matthan, Matthan fathered Jacob, 16 and Jacob fathered Joseph the husband of Mary , who gave birth to Jesus who is called the Christ. 17 So all the gen er a tions from Abra ham to Da vid were four teen gen er a tions; and from Da vid un til the ex ile to Bab ylon, four teen gen - er a tions; and from the ex ile to Bab ylon un til the Christ, four teen gen er a tions. THE NATIVITY OF THE CHRIST 18 The birth of Jesus Christ came about this way: Af ter his moth er Mary had been en gaged f to Jo seph, it was dis cov ered be fore they came to geth er that she was preg nant from the Holy Spir it. 19 So her hus band Jo seph, be ing a righ - teous man, and not want ing to dis grace her pub lic ly , de cid ed to di vorce her se cret ly . 20 But af ter he had con sid ered these things, an an gel of the Lord ap peared to him in a dream, say ing, “Jo seph, son of Da vid, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, be cause what has been con ceived in her is from the Holy Spir it. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus, be cause he will save his peo ple from their sins.” 22 Now all this took place to ful fill what was spo ken by the Lord through the proph et: 23 See, the virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they will name him Immanuel, g which is trans lat ed “ God is with us.” 24 When Jo seph woke up, he did as the Lord’s an gel had com mand ed him. He mar ried her 25 but did not have sex u al re la tions with her un til she gave birth to a son. h And he named him Jesus. WISE MEN VISIT THE KING 2 Af ter Jesus was born in Beth le hem of Ju- dea in the days of King Her od, wise men from the east ar rived in Je ru sa lem, 2 say ing, “ Where is he who has been born king of the a1:2 In vv. 2-16 either a son, as here, or a later descendant, as in v. 8 b1:6 Other mss add King c1:7,8 Other mss read Asaph d1:8 = Jehoram e1:10 Other mss read Amos f1:18 Or betrothed g1:23 Is 7:14 h1:25 Other mss read to her firstborn son CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 855 10/26/17 9:00 PM Jews? For we saw his star at its ris ing and have come to wor ship him.” a 3 When King Her od heard this, he was deep ly dis turbed, and all Je ru sa lem with him. 4 So he as sem bled all the chief priests and scribes of the peo ple and asked them where the Christ would be born. 5 “ In Beth le hem of Ju dea,” they told him, “be- cause this is what was writ ten by the proph et: 6 And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah: Because out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.” b 7 Then Her od se cret ly sum moned the wise men and asked them the ex act time the star ap peared. 8 He sent them to Beth le hem and said, “ Go and search care ful ly for the child. When you find him, re port back to me so that I too can go and wor ship him.” c 9 Af ter hear ing the king, they went on their way . And there it was — the star they had seen at its ris ing. It led them un til it came and stopped above the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were over whelmed with joy . 11 En ter ing the house, they saw the child with Mary his moth er, and fall ing to their knees, they wor shiped him. d Then they opened their trea sures and pre sent ed him with gifts: gold, frank in cense, and myrrh. 12 And be ing warned in a dream not to go back to Her od, they re- turned to their own coun try by an oth er route. THE FLIGHT INTO EGYPT 13 Af ter they were gone, an an gel of the Lord ap peared to Jo seph in a dream, say ing, “ Get up! Take the child and his moth er, flee to Egypt, and stay there un til I tell you. For Her od is about to search for the child to kill him.” 14 So he got up, took the child and his moth er dur ing the night, and es caped to Egypt. 15 He stayed there un til Her od’s death, so that what was spo ken by the Lord through the proph et might be ful filled: Out of Egypt I called my Son. e THE MASSACRE OF THE INNOCENTS 16 Then Her od, when he re al ized that he had been out wit ted by the wise men, flew into a rage. He gave or ders to mas sa cre all the boys in and around Beth le hem who were two years old and un der, in keep ing with the time he had learned from the wise men. 17 Then what was spo ken through Jer e mi ah the proph et was ful filled: 18 A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping, f and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children; and she refused to be consoled, because they are no more. g THE RETURN TO NAZARETH 19 Af ter Her od died, an an gel of the Lord ap- peared in a dream to Jo seph in Egypt, 20 say ing, “ Get up, take the child and his moth er, and go to the land of Is ra el, be cause those who in- tend ed to kill the child are dead.” 21 So he got up, took the child and his moth er, and en tered the land of Is ra el. 22 But when he heard that Ar che la us was rul ing over Ju dea in place of his fa ther Her od, he was afraid to go there. And be ing warned in a dream, he with drew to the re gion of Gal i lee. 23 Then he went and set tled in a town called Naz a reth to ful fill what was spo ken through the proph ets, that he would be called a Naz a rene. THE HERALD OF THE CHRIST 3 In those days John the Bap tist came, preach ing in the wil der ness of Ju dea 2 and say ing, “Re pent, be cause the king dom of heav- en has come near! ” 3 For he is the one spo ken of through the proph et Isa iah, who said: A voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Prepare the way for the Lord; make his paths straight! h 4 Now John had a camel-hair gar ment with a leath er belt around his waist, and his food was lo custs and wild hon ey . 5 Then peo ple from Je ru sa lem, all Ju dea, and all the vi cin i- ty of the Jor dan were go ing out to him, 6 and they were bap tized by him in the Jor dan Riv er, con fess ing their sins. 7 When he saw many of the Phar i sees and Sad du cees com ing to his bap tism, he said to them, “ Brood of vi pers! Who warned you to flee from the com ing wrath? 8 There fore pro duce fruit consistent with i re pen tance. 9 And don’t pre sume to say to your selves, ‘ We have Abra ham as our fa ther.’ For I tell you that a2:2 Or to pay him homage b2:6 Mc 5:2 c2:8 Or and pay him homage d2:11 Or they paid him homage e2:15 Hs 11:1 f2:18 Other mss read Ramah, lamentation, and weeping, g2:18 Jr 31:15 h3:3 Is 40:3 i3:8 Lit fruit worthy ofMATTHEW 2-3 856 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 856 10/26/17 9:00 PM God is able to raise up chil dren for Abra ham from these stones. 10 The ax is al ready at the root of the trees. There fore, ev ery tree that doesn’t pro duce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. 11 “ I bap tize you with a wa ter for re pen tance, but the one who is com ing af ter me is more pow er ful than I. I am not wor thy to re move b his san dals. He him self will bap tize you with the Holy Spir it and fire. 12 His win now ing shov el is in his hand, and he will clear his thresh ing floor and gath er his wheat into the barn. But the chaff he will burn with fire that nev er goes out.” THE BAPTISM OF JESUS 13 Then Jesus came from Gal i lee to John at the Jor dan, to be bap tized by him. 14 But John tried to stop him, say ing, “ I need to be bap tized by you, and yet you come to me? ” 15 Jesus an swered him, “ Al low it for now , be cause this is the way for us to ful fill all righ teous ness.” Then John al lowed him to be bap tized. 16 When Jesus was bap tized, he went up im me di ate ly from the wa ter. The heav ens sud den ly opened for him, c and he saw the Spir it of God de scend ing like a dove and com- ing down on him. 17 And a voice from heav en said: “ This is my be loved Son, with whom I am well-pleased.” THE TEMPTATION OF JESUS 4 Then Jesus was led up by the Spir it into the wil der ness to be tempt ed by the dev il. 2 Af ter he had fast ed for ty days and for ty nights, he was hun gry . 3 Then the tempt er ap proached him and said, “ If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to be come bread.” 4 He an swered, “ It is writ ten: Man must not live on bread alone but on ev ery word that comes from the mouth of God.” d 5 Then the dev il took him to the holy city , had him stand on the pinnacle of the tem ple, 6 and said to him, “ If you are the Son of God, throw your self down. For it is writ ten: He will give his angels orders concerning you, and they will support you with their hands so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.” e7 Jesus told him, “ It is also writ ten: Do not test the Lord your God.” f 8 Again, the dev il took him to a very high moun tain and showed him all the king doms of the world and their splen dor. 9 And he said to him, “ I will give you all these things if you will fall down and wor ship me.” g 10 Then Jesus told him, “ Go away , h Sa tan! For it is writ ten: Wor ship the Lord your God, and serve only him.” i 11 Then the dev il left him, and an gels came and be gan to serve him. MINISTRY IN GALILEE 12 When he heard that John had been ar rest ed, he with drew into Gal i lee. 13 He left Naz a reth and went to live in Ca per na um by the sea, in the re gion of Zeb u lun and Naph ta li. 14 This was to ful fill what was spo ken through the proph et Isa iah: 15 Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, along the road by the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles. 16 The people who live in darkness have seen a great light, and for those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned. j,k 17 From then on Jesus be gan to preach, “Re- pent, be cause the king dom of heav en has come near.” THE FIRST DISCIPLES 18 As he was walk ing along the Sea of Gal i lee, he saw two broth ers, Si mon ( who is called Pe ter), and his broth er An drew . They were cast ing a net into the sea — for they were fish er men. 19 “Fol low me,” he told them, “ and I will make you fish for l peo ple.” 20 Im me di ate ly they left their nets and fol lowed him. 21 Go ing on from there, he saw two oth er broth ers, James the son of Zeb e dee, and his broth er John. They were in a boat with Zeb e- dee their fa ther, pre par ing their nets, and he called them. 22 Im me di ate ly they left the boat and their fa ther and fol lowed him. TEACHING, PREACHING, AND HEALING 23 Now Jesus be gan to go all over Gal i lee, teach ing in their syn a gogues, preach ing the a3:11 Or in b3:11 Or to carry c3:16 Other mss omit for him d4:4 Dt 8:3 e4:6 Ps 91:11-12 f4:7 Dt 6:16 g4:9 Or and pay me homage h4:10 Other mss read “Get behind me i4:10 Dt 6:13 j4:16 Lit dawned on them k4:15-16 Is 9:1-2 l4:19 Or you fishers of 857 MATTHEW 3-4 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 857 10/26/17 9:00 PM good news of the king dom, and heal ing ev- ery a dis ease and sick ness b among the peo ple. 24 Then the news about him spread through out Syr ia. So they brought to him all those who were afflicted, those suff er ing from var i ous dis eas es and in tense pains, the demon-pos - sessed, the ep i lep tics, and the par a lyt ics. And he healed them. 25 Large crowds fol lowed him from Gal i lee, the De cap o lis, Je ru sa lem, Ju dea, and be yond the Jor dan. THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT 5 When he saw the crowds, he went up on the moun tain, and af ter he sat down, his dis ci ples came to him. 2 Then c he be gan to teach them, say ing: THE BEATITUDES 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 Blessed are the humble, for they will inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy . 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. 10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs. 11 “ You are blessed when they in sult you and per se cute you and false ly say ev ery kind of evil against you be cause of me. 12 Be glad and re joice, be cause your re ward is great in heav en. For that is how they per se cut ed the proph ets who were be fore you. BELIEVERS ARE SALT AND LIGHT 13 “ You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt should lose its taste, how can it be made salty? d It’s no lon ger good for any thing but to be thrown out and tram pled un der peo ple’s feet.14 “ You are the light of the world. A city sit u at- ed on a hill can not be hid den. 15 No one lights a lamp and puts it un der a bas ket, but rath er on a lamp stand, and it gives light for all who are in the house. 16 In the same way , let your light shine be fore oth ers, so that they may see your good works and give glo ry to your Fa ther in heav en. CHRIST FULFILLS THE LAW 17 “ Don’t think that I came to abol ish the Law or the Proph ets.
🙏 Sermon on the Mount
🔄 Fulfillment of the Law transforms religious understanding by elevating internal motives above external compliance, demanding righteousness that exceeds mere rule-following
❤️ Heart-level righteousness redefines sin beyond actions to include thoughts and intentions—anger equals murder, lust equals adultery
💰 Kingdom priorities demand storing treasures in heaven rather than earth, serving God instead of money, and seeking first God's kingdom
🏗️ Two foundations contrast those who merely hear Jesus' teachings with those who act on them—one building on rock, the other on sand
🙌 Authentic spirituality rejects hypocrisy and public performance in prayer, fasting, and giving, focusing instead on pleasing God in secret
I did not come to abol ish but to ful fill. 18 For tru ly I tell you, un til heav en and earth pass away , not the small est let ter e or one stroke of a let ter will pass away from the law un til all things are ac com plished. 19 There fore, who ev er breaks one of the least of these com- mands and teach es oth ers to do the same will be called least in the king dom of heav en. But who ev er does and teach es these com mands will be called great in the king dom of heav en. 20 For I tell you, un less your righ teous ness sur pass es that of the scribes and Phar i sees, you will nev er get into the king dom of heav en. MURDER BEGINS IN THE HEART 21 “ You have heard that it was said to our an ces- tors, Do not mur der, f and who ev er mur ders will be sub ject to judg ment. 22 But I tell you, ev ery one who is an gry with his broth er or sis ter g will be sub ject to judg ment. Who ev er in sults h his broth er or sis ter, will be sub ject to the court. i Who ev er says, ‘ You fool! ’ will be sub ject to hellfire. j 23 So if you are off er ing your gift on the al tar, and there you re mem- ber that your broth er or sis ter has some thing against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the al tar. First go and be rec on ciled with your broth er or sis ter, and then come and off er your gift. 25 Reach a set tle ment quick ly with your ad ver sary while you’re on the way with him to the court, or your ad ver sary will hand you over to the judge, and the judge to k the off i cer, and you will be thrown into pris on. 26 Tru ly I tell you, you will nev er get out of there un til you have paid the last pen ny . l ADULTERY BEGINS IN THE HEART 27 “ You have heard that it was said, Do not com mit adul tery . m 28 But I tell you, ev ery one who looks at a wom an lust ful ly has al ready a4:23 Or every kind of b4:23 Or physical ailment c5:2 Lit Then opening his mouth d5:13 Or how can the earth be salted? e5:18 Or not one iota ; iota is the smallest letter of the Gk alphabet. f5:21 Ex 20:13; Dt 5:17 g5:22 Other mss add without a cause h5:22 Lit Whoever says ‘Raca’ ; an Aramaic term of abuse that puts someone down, insulting one’s intelligence i5:22 Lit Sanhedrin j5:22 Lit the gehenna of fire k5:25 Other mss read judge will hand you over to l5:26 Lit quadrans, the smallest and least valuable Roman coin, worth 1/64 of a daily wage m5:27 Ex 20:14; Dt 5:18MATTHEW 4-5 858 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 858 10/26/17 9:00 PM com mit ted adul tery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye caus es you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away . For it is bet ter that you lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand caus es you to sin, cut it off and throw it away . For it is bet ter that you lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to go into hell. DIVORCE PRACTICES CENSURED 31 “ It was also said, Who ev er di vorc es his wife must give her a writ ten no tice of di vorce. a 32 But I tell you, ev ery one who di vorc es his wife, ex cept in a case of sex u al im mo ral i ty , caus es her to com mit adul tery . And who ev er mar ries a di vorced wom an com mits adul tery . TELL THE TRUTH 33 “ Again, you have heard that it was said to our an ces tors, You must not break your oath, but you must keep your oaths to the Lord. b 34 But I tell you, don’t take an oath at all: ei ther by heav en, be cause it is God’s throne; 35 or by the earth, be cause it is his foot stool; or by Je ru sa lem, be cause it is the city of the great King. 36 Do not swear by your head, be cause you can not make a sin gle hair white or black. 37 But let your ‘ yes’ mean ‘ yes,’ and your ‘ no’ mean ‘ no.’ Any thing more than this is from the evil one. GO THE SECOND MILE 38 “ You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. c 39 But I tell you, don’t re sist d an evil do er. On the con- trary , if any one slaps you on your right cheek, turn the oth er to him also. 40 As for the one who wants to sue you and take away your shirt, let him have your coat as well. 41 And if any one forc es you to go one mile, go with him two. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and don’t turn away from the one who wants to bor row from you. LOVE YOUR ENEMIES 43 “ You have heard that it was said, Love your neigh bor e and hate your en e my . 44 But I tell you, love your en e mies f and pray for those who g per se cute you, 45 so that you may be h chil dren of your Fa ther in heav en. For he caus es his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righ teous and the un righ teous. 46 For if you love those who love you, what re ward will you have? Don’t even the tax col- lec tors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your broth ers and sis ters, what are you do ing out of the or di nary? i Don’t even the Gen tiles j do the same? 48 Be per fect, there fore, as your heav en ly Fa ther is per fect. HOW TO GIVE 6 “ Be care ful not to prac tice your righ teous- ness k in front of oth ers to be seen by them. Oth er wise, you have no re ward with your Fa- ther in heav en. 2 So when ev er you give to the poor, don’t sound a trum pet be fore you, as the hyp o crites do in the syn a gogues and on the streets, to be applauded by peo ple. Tru ly I tell you, they have their re ward. 3 But when you give to the poor, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is do ing, 4 so that your giv ing may be in se cret. And your Fa ther who sees in se cret will re ward you. l HOW TO PRAY 5 “When ev er you pray , you must not be like the hyp o crites, be cause they love to pray stand ing in the syn a gogues and on the street cor ners to be seen by peo ple. Tru ly I tell you, they have their re ward. 6 But when you pray , go into your pri vate room, shut your door, and pray to your Fa ther who is in se cret. And your Fa ther who sees in se cret will re ward you. m 7 When you pray , don’t bab ble like the Gen tiles, since they imag ine they’ll be heard for their many words. 8 Don’t be like them, be cause your Fa ther knows the things you need be fore you ask him. THE LORD’S PRAYER 9 “There fore, you should pray like this: Our Father in heaven, your name be honored as holy . 10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. n 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. a5:31 Dt 24:1 b5:33 Lv 19:12; Nm 30:2; Dt 23:21 c5:38 Ex 21:24; Lv 24:20; Dt 19:21 d5:39 Or don’t set yourself against, or don’t retaliate against e5:43 Lv 19:18 f5:44 Other mss add bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, g5:44 Other mss add mistreat you and h5:45 Or may become, or may show yourselves to be i5:47 Or doing that is superior ; lit doing more j5:47 Other mss read tax collectors k6:1 Other mss read charitable giving l6:4 Other mss read will himself reward you openly m6:6 Other mss add openly n6:11 Or our necessary bread, or our bread for tomorrow 859 MATTHEW 5-6 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 859 10/26/17 9:00 PM 13 And do not bring us into a temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. b 14 “ For if you for give oth ers their off enses, your heav en ly Fa ther will for give you as well. 15 But if you don’t for give oth ers, c your Fa ther will not for give your off enses. HOW TO FAST 16 “When ev er you fast, don’t be gloomy like the hyp o crites. For they make their fac es un - attractive d so that their fast ing is ob vi ous to peo ple. Tru ly I tell you, they have their re ward. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that your fast ing isn’t ob vi ous to oth ers but to your Fa ther who is in se cret. And your Fa ther who sees in se cret will re ward you. e GOD AND POSSESSIONS 19 “ Don’t store up for your selves trea sures f on earth, where moth and rust de stroy and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for your selves trea sures in heav- en, where nei ther moth nor rust de stroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal. 21 For where your trea sure is, there your heart will be also. 22 “ The eye is the lamp of the body . If your eye is healthy , your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of dark ness. So if the light with in you is dark ness, how deep is that dark ness! 24 “ No one can serve two mas ters, since ei ther he will hate one and love the oth er, or he will be de vot ed to one and de spise the oth er. You can not serve both God and mon ey . THE CURE FOR ANXIETY 25 “There fore I tell you: Don’t wor ry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body , what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than cloth ing? 26 Con sid er the birds of the sky: They don’t sow or reap or gath er into barns, yet your heav en ly Fa ther feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they? 27 Can any of you add one mo ment to his life-span g by wor ry ing? 28 And why do you wor ry about clothes? Ob- serve how the wildflowers of the field grow: They don’t la bor or spin thread. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Sol o mon in all his splen dor was adorned like one of these. 30 If that’s how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here to day and thrown into the fur nace to mor - row , won’t he do much more for you — you of lit tle faith? 31 So don’t wor ry , say ing, ‘ What will we eat? ’ or ‘ What will we drink? ’ or ‘ What will we wear? ’ 32 For the Gen tiles ea ger ly seek all these things, and your heav en ly Fa ther knows that you need them. 33 But seek first the king dom of God h and his righ teous ness, and all these things will be pro vid ed for you. 34 There fore don’t wor ry about to mor row , be- cause to mor row will wor ry about it self. Each day has enough trou ble of its own. DO NOT JUDGE 7 “ Do not judge, so that you won’t be judged. 2 For you will be judged by the same stan- dard with which you judge oth ers, and you will be mea sured by the same mea sure you use. 3 Why do you look at the splinter in your broth er’s eye but don’t no tice the beam of wood in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your broth er, ‘ Let me take the splinter out of your eye,’ and look, there’s a beam of wood in your own eye? 5 Hyp o crite! First take the beam of wood out of your eye, and then you will see clear ly to take the splinter out of your broth er’s eye. 6 Don’t give what is holy to dogs or toss your pearls be fore pigs, or they will tram ple them un der their feet, turn, and tear you to pieces. ASK, SEARCH, KNOCK 7 “ Ask, and it will be giv en to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door i will be opened to you. 8 For ev ery one who asks re ceives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 9 Who among you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your chil dren, how much more will your Fa ther in heav en give good things to those who ask him. 12 There- fore, what ev er you want oth ers to do for you, do also the same for them, for this is the Law and the Proph ets. ENTERING THE KINGDOM 13 “En ter through the nar row gate. For the gate is wide and the road broad that leads a6:13 Or do not cause us to come into b6:13 Or from evil ; some later mss add For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. c6:15 Other mss add their wrongdoing d6:16 Or unrecognizable, or disfigured e6:18 Other mss add openly f6:19 Or valuables g6:27 Or add a single cubit to his height h6:33 Other mss omit of God i 7:7 Lit and itMATTHEW 6-7 860 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 860 10/26/17 9:00 PM to de struc tion, and there are many who go through it. 14 How nar row is the gate and diff i- cult the road that leads to life, and few find it. 15 “ Be on your guard against false proph - ets who come to you in sheep’s cloth ing but in ward ly are rav ag ing wolves. 16 You’ll rec og- nize them by their fruit. Are grapes gath ered from thorn bush es or figs from this tles? 17 In the same way , ev ery good tree pro duc es good fruit, but a bad tree pro duc es bad fruit. 18 A good tree can’t pro duce bad fruit; nei ther can a bad tree pro duce good fruit. 19 Ev ery tree that doesn’t pro duce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 So you’ll rec og nize them by their fruit. 21 “ Not ev ery one who says to me, ‘ Lord, Lord,’ will en ter the king dom of heav en, but only the one who does the will of my Fa ther in heav- en. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘ Lord, Lord, didn’t we proph e sy in your name, drive out de mons in your name, and do many mir - a cles in your name? ’ 23 Then I will an nounce to them, ‘ I nev er knew you. De part from me, you law break ers! ’ a,b THE TWO FOUNDATIONS 24 “There fore, ev ery one who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain fell, the riv ers rose, and the winds blew and pound ed that house. Yet it didn’t col lapse, be cause its foun da tion was on the rock. 26 But ev ery one who hears these words of mine and doesn’t act on them will be like a fool ish man who built his house on the sand. 27 The rain fell, the riv ers rose, the winds blew and pound ed that house, and it col lapsed. It col lapsed with a great crash.” 28 When Jesus had fin ished say ing these things, the crowds were as ton ished at his teach ing, 29 be cause he was teach ing them like one who had au thor i ty , and not like their scribes. A MAN CLEANSED 8 When he came down from the moun tain, large crowds fol lowed him. 2 Right away a man with lep ro sy c came up and knelt be fore him, say ing, “ Lord, if you are will ing, you can make me clean.” 3 Reach ing out his hand, Jesus touched him, say ing, “ I am will ing; be made clean.” Im me di ate ly his lep ro sy was cleansed. 4 Then Jesus told him, “ See that you don’t tell any one; but go, show your self to the priest, and off er the gift that Mo ses com mand ed, as a tes ti- mo ny to them.” A CENTURION’S FAITH 5 When he en tered Ca per na um, a cen tu ri on came to him, plead ing with him, 6 “ Lord, my ser vant is ly ing at home par a lyzed, in ter ri- ble ag o ny .” 7 He said to him, “ Am I to come and heal him? ” d 8 “ Lord,” the cen tu ri on re plied, “ I am not wor - thy to have you come un der my roof. But just say the word, and my ser vant will be healed. 9 For I too am a man un der au thor i ty , hav ing sol diers un der my com mand. e I say to this one, ‘ Go,’ and he goes; and to an oth er, ‘ Come,’ and he comes; and to my ser vant, ‘ Do this! ’ and he does it.” 10 Hear ing this, Jesus was amazed and said to those fol low ing him, “Tru ly I tell you, I have not found any one in Is ra el with so great a faith. 11 I tell you that many will come from east and west to share the ban quet f with Abra ham, Isaac, and Ja cob in the king dom of heav en. 12 But the sons of the king dom will be thrown into the out er dark ness where there will be weep ing and gnash ing of teeth.” 13 Then Jesus told the cen tu ri on, “ Go. As you have be lieved, let it be done for you.” And his ser vant was healed that very mo ment. g HEALINGS AT CAPERNAUM 14 Jesus went into Pe ter’s house and saw his mother-in-law ly ing in bed with a fe ver. 15 So he touched her hand, and the fe ver left her. Then she got up and be gan to serve him. 16 When eve ning came, they brought to him many who were demon-possessed. He drove out the spir - its with a word and healed all who were sick, 17 so that what was spo ken through the proph et Isa iah might be ful filled: He himself took our weaknesses and carried our diseases. h THE COST OF FOLLOWING JESUS 18 When Jesus saw a large crowd i around him, he gave the or der to go to the oth er side of the sea. 19 A scribe ap proached him and said, “Teach er, I will fol low you wher ev er you go.” a7:23 Lit you who work lawlessness b7:23 Ps 6:8 c8:2 Gk lepros ; a term for various skin diseases, also in v. 3; see Lv 13–14 d8:7 Or “I will come and heal him.” e8:9 Lit under me f8:11 Lit recline at the table g8:13 Or that hour ; lit very hour h8:17 Is 53:4 i8:18 Other mss read saw large crowds 861 MATTHEW 7-8 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 861 10/26/17 9:00 PM 20 Jesus told him, “Fox es have dens, and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” 21 “ Lord,” an oth er of his dis ci ples said, “ first let me go bury my fa ther.” 22 But Jesus told him, “Fol low me, and let the dead bury their own dead.” WIND AND WAVE OBEY JESUS 23 As he got into the boat, his dis ci ples fol lowed him. 24 Sud den ly , a vi o lent storm arose on the sea, so that the boat was be ing swamped by the waves — but Jesus kept sleep ing. 25 So the dis ci ples came and woke him up, say ing, “ Lord, save us! We’re go ing to die! ” 26 He said to them, “ Why are you afraid, you of lit tle faith? ” Then he got up and re buked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. 27 The men were amazed and asked, “ What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the sea obey him! ” DEMONS DRIVEN OUT BY JESUS 28 When he had come to the oth er side, to the re - gion of the Gad a renes, a two demon-possessed men met him as they came out of the tombs. They were so vi o lent that no one could pass that way . 29 Sud den ly they shout ed, “ What do you have to do with us, b Son of God? Have you come here to tor ment us be fore the time? ” 30 A long way off from them, a large herd of pigs was feed ing. 31 “ If you drive us out,” the de mons begged him, “ send us into the herd of pigs.” 32 “ Go! ” he told them. So when they had come out, they en tered the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and
🙏 Divine Healing and Authority
🧠 Jesus demonstrates divine authority by forgiving sins, healing the paralytic, and commanding demons, proving his identity as the Son of Man with power over both physical and spiritual realms
🩺 Healing miracles serve as visible evidence of Jesus's invisible authority to forgive sins, establishing his messianic credentials while drawing both amazement and opposition
👥 Jesus deliberately associates with societal outcasts—tax collectors, sinners, the sick—declaring "I desire mercy, not sacrifice" and challenging religious leaders' understanding of true righteousness
🌾 The Sabbath controversies reveal Jesus as "Lord of the Sabbath" who prioritizes human needs over rigid religious observance, further antagonizing religious authorities
📣 Disciples are commissioned to extend Jesus's ministry by proclaiming the kingdom, healing the sick, and facing persecution, with the promise that acknowledging Christ brings eternal reward
🕊️ Jesus offers rest to the weary and burdened through a relationship with him, presenting himself as "lowly and humble in heart" despite his divine authority
per ished in the wa ter. 33 Then the men who tend ed them fled. They went into the city and re port ed ev ery thing, es pe cial ly what had hap - pened to those who were demon-possessed. 34 At that, the whole town went out to meet Jesus. When they saw him, they begged him to leave their re gion. THE SON OF MAN FORGIVES AND HEALS 9 So he got into a boat, crossed over, and came to his own town. 2 Just then some men c brought to him a par a lyt ic ly ing on a stretcher. See ing their faith, Jesus told the par a lyt ic, “ Have cour age, son, your sins are for giv en.”3 At this, some of the scribes said to them- selves, “ He’s blas phem ing! ” 4 Per ceiv ing their thoughts, Jesus said, “ Why are you think ing evil things in your hearts? d 5 For which is eas i er: to say , ‘ Your sins are for - giv en,’ or to say , ‘ Get up and walk’? 6 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has au thor i ty on earth to for give sins” — then he told the par a lyt ic, “ Get up, take your stretcher, and go home.” 7 So he got up and went home. 8 When the crowds saw this, they were awe - struck e,f and gave glo ry to God, who had giv en such au thor i ty to men. THE CALL OF MATTHEW 9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Mat thew sit ting at the toll booth, and he said to him, “Fol low me,” and he got up and fol lowed him. 10 While he was re clin ing at the ta ble in the house, many tax col lec tors and sin ners came to eat with Jesus and his dis ci ples. 11 When the Phar i sees saw this, they asked his dis ci ples, “ Why does your teach er eat with tax col lec- tors and sin ners? ” 12 Now when he heard this, he said, “ It is not those who are well who need a doc tor, but those who are sick. 13 Go and learn what this means: I de sire mer cy and not sac ri fice. g For I didn’t come to call the righ teous, but sin ners.” h A QUESTION ABOUT FASTING 14 Then John’s dis ci ples came to him, say ing, “ Why do we and the Phar i sees fast of ten, but your dis ci ples do not fast? ” 15 Jesus said to them, “ Can the wed ding guests i be sad while the groom is with them? The time j will come when the groom will be tak en away from them, and then they will fast. 16 No one patches an old gar ment with un shrunk cloth, be cause the patch pulls away from the gar ment and makes the tear worse. 17 And no one puts k new wine into old wine- skins. Oth er wise, the skins burst, the wine spills out, and the skins are ru ined. No, they put new wine into fresh wine skins, and both are pre served.” A GIRL RESTORED AND A WOMAN HEALED 18 As he was tell ing them these things, sud- den ly one of the lead ers came and knelt down be fore him, say ing, “ My daugh ter just died, l a 8:28 Other mss read Gergesenes b 8:29 Other mss add Jesus c 9:2 Lit then they d 9:4 Or minds e 9:8 Other mss read amazed f 9:8 Lit afraid g 9:13 Hs 6:6 h 9:13 Other mss add to repentance i 9:15 Lit the sons of the bridal chamber j 9:15 Lit days k 9:17 Lit And they do not put l 9:18 Lit daughter has now come to the endMATTHEW 8-9 862 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 862 10/26/17 9:00 PM but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.” 19 So Jesus and his dis ci ples got up and fol lowed him. 20 Just then, a wom an who had suff ered from bleed ing for twelve years ap proached from be hind and touched the end of his robe, 21 for she said to her self, “ If I can just touch his robe, I’ll be made well.” a 22 Jesus turned and saw her. “ Have cour - age, daugh ter,” he said. “ Your faith has saved you.” b And the wom an was made well from that mo ment. c 23 When Jesus came to the lead er’s house, he saw the flute play ers and a crowd lamenting loud ly . 24 “ Leave,” he said, “be cause the girl is not dead but asleep.” And they laughed at him. 25 Af ter the crowd had been put out side, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl got up. 26 Then news of this spread through out that whole area. HEALING THE BLIND 27 As Jesus went on from there, two blind men fol lowed him, call ing out, “ Have mer cy on us, Son of Da vid! ” 28 When he en tered the house, the blind men ap proached him, and Jesus said to them, “ Do you be lieve that I can do this? ” They said to him, “ Yes, Lord.” 29 Then he touched their eyes, say ing, “ Let it be done for you ac cord ing to your faith.” 30 And their eyes were opened. Then Jesus warned them stern ly , “ Be sure that no one finds out.” 31 But they went out and spread the news about him through out that whole area. DRIVING OUT A DEMON 32 Just as they were go ing out, a demon-pos - sessed man who was un able to speak was brought to him. 33 When the de mon had been driv en out, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowds were amazed, say ing, “Noth ing like this has ever been seen in Is ra el! ” 34 But the Phar i sees said, “ He drives out de - mons by the rul er of the de mons.” THE LORD OF THE HARVEST 35 Jesus con tin ued go ing around to all the towns and vil lages, teach ing in their syn a- gogues, preach ing the good news of the king- dom, and heal ing ev ery d dis ease and ev ery sick ness. e,f 36 When he saw the crowds, he felt com pas sion for them, be cause they were dis tressed and de ject ed, like sheep with out a shep herd. 37 Then he said to his dis ci ples, “ The har vest is abun dant, but the work ers are few . 38 There fore, pray to the Lord of the har vest to send out work ers into his har vest.” COMMISSIONING THE TWELVE 10 Sum mon ing his twelve dis ci ples, he gave them au thor i ty over un clean spir its, to drive them out and to heal ev ery d dis ease and sick ness. f 2 These are the names of the twelve apos tles: First, Si mon, who is called Pe ter, and An drew his broth er; James the son of Zeb e dee, and John his broth er; 3 Phil ip and Bar thol o- mew; Thom as and Mat thew the tax col lec tor; James the son of Al phae us, and Thad dae us; g 4 Si mon the Zeal ot, h and Ju das Is car i ot, who also be trayed him. 5 Jesus sent out these twelve af ter giv ing them in struc tions: “ Don’t take the road that leads to the Gen tiles, and don’t en ter any Sa- mar i tan town. 6 In stead, go to the lost sheep of the house of Is ra el. 7 As you go, pro claim: ‘ The king dom of heav en has come near.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with lep ro sy , i drive out de mons. Free ly you re ceived, free ly give. 9 Don’t ac quire gold, sil ver, or cop per for your money-belts. 10 Don’t take a trav el ing bag for the road, or an ex tra shirt, san dals, or a staff, for the work er is wor thy of his food. 11 When you en ter any town or vil lage, find out who is wor thy , and stay there un til you leave. 12 Greet a house hold when you en ter it, 13 and if the house hold is wor thy , let your peace be on it; but if it is un wor thy , let your peace re turn to you. 14 If any one does not wel come you or lis ten to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that house or town. 15 Tru ly I tell you, it will be more tolerable on the day of judg ment for the land of Sod om and Go mor rah than for that town. PERSECUTIONS PREDICTED 16 “ Look, I’m send ing you out like sheep among wolves. There fore be as shrewd as ser pents and as in no cent as doves. 17 Be ware of them, be cause they will hand you over to lo cal courts j and flog you in their syn a gogues. 18 You will even be brought be fore gov er nors and kings be cause of me, to bear wit ness to them and to the Gen tiles. 19 But when they a 9:21 Or be saved b 9:22 Or has made you well c 9:22 Lit hour d 9:35; 10:1 Or every kind of e 9:35 Other mss add among the people f 9:35; 10:1 Or physical ailment g10:3 Other mss read and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus h10:4 Lit the Cananaean i10:8 Gk lepros ; a term for various skin diseases; see Lv 13–14 j10:17 Or sanhedrins 863 MATTHEW 9-10 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 863 10/26/17 9:00 PM hand you over, don’t wor ry about how or what you are to speak. For you will be giv en what to say at that hour, 20 be cause it isn’t you speak ing, but the Spir it of your Fa ther is speak ing through you. 21 “Broth er will be tray broth er to death, and a fa ther his child. Chil dren will rise up against par ents and have them put to death. 22 You will be hat ed by ev ery one be cause of my name. But the one who en dures to the end will be saved. 23 When they per se cute you in one town, flee to an oth er. For tru ly I tell you, you will not have gone through the towns of Is ra el be fore the Son of Man comes. 24 A dis ci ple a is not above his teach er, or a slave above his mas ter. 25 It is enough for a dis ci ple to be come like his teach er and a slave like his mas ter. If they called the head of the house ‘Be el ze bul,’ how much more the mem bers of his house hold! FEAR GOD 26 “There fore, don’t be afraid of them, since there is noth ing cov ered that won’t be un cov- ered and noth ing hid den that won’t be made known. 27 What I tell you in the dark, speak in the light. What you hear in a whis per, b pro- claim on the housetops. 28 Don’t fear those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul; rath er, fear him who is able to de stroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Aren’t two spar rows sold for a pen ny? c Yet not one of them falls to the ground with out your Fa ther’s con sent. d 30 But even the hairs of your head have all been count ed. 31 So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many spar rows. ACKNOWLEDGING CHRIST 32 “There fore, ev ery one who will ac knowl edge me be fore oth ers, I will also ac knowl edge him be fore my Fa ther in heav en. 33 But who ev er de nies me be fore oth ers, I will also deny him be fore my Fa ther in heav en. 34 Don’t as sume that I came to bring peace on the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I came to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter‑in‑law against her mother‑in‑law; 36 and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household. e37 The one who loves a fa ther or moth er more than me is not wor thy of me; the one who loves a son or daugh ter more than me is not wor thy of me. 38 And who ev er doesn’t take up his cross and fol low me is not wor thy of me. 39 Any one who finds his life will lose it, and any one who loses his life be cause of me will find it. A CUP OF COLD WATER 40 “ The one who wel comes you wel comes me, and the one who wel comes me wel comes him who sent me. 41 Any one who wel comes a proph et be cause he is a proph et f will re - ceive a proph et’s re ward. And any one who wel comes a righ teous per son be cause he’s righ teous g will re ceive a righ teous per son’s re ward. 42 And who ev er gives even a cup of cold wa ter to one of these lit tle ones be cause he is a dis ci ple, h tru ly I tell you, he will nev er lose his re ward.” JOHN THE BAPTIST DOUBTS 11 When Jesus had fin ished giv ing in struc- tions to his twelve dis ci ples, he moved on from there to teach and preach in their towns. 2 Now when John heard in pris on what the Christ was do ing, he sent a mes sage through his dis ci ples 3 and asked him, “ Are you the one who is to come, or should we ex pect some- one else? ” 4 Jesus re plied to them, “ Go and re port to John what you hear and see: 5 The blind re ceive their sight, the lame walk, those with lep ro sy i are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor are told the good news, 6 and blessed is the one who isn’t off end ed by me.” 7 As these men were leav ing, Jesus be gan to speak to the crowds about John: “ What did you go out into the wil der ness to see? A reed sway ing in the wind? 8 What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothes? See, those who wear soft clothes are in roy al pal aces. 9 What then did you go out to see? A proph et? Yes, I tell you, and more than a proph - et. 10 This is the one about whom it is writ ten: See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way before you. j 11 “Tru ly I tell you, among those born of wom- en no one great er than John the Bap tist has a10:24 Or student b10:27 Lit in the ear c10:29 Gk assarion, a small copper coin d10:29 Lit ground apart from your Father e10:35-36 Mc 7:6 f10:41 Lit prophet in the name of a prophet g10:41 Lit person in the name of a righteous person h10:42 Lit little ones in the name of a disciple i11:5 Gk lepros ; a term for various skin diseases; see Lv 13–14 j11:10 Mal 3:1 MATTHEW 10-11 864 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 864 10/26/17 9:00 PM ap peared, a but the least in the king dom of heav en is great er than he. 12 From the days of John the Bap tist un til now , the king dom of heav en has been suff er ing vi o lence, b and the vi o lent have been seiz ing it by force. 13 For all the proph ets and the law proph e sied un til John. 14 And if you’re will ing to ac cept it, he is the Eli jah who is to come. 15 Let any one who has ears c lis ten. AN UNRESPONSIVE GENERATION 16 “ To what should I com pare this gen er a tion? It’s like chil dren sit ting in the mar ket places who call out to oth er chil dren: 17 We played the flute for you, but you didn’t dance; we sang a lament, but you didn’t mourn! d 18 For John came nei ther eat ing nor drink ing, and they say , ‘ He has a de mon! ’ 19 The Son of Man came eat ing and drink ing, and they say , ‘ Look, a glut ton and a drunk ard, a friend of tax col lec tors and sin ners! ’ Yet wis dom is vin- di cat ed e by her deeds.” f 20 Then he pro ceed ed to de nounce the towns where most of his mir a cles were done, be- cause they did not re pent: 21 “ Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Beth sa i da! For if the mir a cles that were done in you had been done in Tyre and Si don, they would have re pent ed in sack cloth and ash es long ago. 22 But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Si don on the day of judg ment than for you. 23 And you, Ca per na um, will you be ex alt ed to heav en? No, you will go down to Ha des. For if the mir a cles that were done in you had been done in Sod om, it would have re mained un til to day . 24 But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sod om on the day of judg ment than for you.” THE SON GIVES KNOWLEDGE AND REST 25 At that time Jesus said, “ I praise you, Fa ther, Lord of heav en and earth, be cause you have hid den these things from the wise and in tel- li gent and re vealed them to in fants. 26 Yes, Fa ther, be cause this was your good plea sure.g 27 All things have been en trust ed to me by my Fa ther. No one knows the Son ex cept the Fa- ther, and no one knows the Fa ther ex cept the Son and any one to whom the Son de sires h to re veal him.28 “ Come to me, all of you who are wea ry and bur dened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take up my yoke and learn from me, be cause I am low ly and hum ble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my bur den is light.” LORD OF THE SABBATH 12 At that time Jesus passed through the grain fields on the Sab bath. His dis ci ples were hun gry and be gan to pick and eat some heads of grain. 2 When the Phar i sees saw this, they said to him, “ See, your dis ci ples are do- ing what is not law ful to do on the Sab bath.” 3 He said to them, “ Haven’t you read what Da vid did when he and those who were with him were hun gry: 4 how he en tered the house of God, and they ate i the bread of the Pres ence — which is not law ful for him or for those with him to eat, but only for the priests? 5 Or haven’t you read in the law that on Sab bath days the priests in the tem ple vi o late the Sab- bath and are in no cent? 6 I tell you that some- thing great er than the tem ple is here. 7 If you had known what this means, I de sire mer cy and not sac ri fice, j you would not have con- demned the in no cent. 8 For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sab bath.” THE MAN WITH THE SHRIVELED HAND 9 Mov ing on from there, he en tered their syn a gogue. 10 There he saw a man who had a shriv eled hand, and in or der to ac cuse him they asked him, “ Is it law ful to heal on the Sab bath? ” 11 He re plied to them, “ Who among you, if he had a sheep that fell into a pit on the Sab- bath, wouldn’t take hold of it and lift it out? 12 A per son is worth far more than a sheep; so it is law ful to do what is good on the Sab bath.” 13 Then he told the man, “ Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out, and it was re- stored, as good as the oth er. 14 But the Phar i sees went out and plot ted against him, how they might kill him. THE SERVANT OF THE LORD 15 Jesus was aware of this and with drew . Large crowds k fol lowed him, and he healed them all. 16 He warned them not to make him known, 17 so that what was spo ken through the proph et Isa iah might be ful filled: a11:11 Lit arisen b11:12 Or has been forcefully advancing c11:15 Other mss add to hear d11:17 Or beat your chests in grief e11:19 Or declared right f11:19 Other mss read children g 11:26 Lit was well-pleasing in your sight h 11:27 Or wills, or chooses i 12:4 Other mss read he ate j 12:7 Hs 6:6 k12:15 Other mss read Many 865 MATTHEW 11-12 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 865 10/26/17 9:00 PM 18 Here is my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations. 19 He will not argue or shout, and no one will hear his voice in the streets. 20 He will not break a bruised reed, and he will not put out a smoldering wick, until he has led justice to victory . a 21 The nations will put their hope in his name. b A HOUSE DIVIDED 22 Then a demon-possessed man who was blind and un able to speak was brought to him. He healed him, so that the man c could both speak and see. 23 All the crowds were as tound ed and said, “ Could this be the Son of Da vid? ” 24 When the Phar i sees heard this, they said, “ This man drives
🔄 Kingdom Divided, Kingdom United
🏰 Divided kingdoms cannot stand—Satan cannot drive out Satan without undermining his own power, demonstrating that Jesus' exorcisms come from divine authority, not demonic alliance
🌱 The Kingdom of Heaven grows from tiny beginnings (mustard seed) to magnificent completion, transforming everything it touches like leaven in dough
💬 Words reveal character—good hearts produce good words, evil hearts produce evil words, and everyone will be held accountable for every careless word spoken
🌾 God's kingdom contains both wheat and weeds growing together until the final harvest when angels will separate the righteous from the evil
🔍 Parables conceal truth from the hard-hearted while revealing deeper understanding to those with receptive hearts
💎 The kingdom is a treasure of immeasurable worth, compelling those who discover it to joyfully sacrifice everything to possess it
out de mons only by Be el ze- bul, the rul er of the de mons.” 25 Know ing their thoughts, he told them: “Ev- ery king dom di vid ed against it self is head ed for de struc tion, and no city or house di vid ed against it self will stand. 26 If Sa tan drives out Sa tan, he is di vid ed against him self. How then will his king dom stand? 27 And if I drive out de mons by Be el ze bul, by whom do your sons drive them out? For this rea son they will be your judg es. 28 If I drive out de mons by the Spir it of God, then the king dom of God has come upon you. 29 How can some one en ter a strong man’s house and steal his pos ses sions un less he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plun der his house. 30 Any one who is not with me is against me, and any one who does not gath er with me scat ters. 31 There fore, I tell you, peo ple will be for giv en ev ery sin and blas phe my , but the blas phe my against d the Spir it will not be for giv en. e 32 Who ev er speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be for giv en him; but who ev er speaks against the Holy Spir it, it will not be for giv en him, ei- ther in this age or in the one to come. A TREE AND ITS FRUIT 33 “Ei ther make the tree good and its fruit will be good, or make the tree bad f and its fruit will be bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. 34 Brood of vi pers! How can you speak good things when you are evil? For the mouth speaks from the over flow of the heart. 35 A good per son pro- duc es good things from his store room of good, and an evil per son pro duc es evil things from his store room of evil. 36 I tell you that on the day of judg ment peo ple will have to ac count for ev ery care less g word they speak. h 37 For by your words you will be ac quit ted, and by your words you will be con demned.” THE SIGN OF JONAH 38 Then some of the scribes and Phar i sees said to him, “Teach er, we want to see a sign from you.” 39 He an swered them, “ An evil and adul ter ous gen er a tion de mands a sign, but no sign will be giv en to it ex cept the sign of the proph et Jo nah. 40 For as Jo nah was in the bel ly of the huge fish i three days and three nights, so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. 41 The men of Nin e veh will stand up at the judg ment with this gen er - a tion and con demn it, be cause they re pent ed at Jo nah’s preach ing; and look — some thing great er than Jo nah is here. 42 The queen of the south will rise up at the judg ment with this gen er a tion and con demn it, be cause she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wis dom of Sol o mon; and look — some thing great er than Sol o mon is here. AN UNCLEAN SPIRIT’S RETURN 43 “ When an un clean spir it comes out of a per son, it roams through wa ter less plac es look ing for rest but doesn’t find any . 44 Then it says, ‘ I’ll go back to my house that I came from.’ Re turn ing, it finds the house vacant, swept, and put in or der. 45 Then it goes and brings with it sev en oth er spir its more evil than it self, and they en ter and set tle down there. As a re sult, that per son’s last con di tion is worse than the first. That’s how it will also be with this evil gen er a tion.” TRUE RELATIONSHIPS 46 While he was still speak ing with the crowds, his moth er and broth ers were stand ing out- side want ing to speak to him. 47 Some one told him, “ Look, your moth er and your broth ers are stand ing out side, want ing to speak to you.” j a12:20 Or until he has successfully put forth justice b12:18-21 Is 42:1-4 c12:22 Lit mute d12:31 Or of e12:31 Other mss add people f12:33 Or decayed ; lit rotten g12:36 Lit worthless h12:36 Lit will speak i12:40 Or sea creature ; Jnh 1:17 j12:47 Other mss omit this v.MATTHEW 12 866 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 866 10/26/17 9:00 PM 48 He re plied to the one who was speak ing to him, “ Who is my moth er and who are my broth ers? ” 49 Stretch ing out his hand to ward his dis ci ples, he said, “ Here are my moth er and my broth ers! 50 For who ev er does the will of my Fa ther in heav en is my broth er and sis ter and moth er.” THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER 13 On that day Jesus went out of the house and was sit ting by the sea. 2 Such large crowds gath ered around him that he got into a boat and sat down, while the whole crowd stood on the shore. 3 Then he told them many things in par a bles, say ing: “Con sid er the sow er who went out to sow . 4 As he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and de voured them. 5 Oth er seed fell on rocky ground where it didn’t have much soil, and it grew up quick ly since the soil wasn’t deep. 6 But when the sun came up, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it with ered away . 7 Oth er seed fell among thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it. 8 Still oth er seed fell on good ground and pro duced fruit: some a hun dred, some six ty , and some thir ty times what was sown. 9 Let any one who has ears a lis ten.” WHY JESUS USED PARABLES 10 Then the dis ci ples came up and asked him, “ Why are you speak ing to them in par a bles? ” 11 He an swered, “Be cause the se crets of the king dom of heav en have been giv en for you to know , but it has not been giv en to them. 12 For who ev er has, more will be giv en to him, and he will have more than enough; but who ev- er does not have, even what he has will be tak en away from him. 13 That is why I speak to them in par a bles, be cause look ing they do not see, and hear ing they do not lis ten or un der stand. 14 Isa iah’s proph e cy is ful filled in them, which says: You will listen and listen, but never understand; you will look and look, but never perceive. 15 For this people’s heart has grown callous; their ears are hard of hearing, and they have shut their eyes; otherwise they might see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn back — and I would heal them. b 16 “ Blessed are your eyes be cause they do see, and your ears be cause they do hear. 17 For tru- ly I tell you, many proph ets and righ teous peo ple longed to see the things you see but didn’t see them, to hear the things you hear but didn’t hear them. THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER EXPLAINED 18 “ So lis ten to the par a ble of the sow er: 19 When any one hears the word about the king dom and doesn’t un der stand it, the evil one comes and snatch es away what was sown in his heart. This is the one sown along the path. 20 And the one sown on rocky ground — this is one who hears the word and im me di ate ly re ceives it with joy . 21 But he has no root and is short-lived. When dis tress or per se cu tion comes be cause of the word, im me di ate ly he falls away . 22 Now the one sown among the thorns — this is one who hears the word, but the wor ries of this age and the de ceit ful ness c of wealth choke the word, and it be comes un fruit ful. 23 But the one sown on the good ground — this is one who hears and un der stands the word, who does pro duce fruit and yields: some a hun dred, some six ty , some thir ty times what was sown.” THE PARABLE OF THE WHEAT AND THE WEEDS 24 He pre sent ed an oth er par a ble to them: “ The king dom of heav en may be com pared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while peo ple were sleep ing, his en e my came, sowed weeds among the wheat, and left. 26 When the plants sprout ed and pro duced grain, then the weeds also ap peared. 27 The land own er’s ser vants came to him and said, ‘Mas ter, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Then where did the weeds come from? ’ 28 “ ‘ An en e my did this,’ he told them. “ ‘ So, do you want us to go and pull them up? ’ the ser vants asked him. 29 “ ‘ No,’ he said. ‘ When you pull up the weeds, you might also up root the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow to geth er un til the har vest. At har vest time I’ll tell the reap ers: Gath er the weeds first and tie them in bun dles to burn them, but col lect the wheat in my barn.’ ” a13:9 Other mss add to hear b13:14-15 Is 6:9-10 c13:22 Or pleasure 867 MATTHEW 12-13 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 867 10/26/17 9:00 PM THE PARABLES OF THE MUSTARD SEED AND OF THE LEAVEN 31 He pre sent ed an oth er par a ble to them: “ The king dom of heav en is like a mus tard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. 32 It’s the small est of all the seeds, but when grown, it’s tall er than the gar den plants and be comes a tree, so that the birds of the sky come and nest in its branch es.” 33 He told them an oth er par a ble: “ The king- dom of heav en is like leaven a that a wom an took and mixed into fif ty pounds b of flour un til all of it was leav ened.” USING PARABLES FULFILLS PROPHECY 34 Jesus told the crowds all these things in par a bles, and he did not tell them any thing with out a par a ble, 35 so that what was spo ken through the proph et might be ful filled: I will open my mouth in parables; I will declare things kept secret from the foundation of the world. c,d JESUS INTERPRETS THE PARABLE OF THE WHEAT AND THE WEEDS 36 Then he left the crowds and went into the house. His dis ci ples ap proached him and said, “Ex plain to us the par a ble of the weeds in the field.” 37 He re plied: “ The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; 38 the field is the world; and the good seed — these are the chil dren of the king dom. The weeds are the chil dren of the evil one, 39 and the en e my who sowed them is the dev il. The har vest is the end of the age, and the har vest ers are an gels. 40 There fore, just as the weeds are gath ered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send out his an gels, and they will gath er from his king dom all who cause sin e and those guilty of law less ness. f 42 They will throw them into the blaz ing fur nace where there will be weep ing and gnash ing of teeth. 43 Then the righ teous will shine like the sun in their Fa ther’s king dom. Let any one who has ears g lis ten. THE PARABLES OF THE HIDDEN TREASURE AND OF THE PRICELESS PEARL 44 “ The king dom of heav en is like trea sure, bur - ied in a field, that a man found and reburied. Then in his joy he goes and sells ev ery thing he has and buys that field.45 “ Again, the king dom of heav en is like a mer chant in search of fine pearls. 46 When he found one price less h pearl, he went and sold ev ery thing he had and bought it. THE PARABLE OF THE NET 47 “ Again, the king dom of heav en is like a large net thrown into the sea. It col lect ed ev ery kind of fish, 48 and when it was full, they dragged it ashore, sat down, and gath ered the good fish into con tain ers, but threw out the worth less ones. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The an gels will go out, sep a rate the evil peo ple from the righ teous, 50 and throw them into the blaz ing fur nace, where there will be weep ing and gnash ing of teeth. THE STOREHOUSE OF TRUTH 51 “ Have you un der stood all these things? ” i They an swered him, “ Yes.” 52 “There fore,” he said to them, “ev ery teach- er of the law j who has be come a dis ci ple in the king dom of heav en is like the own er of a house who brings out of his store room trea- sures new and old.” REJECTION AT NAZARETH 53 When Jesus had fin ished these par a bles, he left there. 54 He went to his home town and be- gan to teach them in their syn a gogue, so that they were as ton ished and said, “ Where did this man get this wis dom and these mi rac u- lous pow ers? 55 Isn’t this the car pen ter’s son? Isn’t his moth er called Mary , and his broth ers James, Jo seph, k Si mon, and Ju das? 56 And his sis ters, aren’t they all with us? So where does he get all these things? ” 57 And they were of- fend ed by him. Jesus said to them, “ A proph et is not with- out hon or ex cept in his home town and in his house hold.” 58 And he did not do many mir a cles there be cause of their un be lief. JOHN THE BAPTIST BEHEADED 14 At that time Her od the te trarch heard the re port about Jesus. 2 “ This is John the Bap tist,” he told his ser vants. “ He has been raised from the dead, and that’s why mi rac- u lous pow ers are at work in him.” 3 For Her od had ar rest ed John, chained l him, and put him in pris on on ac count of He- ro di as, his broth er Phil ip’s wife, 4 since John a13:33 Or yeast b13:33 Lit three sata ; about 40 liters c13:35 Some mss omit of the world d13:35 Ps 78:2 e13:41 Or stumbling f13:41 Or those who do lawlessness g13:43 Other mss add to hear h13:46 Or very precious i13:51 Other mss add Jesus asked them j13:52 Or every scribe k13:55 Other mss read Joses ; Mk 6:3 l14:3 Or boundMATTHEW 13-14 868 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 868 10/26/17 9:00 PM had been tell ing him, “ It’s not law ful for you to have her.” 5 Though Her od want ed to kill John, he feared the crowd since they re gard ed John as a proph et. 6 When Her od’s birth day cel e bra tion came, He ro di as’s daugh ter danced be fore them a and pleased Her od. 7 So he prom ised with an oath to give her what ev er she asked. 8 Prompt ed by her moth er, she an swered, “ Give me John the Bap tist’s head here on a plat ter.” 9 Al though the king regretted it, he com mand ed that it be grant ed be cause of his oaths and his guests. 10 So he sent or ders and had John be head ed in the pris on. 11 His head was brought on a plat ter and giv en to the girl, who car ried it to her moth er. 12 Then his dis ci ples came, re- moved the corpse, b bur ied it, and went and re port ed to Jesus. FEEDING OF THE FIVE THOUSAND 13 When Jesus heard about it, he with drew from there by boat to a re mote place to be alone. When the crowds heard this, they fol- lowed him on foot from the towns. 14 When he went ashore, c he saw a large crowd, had com pas sion on them, and healed their sick. 15 When eve ning came, the dis ci ples ap- proached him and said, “ This place is de sert ed, and it is al ready late. d Send the crowds away so that they can go into the vil lages and buy food for them selves.” 16 “ They don’t need to go away ,” Jesus told them. “ You give them some thing to eat.” 17 “ But we only have five loaves and two fish here,” they said to him. 18 “ Bring them here to me,” he said. 19 Then he com mand ed the crowds to sit down on the grass. He took the five loaves and the two fish, and look ing up to heav en, he blessed them. He broke the loaves and gave them to the dis ci ples, and the dis ci ples gave them to the crowds. 20 Ev ery one ate and was sat is fied. They picked up twelve bas kets full of left over pieces. 21 Now those who ate were about five thou sand men, be sides wom en and chil dren. WALKING ON THE WATER 22 Im me di ate ly he e made the dis ci ples get into the boat and go ahead of him to the oth er side, while he dis missed the crowds. 23 Af ter dismissing the crowds, he went up on the moun tain by him self to pray . Well into the night, he was there alone. 24 Mean while, the boat was al ready some dis tance f from land, g bat tered by the waves, be cause the wind was against them. 25 Jesus came to ward them walk ing on the sea very ear ly in the morn ing. h 26 When the dis ci ples saw him walk ing on the sea, they were ter ri fied. “ It’s a ghost! ” they said, and they cried out in fear. 27 Im me di ate ly Jesus spoke to them. “ Have cour age! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” 28 “ Lord, if it’s you,” Pe ter an swered him, “com mand me to come to you on the wa ter.” 29 He said, “ Come.” And climb ing out of the boat, Pe ter start ed walk ing on the wa ter and came to ward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the strength of the wind, i he was afraid, and be gin ning to sink he cried out, “ Lord, save me! ” 31 Im me di ate ly Jesus reached out his hand, caught hold of him, and said to him, “ You of lit tle faith, why did you doubt? ” 32 When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 Then those in the boat wor shiped him and said, “Tru ly you are the Son of God.” MIRACULOUS HEALINGS 34 When they had crossed over, they came to shore at Gen nes a ret. 35 When the men of that place rec og nized him, they alert ed the whole vi cin i ty and brought to him all who were sick. 36 They begged him that they might only touch the end of his robe, and as many as touched it were healed. THE TRADITION OF THE ELDERS 15 Then Jesus was ap proached by Phar i sees and scribes from Je ru sa lem, who asked, 2 “ Why do your dis ci ples break the tra di tion of the el ders? For they don’t wash their hands when they eat.” j 3 He an swered them, “ Why do you break God’s com mand ment be cause of your tra di- tion? 4 For God said: k Hon or your fa ther and your moth er; l and, Who ev er speaks evil of fa ther or moth er must be put to death. m 5 But you say , ‘Who ev er tells his fa ther or moth er, “What ev er ben e fit you might have re ceived from me is a gift com mit ted to the tem ple,” a14:6 Lit danced in the middle b14:12 Other mss read body c14:14 Lit Coming out (of the boat) d14:15 Lit and the time (for the evening meal) has already passed e14:22 Other mss read Jesus f14:24 Lit already many stadia ; one stadion = 600 feet g14:24 Other mss read already in the middle of the sea h14:25 Lit fourth watch of the night = 3 to 6 a.m. i14:30 Other mss read saw the wind j15:2 Lit eat bread = eat a meal k15:4 Other mss read commanded, saying l15:4 Ex 20:12; Dt 5:16 m15:4 Ex 21:17; Lv 20:9 869 MATTHEW 14-15 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 869 10/26/17 9:00 PM 6 he does not have to hon or his fa ther.’ a In this way , you have nul li fied the word of God b be- cause of your tra di tion. 7 Hyp o crites! Isa iah proph e sied cor rect ly about you when he said: 8 This people c honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. 9 They worship me in vain, teaching as doctrines human commands.” d DEFILEMENT IS FROM WITHIN 10 Sum mon ing the crowd, he told them, “Lis ten and un der stand: 11 It’s not what goes into the mouth that de files a per son, but what comes out of the mouth — this de files a per son.” 12 Then the
🙏 Heart Matters, Faith Transforms
🧠 Inner purity matters more than external rituals—what comes from the heart (thoughts, words, actions) defines true defilement, not unwashed hands or dietary practices
🌍 Jesus extends his ministry beyond Jewish boundaries, healing a Canaanite woman's daughter after her remarkable persistence and faith demonstrate spiritual hunger transcending cultural divisions
🍞 Miraculous provision manifests repeatedly as Jesus feeds thousands, revealing divine compassion and abundance that satisfies physical needs while symbolizing spiritual nourishment
⚠️ Disciples struggle with spiritual blindness and "little faith," repeatedly failing to understand Jesus' teachings despite witnessing extraordinary miracles
🔑 Peter's confession of Jesus as Messiah becomes foundational to the church, with Jesus granting authority to bind and loose while predicting his own death and resurrection
💔 Forgiveness must flow freely between believers (seventy times seven), reflecting God's boundless mercy—those forgiven much must forgive others or face severe consequences
dis ci ples came up and told him, “ Do you know that the Phar i sees took off ense when they heard what you said? ” 13 He re plied, “Ev ery plant that my heav en ly Fa ther didn’t plant will be up root ed. 14 Leave them alone! They are blind guides. e And if the blind guide the blind, both will fall into a pit.” 15 Then Pe ter said, “Ex plain this par a ble to us.” 16 “ Do you still lack un der stand ing? ” he f asked. 17 “ Don’t you re al ize g that what ev er goes into the mouth pass es into the stom ach and is elim i nat ed? h 18 But what comes out of the mouth comes from the heart, and this de- files a per son. 19 For from the heart come evil thoughts, mur ders, adul ter ies, sex u al immoral - ities, thefts, false tes ti mo nies, slan der. 20 These are the things that de file a per son; but eat ing with un washed hands does not de file a per son.” A GENTILE MOTHER’S FAITH 21 When Jesus left there, he with drew to the area of Tyre and Si don. 22 Just then a Ca naan- ite wom an from that re gion came and kept cry ing out, i “ Have mer cy on me, Lord, Son of Da vid! My daugh ter is se vere ly tor ment ed by a de mon.” 23 Jesus did not say a word to her. His dis ci- ples ap proached him and urged him, “ Send her away be cause she’s cry ing out af ter us.” 24 He re plied, “ I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Is ra el.” 25 But she came, knelt be fore him, and said, “ Lord, help me! ” 26 He an swered, “ It isn’t right to take the chil dren’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”27 “ Yes, Lord,” she said, “ yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their mas ters’ ta ble.” 28 Then Jesus re plied to her, “Wom an, your faith is great. Let it be done for you as you want.” And from that mo ment j her daugh ter was healed. HEALING MANY PEOPLE 29 Mov ing on from there, Jesus passed along the Sea of Gal i lee. He went up on a moun tain and sat there, 30 and large crowds came to him, in clud ing the lame, the blind, the crip pled, those un able to speak, and many oth ers. They put them at his feet, and he healed them. 31 So the crowd was amazed when they saw those un able to speak talk ing, the crip pled re stored, the lame walk ing, and the blind see ing, and they gave glo ry to the God of Is ra el. FEEDING OF THE FOUR THOUSAND 32 Jesus called his dis ci ples and said, “ I have com pas sion on the crowd, be cause they’ve al ready stayed with me three days and have noth ing to eat. I don’t want to send them away hun gry , oth er wise they might col lapse on the way. ” 33 The dis ci ples said to him, “ Where could we get enough bread in this des o late place to feed such a crowd? ” 34 “ How many loaves do you have? ” Jesus asked them. “Sev en,” they said, “ and a few small fish.” 35 Af ter com mand ing the crowd to sit down on the ground, 36 he took the sev en loaves and the fish, gave thanks, broke them, and gave them to the dis ci ples, and the dis ci ples gave them to the crowds. 37 They all ate and were sat is fied. They col lect ed the left over pieces — sev en large bas kets full. 38 Now there were four thou sand men who had eat en, be sides wom en and chil- dren. 39 Af ter dismissing the crowds, he got into the boat and went to the re gion of Mag a dan. k THE LEAVEN OF THE PHARISEES AND THE SADDUCEES 16 The Phar i sees and Sad du cees ap - proached, and test ed him, ask ing him to show them a sign from heav en. 2 He re plied, “ When eve ning comes you say , ‘ It will be good weath er be cause the sky is red.’ 3 And in the morn ing, ‘To day will be stormy be cause the a15:6 Other mss read then he does not have to honor his father or mother b15:6 Other mss read commandment c15:8 Other mss add draw near to me with their mouths, and d15:8-9 Is 29:13 LXX e15:14 Other mss add for the blind f15:16 Other mss read Jesus g15:17 Other mss add yet h15:17 Lit and goes out into the toilet i15:22 Other mss read and cried out to him j15:28 Lit hour k15:39 Other mss read MagdalaMATTHEW 15-16 870 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 870 10/26/17 9:00 PM sky is red and threatening.’ You a know how to read the ap pear ance of the sky , but you can’t read the signs of the times. b 4 An evil and adul ter ous gen er a tion de mands a sign, but no sign will be giv en to it ex cept the sign of c Jo nah.” Then he left them and went away . 5 The dis ci ples reached the oth er shore, d and they had for got ten to take bread. 6 Then Jesus told them, “ Watch out and be ware of the leaven e of the Phar i sees and Sad du cees.” 7 They were dis cuss ing among them selves, “ We didn’t bring any bread.” 8 Aware of this, Jesus said, “ You of lit tle faith, why are you dis cuss ing among your selves that you do not have bread? 9 Don’t you un- der stand yet? Don’t you re mem ber the five loaves for the five thou sand and how many bas kets you col lect ed? 10 Or the sev en loaves for the four thou sand and how many large bas kets you col lect ed? 11 Why is it you don’t un der stand that when I told you, ‘Be ware of the leaven of the Phar i sees and Sad du cees,’ it wasn’t about bread? ” 12 Then they un der - stood that he had not told them to be ware of the leaven in bread, but of the teach ing of the Phar i sees and Sad du cees. PETER’S CONFESSION OF THE MESSIAH 13 When Jesus came to the re gion of Caes a rea Phi lip pi, f he asked his dis ci ples, “ Who do peo- ple say that the Son of Man is? ” g 14 They re plied, “ Some say John the Bap tist; oth ers, Eli jah; still oth ers, Jer e mi ah or one of the proph ets.” 15 “ But you,” he asked them, “ who do you say that I am? ” 16 Si mon Pe ter an swered, “ You are the Mes- si ah, the Son of the liv ing God.” 17 Jesus re spond ed, “ Blessed are you, Si mon son of Jo nah, h be cause flesh and blood did not re veal this to you, but my Fa ther in heav en. 18 And I also say to you that you are Pe ter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Ha des will not over pow er it. 19 I will give you the keys of the king dom of heav en, and what ev er you bind on earth will have been bound i in heav en, and what ev er you loose on earth will have been loosed j in heav en.” 20 Then he gave the dis ci ples or ders to tell no one that he was k the Mes si ah.HIS DEATH AND RESURRECTION PREDICTED 21 From then on Jesus be gan to point out to his dis ci ples that it was nec es sary for him to go to Je ru sa lem and suff er many things from the el ders, chief priests, and scribes, be killed, and be raised the third day . 22 Pe ter took him aside and be gan to re buke him, “ Oh no, l Lord! This will nev er hap pen to you! ” 23 Jesus turned and told Pe ter, “ Get be hind me, Sa tan! You are a hin drance to me be cause you’re not think ing about God’s con cerns m but hu man con cerns.” TAKE UP YOUR CROSS 24 Then Jesus said to his dis ci ples, “ If any one wants to fol low af ter me, let him deny him- self, take up his cross, and fol low me. 25 For who ev er wants to save his life will lose it, but who ev er loses his life be cause of me will find it. 26 For what will it ben e fit some one if he gains the whole world yet loses his life? Or what will any one give in ex change for his life? 27 For the Son of Man is go ing to come with his an gels in the glo ry of his Fa ther, and then he will re ward each ac cord ing to what he has done. 28 Tru ly I tell you, there are some stand ing here who will not taste death un til they see the Son of Man com ing in his king dom.” THE TRANSFIGURATION 17 Af ter six days Jesus took Pe ter, James, and his broth er John and led them up on a high moun tain by them selves. 2 He was trans fig ured in front of them, and his face shone like the sun; his clothes be came as white as the light. 3 Sud den ly , Mo ses and Eli jah ap- peared to them, talk ing with him. 4 Then Pe ter said to Jesus, “ Lord, it’s good for us to be here. I will set up n three shel ters here: one for you, one for Mo ses, and one for Eli jah.” 5 While he was still speak ing, sud den ly a bright cloud cov ered o them, and a voice from the cloud said: “ This is my be loved Son, with whom I am well-pleased. Lis ten to him! ” 6 When the dis ci ples heard this, they fell face- down and were ter ri fied. 7 Jesus came up, touched them, and said, “ Get up; don’t be afraid.” 8 When they looked up they saw no one ex cept Jesus alone. a16:3 Other mss read Hypocrites! You b16:2-3 Other mss omit When (v. 2) through end of v. 3 c16:4 Other mss add the prophet d16:5 Lit disciples went to the other side e16:6 Or yeast, also in vv. 11,12 f16:13 A town north of Galilee at the base of Mount Hermon g16:13 Other mss read that I, the Son of Man, am h16:17 Or son of John i16:19 Or earth will be bound j16:19 Or earth will be loosed k16:20 Other mss add Jesus l16:22 Lit “Mercy to you = “May God have mercy on you m16:23 Lit about the things of God n17:4 Other mss read Let’s make o17:5 Or enveloped ; Ex 40:34-35 871 MATTHEW 16-17 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 871 10/26/17 9:00 PM 9 As they were com ing down the moun tain, Jesus com mand ed them, “ Don’t tell any one about the vi sion un til the Son of Man is raised a from the dead.” 10 So the dis ci ples asked him, “ Why then do the scribes say that Eli jah must come first? ” 11 “Eli jah is com ing b and will re store ev- ery thing,” he re plied. c 12 “ But I tell you: Eli jah has al ready come, and they didn’t rec og nize him. On the con trary , they did what ev er they pleased to him. In the same way the Son of Man is go ing to suff er at their hands.” 13 Then the dis ci ples un der stood that he had spo ken to them about John the Bap tist. THE POWER OF JESUS OVER A DEMON 14 When they reached the crowd, a man ap- proached and knelt down be fore him. 15 “ Lord,” he said, “ have mer cy on my son, be cause he has sei zures d and suff ers ter ri bly . He of ten falls into the fire and of ten into the wa ter. 16 I brought him to your dis ci ples, but they couldn’t heal him.” 17 Jesus re plied, “ You un be liev ing and per - verse gen er a tion, how long will I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring him here to me.” 18 Then Jesus re buked the de mon, e and it f came out of him, and from that mo- ment g the boy was healed. 19 Then the dis ci ples ap proached Jesus pri- vate ly and said, “ Why couldn’t we drive it out? ” 20 “Be cause of your lit tle faith,” he h told them. “ For tru ly I tell you, if you have faith the size of i a mus tard seed, you will tell this moun tain, ‘ Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Noth ing will be im pos si ble for you.” j THE SECOND PREDICTION OF HIS DEATH 22 As they were gath er ing to geth er k in Gal i lee, Jesus told them, “ The Son of Man is about to be be trayed into the hands of men. 23 They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised up.” And they were deep ly dis tressed. PAYING THE TEMPLE TAX 24 When they came to Ca per na um, those who col lect ed the tem ple tax ap proached Pe ter and said, “ Doesn’t your teach er pay the tem ple tax? ” 25 “ Yes,” he said. When he went into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, l “ What do you think, Si mon? From whom do earth ly kings col lect tariffs or tax es? From their sons or from strang ers? ” m 26 “ From strang ers,” he said. n “ Then the sons are free,” Jesus told him. 27 “ But, so we won’t off end them, go to the sea, cast in a fish hook, and take the first fish that you catch. When you open its mouth you’ll find a coin. o Take it and give it to them for me and you.” WHO IS THE GREATEST? 18 At that time g the dis ci ples came to Jesus and asked, “ So who is great est in the king dom of heav en? ” 2 He called a child and had him stand among them. 3 “Tru ly I tell you,” he said, “un less you turn and be come like chil- dren, you will nev er en ter the king dom of heav en. 4 There fore, who ev er hum bles him self like this child — this one is the great est in the king dom of heav en. 5 And who ev er wel comes p one child like this in my name wel comes me. 6 “ But who ev er caus es one of these lit tle ones who be lieve in me to fall away — it would be bet ter for him if a heavy mill stone were hung around his neck and he were drowned in the depths of the sea. 7 Woe to the world be cause of o ff enses. For o ff enses will inevitably come, but woe to that per son by whom the off ense comes. 8 If your hand or your foot caus es you to fall away , cut it off and throw it away . It is bet ter for you to en ter life maimed or lame than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into the eter nal fire. 9 And if your eye caus es you to fall away , gouge it out and throw it away . It is bet ter for you to en ter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hellfire. q THE PARABLE OF THE LOST SHEEP 10 “ See to it that you don’t de spise one of these lit tle ones, be cause I tell you that in heav en their an gels con tin u al ly view the face of my Fa ther in heav en. r 12 What do you think? If some one has a hun dred sheep, and one of them goes astray , won’t he leave the ninety-nine on the hill side and go and search for the stray? 13 And if he finds it, tru ly I tell you, he re joic es over that sheep s more than over the ninety-nine a17:9 Other mss read Man has risen b17:11 Other mss add first c17:11 Other mss read Jesus said to them d17:15 Lit he is moonstruck ; thought to be a form of epilepsy e17:18 Lit rebuked him, or it f17:18 Lit the demon g17:18; 18:1 Lit hour h17:20 Other mss read your unbelief, Jesus i17:20 Lit faith like j17:20 Some mss include v. 21: “However, this kind does not come out except by prayer and fasting.” k17:22 Other mss read were staying l17:25 Lit Jesus anticipated him by saying m17:25 Or foreigners n17:26 Other mss read Peter said to him o17:27 Gk stater, worth 2 double-drachmas p18:5 Or receives q18:9 Lit gehenna of fire r18:10 Some mss include v. 11: For the Son of Man has come to save the lost. s18:13 Lit over itMATTHEW 17-18 872 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 872 10/26/17 9:00 PM that did not go astray . 14 In the same way , it is not the will of your Fa ther in heav en that one of these lit tle ones per ish. RESTORING A BROTHER 15 “ If your broth er sins against you, a go and re buke him in pri vate. b If he lis tens to you, you have won your broth er. 16 But if he won’t lis ten, take one or two oth ers with you, so that by the tes ti mo ny c of two or three wit ness es ev ery fact may be es tab lished. d 17 If he doesn’t pay at ten tion to them, tell the church. e If he doesn’t pay at ten tion even to the church, let him be like a Gen tile and a tax col lec tor to you. 18 Tru ly I tell you, what ev er you bind on earth will have been bound f in heav en, and what ev er you loose on earth will have been loosed g in heav en. 19 Again, tru ly I tell you, if two of you on earth agree about any mat ter that you h pray for, it will be done for you i by my Fa ther in heav en. 20 For where two or three are gath ered to geth er in my name, I am there among them.” THE PARABLE OF THE UNFORGIVING SERVANT 21 Then Pe ter ap proached him and asked, “ Lord, how many times shall I for give my broth er or sis ter who sins against me? As many as sev en times? ” 22 “ I tell you, not as many as sev en,” Jesus re plied, “ but sev en ty times sev en. j 23 “ For this rea son, the king dom of heav en can be com pared to a king who want ed to set tle ac counts with his ser vants. 24 When he be gan to set tle ac counts, one who owed ten thou sand tal ents k was brought be fore him. 25 Since he did not have the mon ey to pay it back, his mas ter com mand ed that he, his wife, his chil dren, and ev ery thing he had be sold to pay the debt. 26 “ At this, the ser vant fell face down be fore him and said, ‘ Be pa tient with me, and I will pay you ev ery thing.’ 27 Then the mas ter of that ser vant had com pas sion, re leased him, and for gave him the loan. 28 “ That ser vant went out and found one of his fel low ser vants who owed him a hun dred de nar ii. l He grabbed him, start ed choking him, and said, ‘ Pay what you owe! ’ 29 “ At this, his fel low ser vant fell down m and be gan beg ging him, ‘ Be pa tient with me, and I will pay you back.’ 30 But he wasn’t will ing. In stead, he went and threw him into pris on un til he could pay what was owed. 31 When the oth er ser vants saw what had tak en place, they were deep ly dis tressed and went and re port ed to their mas ter ev ery thing that had hap pened. 32 Then, af ter he had sum moned him, his mas ter said to him, ‘ You wick ed ser - vant! I for gave you all that debt be cause you begged me. 33 Shouldn’t you also have had mer cy on your fel low ser vant, as I had mer - cy on you? ’ 34 And be cause he was an gry , his mas ter hand ed him over to the jail ers to be tor tured un til he could pay ev ery thing that was owed. 35 So also my heav en ly Fa ther will do to you un less ev ery one of you for gives his broth er or sis ter n from your o heart.” THE QUESTION OF DIVORCE 19 When Jesus had fin ished say ing these things, he de part ed from Gal i lee and went to the re gion of Ju dea across the Jor dan. 2 Large crowds fol lowed him, and he healed them there. 3 Some Phar i sees ap proached him to test him. They asked, “ Is it law ful for a man to di vorce his wife on any grounds? ” 4 “ Haven’t you read,” he re plied, “ that he who cre at ed p them in the be gin ning made them male and fe male,” q 5 and he also said, “ For this rea son a man will leave his fa‑ ther and moth er and be joined to his wife, and the two will be come one flesh? r 6 So they are no lon ger two, but one flesh. There- fore, what God has joined to geth er, let no one sep a rate.”
🔄 Marriage, Wealth, and Kingdom Values
💍 Marriage is a sacred covenant, with divorce permitted by Moses only due to "hardness of hearts," yet Jesus affirms this wasn't God's original design, limiting divorce to cases of sexual immorality
👶 Children represent the essence of kingdom values, with Jesus rebuking disciples who tried to prevent them from approaching him, declaring "the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these"
💰 Wealth creates significant barriers to spiritual life, as demonstrated by the rich young man who couldn't part with possessions and Jesus's striking metaphor that "it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom"
🌱 Service defines true greatness in God's kingdom, inverting worldly power structures where "the first will be last, and the last first," and following Jesus's example who "came not to be served, but to serve"
🍇 Through multiple parables (vineyard workers, two sons, wedding banquet), Jesus confronts religious leaders with their rejection of God's messengers and warns of judgment for those who refuse the kingdom invitation
7 “ Why then,” they asked him, “ did Mo ses com mand us to give di vorce pa pers and to send her away? ” 8 He told them, “Mo ses per mit ted you to di vorce your wives be cause of the hardness of your hearts, but it was not like that from the be gin ning. 9 I tell you, who ev er di vorc es his wife, ex cept for sex u al im mo ral i ty , and mar ries an oth er com mits adul tery .” s 10 His dis ci ples said to him, “ If the re la tion- ship of a man with his wife is like this, it’s bet ter not to mar ry .” 11 He re spond ed, “ Not ev ery one can ac cept this say ing, but only those to whom it has been a18:15 Other mss omit against you b18:15 Lit him between you and him alone c18:16 Lit mouth d18:16 Dt 19:15 e18:17 Or congregation f18:18 Or earth will be bound g18:18 Or earth will be loosed h18:19 Lit they i18:19 Lit for them j18:22 Or but seventy-seven times k18:24 A talent is worth about 6,000 denarii, or twenty years’ wages for a laborer l18:28 A denarius = one day’s wage m18:29 Other mss add at his feet n18:35 Other mss add their trespasses o18:35 Lit his p19:4 Other mss read made q19:4 Gn 1:27; 5:2 r19:5 Gn 2:24 s19:9 Other mss add Also whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery ; Mt 5:32 873 MATTHEW 18-19 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 873 10/26/17 9:00 PM giv en. 12 For there are eu nuchs who were born that way from their moth er’s womb, there are eu nuchs who were made by men, and there are eu nuchs who have made them selves that way be cause of the king dom of heav en. The one who is able to ac cept it should ac cept it.” BLESSING THE CHILDREN 13 Then chil dren were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray , but the dis ci ples re buked them. 14 Jesus said, “ Leave the chil dren alone, and don’t try to keep them from com ing to me, be cause the king dom of heav en be longs to such as these.” a 15 Af- ter plac ing his hands on them, he went on from there. THE RICH YOUNG RULER 16 Just then some one came up and asked him, “Teach er, what good must I do to have eter - nal life? ” 17 “ Why do you ask me about what is good? ” b he said to him. “ There is only one who is good. c If you want to en ter into life, keep the com- mand ments.” 18 “ Which ones? ” he asked him. Jesus an swered: Do not mur der; do not com mit adul tery; do not steal; do not bear false wit ness; 19 hon or your fa ther and your moth er; and love your neigh bor as your self. d 20 “ I have kept all these,” e the young man told him. “ What do I still lack? ” 21 “ If you want to be per fect,” f Jesus said to him, “ go, sell your be long ings and give to the poor, and you will have trea sure in heav en. Then come, fol low me.” 22 When the young man heard that, he went away griev ing, be cause he had many pos ses- sions. POSSESSIONS AND THE KINGDOM 23 Jesus said to his dis ci ples, “Tru ly I tell you, it will be hard for a rich per son to en ter the king dom of heav en. 24 Again I tell you, it is eas i er for a cam el to go through the eye of a nee dle than for a rich per son to en ter the king dom of God.” 25 When the dis ci ples heard this, they were ut ter ly as ton ished and asked, “ Then who can be saved? ”26 Jesus looked at them and said, “ With man this is im pos si ble, but with God all things are pos si ble.” 27 Then Pe ter re spond ed to him, “ See, we have left ev ery thing and fol lowed you. So what will there be for us? ” 28 Jesus said to them, “Tru ly I tell you, in the re new al of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glo ri ous throne, you who have fol lowed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judg ing the twelve tribes of Is ra el. 29 And ev ery one who has left hous es or broth ers or sis ters or fa ther or moth er g or chil dren or fields be cause of my name will re ceive a hun dred times more and will in her it eter nal life. 30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first. THE PARABLE OF THE VINEYARD WORKERS 20 “ For the king dom of heav en is like a land own er who went out ear ly in the morn ing to hire work ers for his vine yard. 2 Af ter agree ing with the work ers on one de- nar i us, h he sent them into his vine yard for the day . 3 When he went out about nine in the morn ing, i he saw oth ers stand ing in the mar ket place do ing noth ing. 4 He said to them, ‘ You also go into my vine yard, and I’ll give you what ev er is right.’ So off they went. 5 About noon and about three, j he went out again and did the same thing. 6 Then about five k he went and found oth ers stand ing around l and said to them, ‘ Why have you been stand ing here all day do ing noth ing? ’ 7 “ ‘Be cause no one hired us,’ they said to him. “ ‘ You also go into my vine yard,’ he told them. m 8 When eve ning came, the own er of the vine yard told his fore man, ‘ Call the work- ers and give them their pay , start ing with the last and end ing with the first.’ 9 “ When those who were hired about five came, they each re ceived one de nar i us. 10 So when the first ones came, they as sumed they would get more, but they also re ceived a de- nar i us each. 11 When they re ceived it, they be gan to com plain to the land own er: 12 ‘ These last men put in one hour, and you made them equal to us who bore the bur den of the day’s work and the burn ing heat.’ 13 “ He re plied to one of them, ‘ Friend, I’m do ing you no wrong. Didn’t you agree with a19:14 Lit heaven is of such ones b19:17 Other mss read “Why do you call me good?” c19:17 Other mss read “No one is good but one — God d19:18-19 Ex 20:12-16; Lv 19:18; Dt 5:16-20 e19:20 Other mss add from my youth f19:21 Or complete g19:29 Other mss add or wife h20:2 A denarius = one day’s wage, also in vv. 9,10,13 i20:3 Lit about the third hour j20:5 Lit about the sixth hour and the ninth hour k20:6 Lit about the eleventh hour, also in v. 9 l20:6 Other mss add doing nothing m20:7 Other mss add ‘and you’ll get whatever is right.’MATTHEW 19-20 874 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 874 10/26/17 9:00 PM me on a de nar i us? 14 Take what’s yours and go. I want to give this last man the same as I gave you. 15 Don’t I have the right to do what I want with what is mine? Are you jeal ous a be cause I’m gen er ous? ’ b 16 “ So the last will be first, and the first last.” c THE THIRD PREDICTION OF HIS DEATH 17 While go ing up to Je ru sa lem, Jesus took the twelve dis ci ples aside pri vate ly and said to them on the way , 18 “ See, we are go ing up to Je ru sa lem. The Son of Man will be hand- ed over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will con demn him to death. 19 They will hand him over to the Gen tiles to be mocked, flogged, d and cru ci fied, and on the third day he will be raised. ” e SUFFERING AND SERVICE 20 Then the moth er of Zeb e dee’s sons ap- proached him with her sons. She knelt down to ask him for some thing. 21 “ What do you want? ” he asked her. “Prom ise,” f she said to him, “ that these two sons of mine may sit, one on your right and the oth er on your left, in your king dom.” 22 Jesus an swered, “ You don’t know what you’re ask ing. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink? ” g “ We are able,” they said to him. 23 He told them, “ You will in deed drink my cup, h but to sit at my right and left is not mine to give; in stead, it is for those for whom it has been pre pared by my Fa ther.” 24 When the ten dis ci ples heard this, they be- came in dig nant with the two broth ers. 25 Jesus called them over and said, “ You know that the rul ers of the Gen tiles lord it over them, and those in high po si tions act as tyrants over them. 26 It must not be like that among you. On the con trary , who ev er wants to be come great among you must be your ser vant, 27 and who ev er wants to be first among you must be your slave; 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ran som for many .” TWO BLIND MEN HEALED 29 As they were leav ing Jer i cho, a large crowd fol lowed him. 30 There were two blind men sit- ting by the road. When they heard that Jesus was pass ing by , they cried out, “ Lord, have mer cy on us, Son of Da vid! ” 31 The crowd de- mand ed that they keep qui et, but they cried out all the more, “ Lord, have mer cy on us, Son of Da vid! ” 32 Jesus stopped, called them, and said, “ What do you want me to do for you? ” 33 “ Lord,” they said to him, “ open our eyes.” 34 Moved with com pas sion, Jesus touched their eyes. Im me di ate ly they could see, and they fol lowed him. THE TRIUMPHAL ENTRY 21 When they ap proached Je ru sa lem and came to Beth pha ge at the Mount of Ol ives, Jesus then sent two dis ci ples, 2 tell- ing them, “ Go into the vil lage ahead of you. At once you will find a don key tied there with her foal. Un tie them and bring them to me. 3 If any one says any thing to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them at once.” 4 This took place so that what was spo ken through the proph et might be ful filled: 5 Tell Daughter Zion, “See, your King is coming to you, gentle, and mounted on a donkey , and on a colt, the foal of a donkey .” i 6 The dis ci ples went and did just as Jesus di rect ed them. 7 They brought the don key and its foal; then they laid their clothes on them, and he sat on them. 8 A very large crowd spread their clothes on the road; oth ers were cut ting branch es from the trees and spread ing them on the road. 9 Then the crowds who went ahead of him and those who fol lowed shout ed: Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! j Hosanna in the highest heaven! 10 When he en tered Je ru sa lem, the whole city was in an up roar, say ing, “ Who is this? ” 11 The crowds were say ing, “ This is the proph et Jesus from Naz a reth in Gal i lee.” CLEANSING THE TEMPLE 12 Jesus went into the tem ple k and threw out all those buy ing and sell ing. He over turned the ta bles of the mon ey chang ers and the chairs a20:15 Lit Is your eye evil ; an idiom for jealousy or stinginess b20:15 Lit good c20:16 Other mss add “For many are called, but few are chosen.” d20:19 Or scourged e20:19 Other mss read will rise again f20:21 Lit Say g20:22 Other mss add and (or) to be baptized with the baptism which I am baptized? ” h20:23 Other mss add and be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized. i21:5 Is 62:11; Zch 9:9 j21:9 Ps 118:25-26 k21:12 Other mss add of God 875 MATTHEW 20-21 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 875 10/26/17 9:00 PM of those sell ing doves. 13 He said to them, “ It is writ ten, my house will be called a house of prayer, a but you are mak ing it a den of thieves! ” b CHILDREN PRAISE JESUS 14 The blind and the lame came to him in the tem ple, and he healed them. 15 When the chief priests and the scribes saw the won ders that he did and the chil dren shout ing in the tem ple, “Ho san na to the Son of Da vid! ” they were in- dig nant 16 and said to him, “ Do you hear what these chil dren are say ing? ” Jesus re plied, “ Yes, have you nev er read: You have prepared c praise from the mouths of infants and nursing babies? ” d 17 Then he left them, went out of the city to Beth a ny , and spent the night there. THE BARREN FIG TREE 18 Ear ly in the morn ing, as he was re turn ing to the city , he was hun gry . 19 See ing a lone fig tree by the road, he went up to it and found noth ing on it ex cept leaves. And he said to it, “ May no fruit ever come from you again! ” At once the fig tree with ered. 20 When the dis ci ples saw it, they were amazed and said, “ How did the fig tree with- er so quick ly? ” 21 Jesus an swered them, “Tru ly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you tell this moun tain, ‘ Be lift ed up and thrown into the sea,’ it will be done. 22 And if you be lieve, you will re ceive what ev er you ask for in prayer.” THE AUTHORITY OF JESUS CHALLENGED 23 When he en tered the tem ple, the chief priests and the el ders of the peo ple came to him as he was teach ing and said, “ By what au thor i ty are you do ing these things? Who gave you this au thor i ty? ” 24 Jesus an swered them, “ I will also ask you one ques tion, and if you an swer it for me, then I will tell you by what au thor i ty I do these things. 25 Did John’s bap tism come from heav en, or was it of hu man or i gin? ” They dis cussed it among them selves, “ If we say , ‘ From heav en,’ he will say to us, ‘ Then why didn’t you be lieve him? ’ 26 But if we say , ‘ Of hu- man or i gin,’ we’re afraid of the crowd, be cause ev ery one con sid ers John to be a proph et.” 27 So they an swered Jesus, “ We don’t know .” And he said to them, “Nei ther will I tell you by what au thor i ty I do these things. THE PARABLE OF THE TWO SONS 28 “ What do you think? A man had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘ My son, go work in the vine yard to day .’ 29 “ He an swered, ‘ I don’t want to,’ but lat er he changed his mind and went. 30 Then the man went to the oth er and said the same thing. ‘ I will, sir,’ he an swered, but he didn’t go. 31 Which of the two did his fa ther’s will? ” They said, “ The first.” Jesus said to them, “Tru ly I tell you, tax col lec- tors and pros ti tutes are en ter ing the king dom of God be fore you. 32 For John came to you in the way of righ teous ness, and you didn’t be- lieve him. Tax col lec tors and pros ti tutes did be lieve him; but you, when you saw it, didn’t even change your minds then and be lieve him. THE PARABLE OF THE VINEYARD OWNER 33 “Lis ten to an oth er par a ble: There was a land- own er, who plant ed a vine yard, put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watch tow er. He leased it to tenant farm ers and went away . 34 When the time came to har vest fruit, he sent his ser vants to the farm ers to col lect his fruit. 35 The farm ers took his ser - vants, beat one, killed an oth er, and stoned a third. 36 Again, he sent oth er ser vants, more than the first group, and they did the same to them. 37 Fi nal ly , he sent his son to them. ‘ They will re spect my son,’ he said. 38 “ But when the tenant farm ers saw the son, they said to each oth er, ‘ This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his in her i tance.’ 39 So they seized him, threw him out of the vine yard, and killed him. 40 There fore, when the own er of the vine yard comes, what will he do to those farm ers? ” 41 “ He will com plete ly de stroy those ter ri ble men,” they told him, “ and lease his vine yard to oth er farm ers who will give him his fruit at the har vest.” 42 Jesus said to them, “ Have you nev er read in the Scrip tures: The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. e This is what the Lord has done and it is wonderful in our eyes? f a21:13 Is 56:7 b21:13 Jr 7:11 c21:16 Or restored d21:16 Ps 8:2 e21:42 Lit the head of the corner f21:42 Ps 118:22-23MATTHEW 21 876 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 876 10/26/17 9:00 PM 43 There fore I tell you, the king dom of God will be tak en away from you and giv en to a peo ple pro duc ing its fruit. 44 Who ev er falls on this stone will be bro ken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will shat ter him.” a 45 When the chief priests and the Phar i- sees heard his par a bles, they knew he was speak ing about them. 46 Al though they were look ing for a way to ar rest him, they feared the crowds, be cause the peo ple re gard ed him as a proph et. THE PARABLE OF THE WEDDING BANQUET 22 Once more Jesus spoke to them in par - a bles: 2 “ The king dom of heav en is like a king who gave a wed ding ban quet for his son. 3 He sent his ser vants to sum mon those in vit ed to the ban quet, but they didn’t want to come. 4 Again, he sent out oth er ser vants and said, ‘ Tell those who are in vit ed: See, I’ve pre pared my din ner; my oxen and fat tened cat tle have been slaugh tered, and ev ery thing is ready . Come to the wed ding ban quet.’ 5 “ But they paid no at ten tion and went away , one to his own farm, an oth er to his busi ness, 6 while the rest seized his ser vants, mis treat ed them, and killed them. 7 The king b was en raged, and he sent out his troops, killed those mur - der ers, and burned down their city . 8 “ Then he told his ser vants, ‘ The ban quet is ready , but those who were in vit ed were not wor thy . 9 Go then to where the roads exit the city and in vite ev ery one you find to the ban- quet.’ 10 So those ser vants went out on the roads and gath ered ev ery one they found, both evil and good. The wed ding ban quet c was filled with guests. d 11 When the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed for a wed ding. 12 So he said to him, ‘ Friend, how did you get in here with out wed- ding clothes? ’ The man was speech less. 13 “ Then the king told the at ten dants, ‘ Tie him up hand and foot, e and throw him into the out er dark ness, where there will be weep ing and gnash ing of teeth.’ 14 “ For many are in vit ed, but few are cho sen.” GOD AND CAESAR 15 Then the Phar i sees went and plot ted how to trap him by what he said. f 16 So they sent their dis ci ples to him, along with the He ro di ans. “Teach er,” they said, “ we know that you are truth ful and teach truth ful ly the way of God. You don’t care what any one thinks nor do you show par tial i ty . g 17 Tell us, then, what you think. Is it law ful to pay tax es to Cae sar or not? ” 18 Per ceiv ing their ma li cious in tent, Jesus said, “ Why are you test ing me, hyp o crites? 19 Show me the coin used for the tax.” They brought him a de nar i us. h 20 “ Whose im age and in scrip tion is this? ” he asked them. 21 “Cae sar’s,” they said to him. Then he said to them, “ Give, then, to Cae sar the things that are Cae sar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 22 When they heard this, they were amazed. So they
🙏 Jesus's Teachings on Faith and Judgment
🔄 Resurrection challenges traditional understanding as Jesus explains to Sadducees that in heaven, marriage relationships are transformed and God remains "God of the living" not the dead
❤️ The greatest commandments are revealed as loving God completely and loving neighbors as ourselves—these two principles form the foundation for all religious law
🚫 Jesus delivers sharp criticism of religious hypocrisy, condemning those who practice showy religion while neglecting justice, mercy, and faithfulness
⏰ Detailed prophecies about end times include warnings about false messiahs, persecution, and the unexpected nature of Christ's return
🔍 Through parables of readiness (ten virgins, talents), Jesus emphasizes the importance of spiritual preparedness and faithful stewardship
⚖️ The consistent theme throughout is accountability—everyone will ultimately answer for their actions, beliefs, and how they used what was entrusted to them
left him and went away . THE SADDUCEES AND THE RESURRECTION 23 That same day some Sad du cees, who say there is no res ur rec tion, came up to him and ques tioned him: 24 “Teach er, Mo ses said, if a man dies, hav ing no chil dren, his broth er is to mar ry his wife and raise up off spring for his broth er. i 25 Now there were sev en broth- ers among us. The first got mar ried and died. Hav ing no off spring, he left his wife to his broth er. 26 The same thing hap pened to the sec ond also, and the third, and so on to all sev en. 27 Last of all, the wom an died. 28 In the res ur rec tion, then, whose wife will she be of the sev en? For they all had mar ried her.” j 29 Jesus an swered them, “ You are mis tak en, be cause you don’t know the Scrip tures or the pow er of God. 30 For in the res ur rec tion they nei ther mar ry nor are giv en in mar riage but are like k an gels in heav en. 31 Now con cern ing the res ur rec tion of the dead, haven’t you read what was spo ken to you by God: 32 I am the God of Abra ham and the God of Isaac and the God of Ja cob? l He m is not the God of the dead, but of the liv ing.” 33 And when the crowds heard this, they were as ton ished at his teach ing. THE PRIMARY COMMANDS 34 When the Phar i sees heard that he had si- lenced the Sad du cees, they came to geth er. 35 And one of them, an ex pert in the law , asked a ques tion to test him: 36 “Teach er, which com- mand in the law is the great est? ” a21:44 Some mss omit this verse b22:7 Other mss read But when the (that) king heard about it he c22:10 Other mss read wedding hall d22:10 Lit those reclining (to eat) e22:13 Other mss add take him away f22:15 Lit trap him in a word g22:16 Lit don’t look on the face of men h22:19 A denarius = one day’s wage i22:24 Dt 25:5 j22:28 Lit all had her k22:30 Other mss add God’s l22:32 Ex 3:6,15-16 m22:32 Other mss read God 877 MATTHEW 21-22 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 877 10/26/17 9:00 PM 37 He said to him, “ Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. a 38 This is the great est and most im por tant b com mand. 39 The sec ond is like it: Love your neigh bor as your self. c 40 All the Law and the Proph ets de pend d on these two com mands.” THE QUESTION ABOUT THE CHRIST 41 While the Phar i sees were to geth er, Jesus ques tioned them, 42 “ What do you think about the Mes si ah? Whose son is he? ” They re plied, “Da vid’s.” 43 He asked them, “ How is it then that Da vid, in spired by the Spir it, e calls him ‘ Lord’: 44 The Lord declared to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet’? f,g 45 “ If Da vid calls him ‘ Lord,’ how then can he be his son? ” 46 No one was able to an swer him at all, h and from that day no one dared to ques- tion him any more. RELIGIOUS HYPOCRITES DENOUNCED 23 Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his dis ci ples: 2 “ The scribes and the Phar i sees are seat ed in the chair of Mo ses. 3 There fore do what ev er they tell you, and ob serve it. But don’t do what they do, be cause they don’t prac tice what they teach. 4 They tie up heavy loads that are hard to car ry i and put them on peo ple’s shoul ders, but they them- selves aren’t will ing to lift a fin ger to move them. 5 They do ev ery thing j to be seen by oth ers: They en large their phy lac ter ies and length en their tas sels. k 6 They love the place of hon or at ban quets, the front seats in the syn a gogues, 7 greet ings in the mar ket places, and to be called ‘Rab bi’ by peo ple. 8 “ But you are not to be called ‘Rab bi,’ be- cause you have one Teach er, l and you are all broth ers and sis ters. 9 Do not call any one on earth your fa ther, be cause you have one Fa- ther, who is in heav en. 10 You are not to be called in struc tors ei ther, be cause you have one In struc tor, the Mes si ah. 11 The great est among you will be your ser vant. 12 Who ev er ex alts him self will be hum bled, and who ev er hum bles him self will be ex alt ed. 13 “ Woe to you, scribes and Phar i sees, hyp- o crites! You shut the door of the king dom of heav en in peo ple’s fac es. For you don’t go in, and you don’t al low those en ter ing to go in. m 15 “ Woe to you, scribes and Phar i sees, hyp- o crites! You trav el over land and sea to make one con vert, and when he be comes one, you make him twice as fit for hell n as you are! 16 “ Woe to you, blind guides, who say , ‘Who- ev er takes an oath by the tem ple, it means noth ing. But who ev er takes an oath by the gold of the tem ple is bound by his oath.’ o 17 Blind fools! For which is great er, the gold or the tem- ple that sanc ti fied the gold? 18 Also, ‘Who ev er takes an oath by the al tar, it means noth ing; but who ev er takes an oath by the gift that is on it is bound by his oath.’ 19 Blind peo ple! p For which is great er, the gift or the al tar that sanctifies the gift? 20 There fore, the one who takes an oath by the al tar takes an oath by it and by ev ery thing on it. 21 The one who takes an oath by the tem ple takes an oath by it and by him who dwells in it. 22 And the one who takes an oath by heav en takes an oath by God’s throne and by him who sits on it. 23 “ Woe to you, scribes and Phar i sees, hyp o- crites! You pay a tenth of q mint, dill, and cumin, and yet you have ne glect ed the more im por - tant mat ters of the law — jus tice, mer cy , and faith ful ness. r These things should have been done with out ne glect ing the oth ers. 24 Blind guides! You strain out a gnat, but gulp down a cam el! 25 “ Woe to you, scribes and Phar i sees, hyp- o crites! You clean the out side of the cup and dish, but in side they are full of greed s and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Phar i see! First clean the in side of the cup, t so that the out side of it u may also be come clean. 27 “ Woe to you, scribes and Phar i sees, hyp o- crites! You are like white washed tombs, which ap pear beau ti ful on the out side, but in side are full of the bones of the dead and ev ery kind of im pu ri ty . 28 In the same way , on the out side you seem righ teous to peo ple, but in side you are full of hy poc ri sy and law less ness. a22:37 Dt 6:5 b22:38 Lit and first c22:39 Lv 19:18 d22:40 Or hang e22:43 Lit David in Spirit f22:44 Other mss read until I make your enemies your footstool ” g22:44 Ps 110:1 h22:46 Lit answer him a word i23:4 Other mss omit that are hard to carry j23:5 Lit do all their works k23:5 Other mss add on their robes l23:8 Other mss add the Christ m23:13 Some mss include v. 14: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You devour widows’ houses and make long prayers just for show. This is why you will receive a harsher punishment. n23:15 Lit twice the son of gehenna o23:16 Lit is obligated, also in v. 18 p23:19 Other mss read Fools and blind q23:23 Or You tithe r23:23 Or faith s23:25 Or full of violence t23:26 Other mss add and dish u23:26 Other mss read of themMATTHEW 22-23 878 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 878 10/26/17 9:00 PM 29 “ Woe to you, scribes and Phar i sees, hyp- o crites! You build the tombs of the proph- ets and dec o rate the graves of the righ teous, 30 and you say , ‘ If we had lived in the days of our an ces tors, we wouldn’t have tak en part with them in shed ding the proph ets’ blood.’ 31 So you tes ti fy against your selves that you are de scen dants of those who mur dered the proph ets. 32 Fill up, then, the mea sure of your an ces tors’ sins! 33 “ Snakes! Brood of vi pers! How can you es cape be ing con demned to hell? a 34 This is why I am send ing you proph ets, sages, and scribes. Some of them you will kill and cru ci fy , and some of them you will flog in your syn a gogues and pur sue from town to town. 35 So all the righ teous blood shed on the earth will be charged to you, b from the blood of righ teous Abel to the blood of Zech- a ri ah, son of Ber e chi ah, whom you mur dered be tween the sanc tu ary and the al tar. 36 Tru ly I tell you, all these things will come on this gen er a tion. JESUS’S LAMENTING OVER JERUSALEM 37 “Je ru sa lem, Je ru sa lem, who kills the proph- ets and stones those who are sent to her. How of ten I want ed to gath er your chil dren to geth er, as a hen gath ers her chicks c un der her wings, but you were not will ing! 38 See, your house is left to you des o late. 39 For I tell you, you will not see me again un til you say , ‘ Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord’! ” d DESTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLE PREDICTED 24 As Jesus left and was go ing out of the tem ple, his dis ci ples came up and called his at ten tion to its build ings. 2 He re plied to them, “ Do you see all these things? Tru ly I tell you, not one stone will be left here on an oth er that will not be thrown down.” SIGNS OF THE END OF THE AGE 3 While he was sit ting on the Mount of Ol ives, the dis ci ples ap proached him pri vate ly and said, “ Tell us, when will these things hap pen? And what is the sign of your com ing and of the end of the age? ” 4 Jesus re plied to them: “ Watch out that no one de ceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, say ing, ‘ I am the Mes si ah,’ and they will de ceive many . 6 You are go ing to hear of wars and ru mors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, be cause these things must take place, but the end is not yet. 7 For na tion will rise up against na tion, and king dom against king dom. There will be fam ines e and earth- quakes in var i ous plac es. 8 All these events are the be gin ning of la bor pains. PERSECUTIONS PREDICTED 9 “ Then they will hand you over to be per se- cut ed, and they will kill you. You will be hat ed by all na tions be cause of my name. 10 Then many will fall away , be tray one an oth er, and hate one an oth er. 11 Many false proph ets will rise up and de ceive many . 12 Be cause law- less ness will mul ti ply , the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who en dures to the end will be saved. 14 This good news of the king dom will be pro claimed in all the world f as a tes ti mo ny to all na tions, and then the end will come. THE GRE AT TRIBULATION 15 “ So when you see the abom i na tion of des ‑ o la tion, g spo ken of by the proph et Dan iel, stand ing in the holy place” ( let the read er un der stand), 16 “ then those in Ju dea must flee to the moun tains. 17 A man on the housetop h must not come down to get things out of his house, 18 and a man in the field must not go back to get his coat. 19 Woe to preg nant wom en and nurs ing moth ers in those days! 20 Pray that your es cape may not be in win ter or on a Sab bath. 21 For at that time there will be great dis tress, i the kind that hasn’t tak en place from the be gin ning of the world un til now and nev er will again. 22 Un less those days were cut short, no one would j be saved. But those days will be cut short be cause of the elect. 23 “ If any one tells you then, ‘ See, here is the Mes si ah! ’ or, ‘ Over here! ’ do not be lieve it. 24 For false messiahs and false proph ets will arise and per form great signs and won ders to lead astray , if pos si ble, even the elect. 25 Take note: I have told you in ad vance. 26 So if they tell you, ‘ See, he’s in the wil der ness! ’ don’t go out; or, ‘ See, he’s in the store rooms! ’ do not be lieve it. 27 For as the light ning comes from the east and flash es as far as the west, so will be the com ing of the Son of Man. 28 Wher ev er the car cass is, there the vul tures k will gath er. a23:33 Lit escape from the judgment of gehenna b23:35 Lit will come on you c23:37 Or as a mother bird gathers her young d23:39 Ps 118:26 e24:7 Other mss add epidemics f24:14 Or in all the inhabited earth g24:15 Dn 9:27 h24:17 Or roof i24:21 Or tribulation, also in v. 29 j24:22 Lit short, all flesh would not k24:28 Or eagles 879 MATTHEW 23-24 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 879 10/26/17 9:00 PM THE COMING OF THE SON OF MAN 29 “Im me di ate ly af ter the dis tress of those days, the sun will be dark ened, and the moon will not shed its light; the stars will fall from the sky , and the pow ers of the heav ens will be shak en. 30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will ap pear in the sky , and then all the peo ples of the earth a will mourn; b and they will see the Son of Man com ing on the clouds of heav en with pow er and great glo ry . 31 He will send out his an gels with a loud trum pet, and they will gath er his elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the oth er. THE PARABLE OF THE FIG TREE 32 “ Learn this les son from the fig tree: As soon as its branch be comes ten der and sprouts leaves, you know that sum mer is near. 33 In the same way , when you see all these things, rec- og nize c that he d is near — at the door. 34 Tru ly I tell you, this gen er a tion will cer tain ly not pass away un til all these things take place. 35 Heav en and earth will pass away , but my words will nev er pass away . NO ONE KNOWS THE DAY OR HOUR 36 “ Now con cern ing that day and hour no one knows — nei ther the an gels of heav en nor the Son e — ex cept the Fa ther alone. 37 As the days of Noah were, so the com ing of the Son of Man will be. 38 For in those days be fore the flood they were eat ing and drink ing, mar ry ing and giv ing in mar riage, un til the day Noah board ed the ark. 39 They didn’t know un til the flood came and swept them all away . This is the way the com ing of the Son of Man will be. 40 Then two men will be in the field; one will be tak en and one left. 41 Two wom en will be grind ing grain with a hand mill; one will be tak en and one left. 42 There fore be alert, since you don’t know what day f your Lord is com- ing. 43 But know this: If the home own er had known what time g the thief was com ing, he would have stayed alert and not let his house be bro ken into. 44 This is why you are also to be ready , be cause the Son of Man is com ing at an hour you do not ex pect. FAITHFUL SERVICE TO CHRIST 45 “ Who then is a faith ful and wise ser vant, whom his mas ter has put in charge of his house hold, to give them food at the prop er time? 46 Blessed is that ser vant whom the mas ter finds do ing his job when he comes. 47 Tru ly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his pos ses sions. 48 But if that wick ed ser - vant says in his heart, ‘ My mas ter is de layed,’ 49 and starts to beat his fel low ser vants, and eats and drinks with drunk ards, 50 that ser - vant’s mas ter will come on a day he does not ex pect him and at an hour he does not know . 51 He will cut him to pieces and as sign him a place with the hyp o crites, where there will be weep ing and gnash ing of teeth. THE PARABLE OF THE TEN VIRGINS 25 “ At that time the king dom of heav en will be like ten vir gins h who took their lamps i and went out to meet the groom. 2 Five of them were fool ish and five were wise. 3 When the fool ish took their lamps, they didn’t take oil with them; 4 but the wise ones took oil in their flasks with their lamps. 5 When the groom was de layed, they all be came drowsy and fell asleep. 6 “ In the mid dle of the night there was a shout: ‘ Here’s the groom! Come out to meet him.’ 7 “ Then all the vir gins got up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The fool ish ones said to the wise ones, ‘ Give us some of your oil, be cause our lamps are go ing out.’ 9 “ The wise ones an swered, ‘ No, there won’t be enough for us and for you. Go in stead to those who sell oil, and buy some for your selves.’ 10 “ When they had gone to buy some, the groom ar rived, and those who were ready went in with him to the wed ding ban quet, and the door was shut. 11 Lat er the rest of the vir gins also came and said, ‘Mas ter, mas ter, open up for us! ’ 12 “ He re plied, ‘Tru ly I tell you, I don’t know you! ’ 13 “There fore be alert, be cause you don’t know ei ther the day or the hour. j THE PARABLE OF THE TALENTS 14 “ For it is just like a man about to go on a jour ney . He called his own ser vants and en- trust ed his pos ses sions to them. 15 To one he gave five tal ents, k to an oth er two tal ents, and to an oth er one tal ent, de pend ing on each one’s a24:30 Or all the tribes of the land b24:30 Lit will beat ; that is, beat their chests c24:33 Or things, you know d24:33 Or it ; that is, summer e24:36 Other mss omit nor the Son f24:42 Other mss read hour ; = time g24:43 Lit watch ; a division of the night in ancient times h25:1 Or bridesmaids i25:1 Or torches, also in vv. 3,4,7,8 j25:13 Other mss add in which the Son of Man is coming. k25:15 A talent is worth about 6,000 denarii, or twenty years’ wages for a laborerMATTHEW 24-25 880 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 880 10/26/17 9:00 PM abil i ty . Then he went on a jour ney . Im me di ate ly 16 the man who had re ceived five tal ents went, put them to work, and earned five more. 17 In the same way the man with two earned two more. 18 But the man who had re ceived one tal ent went off, dug a hole in the ground, and hid his mas ter’s mon ey . 19 “ Af ter a long time the mas ter of those ser - vants came and set tled ac counts with them. 20 The man who had re ceived five tal ents ap- proached, pre sent ed five more tal ents, and said, ‘Mas ter, you gave me five tal ents. See, I’ve earned five more tal ents.’ 21 “ His mas ter said to him, ‘ Well done, good and faith ful ser vant! You were faith ful over a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Share your mas ter’s joy .’ 22 “ The man with two tal ents also ap- proached. He said, ‘Mas ter, you gave me two tal ents. See, I’ve earned two more tal ents.’ 23 “ His mas ter said to him, ‘ Well done, good and faith ful ser vant! You were faith ful over a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Share your mas ter’s joy .’ 24 “ The man who had re ceived one tal ent also ap proached and
🙏 Parables and Passion
🌾 The Parable of Talents teaches that those who productively use what they're given will receive more, while those who hide their gifts face severe judgment
👑 In the Sheep and Goats parable, Jesus reveals that serving "the least of these" equals serving him directly, with eternal consequences hanging in the balance
🍷 Jesus establishes the Lord's Supper as a covenant memorial, transforming bread and wine into powerful symbols of his sacrificial body and blood
🌃 The Garden of Gethsemane scene reveals Jesus' profound human struggle ("deeply grieved to the point of death") while submitting to divine will
💰 Judas betrays Jesus for thirty silver pieces, leading to a series of trials where Jesus faces false accusations with remarkable restraint
⚔️ The narrative culminates in Jesus' crucifixion, preceded by mockery, torture, and abandonment, fulfilling prophetic scriptures about the Messiah
said, ‘Mas ter, I know you. You’re a harsh man, reap ing where you haven’t sown and gath er ing where you haven’t scat tered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went off and hid your tal ent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’ 26 “ His mas ter re plied to him, ‘ You evil, lazy ser vant! If you knew that I reap where I haven’t sown and gath er where I haven’t scat tered, 27 then a you should have de pos it ed my mon ey with the bank ers, and I would have re ceived my mon ey b back with in ter est when I re turned. 28 “ ‘ So take the tal ent from him and give it to the one who has ten tal ents. 29 For to ev ery one who has, more will be giv en, and he will have more than enough. But from the one who does not have, even what he has will be tak en away from him. 30 And throw this good-for-nothing ser vant into the out er dark ness, where there will be weep ing and gnash ing of teeth.’ THE SHEEP AND THE GOATS 31 “ When the Son of Man comes in his glo ry , and all the an gels c with him, then he will sit on his glo ri ous throne. 32 All the na tions d will be gath ered be fore him, and he will sep a rate them one from an oth er, just as a shep herd sep a rates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘ Come, you who are blessed by my Fa ther; in her it the king dom pre pared for you from the foun da tion of the world. 35 “ ‘ For I was hun gry and you gave me some- thing to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me some thing to drink; I was a strang er and you took me in; 36 I was na ked and you clothed me; I was sick and you took care of me; I was in pris on and you vis it ed me.’ 37 “ Then the righ teous will an swer him, ‘ Lord, when did we see you hun gry and feed you, or thirsty and give you some thing to drink? 38 When did we see you a strang er and take you in, or with out clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick, or in pris on, and vis it you? ’ 40 “ And the King will an swer them, ‘Tru ly I tell you, what ev er you did for one of the least of these broth ers and sis ters of mine, you did for me.’ 41 “Then he will also say to those on the left, ‘De part from me, you who are cursed, into the eter nal fire pre pared for the dev il and his an gels! 42 For I was hun gry and you gave me noth ing to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me noth ing to drink; 43 I was a strang er and you didn’t take me in; I was na ked and you didn’t clothe me, sick and in pris on and you didn’t take care of me.’ 44 “ Then they too will an swer, ‘ Lord, when did we see you hun gry , or thirsty , or a strang er, or with out clothes, or sick, or in pris on, and not help you? ’ 45 “ Then he will an swer them, ‘ Truly I tell you, what ev er you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ 46 “ And they will go away into eter nal pun- ish ment, but the righ teous into eter nal life.” THE PLOT TO KILL JESUS 26 When Jesus had fin ished say ing all these things, he told his dis ci ples, 2 “ You know e that the Pass over takes place af ter two days, and the Son of Man will be hand ed over to be cru ci fied.” 3 Then the chief priests f and the el ders of the peo ple as sem bled in the court yard of the high priest, who was named Cai a phas, 4 and they con spired to ar rest Jesus in a treach er ous a25:26-27 Or So you knew . . . scattered? Then (as a question) b25:27 Lit received what is mine c25:31 Other mss read holy angels d25:32 Or the Gentiles e26:2 Or “Know (as a command) f26:3 Other mss add and the scribes 881 MATTHEW 25-26 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 881 10/26/17 9:00 PM way and kill him. 5 “ Not dur ing the fes ti val,” they said, “ so there won’t be ri ot ing among the peo ple.” THE ANOINTING AT BETHANY 6 While Jesus was in Beth a ny at the house of Si mon the lep er, a 7 a wom an ap proached him with an al a bas ter jar of very ex pen sive per - fume. She poured it on his head as he was re clin ing at the ta ble. 8 When the dis ci ples saw it, they were in dig nant. “ Why this waste? ” they asked. 9 “ This might have been sold for a great deal and giv en to the poor.” 10 Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “ Why are you both er ing this wom an? She has done a no ble thing for me. 11 You al ways have the poor with you, but you do not al ways have me. 12 By pour ing this per fume on my body , she has pre pared me for buri al. 13 Tru ly I tell you, wher ev er this gos pel is pro claimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in mem o ry of her.” 14 Then one of the Twelve, the man called Ju das Is car i ot, went to the chief priests 15 and said, “ What are you will ing to give me if I hand him over to you? ” So they weighed out thir ty pieces of sil ver for him. 16 And from that time he start ed look ing for a good op por tu ni ty to be tray him. BETRAYAL AT THE PASSOVER 17 On the first day of Un leav ened Bread the dis ci ples came to Jesus and asked, “ Where do you want us to make prep a ra tions for you to eat the Pass over? ” 18 “ Go into the city to a cer tain man,” he said, “ and tell him, ‘ The Teach er says: My time is near; I am cel e brat ing the Pass over at your place b with my dis ci ples.’ ” 19 So the dis ci ples did as Jesus had di rect ed them and pre pared the Pass over. 20 When eve ning came, he was re clin ing at the ta ble with the Twelve. 21 While they were eat ing, he said, “Tru ly I tell you, one of you will be tray me.” 22 Deep ly dis tressed, each one be gan to say to him, “Sure ly not I, Lord? ” 23 He re plied, “ The one who dipped his hand with me in the bowl — he will be tray me. 24 The Son of Man will go just as it is writ ten about him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is be trayed! It would have been bet ter for him if he had not been born.”25 Ju das, his be tray er, re plied, “Sure ly not I, Rab bi? ” “ You have said it,” he told him. THE FIRST LORD’S SUPPER 26 As they were eat ing, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, gave it to the dis ci ples, and said, “ Take and eat it; this is my body .” 27 Then he took a cup, and af ter giv ing thanks, he gave it to them and said, “ Drink from it, all of you. 28 For this is my blood of the cov enant, c which is poured out for many for the for give ness of sins. 29 But I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on un til that day when I drink it new with you in my Fa ther’s king dom.” 30 Af ter sing ing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Ol ives. PETER’S DENIAL PREDICTED 31 Then Jesus said to them, “To night all of you will fall away be cause of me, for it is writ ten: I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered. d 32 But af ter I have ris en, I will go ahead of you to Gal i lee.” 33 Pe ter told him, “ Even if ev ery one falls away be cause of you, I will nev er fall away .” 34 “Tru ly I tell you,” Jesus said to him, “to- night, be fore the roost er crows, you will deny me three times.” 35 “ Even if I have to die with you,” Pe ter told him, “ I will nev er deny you,” and all the dis ci- ples said the same thing. THE PRAYER IN THE GARDEN 36 Then Jesus came with them to a place called Geth sem a ne, and he told the dis ci ples, “ Sit here while I go over there and pray .” 37 Tak ing along Pe ter and the two sons of Zeb e dee, he be gan to be sor row ful and trou bled. 38 He said to them, “ I am deep ly grieved e to the point of death. Re main here and stay awake with me.” 39 Go ing a lit tle far ther, f he fell face down and prayed, “ My Fa ther, if it is pos si ble, let this cup pass from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” 40 Then he came to the dis ci ples and found them sleep ing. He asked Pe ter, “ So, couldn’t you stay awake with me one hour? 41 Stay awake and pray , so that you won’t en ter into temp ta- tion. The spir it is will ing, but the flesh is weak.” a26:6 Gk lepros ; a term for various skin diseases; see Lv 13–14 b26:18 Lit Passover with you c26:28 Other mss read new covenant d26:31 Zch 13:7 e26:38 Lit “My soul is swallowed up in sorrow f26:39 Other mss read Drawing nearerMATTHEW 26 882 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 882 10/26/17 9:00 PM 42 Again, a sec ond time, he went away and prayed, “ My Fa ther, if this a can not pass b un less I drink it, your will be done.” 43 And he came again and found them sleep ing, be cause they could not keep their eyes open. 44 Af ter leav ing them, he went away again and prayed a third time, say ing the same thing once more. 45 Then he came to the dis ci ples and said to them, “ Are you still sleep ing and rest ing? See, the time is near. The Son of Man is be trayed into the hands of sin ners. 46 Get up; let’s go. See, my be tray er is near.” JUDAS’S BETRAYAL OF JESUS 47 While he was still speak ing, Ju das, one of the Twelve, sud den ly ar rived. A large mob with swords and clubs was with him from the chief priests and el ders of the peo ple. 48 His be tray er had giv en them a sign: “ The one I kiss, he’s the one; ar rest him.” 49 So im me di ate ly he went up to Jesus and said, “Greet ings, Rab bi! ” and kissed him. 50 “ Friend,” Jesus asked him, “ why have you come? ” c Then they came up, took hold of Jesus, and ar rest ed him. 51 At that mo ment one of those with Jesus reached out his hand and drew his sword. He struck the high priest’s ser vant and cut off his ear. 52 Then Jesus told him, “ Put your sword back in its place be cause all who take up the sword will per ish by the sword. 53 Or do you think that I can not call on my Fa ther, and he will pro vide me here and now with more than twelve le gions of an gels? 54 How , then, would the Scrip tures be ful filled that say it must hap- pen this way? ” 55 At that time Jesus said to the crowds, “ Have you come out with swords and clubs, as if I were a crim i nal, d to cap ture me? Ev ery day I used to sit, teach ing in the tem ple, and you didn’t ar rest me. 56 But all this has hap pened so that the writ ings of the proph ets would be ful filled.” Then all the dis ci ples de sert ed him and ran away . JESUS FACES THE SANHEDRIN 57 Those who had ar rest ed Jesus led him away to Cai a phas the high priest, where the scribes and the el ders had con vened. 58 Pe ter was fol - low ing him at a dis tance right to the high priest’s court yard. He went in and was sit ting with the ser vants to see the out come. 59 The chief priests and the whole San he- drin were look ing for false tes ti mo ny against Jesus so that they could put him to death, 60 but they could not find any , even though many false wit ness es came for ward. e Fi nal ly , two f who came for ward 61 stat ed, “ This man said, ‘ I can de stroy the tem ple of God and re build it in three days.’ ” 62 The high priest stood up and said to him, “ Don’t you have an an swer to what these men are tes ti fy ing against you? ” 63 But Jesus kept si lent. The high priest said to him, “ I charge you un der oath by the liv ing God: Tell us if you are the Mes si ah, the Son of God.” 64 “ You have said it,” Jesus told him. “ But I tell you, in the fu ture g you will see the Son of Man seat ed at the right hand of Pow er and com ing on the clouds of heav en.” h 65 Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “ He has blas phemed! Why do we still need wit ness es? See, now you’ve heard the blas phe my . 66 What is your de ci sion? ” They an swered, “ He de serves death! ” 67 Then they spat in his face and beat him; oth ers slapped him 68 and said, “Proph e sy to us, Mes si ah! Who was it that hit you? ” PETER DENIES HIS LORD 69 Now Pe ter was sit ting out side in the court- yard. A ser vant girl ap proached him and said, “ You were with Jesus the Gal i le an too.” 70 But he de nied it in front of ev ery one: “ I don’t know what you’re talk ing about.” 71 When he had gone out to the gate way , an oth er wom an saw him and told those who were there, “ This man was with Jesus the Naz- a rene! ” 72 And again he de nied it with an oath: “ I don’t know the man! ” 73 Af ter a lit tle while those stand ing there ap proached and said to Pe ter, “ You real ly are one of them, since even your ac cent i gives you away .” 74 Then he start ed to curse and to swear with an oath, “ I don’t know the man! ” Im me di ate ly a roost er crowed, 75 and Pe ter re mem bered the words Jesus had spo ken, “Be fore the roost er crows, you will deny me three times.” And he went out side and wept bit ter ly . a26:42 Other mss add cup b26:42 Other mss add from me c26:50 Or Jesus told him, “do what you have come for.” d26:55 Lit as against a criminal e26:60 Other mss add they found none f26:60 Other mss add false witnesses g26:64 Lit you, from now h26:64 Ps 110:1; Dn 7:13 i26:73 Or speech 883 MATTHEW 26 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 883 10/26/17 9:00 PM JESUS HANDED OVER TO PILATE 27 When day break came, all the chief priests and the el ders of the peo ple plot- ted against Jesus to put him to death. 2 Af ter ty ing him up, they led him away and hand ed him over to Pi late, a the gov er nor. JUDAS HANGS HIMSELF 3 Then Ju das, his be tray er, see ing that Jesus had been con demned, was full of re morse and re turned the thir ty pieces of sil ver to the chief priests and el ders. 4 “ I have sinned by be tray ing in no cent blood,” he said. “ What’s that to us? ” they said. “ See to it your - self! ” 5 So he threw the sil ver into the tem- ple and de part ed. Then he went and hanged him self. 6 The chief priests took the sil ver and said, “ It’s not per mit ted to put it into the tem ple trea sury , since it is blood mon ey .” 7 They con- ferred to geth er and bought the pot ter’s field with it as a buri al place for for eign ers. 8 There- fore that field has been called “ Blood Field” to this day . 9 Then what was spo ken through the proph et Jer e mi ah was ful filled: They took b the thir ty pieces of sil ver, the price of him whose price was set by the Is ra el ites, 10 and they gave c them for the pot ter’s field, as the Lord di rect ed me. d JESUS FACES THE GOVERNOR 11 Now Jesus stood be fore the gov er nor. “ Are you the King of the Jews? ” the gov er nor asked him. Jesus an swered, “ You say so.” 12 While he was be ing ac cused by the chief priests and el ders, he didn’t an swer. 13 Then Pi late said to him, “ Don’t you hear how much they are tes ti fy ing against you? ” 14 But he didn’t an swer him on even one charge, so that the gov er nor was quite amazed. JESUS OR BARABBAS 15 At the fes ti val the gov er nor’s cus tom was to re lease to the crowd a pris on er they want ed. 16 At that time they had a no to ri ous pris on er called Bar ab bas. e 17 So when they had gath- ered to geth er, Pi late said to them, “ Who is it you want me to re lease for you — Bar ab bas, or Jesus who is called Christ? ” 18 For he knew it was be cause of envy that they had hand ed him over.19 While he was sit ting on the judge’s bench, his wife sent word to him, “ Have noth ing to do with that righ teous man, for to day I’ve suff ered ter ri bly in a dream be cause of him.” 20 The chief priests and the el ders, how ev er, per suad ed the crowds to ask for Bar ab bas and to ex e cute Jesus. 21 The gov er nor asked them, “ Which of the two do you want me to re lease for you? ” “Bar ab bas! ” they an swered. 22 Pi late asked them, “ What should I do then with Jesus, who is called Christ? ” They all an swered, “Cru ci fy him! ” 23 Then he said, “ Why? What has he done wrong? ” But they kept shout ing all the more, “Cru- ci fy him! ” 24 When Pi late saw that he was get ting no- where, but that a riot was start ing in stead, he took some wa ter, washed his hands in front of the crowd, and said, “ I am in no cent of this man’s blood. f See to it your selves! ” 25 All the peo ple an swered, “ His blood be on us and on our chil dren! ” 26 Then he re leased Bar ab bas to them and, af ter hav ing Jesus flogged, hand ed him over to be cru ci fied. MOCKED BY THE MILITARY 27 Then the gov er nor’s sol diers took Jesus into the gov er nor’s res i dence and gath ered the whole com pa ny g around him. 28 They stripped him and dressed him in a scar let robe. 29 They twist ed to geth er a crown of thorns, put it on his head, and placed a staff in his right hand. And they knelt down be fore him and mocked him: “ Hail, King of the Jews! ” 30 Then they spat on him, took the staff, and kept hit ting him on the head. 31 Af ter they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe, put his own clothes on him, and led him away to cru ci fy him. CRUCIFIED BETWEEN TWO CRIMINALS 32 As they were go ing out, they found a Cyre - nian man named Si mon. They forced him to car ry his cross. 33 When they came to a place called Gol go tha ( which means Place of the Skull), 34 they gave him wine h mixed with gall to drink. But when he tast ed it, he re fused to drink it. 35 Af ter cru ci fy ing him, they di vid ed his clothes by cast ing lots. i 36 Then they sat down and were guard ing him there. 37 Above a27:2 Other mss read Pontius Pilate b27:9 Or I took c27:10 Some mss read I gave d27:9-10 Jr 32:6-9; Zch 11:12-13 e27:16 Other mss read Jesus Barabbas, also in v. 17 f27:24 Other mss read this righteous man’s blood g27:27 Lit cohort h27:34 Other mss read sour wine i27:35 Other mss add that what was spoken by the prophet might be fulfilled: “They divided my clothes among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.”MATTHEW 27 884 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 884 10/26/17 9:00 PM his head they put up the charge against him in writ ing: T his I s J esus, the K ing of the J ews.
✝️ Crucifixion and Resurrection
🕊️ Jesus's crucifixion unfolds amid mockery from passersby, religious leaders, and even fellow criminals who challenge him to save himself and prove his divine identity
⚡ Supernatural signs accompany Jesus's death — darkness covers the land, the temple curtain tears, an earthquake strikes, and deceased saints rise from their tombs, causing witnesses to declare "Truly this man was the Son of God!"
