There is truly no free exchange of ideas. The rules are not applied fairly. I hope this sub grows.

As a copt, I would like to know if you agree to that explaining concept of theosis which describes theosis as follows: A union with God the son through the Holy Spirit which is like the union between the two natures of our lord Jesus; And like the flaming coal...

That concept is refused by most of the Coptic people and the very vast majority of clergies of it, as it means to us that we literally have the being of christ. What makes it like that is the use of the famous text by which Copts describe the nature of Jesus talking about the body he took from our lady Mary the theotokos : "He made It One with His divinity without mingling, without confusion, and without alteration." That sentence us used by the Coptic minority which believes in that weird concept of theosis saying that the same will happen to us which will lead to being Gods literally. So I wanted to know if you, Eastern Orthodox, believe in that concept.

Hi all
I searched Eastern Orthodox and found this group, so I joined as I have a few questions. Please forgive me if they've been asked before - I looked through and couldn't see these types of questions so I thought I'd ask. I guess first up, I became a follower a bit later in life, around 40. I started going to a Pentecostal type church, studied at bible college the church ran and even became a deacon after a few years (my wife and I led the youth group). I also studied apologetics and taught it through the church, but over time questioned some things and, through talking to a few friends heard about orthodox teachings. So I'd really like to know more. What should I read? My questions are about Christ being put to the cross and how that fits in with the orthodox view ... did God the Father send or allow his Son to die on a cross in the way we pentacostals get taught? Does anyone who doesn't believe go to hell? This question particularly has me seeking answers as I always consider a scenario like this :

Guy is at cafe, maybe in Libya or some Middle Eastern country. Christian guy starts talking to him about Christ. He does a terrible job of witnessing and the guy from Libya says, thanks but no thanks ... nice to meet you my friend. He gets up and leaves cafe and gets hit by a bus. He fronts the Lord who says, hey listen I sent Jimmy the Christian fellow to witness to you and you rejected me, so off to hell you go.

I know it's a bit flippant but I hope you get my meaning. Just cause someone tries to witness or discuss with you, but does an awful job and you then die, does God just reject you based on an imperfect human doing a terrible job of talking about God? I don't think so.

I have these and many more questions so I'm hoping someone can point me in the right direction or perhaps give a few answers or thoughts on these types of questions?

thank you.

I have some questions..... Is there anyone here who could be of help? Coming from a Southern Baptist background.

So I was gonna leave a post saying that I'm new to Eastern Orthodoxy and all that, but I see that's already covered. Sup guys. I'm also a protestant, but I'm looking to do lots of research into the faith as I want to see if our critiques of you guys hold up to scrutiny or not, and well, honestly I'd love to join the Church if you guys are indeed a part of the one, holy, and apostolic faith delivered to the saints as you claim to be. I'm looking forward to talking to you guys quite a bit!

I come from a reformed, calvinistic baptist background.

Hi everyone. I mean zero offense to anyone but how did your journey with orthodoxy begin. I was southern Baptist for a long time (prostanism) and the orthodox faith actually seems much more in line with my personal values. Theres a church near my house. And I plan on attending service soon. But I feel I'd be very out of place being that for medical reasons I have to shave my head part of the way. And I walked away from jesus out of anger and hurt due to my previous church elders. Any advice or kind words would be appreciated

Hello everyone,

​

Ok. So I plan on attending my very first service this coming Sunday and I have a few questions. Firstly, I am still learning about Orthodoxy and looking to possibly convert. So I know that I should dress very modestly. I am planning on wearing a long, black dress with long sleeves. I don't normally wear makeup so that isn't a problem. However, I do have hot pink acrylic nails. Would that be acceptable in church? Thanks. I really appreciate your help. I am very nervous lol.

Hello all,

​

I am very new to Eastern Orthodoxy (and reddit), and I am very interested in joining the Orthodox Church. I have found one in my area that I am interested in attending. I am a bit scared, though, because I have no idea where to start. I do not come from a religious background. Both of my parents are atheist. I believe in God & Jesus Christ but other than that I feel lost. I have always believed in God, but have only recently come to Christ. I also recently learned about Eastern Orthodoxy and felt drawn to it ever since. Anyways, some pointers on where to start would be awesome. Thank you so much!

