March 17, 2014 - New American Standard Matthew 17:1-27 The Transfiguration 1 Six days later Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. 2 And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light. 3 And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. 4 Peter said to Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here ; if You wish, I will make three tabernacles here, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah. 5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased ; listen to Him! 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell face down to the ground and were terrified. 7 And Jesus came to them and touched them and said, Get up, and do not be afraid. 8 And lifting up their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus Himself alone. 9 As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man has risen from the dead. 10 And His disciples asked Him, Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first ? 11 And He answered and said, Elijah is coming and will restore all things ; 12 but I say to you that Elijah already came, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wished. So also the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands. 13 Then the disciples understood that He had spoken to them about John the Baptist. The Demoniac 14 When they came to the crowd, a man came up to Jesus, falling on his knees before Him and saying, 15 Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is a lunatic and is very ill ; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. 16 I brought him to Your disciples, and they could not cure him. 17 And Jesus answered and said, You unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him here to Me. 18 And Jesus rebuked him, and the demon came out of him, and the boy was cured at once . 19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, Why could we not drive it out? 20 And He said to them, Because of the littleness of your faith ; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, Move from here to there, and it will move ; and nothing will be impossible to you. 21 [But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.] 22 And while they were gathering together in Galilee, Jesus said to them, The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men ; 23 and they will kill Him, and He will be raised on the third day. And they were deeply grieved. The Tribute Money 24 When they came to Capernaum, those who collected the two-drachma tax came to Peter and said, Does your teacher not pay the two-drachma tax? 25 He said, Yes. And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, What do you think, Simon ? From whom do the kings of the earth collect customs or poll-tax, from their sons or from strangers ? 26 When Peter said, From strangers, Jesus said to him, Then the sons are exempt. 27 However, so that we do not offend them, go to the sea and throw in a hook, and take the first fish that comes up; and when you open its mouth, you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for you and Me. Numbers 3:1-51 Levites to Be Priesthood 1 Now these are the records of the generations of Aaron and Moses at the time when the LORD spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai. 2 These then are the names of the sons of Aaron : Nadab the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. 3 These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the anointed priests, whom he ordained to serve as priests. 4 But Nadab and Abihu died before the LORD when they offered strange fire before the LORD in the wilderness of Sinai ; and they had no children. So Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests in the lifetime of their father Aaron. 5 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 6 Bring the tribe of Levi near and set them before Aaron the priest, that they may serve him. 7 They shall perform the duties for him and for the whole congregation before the tent of meeting, to do the service of the tabernacle. 8 They shall also keep all the furnishings of the tent of meeting, along with the duties of the sons of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle. 9 You shall thus give the Levites to Aaron and to his sons ; they are wholly given to him from among the sons of Israel. 10 So you shall appoint Aaron and his sons that they may keep their priesthood, but the layman who comes near shall be put to death. 11 Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 12 Now, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the sons of Israel instead of every firstborn, the first issue of the womb among the sons of Israel. So the Levites shall be Mine. 13 For all the firstborn are Mine; on the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I sanctified to Myself all the firstborn in Israel, from man to beast. They shall be Mine; I am the LORD. 14 Then the LORD spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying, 15 Number the sons of Levi by their fathers households, by their families ; every male from a month old and upward you shall number. 16 So Moses numbered them according to the word of the LORD, just as he had been commanded. 17 These then are the sons of Levi by their names : Gershon and Kohath and Merari. 18 These are the names of the sons of Gershon by their families : Libni and Shimei ; 19 and the sons of Kohath by their families : Amram and Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel ; 20 and the sons of Merari by their families : Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to their fathers households. 21 Of Gershon was the family of the Libnites and the family of the Shimeites ; these were the families of the Gershonites. 22 Their numbered men, in the numbering of every male from a month old and upward, even their numbered men were 7,500 . 23 The families of the Gershonites were to camp behind the tabernacle westward, 24 and the leader of the fathers households of the Gershonites was Eliasaph the son of Lael. Duties of the Priests 25 Now the duties of the sons of Gershon in the tent of meeting involved the tabernacle and the tent, its covering, and the screen for the doorway of the tent of meeting, 26 and the hangings of the court, and the screen for the doorway of the court which is around the tabernacle and the altar, and its cords, according to all the service concerning them. 27 Of Kohath was the family of the Amramites and the family of the Izharites and the family of the Hebronites and the family of the Uzzielites ; these were the families of the Kohathites. 28 In the numbering of every male from a month old and upward, there were 8,600 , performing the duties of the sanctuary. 