🪦 After burial in a sealed tomb guarded by soldiers, resurrection occurs dramatically with an earthquake and an angel announcing to the women that Jesus has risen as promised
👑 The risen Christ appears to his followers, commissioning them with divine authority to "make disciples of all nations" while promising his eternal presence
🌍 This account establishes the foundation for Christian faith through eyewitness testimony, fulfilled prophecy, and the transformative power of resurrection that overcame death
38 Then two crim i nals a were cru ci fied with him, one on the right and one on the left. 39 Those who passed by were yell ing in sults at b him, shak ing their heads 40 and say ing, “ You who would de stroy the tem ple and re build it in three days, save your self! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross! ” 41 In the same way the chief priests, with the scribes and el ders, c mocked him and said, 42 “ He saved oth ers, but he can not save him self! He is the King of Is ra el! Let him d come down now from the cross, and we will be lieve in him. 43 He trusts in God; let God res cue him now — if he takes plea sure in him! e For he said, ‘ I am the Son of God.’ ” 44 In the same way even the crim i nals who were cru ci fied with him taunt ed him. THE DEATH OF JESUS 45 From noon un til three in the af ter noon f dark ness came over the whole land. g 46 About three in the af ter noon Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “ Elí, Elí, lemá h sabachtháni ? ” that is, “ My God, my God, why have you aban‑ doned me ?” i 47 When some of those stand ing there heard this, they said, “ He’s call ing for Eli jah.” 48 Im me di ate ly one of them ran and got a sponge, filled it with sour wine, put it on a stick, and off ered him a drink. 49 But the rest said, “ Let’s see if Eli jah comes to save him.” 50 But Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and gave up his spir it. 51 Sud den ly , the cur tain of the sanc tu ary was torn in two from top to bot tom, the earth quaked, and the rocks were split. 52 The tombs were also opened and many bod ies of the saints who had fall en asleep were raised. 53 And they came out of the tombs af ter his res ur rec tion, en tered the holy city , and ap peared to many . 54 When the cen tu ri on and those with him, who were keep ing watch over Jesus, saw the earth quake and the things that had hap pened, they were ter ri fied and said, “Tru ly this man was the Son of God! ” 55 Many wom en who had fol lowed Jesus from Gal i lee and looked af ter him were there, watch ing from a dis tance. 56 Among them were Mary Mag da lene, Mary the moth er of James and Jo seph, and the moth er of Zeb e dee’s sons.THE BURIAL OF JESUS 57 When it was eve ning, a rich man from Ar - i ma thea named Jo seph came, who him self had also be come a dis ci ple of Jesus. 58 He ap- proached Pi late and asked for Jesus’s body . Then Pi late or dered that it j be re leased. 59 So Jo seph took the body , wrapped it in clean, fine lin en, 60 and placed it in his new tomb, which he had cut into the rock. He left af ter roll ing a great stone against the en trance of the tomb. 61 Mary Mag da lene and the oth er Mary were seat ed there, fac ing the tomb. THE CLOSELY GUARDED TOMB 62 The next day , which fol lowed the prep a ra- tion day , the chief priests and the Phar i sees gath ered be fore Pi late 63 and said, “ Sir, we re mem ber that while this de ceiv er was still alive he said, ‘ Af ter three days I will rise again.’ 64 So give or ders that the tomb be made se cure un til the third day . Oth er wise, his dis ci ples may come, steal him, and tell the peo ple, ‘ He has been raised from the dead,’ and the last de cep tion will be worse than the first.” 65 “ You have k a guard of sol diers,” Pi late told them. “ Go and make it as se cure as you know how .” 66 They went and se cured the tomb by set ting a seal on the stone and plac ing the guard. RESURRECTION MORNING 28 Af ter the Sab bath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Mag da lene and the oth er Mary went to view the tomb. 2 There was a vi o lent earth quake, be cause an an gel of the Lord de scend ed from heav en and ap proached the tomb. He rolled back the stone and was sit ting on it. 3 His ap pear ance was like light ning, and his cloth ing was as white as snow . 4 The guards were so shak en by fear of him that they be came like dead men. 5 The an gel told the wom en, “ Don’t be afraid, be cause I know you are look ing for Jesus who was cru ci fied. 6 He is not here. For he has ris en, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay . 7 Then go quick ly and tell his dis ci ples, ‘ He has ris en from the dead and in deed he is go ing ahead of you to Gal i lee; you will see him there.’ Lis ten, I have told you.” 8 So, de part ing quick ly from the tomb with fear and great joy , they ran to tell his dis ci ples a27:38 Or revolutionaries b27:39 Lit passed by blasphemed, or were blaspheming c27:41 Other mss add and Pharisees d27:42 Other mss read If he . . . Israel, let him e27:43 Or if he wants him f27:45 Lit From the sixth hour to the ninth hour g27:45 Or whole earth h27:46 Some mss read lama ; other mss read lima i27:46 Ps 22:1 j27:58 Other mss read that the body k27:65 Or “Take 885 MATTHEW 27-28 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 885 10/26/17 9:00 PM the news. 9 Just then a Jesus met them and said, “Greet ings! ” They came up, took hold of his feet, and wor shiped him. 10 Then Jesus told them, “ Do not be afraid. Go and tell my broth ers to leave for Gal i lee, and they will see me there.” THE SOLDIERS BRIBED TO LIE 11 As they were on their way , some of the guards came into the city and re port ed to the chief priests ev ery thing that had hap pened. 12 Af ter the priests b had as sem bled with the el ders and agreed on a plan, they gave the sol diers a large sum of mon ey 13 and told them, “ Say this, ‘ His dis ci ples came dur ing the night and stole him while we were sleep ing.’ 14 If this reach es the gov er nor’s ears, we will deal with c him and keep you out of trou ble.” 15 They took the mon ey and did as they were in struct ed, and this sto ry has been spread among Jew ish peo ple to this day . THE GREAT COMMISSION 16 The elev en dis ci ples trav eled to Gal i lee, to the moun tain where Jesus had di rect ed them. 17 When they saw him, they wor shiped, d but some doubt ed. 18 Jesus came near and said to them, “ All au thor i ty has been giv en to me in heav en and on earth. 19 Go, there fore, and make dis ci ples of e all na tions, bap tiz ing them in the name of the Fa ther and of the Son and of the Holy Spir it, 20 teach ing them to ob serve ev ery thing I have com mand ed you. And re- mem ber, f I am with you al ways, g to the end of the age.” a28:9 Other mss add as they were on their way to tell the news to his disciples b28:12 Lit After they c28:14 Lit will persuade d28:17 Other mss add him e28:19 Or and disciple f28:20 Lit see g28:20 Lit all the daysMATTHEW 28 886 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 886 10/26/17 9:00 PM mar K THE MESSIAH’S HERALD 1 The be gin ning of the gos pel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. a 2 As it is writ ten in Isa iah the proph et: b See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way . c,d 3 A voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Prepare the way for the Lord; make his paths straight! e 4 John came bap tiz ing f in the wil der ness and pro claim ing a bap tism of re pen tance for the for give ness of sins. 5 The whole Ju de an coun- try side and all the peo ple of Je ru sa lem were go ing out to him, and they were bap tized by him in the Jor dan Riv er, con fess ing their sins. 6 John wore a camel-hair gar ment with a leath- er belt around his waist and ate lo custs and wild hon ey . 7 He pro claimed, “ One who is more pow- er ful than I am is com ing af ter me. I am not wor thy to stoop down and un tie the strap of his san dals. 8 I bap tize you with g wa ter, but he will bap tize you with the Holy Spir it.” THE BAPTISM OF JESUS 9 In those days Jesus came from Naz a reth in Gal i lee and was bap tized in the Jor dan by John. 10 As soon as he came up out of the wa ter, he saw the heav ens be ing torn open and the Spir it de scend ing on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heav en: “ You are my be loved Son; with you I am well-pleased.” THE TEMPTATION OF JESUS 12 Im me di ate ly the Spir it drove him into the wil der ness. 13 He was in the wil der ness for ty days, be ing tempt ed by Sa tan. He was with the wild an i mals, and the an gels were serv ing him. MINISTRY IN GALILEE 14 Af ter John was ar rest ed, Jesus went to Gal i- lee, pro claim ing the good news h,i of God: 15 “ The time is ful filled, and the king dom of God has come near. Re pent and be lieve the good news! ”THE FIRST DISCIPLES 16 As he passed along side the Sea of Gal i lee, he saw Si mon and An drew , Si mon’s broth er, cast ing a net into the sea — for they were fish- er men. 17 “Fol low me,” Jesus told them, “ and I will make you fish for j peo ple.” 18 Im me di ate ly they left their nets and fol lowed him. 19 Go ing on a lit tle far ther, he saw James the son of Zeb- e dee and his broth er John in a boat put ting their nets in or der. 20 Im me di ate ly he called them, and they left their fa ther Zeb e dee in the boat with the hired men and fol lowed him. DRIVING OUT AN UNCLEAN SPIRIT 21 They went into Ca per na um, and right away he en tered the syn a gogue on the Sab bath and be gan to teach. 22 They were as ton ished at his teach ing be cause he was teach ing them as one who had au thor i ty , and not like the scribes. 23 Just then a man with an un clean spir it was in their syn a gogue. He cried out, 24 “ What do you have to do with us, Jesus of Naz a reth? Have you come to de stroy us? I know who you are — the Holy One of God! ” 25 Jesus re buked him say ing, “ Be si lent, and come out of him! ” 26 And the un clean spir it threw him into con vul sions, shout ed with a loud voice, and came out of him. 27 They were all amazed, and so they be gan to ask each oth er: “ What is this? A new teach- ing with au thor i ty! k He com mands even the un clean spir its, and they obey him.” 28 At once the news about him spread through out the en tire vi cin i ty of Gal i lee. HEALINGS AT CAPERNAUM 29 As soon as they left the syn a gogue, they went into Si mon and An drew’s house with James and John. 30 Si mon’s mother-in-law was ly ing in bed with a fe ver, and they told him about her at once. 31 So he went to her, took her by the hand, and raised her up. The fe ver left her, l and she be gan to serve them. 32 When eve ning came, af ter the sun had set, they brought to him all those who were sick and demon-possessed. 33 The whole town was a1:1 Some mss omit the Son of God b1:2 Other mss read in the prophets c1:2 Other mss add before you d1:2 Mal 3:1 e1:3 Is 40:3 f1:4 Or John the Baptist came g1:8 Or in h1:14 Other mss add of the kingdom i1:14 Or gospel j1:17 Or you to become fishers of k1:27 Other mss read ”What is this? What is this new teaching? For with authority l1:31 Other mss add at once CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 887 10/26/17 9:00 PM as sem bled at the door, 34 and he healed many who were sick with var i ous dis eas es and drove out many de mons. And he would not per mit the de mons to speak, be cause they knew him. PREACHING IN GALILEE 35 Very ear ly in the morn ing, while it was still dark, he got up, went out, and made his way to a de sert ed place; and there he was pray ing. 36 Si mon and his com pan ions searched for him, 37 and when they found him they said, “Ev ery one is look ing for you.” 38 And he said to them, “ Let’s go on to the neigh bor ing vil lages so that I may preach there too. This is why I have come.” A MAN CLEANSED 39 He went into all of Gal i lee, preach ing in their syn a gogues and driv ing out de mons. 40 Then a man with lep ro sy a came to him and, on his knees, b begged him: “ If you are will ing, you can make me clean.” 41 Moved with com pas sion, c Jesus reached out his hand and touched him. “ I am will ing,” he told him. “ Be made clean.” 42 Im me di ate ly the lep ro sy left him, and he was made clean. 43 Then he stern ly warned him and sent him away at once, 44 tell ing him, “ See that you say noth ing to any one; but go and show your self to the priest, and off er what Mo ses com mand ed for your cleans ing, as a tes ti mo ny to them.” d 45 Yet he went out and be gan to pro claim it wide ly and to spread the news, with the re sult that Jesus could no lon ger en ter a town open ly . But he was out in de sert ed plac es, and they came to him from ev ery where. THE SON OF MAN FORGIVES AND HEALS 2 When he en tered Ca per na um again af ter some days, it was re port ed that he was at home. 2 So many peo ple gath ered to geth er that there was no more room, not even in the door way , and he was speak ing the word to them. 3 They came to him bring ing a par - a lyt ic, car ried by four of them. 4 Since they were not able to bring him to e Jesus be cause of the crowd, they re moved the roof above him, and af ter dig ging through it, they low ered the mat on which the par a lyt ic was ly ing. 5 See ing their faith, Jesus told the par a lyt ic, “ Son, your sins are for giv en.”6 But some of the scribes were sit ting there, ques tion ing in their hearts: 7 “ Why does he speak like this? He’s blas phem ing! Who can for give sins but God alone? ” 8 Right away Jesus per ceived in his spir it that they were think ing like this with in them selves and said to them, “ Why are you think ing these things in your hearts? 9 Which is eas i er: to say to the par a lyt ic, ‘ Your sins are for giv en,’ or to say , ‘ Get up, take your mat, and walk’? 10 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has au thor i ty on earth to for give sins” — he told the par a lyt ic — 11 “ I tell you: get up, take your mat, and go home.” 12 Im me di ate ly he got up, took the mat, and went out in front of ev ery one. As a re sult, they were all as tound ed and gave glo ry to God, say- ing, “ We have nev er seen any thing like this! ” THE CALL OF LEVI 13 Jesus went out again be side the sea. The whole crowd was com ing to him, and he was teach ing them. 14 Then, pass ing by , he saw Levi the son of Al phae us sit ting at the toll booth, and he said to him, “Fol low me,” and he got up and fol lowed him. 15 While he was re clin ing at the ta ble in Levi’s house, many tax col lec tors and sin ners were eat ing f with Jesus and his dis ci ples, for there were many who were fol low ing him. 16 When the scribes who were Phar i sees g saw that he was eat ing with sin ners and tax col lec tors, they asked his dis ci ples, “ Why does he eat h with tax col lec tors and sin ners? ” 17 When Jesus heard this, he told them, “ It is not those who are well who need a doc tor, but those who are sick. I didn’t come to call the righ teous, but sin ners.” A QUESTION ABOUT FASTING 18 Now John’s dis ci ples and the Phar i sees i were fast ing. Peo ple came and asked him, “ Why do John’s dis ci ples and the Phar i sees’ dis ci ples fast, but your dis ci ples do not fast? ” 19 Jesus said to them, “ The wed ding guests can not fast while the groom is with them, can they? As long as they have the groom with them, they can not fast. 20 But the time j will come when the groom will be tak en away from them, and then they will fast on that day . 21 No one sews a patch of un shrunk cloth on an a1:40 Gk lepros ; a term for various skin diseases, also in v. 42; see Lv 13–14 b1:40 Other mss omit on his knees c1:41 Other mss Moved with indignation d1:44 Or against them e2:4 Other mss read able to get near f2:15 Lit reclining together g2:16 Other mss read scribes and Pharisees h2:16 Other mss add and drink i2:18 Other mss read The disciples of John and of the Pharisees j2:20 Or the daysMARK 1-2 888 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 888 10/26/17 9:00 PM old gar ment. Oth er wise, the new patch pulls away from the old cloth, and a worse tear is made. 22 And no one puts new wine into old wine skins. Oth er wise, the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost as well as the skins. No, new wine is put into fresh wine skins.” LORD OF THE SABBATH 23 On the Sab bath he was go ing through the grain fields, and his dis ci ples be gan to make their way , picking some heads of grain. 24 The Phar i sees said to him, “ Look, why are they do ing what is not law ful on the Sab bath? ” 25 He said to them, “ Have you nev er read what Da vid and those who were with him did when he was in need and hun gry — 26 how he en tered the house of God in the time of Abi a- thar the high priest and ate the bread of the Pres ence — which is not law ful for any one to eat ex cept the priests — and also gave some to his com pan ions? ” 27 Then he told them, “ The Sab bath was made for a man and not man for the Sab bath. 28 So then, the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sab bath.” 3 Jesus en tered the syn a gogue again, and a man was there who had a shriv eled hand. 2 In or der to ac cuse him, they were watch ing him close ly to see wheth er he would heal him on the Sab bath. 3 He told the man with the shriv eled hand, “ Stand be fore us.” 4 Then he said to them, “ Is it law ful to do good on the Sab bath or to do evil, to save life or to kill? ” But they were si lent. 5 Af ter look ing around at them with an ger, he was grieved at the hardness of their hearts and told the man, “ Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out, and his hand was re stored. 6 Im me di ate ly the Phar i sees went out and start ed plot ting with the He ro di ans against him, how they might kill him. MINISTERING TO THE MULTITUDE 7 Jesus de part ed with his dis ci ples to the sea, and a large crowd fol lowed from Gal i lee, and a large crowd fol lowed from Ju dea, 8 Je ru sa- lem, Id u mea, be yond the Jor dan, and around Tyre and Si don. The large crowd came to him be cause they heard about ev ery thing he was do ing. 9 Then he told his dis ci ples to have a small boat
🙏 Jesus's Ministry and Parables
👑 Jesus's divine identity manifests through healing miracles and authority over demons, causing spirits to recognize him as "Son of God" while he commands them to silence
🧠 Parables serve as Jesus's primary teaching method, revealing spiritual truths to followers while remaining mysterious to outsiders—like the sower scattering seed on different soils representing varied responses to God's word
⚡ Supernatural power flows through Jesus's actions as he calms storms, drives out demons, heals the bleeding woman, and raises Jairus's daughter from death
👥 The Twelve Apostles are appointed to extend Jesus's ministry, receiving authority to preach and perform miracles while facing opposition alongside him
🏠 True family is redefined by Jesus as those who do God's will rather than biological relations, creating a spiritual community based on obedience rather than bloodlines
🔄 Opposition intensifies from religious leaders who attribute his power to demons and from his own family who think he's "out of his mind," foreshadowing the conflict that will follow
ready for him, so that the crowd wouldn’t crush him. 10 Since he had healed many , all who had dis eas es were press ing to ward him to touch him. 11 When ev er the un clean spir its saw him, they fell down be fore him and cried out, “ You are the Son of God! ” 12 And he would strong ly warn them not to make him known. THE TWELVE APOSTLES 13 Jesus went up the moun tain and sum moned those he want ed, and they came to him. 14 He ap point ed twelve, whom he also named apos tles, b to be with him, to send them out to preach, 15 and to have au thor i ty to c drive out de mons. 16 He ap point ed the Twelve: d To Si mon, he gave the name Pe ter; 17 and to James the son of Zeb e dee, and to his broth er John, he gave the name “Bo a ner ges” ( that is, “ Sons of Thun der”); 18 An drew; Phil ip and Bar thol o- mew; Mat thew and Thom as; James the son of Al phae us, and Thad dae us; Si mon the Zeal ot, 19 and Ju das Is car i ot, who also be trayed him. A HOUSE DIVIDED 20 Jesus en tered a house, and the crowd gath- ered again so that they were not even able to eat. e 21 When his fam i ly heard this, they set out to re strain him, be cause they said, “ He’s out of his mind.” 22 The scribes who had come down from Je ru sa lem said, “ He is pos sessed by Be el ze- bul,” and, “ He drives out de mons by the rul er of the de mons.” 23 So he sum moned them and spoke to them in par a bles: “ How can Sa tan drive out Sa tan? 24 If a king dom is di vid ed against it self, that king dom can not stand. 25 If a house is di vid ed against it self, that house can not stand. 26 And if Sa tan op pos es him self and is di vid ed, he can not stand but is fin ished. 27 But no one can en ter a strong man’s house and plun der his pos ses sions un less he first ties up the strong man. Then he can plun der his house. 28 “Tru ly I tell you, peo ple will be for giv en for all sins and what ev er blas phe mies they ut ter. 29 But who ev er blas phemes against the Holy Spir it nev er has for give ness, but is guilty of an eter nal sin” f — 30 be cause they were say ing, “ He has an un clean spir it.” TRUE RELATIONSHIPS 31 His moth er and his broth ers came, and stand- ing out side, they sent word to him and called him. 32 A crowd was sit ting around him and a2:27 Or because of b3:14 Other mss omit he also named them apostles c3:15 Other mss add heal diseases, and to d3:16 Other mss omit He appointed the Twelve e3:20 Or eat a meal ; lit eat bread f3:29 Other mss read is subject to eternal judgment 889 MARK 2-3 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 889 10/26/17 9:00 PM told him, “ Look, your moth er, your broth ers, and your sis ters a are out side ask ing for you.” 33 He re plied to them, “ Who are my moth er and my broth ers? ” 34 Look ing at those sit ting in a cir cle around him, he said, “ Here are my moth er and my broth ers! 35 Who ev er does the will of God is my broth er and sis ter and moth er.” THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER 4 Again he be gan to teach by the sea, and a very large crowd gath ered around him. So he got into a boat on the sea and sat down, while the whole crowd was by the sea on the shore. 2 He taught them many things in par - a bles, and in his teach ing he said to them: 3 “Lis ten! Con sid er the sow er who went out to sow . 4 As he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and de voured it. 5 Oth er seed fell on rocky ground where it didn’t have much soil, and it grew up quick- ly , since the soil wasn’t deep. 6 When the sun came up, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it with ered away . 7 Oth er seed fell among thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it didn’t pro duce fruit. 8 Still oth er seed fell on good ground and it grew up, pro duc ing fruit that in creased thir ty , six ty , and a hun dred times.” 9 Then he said, “ Let any one who has ears to hear lis ten.” WHY JESUS USED PARABLES 10 When he was alone, those around him with the Twelve, asked him about the par a bles. 11 He an swered them, “ The se cret of the king dom of God has been giv en to you, but to those out- side, ev ery thing comes in par a bles 12 so that they may indeed look, and yet not perceive; they may indeed listen, and yet not understand; otherwise, they might turn back and be forgiven.” b,c THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER EXPLAINED 13 Then he said to them: “ Don’t you un der stand this par a ble? How then will you un der stand all of the par a bles? 14 The sow er sows the word. 15 Some are like the word sown on the path. When they hear, im me di ate ly Sa tan comes and takes away the word sown in them. d 16 And oth ers are like seed sown on rocky ground. When they hear the word, im me di ate ly they re ceive it with joy . 17 But they have no root; they are short-lived. When dis tress or per - se cu tion comes be cause of the word, they im me di ate ly fall away . 18 Oth ers are like seed sown among thorns; these are the ones who hear the word, 19 but the wor ries of this age, the de ceit ful ness e of wealth, and the de sires for oth er things en ter in and choke the word, and it be comes un fruit ful. 20 And those like seed sown on good ground hear the word, wel come it, and pro duce fruit thir ty , six ty , and a hun dred times what was sown.” USING YOUR LIGHT 21 He also said to them, “ Is a lamp brought in to be put un der a bas ket or un der a bed? Isn’t it to be put on a lamp stand? 22 For there is noth ing hid den that will not be re vealed, and noth ing con cealed that will not be brought to light. 23 If any one has ears to hear, let him lis ten.” 24 And he said to them, “ Pay at ten tion to what you hear. By the mea sure you use, it will be mea sured to you — and more will be add ed to you. 25 For who ev er has, more will be giv en to him, and who ev er does not have, even what he has will be tak en away from him.” THE PARABLE OF THE GROWING SEED 26 “ The king dom of God is like this,” he said. “ A man scat ters seed on the ground. 27 He sleeps and ris es night and day; the seed sprouts and grows, al though he doesn’t know how . 28 The soil pro duc es a crop by it self — first the blade, then the head, and then the full grain on the head. 29 As soon as the crop is ready , he sends for the sick le, be cause the har vest has come.” THE PARABLE OF THE MUSTARD SEED 30 And he said, “ With what can we com pare the king dom of God, or what par a ble can we use to de scribe it? 31 It’s like a mus tard seed that, when sown upon the soil, is the small est of all the seeds on the ground. 32 And when sown, it comes up and grows tall er than all the gar den plants, and pro duc es large branch es, so that the birds of the sky can nest in its shade.” USING PARABLES 33 He was speak ing the word to them with many par a bles like these, as they were able to un der stand. 34 He did not speak to them a3:32 Other mss omit and your sisters b4:12 Other mss read and their sins be forgiven them c4:12 Is 6:9-10 d4:15 Other mss read in their hearts e4:19 Or seductionMARK 3-4 890 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 890 10/26/17 9:00 PM with out a par a ble. Pri vate ly , how ev er, he ex- plained ev ery thing to his own dis ci ples. WIND AND WAVE OBEY JESUS 35 On that day , when eve ning had come, he told them, “ Let’s cross over to the oth er side of the sea.” 36 So they left the crowd and took him along since he was in the boat. And oth er boats were with him. 37 A great wind storm arose, and the waves were break ing over the boat, so that the boat was al ready be ing swamped. 38 He was in the stern, sleep ing on the cush ion. So they woke him up and said to him, “Teach er! Don’t you care that we’re go ing to die? ” 39 He got up, re buked the wind, and said to the sea, “Si lence! Be still! ” The wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 Then he said to them, “ Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith? ” 41 And they were ter ri fied a and asked one an oth er, “ Who then is this? Even the wind and the sea obey him! ” DEMONS DRIVEN OUT BY JESUS 5 They came to the oth er side of the sea, to the re gion of the Ger a senes. b 2 As soon as he got out of the boat, a man with an un clean spir it came out of the tombs and met him. 3 He lived in the tombs, and no one was able to re strain him any more — not even with a chain — 4 be cause he of ten had been bound with shack les and chains, but had torn the chains apart and smashed the shack les. No one was strong enough to sub due him. 5 Night and day among the tombs and on the moun- tains, he was al ways cry ing out and cut ting him self with stones. 6 When he saw Jesus from a dis tance, he ran and knelt down be fore him. 7 And he cried out with a loud voice, “ What do you have to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you be fore God, don’t tor ment me! ” 8 For he had told him, “ Come out of the man, you un clean spir it! ” 9 “ What is your name? ” he asked him. “ My name is Le gion,” he an swered him, “be- cause we are many .” 10 And he begged him ear nest ly not to send them out of the re gion. 11 A large herd of pigs was there, feed ing on the hill side. 12 The de mons c begged him, “ Send us to the pigs, so that we may en ter them.” 13 So he gave them per mis sion, and the un clean spir its came out and en tered the pigs. The herd of about two thou sand rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned there. 14 The men who tend ed them d ran off and re port ed it in the town and the coun try side, and peo ple went to see what had hap pened. 15 They came to Jesus and saw the man who had been demon-possessed, sit ting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. 16 Those who had seen it de scribed to them what had hap pened to the demon-possessed man and told about the pigs. 17 Then they be gan to beg him to leave their re gion. 18 As he was get ting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged him ear nest ly that he might re main with him. 19 Jesus did not let him but told him, “ Go home to your own peo ple, and re port to them how much the Lord has done for you and how he has had mer cy on you.” 20 So he went out and be gan to pro claim in the De cap o lis how much Jesus had done for him, and they were all amazed. A GIRL RESTORED AND A WOMAN HEALED 21 When Jesus had crossed over again by boat e to the oth er side, a large crowd gath- ered around him while he was by the sea. 22 One of the syn a gogue lead ers, named Ja i rus, came, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet 23 and begged him ear nest ly , “ My lit tle daugh ter is dy ing. Come and lay your hands on her so that she can get well f and live.” 24 So Jesus went with him, and a large crowd was fol low ing and press ing against him. 25 Now a wom an suff er ing from bleed ing for twelve years 26 had en dured much un der many doc tors. She had spent ev ery thing she had and was not helped at all. On the con trary , she be came worse. 27 Hav ing heard about Jesus, she came up be hind him in the crowd and touched his cloth ing. 28 For she said, “ If I just touch his clothes, I’ll be made well.” 29 In stant ly her flow of blood ceased, and she sensed in her body that she was healed of her affliction. 30 At once Jesus re al ized in him self that pow- er had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and said, “ Who touched my clothes? ” 31 His dis ci ples said to him, “ You see the crowd press ing against you, and yet you say , ‘ Who touched me? ’ ” a4:41 Or were filled with awe b5:1 Some mss read Gadarenes ; other mss read Gergesenes c5:12 Other mss read All the demons d5:14 Other mss read tended the pigs e5:21 Other mss omit by boat f5:23 Or she might be saved 891 MARK 4-5 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 891 10/26/17 9:00 PM 32 But he was look ing around to see who had done this. 33 The wom an, with fear and trem bling, know ing what had hap pened to her, came and fell down be fore him, and told him the whole truth. 34 “Daugh ter,” he said to her, “ your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be healed from your affliction.” 35 While he was still speak ing, peo ple came from the syn a gogue lead er’s house and said, “ Your daugh ter is dead. Why both er the teach- er any more? ” 36 When Jesus over heard a what was said, he told the syn a gogue lead er, “ Don’t be afraid. Only be lieve.” 37 He did not let any one ac com pa- ny him ex cept Pe ter, James, and John, James’s broth er. 38 They came to the lead er’s house, and he saw a com mo tion — peo ple weep ing and wail ing loud ly . 39 He went in and said to them, “ Why are you mak ing a com mo tion and weep ing? The child is not dead but asleep.” 40 They laughed at him, but he put them all out side. He took the child’s fa ther, moth er, and those who were with him, and en tered the place where the child was. 41 Then he took the child by the hand and said to her, “Tal i tha koum” b ( which is trans lat ed, “Lit tle girl, I say to you, get up”). 42 Im me di ate ly the girl got up and be gan to walk. ( She was twelve years old.) At this they were ut ter ly as tound ed. 43 Then he gave them strict or ders that no one should know about this and told them to give her some thing to eat. REJECTION AT NAZARETH 6 He left there and came to his home town, and his dis ci ples fol lowed him. 2 When the Sab bath came, he be gan to teach in the syn a gogue, and many who heard him were as ton ished. “ Where did this man get these things? ” they said. “ What is this wis dom that has been giv en to him, and how are these mir - a cles per formed by his hands? 3 Isn’t this the car pen ter, the son of Mary , and the broth er of James, Jo ses, Ju das, and Si mon? And aren’t his sis ters here with us? ” So they were of- fend ed by him. 4 Jesus said to them, “ A proph et is not with - out hon or ex cept in his home town, among his rel a tives, and in his house hold.” 5 He was not able to do a mir a cle there, ex cept that he laid his hands on a few sick peo ple and healed them. 6 And he was amazed at their un be lief. He was go ing around the vil lages teach ing. COMMISSIONING THE TWELVE 7 He sum moned the Twelve and be gan to send them out in pairs and gave them au thor i ty over un clean spir its. 8 He in struct ed them to take noth ing for the road ex cept a staff — no bread, no trav el ing bag, no mon ey in their belts, 9 but to wear san dals and not put on an ex tra shirt. 10 He said to them, “When ev er you en ter a house, stay there un til you leave that place. 11 If any place does not wel come you or lis ten to you, when you leave there, shake the dust off your feet as a tes ti mo ny against them.” c 12 So they went out and preached that peo ple should re pent. 13 They drove out many de mons, anoint ed many sick peo ple with oil and healed them. JOHN THE BAPTIST BEHEADED 14 King Her od heard about it, be cause Jesus’s name had be come well known. Some d said, “ John the Bap tist has been raised from the dead, and that’s why mi rac u lous pow ers are at work in him.” 15 But oth ers said, “ He’s Eli jah.” Still oth ers said, “ He’s a proph et, like one of the proph ets from long ago.” 16 When Her od heard of it, he said, “ John, the one I be head ed, has been raised! ” 17 For Her od him self had giv en or ders to ar - rest John and to chain him in pris on on ac count of He ro di as, his broth er Phil ip’s wife, be cause he had mar ried her. 18 John had been tell ing Her od, “ It is not law ful for you to have your broth er’s wife.” 19 So He ro di as held a grudge against him and want ed to kill him. But she could not, 20 be cause Her od feared John and pro tect ed him, know ing he was a righ teous and holy man. When Her od heard him he would be very per plexed, e and yet he liked to lis ten to him. 21 An op por tune time came on his birth day , when Her od gave a ban quet for his no bles, mil i tary com mand ers, and the lead ing men of Gal i lee. 22 When He ro di as’s own daugh ter f came in and danced, she pleased Her od and his guests. The king said to the girl, “ Ask me what ev er you want, and I’ll give it to you.” 23 He prom ised her with an oath: “What ev er you ask me I will give you, up to half my king dom.” a5:36 Or ignored b5:41 An Aramaic expression c6:11 Other mss add Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom or Gomorrah on judgment day than for that town. d6:14 Other mss read He e6:20 Other mss read When he heard him, he did many things f6:22 Other mss read When his daughter HerodiasMARK 5-6 892 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 892 10/26/17 9:00 PM 24 She went out and said to her moth er, “ What should I ask for? ” “ John the Bap tist’s head,” she said. 25 At once she hur ried to the king and said, “ I want you to give me John the Bap tist’s head on a plat ter im me di ate ly .” 26 Al though the king was deep ly dis tressed, be cause of his oaths and the guests a he did not want to re fuse her. 27 The king im me di ate ly sent for an ex e cu tion er and com mand ed him to bring John’s head. So he went and be head ed him in pris on, 28 brought his head on a plat ter, and gave it to the girl. Then the girl gave it to her moth er. 29 When John’s dis ci ples heard about it, they came and re moved his corpse and placed it in a tomb. FEEDING OF THE FIVE THOUSAND 30 The apos tles gath ered around Jesus and re port ed to him all that they had done and taught. 31 He said to them, “ Come away by your selves to a re mote place and rest for a while.” For many peo ple were com ing and go ing, and they did not even have time to eat. 32 So they went away in the boat by them- selves to a re mote place, 33 but many saw them leav ing and rec og nized them, and they ran on foot from all the towns and ar rived ahead of them. b 34 When he went ashore, he saw a
🍞 Miraculous Compassion and Authority
🌊 Jesus demonstrates divine power through feeding thousands with minimal food, walking on water, and healing the sick, revealing his supernatural authority over physical limitations
🧠 Inner purity versus external tradition becomes a central teaching as Jesus challenges the Pharisees' focus on ceremonial cleanliness, declaring that defilement comes from within the heart, not from external factors
👑 Identity and mission emerge through Peter's confession of Jesus as Messiah and Jesus' prediction of his suffering, death, and resurrection—establishing his divine purpose
💪 Faith's transformative power manifests in healing miracles, demon exorcisms, and the Transfiguration, demonstrating that belief unlocks supernatural intervention
🙏 True discipleship requires self-denial, humility, and service to others—inverting worldly values by declaring "the first must be last and servant of all"
large crowd and had com pas sion on them, be cause they were like sheep with out a shep herd. Then he be gan to teach them many things. 35 When it grew late, his dis ci ples ap proached him and said, “ This place is de sert ed, and it is al ready late. 36 Send them away so that they can go into the sur round ing coun try side and vil lages to buy them selves some thing to eat.” 37 “ You give them some thing to eat,” he re- spond ed. They said to him, “ Should we go and buy two hun dred de nar ii c worth of bread and give them some thing to eat? ” 38 He asked them, “ How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” When they found out they said, “ Five, and two fish.” 39 Then he in struct ed them to have all the peo ple sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in groups of hun dreds and fif ties. 41 He took the five loaves and the two fish, and look ing up to heav en, he blessed and broke the loaves. He kept giv ing them to his dis ci ples to set be fore the peo ple. He also di vid ed the two fish among them all. 42 Ev- ery one ate and was sat is fied. 43 They picked up twelve bas kets full of pieces of bread and fish. 44 Now those who had eat en the loaves were five thou sand men. WALKING ON THE WATER 45 Im me di ate ly he made his dis ci ples get into the boat and go ahead of him to the oth er side, to Beth sa i da, while he dis missed the crowd. 46 Af ter he said good-bye to them, he went away to the moun tain to pray . 47 Well into the night, the boat was in the mid dle of the sea, and he was alone on the land. 48 He saw them strain ing at the oars, d be cause the wind was against them. Very ear ly in the morn ing e he came to ward them walk ing on the sea and want ed to pass by them. 49 When they saw him walk ing on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and cried out, 50 be cause they all saw him and were ter ri fied. Im me di ate ly he spoke with them and said, “ Have cour age! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” 51 Then he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. They were com- plete ly as tound ed, 52 be cause they had not un der stood about the loaves. In stead, their hearts were hard ened. MIRACULOUS HEALINGS 53 When they had crossed over, they came to shore at Gen nes a ret and anchored there. 54 As they got out of the boat, peo ple im- me di ate ly rec og nized him. 55 They hur ried through out that re gion and be gan to car ry the sick on mats to wher ev er they heard he was. 56 Wher ev er he went, into vil lages, towns, or the coun try , they laid the sick in the mar ket- places and begged him that they might touch just the end of his robe. And ev ery one who touched it was healed. THE TRADITIONS OF THE ELDERS 7 The Phar i sees and some of the scribes who had come from Je ru sa lem gath ered around him. 2 They ob served that some of his dis ci- ples were eat ing bread with un clean — that is, un washed — hands. 3 ( For the Phar i sees and all the Jews do not eat un less they give their hands a cer e mo ni al wash ing, keep ing the tra di tion of the el ders. 4 When they come from the mar ket place, they do not eat un less they have washed. And there are many oth er a6:26 Lit and those reclining at the table b6:33 Other mss add and gathered around him c6:37 A denarius = one day’s wage d6:48 Or them being battered as they rowed e6:48 Lit Around the fourth watch of the night = 3 to 6 a.m. 893 MARK 6-7 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 893 10/26/17 9:00 PM cus toms they have re ceived and keep, like the wash ing of cups, pitch ers, ket tles, and dining couch es. a) 5 So the Phar i sees and the scribes asked him, “ Why don’t your dis ci ples live ac cord ing to the tra di tion of the el ders, in stead of eat ing bread with cer e mo ni al ly un clean b hands? ” 6 He an swered them, “Isa iah proph e sied cor rect ly about you hyp o crites, as it is writ ten: This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. 7 They worship me in vain, teaching as doctrines human commands. c 8 Abandoning the com mand of God, you hold on to hu man tra di tion.” d 9 He also said to them, “ You have a fine way of invalidating God’s com mand in or der to set up e your tra di tion! 10 For Mo ses said: Hon or your fa ther and your moth er; f and Who ev er speaks evil of fa ther or moth er must be put to death. g 11 But you say , ‘ If any one tells his fa ther or moth er: What ev er ben e fit you might have re ceived from me is cor ban’ ” ( that is, an off er ing de- vot ed to God), 12 “ you no lon ger let him do any thing for his fa ther or moth er. 13 You nul li fy the word of God by your tra di tion that you have hand ed down. And you do many oth er sim i lar things.” 14 Sum mon ing the crowd again, he told them, “Lis ten to me, all of you, and un der - stand: 15 Noth ing that goes into a per son from out side can de file him but the things that come out of a per son are what de file him.” h 17 When he went into the house away from the crowd, his dis ci ples asked him about the par a ble. 18 He said to them, “ Are you also as lack ing in un der stand ing? Don’t you re al ize that noth ing go ing into a per son from the out- side can de file him? 19 For it doesn’t go into his heart but into the stom ach and is elim i nat ed” ( thus he de clared all foods clean i). 20 And he said, “ What comes out of a per son is what de- files him. 21 For from with in, out of peo ple’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sex u al immorali - ties, thefts, mur ders, 22 adul ter ies, greed, evil ac tions, de ceit, self-indulgence, envy , j slan der, pride, and fool ish ness. 23 All these evil things come from with in and de file a per son.”A GENTILE MOTHER’S FAITH 24 He got up and de part ed from there to the re gion of Tyre. k He en tered a house and did not want any one to know it, but he could not es cape no tice. 25 In stead, im me di ate ly af ter hear ing about him, a wom an whose lit tle daugh ter had an un clean spir it came and fell at his feet. 26 The wom an was a Gen tile, l a Syrophoenician by birth, and she was ask ing him to cast the de mon out of her daugh ter. 27 He said to her, “ Let the chil dren be fed first, be cause it isn’t right to take the chil dren’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” 28 But she re plied to him, “ Lord, even the dogs un der the ta ble eat the chil dren’s crumbs.” 29 Then he told her, “Be cause of this re ply , you may go. The de mon has left your daugh- ter.” 30 When she went back to her home, she found her child ly ing on the bed, and the de- mon was gone. JESUS DOES EVERYTHING WELL 31 Again, leav ing the re gion of Tyre, he went by way of Si don to the Sea of Gal i lee, through m the re gion of the De cap o lis. 32 They brought to him a deaf man who had dif fi cul ty speak- ing and begged Jesus to lay his hand on him. 33 So he took him away from the crowd in pri vate. Af ter put ting his fin gers in the man’s ears and spit ting, he touched his tongue. 34 Look ing up to heav en, he sighed deep- ly and said to him, “Eph pha tha! ” n ( that is, “ Be opened! ”). 35 Im me di ate ly his ears were opened, his tongue was loos ened, and he be gan to speak clear ly . 36 He or dered them to tell no one, but the more he or dered them, the more they pro claimed it. 37 They were ex treme ly as ton ished and said, “ He has done ev ery thing well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.” FEEDING FOUR THOUSAND 8 In those days there was again a large crowd, and they had noth ing to eat. He called the dis ci ples and said to them, 2 “ I have com pas- sion on the crowd, be cause they’ve al ready stayed with me three days and have noth ing to eat. 3 If I send them home hun gry , they will col lapse on the way , and some of them have come a long dis tance.” a7:4 Other mss omit and dining couches b7:5 Other mss read with unwashed c7:6-7 Is 29:13 d7:8 Other mss add The washing of jugs, and cups, and many other similar things you practice. e7:9 Or to maintain f7:10 Ex 20:12; Dt 5:16 g7:10 Ex 21:17; Lv 20:9 h7:15 Some mss include v. 16: “If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen.” i7:19 Other mss read is eliminated, making all foods clean” j7:22 Or evil eye k7:24 Many early mss add and Sidon l7:26 Or a Greek (speaker) m7:31 Or into n7:34 An Aramaic expressionMARK 7-8 894 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 894 10/26/17 9:00 PM 4 His dis ci ples an swered him, “ Where can any one get enough bread here in this des o late place to feed these peo ple? ” 5 “ How many loaves do you have? ” he asked them. “Sev en,” they said. 6 He com mand ed the crowd to sit down on the ground. Tak ing the sev en loaves, he gave thanks, broke them, and gave them to his dis ci ples to set be fore the peo ple. So they served them to the crowd. 7 They also had a few small fish, and af ter he had blessed them, he said these were to be served as well. 8 They ate and were sat is fied. Then they col lect ed sev en large bas kets of left over pieces. 9 About four thou sand were there. He dis missed them. 10 And he im me di- ate ly got into the boat with his dis ci ples and went to the dis trict of Dal ma nu tha. THE LEAVEN OF THE PHARISEES AND HEROD 11 The Phar i sees came and be gan to ar gue with him, de mand ing of him a sign from heav en to test him. 12 Sigh ing deep ly in his spir it, he said, “ Why does this gen er a tion de mand a sign? Tru ly I tell you, no sign will be giv en to this gen er a tion.” 13 Then he left them, got back into the boat, and went to the oth er side. 14 The dis ci ples had for got ten to take bread and had only one loaf with them in the boat. 15 Then he gave them strict or ders: “ Watch out! Be ware of the leaven a of the Phar i sees and the leaven of Her od.” 16 They were dis cuss ing among them selves that they did not have any bread. 17 Aware of this, he said to them, “ Why are you dis cuss ing the fact you have no bread? Don’t you un der stand or com pre hend? Do you have hard ened hearts? 18 Do you have eyes and not see; do you have ears and not hear? b And do you not re mem ber? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thou sand, how many bas kets full of left overs did you col lect? ” “ Twelve,” they told him. 20 “ When I broke the sev en loaves for the four thou sand, how many bas kets full of pieces did you col lect? ” “Sev en,” they said. 21 And he said to them, “ Don’t you un der - stand yet? ” HEALING A BLIND MAN 22 They came to Beth sa i da. They brought a blind man to him and begged him to touch him. 23 He took the blind man by the hand and brought him out of the vil lage. Spit ting on his eyes and lay ing his hands on him, he asked him, “ Do you see any thing? ” 24 He looked up and said, “ I see peo ple — they look like trees walk ing.” 25 Again Jesus placed his hands on the man’s eyes. The man looked in tent ly and his sight was re stored and he saw ev ery thing clear ly . 26 Then he sent him home, say ing, “ Don’t even go into the vil lage.” c PETER’S CONFESSION OF THE MESSIAH 27 Jesus went out with his dis ci ples to the vil lages of Caes a rea Phi lip pi. And on the road he asked his dis ci ples, “ Who do peo ple say that I am? ” 28 They an swered him, “ John the Bap tist; oth ers, Eli jah; still oth ers, one of the proph ets.” 29 “ But you,” he asked them, “ who do you say that I am? ” Pe ter an swered him, “ You are the Mes si ah.” 30 And he strict ly warned them to tell no one about him. HIS DEATH AND RESURRECTION PREDICTED 31 Then he be gan to teach them that it was nec es sary for the Son of Man to suff er many things and be re ject ed by the el ders, chief priests, and scribes, be killed, and rise af ter three days. 32 He spoke open ly about this. Pe- ter took him aside and be gan to re buke him. 33 But turn ing around and look ing at his dis- ci ples, he re buked Pe ter and said, “ Get be hind me, Sa tan! You are not think ing about God’s con cerns d but hu man con cerns.” TAKE UP YOUR CROSS 34 Call ing the crowd along with his dis ci ples, he said to them, “ If any one wants to fol low af- ter me, let him deny him self, take up his cross, and fol low me. 35 For who ev er wants to save his life will lose it, but who ev er loses his life be cause of me and the gos pel will save it. 36 For what does it ben e fit some one to gain the whole world and yet lose his life? 37 What can any one give in ex change for his life? 38 For who ev er is ashamed of me and my words in this adul- ter ous and sin ful gen er a tion, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when he comes in the glo ry of his Fa ther with the holy an gels.” 9 Then he said to them, “Tru ly I tell you, there are some stand ing here who will not taste death un til they see the king dom of God come in pow er.” a8:15 Or yeast b8:18 Jr 5:21; Ezk 12:2 c8:26 Other mss add or tell anyone in the village d8:33 Or about the things of God 895 MARK 8-9 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 895 10/26/17 9:00 PM THE TRANSFIGURATION 2 Af ter six days Jesus took Pe ter, James, and John and led them up a high moun tain by them selves to be alone. He was trans fig ured in front of them, 3 and his clothes be came daz- zling — ex treme ly white as no laun der er on earth could whiten them. 4 Eli jah ap peared to them with Mo ses, and they were talk ing with Jesus. 5 Pe ter said to Jesus, “Rab bi, it’s good for us to be here. Let us set up three shel ters: one for you, one for Mo ses, and one for Eli jah” — 6 be cause he did not know what to say , since they were ter ri fied. 7 A cloud ap peared, over shad ow ing them, and a voice came from the cloud: “ This is my be loved Son; lis ten to him! ” 8 Sud den ly , look ing around, they no lon ger saw any one with them ex cept Jesus. 9 As they were com ing down the moun tain, he or dered them to tell no one what they had seen un til the Son of Man had ris en from the dead. 10 They kept this word to them selves, ques tion ing what “ris ing from the dead” meant. 11 Then they asked him, “ Why do the scribes say that Eli jah must come first? ” 12 “Eli jah does come first and re stores all things,” he re plied. “ Why then is it writ ten that the Son of Man must suf fer many things and be treat ed with con tempt? 13 But I tell you that Eli jah has come, and they did what ev- er they pleased to him, just as it is writ ten about him.” THE POWER OF FAITH OVER A DEMON 14 When they came to the dis ci ples, they saw a large crowd around them and scribes dis- put ing with them. 15 When the whole crowd saw him, they were amazed and ran to greet him. 16 He asked them, “ What are you ar gu ing with them about? ” 17 Some one from the crowd an swered him, “Teach er, I brought my son to you. He has a spir it that makes him un able to speak. 18 When- ev er it seiz es him, it throws him down, and he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and be comes rig id. I asked your dis ci ples to drive it out, but they couldn’t.” 19 He re plied to them, “ You un be liev ing gen- er a tion, how long will I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring him to me.” 20 So they brought the boy to him. When the spir it saw him, it im me di ate ly threw the boy into con vul sions. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foam ing at the mouth. 21 “ How long has this been hap pen ing to him? ” Jesus asked his fa ther. “ From child hood,” he said. 22 “ And many times it has thrown him into fire or wa ter to de stroy him. But if you can do any thing, have com pas sion on us and help us.” 23 Jesus said to him, “ ‘ If you can’? a Ev ery- thing is pos si ble for the one who be lieves.” 24 Im me di ate ly the fa ther of the boy cried out, “ I do be lieve; help my un be lief! ” 25 When Jesus saw that a crowd was quick ly gath er ing, he re buked the un clean spir it, say ing to it, “ You mute and deaf spir it, I com mand you: Come out of him and nev er en ter him again.” 26 Then it came out, shrieking and throw ing him b into ter ri ble con vul sions. The boy be came like a corpse, so that many said, “ He’s dead.” 27 But Jesus, tak ing him by the hand, raised him, and he stood up. 28 Af ter he had gone into the house, his dis - ci ples asked him pri vate ly , “ Why couldn’t we drive it out? ” 29 And he told them, “ This kind can come out by noth ing but prayer.” c THE SECOND PREDICTION OF HIS DEATH 30 Then they left that place and made their way through Gal i lee, but he did not want any one to know it. 31 For he was teach ing his dis ci ples and tell ing them, “ The Son of Man is go ing to be be trayed d into the hands of men. They will kill him, and af ter he is killed, he will rise three days lat er.” 32 But they did not un der stand this state ment, and they were afraid to ask him. WHO IS THE GREATEST? 33 They came to Ca per na um. When he was in the house, he asked them, “ What were you ar gu ing about on the way? ” 34 But they were si lent, be cause on the way they had been ar gu ing with one an oth er about who was the great est. 35 Sit ting down, he called the Twelve and said to them, “ If any one wants to be first, he must be last and ser vant of all.” 36 He took a child, had him stand among them, and tak ing him in his arms, he said to them, 37 “Who ev er wel comes e one lit tle child such as this in my name wel comes me. And who- ev er wel comes me does not wel come me, but him who sent me.” a9:23 Other mss add believe b9:26 Other mss omit him c9:29 Other mss add and fasting d9:31 Or handed over e9:37 Or “Whoever receivesMARK 9 896 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 896 10/26/17 9:00 PM IN HIS NAME 38 John said to him, “Teach er, we saw some one a driv ing out de mons in your name, and we tried to stop him be cause he wasn’t fol low ing us.” 39 “ Don’t stop him,” said Jesus, “be cause there is no one who will per form a mir a cle in my name
🔥 Radical Discipleship Teachings
🤝 Inclusive community welcomes all who don't oppose Christ's work, while demanding extreme measures against those who cause believers to stumble
✂️ Jesus advocates radical self-discipline through vivid metaphors of cutting off body parts that cause sin, emphasizing eternal consequences over temporary comfort
👑 Kingdom values completely invert worldly hierarchies—the first become last, leaders must serve, and wealth often obstructs spiritual growth
👶 Childlike faith is essential for entering God's kingdom, requiring humility and complete trust rather than self-sufficiency
🛠️ Jesus demonstrates his divine authority through confrontations with religious leaders, symbolic actions like cleansing the temple, and teaching on prayer's power
❤️ The greatest commandment unites love for God and neighbor as the essence of faith, surpassing all religious rituals and sacrifices
who can soon af ter ward speak evil of me. 40 For who ev er is not against us is for us. 41 And who ev er gives you a cup of wa- ter to drink in my name, be cause you be long to Christ — tru ly I tell you, he will nev er lose his re ward. WARNINGS FROM JESUS 42 “ But who ev er caus es one of these lit tle ones who be lieve in me to fall away — it would be bet ter for him if a heavy mill stone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. 43 “ And if your hand caus es you to fall away , cut it off. It is bet ter for you to en ter life maimed than to have two hands and go to hell, the un quench able fire. b 45 And if your foot caus es you to fall away , cut it off. It is bet ter for you to en ter life lame than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. c 47 And if your eye caus es you to fall away , gouge it out. It is bet ter for you to en ter the king dom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, 48 where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched. d 49 For ev ery one will be salt ed with fire. e,f 50 Salt is good, but if the salt should lose its fla vor, how can you sea son it? Have salt among your selves, and be at peace with one an oth er.” THE QUESTION OF DIVORCE 10 He set out from there and went to the re gion of Ju dea and across the Jor dan. Then crowds converged on him again, and as was his cus tom he taught them again. 2 Some Phar i sees came to test him, ask ing, “ Is it law ful for a man to di vorce his wife? ” 3 He re plied to them, “ What did Mo ses com- mand you? ” 4 They said, “Mo ses per mit ted us to write di vorce pa pers and send her away .” 5 But Jesus told them, “ He wrote this com- mand for you be cause of the hardness of your hearts. 6 But from the be gin ning of cre a tion God g made them male and fe male. h 7 For this rea son a man will leave his fa ther and moth ‑ er i 8 and the two will be come one flesh. j So they are no lon ger two, but one flesh. 9 There- fore what God has joined to geth er, let no one sep a rate.” 10 When they were in the house again, the dis ci ples ques tioned him about this mat ter. 11 He said to them, “Who ev er di vorc es his wife and mar ries an oth er com mits adul tery against her. 12 Also, if she di vorc es her hus band and mar ries an oth er, she com mits adul tery .” BLESSING THE CHILDREN 13 Peo ple were bring ing lit tle chil dren to him in or der that he might touch them, but the dis- ci ples re buked them. 14 When Jesus saw it, he was in dig nant and said to them, “ Let the lit tle chil dren come to me. Don’t stop them, be cause the king dom of God be longs to such as these. 15 Tru ly I tell you, who ev er does not re ceive k the king dom of God like a lit tle child will nev- er en ter it.” 16 Af ter tak ing them in his arms, he laid his hands on them and blessed them. THE RICH YOUNG RULER 17 As he was set ting out on a jour ney , a man ran up, knelt down be fore him, and asked him, “ Good teach er, what must I do to in her it eter - nal life? ” 18 “ Why do you call me good? ” Jesus asked him. “ No one is good ex cept God alone. 19 You know the com mand ments: Do not mur der; do not com mit adul tery; do not steal; do not bear false wit ness; do not de fraud; hon or your fa ther and moth er.” l 20 He said to him, “Teach er, I have kept all these from my youth.” 21 Look ing at him, Jesus loved him and said to him, “ You lack one thing: Go, sell all you have and give to the poor, and you will have trea sure in heav en. Then come, m fol low me.” 22 But he was dis mayed by this de mand, and he went away griev ing, be cause he had many pos ses sions. POSSESSIONS AND THE KINGDOM 23 Jesus looked around and said to his dis ci ples, “ How hard it is for those who have wealth to en ter the king dom of God! ” a9:38 Other mss add who didn’t go along with us b9:43 Some mss include v. 44: Where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched. c9:45 Some mss include v. 46: Where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched. d9:48 Is 66:24 e9:49 Other mss add and every sacrifice will be salted with salt f9:49 Lv 2:13; Ezk 43:24 g10:6 Other mss omit God h10:6 Gn 1:27; 5:2 i10:7 Some mss add and be joined to his wife j10:7-8 Gn 2:24 k10:15 Or not welcome l10:19 Ex 20:12- 16; Dt 5:16-20 m10:21 Other mss add taking up the cross, and 897 MARK 9-10 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 897 10/26/17 9:00 PM 24 The dis ci ples were as ton ished at his words. Again Jesus said to them, “Chil dren, how hard it is a to en ter the king dom of God! 25 It is eas i er for a cam el to go through the eye of a nee dle than for a rich per son to en ter the king dom of God.” 26 They were even more as ton ished, say ing to one an oth er, “ Then who can be saved? ” 27 Look ing at them, Jesus said, “ With man it is im pos si ble, but not with God, be cause all things are pos si ble with God.” 28 Pe ter be gan to tell him, “ Look, we have left ev ery thing and fol lowed you.” 29 “Tru ly I tell you,” Jesus said, “ there is no one who has left house or broth ers or sis ters or moth er or fa ther b or chil dren or fields for my sake and for the sake of the gos pel, 30 who will not re ceive a hun dred times more, now at this time — hous es, broth ers and sis ters, moth ers and chil dren, and fields, with per se- cu tions — and eter nal life in the age to come. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.” THE THIRD PREDICTION OF HIS DEATH 32 They were on the road, go ing up to Je ru sa- lem, and Jesus was walk ing ahead of them. The dis ci ples were as ton ished, but those who fol lowed him were afraid. Tak ing the Twelve aside again, he be gan to tell them the things that would hap pen to him. 33 “ See, we are go ing up to Je ru sa lem. The Son of Man will be hand ed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will con demn him to death. Then they will hand him over to the Gen tiles, 34 and they will mock him, spit on him, flog c him, and kill him, and he will rise af ter three days.” SUFFERING AND SERVICE 35 James and John, the sons of Zeb e dee, ap- proached him and said, “Teach er, we want you to do what ev er we ask you.” 36 “ What do you want me to do for you? ” he asked them. 37 They an swered him, “ Al low us to sit at your right and at your left in your glo ry .” 38 Jesus said to them, “ You don’t know what you’re ask ing. Are you able to drink the cup I drink or to be bap tized with the bap tism I am bap tized with? ” 39 “ We are able,” they told him. Jesus said to them, “ You will drink the cup I drink, and you will be bap tized with the bap- tism I am bap tized with. 40 But to sit at my right or left is not mine to give; in stead, it is for those for whom it has been pre pared.” 41 When the ten dis ci ples heard this, they be gan to be in dig nant with James and John. 42 Jesus called them over and said to them, “ You know that those who are re gard ed as rul ers of the Gen tiles lord it over them, and those in high po si tions act as tyrants over them. 43 But it is not so among you. On the con trary , who ev er wants to be come great among you will be your ser vant, 44 and who ev er wants to be first among you will be a slave to all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ran som for many .” d A BLIND MAN HEALED 46 They came to Jer i cho. And as he was leav ing Jer i cho with his dis ci ples and a large crowd, Bar ti mae us ( the son of Ti mae us), a blind beg- gar, was sit ting by the road. 47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Naz a reth, he be gan to cry out, “ Jesus, Son of Da vid, have mer cy on me! ” 48 Many warned him to keep qui et, but he was cry ing out all the more, “ Have mer cy on me, Son of Da vid! ” 49 Jesus stopped and said, “ Call him.” So they called the blind man and said to him, “ Have cour age! Get up; he’s call ing for you.” 50 He threw off his coat, jumped up, and came to Jesus. 51 Then Jesus an swered him, “ What do you want me to do for you? ” “Rab bo ni,” e the blind man said to him, “ I want to see.” 52 Jesus said to him, “ Go, your faith has saved you.” Im me di ate ly he could see and be gan to fol low Jesus on the road. THE TRIUMPHAL ENTRY 11 When they ap proached Je ru sa lem, at Beth pha ge and Beth a ny near the Mount of Ol ives, he sent two of his dis ci ples 2 and told them, “ Go into the vil lage ahead of you. As soon as you en ter it, you will find a colt tied there, on which no one has ever sat. Un tie it and bring it. 3 If any one says to you, ‘ Why are you do ing this? ’ say , ‘ The Lord needs it and will send it back here right away .’ ” a10:24 Other mss add for those trusting in wealth b10:29 Other mss add or wife c10:34 Or scourge d10:45 Or in the place of many ; Is 53:10-12 e10:51 Hb word for my lordMARK 10-11 898 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 898 10/26/17 9:00 PM 4 So they went and found a colt out side in the street, tied by a door. They un tied it, 5 and some of those stand ing there said to them, “ What are you do ing, un ty ing the colt? ” 6 They an swered them just as Jesus had said; so they let them go. 7 They brought the don key to Jesus and threw their clothes on it, and he sat on it. 8 Many peo ple spread their clothes on the road, and oth ers spread leafy branch es cut from the fields. a 9 Those who went ahead and those who fol lowed shout ed: Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! b 10 Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest heaven! 11 He went into Je ru sa lem and into the tem ple. Af ter look ing around at ev ery thing, since it was al ready late, he went out to Beth a ny with the Twelve. THE BARREN FIG TREE IS CURSED 12 The next day when they went out from Beth- a ny , he was hun gry . 13 See ing in the dis tance a fig tree with leaves, he went to find out if there was any thing on it. When he came to it, he found noth ing but leaves; for it was not the sea son for figs. 14 He said to it, “ May no one ever eat fruit from you again! ” And his dis ci ples heard it. CLEANSING THE TEMPLE 15 They came to Je ru sa lem, and he went into the tem ple and be gan to throw out those buy- ing and sell ing. He over turned the ta bles of the mon ey chang ers and the chairs of those sell ing doves, 16 and would not per mit any one to car ry goods through the tem ple. 17 He was teach ing them: “ Is it not writ ten, My house will be called a house of prayer for all na tions? c But you have made it a den of thieves! ” d 18 The chief priests and the scribes heard it and start ed look ing for a way to kill him. For they were afraid of him, be cause the whole crowd was as ton ished by his teach ing. 19 When ev er eve ning came, they would go out of the city . THE BARREN FIG TREE IS WITHERED 20 Ear ly in the morn ing, as they were pass- ing by , they saw the fig tree with ered from the roots up. 21 Then Pe ter re mem bered and said to him, “Rab bi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has with ered.” 22 Jesus re plied to them, “ Have faith in God. 23 Tru ly I tell you, if any one says to this moun- tain, ‘ Be lift ed up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but be lieves that what he says will hap pen, it will be done for him. 24 There fore I tell you, ev ery thing you pray and ask for — be lieve that you have re ceived e it and it will be yours. 25 And when ev er you stand pray ing, if you have any thing against any one, for give him, so that your Fa ther in heav en will also for give you your wrong do ing.” f THE AUTHORITY OF JESUS CHALLENGED 27 They came again to Je ru sa lem. As he was walk ing in the tem ple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the el ders came 28 and asked him, “ By what au thor i ty are you do ing these things? Who gave you this au thor i ty to do these things? ” 29 Jesus said to them, “ I will ask you one ques tion; then an swer me, and I will tell you by what au thor i ty I do these things. 30 Was John’s bap tism from heav en or of hu man or - i gin? An swer me.” 31 They dis cussed it among them selves: “ If we say , ‘ From heav en,’ he will say , ‘ Then why didn’t you be lieve him? ’ 32 But if we say , ‘ Of hu man or i gin’ ” — they were afraid of the crowd, be cause ev ery one thought that John was tru ly a proph et. 33 So they an swered Jesus, “ We don’t know .” And Jesus said to them, “Nei ther will I tell you by what au thor i ty I do these things.” THE PARABLE OF THE VINEYARD OWNER 12 He be gan to speak to them in par a bles: “ A man plant ed a vine yard, put a fence around it, dug out a pit for a wine press, and built a watch tow er. Then he leased it to tenant farm ers and went away . 2 At har vest time he sent a ser vant to the farm ers to col lect some of the fruit of the vine yard from them. 3 But they took him, beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. 4 Again he sent an oth er ser - vant to them, and they g hit him on the head and treat ed him shame ful ly . h 5 Then he sent an oth er, and they killed that one. He also sent many oth ers; some they beat, and oth ers they a11:8 Other mss read others were cutting leafy branches from the trees and spreading them on the road b11:9 Ps 118:26 c11:17 Is 56:7 d11:17 Jr 7:11 e11:24 Some mss read you receive ; other mss read you will receive f11:25 Some mss include v. 26: “But if you don’t forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your wrongdoing.” g12:4 Other mss add threw stones and h12:4 Other mss add and sent him off 899 MARK 11-12 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 899 10/26/17 9:00 PM killed. 6 He still had one to send, a be loved son. Fi nal ly he sent him to them, say ing, ‘ They will re spect my son.’ 7 But those tenant farm ers said to one an oth er, ‘ This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and the in her i tance will be ours.’ 8 So they seized him, killed him, and threw him out of the vine yard. 9 What then will the own- er a of the vine yard do? He will come and kill the farm ers and give the vine yard to oth ers. 10 Haven’t you read this Scrip ture: The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. 11 This came about from the Lord and is wonderful in our eyes? ” b 12 They were look ing for a way to ar rest him but feared the crowd be cause they knew he had spo ken this par a ble against them. So they left him and went away . GOD AND CAESAR 13 Then they sent some of the Phar i sees and the He ro di ans to Jesus to trap him in his words. 14 When they came, they said to him, “Teach er, we know you are truth ful and don’t care what any one thinks, nor do you show par tial i ty but teach the way of God truth ful ly . Is it law ful to pay tax es to Cae sar or not? Should we pay or shouldn’t we? ” 15 But know ing their hy poc ri sy , he said to them, “ Why are you test ing me? Bring me a de nar i us c to look at.” 16 They brought a coin. “ Whose im age and in scrip tion is this? ” he asked them. “Cae sar’s,” they re plied. 17 Jesus told them, “ Give to Cae sar the things that are Cae sar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they were ut ter ly amazed at him. THE SADDUCEES AND THE RESURRECTION 18 Sad du cees, who say there is no res ur rec tion, came to him and ques tioned him: 19 “Teach er, Mo ses wrote for us that if a man’s broth er dies, leav ing a wife be hind but no child, that man should take the wife and raise up off‑ spring for his broth er. d 20 There were sev en broth ers. The first mar ried a wom an, and dy- ing, left no off spring. 21 The sec ond also took her, and he died, leav ing no off spring. And the third like wise. 22 None of the sev en e left off spring. Last of all, the wom an died too. 23 In the res ur rec tion, when they rise, f whose wife will she be, since the sev en had mar ried her? ” 24 Jesus spoke to them, “ Isn’t this the rea son why you’re mis tak en: you don’t know the Scrip- tures or the pow er of God? 25 For when they rise from the dead, they nei ther mar ry nor are giv en in mar riage but are like an gels in heav en. 26 And as for the dead be ing raised — haven’t you read in the book of Mo ses, in the pas sage about the burn ing bush, how God said to him: I am the God of Abra ham and the God of Isaac and the God of Ja cob? g 27 He is not the God of the dead but of the liv ing. You are bad ly mis tak en.” THE PRIMARY COMMANDS 28 One of the scribes ap proached. When he heard them de bat ing and saw that Jesus an- swered them well, he asked him, “ Which com- mand is the most im por tant of all? ” 29 Jesus an swered, “ The most im por tant h is Lis ten, O Is ra el! The Lord our God, the Lord is one. i 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. j,k 31 The sec ond is, Love your neigh bor as your self. l There is no oth er com mand great er than these.” 32 Then the scribe said to him, “ You are right, teach er. You have cor rect ly said that he is one, and there is no one else ex cept him. 33 And to love him with all your heart, with all your un der stand ing, m and with all your strength, and to love your neigh bor as your self, is far more im por tant than all the burnt off er ings and sac ri fic es.” 34 When Jesus saw that he an swered wise ly , he said to him, “ You are not far from the king- dom of God.” And no one dared to ques tion him any lon ger. THE QUESTION ABOUT THE CHRIST 35 While Jesus was teach ing in the tem ple, he asked, “ How can the scribes say that the Mes- si ah is the son of Da vid? 36 Da vid him self says by the Holy Spir it: The Lord declared
📜 Jesus's Final Teachings and Passion
🔍 Jesus warns against religious hypocrisy while praising the poor widow's sacrificial giving, revealing how true devotion values quality of heart over quantity of resources
🏛️ Prophecies of destruction foretell Jerusalem's fall and global tribulation, urging vigilant preparation for unprecedented suffering and false messiahs
⏰ Urgency of watchfulness permeates Jesus's teachings as he emphasizes that while the exact time remains unknown, his followers must remain constantly alert
🍷 The Last Supper establishes a new covenant through bread and wine as symbols of Christ's body and blood, creating a memorial practice for future generations
🌃 Gethsemane prayer reveals Jesus's profound human struggle ("Take this cup") alongside his divine submission ("not what I will, but what you will")
⚖️ Trial and denial unfold as religious leaders condemn Jesus for blasphemy, Pilate yields to political pressure, and Peter fulfills the prophecy of his threefold denial
to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.’ n 37 Da vid him self calls him ‘ Lord’; how then can he be his son? ” And the large crowd was lis ten ing to him with de light. a12:9 Or lord b12:10-11 Ps 118:22-23 c12:15 A denarius = one day’s wage d12:19 Gn 38:8; Dt 25:5 e12:22 Other mss add had taken her and f12:23 Other mss omit when they rise g12:26 Ex 3:6,15-16 h12:29 Other mss add of all the commands i12:29 Or the Lord our God is Lord alone. j12:30 Other mss add This is the first commandment. k12:30 Dt 6:4-5; Jos 22:5 l12:31 Lv 19:18 m12:33 Other mss add with all your soul n12:36 Ps 110:1MARK 12 900 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 900 10/26/17 9:00 PM WARNING AGAINST THE SCRIBES 38 He also said in his teach ing, “Be ware of the scribes, who want to go around in long robes and who want greet ings in the mar ket places, 39 the best seats in the syn a gogues, and the plac es of hon or at ban quets. 40 They de vour wid ows’ hous es and say long prayers just for show . These will re ceive harsher judg ment.” THE WIDOW’S GIFT 41 Sit ting across from the tem ple trea sury , he watched how the crowd dropped mon ey into the trea sury . Many rich peo ple were put ting in large sums. 42 Then a poor wid ow came and dropped in two tiny coins worth very lit tle. 43 Sum mon ing his dis ci ples, he said to them, “Tru ly I tell you, this poor wid ow has put more into the trea sury than all the oth ers. 44 For they all gave out of their sur plus, but she out of her pov er ty has put in ev ery thing she had — all she had to live on.” DESTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLE PREDICTED 13 As he was go ing out of the tem ple, one of his dis ci ples said to him, “Teach er, look! What mas sive stones! What im pres sive build ings! ” 2 Jesus said to him, “ Do you see these great build ings? Not one stone will be left upon an oth er — all will be thrown down.” SIGNS OF THE END OF THE AGE 3 While he was sit ting on the Mount of Ol ives across from the tem ple, Pe ter, James, John, and An drew asked him pri vate ly , 4 “ Tell us, when will these things hap pen? And what will be the sign when all these things are about to be ac com plished? ” 5 Jesus told them, “ Watch out that no one de ceives you. 6 Many will come in my name, say ing, ‘ I am he,’ and they will de ceive many . 7 When you hear of wars and ru mors of wars, don’t be alarmed; these things must take place, but it is not yet the end. 8 For na tion will rise up against na tion, and king dom against king- dom. There will be earth quakes in var i ous plac es, and fam ines. a These are the be gin ning of birth pains. PERSECUTIONS PREDICTED 9 “ But you, be on your guard! They will hand you over to lo cal courts, b and you will be flogged in the syn a gogues. You will stand be fore gov er nors and kings be cause of me, as a wit ness to them. 10 And it is nec es sary that the gos pel be preached to all na tions. 11 So when they ar rest you and hand you over, don’t wor ry be fore hand what you will say , but say what ev er is giv en to you at that time, for it isn’t you speak ing, but the Holy Spir it. 12 “Broth er will be tray broth er to death, and a fa ther his child. Chil dren will rise up against par ents and have them put to death. 13 You will be hat ed by ev ery one be cause of my name, but the one who en dures to the end will be saved. THE GRE AT TRIBULATION 14 “ When you see the abom i na tion of des o‑ la tion c stand ing where it should not be” ( let the read er un der stand), “ then those in Ju dea must flee to the moun tains. 15 A man on the housetop must not come down or go in to get any thing out of his house, 16 and a man in the field must not go back to get his coat. 17 Woe to preg nant wom en and nurs ing moth ers in those days! 18 “ Pray it d won’t hap pen in win ter. 19 For those will be days of trib u la tion, the kind that hasn’t been from the be gin ning of cre a tion un til now and nev er will be again. 20 If the Lord had not cut those days short, no one would be saved. But he cut those days short for the sake of the elect, whom he chose. 21 “ Then if any one tells you, ‘ See, here is the Mes si ah! See, there! ’ do not be lieve it. 22 For false messiahs and false proph ets will arise and will per form signs and won ders to lead astray , if pos si ble, the elect. 23 And you must watch! I have told you ev ery thing in ad vance. THE COMING OF THE SON OF MAN 24 “ But in those days, af ter that trib u la tion: The sun will be dark ened, and the moon will not shed its light; 25 the stars will be fall ing from the sky , and the pow ers in the heav ens will be shak en. 26 Then they will see the Son of Man com ing in clouds with great pow er and glo ry . 27 He will send out the an gels and gath er his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heav en. THE PARABLE OF THE FIG TREE 28 “ Learn this les son from the fig tree: As soon as its branch be comes ten der and sprouts leaves, you know that sum mer is near. 29 In the same way , when you see these things a13:8 Other mss add and disturbances b13:9 Or sanhedrins c13:14 Dn 9:27 d13:18 Other mss read “Pray that your escape 901 MARK 12-13 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 901 10/26/17 9:00 PM hap pen ing, rec og nize a that he b is near — at the door. 30 “Tru ly I tell you, this gen er a tion will cer - tain ly not pass away un til all these things take place. 31 Heav en and earth will pass away , but my words will nev er pass away . NO ONE KNOWS THE DAY OR HOUR 32 “ Now con cern ing that day or hour no one knows — nei ther the an gels in heav en nor the Son — but only the Fa ther. 33 “ Watch! Be alert! c For you don’t know when the time is com ing. 34 “ It is like a man on a jour ney , who left his house, gave au thor i ty to his ser vants, gave each one his work, and com mand ed the door - keep er to be alert. 35 There fore be alert, since you don’t know when the mas ter of the house is com ing — wheth er in the eve ning or at mid night or at the crowing of the roost er or ear ly in the morn ing. 36 Oth er wise, when he comes sud den ly he might find you sleep ing. 37 And what I say to you, I say to ev ery one: Be alert! ” THE PLOT TO KILL JESUS 14 It was two days be fore the Pass over and the Fes ti val of Un leav ened Bread. The chief priests and the scribes were look ing for a cun ning way to ar rest Jesus and kill him. 2 “ Not dur ing the fes ti val,” they said, “ so that there won’t be a riot among the peo ple.” THE ANOINTING AT BETHANY 3 While he was in Beth a ny at the house of Si- mon the lep er, d as he was re clin ing at the ta ble, a wom an came with an al a bas ter jar of very ex pen sive per fume of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured it on his head. 4 But some were ex press ing in dig na tion to one an oth er: “ Why has this per fume been wast ed? 5 For this per fume might have been sold for more than three hun dred de nar ii e and giv en to the poor.” And they be gan to scold her. 6 Jesus re plied, “ Leave her alone. Why are you both er ing her? She has done a no ble thing for me. 7 You al ways have the poor with you, and you can do what is good for them when ev er you want, but you do not al ways have me. 8 She has done what she could; she has anoint ed my body in ad vance for buri al. 9 Tru ly I tell you, wher ev er the gos pel is pro claimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in mem o ry of her.” 10 Then Ju das Is car i ot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to be tray Jesus to them. 11 And when they heard this, they were glad and prom ised to give him mon ey . So he start ed look ing for a good op por tu ni ty to be- tray him. PREPARATION FOR PASSOVER 12 On the first day of Un leav ened Bread, when they sac ri fice the Pass over lamb, his dis ci ples asked him, “ Where do you want us to go and pre pare the Pass over so that you may eat it? ” 13 So he sent two of his dis ci ples and told them, “ Go into the city , and a man car ry ing a jar of wa ter will meet you. Fol low him. 14 Wher - ev er he en ters, tell the own er of the house, ‘ The Teach er says, “ Where is my guest room where I may eat the Pass over with my dis ci ples? ” ’ 15 He will show you a large room up stairs, fur - nished and ready . Make the prep a ra tions for us there.” 16 So the dis ci ples went out, en tered the city , and found it just as he had told them, and they pre pared the Pass over. BETRAYAL AT THE PASSOVER 17 When eve ning came, he ar rived with the Twelve. 18 While they were re clin ing and eat- ing, Jesus said, “Tru ly I tell you, one of you will be tray me — one who is eat ing with me.” 19 They be gan to be dis tressed and to say to him one by one, “Sure ly not I? ” 20 He said to them, “ It is one of the Twelve — the one who is dip ping bread in the bowl with me. 21 For the Son of Man will go just as it is writ ten about him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is be trayed! It would have been bet ter for him if he had not been born.” THE FIRST LORD’S SUPPER 22 As they were eat ing, he took bread, blessed and broke it, gave it to them, and said, “ Take it; this is my body .” 23 Then he took a cup, and af ter giv ing thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank from it. 24 He said to them, “ This is my blood of the cov enant, f which is poured out for many . 25 Tru ly I tell you, I will no lon- ger drink of the fruit of the vine un til that day when I drink it new g in the king dom of God.” 26 Af ter sing ing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Ol ives. a13:29 Or you know b13:29 Or it c13:33 Other mss add and pray d14:3 Gk lepros ; a term for various skin diseases; see Lv 13–14 e14:5 A denarius = one day’s wage f14:24 Other mss read the new covenant g14:25 Or drink new wine ; lit drink it newMARK 13-14 902 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 902 10/26/17 9:00 PM PETER’S DENIAL PREDICTED 27 Then Jesus said to them, “ All of you will fall away , a be cause it is writ ten: I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered. b 28 But af ter I have ris en, I will go ahead of you to Gal i lee.” 29 Pe ter told him, “ Even if ev ery one falls away , I will not.” 30 “Tru ly I tell you,” Jesus said to him, “to day , this very night, be fore the roost er crows twice, you will deny me three times.” 31 But he kept in sist ing, “ If I have to die with you, I will nev er deny you.” And they all said the same thing. THE PRAYER IN THE GARDEN 32 Then they came to a place named Geth sem - a ne, and he told his dis ci ples, “ Sit here while I pray .” 33 He took Pe ter, James, and John with him, and he be gan to be deep ly dis tressed and trou bled. 34 He said to them, “ I am deep ly grieved c to the point of death. Re main here and stay awake.” 35 He went a lit tle far ther, fell to the ground, and prayed that if it were pos si ble, the hour might pass from him. 36 And he said, “ Abba, d Fa ther! All things are pos si ble for you. Take this cup away from me. Nev er the less, not what I will, but what you will.” 37 Then he came and found them sleep ing. He said to Pe ter, “Si mon, are you sleep ing? Couldn’t you stay awake one hour? 38 Stay awake and pray so that you won’t en ter into temp ta tion. e The spir it is will ing, but the flesh is weak.” 39 Once again he went away and prayed, say ing the same thing. 40 And again he came and found them sleep ing, be cause they could not keep their eyes open. They did not know what to say to him. 41 Then he came a third time and said to them, “ Are you still sleep ing and rest- ing? Enough! The time has come. See, the Son of Man is be trayed into the hands of sin ners. 42 Get up; let’s go. See, my be tray er is near.” JUDAS’S BETRAYAL OF JESUS 43 While he was still speak ing, Ju das, one of the Twelve, sud den ly ar rived. With him was a mob, with swords and clubs, from the chief priests, the scribes, and the el ders. 44 His be- tray er had giv en them a sig nal. “ The one I kiss,” he said, “ he’s the one; ar rest him and take him away un der guard.” 45 So when he came, im me di ate ly he went up to Jesus and said, “Rab bi! ” and kissed him. 46 They took hold of him and ar rest ed him. 47 One of those who stood by drew his sword, struck the high priest’s ser vant, and cut off his ear. 48 Jesus said to them, “ Have you come out with swords and clubs, as if I were a crim i nal, f to cap ture me? 49 Ev ery day I was among you, teach ing in the tem ple, and you didn’t ar rest me. But the Scrip tures must be ful filled.” 50 Then they all de sert ed him and ran away . 51 Now a cer tain young man, wear ing noth ing but a lin en cloth, was fol low ing him. They caught hold of him, 52 but he left the lin en cloth be hind and ran away na ked. JESUS FACES THE SANHEDRIN 53 They led Jesus away to the high priest, and all the chief priests, the el ders, and the scribes as sem bled. 54 Pe ter fol lowed him at a dis tance, right into the high priest’s court yard. He was sit ting with the ser vants, g warm ing him self by the fire. 55 The chief priests and the whole San he- drin were look ing for tes ti mo ny against Jesus to put him to death, but they could not find any . 56 For many were giv ing false tes ti mo ny against him, and the tes ti mo nies did not agree. 57 Some stood up and gave false tes ti mo ny against him, stating, 58 “ We heard him say , ‘ I will de stroy this tem ple made with hu man hands, and in three days I will build an oth er not made by hands.’ ” 59 Yet their tes ti mo ny did not agree even on this. 60 Then the high priest stood up be fore them all and ques tioned Jesus, “ Don’t you have an an- swer to what these men are tes ti fy ing against you? ” 61 But he kept si lent and did not an swer. Again the high priest ques tioned him, “ Are you the Mes si ah, the Son of the Blessed One? ” 62 “ I am,” said Jesus, “ and you will see the Son of Man seat ed at the right hand of Pow er and com ing with the clouds of heav en.” h 63 Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “ Why do we still need wit ness es? 64 You have heard the blas phe my . What is your de ci- sion? ” They all con demned him as de serv ing death. 65 Then some be gan to spit on him, to blind- fold him, and to beat him, say ing, “Proph e- sy! ” The tem ple ser vants also took him and slapped him. a14:27 Other mss add because of me this night b14:27 Zch 13:7 c14:34 Or “My soul is swallowed up in sorrow d14:36 Aramaic for father e14:38 Or won’t be put to the test f14:48 Or insurrectionist g14:54 Or temple police, or officers, also in v. 65 h14:62 Ps 110:1; Dn 7:13 903 MARK 14 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 903 10/26/17 9:00 PM PETER DENIES HIS LORD 66 While Pe ter was in the court yard be low , one of the high priest’s maid ser vants came. 67 When she saw Pe ter warm ing him self, she looked at him and said, “ You also were with Jesus, the man from Naz a reth.” 68 But he de nied it: “ I don’t know or un der - stand what you’re talk ing about.” Then he went out to the en try way , a and a roost er crowed. b 69 When the maid ser vant saw him again, she be gan to tell those stand ing near by , “ This man is one of them.” 70 But again he de nied it. Af ter a lit tle while those stand ing there said to Pe ter again, “ You cer tain ly are one of them, since you’re also a Gal i le an.” c 71 Then he start ed to curse and swear, “ I don’t know this man you’re talk ing about! ” 72 Im me di ate ly a roost er crowed a sec ond time, and Pe ter re mem bered when Jesus had spo ken the word to him, “Be fore the roost er crows twice, you will deny me three times.” And he broke down and wept. JESUS FACES PILATE 15 As soon as it was morn ing, hav ing held a meet ing with the el ders, scribes, and the whole San he drin, the chief priests tied Jesus up, led him away , and hand ed him over to Pi late. 2 So Pi late asked him, “ Are you the King of the Jews? ” He an swered him, “ You say so.” 3 And the chief priests ac cused him of many things. 4 Pi late ques tioned him again, “ Aren’t you go ing to an swer? Look how many things they are ac cus ing you of! ” 5 But Jesus still did not an swer, and so Pi late was amazed. JESUS OR BARABBAS 6 At the fes ti val Pi late used to re lease for the peo ple a pris on er whom they re quest ed. 7 There was one named Bar ab bas, who was in pris on with rebels who had com mit ted mur - der dur ing the re bel lion. 8 The crowd came up and be gan to ask Pi late to do for them as was his cus tom. 9 Pi late an swered them, “ Do you want me to re lease the King of the Jews for you? ” 10 For he knew it was be cause of envy that the chief priests had hand ed him over. 11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd so that he would re lease Bar ab bas to them in stead. 12 Pi late asked them again, “ Then what do you want me to do with the one you call the King of the Jews? ” 13 Again they shout ed, “Cru ci fy him! ” 14 Pi late said to them, “ Why? What has he done wrong? ” But they shout ed all the more, “Cru ci fy him! ” 15 Want ing to sat is fy the crowd, Pi late re- leased Bar ab bas to them; and af ter hav ing Jesus flogged, he hand ed him over to be cru ci fied. MOCKED BY THE MILITARY 16 The sol diers led him away into the pal ace ( that is, the gov er nor’s res i dence) and called the whole com pa ny to geth er. 17 They dressed him in a pur ple robe, twist ed to geth er a crown of thorns, and put it on him. 18 And they be gan to sa lute him, “ Hail, King of the Jews! ” 19 They were hit ting him on the head with a stick and spit ting on him. Get ting down on their knees, they were pay ing him hom age. 20 Af ter they had mocked
🙏 Crucifixion and Resurrection
✝️ Jesus's crucifixion unfolds with Simon of Cyrene carrying his cross to Golgotha, where he's placed between two criminals and mocked by passersby, priests, and even fellow crucified men
🌑 Supernatural signs mark Jesus's death—darkness covers the land for three hours, the temple curtain tears from top to bottom, and Jesus cries out "My God, why have you abandoned me?" before breathing his last
👑 The Roman centurion witnessing Jesus's death declares "Truly this man was the Son of God!" while faithful women observe from a distance
🪦 Joseph of Arimathea boldly requests Jesus's body, wraps it in linen, and places it in a rock-cut tomb sealed with a stone
🌅 On the third day, women discover the empty tomb with the stone rolled away and encounter an angel announcing "He has risen! He is not here"
🌍 The risen Jesus commissions his followers to "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation," promising signs will accompany believers
him, they stripped him of the pur ple robe and put his clothes on him. CRUCIFIED BETWEEN TWO CRIMINALS They led him out to cru ci fy him. 21 They forced a man com ing in from the coun try , who was pass ing by , to car ry Jesus’s cross. He was Si mon of Cy re ne, the fa ther of Al ex an der and Ru fus. 22 They brought Jesus to the place called Gol go tha ( which means Place of the Skull). 23 They tried to give him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. 24 Then they cru ci fied him and di vid ed his clothes, cast ing lots for them to de cide what each would get. 25 Now it was nine in the morn ing d when they cru ci fied him. 26 The in scrip tion of the charge writ ten against him was: T he K ing of the J ews. 27 They cru ci fied two crim i nals e with him, one on his right and one on his left. f 29 Those who passed by were yell ing in sults at g him, shak ing their heads, and say ing, “ Ha! The one who would de stroy the tem ple and re build it in three days, 30 save your self by com ing down from the cross! ” 31 In the same way , the chief priests with the scribes were mock ing him among them selves and say ing, “ He saved oth ers, but he can not save him self! 32 Let the Mes si ah, the King of Is ra el, come down now from the cross, so that we may see and be lieve.” Even those who were cru ci fied with him taunt ed him. a14:68 Or forecourt b14:68 Other mss omit and a rooster crowed c14:70 Other mss add and your speech shows it d15:25 Lit was the third hour e15:27 Or revolutionaries f15:27 Some mss include v. 28: So the Scripture was fulfilled that says: And he was counted among criminals. g15:29 Or passed by blasphemedMARK 14-15 904 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 904 10/26/17 9:00 PM THE DEATH OF JESUS 33 When it was noon, a dark ness came over the whole land un til three in the af ter noon. b 34 And at three Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “ Eloi, Eloi, lemá sabachtháni? ” which is trans lat ed, “ My God, my God, why have you aban doned me? ” c 35 When some of those stand ing there heard this, they said, “ See, he’s call ing for Eli jah.” 36 Some one ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, fixed it on a stick, off ered him a drink, and said, “ Let’s see if Eli jah comes to take him down.” 37 Jesus let out a loud cry and breathed his last. 38 Then the cur tain of the tem ple was torn in two from top to bot tom. 39 When the cen- tu ri on, who was stand ing op po site him, saw the way he d breathed his last, he said, “Tru ly this man was the Son of God! ” e 40 There were also wom en watch ing from a dis tance. Among them were Mary Mag da- lene, Mary the moth er of James the youn ger and of Jo ses, and Sa lo me. 41 In Gal i lee these wom en fol lowed him and took care of him. Many oth er wom en had come up with him to Je ru sa lem. THE BURIAL OF JESUS 42 When it was al ready eve ning, be cause it was the day of prep a ra tion ( that is, the day be fore the Sab bath), 43 Jo seph of Ar i ma thea, a prom i nent mem ber of the San he drin who was him self look ing for ward to the king dom of God, came and bold ly went to Pi late and asked for Jesus’s body . 44 Pi late was sur prised that he was al ready dead. Sum mon ing the cen tu ri on, he asked him wheth er he had al ready died. 45 When he found out from the cen tu ri on, he gave the corpse to Jo seph. 46 Af ter he bought some lin en cloth, Jo seph took him down and wrapped him in the lin en. Then he laid him in a tomb cut out of the rock and rolled a stone against the en trance to the tomb. 47 Mary Mag- da lene and Mary the moth er of Jo ses were watch ing where he was laid. RESURRECTION MORNING 16 When the Sab bath was over, Mary Mag- da lene, Mary the moth er of James, and Sa lo me bought spic es, so that they could go and anoint him. 2 Very ear ly in the morn ing, on the first day of the week, they went to the tomb at sun rise. 3 They were say ing to one an oth er, “ Who will roll away the stone from the en trance to the tomb for us? ” 4 Look ing up, they no ticed that the stone — which was very large — had been rolled away . 5 When they en tered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sit ting on the right side; they were alarmed. 6 “ Don’t be alarmed,” he told them. “ You are look ing for Jesus of Naz a reth, who was cru ci fied. He has ris en! He is not here. See the place where they put him. 7 But go, tell his dis ci ples and Pe ter, ‘ He is go ing ahead of you to Gal i lee; you will see him there just as he told you.’ ” 8 They went out and ran from the tomb, be cause trem bling and as ton ish ment over - whelmed them. And they said noth ing to any one, since they were afraid. [ Some of the ear li est mss con clude with 16: 8.] f THE LONGER ENDING OF MARK: APPEARANCES OF THE RISEN LORD [9 Ear ly on the first day of the week, af ter he had ris en, he ap peared first to Mary Mag da lene, out of whom he had driv en sev en de mons. 10 She went and re port ed to those who had been with him, as they were mourn ing and weep ing. 11 Yet, when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they did not be lieve it. 12 Af ter this, he ap peared in a dif fer ent form to two of them walk ing on their way into the coun try . 13 And they went and re- port ed it to the rest, who did not be lieve them ei ther. THE GREAT COMMISSION 14 Lat er he ap peared to the Elev en them selves as they were re clin ing at the ta ble. He re buked their un be lief and hardness of heart, be cause they did not be lieve those who saw him af- ter he had ris en. 15 Then he said to them, “ Go into all the world and preach the gos pel to all cre a tion. 16 Who ev er be lieves and is bap tized will be saved, but who ev er does not be lieve a15:33 Lit the sixth hour b15:33 Lit the ninth hour, also in v. 34 c15:34 Ps 22:1 d15:39 Other mss read saw that he cried out like this and e15:39 Or a son of God f16:8 Other mss include vv. 9-20 as a longer ending. The following shorter ending is found in some mss between v. 8 and v. 9 and in one ms after v. 8 (each of which omits vv. 9-20): And all that had been commanded to them they quickly reported to those around Peter. After these things, Jesus himself sent out through them from east to west, the holy and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation. Amen. 905 MARK 15-16 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 905 10/26/17 9:00 PM will be con demned. 17 And these signs will ac com pa ny those who be lieve: In my name they will drive out de mons; they will speak in new tongues; a 18 they will pick up snakes; b if they should drink any thing dead ly , it will not harm them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will get well.”THE ASCENSION 19 So the Lord Jesus, af ter speak ing to them, was tak en up into heav en and sat down at the right hand of God. 20 And they went out and preached ev ery where, while the Lord worked with them and con firmed the word by the ac com pa ny ing signs.] a16:17 = languages b16:18 Other mss add with their handsMARK 16 906 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 906 10/26/17 9:00 PM luKe THE DEDICATION TO THEOPHILUS 1 Many have un der tak en to compile a nar - rative about the events that have been ful- filled a among us, 2 just as the orig i nal eye wit- ness es and ser vants of the word hand ed them down to us. 3 It also seemed good to me, since I have care ful ly in ves ti gat ed ev ery thing from the very first, to write to you in an or der ly sequence, most hon or able The oph i lus, 4 so that you may know the cer tain ty of the things about which you have been in struct ed. b GABRIEL PREDICTS JOHN’S BIRTH 5 In the days of King Her od of Ju dea, there was a priest of Abi jah’s di vi sion named Zech a ri ah. His wife was from the daugh ters of Aar on, and her name was Eliz a beth. 6 Both were righ teous in God’s sight, liv ing with out blame ac cord ing to all the com mands and re quire ments of the Lord. 7 But they had no chil dren be cause Eliz - a beth could not con ceive, and both of them were well along in years. 8 When his di vi sion was on duty and he was serv ing as priest be fore God, 9 it hap pened that he was cho sen by lot, ac cord ing to the cus- tom of the priest hood, to en ter the sanc tu ary of the Lord and burn in cense. 10 At the hour of in cense the whole as sem bly of the peo ple was pray ing out side. 11 An an gel of the Lord ap peared to him, stand ing to the right of the al tar of in cense. 12 When Zech a ri ah saw him, he was ter ri fied and over come with fear. 13 But the an gel said to him: “ Do not be afraid, Zech- a ri ah, be cause your prayer has been heard. Your wife Eliz a beth will bear you a son, and you will name him John. 14 There will be joy and de light for you, and many will re joice at his birth. 15 For he will be great in the sight of the Lord and will nev er drink wine or beer. He will be filled with the Holy Spir it while still in his moth er’s womb. 16 He will turn many of the chil dren of Is ra el to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go be fore him in the spir it and pow er of Eli jah, to turn the hearts of fa thers to their chil dren, and the dis obe di ent to the un der stand ing of the righ teous, to make ready for the Lord a pre pared peo ple.”18 “ How can I know this? ” Zech a ri ah asked the an gel. “ For I am an old man, and my wife is well along in years.” 19 The an gel an swered him, “ I am Ga bri el, who stands in the pres ence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and tell you this good news. 20 Now lis ten. You will be come si lent and un able to speak un til the day these things take place, be cause you did not be lieve my words, which will be ful filled in their prop er time.” 21 Mean while, the peo ple were wait ing for Zech a ri ah, amazed that he stayed so long in the sanc tu ary . 22 When he did come out, he could not speak to them. Then they re al ized that he had seen a vi sion in the sanc tu ary . He was mak ing signs to them and re mained speech less. 23 When the days of his min is try were com plet ed, he went back home. 24 Af ter these days his wife Eliz a beth con- ceived and kept her self in se clu sion for five months. She said, 25 “ The Lord has done this for me. He has looked with fa vor in these days to take away my dis grace among the peo ple.” GABRIEL PREDICTS JESUS’S BIRTH 26 In the sixth month, the an gel Ga bri el was sent by God to a town in Gal i lee called Naz a reth, 27 to a vir gin en gaged c to a man named Jo seph, of the house of Da vid. The vir gin’s name was Mary . 28 And the an gel came to her and said, “Greet ings, fa vored wom an! The Lord is with you.” d 29 But she was deep ly trou bled by this state ment, won der ing what kind of greet ing this could be. 30 Then the an gel told her: “ Do not be afraid, Mary , for you have found fa vor with God. 31 Now lis ten: You will con ceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his fa ther Da vid. 33 He will reign over the house of Ja cob for ev er, and his king dom will have no end.” 34 Mary asked the an gel, “ How can this be, since I have not had sex u al re la tions with a man? ” e 35 The an gel re plied to her: “ The Holy Spir - it will come upon you, and the pow er of the a1:1 Or events that have been accomplished, or events most surely believed b1:4 Or informed c1:27 Lit betrothed d1:28 Other mss add Blessed are you among women. e1:34 Lit since I do not know a man CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 907 10/26/17 9:00 PM Most High will over shad ow you. There fore, the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 And con sid er your rel a tive Eliz a- beth — even she has con ceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called child less. 37 For noth ing will be im pos si ble with God.” 38 “ I am the Lord’s ser vant,” said Mary . “ May it be done to me ac cord ing to your word.” Then the an gel left her. MARY’S VISIT TO ELIZABETH 39 In those days Mary set out and hur ried to a town in the hill coun try of Ju dah 40 where she en tered Zech a ri ah’s house and greet ed Eliz a- beth. 41 When Eliz a beth heard Mary’s greet ing, the baby leaped in side her, and Eliz a beth was filled with the Holy Spir it. 42 Then she ex claimed with a loud cry: “ Blessed are you among wom en, and your child will be blessed! a 43 How could this hap pen to me, that the moth er of my Lord should come to me? 44 For you see, when the sound of your greet ing reached my ears, the baby leaped for joy in side me. 45 Blessed is she who has be lieved that the Lord would ful fill what he has spo ken to her! ” MARY’S PRAISE 46 And Mary said: My soul praises the greatness of b the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 because he has looked with favor on the humble condition of his servant. Surely , from now on all generations will call me blessed, 49 because the Mighty One has done great things for me, and his name is holy . 50 His mercy is from generation to generation on those who fear him. 51 He has done a mighty deed with his arm; he has scattered the proud because of the thoughts of their hearts; 52 he has toppled the mighty from their thrones and exalted the lowly . 53 He has satisfied the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty . 54 He has helped his servant Israel, remembering his mercy 55 to Abraham and his descendants c forever, just as he spoke to our ancestors. 56 And Mary stayed with her about three months; then she re turned to her home. THE BIRTH AND NAMING OF JOHN 57 Now the time had come for Eliz a beth to give birth, and she had a son. 58 Then her neigh bors and rel a tives heard that the Lord had shown her his great mer cy , and they re joiced with her. 59 When they came to cir cum cise the child on the eighth day , they were go ing to name him Zech a ri ah, af ter his fa ther. 60 But his moth er re spond ed, “ No. He will be called John.” 61 Then they said to her, “ None of your rel- a tives has that name.” 62 So they mo tioned to his fa ther to find out what he want ed him to be called. 63 He asked for a writ ing tab let and wrote: “ His name is John.” And they were all amazed. 64 Im me di ate ly his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he be gan to speak, prais ing God. 65 Fear came on all those who lived around them, and all these things were be ing talked about through out the hill coun try of Ju- dea. 66 All who heard about him took it to heart, say ing, “ What then will this child be come? ” For, in deed, the Lord’s hand was with him. ZECHARIAH’S PROPHECY 67 Then his fa ther Zech a ri ah was filled with the Holy Spir it and proph e sied: 68 Blessed is the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has visited and provided redemption for his people. 69 He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, 70 just as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets in ancient times; 71 salvation from our enemies and from the hand of those who hate us. 72 He has dealt mercifully with our fathers and remembered his holy covenant — 73 the oath that he swore to our father Abraham. He has given us the privilege, 74 since we have been rescued a1:42 Lit and the fruit of your abdomen (or womb) is blessed b1:46 Or soul magnifies c1:55 Or offspring ; lit seedLUKE 1 908 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 908 10/26/17 9:00 PM from the hand of our enemies, to serve him without fear 75 in holiness and righteousness in his presence all our days. 76 And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, 77 to give his people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins. 78 Because of our God’s merciful compassion, the dawn from on high will visit us 79 to shine on those who live in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. 80 The child grew up and be came spir i tu al ly strong, and he was in the wil der ness un til the day of his pub lic ap pear ance to Is ra el. THE BIRTH OF JESUS 2 In those days a de cree went out from Cae sar Au gus tus that the whole em pire a should be reg is tered. 2 This first reg is tra tion took place while b Qui rin i us was gov ern ing Syr ia. 3 So ev ery one went to be reg is tered, each to his own town. 4 Jo seph also went up from the town of Naz- a reth in Gal i lee, to Ju dea, to the city of Da vid, which is called Beth le hem, be cause he was of the house and fam i ly line of Da vid, 5 to be reg is tered along with Mary , who was en gaged to him c and was preg nant. 6 While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 Then she gave birth to her first born Son, and she wrapped him tight ly in cloth and laid him in a man ger, d be cause there was no guest room avail able for them. THE SHEPHERDS AND THE ANGELS 8 In the same re gion, shep herds were stay ing out in the fields and keep ing watch at night over their flock. 9 Then an an gel of the Lord stood be fore them, and the glo ry of the Lord shone around them, and they were ter ri fied. e 10 But the an gel said to them, “ Don’t be afraid, for look, I pro claim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the peo ple: f 11 To day in the city of Da vid a Sav ior was born for you, who is the Mes si ah, the Lord. 12 This will be the sign for you: You will find a baby wrapped tight ly in cloth and ly ing in a man ger.” 13 Sud den ly there was a mul ti tude of the heav en ly host g with the an gel, prais ing God and say ing: 14 Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people he favors! h,i 15 When the an gels had left them and re - turned to heav en, the shep herds said to one an oth er, “ Let’s go straight to Beth le hem and see what has hap pened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 They hur ried off and found both Mary and Jo seph, and the baby who was ly ing in the man ger. 17 Af ter see ing them, they re port ed the mes sage they were told about this child, 18 and all who heard it
🙏 Jesus's Early Life and Ministry
🌟 Jesus's birth unfolds with shepherds glorifying God, Mary treasuring these events in her heart, and the family fulfilling Jewish customs of circumcision and temple presentation
👴 Simeon and Anna recognize the infant Jesus as the promised Messiah, with Simeon prophesying Jesus will cause "the fall and rise of many in Israel" and be "a light for revelation to the Gentiles"
👦 Young Jesus demonstrates extraordinary wisdom at age twelve, staying behind in the temple and explaining to his worried parents that he "must be in my Father's house"
🕊️ John the Baptist prepares the way for Jesus, calling people to repentance before Jesus begins his ministry with baptism, where the Holy Spirit descends and God declares "You are my beloved Son"
🏙️ Jesus's ministry launches with teaching, healing, and casting out demons, demonstrating divine authority that amazes crowds but provokes rejection in his hometown of Nazareth
🎣 First disciples are called after witnessing the miraculous catch of fish, leaving everything to follow Jesus as he proclaims "the good news about the kingdom of God"
were amazed at what the shep herds said to them. 19 But Mary was treasuring up all these things in her heart and med i tat ing on them. 20 The shep herds re turned, glo ri fy ing and prais ing God for all the things they had seen and heard, which were just as they had been told. THE CIRCUMCISION AND PRESENTATION OF JESUS 21 When the eight days were com plet ed for his cir cum ci sion, he was named Jesus — the name giv en by the an gel be fore he was con ceived. 22 And when the days of their pu ri fi ca tion ac- cord ing to the law of Mo ses were fin ished, they brought him up to Je ru sa lem to pre sent him to the Lord 23 ( just as it is writ ten in the law of the Lord, Ev ery first born male will be ded i cat ed j to the Lord k) 24 and to off er a sac ri fice (ac cord ing to what is stat ed in the law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves or two young pi geons l). SIMEON’S PROPHETIC PRAISE 25 There was a man in Je ru sa lem whose name was Sim e on. This man was righ teous and de- vout, look ing for ward to Is ra el’s con so la tion, and the Holy Spir it was on him. 26 It had been re vealed to him by the Holy Spir it that he would not see death be fore he saw the Lord’s Mes si ah. 27 Guid ed by the Spir it, he en tered the tem ple. When the par ents brought in the child Jesus to per form for him what was cus tom ary un der a2:1 Or the whole inhabited world b2:2 Or This registration was the first while, or This registration was before c2:5 Lit betrothed d2:7 Or feeding trough, also in vv. 12,16 e2:9 Lit they feared a great fear f2:10 Or the whole nation g2:13 Lit heavenly army h2:14 Other mss read earth good will to people i2:14 Or earth to men of good will j2:23 Lit be called holy k2:23 Ex 13:2,12 l2:24 Lv 5:11; 12:8 909 LUKE 1-2 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 909 10/26/17 9:00 PM the law , 28 Sim e on took him up in his arms, praised God, and said, 29 Now , Master, you can dismiss your servant in peace, as you promised. 30 For my eyes have seen your salvation. 31 You have prepared it in the presence of all peoples — 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles a and glory to your people Israel. 33 His fa ther and moth er b were amazed at what was be ing said about him. 34 Then Sim- e on blessed them and told his moth er Mary: “In deed, this child is des tined to cause the fall and rise of many in Is ra el and to be a sign that will be op posed c — 35 and a sword will pierce your own soul — that the thoughts d of many hearts may be re vealed.” ANNA’S TESTIMONY 36 There was also a proph et ess, Anna, a daugh- ter of Pha nu el, of the tribe of Ash er. She was well along in years, hav ing lived with her hus- band sev en years af ter her mar riage, e 37 and was a wid ow for eighty-four years. f She did not leave the tem ple, serv ing God night and day with fast ing and prayers. 38 At that very mo ment, g she came up and be gan to thank God and to speak about him to all who were look - ing for ward to the re demp tion of Je ru sa lem. h THE FAMILY’S RETURN TO NAZARETH 39 When they had com plet ed ev ery thing ac- cord ing to the law of the Lord, they re turned to Gal i lee, to their own town of Naz a reth. 40 The boy grew up and be came strong, filled with wis dom, and God’s grace was on him. IN HIS FATHER’S HOUSE 41 Ev ery year his par ents trav eled to Je ru sa- lem for the Pass over Fes ti val. 42 When he was twelve years old, they went up ac cord ing to the cus tom of the fes ti val. 43 Af ter those days were over, as they were re turn ing, the boy Jesus stayed be hind in Je ru sa lem, but his par - ents i did not know it. 44 Assuming he was in the trav el ing par ty , they went a day’s jour ney . Then they be gan look ing for him among their rel a tives and friends. 45 When they did not find him, they re turned to Je ru sa lem to search for him. 46 Af ter three days, they found him in the tem ple sit ting among the teach ers, lis ten ing to them and ask ing them ques tions. 47 And all those who heard him were as tound ed at his un der stand ing and his an swers. 48 When his par ents saw him, they were as ton ished, and his moth er said to him, “ Son, why have you treat ed us like this? Your fa ther and I have been anx ious ly search ing for you.” 49 “ Why were you search ing for me? ” he asked them. “ Didn’t you know that it was nec es- sary for me to be in my Fa ther’s house? ” j 50 But they did not un der stand what he said to them. IN FAVOR WITH GOD AND WITH PEOPLE 51 Then he went down with them and came to Naz a reth and was obe di ent to them. His moth er kept all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus in creased in wis dom and stat ure, and in fa vor with God and with peo ple. THE MESSIAH’S HERALD 3 In the fif teenth year of the reign of Ti be ri us Cae sar, while Pon tius Pi late was gov er nor of Ju dea, Her od was te trarch k of Gal i lee, his broth er Phil ip te trarch of the re gion of It u rea and Trach o ni tis, and Ly sa ni as te trarch of Ab- i le ne, 2 dur ing the high priest hood of An nas and Cai a phas, God’s word came to John the son of Zech a ri ah in the wil der ness. 3 He went into all the vi cin i ty of the Jor dan, pro claim ing a bap tism of re pen tance for the for give ness of sins, 4 as it is writ ten in the book of the words of the proph et Isa iah: A voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Prepare the way for the Lord; make his paths straight! 5 Every valley will be filled, and every mountain and hill will be made low; l the crooked will become straight, the rough ways smooth, 6 and everyone will see the salvation of God. m 7 He then said to the crowds who came out to be bap tized by him, “ Brood of vi pers! Who warned you to flee from the com ing wrath? 8 There fore pro duce fruit consistent with re- pen tance. And don’t start say ing to your selves, a2:32 Or the nations b2:33 Other mss read But Joseph and his mother c2:34 Or spoken against d2:35 Or schemes e2:36 Lit years from her virginity f2:37 Or she was a widow until the age of eighty-four g2:38 Lit very hour h2:38 Other mss read in Jerusalem i2:43 Other mss read but Joseph and his mother j2:49 Or be involved in my Father’s interests (or things), or be among my Father’s people k3:1 Or ruler l3:5 Lit be humbled m3:4-6 Is 40:3-5LUKE 2-3 910 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 910 10/26/17 9:00 PM ‘ We have Abra ham as our fa ther,’ for I tell you that God is able to raise up chil dren for Abra - ham from these stones. 9 The ax is al ready at the root of the trees. There fore, ev ery tree that doesn’t pro duce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” 10 “ What then should we do? ” the crowds were ask ing him. 11 He re plied to them, “ The one who has two shirts must share with some one who has none, and the one who has food must do the same.” 12 Tax col lec tors also came to be bap tized, and they asked him, “Teach er, what should we do? ” 13 He told them, “ Don’t col lect any more than what you have been au tho rized.” 14 Some sol diers also ques tioned him, “ What should we do? ” He said to them, “ Don’t take mon ey from any one by force or false ac cu sa tion, and be sat is fied with your wag es.” 15 Now the peo ple were wait ing ex pec tant- ly , and all of them were ques tion ing in their hearts wheth er John might be the Mes si ah. 16 John an swered them all, “ I bap tize you with wa ter, but one who is more pow er ful than I am is com ing. I am not wor thy to un tie the strap of his san dals. He will bap tize you with a the Holy Spir it and fire. 17 His win now ing shov el is in his hand to clear his thresh ing floor and gath er the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with fire that nev er goes out.” 18 Then, along with many oth er ex hor ta tions, he pro claimed good news to the peo ple. 19 But when John re buked Her od the te trarch be cause of He ro di as, his broth er’s wife, and all the evil things he had done, 20 Her od add ed this to ev- ery thing else — he locked up John in pris on. THE BAPTISM OF JESUS 21 When all the peo ple were bap tized, Jesus also was bap tized. As he was pray ing, heav- en opened, 22 and the Holy Spir it de scend ed on him in a phys i cal ap pear ance like a dove. And a voice came from heav en: “ You are my be loved Son; with you I am well-pleased.” THE GENEALOGY OF JESUS CHRIST 23 As he be gan his min is try , Jesus was about thir ty years old and was thought to be the son of Joseph, son of Heli, 24 son of Matthat, son of Levi, son of Melchi, son of Jannai, son of Joseph, 25 son of Mattathias, son of Amos, son of Nahum, son of Esli, son of Naggai, 26 son of Maath, son of Mattathias, son of Semein, son of Josech, son of Joda, 27 son of Joanan, son of Rhesa, son of Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, son of Neri, 28 son of Melchi, son of Addi, son of Cosam, son of Elmadam, son of Er, 29 son of Joshua, son of Eliezer, son of Jorim, son of Matthat, son of Levi, 30 son of Simeon, son of Judah, son of Joseph, son of Jonam, son of Eliakim, 31 son of Melea, son of Menna, son of Mattatha, son of Nathan, son of David, 32 son of Jesse, son of Obed, son of Boaz, son of Salmon, b son of Nahshon, 33 son of Amminadab, son of Ram, c son of Hezron, son of Perez, son of Judah, 34 son of Jacob, son of Isaac, son of Abraham, son of Terah, son of Nahor, 35 son of Serug, son of Reu, son of Peleg, son of Eber, son of Shelah, 36 son of Cainan, son of Arphaxad, son of Shem, son of Noah, son of Lamech, 37 son of Methuselah, son of Enoch, son of Jared, son of Mahalalel, son of Cainan, 38 son of Enos, son of Seth, son of Adam, son of God. THE TEMPTATION OF JESUS 4 Then Jesus left the Jor dan, full of the Holy Spir it, and was led by the Spir it in the wil- der ness 2 for for ty days to be tempt ed by the dev il. He ate noth ing dur ing those days, and when they were over, he was hun gry . 3 The dev il said to him, “ If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to be come bread.” 4 But Jesus an swered him, “ It is writ ten: Man must not live on bread alone.” d,e 5 So he took him up f and showed him all the king doms of the world in a mo ment of time. 6 The dev il said to him, “ I will give you their splen dor and all this au thor i ty , be cause it has been giv en over to me, and I can give it a3:16 Or in b3:32 Other mss read Sala c3:33 Other mss read Amminadab, son of Aram, son of Joram ; other mss read Amminadab, son of Admin, son of Arni d4:4 Other mss add but on every word of God e4:4 Dt 8:3 f4:5 Other mss read So the devil took him up on a high mountain 911 LUKE 3-4 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 911 10/26/17 9:00 PM to any one I want. 7 If you, then, will wor ship me, a all will be yours.” 8 And Jesus an swered him, b “ It is writ ten: Wor ship the Lord your God, and serve him only .” c 9 So he took him to Je ru sa lem, had him stand on the pinnacle of the tem ple, and said to him, “ If you are the Son of God, throw your self down from here. 10 For it is writ ten: He will give his angels orders concerning you, to protect you, d 11 and they will support you with their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.” e 12 And Jesus an swered him, “ It is said: Do not test the Lord your God.” f 13 Af ter the dev il had fin ished ev ery temp- ta tion, he de part ed from him for a time. MINISTRY IN GALILEE 14 Then Jesus re turned to Gal i lee in the pow er of the Spir it, and news about him spread through - out the en tire vi cin i ty . 15 He was teach ing in their syn a gogues, be ing praised g by ev ery one. REJECTION AT NAZARETH 16 He came to Naz a reth, where he had been brought up. As usu al, he en tered the syn a gogue on the Sab bath day and stood up to read. 17 The scroll of the proph et Isa iah was giv en to him, and un roll ing the scroll, he found the place where it was writ ten: 18 The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me h to proclaim release i to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. j 20 He then rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the at ten dant, and sat down. And the eyes of ev ery one in the syn a gogue were fixed on him. 21 He be gan by say ing to them, “To day as you lis ten, this Scrip ture has been ful filled.” 22 They were all speak ing well of him k and were amazed by the gra cious words that came from his mouth; yet they said, “ Isn’t this Jo- seph’s son? ” 23 Then he said to them, “ No doubt you will quote this prov erb l to me: ‘Doc tor, heal your - self. What we’ve heard that took place in Ca- per na um, do here in your home town also.’ ” 24 He also said, “Tru ly I tell you, no proph et is ac cept ed in his home town. 25 But I say to you, there were cer tain ly many wid ows in Is ra el in Eli jah’s days, when the sky was shut up for three years and six months while a great fam ine came over all the land. 26 Yet Eli jah was not sent to any of them ex cept a wid ow at Zar e phath in Si don. 27 And in the proph et Eli sha’s time, there were many in Is ra el who had lep ro sy , m and yet not one of them was cleansed ex cept Na a man the Syr i an.” 28 When they heard this, ev ery one in the syn a gogue was en raged. 29 They got up, drove him out of town, and brought him to the edge of the hill that their town was built on, in- tend ing to hurl him over the cliff. 30 But he passed right through the crowd and went on his way . DRIVING OUT AN UNCLEAN SPIRIT 31 Then he went down to Ca per na um, a town in Gal i lee, and was teach ing them on the Sab- bath. 32 They were as ton ished at his teach ing be cause his mes sage had au thor i ty . 33 In the syn a gogue there was a man with an un clean demonic spir it who cried out with a loud voice, 34 “ Leave us alone! What do you have to do with us, Jesus of Naz a reth? Have you come to de stroy us? I know who you are — the Holy One of God! ” 35 But Jesus re buked him and said, “ Be si- lent and come out of him! ” And throw ing him down be fore them, the de mon came out of him with out hurting him at all. 36 Amaze ment came over them all, and they were say ing to one an oth er, “ What is this mes- sage? For he com mands the un clean spir its with au thor i ty and pow er, and they come out! ” 37 And news about him be gan to go out to ev- ery place in the vi cin i ty . HEALINGS AT CAPERNAUM 38 Af ter he left the syn a gogue, he en tered Si mon’s house. Si mon’s mother-in-law was suff er ing from a high fe ver, and they asked a4:7 Lit will fall down before me b4:8 Other mss add “Get behind me, Satan! c4:8 Dt 6:13 d4:10 Ps 91:11 e4:11 Ps 91:12 f4:12 Dt 6:16 g4:15 Or glorified h4:18 Other mss add to heal the brokenhearted, i4:18 Or freedom, or forgiveness j4:18-19 Is 61:1-2 k4:22 Or They were testifying against him l4:23 Or parable m4:27 Gk lepros ; a term for various skin diseases; see Lv 13–14LUKE 4 912 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 912 10/26/17 9:00 PM him about her. 39 So he stood over her and re buked the fe ver, and it left her. She got up im me di ate ly and be gan to serve them. 40 When the sun was set ting, all those who had any one sick with var i ous dis eas es brought them to him. As he laid his hands on each one of them, he healed them. 41 Also, de mons were com ing out of many , shout ing and say ing, “ You are the Son of God! ” But he re buked them and would not al low them to speak, be cause they knew he was the Christ. 42 When it was day , he went out and made his way to a de sert ed place. But the crowds were search ing for him. They came to him and tried to keep him from leav ing them. 43 But he said to them, “ It is nec es sary for me to pro claim the good news about the king dom of God to the oth er towns also, be cause I was sent for this pur pose.” 44 And he was preach ing in the syn a gogues of Ju dea. a THE FIRST DISCIPLES 5 As the crowd was press ing in on Jesus to hear God’s word, he was stand ing by Lake Gen nes a ret. 2 He saw two boats at the edge of the lake; the fish er men had left them and were wash ing their nets. 3 He got into one of the boats, which be longed to Si mon, and asked him to put out a lit tle from the land. Then he sat down and was teach ing the crowds from the boat. 4 When he had fin ished speak ing, he said to Si mon, “ Put out into deep wa ter and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 “Mas ter,” Si mon re plied, “ we’ve worked hard all night long and caught noth ing. But if you say so, I’ll let down the nets.” b 6 When they did this, they caught a great num ber of fish, and their nets b be gan to tear. 7 So they sig naled to their part ners in the oth er boat to come and help them; they came and filled both boats so full that they be gan to sink. 8 When Si mon Pe ter saw this, he fell at Jesus’s knees and said, “ Go away from me, be cause I’m a sin ful man, Lord! ” 9 For he and all those with him were amazed at the catch of fish they had tak en, 10 and so were James and John, Zeb e dee’s sons, who were Si mon’s part ners. “ Don’t be afraid,” Jesus told Si mon. “ From now on you will be catching peo ple.” 11 Then they brought the boats to land, left ev ery thing, and fol lowed him.A MAN CLEANSED 12 While he was in one of the towns, a man was there who had lep ro sy c all over him. He saw Jesus, fell face down, and begged him: “ Lord, if you are will ing, you can make me clean.” 13 Reach ing out his hand, Jesus touched him, say ing, “ I am will ing; be made clean,” and im me di ate ly the lep ro sy left him. 14 Then he or dered him to tell no one: “ But go and show your self to the priest, and o ff er what Mo ses com mand ed for your cleans ing as a tes ti mo ny to them.” 15 But the news d about him spread even more, and large crowds would come to geth er to hear him and to be healed of their sick ness es. 16 Yet he of ten with drew to de sert ed plac
🙏 Divine Healing and Forgiveness
🧠 Jesus demonstrates divine authority by forgiving sins and healing a paralyzed man, proving his identity as the Son of Man with power over both physical and spiritual ailments
🥂 Jesus prioritizes the marginalized, dining with tax collectors and sinners, explaining his mission is to call sinners to repentance rather than the righteous
⚖️ Sabbath controversies reveal Jesus as "Lord of the Sabbath" who challenges religious leaders by healing on holy days and prioritizing human needs over rigid rule-following
💗 Radical teachings on love command followers to love enemies, do good to those who hate them, and give without expecting return—reflecting God's own mercy
🏠 True discipleship requires not just calling Jesus "Lord" but actually following his teachings—like building a house on solid rock rather than sand
🙇♀️ Forgiveness and gratitude are powerfully linked, as shown when Jesus forgives a sinful woman whose extravagant acts of love demonstrate her appreciation for mercy
es and prayed. THE SON OF MAN FORGIVES AND HEALS 17 On one of those days while he was teach ing, Phar i sees and teach ers of the law were sit ting there who had come from ev ery vil lage of Gal i lee and Ju dea, and also from Je ru sa lem. And the Lord’s pow er to heal was in him. 18 Just then some men came, car ry ing on a stretcher a man who was par a lyzed. They tried to bring him in and set him down be fore him. 19 Since they could not find a way to bring him in be- cause of the crowd, they went up on the roof and low ered him on the stretcher through the roof tiles into the mid dle of the crowd be fore Jesus. 20 See ing their faith he said, “ Friend, e your sins are for giv en.” 21 Then the scribes and the Phar i sees be gan to think to them selves: “ Who is this man who speaks blas phe mies? Who can for give sins but God alone? ” 22 But per ceiv ing their thoughts, Jesus re- plied to them, “ Why are you think ing this in your hearts? f 23 Which is eas i er: to say , ‘ Your sins are for giv en you,’ or to say , ‘ Get up and walk’? 24 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has au thor i ty on earth to for give sins” — he told the par a lyzed man, “ I tell you: Get up, take your stretcher, and go home.” 25 Im me di ate ly he got up be fore them, picked up what he had been ly ing on, and went home glo ri fy ing God. 26 Then ev ery one was as tound- ed, and they were giv ing glo ry to God. And they were filled with awe and said, “ We have seen in cred i ble things to day . ” a4:44 Other mss read Galilee b 5:5,6 Other mss read net (Gk sg) c 5:12 Gk lepros ; a term for various skin diseases, also in v. 13; see Lv 13–14 d 5:15 Lit the word e 5:20 Lit “Man f 5:22 Or minds 913 LUKE 4-5 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 913 10/26/17 9:00 PM THE CALL OF LEVI 27 Af ter this, Jesus went out and saw a tax col lec tor named Levi sit ting at the tax off ice, and he said to him, “Fol low me.” 28 So, leav ing ev ery thing be hind, he got up and be gan to fol low him. 29 Then Levi hosted a grand ban quet for him at his house. Now there was a large crowd of tax col lec tors and oth ers who were guests a with them. 30 But the Phar i sees and their scribes were com plain ing to his dis ci ples, “ Why do you eat and drink with tax col lec tors and sin ners? ” 31 Jesus re plied to them, “ It is not those who are healthy who need a doc tor, but those who are sick. 32 I have not come to call the righ teous, but sin ners to re pen tance.” A QUESTION ABOUT FASTING 33 Then they said to him, “ John’s dis ci ples fast of ten and say prayers, and those of the Phar - i sees do the same, but yours eat and drink.” b 34 Jesus said to them, “ You can’t make the wed ding guests fast while the groom is with them, can you? 35 But the time c will come when the groom will be tak en away from them — then they will fast in those days.” 36 He also told them a par a ble: “ No one tears a patch from a new gar ment and puts it on an old gar ment. Oth er wise, not only will he tear the new , but also the piece from the new gar ment will not match the old. 37 And no one puts new wine into old wine skins. Oth er wise, the new wine will burst the skins, it will spill, and the skins will be ru ined. 38 No, new wine is put into fresh wine skins. d 39 And no one, af ter drink ing old wine, wants new , be cause he says, ‘ The old is bet ter.’ ” e LORD OF THE SABBATH 6 On a Sab bath, he passed through the grain- fields. His dis ci ples were picking heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands, and eat ing them. 2 But some of the Phar i sees said, “ Why are you do ing what is not law ful on the Sab bath? ” 3 Jesus an swered them, “ Haven’t you read what Da vid and those who were with him did when he was hun gry — 4 how he en tered the house of God and took and ate the bread of the Pres ence, which is not law ful for any but the priests to eat? He even gave some to those who were with him.” 5 Then he told them, “ The Son of Man is Lord of the Sab bath.” 6 On an oth er Sab bath he en tered the syn- a gogue and was teach ing. A man was there whose right hand was shriv eled. 7 The scribes and Phar i sees were watch ing him close ly , to see if he would heal on the Sab bath, so that they could find a charge against him. 8 But he knew their thoughts and told the man with the shriv eled hand, “ Get up and stand here.” f So he got up and stood there. 9 Then Jesus said to them, “ I ask you: Is it law ful to do good on the Sab bath or to do evil, to save life or to de- stroy it? ” 10 Af ter look ing around at them all, he told him, “ Stretch out your hand.” He did, and his hand was re stored. g 11 They , how ev er, were filled with rage and start ed dis cuss ing with one an oth er what they might do to Jesus. THE TWELVE APOSTLES 12 Dur ing those days he went out to the moun- tain to pray and spent all night in prayer to God. 13 When day light came, he sum moned his dis ci ples, and he chose twelve of them, whom he also named apos tles: 14 Si mon, whom he also named Pe ter, and An drew his broth er; James and John; Phil ip and Bar thol o mew; 15 Mat thew and Thom as; James the son of Al- phae us, and Si mon called the Zeal ot; 16 Ju das the son of James, and Ju das Is car i ot, who be- came a trai tor. TEACHING AND HEALING 17 Af ter com ing down with them, he stood on a lev el place with a large crowd of his dis ci- ples and a great num ber of peo ple from all Ju dea and Je ru sa lem and from the seacoast of Tyre and Si don. 18 They came to hear him and to be healed of their dis eas es; and those tor ment ed by un clean spir its were made well. 19 The whole crowd was try ing to touch him, be cause pow er was com ing out from him and heal ing them all. THE BEATITUDES 20 Then look ing up at his dis ci ples, he said: Blessed are you who are poor, because the kingdom of God is yours. 21 Blessed are you who are now hungry , because you will be filled. Blessed are you who weep now , because you will laugh. a 5:29 Lit were reclining b 5:33 Other mss read “Why do John’s . . . drink? ” (as a question) c 5:35 Lit days d 5:38 Other mss add And so both are preserved. e 5:39 Other mss read is good f6:8 Lit stand in the middle g6:10 Other mss add as sound as the otherLUKE 5-6 914 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 914 10/26/17 9:00 PM 22 Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you, insult you, and slander your name as evil because of the Son of Man. 23 “Re joice in that day and leap for joy . Take note — your re ward is great in heav en, for this is the way their an ces tors used to treat the proph ets. WOE TO THE SELF-SATISFIED 24 But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your comfort. 25 Woe to you who are now full, for you will be hungry . Woe to you a who are now laughing, for you will mourn and weep. 26 Woe to you a when all people speak well of you, for this is the way their ancestors used to treat the false prophets. LOVE YOUR ENEMIES 27 “ But I say to you who lis ten: Love your en e- mies, do what is good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mis treat you. 29 If any one hits you on the cheek, off er the oth er also. And if any one takes away your coat, don’t hold back your shirt ei ther. 30 Give to ev ery one who asks you, and from some one who takes your things, don’t ask for them back. 31 Just as you want oth ers to do for you, do the same for them. 32 If you love those who love you, what cred it is that to you? Even sin ners love those who love them. 33 If you do what is good to those who are good to you, what cred it is that to you? Even sin- ners do that. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you ex pect to re ceive, what cred it is that to you? Even sin ners lend to sin ners to be re paid in full. 35 But love your en e mies, do what is good, and lend, ex pect ing noth ing in re turn. Then your re ward will be great, and you will be chil dren of the Most High. For he is gra cious to the un grate ful and evil. 36 Be mer ci ful, just as your Fa ther also is mer ci ful. DO NOT JUDGE 37 “ Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not con demn, and you will not be con- demned. For give, and you will be for giv en. 38 Give, and it will be giv en to you; a good mea- sure — pressed down, shak en to geth er, and run ning over — will be poured into your lap. For with the mea sure you use, it will be mea- sured back to you.” 39 He also told them a par a ble: “ Can the blind guide the blind? Won’t they both fall into a pit? 40 A dis ci ple is not above his teach er, but ev ery one who is ful ly trained will be like his teach er. 41 “ Why do you look at the splinter in your broth er’s eye, but don’t no tice the beam of wood in your own eye? 42 Or how can you say to your broth er, ‘Broth er, let me take out the splinter that is in your eye,’ when you your - self don’t see the beam of wood in your eye? Hyp o crite! First take the beam of wood out of your eye, and then you will see clear ly to take out the splinter in your broth er’s eye. A TREE AND ITS FRUIT 43 “ A good tree doesn’t pro duce bad fruit; on the oth er hand, a bad tree doesn’t pro duce good fruit. b 44 For each tree is known by its own fruit. Figs aren’t gath ered from thorn bush es, or grapes picked from a bramble bush. 45 A good per son pro duc es good out of the good stored up in his heart. An evil per son pro duc es evil out of the evil stored up in his heart, for his mouth speaks from the over flow of the heart. THE TWO FOUNDATIONS 46 “ Why do you call me ‘ Lord, Lord,’ and don’t do the things I say? 47 I will show you what some- one is like who comes to me, hears my words, and acts on them: 48 He is like a man build ing a house, who dug deep and laid the foun da- tion on the rock. When the flood came, the riv er crashed against that house and couldn’t shake it, be cause it was well built. 49 But the one who hears and does not act is like a man who built a house on the ground with out a foun da tion. The riv er crashed against it, and im me di ate ly it col lapsed. And the de struc tion of that house was great.” A CENTURION’S FAITH 7 When he had con clud ed say ing all this to the peo ple who were lis ten ing, he en tered Ca per na um. 2 A cen tu ri on’s ser vant, who was high ly val ued by him, was sick and about to die. 3 When the cen tu ri on heard about Jesus, he sent some Jew ish el ders to him, re quest ing him to come and save the life of his ser vant. 4 When they reached Jesus, they plead ed with him ear nest ly , say ing, “ He is wor thy for you to a6:25,26 Other mss omit to you b6:43 Lit on the other hand, again, a bad tree doesn’t produce good fruit 915 LUKE 6-7 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 915 10/26/17 9:00 PM grant this, 5 be cause he loves our na tion and has built us a syn a gogue.” 6 Jesus went with them, and when he was not far from the house, the cen tu ri on sent friends to tell him, “ Lord, don’t trou ble your self, since I am not wor thy to have you come un der my roof. 7 That is why I didn’t even con sid er my- self wor thy to come to you. But say the word, and my ser vant will be healed. a 8 For I too am a man placed un der au thor i ty , hav ing sol diers un der my com mand. I say to this one, ‘ Go,’ and he goes; and to an oth er, ‘ Come,’ and he comes; and to my ser vant, ‘ Do this,’ and he does it.” 9 Jesus heard this and was amazed at him, and turn ing to the crowd fol low ing him, he said, “ I tell you, I have not found so great a faith even in Is ra el.” 10 When those who had been sent re turned to the house, they found the ser vant in good health. A WIDOW’S SON RAISED TO LIFE 11 Af ter ward he was on his way to a town called Nain. His dis ci ples and a large crowd were trav el ing with him. 12 Just as he neared the gate of the town, a dead man was be ing car ried out. He was his moth er’s only son, and she was a wid ow . A large crowd from the city was also with her. 13 When the Lord saw her, he had com pas sion on her and said, “ Don’t weep.” 14 Then he came up and touched the open co ff in, and the pallbearers stopped. And he said, “ Young man, I tell you, get up! ” 15 The dead man sat up and be gan to speak, and Jesus gave him to his moth er. 16 Then fear b came over ev ery one, and they glo ri fied God, say ing, “ A great proph et has ris en among us,” and “ God has vis it ed c his peo ple.” 17 This re- port about him went through out Ju dea and all the vi cin i ty . IN PRAISE OF JOHN THE BAPTIST 18 Then John’s dis ci ples told him about all these things. So John sum moned two of his dis ci ples 19 and sent them to the Lord, ask ing, “ Are you the one who is to come, or should we ex pect some one else? ” 20 When the men reached him, they said, “ John the Bap tist sent us to ask you, ‘ Are you the one who is to come, or should we ex pect some one else? ’ ” 21 At that time Jesus healed many peo ple of dis eas es, afflictions, and evil spir its, and he grant ed sight to many blind peo ple. 22 He re- plied to them, “ Go and re port to John what you have seen and heard: The blind re ceive their sight, the lame walk, those with lep ro sy d are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor are told the good news, 23 and blessed is the one who isn’t off end ed by me.” 24 Af ter John’s mes sen gers left, he be gan to speak to the crowds about John: “ What did you go out into the wil der ness to see? A reed sway ing in the wind? 25 What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothes? See, those who are splendidly dressed and live in lux u ry are in roy al pal aces. 26 What then did you go out to see? A proph et? Yes, I tell you, and more than a proph et. 27 This is the one about whom it is writ ten: See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way before you. e 28 I tell you, among those born of wom en no one is great er than John, f but the least in the king dom of God is great er than he.” 29 ( And when all the peo ple, in clud ing the tax col lec tors, heard this, they ac knowl edged God’s way of righ teous ness, be cause they had been bap tized with John’s bap tism. 30 But since the Phar i sees and ex perts in the law had not been bap tized by him, they re ject ed the plan of God for them selves.) AN UNRESPONSIVE GENERATION 31 “ To what then should I com pare the peo ple of this gen er a tion, and what are they like? 32 They are like chil dren sit ting in the mar - ket place and call ing to each oth er: We played the flute for you, but you didn’t dance; we sang a lament, but you didn’t weep! 33 For John the Bap tist did not come eat ing bread or drink ing wine, and you say , ‘ He has a de mon! ’ 34 The Son of Man has come eat ing and drink ing, and you say , ‘ Look, a glut ton and a drunk ard, a friend of tax col lec tors and sin ners! ’ 35 Yet wis dom is vin di cat ed by all her chil dren.” MUCH FORGIVENESS, MUCH LOVE 36 Then one of the Phar i sees in vit ed him to eat with him. He en tered the Phar i see’s house a7:7 Other mss read and let my servant be healed b7:16 Or awe c7:16 Or come to help d7:22 Gk lepros ; a term for various skin diseases; see Lv 13–14 e7:27 Mal 3:1 f7:28 Other mss read women is not a greater prophet than John the BaptistLUKE 7 916 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 916 10/26/17 9:00 PM and re clined at the ta ble. 37 And a wom an in the town who was a sin ner found out that Jesus was re clin ing at the ta ble in the Phar - i see’s house. She brought an al a bas ter jar of per fume 38 and stood be hind him at his feet, weep ing, and be gan to wash his feet with her tears. She wiped his feet with her hair, kiss ing them and anoint ing them with the per fume. 39 When the Phar i see who had in vit ed him saw this, he said to him self, “ This man, if he were a proph et, would know who and what kind of wom an this is who is touch ing him — she’s a sin ner! ” 40 Jesus re plied to him, “Si mon, I have some - thing to say to you.” He said, “ Say it, teach er.” 41 “ A cred i tor had two debt ors. One owed five hun dred de nar ii, a and the oth er fif ty . 42 Since they could not pay it back, he gra cious ly for - gave them both. So, which of them will love him more? ” 43 Si mon an swered, “ I sup pose the one he for gave more.” “ You have judged cor rect ly ,” he told him. 44 Turn ing to the wom an, he said to Si mon, “ Do you see this wom an? I en tered your house; you gave me no wa ter for my feet, but she, with her tears, has washed my feet and wiped them with her hair. 45 You gave me no kiss, but she hasn’t stopped kiss ing my feet since I came in. 46 You didn’t anoint my head with ol ive oil, but she has anoint ed my feet with per fume. 47 There fore I tell you, her many sins have been for giv en; that’s why she loved much. But the one who is for giv en lit tle, loves lit tle.” 48 Then he said to her, “ Your sins are for giv en.” 49 Those who were at the ta ble with him be gan to say among them selves, “ Who is this man who even for gives sins? ” 50 And he said to the wom an, “ Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.” MANY WOMEN SUPPORT CHRIST’S WORK 8 Af ter ward he was trav el ing from one town and vil lage to an oth er, preach ing and tell ing the good news of the king dom of God. The Twelve were with him, 2 and also some wom en who had been healed of evil spir its and sick ness es: Mary , called Mag da lene (sev en de mons had come out of her); 3 Jo an na the wife of Chuza, Her od’s stew ard; Su san na; and many oth ers who were sup port ing them from their pos ses sions.THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER 4 As a large crowd was gath er ing, and peo ple were com ing to Jesus from ev ery town, he
🌱 Parable of the Sower
🌱 Seeds fall on different grounds (path, rock, thorns, good soil), representing how people receive God's word—only those on good soil produce abundant fruit
👂 Jesus uses parables to reveal spiritual truths to his followers while concealing them from others, emphasizing the importance of "having ears to hear"
💪 Miracles demonstrate Jesus's divine authority—calming storms, casting out demons, healing the sick, and raising the dead—proving his power over nature, spirits, and death
🤲 Faith transforms lives when people trust Jesus completely, as shown through the bleeding woman's healing and Jairus's daughter being raised
🔄 Discipleship requires denying oneself, taking up one's cross daily, and following Jesus without looking back—a radical commitment that redefines relationships
🌍 The Kingdom of God is proclaimed through Jesus's ministry and the disciples he sends out, bringing healing and good news to those who welcome them