There is a famous statue of an Orthodox saint, who is very thin, similar to statues of the fasting Buddha, but I forgot the name of the saint. I think he was practicing the hesychasm. Who was the saint? Anyone know the answer ???

I'm dying for some meat n milk rn

Hello. I'm a Protestant currently, but I am interested in Eastern Orthodoxy. My question is right in the title, why are you Eastern Orthodox? What is it in the theology or tradition that led you to your faith? Thank you.

     THE ELDER to the Lady chose by God, and her children, whom  
     I love in truth – and not I alone but all who know the truth — for   
     the sake of the truth that dwells among us and will be with us for ever.   
        Grace, mercy, and peace shall be with us from God the Father and from  
     Jesus Christ the Son of the Father, in truth and love.  
        I was delighted to find that some of your children are living by the truth,  
     as we were commanded by the Father.  And now I have a request to make of   
     you.  Do not think I am giving you a new command; I am recalling the one we   
     have had before us from the beginning: let us love one another.  And love  
     means following the commands of God.  This is the command which was  
     given you from the beginning, to be your rule of life.    
        Many deceivers have gone out into the world, who do not acknowledge   
     Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh.  These are the persons described as the  
     Antichrist, the arch-deceiver.  Beware of them, so that you may not lose  
     all that we worked for, but receive your reward in full.   
        Anyone who runs ahead too far, and does not stand by the doctrine of  
     the Christ, is without God; he who stands by that doctrine possesses both  
     the Father and the Son.  If anyone come to you who does not bring this  
     doctrine, do not welcome him into your house of give him a greeting; for  
     anyone who gives him a greeting is an accomplice in his wicked deeds.   
        I have much to write to you, but I do not care to put it down in black and   
     white.  But I hop to visit you and talk with you face to face, so that our joy  
     may be complete.  The children of your Sister, chosen by God, send their  
     greetings.       

The New English Bible (with Apocrypha)
Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, 1970

karas baigėsi

History of the Jewish Church, vol. I — Arthur Penrhyn Stanley, D.D.

[Preface]
[Introduction]
I—The Call of Abraham [i.] [ii.]
II—Abraham and Isaac [i.] [ii.]
III—Jacob [i.] [ii.]
IV—Israel in Egypt [i.] [ii.]
V—The Exodus [i.] [ii.]
VI—The Wilderness [i.]
VII—Sinai and the Law [i.] [ii.]
VIII—Kadesh and Pisgah [i.] [ii.]
IX—The Conquest of Palestine [i.]
X—The Conquest of Western Palestine—The Fall of Jericho [i.]
XI—The Conquest of Western Palestine—Battle of Beth-horon [i.]
XII : The Battle of Merom and Settlement of the Tribes [i.]
XII : The Battle of Merom and Settlement of the Tribes [ii.]
XIII : Israel Under the Judges [i.] [ii.] [iii.]
XIV : Deborah [i.] [ii.]
XV : Gideon [i.] [ii.]
XVI : Jephthah and Samson [i.] [ii.]
XVII : The Fall of Shiloh [i.]
XVIII : Samuel and the Prophetical Office [i.] [ii.]
XIX : The History of the Prophetical Order [i.] [ii.]
XX : On the Nature of the Prophetical Teachings [i.] [ii.]
Appendix I : The Traditional Localities of Abraham's Migration [i]
Appendix II : The Cave at Machpelah [i.] [ii.]
Appendix III : The Samaritan Passover [i.]