29 The families of the sons of Kohath were to camp on the southward side of the tabernacle, 30 and the leader of the fathers households of the Kohathite families was Elizaphan the son of Uzziel. 31 Now their duties involved the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, and the utensils of the sanctuary with which they minister, and the screen, and all the service concerning them; 32 and Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest was the chief of the leaders of Levi, and had the oversight of those who perform the duties of the sanctuary. 33 Of Merari was the family of the Mahlites and the family of the Mushites ; these were the families of Merari. 34 Their numbered men in the numbering of every male from a month old and upward, were 6,200 . 35 The leader of the fathers households of the families of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail. They were to camp on the northward side of the tabernacle. 36 Now the appointed duties of the sons of Merari involved the frames of the tabernacle, its bars, its pillars, its sockets, all its equipment, and the service concerning them, 37 and the pillars around the court with their sockets and their pegs and their cords. 38 Now those who were to camp before the tabernacle eastward, before the tent of meeting toward the sunrise, are Moses and Aaron and his sons, performing the duties of the sanctuary for the obligation of the sons of Israel ; but the layman coming near was to be put to death. 39 All the numbered men of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron numbered at the command of the LORD by their families, every male from a month old and upward, were 22,000 . Firstborn Redeemed 40 Then the LORD said to Moses, Number every firstborn male of the sons of Israel from a month old and upward, and make a list of their names. 41 You shall take the Levites for Me, I am the LORD, instead of all the firstborn among the sons of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the cattle of the sons of Israel. 42 So Moses numbered all the firstborn among the sons of Israel, just as the LORD had commanded him; 43 and all the firstborn males by the number of names from a month old and upward, for their numbered men were 22,273 . 44 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 45 Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the sons of Israel and the cattle of the Levites. And the Levites shall be Mine; I am the LORD. 46 For the ransom of the 273 of the firstborn of the sons of Israel who are in excess beyond the Levites, 47 you shall take five shekels apiece, per head ; you shall take them in terms of the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel is twenty gerahs ), 48 and give the money, the ransom of those who are in excess among them, to Aaron and to his sons. 49 So Moses took the ransom money from those who were in excess, beyond those ransomed by the Levites ; 50 from the firstborn of the sons of Israel he took the money in terms of the shekel of the sanctuary, 1,365 . 51 Then Moses gave the ransom money to Aaron and to his sons, at the command of the LORD, just as the LORD had commanded Moses. Numbers 4:1-49 Duties of the Kohathites 1 Then the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, 2 Take a census of the descendants of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, by their families, by their fathers households, 3 from thirty years and upward, even to fifty years old, all who enter the service to do the work in the tent of meeting. 4 This is the work of the descendants of Kohath in the tent of meeting, concerning the most holy things. 5 When the camp sets out, Aaron and his sons shall go in and they shall take down the veil of the screen and cover the ark of the testimony with it; 6 and they shall lay a covering of porpoise skin on it, and shall spread over it a cloth of pure blue, and shall insert its poles. 7 Over the table of the bread of the Presence they shall also spread a cloth of blue and put on it the dishes and the pans and the sacrificial bowls and the jars for the drink offering, and the continual bread shall be on it. 8 They shall spread over them a cloth of scarlet material, and cover the same with a covering of porpoise skin, and they shall insert its poles. 9 Then they shall take a blue cloth and cover the lampstand for the light, along with its lamps and its snuffers, and its trays and all its oil vessels, by which they serve it; 10 and they shall put it and all its utensils in a covering of porpoise skin, and shall put it on the carrying bars. 11 Over the golden altar they shall spread a blue cloth and cover it with a covering of porpoise skin, and shall insert its poles ; 12 and they shall take all the utensils of service, with which they serve in the sanctuary, and put them in a blue cloth and cover them with a covering of porpoise skin, and put them on the carrying bars. 13 Then they shall take away the ashes from the altar, and spread a purple cloth over it. 14 They shall also put on it all its utensils by which they serve in connection with it: the firepans, the forks and shovels and the basins, all the utensils of the altar ; and they shall spread a cover of porpoise skin over it and insert its poles. 15 When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the holy objects and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, when the camp is to set out, after that the sons of Kohath shall come to carry them, so that they will not touch the holy objects and die. These are the things in the tent of meeting which the sons of Kohath are to carry. 16 The responsibility of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest is the oil for the light and the fragrant incense and the continual grain offering and the anointing oil -the responsibility of all the tabernacle and of all that is in it, with the sanctuary and its furnishings. 17 Then the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, 18 Do not let the tribe of the families of the Kohathites be cut off from among the Levites. 19 But do this to them that they may live and not die when they approach the most holy objects: Aaron and his sons shall go in and assign each of them to his work and to his load ; 20 but they shall not go in to see the holy objects even for a moment, or they will die. Duties of the Gershonites 21 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 22 Take a census of the sons of Gershon also, by their fathers households, by their families ; 23 from thirty years and upward to fifty years old, you shall number them; all who enter to perform the service to do the work in the tent of meeting. 