said in a par a ble: 5 “ A sow er went out to sow his seed. As he sowed, some seed fell along the path; it was tram pled on, and the birds of the sky de voured it. 6 Oth er seed fell on the rock; when it grew up, it with ered away , since it lacked mois ture. 7 Oth er seed fell among thorns; the thorns grew up with it and choked it. 8 Still oth er seed fell on good ground; when it grew up, it pro duced fruit: a hun dred times what was sown.” As he said this, he called out, “ Let any one who has ears to hear lis ten.” WHY JESUS USED PARABLES 9 Then his dis ci ples asked him, “ What does this par a ble mean? ” 10 So he said, “ The se crets of the king dom of God have been giv en for you to know , but to the rest it is in par a bles, so that Looking they may not see, and hearing they may not understand. b THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER EXPLAINED 11 “ This is the mean ing of the par a ble: The seed is the word of God. 12 The seed along the path are those who have heard and then the dev il comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not be lieve and be saved. 13 And the seed on the rock are those who, when they hear, re ceive the word with joy . Hav ing no root, these be lieve for a while and fall away in a time of test ing. 14 As for the seed that fell among thorns, these are the ones who, when they have heard, go on their way and are choked with wor ries, rich es, and plea sures of life, and pro duce no ma ture fruit. 15 But the seed in the good ground — these are the ones who, hav ing heard the word with an hon est and good heart, hold on to it and by en dur ing, pro duce fruit. USING YOUR LIGHT 16 “ No one, af ter light ing a lamp, cov ers it with a bas ket or puts it un der a bed, but puts it on a lamp stand so that those who come in may see its light. 17 For noth ing is con cealed that won’t be re vealed, and noth ing hid den that won’t be made known and brought to light. 18 There fore take care how you lis ten. For who ev er has, more will be giv en to him; and who ev er does not have, even what he thinks he has will be tak en away from him.” a7:41 A denarius = one day’s wage b8:10 Is 6:9 917 LUKE 7-8 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 917 10/26/17 9:00 PM TRUE RELATIONSHIPS 19 Then his moth er and broth ers came to him, but they could not meet with him be cause of the crowd. 20 He was told, “ Your moth er and your broth ers are stand ing out side, want ing to see you.” 21 But he re plied to them, “ My moth er and my broth ers are those who hear and do the word of God.” WIND AND WAVE OBEY JESUS 22 One day he and his dis ci ples got into a boat, and he told them, “ Let’s cross over to the oth er side of the lake.” So they set out, 23 and as they were sail ing he fell asleep. Then a fierce wind storm came down on the lake; they were be ing swamped and were in dan ger. 24 They came and woke him up, say ing, “Mas ter, Mas ter, we’re go ing to die! ” Then he got up and re buked the wind and the rag ing waves. So they ceased, and there was a calm. 25 He said to them, “ Where is y our f aith? ” They were fear ful and amazed, ask ing one an oth er, “ Who then is this? He com mands even the winds and the waves, and they obey him! ” DEMONS DRIVEN OUT BY JESUS 26 Then they sailed to the re gion of the Ger a senes, A which is op po site Gal i lee. 27 When he got out on land, a demon possessed man from the town met him. For a long time he had worn no clothes and did not stay in a house but in the tombs. 28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down be fore him, and said in a loud voice, “ What do you have to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t tor ment me! ” 29 For he had com mand ed the un clean spir it to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was guard ed, bound by chains and shack les, he would snap the re straints and be driv en by the de mon into de sert ed plac es. 30 “ What is your name? ” Jesus asked him. “Le gion,” he said, be cause many de mons had en tered him. 31 And they begged him not to ban ish them to the abyss. 32 A large herd of pigs was there, feed ing on the hill side. The de mons begged him to per mit them to en ter the pigs, and he gave them per mis sion. 33 The de mons came out of the man and en tered the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned. 34 When the men who tend ed them saw what had hap pened, they ran off and re port ed it in the town and in the coun try side. 35 Then peo ple went out to see what had hap pened. They came to Jesus and found the man the de mons had de part ed from, sit ting at Jesus’s feet, dressed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. 36 Mean while, the eye wit ness es re port ed to them how the demon possessed man was de liv ered. 37 Then all the peo ple of the Gerasene re gion A asked him to leave them, be cause they were gripped by great fear. So get ting into the boat, he re turned. 38 The man from whom the de mons had de part ed begged him ear nest ly to be with him. But he sent him away and said, 39 “ Go back to your home, and tell all that God has done for you.” And off he went, pro claim ing through out the town how much Jesus had done for him. A GIRL RESTORED AND A WOMAN HEALED 40 When Jesus re turned, the crowd wel comed him, for they were all ex pect ing him. 41 Just then, a man named Ja i rus came. He was a lead er of the syn a gogue. He fell down at Jesus’s feet and plead ed with him to come to his house, 42 be cause he had an only daugh ter about twelve years old, and she was dy ing. While he was go ing, the crowds were near ly crush ing him. 43 A wom an su ff er ing from bleed ing for twelve years, who had spent all she had on doc tors B and yet could not be healed by any , 44 ap proached from be hind and touched the end of his robe. In stant ly her bleed ing stopped. 45 “ Who touched me? ” Jesus asked. When they all de nied it, Pe ter C said, “Mas ter, the crowds are hemming you in and press ing against you.” D 46 “Some one did touch me,” said Jesus. “ I know that pow er has gone out from me.” 47 When the wom an saw that she was dis cov ered, she came trem bling and fell down be fore him. In the pres ence of all the peo ple, she de clared the rea son she had touched him and how she was in stant ly healed. 48 “Daugh ter,” he said to her, “ your faith has saved you. E Go in peace.” 49 While he was still speak ing, some one came from the syn a gogue lead er’s house and said, A8:26,37 Other mss read the Gadarenes B8:43 Other mss omit who had spent all she had on doctors C8:45 Other mss add and those with him D8:45 Other mss add and you say, ‘Who touched me?’ E8:48 Or has made you wellLUkE 8 918 42_CSB_UltraThin.indd 12 11/7/17 4:04 PM “ Your daugh ter is dead. Don’t both er the teach - er any more.” 50 When Jesus heard it, he an swered him, “ Don’t be afraid. Only be lieve, and she will be saved.” a 51 Af ter he came to the house, he let no one en ter with him ex cept Pe ter, John, James, and the child’s fa ther and moth er. 52 Ev- ery one was cry ing and mourn ing for her. But he said, “ Stop cry ing, be cause she is not dead but asleep.” 53 They laughed at him, be cause they knew she was dead. 54 So he b took her by the hand and called out, “ Child, get up! ” 55 Her spir it re turned, and she got up at once. Then he gave or ders that she be giv en some thing to eat. 56 Her par ents were as tound ed, but he in struct ed them to tell no one what had hap pened. COMMISSIONING THE TWELVE 9 Sum mon ing the Twelve, he gave them pow- er and au thor i ty over all the de mons and to heal dis eas es. 2 Then he sent them to pro- claim the king dom of God and to heal the sick. 3 “ Take noth ing for the road,” he told them, “ no staff, no trav el ing bag, no bread, no mon- ey; and don’t take an ex tra shirt. 4 What ev er house you en ter, stay there and leave from there. 5 If they do not wel come you, when you leave that town, shake off the dust from your feet as a tes ti mo ny against them.” 6 So they went out and trav eled from vil lage to vil lage, pro claim ing the good news and heal - ing ev ery where. HEROD’S DESIRE TO SEE JESUS 7 Her od the te trarch heard about ev ery thing that was go ing on. He was per plexed, be cause some said that John had been raised from the dead, 8 some that Eli jah had ap peared, and oth ers that one of the an cient proph ets had ris en. 9 “ I be head ed John,” Her od said, “ but who is this I hear such things about? ” And he want ed to see him. FEEDING OF THE FIVE THOUSAND 10 When the apos tles re turned, they re port ed to Jesus all that they had done. He took them along and with drew pri vate ly to a c town called Beth sa i da. 11 When the crowds found out, they fol lowed him. He wel comed them, spoke to them about the king dom of God, and healed those who need ed heal ing.12 Late in the day , the Twelve ap proached and said to him, “ Send the crowd away , so that they can go into the sur round ing vil lages and coun try side to find food and lodg ing, be cause we are in a de sert ed place here.” 13 “ You give them some thing to eat,” he told them. “ We have no more than five loaves and two fish,” they said, “un less we go and buy food for all these peo ple.” 14 ( For about five thou sand men were there.) Then he told his dis ci ples, “ Have them sit down d in groups of about fif ty each.” 15 They did what he said, and had them all sit down. 16 Then he took the five loaves and the two fish, and look ing up to heav en, he blessed and broke them. He kept giv ing them to the dis ci ples to set be fore the crowd. 17 Ev ery one ate and was filled. They picked up twelve bas- kets of left over pieces. PETER’S CONFESSION OF THE MESSIAH 18 While he was pray ing in pri vate and his dis - ci ples were with him, he asked them, “ Who do the crowds say that I am? ” 19 They an swered, “ John the Bap tist; oth- ers, Eli jah; still oth ers, that one of the an cient proph ets has come back.” e 20 “ But you,” he asked them, “ who do you say that I am? ” Pe ter an swered, “ God’s Mes si ah.” HIS DEATH AND RESURRECTION PREDICTED 21 But he strict ly warned and in struct ed them to tell this to no one, 22 say ing, “ It is nec es sary that the Son of Man suff er many things and be re ject ed by the el ders, chief priests, and scribes, be killed, and be raised the third day .” TAKE UP YOUR CROSS 23 Then he said to them all, “ If any one wants to fol low af ter f me, let him deny him self, take up his cross dai ly , g and fol low me. 24 For who- ev er wants to save his life will lose it, but who ev er loses his life be cause of me will save it. 25 For what does it ben e fit some one if he gains the whole world, and yet loses or for feits him self? 26 For who ev er is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glo ry and that of the Fa ther and the holy an gels. 27 Tru ly I tell you, there are some stand ing a8:50 Or she will be made well b8:54 Other mss add having put them all outside c 9:10 Other mss add deserted place near a d 9:14 Lit them recline e 9:19 Lit has risen f 9:23 Lit come after g 9:23 Other mss omit daily 919 LUKE 8-9 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 919 10/26/17 9:00 PM here who will not taste death un til they see the king dom of God.” THE TRANSFIGURATION 28 About eight days af ter this con ver sa tion, he took along Pe ter, John, and James and went up on the moun tain to pray . 29 As he was pray ing, the ap pear ance of his face changed, and his clothes be came daz zling white. 30 Sud den- ly , two men were talk ing with him — Mo ses and Eli jah. 31 They ap peared in glo ry and were speak ing of his de par ture, which he was about to ac com plish in Je ru sa lem. 32 Pe ter and those with him were in a deep sleep, a and when they be came ful ly awake, they saw his glo ry and the two men who were stand ing with him. 33 As the two men were de part ing from him, Pe ter said to Jesus, “Mas- ter, it’s good for us to be here. Let us set up three shel ters: one for you, one for Mo ses, and one for Eli jah” — not know ing what he was say ing. 34 While he was say ing this, a cloud ap peared and over shad owed them. They be came afraid as they en tered the cloud. 35 Then a voice came from the cloud, say ing: “ This is my Son, the Cho sen One; b lis ten to him! ” 36 Af ter the voice had spo ken, Jesus was found alone. They kept si lent, and at that time told no one what they had seen. THE POWER OF JESUS OVER A DEMON 37 The next day , when they came down from the moun tain, a large crowd met him. 38 Just then a man from the crowd cried out, “Teach er, I beg you to look at my son, be cause he’s my only child. 39 A spir it seiz es him; sud den ly he shrieks, and it throws him into con vul sions un til he foams at the mouth; se vere ly bruising him, it scarce ly ever leaves him. 40 I begged your dis ci ples to drive it out, but they couldn’t.” 41 Jesus re plied, “ You un be liev ing and per - verse c gen er a tion, how long will I be with you and put up with you? Bring your son here.” 42 As the boy was still ap proach ing, the de- mon knocked him down and threw him into se vere con vul sions. But Jesus re buked the un clean spir it, healed the boy , and gave him back to his fa ther. 43 And they were all as ton- ished at the great ness of God.THE SECOND PREDICTION OF HIS DEATH While ev ery one was amazed at all the things he was do ing, he told his dis ci ples, 44 “ Let these words sink in: d The Son of Man is about to be be trayed into the hands of men.” 45 But they did not un der stand this state- ment; it was con cealed from them so that they could not grasp it, and they were afraid to ask him about it. WHO IS THE GREATEST? 46 An argument start ed among them about who was the great est of them. 47 But Jesus, know ing their in ner thoughts, e took a lit tle child and had him stand next to him. 48 He told them, “Who ev er wel comes f this lit tle child in my name wel comes me. And who ev er wel comes me wel comes him who sent me. For who ev er is least among you — this one is great.” IN HIS NAME 49 John re spond ed, “Mas ter, we saw some one driv ing out de mons in your name, and we tried to stop him be cause he does not fol low us.” 50 “ Don’t stop him,” Jesus told him, “be cause who ev er is not against you is for you.” g THE JOURNEY TO JERUSALEM 51 When the days were com ing to a close for him to be tak en up, he de ter mined h to jour ney to Je ru sa lem. 52 He sent mes sen gers ahead of him- self, and on the way they en tered a vil lage of the Sa mar i tans to make prep a ra tions for him. 53 But they did not wel come him, be cause he de ter mined to jour ney to Je ru sa lem. 54 When the dis ci ples James and John saw this, they said, “ Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heav en to con sume them? ” i 55 But he turned and re buked them, j 56 and they went to an oth er vil lage. FOLLOWING JESUS 57 As they were trav el ing on the road some one said to him, “ I will fol low you wher ev er you go.” 58 Jesus told him, “Fox es have dens, and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” 59 Then he said to an oth er, “Fol low me.” “ Lord,” he said, “ first let me go bury my fa- ther.” a 9:32 Lit were weighed down with sleep b 9:35 Other mss read the Beloved c 9:41 Or corrupt, or perverted, or twisted ; Dt 32:5 d 9:44 Lit “Put these words in your ears e 9:47 Lit the thoughts of their hearts f 9:48 Or receives, throughout the verse g 9:50 Other mss read against us is for us h9:51 Lit he stiffened his face to go ; Is 50:7 i 9:54 Other mss add as Elijah also did j 9:55-56 Other mss add and said, “You don’t know what kind of spirit you belong to. 56For the Son of Man did not come to destroy people’s lives but to save them,”LUKE 9 920 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 920 10/26/17 9:00 PM 60 But he told him, “ Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and spread the news of the king dom of God.” 61 An oth er said, “ I will fol low you, Lord, but first let me go and say good-bye to those at my house.” 62 But Jesus said to him, “ No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the king dom of God.” SENDING OUT THE SEVENTY-TWO 10 Af ter this, the Lord ap point ed seven - ty-two a oth ers, and he sent them ahead of him in pairs to ev ery town and place where he him self was about to go. 2 He told them, “ The har vest is abun dant, but the work ers are few . There fore, pray to the Lord of the har vest to send out work ers into his har vest. 3 Now go; I’m send ing you out like lambs among wolves. 4 Don’t car ry a money-bag, trav el ing bag, or san dals; don’t greet any one along the road. 5 What ev er house you en ter, first say , ‘ Peace to this house hold.’ 6 If a per son of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will re turn to you. 7 Re main in the same house, eat ing and drink ing what they off er, for the work er is wor thy of his wag es. Don’t move from house to house. 8 When you en ter any town, and they wel come you, eat the things set be fore you. 9 Heal the sick who are there, and tell them, ‘ The king dom of God has come near you.’ 10 When you en ter any town, and they don’t wel come you, go out into its streets and say , 11 ‘ We are wip ing off even the dust of your town that clings to our feet as a wit ness against you. Know this for cer tain: The king- dom of God has come near.’ 12 I tell you, on that day it will be more tolerable for Sod om than for that town. UNREPENTANT TOWNS 13 “ Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Beth sa- i da! For if the mir a cles that were done in you had been done in Tyre and Si don, they would have re pent ed long ago, sit ting in sack cloth and ash es. 14 But it will be more tolerable for Tyre
🙏 Divine Authority and Discipleship
🔥 Spiritual power flows through Jesus to his followers, enabling them to overcome evil forces while maintaining proper perspective on what truly matters—their salvation
🤲 The Good Samaritan parable radically redefines "neighbor" through compassionate action rather than religious status, challenging believers to extend mercy across social boundaries
⚡ Prayer operates as a direct connection to the Father, with persistence and boldness yielding results from a God who gives generously to those who ask
🔍 Jesus exposes religious hypocrisy by contrasting external ritual observance with the internal reality of the heart, condemning those who burden others while neglecting justice
💰 Material possessions create dangerous spiritual blindness, while kingdom-focused living produces eternal treasure and freedom from anxiety
⏰ True disciples remain vigilant and ready for their master's return, with their priorities aligned with heavenly values rather than worldly security
and Si don at the judg ment than for you. 15 And you, Ca per na um, will you be ex alt ed to heav en? No, you will go down to Ha des. 16 Who - ev er lis tens to you lis tens to me. Who ev er re jects you re jects me. And who ev er re jects me re jects the one who sent me.”THE RETURN OF THE SEVENTY-TWO 17 The seventy-two b re turned with joy , say- ing, “ Lord, even the de mons sub mit to us in your name.” 18 He said to them, “ I watched Sa tan fall from heav en like light ning. 19 Look, I have giv en you the au thor i ty to tram ple on snakes and scor - pi ons and over all the pow er of the en e my; noth ing at all will harm you. 20 How ev er, don’t re joice that c the spir its sub mit to you, but re- joice that your names are writ ten in heav en.” THE SON REVEALS THE FATHER 21 At that time he d re joiced in the Holy e Spir it and said, “ I praise f you, Fa ther, Lord of heav- en and earth, be cause you have hid den these things from the wise and in tel li gent and re- vealed them to in fants. Yes, Fa ther, be cause this was your good plea sure. g 22 All things have h been en trust ed to me by my Fa ther. No one knows who the Son is ex cept the Fa ther, and who the Fa ther is ex cept the Son, and any- one to whom the Son de sires i to re veal him.” 23 Then turn ing to his dis ci ples he said pri- vate ly , “ Blessed are the eyes that see the things you see! 24 For I tell you that many proph ets and kings want ed to see the things you see but didn’t see them; to hear the things you hear but didn’t hear them.” THE PARABLE OF THE GOOD SAMARITAN 25 Then an ex pert in the law stood up to test him, say ing, “Teach er, what must I do to in- her it eter nal life? ” 26 “ What is writ ten in the law? ” he asked him. “ How do you read it? ” 27 He an swered, “ Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind;” and “ your neigh bor as your self.” j 28 “ You’ve an swered cor rect ly ,” he told him. “ Do this and you will live.” 29 But want ing to jus ti fy him self, he asked Jesus, “ And who is my neigh bor? ” 30 Jesus took up the ques tion and said: “ A man was go ing down from Je ru sa lem to Jer - i cho and fell into the hands of rob bers. They stripped him, beat him up, and fled, leav ing him half dead. 31 A priest hap pened to be go- ing down that road. When he saw him, he passed by on the oth er side. 32 In the same way , a Le vite, when he ar rived at the place and a10:1 Other mss read seventy b10:17 Other mss read The seventy c10:20 Lit don’t rejoice in this, that d10:21 Other mss read Jesus e10:21 Other mss omit Holy f10:21 Or thank, or confess g10:21 Lit was well-pleasing in your sight h10:22 Other mss read And turning to the disciples, he said, “Everything has i10:22 Or wills, or chooses j10:27 Lv 19:18; Dt 6:5 921 LUKE 9-10 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 921 10/26/17 9:00 PM saw him, passed by on the oth er side. 33 But a Sa mar i tan on his jour ney came up to him, and when he saw the man, he had com pas- sion. 34 He went over to him and ban daged his wounds, pour ing on ol ive oil and wine. Then he put him on his own an i mal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 The next day a he took out two de nar ii, b gave them to the inn keep er, and said, ‘ Take care of him. When I come back I’ll re im burse you for what ev er ex tra you spend.’ 36 “ Which of these three do you think proved to be a neigh bor to the man who fell into the hands of the rob bers? ” 37 “ The one who showed mer cy to him,” he said. Then Jesus told him, “ Go and do the same.” MARTHA AND MARY 38 While they were trav el ing, he en tered a vil- lage, and a wom an named Mar tha wel comed him into her home. c 39 She had a sis ter named Mary , who also sat at the Lord’s d feet and was lis ten ing to what he said. e 40 But Mar tha was dis tract ed by her many tasks, and she came up and asked, “ Lord, don’t you care that my sis ter has left me to serve alone? So tell her to give me a hand.” f 41 The Lord g an swered her, “Mar tha, Mar - tha, you are wor ried and up set about many things, 42 but one thing is nec es sary . h Mary has made the right choice, i and it will not be tak en away from her.” THE LORD’S PRAYER 11 He was pray ing in a cer tain place, and when he fin ished, one of his dis ci ples said to him, “ Lord, teach us to pray , just as John also taught his dis ci ples.” 2 He said to them, “When ev er you pray , say , Father, j your name be honored as holy . Your kingdom come. k 3 Give us each day our daily bread. l 4 And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone in debt to us. m And do not bring us into temptation.” nASK, SEARCH, KNOCK 5 He also said to them: “Sup pose one of you o has a friend and goes to him at mid night and says to him, ‘ Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, 6 be cause a friend of mine on a jour ney has come to me, and I don’t have any thing to of fer him.’ 7 Then he will an swer from in side and say , ‘ Don’t both er me! The door is al ready locked, and my chil dren and I have gone to bed. I can’t get up to give you any thing.’ 8 I tell you, even though he won’t get up and give him any thing be cause he is his friend, yet be cause of his friend’s shame less bold- ness, p he will get up and give him as much as he needs. 9 “ So I say to you, ask, and it will be giv en to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you. 10 For ev ery one who asks re ceives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 11 What fa ther among you, if his son q asks for a fish, will give him a snake in stead of a fish? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scor pi on? 13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your chil dren, how much more will the heav en ly Fa ther give the Holy Spir it to those who ask him? ” A HOUSE DIVIDED 14 Now he was driv ing out a de mon that was mute. When the de mon came out, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowds were amazed. 15 But some of them said, “ He drives out de mons by Be el ze bul, the rul er of the de mons.” 16 And oth ers, as a test, were de- mand ing of him a sign from heav en. 17 Know ing their thoughts, he told them, “Ev- ery king dom di vid ed against it self is head ed for de struc tion, and a house di vid ed against it self falls. 18 If Sa tan also is di vid ed against him self, how will his king dom stand? For you say I drive out de mons by Be el ze bul. 19 And if I drive out de mons by Be el ze bul, by whom do your sons drive them out? For this rea son they will be your judg es. 20 If I drive out de mons by the fin ger of God, then the king dom of God has come upon you. 21 When a strong man, ful ly armed, guards his es tate, his pos ses sions are a10:35 Other mss add as he was leaving b10:35 A denarius = one day’s wage. c10:38 Other mss omit into her home d10:39 Other mss read at Jesus’s e10:39 Lit to his word, or message f10:40 Or tell her to help me g10:41 Other mss read Jesus h10:42 Some mss read few things are necessary, or only one i10:42 Lit has chosen the good part, or has chosen the better portion ; = the right meal j11:2 Other mss read Our Father in heaven k11:2 Other mss add Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven l11:3 Or our bread for tomorrow m11:4 Or everyone who wrongs us n11:4 Other mss add But deliver us from the evil one o11:5 Lit Who of you p11:8 Or persistence q11:11 Other mss read son asks for bread, would give him a stone? Or if heLUKE 10-11 922 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 922 10/26/17 9:00 PM se cure. 22 But when one stron ger than he at- tacks and over pow ers him, he takes from him all his weap ons a he trust ed in, and di vides up his plun der. 23 Any one who is not with me is against me, and any one who does not gath er with me scat ters. AN UNCLEAN SPIRIT’S RETURN 24 “ When an un clean spir it comes out of a per - son, it roams through wa ter less plac es look ing for rest, and not find ing rest, it then b says, ‘ I’ll go back to my house that I came from.’ 25 Re- turn ing, it finds the house swept and put in or der. 26 Then it goes and brings sev en oth er spir its more evil than it self, and they en ter and set tle down there. As a re sult, that per - son’s last con di tion is worse than the first.” TRUE BLESSEDNESS 27 As he was say ing these things, a wom an from the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “ Blessed is the womb that bore you and the one who nursed you! ” 28 He said, “Rath er, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it.” THE SIGN OF JONAH 29 As the crowds were in creas ing, he be gan say ing: “ This gen er a tion is an evil gen er a tion. It de mands a sign, but no sign will be giv en to it ex cept the sign of Jo nah. c 30 For just as Jo nah be came a sign to the peo ple of Nin e veh, so also the Son of Man will be to this gen er a- tion. 31 The queen of the south will rise up at the judg ment with the men of this gen er a tion and con demn them, be cause she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wis dom of Sol o mon, and look — some thing great er than Sol o mon is here. 32 The men of Nin e veh will stand up at the judg ment with this gen er a- tion and con demn it, be cause they re pent ed at Jo nah’s preach ing, and look — some thing great er than Jo nah is here. THE LAMP OF THE BODY 33 “ No one lights a lamp and puts it in the cellar or un der a bas ket, d but on a lamp stand, so that those who come in may see its light. 34 Your eye is the lamp of the body . When your eye is healthy , your whole body is also full of light. But when it is bad, your body is also full of dark ness. 35 Take care, then, that the light in you is not dark ness. 36 If, there fore, your whole body is full of light, with no part of it in dark- ness, it will be en tire ly il lu mi nat ed, as when a lamp shines its light on you.” RELIGIOUS HYPOCRISY DENOUNCED 37 As he was speak ing, a Phar i see asked him to dine with him. So he went in and re clined at the ta ble. 38 When the Phar i see saw this, he was amazed that he did not first per form the rit u al wash ing e be fore din ner. 39 But the Lord said to him, “ Now you Phar i sees clean the out side of the cup and dish, but in side you are full of greed and evil. 40 Fools! Didn’t he who made the out side make the in side too? 41 But give from what is with in to the poor, f and then ev ery thing is clean for you. 42 “ But woe to you Phar i sees! You give a tenth g of mint, rue, and ev ery kind of herb, and you bypass h jus tice and love for God. i These things you should have done with out ne glect ing the oth ers. 43 “ Woe to you Phar i sees! You love the front seat in the syn a gogues and greet ings in the mar ket places. 44 “ Woe to you! j You are like un marked graves; the peo ple who walk over them don’t know it.” 45 One of the ex perts in the law an swered him, “Teach er, when you say these things you in sult us too.” 46 Then he said: “ Woe also to you ex perts in the law! You load peo ple with bur dens that are hard to car ry , and yet you your selves don’t touch these bur dens with one of your fin gers. 47 “ Woe to you! You build tombs k for the proph ets, and your fa thers killed them. 48 There- fore, you are wit ness es that you ap prove l the deeds of your fa thers, for they killed them, and you build their mon u ments. m 49 Be cause of this, the wis dom of God said, ‘ I will send them proph ets and apos tles, and some of them they will kill and per se cute,’ 50 so that this gen er a- tion may be held re spon si ble for the blood of all the proph ets shed since the foun da tion of the world n — 51 from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zech a ri ah, who per ished be tween the al tar and the sanc tu ary . a11:22 Gk panoplia, the armor and weapons of a foot soldier; Eph 6:11,13 b11:24 Other mss omit then c11:29 Other mss add the prophet d11:33 Other mss omit or under a basket e11:38 Lit he did not first wash f11:41 Or But donate from the heart as charity g11:42 Or a tithe h11:42 Or neglect i11:42 Lit the justice and the love of God j11:44 Other mss add scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! k11:47 Or graves l11:48 Lit witnesses and approve m11:48 Other mss omit their monuments n11:50 Lit so that the blood of all . . . world may be required of this generation, 923 LUKE 11 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 923 10/26/17 9:00 PM “ Yes, I tell you, this gen er a tion will be held re spon si ble. a 52 “ Woe to you ex perts in the law! You have tak en away the key to knowl edge. You didn’t go in your selves, and you hin dered those who were try ing to go in.” 53 When he left there, b the scribes and the Phar i sees be gan to op pose him fierce ly and to cross-examine him about many things; 54 they were ly ing in wait for him to trap him in some thing he said. c BEWARE OF RELIGIOUS HYPOCRISY 12 Mean while, a crowd of many thou sands came to geth er, so that they were tram- pling on one an oth er. He be gan to say to his dis ci ples first, “ Be on your guard against the leaven d of the Phar i sees, which is hy poc ri sy . 2 There is noth ing cov ered that won’t be un- cov ered, noth ing hid den that won’t be made known. 3 There fore, what ev er you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whis pered in an ear in pri vate rooms will be pro claimed on the housetops. FEAR GOD 4 “ I say to you, my friends, don’t fear those who kill the body , and af ter that can do noth ing more. 5 But I will show you the one to fear: Fear him who has au thor i ty to throw peo ple into hell af ter death. Yes, I say to you, this is the one to fear! 6 Aren’t five spar rows sold for two pen nies? e Yet not one of them is for got- ten in God’s sight. 7 In deed, the hairs of your head are all count ed. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many spar rows. ACKNOWLEDGING CHRIST 8 “ And I say to you, any one who ac knowl - edg es me be fore oth ers, the Son of Man will also ac knowl edge him be fore the an gels of God, 9 but who ev er de nies me be fore oth- ers will be de nied be fore the an gels of God. 10 Any one who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be for giv en, but the one who blas phemes against the Holy Spir it will not be for giv en. 11 When ev er they bring you be- fore syn a gogues and rul ers and au thor i ties, don’t wor ry about how you should de fend your selves or what you should say . 12 For the Holy Spir it will teach you at that very hour what must be said.”THE PARABLE OF THE RICH FOOL 13 Some one from the crowd said to him, “Teach- er, tell my broth er to di vide the in her i tance with me.” 14 “ Friend,” f he said to him, “ who ap point- ed me a judge or ar bi tra tor over you? ” 15 He then told them, “ Watch out and be on guard against all greed, be cause one’s life is not in the abun dance of his pos ses sions.” 16 Then he told them a par a ble: “ A rich man’s land was very productive. 17 He thought to him self, ‘ What should I do, since I don’t have any where to store my crops? 18 I will do this,’ he said. ‘ I’ll tear down my barns and build big ger ones and store all my grain and my goods there. 19 Then I’ll say to my self, “ You have many goods stored up for many years. Take it easy; eat, drink, and en joy your self.” ’ 20 “ But God said to him, ‘ You fool! This very night your life is de mand ed of you. And the things you have pre pared — whose will they be? ’ 21 “ That’s how it is with the one who stores up trea sure for him self and is not rich to ward God.” THE CURE FOR ANXIETY 22 Then he said to his dis ci ples: “There fore I tell you, don’t wor ry about your life, what you will eat; or about the body , what you will wear. 23 For life is more than food and the body more than cloth ing. 24 Con sid er the ra vens: They don’t sow or reap; they don’t have a store - room or a barn; yet God feeds them. Aren’t you worth much more than the birds? 25 Can any of you add one mo ment to his life-span g by wor ry ing? 26 If then you’re not able to do even a lit tle thing, why wor ry about the rest? 27 “Con sid er how the wildflowers grow: They don’t la bor or spin thread. Yet I tell you, not even Sol o mon in all his splen dor was adorned like one of these. 28 If that’s how God clothes the grass, which is in the field to day and is thrown into the fur nace to mor row , how much more will he do for you — you of lit tle faith? 29 Don’t strive for what you should eat and what you should drink, and don’t be anx ious. 30 For the Gen tile world ea ger ly seeks all these things, and your Fa ther knows that you need them. 31 “ But seek his king dom, and these things will be pro vid ed for you. 32 Don’t be afraid, lit tle flock, be cause your Fa ther de lights to give you a11:51 Lit you, it will be required of this generation b11:53 Other mss read And as he was saying these things to them c11:54 Other mss add so that they might bring charges against him d12:1 Or yeast e12:6 Lit two assaria ; a small copper coin f12:14 Lit Man g12:25 Or add a cubit to his heightLUKE 11-12 924 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 924 10/26/17 9:00 PM the king dom. 33 Sell your pos ses sions and give to the poor. Make money-bags for your selves that won’t grow old, an inexhaustible trea sure in heav en, where no thief comes near and no moth de stroys. 34 For where your trea sure is, there your heart will be also. READY FOR THE MASTER’S RETURN 35 “ Be ready for ser vice a and have your lamps lit. 36 You are to be like peo ple wait ing for their mas ter to re turn from the wed ding ban quet so that when he comes and knocks, they can open the door for him at once. 37 Blessed will be those ser vants the mas ter finds alert when he comes. Tru ly I tell you, he will get ready , b have them re cline at the ta
🙏 Parables of Readiness and Redemption
⏰ Vigilant preparation for Christ's unexpected return requires constant readiness, as servants must remain alert even through the night for their master's arrival
🔥 Jesus brings division rather than peace, challenging family relationships and demanding total commitment that prioritizes discipleship above all other loyalties
🌱 The Kingdom of God grows from humble beginnings to extraordinary impact, like a mustard seed becoming a tree or leaven transforming flour
🐑 God's relentless pursuit of the lost manifests in three parables—the lost sheep, lost coin, and prodigal son—revealing divine joy when sinners return
🙌 True humility means taking the lowest place, inviting those who cannot repay you, and recognizing that salvation requires entering through the narrow door
🤲 Genuine repentance is urgent and necessary for all people regardless of their circumstances, as illustrated by the barren fig tree given one final chance
ble, then come and serve them. 38 If he comes in the mid dle of the night, or even near dawn, c and finds them alert, blessed are those ser vants. 39 But know this: If the home own er had known at what hour the thief was com ing, he would not have let his house be bro ken into. 40 You also be ready , be cause the Son of Man is com ing at an hour you do not ex pect.” REWARDS AND PUNISHMENT 41 “ Lord,” Pe ter asked, “ are you tell ing this par - a ble to us or to ev ery one? ” 42 The Lord said: “ Who then is the faith ful and sen si ble man ag er his mas ter will put in charge of his house hold ser vants to give them their al lot ted food at the prop er time? 43 Blessed is that ser vant whom the mas ter finds do ing his job when he comes. 44 Tru ly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his pos ses sions. 45 But if that ser vant says in his heart, ‘ My mas ter is delaying his com ing,’ and starts to beat the male and fe male ser vants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, 46 that ser vant’s mas ter will come on a day he does not ex pect him and at an hour he does not know . He will cut him to pieces d and as sign him a place with the un faith ful. e 47 And that ser vant who knew his mas ter’s will and didn’t pre pare him self or do it f will be se vere ly beat - en. 48 But the one who did not know and did what de served pun ish ment will re ceive a light beat ing. From ev ery one who has been giv en much, much will be re quired; and from the one who has been en trust ed with much, even more will be ex pect ed. gNOT PEACE BUT DIVISION 49 “ I came to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were al ready set ablaze! 50 But I have a bap tism to un der go, and how it con sumes me un til it is fin ished! 51 Do you think that I came here to bring peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rath er di vi sion. 52 From now on, five in one house hold will be di vid ed: three against two, and two against three. 53 They will be divided, father against son, son against father, mother against daughter, daughter against mother, mother‑in‑law against her daughter‑in‑law , and daughter‑in‑law against mother‑in‑law .” h INTERPRETING THE TIME 54 He also said to the crowds: “ When you see a cloud ris ing in the west, right away you say , ‘ A storm is com ing,’ and so it does. 55 And when the south wind is blow ing, you say , ‘ It’s go ing to be hot,’ and it is. 56 Hyp o crites! You know how to in ter pret the ap pear ance of the earth and the sky , but why don’t you know how to in ter pret this pre sent time? SETTLING ACCOUNTS 57 “ Why don’t you judge for your selves what is right? 58 As you are go ing with your ad ver sary to the rul er, make an eff ort to set tle with him on the way . Then he won’t drag you be fore the judge, the judge hand you over to the bai liff, and the bai liff throw you into pris on. 59 I tell you, you will nev er get out of there un til you have paid the last cent.” i REPENT OR PERISH 13 At that time, some peo ple came and re- port ed to him about the Gal i le ans whose blood Pi late had mixed with their sac ri fic es. 2 And he j re spond ed to them, “ Do you think that these Gal i le ans were more sin ful than all the oth er Gal i le ans be cause they suff ered these things? 3 No, I tell you; but un less you re pent, you will all per ish as well. 4 Or those eigh teen that the tow er in Si lo am fell on and killed — do you think they were more sin ful than all the oth er peo ple who live in Je ru sa lem? a12:35 Lit “Let your loins be girded ; an idiom for tying up loose outer clothing in preparation for action; Ex 12:11 b12:37 Lit will gird himself c12:38 Lit even in the second or third watch d12:46 Lit him in two e12:46 Or unbelievers f12:47 Lit or do toward his will, g12:48 Or much h12:53 Mc 7:6 i12:59 Gk lepton, the smallest and least valuable copper coin in use j13:2 Other mss read Jesus 925 LUKE 12-13 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 925 10/26/17 9:00 PM 5 No, I tell you; but un less you re pent, you will all per ish as well.” THE PARABLE OF THE BARREN FIG TREE 6 And he told this par a ble: “ A man had a fig tree that was plant ed in his vine yard. He came look ing for fruit on it and found none. 7 He told the vine yard work er, ‘Lis ten, for three years I have come look ing for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any . Cut it down! Why should it even waste the soil? ’ 8 “ But he re plied to him, ‘ Sir, a leave it this year also, un til I dig around it and fer til ize it. 9 Per haps it will pro duce fruit next year, but if not, you can cut it down.’ ” HEALING A DAUGHTER OF ABRAHAM 10 As he was teach ing in one of the syn a gogues on the Sab bath, 11 a wom an was there who had been dis abled by a spir it b for over eigh- teen years. She was bent over and could not straight en up at all. c 12 When Jesus saw her, he called out to her, d “Wom an, you are free of your disability .” 13 Then he laid his hands on her, and in stant ly she was re stored and be gan to glo ri fy God. 14 But the lead er of the syn a gogue, in dig nant be cause Jesus had healed on the Sab bath, re- spond ed by tell ing the crowd, “ There are six days when work should be done; there fore come on those days and be healed and not on the Sab bath day .” 15 But the Lord an swered him and said, “Hyp o crites! Doesn’t each one of you un tie his ox or don key from the feed ing trough on the Sab bath and lead it to wa ter? 16 Sa tan has bound this wom an, a daugh ter of Abra ham, for eigh teen years — shouldn’t she be un tied from this bond age e on the Sab bath day? ” 17 When he had said these things, all his ad ver sar ies were hu mil i at ed, but the whole crowd was re joic ing over all the glo ri ous things he was do ing. THE PARABLES OF THE MUSTARD SEED AND OF THE LEAVEN 18 He said, there fore, “ What is the king dom of God like, and what can I com pare it to? 19 It’s like a mus tard seed that a man took and sowed in his gar den. It grew and be came a tree, and the birds of the sky nest ed in its branch es.”20 Again he said, “ What can I com pare the king dom of God to? 21 It’s like leaven f that a wom an took and mixed into fif ty pounds g of flour un til all of it was leav ened.” THE NARROW WAY 22 He went through one town and vil lage af ter an oth er, teach ing and mak ing his way to Je- ru sa lem. 23 “ Lord,” some one asked him, “ are only a few peo ple go ing to be saved? ” He said to them, 24 “ Make ev ery eff ort to en- ter through the nar row door, be cause I tell you, many will try to en ter and won’t be able 25 once the home own er gets up and shuts the door. Then you will stand out side and knock on the door, say ing, ‘ Lord, open up for us! ’ He will an swer you, ‘ I don’t know you or where you’re from.’ 26 Then you will say , ‘ We ate and drank in your pres ence, and you taught in our streets.’ 27 But he will say , ‘ I tell you, I don’t know you or where you’re from. Get away from me, all you evil do ers! ’ 28 There will be weep ing and gnash ing of teeth in that place, when you see Abra ham, Isaac, Ja cob, and all the proph ets in the king dom of God, but your selves thrown out. 29 They will come from east and west, from north and south, to share the ban quet h in the king dom of God. 30 Note this: Some who are last will be first, and some who are first will be last.” JESUS AND HEROD ANTIPAS 31 At that time some Phar i sees came and told him, “ Go, get out of here. Her od wants to kill you.” 32 He said to them, “ Go tell that fox, ‘ Look, I’m driv ing out de mons and per form ing heal ings to day and to mor row , and on the third day I will com plete my work.’ i 33 Yet it is nec es sary that I trav el to day , to mor row , and the next day , be cause it is not pos si ble for a proph et to per ish out side of Je ru sa lem. JESUS’S LAMENTATION OVER JERUSALEM 34 “Je ru sa lem, Je ru sa lem, who kills the proph- ets and stones those who are sent to her. How of ten I want ed to gath er your chil dren to geth er, as a hen gath ers her chicks un der her wings, but you were not will ing! 35 See, your house is aban doned to you. I tell you, you will not see me un til the time comes when j you say , ‘ Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord’! ” k a13:8 Or Lord b13:11 Lit had a spirit of disability c13:11 Or straighten up completely d13:12 Or he summoned her e13:16 Or isn’t it necessary that she be untied from this bondage f13:21 Or yeast g13:21 Lit three sata ; about forty liters h13:29 Lit recline at the table i13:32 Lit I will be finished j13:35 Other mss omit the time comes when k13:35 Ps 118:26LUKE 13 926 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 926 10/26/17 9:00 PM A SABBATH CONTROVERSY 14 One Sab bath, when he went in to eat a at the house of one of the lead ing Phar i- sees, they were watch ing him close ly . 2 There in front of him was a man whose body was swol len with fluid. 3 In re sponse, Jesus asked the law ex perts and the Phar i sees, “ Is it law- ful to heal on the Sab bath or not? ” 4 But they kept si lent. He took the man, healed him, and sent him away . 5 And to them, he said, “ Which of you whose son or ox falls into a well, will not im me di ate ly pull him out on the Sab bath day? ” 6 They could find no an swer to these things. TEACHINGS ON HUMILITY 7 He told a par a ble to those who were in vit ed, when he no ticed how they would choose the best plac es for them selves: 8 “ When you are in vit ed by some one to a wed ding ban quet, don’t re cline at the best place, be cause a more dis tin guished per son than you may have been in vit ed by your host. 9 The one who in vit ed both of you may come and say to you, ‘ Give your place to this man,’ and then in hu mil i a- tion, you will pro ceed to take the low est place. 10 “ But when you are in vit ed, go and re cline in the low est place, so that when the one who in vit ed you comes, he will say to you, ‘ Friend, move up high er.’ You will then be hon ored in the pres ence of all the oth er guests. 11 For ev ery one who ex alts him self will be hum- bled, and the one who hum bles him self will be ex alt ed.” 12 He also said to the one who had in vit ed him, “ When you give a lunch or a din ner, don’t in vite your friends, your broth ers or sis ters, your rel a tives, or your rich neigh bors, be cause they might in vite you back, and you would be re paid. 13 On the con trary , when you host a ban quet, in vite those who are poor, maimed, lame, or blind. 14 And you will be blessed, be- cause they can not re pay you; for you will be re paid at the res ur rec tion of the righ teous.” THE PARABLE OF THE LARGE BANQUET 15 When one of those who re clined at the ta ble with him heard these things, he said to him, “ Blessed is the one who will eat bread in the king dom of God! ” 16 Then he told him: “ A man was giv ing a large ban quet and in vit ed many . 17 At the time of the ban quet, he sent his ser vant to tell those who were in vit ed, ‘ Come, be cause ev ery thing is now ready .’ 18 “ But with out ex cep tion b they all be gan to make ex cuses. The first one said to him, ‘ I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. I ask you to ex cuse me.’ 19 “ An oth er said, ‘ I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m go ing to try them out. I ask you to ex cuse me.’ 20 “ And an oth er said, ‘ I just got mar ried, and there fore I’m un able to come.’ 21 “ So the ser vant came back and re port ed these things to his mas ter. Then in an ger, the mas ter of the house told his ser vant, ‘ Go out quick ly into the streets and al leys of the city , and bring in here the poor, maimed, blind, and lame.’ 22 “ ‘Mas ter,’ the ser vant said, ‘ what you or - dered has been done, and there’s still room.’ 23 “ Then the mas ter told the ser vant, ‘ Go out into the high ways and hedges and make them come in, so that my house may be filled. 24 For I tell you, not one of those peo ple who were in vit ed will en joy my ban quet.’ ” THE COST OF FOLLOWING JESUS 25 Now great crowds were trav el ing with him. So he turned and said to them: 26 “ If any one comes to me and does not hate his own fa ther and moth er, wife and chil dren, broth ers and sis ters — yes, and even his own life — he can- not be my dis ci ple. 27 Who ev er does not bear his own cross and come af ter me can not be my dis ci ple. 28 “ For which of you, want ing to build a tow er, doesn’t first sit down and cal cu late the cost to see if he has enough to com plete it? 29 Oth- er wise, af ter he has laid the foun da tion and can not fin ish it, all the onlookers will be gin to rid i cule him, 30 say ing, ‘ This man start ed to build and wasn’t able to fin ish.’ 31 “ Or what king, go ing to war against an- oth er king, will not first sit down and de cide if he is able with ten thou sand to op pose the one who comes against him with twen ty thou- sand? 32 If not, while the oth er is still far off, he sends a del e ga tion and asks for terms of peace. 33 In the same way , there fore, ev ery one of you who does not re nounce c all his pos ses sions can not be my dis ci ple. 34 “ Now , salt is good, but if salt should lose its taste, how will it be made salty? 35 It isn’t fit for the soil or for the ma nure pile; they throw it out. Let any one who has ears to hear lis ten.” a14:1 Lit eat bread b14:18 Lit “ And from one (voice) c14:33 Or leave 927 LUKE 14 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 927 10/26/17 9:00 PM THE PARABLE OF THE LOST SHEEP 15 All the tax col lec tors and sin ners were ap proach ing to lis ten to him. 2 And the Phar i sees and scribes were com plain ing, “ This man wel comes sin ners and eats with them.” 3 So he told them this par a ble: 4 “ What man among you, who has a hun dred sheep and loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open field a and go af ter the lost one un til he finds it? 5 When he has found it, he joy ful ly puts it on his shoul ders, 6 and com- ing home, he calls his friends and neigh bors to geth er, say ing to them, ‘Re joice with me, be cause I have found my lost sheep! ’ 7 I tell you, in the same way , there will be more joy in heav en over one sin ner who re pents than over ninety-nine righ teous peo ple who don’t need re pen tance. THE PARABLE OF THE LOST COIN 8 “ Or what wom an who has ten sil ver coins, b,c if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search care ful ly un til she finds it? 9 When she finds it, she calls her friends and neigh bors to geth er, say ing, ‘Re- joice with me, be cause I have found the sil ver coin I lost! ’ 10 I tell you, in the same way , there is joy in the pres ence of God’s an gels over one sin ner who re pents.” THE PARABLE OF THE LOST SON 11 He also said: “ A man had two sons. 12 The youn ger of them said to his fa ther, ‘Fa ther, give me the share of the es tate I have com- ing to me.’ So he dis trib ut ed the assets d to them. 13 Not many days lat er, the youn ger son gath ered to geth er all he had and trav eled to a dis tant coun try , where he squan dered his es tate in fool ish liv ing. 14 Af ter he had spent ev ery thing, a se vere fam ine struck that coun- try , and he had noth ing. e 15 Then he went to work for one of the cit i zens of that coun try , who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to eat his fill from f the pods that the pigs were eat ing, but no one would give him any thing. 17 When he came to his sens es, g he said, ‘ How many of my fa ther’s hired work- ers have more than enough food, and here I am dy ing of hun ger! h 18 I’ll get up, go to my fa ther, and say to him, “Fa ther, I have sinned against heav en and in your sight. 19 I’m no lon ger wor thy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired work ers.” ’ 20 So he got up and went to his fa ther. But while the son was still a long way off, his fa ther saw him and was filled with com pas sion. He ran, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him. 21 The son said to him, ‘Fa ther, I have sinned against heav en and in your sight. I’m no lon ger wor thy to be called your son.’ 22 “ But the fa ther told his ser vants, ‘ Quick! Bring out the best robe and put it on him; put a ring on his fin ger and san dals on his feet. 23 Then bring the fat tened calf and slaugh ter it, and let’s cel e brate with a feast, 24 be cause this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found! ’ So they be gan to cel e brate. 25 “ Now his old er son was in the field; as he came near the house, he heard mu sic and danc- ing. 26 So he sum moned one of the ser vants, ques tion ing what these things meant. 27 ‘ Your broth er is here,’ he told him, ‘ and your fa ther has slaugh tered the fat tened calf be cause he has him back safe and sound.’ i 28 “ Then he be came an gry and didn’t want to go in. So his fa ther came out and plead ed with him. 29 But he re plied to his fa ther, ‘ Look, I have been slav ing many years for you, and I have nev er dis obeyed your or ders, yet you nev er gave me a goat so that I could cel e brate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours came, who has de voured your assets j with pros ti tutes, you slaugh tered the fat tened calf for him.’ 31 “ ‘ Son,’ k he said to him, ‘ you are al ways with me, and ev ery thing I have is yours. 32 But we had to cel e brate and re joice, be cause this broth er of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ ” THE PARABLE OF THE DISHONEST MANAGER 16 Now he said to the dis ci ples: “ There was a rich man who re ceived an
💰 Wealth, Faith, and Kingdom Values
🧠 Shrewd stewardship teaches that worldly resources should be managed wisely, as faithfulness in small matters reveals character and determines spiritual trustworthiness
🙏 Persistent prayer and humble faith transform lives—whether through a tax collector's repentance, a widow's determination, or a blind man's healing—demonstrating that spiritual posture matters more than social position
👑 The Kingdom of God exists in our midst now, not as an observable political entity, but as a spiritual reality that demands immediate response and complete devotion
💔 Material wealth often creates barriers to spiritual commitment, as illustrated by the rich ruler's sadness and Zacchaeus's radical generosity, revealing how possessions can either hinder or facilitate kingdom participation
⚖️ Divine justice ultimately reverses human hierarchies—the humble are exalted, the persistent receive answers, and those who lose their lives preserve them eternally
🔄 Readiness for Christ's return requires faithful service and stewardship while we wait, as the kingdom's full manifestation will come suddenly and unexpectedly
ac cu sa tion that his man ag er was squandering his pos- ses sions. 2 So he called the man ag er in and asked, ‘ What is this I hear about you? Give an ac count of your man age ment, be cause you can no lon ger be my man ag er.’ 3 “ Then the man ag er said to him self, ‘ What will I do since my mas ter is tak ing the man age- ment away from me? I’m not strong enough to a15:4 Or the wilderness b15:8 Gk ten drachmas c15:8 A Gk drachma was equivalent to a Roman denarius = one day’s wage d15:12 Or life, or livelihood, also in v. 30 e15:14 Lit and he began to be in need f15:16 Other mss read to fill his stomach with g15:17 Lit to himself h15:17 Or dying in the famine ; v. 14 i15:27 Lit him back healthy j15:30 Or life, or livelihood k15:31 Lit ChildLUKE 15-16 928 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 928 10/26/17 9:00 PM dig; I’m ashamed to beg. 4 I know what I’ll do so that when I’m re moved from man age ment, peo ple will wel come me into their homes.’ 5 “ So he sum moned each one of his mas ter’s debt ors. ‘ How much do you owe my mas ter? ’ he asked the first one. 6 “ ‘ A hun dred mea sures of ol ive oil,’ he said. “ ‘ Take your invoice,’ he told him, ‘ sit down quick ly , and write fif ty .’ 7 “ Next he asked an oth er, ‘ How much do you owe? ’ “ ‘ A hun dred mea sures of wheat,’ he said. “ ‘ Take your invoice,’ he told him, ‘ and write eighty .’ 8 “ The mas ter praised the un righ teous man- ag er be cause he had act ed shrewd ly . For the chil dren of this age are more shrewd than the chil dren of light in deal ing with their own peo ple. a 9 And I tell you, make friends for your selves by means of world ly wealth b so that when it fails, c they may wel come you into eter nal dwell ings. 10 Who ev er is faith- ful in very lit tle is also faith ful in much, and who ev er is un righ teous in very lit tle is also un righ teous in much. 11 So if you have not been faith ful with world ly wealth, who will trust you with what is gen u ine? 12 And if you have not been faith ful with what be longs to some one else, who will give you what is your own? 13 No ser vant can serve two mas ters, since ei ther he will hate one and love the oth er, or he will be de vot ed to one and de- spise the oth er. You can not serve both God and mon ey .” KINGDOM VALUES 14 The Phar i sees, who were lov ers of mon ey , were lis ten ing to all these things and scoff ing at him. 15 And he told them, “ You are the ones who jus ti fy your selves in the sight of oth ers, but God knows your hearts. For what is high ly admired by peo ple is revolting in God’s sight. 16 “ The Law and the Proph ets were un til John; since then, the good news of the king dom of God has been pro claimed, and ev ery one is ur gent ly in vit ed to en ter it. d 17 But it is eas i er for heav en and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a let ter in the law to drop out. 18 “Ev ery one who di vorc es his wife and mar - ries an oth er wom an com mits adul tery , and ev ery one who mar ries a wom an di vorced from her hus band com mits adul tery .THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS 19 “ There was a rich man who would dress in pur ple and fine lin en, feast ing lavishly ev ery day . 20 But a poor man named Laz a rus, cov ered with sores, was ly ing at his gate. 21 He longed to be filled with what fell from the rich man’s ta ble, but in stead the dogs would come and lick his sores. 22 One day the poor man died and was car ried away by the an gels to Abra - ham’s side. e The rich man also died and was bur ied. 23 And be ing in tor ment in Ha des, he looked up and saw Abra ham a long way off, with Laz a rus at his side. 24 ‘Fa ther Abra ham! ’ he called out, ‘ Have mer cy on me and send Laz a rus to dip the tip of his fin ger in wa ter and cool my tongue, be cause I am in ag o ny in this flame! ’ 25 “ ‘ Son,’ f Abra ham said, ‘re mem ber that dur ing your life you re ceived your good things, just as Laz a rus re ceived bad things, but now he is com fort ed here, while you are in ag o ny . 26 Be sides all this, a great chasm has been fixed be tween us and you, so that those who want to pass over from here to you can not; nei ther can those from there cross over to us.’ 27 “ ‘Fa ther,’ he said, ‘ then I beg you to send him to my fa ther’s house — 28 be cause I have five broth ers — to warn them, so they won’t also come to this place of tor ment.’ 29 “ But Abra ham said, ‘ They have Mo ses and the proph ets; they should lis ten to them.’ 30 “ ‘ No, fa ther Abra ham,’ he said. ‘ But if some one from the dead goes to them, they will re pent.’ 31 “ But he told him, ‘ If they don’t lis ten to Mo ses and the proph ets, they will not be per - suad ed if some one ris es from the dead.’ ” WARNINGS FROM JESUS 17 He said to his dis ci ples, “Of fenses will cer tain ly come, g but woe to the one through whom they come! 2 It would be bet ter for him if a mill stone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these lit tle ones to stum ble. 3 Be on your guard. If your broth er sins, h re buke him, and if he re pents, for give him. 4 And if he sins against you sev en times in a day , and comes back to you sev en times, say ing, ‘ I re pent,’ you must for give him.” a16:8 Lit own generation b16:9 Lit unrighteous money, also in v. 11 c16:9 Other mss read when you fail, or pass away d16:16 Or everyone is forcing his way into it e16:22 Or to Abraham’s bosom ; lit to the fold of Abraham’s robe ; Jn 13:23 f16:25 Lit Child g17:1 Lit “It is impossible for offenses not to come h17:3 Other mss add against you 929 LUKE 16-17 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 929 10/26/17 9:00 PM FAITH AND DUTY 5 The apos tles said to the Lord, “In crease our faith.” 6 “ If you have faith the size of a a mus tard seed,” the Lord said, “ you can say to this mul- ber ry tree, ‘ Be up root ed and plant ed in the sea,’ and it will obey you. 7 “ Which one of you hav ing a ser vant tend- ing sheep or plow ing will say to him when he comes in from the field, ‘ Come at once and sit down to eat’? 8 In stead, will he not tell him, ‘Pre pare some thing for me to eat, get ready , and serve me while I eat and drink; lat er you can eat and drink’? 9 Does he thank that ser - vant be cause he did what was com mand ed? b 10 In the same way , when you have done all that you were com mand ed, you should say , ‘ We are worth less ser vants; we’ve only done our duty .’ ” TEN MEN HEALED 11 While trav el ing to Je ru sa lem, he passed be- tween c Sa mar ia and Gal i lee. 12 As he en tered a vil lage, ten men with lep ro sy d met him. They stood at a dis tance 13 and raised their voices, say ing, “ Jesus, Mas ter, have mer cy on us! ” 14 When he saw them, he told them, “ Go and show your selves to the priests.” And while they were go ing, they were cleansed. 15 But one of them, see ing that he was healed, re turned and, with a loud voice, gave glo ry to God. 16 He fell face down at his feet, thank ing him. And he was a Sa mar i tan. 17 Then Jesus said, “ Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 18 Didn’t any re turn to give glo ry to God ex cept this for eign er? ” 19 And he told him, “ Get up and go on your way . Your faith has saved you.” e THE COMING OF THE KINGDOM 20 Be ing asked by the Phar i sees when the king dom of God would come, he an swered them, “ The king dom of God is not com ing with some thing observable; 21 no one will say , f ‘ See here! ’ or ‘ There! ’ For you see, the king dom of God is in your midst.” g 22 Then he told the dis ci ples: “ The days are com ing when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you won’t see it. 23 They will say to you, ‘ See there! ’ or ‘ See here! ’ Don’t fol low or run af ter them. 24 For as the light ning flash es from ho ri zon to ho ri zon and lights up the sky , so the Son of Man will be in his day . 25 But first it is nec es sary that he suff er many things and be re ject ed by this gen er a tion. 26 “ Just as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be in the days of the Son of Man: 27 Peo ple went on eat ing, drink ing, mar ry ing and giv ing in mar riage un til the day Noah board ed the ark, and the flood came and de stroyed them all. 28 It will be the same as it was in the days of Lot: Peo ple went on eat ing, drink ing, buy ing, sell ing, plant ing, build ing. 29 But on the day Lot left Sod om, fire and sul fur rained from heav en and de stroyed them all. 30 It will be like that on the day the Son of Man is re vealed. 31 On that day , a man on the housetop, whose be long ings are in the house, must not come down to get them. Like wise the man who is in the field must not turn back. 32 Re mem ber Lot’s wife! 33 Who ev er tries to make his life se cure h,i will lose it, and who ev er loses his life will pre serve it. 34 I tell you, on that night two will be in one bed; one will be tak en and the oth er will be left. 35 Two wom en will be grind ing grain to geth er; one will be tak en and the oth er left.” j 37 “ Where, Lord? ” they asked him. He said to them, “ Where the corpse is, there also the vul tures will be gath ered.” THE PARABLE OF THE PERSISTENT WIDOW 18 Now he told them a par a ble on the need for them to pray al ways and not give up. 2 “ There was a judge in a cer tain town who didn’t fear God or re spect peo ple. 3 And a wid- ow in that town kept com ing to him, say ing, ‘ Give me jus tice against my ad ver sary .’ 4 “ For a while he was un will ing, but lat er he said to him self, ‘ Even though I don’t fear God or re spect peo ple, 5 yet be cause this wid ow keeps pestering me, k I will give her jus tice, so that she doesn’t wear me out l by her per - sistent com ing.’ ” 6 Then the Lord said, “Lis ten to what the un just judge says. 7 Will not God grant jus- tice to his elect who cry out to him day and night? Will he de lay help ing them? m 8 I tell you that he will swift ly grant them jus tice. a17:6 Lit faith like b17:9 Other mss add I don’t think so c17:11 Other mss read through the middle of d17:12 Gk lepros ; a term for various skin diseases; see Lv 13–14 e17:19 Or faith has made you well f17:21 Lit they will not say g17:21 Or within you h17:33 Other mss read to save his life i17:33 Or tries to retain his life j17:35 Some mss include v. 36: “Two will be in a field: One will be taken, and the other will be left. ” k18:5 Lit widow causes me trouble l18:5 Or doesn’t ruin my reputation m18:7 Or Will he put up with them?LUKE 17-18 930 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 930 10/26/17 9:00 PM Nev er the less, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth? ” THE PARABLE OF THE PHARISEE AND THE TAX COLLECTOR 9 He also told this par a ble to some who trust ed in them selves that they were righ teous and looked down on ev ery one else: 10 “ Two men went up to the tem ple to pray , one a Phar i see and the oth er a tax col lec tor. 11 The Phar i see was stand ing and pray ing like this about him- self: a ‘ God, I thank you that I’m not like oth er peo ple — greedy , un righ teous, adul ter ers, or even like this tax col lec tor. 12 I fast twice a week; I give a tenth b of ev ery thing I get.’ 13 “ But the tax col lec tor, stand ing far off, would not even raise his eyes to heav en but kept strik ing his chest and say ing, ‘ God, have mer cy on me, c a sin ner! ’ 14 I tell you, this one went down to his house jus ti fied rath er than the oth er; be cause ev ery one who ex alts him- self will be hum bled, but the one who hum bles him self will be ex alt ed.” BLESSING THE CHILDREN 15 Peo ple were bring ing in fants to him so he might touch them, but when the dis ci ples saw it, they re buked them. 16 Jesus, how- ev er, in vit ed them: “ Let the lit tle chil dren come to me, and don’t stop them, be cause the king dom of God be longs to such as these. 17 Tru ly I tell you, who ev er does not re ceive the king dom of God like a lit tle child will nev er en ter it.” THE RICH YOUNG RULER 18 A rul er asked him, “ Good teach er, what must I do to in her it eter nal life? ” 19 “ Why do you call me good? ” Jesus asked him. “ No one is good ex cept God alone. 20 You know the com mand ments: Do not com mit adul tery; do not mur der; do not steal; do not bear false wit ness; hon or your fa ther and moth er.” d 21 “ I have kept all these from my youth,” he said. 22 When Jesus heard this, he told him, “ You still lack one thing: Sell all you have and dis trib- ute it to the poor, and you will have trea sure in heav en. Then come, fol low me.” 23 Af ter he heard this, he be came ex treme ly sad, be cause he was very rich.POSSESSIONS AND THE KINGDOM 24 See ing that he be came sad, e Jesus said, “ How hard it is for those who have wealth to en ter the king dom of God! 25 For it is eas- i er for a cam el to go through the eye of a nee dle than for a rich per son to en ter the king dom of God.” 26 Those who heard this asked, “ Then who can be saved? ” 27 He re plied, “ What is im pos si ble with man is pos si ble with God.” 28 Then Pe ter said, “ Look, we have left what we had and fol lowed you.” 29 So he said to them, “Tru ly I tell you, there is no one who has left a house, wife or broth- ers or sis ters, par ents or chil dren be cause of the king dom of God, 30 who will not re ceive many times more at this time, and eter nal life in the age to come.” THE THIRD PREDICTION OF HIS DEATH 31 Then he took the Twelve aside and told them, “ See, we are go ing up to Je ru sa lem. Ev ery thing that is writ ten through the proph ets about the Son of Man will be ac com plished. 32 For he will be hand ed over to the Gen tiles, and he will be mocked, in sult ed, spit on; 33 and af ter they flog him, they will kill him, and he will rise on the third day .” 34 They un der stood none of these things. The mean ing of the say ing f was hid den from them, and they did not grasp what was said. A BLIND MAN RECEIVES HIS SIGHT 35 As he ap proached Jer i cho, a blind man was sit ting by the road beg ging. 36 Hear ing a crowd pass ing by , he in quired what was hap pen ing. 37 “ Jesus of Naz a reth is pass ing by ,” they told him. 38 So he called out, “ Jesus, Son of Da vid, have mer cy on me! ” 39 Then those in front told him to keep qui et, g but he kept cry ing out all the more, “ Son of Da vid, have mer cy on me! ” 40 Jesus stopped and com mand ed that he be brought to him. When he came clos er, he asked him, 41 “ What do you want me to do for you? ” “ Lord,” he said, “ I want to see.” 42 “Re ceive your sight.” Jesus told him. “ Your faith has saved you.” 43 In stant ly he could see, and he be gan to fol low him, glo ri fy ing God. All the peo ple, when they saw it, gave praise to God. a18:11 Or by himself b18:12 Or give tithes c18:13 Or God, turn your wrath from me d18:20 Ex 20:12-16; Dt 5:16-20 e18:24 Other mss omit he became sad f18:34 Lit This saying g18:39 Or those in front rebuked him 931 LUKE 18 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 931 10/26/17 9:00 PM JESUS VISITS ZACCHAEUS 19 He en tered Jer i cho and was pass ing through. 2 There was a man named Zac- chae us who was a chief tax col lec tor, and he was rich. 3 He was try ing to see who Jesus was, but he was not able be cause of the crowd, since he was a short man. 4 So run ning ahead, he climbed up a syc a more tree to see Jesus, since he was about to pass that way . 5 When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zac- chae us, hur ry and come down be cause to day it is nec es sary for me to stay at your house.” 6 So he quick ly came down and wel comed him joy ful ly . 7 All who saw it be gan to com- plain, “ He’s gone to stay with a sin ful man.” 8 But Zac chae us stood there and said to the Lord, “ Look, I’ll give half of my pos ses sions to the poor, Lord. And if I have extorted any thing from any one, I’ll pay back four times as much.” 9 “To day sal va tion has come to this house,” Jesus told him, “be cause he too is a son of Abra ham. 10 For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost.” THE PARABLE OF THE TEN MINAS 11 As they were lis ten ing to this, he went on to tell a par a ble be cause he was near Je ru sa lem, and they thought the king dom of God was go ing to ap pear right away . 12 There fore he said: “ A no ble man trav eled to a far coun try to re ceive for him self au thor i ty to be king a and then to re turn. 13 He called ten of his ser vants, gave them ten minas, b and told them, ‘En gage in busi ness un til I come back.’ 14 “ But his sub jects hat ed him and sent a del e ga tion af ter him, say ing, ‘ We don’t want this man to rule over us.’ 15 “ At his re turn, hav ing re ceived the au thor - i ty to be king, he sum moned those ser vants he had giv en the mon ey to, so that he could find out how much they had made in busi ness. 16 The first came for ward and said, ‘Mas ter, your mina has earned ten more minas.’ 17 “ ‘ Well done, good c ser vant! ’ he told him. ‘Be cause you have been faith ful in a very small mat ter, have au thor i ty over ten towns.’ 18 “ The sec ond came and said, ‘Mas ter, your mina has made five minas.’ 19 “ So he said to him, ‘ You will be over five towns.’ 20 “ And an oth er came and said, ‘Mas ter, here is your mina. I have kept it safe in a cloth 21 be cause I was afraid of you since you’re a harsh man: you col lect what you didn’t de pos it and reap what you didn’t sow .’ 22 “ He told
🙏 Jesus's Final Journey to Jerusalem
🐴 The Triumphal Entry marks Jesus's prophetic arrival in Jerusalem, riding on a donkey while crowds spread clothes on the road and praise him as King, fulfilling ancient prophecies
🏛️ Jesus cleanses the temple by driving out merchants, declaring it should be a house of prayer rather than a "den of thieves," directly challenging religious authorities
👑 Through parables and teachings, Jesus confronts religious leaders about their rejection of God's messengers, warns about the destruction of Jerusalem, and instructs on giving to both Caesar and God
💰 The widow's offering reveals true devotion as Jesus praises her sacrificial giving of two small coins as more valuable than the wealthy's surplus donations
🍷 Jesus establishes the Lord's Supper as a new covenant in his blood, predicting his betrayal while teaching his disciples about true greatness through service
⚠️ Apocalyptic warnings about Jerusalem's destruction and end times are balanced with hope, as Jesus urges watchfulness and prayer for strength to endure coming trials
him, ‘ I will con demn you by what you have said, you evil ser vant! If you knew I was a harsh man, col lect ing what I didn’t de pos it and reap ing what I didn’t sow , 23 w hy, then, didn’t you put my mon ey in the bank? And when I re turned, I would have col lect ed it with in ter est.’ 24 So he said to those stand ing there, ‘ Take the mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.’ 25 “ But they said to him, ‘Mas ter, he has ten minas.’ 26 “ ‘ I tell you, that to ev ery one who has, more will be giv en; and from the one who does not have, even what he does have will be tak en away. 27 But bring here these en e mies of mine, who did not want me to rule over them, and slaugh ter d them in my pres ence.’ ” THE TRIUMPHAL ENTRY 28 When he had said these things, he went on ahead, go ing up to Je ru sa lem. 29 As he ap proached Beth pha ge and Beth a ny , at the place called the Mount of Ol ives, he sent two of the dis ci ples 30 and said, “ Go into the vil lage ahead of you. As you en ter it, you will find a young don key tied there, on which no one has ever sat. Un tie it and bring it. 31 If any one asks you, ‘ Why are you un ty ing it? ’ say this: ‘ The Lord needs it.’ ” 32 So those who were sent left and found it just as he had told them. 33 As they were un ty ing the young don key , its own ers said to them, “ Why are you un ty ing the don key? ” 34 “ The Lord needs it,” they said. 35 Then they brought it to Jesus, and af ter throw ing their clothes on the don key , they helped Jesus get on it. 36 As he was go ing along, they were spread- ing their clothes on the road. 37 Now he came near the path down the Mount of Ol ives, and the whole crowd of the dis ci ples be gan to praise God joy ful ly with a loud voice for all the mir a cles they had seen: 38 Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord. e Peace in heaven and glory in the highest heaven! 39 Some of the Phar i sees from the crowd told him, “Teach er, re buke your dis ci ples.” a19:12 Lit to receive for himself a kingdom, or sovereignty, also in v. 15 b19:13 = Gk coin worth a hundred drachmas or about a hundred days’ wages c19:17 Or capable d19:27 Or execute e19:38 Ps 118:26LUKE 19 932 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 932 10/26/17 9:00 PM 40 He an swered, “ I tell you, if they were to keep si lent, the stones would cry out.” JESUS’S LOVE FOR JERUSALEM 41 As he ap proached and saw the city , he wept for it, 42 say ing, “ If you knew this day what would bring peace — but now it is hid den from your eyes. 43 For the days will come on you when your en e mies will build a barricade around you, sur round you, and hem you in on ev ery side. 44 They will crush you and your chil dren among you to the ground, and they will not leave one stone on an oth er in your midst, be cause you did not rec og nize the time when God vis it ed you.” CLEANSING THE TEMPLE 45 He went into the tem ple and be gan to throw out those who were sell ing, a 46 and he said, “ It is writ ten, my house will be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves! ” b 47 Ev ery day he was teach ing in the tem ple. The chief priests, the scribes, and the lead ers of the peo ple were look ing for a way to kill him, 48 but they could not find a way to do it, be cause all the peo ple were cap ti vat ed by what they heard. THE AUTHORITY OF JESUS CHALLENGED 20 One day as he was teach ing the peo ple in the tem ple and pro claim ing the good news, the chief priests and the scribes, with the el ders, came 2 and said to him: “ Tell us, by what au thor i ty are you do ing these things? Who is it who gave you this au thor i ty? ” 3 He an swered them, “ I will also ask you a ques tion. Tell me, 4 was the bap tism of John from heav en or of hu man or i gin? ” 5 They dis cussed it among them selves: “ If we say , ‘ From heav en,’ he will say , ‘ Why didn’t you be lieve him? ’ 6 But if we say , ‘ Of hu man or i gin,’ all the peo ple will stone us, be cause they are con vinced that John was a proph et.” 7 So they an swered that they did not know its or i gin. 8 And Jesus said to them, “Nei ther will I tell you by what au thor i ty I do these things.” THE PARABLE OF THE VINEYARD OWNER 9 Now he be gan to tell the peo ple this par a ble: “ A man plant ed a vine yard, leased it to tenant farm ers, and went away for a long time. 10 At har vest time he sent a ser vant to the farm ers so that they might give him some fruit from the vine yard. But the farm ers beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 11 He sent yet an oth er ser vant, but they beat that one too, treat ed him shame ful ly , and sent him away empty-handed. 12 And he sent yet a third, but they wound ed this one too and threw him out. 13 “ Then the own er of the vine yard said, ‘ What should I do? I will send my be loved son. Per - haps c they will re spect him.’ 14 “ But when the tenant farm ers saw him, they dis cussed it among them selves and said, ‘ This is the heir. Let’s kill him, so that the in- her i tance will be ours.’ 15 So they threw him out of the vine yard and killed him. “ What then will the own er of the vine yard do to them? 16 He will come and kill those farm ers and give the vine yard to oth ers.” But when they heard this they said, “ That must nev er hap pen! ” 17 But he looked at them and said, “ Then what is the mean ing of this Scrip ture: d The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone? e 18 Ev ery one who falls on that stone will be bro ken to pieces, but on whomever it falls, it will shat ter him.” 19 Then the scribes and the chief priests looked for a way to get their hands on him that very hour, be cause they knew he had told this par a ble against them, but they feared the peo ple. GOD AND CAESAR 20 They watched close ly and sent spies who pre tend ed to be righ teous, f so that they could catch him in what he said, to hand him over to the gov er nor’s rule and au thor i ty . 21 They ques- tioned him, “Teach er, we know that you speak and teach cor rect ly , and you don’t show par - tial i ty g but teach truth ful ly the way of God. 22 Is it law ful for us to pay tax es to Cae sar or not? ” 23 But detecting their craft i ness, he said to them, h 24 “ Show me a de nar i us. i Whose im age and in scrip tion does it have? ” “Cae sar’s,” they said. 25 “ Well then,” he told them, “ give to Cae sar the things that are Cae sar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 26 They were not able to catch him in what he said in pub lic, and be ing amazed at his an- swer, they be came si lent. a19:45 Other mss add and buying in it b19:46 Is 56:7; Jr 7:11 c20:13 Other mss add when they see him d20:17 Lit “What then is this that is written e20:17 Ps 118:22 f20:20 Or upright g20:21 Lit you don’t receive a face h20:23 Other mss add “Why are you testing me? i20:24 A denarius = one day’s wage 933 LUKE 19-20 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 933 10/26/17 9:00 PM THE SADDUCEES AND THE RESURRECTION 27 Some of the Sad du cees, who say there is no res ur rec tion, came up and ques tioned him: 28 “Teach er, Mo ses wrote for us that if a man’s broth er has a wife, and dies child less, his broth er should take the wife and pro duce off spring for his broth er. a 29 Now there were sev en broth ers. The first took a wife and died with out chil dren. 30 Also the sec ond b 31 and the third took her. In the same way , all sev en died and left no chil dren. 32 Fi nal ly , the wom- an died too. 33 In the res ur rec tion, there fore, whose wife will the wom an be? For all sev en had mar ried her.” 34 Jesus told them, “ The chil dren of this age mar ry and are giv en in mar riage. 35 But those who are count ed wor thy to take part in that age and in the res ur rec tion from the dead nei ther mar ry nor are giv en in mar riage. 36 For they can no lon ger die, be cause they are like an gels and are chil dren of God, since they are chil dren of the res ur rec tion. 37 Mo ses even in di cat ed in the pas sage about the burn ing bush that the dead are raised, where he calls the Lord the God of Abra ham and the God of Isaac and the God of Ja cob. c 38 He is not the God of the dead but of the liv ing, be cause all are liv ing to d him.” 39 Some of the scribes an swered, “Teach er, you have spo ken well.” 40 And they no lon ger dared to ask him any thing. THE QUESTION ABOUT THE CHRIST 41 Then he said to them, “ How can they say that the Christ is the son of Da vid? 42 For Da vid him self says in the Book of Psalms: The Lord declared to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand 43 until I make your enemies your footstool.’ e 44 Da vid calls him ‘ Lord’ how then can the Christ be his son? ” WARNING AGAINST THE SCRIBES 45 While all the peo ple were lis ten ing, he said to his dis ci ples, 46 “Be ware of the scribes, who want to go around in long robes and who love greet ings in the mar ket places, the best seats in the syn a gogues, and the plac es of hon or at ban quets. 47 They de vour wid ows’ hous es and say long prayers just for show . These will re ceive harsher judg ment.” fTHE WIDOW’S GIFT 21 He looked up and saw the rich drop ping their off er ings into the tem ple trea sury . 2 He also saw a poor wid ow drop ping in two tiny coins. g 3 “Tru ly I tell you,” he said. “ This poor wid ow has put in more than all of them. 4 For all these peo ple have put in gifts out of their sur plus, but she out of her pov er ty has put in all she had to live on.” DESTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLE PREDICTED 5 As some were talk ing about the tem ple, how it was adorned with beau ti ful stones and gifts ded i cat ed to God, he said, 6 “ These things that you see — the days will come when not one stone will be left on an oth er that will not be thrown down.” SIGNS OF THE END OF THE AGE 7 “Teach er,” they asked him, “ so when will these things hap pen? And what will be the sign when these things are about to take place? ” 8 Then he said, “ Watch out that you are not de ceived. For many will come in my name, say ing, ‘ I am he,’ and, ‘ The time is near.’ Don’t fol low them. 9 When you hear of wars and re bel lions, h don’t be alarmed. In deed, it is nec- es sary that these things take place first, but the end won’t come right away .” 10 Then he told them: “Na tion will be raised up against na tion, and king dom against king- dom. 11 There will be vi o lent earth quakes, and fam ines and plagues in var i ous plac es, and there will be ter ri fy ing sights and great signs from heav en. 12 But be fore all these things, they will lay their hands on you and per se cute you. They will hand you over to the syn a gogues and pris ons, and you will be brought be fore kings and gov er nors be- cause of my name. 13 This will give you an op por tu ni ty to bear wit ness. 14 There fore make up your minds i not to pre pare your de fense ahead of time, 15 for I will give you such words and a wis dom that none of your ad ver sar ies will be able to re sist or con tra- dict. 16 You will even be be trayed by par ents, broth ers, rel a tives, and friends. They will kill some of you. 17 You will be hat ed by ev ery- one be cause of my name, 18 but not a hair of your head will be lost. 19 By your en dur ance, gain j your lives. a20:28 Dt 25:5 b20:30 Other mss add took her as wife, and he died without children c20:37 Ex 3:6,15 d20:38 Or with e20:42-43 Ps 110:1 f20:47 Or judgment g21:2 Lit two lepta ; the lepton was the smallest and least valuable Gk coin in use. h21:9 Or insurrections, or revolutions, or chaos i21:14 Lit Therefore place (determine) in your hearts j21:19 Other mss read endurance, you will gainLUKE 20-21 934 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 934 10/26/17 9:00 PM THE DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM 20 “ When you see Je ru sa lem sur round ed by ar mies, then rec og nize that its des o la tion has come near. 21 Then those in Ju dea must flee to the moun tains. Those in side the city must leave it, and those who are in the coun- try must not en ter it, 22 be cause these are days of ven geance to ful fill all the things that are writ ten. 23 Woe to preg nant wom en and nurs ing moth ers in those days, for there will be great dis tress in the land a and wrath against this peo ple. 24 They will be killed by the sword b and be led cap tive into all the na tions, and Je ru sa lem will be tram pled by the Gen tiles c un til the times of the Gen tiles are ful filled. THE COMING OF THE SON OF MAN 25 “ Then there will be signs in the sun, moon, and stars; and there will be an guish on the earth among na tions be wil dered by the roar ing of the sea and the waves. 26 Peo ple will faint from fear and ex pec ta tion of the things that are com ing on the world, be cause the pow ers of the heav ens will be shak en. 27 Then they will see the Son of Man com ing in a cloud with pow er and great glo ry . 28 But when these things be gin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, be cause your re demp tion is near.” THE PARABLE OF THE FIG TREE 29 Then he told them a par a ble: “ Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. 30 As soon as they put out leaves you can see for your selves and rec og nize that sum mer is al ready near. 31 In the same way , when you see these things hap- pen ing, rec og nize d that the king dom of God is near. 32 Tru ly I tell you, this gen er a tion will cer tain ly not pass away un til all things take place. 33 Heav en and earth will pass away , but my words will nev er pass away . THE NEED FOR WATCHFULNESS 34 “ Be on your guard, so that your minds are not dulled e from ca rous ing, f drunk en ness, and wor ries of life, or that day will come on you un ex pect ed ly 35 like a trap. For it will come on all who live on the face of the whole earth. 36 But be alert at all times, pray ing that you may have strength g to es cape all these things that are go ing to take place and to stand be fore the Son of Man.”37 Dur ing the day , he was teach ing in the tem ple, but in the eve ning he would go out and spend the night on what is called the Mount of Ol ives. 38 Then all the peo ple would come ear ly in the morn ing to hear him in the tem ple. THE PLOT TO KILL JESUS 22 The Fes ti val of Un leav ened Bread, which is called Pass over, was ap proach ing. 2 The chief priests and the scribes were look ing for a way to put him to death, be cause they were afraid of the peo ple. 3 Then Sa tan en tered Ju das, called Is car i- ot, who was num bered among the Twelve. 4 He went away and dis cussed with the chief priests and tem ple po lice how he could hand him over to them. 5 They were glad and agreed to give him sil ver. h 6 So he ac cept ed the off er and start ed look ing for a good op por tu ni ty to be tray him to them when the crowd was not pre sent. PREPARATION FOR PASSOVER 7 Then the Day of Un leav ened Bread came when the Pass over lamb had to be sac ri ficed. 8 Jesus sent Pe ter and John, say ing, “ Go and make prep a ra tions for us to eat the Pass over.” 9 “ Where do you want us to pre pare it? ” they asked him. 10 “Lis ten,” he said to them, “ when you’ve en- tered the city , a man car ry ing a wa ter jug will meet you. Fol low him into the house he en ters. 11 Tell the own er of the house, ‘ The Teach er asks you, “ Where is the guest room where I can eat the Pass over with my dis ci ples? ” ’ 12 Then he will show you a large, fur nished room up stairs. Make the prep a ra tions there.” 13 So they went and found it just as he had told them, and they pre pared the Pass over. THE FIRST LORD’S SUPPER 14 When the hour came, he re clined at the ta- ble, and the apos tles with him. 15 Then he said to them, “ I have fervently de sired to eat this Pass over with you be fore I suff er. 16 For I tell you, I will not eat it again i un til it is ful filled in the king dom of God.” 17 Then he took a cup, and af ter giv ing thanks, he said, “ Take this and share it among your selves. 18 For I tell you, from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine un til the king dom of God comes.” a21:23 Or the earth b21:24 Lit will fall by the edge of the sword c21:24 Or nations d21:31 Or you know e21:34 Lit your hearts are not weighed down f21:34 Or hangovers g21:36 Other mss read you may be counted worthy h22:5 Or money i22:16 Other mss omit again 935 LUKE 21-22 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 935 10/26/17 9:00 PM 19 And he took bread, gave thanks, broke it, gave it to them, and said, “ This is my body , which is giv en for you. Do this in re mem- brance of me.” 20 In the same way he also took the cup af ter sup per and said, “ This cup is the new cov enant in my blood, which is poured out for you. a 21 But look, the hand of the one be tray ing me is at the ta ble with me. 22 For the Son of Man will go away as it has been de ter mined, but woe to that man by whom he is be trayed! ” 23 So they be gan to ar gue among them selves which of them it could be who was go ing to do it. THE DISPUTE OVER GREATNESS 24 Then a dis pute also arose among them about who should be con sid ered the great est. 25 But he said to them, “ The kings of the Gen tiles lord it over them, and those who have au thor i ty over them have them selves called b ‘Bene fac- tors.’ 26 It is not to be like that among you. On the con trary , who ev er is great est among you should be come like the youn gest, and who- ev er leads, like the one serv ing. 27 For who is great er, the one at the ta ble or the one serv ing? Isn’t it the one at the ta ble? But I am among you as the one who serves. 28 You are those who stood by me in my tri als. 29 I be stow on you a king dom, just as my Fa ther be stowed one on me, 30 so that you may eat and drink at my ta ble in my king dom. And you will sit on thrones judg ing the twelve tribes of Is ra el. PETER’S DENIAL PREDICTED 31
🙏 Jesus's Final Hours
🔮 Prophecy fulfilled: Jesus predicts Peter's denial, prepares disciples for coming hardship, and fulfills ancient scriptures through his suffering and death
⚔️ Betrayal and arrest: Judas betrays Jesus with a kiss, leading to his capture in the Garden of Gethsemane despite Jesus's anguished prayer for deliverance
👑 Trial and crucifixion: Jesus faces multiple trials before religious and political authorities, endures mockery, and is crucified between two criminals while offering forgiveness
🌅 Resurrection triumph: Women discover the empty tomb, Jesus appears to disciples on the Emmaus road, and proves his physical resurrection by eating with his followers
📖 Scriptural revelation: The risen Christ opens followers' minds to understand how his death and resurrection fulfill the Law, Prophets, and Psalms
🕊️ Transformative presence: Jesus's appearances transform disciples from fear and doubt to recognition and belief, establishing the reality of his resurrection
“Si mon, Si mon, c look out. Sa tan has asked to sift you like wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And you, when you have turned back, strength en your broth ers.” 33 “ Lord,” he told him, “ I’m ready to go with you both to pris on and to death.” 34 “ I tell you, Pe ter,” he said, “ the roost er will not crow to day un til d you deny three times that you know me.” BE READY FOR TROUBLE 35 He also said to them, “ When I sent you out with out money-bag, trav el ing bag, or san dals, did you lack any thing? ” “ Not a thing,” they said. 36 Then he said to them, “ But now , who ev- er has a money-bag should take it, and also a trav el ing bag. And who ev er doesn’t have a sword should sell his robe and buy one. 37 For I tell you, what is writ ten must be ful filled in me: e And he was count ed among the law‑ less. f Yes, what is writ ten about me is com ing to its ful fill ment.” 38 “ Lord,” they said, “ look, here are two swords.” “ That is enough! ” he told them. THE PRAYER IN THE GARDEN 39 He went out and made his way as usu al to the Mount of Ol ives, and the dis ci ples fol - lowed him. 40 When he reached the place, he told them, “ Pray that you may not fall into temp ta tion.” 41 Then he with drew from them about a stone’s throw , knelt down, and be gan to pray , 42 “Fa ther, if you are will ing, take this cup away from me — nev er the less, not my will, but yours, be done.” 43 Then an an gel from heav en ap peared to him, strength en ing him. 44 Be ing in an guish, he prayed more fervently , and his sweat be- came like drops of blood fall ing to the ground. g 45 When he got up from prayer and came to the dis ci ples, he found them sleep ing, ex haust ed from their grief. 46 “ Why are you sleep ing? ” he asked them. “ Get up and pray , so that you won’t fall into temp ta tion.” JUDAS’S BETRAYAL OF JESUS 47 While he was still speak ing, sud den ly a mob came, and one of the Twelve named Ju das was lead ing them. He came near Jesus to kiss him, 48 but Jesus said to him, “Ju das, are you be tray ing the Son of Man with a kiss? ” 49 When those around him saw what was go ing to hap pen, they asked, “ Lord, should we strike with the sword? ” 50 Then one of them struck the high priest’s ser vant and cut off his right ear. 51 But Jesus re spond ed, “ No more of this! ” And touch ing his ear, he healed him. 52 Then Jesus said to the chief priests, tem ple po lice, and the el ders who had come for him, “ Have you come out with swords and clubs as if I were a crim- i nal? h 53 Ev ery day while I was with you in the tem ple, you nev er laid a hand on me. But this is your hour — and the do min ion of dark ness.” PETER DENIES HIS LORD 54 They seized him, led him away , and brought him into the high priest’s house. Mean while a22:19-20 Other mss omit which is given for you (v. 19) through the end of v. 20 b22:25 Or them call themselves c22:31 Other mss read Then the Lord said, “Simon, Simon d22:34 Other mss read before e22:37 Or it is necessary that what is written be fulfilled in me f22:37 Is 53:12 g22:43-44 Other mss omit vv. 43-44 h22:52 Lit as against a thief, or a banditLUKE 22 936 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 936 10/26/17 9:00 PM Pe ter was fol low ing at a dis tance. 55 They lit a fire in the mid dle of the court yard and sat down to geth er, and Pe ter sat among them. 56 When a ser vant saw him sit ting in the light, and looked close ly at him, she said, “ This man was with him too.” 57 But he de nied it: “Wom an, I don’t know him.” 58 Af ter a lit tle while, some one else saw him and said, “ You’re one of them too.” “ Man, I am not! ” Pe ter said. 59 About an hour lat er, an oth er kept in sist- ing, “ This man was cer tain ly with him, since he’s also a Gal i le an.” 60 But Pe ter said, “ Man, I don’t know what you’re talk ing about! ” Im me di ate ly , while he was still speak ing, a roost er crowed. 61 Then the Lord turned and looked at Pe ter. So Pe ter re mem bered the word of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Be fore the roost er crows to day , you will deny me three times.” 62 And he went out side and wept bit ter ly . JESUS MOCKED AND BEATEN 63 The men who were hold ing Jesus start ed mock ing and beat ing him. 64 Af ter blind fold ing him, they kept a ask ing, “Proph e sy! Who was it that hit you? ” 65 And they were say ing many oth er blas phe mous things to him. JESUS FACES THE SANHEDRIN 66 When day light came, the el ders b of the peo- ple, both the chief priests and the scribes, con- vened and brought him be fore their San he drin. 67 They said, “ If you are the Mes si ah, tell us.” But he said to them, “ If I do tell you, you will not be lieve. 68 And if I ask you, you will not an swer. 69 But from now on, the Son of Man will be seat ed at the right hand of the pow er of God.” 70 They all asked, “ Are you, then, the Son of God? ” And he said to them, “ You say that I am.” 71 “ Why do we need any more tes ti mo ny ,” they said, “ since we’ve heard it our selves from his mouth? ” JESUS FACES PILATE 23 Then their whole as sem bly rose up and brought him be fore Pi late. 2 They be gan to ac cuse him, say ing, “ We found this man mis lead ing our na tion, op pos ing pay ment of tax es to Cae sar, and say ing that he him self is the Mes si ah, a king.” 3 So Pi late asked him, “ Are you the king of the Jews? ” He an swered him, “ You say so.” c 4 Pi late then told the chief priests and the crowds, “ I find no grounds for charg ing this man.” 5 But they kept in sist ing, “ He stirs up the peo ple, teach ing through out all Ju dea, from Gal i lee where he start ed even to here.” JESUS FACES HEROD ANTIPAS 6 When Pi late heard this, d he asked if the man was a Gal i le an. 7 Find ing that he was un der Her od’s ju ris dic tion, he sent him to Her od, who was also in Je ru sa lem dur ing those days. 8 Her od was very glad to see Jesus; for a long time he had want ed to see him be cause he had heard about him and was hop ing to see some mir a cle e per formed by him. 9 So he kept ask- ing him ques tions, but Jesus did not an swer him. 10 The chief priests and the scribes stood by , ve he ment ly ac cus ing him. 11 Then Her od, with his sol diers, treat ed him with con tempt, mocked him, dressed him in bright cloth ing, and sent him back to Pi late. 12 That very day Her od and Pi late be came friends. f Pre vi ous ly , they had been en e mies. JESUS OR BARABBAS 13 Pi late called to geth er the chief priests, the lead ers, and the peo ple, 14 and said to them, “ You have brought me this man as one who mis leads the peo ple. But in fact, af ter ex am- in ing him in your pres ence, I have found no grounds to charge this man with those things you ac cuse him of. 15 Nei ther has Her od, be- cause he sent him back to us. Clear ly , he has done noth ing to de serve death. 16 There fore, I will have him whipped g and then re lease him.” h 18 Then they all cried out to geth er, “ Take this man away! Re lease Bar ab bas to us! ” 19 ( He had been thrown into pris on for a re bel lion that had tak en place in the city , and for mur der.) 20 Want ing to re lease Jesus, Pi late ad dressed them again, 21 but they kept shout ing, “Cru ci- fy! Cru ci fy him! ” 22 A third time he said to them, “ Why? What has this man done wrong? I have found in him no grounds for the death pen al ty . There fore, I will have him whipped and then re lease him.” a22:64 Other mss add striking him on the face and b22:66 Or council of elders c23:3 Or “That is true.” d23:6 Other mss read heard “Galilee” e23:8 Or sign f23:12 Lit friends with one another g23:16 Gk paideuo; to discipline or “teach a lesson” h23:16 Some mss include v. 17: For according to the festival he had to release someone to them. 937 LUKE 22-23 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 937 10/26/17 9:00 PM 23 But they kept up the pres sure, de mand- ing with loud voices that he be cru ci fied, and their voices a won out. 24 So Pi late de cid ed to grant their de mand 25 and re leased the one they were ask ing for, who had been thrown into pris on for re bel lion and mur der. But he hand ed Jesus over to their will. THE WAY TO THE CROSS 26 As they led him away , they seized Si mon, a Cyrenian, who was com ing in from the coun- try , and laid the cross on him to car ry be hind Jesus. 27 A large crowd of peo ple fol lowed him, in clud ing wom en who were mourn ing and lamenting him. 28 But turn ing to them, Jesus said, “Daugh ters of Je ru sa lem, do not weep for me, but weep for your selves and your chil dren. 29 Look, the days are com ing when they will say , ‘ Blessed are the wom en with out chil dren, the wombs that nev er bore, and the breasts that nev er nursed! ’ 30 Then they will be gin to say to the moun tains, ‘ Fall on us! ’ and to the hills, ‘Cov er us! ’ b 31 For if they do these things when the wood is green, what will hap pen when it is dry? ” CRUCIFIED BETWEEN TWO CRIMINALS 32 Two oth ers — crim i nals — were also led away to be ex e cut ed with him. 33 When they ar rived at the place called The Skull, they cru- ci fied him there, along with the crim i nals, one on the right and one on the left. 34 Then Jesus said, “Fa ther, for give them, be cause they do not know what they are do ing.” c And they di vid ed his clothes and cast lots. 35 The peo ple stood watch ing, and even the lead ers were scoff ing: “ He saved oth ers; let him save him self if this is God’s Mes si ah, the Cho sen One! ” 36 The sol diers also mocked him. They came off er ing him sour wine 37 and said, “ If you are the King of the Jews, save your self! ” 38 An in scrip tion was above him: d T his I s the K ing of the J ews. 39 Then one of the crim i nals hang ing there be gan to yell in sults at e him: “ Aren’t you the Mes si ah? Save your self and us! ” 40 But the oth er an swered, re buk ing him: “ Don’t you even fear God, since you are un- der go ing the same pun ish ment? 41 We are pun ished just ly , be cause we’re get ting back what we de serve for the things we did, but this man has done noth ing wrong.” 42 Then he said, “ Jesus, re mem ber me f when you come into your king dom.” 43 And he said to him, “Tru ly I tell you, to day you will be with me in par a dise.” THE DEATH OF JESUS 44 It was now about noon, g and dark ness came over the whole land h un til three, i 45 be cause the sun’s light failed. j The cur tain of the sanc - tu ary was split down the mid dle. 46 And Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Fa ther, into your hands I en trust my spir it.” k Say ing this, he breathed his last. 47 When the cen tu ri on saw what hap pened, he be gan to glo ri fy God, say ing, “ This man real ly was righ teous! ” l 48 All the crowds that had gath ered for this spec ta cle, when they saw what had tak en place, went home, strik ing their chests. 49 But all who knew him, in clud ing the wom en who had fol lowed him from Gal i lee, stood at a dis tance, watch ing these things. THE BURIAL OF JESUS 50 There was a good and righ teous man named Jo seph, a mem ber of the San he drin, 51 who had not agreed with their plan and ac tion. He was from Ar i ma thea, a Ju de an town, and was look ing for ward to the king dom of God. 52 He ap proached Pi late and asked for Jesus’s body . 53 Tak ing it down, he wrapped it in fine lin en and placed it in a tomb cut into the rock, where no one had ever been placed. m 54 It was the prep a ra tion day , and the Sab bath was about to be gin. n 55 The wom en who had come with him from Gal i lee fol lowed along and ob served the tomb and how his body was placed. 56 Then they re turned and pre pared spic es and per fumes. And they rest ed on the Sab bath ac cord ing to the com mand ment. RESURRECTION MORNING 24 On the first day of the week, very ear ly in the morn ing, they o came to the tomb, bring ing the spic es they had pre pared. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb. 3 They went in but did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were per plexed about this, sud den ly two men stood by them a23:23 Other mss add and those of the chief priests b23:30 Hs 10:8 c23:34 Other mss omit Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, because they do not know what they are doing.” d23:38 Other mss add written in Greek, Latin, and Hebrew letters e23:39 Or began to blaspheme f23:42 Other mss add Lord g23:44 Lit about the sixth hour h23:44 Or whole earth i23:44 Lit the ninth hour j23:45 Other mss read three, and the sun was darkened k23:46 Ps 31:5 l23:47 Or innocent m23:53 Or interred, or laid n23:54 Lit was dawning o24:1 Other mss add and other women with themLUKE 23-24 938 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 938 10/26/17 9:00 PM in daz zling clothes. 5 So the wom en were ter ri fied and bowed down to the ground. “ Why are you look ing for the liv ing among the dead? ” asked the men. 6 “ He is not here, but he has ris en! Re mem ber how he spoke to you when he was still in Gal i lee, 7 sa y ing, ‘ It is nec es sary that the Son of Man be be trayed into the hands of sin ful men, be cru ci fied, and rise on the third day’? ” 8 And they re mem bered his words. 9 Re turn ing from the tomb, they re port ed all these things to the Elev en and to all the rest. 10 Mary Mag da lene, Jo an na, Mary the moth er of James, and the oth er wom en with them were tell ing the apos tles these things. 11 But these words seemed like non sense to them, and they did not be lieve the wom en. 12 P e ter, how ev er, got up and ran to the tomb. When he stooped to look in, he saw only the lin en cloths. a So he went away , amazed at what had hap pened. THE EMMAUS DISCIPLES 13 Now that same day two of them were on their way to a vil lage called Em ma us, which was about sev en miles b from Je ru sa lem. 14 To geth er they were dis cuss ing ev ery thing that had tak en place. 15 And while they were dis cuss ing and ar gu ing, Jesus him self came near and be gan to walk along with them. 16 But they c were pre vent ed from rec og niz ing him. 17 Then he asked them, “ What is this dis pute that you’re hav ing d with each oth er as you are walk ing? ” And they stopped walk ing and looked dis cour aged. 18 The one named Cle o pas an swered him, “ Are you the only vis i tor in Je ru sa lem who doesn’t know the things that hap pened there in these days? ” 19 “ What things? ” he asked them. So they said to him, “ The things con cern ing Jesus of Naz a reth, who was a proph et pow er ful in ac tion and speech be fore God and all the peo ple, 20 and how our chief priests and lead ers hand ed him over to be sen tenced to death, and they cru ci fied him. 21 But we were hop ing that he was the one who was about to re deem Is ra el. Be sides all this, it’s the third day since these things hap pened. 22 More over, some wom en from our group as tound ed us. They ar rived ear ly at the tomb, 23 and when they didn’t find his body , they came and re port ed that they had seen a vi sion of an gels who said he was alive. 24 Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the wom en had said, but they didn’t see him.” 25 He said to them, “ How fool ish you are, and how slo w e to be liev e all tha t the proph ets have spo ken! 26 Wasn’t it nec es sary for the Mes si ah to suf er these things and en ter into his glo ry? ” 27 Then be gin ning with Mo ses and all the Proph ets, he in ter pret ed for them the things con cern ing him self in all the Scrip tures. 28 They came near the vil lage where they were go ing, and he gave the im pres sion that he was go ing far ther. 29 But they urged him, “ Stay with us, be cause it’s al most eve ning, and now the day is al most over.” So he went in to stay with them. 30 It was as he re clined at the ta ble with them that he took the bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened, and they rec og nized him, but he dis ap peared from their sight. 32 They said to each oth er, “ Weren’t our hearts burn ing with in us while he was talk ing with us on the road and ex plain ing the Scrip tures to us? ” 33 That very hour they got up and re turned to Je ru sa lem. They found the Elev en and those with them gath ered to geth er, 34 who said, “ The Lord has tru ly been raised and has ap peared to Si mon! ” 35 Then they be gan to de scribe what had hap pened on the road and how he was made known to them in the break ing of the bread. THE REALITY OF THE RISEN JESUS 36 As they were say ing these things, he him self stood in their midst. He said to them, “ Peace to you! ” 37 But they were star tled and ter ri fied and thought they were see ing a ghost. 38 “ Why are you trou bled? ” he asked them. “ And why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39 Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I my self! Touch me and see, be cause a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have.” 40 Hav ing said this, he showed them his hands and feet. 41 But while they still were amazed and in disbelief be cause of their joy , he asked them, “ Do you have any thing here to eat? ” 42 So they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, f 43 and he took it and ate in their pres ence. 44 He told them, “ These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you — that a24:12 Other mss add lying there b24:13 Lit about sixty stadia ; one stadion = 600 feet c24:16 Lit their eyes d24:17 Lit “What are these words that you are exchanging e24:25 Lit slow of heart f24:42 Other mss add and some honeycomb 939 L U k E 24 42_CSB_UltraThin.indd 33 11/7/17 4:09 PM ev ery thing writ ten about me in the Law of Mo ses, the Proph ets, and the Psalms must be ful filled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to un der stand the Scrip tures. 46 He also said to them, “ This is what is writ ten: a The Mes- si ah would suff er and rise
🙏 Divine Revelation and Rebirth
🕊️ Jesus Christ fulfills ancient prophecies as the Word made flesh, revealing God's glory through his death, resurrection, and ascension to heaven
🌊 The transformative power of faith enables believers to become children of God, born not of human will but of divine grace
🍷 Jesus performs miraculous signs (turning water to wine, cleansing the temple) that reveal his divine authority and inspire belief among his disciples
💫 Spiritual rebirth is essential for entering God's kingdom - just as the wind moves invisibly yet powerfully, the Spirit transforms lives in ways that transcend human understanding
❤️ God's profound love for humanity is demonstrated through Christ's sacrifice, offering eternal life to all who believe rather than condemnation
🌍 Jesus breaks social barriers, offering living water to a Samaritan woman and revealing himself as the source of spiritual satisfaction that transcends physical thirst
from the dead the third day , 47 and re pen tance for b for give ness of sins would be pro claimed in his name to all the na tions, be gin ning at Je ru sa lem. 48 You are wit ness es of these things. 49 And look, I am send ing you c what my Fa ther prom ised. As for you, stay in the city d un til you are em - powered e from on high.” THE ASCENSION OF JESUS 50 Then he led them out to the vi cin i ty of Beth- a ny , and lift ing up his hands he blessed them. 51 And while he was bless ing them, he left them and was car ried up into heav en. 52 Af ter wor - ship ing him, they re turned to Je ru sa lem with great joy . 53 And they were con tin u al ly in the tem ple prais ing God. f a24:46 Other mss add and thus it was necessary that b24:47 Many mss read repentance and c24:49 Lit upon you d24:49 Other mss add of Jerusalem e24:49 Lit clothed with power f24:53 Other mss read praising and blessing God. Amen.LUKE 24 940 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 940 10/26/17 9:00 PM John PROLOGUE 1 In the be gin ning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the be gin ning. 3 All things were cre at ed through him, and apart from him not one thing was cre at ed that has been cre at ed. 4 In him was life, a and that life was the light of men. 5 That light shines in the dark ness, and yet the dark ness did not over come b it. 6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a wit ness to tes ti fy about the light, so that all might be lieve through him. c 8 He was not the light, but he came to tes ti fy about the light. 9 The true light that gives light to ev ery one, was com ing into the world. d 10 He was in the world, and the world was cre at ed through him, and yet the world did not rec og nize him. 11 He came to his own, and his own peo ple did not re ceive him. 12 But to all who did re ceive him, he gave them the right to be e chil dren of God, to those who be lieve in his name, 13 who were born, not of nat u ral de scent, f or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man, g but of God. 14 The Word be came flesh and dwelt h among us. We ob served his glo ry , the glo ry as the one and only Son i from the Fa ther, full of grace and truth. 15 ( John tes ti fied con cern - ing him and ex claimed, “ This was the one of whom I said, ‘ The one com ing af ter me ranks ahead of me, be cause he ex ist ed be fore me.’ ”) 16 In deed, we have all re ceived grace upon j grace from his full ness, 17 for the law was giv en through Mo ses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God. The one and only Son, who is him self God and is at the Fa ther’s side k — he has re vealed him. JOHN THE BAPTIST’S TESTIMONY 19 This was John’s tes ti mo ny when the Jews from Je ru sa lem sent priests and Le vites to ask him, “ Who are you? ”20 He didn’t deny it but con fessed: “ I am not the Mes si ah.” 21 “ What then? ” they asked him. “ Are you Eli jah? ” “ I am not,” he said. “ Are you the Proph et? ” “ No,” he an swered. 22 “ Who are y ou, then? ” they ask ed. “ W e need to give an an swer to those who sent us. What can you tell us about your self? ” 23 He said, “ I am a voice of one cry ing out in the wil der ness: Make straight the way of the Lord l — just as Isa iah the proph et said.” 24 Now they had been sent from the Phar i - sees . 25 So they asked him, “ Why then do you bap tize if you aren’t the Mes si ah, or Eli jah, or the Proph et? ” 26 “ I bap tize with m wa ter,” John an swered them. “Some one stands among you, but you don’t know him. 27 He is the one com ing af ter me, n whose san dal strap I’m not wor thy to un tie.” 28 All this hap pened in Beth a ny o across the Jor dan, where John was bap tiz ing. THE LAMB OF GOD 29 The next day John saw Jesus com ing to ward him and said, “ Here is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is the one I told you about: ‘ Af ter me comes a man who ranks ahead of me, be cause he ex ist ed be fore me.’ 31 I didn’t know him, but I came bap tiz ing with wa ter so he might be re vealed to Is ra el.” 32 And John tes ti fied, “ I saw the Spir it de scend ing from heav en like a dove, and he rest ed on him. 33 I didn’t know him, but he who sent me to bap tize with wa ter told me, ‘ The one you see the Spir it de scend ing and rest ing on — he is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spir it.’ 34 I have seen and tes ti fied that this is the Son of God.” p 35 The next day , John was stand ing with two of his dis ci ples. 36 When he saw Jesus pass ing by , he said, “ Look, the Lamb of God! ” a1:3-4 Other punctuation is possible: . . . not one t hing was created. What was created in him was life b1:5 Or grasp, or comprehend, or overtake ; Jn 12:35 c1:7 Or it (the light) d1:9 Or The true light who comes into the world gives light to everyone, or The true light enlightens everyone coming into the world. e1:12 Or become f1:13 Lit blood g1:13 Or not of human lineage, or of human capacity, or of human volition h1:14 Or and dwelt in a tent ; lit and tabernacled i1:14 Son is implied from the reference to the Father and from Gk usage. j1:16 Or in place of k1:18 Other mss read The one and only Son, who is at the Father’s side l1:23 Is 40: 3 m1:26 Or in, also in vv. 31,33 n1:27 Other mss add who came before me o1:28 Other mss read in Bethabara p1:34 Other mss read is the Chosen One of God CSB_UltraThinindb.indb 1 11/7/17 3:22 PM 37 The two dis ci ples heard him say this and fol lowed Jesus. 38 When Jesus turned and no- ticed them fol low ing him, he asked them, “ What are you look ing for? ” They said to him, “Rab bi” ( which means “Teach er”), “ where are you stay ing? ” 39 “ Come and you’ll see,” he re plied. So they went and saw where he was stay ing, and they stayed with him that day . It was about four in the af ter noon. a 40 An drew , Si mon Pe ter’s broth er, was one of the two who heard John and fol lowed him. 41 He first found his own broth er Si mon and told him, “ We have found the Mes si ah” b ( which is trans lat ed “ the Christ”), 42 and he brought Si mon to Jesus. When Jesus saw him, he said, “ You are Si- mon, son of John. c You will be called Ce phas” ( which is trans lat ed “Pe ter” d). PHILIP AND NATHANAEL 43 The next day Jesus e de cid ed to leave for Gal i- lee. He found Phil ip and told him, “Fol low me.” 44 Now Phil ip was from Beth sa i da, the home- town of An drew and Pe ter. 45 Phil ip found Na than a el and told him, “ We have found the one Mo ses wrote about in the law ( and so did the proph ets): Jesus the son of Jo seph, from Naz a reth.” 46 “ Can any thing good come out of Naz a- reth? ” Na than a el asked him. “ Come and see,” Phil ip an swered. 47 Then Jesus saw Na than a el com ing to ward him and said about him, “ Here tru ly is an Is- ra el ite in whom there is no de ceit.” 48 “ How do you know me? ” Na than a el asked. “Be fore Phil ip called you, when you were un der the fig tree, I saw you,” Jesus an swered. 49 “Rab bi,” Na than a el re plied, “ You are the Son of God; you are the King of Is ra el! ” 50 Jesus re spond ed to him, “ Do you be lieve be cause I told you I saw you un der the fig tree? You will see great er things than this.” 51 Then he said, “Tru ly I tell you, you will see heav en opened and the an gels of God as cend ing and de scend ing on the Son of Man.” THE FIRST SIGN: TURNING WATER INTO WINE 2 On the third day a wed ding took place in Cana of Gal i lee. Jesus’s moth er was there, and 2 Jesus and his dis ci ples were in vit ed to the wed ding as well. 3 When the wine ran out, Jesus’s moth er told him, “ They don’t have any wine.” 4 “ What does that have to do with you and me, f wom an? ” Jesus asked. “ My hour has not yet come.” 5 “ Do what ev er he tells you,” his moth er told the ser vants. 6 Now six stone wa ter jars had been set there for Jew ish pu ri fi ca tion. Each con tained twen ty or thir ty gal lons. g 7 “ Fill the jars with wa ter,” Jesus told them. So they filled them to the brim. 8 Then he said to them, “ Now draw some out and take it to the headwaiter.” h And they did. 9 When the headwaiter tast ed the wa ter (af ter it had be come wine), he did not know where it came from — though the ser vants who had drawn the wa ter knew . He called the groom 10 and told him, “Ev ery one sets out the fine wine first, then, af ter peo ple are drunk, the in fe ri or. But you have kept the fine wine un til now .” 11 Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Gal i lee. He re vealed his glo ry , and his dis- ci ples be lieved in him. 12 Af ter this, he went down to Ca per na um, to geth er with his moth er, his broth ers, and his dis ci ples, and they stayed there only a few days. CLEANSING THE TEMPLE 13 The Jew ish Pass over was near, and so Jesus went up to Je ru sa lem. 14 In the tem ple he found peo ple sell ing oxen, sheep, and doves, and he also found the mon ey chang ers sit ting there. 15 Af ter mak ing a whip out of cords, he drove ev ery one out of the tem ple with their sheep and oxen. He also poured out the mon ey chang- ers’ coins and over turned the ta bles. 16 He told those who were sell ing doves, “ Get these things out of here! Stop turn ing my Fa ther’s house into a mar ket place! ” i 17 And his dis ci ples re mem bered that it is writ- ten: Zeal for your house will con sume me. j 18 So the Jews re plied to him, “ What sign will you show us for do ing these things? ” 19 Jesus an swered, “De stroy this tem ple, k and I will raise it up in three days.” 20 There fore the Jews said, “ This tem ple took forty-six years to build, l and will you raise it up in three days? ” a1:39 Lit about the tenth hour b1:41 Both Hb Messiah and Gk Christos mean “anointed one” c1:42 Other mss read “Simon, son of Jonah d1:42 Both Aramaic Cephas and Gk Petros mean “rock” e1:43 Lit he f2:4 Or “You and I see things differently ; lit “What to me and to you ; Mt 8:29; Mk 1:24; 5:7; Lk 8:28 g2:6 Lit two or three measures h2:8 Lit ruler of the table i2:16 Lit a house of business j2:17 Ps 69:9 k2:19 Or sanctuary, also in vv. 20,21 l2:20 Or was built forty-six years agoJOHN 1-2 942 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 942 10/26/17 9:00 PM 21 But he was speak ing about the tem ple of his body . 22 So when he was raised from the dead, his dis ci ples re mem bered that he had said this, and they be lieved the Scrip ture and the state ment Jesus had made. 23 While he was in Je ru sa lem dur ing the Pass over Fes ti val, many be lieved in his name when they saw the signs he was do ing. 24 Jesus, how ev er, would not en trust him self to them, since he knew them all 25 and be cause he did not need any one to tes ti fy about man; for he him self knew what was in man. JESUS AND NICODEMUS 3 There was a man from the Phar i sees named Nic o de mus, a rul er of the Jews. 2 This man came to him at night and said, “Rab bi, we know that you are a teach er who has come from God, for no one could per form these signs you do un less God were with him.” 3 Jesus re plied, “Tru ly I tell you, un less some - one is born again, a he can not see the king dom of God.” 4 “ How can any one be born when he is old? ” Nic o de mus asked him. “ Can he en ter his moth- er’s womb a sec ond time and be born? ” 5 Jesus an swered, “Tru ly I tell you, un less some one is born of wa ter and the Spir it, he can not en ter the king dom of God. 6 What ev er is born of the flesh is flesh, and what ev er is born of the Spir it is spir it. 7 Do not be amazed that I told you that you must be born again. 8 The wind blows where it pleas es, and you hear its sound, but you don’t know where it comes from or where it is go ing. So it is with ev ery one born of the Spir it.” 9 “ How can these things be? ” asked Nic o- de mus. 10 “ Are you a teach er b of Is ra el and don’t know these things? ” Jesus re plied. 11 “Tru ly I tell you, we speak what we know and we tes ti fy to what we have seen, but you do not ac cept our tes ti mo ny . 12 If I have told you about earth ly things and you don’t be lieve, how will you be lieve if I tell you about heav en ly things? 13 No one has as cend ed into heav en ex cept the one who de scend ed from heav en — the Son of Man. c 14 “ Just as Mo ses lift ed up the snake in the wil der ness, so the Son of Man must be lift ed up, 15 so that ev ery one who be lieves in him may d have eter nal life. 16 For God loved the world in this way: e He gave f his one and only Son, so that ev ery one who be lieves in him will not per ish but have eter nal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to con demn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Any one who be lieves in him is not con demned, but any one who does not be lieve is al ready con- demned, be cause he has not be lieved in the name of the one and only Son of God. 19 This is the judg ment: The light has come into the world, and peo ple loved dark ness rath er than the light be cause their deeds were evil. 20 For ev ery one who does evil hates the light and avoids it, g so that his deeds may not be ex- posed. 21 But any one who lives by h the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be shown to be ac com plished by God.” JESUS AND JOHN THE BAPTIST 22 Af ter this, Jesus and his dis ci ples went to the Ju de an coun try side, where he spent time with them and bap tized. 23 John also was bap tiz ing in Ae non near Sa lim, be cause there was plen ty of wa ter there. Peo ple were com ing and be ing bap- tized, 24 since John had not yet been thrown into pris on. 25 Then a dis pute arose be tween John’s dis- ci ples and a Jew i about pu ri fi ca tion. 26 So they came to John and told him, “Rab bi, the one you tes ti fied about, and who was with you across the Jor dan, is bap tiz ing — and ev ery one is go ing to him.” 27 John re spond ed, “ No one can re ceive any- thing un less it has been giv en to him from heav en. 28 You your selves can tes ti fy that I said, ‘ I am not the Mes si ah, but I’ve been sent ahead of him.’ 29 He who has the bride is the groom. But the groom’s friend, who stands by and lis tens for him, re joic es great ly j at the groom’s voice. So this joy of mine is com plete. 30 He must in crease, but I must de crease.” THE ONE FROM HEAVEN 31 The one who comes from above is above all. The one who is from the earth is earth ly and speaks in earth ly terms. k The one who comes from heav en is above all. 32 He tes ti- fies to what he has seen and heard, and yet no one ac cepts his tes ti mo ny . 33 The one who a3:3 Or from above, also in v. 7 b3:10 Or the teacher c3:13 Other mss add who is in heaven d3:15 Other mss add not perish, but e3:16 Or this much f3:16 Or For in this way God loved the world, and so he gave, or For God so loved the world that he gave g3:20 Lit and does not come to the light h3:21 Lit who does i3:25 Other mss read and the Jews j3:29 Lit with joy rejoices k3:31 Or of earthly things 943 JOHN 2-3 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 943 10/26/17 9:00 PM has ac cept ed his tes ti mo ny has affirmed that God is true. 34 For the one whom God sent speaks God’s words, since he a gives the Spir it with out mea sure. 35 The Fa ther loves the Son and has giv en all things into his hands. 36 The one who be lieves in the Son has eter nal life, but the one who re jects the Son b will not see life; in stead, the wrath of God re mains on him. JESUS AND THE SAMARITAN WOMAN 4 When Jesus c learned that the Phar i sees had heard he was mak ing and bap tiz ing more dis ci ples than John 2 ( though Jesus him- self was not bap tiz ing, but his dis ci ples were), 3 he left Ju dea and went again to Gal i lee. 4 He had to trav el through Sa mar ia; 5 so he came to a town of Sa mar ia called Sy char near the prop er ty d that Ja cob had giv en his son Jo seph. 6 Ja cob’s well was there, and Jesus, worn out from his jour ney , sat down at the well. It was about noon. e 7 A wom an of Sa mar ia came to draw wa ter. “ Give me a drink,” Jesus said to her, 8 be cause his dis ci ples had gone into town to buy food. 9 “ How is it that you, a Jew , ask for a drink from me, a Sa mar i tan wom an? ” she asked him. For Jews do not as so ci ate with f Sa mar i tans. g 10 Jesus an swered, “ If you knew the gift of God, and who is say ing to you, ‘ Give me a drink,’ you would ask him, and he would give you liv ing wa ter.” 11 “ Sir,” said the wom an, “ you don’t even have a buck et, and the well is deep. So where do you get this ‘liv ing wa ter’? 12 You aren’t great er than our fa ther Ja cob, are you? He gave us the well and drank from it him self, as did his sons and live stock.” 13 Jesus said, “Ev ery one who drinks from this wa ter will get thirsty again. 14 But who- ev er drinks from the wa ter that I will give him will nev er get thirsty again. In fact, the wa ter I will give him will be come a well h of wa ter spring ing up in him for eter nal life.” 15 “ Sir,” the wom an said to him, “ give me this wa ter so that I won’t get thirsty and come here to draw wa ter.” 16 “ Go call your hus band,” he told her, “ and come back here.” 17 “ I don’t have a hus band,” she an swered. “ You have cor rect ly said, ‘ I don’t have a hus band,’ ” Jesus said. 18 “ For you’ve had five hus bands, and the man you now have is not your hus band. What you have said is true.” 19 “ Sir,” the wom an
🙏 True Worship Transcends Place
🌄 Worship shifts from specific locations (mountains, Jerusalem) to a spiritual reality where true worshipers connect with God "in Spirit and in truth" regardless of place
👩 The Samaritan woman encounters Jesus, recognizes him as the Messiah, and transforms into an evangelist who brings her entire town to meet him
🌾 Jesus reframes spiritual harvest as urgent and present—"the fields are ready"—revealing how his followers participate in gathering people for eternal life
🧠 Belief emerges as the essential "work of God" that unlocks eternal life, with Jesus declaring himself "the bread of life" who satisfies spiritual hunger permanently
💪 Jesus demonstrates divine authority through healing miracles that reveal his identity, challenging religious leaders who prioritize rules over restoration
👑 The Father-Son relationship establishes Jesus' divine authority, with Jesus claiming equality with God and the power to grant eternal life and execute judgment
re plied, “ I see that you are a proph et. 20 Our fa thers wor shiped on this moun tain, but you Jews say that the place to wor ship is in Je ru sa lem.” 21 Jesus told her, “Be lieve me, wom an, an hour is com ing when you will wor ship the Fa ther nei ther on this moun tain nor in Je ru- sa lem. 22 You Sa mar i tans wor ship what you do not know . We wor ship what we do know , be cause sal va tion is from the Jews. 23 But an hour is com ing, and is now here, when the true wor ship ers will wor ship the Fa ther in Spir it and in truth. i Yes, the Fa ther wants such peo ple to wor ship him. 24 God is spir it, and those who wor ship him must wor ship in Spir it and in truth.” 25 The wom an said to him, “ I know that the Mes si ah is com ing” ( who is called Christ). “ When he comes, he will ex plain ev ery thing to us.” 26 Jesus told her, “ I, the one speak ing to you, am he.” THE RIPENED HARVEST 27 Just then his dis ci ples ar rived, and they were amazed that he was talk ing with a wom an. Yet no one said, “ What do you want? ” or “ Why are you talk ing with her? ” 28 Then the wom an left her wa ter jar, went into town, and told the peo ple, 29 “ Come, see a man who told me ev ery thing I ever did. Could this be the Mes si ah? ” 30 They left the town and made their way to him. 31 In the meantime the dis ci ples kept urg ing him, “Rab bi, eat some thing.” 32 But he said, “ I have food to eat that you don’t know about.” 33 The dis ci ples said to one an oth er, “ Could some one have brought him some thing to eat? ” 34 “ My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to fin ish his work,” Jesus told them. 35 “ Don’t you say , ‘ There are still four more months, and then comes the har vest’? Lis ten to what I’m tell ing you: Open j your eyes and look at the fields, be cause they are ready k for har vest. 36 The reap er is al ready re ceiv ing pay and gath er ing fruit for eter nal life, so that the sow er and reap er can re joice to geth er. 37 For in this case the say ing is true: ‘ One sows and a3:34 Other mss read since God b3:36 Or refuses to believe in the Son, or disobeys the Son c4:1 Other mss read the Lord d4:5 Lit piece of land e4:6 Lit about the sixth hour f4:9 Or do not share vessels with g4:9 Other mss omit For Jews do not associate with Samaritans. h4:14 Or spring i4:23 Or in spirit and truth, also in v. 24 j4:35 Lit Raise k4:35 Lit whiteJOHN 3-4 944 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 944 10/26/17 9:00 PM an oth er reaps.’ 38 I sent you to reap what you didn’t la bor for; oth ers have la bored, and you have ben e fit ed from a their la bor.” THE SAVIOR OF THE WORLD 39 Now many Sa mar i tans from that town be- lieved in him be cause of what the wom an said b when she tes ti fied, “ He told me ev ery thing I ever did.” 40 So when the Sa mar i tans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. 41 Many more be lieved be cause of what he said. c 42 And they told the wom an, “ We no lon ger be lieve be cause of what you said, since we have heard for our selves and know that this real ly is the Sav ior of the world.” d A GALILEAN WELCOME 43 Af ter two days he left there for Gal i lee. 44 ( Jesus him self had tes ti fied that a proph et has no hon or in his own coun try .) 45 When they en tered Gal i lee, the Gal i le ans wel comed him be cause they had seen ev ery thing he did in Je ru sa lem dur ing the fes ti val. For they also had gone to the fes ti val. THE SECOND SIGN: HEALING AN OFFICIAL’S SON 46 He went again to Cana of Gal i lee, where he had turned the wa ter into wine. There was a cer tain roy al off i cial whose son was ill at Ca- per na um. 47 When this man heard that Jesus had come from Ju dea into Gal i lee, he went to him and plead ed with him to come down and heal his son, since he was about to die. 48 Jesus told him, “Un less you peo ple see signs and won ders, you will not be lieve.” 49 “ Sir,” the off i cial said to him, “ come down be fore my boy dies.” 50 “ Go,” Jesus told him, “ your son will live.” The man be lieved what e Jesus said to him and de part ed. 51 While he was still go ing down, his ser - vants met him say ing that his boy was alive. 52 He asked them at what time he got bet ter. “Yes ter day at one in the af ter noon f the fe ver left him,” they an swered. 53 The fa ther re al ized this was the very hour at which Jesus had told him, “ Your son will live.” So he him self be lieved, along with his whole house hold.54 Now this was also the sec ond sign Jesus per formed af ter he came from Ju dea to Gal i lee. THE THIRD SIGN: HEALING THE SICK 5 Af ter this, a Jew ish fes ti val took place, and Jesus went up to Je ru sa lem. 2 By the Sheep Gate in Je ru sa lem there is a pool, called Be thes da g in Ar a ma ic, which has five col on- nades. 3 With in these lay a large num ber of the dis abled — blind, lame, and par a lyzed. h 5 One man was there who had been dis abled for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him ly ing there and re al ized he had al ready been there a long time, he said to him, “ Do you want to get well? ” 7 “ Sir,” the dis abled man an swered, “ I have no one to put me into the pool when the wa ter is stirred up, but while I’m com ing, some one goes down ahead of me.” 8 “ Get up,” Jesus told him, “ pick up your mat and walk.” 9 In stant ly the man got well, picked up his mat, and start ed to walk. Now that day was the Sab bath, 10 and so the Jews said to the man who had been healed, “ This is the Sab bath. The law prohibits you from picking up your mat.” 11 He re plied, “ The man who made me well told me, ‘ Pick up your mat and walk.’ ” 12 “ Who is this man who told you, ‘ Pick up your mat and walk’? ” they asked. 13 But the man who was healed did not know who it was, be cause Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there. i 14 Af ter this, Jesus found him in the tem ple and said to him, “ See, you are well. Do not sin any more, so that some thing worse doesn’t hap pen to you.” 15 The man went and re port ed to the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. 16 There fore, the Jews be gan per - se cut ing Jesus j be cause he was do ing these things on the Sab bath. HONORING THE FATHER AND THE SON 17 Jesus re spond ed to them, “ My Fa ther is still work ing, and I am work ing also.” 18 This is why the Jews be gan try ing all the more to kill him: Not only was he break ing the Sab bath, but he was even call ing God his own Fa ther, mak ing him self equal to God. a4:38 Lit you have entered into b4:39 Lit because of the woman’s word c4:41 Lit because of his word d4:42 Other mss add , the Messiah e4:50 Lit the word f4:52 Lit at the seventh hour g5:2 Some mss read Bethzatha ; other mss read Bethsaida h5:3 Some mss include vv. 3b-4: — waiting for the moving of the water, 4because an angel would go down into the pool from time to time and stir up the water. Then the first one who got in after the water was stirred up recovered from whatever ailment he had. i5:13 Lit slipped away, there being a crowd in that place j5:16 Other mss add and trying to kill him 945 JOHN 4-5 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 945 10/26/17 9:00 PM 19 Jesus re plied, “Tru ly I tell you, the Son is not able to do any thing on his own, but only what he sees the Fa ther do ing. For what ev- er the Fa ther a does, the Son like wise does these things. 20 For the Fa ther loves the Son and shows him ev ery thing he is do ing, and he will show him great er works than these so that you will be amazed. 21 And just as the Fa ther rais es the dead and gives them life, so the Son also gives life to whom he wants. 22 The Fa ther, in fact, judg es no one but has giv en all judg ment to the Son, 23 so that all peo ple may hon or the Son just as they hon or the Fa ther. Any one who does not hon or the Son does not hon or the Fa ther who sent him. LIFE AND JUDGMENT 24 “Tru ly I tell you, any one who hears my word and be lieves him who sent me has eter nal life and will not come un der judg ment but has passed from death to life. 25 “Tru ly I tell you, an hour is com ing, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26 For just as the Fa ther has life in him self, so also he has grant ed to the Son to have life in him self. 27 And he has grant ed him the right to pass judg ment, be cause he is the Son of Man. 28 Do not be amazed at this, be cause a time is com ing when all who are in the graves will hear his voice 29 and come out — those who have done good things, to the res ur rec tion of life, but those who have done wick ed things, to the res ur rec tion of con dem na tion. 30 “ I can do noth ing on my own. I judge only as I hear, and my judg ment is just, be cause I do not seek my own will, but the will of him who sent me. WITNESSES TO JESUS 31 “ If I tes ti fy about my self, my tes ti mo ny is not true. 32 There is an oth er who tes ti fies about me, and I know that the tes ti mo ny he gives about me is true. 33 You sent mes sen gers to John, and he tes ti fied to the truth. 34 I don’t re ceive hu- man tes ti mo ny , but I say these things so that you may be saved. 35 John b was a burn ing and shin ing lamp, and you were will ing to re joice for a while in his light. 36 “ But I have a great er tes ti mo ny than John’s be cause of the works that the Fa ther has giv en me to ac com plish. These very works I am do ing tes ti fy about me that the Fa ther has sent me. 37 The Fa ther who sent me has him self tes ti fied about me. You have not heard his voice at any time, and you haven’t seen his form. 38 You don’t have his word resid - ing in you, be cause you don’t be lieve the one he sent. 39 You pore over the Scrip tures be cause you think you have eter nal life in them, and yet they tes ti fy about me. 40 But you are not will ing to come to me so that you may have life. 41 “ I do not ac cept glo ry from peo ple, 42 but I know you — that you have no love for God with in you. 43 I have come in my Fa ther’s name, and yet you don’t ac cept me. If some one else comes in his own name, you will ac cept him. 44 How can you be lieve, since you ac cept glo ry from one an oth er but don’t seek the glo ry that comes from the only God? 45 Do not think that I will ac cuse you to the Fa ther. Your ac cus er is Mo ses, on whom you have set your hope. 46 For if you be lieved Mo ses, you would be - lieve me, be cause he wrote about me. 47 But if you don’t be lieve what he wrote, how will you be lieve my words? ” THE FOURTH SIGN: FEEDING OF THE FIVE THOUSAND 6 Af ter this, Jesus crossed the Sea of Gal i lee ( or Ti be ri as). 2 A huge crowd was fol low ing him be cause they saw the signs that he was per form ing by heal ing the sick. 3 Jesus went up a moun tain and sat down there with his dis ci ples. 4 Now the Pass over, a Jew ish fes ti val, was near. 5 So when Jesus looked up and no ticed a huge crowd com ing to ward him, he asked Phil ip, “ Where will we buy bread so that these peo ple can eat? ” 6 He asked this to test him, for he him self knew what he was go ing to do. 7 Phil ip an swered him, “ Two hun dred de- nar ii c worth of bread wouldn’t be enough for each of them to have a lit tle.” 8 One of his dis ci ples, An drew , Si mon Pe ter’s broth er, said to him, 9 “ There’s a boy here who has five bar ley loaves and two fish — but what are they for so many? ” 10 Jesus said, “ Have the peo ple sit down.” There was plen ty of grass in that place; so they sat down. The men num bered about five thou sand. 11 Then Jesus took the loaves, and af ter giv ing thanks he dis trib ut ed them to those who were seat ed — so also with the fish, as much as they want ed. a5:19 Lit whatever that one b5:35 Lit That man c6:7 A denarius = one day’s wageJOHN 5-6 946 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 946 10/26/17 9:00 PM 12 When they were full, he told his dis ci ples, “Col lect the left overs so that noth ing is wast ed.” 13 So they col lect ed them and filled twelve bas- kets with the pieces from the five bar ley loaves that were left over by those who had eat en. 14 When the peo ple saw the sign a he had done, they said, “ This tru ly is the Proph et who is to come into the world.” 15 There fore, when Jesus re al ized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he with drew again to the moun tain by him self. THE FIFTH SIGN: WALKING ON WATER 16 When eve ning came, his dis ci ples went down to the sea, 17 got into a boat, and start ed across the sea to Ca per na um. Dark ness had al ready set in, but Jesus had not yet come to them. 18 A high wind arose, and the sea be gan to churn. 19 Af ter they had rowed about three or four miles, b they saw Jesus walk ing on the sea. He was com ing near the boat, and they were afraid. 20 But he said to them, “ It is I. c Don’t be afraid.” 21 Then they were will ing to take him on board, and at once the boat was at the shore where they were head ing. THE BREAD OF LIFE 22 The next day , the crowd that had stayed on the oth er side of the sea saw there had been only one boat. d They also saw that Jesus had not board ed the boat with his dis ci ples, but that his dis ci ples had gone off alone. 23 Some boats from Ti be ri as came near the place where they had eat en the bread af ter the Lord had giv en thanks. 24 When the crowd saw that nei- ther Jesus nor his dis ci ples were there, they got into the boats and went to Ca per na um look ing for Jesus. 25 When they found him on the oth er side of the sea, they said to him, “Rab bi, when did you get here? ” 26 Jesus an swered, “Tru ly I tell you, you are look ing for me, not be cause you saw e the signs, but be cause you ate the loaves and were filled. 27 Don’t work for the food that per ish es but for the food that lasts for eter nal life, which the Son of Man will give you, be cause God the Fa ther has set his seal of ap prov al on him.” 28 “ What can we do to per form the works of God? ” they asked. 29 Jesus re plied, “ This is the work of God — that you be lieve in the one he has sent.”30 “ What sign, then, are you go ing to do so we may see and be lieve you? ” they asked. “ What are you go ing to per form? 31 Our an- ces tors ate the man na in the wil der ness, just as it is writ ten: He gave them bread from heav en to eat.” f 32 Jesus said to them, “Tru ly I tell you, Mo ses didn’t give you the bread from heav en, but my Fa ther gives you the true bread from heav en. 33 For the bread of God is the one who comes down from heav en and gives life to the world.” 34 Then they said, “ Sir, give us this bread al ways.” 35 “ I am the bread of life,” Jesus told them. “ No one who comes to me will ever be hun gry , and no one who be lieves in me will ever be thirsty again. 36 But as I told you, you’ve seen me, g and yet you do not be lieve. 37 Ev ery one the Fa ther gives me will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will nev er cast out. 38 For I have come down from heav en, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. 39 This is the will of him who sent me: that I should lose none of those he has giv en me but should raise them up on the last day . 40 For this is the will of my Fa ther: that ev ery one who sees the Son and be lieves in him will have eter nal life, and I will raise him up on the last day .” 41 There fore the Jews start ed com plain ing about him be cause he said, “ I am the bread that came down from heav en.” 42 They were say ing, “ Isn’t this Jesus the son of Jo seph, whose fa ther and moth er we know? How can he now say , ‘ I have come down from heav en’? ” 43 Jesus an swered them, “ Stop com plain ing among your selves. 44 No one can come to me un less the Fa ther who sent me draws h him, and I will raise him up on the last day . 45 It is writ ten in the Proph ets: And they will all be taught by God. i Ev ery one who has lis - tened to and learned from the Fa ther comes to me — 46 not that any one has seen the Fa- ther ex cept the one who is from God. He has seen the Fa ther. 47 “Tru ly I tell you, any one who be lieves j has eter nal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your an ces tors ate the man na in the wil der ness, and they died. 50 This is the bread that comes down from heav en so that any one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the liv ing bread that came down from heav en. If any one eats of a6:14 Other mss read signs b6:19 Lit twenty-five or thirty stadia ; one stadion = 600 feet c6:20 Lit “I am d6:22 Other mss add into which his disciples had entered e6:26 Or perceived f6:31 Ex 16:4; Ps 78:24 g6:36 Other mss omit me h6:44 Or brings, or leads i6:45 Is 54:13 j6:47 Other mss add in me 947 JOHN 6 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 947 10/26/17 9:00 PM this bread he will live for ev er. The bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” 52 At that, the Jews ar gued among them- selves, “ How can this man give us his flesh to eat? ” 53 So Jesus said to them, “Tru ly I tell you, un less you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life in your selves. 54 The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eter nal life, and I will raise him up on the last day , 55 be cause my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. 56 The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood re mains in me, and I in him. 57 Just as the liv ing Fa ther sent me and I live be cause of the Fa ther, so the one who feeds on me will live
🍞 Bread of Life Controversy
🌟 Jesus declares himself as the "bread of life" that provides eternal sustenance, contrasting with the temporary manna that couldn't prevent death
🚶♂️ Many disciples abandon Jesus after finding his teaching too difficult to accept, revealing the challenging nature of spiritual truth
💧 Jesus promises living water to flow from believers through the Holy Spirit, offering spiritual refreshment to those who trust him
🔍 Intense debates about Jesus' identity divide the crowds, with some recognizing him as the Messiah while others reject his claims
👁️ Jesus performs a miraculous healing of a man born blind, demonstrating his divine power and sparking further controversy
⛓️ Jesus teaches that truth brings freedom from sin's slavery, challenging religious leaders who relied on their ancestry rather than genuine faith
be cause of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heav en; it is not like the man na a your an ces tors ate — and they died. The one who eats this bread will live for ev er.” 59 He said these things while teach ing in the syn a gogue in Ca per na um. MANY DISCIPLES DESERT JESUS 60 There fore, when many of his dis ci ples heard this, they said, “ This teach ing is hard. Who can ac cept b it? ” 61 Jesus, know ing in him self that his dis- ci ples were com plain ing about this, asked them, “ Does this of fend you? 62 Then what if you were to ob serve the Son of Man as cend- ing to where he was be fore? 63 The Spir it is the one who gives life. The flesh doesn’t help at all. The words that I have spo ken to you are spir it and are life. 64 But there are some among you who don’t be lieve.” ( For Jesus knew from the be gin ning those who did not c be lieve and the one who would be tray him.) 65 He said, “ This is why I told you that no one can come to me un less it is grant ed to him by the Fa ther.” 66 From that mo ment d many of his dis ci ples turned back and no lon ger ac com pa nied him. 67 So Jesus said to the Twelve, “ You don’t want to go away too, do you? ” 68 Si mon Pe ter an swered, “ Lord, to whom will we go? You have the words of eter nal life. 69 We have come to be lieve and know that you are the Holy One of God.” e 70 Jesus re plied to them, “ Didn’t I choose you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a dev il.” 71 He was re fer ring to Ju das, Si mon Is car i ot’s son, f one of the Twelve, be cause he was go ing to be tray him. THE UNBELIEF OF JESUS’S BROTHERS 7 Af ter this, Jesus trav eled in Gal i lee, since he did not want to trav el in Ju dea be cause the Jews were try ing to kill him. 2 The Jew ish Fes ti val of Shel ters g was near. 3 So his broth- ers said to him, “ Leave here and go to Ju dea so your dis ci ples can see your works that you are do ing. 4 For no one does any thing in se cret while he’s seek ing pub lic rec og ni tion. If you do these things, show your self to the world.” 5 ( For not even his broth ers be lieved in him.) 6 Jesus told them, “ My time has not yet ar - rived, but your time is al ways at hand. 7 The world can not hate you, but it does hate me be cause I tes ti fy about it — that its works are evil. 8 Go up to the fes ti val your selves. I’m not go ing up to this fes ti val, h be cause my time has not yet ful ly come.” 9 Af ter he had said these things, he stayed in Gal i lee. JESUS AT THE FESTIVAL OF SHELTERS 10 Af ter his broth ers had gone up to the fes- ti val, then he also went up, not open ly but se cret ly . 11 The Jews were look ing for him at the fes ti val and say ing, “ Where is he? ” 12 And there was a lot of murmuring about him among the crowds. Some were say ing, “ He’s a good man.” Oth ers were say ing, “ No, on the con trary , he’s de ceiv ing the peo ple.” 13 Still, no body was talk ing pub lic ly about him for fear of the Jews. 14 When the fes ti val was al ready half over, Jesus went up into the tem ple and be gan to teach. 15 Then the Jews were amazed and said, “ How is this man so learned, since he hasn’t been trained? ” 16 Jesus an swered them, “ My teach ing isn’t mine but is from the one who sent me. 17 If any one wants to do his will, he will know wheth er the teach ing is from God or wheth- er I am speak ing on my own. 18 The one who speaks on his own seeks his own glo ry; but he who seeks the glo ry of the one who sent him is true, and there is no un righ teous ness in him. 19 Didn’t Mo ses give you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law . Why are you try- ing to kill me? ” 20 “ You have a de mon! ” the crowd re spond- ed. “ Who is try ing to kill you? ” a6:58 Other mss omit the manna b6:60 Lit hear c6:64 Other mss omit not d6:66 Or Because of this e6:69 Other mss read you are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God f6:71 Or Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son g7:2 Or Tabernacles, or Booths h7:8 Other mss add yetJOHN 6-7 948 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 948 10/26/17 9:00 PM 21 “ I per formed one work, and you are all amazed,” Jesus an swered. 22 “ This is why Mo ses has giv en you cir cum ci sion — not that it comes from Mo ses but from the fa thers — and you cir cum cise a man on the Sab bath. 23 If a man re ceives cir cum ci sion on the Sab bath so that the law of Mo ses won’t be bro ken, are you an- gry at me be cause I made a man en tire ly well on the Sab bath? 24 Stop judg ing ac cord ing to out ward ap pear ances; rath er judge ac cord ing to righ teous judg ment.” THE IDENTITY OF THE MESSIAH 25 Some of the peo ple of Je ru sa lem were say ing, “ Isn’t this the man they are try ing to kill? 26 Yet, look, he’s speak ing pub lic ly and they’re say ing noth ing to him. Can it be true that the au thor - i ties know he is the Mes si ah? 27 But we know where this man is from. When the Mes si ah comes, no body will know where he is from.” 28 As he was teach ing in the tem ple, Jesus cried out, “ You know me and you know where I am from. Yet I have not come on my own, but the one who sent me is true. You don’t know him; 29 I know him be cause I am from him, and he sent me.” 30 Then they tried to seize him. Yet no one laid a hand on him be cause his hour had not yet come. 31 How ev er, many from the crowd be lieved in him and said, “ When the Mes si ah comes, he won’t per form more signs than this man has done, will he? ” 32 The Phar i sees heard the crowd murmuring these things about him, and so the chief priests and the Phar i sees sent ser vants a to ar rest him. 33 Then Jesus said, “ I am only with you for a short time. Then I’m go ing to the one who sent me. 34 You will look for me, but you will not find me; and where I am, you can not come.” 35 Then the Jews said to one an oth er, “ Where does he in tend to go so we won’t find him? He doesn’t in tend to go to the Jew ish peo ple dis persed b among the Greeks and teach the Greeks, does he? 36 What is this remark he made: ‘ You will look for me, and you will not find me; and where I am, you can not come’? ” THE PROMISE OF THE SPIRIT 37 On the last and most im por tant day of the fes ti val, Jesus stood up and cried out, “ If any one is thirsty , let him come to me c and drink. 38 The one who be lieves in me, as the Scrip ture has said, will have streams of liv ing wa ter flow from deep with in him.” 39 He said this about the Spir it. Those who be lieved in Jesus were go ing to re ceive the Spir it, for the Spir it d had not yet been giv en e be cause Jesus had not yet been glo ri fied. THE PEOPLE ARE DIVIDED OVER JESUS 40 When some from the crowd heard these words, they said, “ This tru ly is the Proph et.” 41 Oth ers said, “ This is the Mes si ah.” But some said, “Sure ly the Mes si ah doesn’t come from Gal i lee, does he? 42 Doesn’t the Scrip ture say that the Mes si ah comes from Da vid’s off spring f and from the town of Beth le hem, where Da vid lived? ” 43 So the crowd was di vid ed be cause of him. 44 Some of them want ed to seize him, but no one laid hands on him. DEBATE OVER JESUS’S CLAIMS 45 Then the ser vants came to the chief priests and Phar i sees, who asked them, “ Why didn’t you bring him? ” 46 The ser vants an swered, “ No man ever spoke like this! ” g 47 Then the Phar i sees re spond ed to them: “ Are you fooled too? 48 Have any of the rul ers or Phar i sees be lieved in him? 49 But this crowd, which doesn’t know the law , is ac cursed.” 50 Nic o de mus — the one who came to him pre vi ous ly and who was one of them — said to them, 51 “ Our law doesn’t judge a man be- fore it hears from him and knows what he’s do ing, does it? ” 52 “ You aren’t from Gal i lee too, are you? ” they re plied. “In ves ti gate and you will see that no proph et aris es from Gal i lee.” [ The ear li est mss do not in clude 7: 53– 8: 11.] h 8 [53 Then each one went to his house. 1 But Jesus went to the Mount of Ol ives. AN ADULTERESS FORGIVEN 2 At dawn he went to the tem ple again, and all the peo ple were com ing to him. He sat down and be gan to teach them. 3 Then the scribes and the Phar i sees brought a wom an caught in adul tery , mak ing her stand in the cen ter. 4 “Teach er,” they said to him, “ this wom an was caught in the act of com mit ting a7:32 Or temple police, or officers, also in vv. 45,46 b7:35 Gk diaspora ; Jewish people scattered throughout Gentile lands c7:37 Other mss omit to me d7:39 Other mss read Holy Spirit e7:39 Lit the Spirit was not yet f7:42 Lit seed g7:46 Other mss read like this man h7:53-8:11 Other mss include all or some of the passage after Jn 7:36,44,52; 21:25; or Lk 21:38. 949 JOHN 7-8 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 949 10/26/17 9:00 PM adul tery . 5 In the law Mo ses com mand ed us to stone such wom en. So what do you say? ” 6 They asked this to trap him, in or der that they might have ev i dence to ac cuse him. Jesus stooped down and start ed writ ing on the ground with his fin ger. 7 When they per sist - ed in ques tion ing him, he stood up and said to them, “ The one with out sin among you should be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Then he stooped down again and con tin ued writ ing on the ground. 9 When they heard this, they left one by one, start ing with the old er men. Only he was left, with the wom an in the cen ter. 10 When Jesus stood up, he said to her, “Wom an, where are they? Has no one con demned you? ” 11 “ No one, Lord,” a she an swered. “Nei ther do I con demn you,” said Jesus. “ Go, and from now on do not sin any more.”] THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD 12 Jesus spoke to them again: “ I am the light of the world. Any one who fol lows me will nev er walk in the dark ness but will have the light of life.” 13 So the Phar i sees said to him, “ You are tes ti fy ing about your self. Your tes ti mo ny is not val id.” 14 “ Even if I tes ti fy about my self,” Jesus re plied, “ My tes ti mo ny is true, be cause I know where I came from and where I’m go ing. But you don’t know where I come from or where I’m go ing. 15 You judge by hu man stan dards. b I judge no one. 16 And if I do judge, my judg ment is true, be cause it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Fa ther who sent me. 17 Even in your law it is writ ten that the tes ti mo ny of two wit ness es is true. 18 I am the one who tes ti fies about my self, and the Fa ther who sent me tes ti fies about me.” 19 Then they asked him, “ Where is your Fa- ther? ” “ You know nei ther me nor my Fa ther,” Jesus an swered. “ If you knew me, you would also know my Fa ther.” 20 He spoke these words by the trea sury , while teach ing in the tem ple. But no one seized him, be cause his hour had not yet come. JESUS PREDICTS HIS DEPARTURE 21 Then he said to them again, “ I’m go ing away; you will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I’m go ing, you can not come.”22 So the Jews said again, “ He won’t kill him- self, will he, since he says, ‘ Where I’m go ing, you can not come’? ” 23 “ You are from be low ,” he told them, “ I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 There fore I told you that you will die in your sins. For if you do not be lieve that I am he, you will die in your sins.” 25 “ Who are you? ” they ques tioned. “Ex act ly what I’ve been tell ing you from the very be gin ning,” Jesus told them. 26 “ I have many things to say and to judge about you, but the one who sent me is true, and what I have heard from him — these things I tell the world.” 27 They did not know he was speak ing to them about the Fa ther. 28 So Jesus said to them, “ When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do noth ing on my own. But just as the Fa ther taught me, I say these things. 29 The one who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, be cause I al ways do what pleas es him.” TRUTH AND FREEDOM 30 As he was say ing these things, many be - lieved in him. 31 Then Jesus said to the Jews who had be- lieved him, “ If you con tin ue in my word, c you real ly are my dis ci ples. 32 You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 33 “ We are de scen dants d of Abra ham,” they an swered him, “ and we have nev er been en- slaved to any one. How can you say , ‘ You will be come free’? ” 34 Jesus re spond ed, “Tru ly I tell you, ev ery one who com mits sin is a slave of sin. 35 A slave does not re main in the house hold for ev er, but a son does re main for ev er. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you real ly will be free. 37 I know you are de scen dants of Abra ham, but you are try- ing to kill me be cause my word has no place among you. 38 I speak what I have seen in the pres ence of the Fa ther; e so then, you do what you have heard from your fa ther.” 39 “ Our fa ther is Abra ham,” they re plied. “ If you were Abra ham’s chil dren,” Jesus told them, “ you would do what Abra ham did. 40 But now you are try ing to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abra ham did not do this. 41 You’re do ing what your fa ther does.” a8:11 Or Sir ; Jn 4:15,49; 5:7; 6:34; 9:36 b8:15 Lit You judge according to the flesh c8:31 Or my teaching, or my message, also in v. 37 d8:33 Or offspring ; lit seed, also in v. 37; Jn 7:42 e8:38 Other mss read of my FatherJOHN 8 950 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 950 10/26/17 9:00 PM “ We weren’t born of sex u al im mo ral i ty ,” they said. “ We have one Fa ther — God.” 42 Jesus said to them, “ If God were your Fa ther, you would love me, be cause I came from God and I am here. For I didn’t come on my own, but he sent me. 43 Why don’t you un der stand what I say? Be cause you can not lis ten to a my word. 44 You are of your fa ther the dev il, and you want to car ry out your fa- ther’s de sires. He was a mur der er from the be gin ning and does not stand in the truth, be cause there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he speaks from his own na ture, b be cause he is a liar and the fa ther of lies. 45 Yet be cause I tell the truth, you do not be lieve me. 46 Who among you can con vict me of sin? If I am tell ing the truth, why don’t you be lieve me? 47 The one who is from God lis tens to God’s words. This is why you don’t lis ten, be cause you are not from God.” JESUS AND ABRAHAM 48 The Jews re spond ed to him, “ Aren’t we right in say ing that you’re a Sa mar i tan and have a de mon? ” 49 “ I do not have a de mon,” Jesus an swered. “ On the con trary , I hon or my Fa ther and you dis hon or me. 50 I do not seek my own glo ry; there is one who seeks it and judg es. 51 Tru ly I tell you, if any one keeps my word, he will nev er see death.” 52 Then the Jews said, “ Now we know you have a de mon. Abra ham died and so did the proph ets. You say , ‘ If any one keeps my word, he will nev er taste death.’ 53 Are you great er than our fa ther Abra ham who died? And the proph ets died. Who do you claim to be? ” 54 “ If I glo ri fy my self,” Jesus an swered, “ my glo ry is noth ing. My Fa ther — about whom you say , ‘ He is our God’ — he is the one who glo ri fies me. 55 You do not know him, but I know him. If I were to say I don’t know him, I would be a liar like you. But I do know him, and I keep his word. 56 Your fa ther Abra ham re joiced to see my day; he saw it and was glad.” 57 The Jews re plied, “ You aren’t fif ty years old yet, and you’ve seen Abra ham? ” c 58 Jesus said to them, “Tru ly I tell you, be fore Abra ham was, I am.” 59 So they picked up stones to throw at him. But Jesus was hid den d and went out of the tem ple. eTHE SIXTH SIGN: HEALING A MAN BORN BLIND 9 As he was pass ing by , he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His dis ci ples asked him: “Rab- bi, who sinned, this man or his par ents, that he was born blind? ” 3 “Nei ther this man nor his par ents sinned,” Jesus an swered. “ This came about so that God’s works might be dis played in him. 4 We f must do the works of him who sent me g while it is day . Night is com ing when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6 Af ter he said these things he spit on the ground, made some mud from the sa li va, and spread the mud on his eyes. 7 “ Go,” he told him, “ wash in the pool of Si lo am” ( which means “ Sent”). So he left, washed, and came back see ing. 8 His neigh bors and those who had seen him be fore as a beg gar said, “ Isn’t this the one who used to sit beg ging? ” 9 Some said, “ He’s the one.” Oth ers were say ing, “ No, but he looks like him.” He kept say ing, “ I’m the one.” 10 So they asked him, “ Then how were your eyes opened? ” 11 He an swered, “ The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and told me, ‘ Go to Si lo am and wash.’ So when I went and washed I re ceived my sight.” 12 “ Where is he? ” they asked. “ I don’t know ,” he said. THE HEALED MAN’S TESTIMONY 13 They brought the man who used to be blind to the Phar i sees. 14 The day that Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes was a Sab bath. 15 Then the Phar i sees asked him again how he re ceived his sight. “ He put mud on my eyes,” he told them. “ I washed and I can see.” 16 Some of the Phar i sees said, “ This man is not from God, be cause he doesn’t keep the Sab bath.” But oth ers were say ing, “ How can a sin ful man per form such signs? ” And there was a di vi sion among them. 17 Again