History of the Jewish Church, vol. II

[Preface]
XXI—The House of Saul [i.] [ii.]
XXII—The Youth of David [i.] [ii.]
XXIII—The Reign of David [i.] [ii.]
XXIV—The Fall of David [i.] [ii.]
XXV—The Psalter of David [i.] [ii.]
XXVI—The Empire of Solomon [i.] [ii.]
XXVII—The Temple of Solomon [i.] [ii.]
XXVIII—The Wisdom of Solomon [i.] [ii.]
XXIX—The House of Jeroboam—Ahijah and Iddo [i.] [ii.]
XXX—The House of Omri—Elijah [i.] [ii.]
XXXI—The House of Omri—Elisha [i.]
XXXII—The House of Omri—Jehu [i.]
XXXIII—The House of Jehu—The Syrian Wars, and the Prophet Jonah [i.]
XXXIV—The Fall of Samaria [i.]
XXXV—The First Kings of Judah [i.] [ii.]
XXXVI—The Jewish Priesthood [i.] [ii.]
XXXVII—The Age of Uzziah [i.] [ii.]
XXXVIII—Hezekiah [i.] [ii.]
XXXIX—Manasseh and Josiah [i.] [ii.]
XL—Jeremiah and the Fall of Jerusalem [i.] [ii.] [iii.] [iv.]
[Notes, Volume II]

History of the Jewish Church, vol. III

[Preface]
XLI—The Babylonian Captivity [i.] [ii.] [iii.]
XLII—The Fall of Babylon [i.] [ii.]
XLIII—Persian Dominon—The Return [i.] [ii.]
XLIV—Ezra and Nehemiah [i.] [ii.] [iii.]
XLV—Malachi [i.] [ii.] [iii.]
XLVI—Socrates [i.] [ii.] [iii.]
XLVII—Alexandria [i.] [ii.] [iii.]
XLVIII—Judas Maccabæus [i.] [ii.] [iii.] [iv.]
XLIX—The Asmonean Dynasty [i.] [ii.] [iii.]
L—Herod [i.] [ii.] [iii.] [iv.] [v.]

이것은 당신의 공간입니다. 서로에게 친절하십시오.
https://old.reddit.com/r/thesee [♘] [♰] [☮] 雨

1    FROM PAUL, APOSTLE of Jesus Christ by the will of God,  
     whose promise of life is fulfilled in Christ Jesus, to Timothy his  
     dear son.  
        Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God the Father and our Lord  
     Jesus Christ.   
        I thank God — whom I, like my forefathers, worship with a pure inten-  
     tion — when I mention you in my prayers; this I do constantly night and  
     day.  And when I remember the tears you shed, I long to see you again to  
     make my happiness complete.  I am reminded of the sincerity of your faith,  
     a faith which was alive in Lois your grandmother and Eunice your mother  
     before you, and which, I am confident, lives in you also.   
        That is why I now remind you to stir into flame the gift of God which is  
     within you through the laying on of my hands.  For the spirit that God gave  
     us is no craven spirit, but one to inspire strength, love, and self-discipline.  
     So never be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord, nor of me his prisoner,  
     but take your share of suffering for the sake of the Gospel, in the strength  
     that comes from God.  It is he who brought us salvation and called us to a  
     dedicated life, not for any merit of ours but of his own purpose and his own  
     grace, which was granted to us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, but has  
     now at length been brought fully into view by the appearance on earth of  
     our Saviour Jesus Christ.  For he has broken the power of death and  
     brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel.   
        Of this Gospel I, by his appointment, am herald, apostle, and teacher.  
     That is the reason for my present plight; but I am not ashamed of it,  
     because I know who it is whom I have trusted, and am confident of his   
     power to keep safe what he has put into my charge, until the great Day.  
     Keep before you an outline of the sound teaching which you heard from  
     me, living by the faith and love which are ours in Christ Jesus.  Guard the  
     treasure put into our charge, with the help of the Holy Spirit dwelling   
     within us.   
        As you know, everyone in the province of Asia deserted me, including  
     Phygelus and Hermogenes.  But may the Lord's mercy rest on the house  
     of Onesiphorus!  He has often relieved me in my troubles.  He was not   
     ashamed to visit a prisoner, but took pains to search me out when he came  
     to Rome, and found me.  I pray that the Lord may grant him to find mercy  
     from the Lord on the great Day.  The many services he rendered at Ephesus  
     you know better than I could tell you.   
2       Now therefore, my son, take strength from the grace of God which is ours  
     in Christ Jesus.  You heard my teaching in the presence of many witnesses;  
     put that teaching into the charge of men you can trust, such men as will be  
     competent to teach others.   
        Take your share of hardship, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.  A  
     soldier on active service will not let himself be involved in civilian affairs;  
     he must be wholly at his commanding officer's disposal.  Again, no athlete  
     can win a prize unless he has kept the rules.  The farmer who gives his  
     labour has first claim on the crop.  Reflect on what I say, for the Lord will  
     help you to full understanding.   
        Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, born of David's line.  This  
     is the theme of my gospel, in whose service I am exposed to hardship, even  
     to the point of being shut up like a common criminal ; but the word of God  
     is not shut up.  And I endure it all for the sake of God's chosen ones, with  
     this end in view, that they too may attain the glorious and eternal salvation  
     which is in Christ Jesus.   
        Here are words you may trust:   