24 This is the service of the families of the Gershonites, in serving and in carrying : 25 they shall carry the curtains of the tabernacle and the tent of meeting with its covering and the covering of porpoise skin that is on top of it, and the screen for the doorway of the tent of meeting, 26 and the hangings of the court, and the screen for the doorway of the gate of the court which is around the tabernacle and the altar, and their cords and all the equipment for their service ; and all that is to be done, they shall perform. 27 All the service of the sons of the Gershonites, in all their loads and in all their work, shall be performed at the command of Aaron and his sons ; and you shall assign to them as a duty all their loads. 28 This is the service of the families of the sons of the Gershonites in the tent of meeting, and their duties shall be under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest. Duties of the Merarites 29 As for the sons of Merari, you shall number them by their families, by their fathers households ; 30 from thirty years and upward even to fifty years old, you shall number them, everyone who enters the service to do the work of the tent of meeting. 31 Now this is the duty of their loads, for all their service in the tent of meeting : the boards of the tabernacle and its bars and its pillars and its sockets, 32 and the pillars around the court and their sockets and their pegs and their cords, with all their equipment and with all their service ; and you shall assign each man by name the items he is to carry. 33 This is the service of the families of the sons of Merari, according to all their service in the tent of meeting, under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest. 34 So Moses and Aaron and the leaders of the congregation numbered the sons of the Kohathites by their families and by their fathers households, 35 from thirty years and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who entered the service for work in the tent of meeting. 36 Their numbered men by their families were 2,750 . 37 These are the numbered men of the Kohathite families, everyone who was serving in the tent of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the commandment of the LORD through Moses. 38 The numbered men of the sons of Gershon by their families and by their fathers households, 39 from thirty years and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who entered the service for work in the tent of meeting. 40 Their numbered men by their families, by their fathers households, were 2,630 . 41 These are the numbered men of the families of the sons of Gershon, everyone who was serving in the tent of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the commandment of the LORD. 42 The numbered men of the families of the sons of Merari by their families, by their fathers households, 43 from thirty years and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who entered the service for work in the tent of meeting. 44 Their numbered men by their families were 3,200 . 45 These are the numbered men of the families of the sons of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the commandment of the LORD through Moses. 46 All the numbered men of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron and the leaders of Israel numbered, by their families and by their fathers households, 47 from thirty years and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who could enter to do the work of service and the work of carrying in the tent of meeting. 48 Their numbered men were 8,580 . 49 According to the commandment of the LORD through Moses, they were numbered, everyone by his serving or carrying ; thus these were his numbered men, just as the LORD had commanded Moses. Ecclesiastes 3:16-22 16 Furthermore, I have seen under the sun that in the place of justice there is wickedness and in the place of righteousness there is wickedness. 17 I said to myself, God will judge both the righteous man and the wicked man, for a time for every matter and for every deed is there. 18 I said to myself concerning the sons of men, God has surely tested them in order for them to see that they are but beasts. 19 For the fate of the sons of men and the fate of beasts is the same. As one dies so dies the other ; indeed, they all have the same breath and there is no advantage for man over beast, for all is vanity. 20 All go to the same place. All came from the dust and all return to the dust. 21 Who knows that the breath of man ascends upward and the breath of the beast descends downward to the earth ? 22 I have seen that nothing is better than that man should be happy in his activities, for that is his lot. For who will bring him to see what will occur after him? Ecclesiastes 4:1-16 The Evils of Oppression 1 Then I looked again at all the acts of oppression which were being done under the sun. And behold I saw the tears of the oppressed and that they had no one to comfort them; and on the side of their oppressors was power, but they had no one to comfort them. 2 So I congratulated the dead who are already dead more than the living who are still living. 3 But better off than both of them is the one who has never existed, who has never seen the evil activity that is done under the sun. 4 I have seen that every labor and every skill which is done is the result of rivalry between a man and his neighbor. This too is vanity and striving after wind. 5 The fool folds his hands and consumes his own flesh. 6 One hand full of rest is better than two fists full of labor and striving after wind. 7 Then I looked again at vanity under the sun. 8 There was a certain man without a dependent, having neither a son nor a brother, yet there was no end to all his labor. Indeed, his eyes were not satisfied with riches and he never asked, And for whom am I laboring and depriving myself of pleasure ? This too is vanity and it is a grievous task. 9 Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. 10 For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up. 11 Furthermore, if two lie down together they keep warm, but how can one be warm alone? 12 And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart. 13 A poor yet wise lad is better than an old and foolish king who no longer knows how to receive instruction. 14 For he has come out of prison to become king, even though he was born poor in his kingdom. 15 I have seen all the living under the sun throng to the side of the second lad who replaces him. 16 There is no end to all the people, to all who were before them, and even the ones who will come later will not be happy with him, for this too is vanity and striving after wind.
Posted on: Mon, 17 Mar 2014 11:34:39 +0000
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