🙏 Sight, Faith, and Shepherding
👁️ A blind man healed by Jesus boldly defends him against skeptical religious leaders, declaring "I was blind, and now I can see!" despite facing ridicule and rejection for his testimony
🐑 Jesus reveals himself as the Good Shepherd who genuinely cares for his sheep, knows them personally, and willingly sacrifices his life for them—unlike hired hands who abandon the flock in danger
⚰️ The raising of Lazarus from the dead after four days demonstrates Jesus' power over death and his identity as "the resurrection and the life," prompting many to believe while intensifying opposition from religious authorities
🤝 Jesus establishes a profound relationship of trust with his followers, promising that no one can snatch them from his hand, and declaring his unity with God: "I and the Father are one"
🌿 The triumphal entry into Jerusalem with palm branches and "Hosanna" shouts fulfills prophecy about the Messiah, setting the stage for Jesus' coming sacrifice that he compares to a grain of wheat that must die to produce fruit
they asked the blind man, “ What do you say about him, since he opened your eyes? ” “ He’s a proph et,” he said. 18 The Jews did not be lieve this about him — that he was blind and re ceived sight — un til a8:43 Or cannot hear b8:44 Lit from his own things c8:57 Other mss read and Abraham has seen you? d8:59 Or Jesus hid himself e8:59 Other mss add and having gone through their midst, he passed by f 9:4 Other mss read I g 9:4 Other mss read us 951 JOHN 8-9 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 951 10/26/17 9:00 PM they sum moned the par ents of the one who had re ceived his sight. 19 They asked them, “ Is this your son, the one you say was born blind? How then does he now see? ” 20 “ We know this is our son and that he was born blind,” his par ents an swered. 21 “ But we don’t know how he now sees, and we don’t know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he’s of age. He will speak for him self.” 22 His par ents said these things be cause they were afraid of the Jews, since the Jews had al ready agreed that if any one con fessed him as the Mes si ah, he would be banned from the syn a gogue. 23 This is why his par ents said, “ He’s of age; ask him.” 24 So a sec ond time they sum moned the man who had been blind and told him, “ Give glo ry to God. We know that this man is a sin ner.” 25 He an swered, “Wheth er or not he’s a sin- ner, I don’t know . One thing I do know: I was blind, and now I can see! ” 26 Then they asked him, “ What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes? ” 27 “ I al ready told you,” he said, “ and you didn’t lis ten. Why do you want to hear it again? You don’t want to be come his dis ci ples too, do you? ” 28 They rid i culed him: “ You’re that man’s dis- ci ple, but we’re Moses’s dis ci ples. 29 We know that God has spo ken to Mo ses. But this man — we don’t know where he’s from.” 30 “ This is an amaz ing thing! ” the man told them. “ You don’t know where he is from, and yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God doesn’t lis ten to sin ners, but if any one is God-fearing and does his will, he lis tens to him. 32 Through out his to ry a no one has ever heard of some one open ing the eyes of a per son born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he wouldn’t be able to do any thing.” 34 “ You were born en tire ly in sin,” they re- plied, “ and are you try ing to teach us? ” Then they threw him out. SPIRITUAL BLINDNESS 35 Jesus heard that they had thrown the man out, and when he found him, he asked, “ Do you be lieve in the Son of Man? ” b 36 “ Who is he, Sir, that I may be lieve in him? ” he asked. 37 Jesus an swered, “ You have seen him; in fact, he is the one speak ing with you.” 38 “ I be lieve, Lord! ” he said, and he wor - shiped him.39 Jesus said, “ I came into this world for judg- ment, in or der that those who do not see will see and those who do see will be come blind.” 40 Some of the Phar i sees who were with him heard these things and asked him, “ We aren’t blind too, are we? ” 41 “ If you were blind,” Jesus told them, “ you wouldn’t have sin. But now that you say , ‘ We see,’ your sin re mains. THE GOOD SHEPHERD 10 “Tru ly I tell you, any one who doesn’t en ter the sheep pen by the gate but climbs in some oth er way is a thief and a rob ber. 2 The one who en ters by the gate is the shep herd of the sheep. 3 The gate keep er opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought all his own out side, he goes ahead of them. The sheep fol low him be cause they know his voice. 5 They will nev er fol low a strang er; in stead they will run away from him, be cause they don’t know the voice of strang ers.” 6 Jesus gave them this fig ure of speech, but they did not un der stand what he was tell ing them. 7 Jesus said again, “Tru ly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who came be fore me c are thieves and rob bers, but the sheep didn’t lis ten to them. 9 I am the gate. If any- one en ters by me, he will be saved and will come in and go out and find pas ture. 10 A thief comes only to steal and kill and de stroy . I have come so that they may have life and have it in abun dance. 11 “ I am the good shep herd. The good shep- herd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand, since he is not the shep herd and doesn’t own the sheep, leaves them d and runs away when he sees a wolf com ing. The wolf then snatch es and scat ters them. 13 This hap- pens be cause he is a hired hand and doesn’t care about the sheep. 14 “ I am the good shep herd. I know my own, and my own know me, 15 just as the Fa ther knows me, and I know the Fa ther. I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 But I have oth er sheep that are not from this sheep pen; I must bring them also, and they will lis ten to my voice. Then there will be one flock, one shep herd. 17 This is why the Fa ther loves me, be cause I lay down my life so that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own. a9:32 Lit From the age b9:35 Other mss read the Son of God c10:8 Other mss omit before me d10:12 Lit leaves the sheepJOHN 9-10 952 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 952 10/26/17 9:00 PM I have the right to lay it down, and I have the right to take it up again. I have re ceived this com mand from my Fa ther.” 19 Again the Jews were di vid ed be cause of these words. 20 Many of them were say ing, “ He has a de mon and he’s crazy . Why do you lis ten to him? ” 21 Oth ers were say ing, “ These aren’t the words of some one who is demon-possessed. Can a de mon open the eyes of the blind? ” JESUS AT THE FESTIVAL OF DEDICATION 22 Then the Fes ti val of Ded i ca tion took place in Je ru sa lem, and it was win ter. 23 Jesus was walk ing in the tem ple in Sol o mon’s Col on nade. 24 The Jews sur round ed him and asked, “ How long are you go ing to keep us in sus pense? a If you are the Mes si ah, tell us plain ly .” b 25 “ I did tell you and you don’t be lieve,” Jesus an swered them. “ The works that I do in my Fa- ther’s name tes ti fy about me. 26 But you don’t be lieve be cause you are not of my sheep. c 27 My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they fol low me. 28 I give them eter nal life, and they will nev er per ish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Fa ther, who has giv en them to me, is great er than all. No one is able to snatch them out of the Fa ther’s hand. 30 I and the Fa ther are one.” RENEWED EFFORTS TO STONE JESUS 31 Again the Jews picked up rocks to stone him. 32 Jesus re plied, “ I have shown you many good works from the Fa ther. For which of these works are you ston ing me? ” 33 “ We aren’t ston ing you for a good work,” the Jews an swered, “ but for blas phe my , be- cause you — be ing a man — make your self God.” 34 Jesus an swered them, “ Isn’t it writ ten in your law , d I said, you are gods? e 35 If he called those whom the word of God came to ‘ gods’ — and the Scrip ture can not be bro- ken — 36 do you say , ‘ You are blas phem ing’ to the one the Fa ther set apart and sent into the world, be cause I said: I am the Son of God? 37 If I am not do ing my Fa ther’s works, don’t be lieve me. 38 But if I am do ing them and you don’t be lieve me, be lieve the works. This way you will know and un der stand f that the Fa- ther is in me and I in the Fa ther.” 39 Then they were try ing again to seize him, but he elud ed their grasp.MANY BEYOND THE JORDAN BELIEVE IN JESUS 40 So he de part ed again across the Jor dan to the place where John had been bap tiz ing ear - li er, and he re mained there. 41 Many came to him and said, “ John nev er did a sign, but ev- ery thing John said about this man was true.” 42 And many be lieved in him there. LAZARUS DIES AT BETHANY 11 Now a man was sick, Laz a rus from Beth- a ny , the vil lage of Mary and her sis ter Mar tha. 2 Mary was the one who anoint ed the Lord with per fume and wiped his feet with her hair, and it was her broth er Laz a rus who was sick. 3 So the sis ters sent a mes sage to him: “ Lord, the one you love is sick.” 4 When Jesus heard it, he said, “ This sick ness will not end in death but is for the glo ry of God, so that the Son of God may be glo ri fied through it.” 5 Now Jesus loved Mar tha, her sis ter, and Laz a rus. 6 So when he heard that he was sick, he stayed two more days in the place where he was. 7 Then af ter that, he said to the dis ci ples, “ Let’s go to Ju dea again.” 8 “Rab bi,” the dis ci ples told him, “ just now the Jews tried to stone you, and you’re go ing there again? ” 9 “ Aren’t there twelve hours in a day? ” Jesus an swered. “ If any one walks dur ing the day , he doesn’t stum ble, be cause he sees the light of this world. 10 But if any one walks dur ing the night, he does stum ble, be cause the light is not in him.” 11 He said this, and then he told them, “ Our friend Laz a rus has fall en asleep, but I’m on my way to wake him up.” 12 Then the dis ci ples said to him, “ Lord, if he has fall en asleep, he will get well.” 13 Jesus, how ev er, was speak ing about his death, but they thought he was speak ing about nat u ral sleep. 14 So Jesus then told them plain- ly , “Laz a rus has died. 15 I’m glad for you that I wasn’t there so that you may be lieve. But let’s go to him.” 16 Then Thom as ( called “ Twin” g) said to his fel low dis ci ples, “ Let’s go too so that we may die with him.” THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE 17 When Jesus ar rived, he found that Laz a- rus had al ready been in the tomb four days. 18 Beth a ny was near Je ru sa lem ( less than two miles h away). 19 Many of the Jews had come a10:24 Lit “How long are you taking away our life? b10:24 Or openly, or publicly c10:26 Other mss add just as I told you d10:34 Other mss read in the scripture e10:34 Ps 82:6 f10:38 Other mss read know and believe g11:16 Gk Didymus h11:18 Lit fifteen stadia ; one stadion = 600 feet 953 JOHN 10-11 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 953 10/26/17 9:00 PM to Mar tha and Mary to com fort them about their broth er. 20 As soon as Mar tha heard that Jesus was com ing, she went to meet him, but Mary re- mained seat ed in the house. 21 Then Mar tha said to Jesus, “ Lord, if you had been here, my broth er wouldn’t have died. 22 Yet even now I know that what ev er you ask from God, God will give you.” 23 “ Your broth er will rise again,” Jesus told her. 24 Mar tha said to him, “ I know that he will rise again in the res ur rec tion at the last day .” 25 Jesus said to her, “ I am the res ur rec tion and the life. The one who be lieves in me, even if he dies, will live. 26 Ev ery one who lives and be lieves in me will nev er die. Do you be lieve this? ” 27 “ Yes, Lord,” she told him, “ I be lieve you are the Mes si ah, the Son of God, who comes into the world.” JESUS SHARES THE SORROW OF DEATH 28 Hav ing said this, she went back and called her sis ter Mary , say ing in pri vate, “ The Teach er is here and is call ing for you.” 29 As soon as Mary heard this, she got up quick ly and went to him. 30 Jesus had not yet come into the vil lage but was still in the place where Mar tha had met him. 31 The Jews who were with her in the house con sol ing her saw that Mary got up quick ly and went out. They fol lowed her, sup pos ing that she was go ing to the tomb to cry there. 32 As soon as Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and told him, “ Lord, if you had been here, my broth er would not have died! ” 33 When Jesus saw her cry ing, and the Jews who had come with her cry ing, he was deep ly moved a in his spir it and trou bled. 34 “ Where have you put him? ” he asked. “ Lord,” they told him, “ come and see.” 35 Jesus wept. 36 So the Jews said, “ See how he loved him! ” 37 But some of them said, “ Couldn’t he who opened the blind man’s eyes also have kept this man from dy ing? ” THE SEVENTH SIGN: RAISING LAZARUS FROM THE DEAD 38 Then Jesus, deep ly moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was ly ing against it. 39 “Re move the stone,” Jesus said.Mar tha, the dead man’s sis ter, told him, “ Lord, there is al ready a stench be cause he has been dead four days.” 40 Jesus said to her, “ Didn’t I tell you that if you be lieved you would see the glo ry of God? ” 41 So they re moved the stone. Then Jesus raised his eyes and said, “Fa ther, I thank you that you heard me. 42 I know that you al ways hear me, but be cause of the crowd stand ing here I said this, so that they may be lieve you sent me.” 43 Af ter he said this, he shout ed with a loud voice, “Laz a rus, come out! ” 44 The dead man came out bound hand and foot with lin en strips and with his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unwrap him and let him go.” THE PLOT TO KILL JESUS 45 There fore, many of the Jews who came to Mary and saw what he did be lieved in him. 46 But some of them went to the Phar i sees and told them what Jesus had done. 47 So the chief priests and the Phar i sees con- vened the San he drin and were say ing, “ What are we go ing to do since this man is do ing many signs? 48 If we let him go on like this, ev ery one will be lieve in him, and the Ro mans will come and take away both our place and our na tion.” 49 One of them, Cai a phas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “ You know noth- ing at all! 50 You’re not considering that it is to your b ad van tage that one man should die for the peo ple rath er than the whole na tion per ish.” 51 He did not say this on his own, but be ing high priest that year he proph e sied that Jesus was go ing to die for the na tion, 52 and not for the na tion only , but also to unite the scat tered chil dren of God. 53 So from that day on they plot ted to kill him. 54 Jesus there fore no lon ger walked open- ly among the Jews but de part ed from there to the coun try side near the wil der ness, to a town called Ephra im, and he stayed there with the dis ci ples. 55 Now the Jew ish Pass over was near, and many went up to Je ru sa lem from the coun try to pu ri fy them selves be fore the Pass over. 56 They were look ing for Jesus and ask ing one an oth- er as they stood in the tem ple: “ What do you think? He won’t come to the fes ti val, will he? ” 57 The chief priests and the Phar i sees had giv en or ders that if any one knew where he was, he should re port it so that they could ar rest him. a 11:33 Or angry, also in v. 38 b 11:50 Other mss read to ourJOHN 11 954 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 954 10/26/17 9:00 PM THE ANOINTING AT BETHANY 12 Six days be fore the Pass over, Jesus came to Beth a ny where Laz a rus a was, the one Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 So they gave a din ner for him there; Mar tha was serv ing them, and Laz a rus was one of those re clin- ing at the ta ble with him. 3 Then Mary took a pound of per fume, pure and ex pen sive nard, anoint ed Jesus’s feet, and wiped his feet with her hair. So the house was filled with the fra- grance of the per fume. 4 Then one of his dis ci ples, Ju das Is car i ot ( who was about to be tray him), said, 5 “ Why wasn’t this per fume sold for three hun dred de nar ii b and giv en to the poor? ” 6 He didn’t say this be cause he cared about the poor but be cause he was a thief. He was in charge of the money-bag and would steal part of what was put in it. 7 Jesus an swered, “ Leave her alone; she has kept it for the day of my buri al. 8 For you al- ways have the poor with you, but you do not al ways have me.” THE DECISION TO KILL LAZARUS 9 Then a large crowd of the Jews learned he was there. They came not only be cause of Jesus but also to see Laz a rus, the one he had raised from the dead. 10 But the chief priests had de- cid ed to kill Laz a rus also, 11 be cause he was the rea son many of the Jews were de sert ing them c and be liev ing in Jesus. THE TRIUMPHAL ENTRY 12 The next day , when the large crowd that had come to the fes ti val heard that Jesus was com- ing to Je ru sa lem, 13 they took palm branch es and went out to meet him. They kept shout ing: “ Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord d — the King of Israel! ” 14 Jesus found a young don key and sat on it, just as it is writ ten: 15 Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion. Look, your King is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt. e 16 His dis ci ples did not un der stand these things at first. How ev er, when Jesus was glo ri fied, then they re mem bered that these things had been writ ten about him and that they had done these things to him.17 Mean while, the crowd, which had been with him when he called Laz a rus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead, con tin- ued to tes ti fy . f 18 This is also why the crowd met him, be cause they heard he had done this sign. 19 Then the Phar i sees said to one an oth er, “ You see? You’ve ac com plished noth ing. Look, the world has gone af ter him! ” JESUS PREDICTS HIS CRUCIFIXION 20 Now some Greeks were among those who went up to wor ship at the fes ti val. 21 So they came to Phil ip, who was from Beth sa i da in Gal i lee, and re quest ed of him, “ Sir, we want to see Jesus.” 22 Phil ip went and told An drew; then An drew and Phil ip went and told Jesus. 23 Jesus re plied to them, “ The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glo ri fied. 24 Tru ly I tell you, un less a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it re mains by it self. But if it dies, it pro duc es much fruit. 25 The one who loves his life will lose it, and the one who hates his life in this world will keep it for eter nal life. 26 If any one serves me, he must fol low me. Where I am, there my ser vant also will be. If any one serves me, the Fa ther will hon or him. 27 “ Now my soul is trou bled. What should I say — Fa ther,
🙏 Divine Glory and Spiritual Light
🌟 Jesus's mission culminates in his sacrificial death that will "draw all people" to himself, fulfilling ancient prophecies while challenging conventional expectations about the Messiah
🕯️ Light versus darkness emerges as a central metaphor—Jesus urges followers to "walk in the light" before darkness overtakes them, positioning himself as the world's illumination
💝 Servant leadership transforms relationships through Jesus's foot-washing example and new command: "Love one another as I have loved you," establishing the defining mark of discipleship
🌿 Spiritual connection with Christ operates like branches to a vine—remaining in him produces abundant fruit while separation leads to withering
🕊️ The promised Holy Spirit (Counselor) will guide believers into truth, teach them, remind them of Jesus's words, and provide peace unlike what the world offers
⚔️ Followers face inevitable persecution from a world that rejected Jesus first, yet this opposition confirms their separation from worldly values
save me from this hour? But that is why I came to this hour. 28 Fa ther, glo- ri fy your name.” g Then a voice came from heav en: “ I have glo- ri fied it, and I will glo ri fy it again.” 29 The crowd stand ing there heard it and said it was thun der. Oth ers said, “ An an gel has spo ken to him.” 30 Jesus re spond ed, “ This voice came, not for me, but for you. 31 Now is the judg ment of this world. Now the rul er of this world will be cast out. 32 As for me, if I am lift ed up h from the earth I will draw all peo ple to my self.” 33 He said this to in di cate what kind of death he was about to die. 34 Then the crowd re plied to him, “ We have heard from the law that the Mes si ah will re- main for ev er. So how can you say , ‘ The Son of Man must be lift ed up’? Who is this Son of Man? ” 35 Jesus an swered, “ The light will be with you only a lit tle lon ger. Walk while you have the light so that dark ness doesn’t over take you. The one who walks in dark ness doesn’t know a12:1 Other mss read Lazarus who died b12:5 A denarius = one day’s wage c12:11 Lit going away d12:13 Ps 118:25-26 e12:15 Zch 9:9 f12:17 Other mss read Meanwhile the crowd, which had been with him, continued to testify that he had called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead. g12:28 Other mss read your Son h12:32 Or exalted, also in v. 34 955 JOHN 12 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 955 10/26/17 9:00 PM where he’s go ing. 36 While you have the light, be lieve in the light so that you may be come chil dren of light.” Jesus said this, then went away and hid from them. ISAIAH’S PROPHECIES FULFILLED 37 Even though he had per formed so many signs in their pres ence, they did not be lieve in him. 38 This was to ful fill the word of Isa iah the proph et, who said: a Lord, who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? b 39 This is why they were un able to be lieve, be cause Isa iah also said: 40 He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so that they would not see with their eyes or understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them. c 41 Isa iah said these things be cause d he saw his glo ry and spoke about him. 42 Nev er the less, many did be lieve in him even among the rul ers, but be cause of the Phar i sees they did not con fess him, so that they would not be banned from the syn a gogue. 43 For they loved hu man praise more than praise from God. A SUMMARY OF JESUS’S MISSION 44 Jesus cried out, “ The one who be lieves in me be lieves not in me, but in him who sent me. 45 And the one who sees me sees him who sent me. 46 I have come as light into the world, so that ev ery one who be lieves in me would not re main in dark ness. 47 If any one hears my words and doesn’t keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. 48 The one who re jects me and doesn’t re ceive my say ings has this as his judge: e The word I have spo ken will judge him on the last day . 49 For I have not spo ken on my own, but the Fa ther him self who sent me has giv en me a com mand to say ev ery thing I have said. 50 I know that his com mand is eter nal life. So the things that I speak, I speak just as the Fa ther has told me.”JESUS WASHES HIS DISCIPLES’ FEET 13 Be fore the Pass over Fes ti val, Jesus knew that his hour had come to de part from this world to the Fa ther. Hav ing loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 2 Now when it was time for sup per, the dev- il had al ready put it into the heart of Ju das, Si mon Is car i ot’s son, f to be tray him. 3 Jesus knew that the Fa ther had giv en ev ery thing into his hands, that he had come from God, and that he was go ing back to God. 4 So he got up from sup per, laid aside his out er cloth ing, took a tow el, and tied it around him self. 5 Next, he poured wa ter into a ba sin and be gan to wash his dis ci ples’ feet and to dry them with the tow el tied around him. 6 He came to Si mon Pe ter, who asked him, “ Lord, are you go ing to wash my feet? ” 7 Jesus an swered him, “ What I’m do ing you don’t re al ize now , but af ter ward you will un- der stand.” 8 “ You will nev er wash my feet,” Pe ter said. Jesus re plied, “ If I don’t wash you, you have no part with me.” 9 Si mon Pe ter said to him, “ Lord, not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.” 10 “ One who has bathed,” Jesus told him, “ doesn’t need to wash any thing ex cept his feet, but he is com plete ly clean. You are clean, but not all of you.” 11 For he knew who would be tray him. This is why he said, “ Not all of you are clean.” THE MEANING OF FOOT WASHING 12 When Jesus had washed their feet and put on his out er cloth ing, he re clined again and said to them, “ Do you know what I have done for you? 13 You call me Teach er and Lord — and you are speak ing right ly , since that is what I am. 14 So if I, your Lord and Teach er, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one an oth er’s feet. 15 For I have giv en you an ex am ple, that you also should do just as I have done for you. 16 “Tru ly I tell you, a ser vant is not great er than his mas ter, g and a mes sen ger is not great- er than the one who sent him. 17 If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them. 18 “ I’m not speak ing about all of you; I know those I have cho sen. But the Scrip ture must be ful filled: The one who eats my bread h has raised his heel against me. i 19 I am tell- ing you now be fore it hap pens, so that when a12:38 Lit which he said b12:38 Is 53:1 c12:40 Is 6:10 d12:41 Other mss read when e12:48 Lit has the one judging him f13:2 Or Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son g13:16 Or lord h13:18 Other mss read eats bread with me i13:18 Ps 41:9JOHN 12-13 956 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 956 10/26/17 9:00 PM it does hap pen you will be lieve that I am he. 20 Tru ly I tell you, who ev er re ceives any one I send re ceives me, and the one who re ceives me re ceives him who sent me.” JUDAS’S BE TR AYAL PREDIC TED 21 When Jesus had said this, he was trou bled in his spir it and tes ti fied, “Tru ly I tell you, one of you will be tray me.” 22 The dis ci ples start ed look ing at one an oth- er — un cer tain which one he was speak ing about. 23 One of his dis ci ples, the one Jesus loved, was re clin ing close be side Jesus. a 24 Si- mon Pe ter mo tioned to him to find out who it was he was talk ing about. 25 So he leaned back against Jesus and asked him, “ Lord, who is it? ” 26 Jesus re plied, “ He’s the one I give the piece of bread to af ter I have dipped it.” When he had dipped the bread, he gave it to Ju das, Si mon Is car i ot’s son. b 27 Af ter Ju das ate the piece of bread, Sa tan en tered him. So Jesus told him, “ What you’re do ing, do quick ly .” 28 None of those re clin ing at the ta ble knew why he said this to him. 29 Since Ju das kept the money-bag, some thought that Jesus was tell ing him, “ Buy what we need for the fes ti- val,” or that he should give some thing to the poor. 30 Af ter re ceiv ing the piece of bread, he im me di ate ly left. And it was night. THE NEW COMMAND 31 When he had left, Jesus said, “ Now the Son of Man is glo ri fied, and God is glo ri fied in him. 32 If God is glo ri fied in him, c God will also glo ri fy him in him self and will glo ri fy him at once. 33 Chil dren, I am with you a lit tle while lon ger. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so now I tell you: ‘ Where I am go ing, you can not come.’ 34 “ I give you a new com mand: Love one an oth er. Just as I have loved you, you are also to love one an oth er. 35 By this ev ery one will know that you are my dis ci ples, if you love one an oth er.” PETER’S DENIALS PREDICTED 36 “ Lord,” Si mon Pe ter said to him, “ where are you go ing? ” Jesus an swered, “ Where I am go ing you can- not fol low me now , but you will fol low lat er.”37 “ Lord,” Pe ter asked, “ why can’t I fol low you now? I will lay down my life for you.” 38 Jesus re plied, “ Will you lay down your life for me? Tru ly I tell you, a roost er will not crow un til you have de nied me three times. THE WAY TO THE FATHER 14 “ Don’t let your heart be trou bled. Be lieve d in God; be lieve also in me. 2 In my Fa ther’s house are many rooms; if not, I would have told you. I am go ing away to pre pare a place for you. 3 If I go away and pre pare a place for you, I will come again and take you to my self, so that where I am you may be also. 4 You know the way to where I am go ing.” e 5 “ Lord,” Thom as said, “ we don’t know where you’re go ing. How can we know the way? ” 6 Jesus told him, “ I am the way , the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Fa ther ex- cept through me. 7 If you know me, you will also know f my Fa ther. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” JESUS REVEALS THE FATHER 8 “ Lord,” said Phil ip, “ show us the Fa ther, and that’s enough for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “ Have I been among you all this time and you do not know me, Phil ip? The one who has seen me has seen the Fa ther. How can you say , ‘ Show us the Fa ther’? 10 Don’t you be lieve that I am in the Fa ther and the Fa ther is in me? The words I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The Fa ther who lives in me does his works. 11 Be lieve me that I am in the Fa ther and the Fa ther is in me. Oth er wise, be lieve g be cause of the works them selves. PRAYING IN JESUS’S NAME 12 “Tru ly I tell you, the one who be lieves in me will also do the works that I do. And he will do even great er works than these, be cause I am go ing to the Fa ther. 13 What ev er you ask in my name, I will do it so that the Fa ther may be glo ri fied in the Son. 14 If you ask me h any thing in my name, I will do it. i ANOTHER COUNSELOR PROMISED 15 “ If you love me, you will keep j my com mands. 16 And I will ask the Fa ther, and he will give you an oth er Coun sel or k to be with you for ev er. a13:23 Lit reclining at Jesus’s breast ; that is, on his right; Jn 1:18 b13:26 Or Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son c13:32 Other mss omit If God is glorified in him d14:1 Or You believe e14:4 Other mss read this verse: And you know where I am going, and you know the way f14:7 Other mss read If you had known me, you would have known g14:11 Other mss read believe me h14:14 Other mss omit me i14:14 Other mss omit all of v. 14 j14:15 Other mss read “If you love me, keep (as a command) k14:16 Or advocate, or comforter, also in v. 26 957 JOHN 13-14 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 957 10/26/17 9:00 PM 17 He is the Spir it of truth. The world is un able to re ceive him be cause it doesn’t see him or know him. But you do know him, be cause he re mains with you and will be a in you. THE FATHER, THE SON, AND THE HOLY SPIRIT 18 “ I will not leave you as or phans; I am com- ing to you. 19 In a lit tle while the world will no lon ger see me, but you will see me. Be cause I live, you will live too. 20 On that day you will know that I am in my Fa ther, you are in me, and I am in you. 21 The one who has my com- mands and keeps them is the one who loves me. And the one who loves me will be loved by my Fa ther. I also will love him and will re- veal my self to him.” 22 Ju das ( not Is car i ot) said to him, “ Lord, how is it you’re go ing to re veal your self to us and not to the world? ” 23 Jesus an swered, “ If any one loves me, he will keep my word. My Fa ther will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 The one who doesn’t love me will not keep my words. The word that you hear is not mine but is from the Fa ther who sent me. 25 “ I have spo ken these things to you while I re main with you. 26 But the Coun sel or, the Holy Spir it, whom the Fa ther will send in my name, will teach you all things and re mind you of ev ery thing I have told you. JESUS’S GIFT OF PEACE 27 “ Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Don’t let your heart be trou bled or fear ful. 28 You have heard me tell you, ‘ I am go ing away and I am com ing to you.’ If you loved me, you would re joice that I am go ing to the Fa ther, be cause the Fa ther is great er than I. 29 I have told you now be fore it hap pens so that when it does hap pen you may be lieve. 30 I will not talk with you much lon ger, be cause the rul er of the world is com ing. He has no pow er over me. b 31 On the con trary , so that the world may know that I love the Fa ther, I do as the Fa ther com mand ed me. “ Get up; let’s leave this place. THE VINE AND THE BRANCHES 15 “ I am the true vine, and my Fa ther is the gar den er. 2 Ev ery branch in me that does not pro duce fruit he re moves, and he prunes ev ery branch that pro duc es fruit so that it will pro duce more fruit. 3 You are al ready clean be cause of the word I have spo ken to you. 4 Re main in me, and I in you. Just as a branch is un able to pro duce fruit by it self un less it re mains on the vine, nei ther can you un less you re main in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branch es. The one who re mains in me and I in him pro duc es much fruit, be cause you can do noth ing with out me. 6 If any one does not re main in me, he is thrown aside like a branch and he with ers. They gath er them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you re- main in me and my words re main in you, ask what ev er you want and it will be done for you. 8 My Fa ther is glo ri fied by this: that you pro- duce much fruit and prove to be c my dis ci ples. CHRISTLIKE LOVE 9 “ As the Fa ther has loved me, I have also loved you. Re main in my love. 10 If you keep my com- mands you will re main in my love, just as I have kept my Fa ther’s com mands and re main in his love. 11 “ I have told you these things so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be com plete. 12 “ This is my com mand: Love one an oth er as I have loved you. 13 No one has great er love than this: to lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I com mand you. 15 I do not call you ser vants any more, be - cause a ser vant doesn’t know what his mas ter d is do ing. I have called you friends, be cause I have made known to you ev ery thing I have heard from my Fa ther. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you. I ap point ed you to go and pro duce fruit and that your fruit should re main, so that what ev er you ask the Fa ther in my name, he will give you. 17 “ This is what I com mand you: Love one an oth er. PERSECUTIONS PREDICTED 18 “ If the world hates you, un der stand that it hat ed me be fore it hat ed you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. How ev er, be cause you are not of the world, but I have cho sen you out of it, the world hates you. 20 Re mem ber the word I spoke to you: ‘ A ser vant is not great er than his mas ter.’ If they per se cut ed me, they will also per se cute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. 21 But they will do all these things to you on ac count of my name, be cause they don’t know a14:17 Other mss read and is b14:30 Lit He has nothing in me c15:8 Or and become d15:15 Or lordJOHN 14-15 958 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 958 10/26/17 9:00 PM the one who sent me. 22 If I had not come and spo ken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now they have no ex cuse for their sin. 23 The one who hates me also hates my Fa ther. 24 If I had not done the works among them that no one else has done, they would not have sin. Now they have seen and hat ed both me and my Fa ther. 25 But this hap pened so that the state ment writ ten in their law might be ful- filled: They hat ed me for no rea son. a THE COUNSELOR’S MINISTRY 26 “ When the Coun sel or comes, the one I will send to you from the Fa ther — the Spir it of truth who proceeds from the Fa ther — he will tes ti fy about me. 27 You also will tes ti fy , be cause you have been with me from the be gin ning. 16 “ I have told you these things to keep you from stum bling. 2 They will ban you from the syn a gogues. In fact, a time is com ing when any one who kills you will think he is off er- ing ser vice to God. 3 They will do these things be cause they haven’t known the Fa ther or me. 4 But I have told you these things so that when their time b comes you will re mem ber I told them to you. I didn’t tell you these things from the be gin ning, be cause I was with you. 5 But now I am go ing away to him who sent me, and not one of you asks me, ‘ Where are you go ing? ’ 6 Yet, be cause I have spo ken these things to you, sor row has filled your heart. 7 Nev er the less, I am tell ing you the truth. It is for your ben e fit that I go away , be cause if I don’t go away the Coun sel or will not come to you. If I go, I will send him to you. 8 When he comes, he will con vict the world about sin, righ teous ness, and judg ment: 9 About sin, be - cause they do not be lieve in me; 10 about righ- teous ness, be cause I am go ing to the Fa ther and you will no lon ger see me; 11 and about judg ment, be cause the rul er of this world has been judged. 12 “ I still have many things to tell you, but you can’t bear them now . 13 When the Spir it of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth. For he will not speak on his own, but he will speak what ev er he hears. He will also de clare to you what is to come. 14 He will glo ri fy me, be cause he will take from what is
🙏 Sorrow to Joy, Victory in Christ
🌊 Temporary sorrow transforms into lasting joy through Christ's promise, illustrated by the woman in labor who forgets her pain once her child is born
🛡️ Jesus offers peace amid suffering, declaring "I have conquered the world" while preparing disciples for his departure and return
🤲 The high priestly prayer reveals Jesus's intimate relationship with the Father and his desire for believers to experience divine unity, protection, and sanctification
⚔️ Despite betrayal and denial from those closest to him, Jesus willingly embraces his sacrificial mission, declaring "It is finished" as he fulfills Scripture
💧 The physical reality of Christ's death is confirmed through blood and water flowing from his pierced side, establishing the truth of his sacrifice and resurrection
👑 Throughout his trial and crucifixion, Jesus maintains his sovereign identity as King, even as worldly powers attempt to mock and diminish his authority
mine and de clare it to you. 15 Ev ery thing the Fa ther has is mine. This is why I told you that he takes from what is mine and will de clare it to you.SORROW TURNED TO JOY 16 “ A lit tle while and you will no lon ger see me; again a lit tle while and you will see me.” c 17 Then some of his dis ci ples said to one an oth er, “ What is this he’s tell ing us: ‘ A lit tle while and you will not see me; again a lit tle while and you will see me’ and, ‘be cause I am go ing to the Fa ther’? ” 18 They said, “ What is this he is say ing, d ‘ A lit tle while’? We don’t know what he’s talk ing about.” 19 Jesus knew they want ed to ask him, and so he said to them, “ Are you ask ing one an- oth er about what I said, ‘ A lit tle while and you will not see me; again a lit tle while and you will see me’? 20 Tru ly I tell you, you will weep and mourn, but the world will re joice. You will be come sor row ful, but your sor row will turn to joy . 21 When a wom an is in la bor, she has pain be cause her time has come. But when she has giv en birth to a child, she no lon ger re mem bers the suff er ing be cause of the joy that a per son has been born into the world. 22 So you also have sor row e now . But I will see you again. Your hearts will re joice, and no one will take away your joy from you. 23 “ In that day you will not ask me any thing. Tru ly I tell you, any thing you ask the Fa ther in my name, he will give you. 24 Un til now you have asked for noth ing in my name. Ask and you will re ceive, so that your joy may be com plete. JESUS THE VICTOR 25 “ I have spo ken these things to you in fig ures of speech. A time is com ing when I will no lon- ger speak to you in fig ures, but I will tell you plain ly about the Fa ther. 26 On that day you will ask in my name, and I am not tell ing you that I will ask the Fa ther on your be half. 27 For the Fa ther him self loves you, be cause you have loved me and have be lieved that I came from God. f 28 I came from the Fa ther and have come into the world. Again, I am leav ing the world and go ing to the Fa ther.” 29 His dis ci ples said, “ Look, now you’re speak ing plain ly and not us ing any figura - tive lan guage. 30 Now we know that you know ev ery thing and don’t need any one to ques- tion you. By this we be lieve that you came from God.” 31 Jesus re spond ed to them, “ Do you now be lieve? 32 In deed, an hour is com ing, and has come, when each of you will be scat tered to a15:25 Ps 69:4 b16:4 Other mss read when the time c16:16 Other mss add because I am going to the Father d16:18 Other mss omit he is saying e16:22 Other mss read will have sorrow f16:27 Other mss read from the Father 959 JOHN 15-16 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 959 10/26/17 9:00 PM his own home, and you will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, be cause the Fa ther is with me. 33 I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suf- fer ing in this world. Be cou ra geous! I have con quered the world.” JESUS PRAYS FOR HIMSELF 17 Jesus spoke these things, looked up to heav en, and said: “Fa ther, the hour has come. Glo ri fy your Son so that the Son may glo ri fy you, 2 since you gave him au thor i ty over all flesh, a so that he may give eter nal life to ev ery one you have giv en him. 3 This is eter nal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and the one you have sent — Jesus Christ. 4 I have glo ri fied you on the earth by com plet ing the work you gave me to do. 5 N ow, Fa ther, glo ri fy me in your pres ence with that glo ry I had with you be fore the world ex ist ed. JESUS PRAYS FOR HIS DISCIPLES 6 “ I have re vealed your name to the peo ple you gave me from the world. They were yours, you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7 Now they know that ev ery thing you have giv en is from you, 8 be cause I have giv- en them the words you gave me. They have re ceived them and have known for cer tain that I came from you. They have be lieved that you sent me. 9 “ I pray b for them. I am not pray ing for the world but for those you have giv en me, be cause they are yours. 10 Ev ery thing I have is yours, and ev ery thing you have is mine, and I am glo ri fied in them. 11 I am no lon ger in the world, but they are in the world, and I am com ing to you. Holy Fa ther, pro tect c them by your name that you have giv en me, so that they may be one as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I was protecting them by your name that you have giv en me. I guard ed them and not one of them is lost, ex cept the son of de struc tion, d so that the Scrip ture may be ful filled. 13 Now I am com ing to you, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy com plet ed in them. 14 I have giv en them your word. The world hat ed them be cause they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I am not pray ing that you take them out of the world but that you pro tect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanc ti fy them by the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. 19 I sanc ti fy my self for them, so that they also may be sanc ti fied by the truth. JESUS PRAYS FOR ALL BELIEVERS 20 “ I pray not only for these, but also for those who be lieve in me through their word. 21 May they all be one, as you, Fa ther, are in me and I am in you. May they also be e in us, so that the world may be lieve you sent me. 22 I have giv en them the glo ry you have giv en me, so that they may be one as we are one. 23 I am in them and you are in me, so that they may be made com plete ly one, that the world may know you have sent me and have loved them as you have loved me. 24 “Fa ther, I want those you have giv en me to be with me where I am, so that they will see my glo ry , which you have giv en me be cause you loved me be fore the world’s foun da tion. 25 Righ teous Fa ther, the world has not known you. How ev er, I have known you, and they have known that you sent me. 26 I made your name known to them and will con tin ue to make it known, so that the love you have loved me with may be in them and I may be in them.” JE SUS BE TR AYED 18 Af ter Jesus had said these things, he went out with his dis ci ples across the Kid ron Val ley , where there was a gar den, and he and his dis ci ples went into it. 2 Ju das, who be trayed him, also knew the place, be cause Jesus of ten met there with his dis ci ples. 3 So Ju das took a com pa ny of sol diers and some off i cials f from the chief priests and the Phar i sees and came there with lan terns, torch es, and weap ons. 4 Then Jesus, know ing ev ery thing that was about to hap pen to him, went out and said to them, “ Who is it that you’re seek ing? ” 5 “ Jesus of Naz a reth,” they an swered. “ I am he,” Jesus told them. Ju das, who be trayed him, was also stand- ing with them. 6 When Jesus told them, “ I am he,” they stepped back and fell to the ground. 7 Then he asked them again, “ Who is it that you’re seek ing? ” “ Jesus of Naz a reth,” they said. 8 “ I told you I am he,” Jesus re plied. “ So if you’re look ing for me, let these men go.” 9 This a17:2 Or people b17:9 Lit ask (throughout this passage) c17:11 Lit keep (throughout this passage) d17:12 The one destined for destruction, loss, or perdition e17:21 Other mss add one f18:3 Or temple police, or officers, also in vv. 12,18,22 JOHN 16-18 960 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 960 10/26/17 9:00 PM was to ful fill the words he had said: “ I have not lost one of those you have giv en me.” 10 Then Si mon Pe ter, who had a sword, drew it, struck the high priest’s ser vant, and cut off his right ear. ( The ser vant’s name was Mal chus.) 11 At that, Jesus said to Pe ter, “ Put your sword away! Am I not to drink the cup the Fa ther has giv en me? ” JESUS ARRESTED AND TAKEN TO ANNAS 12 Then the com pa ny of sol diers, the com mand- er, and the Jew ish off i cials ar rest ed Jesus and tied him up. 13 First they led him to An nas, since he was the father-in-law of Cai a phas, who was high priest that year. 14 Cai a phas was the one who had ad vised the Jews that it would be bet ter for one man to die for the peo ple. PETER DENIES JESUS 15 Si mon Pe ter was fol low ing Jesus, as was an oth er dis ci ple. That dis ci ple was an acquain - tance of the high priest; so he went with Jesus into the high priest’s court yard. 16 But Pe ter re mained stand ing out side by the door. So the oth er dis ci ple, the one known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the girl who was the door keep er and brought Pe ter in. 17 Then the ser vant girl who was the door - keep er said to Pe ter, “ You aren’t one of this man’s dis ci ples too, are you? ” “ I am not.” he said. 18 Now the ser vants and the off i cials had made a char coal fire, be cause it was cold. They were stand ing there warm- ing them selves, and Pe ter was stand ing with them, warm ing him self. JESUS BEFORE ANNAS 19 The high priest ques tioned Jesus about his dis ci ples and about his teach ing. 20 “ I have spo ken open ly to the world,” Jesus an swered him. “ I have al ways taught in the syn a gogue and in the tem ple, where all the Jews congregate, and I haven’t spo ken any- thing in se cret. 21 Why do you ques tion me? Ques tion those who heard what I told them. Look, they know what I said.” 22 When he had said these things, one of the off i cials stand ing by slapped Jesus, say ing, “ Is this the way you an swer the high priest? ” 23 “ If I have spo ken wrongly ,” Jesus an swered him, “ give ev i dence a about the wrong; but if right ly , why do you hit me? ” 24 Then An nas sent him bound to Cai a phas the high priest.PETER DENIES JESUS TWICE MORE 25 Now Si mon Pe ter was stand ing and warm- ing him self. They said to him, “ You aren’t one of his dis ci ples too, are you? ” He de nied it and said, “ I am not.” 26 One of the high priest’s ser vants, a rel a- tive of the man whose ear Pe ter had cut off, said, “ Didn’t I see you with him in the gar - den? ” 27 Pe ter de nied it again. Im me di ate ly a roost er crowed. JESUS BEFORE PILATE 28 Then they led Jesus from Cai a phas to the gov er nor’s headquarters. It was ear ly morn ing. They did not en ter the headquarters them- selves; oth er wise they would be de filed and un able to eat the Pass over. 29 So Pi late came out to them and said, “ What charge do you bring against this man? ” 30 They an swered him, “ If this man weren’t a crim i nal, b we wouldn’t have hand ed him over to you.” 31 Pi late told them, “ You take him and judge him ac cord ing to your law .” “ It’s not le gal for us to put any one to death,” the Jews de clared. 32 They said this so that Jesus’s words might be ful filled in di cat ing what kind of death he was go ing to die. 33 Then Pi late went back into the headquar - ters, sum moned Jesus, and said to him, “ Are you the King of the Jews? ” 34 Jesus an swered, “ Are you ask ing this on your own, or have oth ers told you about me? ” 35 “ I’m not a Jew , am I? ” Pi late re plied. “ Your own na tion and the chief priests hand ed you over to me. What have you done? ” 36 “ My king dom is not of this world,” said Jesus. “ If my king dom were of this world, my ser vants would fight, so that I wouldn’t be hand ed over to the Jews. But as it is, c my king- dom is not from here.” 37 “ You are a king then? ” Pi late asked. “ You say that I’m a king,” Jesus re plied. “ I was born for this, and I have come into the world for this: to tes ti fy to the truth. Ev ery one who is of the truth lis tens to my voice.” 38 “ What is truth? ” said Pi late. JESUS OR BARABBAS Af ter he had said this, he went out to the Jews again and told them, “ I find no grounds for charg ing him. 39 You have a cus tom that I re- lease one pris on er to you at the Pass over. So, a18:23 Or him, “testify b18:30 Lit an evil doer c18:36 Or But now 961 JOHN 18 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 961 10/26/17 9:00 PM do you want me to re lease to you the King of the Jews? ” 40 They shout ed back, “ Not this man, but Bar - ab bas! ” Now Bar ab bas was a rev o lu tion ary . a JESUS FLOGGED AND MOCKED 19 Then Pi late took Jesus and had him flogged. 2 The sol diers also twist ed to- geth er a crown of thorns, put it on his head, and clothed him in a pur ple robe. 3 And they kept com ing up to him and say ing, “ Hail, King of the Jews! ” and were slapping his face. 4 Pi late went out side again and said to them, “ Look, I’m bring ing him out to you to let you know I find no grounds for charg ing him.” 5 Then Jesus came out wear ing the crown of thorns and the pur ple robe. Pi late said to them, “ Here is the man! ” PILATE SENTENCES JESUS TO DEATH 6 When the chief priests and the tem ple ser - vants b saw him, they shout ed, “Cru ci fy! Cru- ci fy! ” Pi late re spond ed, “ Take him and cru ci fy him your selves, since I find no grounds for charg ing him.” 7 “ We have a law ,” the Jews re plied to him, “ and ac cord ing to that law he ought to die, be cause he made him self the Son of God.” 8 When Pi late heard this state ment, he was more afraid than ever. 9 He went back into the headquarters and asked Jesus, “ Where are you from? ” But Jesus did not give him an an swer. 10 So Pi late said to him, “ Do you re fuse to speak to me? Don’t you know that I have the au thor i ty to re lease you and the au thor i ty to cru ci fy you? ” 11 “ You would have no au thor i ty over me at all,” Jesus an swered him, “ if it hadn’t been giv en you from above. This is why the one who hand ed me over to you has the great er sin.” 12 From that mo ment Pi late kept try ing c to re lease him. But the Jews shout ed, “ If you re- lease this man, you are not Cae sar’s friend. Any one who makes him self a king op pos es Cae sar! ” 13 When Pi late heard these words, he brought Jesus out side. He sat down on the judge’s seat in a place called the Stone Pave ment ( but in Ar a ma ic, d Gab ba tha). 14 It was the prep a ra tion day for the Pass over, and it was about noon. e Then he told the Jews, “ Here is your king! ”15 They shout ed, “ Take him away! Take him away! Cru ci fy him! ” Pi late said to them, “ Should I cru ci fy your king? ” “ We have no king but Cae sar! ” the chief priests an swered. 16 Then he hand ed him over to be cru ci fied. THE CRUCIFIXION Then they took Jesus away . f 17 Car ry ing the cross by him self, he went out to what is called Place of the Skull, which in Ar a ma ic is called Gol go tha. 18 There they cru ci fied him and two oth ers with him, one on ei ther side, with Jesus in the mid dle. 19 Pi late also had a sign made and put on the cross. It said: J esus of Nazareth, the K ing of the J ews. 20 Many of the Jews read this sign, be cause the place where Jesus was cru ci fied was near the city , and it was writ ten in Ar a ma ic, Lat in, and Greek. 21 So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pi late, “ Don’t write, ‘ The King of the Jews,’ but that he said, ‘ I am the King of the Jews.’ ” 22 Pi late re plied, “ What I have writ ten, I have writ ten.” 23 When the sol diers cru ci fied Jesus, they took his clothes and di vid ed them into four parts, a part for each sol dier. They also took the tu nic, which was seam less, wo ven in one piece from the top. 24 So they said to one an- oth er, “ Let’s not tear it, but cast lots for it, to see who gets it.” This hap pened that the Scrip- ture might be ful filled that says: They di vid ed my clothes among them selves, and they cast lots for my cloth ing. g This is what the sol diers did. JESUS’S PROVISION FOR HIS MOTHER 25 Stand ing by the cross of Jesus were his moth- er, his moth er’s sis ter, Mary the wife of Clo pas, and Mary Mag da lene. 26 When Jesus saw his moth er and the dis ci ple he loved stand ing there, he said to his moth er, “Wom an, here is your son.” 27 Then he said to the dis ci ple, “ Here is your moth er.” And from that hour the dis ci ple took her into his home. THE FINISHED WORK OF JESUS 28 Af ter this, when Jesus knew that ev ery thing was now fin ished that the Scrip ture might be ful filled, he said, “ I’m thirsty .” 29 A jar full of sour wine was sit ting there; so they fixed a a18:40 Or robber ; see Jn 10:1,8 for the same Gk word used here b19:6 Or temple police, or officers c19:12 Lit Pilate was trying d19:13 Or Hebrew, also in vv. 17,20 e19:14 Lit about the sixth hour f19:16 Other mss add and led him out g19:24 Ps 22:18JOHN 18-19 962 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 962 10/26/17 9:00 PM sponge full of sour wine on a hys sop branch and held it up to his mouth. 30 When Jesus had re ceived the sour wine, he said, “ It is fin ished.” Then bow ing his head, he gave up his spir it. JESUS’S SIDE PIERCED 31 Since it was the prep a ra tion day , the Jews did not want the bod ies to re main on the cross on the Sab bath ( for that Sab bath was a spe- cial a day). They re quest ed that Pi late have the men’s legs bro ken and that their bod ies be tak en away . 32 So the sol diers came and broke the legs of the first man and of the oth er one who had been cru ci fied with him. 33 When they came to Jesus, they did not break his legs since they saw that he was al ready dead. 34 But one of the sol diers pierced his side with a spear, and at once blood and wa ter came out. 35 He who saw this has tes ti fied so that you also may be lieve. His tes ti mo ny is true, and he knows he is tell ing the truth. 36 For these things hap pened so that the Scrip ture would be ful filled: Not one of his
🕊️ Resurrection and Commission
🪦 Jesus's burial involved Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus carefully preparing his body with spices and linen cloths according to Jewish customs, placing him in a nearby garden tomb
🌅 The empty tomb discovery by Mary Magdalene triggered a chain reaction—Peter and John investigated, finding only linen cloths, while Mary later encountered the risen Christ who instructed her to tell the disciples
👐 Post-resurrection appearances revealed Jesus's physical yet transformed body—he showed his wounds, ate with disciples, and appeared despite locked doors, transforming doubting Thomas into a believer
🔥 Pentecost unleashed the Holy Spirit upon the disciples with dramatic signs (tongues of fire, multiple languages), empowering them to boldly proclaim Christ's resurrection to diverse crowds
🌍 The Great Commission transformed fearful followers into worldwide witnesses—Jesus breathed the Spirit upon them, restored Peter through threefold affirmation, and commanded them to continue his mission
📜 Gospel purpose explicitly stated: these accounts were written "so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name"
bones will be bro ken. b 37 Also, an oth er Scrip ture says: They will look at the one they pierced. c JESUS’S BURIAL 38 Af ter this, Jo seph of Ar i ma thea, who was a dis ci ple of Jesus — but se cret ly be cause of his fear of the Jews — asked Pi late that he might re move Jesus’s body . Pi late gave him per mis sion; so he came and took his body away . 39 Nic o de mus ( who had pre vi ous ly come to him at night) also came, bring ing a mix ture of about seventy-five pounds d of myrrh and al oes. 40 They took Jesus’s body and wrapped it in lin en cloths with the fra grant spic es, ac cord ing to the buri al cus tom of the Jews. 41 There was a gar den in the place where he was cru ci fied. A new tomb was in the gar den; no one had yet been placed in it. 42 They placed Jesus there be cause of the Jew ish day of prep a ra tion and since the tomb was near by . THE EMPTY TOMB 20 On the first day of the week Mary Mag - da lene came to the tomb ear ly , while it was still dark. She saw that the stone had been re moved from the tomb. 2 So she went run ning to Si mon Pe ter and to the oth er dis- ci ple, the one Jesus loved, and said to them, “They’ve tak en the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they’ve put him! ” 3 At that, Pe ter and the oth er dis ci ple went out, head ing for the tomb. 4 The two were run - ning to geth er, but the oth er dis ci ple out ran Pe ter and got to the tomb first. 5 Stooping down, he saw the lin en cloths ly ing there, but he did not go in. 6 Then, fol low ing him, Si mon Pe ter also came. He en tered the tomb and saw the lin en cloths ly ing there. 7 The wrapping that had been on his head was not ly ing with the lin en cloths but was fold ed up in a sep a rate place by it self. 8 The oth er dis ci ple, who had reached the tomb first, then also went in, saw , and be lieved. 9 For they did not yet un der - stand the Scrip ture that he must rise from the dead. 10 Then the dis ci ples re turned to the place where they were stay ing. MARY MAGDALENE SEES THE RISEN LORD 11 But Mary stood out side the tomb, cry ing. As she was cry ing, she stooped to look into the tomb. 12 She saw two an gels in white sit ting where Jesus’s body had been ly ing, one at the head and the oth er at the feet. 13 They said to her, “Wom an, why are you cry ing? ” “Be cause they’ve tak en away my Lord,” she told them, “ and I don’t know where they’ve put him.” 14 Hav ing said this, she turned around and saw Jesus stand ing there, but she did not know it was Jesus. 15 “Wom an,” Jesus said to her, “ why are you cry ing? Who is it that you’re seek ing? ” Sup pos ing he was the gar den er, she re plied, “ Sir, if you’ve car ried him away , tell me where you’ve put him, and I will take him away .” 16 Jesus said to her, “ Mary .” Turn ing around, she said to him in Ar a ma ic, e “Rab bo ni! ” — which means “Teach er.” 17 “ Don’t cling to me,” Jesus told her, “ since I have not yet as cend ed to the Fa ther. But go to my broth ers and tell them that I am as cend- ing to my Fa ther and your Fa ther, to my God and your God.” 18 Mary Mag da lene went and an nounced to the dis ci ples, “ I have seen the Lord! ” And she told them what f he had said to her. THE DISCIPLES COMMISSIONED 19 When it was eve ning of that first day of the week, the dis ci ples were gath ered to geth er with the doors locked be cause they feared a19:31 Lit great b19:36 Ex 12:46; Nm 9:12; Ps 34:20 c19:37 Zch 12:10 d19:39 Lit a hundred litrai ; a Roman litrai = 12 ounces e20:16 Or Hebrew f20:18 Lit these things 963 JOHN 19-20 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 963 10/26/17 9:00 PM the Jews. Jesus came, stood among them, and said to them, “ Peace be with you.” 20 Hav ing said this, he showed them his hands and his side. So the dis ci ples re joiced when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “ Peace to you. As the Fa ther has sent me, I also send you.” 22 Af ter say ing this, he breathed on them and said, a “Re ceive the Holy Spir it. 23 If you for give the sins of any , they are for giv en them; if you re tain the sins of any , they are retained.” THOMAS SEES AND BELIEVES 24 But Thom as ( called “ Twin” b), one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the oth er dis ci ples were tell ing him, “ We’ve seen the Lord! ” But he said to them, “ If I don’t see the mark of the nails in his hands, put my fin ger into the mark of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will nev er be lieve.” 26 A week lat er his dis ci ples were in doors again, and Thom as was with them. Even though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “ Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thom as, “ Put your fin ger here and look at my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Don’t be faith- less, but be lieve.” 28 Thom as re spond ed to him, “ My Lord and my God! ” 29 Jesus said, “Be cause you have seen me, you have be lieved. c Blessed are those who have not seen and yet be lieve.” THE PURPOSE OF THIS GOSPEL 30 Jesus per formed many oth er signs in the pres ence of his dis ci ples that are not writ ten in this book. 31 But these are writ ten so that you may be lieve that Jesus is the Mes si ah, the Son of God, d and that by be liev ing you may have life in his name. JESUS’S THIRD APPEARANCE TO THE DISCIPLES 21 Af ter this, Jesus re vealed him self again to his dis ci ples by the Sea of Ti be ri as. He re vealed him self in this way: 2 Si mon Pe ter, Thom as ( called “ Twin” b), Na- than a el from Cana of Gal i lee, Zeb e dee’s sons, and two oth ers of his dis ci ples were to geth er. 3 “ I’m go ing fish ing,” Si mon Pe ter said to them.“ We’re com ing with you,” they told him. They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught noth ing. 4 When day break came, Jesus stood on the shore, but the dis ci ples did not know it was Jesus. 5 “ Friends,” e Jesus called to them, “ you don’t have any fish, do you? ” “ No,” they an swered. 6 “ Cast the net on the right side of the boat,” he told them, “ and you’ll find some.” So they did, f and they were un able to haul it in be cause of the large num ber of fish. 7 The dis ci ple, the one Jesus loved, said to Pe ter, “ It is the Lord! ” When Si mon Pe ter heard that it was the Lord, he tied his out er cloth ing around him ( for he had tak en it off) and plunged into the sea. 8 Since they were not far from land ( about a hun dred yards g away), the oth er dis ci ples came in the boat, drag ging the net full of fish. 9 When they got out on land, they saw a char - coal fire there, with fish ly ing on it, and bread. 10 “ Bring some of the fish you’ve just caught,” Jesus told them. 11 So Si mon Pe ter climbed up and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish — 153 of them. Even though there were so many , the net was not torn. 12 “ Come and have break fast,” Jesus told them. None of the dis ci ples dared ask him, “ Who are you? ” be cause they knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came, took the bread, and gave it to them. He did the same with the fish. 14 This was now the third time Jesus ap peared h to the dis ci ples af ter he was raised from the dead. JESUS’S THREEFOLD RESTORATION OF PETER 15 When they had eat en break fast, Jesus asked Si mon Pe ter, “Si mon, son of John, i do you love me more than these? ” “ Yes, Lord,” he said to him, “ you know that I love you.” “ Feed my lambs,” he told him. 16 A sec ond time he asked him, “Si mon, son of John, do you love me? ” “ Yes, Lord,” he said to him, “ you know that I love you.” “Shep herd my sheep,” he told him. 17 He asked him the third time, “Si mon, son of John, do you love me? ” Pe ter was grieved that he asked him the third time, “ Do you love me? ” He said, “ Lord, you know ev ery thing; you know that I love you.” a20:22 Lit he breathed and said to them b20:24; 21:2 Gk Didymus c20:29 Or have you believed? d20:31 Or that the Messiah, the Son of God, is Jesus e21:5 Lit “Children” f21:6 Lit they cast g21:8 Lit about two hundred cubits h21:14 Lit was revealed (v. 1) i21:15-17 Other mss read “Simon, son of Jonah ; Mt 16:17; Jn 1:42JOHN 20-21 964 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 964 10/26/17 9:00 PM “ Feed my sheep,” Jesus said. 18 “Tru ly I tell you, when you were youn ger, you would tie your belt and walk wher ev er you want ed. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and some one else will tie you and car - ry you where you don’t want to go.” 19 He said this to in di cate by what kind of death Pe ter would glo ri fy God. Af ter say ing this, he told him, “Fol low me.” CORRECTING A FALSE REPORT 20 So Pe ter turned around and saw the dis ci ple Jesus loved fol low ing them, the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the sup per and asked, “ Lord, who is the one that’s go ing to be tray you? ” 21 When Pe ter saw him, he said to Jesus, “ Lord, what about him? ”22 “ If I want him to re main un til I come,” Jesus an swered, “ what is that to you? As for you, fol low me.” 23 So this ru mor a spread to the broth ers and sis ters that this dis ci ple would not die. Yet Jesus did not tell him that he would not die, but, “ If I want him to re main un til I come, what is that to you? ” EPILOGUE 24 This is the dis ci ple who tes ti fies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his tes ti mo ny is true. 25 And there are also many oth er things that Jesus did, which, if ev ery one of them were writ- ten down, I sup pose not even the world it self could con tain the books b that would be writ ten. a21:23 Lit this word b21:25 Lit scroll 965 JOHN 21 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 965 10/26/17 9:00 PM acTs PROLOGUE 1 I wrote the first narrative, The oph i lus, about all that Jesus be gan to do and teach 2 un til the day he was tak en up, af ter he had giv en in struc tions through the Holy Spir it to the apos tles he had cho sen. 3 Af ter he had suff ered, he also pre sent ed him self alive to them by many con vinc ing proofs, ap pear ing to them over a pe ri od of for ty days and speak ing about the king dom of God. THE HOLY SPIRIT PROMISED 4 While he was a with them, he com mand ed them not to leave Je ru sa lem, but to wait for the Fa ther’s prom ise. “ Which,” he said, “ you have heard me speak about; 5 for John bap tized with wa ter, but you will be bap tized with the Holy Spir it in a few days.” 6 So when they had come to geth er, they asked him, “ Lord, are you re stor ing the king dom to Is ra el at this time? ” 7 He said to them, “ It is not for you to know times or pe ri ods that the Fa ther has set by his own au thor i ty . 8 But you will re ceive pow er when the Holy Spir it has come on you, and you will be my wit ness es in Je ru sa lem, in all Ju dea and Sa mar ia, and to the end of the earth.” THE ASCENSION 9 Af ter he had said this, he was tak en up as they were watch ing, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 While he was go ing, they were gaz ing into heav en, and sud den ly two men in white clothes stood by them. 11 They said, “ Men of Gal i lee, why do you stand look ing up into heav en? This same Jesus, who has been tak en from you into heav en, will come in the same way that you have seen him go ing into heav en.” UNITED IN PRAYER 12 Then they re turned to Je ru sa lem from the Mount of Ol ives, which is near Je ru sa lem — a Sab bath day’s jour ney away . 13 When they ar rived, they went to the room up stairs where they were stay ing: Pe ter, John, James, An drew , Phil ip, Thom as, Bar thol o mew , Mat- thew , James the son of Al phae us, Si mon the Zeal ot, and Ju das the son of James. 14 They all were con tin u al ly unit ed in prayer, b along with the wom en, in clud ing Mary the moth er of Jesus, and his broth ers. MATTHIAS CHOSEN 15 In those days Pe ter stood up among the broth- ers and sis ters c — the num ber of peo ple who were to geth er was about a hun dred and twen- ty — and said: 16 “Broth ers and sis ters, it was nec es sary that the Scrip ture be ful filled that the Holy Spir it through the mouth of Da vid fore told about Ju das, who be came a guide to those who ar rest ed Jesus. 17 For he was one of our num ber and shared in this min is try .” 18 Now this man ac quired a field with his un righ teous wag es. He fell headfirst, his body burst open and his in tes tines spilled out. 19 This be came known to all the res i dents of Je ru sa lem, so that in their own lan guage that field is called Ha kel dama ( that is, Field of Blood). 20 “ For it is writ ten in the Book of Psalms: Let his dwelling become desolate; let no one live in it; d and Let someone else take his position. e 21 “There fore, from among the men who have ac com pa nied us dur ing the whole time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us — 22 be- gin ning from the bap tism of John un til the day he was tak en up from us — from among these, it is nec es sary that one be come a wit- ness with us of his res ur rec tion.” 23 So they pro posed two: Jo seph, called Bar sab- bas, who was also known as Jus tus, and Mat thi as. 24 Then they prayed, “ You, Lord, know ev ery one’s hearts; show which of these two you have cho- sen 25 to take the place f in this ap os tol ic min is try that Ju das left to go where he be longs.” 26 Then they cast lots for them, and the lot fell to Mat- thi as and he was add ed to the elev en apos tles. PENTECOST 2 When the day of Pen te cost had ar rived, they were all to geth er in one place. 2 Sud- den ly a sound like that of a vi o lent rush ing wind came from heav en, and it filled the whole a1:4 Or he was eating, or he was lodging b1:14 Other mss add and petition c1:15 Other mss read disciples d1:20 Ps 69:25 e1:20 Ps 109:8 f1:25 Other mss read to share CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 966 10/26/17 9:00 PM house where they were stay ing. 3 They saw tongues like flames of fire that sep a rat ed and rest ed on each one of them. 4 Then they were all filled with the Holy Spir it and be gan to speak in diff er ent tongues, a as the Spir it enabled them. 5 Now there were Jews stay ing in Je ru sa lem, de vout peo ple from ev ery na tion un der heav- en. 6 When this sound oc curred, a crowd came to geth er and was con fused be cause each one heard them speak ing in his own lan guage. 7 They were as tound ed and amazed, say ing, b “ Look, aren’t all these who are speak ing Gal- i le ans? 8 How is it that each of us can hear them in our own na tive lan guage? 9 Par thi ans, Medes, Elam ites; those who live in Mes o po- ta mia, in Ju dea and Cap pa do cia, Pon tus and Asia, 10 Phryg ia and Pam phyl ia, Egypt and the parts of Lib ya near Cy re ne; vis i tors from Rome ( both Jews and con verts), 11 Cre tans and Arabs — we hear them de clar ing the mag nif- i cent acts of God in our own tongues.” 12 They were all as tound ed and per plexed, say ing to one an oth er, “ What does this mean? ” 13 But some sneered and said, “They’re drunk on new wine.” PETER’S SERMON 14 Pe ter stood up with the Elev en, raised his voice, and pro claimed to them: “Fel low Jews and all you res i dents of Je ru sa lem, let me ex plain this to you and pay at ten tion to my words. 15 For these peo ple are not drunk, as you sup pose, since it’s only nine in the morn ing. c 16 On the con trary , this is what was spo ken through the proph et Joel: 17 And it will be in the last days, says God, that I will pour out my Spirit on all people; then your sons and your daughters will prophesy , your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. 18 I will even pour out my Spirit on my servants in those days, both men and women and they will prophesy . 19 I will display wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below: blood and fire and a cloud of smoke. 20 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the great and glorious day of the Lord comes. 21 Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. d 22 “Fel low Is ra el ites, lis ten to these words: This Jesus of Naz a reth was a man at test ed to you by God with mir a cles, won ders, and signs that God did among you through him, just as you your selves know . 23 Though he was de liv- ered up ac cord ing to God’s de ter mined plan and fore knowl edge, you used e law less peo ple to nail him to a cross and kill him. 24 God raised him up, end ing the pains of death, be cause it was not pos si ble for him to be held by death. 25 For Da vid says of him: I saw the Lord ever before me; because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. 26 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices. Moreover, my flesh will rest in hope, 27 because you will not abandon me in Hades or allow your holy one to see decay . 28 You have revealed the paths of life to me; you will fill me with gladness in your presence. f 29 “Broth ers and sis ters, I can con fi dent ly speak to you about the pa tri arch Da vid: He is both dead and bur ied, and his tomb is with us to this day . 30 Since he was a proph et, he knew that God had sworn an oath to him to seat one of his de scen dants g on his throne. 31 See ing what was to come, he spoke con- cern ing the res ur rec tion of the Mes si ah: He h was not aban doned in Ha des, and his flesh did not ex pe ri ence de cay . i 32 “ God has raised this Jesus; we are all wit - ness es of this. 33 There fore, since he has been ex alt ed to the right hand of God and has re- ceived from the Fa ther the prom ised Holy Spir it, he has poured out what you both see and hear. 34 For it was not Da vid who as cend ed into the heav ens, but he him self says: a2:4 languages, also in v. 11 b2:7 Other mss add to one another c2:15 Lit it’s the third hour of the day d2:17-21 Jl 2:28-32 e2:23 Other mss read you have taken f2:25-28 Ps 16:8-11 g2:30 Other
🙏 Early Church Growth and Persecution
⚡ Pentecost's aftermath transformed 3,000 new believers into a radical community characterized by devotion to teaching, fellowship, prayer, and generous resource-sharing
🏛️ Apostolic ministry demonstrated supernatural power through healing miracles, bold proclamation, and unwavering commitment to Jesus despite threats from religious authorities
🔥 Holy Spirit's presence manifested through miraculous signs, empowered testimony, and created unity of "one heart and mind" among believers who prioritized community needs
🛡️ Persecution intensified as religious leaders repeatedly arrested, threatened, and flogged the apostles, yet divine intervention and wise counsel from Gamaliel prevented their execution
🌱 Church structure evolved with the appointment of seven Spirit-filled men to manage resource distribution, allowing apostles to focus on prayer and teaching while addressing internal conflicts
💪 Apostolic courage demonstrated through their declaration "We must obey God rather than people" and their rejoicing at being "counted worthy to be treated shamefully" for Jesus
mss add according to the flesh to raise up the Messiah h2:31 Other mss read His soul i2:31 Ps 16:10 967 ACTS 2 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 967 10/26/17 9:00 PM The Lord declared to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand 35 until I make your enemies your footstool.’ a 36 “There fore let all the house of Is ra el know with cer tain ty that God has made this Jesus, whom you cru ci fied, both Lord and Mes si ah.” CALL TO REPENTANCE 37 When they heard this, they were pierced to the heart and said to Pe ter and the rest of the apos tles: “Broth ers, what should we do? ” 38 Pe ter re plied, “Re pent and be bap tized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the for give ness of your sins, and you will re ceive the gift of the Holy Spir it. 39 For the prom ise is for you and for your chil dren, and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” 40 With many oth er words he tes ti fied and strong ly urged them, say ing, “ Be saved from this cor rupt b gen er a tion! ” 41 So those who ac cept ed his mes sage were bap tized, and that day about three thou sand peo ple were add ed to them. A GENEROUS AND GROWING CHURCH 42 They de vot ed them selves to the apos tles’ teach ing, to the fel low ship, to the break ing of bread, and to prayer. 43 Ev ery one was filled with awe, and many won ders and signs were be ing per formed through the apos tles. 44 Now all the be liev ers were to geth er and held all things in com mon. 45 They sold their pos ses sions and prop er ty and dis trib ut ed the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 Ev ery day they de vot ed them selves to meet ing to geth er in the tem ple, and broke bread from house to house. They ate their food with joy ful and sin cere hearts, 47 prais ing God and en joy ing the fa vor of all the peo ple. Ev ery day the Lord add ed to their num ber c those who were be ing saved. HEALING OF A LAME MAN 3 Now Pe ter and John were go ing up to the tem ple for the time of prayer at three in the af ter noon. d 2 A man who was lame from birth was be ing car ried there. He was placed each day at the tem ple gate called Beau ti ful, so that he could beg from those en ter ing the tem ple. 3 When he saw Pe ter and John about to en ter the tem ple, he asked for mon ey . 4 Pe ter, along with John, looked straight at him and said, “ Look at us.” 5 So he turned to them, ex- pect ing to get some thing from them. 6 But Pe ter said, “ I don’t have sil ver or gold, but what I do have, I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Naz a reth, get up and walk! ” 7 Then, tak ing him by the right hand he raised him up, and at once his feet and an kles be came strong. 8 So he jumped up and start ed to walk, and he en tered the tem ple with them — walk ing, leap ing, and prais ing God. 9 All the peo ple saw him walk ing and prais ing God, 10 and they rec- og nized that he was the one who used to sit and beg at the Beau ti ful Gate of the tem ple. So they were filled with awe and as ton ish ment at what had hap pened to him. PREACHING IN SOLOMON’S COLONNADE 11 While he e was hold ing on to Pe ter and John, all the peo ple, ut ter ly as ton ished, ran to ward them in what is called Sol o mon’s Col on nade. 12 When Pe ter saw this, he ad dressed the peo- ple: “Fel low Is ra el ites, why are you amazed at this? Why do you stare at us, as though we had made him walk by our own pow er or god li ness? 13 The God of Abra ham, Isaac, and Ja cob, the God of our an ces tors, has glo ri fied his ser vant Jesus, whom you hand ed over and de nied be- fore Pi late, though he had de cid ed to re lease him. 14 You de nied the Holy and Righ teous One and asked to have a mur der er re leased to you. 15 You killed the source f of life, whom God raised from the dead; we are wit ness es of this. 16 By faith in his name, his name has made this man strong, whom you see and know . So the faith that comes through Jesus has giv en him this per fect health in front of all of you. 17 “ And now , broth ers and sis ters, I know that you act ed in ig no rance, just as your lead ers also did. 18 In this way God ful filled what he had pre dict ed through all the proph ets — that his Mes si ah would suff er. 19 There fore re pent and turn back, so that your sins may be wiped out, 20 that sea sons of re fresh ing may come from the pres ence of the Lord, and that he may send Jesus, who has been ap point ed for you as the Mes si ah. 21 Heav en must re ceive him un til the time of the res to ra tion of all things, which God spoke about through his holy proph ets from the be gin ning. 22 Mo ses said: g The Lord your God will raise up for you a proph et like me from among your a2:34-35 Ps 110:1 b2:40 Or crooked, or twisted c2:47 Other mss read to the church d3:1 Lit at the ninth hour e3:11 Other mss read the lame man who was healed f3:15 Or the Prince, or the Ruler g3:22 Other mss add to the fathersACTS 2-3 968 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 968 10/26/17 9:00 PM broth ers and sis ters. You must lis ten to ev ery thing he tells you. 23 And ev ery one who does not lis ten to that proph et will be com plete ly cut off from the peo ple. a 24 “ In ad di tion, all the proph ets who have spo ken, from Sam uel and those af ter him, have also fore told these days. 25 You are the sons b of the proph ets and of the cov enant that God made with your an ces tors, say ing to Abra ham, And all the fam i lies of the earth will be blessed through your off spring. c 26 God raised up his ser vant d and sent him first to you to bless you by turn ing each of you from your evil ways.” PETER AND JOHN ARRESTED 4 While they were speak ing to the peo ple, the priests, the cap tain of the tem ple po lice, and the Sad du cees con front ed them, 2 be cause they were annoyed that they were teach ing the peo ple and pro claim ing in Jesus the res- ur rec tion of the dead. 3 So they seized them and took them into cus to dy un til the next day since it was al ready eve ning. 4 But many of those who heard the mes sage be lieved, and the num ber of the men e came to about five thou sand. PETER AND JOHN FACE THE JEWISH LEADERSHIP 5 The next day , their rul ers, el ders, and scribes as sem bled in Je ru sa lem 6 with An nas the high priest, Cai a phas, John, Al ex an der, and all the mem bers of the high-priestly fam i ly . 7 Af ter they had Pe ter and John stand be fore them, they be gan to ques tion them: “ By what pow er or in what name have you done this? ” 8 Then Pe ter was filled with the Holy Spir it and said to them, “Rul ers of the peo ple and el ders: f 9 If we are be ing ex am ined to day about a good deed done to a dis abled man, by what means he was healed, 10 let it be known to all of you and to all the peo ple of Is ra el, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Naz a reth, whom you cru ci fied and whom God raised from the dead — by him this man is stand ing here be- fore you healthy . 11 This Jesus is the stone rejected by you builders, which has become the cornerstone. g 12 There is sal va tion in no one else, for there is no oth er name un der heav en giv en to peo ple by which we must be saved.”THE BOLDNESS OF THE DISCIPLES 13 When they ob served the bold ness of Pe ter and John and re al ized that they were unedu - cated and untrained men, they were amazed and rec og nized that they had been with Jesus. 14 And since they saw the man who had been healed stand ing with them, they had noth ing to say in op po si tion. 15 Af ter they or dered them to leave the San he drin, they con ferred among them selves, 16 say ing, “ What should we do with these men? For an ob vi ous sign has been done through them, clear to ev ery one liv ing in Je ru sa lem, and we can not deny it. 17 But so that this does not spread any fur ther among the peo ple, let’s threat en them against speak ing to any one in this name again.” 18 So they called for them and or dered them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 Pe ter and John an swered them, “Wheth er it’s right in the sight of God for us to lis ten to you rath er than to God, you de cide; 20 for we are un able to stop speak ing about what we have seen and heard.” 21 Af ter threatening them fur ther, they re- leased them. They found no way to pun ish them be cause the peo ple were all giv ing glo ry to God over what had been done. 22 For this sign of heal ing had been per formed on a man over for ty years old. PRAYER FOR BOLDNESS 23 Af ter they were re leased, they went to their own peo ple and re port ed ev ery thing the chief priests and the el ders had said to them. 24 When they heard this, they raised their voices to geth- er to God and said, “Mas ter, you are the one who made the heav en, the earth, and the sea, and ev ery thing in them. 25 You said through the Holy Spir it, by the mouth of our fa ther Da vid your ser vant: h Why do the Gentiles rage and the peoples plot futile things? 26 The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers assemble together against the Lord and against his Messiah. i 27 “ For, in fact, in this city both Her od and Pon tius Pi late, with the Gen tiles and the peo- ple of Is ra el, as sem bled to geth er against your holy ser vant Jesus, whom you anoint ed, 28 to a3:22-23 Dt 18:15-19 b3:25 = heirs c3:25 Gn 12:3; 18:18; 22:18; 26:4 d3:26 Other mss add Jesus e4:4 Or people f4:8 Other mss add of Israel g4:11 Ps 118:22 h4:25 Other mss read through the mouth of David your servant i4:25-26 Ps 2:1-2 969 ACTS 3-4 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 969 10/26/17 9:00 PM do what ev er your hand and your will had pre des tined to take place. 29 And now , Lord, con sid er their threats, and grant that your ser vants may speak your word with all bold- ness, 30 while you stretch out your hand for heal ing, and signs and won ders are per formed through the name of your holy ser vant Jesus.” 31 When they had prayed, the place where they were as sem bled was shak en, and they were all filled with the Holy Spir it and be gan to speak the word of God bold ly . ALL THINGS IN COMMON 32 Now the en tire group of those who be- lieved were of one heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of his pos ses sions was his own, but in stead they held ev ery thing in com mon. 33 With great pow er the apos tles were giv ing tes ti mo ny to the res ur rec tion of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was on all of them. 34 For there was not a needy per son among them be cause all those who owned lands or hous es sold them, brought the pro - ceeds of what was sold, 35 and laid them at the apos tles’ feet. This was then dis trib ut ed to each per son as any had need. 36 Jo seph, a Le vite from Cy prus by birth, the one the apos tles called Bar na bas ( which is trans lat ed Son of Encouragement), 37 sold a field he owned, brought the mon ey , and laid it at the apos tles’ feet. LYING TO THE HOLY SPIRIT 5 But a man named An a ni as, with his wife Sap phi ra, sold a piece of prop er ty . 2 How- ev er, he kept back part of the proceeds with his wife’s knowl edge, and brought a por tion of it and laid it at the apos tles’ feet. 3 “ An a ni as,” Pe ter asked, “ why has Sa tan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spir it and keep back part of the proceeds of the land? 4 Wasn’t it yours while you pos sessed it? And af ter it was sold, wasn’t it at your dis pos al? Why is it that you planned this thing in your heart? You have not lied to peo ple but to God.” 5 When he heard these words, An a ni as dropped dead, and a great fear came on all who heard. 6 The young men got up, wrapped his body , car ried him out, and bur ied him. 7 About three hours lat er, his wife came in, not know ing what had hap pened. 8 “ Tell me,” Pe ter asked her, “ did you sell the land for this price? ”“ Yes,” she said, “ for that price.” 9 Then Pe ter said to her, “ Why did you agree to test the Spir it of the Lord? Look, the feet of those who have bur ied your hus band are at the door, and they will car ry you out.” 10 In stant ly she dropped dead at his feet. When the young men came in, they found her dead, car ried her out, and bur ied her be side her hus band. 11 Then great fear came on the whole church and on all who heard these things. APOSTOLIC SIGNS AND WONDERS 12 Many signs and won ders were be ing done among the peo ple through the hands of the apos tles. They were all to geth er in Sol o mon’s Col on nade. 13 No one else dared to join them, but the peo ple spoke well of them. 14 Be liev ers were add ed to the Lord in in creas ing num bers — mul ti tudes of both men and wom en. 15 As a re sult, they would car ry the sick out into the streets and lay them on cots and mats so that when Pe ter came by , at least his shad ow might fall on some of them. 16 In ad di tion, a mul ti tude came to geth er from the towns sur round ing Je ru sa lem, bring ing the sick and those who were tor ment ed by un clean spir its, and they were all healed. IN AND OUT OF PRISON 17 Then the high priest rose up. He and all who were with him, who be longed to the par ty of the Sad du cees, were filled with jeal ou sy . 18 So they ar rest ed the apos tles and put them in the pub lic jail. 19 But an an gel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail dur ing the night, brought them out, and said, 20 “ Go and stand in the tem ple, and tell the peo ple all about this life.” 21 Hear ing this, they en tered the tem ple at day break and be gan to teach. THE APOSTLES ON TRIAL AGAIN When the high priest and those who were with him ar rived, they con vened the San he- drin — the full coun cil of the Is ra el ites — and sent or ders to the jail to have them brought. 22 But when the ser vants a got there, they did not find them in the jail, so they re turned and re port ed, 23 “ We found the jail se cure ly locked, with the guards stand ing in front of the doors, but when we opened them, we found no one in side.” 24 As b the cap tain of the tem ple po lice and the chief priests heard these things, they a5:22 Or temple police, or officers, also in v. 26 b5:24 Other mss add the high priest andACTS 4-5 970 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 970 10/26/17 9:00 PM were baff led about them, won der ing what would come of this. 25 Some one came and re port ed to them, “ Look! The men you put in jail are stand ing in the tem ple and teach ing the peo ple.” 26 Then the com mand er went with the ser vants and brought them in with out force, be cause they were afraid the peo ple might stone them. 27 Af ter they brought them in, they had them stand be fore the San he drin, and the high priest asked, 28 “ Didn’t we strict ly or der you not to teach in this name? Look, you have filled Je ru- sa lem with your teach ing and are de ter mined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.” 29 Pe ter and the apos tles re plied, “ We must obey God rath er than peo ple. 30 The God of our an ces tors raised up Jesus, whom you had mur - dered by hang ing him on a tree. 31 God ex alt ed this man to his right hand as rul er and Sav ior, to give re pen tance to Is ra el and for give ness of sins. 32 We are wit ness es of these things, and so is the Holy Spir it whom God has giv en to those who obey him.” GAMALIEL’S ADVICE 33 When they heard this, they were en raged and want ed to kill them. 34 But a Phar i see named Ga ma li el, a teach er of the law who was re spect ed by all the peo ple, stood up in the San he drin and or dered the men a to be tak en out side for a lit tle while. 35 He said to them, “ Men of Is ra el, be care ful about what you’re about to do to these men. 36 Some time ago Theu das rose up, claim ing to be some body , and a group of about four hun dred men ral lied to him. He was killed, and all his fol low ers were dis persed and came to noth ing. 37 Af ter this man, Ju das the Gal i le an rose up in the days of the cen sus and at tract ed a fol low ing. He also per ished, and all his fol low ers were scat tered. 38 So in the pre sent case, I tell you, stay away from these men and leave them alone. For if this plan or this work is of hu man or i gin, it will fail; 39 but if it is of God, you will not be able to over throw them. You may even be found fight ing against God.” They were per suad ed by him. 40 Af ter they called in the apos tles and had them flogged, they or dered them not to speak in the name of Jesus and re leased them. 41 Then they went out from the pres ence of the San he drin, re joic ing that they were count ed wor thy to be treat ed shame ful ly on be half of the Name. b 42 Ev ery day in the tem ple, and in var i ous homes, they con tin ued teach ing and pro claim ing the good news that Jesus is the Mes si ah. SEVEN CHOSEN TO SERVE 6 In those days, as the dis ci ples were in creas- ing in num ber, there arose a com plaint by the Hel le nis tic Jews against the He bra ic Jews that their wid ows were be ing over looked in the dai ly dis tri bu tion. 2 The Twelve sum moned the whole com pa ny of the dis ci ples and said, “ It would not be right for us to give up preach ing the word of God to wait on ta bles. 3 Broth ers and sis ters, se lect from among you sev en men of good rep u ta tion, full of the Spir it and wis- dom, whom we can ap point to this duty . 4 But we will de vote our selves to prayer and to the min is try of the word.” 5 This pro pos al pleased the whole com pa ny . So they chose Ste phen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spir it, and Phil- ip, Prochorus, Ni ca nor, Ti mon, Par me nas, and Nicolaus, a con vert from An ti och. 6 They had them stand be fore the apos tles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. 7 So the word of God spread, the dis ci ples in Je ru sa lem in creased great ly in num ber, and a large group of priests be came obe di ent to the faith. STEPHEN ACCUSED OF BLASPHEMY 8 Now Ste phen, full of grace and pow er, was per form ing great won ders and signs
🔥 Stephen's Martyrdom and Early Church Persecution
🗣️ Stephen's powerful testimony before the Sanhedrin recounted Israel's sacred history while boldly confronting religious leaders with their resistance to God's messengers, culminating in his vision of Jesus standing at God's right hand
⚔️ Religious opposition escalated from debate to false accusations, leading to Stephen becoming the first Christian martyr—stoned while praying for his persecutors' forgiveness
🌱 Persecution scattered believers beyond Jerusalem into Judea and Samaria, inadvertently spreading the gospel as Philip performed miracles, converted an Ethiopian official, and reached new territories
👁️ Saul's dramatic conversion on the Damascus road transformed Christianity's fiercest opponent into its chosen messenger, demonstrating divine intervention and the power of spiritual transformation
🔄 Divine sovereignty threads throughout these events—God repeatedly uses opposition and suffering to advance His purposes, turning persecution into opportunity for expansion
among the peo ple. 9 Op po si tion arose, how ev er, from some mem bers of the Freed men’s Syn a gogue, com posed of both Cyrenians and Al ex an dri- ans, and some from Ci li cia and Asia, and they be gan to ar gue with Ste phen. 10 But they were un able to stand up against his wis dom and the Spir it by whom he was speak ing. 11 Then they se cret ly per suad ed some men to say , “ We heard him speak ing blas phe mous words against Mo ses and God.” 12 They stirred up the peo ple, the el ders, and the scribes; so they came, seized him, and took him to the San he drin. 13 They also pre sent ed false wit ness - es who said, “ This man nev er stops speak ing against this holy place and the law . 14 For we heard him say that this Jesus of Naz a reth will de stroy this place and change the cus toms that Mo ses hand ed down to us.” 15 And all who were sit ting in the San he drin looked in tent ly at him and saw that his face was like the face of an an gel. a5:34 Other mss read apostles b5:41 Other mss add of Jesus, or of Christ 971 ACTS 5-6 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 971 10/26/17 9:00 PM STEPHEN’S SERMON 7 “ Are these things true? ” the high priest asked. 2 “Broth ers and fa thers,” he re plied, “lis ten: The God of glo ry ap peared to our fa ther Abra- ham when he was in Mes o po ta mia, be fore he set tled in Ha ran, 3 and said to him: Leave your coun try and rel a tives, and come to the land that I will show you. a 4 “ Then he left the land of the Chal de ans and set tled in Ha ran. From there, af ter his fa ther died, God had him move to this land in which you are now liv ing. 5 He didn’t give him an in her i tance in it — not even a foot of ground — but he prom ised to give it to him as a pos ses sion, and to his de scen dants af- ter him, even though he was child less. 6 God spoke in this way: His de scen dants would be strang ers in a for eign coun try , and they would en slave and op press them for four hun dred years. 7 I will judge the na tion that they will serve as slaves, God said. Af ter this, they will come out and wor ship me in this place. b 8 And so he gave Abra ham the cov enant of cir cum ci sion. Af ter this, he fa thered Isaac and cir cum cised him on the eighth day . Isaac be came the fa ther of Ja cob, and Ja cob be came the fa ther of the twelve pa tri archs. THE PATRIARCHS IN EGYPT 9 “ The pa tri archs be came jeal ous of Jo seph and sold him into Egypt, but God was with him 10 and res cued him out of all his trou bles. He gave him fa vor and wis dom in the sight of Pha raoh, king of Egypt, who ap point ed him rul er over Egypt and over his whole house hold. 11 Now a fam ine and great suff er ing came over all of Egypt and Ca naan, and our an ces tors could find no food. 12 When Ja cob heard there was grain in Egypt, he sent our an ces tors there the first time. 13 The sec ond time, Jo seph re vealed him self to his broth ers, and Jo seph’s fam i ly be came known to Pha raoh. 14 Jo seph in vit ed his fa ther Ja cob and all his rel a tives, seventy-five peo ple in all, 15 and Ja cob went down to Egypt. He and our an ces tors died there, 16 were car ried back to She chem, and were placed in the tomb that Abra ham had bought for a sum of sil ver from the sons of Ha mor in She chem. MOSES, A REJECTED SAVIOR 17 “ As the time was ap proach ing to ful fill the prom ise that God had made to Abra ham, the peo ple flourished and mul ti plied in Egypt 18 un til a diff er ent king who did not know Jo- seph ruled over Egypt. c 19 He dealt de ceit ful ly with our race and op pressed our an ces tors by mak ing them aban don their in fants out side so that they wouldn’t sur vive. 20 At this time Mo ses was born, and he was beau ti ful in God’s sight. He was cared for in his fa ther’s home for three months. 21 When he was put out side, Pha raoh’s daugh ter adopt ed and raised him as her own son. 22 So Mo ses was ed u cat ed in all the wis dom of the Egyp tians and was pow- er ful in his speech and ac tions. 23 “ When he was for ty years old, he de cid ed to vis it his own peo ple, the Is ra el ites. 24 When he saw one of them be ing mis treat ed, he came to his res cue and avenged the op pressed man by strik ing down the Egyp tian. 25 He as sumed his peo ple would un der stand that God would give them de liv er ance through him, but they did not un der stand. 26 The next day he showed up while they were fight ing and tried to rec- on cile them peace ful ly , say ing, ‘ Men, you are broth ers. Why are you mis treat ing each oth er? ’ 27 “ But the one who was mis treat ing his neigh bor pushed Mo ses aside, say ing: Who ap point ed you a rul er and a judge over us? 28 Do you want to kill me, the same way you killed the Egyp tian yes ter day? d 29 “ When he heard this, Mo ses fled and be- came an ex ile in the land of Mid i an, where he be came the fa ther of two sons. 30 Af ter for ty years had passed, an an gel e ap peared to him in the wil der ness of Mount Si nai, in the flame of a burn ing bush. 31 When Mo ses saw it, he was amazed at the sight. As he was ap proach ing to look at it, the voice of the Lord came: 32 I am the God of your an ces tors — the God of Abra ham, of Isaac, and of Ja cob. f Mo ses be gan to trem ble and did not dare to look. 33 “ The Lord said to him: Take off the san dals from your feet, be cause the place where you are stand ing is holy ground. 34 I have cer tain ly seen the op pres sion of my peo ple in Egypt; I have heard their groan ing and have come down to set them free. And now , come, I will send you to Egypt. g 35 “ This Mo ses, whom they re ject ed when they said, Who ap point ed you a rul er and a judge? h — this one God sent as a rul er and a de liv er er through the an gel who ap peared to him in the bush. 36 This man led them out a7:3 Gn 12:1 b7:6-7 Gn 15:13-14 c7:18 Other mss omit over Egypt d7:27-28 Ex 2:14 e7:30 Other mss add of the Lord f7:32 Ex 3:6,15 g7:33-34 Ex 3:5,7-8,10 h 7:35 Ex 2:14ACTS 7 972 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 972 10/26/17 9:00 PM and per formed won ders and signs in the land of Egypt, at the Red Sea, and in the wil der ness for for ty years. ISRAEL’S REBELLION AGAINST GOD 37 “ This is the Mo ses who said to the Is ra el- ites: God a will raise up for you a proph et like me from among your broth ers and sis ters. b 38 He is the one who was in the as- sem bly in the wil der ness, with the an gel who spoke to him on Mount Si nai, and with our an ces tors. He re ceived liv ing or a cles to give to us. 39 Our an ces tors were un will ing to obey him. In stead, they pushed him aside, and in their hearts turned back to Egypt. 40 They told Aar on: Make us gods who will go be fore us. As for this Mo ses who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we don’t know what’s hap pened to him. c 41 They even made a calf in those days, o ff ered sac ri fice to the idol, and were cel e brat ing what their hands had made. 42 God turned away and gave them up to wor ship the stars of heav en, as it is writ ten in the book of the proph ets: House of Israel, did you bring me offerings and sacrifices for forty years in the wilderness? 43 You took up the tent of Moloch and the star of your god Rephan, the images that you made to worship. So I will send you into exile beyond Babylon. d GOD’S REAL TABERNACLE 44 “ Our an ces tors had the tab er na cle of the tes ti mo ny in the wil der ness, just as he who spoke to Mo ses com mand ed him to make it ac cord ing to the pat tern he had seen. 45 Our an ces tors in turn re ceived it and with Josh ua brought it in when they dispossessed the na- tions that God drove out be fore them, un til the days of Da vid. 46 He found fa vor in God’s sight and asked that he might pro vide a dwell ing place for the God e of Ja cob. 47 It was Sol o mon, rath er, who built him a house, 48 but the Most High does not dwell in sanc tu ar ies made with hands, as the proph et says: 49 Heaven is my throne, and the earth my footstool. What sort of house will you build for me? says the Lord, or what will be my resting place? 50 Did not my hand make all these things? f RESISTING THE HOLY SPIRIT 51 “ You stiff-necked peo ple with un cir cum cised hearts and ears! You are al ways resisting the Holy Spir it. As your an ces tors did, you do also. 52 Which of the proph ets did your an ces tors not per se cute? They even killed those who fore told the com ing of the Righ teous One, whose be tray ers and mur der ers you have now be come. 53 You re ceived the law un der the di rec tion of an gels and yet have not kept it.” THE FIRST CHRISTIAN MARTYR 54 When they heard these things, they were en raged g and gnashed their teeth at him. 55 Ste phen, full of the Holy Spir it, gazed into heav en. He saw the glo ry of God, and Jesus stand ing at the right hand of God. 56 He said, “ Look, I see the heav ens opened and the Son of Man stand ing at the right hand of God! ” 57 They yelled at the top of their voices, cov- ered their ears, and to geth er rushed against him. 58 They dragged him out of the city and be gan to stone him. And the wit ness es laid their gar ments at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 While they were ston ing Ste- phen, he called out: “ Lord Jesus, re ceive my spir it! ” 60 He knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “ Lord, do not hold this sin against them! ” And af ter say ing this, he died. h SAUL THE PERSECUTOR 8 Saul agreed with put ting him to death. On that day a se vere per se cu tion broke out against the church in Je ru sa lem, and all ex cept the apos tles were scat tered through out the land of Ju dea and Sa mar ia. 2 De vout men bur ied Ste phen and mourned deep ly over him. 3 Saul, how ev er, was rav ag ing the church. He would en ter house af ter house, drag off men and wom en, and put them in pris on. PHILIP IN SAMARIA 4 So those who were scat tered went on their way preach ing the word. 5 Phil ip went down to a i city in Sa mar ia and pro claimed the Mes si ah to them. 6 The crowds were all pay ing at ten tion to what Phil ip said, as they lis tened and saw a7:37 Other mss read The Lord your God b7:37 Dt 18:15 c7:40 Ex 32:1,23 d7:42-43 Am 5:25-27 e7:46 Other mss read house f7:49-50 Is 66:1-2 g7:54 Or were cut to the quick h7:60 Lit he fell asleep i8:5 Other mss read the 973 ACTS 7-8 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 973 10/26/17 9:00 PM the signs he was per form ing. 7 For un clean spir its, cry ing out with a loud voice, came out of many who were pos sessed, and many who were par a lyzed and lame were healed. 8 So there was great joy in that city . THE RESPONSE OF SIMON 9 A man named Si mon had pre vi ous ly prac ticed sor cery in that city and amazed the Sa mar i tan peo ple, while claim ing to be some body great. 10 They all paid at ten tion to him, from the least of them to the great est, and they said, “ This man is called the Great Pow er of God.” a 11 They were attentive to him be cause he had amazed them with his sor cer ies for a long time. 12 But when they be lieved Phil ip, as he pro claimed the good news about the king dom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and wom en were bap tized. 13 Even Si mon him self be lieved. And af ter he was bap tized, he fol lowed Phil ip ev ery where and was amazed as he ob served the signs and great mir a cles that were be ing per formed. SIMON’S SIN 14 When the apos tles who were at Je ru sa lem heard that Sa mar ia had re ceived the word of God, they sent Pe ter and John to them. 15 Af ter they went down there, they prayed for them so the Sa mar i tans might re ceive the Holy Spir it be cause he had not yet come down on any of them. 16 ( They had only been bap tized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) 17 Then Pe ter and John laid their hands on them, and they re ceived the Holy Spir it. 18 When Si mon saw that the Spir it b was giv en through the lay ing on of the apos tles’ hands, he off ered them mon ey , 19 say ing, “ Give me this pow er also so that any one I lay hands on may re ceive the Holy Spir it.” 20 But Pe ter told him, “ May your sil ver be de stroyed with you, be cause you thought you could ob tain the gift of God with mon ey! 21 You have no part or share in this mat ter, be cause your heart is not right be fore God. 22 There fore re pent of this wick ed ness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if pos si ble, your heart’s in tent may be for giv en. 23 For I see you are poi soned by bit ter ness and bound by wick ed ness.” 24 “ Pray to the Lord for me,” Si mon re plied, “ so that noth ing you have said may hap pen to me.”25 So, af ter they had tes ti fied and spo ken the word of the Lord, they trav eled back to Je ru- sa lem, preach ing the gos pel in many vil lages of the Sa mar i tans. THE CONVERSION OF THE ETHIOPIAN OFFICIAL 26 An an gel of the Lord spoke to Phil ip: “ Get up and go south to the road that goes down from Je ru sa lem to Gaza.” ( This is the desert road. c) 27 So he got up and went. There was an Ethi o pi an man, a eu nuch and high off i cial of Can da ce, queen of the Ethi o pi ans, who was in charge of her en tire trea sury . He had come to wor ship in Je ru sa lem 28 and was sit ting in his char i ot on his way home, read ing the proph et Isa iah aloud. 29 The Spir it told Phil ip, “ Go and join that char i ot.” 30 When Phil ip ran up to it, he heard him read ing the proph et Isa iah, and said, “ Do you un der stand what you’re read ing? ” 31 “ How can I,” he said, “un less some one guides me? ” So he in vit ed Phil ip to come up and sit with him. 32 Now the Scrip ture pas sage he was read ing was this: He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb is silent before its shearer, so he does not open his mouth. 33 In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who will describe his generation? For his life is taken from the earth. d 34 The eu nuch said to Phil ip, “ I ask you, who is the proph et say ing this about — him self or some one else? ” 35 Phil ip pro ceed ed to tell him the good news about Jesus, be gin ning with that Scrip ture. 36 As they were trav el ing down the road, they came to some wa ter. The eu nuch said, “ Look, there’s wa ter. What would keep me from be ing bap tized? ” e 38 So he or dered the char i ot to stop, and both Phil ip and the eu nuch went down into the wa ter, and he bap tized him. 39 When they came up out of the wa ter, the Spir it of the Lord car ried Phil ip away , and the eu nuch did not see him any lon ger but went on his way re joic ing. 40 Phil ip ap peared in f Azo tus, g and he was trav el ing and preach ing the gos pel in all the towns un til he came to Caes a rea. a8:10 Or “This is the power of God called Great b8:18 Other mss add Holy c8:26 Or is a desert place d8:32-33 Is 53:7-8 e8:36 Some mss include v. 37: Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart you may.” And he replied, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” f8:40 Or Philip was found at, or Philip found himself in g8:40 Or AshdodACTS 8 974 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 974 10/26/17 9:00 PM THE DAMASCUS ROAD 9 Now Saul was still breath ing threats and mur der against the dis ci ples of the Lord. He went to the high priest 2 and re quest ed let- ters from him to the syn a gogues in Da mas cus, so that if he found any men or wom en who be longed to the Way , he might bring them as pris on ers to Je ru sa lem. 3 As he trav eled and was nearing Da mas cus, a light from heav en sud den ly flashed around him. 4 Fall ing to the ground, he heard a voice say ing to him, “ Saul, Saul, why are you per se cut ing me? ” 5 “ Who are you, Lord? ” Saul said. “ I am Jesus, the one you are per se cut ing,” he re plied. 6 “ But get up and go into the city , and you will be told what you must do.” 7 The men who were trav el ing with him stood speech less, hear ing the sound but see ing no one. 8 Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see noth ing. So they took him by the hand and led him into Da mas cus. 9 He was un able to see for three days and did not eat or drink. SAUL’S BAPTISM 10 There was a dis ci ple in Da mas cus named An a ni as, and the Lord said to him in a vi sion, “ An a ni as.” “ Here I am, Lord,” he re plied. 11 “ Get up and go to the street called Straight,” the Lord said to him, “ to the house of Ju das, and ask for a man from Tar sus named Saul, since he is pray ing there. 12 In a vi sion a he has seen a man named An a ni as com ing in and plac ing his hands on him so that he may re gain his sight.” 13 “ Lord,” An a ni as an swered, “ I have heard from many peo ple about this man, how much harm he has done to your saints in Je ru sa lem. 14 And he has au thor i ty here from the chief priests to ar rest all who call on your name.” 15 But the Lord said to him, “ Go, for this man is my cho sen in stru ment to take my name to Gen tiles, kings, and Is ra el ites. 16 I will show him how much he must suff er for my name.” 17 An a ni as went and en tered the house. He placed his hands on him and said, “Broth er Saul, the Lord Jesus, who ap peared to you on the road you were trav el ing, has sent me so that you may re gain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spir it.” 18 At once some thing like scales fell from his eyes, and he re gained his sight. Then he got up and was bap tized. 19 And af ter tak ing some food, he re gained his strength. SAUL PROCLAIMING THE MESSIAH Saul was with the dis ci ples in Da mas cus for some time. 20 Im me di ate ly he be gan pro claim- ing Jesus in the syn a gogues: “ He is the Son of God.” 21 All
🌍 Early Church Expansion
🔄 Saul's transformation from persecutor to bold preacher created dramatic tension, with Jews in Damascus plotting his assassination while disciples helped him escape through the city wall
🤝 Barnabas served as a crucial bridge-builder, vouching for Saul to the suspicious apostles and later partnering with him to strengthen the growing church
✨ Miraculous healings performed by Peter (including raising Tabitha from death) demonstrated divine power and led many to believe in Jesus
🧩 Peter's vision of unclean animals shattered Jewish exclusivity, preparing him to bring the gospel to Gentiles like Cornelius and opening salvation to all nations
🔥 Holy Spirit's outpouring on Gentile believers shocked Jewish Christians but confirmed God's acceptance of all people regardless of ethnicity
🌱 Church growth accelerated despite persecution, with believers spreading throughout Judea, Galilee, Samaria, and establishing the first "Christian" community in Antioch
who heard him were as tound ed and said, “ Isn’t this the man in Je ru sa lem who was caus ing hav oc for those who called on this name and came here for the pur pose of tak ing them as pris on ers to the chief priests? ” 22 But Saul grew stron ger and kept confound - ing the Jews who lived in Da mas cus by prov ing that Jesus is the Mes si ah. 23 Af ter many days had passed, the Jews con spired to kill him, 24 but Saul learned of their plot. So they were watch ing the gates day and night in tend ing to kill him, 25 but his dis ci ples took him by night and low ered him in a large bas ket through an open ing in the wall. SAUL IN JERUSALEM 26 When he ar rived in Je ru sa lem, he tried to join the dis ci ples, but they were all afraid of him, since they did not be lieve he was a dis ci ple. 27 Bar na bas, how ev er, took him and brought him to the apos tles and ex plained to them how Saul had seen the Lord on the road and that the Lord had talked to him, and how in Da mas cus he had spo ken bold ly in the name of Jesus. 28 Saul was com ing and go ing with them in Je ru sa lem, speak ing bold ly in the name of the Lord. 29 He conversed and de bat ed with the Hel le nis tic Jews, but they tried to kill him. 30 When the broth ers found out, they took him down to Caes a rea and sent him off to Tar sus. THE CHURCH’S GROWTH 31 So the church through out all Ju dea, Gal i lee, and Sa mar ia had peace and was strength- ened. Liv ing in the fear of the Lord and en- cour aged by the Holy Spir it, it in creased in num bers. THE HEALING OF AENEAS 32 As Pe ter was trav el ing from place to place, he also came down to the saints who lived in Lyd da. 33 There he found a man named Ae ne as, who was par a lyzed and had been bed rid den for eight years. 34 Pe ter said to him, “ Ae ne as, a 9:12 Other mss omit In a vision 975 ACTS 9 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 975 10/26/17 9:00 PM Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and make your bed,” a and im me di ate ly he got up. 35 So all who lived in Lyd da and Shar on saw him and turned to the Lord. DORCAS RESTORED TO LIFE 36 In Jop pa there was a dis ci ple named Tab- i tha ( which is trans lat ed Dor cas). She was al ways do ing good works and acts of char - i ty . 37 About that time she be came sick and died. Af ter wash ing her, they placed her in a room up stairs. 38 Since Lyd da was near Jop pa, the dis ci ples heard that Pe ter was there and sent two men to him who urged him, “ Don’t de lay in com ing with us.” 39 Pe ter got up and went with them. When he ar rived, they led him to the room up stairs. And all the wid ows ap proached him, weep ing and show ing him the robes and clothes that Dor cas had made while she was with them. 40 Pe ter sent them all out of the room. He knelt down, prayed, and turn ing to ward the body said, “Tab i tha, get up.” She opened her eyes, saw Pe ter, and sat up. 41 He gave her his hand and helped her stand up. He called the saints and wid ows and pre sent ed her alive. 42 This be came known through out Jop pa, and many be lieved in the Lord. 43 Pe ter stayed for some time in Jop pa with Si mon, a leath er tan ner. CORNELIUS’S VISION 10 There was a man in Caes a rea named Cor - nel i us, a cen tu ri on of what was called the Ital ian Reg i ment. 2 He was a de vout man and feared God along with his whole house hold. He did many charitable deeds for the Jew ish peo ple and al ways prayed to God. 3 About three in the af ter noon b he dis tinct ly saw in a vi sion an an gel of God who came in and said to him, “Cor nel i us.” 4 Staring at him in awe, he said, “ What is it, Lord? ” The an gel told him, “ Your prayers and your acts of char i ty have as cend ed as a me mo ri al off er ing be fore God. 5 Now send men to Jop pa and call for Si mon, who is also named Pe ter. 6 He is lodg ing with Si mon, a tan ner, whose house is by the sea.” 7 When the an gel who spoke to him had gone, he called two of his house hold ser vants and a de vout sol dier, who was one of those who at tend ed him. 8 Af ter ex plain ing ev ery thing to them, he sent them to Jop pa.PETER’S VISION 9 The next day , as they were trav el ing and nearing the city , Pe ter went up to pray on the roof about noon. c 10 He be came hun gry and want ed to eat, but while they were pre par - ing some thing, he fell into a trance. 11 He saw heav en opened and an ob ject that re sem bled a large sheet com ing down, be ing low ered by its four cor ners to the earth. 12 In it were all the four-footed an i mals and rep tiles of the earth, and the birds of the sky . 13 A voice said to him, “ Get up, Pe ter; kill and eat.” 14 “ No, Lord! ” Pe ter said. “ For I have nev er eat en any thing im pure and ritually un clean.” 15 Again, a sec ond time, the voice said to him, “ What God has made clean, do not call im pure.” 16 This hap pened three times, and sud den ly the ob ject was tak en up into heav en. PETER VISITS CORNELIUS 17 While Pe ter was deep ly per plexed about what the vi sion he had seen might mean, right away the men who had been sent by Cor nel i us, hav - ing asked di rec tions to Si mon’s house, stood at the gate. 18 They called out, ask ing if Si mon, who was also named Pe ter, was lodg ing there. 19 While Pe ter was think ing about the vi- sion, the Spir it told him, “ Three men are here look ing for you. 20 Get up, go downstairs, and go with them with no doubts at all, be cause I have sent them.” 21 Then Pe ter went down to the men and said, “ Here I am, the one you’re look ing for. What is the rea son you’re here? ” 22 They said, “Cor nel i us, a cen tu ri on, an up- right and God-fearing man, who has a good rep u ta tion with the whole Jew ish na tion, was divinely di rect ed by a holy an gel to call you to his house and to hear a mes sage from you.” 23 Pe ter then in vit ed them in and gave them lodg ing. The next day he got up and set out with them, and some of the broth ers from Jop pa went with him. 24 The fol low ing day he en tered Caes a rea. Now Cor nel i us was ex pect ing them and had called to geth er his rel a tives and close friends. 25 When Pe ter en tered, Cor nel i us met him, fell at his feet, and wor shiped him. 26 But Pe ter lift ed him up and said, “ Stand up. I my self am also a man.” 27 While talk ing with him, he went in and found a large gath er ing of peo ple. 28 Pe ter said to them, “ You know it’s for bid den for a Jew ish man to as so ci ate a 9:34 Or and get ready to eat b10:3 Lit About the ninth hour c10:9 Lit about the sixth hourACTS 9-10 976 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 976 10/26/17 9:00 PM with or vis it a for eign er, but God has shown me that I must not call any per son im pure or un clean. 29 That’s why I came with out any ob jec tion when I was sent for. So may I ask why you sent for me? ” 30 Cor nel i us re plied, “ Four days ago at this hour, at three in the af ter noon, a I was b pray- ing in my house. Just then a man in daz zling cloth ing stood be fore me 31 and said, ‘Cor nel i us, your prayer has been heard, and your acts of char i ty have been re mem bered in God’s sight. 32 There fore send some one to Jop pa and in- vite Si mon here, who is also named Pe ter. He is lodg ing in Si mon the tan ner’s house by the sea.’ c 33 So I im me di ate ly sent for you, and it was good of you to come. So now we are all in the pres ence of God to hear ev ery thing you have been com mand ed by the Lord.” GOOD NEWS FOR GENTILES 34 Pe ter be gan to speak: “ Now I tru ly un der - stand that God doesn’t show fa vor it ism, 35 but in ev ery na tion the per son who fears him and does what is right is ac cept able to him. 36 He sent the mes sage to the Is ra el ites, pro claim- ing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ — he is Lord of all. 37 You know the events that took place through out all Ju dea, be gin ning from Gal i lee af ter the bap tism that John preached: 38 how God anoint ed Jesus of Naz a reth with the Holy Spir it and with pow- er, and how he went about do ing good and heal ing all who were un der the tyr an ny of the dev il, be cause God was with him. 39 We our selves are wit ness es of ev ery thing he did in both the Ju de an coun try and in Je ru sa lem, and yet they killed him by hang ing him on a tree. 40 God raised up this man on the third day and caused him to be seen, 41 not by all the peo ple, but by us whom God ap point ed as wit ness es, who ate and drank with him af ter he rose from the dead. 42 He com mand ed us to preach to the peo ple and to tes ti fy that he is the one ap point ed by God to be the judge of the liv ing and the dead. 43 All the proph- ets tes ti fy about him that through his name ev ery one who be lieves in him re ceives for - give ness of sins.” GENTILE CONVERSION AND BAPTISM 44 While Pe ter was still speak ing these words, the Holy Spir it came down on all those who heard the mes sage. 45 The cir cum cised be liev- ers who had come with Pe ter were amazed be cause the gift of the Holy Spir it had been poured out even on the Gen tiles. 46 For they heard them speak ing in oth er tongues d and de clar ing the great ness of God. Then Pe ter re spond ed, 47 “ Can any one with- hold wa ter and pre vent these peo ple from be ing bap tized, who have re ceived the Holy Spir it just as we have? ” 48 He com mand ed them to be bap tized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay for a few days. GENTILE SALVATION DEFENDED 11 The apos tles and the broth ers and sis- ters who were through out Ju dea heard that the Gen tiles had also re ceived the word of God. 2 When Pe ter went up to Je ru sa lem, the cir cum ci sion par ty crit i cized him, 3 say- ing, “ You went to un cir cum cised men and ate with them.” 4 Pe ter be gan to ex plain to them step by step: 5 “ I was in the town of Jop pa pray ing, and I saw , in a trance, an ob ject that re sem bled a large sheet com ing down, be ing low ered by its four cor ners from heav en, and it came to me. 6 When I looked close ly and con sid ered it, I saw the four-footed an i mals of the earth, the wild beasts, the rep tiles, and the birds of the sky . 7 I also heard a voice tell ing me, ‘ Get up, Pe ter; kill and eat.’ 8 “ ‘ No, Lord! ’ I said. ‘ For noth ing im pure or ritually un clean has ever en tered my mouth.’ 9 But a voice an swered from heav en a sec ond time, ‘ What God has made clean, you must not call im pure.’ 10 “ Now this hap pened three times, and ev- ery thing was drawn up again into heav en. 11 At that very mo ment, three men who had been sent to me from Caes a rea ar rived at the house where we were. 12 The Spir it told me to ac com pa ny them with no doubts at all. These six broth ers also ac com pa nied me, and we went into the man’s house. 13 He re port ed to us how he had seen the an gel stand ing in his house and say ing, ‘ Send e to Jop pa, and call for Si mon, who is also named Pe ter. 14 He will speak a mes sage to you by which you and all your house hold will be saved.’ 15 “ As I be gan to speak, the Holy Spir it came down on them, just as on us at the be gin ning. 16 I re mem bered the word of the Lord, how he a10:30 Lit at the ninth hour b10:30 Other mss add fasting and c10:32 Other mss add When he arrives, he will speak to you. d10:46 languages e11:13 Other mss add men 977 ACTS 10-11 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 977 10/26/17 9:00 PM said, ‘ John bap tized with wa ter, but you will be bap tized with the Holy Spir it.’ 17 If, then, God gave them the same gift that he also gave to us when we be lieved in the Lord Jesus Christ, how could I pos si bly hin der God? ” 18 When they heard this they be came si lent. And they glo ri fied God, say ing, “ So then, God has giv en re pen tance resulting in life even to the Gen tiles.” THE CHURCH IN ANTIOCH 19 Now those who had been scat tered as a re- sult of the per se cu tion that start ed be cause of Ste phen made their way as far as Phoe nic ia, Cy prus, and An ti och, speak ing the word to no one ex cept Jews. 20 But there were some of them, men from Cy prus and Cy re ne, who came to An ti och and be gan speak ing to the Greeks a also, pro claim ing the good news about the Lord Jesus. 21 The Lord’s hand was with them, and a large num ber who be lieved turned to the Lord. 22 News about them reached b the church in Je ru sa lem, and they sent out Bar na bas to trav el c as far as An ti och. 23 When he ar rived and saw the grace of God, he was glad and en - cour aged all of them to re main true to the Lord with de vot ed hearts, 24 for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spir it and of faith. And large num bers of peo ple were add ed to the Lord. 25 Then he d went to Tar sus to search for Saul, 26 and when he found him he brought him to An ti och. For a whole year they met with the church and taught large num bers. The dis ci- ples were first called Chris tians at An ti och. FAMINE RELIEF 27 In those days some proph ets came down from Je ru sa lem to An ti och. 28 One of them, named Ag a bus, stood up and pre dict ed by the Spir it that there would be a se vere fam ine through out the Ro man world. e This took place dur ing the reign of Clau di us. 29 Each of the dis ci ples, ac cord ing to his abil i ty , de ter mined to send re lief to the broth ers and sis ters who lived in Ju dea. 30 They did this, send ing it to the el ders by means of Bar na bas and Saul. JAMES MARTYRED AND PETER JAILED 12 About that time King Her od vi o lent ly at- tacked some who be longed to the church, 2 and he ex e cut ed James, John’s broth er, with the sword. 3 When he saw that it pleased the Jews, he pro ceed ed to ar rest Pe ter too, dur - ing the Festival of Un leav ened Bread. 4 Af ter the ar rest, he put him in pris on and as signed four squads of four sol diers each to guard him, in tend ing to bring him out to the peo- ple af ter the Pass over. 5 So Pe ter was kept in pris on, but the church was pray ing fervently to God for him. PETER RESCUED 6 When Her od was about to bring him out for tri al, that very night Pe ter, bound with two chains, was sleep ing be tween two sol- diers, while the sen tries in front of the door guard ed the pris on. 7 Sud den ly an an gel of the Lord ap peared, and a light shone in the cell. Strik ing Pe ter on the side, he woke him up and said, “ Quick, get up! ” And the chains fell off his wrists. 8 “ Get dressed,” the an gel told him, “ and put on your san dals.” And he did. “ Wrap your cloak around you,” he told him, “ and fol low me.” 9 So he went out and fol lowed, and he did not know that what the an gel did was real ly hap pen ing, but he thought he was see ing a vi sion. 10 Af ter they passed the first and sec ond guards, they came to the iron gate that leads into the city , which opened to them by it self. They went out side and passed one street, and sud den ly the an gel left him. 11 When Pe ter came to him self, he said, “ Now I know for cer tain that the Lord has sent his an gel and res cued me from Her od’s grasp and from all that the Jew ish peo ple ex pect- ed.” 12 As soon as he re al ized this, he went to the house of Mary , the moth er of John Mark, f where many had as sem bled and were pray ing. 13 He knocked at the door of the out er gate, and a ser vant named Rho da came to an swer. 14 She rec og nized Pe ter’s voice, and be cause of her joy , she did not open the gate but ran in and an nounced that Pe ter was stand ing at the out er gate. 15 “ You’re out of your mind! ” they told her. But she kept in sist ing that it was true, and they said, “ It’s his an gel.” 16 Pe ter, how ev er, kept on knock ing, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were amazed. 17 Motioning to them with his hand to be si lent, he de scribed to them how the Lord had brought him out of the pris on. “ Tell these things to James and the broth ers,” he said, and he left and went to an oth er place. a11:20 Lit Hellenists b11:22 Lit reached the ears of c11:22 Other mss omit to travel d11:25 Other mss read Barnabas e11:28 Or the whole world f12:12 Lit John who was called MarkACTS 11-12 978 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 978 10/26/17 9:00 PM 18 At day light, there was a great com mo- tion among the sol diers as to what had be- come of Pe ter. 19 Af ter Her od had searched and did not find him, he in ter ro gated the guards and or dered their ex e cu tion. Then Her od went down from Ju dea to Caes a rea and stayed there. HEROD’S DEATH 20 Her od had been very an gry with the peo ple of Tyre and Si don. To geth er they pre sent ed them- selves be fore him. Af ter win ning over Blas tus, who was in charge of the king’s bed room, they asked for peace, be cause their coun try was sup plied with food from the king’s coun try . 21 On an ap point ed day , dressed in roy al robes and seat ed on the throne, Her od de liv ered a speech to them. 22 The as sem bled peo ple be gan to shout, “ It’s the voice of a god and not of a man! ” 23 At once an an gel of the Lord struck him be cause he did not give the glo ry to God, and he was eat en by worms and died. 24 But the word of God flourished and mul ti- plied. 25 Af ter they had com plet ed their re lief mis sion, Bar na bas and Saul re turned to a Je ru- sa lem, tak ing along John who was called Mark. PREPARING FOR THE MISSION FIELD 13 Now in the church at An ti och there were proph ets and teach ers: Bar na bas, Sim- e on who was called
🌍 Apostolic Missions Journey
🔥 Holy Spirit directs the early church to commission Paul and Barnabas for missionary work, launching a strategic expansion of Christianity beyond Jewish communities
🗣️ Bold proclamation characterizes Paul's ministry as he delivers powerful sermons connecting Jesus to Jewish prophecies while facing intense opposition from religious leaders
🏛️ The Jerusalem Council resolves critical tensions between Jewish traditions and Gentile converts, establishing minimal requirements that preserve unity while embracing inclusion
🤝 Team dynamics evolve through conflict and collaboration—Paul partners with Silas after separating from Barnabas, demonstrating how personal disagreements shaped church leadership
🌱 Church planting methodology emerges as the apostles establish congregations, appoint local leaders, and maintain connections through letters and return visits
⚔️ Persecution consistently follows gospel advancement, yet becomes a catalyst for spreading the message to new regions as believers respond with resilience and joy
Ni ger, Lu ci us of Cy re ne, Man a en, a close friend of Her od the te trarch, and Saul. 2 As they were wor ship ing b the Lord and fast ing, the Holy Spir it said, “ Set apart for me Bar na bas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 Then af ter they had fast- ed, prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them off. THE MISSION TO CYPRUS 4 So be ing sent out by the Holy Spir it, they went down to Se leu cia, and from there they sailed to Cy prus. 5 Ar riv ing in Sal a mis, they pro claimed the word of God in the Jew ish syn a gogues. They also had John as their as sis tant. 6 When they had trav eled the whole is land as far as Pa phos, they came across a sor cer er, a Jew ish false proph et named Bar-Je sus. 7 He was with the pro con sul, Ser gi us Pau lus, an in tel li gent man. This man sum moned Bar na bas and Saul and want ed to hear the word of God. 8 But El y mas the sor cer er ( that is the mean ing of his name) op posed them and tried to turn the pro con sul away from the faith. 9 But Saul — also called Paul — filled with the Holy Spir it, stared straight at El y mas 10 and said, “ You are full of all kinds of de ceit and trick ery , you son of the dev il and en e my of all that is right. Won’t you ever stop per vert ing the straight paths of the Lord? 11 Now , look, the Lord’s hand is against you. You are go ing to be blind, and will not see the sun for a time.” Im me di ate ly a mist and dark ness fell on him, and he went around seek ing some one to lead him by the hand. 12 Then, when he saw what hap pened, the pro con sul be lieved, be cause he was as ton - ished at the teach ing of the Lord. PAUL’S SERMON IN ANTIOCH OF PISIDIA 13 Paul and his com pan ions set sail from Pa- phos and came to Per ga in Pam phyl ia, but John left them and went back to Je ru sa lem. 14 They con tin ued their jour ney from Per ga and reached Pi sid i an An ti och. On the Sab- bath day they went into the syn a gogue and sat down. 15 Af ter the read ing of the Law and the Proph ets, the lead ers of the syn a gogue sent word to them, say ing, “Broth ers, if you have any word of encouragement for the peo ple, you can speak.” 16 Paul stood up and mo tioned with his hand and said: “Fel low Is ra el ites, and you who fear God, lis ten! 17 The God of this peo ple Is ra el chose our an ces tors, made the peo ple pros- per dur ing their stay in the land of Egypt, and led them out of it with a mighty c arm. 18 And for about for ty years he put up with them d in the wil der ness; 19 and af ter de stroy ing sev en na tions in the land of Ca naan, he gave them their land as an in her i tance. 20 This all took about 450 years. Af ter this, he gave them judg es un til Sam uel the proph et. 21 Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Ben ja min, for for - ty years. 22 Af ter re mov ing him, he raised up Da vid as their king and tes ti fied about him: ‘ I have found Da vid the son of Jes se to be a man af ter my own heart, e who will car ry out all my will.’ 23 “ From this man’s de scen dants, as he prom- ised, God brought to Is ra el the Sav ior, Jesus. f 24 Be fore his com ing to pub lic at ten tion, John a12:25 Other mss read from b13:2 Or were ministering to c13:17 Lit with an uplifted d13:18 Other mss read he cared for them e13:22 1Sm 13:14; Ps 89:20 f13:23 Other mss read brought salvation 979 ACTS 12-13 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 979 10/26/17 9:00 PM had pre vi ous ly pro claimed a bap tism of re- pen tance to all the peo ple of Is ra el. 25 Now as John was com plet ing his mis sion, he said, ‘ Who do you think I am? I am not the one. But one is com ing af ter me, and I am not wor thy to un tie the san dals on his feet.’ 26 “Broth ers and sis ters, chil dren of Abra- ham’s race, and those among you who fear God, it is to us that the word of this sal va tion has been sent. 27 Since the res i dents of Je ru- sa lem and their rul ers did not rec og nize him or the say ings of the proph ets that are read ev ery Sab bath, they have ful filled their words by con demn ing him. 28 Though they found no grounds for the death sen tence, they asked Pi late to have him killed. 29 When they had car ried out all that had been writ ten about him, they took him down from the tree and put him in a tomb. 30 But God raised him from the dead, 31 and he ap peared for many days to those who came up with him from Gal i lee to Je ru sa lem, who are now his wit ness es to the peo ple. 32 And we our selves pro claim to you the good news of the prom ise that was made to our an ces tors. 33 God has ful filled this for us, their chil dren, by rais ing up Jesus, as it is writ ten in the sec ond Psalm: You are my Son; today I have become your Father. a,b 34 As to his rais ing him from the dead, nev er to re turn to de cay , he has spo ken in this way , I will give you the holy and sure prom is es of Da vid. c 35 There fore he also says in an oth er pas sage, You will not let your Holy One see de cay . d 36 For Da vid, af ter serv ing God’s pur - pose in his own gen er a tion, fell asleep, was bur ied with his fa thers, and de cayed, 37 but the one God raised up did not de cay . 38 There fore, let it be known to you, broth ers and sis ters, that through this man for give ness of sins is be ing pro claimed to you. 39 Ev ery one who be lieves is jus ti fied e through him from ev ery thing that you could not be jus ti fied from through the law of Mo ses. 40 So be ware that what is said in the proph ets does not hap pen to you: 41 Look, you scoffers, marvel and vanish away , because I am doing a work in your days, a work that you will never believe, even if someone were to explain it to you.” fPAUL AND BARNABAS IN ANTIOCH 42 As they were leav ing, the peo ple g urged them to speak about these mat ters the fol low ing Sab bath. 43 Af ter the syn a gogue had been dis- missed, many of the Jews and de vout con verts to Ju da ism fol lowed Paul and Bar na bas, who were speak ing with them and urg ing them to con tin ue in the grace of God. 44 The fol low ing Sab bath al most the whole town as sem bled to hear the word of the Lord. h 45 But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jeal ou sy and be gan to con tra dict what Paul was say ing, in sult ing him. 46 Paul and Bar na bas bold ly re plied, “ It was nec es sary that the word of God be spo ken to you first. Since you re ject it and judge your - selves un wor thy of eter nal life, we are turn ing to the Gen tiles. 47 For this is what the Lord has com mand ed us: I have made you a light for the Gentiles to bring salvation to the end of the earth.” i 48 When the Gen tiles heard this, they re joiced and hon ored the word of the Lord, and all who had been ap point ed to eter nal life be lieved. 49 The word of the Lord spread through the whole re gion. 50 But the Jews in cit ed the prom- i nent God-fearing wom en and the lead ing men of the city . They stirred up per se cu tion against Paul and Bar na bas and ex pelled them from their dis trict. 51 But Paul and Bar na bas shook the dust off their feet against them and went to Ico ni um. 52 And the dis ci ples were filled with joy and the Holy Spir it. GROWTH AND PERSECUTION IN ICONIUM 14 In Ico ni um they en tered the Jew ish syn a- gogue, as usu al, and spoke in such a way that a great num ber of both Jews and Greeks be lieved. 2 But the un be liev ing Jews stirred up the Gen tiles and poi soned their minds against the broth ers. 3 So they stayed there a long time and spoke bold ly for the Lord, who tes ti fied to the mes sage of his grace by en abling them to do signs and won ders. 4 But the peo ple of the city were di vid ed, some sid ing with the Jews and oth ers with the apos tles. 5 When an at tempt was made by both the Gen tiles and Jews, with their rul ers, to mis treat and stone them, 6 they found out about it and fled to the Lyc a o ni an towns of Lys tra and Der be and a13:33 Or I have begotten you b13:33 Ps 2:7 c13:34 Is 55:3 d13:35 Ps 16:10 e13:39 Or freed, also later in verse f13:41 Hab 1:5 g13:42 Other mss read they were leaving the synagogue of the Jews, the Gentiles h13:44 Other mss read of God i13:47 Is 49:6ACTS 13-14 980 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 980 10/26/17 9:00 PM to the sur round ing coun try side. 7 There they con tin ued preach ing the gos pel. MISTAKEN FOR GODS IN LYSTRA 8 In Lys tra a man was sit ting who was with out strength in his feet, had nev er walked, and had been lame from birth. 9 He lis tened as Paul spoke. Af ter look ing di rect ly at him and see ing that he had faith to be healed, 10 Paul said in a loud voice, “ Stand up on your feet! ” And he jumped up and be gan to walk around. 11 When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they shout ed, say ing in the Lyc a o ni an lan- guage, “ The gods have come down to us in hu man form! ” 12 Bar na bas they called Zeus, and Paul, Her mes, be cause he was the chief speak er. 13 The priest of Zeus, whose tem ple was just out side the town, brought bulls and wreaths to the gates be cause he in tend ed, with the crowds, to off er sac ri fice. 14 The apos tles Bar na bas and Paul tore their robes when they heard this and rushed into the crowd, shout ing: 15 “Peo ple! Why are you do ing these things? We are peo ple also, just like you, and we are pro claim ing good news to you, that you turn from these worth less things to the liv ing God, who made the heav en, the earth, the sea, and ev ery thing in them. a 16 In past gen er a tions he al lowed all the na tions to go their own way , 17 al though he did not leave him self with out a wit ness, since he did what is good by giv ing you rain from heav en and fruit ful sea sons and fill ing you with food and your b hearts with joy .” 18 Even though they said these things, they bare ly stopped the crowds from sac ri fic ing to them. 19 Some Jews came from An ti och and Ico- ni um, and when they won over the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city , think ing he was dead. 20 Af ter the dis- ci ples gath ered around him, he got up and went into the town. The next day he left with Bar na bas for Der be. CHURCH PLANTING 21 Af ter they had preached the gos pel in that town and made many dis ci ples, they re turned to Lys tra, to Ico ni um, and to An ti och, 22 strength- en ing the c dis ci ples by en cour ag ing them to con tin ue in the faith and by tell ing them, “ It is nec es sary to go through many hard ships to en ter the king dom of God.” 23 When they had ap point ed el ders for them in ev ery church and prayed with fast ing, they com mit ted them to the Lord in whom they had be lieved. 24 They passed through Pi sid ia and came to Pam phyl ia. 25 Af ter they had spo ken the word in Per ga, they went down to At ta lia. 26 From there they sailed back to An ti och where they had been com mend ed to the grace of God for the work they had now com plet ed. 27 Af ter they ar rived and gath ered the church to geth er, they re port ed ev ery thing God had done with them and that he had opened the door of faith to the Gen tiles. 28 And they spent a con sid er able time with the dis ci ples. DISPUTE IN ANTIOCH 15 Some men came down from Ju dea and be gan to teach the broth ers: “Un less you are cir cum cised ac cord ing to the cus tom pre- scribed by Mo ses, you can not be saved.” 2 Af ter Paul and Bar na bas had en gaged them in se ri- ous argument and de bate, Paul and Bar na bas and some oth ers were ap point ed to go up to the apos tles and el ders in Je ru sa lem about this is sue. 3 When they had been sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoe nic ia and Sa mar ia, describing in de tail the conversion of the Gen tiles, and they brought great joy to all the broth ers and sis ters. 4 When they ar rived at Je ru sa lem, they were wel comed by the church, the apos tles, and the el ders, and they re port ed all that God had done with them. 5 But some of the be liev ers who be longed to the par ty of the Phar i sees stood up and said, “ It is nec es sary to cir cum- cise them and to com mand them to keep the law of Mo ses.” THE JERUSALEM COUNCIL 6 The apos tles and the el ders gath ered to con sid er this mat ter. 7 Af ter there had been much de bate, Pe ter stood up and said to them: “Broth ers and sis ters, you are aware that in the ear ly days God made a choice among you, d that by my mouth the Gen tiles would hear the gos pel mes sage and be lieve. 8 And God, who knows the heart, bore wit ness to them by giv ing them the Holy Spir it, just as he also did to us. 9 He made no dis tinc tion be tween us and them, cleans ing their hearts by faith. 10 Now then, why are you test ing God by put ting a yoke on the dis ci ples’ necks that nei ther our an ces tors nor we have been able to bear? 11 On the con trary , we be lieve that we a14:15 Ex 20:11; Ps 146:6 b14:17 Other mss read our c14:22 Lit the souls of the d15:7 Other mss read us 981 ACTS 14-15 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 981 10/26/17 9:00 PM are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus in the same way they are.” 12 The whole as sem bly be came si lent and lis tened to Bar na bas and Paul de scribe all the signs and won ders God had done through them among the Gen tiles. 13 Af ter they stopped speak ing, James re spond ed: “Broth ers and sis ters, lis ten to me. 14 Sim e on a has re port ed how God first in ter vened to take from the Gen- tiles a peo ple for his name. 15 And the words of the proph ets agree with this, as it is writ ten: 16 After these things I will return and rebuild David’s fallen tent. I will rebuild its ruins and set it up again, 17 so the rest of humanity may seek the Lord — even all the Gentiles who are called by my name — declares the Lord who makes these things 18 known from long ago. b,c 19 There fore, in my judg ment, we should not cause diff i cul ties for those among the Gen tiles who turn to God, 20 but in stead we should write to them to ab stain from things pol lut ed by idols, from sex u al im mo ral i ty , from eat ing any thing that has been stran gled, and from blood. 21 For since an cient times, Mo ses has had those who pro claim him in ev ery city , and ev ery Sab bath day he is read aloud in the syn a gogues.” THE LETTER TO THE GENTILE BELIEVERS 22 Then the apos tles and the el ders, with the whole church, de cid ed to se lect men who were among them and to send them to An ti och with Paul and Bar na bas: Ju das, called Bar sab bas, and Si las, both lead ing men among the broth- ers. 23 They wrote: “From the apostles and the elders, your brothers, To the brothers and sisters among the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia: Greetings. 24 Since we have heard that some with - out our authorization went out from us and troubled you with their words and unsettled your hearts, d 25 we have unan - imously decided to select men and send them to you along with our dearly loved Barnabas and Paul, 26 who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 Therefore we have sent Judas and Silas, who will personally report the same things by word of mouth. 28 For it was the Holy Spirit’s decision — and ours — not to place further burdens on you beyond these requirements: 29 that you abstain from food offered to idols, from blood, from eat - ing anything that has been strangled, and from sexual immorality . You will do well if you keep yourselves from these things. Farewell.” THE OUTCOME OF THE JERUSALEM LETTER 30 So they were sent off and went down to An ti och, and af ter gath er ing the as sem bly , they de liv ered the let ter. 31 When they read it, they re joiced be cause of its encouragement. 32 Both Ju das and Si las, who were also proph- ets them selves, en cour aged the broth ers and sis ters and strength ened them with a long mes sage. 33 Af ter spend ing some time there, they were sent back in peace by the broth ers and sis ters to those who had sent them. e,f 35 But Paul and Bar na bas, along with many oth ers, re mained in An ti och, teach ing and pro claim- ing the word of the Lord. PAUL AND BARNABAS PART COMPANY 36 Af ter some time had passed, Paul said to Bar na bas, “ Let’s go back and vis it the broth- ers and sis ters in ev ery town where we have preached the word of the Lord and see how they’re do ing.” 37 Bar na bas want ed to take along John Mark. g 38 But Paul in sist ed that they should not take along this man who had de sert ed them in Pam phyl ia and had not gone on with them to the work. 39 They had such a sharp dis agree ment that they part ed com- pa ny , and Bar na bas took Mark with him and sailed off to Cy prus. 40 But Paul chose Si las and de part ed, af ter be ing com mend ed by the broth ers and sis ters to the grace of the Lord. 41 He trav eled through Syr ia and Ci li cia, strength en ing the church es. PAUL SELECTS TIMOTHY 16 Paul went on to Der be and Lys tra, where there was a dis ci ple named Tim o thy , the son of a be liev ing Jew ish wom an, but his fa- ther was a Greek. 2 The broth ers and sis ters a15:14 Simon (Peter) b15:17-18 Other mss read says the Lord who does all these things. Known to God from long ago are all his works. c15:16-18 Am 9:11-12; Is 45:21 d15:24 Other mss add by saying, ‘Be circumcised and keep the law,’ e15:33 Other mss read the brothers to the apostles f15:33 Other mss add v. 34: But Silas decided to stay there. g15:37 Lit John who was called MarkACTS 15-16 982 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 982 10/26/17 9:00 PM at Lys tra and Ico ni um spoke high ly of him. 3 Paul want ed Tim o thy to go with him; so he took him and cir cum cised him be cause of the Jews who were in those plac es, since they all knew that his fa ther was a Greek. 4 As they trav eled through the towns, they de liv ered the de ci sions reached by the apos tles and el ders at Je ru sa lem for the peo ple to ob serve. 5 So the church es were