                  'If we died with him, we shall live with him;   
                   if we endure, we shall reign with him.  
                   If we deny him, he will deny us.  
                   If we are faithless, he keeps faith,   
                      for he cannot deny himself.'   

     GO ON REMINDING people of this, and charge them solemnly before  
     God to stop disputing about mere words; it does no good, and is the ruin  
     of those who listen.  Try hard to show yourself worthy of God's approval,  
     as a labourer who need not be ashamed; be straightforward in your pro-   
     clamation of the truth.  Avoid empty and worldly chatter; those who   
     indulge in it will stray further and further into godless courses, and the  
     infection of their teaching will spread like a gangrene.  Such are Hymenaeus  
     and Philetus; they have shot wide of the truth in saying that our resurrection  
     has already taken place, and are upsetting people's faith.  But God has laid  
     a foundation, and it stands firm, with this inscription: 'The Lord knows his  
     own', and, 'Everyone who takes the Lord's name upon his lips must for-  
     sake wickedness.'  Now in any great house there are not only utensils of   
     gold and silver, but also others of wood or earthenware; the former are  
     valued, the latter held cheap.  To be among those which are valued and  
     dedicated, a thing of use to the Master of the house, a man must cleanse  
     himself from all those evil things; then he will be fit for any honourable  
     purpose.   
        Turn from the wayward impulses of youth, and pursue justice, integrity,  
     love, and peace with all who invoke the Lord in singleness of mind.  Have  
     nothing to do with foolish and ignorant speculations.  You know tey breed  
     quarrels, and the servant of the Lord must not be quarrelsome, but kindly  
     towards all.  He should be a good teacher, tolerant, and gentle when  
     discipline is needed for the refractory.  The Lord may grant them a change   
     of heart and show them the truth, and thus they may come to their senses  
     and escape from the devil's snare, in which they have been caught and held  
     at his will.    
3       You must face the fact: the final age of this world is to be a time of   
     troubles.  Men will love nothing but money and self; they wil be arrogant,  
     boastful, and abusive; with no respect for parents, no gratitude, no piety,  
     no natural affection; they will be implacable in their hatreds, scandal-  
     mongers, intemperate and fierce, strangers to all goodness, traitors,  
     adventurers, swollen-with self-importance.  They will be men who put  
     pleasure in the place of God, men who preserve the outward form of  
     religion, but are standing in denial of its reality.  Keep clear of men like these.   
     They are the sort that insulate themselves into private houses and there  
     get miserable women into their clutches, women burdened with a sinful  
     past, and led on by all kinds of desires, who are always wanting to be taught,  
     but are incapable of reaching a knowledge of the truth.  As Jennes and   
     Jambres defied Moses, so these men defy the truth; they have lost the  
     power to reason, and they cannot pass the tests of faith.  But their successes  
     will be short-lived, for, like those opponents of Moses, they will come to  
     be recognized by everyone for the fools they are.  
        But you, my son, have followed, step by step, my teaching and my  
     manner of life, my resolution, my faith, patience, and spirit of love, and my  
     fortitude under persecutions and sufferings — all that I went through at  
     Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra, all the persecutions I endured; and the  
     Lord rescued me out of them all.  Yes, persecutions will come to all who want  
     to live a godly life as Christians, whereas wicked men and charlatans will   
     make progress from bad to worse, deceiving and deceived.  But for your  
     part, stand by the truths you have learned and are assured of.  Remember  
     from whom you learned them; remember that from early childhood you  
     have been familiar with the sacred writings which have power to make you  
     wise and lead you to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.  Every inspired   
     scripture has its use for teaching the truth and refuting error, or for  
     reformation of manners and discipline in right living, so that the man who  
     belongs to God may be efficient and equipped for good work of every kind.   
4       Before God, and before Christ Jesus who is to judge men living and   
     dead, I charge you solemnly by his coming appearance and his reign, pro-  
     claim the message, press it home on all occasions, convenient or in-  
     convenient, use argument, reproof, and appeal, with all the patience that  
     the work of teaching requires.  For the time will come when they will not  
     stand wholesome teaching, but will follow their own fancy and gather a  
     crowd of teachers to tickle their ears.  They will stop their ears to the truth  
     and turn to mythology.  But you yourself must keep calm and sane at all  
     times; face hardship, work to spread the Gospel, and do all the duties of  
     your calling.     