🌍 Paul's Missionary Journeys
🚶♂️ Paul and his companions traveled extensively throughout ancient Mediterranean regions, guided by divine visions and the Holy Spirit's direction, establishing early Christian communities in key cities like Philippi, Thessalonica, and Corinth
👑 The message of Jesus as Messiah sparked both dramatic conversions (Lydia, the Philippian jailer) and fierce opposition, with accusations that Christians were "turning the world upside down" and promoting allegiance to a king other than Caesar
⛓️ Persecution and imprisonment became recurring challenges, yet produced miraculous interventions—including an earthquake that freed Paul and Silas from prison—demonstrating divine protection over the growing movement
🏛️ Paul adapted his evangelistic approach to different audiences, reasoning in synagogues with Jews, debating philosophers in Athens' Areopagus, and explaining the "Unknown God" to connect Greek culture to Christian theology
📜 The early church grew through strategic teaching (like Paul's two-year lecture series in Ephesus), powerful demonstrations against demonic forces, and the mentoring of leaders like Apollos who continued spreading the message
🔥 Dramatic spiritual transformations occurred in Ephesus as new believers publicly confessed their practices and burned valuable magic books worth fifty thousand pieces of silver, showing their complete break with previous beliefs
strength ened in the faith and grew dai ly in num bers. EVANGELIZATION OF EUROPE 6 They went through the re gion of Phryg ia and Ga la tia; they had been for bid den by the Holy Spir it to speak the word in Asia. 7 When they came to Mys ia, they tried to go into Bi- thyn ia, but the Spir it of Jesus did not al low them. 8 Pass ing by Mys ia they went down to Tro as. 9 Dur ing the night Paul had a vi sion in which a Mac e do ni an man was stand ing and plead ing with him, “ Cross over to Mac e do nia and help us! ” 10 Af ter he had seen the vi sion, we im me di ate ly made eff orts to set out for Mac e do nia, con clud ing that God had called us to preach the gos pel to them. LYDIA’S CONVERSION 11 From Tro as we put out to sea and sailed straight for Sam o thrace, the next day to Ne- ap o lis, 12 and from there to Phi lip pi, a Ro man col o ny and a lead ing city of the dis trict of Mac e do nia. We stayed in that city for sev er al days. 13 On the Sab bath day we went out side the city gate by the riv er, where we ex pect ed to find a place of prayer. We sat down and spoke to the wom en gath ered there. 14 A God-fearing wom an named Lyd ia, a deal er in pur ple cloth from the city of Thy a ti ra, was lis ten ing. The Lord opened her heart to re spond to what Paul was say ing. 15 Af ter she and her house hold were bap tized, she urged us, “ If you con sid er me a be liev er in the Lord, come and stay at my house.” And she per suad ed us. PAUL AND SILAS IN PRISON 16 Once, as we were on our way to prayer, a slave girl met us who had a spir it by which she pre dict ed the fu ture. She made a large profi t for her own ers by fortune-telling. 17 As she fol lowed Paul and us she cried out, “ These men, who are pro claim ing to you a the way of sal va tion, are the ser vants of the Most High God.” 18 She did this for many days. Paul was great ly annoyed. Turn ing to the spir it, he said, “ I com mand you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her! ” And it came out right away . 19 When her own ers re al ized that their hope of profi t was gone, they seized Paul and Si las and dragged them into the mar ket place to the au thor i ties. 20 Bring ing them be fore the chief mag is trates, they said, “ These men are seriously dis turb ing our city . They are Jews 21 and are promoting cus toms that are not le gal for us as Ro mans to adopt or prac tice.” 22 The crowd joined in the at tack against them, and the chief mag is trates stripped off their clothes and or dered them to be beat en with rods. 23 Af ter they had se vere ly flogged them, they threw them in jail, ordering the jail er to guard them care ful ly . 24 Re ceiv ing such an or der, he put them into the in ner pris on and se cured their feet in the stocks. A MIDNIGHT DELIVERANCE 25 About mid night Paul and Si las were pray ing and sing ing hymns to God, and the pris on ers were lis ten ing to them. 26 Sud den ly there was such a vi o lent earth quake that the foun da- tions of the jail were shak en, and im me di ate ly all the doors were opened, and ev ery one’s chains came loose. 27 When the jail er woke up and saw the doors of the pris on stand ing open, he drew his sword and was go ing to kill him self, since he thought the pris on ers had es caped. 28 But Paul called out in a loud voice, “ Don’t harm your self, be cause we’re all here! ” 29 The jail er called for lights, rushed in, and fell down trem bling be fore Paul and Si las. 30 He es cort ed them out and said, “ Sirs, what must I do to be saved? ” 31 They said, “Be lieve in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved — you and your house hold.” 32 And they spoke the word of the Lord to him along with ev ery one in his house. 33 He took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds. Right away he and all his fam i- ly were bap tized. 34 He brought them into his house, set a meal be fore them, and re joiced be cause he had come to be lieve in God with his en tire house hold. AN OFFICIAL APOLOGY 35 When day light came, the chief mag is trates sent the po lice to say , “Re lease those men.” a16:17 Other mss read us 983 ACTS 16 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 983 10/26/17 9:00 PM 36 The jail er re port ed these words to Paul: “ The mag is trates have sent or ders for you to be re leased. So come out now and go in peace.” 37 But Paul said to them, “ They beat us in pub lic with out a tri al, al though we are Ro man cit i zens, and threw us in jail. And now are they go ing to send us away se cret ly? Cer tain ly not! On the con trary , let them come them selves and es cort us out.” 38 The po lice re port ed these words to the mag is trates. They were afraid when they heard that Paul and Si las were Ro man cit i zens. 39 So they came to ap pease them, and escorting them from pris on, they urged them to leave town. 40 Af ter leav ing the jail, they came to Lyd ia’s house, where they saw and en cour aged the broth ers and sis ters, and de part ed. A SHORT MINISTRY IN THESSALONICA 17 Af ter they passed through Am phip o lis and Ap ol lo nia, they came to Thes sa lo ni- ca, where there was a Jew ish syn a gogue. 2 As usu al, Paul went into the syn a gogue, and on three Sab bath days rea soned with them from the Scrip tures, 3 ex plain ing and prov ing that it was nec es sary for the Mes si ah to suff er and rise from the dead: “ This Jesus I am pro claim ing to you is the Mes si ah.” 4 Some of them were per suad ed and joined Paul and Si las, in clud ing a large num ber of God-fearing Greeks, as well as a num ber of the lead ing wom en. RIOT IN THE CITY 5 But the Jews be came jeal ous, and they brought to geth er some wick ed men from the mar ket- place, formed a mob, and start ed a riot in the city . At tack ing Ja son’s house, they searched for them to bring them out to the pub lic as sem bly . 6 When they did not find them, they dragged Ja son and some of the broth ers be fore the city off i cials, shout ing, “ These men who have turned the world up side down have come here too, 7 and Ja son has wel comed them. They are all act ing con trary to Cae sar’s de crees, say ing that there is an oth er king — Jesus.” 8 The crowd and city off i cials who heard these things were up set. 9 Af ter tak ing a se cu ri ty bond from Ja son and the oth ers, they re leased them. THE BEREANS SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES 10 As soon as it was night, the broth ers and sis ters sent Paul and Si las away to Be rea. Upon ar riv al, they went into the syn a gogue of the Jews. 11 The peo ple here were of more no ble char ac ter than those in Thes sa lo ni ca, since they re ceived the word with ea ger ness and ex am ined the Scrip tures dai ly to see if these things were so. 12 Con se quent ly , many of them be lieved, in clud ing a num ber of the prom i nent Greek wom en as well as men. 13 But when the Jews from Thes sa lo ni ca found out that the word of God had been pro claimed by Paul at Be rea, they came there too, ag i tat ing and upsetting a the crowds. 14 Then the broth ers and sis ters im me di ate ly sent Paul away to go to the coast, but Si las and Tim o thy stayed on there. 15 Those who es cort ed Paul brought him as far as Ath ens, and af ter re ceiv ing in struc- tions for Si las and Tim o thy to come to him as quick ly as pos si ble, they de part ed. PAUL IN ATHENS 16 While Paul was wait ing for them in Ath ens, he was deep ly dis tressed when he saw that the city was full of idols. 17 So he rea soned in the syn a gogue with the Jews and with those who wor shiped God, as well as in the mar ket- place ev ery day with those who hap pened to be there. 18 Some of the Ep i cu re an and Sto ic phi los o phers also de bat ed with him. Some said, “ What is this ig no rant show-off b try ing to say? ” Oth ers re plied, “ He seems to be a preach er of for eign deities” — be cause he was tell ing the good news about Jesus and the res ur rec tion. 19 They took him and brought him to the Ar e op a gus, c and said, “ May we learn about this new teach ing you are pre sent ing? 20 Be- cause what you say sounds strange to us, and we want to know what these things mean.” 21 Now all the Athe ni ans and the for eign ers residing there spent their time on noth ing else but tell ing or hear ing some thing new . THE AREOPAGUS ADDRESS 22 Paul stood in the mid dle of the Ar e op a gus and said: “Peo ple of Ath ens! I see that you are ex treme ly re li gious in ev ery re spect. 23 For as I was pass ing through and ob serv ing the ob jects of your wor ship, I even found an al- tar on which was in scribed: ‘ To an Un known God.’ There fore, what you wor ship in ig no- rance, this I pro claim to you. 24 The God who made the world and ev ery thing in it — he is Lord of heav en and earth — does not live in shrines made by hands. 25 Nei ther is he served a17:13 Other mss omit and upsetting b17:18 Lit this seed picker c17:19 Or Mars HillACTS 16-17 984 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 984 10/26/17 9:00 PM by hu man hands, as though he need ed any- thing, since he him self gives ev ery one life and breath and all things. 26 From one man a he has made ev ery na tion al i ty to live over the whole earth and has de ter mined their ap point- ed times and the bound aries of where they live. 27 He did this so that they might seek God, and per haps they might reach out and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 28 For in him we live and move and have our be ing, as even some of your own po ets have said, ‘ For we are also his off spring.’ 29 Since we are God’s off spring then, we shouldn’t think that the di vine na ture is like gold or sil ver or stone, an im age fash ioned by hu man art and imag i na tion. 30 “There fore, hav ing over looked the times of ig no rance, God now com mands all peo ple ev ery where to re pent, 31 be cause he has set a day when he is go ing to judge the world in righ teous ness by the man he has ap point ed. He has pro vid ed proof of this to ev ery one by rais ing him from the dead.” 32 When they heard about the res ur rec- tion of the dead, some be gan to rid i cule him, but oth ers said, “ We’d like to hear from you again about this.” 33 So Paul left their pres ence. 34 How ev er, some peo ple joined him and be- lieved, in clud ing Di o ny si us the Ar e op a gite, a wom an named Dam a ris, and oth ers with them. FOUNDING THE CORINTHIAN CHURCH 18 Af ter this, he b left Ath ens and went to Cor inth, 2 where he found a Jew named Aq ui la, a na tive of Pon tus, who had re cent ly come from It a ly with his wife Pris cil la be- cause Clau di us had or dered all the Jews to leave Rome. Paul came to them, 3 and since they were of the same oc cu pa tion, tent mak- ers by trade, he stayed with them and worked. 4 He rea soned in the syn a gogue ev ery Sab bath and tried to per suade both Jews and Greeks. 5 When Si las and Tim o thy ar rived from Mac- e do nia, Paul de vot ed him self to preach ing the word c and tes ti fied to the Jews that Jesus is the Mes si ah. 6 When they re sist ed and blas- phemed, he shook out his clothes and told them, “ Your blood is on your own heads! I am in no cent. d From now on I will go to the Gen tiles.” 7 So he left there and went to the house of a man named Ti ti us Jus tus, a wor - ship er of God, whose house was next door to the syn a gogue. 8 Cris pus, the lead er of the syn a gogue, be lieved in the Lord, along with his whole house hold. Many of the Co rin thi ans, when they heard, be lieved and were bap tized. 9 The Lord said to Paul in a night vi sion, “ Don’t be afraid, but keep on speak ing and don’t be si lent. 10 For I am with you, and no one will lay a hand on you to hurt you, be cause I have many peo ple in this city .” 11 He stayed there a year and a half, teach ing the word of God among them. 12 While Gal lio was pro con sul of Acha ia, the Jews made a unit ed at tack against Paul and brought him to the tribunal. 13 “ This man,” they said, “ is per suad ing peo ple to wor ship God in ways con trary to the law .” 14 As Paul was about to open his mouth, Gal lio said to the Jews, “ If it were a mat ter of wrong- do ing or of a se ri ous crime, it would be rea- son able for me to put up with you Jews. 15 But if these are ques tions about words, names, and your own law , see to it your selves. I re fuse to be a judge of such things.” 16 So he drove them from the tribunal. 17 And they all e seized Sos the nes, the lead er of the syn a gogue, and beat him in front of the tribunal, but none of these things mat tered to Gal lio. THE RETURN TRIP TO ANTIOCH 18 Af ter stay ing for some time, Paul said fare well to the broth ers and sis ters and sailed away to Syr ia, ac com pa nied by Pris cil la and Aq ui la. He shaved his head at Cen chreae be cause of a vow he had tak en. 19 When they reached Eph e- sus he left them there, but he him self en tered the syn a gogue and de bat ed with the Jews. 20 When they asked him to stay for a lon ger time, he de clined, 21 but he said fare well and add ed, f “ I’ll come back to you again, if God wills.” Then he set sail from Eph e sus. 22 On landing at Caes a rea, he went up to Je ru sa lem and greet ed the church, then went down to An ti och. 23 Af ter spend ing some time there, he set out, trav el ing through one place af ter an oth er in the re gion of Ga la tia and Phryg ia, strength- en ing all the dis ci ples. THE ELOQUENT APOLLOS 24 Now a Jew named Apol los, a na tive Al ex an- dri an, an el o quent man who was com pe tent in the use of the Scrip tures, ar rived in Eph e sus. a17:26 Other mss read blood b18:1 Other mss read Paul c18:5 Other mss read was urged by the Spirit d18:6 Lit clean e18:17 Other mss read Then all the Greeks f18:21 Other mss add “By all means it is necessary to keep the coming festival in Jerusalem. But 985 ACTS 17-18 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 985 10/26/17 9:00 PM 25 He had been in struct ed in the way of the Lord; and be ing fer vent in spir it, a he was speak ing and teach ing ac cu rate ly about Jesus, al though he knew only John’s bap tism. 26 He be gan to speak bold ly in the syn a gogue. Af ter Pris cil la and Aq ui la heard him, they took him aside b and ex plained the way of God to him more ac cu rate ly . 27 When he want ed to cross over to Acha ia, the broth ers and sis ters wrote to the dis ci ples to wel come him. Af ter he ar rived, he was a great help to those who by grace had be lieved. 28 For he vig or ous ly re fut ed the Jews in pub lic, demonstrating through the Scrip- tures that Jesus is the Mes si ah. TWELVE DISCIPLES OF JOHN THE BAPTIST 19 While Apol los was in Cor inth, Paul trav- eled through the in te ri or re gions and came to Eph e sus. He found some dis ci ples 2 and asked them, “ Did you re ceive the Holy Spir it when you be lieved? ” “ No,” they told him, “ we haven’t even heard that there is a Holy Spir it.” 3 “ Into what then were you bap tized? ” he asked them. “ Into John’s bap tism,” they re plied. 4 Paul said, “ John bap tized with a bap tism of re pen tance, tell ing the peo ple that they should be lieve in the one who would come af ter him, that is, in Jesus.” 5 When they heard this, they were bap tized into the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spir - it came on them, and they be gan to speak in oth er tongues c and to proph e sy . 7 Now there were about twelve men in all. IN THE LECTURE HALL OF TYRANNUS 8 Paul en tered the syn a gogue and spoke bold ly over a pe ri od of three months, ar gu ing and per suad ing them about the king dom of God. 9 But when some be came hard ened and would not be lieve, slan der ing the Way in front of the crowd, he with drew from them, tak ing the dis ci ples, and con duct ed dis cus sions ev ery day in the lec ture hall of Ty ran nus. 10 This went on for two years, so that all the res i dents of Asia, both Jews and Greeks, heard the word of the Lord. DEMONISM DEFEATED AT EPHESUS 11 God was per form ing ex tra or di nary mir a- cles by Paul’s hands, 12 so that even facecloths or aprons d that had touched his skin were brought to the sick, and the dis eas es left them, and the evil spir its came out of them. 13 Now some of the itinerant Jew ish exorcists also attempted to pro nounce the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spir its, say ing, “ I com mand you by the Jesus that Paul preach es! ” 14 Sev en sons of Sce va, a Jew ish high priest, were do ing this. 15 The evil spir it an swered them, “ I know Jesus, and I rec og- nize Paul — but who are you? ” 16 Then the man who had the evil spir it jumped on them, over pow ered them all, and pre vailed against them, so that they ran out of that house na ked and wound ed. 17 When this be came known to ev ery one who lived in Eph e sus, both Jews and Greeks, they be came afraid, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high es teem. 18 And many who had be come be liev ers came con fess ing and disclosing their prac- tic es, 19 while many of those who had prac ticed mag ic col lect ed their books and burned them in front of ev ery one. So they cal cu lat ed their val ue and found it to be fif ty thou sand pieces of sil ver. 20 In this way the word of the Lord flourished and pre vailed. THE RIOT IN EPHESUS 21 Af ter these events, Paul re solved by the Spir it e to pass through Mac e do nia and Acha ia and go to Je ru sa lem. “ Af ter I’ve been there,” he said, “ It is nec es sary for me to see Rome as well.” 22 Af ter send ing to Mac e do nia two of those who as sist ed him, Tim o thy
🏛️ Riot in Ephesus
🛠️ Demetrius, a silversmith making shrines of Artemis, incited fellow craftsmen against Paul, claiming his teachings threatened their livelihood and the goddess's reputation, sparking citywide chaos and mob violence
🗣️ The city clerk restored order by appealing to reason, reminding the crowd that proper legal channels existed for legitimate grievances rather than dangerous public disturbances
🌊 Paul's missionary journey continued through Macedonia, Greece, and Asia Minor, where he delivered emotional farewells to church leaders, knowing he faced persecution ahead
⚓ Despite multiple prophetic warnings about imprisonment awaiting him in Jerusalem, Paul remained resolute, declaring "I consider my life of no value to myself" compared to completing his ministry
🔥 In Jerusalem, Paul was falsely accused of bringing Gentiles into the temple, triggering a riot where he was seized by an angry mob and rescued by Roman soldiers
👑 Paul began his defense by sharing his personal testimony of conversion, establishing his Jewish credentials while explaining his divine commission to reach the Gentiles
and Eras tus, he him self stayed in Asia for a while. 23 About that time there was a ma jor dis tur - bance about the Way . 24 For a per son named De me tri us, a sil ver smith who made sil ver shrines of Ar te mis, pro vid ed a great deal of busi ness for the crafts men. 25 When he had as sem bled them, as well as the work ers en- gaged in this type of busi ness, he said: “ Men, you know that our pros per i ty is derived from this busi ness. 26 You see and hear that not only in Eph e sus, but in al most all of Asia, this man Paul has per suad ed and mis led a con sid er able num ber of peo ple by say ing that gods made by hand are not gods. 27 Not only do we run a risk that our busi ness may be dis cred it ed, but also that the tem ple of the great god dess Ar te mis may be de spised and her mag nifi cence come to the verge of ruin — the very one all of Asia and the world wor ship.” a18:25 Or in the Spirit b18:26 Lit they received him c19:6 languages d19:12 Or sweat cloths e19:21 Or in his spiritACTS 18-19 986 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 986 10/26/17 9:00 PM 28 When they had heard this, they were filled with rage and be gan to cry out, “ Great is Ar te mis of the Ephe si ans! ” 29 So the city was filled with con fu sion, and they rushed all to geth er into the amphitheater, drag ging along Ga ius and Ar is tar chus, Mac e do ni ans who were Paul’s trav el ing com pan ions. 30 Al- though Paul want ed to go in be fore the peo ple, the dis ci ples did not let him. 31 Even some of the pro vin cial off i cials of Asia, who were his friends, sent word to him, plead ing with him not to ven ture a into the amphitheater. 32 Some were shout ing one thing and some an oth er, be cause the as sem bly was in con fu- sion, and most of them did not know why they had come to geth er. 33 Some Jews in the crowd gave in struc tions to Al ex an der b af ter they pushed him to the front. Motioning with his hand, Al ex an der want ed to make his de fense to the peo ple. 34 But when they rec og nized that he was a Jew , they all shout ed in uni son for about two hours: “ Great is Ar te mis of the Ephe si ans! ” 35 When the city clerk had calmed the crowd down, he said, “Peo ple of Eph e sus! What per - son is there who doesn’t know that the city of the Ephe si ans is the tem ple guard ian of the great c Ar te mis, and of the im age that fell from heav en? 36 There fore, since these things are un de ni able, you must keep calm and not do any thing rash. 37 For you have brought these men here who are not tem ple rob bers or blas- phem ers of our d god dess. 38 So if De me tri us and the crafts men who are with him have a case against any one, the courts are in session, and there are pro con suls. Let them bring charg es against one an oth er. 39 But if you seek any thing fur ther, it must be de cid ed in a le gal as sem bly . 40 In fact, we run a risk of be ing charged with ri ot ing for what hap pened to day , since there is no jus ti fi ca tion that we can give as a rea son for this dis tur bance.” 41 Af ter say ing this, he dis missed the as sem bly . PAUL IN MACEDONIA 20 Af ter the up roar was over, Paul sent for the dis ci ples, en cour aged them, and af ter say ing fare well, de part ed to go to Mac- e do nia. 2 And when he had passed through those areas and off ered them many words of encouragement, he came to Greece 3 and stayed three months. The Jews plot ted against him when he was about to set sail for Syr ia, and so he de cid ed to go back through Mac e do nia. 4 He was ac com pa nied e by So pa ter son of Pyr - rhus f from Be rea, Ar is tar chus and Se cun dus from Thes sa lo ni ca, Ga ius from Der be, Tim o thy , and Tych i cus and Troph i mus from the prov- ince of Asia. 5 These men went on ahead and wait ed for us in Tro as, 6 but we sailed away from Phi lip pi af ter the Festival of Un leav ened Bread. In five days we reached them at Tro as, where we spent sev en days. EUTYCHUS REVIVED AT TROAS 7 On the first day of the week, we g as sem bled to break bread. Paul spoke to them, and since he was about to de part the next day , he kept on talk ing un til mid night. 8 There were many lamps in the room up stairs where we were as sem bled, 9 and a young man named Eu ty chus was sit ting on a win dow sill and sank into a deep sleep as Paul kept on talk ing. When he was over come by sleep, he fell down from the third sto ry and was picked up dead. 10 But Paul went down, bent over him, em braced him, and said, “ Don’t be alarmed, be cause he’s alive.” 11 Af ter go ing up stairs, break ing the bread, and eat ing, Paul talked a long time un til dawn. Then he left. 12 They brought the boy home alive and were great ly com fort ed. FROM TROAS TO MILETUS 13 We went on ahead to the ship and sailed for As sos, where we were go ing to take Paul on board, be cause these were his in struc tions, since he him self was go ing by land. 14 When he met us at As sos, we took him on board and went on to Mit y le ne. 15 Sail ing from there, the next day we ar rived off Chios. The fol low ing day we crossed over to Sa mos, and h the day af ter, we came to Mi le tus. 16 For Paul had de- cid ed to sail past Eph e sus to avoid spend ing time in the prov ince of Asia, be cause he was hur ry ing to be in Je ru sa lem, if pos si ble, for the day of Pen te cost. FAREWELL ADDRESS TO THE EPHESIAN ELDERS 17 Now from Mi le tus, he sent to Eph e sus and sum moned the el ders of the church. 18 When they came to him, he said to them: “ You know , from the first day I set foot in Asia, how I was with you the whole time, 19 serv ing the Lord with all hu mil i ty , with tears, and dur ing the a19:31 Lit not to give himself b19:33 Or thought it was about Alexander c19:35 Other mss add goddess d19:37 Other mss read your e20:4 Other mss add to Asia f20:4 Other mss omit son of Pyrrhus g20:7 Other mss read the disciples h20:15 Other mss add after staying at Trogyllium 987 ACTS 19-20 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 987 10/26/17 9:00 PM tri als that came to me through the plots of the Jews. 20 You know that I did not avoid pro- claim ing to you any thing that was profi t able or from teach ing you pub lic ly and from house to house. 21 I tes ti fied to both Jews and Greeks about re pen tance to ward God and faith in our Lord Jesus. 22 “ And now I am on my way to Je ru sa lem, com pelled by the Spir it, a not know ing what I will en coun ter there, 23 ex cept that in ev ery town the Holy Spir it warns me that chains and afflictions are wait ing for me. 24 But I con sid er my life of no val ue to my self; my pur pose is to fin ish my course b and the min is try I re ceived from the Lord Jesus, to tes ti fy to the gos pel of God’s grace. 25 “ And now I know that none of you, among whom I went about preach ing the king dom, will ever see me again. 26 There fore I de clare to you this day that I am in no cent c of the blood of all of you, 27 be cause I did not avoid de clar ing to you the whole plan of God. 28 Be on guard for your selves and for all the flock of which the Holy Spir it has ap point ed you as over - seers, to shep herd the church of God, d which he pur chased with his own blood. 29 I know that af ter my de par ture sav age wolves will come in among you, not spar ing the flock. 30 Men will rise up even from your own num ber and dis tort the truth to lure the dis ci ples into fol low ing them. 31 There fore be on the alert, re mem ber ing that night and day for three years I nev er stopped warn ing each one of you with tears. 32 “ And now e I com mit you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you an in her i tance among all who are sanc ti fied. 33 I have not cov et ed any one’s sil ver or gold or cloth ing. 34 You your selves know that I worked with my own hands to sup port my self and those who are with me. 35 In ev ery way I’ve shown you that it is nec- es sary to help the weak by la bor ing like this and to re mem ber the words of the Lord Jesus, be cause he said, ‘ It is more blessed to give than to re ceive.’ ” 36 Af ter he said this, he knelt down and prayed with all of them. 37 There were many tears shed by ev ery one. They em braced Paul and kissed him, 38 griev ing most of all over his state ment that they would nev er see his face again. And they ac com pa nied him to the ship.WARNINGS ON THE JOURNEY TO JERUSALEM 21 Af ter we tore our selves away from them, we set sail straight for Cos, the next day to Rhodes, and from there to Pat a ra. 2 Find ing a ship cross ing over to Phoe nic ia, we board ed and set sail. 3 Af ter we sighted Cy prus, pass ing to the south of it, f we sailed on to Syr ia and ar rived at Tyre, since the ship was to un load its car go there. 4 We sought out the dis ci ples and stayed there sev en days. Through the Spir it they told Paul not to go to Je ru sa lem. 5 When our time had come to an end, we left to con tin ue our jour ney , while all of them, with their wives and chil dren, ac com pa nied us out of the city . Af ter kneel ing down on the beach to pray , 6 we said fare well to one an oth er and board ed the ship, and they re turned home. 7 When we com plet ed our voy age g from Tyre, we reached Ptol e ma is, where we greet ed the broth ers and sis ters and stayed with them for a day . 8 The next day we left and came to Caes- a rea, where we en tered the house of Phil ip the evan ge list, who was one of the Sev en, and stayed with him. 9 This man had four vir gin daugh ters who proph e sied. 10 Af ter we had been there for sev er al days, a proph et named Ag a bus came down from Ju dea. 11 He came to us, took Paul’s belt, tied his own feet and hands, and said, “ This is what the Holy Spir it says: ‘ In this way the Jews in Je ru sa lem will bind the man who owns this belt and de liv er him over to the Gen tiles.’ ” 12 When we heard this, both we and the lo cal peo ple plead ed with him not to go up to Je ru sa lem. 13 Then Paul re plied, “ What are you do ing, weep ing and break ing my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound but also to die in Je ru sa lem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” 14 Since he would not be per suad ed, we said no more ex cept, “ The Lord’s will be done.” CONFLICT OVER THE GENTILE MISSION 15 Af ter this we got ready and went up to Je ru- sa lem. 16 Some of the dis ci ples from Caes a rea also went with us and brought us to Mna son of Cy prus, an ear ly dis ci ple, with whom we were to stay . 17 When we reached Je ru sa lem, the broth - ers and sis ters wel comed us warm ly . 18 The fol low ing day Paul went in with us to James, and all the el ders were pre sent. 19 Af ter a20:22 Or in my spirit b20:24 Other mss add with joy c20:26 Lit clean d20:28 Some mss read church of the Lord ; other mss read church of the Lord and God e20:32 Other mss add brothers and sisters f21:3 Lit leaving it on the left g21:7 Or As we continued our voyageACTS 20-21 988 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 988 10/26/17 9:00 PM greet ing them, he re port ed in de tail what God had done among the Gen tiles through his min is try . 20 When they heard it, they glo ri fied God and said, “ You see, broth er, how many thou- sands of Jews there are who have be lieved, and they are all zeal ous for the law . 21 But they have been in formed about you — that you are teach ing all the Jews who are among the Gen tiles to aban don Mo ses, tell ing them not to cir cum cise their chil dren or to live ac cord- ing to our cus toms. 22 So what is to be done? a They will cer tain ly hear that you’ve come. 23 There fore do what we tell you: We have four men who have made a vow . 24 Take these men, pu ri fy your self along with them, and pay for them to get their heads shaved. Then ev ery one will know that what they were told about you amounts to noth ing, but that you your self are also care ful about ob serv ing the law . 25 With re gard to the Gen tiles who have be lieved, we have writ ten a let ter con tain ing our de ci sion that b they should keep them selves from food sac ri ficed to idols, from blood, from what is stran gled, and from sex u al im mo ral i ty .” THE RIOT IN THE TEMPLE 26 So the next day , Paul took the men, hav ing pu ri fied him self along with them, and en tered the tem ple, an nounc ing the com ple tion of the pu ri fi ca tion days when the off er ing would be made for each of them. 27 When the sev en days were near ly over, some Jews from the prov- ince of Asia saw him in the tem ple, stirred up the whole crowd, and seized him, 28 shout ing, “Fel low Is ra el ites, help! This is the man who teach es ev ery one ev ery where against our peo ple, our law , and this place. What’s more, he also brought Greeks into the tem ple and has de filed this holy place.” 29 For they had pre vi ous ly seen Troph i mus the Ephe si an in the city with him, and they sup posed that Paul had brought him into the tem ple. 30 The whole city was stirred up, and the peo ple rushed to geth er. They seized Paul, dragged him out of the tem ple, and at once the gates were shut. 31 As they were try ing to kill him, word went up to the com mand er of the reg i ment that all Je ru sa lem was in cha os. 32 Tak ing along sol diers and cen tu ri ons, he im me di ate ly ran down to them. See ing the com mand er and the sol diers, they stopped beat ing Paul. 33 Then the com mand er ap proached, took him into cus to dy , and or dered him to be bound with two chains. He asked who he was and what he had done. 34 Some in the crowd were shout ing one thing and some an oth er. Since he was not able to get re li able in for ma tion be cause of the up roar, he or dered him to be tak en into the bar racks. 35 When Paul got to the steps, he had to be car ried by the sol diers be cause of the vi o lence of the crowd, 36 for the mass of peo ple fol lowed, yell ing, “ Get rid of him! ” PAUL’S DEFENSE BEFORE THE JERUSALEM MOB 37 As he was about to be brought into the bar - racks, Paul said to the com mand er, “ Am I al- lowed to say some thing to you? ” He re plied, “ You know how to speak Greek? 38 Aren’t you the Egyp tian who start ed a re volt some time ago and led four thou sand men of the Assassins into the wil der ness? ” 39 Paul said, “ I am a Jew ish man from Tar sus of Ci li cia, a cit i zen of an im por tant city . Now I ask you, let me speak to the peo ple.” 40 Af ter he had giv en per mis sion, Paul stood on the steps and mo tioned with his hand to the peo ple. When there was a great hush, he 22 ad dressed them in Ar a ma ic: c 1 “Broth- ers and fa thers, lis ten now to my de- fense be fore you.” 2 When they heard that he was ad dress ing them in Ar a ma ic, c they be came even quieter. 3 He con tin ued, “ I am a Jew , born in Tar sus of Ci li cia but brought up in this city , ed u cat ed at the feet of Ga ma- li el ac cord ing to the law of our an ces tors. I was zeal ous for God, just as all of you are to day . 4 I per se cut ed this Way to the death, arresting and put ting both men and wom en in jail, 5 as both the high priest and the whole coun cil of el ders can tes ti fy about me. Af ter I re ceived let ters from them to the broth ers, I trav eled to Da mas cus to ar rest those who were there and bring them to Je ru sa lem to be pun ished. PAUL’S TESTIMONY 6 “ As I was trav el ing and ap proach ing Da mas- cus, about noon an in tense light from heav- en sud den ly flashed around me. 7 I fell to the ground and heard a voice say ing to me, ‘ Saul, Saul, why are you per se cut ing me? ’ 8 “ I an swered, ‘ Who are you, Lord? ’ a21:22 Other mss add A multitude has to come together, since b21:25 Other mss add they should observe no such thing, except that c21:40; 22:2 Or Hebrew 989 ACTS 21-22 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 989 10/26/17 9:00 PM “ He said to me, ‘ I am Jesus of Naz a reth, the one you are per se cut ing.’ 9 Now those who were with me saw the light, a but they did not hear the voice of the one who was speak ing to me. 10 “ I said, ‘ What should I do, Lord? ’ “ The Lord told me, ‘ Get up and go into Da- mas cus, and there you will be told ev ery thing that you have been as signed to do.’ 11 “ Since I couldn’t see be cause of the bright- ness of the light, b I was led by the hand by those who were with me, and went into Da mas cus. 12 Some one named An a ni as, a de vout man ac cord ing to the law , who had a good rep u- ta tion with all the Jews liv ing there, 13 came and stood by me and said, ‘Broth er Saul, re gain your sight.’ And in that very hour I looked up and saw him. 14 And he said, ‘ The God of our an ces tors has ap point ed you to know his will, to see the Righ teous One, and to hear the words from his mouth, 15 since you will be a wit ness for him to all peo ple of what you have seen and heard. 16 And now , why are you delaying? Get up and be bap tized, and wash away your sins, call ing on his name.’ 17 “ Af ter I re turned to Je ru sa lem and was pray ing in the tem ple, I fell into a trance 18 and saw him tell ing me, ‘Hur ry and get out of Je- ru sa lem quick ly , be cause they will not ac cept your tes ti mo ny about me.’ 19 “ But I said, ‘ Lord, they know that in syn- a gogue af ter syn a gogue I had those who be- lieved in you im pris oned and beat en. 20 And when the blood of your wit ness Ste phen was be ing shed, I stood there
🛡️ Paul's Roman Defense
🏛️ Paul's Roman citizenship saves him from torture and grants him legal protection when an angry mob attempts to kill him for preaching to Gentiles
⚖️ Facing accusations before Jewish authorities, Paul strategically divides his opponents by highlighting theological differences between Pharisees and Sadducees regarding resurrection
🕵️ A conspiracy to assassinate Paul involving 40+ men is thwarted when Paul's nephew discovers the plot and alerts Roman authorities
🏰 Roman officials transfer Paul to Caesarea for protection, where he defends himself before governors Felix and Festus, maintaining his innocence of any crime against Jewish law, the temple, or Caesar
👑 When pressured to return to Jerusalem (where assassins await), Paul exercises his right as a Roman citizen to appeal to Caesar, ensuring his case would be heard in Rome
🗣️ Before King Agrippa, Paul recounts his dramatic conversion experience and explains how his message about resurrection fulfills Jewish hopes rather than contradicts them
giv ing ap prov al c and guard ing the clothes of those who killed him.’ 21 “ He said to me, ‘ Go, be cause I will send you far away to the Gen tiles.’ ” PAUL’S ROMAN PROTECTION 22 They lis tened to him up to this point. Then they raised their voices, shout ing, “ Wipe this man off the face of the earth! He should not be al lowed to live! ” 23 As they were yell ing and fling ing aside their gar ments and throw ing dust into the air, 24 the com mand er or dered him to be brought into the bar racks, di rect ing that he be in ter ro- gated with the scourge to dis cov er the rea son they were shout ing against him like this. 25 As they stretched him out for the lash, Paul said to the cen tu ri on stand ing by , “ Is it le gal for you to scourge a man who is a Ro man cit i zen and is uncondemned? ” 26 When the cen tu ri on heard this, he went and re port ed to the com mand er, say ing, “ What are you go ing to do? For this man is a Ro man cit i zen.” 27 The com mand er came and said to him, “ Tell me, are you a Ro man cit i zen? ” “ Yes,” he said. 28 The com mand er re plied, “ I bought this cit i zen ship for a large amount of mon ey .” “ But I was born a cit i zen,” Paul said. 29 So those who were about to ex am ine him with drew from him im me di ate ly . The com mand er too was alarmed when he re- al ized Paul was a Ro man cit i zen and he had bound him. PAUL BEFORE THE SANHEDRIN 30 The next day , since he want ed to find out ex act ly why Paul was be ing ac cused by the Jews, he re leased him d and in struct ed the chief priests and all the San he drin to convene. He brought Paul down and placed him be fore 23 them. 1 Paul looked straight at the San- he drin and said, “Broth ers, I have lived my life be fore God in all good con science to this day .” 2 The high priest An a ni as or dered those who were stand ing next to him to strike him on the mouth. 3 Then Paul said to him, “ God is go ing to strike you, you white washed wall! You are sit ting there judg ing me ac cord ing to the law , and yet in vi o la tion of the law are you ordering me to be struck? ” 4 Those stand ing near by said, “ Do you dare re vile God’s high priest? ” 5 “ I did not know , broth ers, that he was the high priest,” re plied Paul. “ For it is writ ten, You must not speak evil of a rul er of your peo ple.” e 6 When Paul re al ized that one part of them were Sad du cees and the oth er part were Phar i sees, he cried out in the San he drin, “Broth ers, I am a Phar i see, a son of Phar i sees. I am be ing judged be cause of the hope of the res ur rec tion of the dead! ” 7 When he said this, a dis pute broke out be tween the Phar i sees and the Sad du cees, and the as sem bly was di vid ed. 8 For the Sad du cees say there is no res ur rec tion, and nei ther an gel nor spir it, but the Phar i sees affirm them all. 9 The shout ing grew loud, and some of the scribes of the Phar i sees’ par ty got up and a22:9 Other mss add and were afraid b22:11 Lit the glory of that light c22:20 Other mss add of his murder d22:30 Other mss add from his chains e23:5 Ex 22:28ACTS 22-23 990 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 990 10/26/17 9:00 PM ar gued ve he ment ly: “ We find noth ing evil in this man. What if a spir it or an an gel has spo ken to him? ” a 10 When the dis pute be came vi o lent, the com- mand er feared that Paul might be torn apart by them and or dered the troops to go down, take him away from them, and bring him into the bar racks. 11 The fol low ing night, the Lord stood by him and said, “ Have cour age! For as you have tes ti fied about me in Je ru sa lem, so it is nec es sary for you to tes ti fy in Rome.” THE PLOT AGAINST PAUL 12 When it was morn ing, the Jews formed a con spir a cy and bound them selves un der a curse not to eat or drink un til they had killed Paul. 13 There were more than for ty who had formed this plot. 14 These men went to the chief priests and el ders and said, “ We have bound our selves un der a sol emn curse that we won’t eat any thing un til we have killed Paul. 15 So now you, along with the San he drin, make a re quest to the com mand er that he bring him down to you b as if you were go ing to in ves ti gate his case more thor ough ly . But, be fore he gets near, we are ready to kill him.” 16 But the son of Paul’s sis ter, hear ing about their am bush, came and en tered the bar racks and re port ed it to Paul. 17 Paul called one of the cen tu ri ons and said, “ Take this young man to the com mand er, be cause he has some thing to re port to him.” 18 So he took him, brought him to the com- mand er, and said, “ The pris on er Paul called me and asked me to bring this young man to you, be cause he has some thing to tell you.” 19 The com mand er took him by the hand, led him aside, and in quired pri vate ly , “ What is it you have to re port to me? ” 20 “ The Jews,” he said, “ have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the San he drin to- mor row , as though they are go ing to hold a some what more care ful in qui ry about him. 21 Don’t let them per suade you, be cause there are more than for ty of them ly ing in am bush — men who have bound them selves un der a curse not to eat or drink un til they have killed him. Now they are ready , wait ing for your con sent.” 22 So the com mand er dis missed the young man and in struct ed him, “ Don’t tell any one that you have in formed me about this.”TO CAESAREA BY NIGHT 23 He sum moned two of his cen tu ri ons and said, “ Get two hun dred sol diers ready with sev en ty cav al ry and two hun dred spear men to go to Caes a rea at nine to night. c 24 Also pro - vide mounts for Paul to ride and bring him safe ly to Fe lix the gov er nor.” 25 He wrote the fol low ing let ter: d 26 Claudius Lysias, To the most excellent governor Felix: Greetings. 27 When this man had been seized by the Jews and was about to be killed by them, I arrived with my troops and rescued him because I learned that he is a Roman citizen. 28 Wanting to know the charge they were accusing him of, I brought him down before their Sanhedrin. 29 I found out that the accusations were concerning questions of their law , and that there was no charge that merited death or impris - onment. 30 When I was informed that there was a plot against the man, e I sent him to you right away . I also ordered his accusers to state their case against him in your presence. f 31 So the sol diers took Paul dur ing the night and brought him to An tip a tris as they were or dered. 32 The next day , they re turned to the bar racks, al low ing the cav al ry to go on with him. 33 When these men en tered Caes a rea and de liv ered the let ter to the gov er nor, they also pre sent ed Paul to him. 34 Af ter he g read it, he asked what prov ince he was from. When he learned he was from Ci li cia, 35 he said, “ I will give you a hear ing when ev er your ac cus ers also get here.” He or dered that he be kept un- der guard in Her od’s pal ace. h THE ACCUSATION AGAINST PAUL 24 Five days lat er An a ni as the high priest came down with some el ders and a law yer named Ter tul lus. These men pre sent- ed their case against Paul to the gov er nor. 2 When Paul was called in, Ter tul lus be gan to ac cuse him and said: “ We en joy great peace be cause of you, and re forms are tak ing place for the ben e fit of this na tion be cause of your fore sight. 3 We ac knowl edge this in ev ery way and ev ery where, most ex cel lent Fe lix, with ut- most grat i tude. 4 But, so that I will not bur den a23:9 Other mss add Let us not fight God. b23:15 Other mss add tomorrow c23:23 Lit at the third hour tonight d23:25 Or He wrote a letter to this effect: e23:30 Other mss add by the Jews f23:30 Other mss add Farewell g23:34 Other mss read the governor h23:35 Or headquarters 991 ACTS 23-24 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 991 10/26/17 9:00 PM you any fur ther, I re quest that you would be kind enough to give us a brief hear ing. 5 For we have found this man to be a plague, an ag i ta tor among all the Jews through out the Ro man world, and a ring lead er of the sect of the Naz a renes. 6 He even tried to des e crate the tem ple, and so we apprehended him. a By ex am in ing him your self you will be able to dis cern the truth about these charg es we are bring ing against him.” 9 The Jews also joined in the at tack, alleging that these things were true. PAUL’S DEFENSE BEFORE FELIX 10 When the gov er nor mo tioned for him to speak, Paul re plied: “Be cause I know you have been a judge of this na tion for many years, I am glad to off er my de fense in what con cerns me. 11 You can ver i fy for your self that it is no more than twelve days since I went up to wor ship in Je ru sa lem. 12 They didn’t find me ar gu ing with any one or caus ing a dis tur bance among the crowd, ei ther in the tem ple or in the syn a- gogues or any where in the city . 13 Nei ther can they prove the charg es they are now mak ing against me. 14 But I admit this to you: I wor ship the God of my an ces tors ac cord ing to the Way , which they call a sect, be liev ing ev ery thing that is in ac cor dance with the law and writ ten in the proph ets. 15 I have a hope in God, which these men them selves also ac cept, that there will be a res ur rec tion, b both of the righ teous and the un righ teous. 16 I al ways strive to have a clear con science to ward God and men. 17 Af ter many years, I came to bring charitable gifts and off er ings to my peo ple. 18 While I was do ing this, some Jews from Asia found me ritually pu ri fied in the tem ple, with out a crowd and with out any up roar. 19 It is they who ought to be here be fore you to bring charg es, if they have any thing against me. 20 Or let these men here state what wrong do ing they found in me when I stood be fore the San he drin, 21 oth er than this one state ment I shout ed while stand ing among them, ‘To day I am on tri al be fore you con cern ing the res ur rec tion of the dead.’ ” THE VERDICT POSTPONED 22 Since Fe lix was well in formed about the Way , he ad journed the hear ing, say ing, “ When Lys- i as the com mand er comes down, I will de cide your case.” 23 He or dered that the cen tu ri on keep Paul un der guard, though he could have some free dom, and that he should not pre vent any of his friends from meet ing c his needs. 24 Sev er al days lat er, when Fe lix came with his wife Dru sil la, who was Jew ish, he sent for Paul and lis tened to him on the sub ject of faith in Christ Jesus. 25 Now as he spoke about righ- teous ness, self-control, and the judg ment to come, Fe lix be came afraid and re plied, “ Leave for now , but when I have an op por tu ni ty I’ll call for you.” 26 At the same time he was also hop ing that Paul would off er him mon ey . d So he sent for him quite of ten and conversed with him. 27 Af ter two years had passed, Por ci us Fes tus suc ceed ed Fe lix, and be cause Fe lix want ed to do the Jews a fa vor, he left Paul in pris on. APPEAL TO CAESAR 25 Three days af ter Fes tus ar rived in the prov ince, he went up to Je ru sa lem from Caes a rea. 2 The chief priests and the lead ers of the Jews pre sent ed their case against Paul to him; and they ap pealed, 3 ask ing for a fa- vor against Paul, that Fes tus sum mon him to Je ru sa lem. They were, in fact, pre par ing an am bush along the road to kill him. 4 Fes tus, how ev er, an swered that Paul should be kept at Caes a rea, and that he him self was about to go there short ly . 5 “There fore,” he said, “ let those of you who have au thor i ty go down with me and ac cuse him, if he has done any thing wrong.” 6 When he had spent not more than eight or ten days among them, he went down to Caes- a rea. The next day , seat ed at the tribunal, he com mand ed Paul to be brought in. 7 When he ar rived, the Jews who had come down from Je ru sa lem stood around him and brought many se ri ous charg es that they were not able to prove. 8 Then Paul made his de fense: “Nei ther against the Jew ish law , nor against the tem ple, nor against Cae sar have I sinned in any way .” 9 But Fes tus, want ing to do the Jews a fa- vor, re plied to Paul, “ Are you will ing to go up to Je ru sa lem to be tried be fore me there on these charg es? ” 10 Paul re plied: “ I am stand ing at Cae sar’s tribunal, where I ought to be tried. I have done no wrong to the Jews, as even you your self know very well. 11 If then I did any thing wrong and am de serv ing of death, I am not try ing to es cape death; but if there is noth ing to what these men ac cuse me of, no one can give me up to them. I ap peal to Cae sar! ” a24:6 Some mss include vv. 6b-8a: and wanted to judge him according to our law. 7But Lysias the commander came and took him from our hands with great force, 8commanding his accusers to come to you. b24:15 Other mss add of the dead c24:23 Other mss add or visiting d24:26 Other mss add so that he might release himACTS 24-25 992 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 992 10/26/17 9:00 PM 12 Then af ter Fes tus con ferred with his coun- cil, he re plied, “ You have ap pealed to Cae sar; to Cae sar you will go.” KING AGRIPPA AND BERNICE VISIT FESTUS 13 Sev er al days lat er, King Agrip pa and Ber - ni ce ar rived in Caes a rea and paid a courtesy call on Fes tus. 14 Since they were stay ing there sev er al days, Fes tus pre sent ed Paul’s case to the king, say ing, “ There’s a man who was left as a pris on er by Fe lix. 15 When I was in Je ru- sa lem, the chief priests and the el ders of the Jews pre sent ed their case and asked that he be con demned. 16 I an swered them that it is not the Ro man cus tom to give some one up a be fore the ac cused fac es the ac cus ers and has an op por tu ni ty for a de fense against the charg- es. 17 So when they had as sem bled here, I did not de lay . The next day I took my seat at the tribunal and or dered the man to be brought in. 18 The ac cus ers stood up but brought no charge against him of the evils I was ex pect- ing. 19 In stead they had some dis agree ments with him about their own re li gion and about a cer tain Jesus, a dead man Paul claimed to be alive. 20 Since I was at a loss in a dis pute over such things, I asked him if he want ed to go to Je ru sa lem and be tried there re gard ing these mat ters. 21 But when Paul ap pealed to be held for tri al by the Em per or, b I or dered him to be kept in cus to dy un til I could send him to Cae sar.” 22 Agrip pa said to Fes tus, “ I would like to hear the man my self.” “To mor row you will hear him,” he re plied. PAUL BEFORE AGRIPPA 23 So the next day , Agrip pa and Ber ni ce came with great pomp and en tered the auditorium with the mil i tary com mand ers and prom i- nent men of the city . When Fes tus gave the com mand, Paul was brought in. 24 Then Fes- tus said: “ King Agrip pa and all men pre sent with us, you see this man. The whole Jew ish com mu ni ty has ap pealed to me con cern ing him, both in Je ru sa lem and here, shout ing that he should not live any lon ger. 25 I found that he had not done any thing de serv ing of death, but when he him self ap pealed to the Em per or, I de cid ed to send him. 26 I have noth- ing defi nite to write to my lord about him. There fore, I have brought him be fore all of you, and es pe cial ly be fore you, King Agrip pa, so that af ter this examination is over, I may have some thing to write. 27 For it seems un- rea son able to me to send a pris on er with out in di cat ing the charg es against him.” PAUL’S DEFENSE BEFORE AGRIPPA 26 Agrip pa said to Paul, “ You have per - mis sion to speak for your self.” Then Paul stretched out his hand and be gan his de fense: 2 “ I con sid er my self for tu nate, that it is be fore you, King Agrip pa, I am to make my de fense to day against all the ac - cu sa tions of the Jews, 3 es pe cial ly since you are very knowledgeable about all the Jew ish cus toms and con tro ver sies. There fore I beg you to lis ten to me pa tient ly . 4 “ All the Jews know my way of life from my youth, which was spent from the be gin ning among my own peo ple and in Je ru sa lem. 5 They have known me for a long time, if they are will ing to tes ti fy , that ac cord ing to the strict- est sect of our re li gion I lived as a Phar i see. 6 And now I stand on tri al be cause of the hope in what God prom ised to our an ces tors, 7 the prom ise our twelve tribes hope to reach as they ear nest ly serve him night and day . King Agrip- pa, I am be ing ac cused by the Jews be cause of this hope. 8 Why do any of you con sid er it in cred i ble that God rais es the dead? 9 In fact, I my self was con vinced that it was nec es sary to do many things in op po si tion to the name of Jesus of Naz a reth. 10 I ac tu al ly did this in Je ru sa lem, and I locked up many of the saints in pris on, since I had re ceived au thor i ty for that from the chief priests. When they were put to death, I was in agree ment against them. 11 In all the syn a gogues I of ten pun ished them and tried to make them blas pheme. Since I was ter ri bly en raged at them, I pur sued them even to for eign cit ies. PAUL’S ACCOUNT OF HIS CONVERSION AND COMMISSION 12 “ I was trav el ing to Da mas cus un der these cir cum stanc es with au thor i ty and a com mis- sion from the chief priests. 13 King Agrip pa, while on the road at mid day , I saw a light from heav en bright er than the sun, shin ing around
🙏 Paul's Testimony and Journey
🔥 Paul's conversion transforms him from persecutor to powerful witness, recounting his dramatic encounter with Jesus and divine appointment to "open eyes" and turn people "from darkness to light"
🌊 During a perilous sea voyage to Rome, Paul demonstrates extraordinary faith amid a violent storm, offering prophetic assurance of survival and encouraging fellow travelers despite seemingly hopeless circumstances
🏝️ Following a shipwreck on Malta, Paul survives a venomous snake bite and heals numerous islanders, demonstrating divine protection and power that astonishes locals
🏛️ Upon reaching Rome, Paul continues his bold ministry despite imprisonment, engaging Jewish leaders and proclaiming the kingdom of God "with all boldness and without hindrance"
💌 In his letter to Romans, Paul articulates the gospel's power for salvation through faith, revealing God's righteousness and addressing humanity's universal need for redemption
🌍 The gospel message transcends cultural boundaries—"to the Jew first, and also to the Greek"—while warning that rejecting God leads to spiritual darkness and moral degradation
me and those trav el ing with me. 14 We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice speak ing to me in Ar a ma ic, c ‘ Saul, Saul, why are you per - se cut ing me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ 15 “ I asked, ‘ Who are you, Lord? ’ a25:16 Other mss add to destruction b25:21 Lit his majesty, also in v. 25 c26:14 Or Hebrew 993 ACTS 25-26 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 993 10/26/17 9:00 PM “ And the Lord re plied: ‘ I am Jesus, the one you are per se cut ing. 16 But get up and stand on your feet. For I have ap peared to you for this pur pose, to ap point you as a ser vant and a wit ness of what you have seen and will see of me. 17 I will res cue you from your peo ple and from the Gen tiles. I am send ing you to them 18 to open their eyes so that they may turn a from dark ness to light and from the pow er of Sa tan to God, that they may re ceive for give ness of sins and a share among those who are sanc ti fied by faith in me.’ 19 “ So then, King Agrip pa, I was not dis obe di- ent to the heav en ly vi sion. 20 In stead, I preached to those in Da mas cus first, and to those in Je ru sa lem and in all the re gion of Ju dea, and to the Gen tiles, that they should re pent and turn to God, and do works wor thy of re pen- tance. 21 For this rea son the Jews seized me in the tem ple and were try ing to kill me. 22 To this very day , I have had help from God, and I stand and tes ti fy to both small and great, say ing noth ing oth er than what the proph ets and Mo ses said would take place — 23 that the Mes si ah must suff er, and that, as the first to rise from the dead, he would pro claim light to our peo ple and to the Gen tiles.” AGRIPPA NOT QUITE PERSUADED 24 As he was say ing these things in his de fense, Fes tus ex claimed in a loud voice, “ You’re out of your mind, Paul! Too much study is driv ing you mad.” 25 But Paul re plied, “ I’m not out of my mind, most ex cel lent Fes tus. On the con trary , I’m speak- ing words of truth and good judg ment. 26 For the king knows about these mat ters, and I can speak bold ly to him. For I am con vinced that none of these things has es caped his no tice, since this was not done in a cor ner. 27 King Agrip pa, do you be lieve the proph ets? I know you be lieve.” 28 Agrip pa said to Paul, “ Are you go ing to per suade me to be come a Chris tian so eas i ly? ” b 29 “ I wish be fore God,” re plied Paul, “ that wheth er eas i ly or with diff i cul ty , c not only you but all who lis ten to me to day might be come as I am — ex cept for these chains.” 30 The king, the gov er nor, Ber ni ce, and those sit ting with them got up, 31 and when they had left they talked with each oth er and said, “ This man is not do ing any thing to de serve death or im pris on ment.”32 Agrip pa said to Fes tus, “ This man could have been re leased if he had not ap pealed to Cae sar.” SAILING FOR ROME 27 When it was de cid ed that we were to sail to It a ly , they hand ed over Paul and some oth er pris on ers to a cen tu ri on named Jul ius, of the Im pe ri al Reg i ment. d 2 When we had board ed a ship of Ad ra myt ti um, we put to sea, in tend ing to sail to ports along the coast of Asia. Ar is tar chus, a Mac e do ni an of Thes sa lo ni ca, was with us. 3 The next day we put in at Si don, and Jul ius treat ed Paul kind ly and al lowed him to go to his friends to re ceive their care. 4 When we had put out to sea from there, we sailed along the north ern coast e of Cy prus be cause the winds were against us. 5 Af ter sail ing through the open sea off Ci li cia and Pam phyl ia, we reached Myra in Lyc ia. 6 There the cen tu ri on found an Al ex an dri- an ship sail ing for It a ly and put us on board. 7 Sail ing slow ly for many days, with diff i cul ty we ar rived off Cni dus. Since the wind did not al low us to ap proach it, we sailed along the south side of Crete off Sal mo ne. 8 With still more diff i cul ty we sailed along the coast and came to a place called Fair Ha vens near the city of La sea. PAUL’S ADVICE IGNORED 9 By now much time had passed, and the voy- age was al ready dan ger ous. Since the Day of Atone ment f was al ready over, Paul gave his ad vice 10 and told them, “ Men, I can see that this voy age is head ed to ward di sas ter and heavy loss, not only of the car go and the ship but also of our lives.” 11 But the cen tu ri on paid at ten tion to the cap tain and the own er of the ship rath er than to what Paul said. 12 Since the har bor was un suit able to win ter in, the ma jor i ty de cid ed to set sail from there, hop- ing some how to reach Phoe nix, a har bor on Crete fac ing the south west and north west, and to win ter there. STORM-TOSSED SHIP 13 When a gen tle south wind sprang up, they thought they had achieved their pur pose. They weighed an chor and sailed along the shore of Crete. 14 But be fore long, a fierce wind called the “north east er” rushed down from the is land. a26:18 Or to turn them b26:28 Or so quickly c26:29 Or whether a short time or long d27:1 Or Augustan Cohort e27:4 Lit sailed under the lee, also in v. 7 f27:9 Lit the FastACTS 26-27 994 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 994 10/26/17 9:00 PM 15 Since the ship was caught and un able to head into the wind, we gave way to it and were driv- en along. 16 Af ter run ning un der the shel ter of a lit tle is land called Cau da, a we were bare ly able to get con trol of the skiff. 17 Af ter hoisting it up, they used ropes and tack le and girded the ship. Fear ing they would run aground on the Syr tis, they low ered the drift-anchor, and in this way they were driv en along. 18 Be cause we were be ing se vere ly bat tered by the storm, they be gan to jettison the car go the next day . 19 On the third day , they threw the ship’s tack le over board with their own hands. 20 For many days nei ther sun nor stars ap peared, and the se vere storm kept rag ing. Fi nal ly all hope was fad ing that we would be saved. 21 Since they had been with out food for a long time, Paul then stood up among them and said, “ You men should have fol lowed my ad vice not to sail from Crete and sus tain this dam age and loss. 22 Now I urge you to take cour age, be cause there will be no loss of any of your lives, but only of the ship. 23 For last night an an gel of the God I be long to and serve stood by me 24 and said, ‘ Don’t be afraid, Paul. It is nec es sary for you to ap pear be fore Cae- sar. And in deed, God has gra cious ly giv en you all those who are sail ing with you.’ 25 So take cour age, men, be cause I be lieve God that it will be just the way it was told to me. 26 But we have to run aground on some is land.” 27 When the four teenth night came, we were drifting in the Adri a tic Sea, and about mid night the sail ors thought they were ap- proach ing land. 28 They took sound ings and found it to be a hun dred and twen ty feet b deep; when they had sailed a lit tle far ther and sound ed again, they found it to be nine- ty feet c deep. 29 Then, fear ing we might run aground on the rocks, they dropped four an- chors from the stern and prayed for day light to come. 30 Some sail ors tried to es cape from the ship; they had let down the skiff into the sea, pre tend ing that they were go ing to put out an chors from the bow . 31 Paul said to the cen tu ri on and the sol diers, “Un less these men stay in the ship, you can not be saved.” 32 Then the sol diers cut the ropes hold ing the skiff and let it drop away . 33 When it was about day light, Paul urged them all to take food, say ing, “To day is the four teenth day that you have been wait ing and go ing with out food, hav ing eat en noth ing. 34 So I urge you to take some food. For this is for your survival, since none of you will lose a hair from your head.” 35 Af ter he said these things and had tak en some bread, he gave thanks to God in the pres ence of all of them, and af ter he broke it, he be gan to eat. 36 They all were en cour aged and took food them selves. 37 In all there were 276 of us on the ship. 38 When they had eat en enough, they be gan to light en the ship by throw ing the grain over board into the sea. SHIPWRECK 39 When day light came, they did not rec og nize the land but sighted a bay with a beach. They planned to run the ship ashore if they could. 40 Af ter cut ting loose the an chors, they left them in the sea, at the same time loosening the ropes that held the rud ders. Then they hoist ed the fore sail to the wind and head ed for the beach. 41 But they struck a sand bar and ran the ship aground. The bow jammed fast and re mained im mov able, while the stern be gan to break up by the pound ing of the waves. 42 The sol diers’ plan was to kill the pris on ers so that no one could swim away and es cape. 43 But the cen tu ri on kept them from car ry ing out their plan be cause he want ed to save Paul, and so he or dered those who could swim to jump over board first and get to land. 44 The rest were to fol low , some on planks and some on debris from the ship. In this way , ev ery one safe ly reached the shore. MALTA’S HOSPITALITY 28 Once safe ly ashore, we then learned that the is land was called Mal ta. 2 The lo cal peo ple showed us ex tra or di nary kind ness. They lit a fire and took us all in, since it was rain ing and cold. 3 As Paul gath ered a bun dle of brush wood and put it on the fire, a vi per came out be cause of the heat and fas tened it self on his hand. 4 When the lo cal peo ple saw the snake hang ing from his hand, they said to one an oth er, “ This man, no doubt, is a mur der er. Even though he has es caped the sea, Jus tice has not al lowed him to live.” 5 But he shook the snake off into the fire and suff ered no harm. 6 They ex pect ed that he would be gin to swell up or sud den ly drop dead. Af ter they wait ed a long time and saw noth ing un usu al hap pen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god. a27:16 Or Clauda b27:28 Lit twenty fathoms c27:28 Lit fifteen fathoms 995 ACTS 27-28 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 995 10/26/17 9:00 PM MINISTRY IN MALTA 7 Now in the area around that place was an es tate be long ing to the lead ing man of the is land, named Pub li us, who wel comed us and en ter tained us hos pi ta bly for three days. 8 Pub- li us’s fa ther was in bed suff er ing from fe ver and dys en tery . Paul went to him, and pray ing and lay ing his hands on him, he healed him. 9 Af ter this, the rest of those on the is land who had dis eas es also came and were healed. 10 So they heaped many hon ors on us, and when we sailed, they gave us what we need ed. ROME AT LAST 11 Af ter three months we set sail in an Al ex- an dri an ship that had win tered at the is land, with the Twin Gods a as its fig ure head. 12 Put ting in at Syr a cuse, we stayed three days. 13 From there, af ter mak ing a cir cuit along the coast, b we reached Rhe gi um. Af ter one day a south wind sprang up, and the sec ond day we came to Pu te o li. 14 There we found broth ers and sis ters and were in vit ed to stay a week with them. And so we came to Rome. 15 Now the broth ers and sis ters from there had heard the news about us and had come to meet us as far as the Fo rum of Ap pi us and the Three Tav erns. When Paul saw them, he thanked God and took cour age. 16 When we en tered Rome, c Paul was al lowed to live by him self with the sol dier who guard ed him. PAUL’S FIRST INTERVIEW WITH ROMAN JEWS 17 Af ter three days he called to geth er the lead- ers of the Jews. When they had gath ered he said to them: “Broth ers, al though I have done noth ing against our peo ple or the cus toms of our an ces tors, I was de liv ered as a pris on er from Je ru sa lem into the hands of the Ro mans. 18 Af ter they ex am ined me, they want ed to re lease me, since there was no rea son for the death pen al ty in my case. 19 Be cause the Jews ob ject ed, I was com pelled to ap peal to Cae sar; even though I had no charge to bring against my peo ple. 20 For this rea son I’ve asked to see you and speak to you. In fact, it is for the hope of Is ra el that I’m wear ing this chain.”21 Then they said to him, “ We haven’t re ceived any let ters about you from Ju dea. None of the broth ers has come and re port ed or spo- ken any thing evil about you. 22 But we want to hear what your views are, since we know that peo ple ev ery where are speak ing against this sect.” THE RESPONSE TO PAUL’S MESSAGE 23 Af ter arranging a day with him, many came to him at his lodg ing. From dawn to dusk he expounded and tes ti fied about the king dom of God. He tried to per suade them about Jesus from both the Law of Mo ses and the Proph ets. 24 Some were per suad ed by what he said, but oth ers did not be lieve. 25 Disagreeing among them selves, they be- gan to leave af ter Paul made one state ment: d “ The Holy Spir it was right in say ing to your e an ces tors through the proph et Isa iah 26 when he said, Go to these people and say: You will always be listening, but never understanding; and you will always be looking, but never perceiving. 27 For the hearts of these people have grown callous, their ears are hard of hearing, and they have shut their eyes; otherwise they might see with their eyes and hear with their ears, understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them. f 28 There fore, let it be known to you that this sal va tion of God has been sent to the Gen tiles; they will lis ten.” g PAUL’S MINISTRY UNHINDERED 30 Paul stayed two whole years in his own rent- ed house. And he wel comed all who vis it ed him, 31 pro claim ing the king dom of God and teach ing about the Lord Jesus Christ with all bold ness and with out hin drance. a28:11 Gk Dioscuri, twin sons of Zeus, Castor and Pollux b28:13 Other mss read From there, casting off, c28:16 Other mss add the centurion turned the prisoners over to the military commander; but d28:25 Or after they began to leave, Paul made one statement e28:25 Other mss read our f28:26-27 Is 6:9-10 g28:28 Some mss include v. 29: After he said these things, the Jews departed, while engaging in a vigorous debate among themselves.ACTS 28 996 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 996 10/26/17 9:00 PM romans THE GOSPEL OF GOD FOR ROME 1 Paul, a ser vant of Christ Jesus, called as an apos tle a and set apart for the gos pel of God — 2 which he prom ised be fore hand through his proph ets in the Holy Scrip tures — 3 con cern ing his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who was a de scen dant of Da vid b ac cord ing to the flesh 4 and was ap point ed to be the pow er ful Son of God ac cord ing to the Spir it of ho li ness c by the res ur rec tion of the dead. 5 Through him we have re ceived grace and apos tle ship to bring about d the obe di ence of faith for the sake of his name among all the Gen tiles, e 6 in clud ing you who are also called by Jesus Christ. 7 To all who are in Rome, loved by God, called as saints. Grace to you and peace from God our Fa ther and the Lord Jesus Christ. PAUL’S DESIRE TO VISIT ROME 8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you be cause the news of your faith f is be ing re port ed in all the world. 9 God is my wit ness, whom I serve with my spir it in tell ing the good news about his Son — that I con stant- ly men tion you, 10 al ways ask ing in my prayers that if it is some how in God’s will, I may now at last suc ceed in com ing to you. 11 For I want very much to see you, so that I may im part to you some spir i tu al gift to strength en you, 12 that is, to be mu tu al ly en cour aged by each oth er’s faith, both yours and mine. 13 Now I don’t want you to be un aware, broth- ers and sis ters, that I of ten planned to come to you ( but was pre vent ed un til now) in or der that I might have a fruit ful min is try g among you, just as I have had among the rest of the Gen tiles. 14 I am ob li gat ed both to Greeks and bar bar i ans, h both to the wise and the fool ish. 15 So I am ea ger to preach the gos pel to you also who are in Rome. THE RIGHTEOUS WILL LIVE BY FAITH 16 For I am not ashamed of the gos pel, i be cause it is the pow er of God for sal va tion to ev ery one who be lieves, first to the Jew , and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righ teous ness of God is re vealed from faith to faith, j just as it is writ ten: The righ teous will live by faith. k,l THE GUILT OF THE GENTILE WORLD 18 For God’s wrath is re vealed from heav en against all god less ness and un righ teous ness of peo ple who by their un righ teous ness sup- press the truth, 19 since what can be known m about God is ev i dent among them, be cause God has shown it to them. 20 For his in vis i- ble attributes, that is, his eter nal pow er and di vine na ture, have been clear ly seen since the cre a tion of the world, be ing un der stood through what he has made. As a re sult, peo- ple are with out ex cuse. 21 For though they knew God, they did not glo ri fy him as God or show grat i tude. In stead, their think ing be- came worth less, and their sense less hearts were dark ened. 22 Claim ing to be wise, they be came fools 23 and ex changed the glo ry of the im mor tal God for im ages re sem bling mor tal man, birds, four-footed an i mals, and rep tiles. 24 There fore God de liv ered them over in the de sires of their hearts to sex u al im pu ri ty , so that their bod ies were de grad ed among them- selves. 25 They ex changed the truth of God for a lie, and wor shiped and served what has been cre at ed in stead of the Cre a tor, who is praised for ev er. Amen. FROM IDOLATRY TO DEPRAVITY 26 For this rea son God de liv ered them over to dis grace ful pas sions. Their wom en n ex changed nat u ral sex u al re la tions o for un nat u ral ones. 27 The men p in the same way also left nat
🔍 Divine Judgment and Righteousness
🔥 Moral corruption leads to divine judgment, as people who reject God become filled with unrighteousness, wickedness, and all manner of evil behaviors
⚖️ God's judgment is impartial and universal, applying to both Jews and Gentiles based on their actions rather than religious identity or outward appearances
🙏 Justification comes through faith rather than works of the law—Abraham exemplifies this principle, being credited with righteousness because of his belief in God's promises
✝️ Through Christ's sacrificial death, believers receive reconciliation with God, overcoming the sin and death that entered the world through Adam
🌱 Those united with Christ through baptism participate in his death and resurrection, enabling them to "walk in newness of life" rather than continuing in sin
u ral re la tions with wom en and were in flamed in their lust for one an oth er. Men com mit ted shame less acts with men and re ceived in their own per sons q the ap pro pri ate pen al ty of their er ror. 28 And be cause they did not think it worth- while to ac knowl edge God, God de liv ered them over to a cor rupt mind so that they do a1:1 Or Jesus, a called apostle b1:3 Lit was of the seed of David c1:4 Or the spirit of holiness, or the Holy Spirit d1:5 Or him for ; lit him into e1:5 Or nations, also in v. 13 f1:8 Or because your faith g1:13 Lit have some fruit h1:14 Or non-Greeks i1:16 Other mss add of Christ j1:17 Or revealed out of faith into faith k1:17 Or The one who is righteous by faith will live l1:17 Hab 2:4 m1:19 Or what is known n1:26 Lit females, also in v. 27 o1:26 Lit natural use, also in v. 27 p1:27 Lit males, also later in v. q1:27 Or in themselves CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 997 10/26/17 9:00 PM what is not right. 29 They are filled with all un- righ teous ness, a evil, greed, and wick ed ness. They are full of envy , mur der, quar rels, de ceit, and mal ice. They are gos sips, 30 slan der ers, God-haters, ar ro gant, proud, boast ful, in ven- tors of evil, dis obe di ent to par ents, 31 sense less, untrustworthy , unloving, b and unmerciful. 32 Al though they know God’s just sen tence — that those who prac tice such things de - serve to die c — they not only do them, but even applaud d oth ers who prac tice them. GOD’S RIGHTEOUS JUDGMENT 2 There fore, ev ery one of you e who judg es is with out ex cuse. For when you judge an oth er, you con demn your self, since you, the judge, do the same things. 2 We know that God’s judg ment on those who do such things is based on the truth. 3 Do you real ly think — any one of you who judg es those who do such things yet do the same — that you will es cape God’s judg ment? 4 Or do you de spise the rich es of his kind ness, re straint, and pa- tience, not rec og niz ing f that God’s kind ness is in tend ed to lead you to re pen tance? 5 Be cause of your hard ened and un re pen tant heart you are stor ing up wrath for your self in the day of wrath, when God’s righ teous judg ment is re vealed. 6 He will re pay each one ac cord ing to his works: g 7 eter nal life to those who by per sis tence in do ing good seek glo ry , hon or, and im mor tal i ty; 8 but wrath and an ger to those who are self-seeking and dis obey the truth while obey ing un righ teous ness. 9 There will be affliction and dis tress for ev ery hu man be ing who does evil, first to the Jew , and also to the Greek; 10 but glo ry , hon or, and peace for ev ery one who does what is good, first to the Jew , and also to the Greek. 11 For there is no fa vor it ism with God. 12 All who sin with out the law will also per ish with out the law , and all who sin un der h the law will be judged by the law . 13 For the hear ers of the law are not righ teous be fore God, but the doers of the law will be jus ti fied. i 14 So, when Gen tiles, who do not by na ture have the law , do j what the law de mands, they are a law to them selves even though they do not have the law . 15 They show that the work of the law k is writ ten on their hearts. Their con sciences con firm this. Their competing thoughts ei- ther ac cuse or even ex cuse them l 16 on the day when God judg es what peo ple have kept se cret, ac cord ing to my gos pel through Christ Jesus. JEWISH VIOLATION OF THE LAW 17 Now if m you call your self a Jew , and rely on the law , and boast in God, 18 and know his will, and ap prove the things that are su pe- ri or, be ing in struct ed from the law , 19 and if you are con vinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light to those in dark ness, 20 an in struc tor of the ig no rant, a teach er of the immature, hav ing the em bodi ment of knowl- edge and truth in the law — 21 you then, who teach an oth er, don’t you teach your self? You who preach, “ You must not steal” — do you steal? 22 You who say , “ You must not com mit adul tery” — do you com mit adul tery? You who de test idols, do you rob their tem ples? 23 You who boast in the law , do you dis hon or God by break ing the law? 24 For, as it is writ ten: The name of God is blas phemed among the Gen tiles be cause of you. n CIRCUMCISION OF THE HEART 25 Cir cum ci sion ben e fits you if you ob serve the law , but if you are a law break er, your cir cum ci sion has be come un cir cum ci sion. 26 So if an un cir cum cised man keeps the law’s re quire ments, will not his un cir cum ci sion be count ed as cir cum ci sion? 27 A man who is phys i cal ly un cir cum cised, but who keeps the law , will judge you who are a law break er in spite of hav ing the let ter of the law and cir - cum ci sion. 28 For a per son is not a Jew who is one out ward ly , and true cir cum ci sion is not some thing vis i ble in the flesh. 29 On the con trary , a per son is a Jew who is one in ward- ly , and cir cum ci sion is of the heart — by the Spir it, not the let ter. o That per son’s praise is not from peo ple but from God. PAUL ANSWERS AN OBJECTION 3 So what ad van tage does the Jew have? Or what is the ben e fit of cir cum ci sion? 2 Con- sid er able in ev ery way . First, they were en trust- ed with the very words of God. 3 What then? If some were un faith ful, will their un faith ful ness nul li fy God’s faith ful ness? 4 Ab so lute ly not! a1:29 Other mss add sexual immorality b1:31 Other mss add unforgiving c1:32 Lit things are worthy of death d1:32 Lit even take pleasure in e2:1 Lit Therefore, O man, every one f2:4 Or patience, because you do not recognize g2:6 Ps 62:12; Pr 24:12 h2:12 Lit in i2:13 Or acquitted j2:14 Or who do not have the law, instinctively do k2:15 The code of conduct required by the law l2:15 Internal debate, either in a person or among the pagan moralists m2:17 Other mss read Look — n2:24 Is 52:5 o2:29 Or heart — spiritually, not literallyROMANS 1-3 998 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 998 10/26/17 9:00 PM Let God be true, even though ev ery one is a liar, as it is writ ten: That you may be justified in your words and triumph when you judge. a 5 But if our un righ teous ness highlights b God’s righ teous ness, what are we to say? I am us- ing a hu man argument: c Is God un righ teous to in flict wrath? 6 Ab so lute ly not! Oth er wise, how will God judge the world? 7 But if by my lie God’s truth abounds to his glo ry , why am I also still be ing judged as a sin ner? 8 And why not say , just as some peo ple slan der ous ly claim we say , “ Let us do what is evil so that good may come”? Their con dem na tion is de served! THE WHOLE WORLD GUILTY BEFORE GOD 9 What then? Are we any bet ter off? d Not at all! For we have al ready charged that both Jews and Gen tiles e are all un der sin, f 10 as it is writ ten: There is no one righteous, not even one. 11 There is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. 12 All have turned away; all alike have become worthless. There is no one who does what is good, not even one. g 13 Their throat is an open grave; they deceive with their tongues. h Vipers’ venom is under their lips. i 14 Their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. j 15 Their feet are swift to shed blood; 16 ruin and wretchedness are in their paths, 17 and the path of peace they have not known. k 18 There is no fear of God before their eyes. l 19 Now we know that what ev er the law says, it speaks to those who are sub ject to the law , m so that ev ery mouth may be shut and the whole world may be come sub ject to God’s judg ment. n 20 For no one will be jus ti fied o in his sight by the works of the law , be cause the knowl edge of sin comes through the law . THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD THROUGH FAITH 21 But now , apart from the law , the righ teous- ness of God has been re vealed, at test ed by the Law and the Proph ets. p 22 The righ teous ness of God is through faith in Jesus Christ q to all who be lieve, since there is no dis tinc tion. 23 For all have sinned and fall short of the r glo ry of God. 24 They are jus ti fied free ly by his grace through the re demp tion that is in Christ Jesus. 25 God pre sent ed him as an atoning sac ri fice s in his blood, re ceived through faith, to dem on strate his righ teous ness, be cause in his re straint God passed over the sins pre vi ous ly com mit- ted. 26 God pre sent ed him to dem on strate his righ teous ness at the pre sent time, so that he would be righ teous and de clare righ teous t the one who has faith in Jesus. BOASTING EXCLUDED 27 Where, then, is boast ing? It is ex clud ed. By what kind of law? u By one of works? No, on the con trary , by a law v of faith. 28 For we con clude that a per son is jus ti fied by faith apart from the works of the law . 29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gen- tiles too? Yes, of Gen tiles too, 30 since there is one God who will jus ti fy the cir cum cised by faith and the un cir cum cised through faith. 31 Do we then nul li fy the law through faith? Ab so lute ly not! On the con trary , we up hold the law . ABRAHAM JUSTIFIED BY FAITH 4 What then will we say that Abra ham, our fore fa ther ac cord ing to the flesh, has found? w 2 If Abra ham was jus ti fied x by works, he has some thing to boast about — but not be fore God. 3 For what does the Scrip ture say? Abra ham be lieved God, and it was cred‑ it ed to him for righ teous ness. y 4 Now to the one who works, pay is not cred it ed as a gift, but as some thing owed. 5 But to the one who does not work, but be lieves on him who de- clares the un god ly to be righ teous, his faith is cred it ed for righ teous ness. a3:4 Ps 51:4 b3:5 Or shows, or demonstrates c3:5 Lit I speak as a man d3:9 Are we Jews any better than the Gentiles? e3:9 Lit Greeks f3:9 Under sin’s power or dominion g3:10-12 Ps 14:1-3; 53:1-3; Ec 7:20 h3:13 Ps 5:9 i3:13 Ps 140:3 j3:14 Ps 10:7 k3:15-17 Is 59:7-8 l3:18 Ps 36:1 m3:19 Lit those in the law n3:19 Or become guilty before God, or may be accountable to God o3:20 Or will be declared righteous, or will be acquitted p3:21 When capitalized, the Law and the Prophets = OT q3:22 Or through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ r3:23 Or and lack the s3:25 Or a propitiation, or a place of atonement t3:26 Or and justify, or and acquit u3:27 Or what principle? v3:27 Or a principle w4:1 Or What then shall we say? Have we found Abraham to be our forefather according to the flesh? or What, then, shall we say that Abraham our forefather found according to the flesh? x4:2 Or was declared righteous, or was acquitted y4:3 Gn 15:6 999 ROMANS 3-4 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 999 10/26/17 9:00 PM DAVID CELEBRATING THE SAME TRUTH 6 Just as Da vid also speaks of the bless ing of the per son to whom God cred its righ teous- ness apart from works: 7 Blessed are those whose lawless acts are forgiven and whose sins are covered. 8 Blessed is the person the Lord will never charge with sin. a ABRAHAM JUSTIFIED BEFORE CIRCUMCISION 9 Is this bless ing only for the cir cum cised, then? Or is it also for the un cir cum cised? For we say , Faith was cred it ed to Abra ham for righ teous ness. b 10 In what way then was it cred it ed — while he was cir cum cised, or un cir cum cised? It was not while he was cir - cum cised, but un cir cum cised. 11 And he re- ceived the sign of cir cum ci sion as a seal of the righ teous ness that he had by faith c while still un cir cum cised. This was to make him the fa ther of all who be lieve but are not cir cum- cised, so that righ teous ness may be cred it ed to them also. 12 And he be came the fa ther of the cir cum cised, who are not only cir cum- cised but who also fol low in the foot steps of the faith our fa ther Abra ham had while he was still un cir cum cised. THE PROMISE GRANTED THROUGH FAITH 13 For the prom ise to Abra ham or to his de- scen dants that he would in her it the world was not through the law , but through the righ- teous ness that comes by faith. 14 If those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made emp ty and the prom ise nul li fied, 15 be cause the law pro duc es wrath. And where there is no law , there is no trans gres sion. 16 This is why the prom ise is by faith, so that it may be ac cord ing to grace, to guar an tee it to all the de scen dants — not only to those who are of the law d but also to those who are of Abra ham’s faith. He is the fa ther of us all. 17 As it is writ ten: I have made you the fa ther of many na tions. e He is our fa ther in God’s sight, in whom Abra ham be lieved — the God who gives life to the dead and calls things into existence that do not ex ist. 18 He be lieved, hop ing against hope, so that he be came the fa ther of many na tions e ac cord ing to what had been spo ken: So will your de scen dants be. f 19 He did not weaken in faith when he con sid ered g his own body to be al ready dead ( since he was about a hun dred years old) and also the deadness of Sar ah’s womb. 20 He did not wa ver in un be lief at God’s prom ise but was strength ened in his faith and gave glo ry to God, 21 be cause he was ful- ly con vinced that what God had prom ised, he was also able to do. 22 There fore, it was cred it ed to him for righ teous ness. b 23 Now it was cred it ed to him b was not writ ten for Abra ham alone, 24 but also for us. It will be cred it ed to us who be lieve in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25 He was de liv ered up for h our tres pass es and raised for our jus ti fi ca tion. FAITH TRIUMPHS 5 There fore, since we have been de clared righ teous by faith, we have peace i with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 We have also ob tained ac cess through him by faith j into this grace in which we stand, and we re joice k in the hope of the glo ry of God. 3 And not only that, but we also re joice in our afflictions, be cause we know that affliction pro duc es en dur ance, 4 en dur ance pro duc es prov en char ac ter, and prov en char ac ter pro - duc es hope. 5 This hope will not dis ap point us, be cause God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spir it who was giv en to us. THOSE DECLARED RIGHTEOUS ARE RECONCILED 6 For while we were still help less, at the right time, Christ died for the un god ly . 7 For rare ly will some one die for a just per son — though for a good per son per haps some one might even dare to die. 8 But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sin- ners, Christ died for us. 9 How much more then, since we have now been de clared righ- teous by his blood, will we be saved through him from wrath. 10 For if, while we were en- e mies, we were rec on ciled to God through the death of his Son, then how much more, hav ing been rec on ciled, will we be saved by his life. 11 And not only that, but we also re- joice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now re ceived this rec on cil ia tion. a4:7-8 Ps 32:1-2 b4:9,22,23 Gn 15:6 c4:11 Lit righteousness of faith, also in v. 13 d4:16 Or not to those who are of the law only e4:17 ,18 Gn 17:5 f4:18 Gn 15:5 g4:19 Other mss read He did not consider h4:25 Or because of i5:1 Other mss read faith, let us have peace, which can also be translated faith, let us grasp the fact that we have peace j5:2 Other mss omit by faith k5:2 Lit boast, also in vv. 3,11ROMANS 4-5 1000 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1000 10/26/17 9:00 PM DEATH THROUGH ADAM AND LIFE THROUGH CHRIST 12 There fore, just as sin en tered the world through one man, and death through sin, in this way death spread to all peo ple, be- cause all sinned. a 13 In fact, sin was in the world be fore the law , but sin is not charged to a per son’s ac count when there is no law . 14 Nev er the less, death reigned from Adam to Mo ses, even over those who did not sin in the like ness of Adam’s trans gres sion. He is a type of the Com ing One. 15 But the gift is not like the tres pass. For if by the one man’s tres pass the many died, how much more have the grace of God and the gift which comes through the grace of the one man Jesus Christ over flowed to the many . 16 And the gift is not like the one man’s sin, be cause from one sin came the judg ment, resulting in con dem na tion, but from many tres pass es came the gift, resulting in jus ti- fi ca tion. b 17 Since by the one man’s tres pass, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who re ceive the over - flow of grace and the gift of righ teous ness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ. 18 So then, as through one tres pass there is con dem na tion for ev ery one, so also through one righ teous act there is jus ti fi ca tion lead ing to life for ev ery one. 19 For just as through one man’s dis obe di ence the many were made sin- ners, so also through the one man’s obe di ence the many will be made righ teous. 20 The law came along to mul ti ply the tres pass. But where sin mul ti plied, grace mul ti plied even more 21 so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace will reign through righ teous ness, resulting in eter nal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. THE NEW LIFE IN CHRIST 6 What should we say then? Should we con- tin ue in sin so that grace may mul ti ply? 2 Ab so lute ly not! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Or are you un aware that all of us who were bap tized into Christ Jesus were bap tized into his death? 4 There fore we were bur ied with him by bap tism into death, in or der that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glo ry of the Fa ther, so we too may walk in newness c of life. 5 For if we have been unit ed with him in the like ness of his death, we will cer tain ly also be d in the like ness of his res ur rec tion. 6 For we know that our old self e was cru ci fied with him so that the body ruled by sin f might be rendered pow er less so that we may no lon ger be en slaved to sin, 7 since a per son who has died is freed g from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we be lieve that we will also live with him, 9 be cause we know that Christ, hav ing been raised from the dead,
🔄 Freedom from Sin's Bondage
🔗 Death to sin and 🌱 life in Christ transforms believers from slaves of sin to servants of righteousness, creating a fundamental identity shift
⚖️ The law reveals sin but cannot save; it exposes our moral weakness while pointing to our need for divine intervention
🏆 Victory over sin comes not through human effort but through the indwelling 🕊️ Spirit of God, who empowers believers to resist sinful desires
💔 The internal struggle between flesh and spirit reflects the ongoing tension Christians experience—wanting to do good but battling sinful tendencies
🛡️ God's sovereign love guarantees that nothing can separate believers from Christ, providing ultimate security despite suffering and challenges
🌍 God's election operates according to His mercy and purpose rather than human merit, demonstrating His sovereignty in salvation
will not die again. Death no lon ger rules over him. 10 For the death he died, he died to sin once for all time; but the life he lives, he lives to God. 11 So, you too con sid er your selves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. h 12 There fore do not let sin reign in your mor - tal body , so that you obey i its de sires. 13 And do not off er any parts j of it to sin as weap ons for un righ teous ness. But as those who are alive from the dead, off er your selves to God, and all the parts of your selves to God as weap ons for righ teous ness. 14 For sin will not rule over you, be cause you are not un der the law but un der grace. FROM SLAVES OF SIN TO SLAVES OF GOD 15 What then? Should we sin be cause we are not un der the law but un der grace? Ab so lute ly not! 16 Don’t you know that if you off er your - selves to some one k as obe di ent slaves, you are slaves of that one you obey — ei ther of sin lead ing to death or of obe di ence lead ing to righ teous ness? 17 But thank God that, al though you used to be slaves of sin, you obeyed from the heart that pat tern of teach ing to which you were hand ed l over, 18 and hav ing been set free from sin, you be came en slaved to righ teous ness. 19 I am us ing a hu man analogy be cause of the weak ness of your flesh. m For just as you off ered the parts of your selves as slaves to im pu ri ty , and to great er and great er law less ness, so now off er them as slaves to righ teous ness, which results in sanctification. 20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free with re gard to righ teous ness. n 21 So what fruit was pro duced o then from the things you are now ashamed of? The out come of those things is death. 22 But now , since you have been set free from sin and have be come en slaved to God, you have your fruit, which results in sanctification — and the out come is eter nal a5:12 Or have sinned b5:16 Or acquittal c6:4 Or a new way d6:5 Be joined with him e6:6 Lit man f6:6 Lit that the body of sin g6:7 Or justified ; lit acquitted h6:11 Other mss add our Lord i6:12 Other mss add sin (lit it) in j6:13 Or members, also in v. 19 k6:16 Lit that to whom you offer yourselves l6:17 Or entrusted m6:19 Or your human nature n6:20 Lit free to righteousness o6:21 Lit what fruit do you have 1001 ROMANS 5-6 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1001 10/26/17 9:00 PM life! 23 For the wag es of sin is death, but the gift of God is eter nal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. AN ILLUSTRATION FROM MARRIAGE 7 Since I am speak ing to those who know the law , broth ers and sis ters, don’t you know that the law rules over some one as long as he lives? 2 For ex am ple, a mar ried wom an is legally bound to her hus band while he lives. But if her hus band dies, she is re leased from the law re gard ing the hus band. 3 So then, if she is mar ried to an oth er man while her hus band is liv ing, she will be called an adul ter ess. But if her hus band dies, she is free from that law . Then, if she is mar ried to an oth er man, she is not an adul ter ess. 4 There fore, my broth ers and sis ters, you also were put to death in re la tion to the law through the body of Christ so that you may be long to an oth er. You be long to him who was raised from the dead in or der that we may bear fruit for God. 5 For when we were in the flesh, the sin ful pas sions aroused through the law were work ing in us a to bear fruit for death. 6 But now we have been re leased from the law , since we have died to what held us, so that we may serve in the newness of the Spir it and not in the old let ter of the law . SIN’S USE OF THE LAW 7 What should we say then? Is the law sin? Ab so lute ly not! On the con trary , I would not have known sin if it were not for the law . For ex am ple, I would not have known what it is to cov et if the law had not said, Do not cov et. b 8 And sin, seiz ing an op por tu ni ty through the com mand ment, pro duced in me cov et ing of ev ery kind. For apart from the law sin is dead. 9 Once I was alive apart from the law , but when the com mand ment came, sin sprang to life again 10 and I died. The com mand ment that was meant for life resulted in death for me. 11 For sin, seiz ing an op por tu ni ty through the com mand ment, de ceived me, and through it killed me. 12 So then, the law is holy , and the com mand ment is holy and just and good. 13 There fore, did what is good be come death to me? Ab so lute ly not! On the con trary , sin, in or der to be rec og nized as sin, was pro duc- ing death in me through what is good, so that through the com mand ment, sin might be come sin ful be yond mea sure.THE PROBLEM OF SIN IN US 14 For we know that the law is spir i tu al, but I am of the flesh, c sold as a slave to sin. d 15 For I do not un der stand what I am do ing, be cause I do not prac tice what I want to do, but I do what I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want to do, I agree with the law that it is good. 17 So now I am no lon ger the one do ing it, but it is sin liv ing in me. 18 For I know that noth ing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. For the de sire to do what is good is with me, but there is no abil i ty to do it. 19 For I do not do the good that I want to do, but I prac tice the evil that I do not want to do. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, I am no lon ger the one that does it, but it is the sin that lives in me. 21 So I dis cov er this law: e When I want to do what is good, f evil is pre sent with me. 22 For in my in ner self g I de light in God’s law , 23 but I see a diff er ent law in the parts of my body , h wag ing war against the law of my mind and tak ing me pris on er to the law of sin in the parts of my body . 24 What a wretch ed man I am! Who will res cue me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with my mind I my self am serv ing the law of God, but with my flesh, the law of sin. THE LIFE-GIVING SPIRIT 8 There fore, there is now no con dem na tion for those in Christ Jesus, i 2 be cause the law of the Spir it of life in Christ Jesus has set you j free from the law of sin and death. 3 What the law could not do since it was weak ened by the flesh, God did. He con demned sin in the flesh by send ing his own Son in the like ness of sin ful flesh as a sin o ff er ing, k 4 in or der that the law’s re quire ment would be ful filled in us who do not walk ac cord ing to the flesh but ac cord ing to the Spir it. 5 For those who live ac cord ing to the flesh have their minds set on the things of the flesh, but those who live ac cord ing to the Spir it have their minds set on the things of the Spir it. 6 Now the mind- set of the flesh is death, but the mind-set of the Spir it is life and peace. 7 The mind-set of the flesh is hos tile to God be cause it does not sub mit to God’s law . In deed, it is un able to do so. 8 Those who are in the flesh can not please God. 9 You, how ev er, are not in the flesh, but in the Spir it, if in deed the Spir it of God lives in you. If any one does not have the Spir it of a7:5 Lit in our members b7:7 Ex 20:17 c7:14 Or unspiritual d7:14 Lit under sin e7:21 Or principle f7:21 Or I find with respect to the law that when I want to do good g7:22 Lit inner man h7:23 Lit my members i8:1 Other mss add who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit j8:2 Other mss read me k8:3 Or for sinROMANS 6-8 1002 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1002 10/26/17 9:00 PM Christ, he does not be long to him. 10 Now if Christ is in you, the body is dead be cause of sin, but the Spir it a gives life b be cause of righ teous ness. 11 And if the Spir it of him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, then he who raised Christ from the dead will also bring your mor tal bod ies to life through c his Spir it who lives in you. THE HOLY SPIRIT’S MINISTRIES 12 So then, broth ers and sis ters, we are not ob li gat ed to the flesh to live ac cord ing to the flesh, 13 be cause if you live ac cord ing to the flesh, you are go ing to die. But if by the Spir it you put to death the deeds of the body , you will live. 14 For all those led by God’s Spir it are God’s sons. 15 For you did not re ceive a spir it of slav ery to fall back into fear. In stead, you re ceived the Spir it of adop tion, by whom we cry out, “ Abba, d Fa ther! ” 16 The Spir it him self tes ti fies to geth er with our spir it that we are God’s chil dren, 17 and if chil dren, also heirs — heirs of God and coheirs with Christ — if in deed we suff er with him so that we may also be glo ri fied with him. FROM GROANS TO GLORY 18 For I con sid er that the suff er ings of this pre- sent time are not worth com par ing with the glo ry that is go ing to be re vealed to us. 19 For the cre a tion ea ger ly waits with anticipation for God’s sons to be re vealed. 20 For the cre a tion was sub ject ed to fu til i ty — not will ing ly , but be cause of him who sub ject ed it — in the hope 21 that the cre a tion it self will also be set free from the bond age to de cay into the glo ri ous free dom of God’s chil dren. 22 For we know that the whole cre a tion has been groan ing to geth- er with la bor pains un til now . 23 Not only that, but we our selves who have the Spir it as the first fruits — we also groan with in our selves, ea ger ly wait ing for adop tion, the re demp tion of our bod ies. 24 Now in this hope we were saved, but hope that is seen is not hope, be- cause who hopes for what he sees? 25 Now if we hope for what we do not see, we ea ger ly wait for it with pa tience. 26 In the same way the Spir it also helps us in our weak ness, be cause we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spir it him self in ter cedes for us e with unspoken groan ings. 27 And he who search es our hearts knows the mind of the Spir it, be cause he in ter cedes for the saints ac cord ing to the will of God. 28 We know that all things work to geth er f for the good g of those who love God, who are called ac cord ing to his pur pose. 29 For those he fore knew he also pre des tined to be con- formed to the im age of his Son, so that he would be the first born among many broth ers and sis ters. 30 And those he pre des tined, he also called; and those he called, he also jus ti- fied; and those he jus ti fied, he also glo ri fied. THE BELIEVER’S TRIUMPH 31 What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He did not even spare his own Son but off ered him up for us all. How will he not also with him grant us ev ery thing? 33 Who can bring an ac cu sa tion against God’s elect? God is the one who jus ti- fies. 34 Who is the one who con demns? Christ Jesus is the one who died, but even more, has been raised; he also is at the right hand of God and in ter cedes for us. 35 Who can sep a rate us from the love of Christ? Can affliction or dis- tress or per se cu tion or fam ine or na ked ness or dan ger or sword? 36 As it is writ ten: Because of you we are being put to death all day long; we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered. h 37 No, in all these things we are more than con quer ors through him who loved us. 38 For I am per suad ed that nei ther death nor life, nor an gels nor rul ers, nor things pre sent nor things to come, nor pow ers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any oth er cre at ed thing will be able to sep a rate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. ISRAEL’S REJECTION OF CHRIST 9 I speak the truth in Christ — I am not ly ing; my con science tes ti fies to me through the Holy Spir it i — 2 that I have great sor row and un ceas ing an guish in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I my self were cursed and cut off j from Christ for the ben e fit of my broth ers and sis ters, my own flesh and blood. 4 They are Is ra el ites, and to them be long the adop- tion, the glo ry , the cov enants, the giv ing of the law , the tem ple ser vice, and the prom is es. 5 The an ces tors are theirs, and from them, by a8:10 Or spirit b8:10 Or your spirit is alive c8:11 Other mss read because of d8:15 Aramaic for father e8:26 Some mss omit for us f8:28 Other mss read that God works together in all things g8:28 The ultimate good h8:36 Ps 44:22 i 9:1 Or testifying with me by the Holy Spirit j 9:3 Lit to be anathema 1003 ROMANS 8-9 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1003 10/26/17 9:00 PM phys i cal de scent, a came the Christ, who is God over all, praised for ev er. b Amen. GOD’S GRACIOUS ELECTION OF ISRAEL 6 Now it is not as though the word of God has failed, be cause not all who are de scend ed from Is ra el are Is ra el. 7 Nei ther are all of Abra ham’s chil dren his de scen dants. c On the con trary , your off spring will be traced d through Isaac. e 8 That is, it is not the chil dren by phys- i cal de scent f who are God’s chil dren, but the chil dren of the prom ise are con sid ered to be the off spring. 9 For this is the state ment of the prom ise: At this time I will come, and Sar ah will have a son. g 10 And not only that, but Re- bek ah con ceived chil dren through one man, our fa ther Isaac. 11 For though her sons had not been born yet or done any thing good or bad, so that God’s pur pose ac cord ing to elec tion might stand — 12 not from works but from the one who calls — she was told, The old er will serve the youn ger. h 13 As it is writ ten: I have loved Ja cob, but I have hat ed Esau. i GOD’S SELECTION IS JUST 14 What should we say then? Is there in jus tice with God? Ab so lute ly not! 15 For he tells Mo ses, I will show mer cy to whom I will show mer ‑ cy , and I will have com pas sion on whom I will have com pas sion. j 16 So then, it does not de pend on hu man will or eff ort but on God who shows mer cy . 17 For the Scrip ture tells Pha raoh, I raised you up for this rea son so that I may dis play my pow er in you and that my name may be pro claimed in the whole earth. k 18 So then, he has mer cy on whom he wants to have mer cy and he hard ens whom he wants to hard en. 19 You will say to me, there fore, “ Why then does he still find fault? For who can re sist his will? ” 20 But who are you, a mere man, to talk back to God? Will what is formed say to the one who formed it, “ Why did you make me like this? ” 21 Or has the pot ter no right over the clay , to make from the same lump one piece of pot tery for hon or and an oth er for dis hon or? 22 And what if God, want ing to dis play his wrath and to make his pow er known, en dured with much pa tience ob jects of wrath pre pared for de struc tion? 23 And what if he did this to make known the rich es of his glo ry on ob jects of mer cy that he pre pared be fore hand for glo ry — 24 on us, the ones he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gen tiles? 25 As it l also says in Ho sea, I will call Not My People, My People, and she who is Unloved, Beloved. m 26 And it will be in the place where they were told, you are not my people, there they will be called sons of the living God. n 27 But Isa iah cries out con cern ing Is ra el, Though the number of Israelites is like the sand of the sea, only the remnant will be saved; 28 since the Lord will execute his sentence completely and decisively on the earth. o,p 29 And just as Isa iah pre dict ed: If the Lord of Hosts q had not left us offspring, we would have become like Sodom, and we would have been made like Gomorrah. r ISRAEL’S PRESENT STATE 30 What should we say then? Gen tiles, who did not pur sue righ teous ness, have ob tained righ teous ness — name ly the righ teous ness that comes from faith. 31 But Is ra el, pur su ing the law of righ teous ness, has not achieved the righ teous ness of the law . s 32 Why is that? Be cause they did not pur sue it by faith, but as if it were by works. t They stum bled over the stum bling stone. 33 As it is writ ten, Look, I am putting a stone in Zion to stumble over and a rock to trip over, and the one who believes on him will not be put to shame. u RIGHTEOUSNESS BY FAITH ALONE 10 Broth ers and sis ters, my heart’s de sire and prayer to God con cern ing them v is for their sal va tion. 2 I can tes ti fy about them that they have zeal for God, but not ac cord- ing to knowl edge. 3 Since they are ig no rant of the righ teous ness of God and attempted to a 9:5 Lit them, according to the flesh b 9:5 Or the Messiah, the one who is over all, the God who is blessed forever, or Messiah. God, who is over all, be blessed forever c 9:7 Lit seed d 9:7 Lit called e 9:7 Gn 21:12 f 9:8 Lit children of the flesh g 9:9 Gn 18:10,14 h 9:12 Gn 25:23 i 9:13 Mal 1:2-3 j 9:15 Ex 33:19 k 9:17 Ex 9:16 l 9:25 Or he m 9:25 Hs 2:23 n 9:26 Hs 1:10 o 9:28 Or land p 9:27-28 Is 10:22-23; 28:22; Hs 1:10 q 9:29 Gk Sabaoth ; or the Lord of Armies r 9:29 Is 1:9 s 9:31 Other mss read the law for righteousness t 9:32 Other mss add of the law u 9:33 Is 8:14; 28:16 v10:1 Other mss read God for IsraelROMANS 9-10 1004 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1004 10/26/17 9:00 PM es tab lish their own righ teous ness, they have not sub mit ted to God’s righ teous ness. 4 For Christ is the end a of the law for righ teous ness to ev ery one who be lieves, 5 since Mo ses writes about the righ teous ness that is from the law: The one who does these things will live by them. b 6 But the righ teous ness that comes from faith speaks like this: Do not say in your heart, “ Who will go up to heav en? ” c that is, to bring Christ down 7 or, “ Who will go down into the abyss? ” d that is, to bring Christ up from the dead. 8
🙏 Salvation Through Faith
🗣️ Salvation comes through both verbal confession of Jesus as Lord and heartfelt belief in his resurrection, making this path accessible to everyone who calls on him
🌍 God's plan transcends ethnic boundaries, offering the same blessing to both Jews and Gentiles, demonstrating his impartial love for all humanity
🌱 The olive tree metaphor illustrates how Gentile believers are grafted into God's family alongside faithful Israel, warning against arrogance while emphasizing God's power to restore
❤️ Love fulfills the entire law, manifesting in practical ways through harmony, hospitality, blessing enemies, and respecting authorities
🤝 Christian unity requires accepting differences on disputable matters, prioritizing peace over personal preferences, and building others up rather than causing them to stumble
🔄 The ultimate purpose of Christian living is to glorify God together with one mind and voice, embracing the hope and joy that comes through the Holy Spirit
On the con trary , what does it say? The mes sage is near you, in your mouth and in your heart. e This is the mes sage of faith that we pro claim: 9 If you con fess with your mouth, “ Jesus is Lord,” and be lieve in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 One be lieves with the heart, resulting in righ teous ness, and one con fess es with the mouth, resulting in sal va tion. 11 For the Scrip ture says, Ev ery one who be lieves on him will not be put to shame, f 12 since there is no dis tinc tion be tween Jew and Greek, be cause the same Lord of all rich ly bless es all who call on him. 13 For ev ery one who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. g ISRAEL’S REJECTION OF THE MESSAGE 14 How , then, can they call on him they have not be lieved in? And how can they be lieve with out hear ing about him? And how can they hear with out a preach er? 15 And how can they preach un less they are sent? As it is writ ten: How beau ti ful h are the feet of those who bring good news. i 16 But not all obeyed the gos pel. For Isa iah says, Lord, who has be lieved our mes sage? j 17 So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the mes sage about Christ. k 18 But I ask, “ Did they not hear? ” Yes, they did: Their voice has gone out to the whole earth, and their words to the ends of the world. l 19 But I ask, “ Did Is ra el not un der stand? ” First, Mo ses said, I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation; I will make you angry by a nation that lacks understanding. m 20 And Isa iah says bold ly , I was found by those who were not looking for me; I revealed myself to those who were not asking for me. n 21 But to Is ra el he says, All day long I have held out my hands to a dis obe di ent and de fi ant peo ple. o ISRAEL’S REJECTION NOT TOTAL 11 I ask, then, has God re ject ed his peo ple? Ab so lute ly not! For I too am an Is ra el ite, a de scen dant of Abra ham, from the tribe of Ben ja min. 2 God has not re ject ed his peo ple whom he fore knew . Or don’t you know what the Scrip ture says in the pas sage about Eli jah — how he pleads with God against Is ra el? 3 Lord, they have killed your proph ets and torn down your al tars. I am the only one left, and they are try ing to take my life! p 4 But what was God’s an swer to him? I have left sev en thou sand for my self who have not bowed down to Baal. q 5 In the same way , then, there is also at the pre sent time a rem- nant cho sen by grace. 6 Now if by grace, then it is not by works; oth er wise grace ceases to be grace. r 7 What then? Is ra el did not find what it was look ing for, but the elect did find it. The rest were hard ened, 8 as it is writ ten, God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that cannot see and ears that cannot hear, to this day. s 9 And Da vid says, Let their table become a snare and a trap, a pitfall and a retribution to them. 10 Let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see, and their backs be bent continually . t ISRAEL’S REJECTION NOT FINAL 11 I ask, then, have they stum bled so as to fall? Ab so lute ly not! On the con trary , by their trans- gres sion, sal va tion has come to the Gen tiles to make Is ra el jeal ous. 12 Now if their trans- gres sion brings rich es for the world, and their fail ure rich es for the Gen tiles, how much more will their full ness bring! a10:4 Or goal b10:5 Lv 18:5 c10:6 Dt 9:4; 30:12 d10:7 Dt 30:13 e10:8 Dt 30:14 f10:11 Is 28:16 g10:13 Jl 2:32 h10:15 Or welcome, or timely i10:15 Is 52:7; Nah 1:15 j10:16 Is 53:1 k10:17 Other mss read God l10:18 Ps 19:4 m10:19 Dt 32:21 n10:20 Is 65:1 o10:21 Is 65:2 p11:3 1Kg 19:10,14 q11:4 1Kg 19:18 r11:6 Other mss add But if of works it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work. s11:8 Dt 29:4; Is 29:10 t11:9-10 Ps 69:22-23 1005 ROMANS 10-11 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1005 10/26/17 9:00 PM 13 Now I am speak ing to you Gen tiles. Insofar as I am an apos tle to the Gen tiles, I mag ni fy my min is try , 14 if I might some how make my own peo ple a jeal ous and save some of them. 15 For if their re jec tion brings rec on cil ia tion to the world, what will their ac cep tance mean but life from the dead? 16 Now if the first fruits are holy , so is the whole batch. And if the root is holy , so are the branch es. 17 Now if some of the branch es were bro- ken off, and you, though a wild ol ive branch, were graft ed in among them and have come to share in the rich root b of the cul ti vat ed ol ive tree, 18 do not boast that you are bet- ter than those branch es. But if you do boast — you do not sus tain the root, but the root sus tains you. 19 Then you will say , “Branch es were bro ken off so that I might be graft ed in.” 20 True enough; they were bro ken off be cause of un be lief, but you stand by faith. Do not be ar ro gant, but be ware, c 21 be cause if God did not spare the nat u ral branch es, he will not spare you ei ther. 22 There fore, con sid er God’s kind ness and severity: severity to ward those who have fall en but God’s kind ness to ward you — if you re main in his kind ness. Oth er - wise you too will be cut off. 23 And even they , if they do not re main in un be lief, will be graft ed in, be cause God has the pow er to graft them in again. 24 For if you were cut off from your na tive wild ol ive tree and against na ture were graft ed into a cul ti vat ed ol ive tree, how much more will these — the nat u ral branch es — be graft ed into their own ol ive tree? 25 I don’t want you to be ig no rant of this mys- tery , broth ers and sis ters, so that you will not be con ceit ed: A par tial hard en ing has come upon Is ra el un til the full ness of the Gen tiles has come in. 26 And in this way all d Is ra el will be saved, as it is writ ten, The Deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. 27 And this will be my covenant with them e when I take away their sins. f 28 Re gard ing the gos pel, they are en e mies for your ad van tage, but re gard ing elec tion, they are loved be cause of the pa tri archs, 29 since God’s gra cious gifts and call ing are ir rev o ca ble. g 30 As you once dis obeyed God but now have re ceived mer cy through their dis obe di ence, 31 so they too have now dis- obeyed, resulting in mer cy to you, so that they also may now h re ceive mer cy . 32 For God has im pris oned all in dis obe di ence so that he may have mer cy on all. A HYMN OF PRAISE 33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and of the knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments and untraceable his ways! 34 For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? 35 And who has ever given to God, that he should be repaid? i 36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever. Amen. A LIVING SACRIFICE 12 There fore, broth ers and sis ters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to pre- sent your bod ies as a liv ing sac ri fice, holy and pleas ing to God; this is your true wor ship. j 2 Do not be con formed to this age, but be trans- formed by the re new ing of your mind, so that you may dis cern what is the good, pleas ing, and per fect will of God. MANY GIFTS BUT ONE BODY 3 For by the grace giv en to me, I tell ev ery- one among you not to think of him self more high ly than he should think. In stead, think sensibly , as God has dis trib ut ed a mea sure of faith to each one. 4 Now as we have many parts in one body , and all the parts do not have the same func tion, 5 in the same way we who are many are one body in Christ and in di vid u al ly mem bers of one an oth er. 6 Ac cord ing to the grace giv en to us, we have dif fer ent gifts: If proph e cy , use it ac cord ing to the pro por tion of one’s k faith; 7 if ser vice, use it in ser vice; if teach ing, in teach ing; 8 if exhorting, in ex hor ta tion; giv ing, with gen er - os i ty; lead ing, with dil i gence; show ing mer cy , with cheerfulness. CHRISTIAN ETHICS 9 Let love be with out hy poc ri sy . De test evil; cling to what is good. 10 Love one an oth er deep ly a11:14 Lit flesh b11:17 Other mss read the root and the richness c11:20 Lit fear d11:26 Or And then all e11:26-27 Is 59:20-21 f11:27 Jr 31:31-34 g11:29 Or are not taken back h11:31 Other mss omit now i11:34-35 Jb 41:11; Is 40:13; Jr 23:18 j12:1 Or your reasonable service k12:6 Or the, also in v. 19ROMANS 11-12 1006 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1006 10/26/17 9:00 PM as broth ers and sis ters. Outdo one an oth er in show ing hon or. 11 Do not lack dil i gence in zeal; be fer vent in the Spir it; a serve the Lord. 12 Re joice in hope; be pa tient in affliction; be persistent in prayer. 13 Share with the saints in their needs; pur sue hos pi tal i ty . 14 Bless those who per se cute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Re joice with those who re joice; weep with those who weep. 16 Live in har mo ny with one an oth er. Do not be proud; in stead, as so ci ate with the hum ble. Do not be wise in your own estimation. 17 Do not re pay any one evil for evil. Give care ful thought to do what is hon or able in ev ery one’s eyes. 18 If pos si ble, as far as it de pends on you, live at peace with ev ery one. 19 Friends, do not avenge your selves; in stead, leave room for God’s wrath, be cause it is writ- ten, Ven geance be longs to me; I will re pay , b says the Lord. 20 But If your enemy is hungry , feed him. If he is thirsty , give him something to drink. For in so doing you will be heaping fiery coals on his head. c 21 Do not be con quered by evil, but con quer evil with good. A CHRISTIAN’S DUTIES TO THE STATE 13 Let ev ery one sub mit to the gov ern ing au thor i ties, since there is no au thor i- ty ex cept from God, and the au thor i ties that ex ist are in sti tut ed by God. 2 So then, the one who re sists the au thor i ty is op pos ing God’s com mand, and those who op pose it will bring judg ment on them selves. 3 For rul ers are not a ter ror to good con duct, but to bad. Do you want to be un afraid of the au thor i ty? Do what is good, and you will have its ap prov al. 4 For it is God’s ser vant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, be cause it does not car ry the sword for no rea son. For it is God’s ser vant, an aveng er that brings wrath on the one who does wrong. 5 There fore, you must sub mit, not only be cause of wrath but also be cause of your con science. 6 And for this rea son you pay tax es, since the au thor i ties are God’s ser - vants, con tin u al ly at tend ing to these tasks. d 7 Pay your ob li ga tions to ev ery one: tax es to those you owe tax es, tolls to those you owe tolls, re spect to those you owe re spect, and hon or to those you owe hon or.LOVE, OUR PRIMARY DUTY 8 Do not owe any one any thing, ex cept to love one an oth er, for the one who loves an oth er has ful filled the law . 9 The com mand ments, Do not com mit adul tery; do not mur der; do not steal; e do not cov et; f and any oth er com mand ment, are summed up by this com- mand ment: Love your neigh bor as your self. g 10 Love does no wrong to a neigh bor. Love, there fore, is the ful fill ment of the law . PUT ON CHRIST 11 Be sides this, since you know the time, it is al ready the hour for you h to wake up from sleep, be cause now our sal va tion is near er than when we first be lieved. 12 The night is near ly over, and the day is near; so let us dis card the deeds of dark ness and put on the ar mor of light. 13 Let us walk with de cen cy , as in the day time: not in ca rous ing and drunk en ness; not in sex u al im pu ri ty and pro mis cu i ty; not in quar rel ing and jeal ou sy . 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and don’t make plans to grat i fy the de sires of the flesh. THE LAW OF LIBERTY 14 Ac cept any one who is weak in faith, but don’t ar gue about dis put ed mat ters. 2 One per son be lieves he may eat any thing, while one who is weak eats only veg e ta bles. 3 One who eats must not look down on one who does not eat, and one who does not eat must not judge one who does, be cause God has ac- cept ed him. 4 Who are you to judge an oth er’s house hold ser vant? Be fore his own Lord he stands or falls. And he will stand, be cause the Lord is able i to make him stand. 5 One per son judg es one day to be more im- por tant than an oth er day . Some one else judg es ev ery day to be the same. Let each one be ful ly con vinced in his own mind. 6 Who ev er ob serves the day , ob serves it for the hon or of the Lord. j Who ev er eats, eats for the Lord, since he gives thanks to God; and who ev er does not eat, it is for the Lord that he does not eat it, and he gives thanks to God. 7 For none of us lives for him self, and no one dies for him self. 8 If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. There fore, wheth er we live or die, we be long to the Lord. 9 Christ died and re turned to life for this: that he might be Lord over both the dead and the liv ing. 10 But you, a12:11 Or in spirit b12:19 Dt 32:35 c12:20 Pr 25:21-22 d13:6 Lit to this very thing e13:9 Other mss add do not bear false witness f13:9 Ex 20:13-17; Dt 5:17-21 g13:9 Lv 19:18 h13:11 Other mss read for us i14:4 Other mss read For God has the power j14:6 Other mss add but whoever does not observe the day, it is to the Lord that he does not observe it 1007 ROMANS 12-14 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1007 10/26/17 9:00 PM why do you judge your broth er or sis ter? Or you, why do you de spise your broth er or sis- ter? For we will all stand be fore the judg ment seat of God. a 11 For it is writ ten, As I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow to me, and every tongue will give praise to God. b 12 So then, each of us will give an ac count of him self to God. THE LAW OF LOVE 13 There fore, let us no lon ger judge one an oth- er. In stead de cide nev er to put a stum bling block or pitfall in the way of your broth er or sis ter. 14 I know and am per suad ed in the Lord Jesus that noth ing is un clean in it self. Still, to some one who con sid ers a thing to be un clean, to that one it is un clean. 15 For if your broth er or sis ter is hurt by what you eat, you are no lon ger walk ing ac cord ing to love. Do not de stroy , by what you eat, some one for whom Christ died. 16 There fore, do not let your good be slan dered, 17 for the king dom of God is not eat ing and drink ing, but righ teous ness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spir it. 18 Who ev er serves Christ in this way is ac cept able to God and re ceives hu man ap prov al. 19 So then, let us pur sue what pro motes peace and what builds up one an oth er. 20 Do not tear down God’s work be cause of food. Ev ery thing is clean, but it is wrong to make some one fall by what he eats. 21 It is a good thing not to eat meat, or drink wine, or do any thing that makes your broth er or sis ter stum ble. c 22 What ev er you be lieve about these things, keep be tween your self and God. Blessed is the one who does not con demn him self by what he ap proves. 23 But who ev er doubts stands con demned if he eats, be cause his eat ing is not from faith, d and ev ery thing that is not from faith is sin. PLEASING OTHERS, NOT OURSELVES 15 Now we who are strong have an ob li- ga tion to bear the weak ness es of those with out strength, and not to please our selves. 2 Each one of us is to please his neigh bor for his good, to build him up. 3 For even Christ did not please him self. On the con trary , as it is writ ten, The in sults of those who in sult you have fall en on me. e 4 For what ev er was writ ten in the past was writ ten for our in struc tion, so that we may have hope through en dur ance and through the encouragement from the Scrip tures. 5 Now may the God who gives f en- dur ance and encouragement grant you to live in har mo ny with one an oth er, ac cord ing to Christ Jesus, 6 so that you may glo ri fy the God and Fa ther of our Lord Jesus Christ with one mind and one voice. GLORIFYING GOD TOGETHER 7 There fore ac cept one an oth er, just as Christ also ac cept ed you, to the glo ry of God. 8 For I say that Christ be came a ser vant of the cir cum - cised g on be half of God’s truth, to con firm the prom is es to the fa thers, 9 and so that Gen tiles may glo ri fy God for his mer cy . As it is writ ten, Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles, and I will sing praise to your name. h 10 Again it says, Re joice, you Gen tiles, with his peo ple! i 11 And again, Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles; let all the peoples praise him! j 12 And again, Isa iah says, The root of Jesse will appear, the one who rises to rule the Gentiles; the Gentiles will hope in him. k 13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you be lieve so that you may over flow with hope by the pow er of the Holy Spir it. FROM JERUSALEM TO ILLYRICUM 14 My broth ers and sis ters, I my self am con- vinced about you that you also are full of good- ness, filled with all knowl edge, and able to in struct one an oth er. 15 Nev er the less, I have writ ten to re mind you more bold ly on some points l be cause of the grace giv en me by God 16 to be a min is ter of Christ Jesus to the Gen- tiles, serv ing as a priest of the gos pel of God. My pur pose is that the Gen tiles may be an ac cept able off er ing, sanc ti fied by the Holy Spir it. 17 There fore I have rea son to boast in Christ Jesus re gard ing what pertains to God. 18 For I would not dare say any thing ex cept what Christ has ac com plished through me by word and deed for the obe di ence of the Gen- tiles, 19 by the pow er of mi rac u lous signs and won ders, and by the pow er of God’s Spir it. As a
📜 Paul's Ministry and Church Unity
🌍 Paul's missionary journey spans from Jerusalem to Illyricum, demonstrating his commitment to preaching Christ where the gospel hasn't yet reached
🤝 Christian community thrives through personal connections, as evidenced by Paul's extensive greetings to fellow believers like Phoebe, Prisca, Aquila, and many others
⚔️ Church division threatens the body of Christ when believers identify with different leaders rather than uniting under Christ's headship
🏗️ Spiritual maturity develops when believers move beyond worldly wisdom to embrace the seemingly foolish message of the cross
💪 Apostolic hardship reveals true leadership through suffering, as Paul and others endure hunger, persecution, and dishonor while serving Christ
👑 God's wisdom surpasses human understanding, making what appears weak and foolish in the world the very power that saves believers
re sult, I have ful ly pro claimed the gos pel of a14:10 Other mss read of Christ b14:11 Is 45:23; 49:18 c14:21 Other mss add or offended or weakened d14:23 Or conviction e15:3 Ps 69:9 f15:5 Lit God of g15:8 The Jews h15:9 2Sm 22:50; Ps 18:49 i15:10 Dt 32:43 j15:11 Ps 117:1 k15:12 Is 11:10 l15:15 Other mss add brothersROMANS 14-15 1008 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1008 10/26/17 9:00 PM Christ from Je ru sa lem all the way around to Il lyr i cum. a 20 My aim is to preach the gos pel where Christ has not been named, so that I will not build on some one else’s foun da tion, 21 but, as it is writ ten, Those who were not told about him will see, and those who have not heard will understand. b PAUL’S TRAVEL PLANS 22 That is why I have been pre vent ed many times from com ing to you. 23 But now I no lon ger have any work to do in these re gions, c and I have strong ly de sired for many years to come to you 24 when ev er I trav el to Spain. d For I hope to see you when I pass through and to be as sist ed by you for my jour ney there, once I have first en joyed your com pa ny for a while. 25 Right now I am trav el ing to Je ru- sa lem to serve the saints, 26 be cause Mac e- do nia and Acha ia were pleased to make a con tri bu tion for the poor among the saints in Je ru sa lem. 27 Yes, they were pleased, and in deed are indebted to them. For if the Gen- tiles have shared in their spir i tu al ben e fits, then they are ob li gat ed to min is ter to them in ma teri al needs. 28 So when I have fin ished this and safe ly de liv ered the funds e to them, f I will vis it you on the way to Spain. 29 I know that when I come to you, I will come in the full ness of the bless ing g of Christ. 30 Now I ap peal to you, broth ers and sis ters, through our Lord Jesus Christ and through the love of the Spir it, to strive to geth er with me in fer vent prayers to God on my be half. 31 Pray that I may be res cued from the un be liev ers in Ju dea, that my min is try to h Je ru sa lem may be ac cept able to the saints, 32 and that, by God’s will, I may come to you with joy and be re- freshed to geth er with you. 33 May the God of peace be with all of you. Amen. PAUL’S COMMENDATION OF PHOEBE 16 I com mend to you our sis ter Phoe be, who is a ser vant i of the church in Cen chreae. 2 So you should wel come her in the Lord in a man ner wor thy of the saints and as sist her in what ev er mat ter she may re quire your help. For in deed she has been a benefactor of many — and of me also. GREETING TO ROMAN CHRISTIANS 3 Give my greet ings to Prisca j and Aq ui la, my co work ers in Christ Jesus, 4 who risked their own necks for my life. Not only do I thank them, but so do all the Gen tile church es. 5 Greet also the church that meets in their home. Greet my dear friend Epaenetus, who is the first con vert k to Christ from Asia. l 6 Greet Mary , m who has worked very hard for you. n 7 Greet An dro ni cus and Junia, my fel low Jews o and fel low pris- on ers. They are noteworthy in the eyes of the apos tles, p and they were also in Christ be fore me. 8 Greet Am pli a tus, my dear friend in the Lord. 9 Greet Ur ba nus, our co work er in Christ, and my dear friend Sta chys. 10 Greet Apel les, who is ap proved in Christ. Greet those who be long to the house hold of Aris to bu lus. 11 Greet He ro di on, my fel low Jew . q Greet those who be long to the house hold of Nar cis sus who are in the Lord. 12 Greet Tryphaena and Try pho sa, who have worked hard in the Lord. Greet my dear friend Per sis, who has worked very hard in the Lord. 13 Greet Ru fus, cho sen in the Lord; also his moth er — and mine. 14 Greet Asyn cri- tus, Phle gon, Her mes, Pat ro bas, Her mas, and the broth ers and sis ters who are with them. 15 Greet Phi lol o gus and Jul ia, Ne reus and his sis ter, and Olym pas, and all the saints who are with them. 16 Greet one an oth er with a holy kiss. All the church es of Christ send you greet ings. WARNING AGAINST DIVISIVE PEOPLE 17 Now I urge you, broth ers and sis ters, to watch out for those who cre ate di vi sions and ob sta- cles con trary to the teach ing that you learned. Avoid them, 18 be cause such peo ple do not serve our Lord Christ but their own ap pe tites. r They de ceive the hearts of the un sus pect ing with smooth talk and flat ter ing words. PAUL’S GRACIOUS CONCLUSION 19 The re port of your obe di ence has reached ev ery one. There fore I re joice over you, but I want you to be wise about what is good, and a15:19 A Roman province northwest of Greece on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea b15:21 Is 52:15 c15:23 Lit now, having no longer a place in these parts d15:24 Other mss add I will come to you. e15:28 Lit delivered this fruit f15:28 Or and placed my seal of approval on this fruit for them g15:29 Other mss add of the gospel h15:31 Lit that my service for i16:1 Others interpret this term in a technical sense: deacon, or deaconess, or minister, or courier j16:3 Traditionally, Priscilla, as in Ac 18:2,18,26 k16:5 Lit the firstfruits l16:5 Other mss read Achaia m16:6 Or Maria n16:6 Other mss read us o16:7 Or family members p16:7 Or They are noteworthy among the apostles q16:11 Or family member r16:18 Lit belly 1009 ROMANS 15-16 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1009 10/26/17 9:00 PM yet in no cent about what is evil. 20 The God of peace will soon crush Sa tan un der your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. 21 Tim o thy , my co work er, and Lu ci us, Ja son, and So sip a ter, my fel low coun try men, greet you. 22 I Ter ti us, who wrote this let ter, greet you in the Lord. a 23 Ga ius, who is host to me and to the whole church, greets you. Eras tus, the city trea sur er, and our broth er Quar tus greet you. bGLORY TO GOD 25 Now to him who is able to strength en you ac cord ing to my gos pel and the proc la ma tion about Jesus Christ, ac cord ing to the rev e la tion of the mys tery kept si lent for long ages 26 but now re vealed and made known through the pro phet ic Scrip tures, ac cord ing to the com- mand of the eter nal God to ad vance the obe- di ence of faith among all the Gen tiles — 27 to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ — to him be the glo ry for ev er! c Amen. a16:22 Or letter in the Lord, greet you b16:23 Some mss include v. 24: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. c16:25-27 Other mss have these vv. at the end of chap. 14 or 15.ROMANS 16 1010 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1010 10/26/17 9:00 PM 1 corin Thians GREETING 1 Paul, called as an apos tle of Christ Jesus by God’s will, and Sos the nes our broth er: 2 To the church of God at Cor inth, to those sanc ti fied in Christ Jesus, called as saints, with all those in ev ery place who call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord — both their Lord and ours. 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Fa- ther and the Lord Jesus Christ. THANKSGIVING 4 I al ways thank my God for you be cause of the grace of God giv en to you in Christ Jesus, 5 that you were en riched in him in ev ery way , in all speech and all knowl edge. 6 In this way , the tes ti mo ny about Christ was con firmed among you, 7 so that you do not lack any spir i tu al gift as you ea ger ly wait for the rev e la tion of our Lord Jesus Christ. 8 He will also strength en you to the end, so that you will be blame less in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faith ful; you were called by him into fel low ship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. DIVISIONS AT CORINTH 10 Now I urge you, broth ers and sis ters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree in what you say , that there be no di vi sions among you, and that you be unit ed with the same un der stand ing and the same con vic tion. 11 For it has been re port ed to me about you, my broth ers and sis ters, by mem bers of Chloe’s peo ple, that there is ri val ry among you. 12 What I am say ing is this: One of you says, “ I be long to Paul,” or “ I be long to Apol los,” or “ I be long to Ce phas,” or “ I be long to Christ.” 13 Is Christ di vid ed? Was Paul cru ci fied for you? Or were you bap tized in Paul’s name? 14 I thank God a,b that I bap tized none of you ex cept Cris pus and Ga ius, 15 so that no one can say you were bap- tized in my name. 16 I did, in fact, bap tize the house hold of Steph a nas; be yond that, I don’t re call if I bap tized any one else. 17 For Christ did not send me to bap tize, but to preach the gos- pel — not with el o quent wis dom, so that the cross of Christ will not be emp tied of its eff ect.CHRIST THE POWER AND WISDOM OF GOD 18 For the word of the cross is fool ish ness to those who are per ish ing, but it is the pow er of God to us who are be ing saved. 19 For it is writ ten, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and I will set aside the intelligence of the intelligent. c 20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the teach er of the law? d Where is the debater of this age? Hasn’t God made the world’s wis dom fool ish? 21 For since, in God’s wis dom, the world did not know God through wis dom, God was pleased to save those who be lieve through the fool ish ness of what is preached. 22 For the Jews ask for signs and the Greeks seek wis dom, 23 but we preach Christ cru ci fied, a stum bling block to the Jews and fool ish- ness to the Gen tiles. e 24 Yet to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the pow er of God and the wis dom of God, 25 be- cause God’s fool ish ness is wis er than hu man wis dom, and God’s weak ness is stron ger than hu man strength. BOASTING ONLY IN THE LORD 26 Broth ers and sis ters, con sid er your call ing: Not many were wise from a hu man perspec - tive, f not many pow er ful, not many of no ble birth. 27 In stead, God has cho sen what is fool ish in the world to shame the wise, and God has cho sen what is weak in the world to shame the strong. 28 God has cho sen what is insignificant and de spised in the world — what is viewed as noth ing — to bring to noth ing what is viewed as some thing, 29 so that no one g may boast in his pres ence. 30 It is from him that you are in Christ Jesus, who be came wis dom from God for us — our righ teous ness, sanctification, and re demp tion, 31 in or der that, as it is writ ten: Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord. h PAUL’S PROCLAMATION 2 When I came to you, broth ers and sis ters, an nounc ing the mys tery i of God to you, I did not come with bril liance of speech or wis dom. 2 I de cid ed to know noth ing among a1:14 Other mss omit God b1:14 Or I am thankful c1:19 Is 29:14 d1:20 Or scholar e1:23 Other mss read Greeks f1:26 Lit wise according to the flesh g1:29 Lit that not all flesh h1:31 Jr 9:24 i2:1 Other mss read testimony CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1011 10/26/17 9:00 PM you ex cept Jesus Christ and him cru ci fied. 3 I came to you in weak ness, in fear, and in much trem bling. 4 My speech and my preach ing were not with per sua sive words of wis dom a but with a dem on stra tion of the Spir it’s pow er, 5 so that your faith might not be based on hu man wis dom but on God’s pow er. SPIRITUAL WISDOM 6 We do, how ev er, speak a wis dom among the ma ture, but not a wis dom of this age, or of the rul ers of this age, who are com ing to noth ing. 7 On the con trary , we speak God’s hid den wis- dom in a mys tery , a wis dom God pre des tined be fore the ages for our glo ry . 8 None of the rul ers of this age knew this wis dom, be cause if they had known it, they would not have cru- ci fied the Lord of glo ry . 9 But as it is writ ten, What no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no human heart has conceived — God has prepared these things for those who love him. b 10 Now God has re vealed these things to us by the Spir it, since the Spir it search es ev ery thing, even the depths of God. 11 For who knows a per - son’s thoughts c ex cept his spir it with in him? In the same way , no one knows the thoughts of God ex cept the Spir it of God. 12 Now we have not re ceived the spir it of the world, but the Spir it who comes from God, so that we may un der stand what has been free ly giv en to us by God. 13 We also speak these things, not in words taught by hu man wis dom, but in those taught by the Spir it, ex plain ing spir i tu al things to spir i tu al peo ple. d 14 But the per son with- out the Spir it e does not re ceive what comes from God’s Spir it, be cause it is fool ish ness to him; he is not able to un der stand it since it is evaluated f spir i tu al ly . 15 The spir i tu al per son, how ev er, can eval u ate g ev ery thing, and yet he him self can not be evaluated by any one. 16 For who has known the Lord’s mind, that he may instruct him? h But we have the mind of Christ. THE PROBLEM OF IMMATURITY 3 For my part, broth ers and sis ters, I was not able to speak to you as spir i tu al peo- ple but as peo ple of the flesh, as ba bies in Christ. 2 I gave you milk to drink, not sol id food, since you were not yet ready for it. In fact, you are still not ready , 3 be cause you are still world ly . For since there is envy and strife i among you, are you not world ly and behaving like mere humans? 4 For when ev er some one says, “ I be long to Paul,” and an oth er, “ I be long to Apol los,” are you not act ing like mere humans? THE ROLE OF GOD’S SERVANTS 5 What then is Apol los? What is Paul? They are ser vants through whom you be lieved, and each has the role the Lord has giv en. 6 I plant ed, Apol los wa tered, but God gave the growth. 7 So then nei ther the one who plants nor the one who wa ters is any thing, but only God who gives the growth. 8 Now he who plants and he who wa ters are one, j and each will re ceive his own re ward ac cord ing to his own la bor. 9 For we are God’s co work ers. k You are God’s field, God’s build ing. 10 Ac cord ing to God’s grace that was giv en to me, I have laid a foun da tion as a skilled mas ter build er, l and an oth er builds on it. But each one is to be care ful how he builds on it. 11 For no one can lay any oth er foun da tion than what has been laid down. That foun da tion is Jesus Christ. 12 If any one builds on the foun- da tion with gold, sil ver, cost ly stones, wood, hay , or straw , 13 each one’s work will be come ob vi ous. For the day will dis close it, be cause it will be re vealed by fire; the fire will test the qual i ty of each one’s work. 14 If any one’s work that he has built sur vives, he will re ceive a re ward. 15 If any one’s work is burned up, he will ex pe ri ence m loss, but he him self will be saved — but only as through fire. 16 Don’t you your selves know that you are God’s tem ple and that the Spir it of God lives in you? 17 If any one de stroys God’s tem ple, God will de stroy him; for God’s tem ple is holy , and that is what you are. THE FOLLY OF HUMAN WISDOM 18 Let no one de ceive him self. If any one among you thinks he is wise in this age, let him be- come a fool so that he can be come wise. 19 For the wis dom of this world is fool ish ness with God, since it is writ ten, He catch es the wise in their craft i ness; n 20 and again, The Lord a2:4 Other mss read human wisdom b2:9 Is 52:15; 64:4 c2:11 Or things d2:13 Or things with spiritual words e2:14 Lit natural person f2:14 Or judged, or discerned, also in v. 15 g2:15 Or judge, or discern h2:16 Is 40:13 i3:3 Other mss add and divisions j3:8 Or of equal status, or united in purpose k3:9 Or are coworkers belonging to God l3:10 Or wise master builder m3:15 Or suffer n3:19 Jb 5:131 CORINTHIANS 2-3 1012 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1012 10/26/17 9:00 PM knows that the rea son ings of the wise are fu tile. a 21 So let no one boast in hu man lead ers, for ev ery thing is yours — 22 wheth er Paul or Apol los or Ce phas or the world or life or death or things pre sent or things to come — ev ery- thing is yours, 23 and you be long to Christ, and Christ be longs to God. THE FAITHFUL MANAGER 4 A per son should think of us in this way: as ser vants of Christ and man ag ers of the mys ter ies of God. 2 In this re gard, it is re quired that man ag ers be found faith ful. 3 It is of lit tle im por tance to me that I should be judged by you or by any hu man court. b In fact, I don’t even judge my self. 4 For I am not con scious of any thing against my self, but I am not jus ti fied by this. It is the Lord who judg es me. 5 So don’t judge any thing pre ma ture ly , be fore the Lord comes, who will both bring to light what is hid den in dark ness and re veal the intentions of the hearts. And then praise will come to each one from God. THE APOSTLES’ EXAMPLE OF HUMILITY 6 Now , broth ers and sis ters, I have ap plied these things to my self and Apol los for your ben e fit, so that you may learn from us the mean ing of the say ing: “Noth ing be yond what is writ ten.” The pur pose is that none of you will be ar ro gant, favoring one per son over an oth er. 7 For who makes you so su pe ri or? What do you have that you didn’t re ceive? If, in fact, you did re ceive it, why do you boast as if you hadn’t re ceived it? 8 You are al ready full! You are al ready rich! You have be gun to reign as kings with out us — and I wish you did reign, so that we could also reign with you! 9 For I think God has dis played us, the apos tles, in last place, like men con demned to die: We have be come a spec ta cle to the world, both to an gels and to peo ple. 10 We are fools for Christ, but you are wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are dis- tin guished, but we are dis hon ored! 11 Up to the pre sent hour we are both hun gry and thirsty; we are poorly clothed, roughly treat ed, home less; 12 we la bor, work ing with our own hands. When we are re viled, we bless; when we are per se cut ed, we en dure it; 13 when we are slan dered, we re spond gra cious ly . Even now , we are like the scum of the earth, like ev ery one’s garbage.PAUL’S FATHERLY CARE 14 I’m not writ ing this to shame you, but to warn you as my dear chil dren.
🏛️ Church Discipline and Holiness
🧠 Spiritual authority flows from genuine relationship, not mere position—Paul positions himself as a spiritual father rather than just an instructor, calling believers to imitate his Christ-centered example
⚖️ The church must actively confront sin within its community—sexual immorality, lawsuits between believers, and other destructive behaviors require decisive action rather than tolerance or pride
💍 Marriage and singleness both serve as valid contexts for Christian devotion—each state carries distinct advantages and challenges, with faithfulness to God's commands as the priority in either circumstance
🍽️ Christian freedom must be exercised with love and consideration—knowledge without love merely "puffs up," while true spiritual maturity considers how personal choices affect weaker believers
🏆 Authentic ministry requires self-discipline and sacrifice—Paul willingly surrendered his rights and adapted his approach to effectively reach different audiences with the gospel
15 For you may have count less in struc tors in Christ, but you don’t have many fa thers. For I be came your fa ther in Christ Jesus through the gos pel. 16 There fore I urge you to im i tate me. 17 This is why I have sent Tim o thy to you. He is my dear ly loved and faith ful child in the Lord. He will re mind you about my ways in Christ Jesus, just as I teach ev ery where in ev ery church. 18 Now some are ar ro gant, as though I were not com ing to you. 19 But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I will find out not the talk, but the pow er of those who are ar ro- gant. 20 For the king dom of God is not a mat ter of talk but of pow er. 21 What do you want? Should I come to you with a rod, or in love and a spir it of gen tle ness? IMMORAL CHURCH MEMBERS 5 It is ac tu al ly re port ed that there is sex u al im mo ral i ty among you, and the kind of sex u al im mo ral i ty that is not even tol er at- ed c among the Gen tiles — a man is sleep ing with his fa ther’s wife. 2 And you are ar ro gant! Shouldn’t you be filled with grief and re move from your con gre ga tion the one who did this? 3 Even though I am ab sent in the body , I am pre sent in spir it. As one who is pre sent with you in this way , I have al ready pro nounced judg ment on the one who has been do ing such a thing. 4 When you are as sem bled in the name of our Lord Jesus, and I am with you in spir it, with the pow er of our Lord Jesus, 5 hand that one over to Sa tan for the de struc tion of the flesh, so that his spir it may be saved in the day of the Lord. 6 Your boast ing is not good. Don’t you know that a lit tle leaven d leavens the whole batch of dough? 7 Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new un leav ened batch, as in deed you are. For Christ our Pass over lamb has been sac ri ficed. e 8 There fore, let us ob serve the feast, not with old leaven or with the leaven of mal ice and evil, but with the un leav ened bread of sin cer i ty and truth. CHURCH DISCIPLINE 9 I wrote to you in a let ter not to as so ci ate with sex u al ly im mor al peo ple. 10 I did not mean the im mor al peo ple of this world or the greedy and swin dlers or idol a ters; oth er wise you would a3:20 Ps 94:11 b4:3 Lit a human day c5:1 Other mss read named d5:6 Or yeast, also in vv. 7,8 e5:7 Other mss add for us 1013 1 CORINTHIANS 3-5 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1013 10/26/17 9:00 PM have to leave the world. 11 But ac tu al ly , I wrote a you not to as so ci ate with any one who claims to be a broth er or sis ter and is sex u al ly im- mor al or greedy , an idol a ter or verbally abu- sive, a drunk ard or a swin dler. Do not even eat with such a per son. 12 For what busi ness is it of mine to judge out sid ers? Don’t you judge those who are in side? 13 God judg es out sid ers. Re move the evil per son from among you. b LAWSUITS AMONG BELIEVERS 6 If any of you has a dis pute against an oth- er, how dare you take it to court be fore the un righ teous, c and not be fore the saints? 2 Or don’t you know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is judged by you, are you un wor thy to judge the triv i al cases? 3 Don’t you know that we will judge an gels — how much more mat ters of this life? 4 So if you have such mat ters, do you ap point as your judg es those who have no stand ing in the church? 5 I say this to your shame! Can it be that there is not one wise per son among you who is able to ar bi trate be tween fel low be liev ers? 6 In stead, broth er goes to court against broth er, and that be fore un be liev ers! 7 As it is, to have le gal dis putes against one an oth er is al ready a de feat for you. Why not rath er be wronged? Why not rath er be cheat ed? 8 In stead, you your selves do wrong and cheat — and you do this to broth ers and sis ters! 9 Don’t you know that the un righ teous will not in her it God’s king dom? Do not be de ceived: No sex u al ly im mor al peo ple, idol a ters, adul ter - ers, or males who have sex with males, d 10 no thieves, greedy peo ple, drunk ards, verbally abu sive peo ple, or swin dlers will in her it God’s king dom. 11 And some of you used to be like this. But you were washed, you were sanc - ti fied, you were jus ti fied in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spir it of our God. GLORIFYING GOD IN BODY AND SPIRIT 12 “Ev ery thing is per mis si ble for me,” but not ev ery thing is ben e fi cial. “Ev ery thing is per - mis si ble for me,” but I will not be mas tered by any thing. 13 “ Food is for the stom ach and the stom ach for food,” and God will do away with both of them. How ev er, the body is not for sex u al im mo ral i ty but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body . 14 God raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by his pow er. 15 Don’t you know that your bod ies are a part of Christ’s body? So should I take a part of Christ’s body and make it part of a pros ti tute? Ab so lute ly not! 16 Don’t you know that any one joined to a pros ti tute is one body with her? For Scrip ture says, The two will be come one flesh. e 17 But any one joined to the Lord is one spir it with him. 18 Flee sex u al im mo ral i ty! Ev ery oth er sin f a per son com mits is out side the body , but the per son who is sex u al ly im mor al sins against his own body . 19 Don’t you know that your body is a tem ple of the Holy Spir it who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought at a price. So glo - ri fy God with your body . g PRINCIPLES OF MARRIAGE 7 Now in re sponse to the mat ters you wrote h about: “ It is good for a man not to use i a wom an for sex.” 2 But be cause sex u al im mo- ral i ty is so com mon, j each man should have sex u al re la tions with his own wife, and each wom an should have sex u al re la tions with her own hus band. 3 A hus band should ful fill his mar i tal duty to his wife, and like wise a wife to her hus band. 4 A wife does not have the right over her own body , but her hus band does. In the same way , a hus band does not have the right over his own body , but his wife does. 5 Do not de prive one an oth er — ex cept when you agree for a time, to de vote your selves to k prayer. Then come to geth er again; oth er wise, Sa tan may tempt you be cause of your lack of self-control. 6 I say this as a con ces sion, not as a com mand. 7 I wish that all peo ple were as I am. But each has his own gift from God, one per son has this gift, an oth er has that. A WORD TO THE UNMARRIED 8 I say to the un mar ried l and to wid ows: It is good for them if they re main as I am. 9 But if they do not have self-control, they should mar ry , since it is bet ter to mar ry than to burn with de sire. ABOUT MARRIED PEOPLE 10 To the mar ried I give this com mand — not I, but the Lord — a wife is not to leave m her hus- band. 11 But if she does leave, she must re main un mar ried or be rec on ciled to her hus band a5:11 Or But now I am writing b5:13 Dt 17:7 c6:1 Unbelievers; v. 6 d6:9 Both passive and active participants in homosexual acts e6:16 Gn 2:24 f6:18 Lit Every sin g6:20 Other mss add and in your spirit, which belong to God. h7:1 Other mss add to me i 7:1 Lit “It is good for a man not to touch a woman j 7:2 Lit because of immoralities k7:5 Other mss add fasting and to l7:8 Or widowers m 7:10 Or separate from, or divorce1 CORINTHIANS 5-7 1014 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1014 10/26/17 9:00 PM — and a hus band is not to di vorce his wife. 12 But I ( not the Lord) say to the rest: If any broth er has an un be liev ing wife and she is will ing to live with him, he must not di vorce her. 13 Also, if any wom an has an un be liev ing hus band and he is will ing to live with her, she must not di vorce her hus band. 14 For the un- be liev ing hus band is made holy by the wife, and the un be liev ing wife is made holy by the hus band. a Oth er wise your chil dren would be un clean, but as it is they are holy . 15 But if the un be liev er leaves, let him leave. A broth er or a sis ter is not bound in such cases. God has called you b to live in peace. 16 Wife, for all you know , you might save your hus band. Hus band, for all you know , you might save your wife. c VARIOUS SITUATIONS OF LIFE 17 Let each one live his life in the sit u a tion the Lord as signed when God called him. d This is what I com mand in all the church es. 18 Was any- one al ready cir cum cised when he was called? He should not undo his cir cum ci sion. Was any one called while un cir cum cised? He should not get cir cum cised. 19 Cir cum ci sion does not mat ter and un cir cum ci sion does not mat ter. Keep ing God’s com mands is what mat ters. 20 Let each of you re main in the sit u a tion e in which he was called. 21 Were you called while a slave? Don’t let it con cern you. But if you can be come free, by all means take the op por tu ni ty . f 22 For he who is called by the Lord as a slave is the Lord’s freed man. Like wise he who is called as a free man is Christ’s slave. 23 You were bought at a price; do not be come slaves of peo ple. 24 Broth- ers and sis ters, each per son is to re main with God in the sit u a tion in which he was called. ABOUT THE UNMARRIED AND WIDOWS 25 Now about vir gins: g I have no com mand from the Lord, but I do give an opin ion as one who by the Lord’s mer cy is faith ful. 26 Be cause of the pre sent dis tress, I think that it is good for a man to re main as he is. 27 Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be re leased. Are you re leased from a wife? Do not seek a wife. 28 How ev er, if you do get mar ried, you have not sinned, and if a vir gin h mar ries, she has not sinned. But such peo ple will have trou ble in this life, i and I am try ing to spare you.29 This is what I mean, broth ers and sis ters: The time is limited, so from now on those who have wives should be as though they had none, 30 those who weep as though they did not weep, those who re joice as though they did not re joice, those who buy as though they didn’t own any thing, 31 and those who use the world as though they did not make full use of it. For this world in its cur rent form is pass ing away . 32 I want you to be with out con cerns. The un mar ried man is con cerned about the things of the Lord — how he may please the Lord. 33 But the mar ried man is con cerned about the things of the world — how he may please his wife — 34 and his in ter ests are di vid ed. The un- mar ried wom an or vir gin is con cerned about the things of the Lord, so that she may be holy both in body and in spir it. But the mar ried wom an is con cerned about the things of the world — how she may please her hus band. 35 I am say ing this for your own ben e fit, not to put a re straint on you, but to pro mote what is prop er and so that you may be de vot ed to the Lord with out distraction. 36 If any man thinks he is act ing im prop er ly to ward the vir gin he is en gaged to, j if she is get ting be yond the usu al age for mar riage, and he feels he should mar ry — he can do what he wants. He is not sin ning; they can get mar ried. 37 But he who stands firm in his heart ( who is un der no com pul sion, but has con trol over his own will) and has de cid ed in his heart to keep her as his fiancée, will do well. 38 So then he who mar ries k his fiancée does well, but he who does not mar ry l will do bet ter. 39 A wife is bound m as long as her hus band is liv ing. But if her hus band dies, she is free to be mar ried to any one she wants — only in the Lord. 40 But she is hap pi er if she re mains as she is, in my opin ion. And I think that I also have the Spir it of God. FOOD OFFERED TO IDOLS 8 Now about food sac ri ficed to idols: We know that “ we all have knowl edge.” Knowl- edge puffs up, but love builds up. 2 If any one thinks he knows any thing, he does not yet know it as he ought to know it. 3 But if any one loves God, he is known by him. a7:14 Lit the brother b7:15 Other mss read us c7:16 Or Wife, how do you know that you will save your husband? Husband, how do you know that you will save your wife? d 7:17 Lit called each e 7:20 Lit in the calling f 7:21 Or But even though you can become free, make the most of your position as a slave g 7:25 Or betrothed, or those not yet married h 7:28 Or betrothed woman i 7:28 Lit in the flesh j 7:36 Or toward his virgin daughter k7:38 Or marries off l7:38 Or marry her off m 7:39 Other mss add by law 1015 1 CORINTHIANS 7-8 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1015 10/26/17 9:00 PM 4 About eat ing food sac ri ficed to idols, then, we know that “ an idol is noth ing in the world,” a and that “ there is no God but one.” 5 For even if there are so-called gods, wheth er in heav en or on earth — as there are many “ gods” and many “ lords” — 6 yet for us there is one God, the Fa ther. All things are from him, and we ex ist for him. And there is one Lord, Jesus Christ. All things are through him, and we ex ist through him. 7 How ev er, not ev ery one has this knowl edge. Some have been so used to idol a try up un til now that when they eat food sac ri ficed to an idol, their con science, be ing weak, is de filed. 8 Food will not bring us close to God. b We are not worse off if we don’t eat, and we are not bet ter if we do eat. 9 But be care ful that this right of yours in no way be comes a stum bling block to the weak. 10 For if some one sees you, the one who has knowl edge, dining in an idol’s tem ple, won’t his weak con science be en cour - aged c to eat food off ered to idols? 11 So the weak per son, the broth er or sis ter for whom Christ died, is ru ined d by your knowl edge. 12 Now when you sin like this against broth ers and sis ters and wound their weak con science, you are sin ning against Christ. 13 There fore, if food caus es my broth er or sis ter to fall, I will nev er again eat meat, so that I won’t cause my broth er or sis ter to fall. PAUL’S EXAMPLE AS AN APOSTLE 9 Am I not free? Am I not an apos tle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord? 2 If I am not an apos tle to oth ers, at least I am to you, be cause you are the seal of my apos tle ship in the Lord. 3 My de fense to those who ex am ine me is this: 4 Don’t we have the right to eat and drink? 5 Don’t we have the right to be ac com pa nied by a be liev ing wife e like the oth er apos tles, the Lord’s broth ers, and Ce phas? 6 Or do only Bar na bas and I have no right to re frain from work ing? 7 Who serves as a sol dier at his own ex pense? Who plants a vine yard and does not eat its fruit? Or who shep herds a flock and does not drink the milk from the flock? 8 Am I say ing this from a hu man perspec - tive? Doesn’t the law also say the same thing? 9 For it is writ ten in the law of Mo ses, Do not muz zle an ox while it treads out grain. f Is God real ly con cerned about oxen? 10 Isn’t he real ly say ing it for our sake? Yes, this is writ ten for our sake, be cause he who plows ought to plow in hope, and he who thresh es should thresh in hope of shar ing the crop. 11 If we have sown spir i tu al things for you, is it too much if we reap ma teri al ben e fits from you? 12 If oth ers have this right to re ceive ben e fits from you, don’t we even more? Nev er the less, we have not made use of this right; in stead, we en dure ev ery thing so that we will not hin der the gos pel of Christ. 13 Don’t you know that those who per form the tem ple ser vices eat the food from the tem- ple, and those who serve at the al tar share in the off er ings of the al tar? 14 In the same way , the Lord has com mand ed that those who preach the gos pel should earn their liv ing by the gos pel. 15 For my part I have used none of these rights, nor have I writ ten these things that they may be ap plied in my case. For it would be bet ter for me to die than for any one to de- prive me of my boast! 16 For if I preach the gos pel, I have no rea son to boast, be cause I am com pelled to preach g — and woe to me if I do not preach the gos pel! 17 For if I do this will ing ly , I have a re ward, but if unwillingly , I am en trust ed with a com mis sion. 18 What then is my re ward? To preach the gos pel and off er it free of charge and not make full use of my rights in the gos pel. 19 Al though I am free from all and not any- one’s slave, I have made my self a slave to ev- ery one, in or der to win more peo ple. 20 To the Jews I be came like a Jew , to win Jews; to those un der the law , like one un der the law — though I my self am not un der the law h — to win those un der the law . 21 To those who are with out the law , like one with out the law — though I am not with out God’s law but un der the law of Christ — to win those with out the law . 22 To the weak I be came weak, in or der to win the weak. I have be come all things to all peo ple, so that I may by ev ery pos si ble means save some. 23 Now I do all this be cause of the gos pel, so that I may share in the bless ings. 24 Don’t you know that the run ners in a sta - dium all race, but only one re ceives the prize? Run in such a way to win the prize. 25 Now ev- ery one who com petes ex
🙏 Spiritual Gifts and Church Unity
🏃♂️ Self-discipline requires rigorous training and focus, just as athletes discipline their bodies for competition, but Christians do so for an eternal rather than temporary reward
⚠️ Israel's history serves as a cautionary example against idolatry, sexual immorality, and testing God—showing that even those who experience spiritual blessings can fall
🍷 The Lord's Supper demands proper reverence and self-examination, as partaking unworthily brings judgment while proper participation proclaims Christ's death
🧩 Spiritual gifts come from the same Spirit but manifest differently in each person—wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, prophecy—all distributed for the common good
❤️ Love transcends all spiritual gifts as the "better way"—patient, kind, truthful, enduring—without which even miraculous abilities amount to nothing
👥 The church as Christ's body requires every member, with diverse gifts working together in unity and mutual care, giving special honor to seemingly weaker parts
er cis es self-control in ev ery thing. They do it to re ceive a per ish able crown, but we an im per ish able crown. 26 So I a8:4 Or an idol has no real existence b8:8 Or bring us before (the judgment seat of) God c8:10 Or built up d8:11 Or destroyed e9:5 Lit a sister as a wife f9:9 Dt 25:4 g9:16 Lit because necessity is laid upon me h9:20 Other mss omit though I myself am not under the law1 CORINTHIANS 8-9 1016 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1016 10/26/17 9:00 PM do not run like one who runs aim less ly or box like one beat ing the air. 27 In stead, I dis ci pline my body and bring it un der strict con trol, so that af ter preach ing to oth ers, I my self will not be dis qual i fied. WARNINGS FROM ISRAEL’S PAST 10 Now I do not want you to be un aware, broth ers and sis ters, that our an ces tors were all un der the cloud, all passed through the sea, 2 and all were bap tized into Mo ses in the cloud and in the sea. 3 They all ate the same spir i tu al food, 4 and all drank the same spir i- tu al drink. For they drank from the spir i tu al rock that fol lowed them, and that rock was Christ. 5 Nev er the less God was not pleased with most of them, since they were struck down in the wil der ness. 6 Now these things took place as ex am ples for us, so that we will not de sire evil things as they did. a 7 Don’t be come idol a ters as some of them were; as it is writ ten, The peo ple sat down to eat and drink, and got up to par ty . b,c 8 Let us not com mit sex u al im mo ral- i ty as some of them did, d and in a sin gle day twenty-three thou sand peo ple died. 9 Let us not test Christ as some of them did e and were de stroyed by snakes. 10 And don’t com plain as some of them did, f and were killed by the de stroy er. g 11 These things hap pened to them as ex am ples, and they were writ ten for our in struc tion, on whom the ends of the ages h have come. 12 So, who ev er thinks he stands must be care ful not to fall. 13 No temp ta tion has come upon you ex cept what is com mon to hu man i ty . But God is faith ful; he will not al low you to be tempt ed be yond what you are able, but with the temp ta tion he will also pro vide a way out so that you may be able to bear it. WARNING AGAINST IDOLATRY 14 So then, my dear friends, flee from idol a try . 15 I am speak ing as to sen si ble peo ple. Judge for your selves what I am say ing. 16 The cup of bless ing that we bless, is it not a shar ing in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a shar ing in the body of Christ? 17 Be- cause there is one bread, we who are many are one body , since all of us share the one bread. 18 Con sid er the peo ple of Is ra el. i Do not those who eat the sac ri fic es par tic i pate in the al tar? 19 What am I say ing then? That food sac ri ficed to idols is any thing, or that an idol is any thing? 20 No, but I do say that what they j sac ri fice, they sac ri fice to de mons and not to God. I do not want you to be par tic i- pants with de mons! 21 You can not drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of de mons. You can not share in the Lord’s ta ble and the ta ble of de mons. 22 Or are we pro vok ing the Lord to jeal ou sy? Are we stron ger than he? CHRISTIAN LIBERTY 23 “Ev ery thing is per mis si ble,” k but not ev ery- thing is ben e fi cial. “Ev ery thing is per mis si- ble,” k but not ev ery thing builds up. 24 No one is to seek his own good, but the good of the oth er per son. 25 Eat ev ery thing that is sold in the meat mar ket, with out rais ing ques tions for the sake of con science, 26 since the earth is the Lord’s, and all that is in it. l 27 If any of the un be liev ers in vites you over and you want to go, eat ev ery- thing that is set be fore you, with out rais ing ques tions for the sake of con science. 28 But if some one says to you, “ This is food from a sac ri fice,” do not eat it, out of consideration for the one who told you, and for the sake of con science. m 29 I do not mean your own con science, but the oth er per son’s. For why is my free dom judged by an oth er per son’s con science? 30 If I par take with thanks giv ing, why am I crit i cized be cause of some thing for which I give thanks? 31 So, wheth er you eat or drink, or what ev er you do, do ev ery thing for the glo ry of God. 32 Give no off ense to Jews or Greeks or the church of God, 33 just as I also try to please ev ery one in ev ery thing, not seek ing my own ben e fit, but the ben e fit of many , so that they 11 may be saved. 1 Im i tate me, as I also im- i tate Christ. INSTRUCTIONS ABOUT HEAD COVERINGS 2 Now I praise you n be cause you re mem ber me in ev ery thing and hold fast to the tra di tions just as I de liv ered them to you. 3 But I want you to know that Christ is the head of ev ery man, and the man is the head of the wom an, o and God is the head of Christ. 4 Ev ery man who a10:6 Lit they desired b10:7 Or to dance c10:7 Ex 32:6 d10:8 Lit them committed sexual immorality e10:9 Lit them tested f10:10 Lit them complained g10:10 Or the destroying angel h10:11 Or goals of the ages, or culmination of the ages i10:18 Lit Look at Israel according to the flesh j10:20 Other mss read Gentiles k10:23 Other mss add for me l10:26 Ps 24:1 m10:28 Other mss add “For the earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it.” n11:2 Other mss add brothers, o11:3 Or the husband is the head of the wife 1017 1 CORINTHIANS 9-11 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1017 10/26/17 9:00 PM prays or proph e sies with some thing on his head dis hon ors his head. 5 Ev ery wom an who prays or proph e sies with her head un cov ered dis hon ors her head, since that is one and the same as hav ing her head shaved. 6 For if a wom an doesn’t cov er her head, she should have her hair cut off. But if it is dis grace ful for a wom an to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, let her head be cov ered. 7 A man should not cov er his head, be cause he is the im age and glo ry of God. So too, wom an is the glo ry of man. 8 For man did not come from wom an, but wom an came from man. 9 Nei ther was man cre at ed for the sake of wom an, but wom an for the sake of man. 10 This is why a wom an should have a sym bol of au thor i ty on her head, be cause of the an gels. 11 In the Lord, how ev er, wom an is not in de pen dent of man, and man is not in de pen dent of wom an. 12 For just as wom an came from man, so man comes through wom an, and all things come from God. 13 Judge for your selves: Is it prop er for a wom an to pray to God with her head un cov- ered? 14 Does not even na ture it self teach you that if a man has long hair it is a dis grace to him, 15 but that if a wom an has long hair, it is her glo ry? For her hair is giv en to her a as a cov er ing. 16 If any one wants to ar gue about this, we have no oth er b cus tom, nor do the church es of God. THE LORD’S SUPPER 17 Now in giv ing this in struc tion I do not praise you, since you come to geth er not for the bet ter but for the worse. 18 For to be gin with, I hear that when you come to geth er as a church there are di vi sions among you, and in part I be lieve it. 19 In deed, it is nec es sary that there be fac tions among you, so that those who are ap proved may be rec og nized among you. 20 When you come to geth er, then, it is not to eat the Lord’s Sup per. 21 For at the meal, each one eats his own sup per. c So one per son is hun gry while an oth er gets drunk! 22 Don’t you have homes in which to eat and drink? Or do you de spise the church of God and hu mil i ate those who have noth ing? What should I say to you? Should I praise you? I do not praise you in this mat ter! 23 For I re ceived from the Lord what I also passed on to you: On the night when he was be trayed, the Lord Jesus took bread, 24 and when he had giv en thanks, broke it, and said, d “ This is my body , which is e for you. Do this in re mem brance of me.” 25 In the same way also he took the cup, af ter sup per, and said, “ This cup is the new cov enant in my blood. Do this, as of ten as you drink it, in re mem brance of me.” 26 For as of ten as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you pro claim the Lord’s death un til he comes. SELF-EXAMINATION 27 So then, who ev er eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an un wor thy man ner will be guilty of sin against the body f and blood of the Lord. 28 Let a per son ex am ine him self; in this way let him eat the bread and drink from the cup. 29 For who ev er eats and drinks with out rec og niz ing the body , g eats and drinks judg ment on him self. 30 This is why many are sick and ill among you, and many have fall en asleep. 31 If we were prop er ly judg ing our selves, we would not be judged, 32 but when we are judged by the Lord, we are dis ci plined, so that we may not be con demned with the world. 33 There fore, my broth ers and sis ters, when you come to geth er to eat, wel come one an- oth er. h 34 If any one is hun gry , he should eat at home, so that when you gath er to geth er you will not come un der judg ment. I will give in struc tions about the oth er mat ters when- ev er I come. DIVERSITY OF SPIRITUAL GIFTS 12 Now con cern ing spir i tu al gifts: i broth ers and sis ters, I do not want you to be un- aware. 2 You know that when you were pa gans, you used to be en ticed and led astray by mute idols. 3 There fore I want you to know that no one speak ing by the Spir it of God says, “ Jesus is cursed,” and no one can say , “ Jesus is Lord,” ex cept by the Holy Spir it. 4 Now there are diff er ent gifts, but the same Spir it. 5 There are diff er ent ministries, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diff er ent ac tivi ties, but the same God pro duc es each gift in each per son. 7 A man i fes ta tion of the Spir it is giv en to each per son for the com mon good: 8 to one is giv en a mes sage of wis dom through the Spir it, to an oth er, a mes sage of knowl edge by the same Spir it, 9 to an oth er, faith by the same Spir it, to an oth er, gifts of heal ing by the one Spir it, 10 to an oth er, the per form ing of mir a cles, to an oth er, proph e cy , to an oth er, a11:15 Other mss omit to her b11:16 Or no such c11:21 Or eats his own supper ahead of others d11:24 Other mss add “Take, eat. e11:24 Other mss add broken f11:27 Lit be guilty of the body g11:29 Other mss read drinks unworthily, not discerning the Lord’s body h11:33 Or wait for one another i12:1 Or spiritual things, or spiritual people1 CORINTHIANS 11-12 1018 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1018 10/26/17 9:00 PM dis tin guish ing be tween spir its, to an oth er, diff er ent kinds of tongues, a to an oth er, in- ter pre ta tion of tongues. 11 One and the same Spir it is ac tive in all these, dis trib ut ing to each per son as he wills. UNITY YET DIVERSITY IN THE BODY 12 For just as the body is one and has many parts, and all the parts of that body , though many , are one body — so also is Christ. 13 For we were all bap tized by b one Spir it into one body — wheth er Jews or Greeks, wheth er slaves or free — and we were all giv en one Spir it to drink. 14 In deed, the body is not one part but many . 15 If the foot should say , “Be cause I’m not a hand, I don’t be long to the body ,” it is not for that rea son any less a part of the body . 16 And if the ear should say , “Be cause I’m not an eye, I don’t be long to the body ,” it is not for that rea son any less a part of the body . 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the hear ing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But as it is, God has ar ranged each one of the parts in the body just as he want ed. 19 And if they were all the same part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body . 21 The eye can not say to the hand, “ I don’t need you! ” Or again, the head can’t say to the feet, “ I don’t need you! ” 22 On the con trary , those parts of the body that are weak er are in dis- pens able. 23 And those parts of the body that we con sid er less hon or able, we clothe these with great er hon or, and our unrespectable parts are treat ed with great er re spect, 24 which our re spect able parts do not need. In stead, God has put the body to geth er, giv ing great er hon or to the less hon or able, 25 so that there would be no di vi sion in the body , but that the mem bers would have the same con cern for each oth er. 26 So if one mem ber suff ers, all the mem bers suff er with it; if one mem ber is hon ored, all the mem bers re joice with it. 27 Now you are the body of Christ, and in - dividual mem bers of it. 28 And God has ap- point ed these in the church: first apos tles, sec ond proph ets, third teach ers, next mir a cles, then gifts of heal ing, help ing, administrating, var i ous kinds of tongues. c 29 Are all apos tles? Are all proph ets? Are all teach ers? Do all do mir a cles? 30 Do all have gifts of heal ing? Do all speak in oth er tongues? Do all in ter pret? 31 But de sire the great er gifts. And I will show you an even bet ter way . LOVE: THE SUPERIOR WAY 13 If I speak hu man or angelic tongues d but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clang ing cym bal. 2 If I have the gift of proph e cy and un der stand all mys ter ies and all knowl edge, and if I have all faith so that I can move moun tains but do not have love, I am noth ing. 3 And if I give away all my pos- ses sions, and if I give over my body in or der to boast e but do not have love, I gain noth ing. 4 Love is pa tient, love is kind. Love does not envy , is not boast ful, is not ar ro gant, 5 is not rude, is not self-seeking, is not irritable, and does not keep a rec ord of wrongs. 6 Love finds no joy in un righ teous ness but re joic es in the truth. 7 It bears all things, be lieves all things, hopes all things, en dures all things. 8 Love nev er ends. But as for proph e cies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowl edge, it will come to an end. 9 For we know in part, and we proph e sy in part, 10 but when the per fect comes, the par tial will come to an end. 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I rea soned like a child. When I be came a man, I put aside child ish things. 12 For now we see only a re flec tion f as in a mir ror, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know ful ly , as I am ful ly known. 13 Now these three re main: faith, hope, and love — but the great est of these is love. PROPHECY: A SUPERIOR GIFT 14 Pur sue love and de sire spir i tu al gifts, and es pe cial ly that you may proph e sy . 2 For the per son who speaks in an oth er tongue g is not speak ing to peo ple but to God, since no one un der stands him; he speaks mys ter ies in the Spir it. h 3 On the oth er hand, the per son who proph e sies speaks to peo ple for their strength en ing, i encouragement, and con so- la tion. 4 The per son who speaks in an oth er tongue builds him self up, but the one who proph e sies builds up the church. 5 I wish all of you spoke in oth er tongues, j but even more that you proph e sied. The per son who proph- e sies is great er than the per son who speaks in tongues, un less he in ter prets so that the church may be built up. a12:10 languages b12:13 Or with, or in c12:28 languages, also in v. 30 d13:1 languages, also in v. 8 e13:3 Other mss read body to be burned f13:12 Lit we see indirectly g14:2 language, also in vv. 4, 13, 14, 19, 26,27 h14:2 Or in spirit, or in his spirit i14:3 Lit building up j14:5 languages, also in vv. 6, 18, 21, 22, 23, 39 1019 1 CORINTHIANS 12-14 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1019 10/26/17 9:00 PM 6 So now , broth ers and sis ters, if I come to you speak ing in oth er tongues, how will I ben e fit you un less I speak to you with a rev e la tion or knowl edge or proph e cy or teach ing? 7 Even life less in stru ments that pro duce sounds — wheth er flute or harp — if they don’t make a dis tinc tion in the notes, how will what is played on the flute or harp be rec og nized? 8 In fact, if the bugle makes an unclear sound, who will pre pare for bat tle? 9 In the same way , un less you use your tongue for in tel li gi ble speech, how will what is spo ken be known? For you will be speak ing into the air. 10 There are doubt- less many di ff er ent kinds of lan guages in the world, none is with out mean ing. 11 There fore, if I do not know the mean ing of the lan guage, I will be a for eign er a to the speak er, and the speak er will be a for eign er to me. 12 So also you — since you are zeal ous for spir i tu al gifts, b seek to ex cel in build ing up the church. 13 There fore the per son who speaks in an- oth er tongue should pray that he can in ter pret. 14 For if I pray in an oth er tongue, my spir it prays, but my un der stand ing is un fruit ful. 15 What then? I will pray with the spir it, and I will also pray with my un der stand ing. I will sing praise with the spir it, and I will also sing praise with my un der stand ing. 16 Oth er wise, if you praise with the spir it, c how will the outsider d say “ Amen” at your giv ing of thanks, since he does not know what you are say ing? 17 For you may very well be giv ing thanks, but the oth er per son is not be ing built up. 18 I thank God that I speak in oth er tongues more than all of you; 19 yet in the church I would rath er speak five words with my un der stand ing, in or der to teach oth ers
🙏 Orderly Worship and Resurrection Hope
🗣️ Speaking in tongues serves as a sign for unbelievers, while prophecy builds up believers, requiring interpretation and orderly practice during church gatherings
🛠️ Church meetings demand structure and purpose with everything—hymns, teachings, revelations—done for edification, limiting speakers and maintaining peace
✝️ The resurrection of Christ forms the foundation of Christian faith—without it, faith is worthless and preaching is in vain
🌱 The resurrection body transforms from natural to spiritual, from corruptible to incorruptible, guaranteeing victory over death through Christ
💪 Believers should remain steadfast and immovable, knowing their labor in the Lord is meaningful and will be rewarded
🤝 Paul's ministry reflects both authority and vulnerability, as he navigates relationships with the Corinthian church through comfort in suffering and clear conscience
also, than ten thou sand words in an oth er tongue. 20 Broth ers and sis ters, don’t be child ish in your think ing, but be in fants in re gard to evil and adult in your think ing. 21 It is writ ten in the law , I will speak to this people by people of other tongues and by the lips of foreigners, and even then, they will not listen to me, e says the Lord. 22 Speak ing in oth er tongues, then, is in tend ed as a sign, not for be liev ers but for un be liev ers, while proph e cy is not for un be liev ers but for be liev ers. 23 If, there fore, the whole church assembles to geth er and all are speak ing in oth er tongues and peo ple who are out sid ers or un be liev ers come in, will they not say that you are out of your minds? 24 But if all are proph e sy ing and some un be liev er or outsider comes in, he is con vict ed by all and is called to ac count by all. 25 The se crets of his heart will be re vealed, and as a re sult he will fall face down and wor ship God, pro claim ing, “ God is real ly among you.” ORDER IN CHURCH MEETINGS 26 What then, broth ers and sis ters? When ev er you come to geth er, each one f has a hymn, a teach ing, a rev e la tion, an oth er tongue, or an in ter pre ta tion. Ev ery thing is to be done for build ing up. 27 If any one speaks in an oth er tongue, there are to be only two, or at the most three, each in turn, and let some one in ter pret. 28 But if there is no in ter pret er, that per son is to keep si lent in the church and speak to him - self and God. 29 Two or three proph ets should speak, and the oth ers should eval u ate. 30 But if some thing has been re vealed to an oth er per son sit ting there, the first proph et should be si lent. 31 For you can all proph e sy one by one, so that ev ery one may learn and ev ery one may be en cour aged. 32 And the proph ets’ spir - its are sub ject to the proph ets, 33 since God is not a God of dis or der but of peace. As in all the church es of the saints, 34 the wom en g should be si lent in the church es, for they are not per mit ted to speak, but are to sub mit them selves, as the law also says. 35 If they want to learn some thing, let them ask their own hus bands at home, since it is dis- grace ful for a wom an to speak in the church. 36 Or did the word of God orig i nate from you, or did it come to you only? 37 If any one thinks he is a proph et or spir i tu al, he should rec og nize that what I write to you is the Lord’s com mand. 38 If any one ig nores this, he will be ig nored. h 39 So then, my broth- ers and sis ters, be ea ger to proph e sy , and do not for bid speak ing in oth er tongues. 40 But ev ery thing is to be done de cent ly and in or der. RESURRECTION ESSENTIAL TO THE GOSPEL 15 Now I want to make clear for you, broth- ers and sis ters, the gos pel I preached to you, which you re ceived, on which you have tak en your stand 2 and by which you are be ing saved, if you hold to the mes sage a14:11 Gk barbaros, or barbarian b14:12 Lit zealous of spirits c14:16 Or praise by the Spirit d14:16 Lit the one filling the place of the uninformed e14:21 Is 28:11-12 f14:26 Other mss add of you g14:34 Other mss read your women h14:38 Other mss read he should be ignored1 CORINTHIANS 14-15 1020 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1020 10/26/17 9:00 PM I preached to you — un less you be lieved in vain. a 3 For I passed on to you as most im por - tant what I also re ceived: that Christ died for our sins ac cord ing to the Scrip tures, 4 that he was bur ied, that he was raised on the third day ac cord ing to the Scrip tures, 5 and that he ap peared to Ce phas, then to the Twelve. 6 Then he ap peared to over five hun dred broth ers and sis ters at one time; most of them are still alive, but some have fall en asleep. 7 Then he ap peared to James, then to all the apos tles. 8 Last of all, as to one born at the wrong time, b he also ap peared to me. 9 For I am the least of the apos tles, not wor thy to be called an apos tle, be cause I per se cut ed the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to ward me was not in vain. On the con trary , I worked hard er than any of them, yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 11 Wheth er, then, it is I or they , so we pro claim and so you have be lieved. RESURRECTION ESSENTIAL TO THE FAITH 12 Now if Christ is pro claimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say , “ There is no res ur rec tion of the dead”? 13 If there is no res ur rec tion of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised; 14 and if Christ has not been raised, then our proc la ma tion is in vain, and so is your faith. c 15 More over, we are found to be false wit ness es about God, be cause we have tes ti fied wrongly about God that he raised up Christ — whom he did not raise up, if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worth less; you are still in your sins. 18 Those, then, who have fall en asleep in Christ have also per ished. 19 If we have put our hope in Christ for this life only , we should be pit ied more than any one. CHRIST’S RESURRECTION GUARANTEES OURS 20 But as it is, Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fall- en asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the res ur rec tion of the dead also comes through a man. 22 For just as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in his own or der: Christ, the first- fruits; af ter ward, at his com ing, those who be long to Christ. 24 Then comes the end, when he hands over the king dom to God the Fa ther, when he abolishes all rule and all au thor i ty and pow er. 25 For he must reign un til he puts all his en e mies un der his feet. 26 The last en- e my to be abol ished is death. 27 For God has put ev ery thing un der his feet. d Now when it says “ev ery thing” is put un der him, it is ob- vi ous that he who puts ev ery thing un der him is the ex cep tion. 28 When ev ery thing is sub ject to Christ, then the Son him self will also be sub ject to the one who sub ject ed ev ery thing to him, so that God may be all in all. RESURRECTION SUPPORTED BY CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE 29 Oth er wise what will they do who are be ing bap tized for the dead? e If the dead are not raised at all, then why are peo ple bap tized for them? f 30 Why are we in dan ger ev ery hour? 31 I face death ev ery day , as sure ly as I may boast about you, broth ers and sis ters, in Christ Jesus our Lord. 32 If I fought wild beasts in Eph e sus as a mere man, what good did that do me? If the dead are not raised, Let us eat and drink, for to mor row we die. g 33 Do not be de ceived: “ Bad com pa ny cor rupts good morals.” 34 Come to your sens es h and stop sin ning; for some peo ple are ig no rant about God. I say this to your shame. THE NATURE OF THE RESURRECTION BODY 35 But some one will ask, “ How are the dead raised? What kind of body will they have when they come? ” 36 You fool! What you sow does not come to life un less it dies. 37 And as for what you sow — you are not sow ing the body that will be, but only a seed, per haps of wheat or an oth er grain. 38 But God gives it a body as he wants, and to each of the seeds its own body . 39 Not all flesh is the same flesh; there is one flesh for humans, an oth er for an i mals, an oth er for birds, and an oth er for fish. 40 There are heav en ly bod ies and earth ly bod ies, but the splen dor of the heav en ly bod ies is diff er- ent from that of the earth ly ones. 41 There is a splen dor of the sun, an oth er of the moon, and an oth er of the stars; in fact, one star diff ers from an oth er star in splen dor. 42 So it is with the res ur rec tion of the dead: Sown in cor rup tion, raised in incorruption; 43 sown in dis hon or, raised in glo ry; sown in weak ness, raised in pow er; 44 sown a nat u ral body , raised a spir i tu al a15:2 Or believed without careful thought, or believed in vain b15:8 Or one whose birth was unusual c15:14 Or proclamation is useless, and your faith also is useless, or proclamation is empty, and your faith also is empty d15:27 Ps 8:6 e15:29 Or baptized on account of the dead f15:29 Other mss read for the dead g15:32 Is 22:13 h15:34 Lit Sober up 1021 1 CORINTHIANS 15 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1021 10/26/17 9:00 PM body . If there is a nat u ral body , there is also a spir i tu al body . 45 So it is writ ten, The first man Adam be came a liv ing be ing; a the last Adam be came a life-giving spir it. 46 How ev er, the spir i tu al is not first, but the nat u ral, then the spir i tu al. 47 The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the sec ond man is b from heav en. 48 Like the man of dust, so are those who are of the dust; like the man of heav en, so are those who are of heav en. 49 And just as we have borne the im age of the man of dust, we will also bear the im age of the man of heav en. VICTORIOUS RESURRECTION 50 What I am say ing, broth ers and sis ters, is this: Flesh and blood can not in her it the king dom of God, nor can cor rup tion in her it incorruption. 51 Lis ten, I am tell ing you a mys tery: We will not all fall asleep, but we will all be changed, 52 in a mo ment, in the twin kling of an eye, at the last trum pet. For the trum pet will sound, and the dead will be raised in cor rupt ible, and we will be changed. 53 For this corruptible body must be clothed with incorruptibility , and this mor tal body must be clothed with im mor tal i ty . 54 When this corruptible body is clothed with incorruptibility , and this mor tal body is clothed with im mor tal i ty , then the say ing that is writ ten will take place: Death has been swallowed up in victory . c 55 Where, death, is your victory? Where, death, is your sting? d 56 The sting of death is sin, and the pow er of sin is the law . 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the vic to ry through our Lord Jesus Christ! 58 There fore, my dear broth ers and sis ters, be stead fast, im mov able, al ways ex cel ling in the Lord’s work, be cause you know that your la bor in the Lord is not in vain. COLLECTION FOR THE JERUSALEM CHURCH 16 Now about the col lec tion for the saints: Do the same as I in struct ed the Ga la tian church es. 2 On the first day of the week, each of you is to set some thing aside and save in keep ing with how he is prospering, so that no col lec tions will need to be made when I come. 3 When I ar rive, I will send with let ters those you recommend to car ry your gift to Je ru sa lem. 4 If it is suit able for me to go as well, they will trav el with me. PAUL’S TRAVEL PLANS 5 I will come to you af ter I pass through Mac e- do nia — for I will be trav el ing through Mac e- do nia — 6 and per haps I will re main with you or even spend the win ter, so that you may send me on my way wher ev er I go. 7 I don’t want to see you now just in pass ing, since I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord al lows. 8 But I will stay in Eph e sus un til Pen te cost, 9 be cause a wide door for eff ec tive min is try has opened for me e — yet many op pose me. 10 If Tim o thy comes, see that he has noth ing to fear while with you, be cause he is do ing the Lord’s work, just as I am. 11 So let no one look down on him. Send him on his way in peace so that he can come to me, be cause I am ex pect ing him with the broth ers. 12 Now about our broth er Apol los: I strong ly urged him to come to you with the broth ers, but he was not at all will ing to come now . How ev- er, he will come when he has an op por tu ni ty . FINAL E XHORTATION 13 Be alert, stand firm in the faith, be cou ra- geous, f be strong. 14 Do ev ery thing in love. 15 Broth ers and sis ters, you know the house- hold of Steph a nas: They are the first fruits of Acha ia and have de vot ed them selves to serv- ing the saints. I urge you 16 also to sub mit to such peo ple, and to ev ery one who works and la bors with them. 17 I am de light ed to have Steph a nas, For tu na tus, and Acha i cus pre sent, be cause these men have made up for your ab sence. 18 For they have re freshed my spir it and yours. There fore rec og nize such peo ple. CONCLUSION 19 The church es of Asia send you greet ings. Aq- ui la and Pris cil la send you greet ings warm ly in the Lord, along with the church that meets in their home. 20 All the broth ers and sis ters send you greet ings. Greet one an oth er with a holy kiss. 21 This greet ing is in my own hand — Paul. 22 If any one does not love the Lord, a curse be on him. Our Lord, come! g 23 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. 24 My love be with all of you in Christ Jesus. a15:45 Gn 2:7 b15:47 Other mss add the Lord c15:54 Is 25:8 d15:55 Hs 13:14 e16:9 Lit door has opened to me, great and effective f16:13 Lit act like men g16:22 Aramaic Marana tha1 CORINTHIANS 15-16 1022 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1022 10/26/17 9:00 PM 2 corin Thians GREETING 1 Paul, an apos tle of Christ Jesus by God’s will, and Tim o thy our a broth er: To the church of God at Cor inth, with all the saints who are through out Acha ia. 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Fa- ther and the Lord Jesus Christ. THE GOD OF COMFORT 3 Blessed be the God and Fa ther of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Fa ther of mercies and the God of all com fort. 4 He com forts us in all our afflic - tion, b so that we may be able to com fort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the com fort we our selves re ceive from God. 5 For just as the suff er ings of Christ over flow to us, so also through Christ our com fort over flows. 6 If we are afflicted, it is for your com fort and sal va tion. If we are com fort ed, it is for your com fort, which pro duc es in you pa tient en- dur ance of the same suff er ings that we su ff er. 7 And our hope for you is firm, be cause we know that as you share in the suff er ings, so you will also share in the com fort. 8 We don’t want you to be un aware, broth ers and sis ters, of our affliction that took place in Asia. We were com plete ly over whelmed — be yond our strength — so that we even de spaired of life it self. 9 In deed, we felt that we had re ceived the sen tence of death, so that we would not trust in our selves but in God who rais es the dead. 10 He has de liv ered us from such a ter ri ble death, and he will de liv er us. We have put our hope in him that he will de liv er us again 11 while you join in help ing us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our c be half for the gift that came to us through the prayers of many . A CLEAR CONSCIENCE 12 In deed, this is our boast: The tes ti mo ny of our con science is that we have con duct ed our selves in the world, and es pe cial ly to ward you, with god ly sin cer i ty and pu ri ty , not by hu man wis dom but by God’s grace. 13 For we are writ ing noth ing to you oth er than what you can read and also un der stand. I hope you will un der stand com plete ly — 14 just as you have partially un der stood us — that we are your rea son for pride, just as you also are ours in the day of our d Lord Jesus. A VISIT POSTPONED 15 Be cause of this con fi dence, I planned to come to you first, so that you could have a sec ond ben e fit, e 16 and to vis it you on my way to Mac e- do nia, and then come to you again from Mac - e do nia and be helped by you on my jour ney to Ju dea. 17 Now when I planned this, was I of two minds? Or what I plan, do I plan in a purely hu man f way so that I say “ Yes, yes” and “ No, no” at the same time? 18 As God is faith ful, our mes sage to you is not “ Yes and no.” 19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we pro claimed among you — Silvanus, g Tim o thy , and I — did not be come “ Yes and no.” On the con trary , in him it is al ways “ Yes.” 20 For ev ery one of God’s prom is es is “ Yes” in him. There fore, through him we also say “ Amen” to the glo ry of God. 21 Now it is God who strength ens us to geth er with you in Christ, and who has anoint ed us. 22 He has also put his seal on us and giv en us the Spir it in our hearts as a down pay ment. 23 I call on God as a wit ness, on my life, that it was to spare you that I did not come to Cor inth. 24 I do not mean that we lord it over your faith, but we are work ers with you for your joy , be cause you stand firm in your faith. 2 1 In fact, I made up my mind about this: I would not come to you on an oth er pain- ful vis it. h 2 For if I cause you pain, then who will cheer me oth er than the one be ing hurt by me? i 3 I wrote this very thing so that when I came I wouldn’t have pain from those who ought to give me joy , be cause I am con fi dent about all of you that my joy will also be yours. 4 For I wrote to you with many tears out of an ex treme ly trou bled and an guished heart — not to cause you pain, but that you should know the abun dant love I have for you. A SINNER FORGIVEN 5 If any one has caused pain, he has caused pain not so much to me but to some de gree a1:1 Lit the b1:4 Or trouble, or tribulation, or trials, or oppression c1:11 Other mss read your d1:14 Other mss omit our e1:15 Other mss read a second joy f1:17 Or a worldly, or a fleshly, or a selfish g1:19 Or Silas ; Ac 15:22-32; 16:19-40; 17:1-16 h2:1 Lit not again in sorrow to come to you i2:2 Lit the one pained CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1023 10/26/17 9:00 PM — not to exaggerate — to all of you. 6 This pun ish ment by the ma jor i ty is suff i cient for that per son. 7 As a re sult, you should in stead for give and com fort him. Oth er wise, he
🙏 Spiritual Transformation Journey
🔄 Reconciliation transforms believers into "new creations" where old things pass away and everything becomes new through Christ's redemptive work
🌱 The ministry of the Spirit brings greater glory than the old covenant, removing veils and offering freedom where the letter of the law once brought condemnation
⚔️ Christian life involves paradoxical strength - being afflicted but not crushed, perplexed but not in despair, carrying death yet displaying life
💪 Momentary afflictions produce an "incomparable eternal weight of glory" as believers focus on unseen eternal realities rather than temporary visible circumstances
💝 Generosity flows naturally from understanding Christ's sacrifice - "though he was rich, for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich"
🤝 Authentic ministry requires transparency, sincerity, and reconciling relationships both with God and fellow believers through forgiveness and restoration
may be over whelmed by ex ces sive grief. 8 There fore I urge you to re aff irm your love to him. 9 I wrote for this pur pose: to test your char ac ter to see if you are obe di ent in ev ery thing. 10 Any one you for give, I do too. For what I have for giv en — if I have for giv en any thing — it is for your ben e fit in the pres ence of Christ, 11 so that we may not be tak en ad van tage of by Sa tan. For we are not ig no rant of his schemes. A TRIP TO MACEDONIA 12 When I came to Tro as to preach the gos pel of Christ, even though the Lord opened a door for me, 13 I had no rest in my spir it be cause I did not find my broth er Ti tus. In stead, I said good-bye to them and left for Mac e do nia. A MINISTRY OF LIFE OR DEATH 14 But thanks be to God, who al ways leads us in Christ’s tri um phal pro ces sion and through us spreads the aro ma of the knowl edge of him in ev ery place. 15 For to God we are the fra grance of Christ among those who are be ing saved and among those who are per ish ing. 16 To some we are an aro ma of death lead ing to death, but to oth ers, an aro ma of life lead ing to life. Who is adequate for these things? 17 For we do not mar ket the word of God for profi t like so many . a On the con trary , we speak with sin- cer i ty in Christ, as from God and be fore God. LIVING LETTERS 3 Are we be gin ning to com mend our selves again? Or do we need, like some, let ters of rec om men da tion to you or from you? 2 You your selves are our let ter, writ ten on our hearts, known and read by ev ery one. 3 You show that you are Christ’s let ter, de liv ered b by us, not writ ten with ink but with the Spir it of the liv ing God — not on tab lets of stone but on tab lets of hu man hearts. c PAUL’S COMPETENCE 4 Such is the con fi dence we have through Christ be fore God. 5 It is not that we are com pe tent in d our selves to claim any thing as com ing from our selves, but our adequacy is from God. 6 He has made us com pe tent to be min is ters of a new cov enant, not of the let ter, but of the Spir - it. For the let ter kills, but the Spir it gives life. NEW COVENANT MINISTRY 7 Now if the min is try that brought death, chis- eled in let ters on stones, came with glo ry , so that the Is ra el ites were not able to gaze steadi ly at Moses’s face be cause of its glo ry , which was set aside, 8 how will the min is try of the Spir it not be more glo ri ous? 9 For if the min is try that brought con dem na tion had glo ry , the min is try that brings righ teous ness over flows with even more glo ry . 10 In fact, what had been glo ri ous is not glo ri ous now by com par i son be cause of the glo ry that sur pass es it. 11 For if what was set aside was glo ri ous, what en dures will be even more glo ri ous. 12 Since, then, we have such a hope, we act with great bold ness. 13 We are not like Mo ses, who used to put a veil over his face to pre vent the Is ra el ites from gaz ing steadi ly un til the end e of the glo ry of what was be ing set aside, 14 but their minds were hard ened. For to this day , at the read ing of the old cov enant, the same veil re mains; it is not lift ed, be cause it is set aside only in Christ. 15 Yet still to day , when ev er Mo ses is read, a veil lies over their hearts, 16 but when ev er a per son turns to the Lord, the veil is re moved. 17 Now the Lord is the Spir it, and where the Spir it of the Lord is, there is free dom. 18 We all, with un veiled fac es, are look ing as in a mir ror at f the glo ry of the Lord and are be ing trans formed into the same im age from glo ry to glo ry; this is from the Lord who is the Spir it. g THE LIGHT OF THE GOSPEL 4 There fore, since we have this min is try be cause we were shown mer cy , we do not give up. 2 In stead, we have re nounced se cret and shame ful things, not act ing de ceit ful ly or distorting the word of God, but commending our selves be fore God to ev ery one’s con science by an open dis play of the truth. 3 But if our gos pel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are per ish ing. 4 In their case, the god of this age has blind ed the minds of the un be liev ers to keep them from see ing the light of the gos pel of the glo ry of Christ, h who is the im age of God. 5 For we are not pro claim ing our selves but Jesus Christ as Lord, and our selves as your ser vants for Jesus’s sake. 6 For God who said, a2:17 Other mss read like the rest b3:3 Lit ministered to c3:3 Lit fleshly hearts d3:5 Lit from e3:13 Or at the outcome f3:18 Or are reflecting g3:18 Or from the Spirit of the Lord, or from the Lord, the Spirit h4:4 Or the gospel of the glorious Christ, or the glorious gospel of Christ2 CORINTHIANS 2-4 1024 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1024 10/26/17 9:00 PM “ Let light shine out of dark ness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowl edge of God’s glo ry in the face of Jesus Christ. TREASURE IN CLAY JARS 7 Now we have this trea sure in clay jars, so that this ex tra or di nary pow er may be from God and not from us. 8 We are afflicted in ev ery way but not crushed; we are per plexed but not in de spair; 9 we are per se cut ed but not aban doned; we are struck down but not de- stroyed. 10 We al ways car ry the death of Jesus in our body , so that the life of Jesus may also be dis played in our body . 11 For we who live are al ways be ing giv en over to death for Jesus’s sake, so that Jesus’s life may also be dis played in our mor tal flesh. 12 So then, death is at work in us, but life in you. 13 And since we have the same spir it of faith in keep ing with what is writ ten, I be lieved, there fore I spoke, a we also be lieve, and there fore speak. 14 For we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will also raise us with Jesus and pre sent us with you. 15 In deed, ev ery thing is for your ben e fit so that, as grace ex tends through more and more peo ple, it may cause thanks giv ing to in crease to the glo ry of God. 16 There fore we do not give up. Even though our out er per son is be ing de stroyed, our in- ner per son is be ing re newed day by day . 17 For our mo men tary light affliction is pro duc ing for us an ab so lute ly in com pa ra ble eter nal weight of glo ry . 18 So we do not fo cus on what is seen, but on what is un seen. For what is seen is tem po rary , but what is un seen is eter nal. OUR FUTURE AFTER DEATH 5 For we know that if our earth ly tent we live in is de stroyed, we have a build ing from God, an eter nal dwell ing in the heav ens, not made with hands. 2 In deed, we groan in this tent, desiring to put on our heav en ly dwell ing, 3 since, when we have tak en it off, b we will not be found na ked. 4 In deed, we groan while we are in this tent, bur dened as we are, be cause we do not want to be un clothed but clothed, so that mortality may be swal lowed up by life. 5 Now the one who pre pared us for this very pur pose is God, who gave us the Spir it as a down pay ment. 6 So we are al ways con fi dent and know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. 7 For we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 In fact, we are con fi dent, and we would pre fer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 There fore, wheth er we are at home or away , we make it our aim to be pleas- ing to him. 10 For we must all ap pear be fore the judg ment seat of Christ, so that each may be re paid for what he has done in the body , wheth er good or evil. 11 There fore, since we know the fear of the Lord, we try to per suade peo ple. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your con sciences. 12 We are not commending our - selves to you again, but giv ing you an op por - tu ni ty to be proud of us, so that you may have a re ply for those who take pride in out ward ap pear ance rath er than in the heart. 13 For if we are out of our mind, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. 14 For the love of Christ com pels us, since we have reached this con clu sion: If one died for all, then all died. 15 And he died for all so that those who live should no lon ger live for them selves, but for the one who died for them and was raised. THE MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION 16 From now on, then, we do not know any one from a world ly perspective. c Even if we have known Christ from a world ly perspective, d yet now we no lon ger know him in this way . 17 There fore, if any one is in Christ, he is a new cre a tion; the old has passed away , and see, the new has e come! 18 Ev ery thing is from God, who has rec on ciled us to him self through Christ and has giv en us the min is try of rec on cil ia- tion. 19 That is, in Christ, God was rec on cil ing the world to him self, not count ing their tres- pass es against them, and he has com mit ted the mes sage of rec on cil ia tion to us. 20 There fore, we are am bas sa dors for Christ, since God is mak ing his ap peal through us. We plead on Christ’s be half: “ Be rec on ciled to God.” 21 He made the one who did not know sin to be sin f for us, so that in him we might be come the righ teous ness of God. 6 Work ing to geth er with him, we also ap peal to you, “ Don’t re ceive the grace of God in vain.” 2 For he says: At an acceptable time I listened to you, and in the day of salvation I helped you. g a4:13 Ps 116:10 LXX b5:3 Other mss read when we have put on c5:16 Lit anyone according to the flesh d5:16 Lit Christ according to the flesh e5:17 Other mss read look, all new things have f5:21 Or be a sin offering g6:2 Is 49:8 1025 2 CORINTHIANS 4-6 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1025 10/26/17 9:00 PM See, now is the ac cept able time; now is the day of sal va tion! THE CHARACTER OF PAUL’S MINISTRY 3 We are not giv ing any one an oc ca sion for of- fense, so that the min is try will not be blamed. 4 In stead, as God’s min is ters, we com mend our selves in ev ery thing: by great en dur ance, by afflictions, by hard ships, by diff i cul ties, 5 by beat ings, by im pris on ments, by ri ots, by la bors, by sleep less nights, by times of hun- ger, 6 by pu ri ty , by knowl edge, by pa tience, by kind ness, by the Holy Spir it, by sin cere love, 7 by the word of truth, a by the pow er of God; through weap ons of righ teous ness for the right hand and the left, 8 through glo ry and dis hon or, through slan der and good re port; re gard ed as de ceiv ers, yet true; 9 as un known, yet rec og nized; as dy ing, yet see — we live; as be ing dis ci plined, yet not killed; 10 as griev ing, yet al ways re joic ing; as poor, yet enriching many; as hav ing noth ing, yet pos sess ing ev- ery thing. 11 We have spo ken open ly to you, Co rin thi ans; our heart has been opened wide. 12 We are not with hold ing our aff ec tion from you, but you are with hold ing yours from us. 13 I speak as to my chil dren; as a prop er re- sponse, open your heart to us. SEPARATION TO GOD 14 Don’t be come part ners with those who do not be lieve. For what part ner ship is there be tween righ teous ness and law less ness? Or what fel- low ship does light have with dark ness? 15 What agree ment does Christ have with Be li al? b Or what does a be liev er have in com mon with an un be liev er? 16 And what agree ment does the tem ple of God have with idols? For we c are the tem ple of the liv ing God, as God said: I will dwell and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people. d 17 Therefore, come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord; do not touch any unclean thing, and I will welcome you. e 18 And I will be a Father to you, and you will be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty . f7 So then, dear friends, since we have these prom is es, let us cleanse our selves from ev- ery im pu ri ty of the flesh and spir it, bring ing ho li ness to com ple tion g in the fear of God. JOY AND REPENTANCE 2 Make room for us in your hearts. We have wronged no one, cor rupt ed no one, tak en ad- van tage of no one. 3 I don’t say this to con demn you, since I have al ready said that you are in our hearts, to die to geth er and to live to geth er. 4 I am very frank with you; I have great pride in you. I am filled with encouragement; I am over flow ing with joy in all our afflictions. 5 In fact, when we came into Mac e do nia, we h had no rest. In stead, we were trou bled in ev ery way: con flicts on the out side, fears with in. 6 But God, who com forts the downcast, com fort ed us by the ar riv al of Ti tus, 7 and not only by his ar riv al but also by the com fort he re ceived from you. He told us about your deep long ing, your sor row , and your zeal for me, so that I re joiced even more. 8 For even if I grieved you with my let ter, I don’t re gret it. And if I regretted it — since I saw that the let ter grieved you, yet only for a while — 9 I now re joice, not be cause you were grieved, but be cause your grief led to re pen tance. For you were grieved as God willed, so that you didn’t ex pe ri ence any loss from us. 10 For god- ly grief pro duc es a re pen tance that leads to sal va tion with out re gret, but world ly grief pro duc es death. 11 For con sid er how much dil - i gence this very thing — this griev ing as God wills — has pro duced in you: what a de sire to clear your selves, what in dig na tion, what fear, what deep long ing, what zeal, what jus tice! In ev ery way you showed your selves to be pure in this mat ter. 12 So even though I wrote to you, it was not be cause of the one who did wrong, or be cause of the one who was wronged, but in or der that your de vo tion to us might be made plain to you in the sight of God. 13 For this rea son we have been com fort ed. In ad di tion to our own com fort, we re joiced even more over the joy Ti tus had, be cause his spir it was re freshed by all of you. 14 For if I have made any boast to him about you, I have not been dis ap point ed; but as I have spo ken ev ery thing to you in truth, so our boast ing to Ti tus has also turned out to be the truth. 15 And his aff ec tion to ward you is even great er as he a6:7 Or by truthful speech b6:15 Or Beliar c6:16 Other mss read you d6:16 Lv 26:12; Jr 31:33; 32:38; Ezk 37:26 e6:17 Is 52:11 f6:18 2Sm 7:14; Is 43:6; 49:22; 60:4; Hs 1:10 g7:1 Or spirit, perfecting holiness h7:5 Lit our flesh2 CORINTHIANS 6-7 1026 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1026 10/26/17 9:00 PM re mem bers the obe di ence of all of you, and how you re ceived him with fear and trem- bling. 16 I re joice that I have com plete con fi- dence in you. APPEAL TO COMPLETE THE COLLECTION 8 We want you to know , broth ers and sis ters, about the grace of God that was giv en to the church es of Mac e do nia: 2 Dur ing a se vere tri al brought about by affliction, their abun- dant joy and their ex treme pov er ty over flowed in a wealth of gen er os i ty on their part. 3 I can tes ti fy that, ac cord ing to their abil i ty and even be yond their abil i ty , of their own ac cord, 4 they begged us ear nest ly for the priv i lege of shar ing in the min is try to the saints, 5 and not just as we had hoped. In stead, they gave them selves first to the Lord and then to us by God’s will. 6 So we urged Ti tus that just as he had be gun, so he should also com plete among you this act of grace. 7 Now as you ex cel in ev ery thing — in faith, speech, knowl edge, and in all dil i gence, and in your love for us a — ex cel also in this act of grace. 8 I am not say ing this as a com mand. Rath er, by means of the dil i gence of oth ers, I am test ing the genuineness of your love. 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ: Though he was rich, for your sake he be came poor, so that by his pov er ty you might be come rich. 10 And in this mat ter I am giv ing ad vice be cause it is profi t able for you, who be gan last year not only to do some thing but also to want to do it. 11 Now also fin ish the task, so that just as there was an ea ger de sire, there may also be a com ple tion, ac cord ing to what you have. 12 For if the ea ger ness is there, the gift is ac cept able ac cord ing to what a per son has, not ac cord ing to what he does not have. 13 It is not that there should be re lief for oth ers and hard ship for you, but it is a ques tion of equal i ty . b 14 At the pre sent time your sur plus is avail able for their need, so that their abun- dance may in turn meet your need, in or der that there may be equal i ty . 15 As it is writ ten: The per son who had much did not have too much, and the per son who had lit tle did not have too lit tle. c ADMINISTRATION OF THE COLLECTION 16 Thanks be to God, who put the same con- cern for you into the heart of Ti tus. 17 For he wel comed our ap peal and, be ing very dil- i gent, went out to you by his own choice. 18 We have sent with him the broth er who is praised among all the church es for his gos pel min is try . d 19 And not only that, but he was also ap point ed by the church es to ac com pa ny us with this gra cious gift that we are ad min is ter ing for the glo ry of the Lord him self and to show our ea ger ness to help. 20 We are tak ing this precaution so that no one will criticize us about this large sum that we are ad min is ter ing. 21 In deed, we are giv ing care ful thought to do what is right, not only be fore the Lord but also be fore peo ple. 22 We have also sent with them our broth er. We have of ten test ed him in many cir cum stanc es and found
🙏 Generous Giving and Apostolic Authority
💰 Cheerful giving flows from a heart decision, not reluctance or compulsion, with God promising to multiply both seed and harvest for those who give generously
🛡️ Paul's apostolic authority stands firm despite criticism of his physical presence, as he wields spiritual weapons to demolish arguments against God's knowledge
⚔️ False apostles disguise themselves as servants of righteousness while Paul's genuine ministry is validated through extraordinary suffering—imprisonments, beatings, shipwrecks, and constant danger
🌱 God's grace proves sufficient in weakness, with Christ's power perfected through human limitations, transforming vulnerability into spiritual strength
🔍 Self-examination reveals whether Christ dwells within believers, while Paul uses his authority for building up the church rather than tearing it down
🕊️ The ultimate goal remains spiritual maturity, unity of mind, and peace, culminating in the blessing of Christ's grace, God's love, and the Holy Spirit's fellowship
him to be dil i gent — and now even more dil i gent be cause of his great con fi dence in you. 23 As for Ti tus, he is my part ner and co work er for you; as for our broth ers, they are the mes sen gers of the church es, the glo ry of Christ. 24 There- fore, show them proof be fore the church es of your love and of our boast ing about you. MOTIVATIONS FOR GIVING 9 Now con cern ing the min is try to the saints, it is unnecessary for me to write to you. 2 For I know your ea ger ness, and I boast about you to the Mac e do ni ans: “ Acha ia has been ready since last year,” and your zeal has stirred up most of them. 3 But I am send ing the broth- ers so that our boast ing about you in this mat- ter would not prove emp ty , and so that you would be ready just as I said. 4 Oth er wise, if any Mac e do ni ans come with me and find you un pre pared, we, not to men tion you, would be put to shame in that sit u a tion. e 5 There fore I con sid ered it nec es sary to urge the broth ers to go on ahead to you and ar range in ad vance the gen er ous gift you prom ised, so that it will be ready as a gift and not as an ex tor tion. 6 The point is this: f The per son who sows spar ing ly will also reap spar ing ly , and the per son who sows gen er ous ly will also reap gen er ous ly . 7 Each per son should do as he has de cid ed in his heart — not re luc tant ly or out of com pul sion, since God loves a cheer ful giv er. 8 And God is able to make ev ery grace over flow to you, so that in ev ery way , al ways hav ing ev ery thing you need, you may ex cel in ev ery good work. 9 As it is writ ten: a8:7 Other mss read in our love for you b8:13 Lit but from equality c8:15 Ex 16:18 d8:18 Lit churches, in the gospel e 9:4 Or in this confidence f 9:6 Lit And this 1027 2 CORINTHIANS 7-9 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1027 10/26/17 9:00 PM He distributed freely; he gave to the poor; his righteousness endures forever. a 10 Now the one who pro vides seed for the sow- er and bread for food will also pro vide and mul ti ply your seed and in crease the har vest of your righ teous ness. 11 You will be en riched in ev ery way for all gen er os i ty , which pro duc es thanks giv ing to God through us. 12 For the min - is try of this ser vice is not only sup ply ing the needs of the saints but is also over flow ing in many ex pres sions of thanks to God. 13 Be cause of the proof pro vid ed by this min is try , they will glo ri fy God for your obe di ent con fes sion of the gos pel of Christ, and for your gen er os- i ty in shar ing with them and with ev ery one. 14 And as they pray on your be half, they will have deep aff ec tion for you be cause of the sur pass ing grace of God in you. 15 Thanks be to God for his in de scrib able gift! PAUL’S APOSTOLIC AUTHORITY 10 Now I Paul, my self, ap peal to you by the meek ness and gen tle ness of Christ — I who am hum ble among you in per son but bold to ward you when ab sent. 2 I beg you that when I am pre sent I will not need to be bold with the con fi dence by which I plan to chal lenge cer tain peo ple who think we are behaving ac cord ing to the flesh. 3 For al though we live in the flesh, we do not wage war ac cord ing to the flesh, 4 since the weap ons of our war fare are not of the flesh, but are pow er ful through God for the demolition of strong holds. We de mol ish ar gu ments 5 and ev ery proud thing that is raised up against the knowl edge of God, and we take ev ery thought cap tive to obey Christ. 6 And we are ready to pun ish any dis obe di ence, once your obe di ence is com plete. 7 Look at what is ob vi ous. b If any one is con fi- dent that he be longs to Christ, let him re mind him self of this: Just as he be longs to Christ, so do we. 8 For if I boast a lit tle too much about our au thor i ty , which the Lord gave for build ing you up and not for tear ing you down, I will not be put to shame. 9 I don’t want to seem as though I am try ing to ter ri fy you with my let- ters. 10 For it is said, “ His let ters are weighty and pow er ful, but his phys i cal pres ence is weak and his pub lic speak ing amounts to noth ing.” 11 Let such a per son con sid er this: What we are in our let ters, when we are ab sent, we will also be in our ac tions when we are pre sent. 12 For we don’t dare clas si fy or com pare our - selves with some who com mend them selves. But in mea sur ing them selves by them selves and com par ing them selves to them selves, they lack un der stand ing. 13 We, how ev er, will not boast be yond mea sure but ac cord ing to the mea sure of the area of min is try that God has as signed to us, which reach es even to you. 14 For we are not overextending our selves, as if we had not reached you, since we have come to you with the gos pel of Christ. 15 We are not boast ing be yond mea sure about oth er peo ple’s la bors. On the con trary , we have the hope that as your faith in creas es, our area of min is try will be great ly en larged, 16 so that we may preach the gos pel to the re gions be yond you with out boast ing about what has al ready been done in some one else’s area of min is try . 17 So let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord. c 18 For it is not the one commending him self who is ap proved, but the one the Lord com mends. PAUL AND THE FALSE APOSTLES 11 I wish you would put up with a lit tle fool- ish ness from me. Yes, do put up with me! d 2 For I am jeal ous for you with a god ly jeal ou sy , be cause I have prom ised you in mar riage to one hus band — to pre sent a pure vir gin to Christ. 3 But I fear that, as the ser pent de ceived Eve by his cun ning, your minds may be se duced from a sin cere and pure e de vo tion to Christ. 4 For if a per son comes and preach es an oth er Jesus, whom we did not preach, or you re ceive a diff er ent spir it, which you had not re ceived, or a diff er ent gos pel, which you had not ac- cept ed, you put up with it splendidly! 5 Now I con sid er my self in no way in fe ri or to those “super-apostles.” 6 Even if I am untrained in pub lic speak ing, I am cer tain ly not untrained in knowl edge. In deed, we have in ev ery way made that clear to you in ev ery thing. 7 Or did I com mit a sin by humbling my self so that you might be ex alt ed, be cause I preached the gos pel of God to you free of charge? 8 I robbed oth er church es by tak ing pay from them to min is ter to you. 9 When I was pre sent with you and in need, I did not bur den any one, since the broth ers who came from Mac e do nia sup- plied my needs. I have kept my self, and will keep my self, from bur den ing you in any way . a9:9 Ps 112:9 b10:7 Or You are looking at things outwardly c10:17 Jr 9:24 d11:1 Or Yes, you are putting up with me e11:3 Other mss omit and pure2 CORINTHIANS 9-11 1028 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1028 10/26/17 9:00 PM 10 As the truth of Christ is in me, this boast ing of mine will not be stopped a in the re gions of Acha ia. 11 Why? Be cause I don’t love you? God knows I do! 12 But I will con tin ue to do what I am do ing, in or der to deny b an op por tu ni ty to those who want to be re gard ed as our equals in what they boast about. 13 For such peo ple are false apos- tles, de ceit ful work ers, disguising them selves as apos tles of Christ. 14 And no won der! For Sa tan dis guis es him self as an an gel of light. 15 So it is no great sur prise if his ser vants also dis guise them selves as ser vants of righ teous- ness. Their end will be ac cord ing to their works. PAUL’S SUFFERINGS FOR CHRIST 16 I re peat: Let no one con sid er me a fool. But if you do, at least ac cept me as a fool so that I can also boast a lit tle. 17 What I am say ing in this mat ter c of boast ing, I don’t speak as the Lord would, but as it were, fool ish ly . 18 Since many boast ac cord ing to the flesh, I will also boast. 19 For you, be ing so wise, glad ly put up with fools! 20 In fact, you put up with it if some - one en slaves you, if some one ex ploits you, if some one takes ad van tage of you, if some one is ar ro gant to ward you, if some one slaps you in the face. 21 I say this to our shame: We have been too weak for that! But in what ev er any one dares to boast — I am talk ing fool ish ly — I also dare: 22 Are they He brews? So am I. Are they Is ra el ites? So am I. Are they the de scen dants of Abra ham? So am I. 23 Are they ser vants of Christ? I’m talk- ing like a mad man — I’m a bet ter one: with far more la bors, many more im pris on ments, far worse beat ings, many times near death. 24 Five times I re ceived the for ty lash es mi- nus one from the Jews. 25 Three times I was beat en with rods. Once I re ceived a ston ing. Three times I was ship wrecked. I have spent a night and a day in the open sea. 26 On fre- quent jour neys, I faced dan gers from riv ers, dan gers from rob bers, dan gers from my own peo ple, dan gers from Gen tiles, dan gers in the city , dan gers in the wil der ness, dan gers at sea, and dan gers among false broth ers; 27 toil and hard ship, many sleep less nights, hun ger and thirst, of ten with out food, cold, and with out cloth ing. 28 Not to men tion d oth er things, there is the dai ly pres sure on me: my con cern for all the church es. 29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to stum ble, and I do not burn with in dig na tion? 30 If boast ing is nec es sary , I will boast about my weak ness es. 31 The God and Fa ther of the Lord Jesus, who is blessed for ev er, knows I am not ly ing. 32 In Da mas cus, a rul er e un der King Ar e tas guard ed the city of Da mas cus in or der to ar rest me. 33 So I was let down in a bas ket through a win dow in the wall and es caped from his hands. SUFFICIENT GRACE 12 Boast ing is nec es sary . It is not profi t able, but I will move on to vi sions and rev e la- tions of the Lord. 2 I know a man in Christ who was caught up to the third heav en four teen years ago. Wheth er he was in the body or out of the body , I don’t know; God knows. 3 I know that this man — wheth er in the body or out of the body I don’t know; God knows — 4 was caught up into par a dise and heard in ex press- ible words, which a hu man be ing is not al lowed to speak. 5 I will boast about this per son, but not about my self, ex cept of my weak ness es. 6 For if I want to boast, I wouldn’t be a fool, be cause I would be tell ing the truth. But I will spare you, so that no one can cred it me with some thing be yond what he sees in me or hears from me, 7 es pe cial ly be cause of the ex tra or - di nary rev e la tions. There fore, so that I would not ex alt my self, a thorn in the flesh was giv en to me, a mes sen ger of Sa tan to tor ment me so that I would not ex alt my self. 8 Con cern ing this, I plead ed with the Lord three times that it would leave me. 9 But he said to me, “ My grace is suff i cient for you, for my pow er is perfected in weak ness.” There fore, I will most glad ly boast all the more about my weak ness es, so that Christ’s pow er may re side in me. 10 So I take plea sure in weak ness es, in sults, hard ships, per se cu tions, and in diff i cul ties, for the sake of Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong. SIGNS OF AN APOSTLE 11 I have been a fool; you forced it on me. You ought to have com mend ed me, since I am not in any way in fe ri or to those “super-apostles,” even though I am noth ing. 12 The signs of an apos- tle were per formed with un fail ing en dur ance among you, in clud ing signs and won ders and mir a cles. 13 So in what way are you worse off a11:10 Or silenced b11:12 Lit cut off c11:17 Or business, or confidence d11:28 Lit Apart from e11:32 Gk ethnarches ; a leader of an ethnic community 1029 2 CORINTHIANS 11-12 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1029 10/26/17 9:00 PM than the oth er church es, ex cept that I per son al ly did not bur den you? For give me for this wrong! PAUL’S CONCERN FOR THE CORINTHIANS 14 Look, I am ready to come to you this third time. I will not bur den you, since I am not seek ing what is yours, but you. For chil dren ought not save up for their par ents, but par ents for their chil dren. 15 I will most glad ly spend and be spent for you. a If I love you more, am I to be loved less? 16 Now grant ed, I did not bur den you; yet sly as I am, I took you in by de ceit! 17 Did I take ad van tage of you by any of those I sent you? 18 I urged Ti tus to go, and I sent the broth er with him. Ti tus didn’t take ad van tage of you, did he? Didn’t we walk in the same spir it and in the same foot steps? 19 Have you been think ing all along that we were de fend ing our selves to you? No, in the sight of God we are speak ing in Christ, and ev ery thing, dear friends, is for build ing you up. 20 For I fear that per haps when I come I will not find you to be what I want, and you may not find me to be what you want. Per - haps there will be quar rel ing, jeal ou sy , an gry out bursts, selfi sh am bi tions, slan der, gos sip, ar ro gance, and dis or der. 21 I fear that when I come my God will again b hu mil i ate me in your pres ence, and I will grieve for many who sinned be fore and have not re pent ed of the mor al im pu ri ty , sex u al im mo ral i ty , and sen- su al i ty they prac ticed. FINAL WARNINGS AND EXHORTATIONS 13 This is the third time I am com ing to you. Ev ery mat ter must be es tab lished by the tes ti mo ny of two or three wit ness es. c 2 I gave a warn ing when I was pre sent the sec ond time, and now I give a warn ing while I am ab sent to those who sinned be fore and to all the rest: If I come again, I will not be lenient, 3 since you seek proof of Christ speak - ing in me. He is not weak in deal ing with you, but pow er ful among you. 4 For he was cru ci fied in weak ness, but he lives by the pow er of God. For we also are weak in him, but in deal ing with you we will live with him by God’s pow er. 5 Test your selves to see if you are in the faith. Ex am ine your selves. Or do you your - selves not rec og nize that Jesus Christ is in you? — un less you fail the test. d 6 And I hope you will rec og nize that we our selves do not fail the test. 7 But we pray to God that you do noth ing wrong — not that we may ap pear to pass the test, but that you may do what is right, even though we may ap pear to fail. 8 For we can’t do any thing against the truth, but only for the truth. 9 We re joice when we are weak and you are strong. We also pray that you be come ful ly ma ture. e 10 This is why I am writ ing these things while ab sent, so that when I am there I may not have to deal harsh ly with you, in keep ing with the au thor - i ty the Lord gave me for build ing up and not for tear ing down. 11 Fi nal ly , broth ers and sis ters, re joice. f Be- come ma ture, be en cour aged, g be of the same mind, be at peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you. 12 Greet one an oth er with a holy kiss. All the saints send you greet ings. 13 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fel low ship of the Holy Spir it be with you all. h a12:15 Lit for your souls, or for your lives b12:21 Or come again my God will c13:1 Dt 17:6; 19:15 d13:5 Or you are disqualified, or you are counterfeit e13:9 Or become complete, or be restored f13:11 Or farewell g13:11 Or listen to my appeal h13:12-13 Some translations divide these two vv. into three vv. so that v. 13 begins with All the saints . . . and v. 14 begins with The grace of . . .2 CORINTHIANS 12-13 1030 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1030 10/26/17 9:00 PM Gala Tians GREETING 1 Paul, an apos tle — not from men or by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Fa ther who raised him from the dead — 2 and all the broth- ers who are with me: To the church es of Ga la tia. 3 Grace to you and peace from God the Fa- ther and our Lord a Jesus Christ, 4 who gave him self for our sins to res cue us from this pre sent evil age, ac cord ing to the will of our God and Fa ther. 5 To him be the glo ry for ev er and ever. Amen. NO OTHER GOSPEL 6 I am amazed that you are so quick ly turn ing away from him who called you by the grace of Christ and are turn ing to a diff er ent gos pel — 7 not that there is an oth er gos pel, but there are some who are trou bling you and want to dis tort the gos pel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an an gel from heav en should preach to you a gos pel con trary to what we have preached to you, a curse be on him! b 9 As we have said be fore, I now say again: If any one is preach ing to you a gos pel con trary to what you re ceived, a curse be on him! 10 For am I now try ing to per suade peo ple, c or God? Or am I striv ing to please peo ple? If I were still try ing to please peo ple, I would not be a ser vant of Christ. PAUL DEFENDS HIS APOSTLESHIP 11 For I want you to know , broth ers and sis ters, that the gos pel preached by me is not of hu- man or i gin. 12 For I did not re ceive it from a hu man source and I was not taught it, but it came by a rev e la tion of Jesus Christ. 13 For you have heard about my for mer way of life in Ju da ism: I in tense ly per se cut ed God’s church and tried to de stroy it. 14 I ad vanced in Ju da ism be yond many contemporaries among my peo ple, be cause I was ex treme ly zeal
🙏 Freedom in Christ
🔄 Paul's conversion transformed him from persecutor to preacher, establishing his apostolic authority directly from God rather than human sources
⚖️ Justification by faith stands as the central message—believers are made right with God through faith in Christ, not by following religious laws
🔗 Abraham's example demonstrates that true heirs of God's promise are those who trust God, creating a spiritual lineage that transcends ethnic boundaries
👑 Freedom in Christ liberates believers from religious legalism while empowering them to serve others through love rather than self-indulgence
🌱 The Spirit-led life produces fruit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control) that contrasts sharply with works of the flesh
🤝 Christian community thrives when believers carry each other's burdens, restore the fallen gently, and persist in doing good without growing weary
ous for the tra di tions of my an ces tors. 15 But when God, who from my moth er’s womb set me apart and called me by his grace, was pleased 16 to re veal his Son in me, so that I could preach him among the Gen tiles, I did not im me di ate ly con sult with any one. d 17 I did not go up to Je- ru sa lem to those who had be come apos tles be fore me; in stead I went to Ara bia and came back to Da mas cus. 18 Then af ter three years I did go up to Je- ru sa lem to get to know Ce phas, e and I stayed with him fif teen days. 19 But I didn’t see any of the oth er apos tles ex cept James, the Lord’s broth er. 20 I de clare in the sight of God: I am not ly ing in what I write to you. 21 Af ter ward, I went to the re gions of Syr - ia and Ci li cia. 22 I re mained per son al ly un- known to the Ju de an church es that are in Christ. 23 They sim ply kept hear ing: “ He who for mer ly per se cut ed us now preach es the faith he once tried to de stroy .” 24 And they glo ri fied God be cause of me. f PAUL DEFENDS HIS GOSPEL AT JERUSALEM 2 Then af ter four teen years I went up again to Je ru sa lem with Bar na bas, tak ing Ti tus along also. 2 I went up ac cord ing to a rev e la tion and pre sent ed to them the gos pel I preach among the Gen tiles, but pri vate ly to those rec og nized as lead ers. I want ed to be sure I was not run ning, and had not been run ning, in vain. 3 But not even Ti tus, who was with me, was com pelled to be cir cum cised, even though he was a Greek. 4 This mat ter arose be cause some false broth ers had in fil trat ed our ranks to spy on the free dom we have in Christ Jesus in or der to en slave us. 5 But we did not give up and sub mit to these peo ple for even a mo ment, so that the truth of the gos pel would be pre served for you. 6 Now from those rec og nized as im por tant ( what they g once were makes no di ff er ence to me; God does not show fa vor it ism h) — they add ed noth ing to me. 7 On the con trary , they saw that I had been en trust ed with the gos pel for the un cir cum cised, just as Pe ter was for the cir cum cised, 8 since the one at work in Pe ter for an apos tle ship to the cir cum cised was also at work in me for the Gen tiles. 9 When James, Ce phas, e and John — those rec og nized as pil lars — ac knowl edged the grace that had been giv en to me, they gave the right hand a1:3 Other mss read God our Father and the Lord b1:8 Or you, let him be condemned, or you, let him be condemned to hell ; Gk anathema c1:10 Or win the approval of people d1:16 Lit flesh and blood e1:18; 2:9 Other mss read Peter f1:24 Or in me g2:6 Lit the recognized ones h2:6 Or God is not a respecter of persons ; lit God does not receive the face of man CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1031 10/26/17 9:00 PM of fel low ship to me and Bar na bas, agree ing that we should go to the Gen tiles and they to the cir cum cised. 10 They asked only that we would re mem ber the poor, which I had made ev ery eff ort to do. FREEDOM FROM THE LAW 11 But when Ce phas a came to An ti och, I op posed him to his face be cause he stood con demned. b 12 For he reg u lar ly ate with the Gen tiles be fore cer tain men came from James. How ev er, when they came, he with drew and sep a rat ed him self, be cause he feared those from the cir cum ci- sion par ty . 13 Then the rest of the Jews joined his hy poc ri sy , so that even Bar na bas was led astray by their hy poc ri sy . 14 But when I saw that they were deviating from the truth of the gos pel, I told Ce phas a in front of ev ery one, “ If you, who are a Jew , live like a Gen tile and not like a Jew , how can you com pel Gen tiles to live like Jews? ” c 15 We are Jews by birth and not “Gen tile sin ners,” 16 and yet be cause we know that a per son is not jus ti fied by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, d even we our selves have be lieved in Christ Jesus. This was so that we might be jus ti fied by faith in Christ e and not by the works of the law , be cause by the works of the law no hu man be ing will f be jus ti fied. 17 But if we our selves are also found to be “sin ners” while seek ing to be jus ti fied by Christ, is Christ then a pro- moter g of sin? Ab so lute ly not! 18 If I re build those things that I tore down, I show my self to be a law break er. 19 For through the law I died to the law , so that I might live for God. 20 I have been cru ci fied with Christ, and I no lon ger live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body , h I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave him self for me. 21 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righ teous ness comes through the law , then Christ died for noth ing. JUSTIFICATION THROUGH FAITH 3 You fool ish Ga la tians! Who has cast a spell on you, i be fore whose eyes Jesus Christ was pub lic ly por trayed j as cru ci fied? 2 I only want to learn this from you: Did you re ceive the Spir it by the works of the law or by believing what you heard? k 3 Are you so fool ish? Af ter be gin ning by the Spir it, are you now fin ish ing by the flesh? 4 Did you ex pe ri ence l so much for noth ing — if in fact it was for noth ing? 5 So then, does God give you the Spir it and work mir a cles among you by your do ing the works of the law? Or is it by be liev ing what you heard — 6 just like Abra ham who be‑ lieved God, and it was cred it ed to him for righ teous ness? m 7 You know , then, that those who have faith, these are Abra ham’s sons. 8 Now the Scrip ture saw in ad vance that God would jus ti fy the Gen tiles by faith and pro claimed the gos pel ahead of time to Abra ham, say ing, All the na tions n will be blessed through you. o 9 Con- se quent ly those who have faith are blessed with Abra ham, who had faith. p LAW AND PROMISE 10 For all who rely on the works of the law are un der a curse, be cause it is writ ten, Ev ery one who does not do ev ery thing writ ten in the book of the law is cursed. q 11 Now it is clear that no one is jus ti fied be fore God by the law , be cause the righ teous will live by faith. r 12 But the law is not based on faith; in stead, the one who does these things will live by them. s 13 Christ re deemed us from the curse of the law by be com ing a curse for us, be cause it is writ ten, Cursed is ev ery one who is hung on a tree. t 14 The pur pose was that the bless- ing of Abra ham would come to the Gen tiles by Christ Jesus, so that we could re ceive the prom ised Spir it through faith. 15 Broth ers and sis ters, I’m us ing a hu man il lus tra tion. No one sets aside or makes addi - tions to a validated hu man will. u 16 Now the prom is es were spo ken to Abra ham and to his seed. He does not say “ and to seeds,” as though re fer ring to many , but re fer ring to one, and to your seed, v who is Christ. 17 My point is this: The law , which came 430 years lat er, does not invalidate a cov enant pre vi ous ly es tab lished by God w and thus can cel the prom ise. 18 For if the in her i tance is based on the law , it is no lon ger based on the prom ise; but God has gra cious- ly giv en it to Abra ham through the prom ise. a2:11,14 Other mss read Peter b2:11 Or he was in the wrong c2:14 Some translations continue the quotation through v. 16 or v. 21. d2:16 Or by the faithfulness of Jesus Christ e2:16 Or by the faithfulness of Christ f2:16 Lit law all flesh will not g2:17 Or servant h2:20 Lit flesh i3:1 Other mss add not to obey the truth j3:1 Other mss add among you k3:2 Lit hearing with faith, also in v. 5 l3:4 Or suffer m3:6 Gn 15:6 n3:8 Or Gentiles o3:8 Gn 12:3; 18:18 p3:9 Or with believing Abraham q3:10 Dt 27:26 r3:11 Hab 2:4 s3:12 Lv 18:5 t3:13 Dt 21:23 u3:15 Or a human covenant that has been ratified v3:16 Gn 12:7; 13:15; 17:8; 24:7 w3:17 Other mss add in ChristGALATIANS 2-3 1032 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1032 10/26/17 9:00 PM THE PURPOSE OF THE LAW 19 Why then was the law giv en? It was add ed for the sake of trans gres sions a un til the Seed to whom the prom ise was made would come. The law was put into eff ect through an gels by means of a me di a tor. 20 Now a me di a tor is not just for one per son alone, but God is one. 21 Is the law there fore con trary to God’s prom is es? Ab so lute ly not! For if the law had been grant ed with the abil i ty to give life, then righ teous ness would cer tain ly be on the ba- sis of the law . 22 But the Scrip ture im pris oned ev ery thing un der sin’s pow er, b so that the prom ise might be giv en on the ba sis of faith in Jesus Christ to those who be lieve. 23 Be fore this faith came, we were con fined un der the law , im pris oned un til the com ing faith was re vealed. 24 The law , then, was our guard ian un til Christ, so that we could be jus ti fied by faith. 25 But since that faith has come, we are no lon ger un der a guard ian, 26 for through faith you are all sons of God in Christ Jesus. SONS AND HEIRS 27 For those of you who were bap tized into Christ have been clothed with Christ. 28 There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and fe male; since you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you be long to Christ, then you are Abra ham’s 4 seed, heirs ac cord ing to the prom ise. 1 Now I say that as long as the heir is a child, he diff ers in no way from a slave, though he is the own er of ev ery thing. 2 In stead, he is un der guard ians and trust ees un til the time set by his fa ther. 3 In the same way we also, when we were chil dren, were in slav ery un der the el e ments c of the world. 4 When the time came to com ple- tion, God sent his Son, born of a wom an, born un der the law , 5 to re deem those un der the law , so that we might re ceive adop tion as sons. 6 And be cause you are sons, God sent the Spir it of his Son into our d hearts, cry ing, “ Abba, e Fa ther! ” 7 So you are no lon ger a slave but a son, and if a son, then God has made you an heir. PAUL’S CONCERN FOR THE GALATIANS 8 But in the past, since you didn’t know God, you were en slaved to things f that by na ture are not gods. 9 But now , since you know God, or rath er have be come known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worth less el e ments? Do you want to be en slaved to them all over again? 10 You are ob serv ing spe cial days, months, sea sons, and years. 11 I am fear - ful for you, that per haps my la bor for you has been wast ed. 12 I beg you, broth ers and sis ters: Be come like me, for I also be came like you. You have not wronged me; 13 you know g that pre vi ous- ly I preached the gos pel to you be cause of a weak ness of the flesh. 14 You did not de spise or re ject me though my phys i cal con di tion was a tri al for you. h On the con trary , you re ceived me as an an gel of God, as Christ Jesus him self. 15 Where, then, is your bless ing? For I tes ti fy to you that, if pos si ble, you would have torn out your eyes and giv en them to me. 16 So then, have I be come your en e my be cause I told you the truth? 17 They court you ea ger ly , but not for good. They want to ex clude you from me, so that you would pur sue them. 18 But it is al ways good to be pur sued i in a good man ner — and not just when I am with you. 19 My chil dren, I am again suff er ing la bor pains for you un til Christ is formed in you. 20 I would like to be with you right now and change my tone of voice, be cause I don’t know what to do about you. SARAH AND HAGAR: TWO COVENANTS 21 Tell me, you who want to be un der the law , don’t you hear the law? 22 For it is writ ten that Abra ham had two sons, one by a slave and the oth er by a free wom an. 23 But the one by the slave was born as a re sult of the flesh, while the one by the free wom an was born through prom ise. 24 These things are be ing tak en fig u ra tive ly , for the wom en rep re sent two cov enants. One is from Mount Si nai and bears chil dren into slav ery — this is Ha gar. 25 Now Ha gar rep re sents Mount Si nai in Ara- bia and cor re sponds to the pre sent Je ru sa lem, for she is in slav ery with her chil dren. 26 But the Je ru sa lem above is free, and she is our moth er. 27 For it is writ ten, Rejoice, childless woman, unable to give birth. Burst into song and shout, you who are not in labor, for the children of the desolate woman will be many , more numerous than those of the woman who has a husband. j a3:19 Or because of transgressions b3:22 Lit under sin c4:3 Or spirits, or principles d4:6 Other mss read your e4:6 Aramaic for father f4:8 Or beings g4:12-13 Or 12 Become like I am, because I — inasmuch as you are brothers and sisters — am not requesting anything of you. You wronged me. 13 You know h4:14 Other mss read me i4:18 Lit zealously courted j4:27 Is 54:1 1033 GALATIANS 3-4 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1033 10/26/17 9:00 PM 28 Now you too, broth ers and sis ters, like Isaac, are chil dren of prom ise. 29 But just as then the child born as a re sult of the flesh per se cut ed the one born as a re sult of the Spir it, so also now . 30 But what does the Scrip ture say? “ Drive out the slave and her son, for the son of the slave will nev er be a coheir with the son of the free wom an.” a 31 There fore, broth ers and sis ters, we are not chil dren of a slave but of the free wom an. FREEDOM OF THE CHRISTIAN 5 For free dom, Christ set us free. Stand firm then and don’t sub mit again to a yoke of slav ery . 2 Take note! I, Paul, am tell ing you that if you get your selves cir cum cised, Christ will not ben e fit you at all. 3 Again I tes ti fy to ev ery man who gets him self cir cum cised that he is ob li gat ed to do the en tire law . 4 You who are try ing to be jus ti fied by the law are alien at ed from Christ; you have fall en from grace. 5 For we ea ger ly await through the Spir it, by faith, the hope of righ teous ness. 6 For in Christ Jesus nei ther cir cum ci sion nor un cir cum ci sion ac- com plish es any thing; what mat ters is faith work ing through love. 7 You were run ning well. Who pre vent ed you from be ing per suad ed re gard ing the truth? b 8 This per sua sion does not come from the one who calls you. 9 A lit tle leaven c leavens the whole batch of dough. 10 I my self am per suad ed in the Lord you will not ac cept any oth er view . But who ev er it is that is con fus ing you will pay the pen al ty . 11 Now broth ers and sis ters, if I still preach cir cum ci sion, why am I still per se cut ed? In that case the off ense of the cross has been abol ished. 12 I wish those who are dis turb ing you might also let them selves be mutilated! 13 For you were called to be free, broth ers and sis ters; only don’t use this free dom as an op por tu ni ty d for the flesh, but serve one an oth er through love. 14 For the whole law is ful filled in one state ment: Love your neigh bor as your self. e 15 But if you bite and de vour one an oth er, watch out, or you will be con sumed by one an oth er. THE SPIRIT VERSUS THE FLESH 16 I say then, walk by the Spir it and you will cer tain ly not car ry out the de sire of the flesh. 17 For the flesh de sires what is against the Spir - it, and the Spir it de sires what is against the flesh; these are op posed to each oth er, so that you don’t do what you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spir it, you are not un der the law . 19 Now the works of the flesh are ob vi ous: f sex u al im mo ral i ty , mor al im pu ri ty , pro mis- cu i ty , 20 idol a try , sor cery , ha treds, strife, jeal- ou sy , out bursts of an ger, selfi sh am bi tions, dis sen sions, fac tions, 21 envy , g drunk en ness, ca rous ing, and any thing sim i lar. I am warn- ing you about these things — as I warned you be fore — that those who prac tice such things will not in her it the king dom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spir it is love, joy , peace, pa tience, kind ness, good ness, faith ful ness, 23 gen tle ness, and self-control. The law is not against such things. h 24 Now those who be long to Christ Jesus have cru ci fied the flesh with its pas sions and de sires. 25 If we live by the Spir it, let us also keep in step with the Spir it. 26 Let us not be come con ceit ed, pro vok ing one an oth er, en vy ing one an oth er. CARRY ONE ANOTHER’S BURDENS 6 Broth ers and sis ters, if some one is over tak en in any wrong do ing, you who are spir i tu al, re store such a per son with a gen tle spir it, i watch- ing out for your selves so that you also won’t be tempt ed. 2 Car ry one an oth er’s bur dens; in this way you will ful fill the law of Christ. 3 For if any- one con sid ers him self to be some thing when he is noth ing, he de ceives him self. 4 Let each per son ex am ine his own work, and then he can take pride in him self alone, and not com pare him self with some one else. 5 For each per son will have to car ry his own load. 6 Let the one who is taught the word share all his good things with the teach er. 7 Don’t be de ceived: God is not mocked. For what ev er a per son sows he will also reap, 8 be cause the one who sows to his flesh will reap de struc- tion from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spir it will reap eter nal life from the Spir it. 9 Let us not get tired of do ing good, for we will reap at the prop er time if we don’t give up. 10 There fore, as we have op por tu ni ty , let us
🔄 New Creation in Christ
✝️ The cross of Christ stands as the central focus, rendering worldly distinctions meaningless and establishing a new creation where neither circumcision nor uncircumcision matters (Galatians 6:14-15)
🙏 God's grace flows abundantly through Christ, bringing redemption, forgiveness, and spiritual blessings to believers who are chosen, predestined, and sealed with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:3-14)
🌉 Christ bridges divides between people groups, tearing down walls of hostility and creating unity where believers become fellow citizens in God's household, built together as a holy temple (Ephesians 2:13-22)
🔆 Believers are called to live differently - putting off the old self corrupted by deceitful desires and putting on the new self created in God's likeness, walking in love and light rather than darkness (Ephesians 4:17-5:14)
👪 Relationships within the Christian community should reflect Christ's relationship with the church - characterized by mutual submission, sacrificial love, and respect (Ephesians 5:21-33)
work for the good of all, es pe cial ly for those who be long to the house hold of faith. CONCLUDING EXHORTATION 11 Look at what large let ters I use as I write to you in my own handwriting. 12 Those who want to make a good im pres sion in the flesh a4:30 Gn 21:10 b 5:7 Or obeying the truth c 5:9 Or yeast d 5:13 Lit a pretext ; a military term for abuse of position e 5:14 Lv 19:18 f 5:19 Other mss add adultery, g 5:21 Other mss add murders, h 5:23 Or Against such things there is no law i6:1 Or with the Spirit of gentlenessGALATIANS 4-6 1034 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1034 10/26/17 9:00 PM are the ones who would com pel you to be cir cum cised — but only to avoid be ing per - se cut ed for the cross of Christ. 13 For even the cir cum cised don’t keep the law them selves, and yet they want you to be cir cum cised in or der to boast about your flesh. 14 But as for me, I will nev er boast about any thing ex cept the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. The world has been cru ci fied to me through the cross, and I to the world. 15 For a both cir cum ci sion and un cir cum ci sion mean noth ing; what mat- ters in stead is a new cre a tion. 16 May peace come to all those who fol low this stan dard, and mer cy even to the Is ra el of God! b 17 From now on, let no one cause me trou- ble, be cause I bear on my body the marks of Jesus. 18 Broth ers and sis ters, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spir it. Amen. a6:15 Other mss add in Christ Jesus b6:16 Or And for those who follow this standard, may peace and mercy be upon them, even upon the Israel of God, or And as many who will follow this standard, peace be upon them and mercy even upon the Israel of God. 1035 GALATIANS 6 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1035 10/26/17 9:00 PM ePhesians GREETING 1 Paul, an apos tle of Christ Jesus by God’s will: To the faith ful saints in Christ Jesus a at Eph e sus. b 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Fa- ther and the Lord Jesus Christ. GOD’S RICH BLESSINGS 3 Blessed is the God and Fa ther of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with ev ery spir i tu al bless ing in the heav ens in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him, be fore the foun da- tion of the world, to be holy and blame less in love be fore him. c 5 He pre des tined us to be adopt ed as sons through Jesus Christ for him self, ac cord ing to the good plea sure of his will, 6 to the praise of his glo ri ous grace that he lav ished on us in the Be loved One. 7 In him we have re demp tion through his blood, the for give ness of our tres pass es, ac- cord ing to the rich es of his grace 8 that he rich ly poured out on us with all wis dom and un der stand ing. d 9 He made known to us the mys tery of his will, ac cord ing to his good plea- sure that he pur posed in Christ 10 as a plan for the right time e — to bring ev ery thing to geth er in Christ, both things in heav en and things on earth in him. 11 In him we have also re ceived an in her i- tance, f be cause we were pre des tined ac cord ing to the plan of the one who works out ev ery- thing in agree ment with the pur pose of his will, 12 so that we who had al ready put our hope in Christ might bring praise to his glo ry . 13 In him you also were sealed with the prom ised Holy Spir it when you heard the word of truth, the gos pel of your sal va tion, and when you be lieved . 14 The Holy Spirit is the down pay ment of our in her i tance, un- til the re demp tion of the pos ses sion, to the praise of his glo ry . PRAYER FOR SPIRITUAL INSIGHT 15 This is why , since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 I nev er stop giv ing thanks for you as I re mem ber you in my prayers. 17 I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glo ri ous Fa ther, g would give you the Spir it h of wis dom and rev e la tion in the knowl edge of him. 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be en- light ened so that you may know what is the hope of his call ing, what is the wealth of his glo ri ous in her i tance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable great ness of his pow er to ward us who be lieve, ac cord ing to the mighty work ing of his strength. GOD’S POWER IN CHRIST 20 He ex er cised this pow er in Christ by rais ing him from the dead and seat ing him at his right hand in the heav ens — 21 far above ev ery rul er and au thor i ty , pow er and do min ion, and ev ery ti tle giv en, i not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And he sub ject ed ev ery thing un der his feet j and ap point ed him k as head over ev ery thing for the church, 23 which is his body , the full ness of the one who fills all things in ev ery way . FROM DEATH TO LIFE 2 And you were dead in your tres pass es and sins 2 in which you pre vi ous ly lived ac cord ing to the ways of this world, ac cord ing to the rul er of the pow er of the air, the spir it now work ing in the dis obe di ent. l 3 We too all pre vi ous ly lived among them in our fleshly de sires, car ry ing out the in cli na tions of our flesh and thoughts, and we were by na ture chil dren un der wrath as the oth ers were also. 4 But God, who is rich in mer cy , be cause of his great love that he had for us, m 5 made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in tres pass es. You are saved by grace! 6 He also raised us up with him and seat ed us with him in the heav ens in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the com ing ages he might dis play the im - measurable rich es of his grace through his kind ness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from your selves; it is God’s gift — 9 not from works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are a1:1 Or to the saints, the believers in Christ Jesus b1:1 Other mss omit at Ephesus c1:4 Or in his sight. In love d1:8 Or on us. With all wisdom and understanding e1:10 Or the fulfillment of times f1:11 Or In him we are also an inheritance, g1:17 Or the Father of glory h1:17 Or a spirit i1:21 Lit every name named j1:22 Ps 8:6 k1:22 Lit gave him l2:2 Lit sons of disobedience m2:4 Lit love with which he loved us CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1036 10/26/17 9:00 PM his work man ship, cre at ed in Christ Jesus for good works, which God pre pared ahead of time for us to do. UNITY IN CHRIST 11 So then, re mem ber that at one time you were Gen tiles in the flesh — called “ the un cir cum- cised” by those called “ the cir cum cised,” which is done in the flesh by hu man hands. 12 At that time you were with out Christ, ex clud ed from the cit i zen ship of Is ra el, and for eign ers to the cov enants of prom ise, with out hope and with- out God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus, you who were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he is our peace, who made both groups one and tore down the di vid ing wall of hos til i ty . In his flesh, 15 he made of no eff ect the law con sist ing of com mands and ex pressed in reg u la tions, so that he might cre ate in him self one new man from the two, resulting in peace. 16 He did this so that he might rec on cile both to God in one body through the cross by which he put the hos til i ty to death. a 17 He came and pro claimed the good news of peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have ac cess in one spir it to the Fa ther. 19 So then you are no lon ger for - eign ers and strang ers, but fel low cit i zens with the saints, and mem bers of God’s house hold, 20 built on the foun da tion of the apos tles and proph ets, with Christ Jesus him self as the cor - ner stone. 21 In him the whole build ing, be ing put to geth er, grows into a holy tem ple in the Lord. 22 In him you are also be ing built to geth er for God’s dwell ing in the Spir it. PAUL’S MINISTRY TO THE GENTILES 3 For this rea son, I, Paul, the pris on er of Christ Jesus on be half of you Gen tiles — 2 you have heard, haven’t you, about the ad- min is tra tion of God’s grace that he gave to me for you? 3 The mys tery was made known to me by rev e la tion, as I have briefl y writ ten above. 4 By read ing this you are able to un der - stand my in sight into the mys tery of Christ. 5 This was not made known to peo ple b in oth er gen er a tions as it is now re vealed to his holy apos tles and proph ets by the Spir it: 6 The Gen- tiles are coheirs, mem bers of the same body , and part ners in the prom ise in Christ Jesus through the gos pel. 7 I was made a ser vant of this gos pel by the gift of God’s grace that was giv en to me by the work ing of his pow er. 8 This grace was giv en to me — the least of all the saints — to pro claim to the Gen tiles the incalculable rich es of Christ, 9 and to shed light for all about the ad min is tra tion of the mys tery hid den for ages in God who cre at ed all things. 10 This is so that God’s multi-faceted wis dom may now be made known through the church to the rul ers and au thor i ties in the heav ens. 11 This is ac cord ing to his eter nal pur pose ac com plished in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 In him we have bold ness and con fi dent ac- cess through faith in him. c 13 So then I ask you not to be dis cour aged over my afflictions on your be half, for they are your glo ry . PRAYER FOR SPIRITUAL POWER 14 For this rea son I kneel be fore the Fa ther d 15 from whom ev ery fam i ly in heav en and on earth is named. 16 I pray that he may grant you, ac cord ing to the rich es of his glo ry , to be strength ened with pow er in your in ner be ing through his Spir it, 17 and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, be ing root ed and firm ly es tab lished in love, 18 may be able to com pre hend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love, 19 and to know Christ’s love that sur pass es knowl edge, so that you may be filled with all the full ness of God. 20 Now to him who is able to do above and be yond all that we ask or think ac cord ing to the pow er that works in us — 21 to him be glo ry in the church and in Christ Jesus to all gen er a tions, for ev er and ever. Amen. UNITY AND DIVERSITY IN THE BODY OF CHRIST 4 There fore I, the pris on er in the Lord, urge you to live wor thy of the call ing you have re ceived, 2 with all hu mil i ty and gen tle ness, with pa tience, bear ing with one an oth er in love, 3 mak ing ev ery eff ort to keep the uni ty of the Spir it through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spir it — just as you were called to one hope e at your call ing — 5 one Lord, one faith, one bap tism, 6 one God and Fa ther of all, who is above all and through all and in all. 7 Now grace was giv en to each one of us ac- cord ing to the mea sure of Christ’s gift. 8 For it says: a2:16 Or death in himself b3:5 Lit to the sons of men c3:12 Or through his faithfulness d3:14 Other mss add of our Lord Jesus Christ e4:4 Lit called in one hope 1037 EPHESIANS 2-4 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1037 10/26/17 9:00 PM When he ascended on high, he took the captives captive; he gave gifts to people. a 9 But what does “ he as cend ed” mean ex cept that he b also de scend ed to the low er parts of the earth? c 10 The one who de scend ed is also the one who as cend ed far above all the heav ens, to fill all things. 11 And he him self gave some to be apos tles, some proph ets, some evan ge lists, some pas tors and teach ers, 12 equipping the saints for the work of min is try , to build up the body of Christ, 13 un til we all reach uni ty in the faith and in the knowl edge of God’s Son, grow ing into ma tu ri ty with a stat ure mea sured by Christ’s full ness. 14 Then we will no lon ger be lit tle chil dren, tossed by the waves and blown around by ev ery wind of teach ing, by hu man cun ning with clev er ness in the techniques of de ceit. 15 But speak ing the truth in love, let us grow in ev ery way into him who is the head — Christ. 16 From him the whole body , fit ted and knit to geth er by ev ery sup port ing lig a ment, pro motes the growth of the body for build ing up it self in love by the prop er work ing of each individual part. LIVING THE NEW LIFE 17 There fore, I say this and tes ti fy in the Lord: You should no lon ger live as the Gen tiles live, in the fu til i ty of their thoughts. 18 They are dark ened in their un der stand ing, ex clud ed from the life of God, be cause of the ig no rance that is in them and be cause d of the hardness of their hearts. 19 They be came cal lous and gave them selves over to pro mis cu i ty for the prac tice of ev ery kind of im pu ri ty with a de- sire for more and more. e 20 But that is not how you came to know Christ, 21 assuming you heard about him and were taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus, 22 to take off f your for mer way of life, the old self that is cor rupt ed by de ceit ful de sires, 23 to be re newed g in the spir it of your minds, 24 and to put on h the new self, the one cre at ed ac- cord ing to God’s like ness in righ teous ness and pu ri ty of the truth. 25 There fore, put ting away ly ing, speak the truth, each one to his neigh bor, i be cause we are mem bers of one an oth er. 26 Be an gry and do not sin. j Don’t let the sun go down on your an ger, 27 and don’t give the dev il an op por tu- ni ty . 28 Let the thief no lon ger steal. In stead, he is to do hon est work with his own hands, so that he has some thing to share with any one in need. 29 No foul lan guage should come from your mouth, but only what is good for build ing up some one in need, k so that it gives grace to those who hear. 30 And don’t grieve God’s Holy Spir it. You were sealed by him l for the day of re demp tion. 31 Let all bit ter ness, an ger and wrath, shout ing and slan der be re moved from you, along with all mal ice. 32 And be kind and com pas sion ate to one an oth er, for giv ing one an oth er, just as God also for gave you m in Christ. 5 There fore, be im i ta tors of God, as dear - ly loved chil dren, 2 and walk in love, as Christ also loved us and gave him self for us, a sacrificial and fra grant off er ing to God. 3 But sex u al im mo ral i ty and any im pu ri ty or greed should not even be heard of n among you, as is prop er for saints. 4 Obscene and fool ish talk ing or crude jok ing are not suit able, but rath er giv ing thanks. 5 For know and rec og nize this: Ev ery sex u al ly im mor al or im pure or greedy per son, who is an idol a ter, does not have an in- her i tance in the king dom of Christ and of God. LIGHT VERSUS DARKNESS 6 Let no one de ceive you with emp ty ar gu ments, for God’s wrath is com ing on the dis obe di ent o be cause of these things. 7 There fore, do not be come their part ners. 8 For you were once dark ness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as chil dren of light — 9 for the fruit of the light p con sists of all good ness, righ teous ness, and truth — 10 test ing what is pleas ing to the Lord. 11 Don’t par tic i pate in the fruit less works of dark ness, but in stead ex pose them. 12 For it is shame ful even to men tion what is done by them in se cret. 13 Ev ery thing ex posed by the light is made vis i ble, 14 for what makes ev ery thing vis i ble is light. There fore it is said: Get up, sleeper, and rise up from the dead, and Christ will shine on you. CONSISTENCY IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE 15 Pay care ful at ten tion, then, to how you live — not as un wise peo ple but as wise — 16 mak- ing the most of the time, q be cause the days are a4:8 Ps 68:18 b4:9 Other mss add first c4:9 Or the lower parts, namely, the earth d4:18 Or in them because e4:19 Lit with greediness f4:21-22 Or Jesus. This means: take off (as a command) g4:22-23 Or desires; renew (as a command) h4:23-24 Or minds; and put on (as a command) i4:25 Zch 8:16 j4:26 Ps 4:4 k4:29 Lit for the building up of the need l4:30 Or Spirit, by whom you were sealed m4:32 Other mss read us n5:3 Or be named o5:6 Lit sons of disobedience p5:9 Other mss read fruit of the Spirit q5:16 Lit buying back the timeEPHESIANS 4-5 1038 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1038 10/26/17 9:00 PM evil. 17 So don’t be fool ish, but un der stand what the Lord’s will is. 18 And don’t get drunk with wine, which leads to reck less liv ing, but be filled by the Spir it: 19 speak ing to one an oth er in psalms, hymns, and spir i tu al songs, sing ing and mak ing mu sic with your heart to the Lord, 20 giv ing thanks al ways for ev ery thing to God the Fa ther in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one an oth er in the fear of Christ. WIVES AND HUSBANDS 22 Wives, sub mit a to your hus bands as to the Lord, 23 be cause the hus band is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Sav ior of the body . 24 Now as the church sub mits to Christ, so also wives are to sub mit to their hus bands in ev ery thing. 25 Hus bands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave him self for her 26 to make her holy , cleans ing b her with the wash ing of wa ter by the word. 27 He did this to pre sent the church to him self in splen dor, with out spot or wrin kle or any thing like that, but holy and blame less. 28 In the same way , hus bands are to love their wives as their own bod ies. He who loves his wife loves him self. 29 For no one ever hates his own flesh but pro vides and cares for it, just as Christ does for the church, 30 since we are mem bers of his body . c 31 For this rea son a man will leave his fa ther and moth er and be joined to his wife, and the two will be come one flesh. d 32 This mys tery is pro- found, but I am talk ing about Christ and the church. 33 To sum up, each one of you is to love his wife as him self, and the
⚔️ Spiritual Armor & Christian Living
👨👩👧👦 Family relationships require specific roles and responsibilities—children honor parents, fathers nurture without provoking anger, and spouses demonstrate mutual respect and love
🛡️ Spiritual warfare demands the complete "armor of God"—truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, and Scripture—to withstand evil forces that operate beyond the physical realm
🙏 Prayer functions as both offensive and defensive weapon, requiring persistence, alertness, and Spirit-led intercession for all believers
🌱 Christian growth involves humility, contentment in all circumstances, and focusing thoughts on whatever is true, honorable, pure, and praiseworthy
🤝 Community support strengthens believers through partnership in the gospel, mutual encouragement, and practical care for one another's needs
✝️ Christ's example of self-emptying humility provides the ultimate pattern for believers—leading to exaltation and the confession that "Jesus Christ is Lord"
wife is to re spect her hus band. CHILDREN AND PARENTS 6 Chil dren, obey your par ents in the Lord, be cause this is right. 2 Hon or your fa ther and moth er, which is the first com mand ment with a prom ise, 3 so that it may go well with you and that you may have a long life in the land. e,f 4 Fa thers, don’t stir up an ger in your chil dren, but bring them up in the train ing and in struc tion of the Lord. SLAVES AND MASTERS 5 Slaves, obey your hu man g mas ters with fear and trem bling, in the sin cer i ty of your heart, as you would Christ. 6 Don’t work only while be ing watched, as people-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, do God’s will from your heart. 7 Serve with a good at ti tude, as to the Lord and not to peo ple, 8 know ing that what ev er good each one does, slave or free, he will re ceive this back from the Lord. 9 And mas ters, treat your slaves the same way , with out threaten - ing them, be cause you know that both their Mas ter and yours is in heav en, and there is no fa vor it ism with him. CHRISTIAN WARFARE 10 Fi nal ly , be strength ened by the Lord and by his vast strength. 11 Put on the full ar mor of God so that you can stand against the schemes of the dev il. 12 For our strug gle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rul ers, against the au thor i ties, against the cosmic pow ers of this dark ness, against evil, spir i tu al forc es in the heav ens. 13 For this rea son take up the full ar mor of God, so that you may be able to re sist in the evil day , and hav ing pre pared ev ery thing, to take your stand. 14 Stand, there- fore, with truth like a belt around your waist, righ teous ness like ar mor on your chest, 15 and your feet san daled with readi ness for the gos - pel of peace. 16 In ev ery sit u a tion take up the shield of faith with which you can ex tin guish all the flam ing ar rows of the evil one. 17 Take the hel met of sal va tion and the sword of the Spir it — which is the word of God. 18 Pray at all times in the Spir it with ev ery prayer and re quest, and stay alert with all per se ver ance and in ter ces sion for all the saints. 19 Pray also for me, that the mes sage may be giv en to me when I open my mouth to make known with bold ness the mys tery of the gos pel. 20 For this I am an am bas sa dor in chains. Pray that I might be bold enough to speak about it as I should. PAUL’S FA RE W E LL 21 Tych i cus, our dear ly loved broth er and faith- ful ser vant h in the Lord, will tell you all the news about me so that you may be in formed. 22 I am send ing him to you for this very rea son, to let you know how we are and to en cour age your hearts. 23 Peace to the broth ers and sis ters, and love with faith, from God the Fa ther and the Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Grace be with all who have un dy ing love for our Lord Jesus Christ. i,j a5:22 Other mss omit submit b5:26 Or having cleansed c5:30 Other mss add and of his flesh and of his bones d5:31 Gn 2:24 e6:3 Or life on the earth f6:2-3 Ex 20:12 g6:5 Lit according to the flesh h6:21 Or deacon i6:24 Other mss add Amen. j6:24 Lit all who love our Lord Jesus Christ in incorruption 1039 EPHESIANS 5-6 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1039 10/26/17 9:00 PM Phili PPians GREETING 1 Paul and Tim o thy , ser vants of Christ Jesus: To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Phi lip pi, in clud ing the over seers and dea cons. 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Fa- ther and the Lord Jesus Christ. THANKSGIVING AND PRAYER 3 I give thanks to my God for ev ery re mem- brance of you, a 4 al ways pray ing with joy for all of you in my ev ery prayer, 5 be cause of your part ner ship in the gos pel from the first day un til now . 6 I am sure of this, that he who start ed a good work in you b will car ry it on to com- ple tion un til the day of Christ Jesus. 7 In deed, it is right for me to think this way about all of you, be cause I have you in my heart, c and you are all part ners with me in grace, both in my im pris on ment and in the de fense and con fir ma tion of the gos pel. 8 For God is my wit ness, how deep ly I miss all of you with the aff ec tion of Christ Jesus. 9 And I pray this: that your love will keep on grow ing in knowl edge and ev ery kind of dis cern ment, 10 so that you may ap prove the things that are su pe ri or and may be pure and blame less in the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righ teous ness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glo ry and praise of God. ADVANCE OF THE GOSPEL 12 Now I want you to know , broth ers and sis- ters, that what has hap pened to me has ac- tu al ly ad vanced the gos pel, 13 so that it has be come known through out the whole im pe ri al guard, and to ev ery one else, that my im pris on- ment is be cause I am in Christ. 14 Most of the broth ers have gained con fi dence in the Lord from my im pris on ment and dare even more to speak the word d fear less ly . 15 To be sure, some preach Christ out of envy and ri val ry , but oth ers out of good will. 16 These preach out of love, know ing that I am ap point ed for the de fense of the gos pel; 17 the oth ers pro claim Christ out of selfi sh am bi tion, not sin cere ly , think ing that they will cause me trou ble in my im pris on ment. 18 What does it mat ter? Only that in ev ery way , wheth er from false mo tives or true, Christ is pro claimed, and in this I re joice. Yes, and I will con tin ue to re joice 19 be cause I know this will lead to my sal va tion e through your prayers and help from the Spir it of Jesus Christ. 20 My ea ger ex pec ta tion and hope is that I will not be ashamed about any thing, but that now as al ways, with all cour age, Christ will be high ly hon ored in my body , wheth er by life or by death. LIVING IS CHRIST 21 For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 Now if I live on in the flesh, this means fruit- ful work for me; and I don’t know which one I should choose. 23 I am torn be tween the two. I long to de part and be with Christ — which is far bet ter — 24 but to re main in the flesh is more nec es sary for your sake. 25 Since I am per suad ed of this, I know that I will re main and con tin ue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that, be cause of my com ing to you again, your boast ing in Christ Jesus may abound. 27 Just one thing: As cit i zens of heav en, live your life wor thy of the gos pel of Christ. Then, wheth er I come and see you or am ab sent, I will hear about you that you are stand ing firm in one spir it, in one ac cord, f con tend ing to- geth er for the faith of the gos pel, 28 not be ing fright ened in any way by your op po nents. This is a sign of de struc tion for them, but of your sal va tion — and this is from God. 29 For it has been grant ed to you on Christ’s be half not only to be lieve in him, but also to suff er for him, 30 since you are en gaged in the same strug gle that you saw I had and now hear that I have. CHRISTIAN HUMILITY 2 If then there is any encouragement in Christ, if any con so la tion of love, if any fel low ship with the Spir it, if any a ff ec tion and mer cy , 2 make my joy com plete by think ing the same way , hav ing the same love, unit ed in spir it, in tent on one pur pose. 3 Do noth- ing out of selfi sh am bi tion or con ceit, but in hu mil i ty con sid er oth ers as more im por tant a1:3 Or for your every remembrance of me b1:6 Or work among you c1:7 Or because you have me in your heart d1:14 Other mss add of God e1:19 Or vindication f1:27 Lit soul CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1040 10/26/17 9:00 PM than your selves. 4 Ev ery one should look out not only for his own in ter ests, but also for the in ter ests of oth ers. CHRIST’S HUMILITY AND EXALTATION 5 Adopt the same at ti tude as that of Christ Jesus, 6 who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited. a 7 Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity . And when he had come as a man, 8 he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death — even to death on a cross. 9 For this reason God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow — in heaven and on earth and under the earth — 11 and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. LIGHTS IN THE WORLD 12 There fore, my dear friends, just as you have al ways obeyed, so now , not only in my pres- ence but even more in my ab sence, work out your own sal va tion with fear and trem bling. 13 For it is God who is work ing in you both to will and to work ac cord ing to his good pur - pose. 14 Do ev ery thing with out grum bling and ar gu ing, 15 so that you may be blame less and pure, chil dren of God who are fault less in a crook ed and per vert ed gen er a tion, among whom you shine like stars in the world, 16 by hold ing firm to the word of life. Then I can boast in the day of Christ that I didn’t run or la bor for noth ing. 17 But even if I am poured out as a drink off er ing on the sacrificial ser - vice of your faith, I am glad and re joice with all of you. 18 In the same way you should also be glad and re joice with me. TIMOTHY AND EPAPHRODITUS 19 Now I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Tim o thy to you soon so that I too may be en cour aged by news about you. 20 For I have no one else like-minded who will genuinely care about your in ter ests; 21 all seek their own in ter ests, not those of Jesus Christ. 22 But you know his prov en char ac ter, be cause he has served with me in the gos pel min is try like a son with a fa- ther. 23 There fore, I hope to send him as soon as I see how things go with me. 24 I am con fi dent in the Lord that I my self will also come soon. 25 But I con sid ered it nec es sary to send you Epaph ro di tus — my broth er, co work er, and fel low sol dier, as well as your mes sen ger and min is ter to my need — 26 since he has been long ing for all of you and was dis tressed be- cause you heard that he was sick. 27 In deed, he was so sick that he near ly died. How ev er, God had mer cy on him, and not only on him but also on me, so that I would not have sor row upon sor row . 28 For this rea son, I am very ea- ger to send him so that you may re joice again when you see him and I may be less anx ious. 29 There fore, wel come him in the Lord with great joy and hold peo ple like him in hon or, 30 be cause he came close to death for the work of Christ, risk ing his life to make up what was lack ing in your min is try to me. KNOWING CHRIST 3 In ad di tion, my broth ers and sis ters, re- joice in the Lord. To write to you again about this is no trou ble for me and is a safe- guard for you. 2 Watch out for the dogs, watch out for the evil work ers, watch out for those who mutilate the flesh. 3 For we are the cir cum ci sion, the ones who wor ship by the Spir it of God, boast in Christ Jesus, and do not put con fi dence in the flesh — 4 al though I have rea sons for con fi dence in the flesh. If any one else thinks he has grounds for con fi dence in the flesh, I have more: 5 cir cum cised the eighth day; of the na tion of Is ra el, of the tribe of Ben ja min, a He brew born of He brews; re gard ing the law , a Phar i see; 6 re gard ing zeal, per se cut ing the church; re gard ing the righ teous ness that is in the law , blame less. 7 But ev ery thing that was a gain to me, I have con sid ered to be a loss be cause of Christ. 8 More than that, I also con sid er ev ery thing to be a loss in view of the sur pass ing val ue of know ing Christ Jesus my Lord. Be cause of him I have suff ered the loss of all things and con sid er them as dung, so that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not hav ing a righ teous ness of my own from the law , but one that is through a2:6 Or to be grasped, or to be held on to 1041 PHILIPPIANS 2-3 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1041 10/26/17 9:00 PM faith in Christ a — the righ teous ness from God based on faith. 10 My goal is to know him and the pow er of his res ur rec tion and the fel low- ship of his suff er ings, be ing con formed to his death, 11 assuming that I will some how reach the res ur rec tion from among the dead. REACHING FORWARD TO GOD’S GOAL 12 Not that I have al ready reached the goal or am al ready per fect, but I make ev ery eff ort to take hold of it be cause I also have been tak en hold of by Christ Jesus. 13 Broth ers and sis ters, I do not b con sid er my self to have tak en hold of it. But one thing I do: For get ting what is be- hind and reach ing for ward to what is ahead, 14 I pur sue as my goal the prize prom ised by God’s heav en ly c call in Christ Jesus. 15 There- fore, let all of us who are ma ture think this way . And if you think diff er ent ly about any- thing, God will re veal this also to you. 16 In any case, we should live up to what ev er truth we have at tained. 17 Join in imitating me, broth ers and sis ters, and pay care ful at ten tion to those who live ac cord ing to the ex am ple you have in us. 18 For I have of ten told you, and now say again with tears, that many live as en e mies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their end is de struc- tion; their god is their stom ach; their glo ry is in their shame. They are focused on earth ly things, 20 but our cit i zen ship is in heav en, and we ea ger ly wait for a Sav ior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ. 21 He will trans form the body of our hum ble con di tion into the like ness of his glo ri ous body , by the pow er that en ables him to sub ject ev ery thing to him self. 4 So then, my dear ly loved and longed for broth ers and sis ters, my joy and crown, in this man ner stand firm in the Lord, dear friends. PRACTICAL COUNSEL 2 I urge Eu o dia and I urge Syn ty che to agree in the Lord. 3 Yes, I also ask you, true part ner, d to help these wom en who have con tend ed for the gos pel at my side, along with Clem ent and the rest of my co work ers whose names are in the book of life. 4 Re joice in the Lord al ways. I will say it again: Re joice! 5 Let your graciousness e be known to ev ery one. The Lord is near. 6 Don’t wor ry about any thing, but in ev ery thing, through prayer and pe ti tion with thanks giv ing, pre sent your re quests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which sur pass es all un der stand ing, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Fi nal ly f broth ers and sis ters, what ev er is true, what ev er is hon or able, what ev er is just, what ev er is pure, what ev er is love ly , what ev- er is com mend able — if there is any mor al excellence and if there is any thing praise wor - thy — dwell on these things. 9 Do what you have learned and re ceived and heard from me, and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you. APPRECIATION OF SUPPORT 10 I re joiced in the Lord great ly be cause once again you re newed your care for me. You were, in fact, con cerned about me but lacked the op por tu ni ty to show it. 11 I don’t say this out of need, for I have learned to be con tent in what ev er cir cum stanc es I find my self. 12 I know both how to make do with lit tle, and I know how to make do with a lot. In any and all cir cum stanc es I have learned the se cret of be ing con tent — wheth er well fed or hun gry , wheth er in abun dance or in need. 13 I am able to do all things through him g who strength ens me. 14 Still, you did well by partnering with me in my hard ship. 15 And you Phi lip pi ans know that in the ear ly days of the gos pel, when I left Mac e do nia, no church shared with me in the mat ter of giv ing and re ceiv ing ex cept you alone. 16 For even in Thes sa lo ni ca you sent gifts for my need sev er al times. 17 Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the profi t h that is in creas ing to your ac- count. 18 But I have re ceived ev ery thing in full, and I have an abun dance. I am ful ly sup plied, i hav ing re ceived from Epaph ro di tus what you pro vid ed — a fra grant off er ing, an ac cept able sac ri fice, pleas ing to God. 19 And my God will sup ply all your needs ac cord ing to his rich- es in glo ry in Christ Jesus. 20 Now to our God and Fa ther be glo ry for ev er and ever. Amen. FINAL GREETINGS 21 Greet ev ery saint in Christ Jesus. The broth- ers who are with me send you greet ings. 22 All the saints send you greet ings, es pe cial ly those who be long to Cae sar’s house hold. 23 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spir it. j a3:9 Or through the faithfulness of Christ b3:13 Other mss read not yet c3:14 Or upward d4:3 Or true Syzygus, possibly a person’s name e4:5 Or gentleness f4:8 Or In addition g4:13 Other mss read Christ h4:17 Lit fruit i4:18 Or Here, then, is my receipt for everything, I have an abundance, for I am fully supplied j4:23 Other mss add Amen.PHILIPPIANS 3-4 1042 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1042 10/26/17 9:00 PM colossians GREETING 1 Paul, an apos tle of Christ Jesus by God’s will, and Tim o thy our broth er: 2 To the saints in Christ at Co los sae, who are faith ful broth ers and sis ters. Grace to you and peace from God our Fa ther. a THANKSGIVING 3 We al ways thank God, the Fa ther of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints 5 be cause of the hope re served for you in heav en. You have al ready heard about this hope in the word of truth, the gos pel 6 that has come to you. It is bear ing fruit and grow ing all over the world, just as it has among you since the day you heard it and came to tru ly appreciate God’s grace. b 7 You learned
🙏 Christ's Supremacy and Christian Living
🌟 Christ is supreme as the image of the invisible God, creator of all things, and head of the church, reconciling everything to God through his sacrificial death
🔄 Spiritual transformation happens when believers die to their old nature and are made alive with Christ, putting on compassion, kindness, humility, and love
⚔️ Believers must guard against deception from empty philosophies and human traditions that contradict Christ's teachings, as Christ alone contains all wisdom and knowledge
👨👩👧👦 Christian relationships should reflect Christ's character through mutual submission, love, and respect in marriages, families, and work environments
🛡️ The Christian life requires spiritual disciplines including prayer, thanksgiving, and letting Christ's word dwell richly among believers, producing wisdom and gratitude
🌍 Paul's apostolic ministry demonstrates sacrificial service, passionate prayer, and commitment to presenting everyone mature in Christ despite opposition
this from Ep a phras, our dear ly loved fel low ser vant. He is a faith- ful min is ter of Christ on your c be half, 8 and he has told us about your love in the Spir it. PRAYER FOR SPIRITUAL GROWTH 9 For this rea son also, since the day we heard this, we haven’t stopped pray ing for you. We are ask ing that you may be filled with the knowl- edge of his will in all wis dom and spir i tu al un der stand ing, d 10 so that you may walk wor - thy of the Lord, ful ly pleas ing to him: bear ing fruit in ev ery good work and grow ing in the knowl edge of God, 11 be ing strength ened with all pow er, ac cord ing to his glo ri ous might, so that you may have great en dur ance and pa- tience, joy ful ly 12 giv ing thanks to the Fa ther, who has en abled you e to share in the saints’ in her i tance in the light. 13 He has res cued us from the do main of dark ness and trans ferred us into the king dom of the Son he loves. 14 In him we have re demp tion, f the for give ness of sins. THE CENTRALITY OF CHRIST 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For everything was created by him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and by him all things hold together. 18 He is also the head of the body , the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile everything to himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. g 21 Once you were alien at ed and hos tile in your minds ex pressed in your evil ac tions. 22 But now he has rec on ciled you by his phys i cal body through his death, to pre sent you holy , fault less, and blame less be fore him — 23 if in deed you re main grounded and stead fast in the faith and are not shifted away from the hope of the gos pel that you heard. This gos pel has been pro claimed in all cre a tion un der heav en, and I, Paul, have be come a ser vant of it. PAUL’S MINISTRY 24 Now I re joice in my suff er ings for you, and I am com plet ing in my flesh what is lack ing in Christ’s afflictions for his body , that is, the church. 25 I have be come its ser vant, ac cord ing to God’s com mis sion that was giv en to me for you, to make the word of God ful ly known, 26 the mys tery hid den for ages and gen er a- tions but now re vealed to his saints. 27 God want ed to make known among the Gen tiles the glo ri ous wealth of this mys tery , which is Christ in you, the hope of glo ry . 28 We pro claim him, warn ing and teach ing ev ery one with all wis dom, so that we may pre sent ev ery one a1:2 Other mss add and the Lord Jesus Christ b1:6 Or and truly recognized God’s grace c1:7 Other mss read our d1:9 Or all spiritual wisdom and understanding e1:12 Other mss read us f1:14 Other mss add through his blood g1:20 Other mss add through him CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1043 10/26/17 9:00 PM ma ture in Christ. 29 I la bor for this, striv ing with his strength that works pow er ful ly in me. 2 For I want you to know how great ly I am strug gling for you, for those in La od i cea, and for all who have not seen me in per son. 2 I want their hearts to be en cour aged and joined to geth er in love, so that they may have all the rich es of com plete un der stand ing and have the knowl edge of God’s mys tery — Christ. a 3 In him are hid den all the trea sures of wis dom and knowl edge. CHRIST VERSUS THE COLOSSIAN HERESY 4 I am say ing this so that no one will de ceive you with ar gu ments that sound rea son able. 5 For I may be ab sent in body , but I am with you in spir it, re joic ing to see how well or dered you are and the strength of your faith in Christ. 6 So then, just as you have re ceived Christ Jesus as Lord, con tin ue to live in him, 7 be ing root ed and built up in him and es tab lished in the faith, just as you were taught, and over - flow ing with grat i tude. 8 Be care ful that no one takes you cap tive through phi los o phy and emp ty de ceit based on hu man tra di tion, based on the el e ments of the world, rath er than Christ. 9 For the en tire full ness of God’s na ture dwells bodi ly b in Christ, 10 and you have been filled by him, who is the head over ev ery rul er and au thor i ty . 11 You were also cir cum cised in him with a cir cum ci sion not done with hands, by put ting off the body of flesh, in the cir cum ci sion of Christ, 12 when you were bur ied with him in bap tism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the work ing of God, who raised him from the dead. 13 And when you were dead in tres pass es and in the un cir cum ci sion of your flesh, he made you alive with him and for gave us all our tres pass es. 14 He erased the cer tifi cate of debt, with its ob li ga tions, that was against us and op posed to us, and has tak en it away by nail ing it to the cross. 15 He dis armed the rul ers and au thor i ties and dis graced them pub lic ly; he tri umphed over them in him. c 16 There fore, don’t let any one judge you in re gard to food and drink or in the mat ter of a fes ti val or a new moon or a Sab bath day . d 17 These are a shad ow of what was to come; the sub stance is e Christ. 18 Let no one con- demn f you by de light ing in as cet ic prac tic es and the wor ship of an gels, claim ing ac cess to a visionary realm. Such peo ple are inflated by emp ty no tions of their un spir i tu al g mind. 19 He doesn’t hold on to the head, from whom the whole body , nour ished and held to geth- er by its lig a ments and ten dons, grows with growth from God. 20 If you died with Christ to the el e ments of this world, why do you live as if you still be longed to the world? Why do you sub mit to reg u la tions: 21 “ Don’t han dle, don’t taste, don’t touch”? 22 All these reg u la tions re fer to what is des tined to per ish by be ing used up; they are hu man com mands and doc trines. 23 Al- though these have a rep u ta tion for wis dom by promoting self-made re li gion, false hu mil i ty , and se vere treat ment of the body , they are not of any val ue in curbing self-indulgence. h THE LIFE OF THE NEW MAN 3 So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things above, where Christ is, seat ed at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earth ly things. 3 For you died, and your life is hid den with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your i life, ap pears, then you also will ap pear with him in glo ry . 5 There fore, put to death what be longs to your earth ly na ture: sex u al im mo ral i ty , im- pu ri ty , lust, evil de sire, and greed, which is idol a try . 6 Be cause of these, God’s wrath is com ing upon the dis obe di ent, j 7 and you once walked in these things when you were liv ing in them. 8 But now , put away all the fol low ing: an ger, wrath, mal ice, slan der, and filthy lan- guage from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one an oth er, since you have put off the old self with its prac tic es 10 and have put on the new self. You are be ing re newed in knowl edge ac cord- ing to the im age of your k Cre a tor. 11 In Christ there is not Greek and Jew , cir cum ci sion and un cir cum ci sion, bar bar i an, Scyth i an, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all. THE CHRISTIAN LIFE 12 There fore, as God’s cho sen ones, holy and dear ly loved, put on com pas sion, kind ness, hu mil i ty , gen tle ness, and pa tience, 13 bear ing with one an oth er and for giv ing one an oth er if any one has a griev ance against an oth er. Just as the Lord has for giv en you, so you are also a2:2 Other mss read mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ ; other ms variations exist on this v. b2:9 Or nature lives in a human body c2:15 Or them through it d2:16 Or or sabbaths e2:17 Or substance belongs to f2:18 Or disqualify g2:18 Lit fleshly h2:23 Lit value against indulgence of the flesh i3:4 Other mss read our j3:6 Other mss omit upon the disobedient k3:10 Lit hisCOLOSSIANS 1-3 1044 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1044 10/26/17 9:00 PM to for give. 14 Above all, put on love, which is the per fect bond of uni ty . 15 And let the peace of Christ, to which you were also called in one body , rule your hearts. And be thank ful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell rich ly among you, in all wis dom teach ing and ad mon ish ing one an oth er through psalms, hymns, and spir i- tu al songs, a sing ing to God with grat i tude in your hearts. 17 And what ev er you do, in word or in deed, do ev ery thing in the name of the Lord Jesus, giv ing thanks to God the Fa ther through him. CHRIST IN YOUR HOME 18 Wives, sub mit your selves to your hus bands, as is fit ting in the Lord. 19 Hus bands, love your wives and don’t be bit ter to ward them. 20 Chil - dren, obey your par ents in ev ery thing, for this pleas es the Lord. 21 Fa thers, do not ex as per ate your chil dren, so that they won’t be come dis- cour aged. 22 Slaves, obey your hu man mas ters in ev ery thing. Don’t work only while be ing watched, as people-pleasers, but work whole- heart ed ly , fear ing the Lord. 23 What ev er you do, do it from the heart, as some thing done for the Lord and not for peo ple, 24 know ing that you will re ceive the re ward of an in her i tance from the Lord. You serve the Lord Christ. 25 For the wrong do er will be paid back for what ev er wrong he has done, and there is no fa vor it ism. 4 Mas ters, deal with your slaves just ly and fair ly , since you know that you too have a Mas ter in heav en. SPEAKING TO GOD AND OTHERS 2 De vote your selves to prayer; stay alert in it with thanks giv ing. 3 At the same time, pray also for us that God may open a door to us for the word, to speak the mys tery of Christ, for which I am in chains, 4 so that I may make it known as I should. 5 Act wise ly to ward out sid ers, mak ing the most of the time. 6 Let your speech al ways be gra cious, sea soned with salt, so that you may know how you should an swer each per son. FINAL GREETINGS 7 Tych i cus, our dear ly loved broth er, faith ful min is ter, and fel low ser vant in the Lord, will tell you all the news about me. 8 I have sent him to you for this very pur pose, so that you may know how we are b and so that he may en cour age your hearts. 9 He is com ing with Ones i mus, a faith ful and dear ly loved broth- er, who is one of you. They will tell you about ev ery thing here. 10 Ar is tar chus, my fel low pris on er, sends you greet ings, as does Mark, Bar na bas’s cous in (con cern ing whom you have re ceived in struc- tions: if he comes to you, wel come him), 11 and so does Jesus who is called Jus tus. These alone of the cir cum cised are my co work ers for the king dom of God, and they have been a com fort to me. 12 Ep a phras, who is one of you, a ser - vant of Christ Jesus, sends you greet ings. He is al ways wres tling for you in his prayers, so that you can stand ma ture and ful ly as sured c in ev ery thing God wills. 13 For I tes ti fy about him that he works hard d for you, for those in La od i cea, and for those in Hi er ap o lis. 14 Luke, the dear ly loved phy si cian, and De mas send you greet ings. 15 Give my greet ings to the broth ers and sis ters in La od i cea, and to Nym pha and the church in her home. 16 Af ter this let ter has been read at your gath er ing, have it read also in the church of the La od i ce ans; and see that you also read the let ter from La od i cea. 17 And tell Ar chip pus, “ Pay at ten tion to the min is try you have re ceived in the Lord, so that you can ac com plish it.” 18 I, Paul, am writ ing this greet ing with my own hand. Re mem ber my chains. Grace be with you. e a3:16 Or and songs prompted by the Spirit b4:8 Other mss read that he may know how you are c4:12 Other mss read and complete d4:13 Other mss read he has a great zeal e4:18 Other mss add Amen. 1045 COLOSSIANS 3-4 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1045 10/26/17 9:00 PM 1 Thessalonians GREETING 1 Paul, Silvanus, a and Tim o thy: To the church of the Thes sa lo ni ans in God the Fa ther and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace to you and peace. b THANKSGIVING 2 We al ways thank God for all of you, mak ing men tion of you con stant ly in our prayers. 3 We re call, in the pres ence of our God and Fa ther, your work pro duced by faith, your la bor moti - vated by love, and your en dur ance in spired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 4 For we know , broth ers and sis ters loved by God, that he has cho sen you, 5 be cause our gos pel did not come to you in word only , but also in pow er, in the Holy Spir it, and with full as sur ance. You know how we lived among you for your ben e fit, 6 and you your selves be came im i ta tors of us and of the Lord when, in spite of se vere per - se cu tion, you wel comed the mes sage with joy from the Holy Spir it. 7 As a re sult, you be came an ex am ple to all the be liev ers in Mac e do nia and Acha ia. 8 For the word of the Lord rang out from you, not only in Mac e do nia and Acha ia, but in ev ery place that your faith c in God has gone out. There fore, we don’t need to say any- thing, 9 for they them selves re port d what kind of re cep tion we had from you: how you turned to God from idols to serve the liv ing and true God 10 and to wait for his Son from heav en, whom he raised from the dead — Jesus, who res cues us from the com ing wrath. PAUL’S CON DUC T 2 For you your selves know , broth ers and sis- ters, that our vis it with you was not with out re sult. 2 On the con trary , af ter we had pre vi- ous ly suff ered and were treat ed outrageously in Phi lip pi, as you know , we were em bold ened by our God to speak the gos pel of God to you in spite of great op po si tion. 3 For our ex hor - ta tion didn’t come from er ror or im pu ri ty or an in tent to de ceive. 4 In stead, just as we have been ap proved by God to be en trust ed with the gos pel, so we speak, not to please peo ple, but rath er God, who ex am ines our hearts. 5 For we nev er used flat ter ing speech, as you know , or had greedy mo tives — God is our wit ness — 6 and we didn’t seek glo ry from peo ple, ei ther from you or from oth- ers. 7 Al though we could have been a bur den as Christ’s apos tles, in stead we were gen tle e among you, as a nurse f nurtures her own chil- dren. 8 We cared so much for you that we were pleased to share with you not only the gos pel of God but also our own lives, be cause you had be come dear to us. 9 For you re mem ber our la bor and hard ship, broth ers and sis ters. Work ing night and day so that we would not bur den any of you, we preached God’s gos pel to you. 10 You are wit ness es, and so is God, of how devoutly , righ teous ly , and blame less ly we con duct ed our selves with you be liev ers. 11 As you know , like a fa ther with his own chil dren, 12 we en cour aged, com fort ed, and implored each one of you to live wor thy of God, who calls you into his own king dom and glo ry . RECEPTION AND OPPOSITION TO THE MESSAGE 13 This is why we con stant ly thank God, be- cause when you re ceived the word of God that you heard from us, you wel comed it not as a hu man mes sage, but as it tru ly is, the word of God, which also works eff ec tive ly in you who be lieve. 14 For you, broth ers and sis ters, be came im i ta tors of God’s church es in Christ Jesus that are in Ju dea, since you have also suff ered the same things from peo ple of your own coun try , just as they did from the Jews 15 who killed the Lord Jesus and the proph ets and per se cut ed us. They dis please God and are hos tile to ev ery one, 16 by keep ing us from speak ing to the Gen tiles so that they may be saved. As a re sult, they are con stant ly fill ing up their sins to the lim it, and wrath has over - tak en them at last. g PAUL’S DESIRE TO SEE THEM 17 But as for us, broth ers and sis ters, af ter we were forced to leave you h for a short time ( in per son, not in heart), we great ly de sired and made ev ery eff ort to re turn and see you face to face. 18 So we want ed to come to you — even a1:1 Or Silas ; Ac 15:22-32; 16:19-40; 17:1-16 b1:1 Other mss add from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ c1:8 Or in every place news of your faith d1:9 Lit report about us e2:7 Many mss read infants f2:7 Or nursing mother g2:16 Or to the end h2:17 Lit orphaned from you CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1046 10/26/17 9:00 PM I, Paul, time and again — but Sa tan hin dered us. 19 For who is our hope or joy or crown of boast ing in the pres ence of our Lord Jesus at his com ing? Is it not you? 20 In deed you are our glo ry and joy! ANXIETY IN ATHENS 3 There fore, when we could no lon ger stand it, we thought it was bet ter to be left alone in Ath ens. 2 And we sent Tim o thy , our broth er and God’s co work er a in the gos pel of Christ, to strength en and en cour age you con cern ing your faith, 3 so that no one will be shak en by these afflictions. For you your selves know that we are ap point ed to this. 4 In fact, when we were with you, we told you in ad vance that we were go ing to ex pe ri ence affliction, and as you know , it hap pened. 5 For this rea son, when I could no lon ger stand it, I also sent him to find out about your faith, fear ing that the tempt er had tempt ed you and that our la bor might be for noth ing. ENCOURAGED BY TIMOTHY 6 But now Tim o thy has come to us from you and brought us good news about your faith and love. He re port ed that you al ways have good mem o ries of
🙏 Spiritual Growth and Community
🔄 Sanctification demands believers avoid sexual immorality, control their bodies in holiness, and reject impurity as God's will for their lives
💪 Perseverance in faith during persecution demonstrates worthiness of God's kingdom, with Christ's return bringing ultimate relief and judgment
🌟 Christ's second coming will reunite believers—both living and dead—with the Lord forever, providing comfort amid grief and uncertainty
⏰ The day of the Lord will arrive unexpectedly like a thief, requiring believers to remain alert, self-controlled, and equipped with faith, love, and hope
👥 Community responsibilities include encouraging one another, respecting church leaders, warning the idle, comforting the discouraged, and helping the weak
🛠️ Practical holiness means working quietly, being self-sufficient, praying constantly, giving thanks in everything, and pursuing peace with everyone
us and that you long to see us, as we also long to see you. 7 There fore, broth ers and sis ters, in all our dis tress and affliction, we were en cour aged about you through your faith. 8 For now we live, if you stand firm in the Lord. 9 How can we thank God for you in re turn for all the joy we ex pe ri ence be fore our God be cause of you, 10 as we pray very ear nest ly night and day to see you face to face and to com plete what is lack ing in your faith? PRAYER FOR THE CHURCH 11 Now may our God and Fa ther him self, and our Lord Jesus, di rect our way to you. 12 And may the Lord cause you to in crease and over flow with love for one an oth er and for ev ery one, just as we do for you. 13 May he make your hearts blame less in ho li ness be fore our God and Fa ther at the com ing of our Lord Jesus with all his saints. Amen. b THE CALL TO SANCTIFICATION 4 Additionally then, broth ers and sis ters, we ask and en cour age you in the Lord Jesus, that as you have re ceived in struc tion from us on how you should live and please God — as you are do ing c — do this even more. 2 For you know what com mands we gave you through the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is God’s will, your sanctification: that you keep away from sex u al im mo ral i ty , 4 that each of you knows how to con trol his own body d in ho li ness and hon or, 5 not with lust ful pas sions, like the Gen tiles, who don’t know God. 6 This means one must not trans - gress against and take ad van tage of a broth er or sis ter in this man ner, be cause the Lord is an aveng er of all these off enses, as we also pre vi ous ly told and warned you. 7 For God has not called us to im pu ri ty but to live in ho li ness. 8 Con se quent ly , any one who re jects this does not re ject man, but God, who gives you his Holy Spir it. LOVING AND WORKING 9 About broth er ly love: You don’t need me to write you be cause you your selves are taught by God to love one an oth er. 10 In fact, you are do ing this to ward all the broth ers and sis ters in the en tire re gion of Mac e do nia. But we en- cour age you, broth ers and sis ters, to do this even more, 11 to seek to lead a qui et life, to mind your own busi ness, e and to work with your own hands, as we com mand ed you, 12 so that you may be have prop er ly in the pres ence of out sid ers and not be de pen dent on any one. f THE COMFORT OF CHRIST’S COMING 13 We do not want you to be un in formed, broth- ers and sis ters, con cern ing those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who have no hope. 14 For if we be lieve that Jesus died and rose again, in the same way , through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fall en asleep. 15 For we say this to you by a word from the Lord: We who are still alive at the Lord’s com ing will cer tain ly not pre cede those who have fall en asleep. 16 For the Lord him self will de scend from heav en with a shout, g with the arch an gel’s voice, and with the trum pet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are still alive, who are left, will be caught up to geth er with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will al ways be with the Lord. 18 There fore en cour age h one an oth er with these words. a3:2 Other mss read servant b3:13 Other mss omit Amen. c4:1 Lit walking d4:4 Or to acquire his own wife ; lit to possess his own vessel e4:11 Lit to practice one’s own things f4:12 Or not need anything, or not be in need g4:16 Or command h4:18 Or comfort 1047 1 THESSALONIANS 2-4 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1047 10/26/17 9:00 PM THE DAY OF THE LORD 5 About the times and the sea sons: Broth ers and sis ters, you do not need any thing to be writ ten to you. 2 For you your selves know very well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. 3 When they say , “ Peace and se cu ri ty ,” then sud den de struc- tion will come upon them, like la bor pains on a preg nant wom an, and they will not es- cape. 4 But you, broth ers and sis ters, are not in the dark, for this day to sur prise you like a thief. 5 For you are all chil dren of light and chil dren of the day . We do not be long to the night or the dark ness. 6 So then, let us not sleep, like the rest, but let us stay awake and be self-controlled. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. 8 But since we be long to the day , let us be self-controlled and put on the ar mor of faith and love, and a hel met of the hope of sal va tion. 9 For God did not ap point us to wrath, but to ob tain sal va tion through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, so that wheth er we are awake or asleep, we may live to geth er with him. 11 There fore en cour age one an oth er and build each oth er up as you are al ready do ing.EXHORTATIONS AND BLESSINGS 12 Now we ask you, broth ers and sis ters, to give rec og ni tion to those who la bor among you and lead you a in the Lord and ad mon- ish you, 13 and to re gard them very high ly in love be cause of their work. Be at peace among your selves. 14 And we ex hort you, broth ers and sis ters: warn those who are idle, b com fort the dis cour aged, help the weak, be pa tient with ev ery one. 15 See to it that no one re pays evil for evil to any one, but al ways pur sue what is good for one an oth er and for all. 16 Re joice al ways, 17 pray con stant ly , 18 give thanks in ev- ery thing; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 19 Don’t stifle the Spir it. 20 Don’t de spise proph e cies, 21 but test all things. Hold on to what is good. 22 Stay away from ev ery kind of evil. 23 Now may the God of peace him self sanc ti fy you com plete ly . And may your whole spir it, soul, and body be kept sound and blame less at the com ing of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is faith ful; he will do it. 25 Broth- ers and sis ters, pray for us also. 26 Greet all the broth ers and sis ters with a holy kiss. 27 I charge you by the Lord that this let ter be read to all the broth ers and sis ters. 28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. a5:12 Or care for you b5:14 Or who are disorderly, or who are undisciplined1 THESSALONIANS 5 1048 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1048 10/26/17 9:00 PM 2 Thessalonians GREETING 1 Paul, Silvanus, a and Tim o thy: To the church of the Thes sa lo ni ans in God our Fa ther and the Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Fa- ther and the Lord Jesus Christ. GOD’S JUDGMENT AND GLORY 3 We ought to thank God al ways for you, broth- ers and sis ters, and right ly so, since your faith is flour ish ing and the love each one of you has for one an oth er is in creas ing. 4 There fore, we our selves boast about you among God’s church es — about your per se ver ance and faith in all the per se cu tions and afflictions that you are en dur ing. 5 It is clear ev i dence of God’s righ teous judg ment that you will be count ed wor thy of God’s king dom, for which you also are suff er ing, 6 since it is just for God to re pay with affliction those who afflict you 7 and to give re lief to you who are afflicted, along with us. This will take place at the rev e- la tion of the Lord Jesus from heav en with his pow er ful an gels, 8 when he takes ven geance with flam ing fire on those who don’t know God and on those who don’t obey the gos pel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will pay the pen al ty of eter nal de struc tion from the Lord’s pres ence and from his glo ri ous strength 10 on that day when he comes to be glo ri fied by his saints and to be mar veled at by all those who have be lieved, be cause our tes ti mo ny among you was be lieved. 11 In view of this, we al ways pray for you that our God will make you wor thy of his call ing, and by his pow er ful fill your ev ery de sire to do good b and your work pro duced by faith, 12 so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glo ri fied by you, and you by him, ac- cord ing to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. THE MAN OF LAWLESSNESS 2 Now con cern ing the com ing of our Lord Jesus Christ and our be ing gath ered to him: We ask you, broth ers and sis ters, 2 not to be eas i ly up set or trou bled, ei ther by a proph e cy c or by a mes sage or by a let ter sup pos ed ly from us, alleging that the day of the Lord d has come. 3 Don’t let any one de ceive you in any way . For that day will not come un less the apos ta sy e comes first and the man of law less ness f is re vealed, the man doomed to de struc tion. 4 He op pos es and ex alts him self above ev ery so-called god or ob ject of wor ship, so that he sits g in God’s tem ple, pro claim ing that he him self is God. 5 Don’t you re mem ber that when I was still with you I used to tell you about this? 6 And you know what currently restrains him, so that he will be re vealed in his time. 7 For the mys tery of law less ness is al ready at work, but the one now re strain ing will do so un til he is out of the way , 8 and then the law less one will be re vealed. The Lord Jesus will de stroy him with the breath of his mouth and will bring him to noth ing at the ap pear ance of his com ing. 9 The com ing of the law less one is based on Sa tan’s work ing, with all kinds of false mir a cles, signs, and won ders, 10 and with ev ery wick ed de cep tion among those who are per ish ing. They per ish be cause they did not ac cept the love of the truth and so be saved. 11 For this rea son God sends them a strong de lu sion so that they will be lieve the lie, 12 so that all will be con demned — those who did not be lieve the truth but de light ed in un righ teous ness. STAND FIRM 13 But we ought to thank God al ways for you, broth ers and sis ters loved by the Lord, be cause from the be gin ning h God has cho sen you for sal va tion through sanctification by the Spir it and through be lief in the truth. 14 He called you to this through our gos pel, so that you might ob tain the glo ry of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 So then, broth ers and sis ters, stand firm and hold to the tra di tions you were taught, wheth er by what we said or what we wrote. 16 May our Lord Jesus Christ him self and God our Fa ther, who has loved us and giv en us eter nal encouragement and good hope by grace, 17 en cour age your hearts and strength en you in ev ery good work and word. a1:1 Or Silas ; Ac 15:22-32; 16:19-40; 17:1-16 b1:11 Or power bring to fruition your desire to do good c2:2 Or spiritual utterance d2:2 Other mss read Christ e2:3 Or rebellion f2:3 Other mss read man of sin g2:4 Other mss add as God h2:13 Other mss read because as a firstfruit CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1049 10/26/17 9:00 PM PRAY FOR US 3 In ad di tion, broth ers and sis ters, pray for us that the word of the Lord may spread rap id ly and be hon ored, just as it was with you, 2 and that we may be de liv ered from wick ed and evil peo ple, for not all have faith. a 3 But the Lord is faith ful; he will strength en and guard you from the evil one. 4 We have con fi dence in the Lord about you, that you are do ing and will con tin ue to do what we com mand. 5 May the Lord di rect your hearts to God’s love and Christ’s en dur ance. WARNING AGAINST IRRESPONSIBLE BEHAVIOR 6 Now we com mand you, broth ers and sis- ters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from ev ery broth er or sis ter who is idle and does not live ac cord ing to the tra di tion re ceived from us. 7 For you your - selves know how you should im i tate us: We were not idle among you; 8 we did not eat any one’s food free of charge; in stead, we la bored and toiled, work ing night and day , so that we would not be a bur den to any of you. 9 It is not that we don’t have the right to sup port, but we did it to make our selves an ex am ple to you so that you would im i tate us. 10 In fact, when we were with you, this is what we com mand ed you: “ If any one isn’t will ing to work, he should not eat.” 11 For we hear that there are some among you who are idle. They are not busy but busy bod ies. 12 Now we com mand and ex hort such peo ple by the Lord Jesus Christ to work qui et ly and pro vide for them selves. b 13 But as for you, broth ers and sis ters, do not grow wea ry in do ing good. 14 If any one does not obey our in struc tion in this let ter, take note of that per son; don’t as so ci ate with him, so that he may be ashamed. 15 Yet don’t con sid er him as an en e my , but warn him as a broth er. FINAL GREETINGS 16 May the Lord of peace him self give you peace al ways in ev ery way . The Lord be with all of you. 17 I, Paul, am writ ing this greet ing with my own hand, which is an authenticating mark in ev ery let ter; this is how I write. 18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. a3:2 Or for the faith is not in everyone b3:12 Lit they may eat their own bread2 THESSALONIANS 3 1050 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1050 10/26/17 9:00 PM 1 TimoThy GREETING 1 Paul, an apos tle of Christ Jesus by the com- mand of God our Sav ior and of Christ Jesus our hope: 2 To Tim o thy , my true son in the faith. Grace, mer cy , and peace from God the a Fa- ther and Christ Jesus our Lord. FALSE DOCTRINE AND MISUSE OF THE LAW 3 As I urged you when I went to Mac e do nia, re main in Eph e sus so that you may in struct cer tain peo ple not to teach false doc trine 4 or to pay at ten tion to myths and end less ge ne- al o gies. These pro mote emp ty speculations rath er than God’s plan, which operates by faith. 5 Now the goal of our in struc tion is love that comes from a pure heart, a good con science, and a sin cere faith. 6 Some have de part ed from these and turned aside to fruit less dis cus sion. 7 They want to be teach ers of the law , al though they don’t un der stand what they are say ing or what they are in sist ing on. 8 But we know that the law is good, pro vid ed one uses it le - gitimately . 9 We know that the law is not meant for a righ teous per son, but for the law less and re bel lious, for the un god ly and sin ful, for the un ho ly and ir rev er ent, for those who kill their fa thers and moth ers, for mur der ers, 10 for the sex u al ly im mor al and homosexuals, for slave trad ers, liars, per jur ers, and for what ev er else is con trary to the sound teach ing 11 that con- forms to the gos pel con cern ing the glo ry of the blessed God, which was en trust ed to me. PAUL’S TESTIMONY 12 I give thanks to Christ Jesus our Lord who has strength ened me, be cause he con sid ered me faith ful, ap point ing me to the min is try — 13 even though I was for mer ly a blas phem er, a per se cu tor, and an ar ro gant man. But I re ceived mer cy be cause I act ed out of ig no rance in un- be lief, 14 and the grace of our Lord over flowed, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 15 This say ing is trust wor thy and de serv- ing of full ac cep tance: “ Christ Jesus came into the world to save sin ners” — and I am the worst of them. 16 But I re ceived mer cy for this rea son, so that in me, the worst of them, Christ Jesus might dem on strate his ex tra or di nary pa tience as an ex am ple to those who would be lieve in him for eter nal life. 17 Now to the King eter nal, im mor tal, in vis i ble, the only b God, be hon or and glo ry for ev er and ever. Amen. ENGAGE IN BATTLE 18 Tim o thy , my son, I am giv ing you this in struc- tion in keep ing with the proph e cies pre vi ous ly made about you, so that by re call ing them you may fight the good fight, 19 hav ing faith and a good con science. Some have re ject ed these and have ship wrecked their faith. 20 Among them are Hy me nae us and Al ex an der, whom I have de liv ered to Sa tan, so that they may be taught not to blas pheme. INSTRUCTIONS ON PRAYER 2 First of all, then, I urge that pe ti tions, prayers, in ter ces sions, and thanks giv- ings be made for ev ery one, 2 for kings and all those who are in au thor i ty , so that we may lead a tranquil and qui et life in all god li ness and dig ni ty . 3 This is good, and it pleas es God our Sav ior, 4 who wants ev ery one to be saved and to come to the knowl edge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one me di a tor be tween God and hu man i ty , the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave him self as a ran som for all, a tes ti mo ny at the prop er time. 7 For this I was ap point ed a her ald, an apos - tle ( I am tell ing the truth; c I am not ly ing), and a teach er of the Gen tiles in faith and truth. INSTRUCTIONS TO MEN AND WOMEN 8 There fore, I want the men in ev ery place to pray , lift ing up holy hands with out an ger or argument. 9 Also, the wom en are to dress them- selves in modest cloth ing, with de cen cy and good sense, not with elaborate hairstyles, gold, pearls, or ex pen sive apparel, 10 but with good works, as is prop er for wom en who pro fess to wor ship God. 11 A wom an is to learn qui et ly with full sub mis sion. 12 I do not al low a wom an to teach or to have au thor i ty over a man; in- stead, she is to re main qui et. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve. 14 And Adam was not de ceived, but the wom an was de ceived and a1:2 Other mss read our b1:17 Other mss add wise c2:7 Other mss add in Christ CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1051 10/26/17 9:00 PM trans gressed. 15 But she will be saved through child bear ing, if they con tin ue in faith, love, and ho li ness, with good sense. QUALIFICATIONS FOR OVERSEERS AND DEACONS 3 This say ing is trust wor thy: “ If any one aspires to be an over seer, a he de sires a no ble work.” 2 An over seer, there fore, must be above re proach, the hus band of one wife, self-controlled, sen si ble, re spect able, hos pi- ta ble, able to teach, 3 not an ex ces sive drinker, not a bully but gen tle, not quar
🙏 Church Leadership Guidelines
🧠 Godly character forms the foundation for church leadership, requiring self-control, good reputation, and competent household management for both elders and deacons
🛡️ Sound doctrine must be preserved and taught faithfully, while false teachings that contradict Christ's words should be actively rejected
💪 Spiritual discipline demands training in godliness, which offers greater benefits than physical training and prepares believers for both present and eternal life
🤲 Generosity should characterize the Christian community, particularly in caring for widows and supporting those in genuine need
🔥 Endurance through suffering marks authentic ministry, as faithful servants must fight the good fight of faith despite opposition and hardship
💰 Contentment with basic necessities protects believers from the love of money, which ensnares many and leads them away from faith into spiritual destruction
rel some, not greedy . 4 He must man age his own house hold competently and have his chil dren un der con- trol with all dig ni ty . 5 ( If any one does not know how to man age his own house hold, how will he take care of God’s church?) 6 He must not be a new con vert, or he might be come con- ceit ed and in cur the same con dem na tion as the dev il. 7 Fur ther more, he must have a good rep u ta tion among out sid ers, so that he does not fall into dis grace and the dev il’s trap. 8 Dea cons, like wise, should be wor thy of re spect, not hyp o crit i cal, not drink ing a lot of wine, not greedy for mon ey , 9 hold ing the mys tery of the faith with a clear con science. 10 They must also be test ed first; if they prove blame less, then they can serve as dea cons. 11 Wives, b too, must be wor thy of re spect, not slan der ers, self-controlled, faith ful in ev ery- thing. 12 Dea cons are to be hus bands of one wife, managing their chil dren and their own house holds competently . 13 For those who have served well as dea cons ac quire a good stand- ing for them selves and great bold ness in the faith that is in Christ Jesus. THE MYSTERY OF GODLINESS 14 I write these things to you, hop ing to come to you soon. 15 But if I should be de layed, I have writ ten so that you will know how peo ple ought to con duct them selves in God’s house - hold, which is the church of the liv ing God, the pil lar and foun da tion of the truth. 16 And most cer tain ly , the mys tery of god li ness is great: He c was manifested in the flesh, vindicated in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory .DEMONIC INFLUENCE 4 Now the Spir it explicitly says that in lat- er times some will de part from the faith, pay ing at ten tion to de ceit ful spir its and the teach ings of de mons, 2 through the hy poc ri sy of liars whose con sciences are seared. 3 They for bid mar riage and de mand abstinence from foods that God cre at ed to be re ceived with grat i tude by those who be lieve and know the truth. 4 For ev ery thing cre at ed by God is good, and noth ing is to be re ject ed if it is re ceived with thanks giv ing, 5 since it is sanc ti fied by the word of God and by prayer. A GOOD SERVANT OF JESUS CHRIST 6 If you point these things out to the broth ers and sis ters, you will be a good ser vant of Christ Jesus, nour ished by the words of the faith and the good teach ing that you have fol lowed. 7 But have noth ing to do with pointless and silly myths. Rath er, train your self in god li ness. 8 For the train ing of the body has limited ben e fit, but god li ness is ben e fi cial in ev ery way , since it holds prom ise for the pre sent life and also for the life to come. 9 This say ing is trust wor thy and de serves full ac cep tance. 10 For this rea- son we la bor and strive, d be cause we have put our hope in the liv ing God, who is the Sav ior of all peo ple, es pe cial ly of those who be lieve. INSTRUCTIONS FOR MINISTRY 11 Com mand and teach these things. 12 Don’t let any one de spise your youth, but set an ex am ple for the be liev ers in speech, in con duct, in love, e in faith, and in pu ri ty . 13 Un til I come, give your at ten tion to pub lic read ing, ex hor ta tion, and teach ing. 14 Don’t ne glect the gift that is in you; it was giv en to you through proph e cy , with the lay ing on of hands by the coun cil of el ders. 15 Prac tice these things; be com mit ted to them, so that your progress may be ev i dent to all. 16 Pay close at ten tion to your life and your teach ing; per se vere in these things, for in do ing this you will save both your self and your hear ers. 5 Don’t re buke an old er man, but ex hort him as a fa ther, youn ger men as broth ers, 2 old er wom en as moth ers, and the youn ger wom en as sis ters with all pu ri ty . THE SUPPORT OF WIDOWS 3 Sup port f wid ows who are genuinely in need. 4 But if any wid ow has chil dren or grand chil dren, a3:1 Or bishop, pastor b3:11 Or The women c3:16 Other mss read God d4:10 Other mss read and suffer reproach e4:12 Other mss add in spirit, f5:3 Lit Honor1 TIMOTHY 2-5 1052 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1052 10/26/17 9:00 PM let them learn to prac tice god li ness to ward their own fam i ly first and to re pay their par - ents, for this pleas es God. 5 The wid ow who is tru ly in need and left all alone has put her hope in God and con tin ues night and day in her pe ti tions and prayers; 6 how ev er, she who is self-indulgent is dead even while she lives. 7 Com mand this also, so that they will be above re proach. 8 But if any one does not pro vide for his own fam i ly , es pe cial ly for his own house hold, he has de nied the faith and is worse than an un be liev er. 9 No wid ow is to be en rolled on the list for sup port un less she is at least six ty years old, has been the wife of one hus band, 10 and is well known for good works — that is, if she has brought up chil dren, shown hos pi tal i ty , washed the saints’ feet, helped the afflicted, and de vot ed her self to ev ery good work. 11 But re fuse to en roll youn ger wid ows, for when they are drawn away from Christ by de sire, they want to mar ry 12 and will there fore re ceive con dem na tion be cause they have re nounced their orig i nal pledge. 13 At the same time, they also learn to be idle, go ing from house to house; they are not only idle, but are also gos sips and busy bod ies, say ing things they shouldn’t say . 14 There fore, I want youn ger wom en to mar ry , have chil dren, man age their house holds, and give the ad ver sary no op por tu ni ty to ac cuse us. 15 For some have al ready turned away to fol low Sa tan. 16 If any a be liev ing wom an has wid ows in her fam i ly , let her help them. Let the church not be bur dened, so that it can help wid ows in gen u ine need. HONORING THE ELDERS 17 The el ders who are good lead ers are to be con sid ered wor thy of dou ble hon or, b es pe cial ly those who work hard at preach ing and teach- ing. 18 For the Scrip ture says: Do not muz zle an ox while it is tread ing out the grain, c and the work er is wor thy of his wag es. 19 Don’t ac cept an ac cu sa tion against an el der un less it is sup port ed by two or three wit ness es. 20 Pub lic ly re buke those who sin, so that the rest will be afraid. 21 I sol emn ly charge you be fore God and Christ Jesus and the elect an gels to ob serve these things with out preju - dice, do ing noth ing out of fa vor it ism. 22 Don’t be too quick to ap point d any one as an el der, and don’t share in the sins of oth ers. Keep your self pure. 23 Don’t con tin ue drink ing only wa ter, but use a lit tle wine be cause of your stom ach and your fre quent ill ness es. 24 Some peo ple’s sins are ob vi ous, pre ced ing them to judg ment, but the sins of oth ers sur face e lat er. 25 Like wise, good works are ob vi ous, and those that are not ob vi ous can not re main hid den. HONORING MASTERS 6 All who are un der the yoke as slaves should re gard their own mas ters f as wor thy of all re spect, so that God’s name and his teach- ing will not be blas phemed. 2 Let those who have be liev ing mas ters not be disrespectful to them be cause they are broth ers, but serve them even bet ter, since those who ben e fit from their ser vice are be liev ers and dear ly loved. g FALSE DOCTRINE AND HUMAN GREED Teach and en cour age these things. 3 If any one teach es false doc trine and does not agree with the sound teach ing of our Lord Jesus Christ and with the teach ing that pro motes god li- ness, 4 he is con ceit ed and un der stands noth- ing, but has an un healthy in ter est in dis putes and ar gu ments over words. From these come envy , quar rel ing, slan der, evil sus pi cions, 5 and con stant dis agree ment among peo ple whose minds are de praved and de prived of the truth, who imag ine that god li ness is a way to ma teri- al gain. h 6 But god li ness with con tent ment is great gain. 7 For we brought noth ing into the world, and i we can take noth ing out. 8 If we have food and cloth ing, j we will be con tent with these. 9 But those who want to be rich fall into temp ta tion, a trap, and many fool ish and harm ful de sires, which plunge peo ple into ruin and de struc tion. 10 For the love of mon ey is a root k of all kinds of evil, and by crav ing it, some have wan dered away from the faith and pierced them selves with many griefs. FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT 11 But you, man of God, flee from these things, and pur sue righ teous ness, god li ness, faith, love, en dur ance, and gen tle ness. 12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of eter nal life to which you were called and about which you have made a good con fes sion in the pres ence of many wit ness es. 13 In the pres ence of God, a5:16 Other mss add believing man or b5:17 Or of respect and remuneration c5:18 Dt 25:4 d5:22 Lit to lay hands on e5:24 Lit follow f6:1 Or owners g6:2 Or because, as believers who are dearly loved, they are devoted to others’ welfare h6:5 Other mss add From such people withdraw yourself. i6:7 Other mss add it is clear that j6:8 Or food and shelter k6:10 Or is the root 1053 1 TIMOTHY 5-6 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1053 10/26/17 9:00 PM who gives life to all, and of Christ Jesus, who gave a good con fes sion be fore Pon tius Pi late, I charge you 14 to keep this com mand with- out fault or fail ure un til the ap pear ing of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 God will bring this about in his own time. He is the blessed and only Sov er eign, the King of kings, and the Lord of lords, 16 who alone is im mor tal and who lives in un ap proach able light, whom no one has seen or can see, to him be hon or and eter nal pow er. Amen. INSTRUCTIONS TO THE RICH 17 In struct those who are rich in the pre sent age not to be ar ro gant or to set their hope on the uncertainty of wealth, but on God, a who rich ly pro vides us with all things to en joy . 18 In struct them to do what is good, to be rich in good works, to be gen er ous and will ing to share, 19 stor ing up trea sure for them selves as a good foun da tion for the com ing age, so that they may take hold of what is tru ly life. GUARD THE HERITAGE 20 Tim o thy , guard what has been en trust ed to you, avoid ing ir rev er ent and emp ty speech and contradictions from what is false ly called knowl edge. 21 By professing it, some peo ple have de part ed from the faith. Grace be with you all. a6:17 Other mss read on the living God1 TIMOTHY 6 1054 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1054 10/26/17 9:00 PM 2 TimoThy GREETING 1 Paul, an apos tle of Christ Jesus by God’s will, for the sake of the prom ise of life in Christ Jesus: 2 To Tim o thy , my dear ly loved son. Grace, mer cy , and peace from God the Fa- ther and Christ Jesus our Lord. THANKSGIVING 3 I thank God, whom I serve with a clear con- science as my an ces tors did, when I con stant ly re mem ber you in my prayers night and day . 4 Re mem ber ing your tears, I long to see you so that I may be filled with joy . 5 I re call your sin cere faith that first lived in your grand- moth er Lois and in your moth er Eu ni ce and now , I am con vinced, is in you also. 6 There fore, I re mind you to rekindle the gift of God that is in you through the lay ing on of my hands. 7 For God has not giv en us a spir it of fear, but one of pow er, a love, and sound judg ment. NOT ASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL 8 So don’t be ashamed of the tes ti mo ny about our Lord, or of me his pris on er. In stead, share in suff er ing for the gos pel, relying on the pow er of God. 9 He has saved us and called us with a holy call ing, not ac cord ing to our works, but ac cord ing to his own pur pose and grace, which was giv en to us in Christ Jesus be fore time be gan. 10 This has now been made ev- i dent through the ap pear ing of our Sav ior Christ Jesus, who has abol ished death and has brought life and im mor tal i ty to light through the gos pel. 11 For this gos pel I was ap point ed a her ald, apos tle, and teach er, b 12 and that is why I suff er these things. But I am not ashamed, be cause I know whom I have be lieved and am per suad ed that he is able to guard what has been en trust ed to me c un til that day . BE LOYAL TO THE FAITH 13 Hold on to the pat tern of sound teach ing that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 14 Guard the good de pos it through the Holy Spir it who lives in us. 15 You know that all those in the prov ince of Asia have de sert ed me, in clud ing Phy ge lus and Her mog e nes. 16 May the Lord grant mer cy to the house hold of On esiph o rus, be cause he of ten re freshed me and was not ashamed of my chains. 17 On the con trary , when he was in Rome, he dil i gent ly searched for me and found me. 18 May the Lord grant that he ob tain mer cy from him on that day . You know very well how much he min is tered at Eph e sus. BE STRONG IN GRACE 2 You, there fore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 What you have heard from me in the pres ence of many wit ness es, com mit to faith ful men d who will be able to teach oth ers also. 3 Share in suff er ing as a good sol dier of Christ Jesus. 4 No one serv ing as a sol dier gets en tan- gled in the con cerns of ci vil ian life; he seeks to please the com mand ing off i cer. 5 Also, if any- one com petes as an ath lete, he is not crowned un less he com petes ac cord ing to the rules. 6 The hard work ing farm er ought to be the first to get a share of the crops. 7 Con sid er what I say , for the Lord will give you un der stand ing in ev ery thing. 8 Re mem ber Jesus Christ, ris en from the dead and de scend ed from Da vid, ac cord ing to my gos pel, 9 for which I suff er to the point of be ing bound like a crim i nal. But the word of God is not bound. 10 This is why I en dure all things for the elect: so that they also may ob tain sal va tion, which is in Christ Jesus, with eter nal glo ry . 11 This say ing is trust wor thy: For if we died with him, we will also live with him; 12 if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he will also deny us; 13 if we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself. AN APPROVED WORKER 14 Re mind them of these things, and charge them be fore God e not to fight about words. This is use less and leads to the ruin of those who a1:7 Or For the Spirit God gave us does not make us fearful, but gives us power b1:11 Other mss add of the Gentiles c1:12 Or guard what I have entrusted to him, or guard my deposit d2:2 Or faithful people e2:14 Other mss read before the Lord CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1055 10/26/17 9:00 PM lis ten. 15 Be dil i gent to pre sent your self to God as one ap proved, a work er who doesn’t need to be ashamed, cor rect ly teach ing the word of truth. 16 Avoid ir rev er ent and emp ty speech, since those who en gage in it will pro duce even more god less ness, 17 and their teach ing will spread like gan grene. Hy me nae us and Phi le tus are among them. 18 They have de part ed from the truth, say ing that the res ur rec tion has al- ready tak en place, and are ru in ing the faith of some. 19 Nev er the less, God’s sol id foun da tion stands firm, bear ing this in scrip tion: The Lord knows those who are his, a and let ev ery one who calls on the name of b the Lord turn away from wick ed ness. 20 Now in a large house there are not only gold and sil ver ves sels, but also those of wood and clay; some for hon or able c use and some for dishonorable. d 21 So if any one pu ri fies him- self from any thing dishonorable, e he will be a spe cial f in stru ment, set apart, use ful to the Mas ter, pre pared for ev ery good work. 22 Flee from youth ful pas sions, and pur - sue righ teous ness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. 23 But re ject fool ish and ig no- rant dis putes, be cause you know that they breed quar rels. 24 The Lord’s ser vant must not quar rel, but must be gen tle to ev ery one, able to teach, g and pa tient, 25 in struct ing his op po nents with gen tle ness. Per haps God will grant them re pen tance lead ing them to the knowl edge of the truth. 26 Then they may come to their sens es and es cape the trap of the dev il, who has tak en them cap tive to do his will. DIFFICULT TIMES AHEAD 3 But know this: Hard times will come in the last days. 2 For peo ple will be lov ers of self, lov ers of mon ey , boast ful, proud, de - meaning, dis obe di ent to par ents, un grate ful, un ho ly , 3 unloving, ir rec on cil able, slan der ers, with out self-control, bru tal, with out love for what is good, 4 trai tors, reck less, con ceit ed, lov ers of plea sure rath er than lov ers of God, 5 hold ing to the form of god li ness but de ny ing its pow er. Avoid these peo ple. 6 For among them are those who worm their way into house holds and de ceive gullible wom- en over whelmed by sins and led astray by a variety of pas sions, 7 al ways learn ing and nev er able to come to a knowl edge of the truth. 8 Just as Jan nes and Jam bres re sist ed Mo ses, so these also re sist the truth. They are men who are cor rupt in mind and worth less in re gard to the faith. 9 But they will not make fur ther progress, for their fool ish ness will be clear to all, as was the fool ish ness of Jan nes and Jam bres. STRUGGLES IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE 10 But you have fol lowed my teach ing, con duct, pur pose, faith, pa tience, love, and en dur ance, 11 along with the per se cu tions and suff er ings that came to me in An ti och, Ico ni um, and Lys- tra. What per se cu tions I en dured — and yet the Lord res cued me from them all. 12 In fact, all who want to live a god ly life in Christ Jesus will be per se cut ed. 13 Evil peo ple and im pos- tors
📜 Scripture's Transformative Power
🔥 Scripture is divinely inspired and equips believers for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, making them complete for every good work
🗣️ Faithful ministry demands preaching truth persistently despite opposition, as people increasingly reject sound doctrine in favor of teachings that satisfy their desires
⚔️ Paul's personal testimony reveals his confidence in finishing well despite hardship, abandonment, and opposition, trusting God's strength and ultimate reward
🤝 Christian community requires appointing qualified leaders, maintaining sound doctrine, rejecting divisiveness, and demonstrating love through practical service
💫 Christ's superiority over angels is established through Scripture, revealing His divine nature as Creator, Sustainer, and Heir of all things
🌱 Salvation comes through Christ who became human to taste death for everyone, destroy the power of death, and serve as our merciful high priest
will be come worse, de ceiv ing and be ing de ceived. 14 But as for you, con tin ue in what you have learned and firm ly be lieved. You know those who taught you, 15 and you know that from in fan cy you have known the sa cred Scrip tures, which are able to give you wis dom for sal va tion through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scrip ture is in spired by God h and is profi t able for teach ing, for re buk ing, for cor rect ing, for train ing in righ teous ness, 17 so that the man of God may be com plete, equipped for ev ery good work. FULFILL YOUR MINISTRY 4 I sol emn ly charge you be fore God and Christ Jesus, who is go ing to judge the liv- ing and the dead, and be cause of his ap pear ing and his king dom: 2 Preach the word; be ready in sea son and out of sea son; re buke, cor rect, and en cour age with great pa tience and teach- ing. 3 For the time will come when peo ple will not tol er ate sound doc trine, but ac cord ing to their own de sires, will mul ti ply teach ers for them selves be cause they have an itch to hear what they want to hear. 4 They will turn away from hear ing the truth and will turn aside to myths. 5 But as for you, ex er cise self-control in ev ery thing, en dure hard ship, do the work of an evan ge list, ful fill your min is try . 6 For I am al ready be ing poured out as a drink o ff er ing, and the time for my de par ture is close. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have fin ished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 There is re served for me the crown of righ teous ness, a2:19 Nm 16:5 b2:19 Lit everyone who names the name of c2:20 Or special d2:20 Or ordinary e2:21 Lit from these f2:21 Or an honorable g2:24 Or everyone, skillful in teaching h3:16 Lit breathed out by God2 TIMOTHY 2-4 1056 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1056 10/26/17 9:00 PM which the Lord, the righ teous Judge, will give me on that day , and not only to me, but to all those who have loved his ap pear ing. a FINAL INSTRUCTIONS 9 Make ev ery eff ort to come to me soon, 10 be- cause De mas has de sert ed me, since he loved this pre sent world, and has gone to Thes sa- lo ni ca. Cres cens has gone to Ga la tia, Ti tus to Dal ma tia. 11 Only Luke is with me. Bring Mark with you, for he is use ful to me in the min is try . 12 I have sent Tych i cus to Eph e sus. 13 When you come, bring the cloak I left in Tro as with Car pus, as well as the scrolls, es pe cial ly the parch ments. 14 Al ex an der the coppersmith did great harm to me. The Lord will re pay him ac cord ing to his works. 15 Watch out for him your self be cause he strong ly op posed our words.16 At my first de fense, no one stood by me, but ev ery one de sert ed me. May it not be count ed against them. 17 But the Lord stood with me and strength ened me, so that I might ful ly preach the word and all the Gen tiles might hear it. So I was res cued from the lion’s mouth. 18 The Lord will res cue me from ev ery evil work and will bring me safe ly into his heav en ly king dom. To him be the glo ry for ev er and ever! Amen. BENEDICTION 19 Greet Prisca and Aq ui la, and the house hold of On esiph o rus. 20 Eras tus has re mained at Cor - inth; I left Troph i mus sick at Mi le tus. 21 Make ev ery eff ort to come be fore win ter. Eu bu lus greets you, as do Pu dens, Li nus, Clau dia, and all the broth ers and sis ters. 22 The Lord be with your spir it. Grace be with you all. a4:8 Or have longed for his appearing 1057 2 TIMOTHY 4 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1057 10/26/17 9:00 PM TiTus GREETING 1 Paul, a ser vant of God and an apos tle of Jesus Christ, for a the faith of God’s elect and their knowl edge of the truth that leads b to god li ness, 2 in the hope of eter nal life that God, who can not lie, prom ised be fore time be gan. 3 In his own time he has re vealed his word in the preach ing with which I was en- trust ed by the com mand of God our Sav ior: 4 To Ti tus, my true son in our com mon faith. Grace and peace from God the Fa ther and Christ Jesus our Sav ior. TITUS’S MINISTRY IN CRETE 5 The rea son I left you in Crete was to set right what was left un done and, as I di rect ed you, to ap point el ders in ev ery town. 6 An el der must be blame less: the hus band of one wife, with faith ful c chil dren who are not ac cused of wildness or re bel lion. 7 As an over seer of God’s house hold, he must be blame less: not ar ro gant, not hot-tempered, not an ex ces sive drinker, not a bully , not greedy for mon ey , 8 but hos pi ta ble, lov ing what is good, sen si ble, righ teous, holy , self-controlled, 9 hold ing to the faith ful mes sage as taught, so that he will be able both to en cour age with sound teach ing and to re fute those who con tra dict it. 10 For there are many re bel lious peo ple, full of emp ty talk and de cep tion, es pe cial ly those from the cir cum ci sion par ty . 11 It is nec- es sary to si lence them; they are ru in ing en tire house holds by teach ing what they shouldn’t in or der to get mon ey dis hon est ly . 12 One of their very own proph ets said, “Cre tans are al ways liars, evil beasts, lazy glut tons.” 13 This tes ti mo ny is true. For this rea son, re buke them sharp ly , so that they may be sound in the faith 14 and may not pay at ten tion to Jew- ish myths and the com mands of peo ple who re ject the truth. 15 To the pure, ev ery thing is pure, but to those who are de filed and un be liev ing noth ing is pure; in fact, both their mind and con science are de filed. 16 They claim to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are de test able, dis obe di ent, and un fit for any good work.SOUND TEACHING AND CHRISTIAN LIVING 2 But you are to pro claim things consistent with sound teach ing. 2 Old er men are to be self-controlled, wor thy of re spect, sen si ble, and sound in faith, love, and en dur ance. 3 In the same way , old er wom en are to be rev er- ent in be hav ior, not slan der ers, not slaves to ex ces sive drink ing. They are to teach what is good, 4 so that they may en cour age the young wom en to love their hus bands and to love their chil dren, 5 to be self-controlled, pure, workers at home, kind, and in sub mis sion to their hus bands, so that God’s word will not be slan dered. 6 In the same way , en cour age the young men to be self-controlled 7 in ev ery thing. Make your - self an ex am ple of good works with in teg ri ty and dig ni ty d in your teach ing. 8 Your mes sage is to be sound be yond re proach, so that any op po nent will be ashamed, be cause he doesn’t have any thing bad to say about us. 9 Slaves are to sub mit to their mas ters in ev- ery thing, and to be well-pleasing, not talk ing back 10 or steal ing, but demonstrating ut ter faith ful ness, so that they may adorn the teach- ing of God our Sav ior in ev ery thing. 11 For the grace of God has ap peared, bring- ing sal va tion e for all peo ple, 12 in struct ing us to deny god less ness and world ly lusts and to live in a sen si ble, righ teous, and god ly way in the pre sent age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope, the ap pear ing of the glo ry of our great God and Sav ior, Jesus Christ. 14 He gave him self for us to re deem us from all law less ness and to cleanse for him self a peo ple for his own pos ses sion, ea ger to do good works. 15 Pro claim these things; en cour age and re buke with all au thor i ty . Let no one disre - gard f you. CHRISTIAN LIVING AMONG OUTSIDERS 3 Re mind them to sub mit to rul ers and au- thor i ties, to obey , to be ready for ev ery good work, 2 to slan der no one, to avoid fight ing, and to be kind, al ways show ing gen tle ness to all peo ple. 3 For we too were once fool ish, dis obe di ent, de ceived, en slaved by var i ous a1:1 Or according to b1:1 Or corresponds c1:6 Or believing d2:7 Other mss add and incorruptibility e2:11 Or appeared with saving power f2:15 Or despise CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1058 10/26/17 9:00 PM 1059 TITUS 3 pas sions and plea sures, liv ing in mal ice and envy , hateful, detesting one an oth er. 4 But when the kind ness of God our Sav- ior and his love for man kind ap peared, 5 he saved us — not by works of righ teous ness that we had done, but ac cord ing to his mer cy — through the wash ing of regeneration and re new al by the Holy Spir it. 6 He poured out his Spir it on us abun dant ly through Jesus Christ our Sav ior 7 so that, hav ing been jus- ti fied by his grace, we may be come heirs with the hope of eter nal life. 8 This say ing is trust wor thy . I want you to in sist on these things, so that those who have be lieved God might be care ful to de vote them selves to good works. These are good and prof it able for ev ery one. 9 But avoid fool ish debates, ge ne al o gies, quar rels, and dis putes about the law , be cause they are un prof it able and worth less. 10 Re ject a di vi sive per son af ter a first and sec ond warn ing. 11 For you know that such a per son has gone astray and is sin ning; he is self-condemned. FINAL INSTRUCTIONS AND CLOSING 12 When I send Ar te mas or Tych i cus to you, make ev ery eff ort to come to me in Ni cop o lis, be cause I have de cid ed to spend the win ter there. 13 Dil i gent ly help Ze nas the law yer and Apol los on their jour ney , so that they will lack noth ing. 14 Let our peo ple learn to de vote them selves to good works for press ing needs, so that they will not be un fruit ful. 15 All those who are with me send you greet ings. Greet those who love us in the faith. Grace be with all of you. CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1059 10/26/17 9:00 PM Philemon GREETING P aul, a pris on er of Christ Jesus, and Tim o- thy our broth er: To Phi le mon our dear friend and co work- er, 2 to Ap phia our sis ter, a to Ar chip pus our fel low sol dier, and to the church that meets in your home. 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Fa- ther and the Lord Jesus Christ. PHILEMON’S LOVE AND FAITH 4 I al ways thank my God when I men tion you in my prayers, 5 be cause I hear of your love for all the saints and the faith that you have in the Lord Jesus. 6 I pray that your par tic i pa tion in the faith may be come eff ec tive through know ing ev ery good thing that is in us b for the glo ry of Christ. 7 For I have great joy and encouragement from your love, be cause the hearts of the saints have been re freshed through you, broth er. AN APPEAL FOR ONESIMUS 8 For this rea son, al though I have great bold- ness in Christ to com mand you to do what is right, 9 I ap peal to you, in stead, on the ba sis of love. I, Paul, as an el der ly man c and now also as a pris on er of Christ Jesus, 10 ap peal to you for my son, Ones i mus. d I be came his fa ther while I was in chains. 11 Once he was use less to you, but now he is use ful both to you and to me. 12 I am send ing him back to you — I am send ing my very own heart. e,f 13 I want ed to keep him with me, so that in my im pris- on ment for the gos pel he might serve me in your place. 14 But I didn’t want to do any thing with out your con sent, so that your good deed might not be out of ob li ga tion, but of your own free will. 15 For per haps this is why he was sep a rat ed from you for a brief time, so that you might get him back per ma nent ly , 16 no lon ger as a slave, but more than a slave — as a dear ly loved broth er. He is es pe cial ly so to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord. 17 So if you con sid er me a part ner, wel come him as you would me. 18 And if he has wronged you in any way , or owes you any thing, charge that to my ac count. 19 I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will re pay it — not to men- tion to you that you owe me even your very self. 20 Yes, broth er, may I ben e fit from you in the Lord; re fresh my heart in Christ. 21 Since I am con fi dent of your obe di ence, I am writ ing to you, know ing that you will do even more than I say . 22 Mean while, also pre pare a guest room for me, since I hope that through your prayers I will be re stored to you. FINAL GREETINGS 23 Ep a phras, my fel low pris on er in Christ Jesus, sends you greet ings, and so do 24 Mark, Ar - is tar chus, De mas, and Luke, my co work ers. 25 The grace of the Lord g Jesus Christ be with your spir it. a2 Other mss read our beloved b6 Other mss read in you c9 Or an ambassador d10 In Gk, Onesimus means “useful” e12 Other mss read him back. Receive him, my own heart. f12 Lit you — that is, my own heart g25 Other mss read our Lord CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1060 10/26/17 9:00 PM hebrews THE NATURE OF THE SON 1 Long ago God spoke to the fa thers by the proph ets at di ff er ent times and in di ff er ent ways. 2 In these last days, he has spo ken to us by his Son. God has ap point ed him heir of all things and made the uni verse a through him. 3 The Son is the ra di ance b of God’s glo ry and the ex act ex pres sion c of his na ture, sus tain ing all things by his pow er ful word. Af ter mak ing pu ri fi ca tion for sins, d he sat down at the right hand of the Maj es ty on high. e 4 So he be came su pe ri or to the an gels, just as the name he in her it ed is more ex cel lent than theirs. THE SON SUPERIOR TO ANGELS 5 For to which of the an gels did he ever say , You are my Son; today I have become your Father, f,g or again, I will be his Father, and he will be my Son? h 6 Again, when he i brings his first born into the world, he says, And let all God’s angels worship him. j 7 And about the an gels he says: He makes his angels winds, k and his servants l a fiery flame, m 8 but to n the Son: Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, and the scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of justice. 9 You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; this is why God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of joy beyond your companions. o,p 10 And: In the beginning, Lord, you established the earth, and the heavens are the works of your hands; 11 they will perish, but you remain. They will all wear out like clothing; 12 you will roll them up like a cloak, q and they will be changed like clothing. But you are the same, and your years will never end. r 13 Now to which of the an gels has he ever said: Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool? s 14 Are they not all min is ter ing spir its sent out to serve those who are go ing to in her it sal va tion? WARNING AGAINST NEGLECT 2 For this rea son, we must pay at ten tion all the more to what we have heard, so that we will not drift away . 2 For if the mes sage spo ken through an gels was legally bind ing t and ev ery trans gres sion and dis obe di ence re ceived a just pun ish ment, 3 how will we es- cape if we ne glect such a great sal va tion? This sal va tion had its be gin ning when it was spo ken of by the Lord, and it was con firmed to us by those who heard him. 4 At the same time, God also tes ti fied by signs and won ders, var i ous mir a cles, and dis tri bu tions of gifts from the Holy Spir it ac cord ing to his will. JESUS AND HUMANITY 5 For he has not sub ject ed to an gels the world to come that we are talk ing about. 6 But some- one some where has tes ti fied: What is man that you remember him, or the son of man that you care for him? 7 You made him lower than the angels for a short time; you crowned him with glory and honor u 8 and subjected everything under his feet. v For in sub ject ing ev ery thing to him, he left noth ing that is not sub ject to him. As it is, we do not yet see ev ery thing sub ject ed to him. 9 But we do see Jesus — made low er than a1:2 Lit ages b1:3 Or reflection c1:3 Or representation, or copy, or reproduction d1:3 Other mss read for our sins by himself e1:3 Or he sat down on high at the right hand of the Majesty f1:5 Or have begotten you g1:5 Ps 2:7 h1:5 2Sm 7:14; 1Ch 17:13 i1:6 Or When he again j1:6 Dt 32:43 LXX; Ps 97:7 k1:7 Or spirits l1:7 Or ministers m1:7 Ps 104:4 n1:8 Or about o1:9 Or associates p1:8-9 Ps 45:6-7 q1:12 Other mss omit like a cloak r1:10-12 Ps 102:25-27 s1:13 Ps 110:1 t2:2 Or valid, or reliable u2:7 Other mss add and set him over the works of your hands v2:6-8 Ps 8:5-7 LXX CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1061 10/26/17 9:00 PM the an gels for a short time so that by God’s grace he might taste death for ev ery one — crowned with glo ry and hon or be cause he suff ered death. 10 For in bring ing many sons and daugh ters to glo ry , it was en tire ly ap pro pri ate that God — for whom and through whom all things ex ist — should make the source a of their sal va tion per fect through suff er ings. 11 For the one who sanctifies and those who are sanc ti fied all have one Fa ther. b That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them broth ers and sis ters, 12 say ing: I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters; I will sing hymns to you in the congregation. c 13 Again, I will trust in him. d And again, Here I am with the chil dren God gave me. e 14 Now since the chil dren have flesh and blood in com mon, Jesus also shared in these, so that through his death he might de stroy the one hold ing the pow er of death — that is, the dev il — 15 and free those who were held in slav ery all their lives by the fear of death. 16 For it is clear that he does not reach out to help an gels, but to help Abra ham’s off spring. 17 There fore, he had to be like his broth ers and sis ters in ev ery way , so that he could be come a mer ci ful and faith ful high priest in mat ters f per tain ing to God, to make atone ment g for the sins of the peo ple. 18 For since he him self has suff ered when he was tempt ed, he is able to help those who are tempt ed. OUR APOSTLE AND HIGH PRIEST 3 There fore, holy broth ers and sis ters, who share in a heav en ly call ing, con sid er Jesus, the apos tle and high priest of our con fes sion. 2 He was faith ful to the one who ap point ed him, just as Mo ses was in all God’s house hold. 3 For Jesus is con
🙏 Christ's Superior Priesthood
🏛️ Jesus Christ surpasses Moses as the faithful Son over God's household, while Moses served as a servant within it, establishing Christ's greater glory and authority
⚠️ The text warns against hardened hearts and unbelief, drawing parallels between ancient Israelites who rebelled in the wilderness and Christians who might similarly fail to enter God's promised rest
🕊️ Christ serves as our perfect High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek—eternally appointed by God's oath, sympathizing with our weaknesses yet without sin, and offering himself as the ultimate sacrifice
📜 The new covenant established through Christ's blood supersedes the old, writing God's laws on hearts rather than stone and providing complete forgiveness that the Levitical priesthood could never accomplish
🛐 Believers must approach God's throne of grace with boldness, persevere in faith, and progress toward spiritual maturity to fully experience the salvation Christ secured
🏆 Christ's heavenly ministry in the true tabernacle provides direct access to God, offering eternal redemption through his blood that cleanses consciences in ways animal sacrifices never could
sid ered wor thy of more glo ry than Mo ses, just as the build er has more hon or than the house. 4 Now ev ery house is built by some one, but the one who built ev ery thing is God. 5 Mo ses was faith ful as a ser vant in all God’s house hold, as a tes ti mo ny to what would be said in the fu ture. 6 But Christ was faith ful as a Son over his house hold. And we are that house hold if we hold on to our con fi dence and the hope in which we boast. hWARNING AGAINST UNBELIEF 7 There fore, as the Holy Spir it says: Today , if you hear his voice, 8 do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness, 9 where your fathers tested me, tried me, and saw my works 10 for forty years. Therefore I was provoked to anger with that generation and said, “They always go astray in their hearts, and they have not known my ways.” 11 So I swore in my anger, “They will not enter my rest.” i 12 Watch out, broth ers and sis ters, so that there won’t be in any of you an evil, un be liev ing heart that turns away from the liv ing God. 13 But en cour age each oth er dai ly , while it is still called to day, so that none of you is hard- ened by sin’s de cep tion. 14 For we have be come par tic i pants in Christ if we hold firm ly un til the end the re al i ty j that we had at the start. 15 As it is said: Today , if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion. k 16 For who heard and re belled? Wasn’t it all who came out of Egypt un der Mo ses? 17 With whom was God an gry for for ty years? Wasn’t it with those who sinned, whose bod ies fell in the wil der ness? 18 And to whom did he swear that they would not en ter his rest, if not to those who dis obeyed? 19 So we see that they were un able to en ter be cause of un be lief. THE PROMISED REST 4 There fore, since the prom ise to en ter his rest re mains, let us be ware l that none of you be found to have fall en short. m 2 For we also have re ceived the good news just as they did. But the mes sage they heard did not ben- e fit them, since they were not unit ed with those who heard it in faith. n 3 For we who have be lieved en ter the rest, in keep ing with what o he has said, So I swore in my anger, “They will not enter my rest,” p a2:10 Or pioneer, or leader b2:11 Or father, or origin; lit all are of one c2:12 Ps 22:22 d2:13 2Sm 22:3 LXX; Is 8:17 LXX; 12:2 LXX e2:13 Is 8:18 LXX f2:17 Lit things g2:17 Or propitiation h3:6 Other mss add firm to the end i3:7-11 Ps 95:7-11 j3:14 Or confidence k3:15 Ps 95:7-8 l4:1 Lit fear m4:1 Or that any of you might seem to have missed it n4:2 Other mss read since it was not united by faith in those who heard o4:3 Or rest, just as p4:3 Ps 95:11HEBREWS 2-4 1062 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1062 10/26/17 9:00 PM even though his works have been fin ished since the foun da tion of the world. 4 For some- where he has spo ken about the sev enth day in this way: And on the sev enth day God rest ed from all his works. a 5 Again, in that pas sage he says, They will nev er en ter my rest. b 6 There fore, since it re mains for some to en ter it, and those who for mer ly re ceived the good news did not en ter be cause of dis- obe di ence, 7 he again specifies a cer tain day — to day. He spec i fied this speak ing through Da vid af ter such a long time: Today , if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts. c 8 For if Josh ua had giv en them rest, God would not have spo ken lat er about an oth er day . 9 There fore, a Sab bath rest re mains for God’s peo ple. 10 For the per son who has en- tered his rest has rest ed from his own works, just as God did from his. 11 Let us then make ev ery eff ort to en ter that rest, so that no one will fall into the same pat tern of dis obe di ence. 12 For the word of God is liv ing and eff ec tive and sharp er than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the sep a ra tion of soul and spir it, joints and mar row . It is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 No crea ture is hid den from him, but all things are na ked and ex posed to the eyes of him to whom we must give an ac count. OUR GREAT HIGH PRIEST 14 There fore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heav ens — Jesus the Son of God — let us hold fast to our con fes- sion. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is un able to sym pa thize with our weak ness es, but one who has been tempt ed in ev ery way as we are, yet with out sin. 16 There fore, let us ap proach the throne of grace with bold ness, so that we may re ceive mer cy and find grace to help us in time of need. CHRIST, A HIGH PRIEST 5 For ev ery high priest tak en from among men is ap point ed in mat ters per tain ing to God for the peo ple, to of fer both gifts and sac ri fic es for sins. 2 He is able to deal gent ly with those who are ig no rant and are go ing astray , since he is also clothed with weak ness. 3 Be cause of this, he must make an of fer ing for his own sins as well as for the peo ple. 4 No one takes this hon or on him self; in stead, a per son is called by God, just as Aar on was. 5 In the same way , Christ did not ex alt him- self to be come a high priest, but God who said to him, You are my Son; today I have become your Father, d,e 6 also says in an oth er place, You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. f 7 Dur ing his earth ly life, g he off ered prayers and ap peals with loud cries and tears to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard be cause of his rev er ence. 8 Al though he was the Son, he learned obe- di ence from what he suff ered. 9 Af ter he was perfected, he be came the source of eter nal sal va tion for all who obey him, 10 and he was de clared by God a high priest ac cord ing to the or der of Mel chiz e dek. THE PROBLEM OF IMMATURITY 11 We have a great deal to say about this, and it is diff i cult to ex plain, since you have be- come too lazy to un der stand. 12 Al though by this time you ought to be teach ers, you need some one to teach you the ba sic prin ci ples of God’s rev e la tion again. You need milk, not sol id food. 13 Now ev ery one who lives on milk is in ex pe ri enced with the mes sage about righ- teous ness, be cause he is an in fant. 14 But sol id food is for the ma ture — for those whose sens- es have been trained to dis tin guish be tween good and evil. WARNING AGAINST FALLING AWAY 6 There fore, let us leave the el e men ta ry teach ing about Christ and go on to ma tu ri- ty , not lay ing again a foun da tion of re pen tance from dead works, faith in God, 2 teach ing about rit u al wash ings, h lay ing on of hands, the res- ur rec tion of the dead, and eter nal judg ment. 3 And we will do this if God per mits. 4 For it is im pos si ble to re new to re pen tance those who were once en light ened, who tast ed the heav en ly gift, who shared in the Holy Spir it, 5 who tast ed God’s good word and the pow ers of the com ing age, 6 and who have fall en away . This is be cause, i to their own harm, they are recrucifying the Son of God and hold ing him a4:4 Gn 2:2 b4:5 Ps 95:11 c4:7 Ps 95:7-8 d 5:5 Lit I have begotten you e 5:5 Ps 2:7 f 5:6 Gn 14:18-20; Ps 110:4 g 5:7 Lit In the days of his flesh h 6:2 Or about baptisms i 6:6 Or while 1063 HEBREWS 4-6 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1063 10/26/17 9:00 PM up to con tempt. 7 For the ground that drinks the rain that of ten falls on it and that pro- duc es veg e ta tion use ful to those for whom it is cul ti vat ed re ceives a bless ing from God. 8 But if it pro duc es thorns and this tles, it is worth less and about to be cursed, and at the end will be burned. 9 Even though we are speak ing this way , dear ly loved friends, in your case we are con- fi dent of things that are bet ter and that per - tain to sal va tion. 10 For God is not un just; he will not for get your work and the love a you demonstrated for his name by serv ing the saints — and by con tin u ing to serve them. 11 Now we de sire each of you to dem on strate the same dil i gence for the full as sur ance of your hope un til the end, 12 so that you won’t be come lazy but will be im i ta tors of those who in her it the prom is es through faith and per se ver ance. INHERITING THE PROMISE 13 For when God made a prom ise to Abra ham, since he had no one great er to swear by , he swore by him self: 14 I will in deed bless you, and I will great ly mul ti ply you. b 15 And so, af ter wait ing pa tient ly , Abra ham ob tained the prom ise. 16 For peo ple swear by some thing great er than them selves, and for them a con- firm ing oath ends ev ery dis pute. 17 Be cause God want ed to show his un change able pur pose even more clear ly to the heirs of the prom- ise, he guar an teed it with an oath, 18 so that through two un change able things, in which it is im pos si ble for God to lie, we who have fled for ref uge might have strong encouragement to seize the hope set be fore us. 19 We have this hope as an an chor for the soul, firm and se- cure. It en ters the in ner sanc tu ary be hind the cur tain. 20 Jesus has en tered there on our be- half as a forerunner, be cause he has be come a high priest for ev er ac cord ing to the or der of Mel chiz e dek. THE GREATNESS OF MELCHIZEDEK 7 For this Mel chiz e dek, king of Sa lem, priest of God Most High, met Abra ham and blessed him as he re turned from de feat ing the kings, 2 and Abra ham gave him a tenth of ev ery thing. First, his name means king of righ teous ness, then also, king of Sa lem, mean- ing king of peace. 3 With out fa ther, moth er, or ge ne al o gy , hav ing nei ther be gin ning of days nor end of life, but re sem bling the Son of God, he re mains a priest for ev er. 4 Now con sid er how great this man was: even Abra ham the pa tri arch gave a tenth of the plun der to him. 5 The sons of Levi who re ceive the priest ly off ice have a com mand ac cord ing to the law to col lect a tenth from the peo ple — that is, from their broth ers and sis ters — though they have also de scend ed from Abra ham. 6 But one with out this c lineage col lect ed a tenth from Abra ham and blessed the one who had the prom is es. 7 With out a doubt, the in fe ri or is blessed by the su pe ri or. 8 In the one case, men who will die re ceive a tenth, but in the oth er case, Scrip ture tes ti fies that he lives. 9 And in a sense Levi him self, who re ceives a tenth, has paid a tenth through Abra ham, 10 for he was still with in his an ces- tor d when Mel chiz e dek met him. A SUPERIOR PRIESTHOOD 11 Now if per fec tion came through the Le vit i- cal priest hood ( for on the ba sis of it the peo- ple re ceived the law), what fur ther need was there for an oth er priest to ap pear, said to be ac cord ing to the or der of Mel chiz e dek and not ac cord ing to the or der of Aar on? 12 For when there is a change of the priest hood, there must be a change of law as well. 13 For the one these things are spo ken about be longed to a diff er ent tribe. No one from it has served at the al tar. 14 Now it is ev i dent that our Lord came from Ju dah, and Mo ses said noth ing about that tribe con cern ing priests. 15 And this be comes clearer if an oth er priest like Mel chiz e dek ap pears, 16 who did not be come a priest based on a le gal reg u- la tion about phys i cal e de scent but based on the pow er of an in de struc ti ble life. 17 For it has been tes ti fied: You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. f 18 So the pre vi ous com mand is an nulled be- cause it was weak and un profi t able 19 ( for the law perfected noth ing), but a bet ter hope is in- tro duced, through which we draw near to God. 20 None of this hap pened with out an oath. For oth ers be came priests with out an oath, 21 but he be came a priest with an oath made by the one who said to him: a6:10 Other mss read labor of love b6:14 Gn 22:17 c7:6 Lit their d7:10 Lit still in his father’s loins e7:16 Or fleshly f7:17 Ps 110:4HEBREWS 6-7 1064 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1064 10/26/17 9:00 PM The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, “You are a priest forever.” a 22 Be cause of this oath, Jesus has also be come the guar an tee of a bet ter cov enant. 23 Now many have be come Le vit i cal priests, since they are pre vent ed by death from re - main ing in off ice. 24 But be cause he re mains for ev er, he holds his priest hood per ma nent- ly. 25 There fore, he is able to save com plete ly those who come to God through him, since he al ways lives to in ter cede for them. 26 For this is the kind of high priest we need: holy , in no cent, undefiled, sep a rat ed from sin- ners, and ex alt ed above the heav ens. 27 He doesn’t need to off er sac ri fic es ev ery day , as high priests do — first for their own sins, then for those of the peo ple. He did this once for all time when he o ff ered him self. 28 For the law ap points as high priests men who are weak, but the prom ise of the oath, which came af ter the law , ap points a Son, who has been perfected for ev er. A HEAVENLY PRIESTHOOD 8 Now the main point of what is be ing said is this: We have this kind of high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Maj es ty in the heav ens, 2 a min is ter of the sanc tu ary and the true tab er na cle that was set up by the Lord and not man. 3 For ev- ery high priest is ap point ed to off er gifts and sac ri fic es; there fore, it was nec es sary for this priest also to have some thing to off er. 4 Now if he were on earth, he wouldn’t be a priest, since there are those b off er ing the gifts pre- scribed by the law . 5 These serve as a copy and shad ow of the heav en ly things, as Mo ses was warned when he was about to com plete the tab er na cle. For God said, Be care ful that you make ev ery thing ac cord ing to the pat tern that was shown to you on the moun tain. c 6 But Jesus has now ob tained a su pe ri or min- is try , and to that de gree he is the me di a tor of a bet ter cov enant, which has been es tab lished on bet ter prom is es. A SUPERIOR COVENANT 7 For if that first cov enant had been fault less, there would have been no oc ca sion for a sec- ond one. 8 But find ing fault with his peo ple, d he says: e See, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah — 9 not like the covenant that I made with their ancestors on the day I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt. I showed no concern for them, says the Lord, because they did not continue in my covenant. 10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 11 And each person will not teach his fellow citizen, f and each his brother or sister, saying, “Know the Lord,” because they will all know me, from the least to the greatest of them. 12 For I will forgive their wrongdoing, and I will never again remember their sins. g,h 13 By say ing a new cov enant, he has de clared that the first is ob so lete. And what is ob so lete and grow ing old is about to pass away . OLD COVENANT MINISTRY 9 Now the first cov enant also had reg u la- tions for min is try and an earth ly sanc- tu ary . 2 For a tab er na cle was set up, and in the first room, which is called the holy place, were the lamp stand, the ta ble, and the pre- sen ta tion loaves. 3 Be hind the sec ond cur tain was a tent called the most holy place. 4 It had the gold al tar of in cense and the ark of the cov enant, cov ered with gold on all sides, in which was a gold jar con tain ing the man na, Aar on’s staff that bud ded, and the tab lets of the cov enant. 5 The cher u bim of glo ry were above the ark over shad ow ing the mer cy seat. It is not pos si ble to speak about these things in de tail right now . a7:21 Ps 110:4 b8:4 Other mss read priests c8:5 Ex 25:40 d8:8 Lit with them e8:8 Other mss read finding fault, he says to them f8:11 Other mss read neighbor g8:12 Other mss add and their lawless deeds h8:8-12 Jr 31:31-34 1065 HEBREWS 7-9 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1065 10/26/17 9:00 PM 6 With these things pre pared like this, the priests en ter the first room re peat ed ly , per - form ing their min is try . 7 But the high priest alone en ters the sec ond room, and he does that only once a year, and nev er with out blood, which he off ers for him self and for the sins the peo ple had com mit ted in ig no rance. 8 The Holy Spir it was mak ing it clear that the way into the most holy place had not yet been dis closed while the first tab er na cle was still stand ing. 9 This is a sym bol for the pre sent time, dur ing which gifts and sac ri fic es are off ered that can- not per fect the wor ship er’s con science. 10 They are phys i cal reg u la tions and only deal with food, drink, and var i ous wash ings im posed un til the time of the new or der. NEW COVENANT MINISTRY 11 But Christ has ap peared as a high priest of the good things that have come. a In the great er and more per fect tab er na cle not made with hands ( that is, not of this cre a tion), 12 he en tered the most holy place once for all time, not by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood, hav ing ob tained eter nal re demp tion. 13 For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ash es of a young cow , sprin kling those who are de filed, sanc ti fy for the pu ri fi ca tion of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eter nal Spir it off ered him self with out blem ish to God, cleanse our b con sciences from dead works so that
🩸 Covenant Through Sacrifice
🔄 Christ's sacrifice establishes a new covenant that permanently replaces the temporary system of animal sacrifices, creating direct access to God through his blood rather than repeated ritual offerings
📜 The old covenant required constant blood sacrifices that could never fully remove sin, serving only as a "shadow" of the perfect sacrifice to come through Jesus
⚖️ Jesus serves as both perfect sacrifice and high priest, entering heaven itself (not a human-made sanctuary) to appear before God on our behalf, offering himself once for all time
🛡️ Faith becomes the foundation for pleasing God and receiving his promises, demonstrated through the lives of biblical figures who trusted God despite not seeing the fulfillment of all promises
🏃♀️ Believers must persevere through trials, viewing hardship as divine discipline that produces righteousness, while maintaining community and encouraging one another
⚠️ Rejecting God's grace brings severe consequences, as the new covenant established through Christ's blood offers a final and complete sacrifice that cannot be replaced
we can serve the liv ing God? 15 There fore, he is the me di a tor of a new cov- enant, c so that those who are called might re- ceive the prom ise of the eter nal in her i tance, be cause a death has tak en place for re demp tion from the trans gres sions com mit ted un der the first cov enant. 16 Where a will ex ists, the death of the one who made it must be es tab lished. 17 For a will is val id only when peo ple die, since it is nev er in eff ect while the one who made it is liv ing. 18 That is why even the first cov enant was inaugurated with blood. 19 For when ev ery com mand had been pro claimed by Mo ses to all the peo ple ac cord ing to the law , he took the blood of calves and goats, d along with wa ter, scar let wool, and hys sop, and sprin kled the scroll it self and all the peo ple, 20 say ing, This is the blood of the cov enant that God has or ‑ dained for you. e 21 In the same way , he sprin kled the tab er na cle and all the ar ti cles of wor ship with blood. 22 Ac cord ing to the law al most ev - ery thing is pu ri fied with blood, and with out the shed ding of blood there is no for give ness. 23 There fore, it was nec es sary for the cop- ies of the things in the heav ens to be pu ri fied with these sac ri fic es, but the heav en ly things them selves to be pu ri fied with bet ter sac ri- fic es than these. 24 For Christ did not en ter a sanc tu ary made with hands ( only a mod el f of the true one) but into heav en it self, so that he might now ap pear in the pres ence of God for us. 25 He did not do this to off er him self many times, as the high priest en ters the sanc tu ary year ly with the blood of an oth er. 26 Oth er wise, he would have had to suff er many times since the foun da tion of the world. But now he has ap peared one time, at the end of the ages, for the re mov al of sin by the sac ri fice of him self. 27 And just as it is ap point ed for peo ple to die once — and af ter this, judg ment — 28 so also Christ, hav ing been off ered once to bear the sins of many , will ap pear a sec ond time, not to bear sin, but g to bring sal va tion to those who are wait ing for him. THE PERFECT SACRIFICE 10 Since the law has only a shad ow of the good things to come, and not the re al- i ty it self of those things, it can nev er per fect the wor ship ers by the same sac ri fic es they con tin u al ly off er year af ter year. 2 Oth er wise, wouldn’t they have stopped be ing o ff ered, since the wor ship ers, pu ri fied once and for all, would no lon ger have any consciousness of sins? 3 But in the sac ri fic es there is a re mind er of sins year af ter year. 4 For it is im pos si ble for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. 5 There fore, as he was com ing into the world, he said: You did not desire sacrifice and offering, but you prepared a body for me. 6 You did not delight in whole burnt offerings and sin offerings. 7 Then I said, “See — it is written about me in the scroll — I have come to do your will, O God.” h 8 Af ter he says above, You did not de sire or de light in sac ri fic es and of fer ings, whole a9:11 Other mss read that are to come b9:14 Other mss read your c9:15 The Gk word used here can be translated covenant, will, or testament, also in vv. 16,17,18. d9:19 Some mss omit and goats e9:20 Ex 24:8 f9:24 Or antitype, or figure g9:28 Lit time, apart from sin, h10:5-7 Ps 40:6-8HEBREWS 9-10 1066 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1066 10/26/17 9:00 PM burnt of fer ings and sin of fer ings ( which are off ered ac cord ing to the law), 9 he then says, See, I have come to do your will. a He takes away the first to es tab lish the sec ond. 10 By this will, we have been sanc ti fied through the off er ing of the body of Jesus Christ once for all time. 11 Ev ery priest stands day af ter day min is- ter ing and off er ing the same sac ri fic es time af ter time, which can nev er take away sins. 12 But this man, af ter off er ing one sac ri fice for sins for ev er, sat down at the right hand of God. b 13 He is now wait ing un til his en e mies are made his foot stool. 14 For by one off er- ing he has perfected for ev er those who are sanc ti fied. 15 The Holy Spir it also tes ti fies to us about this. For af ter he says: 16 This is the covenant I will make with them after those days, the Lord says, I will put my laws on their hearts and write them on their minds, 17 and I will never again remember their sins and their lawless acts. c 18 Now where there is for give ness of these, there is no lon ger an off er ing for sin. E XHORTATIONS TO GODLINESS 19 There fore, broth ers and sis ters, since we have bold ness to en ter the sanc tu ary through the blood of Jesus — 20 he has inaugurated d for us a new and liv ing way through the cur tain ( that is, through his flesh) — 21 and since we have a great high priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full as sur ance of faith, with our hearts sprin kled clean from an evil con science and our bod ies washed in pure wa ter. 23 Let us hold on to the con fes sion of our hope with out wa ver ing, since he who prom ised is faith ful. 24 And let us watch out for one an oth er to pro voke love and good works, 25 not ne glect ing to gath er to geth er, as some are in the hab it of do ing, but en cour ag ing each oth er, and all the more as you see the day ap proach ing. WARNING AGAINST DELIBERATE SIN 26 For if we de lib er ate ly go on sin ning af ter re ceiv ing the knowl edge of the truth, there no lon ger re mains a sac ri fice for sins, 27 but a ter ri fy ing ex pec ta tion of judg ment and the fury of a fire about to con sume the ad ver - sar ies. 28 Any one who dis re gard ed the law of Mo ses died with out mer cy , based on the tes ti mo ny of two or three wit ness es. 29 How much worse pun ish ment do you think one will de serve who has tram pled on the Son of God, who has re gard ed as pro fane e the blood of the cov enant by which he was sanc ti fied, and who has in sult ed the Spir it of grace? 30 For we know the one who has said, Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay , f,g and again, The Lord will judge his people. h 31 It is a ter ri fy ing thing to fall into the hands of the liv ing God. 32 Re mem ber the ear li er days when, af ter you had been en light ened, you en dured a hard strug gle with suff er ings. 33 Some times you were pub lic ly ex posed to taunts and afflictions, and at oth er times you were com pan ions of those who were treat ed that way . 34 For you sym pa thized with the pris on ers i and ac cept ed with joy the con fis ca tion of your pos ses sions, be cause you know that you your selves have a bet ter and en dur ing pos ses sion. j 35 So don’t throw away your con fi dence, which has a great re ward. 36 For you need en dur ance, so that af ter you have done God’s will, you may re ceive what was prom ised. 37 For yet in a very little while, the Coming One will come and not delay . 38 But my righteous one k will live by faith; and if he draws back, I have no pleasure l in him. m 39 But we are not those who draw back and are de stroyed, but those who have faith and are saved. LIVING BY FAITH 11 Now faith is the re al i ty n of what is hoped for, the proof o of what is not seen. 2 For by it our an ces tors won God’s ap prov al. 3 By faith we un der stand that the uni verse was p cre at ed by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not vis i ble. q a10:9 Other mss add God b10:12 Or offering one sacrifice for sins, sat down forever at the right hand of God c10:16-17 Jr 31:33-34 d10:20 Or opened e10:29 Or ordinary f10:30 Other mss add says the Lord g10:30 Dt 32:35 h10:30 Dt 32:36 i10:34 Other mss read sympathized with my imprisonment j10:34 Other mss add in heaven k10:38 Other mss read the righteous one l10:38 Lit my soul has no pleasure m10:37-38 Is 26:20 LXX; Hab 2:3-4 n11:1 Or assurance o11:1 Or conviction p11:3 Or the worlds were, or the ages were q11:3 Or so that what is seen was made out of what was not visible 1067 HEBREWS 10-11 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1067 10/26/17 9:00 PM 4 By faith Abel off ered to God a bet ter sac ri- fice than Cain did. By faith he was ap proved as a righ teous man, be cause God ap proved his gifts, and even though he is dead, he still speaks through his faith. 5 By faith Enoch was tak en away , and so he did not ex pe ri ence death. He was not to be found be cause God took him away . a For be- fore he was tak en away , he was ap proved as one who pleased God. 6 Now with out faith it is im pos si ble to please God, since the one who draws near to him must be lieve that he ex ists and that he re wards those who seek him. 7 By faith Noah, af ter he was warned about what was not yet seen and motivated by god ly fear, built an ark to de liv er his fam i ly . By faith he con demned the world and be came an heir of the righ teous ness that comes by faith. 8 By faith Abra ham, when he was called, obeyed and set out for a place that he was go ing to re ceive as an in her i tance. He went out, even though he did not know where he was go ing. 9 By faith he stayed as a for eign er in the land of prom ise, liv ing in tents as did Isaac and Ja cob, coheirs of the same prom- ise. 10 For he was look ing for ward to the city that has foun da tions, whose ar chi tect and build er is God. 11 By faith even Sar ah her self, when she was un able to have chil dren, re ceived pow er to con ceive off spring, even though she was past the age, since she b con sid ered that the one who had prom ised was faith ful. 12 There fore, from one man — in fact, from one as good as dead — came off spring as nu mer ous as the stars of the sky and as in nu mer a ble as the grains of sand along the sea shore. 13 These all died in faith, al though they had not re ceived the things that were prom ised. But they saw them from a dis tance, greet ed them, and con fessed that they were for eign ers and tem po rary res i dents on the earth. 14 Now those who say such things make it clear that they are seek ing a home land. 15 If they were think ing about where they came from, they would have had an op por tu ni ty to re turn. 16 But they now de sire a bet ter place — a heav en ly one. There fore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has pre pared a city for them. 17 By faith Abra ham, when he was test ed, off ered up Isaac. He re ceived the prom is es and yet he was off er ing his one and only son, 18 the one to whom it had been said, Your off ‑ spring c will be called through Isaac. d 19 He con sid ered God to be able even to raise some- one from the dead; there fore, he re ceived him back, fig u ra tive ly speak ing. e 20 By faith Isaac blessed Ja cob and Esau con cern ing things to come. 21 By faith Ja cob, when he was dy ing, blessed each of the sons of Jo seph, and he wor shiped, lean ing on the top of his staff. f 22 By faith Jo seph, as he was nearing the end of his life, men tioned g the ex o dus of the Is ra el ites and gave in struc tions con cern ing his bones. 23 By faith Mo ses, af ter he was born, was hid- den by his par ents for three months, be cause they saw that the child was beau ti ful, and they didn’t fear the king’s edict. 24 By faith Mo ses, when he had grown up, re fused to be called the son of Pha raoh’s daugh ter 25 and chose to suff er with the peo ple of God rath er than to en joy the fleet ing plea sure of sin. 26 For he con sid ered re proach for the sake of Christ to be great er wealth than the trea sures of Egypt, since he was look ing ahead to the re ward. 27 By faith he left Egypt be hind, not be ing afraid of the king’s an ger, for Mo ses per se- vered as one who sees him who is in vis i ble. 28 By faith he in sti tut ed the Pass over and the sprin kling of the blood, so that the de stroy er of the first born might not touch the Is ra el ites. 29 By faith they crossed the Red Sea as though they were on dry land. When the Egyp tians attempted to do this, they were drowned. 30 By faith the walls of Jer i cho fell down af ter be ing marched around by the Is ra el ites for sev en days. 31 By faith Ra hab the pros ti tute wel comed the spies in peace and didn’t per ish with those who dis obeyed. 32 And what more can I say? Time is too short for me to tell about Gid e on, Bar ak, Sam son, Jeph thah, Da vid, Sam uel, and the proph ets, 33 who by faith con quered king doms, ad min- is tered jus tice, ob tained prom is es, shut the mouths of li ons, 34 quenched the rag ing of fire, es caped the edge of the sword, gained strength in weak ness, be came mighty in bat tle, and put for eign ar mies to flight. 35 Wom en re ceived their dead, raised to life again. Oth er peo ple were tor tured, not ac cept ing re lease, so that they might gain a bet ter res ur rec tion. 36 Oth- ers ex pe ri enced mock ings and scourgings, as well as bonds and im pris on ment. 37 They a11:5 Gn 5:21-24 b11:11 Or By faith Abraham, even though he was past age — and Sarah herself was barren — received the ability to procreate since he c11:18 Lit seed d11:18 Gn 21:12 e11:19 Or back, as a foreshadowing, or as a type f11:21 Gn 47:31 g11:22 Or rememberedHEBREWS 11 1068 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1068 10/26/17 9:00 PM were stoned, a they were sawed in two, they died by the sword, they wan dered about in sheep skins, in goat skins, des ti tute, afflicted, and mis treat ed. 38 The world was not wor - thy of them. They wan dered in deserts and on moun tains, hid ing in caves and holes in the ground. 39 All these were ap proved through their faith, but they did not re ceive what was prom- ised, 40 since God had pro vid ed some thing bet ter for us, so that they would not be made per fect with out us. THE CALL TO ENDURANCE 12 There fore, since we also have such a large cloud of wit ness es sur round ing us, let us lay aside ev ery hin drance and the sin that so eas i ly ensnares us. Let us run with en dur - ance the race that lies be fore us, 2 keep ing our eyes on Jesus, b the source and per fect er c of our faith. For the joy that lay be fore him, d he en dured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. FATHERLY DISCIPLINE 3 For con sid er him who en dured such hos til- i ty from sin ners against him self, so that you won’t grow wea ry and give up. 4 In strug gling against sin, you have not yet re sist ed to the point of shed ding your blood. 5 And you have for got ten the ex hor ta tion that ad dress es you as sons: My son, do not take the Lord’s discipline lightly or lose heart when you are reproved by him, 6 for the Lord disciplines the one he loves and punishes every son he receives. e 7 En dure suff er ing as dis ci pline: God is deal- ing with you as sons. For what son is there that a fa ther does not dis ci pline? 8 But if you are with out dis ci pline — which all re ceive f — then you are il le git i mate chil dren and not sons. 9 Fur ther more, we had hu man fa thers dis ci pline us, and we re spect ed them. Shouldn’t we sub mit even more to the Fa ther of spir its and live? 10 For they dis ci plined us for a short time based on what seemed good to them, but he does it for our ben e fit, so that we can share his ho li ness. 11 No dis ci pline seems enjoyable at the time, but pain ful. Lat er on, how ev er, it yields the peace ful fruit of righ teous ness to those who have been trained by it. 12 There fore, strength en your tired hands and weak ened knees, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated g but healed in stead. WARNING AGAINST REJECTING GOD’S GRACE 14 Pur sue peace with ev ery one, and ho li ness — with out it no one will see the Lord. 15 Make sure that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no root of bit ter ness springs up, caus ing trou ble and de fil ing many . 16 And make sure that there isn’t any im mor al h or ir rev er ent per son like Esau, who sold his birth- right in ex change for a sin gle meal. 17 For you know that lat er, when he want ed to in her it the bless ing, he was re ject ed, even though he sought it with tears, be cause he didn’t find any op por tu ni ty for re pen tance. 18 For you have not come to what could be touched, to a blaz ing fire, to dark ness, gloom, and storm, 19 to the blast of a trum pet, and the sound of words. Those who heard it begged that not an oth er word be spo ken to them, 20 for they could not bear what was com mand ed: If even an an i mal touch es the moun tain, it must be stoned. i 21 The ap pear ance was so ter ri fy ing that Mo ses said, I am trem bling with fear. j 22 In stead, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the liv ing God ( the heav en- ly Je ru sa lem), to myr i ads of an gels, a fes tive gath er ing, 23 to the as sem bly of the first born whose names have been writ ten k in heav en, to a Judge, who is God of all, to the spir its of righ teous peo ple made per fect, 24 and to Jesus, the me di a tor of a new cov enant, and to the sprin kled blood, which says bet ter things than the blood of Abel. 25 See to it that you do not re ject the one who speaks. For if they did not es cape when they re ject ed him who warned them on earth, even less will we if we turn away from him who warns us from heav en. 26 His voice shook the earth at that time, but now he has prom ised, Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heav ens. l 27 This ex pres- sion, “ Yet once more,” indicates the re mov al of what can be shak en — that is, cre at ed things — so that what is not shak en might re main. a11:37 Other mss add they were tempted, b12:2 Or us, looking to Jesus c12:2 Or the founder and completer, or pioneer and perfecter d12:2 Or who instead of the joy lying before
🙏 Christian Living Essentials
🤝 Brotherly love forms the foundation of Christian community, expressed through hospitality, remembering prisoners, honoring marriage, and rejecting materialism
⚖️ Faith without works is dead—authentic belief manifests in tangible actions that demonstrate genuine commitment to God's principles
👅 The power of words requires careful control—our tongues can both bless and curse, making speech discipline essential for spiritual maturity
🧠 Wisdom from above contrasts sharply with earthly wisdom, producing peace, gentleness, and good fruits rather than envy, selfishness, and disorder
🙌 Humble submission to God's will overcomes pride, resists evil, and positions believers to receive divine grace and guidance
🔥 Effective prayer flows from righteousness and faith, bringing healing, forgiveness, and powerful results when offered with sincere hearts
him e12:6 Pr 3:11-12 f12:8 Lit discipline, of which all have become participants g12:13 Or so that the lame will not be turned aside h12:16 Or sexually immoral i12:20 Ex 19:12 j12:21 Dt 9:19 k12:23 Or registered l12:26 Hg 2:6 1069 HEBREWS 11-12 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1069 10/26/17 9:00 PM 28 There fore, since we are re ceiv ing a king dom that can not be shak en, let us be thank ful. By it, we may serve God ac cept ably , with rev er ence and awe, 29 for our God is a con sum ing fire. FINAL E XHORTATIONS 13 Let broth er ly love con tin ue. 2 Don’t ne- glect to show hos pi tal i ty , for by do ing this some have wel comed an gels as guests with out know ing it. 3 Re mem ber those in pris on, as though you were in pris on with them, and the mis treat ed, a as though you your selves were suff er ing bodi ly . b 4 Mar riage is to be hon ored by all and the mar riage bed kept undefiled, be cause God will judge the sex u al ly im mor - al and adul ter ers. 5 Keep your life free from the love of mon ey . Be sat is fied with what you have, for he him self has said, I will nev er leave you or aban don you. c 6 There fore, we may bold ly say , The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? d 7 Re mem ber your lead ers who have spo ken God’s word to you. As you care ful ly ob serve the out come of their lives, im i tate their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yes ter day , to day , and for ev er. 9 Don’t be led astray by var i ous kinds of strange teach ings; for it is good for the heart to be es tab lished by grace and not by food reg u la tions, since those who ob serve them have not ben e fit ed. 10 We have an al tar from which those who wor ship at the tab er - na cle do not have a right to eat. 11 For the bod- ies of those an i mals whose blood is brought into the most holy place by the high priest as a sin off er ing are burned out side the camp. 12 There fore, Jesus also suff ered out side the gate, so that he might sanc ti fy e the peo ple by his own blood. 13 Let us then go to him out side the camp, bear ing his dis grace. 14 For we do not have an en dur ing city here; in stead, we seek the one to come. 15 There fore, through him let us con tin u al ly off er up to God a sac- ri fice of praise, that is, the fruit of lips that con fess his name. 16 Don’t ne glect to do what is good and to share, for God is pleased with such sac ri fic es. 17 Obey your lead ers f and sub- mit to them, since they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an ac count, so that they can do this with joy and not with grief, for that would be un profi t able for you. 18 Pray for us, for we are con vinced that we have a clear con science, want ing to con duct our selves hon or ably in ev ery thing. 19 And I urge you all the more to pray g that I may be re stored to you very soon. BENEDICTION AND FAREWELL 20 Now may the God of peace, who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus — the great Shep herd of the sheep — through the blood of the ever last ing cov enant, 21 equip h you with ev ery thing good to do his will, work ing in us what is pleas ing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glo ry for ev er and ever. i Amen. 22 Broth ers and sis ters, I urge you to re ceive this mes sage of ex hor ta tion, for I have writ ten to you briefl y . 23 Be aware that our broth er Tim o thy has been re leased. If he comes soon enough, he will be with me when I see you. 24 Greet all your lead ers and all the saints. Those who are from It a ly send you greet ings. 25 Grace be with you all. a13:3 Or tortured b13:3 Or mistreated, since you are also in a body c13:5 Dt 31:6 d13:6 Ps 118:6 e13:12 Or set apart, or consecrate f13:17 Or rulers g13:19 Lit to do this h13:21 Or perfect i13:21 Other mss omit and everHEBREWS 12-13 1070 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1070 10/26/17 9:00 PM James GREETING 1 James, a ser vant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ: To the twelve tribes dis persed abroad. a Greet ings. TRIALS AND MATURITY 2 Con sid er it a great joy , my broth ers and sis- ters, when ev er you ex pe ri ence var i ous tri als, 3 be cause you know that the test ing of your faith pro duc es en dur ance. 4 And let en dur ance have its full eff ect, so that you may be ma ture and com plete, lack ing noth ing. 5 Now if any of you lacks wis dom, he should ask God — who gives to all gen er ous ly and ungrudgingly — and it will be giv en to him. 6 But let him ask in faith with out doubt ing. b For the doubter is like the surg ing sea, driv en and tossed by the wind. 7 That per son should not ex pect to re ceive any thing from the Lord, 8 be ing double-minded and un sta ble in all his ways. c 9 Let the broth er of hum ble cir cum stanc- es boast in his exaltation, 10 but let the rich boast in his hu mil i a tion be cause he will pass away like a flow er of the field. 11 For the sun ris es and, to geth er with the scorch ing wind, dries up the grass; its flow er falls off, and its beau ti ful ap pear ance per ish es. In the same way , the rich per son will with er away while pur su ing his ac tivi ties. 12 Blessed is the one who en dures tri als, be- cause when he has stood the test he will re ceive the crown of life that God d has prom ised to those who love him. 13 No one un der go ing a tri al should say , “ I am be ing tempt ed by God,” since God is not tempt ed by evil, and he him self doesn’t tempt any one. 14 But each per son is tempt ed when he is drawn away and en ticed by his own evil de sire. 15 Then af ter de sire has con ceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is ful ly grown, it gives birth to death. 16 Don’t be de ceived, my dear broth ers and sis ters. 17 Ev ery good and per fect gift is from above, com ing down from the Fa ther of lights, who does not change like shift ing shad ows. 18 By his own choice, he gave us birth by the word of truth so that we would be a kind of first fruits of his crea tures. HEARING AND DOING THE WORD 19 My dear broth ers and sis ters, un der stand this: Ev ery one should be quick to lis ten, slow to speak, and slow to an ger, 20 for hu man an- ger does not ac com plish God’s righ teous ness. 21 There fore, ridding your selves of all mor al filth and the evil that is so prev a lent, e hum bly re ceive the im plant ed word, which is able to save your souls. 22 But be doers of the word and not hear ers only , de ceiv ing your selves. 23 Be cause if any- one is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like some one look ing at his own face f in a mir ror. 24 For he looks at him self, goes away , and im me di ate ly for gets what kind of per son he was. 25 But the one who looks in tent ly into the per fect law of free dom and per se veres in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer who works — this per son will be blessed in what he does. 26 If any one g thinks he is re li gious with out con trol ling his tongue, his re li gion is use less and he de ceives him self. 27 Pure and undefiled re li gion be fore God the Fa ther is this: to look af ter or phans and wid ows in their dis tress and to keep one self unstained from the world. THE SIN OF FAVORITISM 2 My broth ers and sis ters, do not show fa- vor it ism as you hold on to the faith in our glo ri ous Lord Jesus Christ. 2 For if some one comes into your meet ing wear ing a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and a poor per - son dressed in filthy clothes also comes in, 3 if you look with fa vor on the one wear ing the fine clothes and say , “ Sit here in a good place,” and yet you say to the poor per son, “ Stand over there,” or “ Sit here on the floor by my foot stool,” 4 haven’t you made dis tinc tions among your selves and be come judg es with evil thoughts? 5 Lis ten, my dear broth ers and sis ters: Didn’t God choose the poor in this world to be rich a1:1 Gk diaspora ; Jewish people scattered throughout Gentile lands b1:6 Or without divided loyalties c1:8 Or in all his conduct d1:12 Other mss read that the Lord e1:21 Or the abundance of evil f1:23 Or at his natural face g1:26 Other mss add among you CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1071 10/26/17 9:00 PM in faith and heirs of the king dom that he has prom ised to those who love him? 6 Yet you have dis hon ored the poor. Don’t the rich op- press you and drag you into court? 7 Don’t they blas pheme the good name that was in voked over you? 8 In deed, if you ful fill the roy al law pre- scribed in the Scrip ture, Love your neigh bor as your self , a you are do ing well. 9 If, how ev er, you show fa vor it ism, you com mit sin and are con vict ed by the law as trans gres sors. 10 For who ev er keeps the en tire law , and yet stum- bles at one point, is guilty of break ing it all. 11 For he who said, Do not com mit adul tery, b also said, Do not mur der. c So if you do not com mit adul tery , but you mur der, you are a law break er. 12 Speak and act as those who are to be judged by the law of free dom. 13 For judg ment is with- out mer cy to the one who has not shown mer cy . Mer cy tri umphs over judg ment. FAITH AND WORKS 14 What good is it, my broth ers and sis ters, if some one claims to have faith but does not have works? Can such faith save him? 15 If a broth er or sis ter is with out clothes and lacks dai ly food 16 and one of you says to them, “ Go in peace, stay warm, and be well fed,” but you don’t give them what the body needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way faith, if it doesn’t have works, is dead by it self. 18 But some one will say , “ You have faith, and I have works.” d Show me your faith with out works, and I will show you faith by my works. 19 You be lieve that God is one. Good! Even the de mons be lieve — and they shud der. 20 Sense less per son! Are you will ing to learn that faith with out works is use less? 21 Wasn’t Abra ham our fa ther jus ti fied by works in of fer ing Isaac his son on the al tar? 22 You see that faith was ac tive to geth er with his works, and by works, faith was made com plete, 23 and the Scrip ture was ful filled that says, Abra ham be lieved God, and it was cred it ed to him as righ teous ness, e and he was called God’s friend. 24 You see that a per son is jus ti fied by works and not by faith alone. 25 In the same way , wasn’t Ra- hab the pros ti tute also jus ti fied by works in re ceiv ing the mes sen gers and send ing them out by a dif fer ent route? 26 For just as the body with out the spir it is dead, so also faith with out works is dead. CONTROLLING THE TONGUE 3 Not many should be come teach ers, my broth ers,f be cause you know that we will re ceive a stricter judg ment. 2 For we all stum ble in many ways. If any one does not stum ble in what he says, he is ma ture, able also to con trol the whole body . 3 Now if we put bits into the mouths of hors es so that they obey us, we di rect their whole bod ies. 4 And con sid er ships: Though very large and driv en by fierce winds, they are guid ed by a very small rud der wher ev er the will of the pi lot di rects. 5 So too, though the tongue is a small part of the body , it boasts great things. Con sid er how a small fire sets ablaze a large for est. 6 And the tongue is a fire. The tongue, a world of un righ teous ness, is placed g among our mem bers. It stains the whole body , sets the course of life on fire, and is it self set on fire by hell. 7 Ev ery kind of an i mal, bird, reptile, and fish is tamed and has been tamed by hu - mankind, 8 but no one can tame the tongue. It is a rest less evil, full of dead ly poi son. 9 With the tongue we bless our Lord and Fa ther, and with it we curse peo ple who are made in God’s like ness. 10 Bless ing and curs ing come out of the same mouth. My broth ers and sis ters, these things should not be this way . 11 Does a spring pour out sweet and bit ter wa ter from the same open ing? 12 Can a fig tree pro duce ol ives, my broth ers and sis ters, or a grape vine pro duce figs? Nei ther can a saltwater spring yield fresh wa ter. THE WISDOM FROM ABOVE 13 Who among you is wise and un der stand ing? By his good con duct he should show that his works are done in the gen tle ness that comes from wis dom. 14 But if you have bit ter envy and selfi sh am bi tion in your heart, don’t boast and deny the truth. 15 Such wis dom does not come down from above but is earth ly , un spir i tu al, demonic. 16 For where there is envy and self- ish am bi tion, there is dis or der and ev ery evil prac tice. 17 But the wis dom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gen tle, compliant, full of mer cy and good fruits, unwavering, with out pre tense. 18 And the fruit of righ teous ness is sown in peace by those who cul ti vate peace. a2:8 Lv 19:18 b2:11 Ex 20:14; Dt 5:18 c2:11 Ex 20:13; Dt 5:17 d2:18 The quotation may end here or after v. 18b or v. 19. e2:23 Gn 15:6 f3:1 Or brothers and sisters g3:6 Or places itself, or appoints itselfJAMES 2-3 1072 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1072 10/26/17 9:00 PM PROUD OR HUMBLE 4 What is the source of wars and fights among you? Don’t they come from your pas sions that wage war with in you? a 2 You de sire and do not have. You mur der and cov et and can not ob tain. You fight and wage war. b You do not have be cause you do not ask. 3 You ask and don’t re ceive be cause you ask with wrong mo tives, so that you may spend it on your plea sures. 4 You adul ter ous peo ple! c Don’t you know that friend ship with the world is hos til i ty to- ward God? So who ev er wants to be the friend of the world be comes the en e my of God. 5 Or do you think it’s with out rea son that the Scrip- ture says: The spir it he made to dwell in us en vies in tense ly? d 6 But he gives great er grace. There fore he says: God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. e 7 There fore, sub mit to God. Re sist the dev il, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sin ners, and pu ri fy your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be mis er a ble and mourn and weep. Let your laugh ter be turned to mourn ing and your joy to gloom. 10 Hum ble your selves be fore the Lord, and he will ex alt you. 11 Don’t criticize one an oth er, broth ers and sis ters. Any one who defames or judg es a fel- low be liev er f defames and judg es the law . If you judge the law , you are not a doer of the law but a judge. 12 There is one law giv er and judge g who is able to save and to de stroy . But who are you to judge your neigh bor? OUR WILL AND GOD’S WILL 13 Come now , you who say , “To day or to mor - row we will trav el to such and such a city and spend a year there and do busi ness and make a profi t.” 14 Yet you do not know what to mor row will bring — what your life will be! For you are like va por that ap pears for a lit tle while, then van ish es. 15 In stead, you should say , “ If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” 16 But as it is, you boast in your ar ro gance. All such boast- ing is evil. 17 So it is sin to know the good and yet not do it.WARNING TO THE RICH 5 Come now , you rich peo ple, weep and wail over the miseries that are com ing on you. 2 Your wealth has rot ted and your clothes are moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and sil ver are cor - rod ed, and their cor ro sion will be a wit ness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have stored up trea sure in the last days. 4 Look! The pay that you with held from the work ers who mowed your fields cries out, and the out cry of the har vest ers has reached the ears of the Lord of Hosts. h 5 You have lived luxuriously on the earth and have in dulged your selves. You have fat tened your hearts in a day of slaugh ter. 6 You have con demned, you have mur dered the righ teous, who does not re sist you. WAITING FOR THE LORD 7 There fore, broth ers and sis ters, be pa tient un til the Lord’s com ing. See how the farm er waits for the pre cious fruit of the earth and is pa tient with it un til it re ceives the ear ly and the late rains. 8 You also must be pa tient. Strength en your hearts, be cause the Lord’s com ing is near. 9 Broth ers and sis ters, do not com plain about one an oth er, so that you will not be judged. Look, the judge stands at the door! 10 Broth ers and sis ters, take the proph ets who spoke in the Lord’s name as an ex am ple of suff er ing and pa tience. 11 See, we count as blessed those who have en dured. i You have heard of Job’s en dur ance and have seen the out come that the Lord brought about — the Lord is com pas sion ate and mer ci ful. TRUTHFUL SPEECH 12 Above all, my broth ers and sis ters, do not swear, ei ther by heav en or by earth or with any oth er oath. But let your “ yes” mean “ yes,” and your “ no” mean “ no,” so that you won’t fall un der judg ment. j EFFECTIVE PRAYER 13 Is any one among you suf fer ing? He should pray . Is any one cheer ful? He should sing prais- es. 14 Is any one among you sick? He should call for the el ders of the church, and they are to pray over him, anoint ing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 The prayer of faith a4:1 Or war in your members b4:2 Or You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and wage war. c4:4 Lit Adulteresses d4:5 Or Scripture says: He jealously yearns for the spirit he made to live in us?, or Scripture says: The Spirit he made to dwell in us longs jealously? e4:6 Pr 3:34 f4:11 Or his brother or sister g4:12 Other mss omit and judge h5:4 Gk Sabaoth ; or the Lord of Armies i5:11 Or persevered j5:12 Other mss read fall into hypocrisy 1073 JAMES 4-5 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1073 10/26/17 9:00 PM will save the sick per son, and the Lord will raise him up; if he has com mit ted sins, he will be for giv en. 16 There fore, con fess your sins to one an oth er and pray for one an oth er, so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righ teous per son is very pow er ful in its ef- fect. 17 Eli jah was a hu man be ing as we are, and
🙏 Faith, Suffering, and Salvation
🌱 New birth through Christ's resurrection creates a living hope and secures an imperishable inheritance for believers, guarded by God's power until final salvation
🔥 Suffering serves a divine purpose—refining faith like gold, following Christ's example, and preparing believers for future glory when they share in Christ's sufferings
👑 Believers form a royal priesthood and holy nation, called to live distinctively with gentle, reverent conduct while submitting appropriately to earthly authorities
🛡️ Spiritual warfare requires alertness against the prowling devil, with humility, prayer, and community love as essential defenses
🌍 Christians live as exiles and strangers in this world, called to holy living that silences critics and points others to God's glory
🔄 Church leadership should shepherd willingly and humbly, serving as examples rather than domineering, while younger members submit to elders in mutual humility
he prayed ear nest ly that it would not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the land. 18 Then he prayed again, and the sky gave rain and the land pro duced its fruit. 19 My broth ers and sis ters, if any among you strays from the truth, and some one turns him back, 20 let that per son know that who ev er turns a sin ner from the er ror of his way will save his soul from death and cov er a mul ti- tude of sins.JAMES 5 1074 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1074 10/26/17 9:00 PM 1 Pe Ter GREETING 1 Pe ter, an apos tle of Jesus Christ: To those cho sen, liv ing as ex iles dis persed abroad a in Pon tus, Ga la tia, Cap pa do cia, Asia, and Bi thyn ia, cho sen 2 ac cord ing to the fore- knowl edge of God the Fa ther, through the sanc ti fy ing work of the Spir it, to be obe di ent and to be sprin kled with the blood of Jesus Christ. May grace and peace be mul ti plied to you. A LIVING HOPE 3 Blessed be the God and Fa ther of our Lord Jesus Christ. Be cause of his great mer cy he has giv en us new birth into a liv ing hope through the res ur rec tion of Jesus Christ from the dead 4 and into an in her i tance that is im per ish able, undefiled, and un fad ing, kept in heav en for you. 5 You are be ing guard ed by God’s pow er through faith for a sal va tion that is ready to be re vealed in the last time. 6 You re joice in this, b even though now for a short time, if nec es sary , you suff er grief in var i ous tri als 7 so that the prov en char ac ter of your faith — more valu able than gold which, though per ish able, is re fined by fire — may re sult in praise, glo ry , and hon or at the rev e la tion of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; though not see ing him now , you be lieve in him, and you re joice with in ex press ible and glo ri ous joy , 9 be cause you are re ceiv ing the goal of your faith, the sal va- tion of your souls. 10 Con cern ing this sal va tion, the proph- ets, who proph e sied about the grace that would come to you, searched and care ful ly in ves ti gat ed. 11 They in quired into what time or what cir cum stanc es the Spir it of Christ with in them was in di cat ing when he tes ti- fied in ad vance to the suf fer ings of Christ and the glo ries that would fol low . c 12 It was re vealed to them that they were not serv ing them selves but you. These things have now been an nounced to you through those who preached the gos pel to you by the Holy Spir it sent from heav en — an gels long to catch a glimpse of these things.A CALL TO HOLY LIVING 13 There fore, with your minds ready for ac tion, be sober-minded and set your hope com plete ly on the grace to be brought to you at the rev e- la tion of Jesus Christ. 14 As obe di ent chil dren, do not be con formed to the de sires of your for mer ig no rance. 15 But as the one who called you is holy , you also are to be holy in all your con duct; 16 for it is writ ten, Be holy , be cause I am holy . d 17 If you ap peal to the Fa ther who judg es im par tial ly ac cord ing to each one’s work, you are to con duct your selves in rev- er ence dur ing your time liv ing as strang ers. 18 For you know that you were re deemed from your emp ty way of life in her it ed from your fa thers, not with per ish able things like sil ver or gold, 19 but with the pre cious blood of Christ, like that of an un blem ished and spot less lamb. 20 He was foreknown be fore the foun da tion of the world but was re vealed in these last times for you. 21 Through him you be lieve in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glo ry , so that your faith and hope are in God. 22 Since you have pu ri fied your selves by your obe di ence to the truth, e so that you show sin- cere broth er ly love for each oth er, from a pure f heart love one an oth er con stant ly , g 23 be cause you have been born again — not of per ish able seed but of im per ish able — through the liv ing and en dur ing word of God. 24 For All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like a flower of the grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, 25 but the word of the Lord endures forever. h And this word is the gos pel that was pro- claimed to you. THE LIVING STONE AND A HOLY PEOPLE 2 There fore, rid your selves of all mal ice, all de ceit, hy poc ri sy , envy , and all slan der. 2 Like new born in fants, de sire the pure milk of the word, i so that you may grow up into your sal va tion, j 3 if you have tast ed that the Lord is good. k 4 As you come to him, a liv ing a1:1 Gk diaspora ; Jewish people scattered throughout Gentile lands b1:6 Or In this fact rejoice c1:11 Or the glories after that d1:16 Lv 11:44-45; 19:2; 20:7 e1:22 Other mss add through the Spirit f1:22 Other mss omit pure g 1:22 Or fervently h1:24-25 Is 40:6-8 i2:2 Or desire pure spiritual milk j2:2 Other mss omit for your salvation k2:3 Ps 34:8 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1075 10/26/17 9:00 PM stone — re ject ed by peo ple but cho sen and hon ored by a God — 5 you your selves, as liv ing stones, a spir i tu al house, are be ing built to be a holy priest hood b to o ff er spir i tu al sac ri fic es ac cept able to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it stands in Scrip ture: See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and honored c cornerstone, and the one who believes in him will never be put to shame. d 7 So hon or will come to you who be lieve; but for the un be liev ing, The stone that the builders rejected — this one has become the cornerstone, e 8 and A stone to stumble over, and a rock to trip over. f They stum ble be cause they dis obey the word; they were des tined for this. 9 But you are a cho sen race, g,h a roy al priest ‑ hood, i a holy na tion, j a peo ple for his pos ses ‑ sion, k so that you may pro claim the prais es l,m of the one who called you out of dark ness into his mar vel ous light. 10 Once you were not a peo ple, but now you are God’s peo ple; you had not re - ceived mer cy , but now you have re ceived mer cy . A CALL TO GOOD WORKS 11 Dear friends, I urge you as strang ers and ex iles to ab stain from sin ful de sires that wage war against the soul. 12 Con duct your selves hon or ably among the Gen tiles, n so that when they slan der you as evil do ers, they will ob - serve your good works and will glo ri fy God on the day he vis its. 13 Sub mit to ev ery hu man au thor i ty be cause of the Lord, wheth er to the em per or o as the su preme au thor i ty 14 or to gov er nors as those sent out by him to pun ish those who do what is evil and to praise those who do what is good. 15 For it is God’s will that you si lence the ig no - rance of fool ish peo ple by do ing good. 16 Sub mit as free peo ple, not us ing your free dom as a cover-up for evil, but as God’s slaves. 17 Hon or ev ery one. Love the broth ers and sis ters. Fear God. Hon or the em per or. SUBMISSION OF SLAVES TO MASTERS 18 House hold slaves, sub mit to your masters with all rev er ence not only to the good and gen tle ones but also to the cru el. 19 For it brings fa vor if, be cause of a consciousness of God, some one en dures grief from su ff er ing un - just ly . 20 For what cred it is there if when you do wrong and are beat en, you en dure it? But when you do what is good and su ff er , if you en dure it, this brings fa vor with God. 21 For you were called to this, be cause Christ also su ff ered for you, leav ing you an ex am ple, that you should fol low in his steps. 22 He did not com mit sin, and no de ceit was found in his mouth; p 23 when he was in sult ed, he did not in sult in re turn; when he su ff ered, he did not threat en but en trust ed him self to the one who judg es just ly . 24 He him self bore our sins in his body on the tree; so that, hav ing died to sins, we might live for righ teous ness. By his wounds q you have been healed. 25 For you were like sheep go ing astray , r but you have now re turned to the Shep herd and Over seer s of your souls. WIVES AND HUSBANDS 3 In the same way , wives, sub mit your selves to your own hus bands so that, even if some dis obey the word, they may be won over with out a word by the way their wives live 2 when they ob serve your pure, rev er ent lives. 3 Don’t let your beau ty con sist of out ward things lik e elaborate hairstyles and w ear ing gold jew el ry or fine clothes , 4 but rath er what is in side the heart t — the im per ish able qual i ty of a gen tle and qui et spir it, which is of great worth in God’s sight. 5 For in the past, the holy wom en who put their hope in God also adorned them selves in this way , submitting to their own hus bands, 6 just as Sar ah obeyed Abra ham, call ing him lord. You have be come her chil dren when you do what is good and do not fear any intimidation. 7 Hus bands, in the same way , live with your wives in an un der stand ing way , as with a weak - er part ner , show ing them hon or as coheirs of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hin dered. DO NO EVIL 8 F i nal ly , all of you be like-minded and sym pa - thet ic, love one an oth er, and be com pas sion ate and hum ble, u 9 not pay ing back evil for evil or a2:4 Or precious to b2:5 Or you yourselves, as living stones, are being built into a spiritual house for a holy priesthood c2:6 Or precious d2:6 Is 28:16 LXX e2:7 Ps 118:22 f2:8 Is 8:14 g2:9 Or generation, or nation h2:9 Dt 7:6; 10:15; Is 43:20 LXX i2:9 Ex 19:6; 23:22 LXX; Is 61:6 j2:9 Ex 19:6; 23:22 LXX k2:9 Ex 19:5; 23:22 LXX; Dt 4:20; 7:6; Is 43:21 LXX l2:9 Or the mighty deeds m2:9 Is 42:12; 43:21 n2:12 Or among the nations, or among the pagans o2:13 Or king p2:22 Is 53:9 q2:24 Is 53:5 r2:25 Is 53:6 s2:25 Or Guardian t3:4 Or rather, the hidden person of the heart u3:8 Other mss read courteous1 P ETER 2-3 1076 CSB_UltraThinindb.indb 2 11/7/17 3:22 PM in sult for in sult but, on the con trary , giv ing a bless ing, since you were called for this, so that you may in her it a bless ing. 10 For the one who wants to love life and to see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit, 11 and let him turn away from evil and do what is good. Let him seek peace and pursue it, 12 because the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do what is evil. a UNDESERVED SUFFERING 13 Who then will harm you if you are de vot- ed to what is good? 14 But even if you should suff er for righ teous ness, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear b or be intimidated, c 15 but in your hearts re gard d Christ e the Lord as holy , ready at any time to give a de fense to any one who asks you for a rea son for the hope that is in you. 16 Yet do this with gen tle- ness and re spect, keep ing a clear con science, so that when you are ac cused, f those who disparage your good con duct in Christ will be put to shame. 17 For it is bet ter to suff er for do ing good, if that should be God’s will, than for do ing evil. 18 For Christ also suff ered for sins once for all, the righ teous for the un righ teous, that he might bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh g but made alive by the Spir it, h 19 in which i he also went and made proc la ma- tion to the spir its in pris on 20 who in the past were dis obe di ent, when God pa tient ly wait ed in the days of Noah while the ark was be ing pre pared. In it a few — that is, eight peo ple j — were saved through wa ter. 21 Bap tism, which cor re sponds to this, now saves you ( not as the re mov al of dirt from the body , but the pledge k of a good con science to ward God) through the res ur rec tion of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heav en and is at the right hand of God with an gels, au thor i ties, and pow ers sub- ject to him.FOLLOWING CHRIST 4 There fore, since Christ suff ered l in the flesh, arm your selves also with the same un der stand ing m — be cause the one who suff ers in the flesh is fin ished with sin n — 2 in or der to live the re main ing time in the flesh no lon ger for hu man de sires, but for God’s will. 3 For there has al ready been enough time spent in do ing what the Gen tiles choose to do: car ry ing on in unrestrained be hav ior, evil de sires, drunk en- ness, or gies, ca rous ing, and law less idol a try . 4 They are sur prised that you don’t join them in the same flood of wild liv ing — and they slan der o you. 5 They will give an ac count to the one who stands ready to judge the liv ing and the dead. 6 For this rea son the gos pel was also preached to those who are now dead, p so that, al though they might be judged in the flesh ac cord ing to hu man stan dards, they might live in the spir it ac cord ing to God’s stan dards. END-TIME ETHICS 7 The end of all things is near; there fore, be alert and sober-minded for prayer. 8 Above all, main tain con stant love for one an oth er, since love cov ers a mul ti tude of sins. q 9 Be hos pi ta ble to one an oth er with out com plain - ing. 10 Just as each one has re ceived a gift, use it to serve oth ers, as good stew ards of the var ied grace of God. 11 If any one speaks, let it be as one who speaks God’s words; if any one serves, let it be from the strength God pro vides, so that God may be glo ri fied through Jesus Christ in ev ery thing. To him be the glo ry and the pow er for ev er and ever. Amen. CHRISTIAN SUFFERING 12 Dear friends, don’t be sur prised when the fi ery ordeal comes among you to test you as if some thing un usu al were hap pen ing to you. 13 In stead, re joice as you share in the suff er- ings of Christ, so that you may also re joice with great joy when his glo ry is re vealed. 14 If you are rid i culed for the name of Christ, you are blessed, be cause the Spir it of glo ry and of God r rests on you. 15 Let none of you suff er as a mur der er, a thief, an evil do er, or a med dler. s 16 But if any one suff ers as a Chris tian, let him not be ashamed but let him glo ri fy God in a3:10-12 Ps 34:12-16 b3:14 Or Do not fear them c3:14 Is 8:12 d3:15 Or sanctify, or set apart e3:15 Other mss read set God f3:16 Other mss read when they speak against you as evildoers g3:18 Or by the flesh, or in the fleshly realm h3:18 Or in the spirit, or in the Spirit, or in the spiritual realm i3:19 Or by whom, or in whom, or at that time j3:20 Or souls k3:21 Or the appeal l4:1 Other mss read suffered for us m4:1 Or perspective, or attitude n4:1 Or the one who suffered in the flesh has finished with sin o4:4 Or blaspheme p4:6 Or those who are dead q4:8 Pr 10:12 r4:14 Or God’s glorious Spirit s4:15 Or as one who defrauds others 1077 1 PETER 3-4 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1077 10/26/17 9:00 PM hav ing that name. a 17 For the time has come for judg ment to be gin with God’s house hold, and if it be gins with us, what will the out come be for those who dis obey the gos pel of God? 18 And if a righteous person is saved with difficulty , what will become of the ungodly and the sinner? b 19 So then, let those who suff er ac cord ing to God’s will en trust them selves to a faith ful Cre a tor while do ing what is good. ABOUT THE ELDERS 5 I ex hort the el ders among you as a fel- low el der and wit ness to the suff er ings of Christ, as well as one who shares in the glo ry about to be re vealed: 2 Shep herd God’s flock among you, not over see ing c out of com pul- sion but will ing ly , as God would have you; d not out of greed for mon ey but ea ger ly; 3 not lord ing it over those en trust ed to you, but be ing ex am ples to the flock. 4 And when the chief Shep herd ap pears, you will re ceive the un fad ing crown of glo ry . 5 In the same way , you who are youn ger, be sub ject to the el ders. All of you clothe your selves with e hu mil i ty to ward one an oth er, be cause God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. f CONCLUSION 6 Hum ble your selves, there fore, un der the mighty hand of God, so that he may ex alt you at the prop er time, 7 cast ing all your cares on him, be cause he cares about you. 8 Be sober-minded, be alert. Your ad ver sary the dev il is prowl ing around like a roar ing lion, look ing for any one he can de vour. 9 Re sist him, firm in the faith, know ing that the same kind of suff er ings are be ing ex pe ri enced by your fel low be liev ers through out the world. 10 The God of all grace, who called you to his eter nal glo ry in Christ, g will him self re store, es tab lish, strength en, and sup port you af ter you have suff ered a lit tle while. h 11 To him be do min ion i for ev er. j Amen. 12 Through Silvanus, k a faith ful broth er ( as I con sid er him), I have writ ten to you briefl y in or der to en cour age you and to tes ti fy that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it! 13 She who is in Bab ylon, cho sen to geth er with you, sends you greet ings, as does Mark, my son. 14 Greet one an oth er with a kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ. l a4:16 Other mss read in that case b4:18 Pr 11:31 LXX c5:2 Other mss omit overseeing d5:2 Other mss omit as God would have you e5:5 Or you tie around yourselves f5:5 Pr 3:34 LXX g5:10 Other mss read in Christ Jesus h 5:10 Or to a small extent i 5:11 Some mss read dominion and glory ; other mss read glory and dominion j 5:11 Other mss read forever and ever k5:12 Or Silas ; Ac 15:22-32; 16:19-40; 17:1-16 l5:14 Other mss read Christ Jesus. Amen.1 PETER 4-5 1078 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1078 10/26/17 9:00 PM 2 Pe Ter GREETING 1 Sim e on a Pe ter, a ser vant and an apos tle of Jesus Christ: To those who have re ceived a faith equal to ours through the righ teous ness of our God and Sav ior Jesus Christ. 2 May grace and peace be mul ti plied to you through the knowl edge of God and of Jesus our Lord. GROWTH IN THE FAITH 3 His b di vine pow er has giv en us ev ery thing re quired for life and god li
🙏 Divine Virtues and Spiritual Growth
🌱 Faith development follows a clear progression: begin with faith, add goodness, knowledge, self-control, endurance, godliness, brotherly affection, and culminate with love
⚠️ False teachers bring destructive heresies, exploit followers with made-up stories, and follow depraved ways that malign truth and lead to their own destruction
⏰ The Day of the Lord will come unexpectedly, dissolving the heavens with fire and ushering in new heavens and earth where righteousness dwells
🔦 Walking in light requires confession of sins, keeping God's commands, and loving others—proving our fellowship with God is genuine
💗 God's children are called to remain in Christ, reject worldly desires, and demonstrate their spiritual rebirth through righteous living and love for others
🛡️ Believers must guard against deception by growing in grace and knowledge of Christ, remaining steadfast in truth despite challenging teachings
ness through the knowl edge of him who called us by c his own glo ry and good ness. 4 By these he has giv en us very great and pre cious prom is es, so that through them you may share in the di vine na ture, es cap ing the cor rup tion that is in the world be cause of evil de sire. 5 For this very rea son, make ev ery eff ort to supplement your faith with good ness, good ness with knowl edge, 6 knowl edge with self-control, self-control with en dur ance, en dur ance with god li ness, 7 god li ness with broth er ly aff ec tion, and broth- er ly aff ec tion with love. 8 For if you pos sess these qual i ties in in creas ing mea sure, they will keep you from be ing use less or un fruit ful in the knowl edge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 The per son who lacks these things is blind and shortsighted and has for got ten the cleans ing from his past sins. 10 There fore, broth ers and sis ters, make ev ery eff ort to con firm your call ing and elec tion, be cause if you do these things you will nev er stum ble. 11 For in this way , en try into the eter nal king dom of our Lord and Sav ior Jesus Christ will be rich ly pro vid ed for you. 12 There fore I will al ways re mind you about these things, even though you know them and are es tab lished in the truth you now have. 13 I think it is right, as long as I am in this bodi ly tent, to wake you up with a re mind er, 14 since I know that I will soon lay aside my tent, as our Lord Jesus Christ has in deed made clear to me. 15 And I will also make ev ery eff ort so that you are able to re call these things at any time af ter my de par ture. dTHE TRUSTWORTHY PROPHETIC WORD 16 For we did not fol low clev er ly contrived myths when we made known to you the pow er and com ing of our Lord Jesus Christ; in stead, we were eye wit ness es of his maj es ty . 17 For he re ceived hon or and glo ry from God the Fa ther when the voice came to him from the Ma jes tic Glo ry , say ing “ This is my be loved Son, e with whom I am well-pleased! ” 18 We our selves heard this voice when it came from heav en while we were with him on the holy moun tain. 19 We also have the pro phet ic word strong ly con firmed, and you will do well to pay at ten tion to it, as to a lamp shin ing in a dark place, un til the day dawns and the morn ing star ris es in your hearts. 20 Above all, you know this: No proph e cy of Scrip ture comes from the proph et’s own in ter pre ta tion, 21 be cause no proph e cy ever came by the will of man; in stead, men spoke from God as they were car ried along by the Holy Spir it. THE JUDGMENT OF FALSE TEACHERS 2 There were in deed false proph ets among the peo ple, just as there will be false teach- ers among you. They will bring in de struc tive her e sies, even de ny ing the Mas ter who bought them, and will bring swift de struc tion on them- selves. 2 Many will fol low their de praved ways, and the way of truth will be ma ligned be cause of them. 3 They will ex ploit you in their greed with made-up sto ries. Their con dem na tion, pro nounced long ago, is not idle, and their de struc tion does not sleep. 4 For if God didn’t spare the an gels who sinned but cast them into hell f and de liv ered them in chains g of ut ter dark ness to be kept for judg ment; 5 and if he didn’t spare the an- cient world, but pro tect ed Noah, a preach er of righ teous ness, and sev en oth ers, h when he brought the flood on the world of the un god- ly; 6 and if he re duced the cit ies of Sod om and Go mor rah to ash es and con demned them to extinction, i mak ing them an ex am ple of what is com ing to the un god ly; j 7 and if he res cued righ teous Lot, dis tressed by the de praved be- hav ior of the im mor al 8 ( for as that righ teous a1:1 Other mss read Simon b1:3 Lit As his c1:3 Or to d1:15 Or death e1:17 Other mss read my Son, my beloved f2:4 Gk Tartarus g2:4 Other mss read in pits h2:5 Lit Noah, the eighth, a preacher of righteousness i2:6 Other mss omit to extinction j2:6 Other mss read an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1079 10/26/17 9:00 PM man lived among them day by day , his righ- teous soul was tor ment ed by the law less deeds he saw and heard) — 9 then the Lord knows how to res cue the god ly from tri als and to keep the un righ teous un der pun ish ment for the day of judg ment, 10 es pe cial ly those who fol low the polluting de sires of the flesh and de spise au thor i ty . Bold, ar ro gant peo ple! They are not afraid to slan der the glo ri ous ones; 11 how ev er, an gels, who are great er in might and pow er, do not bring a slan der ous charge against them be fore the Lord. a 12 But these peo ple, like irrational an i mals — crea tures of in stinct born to be caught and de stroyed — slan der what they do not un der stand, and in their de struc tion they too will be de stroyed. 13 They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done. They con sid er it a plea sure to ca rouse in broad day light. They are spots and blem ish es, de- light ing in their de cep tions b while they feast with you. 14 They have eyes full of adul tery that nev er stop look ing for sin. They se duce un sta ble peo ple and have hearts trained in greed. Chil dren un der a curse! 15 They have gone astray by abandoning the straight path and have fol lowed the path of Ba laam, the son of Bo sor, c who loved the wag es of wick ed ness 16 but re ceived a re buke for his law less ness: A speech less don key spoke with a hu man voice and re strained the proph et’s mad ness. 17 These peo ple are springs with out wa ter, mists driv en by a storm. The gloom of dark- ness has been re served for them. 18 For by ut- ter ing boast ful, emp ty words, they se duce, with fleshly de sires and de bauch ery , peo ple who have bare ly es caped d from those who live in er ror. 19 They prom ise them free dom, but they them selves are slaves of cor rup tion, since peo ple are en slaved to what ev er defeats them. 20 For if, hav ing es caped the world’s im- pu ri ty through the knowl edge of the Lord e and Sav ior Jesus Christ, they are again en tan gled in these things and de feat ed, the last state is worse for them than the first. 21 For it would have been bet ter for them not to have known the way of righ teous ness than, af ter know- ing it, to turn back from the holy com mand de liv ered to them. 22 It has hap pened to them ac cord ing to the true prov erb: A dog re turns to its own vom it, f and, “ a washed sow re turns to wal low ing in the mud.”THE DAY OF THE LORD 3 Dear friends, this is now the sec ond let- ter I have writ ten to you; in both let ters, I want to stir up your sin cere un der stand ing by way of re mind er, 2 so that you re call the words pre vi ous ly spo ken by the holy proph- ets and the com mand of our Lord and Sav ior giv en through your apos tles. 3 Above all, be aware of this: Scoff ers will come in the last days scoff ing and fol low ing their own evil de sires, 4 say ing, “ Where is his ‘com ing’ that he prom ised? Ever since our an ces tors fell asleep, all things con tin ue as they have been since the be gin ning of cre a tion.” 5 They de- lib er ate ly over look this: By the word of God the heav ens came into be ing long ago and the earth was brought about from wa ter and through wa ter. 6 Through these the world of that time per ished when it was flood ed. 7 By the same word, the pre sent heav ens and earth are stored up for fire, be ing kept for the day of judg ment and de struc tion of the un god ly . 8 Dear friends, don’t over look this one fact: With the Lord one day is like a thou- sand years, and a thou sand years like one day . 9 The Lord does not de lay his prom ise, as some un der stand de lay , but is pa tient with you, not want ing any to per ish but all to come to re pen tance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief; g on that day the heav ens will pass away with a loud noise, the el e ments will burn and be dis solved, and the earth and the works on it will be dis closed. h,i 11 Since all these things are to be dis solved in this way , it is clear what sort of peo ple you should be in holy con duct and god li ness 12 as you wait for the day of God and has ten its com ing. j Be cause of that day , the heav ens will be dis solved with fire and the el e ments will melt with heat. 13 But based on his prom ise, we wait for new heav ens and a new earth, where righ teous ness dwells. CONCLUSION 14 There fore, dear friends, while you wait for these things, make ev ery eff ort to be found with out spot or blem ish in his sight, at peace. 15 Also, re gard the pa tience of our Lord as sal- va tion, just as our dear broth er Paul has writ- ten to you ac cord ing to the wis dom giv en to him. 16 He speaks about these things in all his let ters. There are some mat ters that are hard a2:11 Other mss read them from the Lord b2:13 Other mss read delighting in the love feasts c2:15 Other mss read Beor d2:18 Or people who are actually escaping e2:20 Other mss read our Lord f2:22 Pr 26:11 g3:10 Other mss add in the night h3:10 Other mss read will be burned up i3:10 Some Syriac and Coptic mss read will not be found j3:12 Or and speed the coming2 PETER 2-3 1080 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1080 10/26/17 9:00 PM to un der stand. The untaught and un sta ble will twist them to their own de struc tion, as they also do with the rest of the Scrip tures. 17 There fore, dear friends, since you know this in ad vance, be on your guard, so that you are not led away by the er ror of law less peo ple and fall from your own stable po si tion. 18 But grow in the grace and knowl edge of our Lord and Sav ior Jesus Christ. To him be the glo ry both now and to the day of eter ni ty . a a3:18 Other mss add Amen. 1081 2 PETER 3 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1081 10/26/17 9:00 PM 1 John PROLOGUE: OUR DECLARATION 1 What was from the be gin ning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have ob served and have touched with our hands, con cern ing the word of life — 2 that life was re vealed, and we have seen it and we tes ti fy and de clare to you the eter nal life that was with the Fa ther and was re vealed to us — 3 what we have seen and heard we also de clare to you, so that you may also have fel low ship with us; and in deed our fel low ship is with the Fa ther and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 We are writ ing these things a so that our b joy may be com plete. FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD 5 This is the mes sage we have heard from him and de clare to you: God is light, and there is ab so lute ly no dark ness in him. 6 If we say , “ We have fel low ship with him,” and yet we walk in dark ness, we are ly ing and are not practicing the truth. 7 If we walk in the light as he him- self is in the light, we have fel low ship with one an oth er, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleans es us from all sin. 8 If we say , “ We have no sin,” we are de ceiv ing our selves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we con fess our sins, he is faith ful and righ teous to for give us our sins and to cleanse us from all un righ teous ness. 10 If we say , “ We have not sinned,” we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. 2 My lit tle chil dren, I am writ ing you these things so that you may not sin. But if any one does sin, we have an ad vo cate with the Fa ther — Jesus Christ the righ teous one. 2 He him self is the atoning sac ri fice c for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for those of the whole world. GOD’S COMMANDS 3 This is how we know that we know him: if we keep his com mands. 4 The one who says, “ I have come to know him,” and yet doesn’t keep his com mands, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But who ev er keeps his word, tru ly in him the love of God is made com plete. This is how we know we are in him: 6 The one who says he re mains in him should walk just as he walked. 7 Dear friends, I am not writ ing you a new com mand but an old com mand that you have had from the be gin ning. The old com mand is the word you have heard. 8 Yet I am writ ing you a new com mand, which is true in him and in you, be cause the dark ness is pass ing away and the true light is al ready shin ing. 9 The one who says he is in the light but hates his broth er or sis ter is in the dark ness un til now . 10 The one who loves his broth er or sis ter re mains in the light, and there is no cause for stum bling in him. d 11 But the one who hates his broth er or sis ter is in the dark ness, walks in the dark ness, and doesn’t know where he’s go ing, be cause the dark ness has blind ed his eyes. REASONS FOR WRITING 12 I am writing to you, little children, since your sins have been forgiven on account of his name. 13 I am writing to you, fathers, because you have come to know the one who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have conquered the evil one. 14 I have written to you, children, because you have come to know the Father. I have written to you, fathers, because you have come to know the one who is from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, God’s word remains in you, and you have conquered the evil one. A WARNING ABOUT THE WORLD 15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If any one loves the world, the love of the Fa ther is not in him. 16 For ev ery thing in the world — the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride in one’s pos ses sions — is not from the Fa ther, but is from the world. 17 And the world with its lust is pass ing away , but the one who does the will of God re mains for ev er. THE LAST HOUR 18 Chil dren, it is the last hour. And as you have heard that an ti christ is com ing, even now many an ti christs have come. By this we know that it a1:4 Other mss add to you b1:4 Other mss read your c2:2 Or the propitiation d2:10 Or it CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1082 10/26/17 9:00 PM is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they did not be long to us; for if they had be- longed to us, they would have re mained with us. How ev er, they went out so that it might be made clear that none of them be longs to us. 20 But you have an anoint ing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. a 21 I have not writ ten to you be cause you don’t know the truth, but be cause you do know it, and be cause no lie comes from the truth. 22 Who is the liar, if not the one who de nies that Jesus is the Christ? This one is the an ti christ: the one who de nies the Fa ther and the Son. 23 No one who de nies the Son has the Fa ther; he who con fess es the Son has the Fa ther as well. REMAINING WITH GOD 24 What you have heard from the be gin ning is to re main in you. If what you have heard from the be gin ning re mains in you, then you will re main in the Son and in the Fa ther. 25 And this is the prom ise that he him self made to us: eter nal life. 26 I have writ ten these things to you con cern- ing those who are try ing to de ceive you. 27 As for you, the anoint ing you re ceived from him re mains in you, and you don’t need any one to teach you. In stead, his anoint ing teach es you about all things and is true and is not a lie; just as it has taught you, b re main in him. GOD’S CHILDREN 28 So now , lit tle chil dren, re main in him so that when he ap pears we may have con fi dence and not be ashamed be fore him at his com ing. 29 If you know that he is righ teous, you know this as well: Ev ery one who does what is right has 3 been born of him. 1 See what great love c the Fa ther has giv en us that we should be called God’s chil dren — and we are! The rea son the world does not know us is that it didn’t know him. 2 Dear friends, we are God’s chil dren now , and what we will be has not yet been re vealed. We know that when he ap- pears, d we will be like him be cause we will see him as he is. 3 And ev ery one who has this hope in him pu ri fies him self just as he is pure. 4 Ev ery one who com mits sin prac tic es law- less ness; and sin is law less ness. 5 You know that he was re vealed so that he might take away sins, e and there is no sin in him. 6 Ev ery one who re mains in him does not sin; f ev ery one who sins g has not seen him or known him.7 Chil dren, let no one de ceive you. The one who does what is right is righ teous, just as he is righ teous. 8 The one who com mits h sin is of the dev il, for the dev il has sinned from the be gin ning. The Son of God was re vealed for this pur pose: to de stroy the dev il’s works. 9 Ev ery one who has been born of God does not sin, i be cause his seed re mains in him; he is not able to sin, j be cause he has been born of God. 10 This is how God’s chil dren and the dev il’s chil dren be come ob vi ous. Who ev er does not do what is right is not of God, es pe cial ly the one who does not love his broth er or sis ter. LOVE IN ACTION 11 For this is the mes sage you have heard from the be gin ning: We should love one an oth er, 12 un like Cain, who was of the evil one and mur dered his broth er. And why did he mur - der him? Be cause his deeds were evil, and his broth er’s were righ teous. 13 Do not be sur prised, broth ers and sis ters, if the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed from death to life be cause we love our broth ers and sis ters. The one who does not love re mains in death. 15 Ev ery one who hates his broth er or sis ter is a mur der er, and you know that no mur der er has eter nal life residing in him. 16 This is how we have come to know love: He laid down his life for us. We should also lay down our lives for our broth ers and sis ters. 17 If any one has this world’s goods and sees a fel low be liev er k in need but with holds com pas sion from him — how does God’s love
🙏 Divine Love and Truth
❤️ True love manifests through actions, not merely words, reflecting God's nature and demonstrating authentic faith
🔍 Testing spirits against the confession of Jesus Christ reveals truth from deception, protecting believers from false teachings
🌍 Those who genuinely know God express His love to others, as God's perfect love drives out fear and completes us
⚔️ Contending for the faith requires vigilance against false teachers who distort grace and reject divine authority
🛡️ Believers find victory through faith in Christ, receiving eternal life and confidence in prayer when aligned with God's will
👑 The risen Lord reveals Himself as the Alpha and Omega, coming with glory to judge and redeem His people
re side in him? 18 Lit tle chil dren, let us not love in word or speech, but in ac tion and in truth. 19 This is how we will know that we be long to the truth and will re as sure our hearts be- fore him 20 when ev er our hearts con demn us; for God is great er than our hearts, and he knows all things. 21 Dear friends, if our hearts don’t con demn us, we have con fi dence be fore God 22 and re- ceive what ev er we ask from him be cause we keep his com mands and do what is pleas ing in his sight. 23 Now this is his com mand: that we be lieve in the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one an oth er as he com mand ed us. 24 The one who keeps his com mands re mains in him, and he in him. And the way we know that he re mains in us is from the Spir it he has giv en us. a2:20 Other mss read and you know all things b2:27 Or as he has taught you c3:1 Or what sort of love d3:2 Or when it appears e3:5 Other mss read our sins f3:6 Or not keep on sinning g3:6 Or who keeps on sinning h3:8 Or practices i3:9 Or not practice sin j3:9 Or to keep on sinning k3:17 Lit sees his brother or sister 1083 1 JOHN 2-3 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1083 10/26/17 9:00 PM THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH AND THE SPIRIT OF ERROR 4 Dear friends, do not be lieve ev ery spir it, but test the spir its to see if they are from God, be cause many false proph ets have gone out into the world. 2 This is how you know the Spir it of God: Ev ery spir it that con fess es that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 but ev- ery spir it that does not con fess Jesus a is not from God. This is the spir it of the an ti christ, which you have heard is com ing; even now it is al ready in the world. 4 You are from God, lit tle chil dren, and you have con quered them, be cause the one who is in you is great er than the one who is in the world. 5 They are from the world. There fore what they say is from the world, and the world lis tens to them. 6 We are from God. Any one who knows God lis tens to us; any one who is not from God does not lis ten to us. This is how we know the Spir it of truth and the spir it of de cep tion. KNOWING GOD THROUGH LOVE 7 Dear friends, let us love one an oth er, be- cause love is from God, and ev ery one who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 The one who does not love does not know God, be cause God is love. 9 God’s love was re vealed among us b in this way: God sent his one and only Son into the world so that we might live through him. 10 Love con sists in this: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sac ri fice c for our sins. 11 Dear friends, if God loved us in this way , we also must love one an oth er. 12 No one has ever seen God. If we love one an oth er, God re mains in d us and his love is made com plete in us. 13 This is how we know that we re main in him and he in us: He has giv en us of his Spir it. 14 And we have seen and we tes ti fy that the Fa ther has sent his Son as the world’s Sav ior. 15 Who ev er con fess es that Jesus is the Son of God — God re mains in him and he in God. 16 And we have come to know and to be lieve the love that God has for us. God is love, and the one who re mains in love re mains in God, and God re mains in him. 17 In this, love is made com plete with us so that we may have con fi dence in the day of judg ment, be cause as he is, so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; in stead, per fect love drives out fear, be cause fear in volves pun ish ment. e So the one who fears is not com plete in love. 19 We love f be cause he first loved us. 20 If any one says, “ I love God,” and yet hates his broth- er or sis ter, he is a liar. For the per son who does not love his broth er or sis ter whom he has seen can not love God whom he has not seen. g 21 And we have this com mand from him: The one who loves God must also love his broth er and sis ter. 5 Ev ery one who be lieves that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and ev ery- one who loves the Fa ther h also loves the one born of him. 2 This is how we know that we love God’s chil dren: when we love God and obey i his com mands. 3 For this is what love for God is: to keep his com mands. And his com mands are not a bur den, 4 be cause ev ery- one who has been born of God con quers the world. This is the vic to ry that has con quered the world: our faith. THE CERTAINTY OF GOD’S TESTIMONY 5 Who is the one who con quers the world but the one who be lieves that Jesus is the Son of God? 6 Jesus Christ — he is the one who came by wa ter and blood, not by wa ter only , but by wa ter and by blood. And the Spir it is the one who tes ti fies, be cause the Spir it is the truth. 7 For there are three that tes ti fy: j 8 the Spir it, the wa ter, and the blood — and these three are in agree ment. 9 If we ac cept hu man tes- ti mo ny , God’s tes ti mo ny is great er, be cause it is God’s tes ti mo ny that he has giv en about his Son. 10 The one who be lieves in the Son of God has this tes ti mo ny with in him self. The one who does not be lieve God has made him a liar, be cause he has not be lieved in the tes ti mo ny God has giv en about his Son. 11 And this is the tes ti mo ny: God has giv en us eter nal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 The one who has the Son has life. The one who does not have the Son of God does not have life. 13 I have writ ten these things to you who be lieve in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eter nal life. a4:3 Other mss read confess that Jesus has come in the flesh b4:9 Or in us c4:10 Or the propitiation d4:12 Or remains among e4:18 Or fear has its own punishment or torment f4:19 Other mss add him g4:20 Other mss read has seen, how is he able to love . . . seen? (as a question) h5:1 Or loves the one who has given birth i5:2 Other mss read keep j5:7-8 A few late Gk mss and some late Vg mss add testify in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit, and these three are one. 8And there are three who bear witness on earth:1 JOHN 4-5 1084 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1084 10/26/17 9:00 PM EFFECTIVE PRAYER 14 This is the con fi dence we have be fore him: If we ask any thing ac cord ing to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears what ev er we ask, we know that we have what we have asked of him. 16 If any one sees a fel low be liev er a com- mit ting a sin that doesn’t lead to death, he should ask, and God will give life to him — to those who com mit sin that doesn’t lead to death. There is sin b that leads to death. I am not say ing he should pray about that. 17 All un righ teous ness is sin, and there is sin that doesn’t lead to death.CONCLUSION 18 We know that ev ery one who has been born of God does not sin, but the one who is born of God keeps him, c and the evil one does not touch him. 19 We know that we are of God, and the whole world is un der the sway of the evil one. 20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has giv en us un der stand ing so that we may know the true one. d We are in the true one — that is, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eter nal life. 21 Lit tle chil dren, guard your selves from idols. a5:16 Lit sees his brother or sister b5:16 Or is a sin c5:18 Other mss read himself d5:20 Other mss read the true God 1085 1 JOHN 5 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1085 10/26/17 9:00 PM 2 John GREETING T he el der: To the elect lady and her chil dren, whom I love in the truth — and not only I, but also all who know the truth — 2 be cause of the truth that re mains in us and will be with us for ev er. 3 Grace, mer cy , and peace will be with us from God the Fa ther and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Fa ther, in truth and love. TRUTH AND DECEPTION 4 I was very glad to find some of your chil dren walk ing in truth, in keep ing with a com mand we have re ceived from the Fa ther. 5 So now I ask you, dear lady — not as if I were writ ing you a new com mand, but one we have had from the be gin ning — that we love one an- oth er. 6 This is love: that we walk ac cord ing to his com mands. This is the com mand as you have heard it from the be gin ning: that you walk in love. a7 Many de ceiv ers have gone out into the world; they do not con fess the com ing of Jesus Christ in the flesh. This is the de ceiv er and the an ti christ. 8 Watch your selves so you don’t lose what we b have worked for, but that you may re ceive a full re ward. 9 Any one who does not re main in Christ’s teach ing but goes be yond it does not have God. The one who re mains in that teach ing, this one has both the Fa ther and the Son. 10 If any one comes to you and does not bring this teach ing, do not re ceive him into your home, and don’t greet him; 11 for the one who greets him shares in his evil works. FAREWELL 12 Though I have many things to write to you, I don’t want to use pa per and ink. In stead, I hope to come to you and talk face to face so that our joy may be com plete. 13 The chil dren of your elect sis ter send you greet ings. a6 Or in it b8 Other mss read you CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1086 10/26/17 9:00 PM 3 John GREETING T he el der: To my dear friend Ga ius, whom I love in the truth. 2 Dear friend, I pray that you are prospering in ev ery way and are in good health, just as your whole life is go ing well. a 3 For I was very glad when fel low be liev ers came and tes ti fied to your fidelity to the truth — how you are walk- ing in truth. 4 I have no great er joy than this: to hear that my chil dren are walk ing in truth. GAIUS COMMENDED 5 Dear friend, you are act ing faith ful ly in what- ev er you do for the broth ers and sis ters, es- pe cial ly when they are strang ers. 6 They have tes ti fied to your love be fore the church. You will do well to send them on their jour ney in a man ner wor thy of God, 7 since they set out for the sake of the Name, ac cept ing noth ing from pa gans. b 8 There fore, we ought to sup- port such peo ple so that we can be co work ers with the truth.DIOTREPHES AND DEMETRIUS 9 I wrote some thing to the church, but Di ot- re phes, who loves to have first place among them, does not re ceive our au thor i ty . 10 This is why , if I come, I will re mind him of the works he is do ing, slan der ing us with ma li cious words. And he is not sat is fied with that! He not only re fus es to wel come fel low be liev ers, but he even stops those who want to do so and expels them from the church. 11 Dear friend, do not im i tate what is evil, but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God. 12 Ev ery one speaks well of De me tri us — even the truth it self. And we also speak well of him, and you know that our tes ti mo ny is true. FAREWELL 13 I have many things to write you, but I don’t want to write to you with pen and ink. 14 I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face. 15 Peace to you. The friends send you greet- ings. Greet the friends by name. a2 Or as your soul prospers b7 Or Gentiles CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1087 10/26/17 9:00 PM Jude GREETING J ude, a ser vant of Jesus Christ and a broth- er of James: To those who are the called, loved a by God the Fa ther and kept for Jesus Christ. 2 May mer cy , peace, and love be mul ti plied to you. JUDE’S PURPOSE IN WRITING 3 Dear friends, al though I was ea ger to write you about the sal va tion we share, I found it nec es sary to write, ap peal ing to you to con- tend for the faith that was de liv ered to the saints once for all. 4 For some peo ple, who were des ig nat ed for this judg ment long ago, b have come in by stealth; they are un god ly , turn ing the grace of our God into sen su al i ty and de- ny ing Jesus Christ, our only Mas ter and Lord. APOSTATES: PAST AND PRESENT 5 Now I want to re mind you, al though you came to know all these things once and for all, that Jesus c saved a peo ple out of Egypt and lat er de stroyed those who did not be lieve; 6 and the an gels who did not keep their own po si tion but aban doned their prop er dwell ing, he has kept in eter nal chains in deep dark ness for the judg ment on the great day . 7 Like wise, Sod om and Go mor rah and the sur round ing towns com mit ted sex u al im mo ral i ty and per ver - sions, d and serve as an ex am ple by un der go ing the pun ish ment of eter nal fire. 8 In the same way these peo ple — relying on their dreams — de file their flesh, re ject au- thor i ty , and slan der glo ri ous ones. 9 Yet when Mi cha el the arch an gel was dis put ing with the dev il in an argument about Moses’s body , he did not dare ut ter a slan der ous con dem na tion against him but said, “ The Lord re buke you! ” 10 But these peo ple blas pheme any thing they do not un der stand. And what they do un der - stand by in stinct — like irrational an i mals — by these things they are de stroyed. 11 Woe to them! For they have gone the way of Cain, have plunged into Ba laam’s er ror for profi t, and have per ished in Ko rah’s re bel lion.THE APOSTATES’ DOOM 12 These peo ple are dan ger ous reefs e at your love feasts as they eat with you with out rev- er ence. They are shep herds who only look af ter them selves. They are wa ter less clouds car ried along by winds; trees in late au tumn — fruit less, twice dead and up root ed. 13 They are wild waves of the sea, foam ing up their shame ful deeds; wan der ing stars for whom the black ness of dark ness is re served for ev er. 14 It was about these that Enoch, in the sev- enth gen er a tion from Adam, proph e sied: “ Look! The Lord comes with tens of thou sands of his holy ones 15 to ex e cute judg ment on all and to con vict all the un god ly con cern ing all the un god ly acts that they have done in an un god ly way , and con cern ing all the harsh things un god ly sin ners have said against him.” 16 These peo ple are dis con tent ed grum blers, liv ing ac cord ing to their de sires; their mouths ut ter ar ro gant words, flat ter ing peo ple for their own ad van tage. 17 But you, dear friends, re mem ber what was pre dict ed by the apos tles of our Lord Jesus Christ. 18 They told you, “ In the end time there will be scoff ers liv ing ac cord ing to their own un god ly de sires.” 19 These peo ple cre ate di vi- sions and are world ly , not hav ing the Spir it. EXHORTATION AND BENEDICTION 20 But you, dear friends, as you build your - selves up in your most holy faith, pray ing in the Holy Spir it, 21 keep your selves in the love of God, wait ing ex pec tant ly for the mer cy of our Lord Jesus Christ for eter nal life. 22 Have mer cy on those who wa ver; 23 save oth ers by snatching them from the fire; have mer cy on oth ers but with fear, hat ing even the gar ment de filed by the flesh. 24 Now to him who is able to pro tect you from stum bling and to make you stand in the pres ence of his glo ry , with out blem ish and with great joy , 25 to the only God our Sav ior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, f be glo ry , maj- es ty , pow er, and au thor i ty be fore all time, g now and for ev er. Amen. a1 Other mss read sanctified b4 Or whose judgment was written about long ago c5 Other mss read the Lord, or God d7 Or and went after other flesh e12 Other mss read are like blemishes f25 Other mss omit through Jesus Christ our Lord g25 Other mss omit before all time CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1088 10/26/17 9:00 PM revela Tion PROLOGUE 1 The rev e la tion of a Jesus Christ that God gave him to show his ser vants what must soon take place. He made it known by send ing his an gel to his ser vant John, 2 who tes ti fied to the word of God and to the tes ti mo ny b of Jesus Christ, what ev er he saw . c 3 Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this proph e cy , and blessed are those who hear the words of this proph e cy and keep d what is writ ten in it, be cause the time is near. 4 John: To the sev en church es in Asia. Grace and peace to you from e the one who is, who was, and who is to come, and from the sev en spir its f be fore his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, the faith ful wit ness, the first born from the dead and the rul er of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has set us free g from our sins by his blood, 6 and made us a king dom, h priests i to his God and Fa ther — to him be glo ry and do min ion for ev er and ever. Amen. 7 Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him. And all the tribes j of the earth k will mourn over him. l,m So it is to be. Amen. 8 “ I am the Al pha and the Ome ga,” says the Lord God, “ the one who is, who was, and who is to come, the Al mighty .” JOHN’S VISION OF THE RISEN LORD 9 I, John, your broth er and part ner in the af - fliction, king dom, and en dur ance that are in Jesus, was on the is land called Pat mos be cause of the word of God and the tes ti mo ny of Jesus. 10 I was in the Spir it n on the Lord’s day , and I heard a loud voice be hind me like a trum pet 11 say ing, “ Write on a scroll o what you see and send it to the sev en church es: Eph e sus, Smyr - na, Per ga mum, Thy a ti ra, Sar dis, Phil a del phia, and La od i cea.”12 Then I turned to see whose voice it was that spoke to me. When I turned I saw sev en gold en lamp stands, 13 and among the lamp- stands was one like the Son of Man, p dressed in a robe and with a gold en sash wrapped around his chest. 14 The hair of his head was white as wool — white as snow — and his eyes like a fi ery flame. 15 His feet were like fine bronze as it is fired in a fur nace, and his voice like the sound
🔥 Divine Revelation to Churches
👑 Jesus Christ appears in majestic form with seven stars in his right hand, a sharp sword from his mouth, and face shining like the sun, revealing himself as "the First and the Last" who holds authority over death
📜 Seven personalized letters to churches (Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea) deliver both commendations and corrections, with promises for "those who conquer"
🌈 A breathtaking throne room vision reveals God surrounded by 24 elders, four living creatures, and constant worship declaring "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty"
🐑 The slaughtered Lamb (Christ) alone proves worthy to open the sealed scroll, receiving universal worship as the one who purchased people "from every tribe and language and people and nation"
🏇 Opening of six seals unleashes apocalyptic events: conquest, war, famine, death, martyrs crying for justice, and cosmic upheaval causing all people to hide from divine wrath
of cascading q wa ters. 16 He had sev en stars in his right hand; a sharp double-edged sword came from his mouth, and his face was shin ing like the sun at full strength. 17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet like a dead man. He laid his right hand on me and said, “ Don’t be afraid. I am the First and the Last, 18 and the Liv ing One. I was dead, but look — I am alive for ev er and ever, and I hold the keys of death and Ha des. 19 There fore write what you have seen, what is, and what will take place af ter this. 20 The mys tery of the sev en stars you saw in my right hand and of the sev- en gold en lamp stands is this: The sev en stars are the an gels r of the sev en church es, and the sev en lamp stands s are the sev en church es. THE LETTERS TO THE SEVEN CHURCHES THE LETTER TO EPHESUS 2 “ Write to the an gel t of the church in Eph e- sus: Thus says the one who holds the sev en stars in his right hand and who walks among the sev en gold en lamp stands: 2 I know your works, your la bor, and your en dur ance, and that you can not tol er ate evil peo ple. You have test ed those who call them selves apos tles and are not, and you have found them to be liars. 3 I know that you have per se vered and en dured hard ships for the sake of my name, and have not grown wea ry . 4 But I have this against you: You have aban doned the love you had at first. 5 Re mem ber then how far you have fall en; re pent, and do the works you did at first. Oth- er wise, I will come to you u and re move your a1:1 Or Revelation of, or A revelation of b1:2 Or witness c1:2 Or as many as he saw d1:3 Or follow, or obey e1:4 Other mss add God f1:4 Or the sevenfold Spirit g1:5 Other mss read has washed us h1:6 Other mss read kings and i1:6 Or made us into (or to be) a kingdom of priests ; Ex 19:6 j1:7 Or peoples k1:7 Gn 12:3; 28:14; Zch 14:17 l1:7 Or will wail because of him m1:7 Dn 7:13; Zch 12:10 n1:10 Or in spirit ; lit I became in the Spirit o1:11 Or book p1:13 Or like a son of man q1:15 Lit many r1:20 Or messengers s1:20 Other mss add that you saw t2:1 Or messenger, also in vv. 8,12,18 u2:5 Other mss add quickly CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1089 10/26/17 9:00 PM lamp stand from its place, un less you re pent. 6 Yet you do have this: You hate the prac tic es of the Nic o la i tans, which I also hate. 7 “ Let any one who has ears to hear lis ten to what the Spir it says to the church es. To the one who con quers, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in a the par a dise of God. THE LETTER TO SMYRNA 8 “ Write to the an gel of the church in Smyr na: Thus says the First and the Last, the one who was dead and came to life: 9 I know your b af- fliction and pov er ty , but you are rich. I know the slan der of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a syn a gogue of Sa tan. 10 Don’t be afraid of what you are about to suff er. Look, the dev il is about to throw some of you into pris on to test you, and you will ex pe ri ence affliction for ten days. Be faith ful to the point of death, and I will give you the crown c of life. 11 “ Let any one who has ears to hear lis ten to what the Spir it says to the church es. The one who con quers will nev er be harmed by the sec ond death. THE LETTER TO PERGAMUM 12 “ Write to the an gel of the church in Per ga- mum: Thus says the one who has the sharp, double-edged sword: 13 I know d where you live — where Sa tan’s throne is. Yet you are hold ing on to my name and did not deny your faith in me, e even in the days of An ti pas, my faith ful wit ness who was put to death among you, where Sa tan lives. 14 But I have a few things against you. You have some there who hold to the teach ing of Ba laam, who taught Ba lak to place a stum bling block f in front of the Is- ra el ites: to eat meat sac ri ficed to idols and to com mit sex u al im mo ral i ty . 15 In the same way , you also have those who hold to the teach ing of the Nic o la i tans. g 16 So re pent! Oth er wise, I will come to you quick ly and fight against them with the sword of my mouth. 17 “ Let any one who has ears to hear lis ten to what the Spir it says to the church es. To the one who con quers, I will give some of the hid den man na. h I will also give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name is in scribed that no one knows ex cept the one who re ceives it.THE LETTER TO THYATIRA 18 “ Write to the an gel of the church in Thy a ti ra: Thus says the Son of God, the one whose eyes are like a fi ery flame and whose feet are like fine bronze: 19 I know your works — your love, faith ful ness, i ser vice, and en dur ance. I know that your last works are great er than the first. 20 But I have this against you: You tol er ate the wom an Jez e bel, who calls her self a proph et ess and teach es and de ceives my ser vants to com mit sex u al im mo ral i ty and to eat meat sac ri ficed to idols. 21 I gave her time to re pent, but she does not want to re pent of her sex u al im mo ral i ty . 22 Look, I will throw her into a sick bed and those who com mit adul tery with her into great affliction. Un less they re pent of her j works, 23 I will strike her chil dren dead. k Then all the church es will know that I am the one who ex am ines minds and hearts, and I will give to each of you ac- cord ing to your works. 24 I say to the rest of you in Thy a ti ra, who do not hold this teach ing, who haven’t known “ the so-called se crets l of Sa tan” — as they say — I am not put ting any oth er bur den on you. 25 Only hold on to what you have un til I come. 26 The one who con quers and who keeps my works to the end: I will give him au thor i ty over the na tions — 27 and he will rule m them with an iron scepter; he will shatter them like pottery n — 28 just as I have re ceived this from my Fa ther. I will also give him the morn ing star. 29 “ Let any one who has ears to hear lis ten to what the Spir it says to the church es. THE LETTER TO SARDIS 3 “ Write to the an gel o of the church in Sar - dis: Thus says the one who has the sev en spir its of God and the sev en stars: I know your works; you have a rep u ta tion p for be ing alive, but you are dead. 2 Be alert and strength en q what re mains, which is about to die, r for I have not found your works com plete be fore my God. 3 Re mem ber, then, what you have re ceived and heard; keep it, and re pent. If you are not alert, I will come s like a thief, and you have no idea at what hour I will come upon you. 4 But you have a few peo ple t in Sar dis who have not de filed u their clothes, and they will walk with me in white, be cause they are wor thy . a2:7 Other mss read in the midst of b2:9 Other mss add works and c2:10 Or wreath d2:13 Other mss add your works and e2:13 Or deny my faith f2:14 Or to place a trap g2:15 Other mss add which I hate h2:17 Other mss add to eat i2:19 Or faith j2:22 Other mss read their k2:23 Or with a plague l2:24 Or the secret things m2:27 Or shepherd n2:27 Ps 2:9 o3:1 Or messenger, also in vv. 7,14 p3:1 Or have a name q3:2 Other mss read guard r3:2 Or strengthen who remain, who are about to die s3:3 Other mss add upon you t3:4 Lit few names u3:4 Or soiledREVELATION 2-3 1090 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1090 10/26/17 9:00 PM 5 “ In the same way , the one who con quers will be dressed in white clothes, and I will nev er erase his name from the book of life but will ac knowl edge his name be fore my Fa ther and be fore his an gels. 6 “ Let any one who has ears to hear lis ten to what the Spir it says to the church es. THE LETTER TO PHILADELPHIA 7 “ Write to the an gel of the church in Phil a- del phia: Thus says the Holy One, the true one, the one who has the key of Da vid, who opens and no one will close, and who clos es and no one opens: 8 I know your works. Look, I have placed be fore you an open door that no one can close be cause you have but lit tle pow er; yet you have kept my word and have not de nied my name. 9 Note this: I will make those from the syn a gogue of Sa tan, who claim to be Jews and are not, but are ly ing — I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and they will know that I have loved you. 10 Be cause you have kept my com mand to en dure, I will also keep you from the hour of test ing that is go ing to come on the whole world to test those who live on the earth. 11 I am com ing soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one takes your crown. 12 “ The one who con quers I will make a pil- lar in the tem ple of my God, and he will nev er go out again. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God — the new Je ru sa lem, which comes down out of heav en from my God — and my new name. 13 “ Let any one who has ears to hear lis ten to what the Spir it says to the church es. THE LETTER TO LAODICEA 14 “ Write to the an gel of the church in La od i cea: Thus says the Amen, the faith ful and true wit- ness, the originator a of God’s cre a tion: 15 I know your works, that you are nei ther cold nor hot. I wish that you were cold or hot. 16 So, be cause you are luke warm, and nei ther hot nor cold, I am go ing to vom it b you out of my mouth. 17 For you say , ‘ I’m rich; I have be come wealthy and need noth ing,’ and you don’t re al ize that you are wretch ed, piti ful, poor, blind, and na ked. 18 I ad vise you to buy from me gold re fined in the fire so that you may be rich, white clothes so that you may be dressed and your shame- ful na ked ness not be ex posed, and oint ment to spread on your eyes so that you may see. 19 As many as I love, I re buke and dis ci pline. So be zeal ous and re pent. 20 See! I stand at the door and knock. If any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. 21 “ To the one who con quers I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I also con quered and sat down with my Fa ther on his throne. 22 “ Let any one who has ears to hear lis ten to what the Spir it says to the church es.” THE THRONE ROOM OF HEAVEN 4 Af ter this I looked, and there in heav en was an open door. The first voice that I had heard speak ing to me like a trum pet said, “ Come up here, and I will show you what must take place af ter this.” 2 Im me di ate ly I was in the Spir it, and there was a throne in heav en and some one was seat ed on it. 3 The one seat ed c there had the ap pear ance of jas per and car ne lian stone. A rain bow that had the ap pear ance of an em- er ald sur round ed the throne. 4 Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones sat twenty-four el ders dressed in white clothes, with gold en crowns on their heads. 5 Flash es of light ning and rum blings and peals of thun der came from the throne. Sev en fi ery torch es were burn ing be fore the throne, which are the sev en spir its of God. 6 Some thing like a sea of glass, sim i lar to crys tal, was also be fore the throne. Four liv ing crea tures cov ered with eyes in front and in back were around the throne on each side. 7 The first liv ing crea ture was like a lion; the sec ond liv ing crea ture was like an ox; the third liv ing crea ture had a face like a man; and the fourth liv ing crea ture was like a fly ing ea gle. 8 Each of the four liv ing crea- tures had six wings; they were cov ered with eyes around and in side. Day and night they nev er stop, d say ing, Holy , holy , holy , Lord God, the Almighty , who was, who is, and who is to come. 9 When ev er the liv ing crea tures give glo ry , hon or, and thanks to the one seat ed on the throne, the one who lives for ev er and ever, 10 the twenty-four el ders fall down be fore the one seat ed on the throne and wor ship the one who lives for ev er and ever. They cast their crowns be fore the throne and say , a3:14 Or beginning of God’s creation, or ruler of God’s creation b3:16 Or spit c4:3 Other mss omit The one seated d4:8 Or rest 1091 REVELATION 3-4 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1091 10/26/17 9:00 PM 11 Our Lord and God, a you are worthy to receive glory and honor and power, because you have created all things, and by your will they exist and were created. THE LAMB TAKES THE SCROLL 5 Then I saw in the right hand of the one seat ed on the throne a scroll with writ ing on both sides, sealed with sev en seals. 2 I also saw a mighty an gel pro claim ing with a loud voice, “ Who is wor thy to open the scroll and break its seals? ” 3 But no one in heav en or on earth or un der the earth was able to open the scroll or even to look in it. 4 I wept and wept be cause no one was found wor thy to open b the scroll or even to look in it. 5 Then one of the el ders said to me, “ Do not weep. Look, the Lion from the tribe of Ju dah, the Root of Da vid, has con quered so that he is able to open the scroll and c its sev en seals.” 6 Then I saw one like a slaugh tered lamb stand ing in the midst of the throne and the four liv ing crea tures and among the el ders. He had sev en horns and sev en eyes, which are the sev en spir its of God sent into all the earth. 7 He went and took the scroll out of the right hand of the one seat ed on the throne. THE LAMB IS WORTHY 8 When he took the scroll, the four liv ing crea- tures and the twenty-four el ders fell down be- fore the Lamb. Each one had a harp and gold en bowls filled with in cense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song: You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slaughtered, and you purchased d people e for God by your blood from every tribe and language and people and nation. 10 You made them a kingdom f and priests to our God, and they will reign on the earth. 11 Then I looked and heard the voice of many an gels around the throne, and also of the liv- ing crea tures and of the el ders. Their num ber was count less thou sands, plus thou sands of thou sands. 12 They said with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing! 13 I heard ev ery crea ture in heav en, on earth, un der the earth, on the sea, and ev ery thing in them say , Blessing and honor and glory and power be to the one seated on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever! 14 The four liv ing crea tures said, “ Amen,” and the el ders fell down and wor shiped. THE FIRST SEAL ON THE SCROLL 6 Then I saw the Lamb open one of the sev- en g seals, and I heard one of the four liv- ing crea tures say with a voice like thun der, “ Come! ” 2 I looked, and there was a white horse. Its rid er held a bow; a crown was giv- en to him, and he went out as a con quer or in or der to con quer. h THE SECOND SEAL 3 When he opened the sec ond seal, I heard the sec ond liv ing crea ture say , “ Come! ” 4 Then an oth er horse went out, a fi ery red one, and its rid er was al lowed to take peace from the earth, so that peo ple would slaugh ter one an- oth er. And a large sword was giv en to him. THE THIRD SEAL 5 When he opened the third seal, I heard the third liv ing crea ture say , “ Come! ” And I looked, and there was a black horse. Its rid er held a set of scales in his hand. 6 Then I heard some thing like a voice among the four liv ing crea tures say , “ A quart of wheat for a de nar i us, i and three quarts of bar ley for a de nar i us, but do not harm the oil and the wine.” THE FOURTH SEAL 7 When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth liv ing crea ture say , “ Come! ” 8 And I looked, and there was a pale green j horse. Its rid er was named Death, and Ha des was fol low ing af ter him. They were k giv en au thor i ty over a fourth of the earth, to kill by the sword, by fam ine, by plague, and by the wild an i mals of the earth. a4:11 Some mss add the Holy One ; other mss read Lord b5:4 Other mss add and read c5:5 Other mss add loose d5:9 Or redeemed e5:9 Other mss read us f5:10 Other mss read them kings g6:1 Other mss omit seven h6:2 Or went out conquering and in order to conquer i6:6 A denarius = one day’s wage j6:8 Or a greenish gray k6:8 Other mss read He wasREVELATION 4-6 1092 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1092 10/26/17 9:00 PM THE FIFTH SEAL 9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw un der the al tar the souls of those who had been slaugh tered be cause of the word of God and the tes ti mo ny they had giv en. a 10 They cried out with a loud voice: “ Lord, b the one who is holy and true, how long un til you judge those who live on the earth and avenge our blood? ” 11 So they were each giv en a white robe, and they were told to rest a lit tle while lon ger un til the num ber would be com plet ed of their fel low ser vants and their broth ers and sis ters, who were go ing to be killed just as they had been. THE SIXTH SEAL 12 Then I saw him open c the sixth seal. A vi o lent earth quake oc curred; the sun turned black like sack cloth made of hair; the en tire moon d be came like blood; 13 the stars e of heav en fell to the earth as a fig tree drops its un ripe figs when shak en by a high wind; 14 the sky was split apart like a scroll be ing rolled up; and ev ery moun tain and is land was moved from its place. 15 Then the kings of the earth, the no bles, the gen er als, the rich, the pow er ful, and ev ery slave and free per son hid in the caves and among the rocks of the moun tains. 16 And they said to the moun tains and to the rocks, “ Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one seat ed on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb, 17 be cause the great day of their f wrath has come! And who is able to stand? ” THE SEALED OF ISRAEL 7 Af ter this I saw four an gels stand ing at the four cor ners of the earth, re strain ing
🌌 Apocalyptic Visions Revealed
🔒 144,000 sealed servants from the twelve tribes of Israel receive divine protection before the unleashing of cosmic devastation, marking them as God's chosen amid coming judgment
👑 A vast multitude from every nation stands before God's throne in white robes, having emerged from great tribulation and been cleansed by the Lamb's blood, now experiencing eternal comfort where suffering ceases
🎺 Seven trumpet judgments progressively devastate earth, sea, and sky—bringing hail, fire, blood, darkness, and monstrous locusts—while unrepentant humanity continues in idolatry despite these warnings
🐉 The cosmic battle between good and evil manifests as a dragon (Satan) pursues a woman and her child, but heaven's forces prevail, casting the dragon to earth where he wages war against God's faithful followers
🦁 Beasts rising from sea and earth exercise terrible authority for 42 months, demanding worship and persecuting saints, representing systems that oppose God's kingdom while deceiving earth's inhabitants
⚖️ Throughout these visions, divine justice unfolds as martyrs are vindicated, the faithful are preserved, and God's ultimate sovereignty is proclaimed despite temporary suffering and apparent evil triumph
the four winds of the earth so that no wind could blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree. 2 Then I saw an oth er an gel ris ing up from the east, who had the seal of the liv ing God. He cried out in a loud voice to the four an gels who were al lowed to harm the earth and the sea: 3 “ Don’t harm the earth or the sea or the trees un til we seal the ser vants of our God on their fore heads.” 4 And I heard the num ber of the sealed: 144,000 sealed from every tribe of the Israelites: 5 12,000 sealed from the tribe of Judah, 12,000 g from the tribe of Reuben, 12,000 from the tribe of Gad, 6 12,000 from the tribe of Asher, 12,000 from the tribe of Naphtali, 12,000 from the tribe of Manasseh, 7 12,000 from the tribe of Simeon, 12,000 from the tribe of Levi, 12,000 from the tribe of Issachar, 8 12,000 from the tribe of Zebulun, 12,000 from the tribe of Joseph, 12,000 sealed from the tribe of Benjamin. A MULTITUDE FROM THE GREAT TRIBULATION 9 Af ter this I looked, and there was a vast mul- ti tude from ev ery na tion, tribe, peo ple, and lan guage, which no one could num ber, stand- ing be fore the throne and be fore the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes with palm branch es in their hands. 10 And they cried out in a loud voice: Salvation belongs to our God, who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb! 11 All the an gels stood around the throne, and along with the el ders and the four liv ing crea- tures they fell face down be fore the throne and wor shiped God, 12 say ing, Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and strength be to our God forever and ever. Amen. 13 Then one of the el ders asked me, “ Who are these peo ple in white robes, and where did they come from? ” 14 I said to him, “ Sir, h you know .” Then he told me: These are the ones com- ing out of the great trib u la tion. They washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 For this reason they are before the throne of God, and they serve him day and night in his temple. The one seated on the throne will shelter i them: 16 They will no longer hunger; they will no longer thirst; the sun will no longer strike them, nor will any scorching heat. 17 For the Lamb who is at the center of the throne will shepherd them; a6:9 Other mss add about the Lamb b6:10 Or “Master c6:12 Or I saw when he opened d6:12 Or the full moon e6:13 Perhaps meteors f6:17 Other mss read his g7:5-8 Other mss add sealed after each number h7:14 Or “My lord i7:15 Or will spread his tent over 1093 REVELATION 6-7 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1093 10/26/17 9:00 PM he will guide them to springs of the waters of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. THE SEVENTH SEAL 8 When he opened the sev enth seal, there was si lence in heav en for about half an hour. 2 Then I saw the sev en an gels who stand in the pres ence of God; sev en trum pets were giv en to them. 3 An oth er an gel, with a gold en in cense burner, came and stood at the al tar. He was giv en a large amount of in cense to off er with the prayers of all the saints on the gold en al tar in front of the throne. 4 The smoke of the in cense, with the prayers of the saints, went up in the pres ence of God from the an gel’s hand. 5 The an gel took the in cense burner, filled it with fire from the al tar, and hurled it to the earth; there were peals of thun der, rum blings, flash es of light ning, and an earth quake. THE SEVEN TRUMPETS 6 And the sev en an gels who had the sev en trum pets pre pared to blow them. THE FIRST TRUMPET 7 The first an gel blew his trum pet, and hail and fire, mixed with blood, were hurled to the earth. So a third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up. THE SECOND TRUMPET 8 The sec ond an gel blew his trum pet, and some- thing like a great moun tain ablaze with fire was hurled into the sea. So a third of the sea be came blood, 9 a third of the liv ing crea tures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were de stroyed. THE THIRD TRUMPET 10 The third an gel blew his trum pet, and a great star, blaz ing like a torch, fell from heav en. It fell on a third of the riv ers and springs of wa ter. 11 The name of the star is Worm wood, and a third of the wa ters be came worm wood. So, many of the peo ple died from the wa ters, be cause they had been made bit ter. THE FOURTH TRUMPET 12 The fourth an gel blew his trum pet, and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them were dark ened. A third of the day was with out light and also a third of the night. 13 I looked and heard an ea gle a fly ing high over head, cry ing out in a loud voice, “ Woe! Woe! Woe to those who live on the earth, be- cause of the re main ing trum pet blasts that the three an gels are about to sound! ” THE FIFTH TRUMPET 9 The fifth an gel blew his trum pet, and I saw a star that had fall en from heav en to earth. The key for the shaft to the abyss was giv en to him. 2 He opened the shaft to the abyss, and smoke came up out of the shaft like smoke from a great b fur nace so that the sun and the air were dark ened by the smoke from the shaft. 3 Then lo custs came out of the smoke on to the earth, and pow er c was giv en to them like the pow er that scor pi ons have on the earth. 4 They were told not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green plant, or any tree, but only those peo ple who do not have God’s seal on their fore heads. 5 They were not per mit ted to kill them but were to tor ment them for five months; their tor ment is like the tor ment caused by a scor pi on when it stings some one. 6 In those days peo ple will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, but death will flee from them. 7 The ap pear ance of the lo custs was like hors- es pre pared for bat tle. Some thing like gold en crowns was on their heads; their fac es were like hu man fac es; 8 they had hair like wom en’s hair; their teeth were like li ons’ teeth; 9 they had chests like iron breast plates; the sound of their wings was like the sound of many char i ots with hors es rush ing into bat tle; 10 and they had tails with stingers like scor pi ons, so that with their tails they had the pow er to harm peo ple for five months. 11 They had as their king d the an gel of the abyss; his name in He brew is Abad - don, e and in Greek he has the name Apol lyon. f 12 The first woe has passed. There are still two more woes to come af ter this. THE SIXTH TRUMPET 13 The sixth an gel blew his trum pet. From the four g horns of the gold en al tar that is be fore God, I heard a voice 14 say to the sixth an gel who had the trum pet, “Re lease the four an gels bound at the great riv er Eu phra tes.” 15 So the a8:13 Other mss read angel b 9:2 Other mss omit great c 9:3 Or authority, also in v. 10 d 9:11 Or as king over them e 9:11 Or Destruction f 9:11 Or Destroyer g 9:13 Other mss omit fourREVELATION 7-9 1094 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1094 10/26/17 9:00 PM four an gels who were pre pared for the hour, day , month, and year were re leased to kill a third of the hu man race. 16 The num ber of mount ed troops was two hun dred mil lion; a I heard their num ber. 17 This is how I saw the hors es and their rid ers in the vi sion: They had breast plates that were fi ery red, hyacinth blue, and sul fur yel low . The heads of the hors es were like the heads of li ons, and from their mouths came fire, smoke, and sul fur. 18 A third of the hu man race was killed by these three plagues — by the fire, the smoke, and the sul fur that came from their mouths. 19 For the pow er of the hors es is in their mouths and in their tails, be cause their tails, which resemble snakes, have heads that in flict in ju ry . 20 The rest of the peo ple, who were not killed by these plagues, did not re pent of the works of their hands to stop wor ship ing de mons and idols of gold, sil ver, bronze, stone, and wood, which can not see, hear, or walk. 21 And they did not re pent of their mur ders, their sor cer - ies, their sex u al im mo ral i ty , or their thefts. THE MIGHTY ANGEL AND THE SMALL SCROLL 10 Then I saw an oth er mighty an gel com ing down from heav en, wrapped in a cloud, with a rain bow over his head. b His face was like the sun, his legs c were like pil lars of fire, 2 and he held a lit tle scroll opened in his hand. He put his right foot on the sea, his left on the land, 3 and he called out with a loud voice like a roar ing lion. When he cried out, the sev en thun ders raised their voices. 4 And when the sev en thun ders spoke, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heav en, say ing, “ Seal up what the sev en thun ders said, and do not write it down! ” 5 Then the an gel that I had seen stand ing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heav en. 6 He swore by the one who lives for ev er and ever, who cre at ed heav en and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it: “ There will no lon ger be a de lay , 7 but in the days when the sev enth an gel will blow his trum pet, then the mys tery of God will be com plet ed, as he an nounced to his ser vants the proph ets.” 8 Then the voice that I heard from heav en spoke to me again and said, “ Go, take the scroll that lies open in the hand of the an gel who is stand ing on the sea and on the land.”9 So I went to the an gel and asked him to give me the lit tle scroll. He said to me, “ Take and eat it; it will be bit ter in your stom ach, but it will be as sweet as hon ey in your mouth.” 10 Then I took the lit tle scroll from the an- gel’s hand and ate it. It was as sweet as hon ey in my mouth, but when I ate it, my stom ach be came bit ter. 11 And they said to me, “ You must proph e sy again about d many peo ples, na tions, lan guages, and kings.” THE TWO WITNESSES 11 Then I was giv en a mea sur ing reed like a rod, e with these words: “ Go f and mea sure the tem ple of God and the al tar, and count those who wor ship there. 2 But ex clude the court yard out side the tem ple. Don’t mea sure it, be cause it is giv en to the na tions, g and they will tram ple the holy city for forty-two months. 3 I will grant h my two wit ness es au thor i ty to proph e sy for 1,260 days, dressed in sack cloth.” 4 These are the two ol ive trees and the two lamp stands that stand be fore the Lord i of the earth. 5 If any one wants to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and con sumes their en e mies; if any one wants to harm them, he must be killed in this way . 6 They have au- thor i ty to close up the sky so that it does not rain dur ing the days of their proph e cy . They also have pow er over the wa ters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with ev ery plague when ev er they want. THE WITNESSES MARTYRED 7 When they fin ish their tes ti mo ny , the beast that comes up out of the abyss will make war on them, con quer them, and kill them. 8 Their dead bod ies j will lie in the main street k of the great city , which fig u ra tive ly l is called Sod om and Egypt, where also their Lord was cru ci fied. 9 And some of m the peo ples, tribes, lan guages, and na tions will view their bod ies for three and a half days and not per mit their bod ies to be put into a tomb. 10 Those who live on the earth will gloat over them and cel e brate and send gifts to one an oth er be cause these two proph ets had tor ment ed those who live on the earth. THE WITNESSES RESURRECTED 11 But af ter three and a half days, the breath n of life from God en tered them, and they stood a 9:16 Other mss read a hundred million b10:1 Or a halo on his head c10:1 Or feet d10:11 Or prophesy again against e11:1 Other mss add and the angel stood up f11:1 Lit “ Arise g11:2 Or Gentiles h11:3 Or I will give to i11:4 Other mss read God j11:8 Or Their corpse k11:8 Or lie on the broad street l11:8 Or spiritually m11:9 Lit And from n11:11 Or spirit 1095 REVELATION 9-11 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1095 10/26/17 9:00 PM on their feet. Great fear fell on those who saw them. 12 Then they heard a a loud voice from heav en say ing to them, “ Come up here.” They went up to heav en in a cloud, while their en e- mies watched them. 13 At that mo ment a vi o lent earth quake took place, a tenth of the city fell, and sev en thou sand peo ple were killed in the earth quake. The sur vi vors were ter ri fied and gave glo ry to the God of heav en. 14 The sec ond woe has passed. Take note: The third woe is com ing soon! THE SEVENTH TRUMPET 15 The sev enth an gel blew his trum pet, and there were loud voices in heav en say ing, The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever. 16 The twenty-four el ders, who were seat ed be fore God on their thrones, fell face down and wor shiped God, 17 say ing, We give you thanks, Lord God, the Almighty , who is and who was, b because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign. 18 The nations were angry , but your wrath has come. The time has come for the dead to be judged and to give the reward to your servants the prophets, to the saints, and to those who fear your name, both small and great, and the time has come to destroy those who destroy the earth. 19 Then the tem ple of God in heav en was opened, and the ark of his cov enant c ap peared in his tem ple. There were flash es of light ning, rum blings and peals of thun der, an earth- quake, d and se vere hail. THE WOMAN, THE CHILD, AND THE DRAGON 12 A great sign e ap peared in heav en: a wom - an clothed with the sun, with the moon un der her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. 2 She was preg nant and cried out in la bor and ag o ny as she was about to give birth. 3 Then an oth er sign f ap peared in heav en: There was a great fi ery red drag on hav ing sev en heads and ten horns, and on its heads were sev en crowns. g 4 Its tail swept away a third of the stars in heav en and hurled them to the earth. And the drag on stood in front of the wom an who was about to give birth, so that when she did give birth it might de vour her child. 5 She gave birth to a Son, a male who is go ing to rule h all na tions with an iron rod. Her child was caught up to God and to his throne. 6 The wom an fled into the wil der ness, where she had a place pre pared by God, to be nour ished there i for 1,260 days. THE DRAGON THROWN OUT OF HEAVEN 7 Then war broke out in heav en: Mi cha el and his an gels fought against the drag on. The drag- on and his an gels also fought, 8 but he could not pre vail, and there was no place for them in heav en any lon ger. 9 So the great drag on was thrown out — the an cient ser pent, who is called the dev il and Sa tan, the one who de- ceives the whole world. He was thrown to earth, and his an gels with him. 10 Then I heard a loud voice in heav en say , The salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have now come, because the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been thrown down. 11 They conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; for they did not love their lives to the point of death. 12 Therefore rejoice, you heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you with great fury , because he knows his time is short. THE WOMAN PERSECUTED 13 When the drag on saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he per se cut ed j the wom an who had giv en birth to the male child. 14 The wom an was giv en two wings of a great a11:12 Other mss read Then I heard b11:17 Other mss add and who is to come c11:19 Other mss read ark of the covenant of the Lord d11:19 Other mss omit an earthquake e12:1 Or great symbolic display ; see Rv 12:3 f12:3 Or another symbolic display g12:3 Or diadems h12:5 Or shepherd i12:6 Or God, that they might feed her there j12:13 Or pursuedREVELATION 11-12 1096 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1096 10/26/17 9:00 PM ea gle, so that she could fly from the ser pent’s pres ence to her place in the wil der ness, where she was nour ished for a time, times, and half a time. 15 From his mouth the ser pent spewed wa ter like a riv er flow ing af ter the wom an, to sweep her away with a flood. 16 But the earth helped the wom an. The earth opened its mouth and swal lowed up the riv er that the drag on had spewed from his mouth. 17 So the drag on was fu ri ous with the wom an and went off to wage war against the rest of her off spring a — those who keep the com mands of God and hold firm ly to the tes ti mo ny about Jesus. THE BEAST FROM THE SEA 18 The drag on b stood on the sand of the sea. c 13 And I saw a beast com ing up out of the sea. It had ten horns and sev en heads. On its horns were ten crowns, d and on its heads were blas phe mous names. e 2 The beast I saw was like a leop ard, its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. The drag on gave the beast his pow er, his throne, and great au thor i ty . 3 One of its heads ap peared to be fa tal ly wound ed, but its fa tal wound was healed. The whole earth was amazed and fol lowed the beast. 4 They wor shiped the drag on be- cause he gave au thor i ty to the beast. And they wor shiped the beast, say ing, “ Who is like the beast? Who is able to wage war against it? ” 5 The beast was giv en a mouth to ut ter boasts and blas phe mies. It was al lowed to ex er cise au thor i ty f,g for forty-two months. 6 It be gan to speak h blas phe mies against God: to blas pheme his name and his dwell ing — those who dwell in heav en. 7 And it was per mit ted to wage war against the saints and to con quer them. It was also giv en au thor i ty over ev ery tribe, peo ple, lan guage, and na tion. 8 All those who live on the earth will wor ship it, ev ery one whose name was not writ ten from the foun da tion of the world in the book i of life of the Lamb who was slaugh tered. j 9 If any one has ears to hear, let him lis ten. 10 If anyone is to be taken captive, into captivity he goes. If anyone is to be killed k with a sword, with a sword he will be killed. This calls for en dur ance l and
🔥 Apocalyptic Visions Revealed
🐲 The Beast emerges with extraordinary power, compelling earth's inhabitants to worship it and receive its mark (666) on their right hands or foreheads, controlling all commerce and condemning resisters to death
🐑 The 144,000 faithful followers of the Lamb stand on Mount Zion with God's name on their foreheads, remaining pure and blameless while singing a song only they can learn
👼 Three angels proclaim divine judgment, warning against beast worship and announcing Babylon's fall, while promising rest for those who remain faithful to God despite persecution
🏺 Seven bowls of wrath unleash catastrophic plagues—painful sores, seas of blood, scorching heat, darkness, drought, and devastating hailstones—yet many still refuse to repent
👑 Babylon the Great, portrayed as a wealthy prostitute riding a scarlet beast, intoxicates nations with her immorality before facing sudden, complete destruction that causes worldwide mourning among kings and merchants
⚖️ The righteous are commanded to "come out" from Babylon before its judgment, while heaven, saints, apostles, and prophets are called to rejoice when God finally executes justice against this oppressive system
faith ful ness from the saints. THE BEAST FROM THE EARTH 11 Then I saw an oth er beast com ing up out of the earth; it had two horns like a lamb, m but it spoke like a drag on. 12 It ex er cis es all the au thor i ty of the first beast on its be half and com pels the earth and those who live on it to wor ship the first beast, whose fa tal wound was healed. 13 It also per forms great signs, even caus ing fire to come down from heav en to earth in front of peo ple. 14 It de ceives those who live on the earth be cause of the signs that it is per mit ted to per form in the pres ence of the beast, tell ing those who live on the earth to make an im age n of the beast who was wound ed by the sword and yet lived. 15 It was per mit ted to give breath o to the im age of the beast, so that the im age of the beast could both speak and cause who ev er would not wor ship the im age of the beast to be killed. 16 And it makes ev ery one — small and great, rich and poor, free and slave — to re ceive a mark on his right hand or on his fore head, 17 so that no one can buy or sell un less he has the mark: the beast’s name or the num ber of its name. 18 This calls for wis dom: p Let the one who has un der stand ing cal cu late q the num ber of the beast, be cause it is the num ber of a per son. Its num ber is 666. r THE LAMB AND THE 144,000 14 Then I looked, and there was the Lamb, stand ing on Mount Zion, and with him were 144,000 who had his name and his Fa- ther’s name writ ten on their fore heads. 2 I heard a sound s from heav en like the sound of cascading wa ters and like the rum bling of loud thun der. The sound I heard was like harp ists play ing on their harps. 3 They sang t a new song be fore the throne and be fore the four liv ing crea tures and the el ders, but no one could learn the song ex cept the 144,000 who had been re deemed from the earth. 4 These are the ones who have not de filed them selves with wom en, since they re mained vir gins. These are the ones who fol low the Lamb wher ev er he goes. They were re deemed u from hu man i ty a12:17 Or seed b12:18 Or he ; other mss read I c12:18 Some translations put Rv 12:18 either in Rv 12:17 or Rv 13:1. d13:1 Or diadems e13:1 Other mss read heads was a blasphemous name f13:5 Other mss read to wage war g13:5 Or to rule h13:6 Or He opened his mouth in i13:8 Or scroll j13:8 Or written in the book of life of the Lamb who was slaughtered from the foundation of the world k13:10 Other mss read anyone kills l13:10 Or Here is the perseverance m13:11 Or ram n13:14 Or a statue, or a likeness o13:15 Or a spirit, or life p13:18 Or Here is wisdom q13:18 Or count, or figure out r13:18 Other Gk mss read 616 s14:2 Or voice t14:3 Other mss add as it were u14:4 Other mss add by Jesus 1097 REVELATION 12-14 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1097 10/26/17 9:00 PM as the first fruits for God and the Lamb. 5 No lie was found in their mouths; they are blame less. THE PROCLAMATION OF THREE ANGELS 6 Then I saw an oth er an gel fly ing high over - head, with the eter nal gos pel to an nounce to the in hab i tants of the earth — to ev ery na tion, tribe, lan guage, and peo ple. 7 He spoke with a loud voice: “ Fear God and give him glo ry , be cause the hour of his judg ment has come. Wor ship the one who made heav en and earth, the sea and the springs of wa ter.” 8 And an oth er, a sec ond an gel, fol lowed, say- ing, “ It has fall en, Bab ylon the Great has fall en. a She made all the na tions drink the wine of her sex u al im mo ral i ty , b which brings wrath.” 9 And an oth er, a third an gel, fol lowed them and spoke with a loud voice: “ If any one wor - ships the beast and its im age and re ceives a mark on his fore head or on his hand, 10 he will also drink the wine of God’s wrath, which is poured full strength into the cup of his an ger. He will be tor ment ed with fire and sul fur in the sight of the holy an gels and in the sight of the Lamb, 11 and the smoke of their tor ment will go up for ev er and ever. There is no rest c day or night for those who wor ship the beast and its im age, or any one who re ceives the mark of its name. 12 This calls for en dur ance from the saints, who keep God’s com mands and their faith in Jesus.” d 13 Then I heard a voice from heav en say ing, “ Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “ Yes,” says the Spir it, “ so they will rest from their la bors, since their works fol low them.” REAPING THE EARTH’S HARVEST 14 Then I looked, and there was a white cloud, and one like the Son of Man e was seat ed on the cloud, with a gold en crown on his head and a sharp sick le in his hand. 15 An oth er an gel came out of the tem ple, cry ing out in a loud voice to the one who was seat ed on the cloud, “ Use your sick le and reap, for the time to reap has come, since the har vest of the earth is ripe.” 16 So the one seat ed on the cloud swung his sick le over the earth, and the earth was har vest ed. 17 Then an oth er an gel who also had a sharp sick le came out of the tem ple in heav en. 18 Yet an oth er an gel, who had au thor i ty over fire, came from the al tar, and he called with a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sick le, “ Use your sharp sick le and gath er the clus ters of grapes from the vine yard of the earth, be- cause its grapes have rip ened.” 19 So the an gel swung his sick le at the earth and gath ered the grapes from the vine yard of the earth, and he threw them into the great wine press of God’s wrath. 20 Then the press was tram pled out side the city , and blood flowed out of the press up to the hors es’ bri dles for about 180 miles. f PREPARATION FOR THE BOWL JUDGMENTS 15 Then I saw an oth er great and awe-in - spiring sign g in heav en: sev en an gels with the sev en last plagues; for with them God’s wrath will be com plet ed. 2 I also saw some thing like a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who had won the vic to ry over the beast, its im age, h and the num ber of its name, were stand ing on the sea of glass with harps from God. 3 They sang the song of God’s ser - vant Mo ses and the song of the Lamb: Great and awe-inspiring are your works, Lord God, the Almighty; just and true are your ways, King of the nations. i 4 Lord, who will not fear and glorify your name? For you alone are holy . All the nations will come and worship before you because your righteous acts have been revealed. 5 Af ter this I looked, and the heav en ly tem ple — the tab er na cle of tes ti mo ny — was opened. 6 Out of the tem ple came the sev en an gels with the sev en plagues, dressed in pure, bright lin- en, with gold en sash es wrapped around their chests. 7 One of the four liv ing crea tures gave the sev en an gels sev en gold en bowls filled with the wrath of God who lives for ev er and ever. 8 Then the tem ple was filled with smoke from the glo ry of God and from his pow er, and no one could en ter the tem ple un til the sev en plagues of the sev en an gels were com plet ed. THE FIRST BOWL 16 Then I heard a loud voice from the tem- ple say ing to the sev en an gels, “ Go and pour out the sev en j bowls of God’s wrath on the earth.” 2 The first went and poured out his a14:8 Other mss omit the second has fallen b14:8 Or wine of her passionate immorality c14:11 Or They have no rest d14:12 Or and the faith of Jesus, or and faithfulness to Jesus e14:14 Or like a son of man f14:20 Lit 1,600 stadia g15:1 Or and awesome symbolic display h15:2 Other mss add his mark i15:3 Other mss read ages j16:1 Other mss omit sevenREVELATION 14-16 1098 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1098 10/26/17 9:00 PM bowl on the earth, and se vere ly pain ful sores broke out on the peo ple who had the mark of the beast and who wor shiped its im age. THE SECOND BOWL 3 The sec ond a poured out his bowl into the sea. It turned to blood like that of a dead per son, and all life in the sea died. THE THIRD BOWL 4 The third a poured out his bowl into the riv- ers and the springs of wa ter, and they be came blood. 5 I heard the an gel of the wa ters say , You are just, the Holy One, who is and who was, because you have passed judgment on these things. 6 Because they poured out the blood of the saints and the prophets, you have given them blood to drink; they deserve it! 7 I heard the al tar say , Yes, Lord God, the Almighty , true and just are your judgments. THE FOURTH BOWL 8 The fourth a poured out his bowl on the sun. It was al lowed to scorch peo ple with fire, 9 and peo ple were scorched by the in tense heat. So they blas phemed the name of God, who has the pow er b over these plagues, and they did not re pent and give him glo ry . THE FIFTH BOWL 10 The fifth a poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its king dom was plunged into dark ness. Peo ple c gnawed their tongues be cause of their pain 11 and blas phemed the God of heav en be cause of their pains and their sores, but they did not re pent of their works. THE SIXTH BOWL 12 The sixth a poured out his bowl on the great riv er Eu phra tes, and its wa ter was dried up to pre pare the way for the kings from the east. 13 Then I saw three un clean spir its like frogs com ing from the drag on’s mouth, from the beast’s mouth, and from the mouth of the false proph et. 14 For they are demonic spir its per form ing signs, who trav el to the kings of the whole world to as sem ble them for the bat tle on the great day of God, the Al mighty . 15 “ Look, I am com ing like a thief. Blessed is the one who is alert and re mains clothed d so that he may not go around na ked and peo ple see his shame.” 16 So they as sem bled the kings at the place called in He brew , Armageddon. e THE SEVENTH BOWL 17 Then the sev enth a poured out his bowl into the air, f and a loud voice came out of the tem ple g from the throne, say ing, “ It is done! ” 18 There were flash es of light ning, rum blings, and peals of thun der. And a se vere earth quake oc curred like no oth er since peo ple have been on the earth, so great was the quake. 19 The great city split into three parts, and the cit ies of the na tions h fell. Bab ylon the Great was re mem- bered in God’s pres ence; he gave her the cup filled with the wine of his fierce an ger. 20 Ev ery is land fled, and the moun tains dis ap peared. 21 Enor mous hail stones, each weigh ing about a hun dred pounds, i fell from the sky on peo ple, and they blas phemed God for the plague of hail be cause that plague was ex treme ly se vere. THE WOMAN AND THE SCARLET BEAST 17 Then one of the sev en an gels who had the sev en bowls came and spoke with me: “ Come, I will show you the judg ment of the no to ri ous pros ti tute j who is seat ed on many k wa ters. 2 The kings of the earth com mit ted sex u al im mo ral i ty with her, and those who live on the earth be came drunk on the wine of her sex u al im mo ral i ty .” 3 Then he car ried me away in the Spir it l to a wil der ness. I saw a wom an sit ting on a scar let beast that was cov ered m with blas phe mous names and had sev en heads and ten horns. 4 The wom an was dressed in pur ple and scar let, adorned with gold, jew els, and pearls. She had a gold en cup in her hand filled with ev ery thing de test - able and with the im pu ri ties of her n pros ti tu- tion. 5 On her fore head was writ ten a name, a mys tery: Babylon the G reat, the Moth er of Prostitutes and of the Detestable Things of the E arth. 6 Then I saw that the wom an was drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the wit ness es to Jesus. When I saw her, I was great ly as ton ished. a16:3,4,8,10,12,17 Other mss add angel b16:9 Or authority c16:10 Lit They d16:15 Or and guards his clothes e16:16 Some mss read Armagedon ; other mss read Harmegedon ; other mss read Mageddon ; other mss read Magedon f16:17 Or bowl on the air g16:17 Other mss add of heaven h16:19 Or the Gentile cities i16:21 Lit about a talent ; talents varied in weight upwards from 75 pounds j17:1 Traditionally translated the great whore k17:1 Or by many l17:3 Or in spirit m17:3 Or was filled n17:4 Other mss read earth’s 1099 REVELATION 16-17 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1099 10/26/17 9:00 PM THE MEANING OF THE WOMAN AND OF THE BEAST 7 Then the an gel said to me, “ Why are you as- ton ished? I will ex plain to you the mys tery of the wom an and of the beast, with the sev- en heads and the ten horns, that car ries her. 8 The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to come up from the abyss and go to de struc tion. Those who live on the earth whose names have not been writ ten in the book of life from the foun da tion of the world will be as ton ished when they see the beast that was, and is not, and is to come. 9 This calls for a mind that has wis dom: a “ The sev en heads are sev en moun tains on which the wom an is seat ed. They are also sev en kings: 10 Five have fall en, one is, the oth er has not yet come, and when he comes, he must re main for only a lit tle while. 11 The beast that was and is not, is it self an eighth king, but it be longs to the sev en and is go ing to de struc tion. 12 The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet re ceived a king dom, but they will re ceive au thor i ty as kings with the beast for one hour. 13 These have one pur pose, and they give their pow er and au thor i ty to the beast. 14 These will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will con quer them be cause he is Lord of lords and King of kings. Those with him are called, cho sen, and faith ful.” 15 He also said to me, “ The wa ters you saw , where the pros ti tute was seat ed, are peo ples, mul ti tudes, na tions, and lan guages. 16 The ten horns you saw , and the beast, will hate the pros ti tute. They will make her des o late and na ked, de vour her flesh, and burn her up with fire. 17 For God has put it into their hearts to car ry out his plan by hav ing one pur pose and to give their king dom b to the beast un til the words of God are ful filled. 18 And the wom an you saw is the great city that has roy al pow er over the kings of the earth.” THE FALL OF BABYLON THE GREAT 18 Af ter this I saw an oth er an gel with great au thor i ty com ing down from heav en, and the earth was il lu mi nat ed by his splen dor. 2 He called out in a mighty voice: It has fallen, c Babylon the Great has fallen! She has become a home for demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, and a haunt d for every unclean and despicable beast. e 3 For all the nations have drunk f the wine of her sexual immorality , which brings wrath. The kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown wealthy from her sensuality and excess. 4 Then I heard an oth er voice from heav en: Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins or receive any of her plagues. 5 For her sins are piled up g to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes. 6 Pay her back the way she also paid, and double it according to her works. In the cup in which she mixed, mix a double portion for her. 7 As much as she glorified herself and indulged her sensual and excessive ways, give her that much torment and grief. For she says in her heart, “I sit as a queen; I am not a widow , and I will never see grief.” 8 For this reason her plagues will come in just one day — death and grief and famine. She will be burned up with fire, because the Lord God who judges her is mighty . THE WORLD MOURNS BABYLON’S FALL 9 The kings of the earth who have com mit ted sex u al im mo ral i ty and shared her sen su al and ex ces sive ways will weep and mourn over her when they see the smoke from her burn ing. 10 They will stand far off in fear of her tor - ment, say ing, Woe, woe, the great city , Babylon, the mighty city! For in a single hour your judgment has come. 11 The mer chants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, be cause no one buys their car go any lon ger — 12 car go of gold, sil ver, a17:9 Or Here is the mind of wisdom b17:17 Or sovereignty c18:2 Other mss omit It has fallen d18:2 Or prison e18:2 Other mss omit the words and a haunt for every unclean beast. The words and despicable then refer to the bird of the previous line. f18:3 Some mss read collapsed ; other mss read fallen g18:5 Or sins have reached upREVELATION 17-18 1100 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1100 10/26/17 9:00 PM jew els, and pearls; fine lin en, pur ple, silk, and scar let; all kinds of fra grant wood prod ucts; ob jects of ivo ry; ob jects of ex pen sive wood, brass, a iron, and mar ble; 13 cin na mon, spice, b in cense, myrrh, c and frank in cense; wine, ol ive oil, fine flour, and grain; cat tle and sheep; hors- es and car riages; and slaves — hu man lives. 14 The fruit you craved has left you. All your splendid and glamorous things are gone; they will never find them again. 15 The mer chants of these things, who be- came rich from her, will stand far off in fear of her tor ment, weep ing and mourn ing, 16 say ing, Woe, woe, the great city , dressed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet, adorned with gold, jewels, and pearls; 17 for in a single hour such fabulous wealth was destroyed! And ev ery shipmaster, seafarer, the sail ors, and all who do busi ness by sea, stood far off 18 as they watched the smoke from her burn- ing and kept cry ing out: “ Who was like the great city? ” 19 They threw dust on their heads and kept cry ing out, weep ing, and mourn ing, Woe, woe, the great city , where all those who have ships on the sea became rich from her wealth; for in a single hour she was destroyed. 20 Rejoice over her, heaven, and you saints, apostles, and prophets, because God has pronounced on her the judgment she passed on you! THE FINALITY OF BABYLON’S FALL 21 Then a mighty an gel picked up a stone like a large mill stone and threw it into the sea, say ing, In this way , Babylon the great city will be thrown down violently and never be found again. 22 The sound of harpists, musicians, flutists, and trumpeters will never be heard in you again; no craftsman of any trade will ever be found in you again; the sound of a mill will never be heard in you again; 23 the light of a lamp will never shine in you again; and the voice of a groom and bride will never be heard in you again. All this will happen because your merchants were the nobility of the earth, because all the nations were deceived by your sorcery . 24 In her was
🙌 Heavenly Triumph Revealed
🎉 Divine judgment against evil culminates in heaven's thunderous celebration, where multitudes worship God with "Hallelujah!" for His righteous verdicts against corruption
⚔️ The Faithful and True rider on a white horse—the Word of God—emerges with fiery eyes and many crowns to defeat the beast and false prophet, establishing His reign as King of Kings
🔒 Satan is bound for 1,000 years while saints reign with Christ, followed by Satan's final rebellion, ultimate defeat, and the great white throne judgment where all are judged according to their works
🌆 The New Jerusalem descends from heaven as God's dwelling place among humanity, where death and tears cease, its walls adorned with precious stones, its streets of gold, illuminated by God's glory
🌳 The river of life flows through the city with the tree of life bearing fruit for healing, while Jesus promises His imminent return with the invitation: "Let anyone who is thirsty come"
⚠️ The text concludes with solemn warnings about adding to or removing from these prophecies, and a final prayer: "Come, Lord Jesus!"
found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all those slaughtered on the earth. CELEBRATION IN HEAVEN 19 Af ter this I heard some thing like the loud voice of a vast mul ti tude in heav- en, say ing, Hallelujah! Salvation, glory , and power belong to our God, 2 because his judgments are true d and righteous, because he has judged the notorious prostitute who corrupted the earth with her sexual immorality; and he has avenged the blood of his servants that was on her hands. 3 A sec ond time they said, Hallelujah! Her smoke ascends forever and ever! 4 Then the twenty-four el ders and the four liv ing crea tures fell down and wor shiped God, who is seat ed on the throne, say ing, Amen! Hallelujah! 5 A voice came from the throne, say ing, Praise our God, all his servants, and the ones who fear him, both small and great! 6 Then I heard some thing like the voice of a vast mul ti tude, like the sound of cascading wa ters, and like the rum bling of loud thun der, say ing, Hallelujah, because our Lord God, the Almighty , reigns! 7 Let us be glad, rejoice, and give him glory , because the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his bride has prepared herself. 8 She was given fine linen to wear, bright and pure. a18:12 Or bronze, or copper b18:13 Other mss omit spice c18:13 Or perfume d19:2 Valid; Jn 8:16; 19:35 1101 REVELATION 18-19 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1101 10/26/17 9:00 PM For the fine lin en rep re sents the righ teous acts of the saints. 9 Then he a said to me, “ Write: Blessed are those in vit ed to the mar riage feast of the Lamb!” He also said to me, “ These words of God are true.” 10 Then I fell at his feet to wor ship him, but he said to me, “ Don’t do that! I am a fel low ser vant with you and your broth ers and sis ters who hold firm ly to the tes ti mo ny of Jesus. Wor ship God, be cause the tes ti mo ny of Jesus is the spir it b of proph e cy .” THE RIDER ON A WHITE HORSE 11 Then I saw heav en opened, and there was a white horse. Its rid er is called Faith ful and True, and he judg es and makes war with jus- tice. 12 His eyes were like a fi ery flame, and many crowns c were on his head. He had a name writ ten that no one knows ex cept him - self. 13 He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his name is called the Word of God. 14 The ar mies that were in heav en fol lowed him on white hors es, wear ing pure white lin en. 15 A sharp d sword came from his mouth, so that he might strike the na tions with it. He will rule e them with an iron rod. He will also tram ple the wine press of the fierce an ger of God, the Al mighty . 16 And he has a name writ ten on his robe and on his thigh: K ing of K ings and L ord of L ords. THE BEAST AND ITS ARMIES DEFEATED 17 Then I saw an an gel stand ing in the sun, and he called out in a loud voice, say ing to all the birds fly ing high over head, “ Come, gath er to geth er for the great sup per of God, 18 so that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of mil i tary com mand ers, the flesh of the mighty , the flesh of hors es and of their rid ers, and the flesh of ev ery one, both free and slave, small and great.” 19 Then I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their ar mies gath ered to geth er to wage war against the rid er on the horse and against his army . 20 But the beast was tak en pris on er, and along with it the false proph et, who had per formed the signs in its pres ence. He de ceived those who ac cept ed the mark of the beast and those who wor shiped its im age with these signs. Both of them were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sul- fur. 21 The rest were killed with the sword that came from the mouth of the rid er on the horse, and all the birds ate their fill of their flesh. SATAN BOUND 20 Then I saw an an gel com ing down from heav en hold ing the key to the abyss and a great chain in his hand. 2 He seized the drag on, that an cient ser pent who is the dev- il and Sa tan, f and bound him for a thou sand years. 3 He threw him into the abyss, closed it, and put a seal on it so that he would no lon ger de ceive the na tions un til the thou sand years were com plet ed. Af ter that, he must be re leased for a short time. THE SAINTS REIGN WITH CHRIST 4 Then I saw thrones, and peo ple seat ed on them who were giv en au thor i ty to judge. I also saw the souls of those who had been be- head ed be cause of their tes ti mo ny about Jesus and be cause of the word of God, who had not wor shiped the beast or his im age, and who had not ac cept ed the mark on their fore heads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thou sand years. 5 The rest of the dead did not come to life un til the thou- sand years were com plet ed. This is the first res ur rec tion. 6 Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first res- ur rec tion! The sec ond death has no pow er g over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thou sand years. SATANIC REBELLION CRUSHED 7 When the thou sand years are com plet ed, Sa tan will be re leased from his pris on 8 and will go out to de ceive the na tions at the four cor ners of the earth, Gog and Ma gog, to gath er them for bat tle. Their num ber is like the sand of the sea. 9 They came up across the breadth of the earth and sur round ed the encampment of the saints, the be loved city . Then fire came down from heav en h and con sumed them. 10 The dev il who de ceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sul fur where the beast and the false proph et are, and they will be tor ment ed day and night for ev er and ever. THE GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT 11 Then I saw a great white throne and one seat ed on it. Earth and heav en fled from his a19:9 Probably an angel; Rv 17:1; 22:8-9 b19:10 Or the Spirit c19:12 Or diadems d19:15 Other mss add double-edged e19:15 Or shepherd f20:2 Other mss add who deceives the whole world g20:6 Or authority h20:9 Other mss add from GodREVELATION 19-20 1102 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1102 10/26/17 9:00 PM pres ence, and no place was found for them. 12 I also saw the dead, the great and the small, stand ing be fore the throne, and books were opened. An oth er book was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged ac cord ing to their works by what was writ ten in the books. 13 Then the sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Ha des gave up the dead that were in them; each one was judged ac cord ing to their works. 14 Death and Ha des were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the sec ond death, the lake of fire. a 15 And any one whose name was not found writ ten in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire. THE NEW CREATION 21 Then I saw a new heav en and a new earth; for the first heav en and the first earth had passed away , and the sea was no more. 2 I also saw the holy city , the new Je ru sa lem, com ing down out of heav en from God, pre- pared like a bride adorned for her hus band. 3 Then I heard a loud voice from the throne: b Look, God’s dwell ing c is with hu man i ty , and he will live with them. They will be his peo ples, d and God him self will be with them and will be their God. e 4 He will wipe away ev ery tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; grief, cry ing, and pain will be no more, be cause the pre vi ous things f have passed away . 5 Then the one seat ed on the throne said, “ Look, I am mak ing ev ery thing new .” He also said, “ Write, be cause these words g are faith ful and true.” 6 Then he said to me, “ It is done! I am the Al pha and the Ome ga, the be gin ning and the end. I will free ly give to the thirsty from the spring of the wa ter of life. 7 The one who con quers will in her it these things, and I will be his God, and he will be my son. 8 But the cowards, faith less, h de test able, mur der - ers, sex u al ly im mor al, sor cer ers, idol a ters, and all liars — their share will be in the lake that burns with fire and sul fur, which is the sec ond death.” THE NEW JERUSALEM 9 Then one of the sev en an gels, who had held the sev en bowls filled with the sev en last plagues, came and spoke with me: “ Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” 10 He then car ried me away in the Spir it i to a great, high moun tain and showed me the holy city , Je ru sa lem, com ing down out of heav en from God, 11 ar rayed with God’s glo ry . Her ra- di ance was like a pre cious jew el, like a jas per stone, clear as crys tal. 12 The city had a mas sive high wall, with twelve gates. Twelve an gels were at the gates; the names of the twelve tribes of Is ra el’s sons were in scribed on the gates. 13 There were three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west. 14 The city wall had twelve foun da tions, and the twelve names of the twelve apos tles of the Lamb were on the foun da tions. 15 The one who spoke with me had a gold en mea sur ing rod to mea sure the city , its gates, and its wall. 16 The city is laid out in a square; its length and width are the same. He mea- sured the city with the rod at 12,000 sta dia. j Its length, width, and height are equal. 17 Then he mea sured its wall, 144 cu bits ac cord ing to hu man mea sure ment, which the an gel used. 18 The build ing ma teri al of its wall was jas per, and the city was pure gold clear as glass. 19 The foun da tions of the city wall were adorned with ev ery kind of jew el: the first foun da- tion is jas per, the sec ond sap phire, the third chal ce do ny , the fourth em er ald, 20 the fifth sar do nyx, the sixth car ne lian, the sev enth chrys o lite, the eighth ber yl, the ninth to paz, the tenth chrys o prase, the elev enth ja cinth, the twelfth am e thyst. 21 The twelve gates are twelve pearls; each individual gate was made of a sin gle pearl. The main street k of the city was pure gold, trans par ent as glass. 22 I did not see a tem ple in it, be cause the Lord God the Al mighty and the Lamb are its tem ple. 23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, be cause the glo- ry of God illuminates it, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24 The na tions l will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glo ry into it. m 25 Its gates will nev er close by day be cause it will nev er be night there. 26 They will bring the glo ry and hon or of the na tions into it. n 27 Noth ing un clean will ever en ter it, nor any one who does what is de- test able or false, but only those writ ten in the Lamb’s book of life. a20:14 Other mss omit the lake of fire b21:3 Other mss read from heaven c21:3 Or tent, or tabernacle d21:3 Other mss read people e21:3 Other mss omit and will be their God f21:4 Or the first things g21:5 Other mss add of God h21:8 Other mss add the sinful, i21:10 Or in spirit j21:16 A stadion (sg) = about 600 feet; 12,000 stadia = 1,400 miles. k21:21 Or The public square l21:24 Other mss add of those who are saved m21:24 Other mss read will bring to him the nations’ glory and honor n21:26 Other mss add in order that they might go in 1103 REVELATION 20-21 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1103 10/26/17 9:00 PM THE SOURCE OF LIFE 22 Then he showed me the riv er a of the wa ter of life, clear as crys tal, flow ing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 down the mid dle of the city’s main street. The tree of life was on each side of the riv er, bear ing twelve kinds of fruit, pro duc ing its fruit ev ery month. The leaves of the tree are for heal ing the na tions, 3 and there will no lon ger be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city , and his ser vants will wor ship him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their fore heads. 5 Night will be no more; peo ple will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, be cause the Lord God will give them light, and they will reign for - ev er and ever. THE TIME IS NEAR 6 Then he said to me, “ These words are faith ful b and true. The Lord, the God of the spir its of the proph ets, c has sent his an gel to show his ser vants what must soon take place.” 7 “ Look, I am com ing soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the proph e cy of this book.” 8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. When I heard and saw them, I fell down to wor ship at the feet of the an gel who had shown them to me. 9 But he said to me, “ Don’t do that! I am a fel low ser vant with you, your broth ers the proph ets, and those who keep the words of this book. Wor ship God! ” 10 Then he said to me, “ Don’t seal up the words of the proph e cy of this book, be cause the time is near. 11 Let the unrighteous go on in unrighteousness; let the filthy still be filthy; let the righ teous go on in righ teous ness; let the holy still be holy .” 12 “ Look, I am com ing soon, and my re ward is with me to re pay each per son ac cord ing to his work. 13 I am the Al pha and the Ome ga, the first and the last, the be gin ning and the end. 14 “ Blessed are those who wash their robes, d so that they may have the right to the tree of life and may en ter the city by the gates. 15 Out- side are the dogs, the sor cer ers, the sex u al ly im mor al, the mur der ers, the idol a ters, and ev ery one who loves and prac tic es false hood. 16 “ I, Jesus, have sent my an gel to attest these things to you for the church es. I am the root and de scen dant of Da vid, the bright morn- ing star.” 17 Both the Spir it and the bride say , “ Come! ” Let any one who hears, say , “ Come! ” Let the one who is thirsty come. Let the one who de sires take the wa ter of life freely . 18 I tes ti fy to ev ery one who hears the words of the proph e cy of this book: If any one adds to them, God will add to him the plagues that are writ ten in this book. 19 And if any one takes away from the words of the book of this proph- e cy , God will take away his share of the tree of life and the holy city , which are writ ten about in this book. 20 He who tes ti fies about these things says, “ Yes, I am com ing soon.” Amen! Come, Lord Jesus! 21 The grace of the Lord Jesus e be with ev- er y one. f Amen. g a22:1 Other mss read pure river b22:6 Or trustworthy c22:6 Other mss read God of the holy prophets d22:14 Other mss read who keep his commands e22:21 Other mss add Christ f22:21 Other mss read with all the saints g22:21 Other mss omit Amen.REVELATION 22 1104 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1104 10/26/17 9:00 PM Where to Turn When you are blue ................................................... Psalm 42:5 ......... 494 When tempted to do wrong .................................... Matthew 4:1-11 ......... 857 When you face physical danger .................................. Acts 27:13-26 ......... 994 When you are discouraged ................................ 2 Corinthians 1:3-11 ........ 1023 When you are bored .................................................. Psalm 103 ......... 528 When you need forgiveness ........................................... Psalm 51 ......... 499 When nothing seems to be going right ............................ Psalm 37:1-4 ......... 490 When you worry about having enough of life’s necessities .... Psalm 37:25-26 ......... 491 When you are afraid ................................................... Psalm 27 ......... 484 When you are lonely ................................................... Psalm 13 ......... 477 When you are anxious for those you love ............................ Psalm 107 ......... 532 When you sin ...................................................... 1 John 1:8-10 ........ 1082 When you need restoration ...................................... Luke 15:11-24 ......... 928 When you are feeling shame .................................... Proverbs 28:13 ......... 581 When you feel no one understands ........................... Hebrews 4:14-16 ........ 1063 When you are tempted to be stingy ............................. Proverbs 11:25 ......... 563 When you plan your budget ................................ 2 Corinthians 9:6-9 ........ 1027 When you have to leave home ........................................ Psalm 121 ......... 543 When you are tired ............................................... Psalm 127:1-2 ......... 544 When friends seem to turn on you .................................... Psalm 55 ......... 500 When you lose a loved one ............................ 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 ........ 1047 When you are afraid of death ......................................... Psalm 23 ......... 483 When you want to take revenge .................................. Romans 12:19 ........ 1007 When God seems far away ........................................... Psalm 139 ......... 548 When you have failed God .................................... 2 Timothy 2:12-13 ........ 1055 When you feel abandoned ........................................ Hebrews 13:5 ........ 1070 When you need more than human help ............................... Psalm 46 ......... 496 When your past haunts you .................................. Colossians 1:21-22 ........ 1043 When you need to get your head on right ....................... Philippians 4:8 ........ 1042 When you think you are the only one being tempted ...... 1 Corinthians 10:13 ........ 1017 When you need to know how to stay on the right path ......... Psalm 119:9-11 ......... 538 When temptation seems stronger than you are ............ Ephesians 6:10-18 ........ 1039 When the devil comes after you ....................................... James 4:7 ........ 1073 When you are sick ................................................... James 5:14 ........ 1073 When you feel weak ......................................... 2 Corinthians 12:9 ........ 1029 When you experience trouble ............................. 2 Corinthians 1:3-11 ........ 1023 When you have left God .......................................... Luke 15:11-32 ......... 928 When you’re feeling bitter ....................................... Hebrews 12:15 ........ 1069 When someone has wronged you .............................. Colossians 3:13 ........ 1044 When you are anxious ............................................ Luke 12:22-34 ......... 924 When you need guidance ........................................ Proverbs 3:5-6 ......... 555 When you feel sorry for yourself ..................................... Psalm 102 ......... 527 When you are jealous of others’ success ........................ Proverbs 14:30 ......... 567 When you doubt that God wants to hear from you ................ Luke 18:1-8 ......... 930 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1105 10/26/17 9:00 PM WHERE TO TURN 1106 When you need to know the ABCs of prayer ....................... Luke 11:1-4 ......... 922 When you feel like giving up ...................................... Luke 11:5-13 ......... 922 When your faith feels insufficient . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mark 9:14-24 ......... 896 When you fear failure ........................................... Psalm 37:23-24 ......... 491 When you experience a power shortage .................... Ephesians 1:19-20 ........ 1036 When your hopes are dashed ...................................... Psalm 34:18 ......... 489 When trouble comes in wave after wave ........................... James 1:2-4 ........ 1071 When you doubt your worth .................................. Psalm 139:13-18 ......... 548 When reading the Scripture seems dull ................... 1 Thessalonians 2:13 ........ 1046 When people misread your intentions ........................ Matthew 5:11-12 ......... 858 When you are prideful ............................................. Romans 12:3 ........ 1006 When you doubt that God is able ................................ Ephesians 3:20 ........ 1037 When you are angry ......................................... Ephesians 4:26-27 ........ 1038 When you see evil people prosper ................................. Psalm 37:1-3 ......... 490 When you are tempted to look out only for #1 ................... Luke 12:13-21 ......... 924 When you carry a heavy load ................................ Matthew 11:28-30 ......... 865 When you need direction ............................................. Psalm 25:9 ......... 484 When you worry .................................................. Matthew 6:34 ......... 860 When selfishness gets you in its grip ........................ Matthew 16:25-26 ......... 871 When you suffer for doing right ................................... 1 Peter 1:6-7 ........ 1075 When you doubt that God loves you .................................. John 3:16 ......... 943 When you think that God owes you mercy ......................... Romans 2:4 ......... 998 When the evil in the world seems overwhelming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Romans 8:18-39 ........ 1003 When evil seems greater than God ............................. Revelation 19:6 ........ 1101 When you don’t feel at peace with God .......................... Romans 5:1-5 ........ 1000 When someone has harmed you .............................. Matthew 6:14-15 ......... 860 When God seems to delay ......................................... John 11:1-44 ......... 953 When
📖 Biblical Reference Guide
🙏 Scripture references provide targeted spiritual guidance for specific life challenges, from seeking wisdom (James 1:5-8) to navigating relationship troubles (Ephesians 5:22-30)
⚖️ Ancient measurement systems are meticulously converted to modern equivalents, bridging the gap between biblical times and contemporary understanding
📏 Weight measurements progress from tiny gerahs (0.6 grams) to massive talents (34-40 kilograms), revealing the sophisticated economic systems of biblical societies
📐 Length units range from handbreadths (8 centimeters) to miles (1.5 kilometers), demonstrating how ancient civilizations precisely quantified their physical world
🌾 Dry measures like omers, ephahs, and homers standardized agricultural trade, with conversions showing how biblical quantities translate to modern bushels and liters
💧 Liquid measures from logs (0.3 liters) to metretes (39 liters) enabled precise trading of valuable fluids like oil and wine throughout the ancient Near East
you need wisdom ............................................ James 1:5-8 ........ 1071 When you are tempted to look down on others ................. Matthew 7:1-6 ......... 860 When there are troubles with your wife .................... Ephesians 5:25-30 ........ 1039 When there are troubles with your husband ............... Ephesians 5:22-24 ........ 1039 When you are tempted to commit sexual sins ........... 1 Corinthians 6:18-20 ........ 1014 When God does not seem to act .................................. Luke 24:13-35 ......... 939 When you seek assurance of God’s purpose for you ............. Psalm 138:7-8 ......... 548 CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1106 10/26/17 9:00 PM Table of Weights and Measures Weights Biblical UnitLanguageBiblical MeasureU.S. EquivalentMetric EquivalentVarious Translations Gerah Hebrew ₁/₂₀ shekel ₁/₅₀ ounce .6 gram gerah; oboli Bekah Hebrew ₁/₂ shekel or 10 gerahs ₁/₅ ounce 5.7 grams bekah; half a shekel; quarter ounce; fifty cents Pim Hebrew ₂/₃ shekel ₁/₃ ounce 7.6 grams ₂/₃ of a shekel; quarter Shekel Hebrew 2 bekahs ₂/₅ ounce 11.5 grams shekel; piece; dollar; fifty dollars Litra (pound) Greco-Roman 30 shekels 12 ounces .4 kilogram pound; pounds Mina Hebrew/Greek 50 shekels 1 ₁/₄ pounds .6 kilogram mina; pound Talent Hebrew/Greek 3,000 shekels or 60 minas75 pounds/ 88 pounds34 kilograms/ 40 kilogramstalent/talents; 100 pounds Length Handbreadth Hebrew ₁/₆ cubit or ₁/₃ span3 inches 8 centimeters handbreadth; three inches; four inches Span Hebrew ₁/₂ cubit or 3 handbreadths9 inches 23 centimeters span Cubit/Pechys Hebrew/Greek 2 spans 18 inches .5 meter cubit/cubits; yard; half a yard; foot Fathom Greco-Roman 4 cubits 2 yards 2 meters fathom; six feet Kalamos Greco-Roman 6 cubits 3 yards 3 meters rod; reed; measuring rod Stadion Greco-Roman ₁/₈ milion or 400 cubits ₁/₈ mile 185 meters miles; furlongs; race Milion Greco-Roman 8 stadia 1,620 yards 1.5 kilometers mile Dry Measure Xestes Greco-Roman ₁/₂ cab 1 ₁/₆ pints .5 liter pots; pitchers; kettles; copper pots; copper bowls; vessels of bronze Cab Hebrew ₁/₁₈ ephah 1 quart 1 liter cab; kab Choinix Greco-Roman ₁/₁₈ ephah 1 quart 1 liter measure; quart Omer Hebrew ₁/₁₀ ephah 2 quarts 2 liters omer; tenth of a deal; tenth of an ephah; six pints CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1107 10/26/17 9:00 PM TABLE OF WEIGHTS AND MEASURES 1108 Dry Measure Biblical UnitLanguageBiblical MeasureU.S. EquivalentMetric EquivalentVarious Translations Seah/Saton Hebrew/ Greek ₁/₃ ephah 7 quarts 7.3 liters measures; pecks; large amounts Modios Greco-Roman 4 omers 1 peck or ₁/₄ bushel9 liters bushel; bowl; peck Ephah [Bath] Hebrew 10 omers ₃/₅ bushel 22 liters bushel; peck; deal; part; measure; six pints; seven pints Lethek Hebrew 5 ephahs 3 bushels 110 liters half homer; half sack Kor [Homer]/ KorosHebrew/Greek10 ephahs 6 bushels or 200 quarts220 liters/ 525 literscor; homer; sack; measures; bushels Liquid Measure Log Hebrew ₁/₇₂ bath ₁/₃ quart .3 liter log; pint; cotulus Xestes Greco-Roman ₁/₈ hin 1 ₁/₆ pints .5 liter pots; pitchers; kettles; copper bowls; vessels of bronze Hin Hebrew ₁/₆ bath 1 gallon or 4 quarts4 liters hin; pints Bath/Batos Hebrew/Greek1 ephah 6 gallons 22 liters gallon(s); barrels; liquid measures Metretes Greco-Roman 10 hins 10 gallons 39 liters firkins; gallons CSB_Pew_Bible.indb 1108 10/26/17 9:00 PM Pew Bible.indb 1109 27/10/16 17:04 Pew Bible.indb 1110 27/10/16 17:04