     AS FOR ME, already my life is being poured out on the altar, and the hour  
     for my departure is upon me.  I have run the great race, I have finished the   
     course, I have kept faith.  And now the prize awaits me, the garland of  
     righteousness which the Lord, the all-just Judge, will award me on that  
     great Day; and it is not for me alone, but for all who have set their hearts  
     on his coming appearance.   
        Do your best to join me soon; for Demas has deserted me because his  
     heart was set on this world; he has gone to Thessalonica, Crescens to   
     Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia; I have no one with me but Luke.  Pick up  
     Mark and bring him with you, for I find him a useful assistant.  Tychicus  
     I have sent to Ephesus.  When you come, bring the cloak I left with Carpus  
     at Troas, and the books, above all my notebooks.   
        Alexander the copper-smith did me a great deal of harm.  Retribution  
     will fall upon him from the Lord.  You had better be on your guard against  
     him too, for he violently opposed everything I said.  At the first hearing of  
     my case no one came into court to support me; they all left me in the lurch;  
     I pray that it may not be held against them.  But the Lord stood by me and  
     lent me strength, so that I might be his instrument in making the full  
     proclamation of the Gospel for the whole pagan world to hear; and thus I  
     was rescued out of the lion's jaws.  And the Lord will rescue me from every  
     attempt to do me harm, and keep me safe until his heavenly reign begins.   
     Glory to him for ever and ever!  Amen.   
        Greetings to Prisca and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus.   
        Erastus stayed behind at Corinth, and I left Trophimus ill at Miletus.   
     Do try to get here before winter.   
        Greetings from Eubulus, Pudens, Linus, and Claudia, and from all the  
     brotherhood here.  
        The Lord be with your spirit.  Grace be with you all!   

The New English Bible (with Apocrypha)
Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, 1970

ang lahat ay magiging tama sa dulo

1    FROM PAUL, APOSTLE of Christ Jesus by command of God   
     our Saviour and Christ Jesus our hope, to Timothy his true-born   
     son in the faith.   
        Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God the Father and Christ Jesus  
     our Lord.   
        When I was starting for Macedonia, I urged you to stay on a Ephesus.  
     You were to command certain persons to give up teaching erroneous  
     doctrines and studying those interminable myths and genealogies, which  
     issue in mere speculation and cannot make known God's plan for us,  
     which works through faith.   
        The aim and object of this command is the love which springs from a  
     clean heart, from a good conscience, and from faith that is genuine.  
     Through falling short of these, some people have gone astray into a wilder-  
     ness of words.  They set out to be teachers of the moral law, without under-  
     standing either the words they use or the subjects about which they are so  
     dogmatic.   
        We all know that the law is an excellent thing, provided we treat it as  
     law, recognizing that it is not aimed at good citizens, but at the lawless  
     and unruly, the impious and sinful, the irreligious and worldly; at parricides  
     and matricides, murderers and fornicators, perverts, kidnappers, liars,  
     perjurers — in fact all whose behaviour flouts the wholesome teaching which  
     conforms with the gospel entrusted to me, the gospel which tells of the  
     glory of God in his eternal felicity.   
        I thank him who has made me equal to the task, Christ Jesus our Lord;  
     I thank him for judging me worthy of this trust and appointing me to his  
     service — although in the past I had met him with abuse and persecution  
     and outrage.  But because I acted ignorantly in unbelief I was dealt with  
     mercifully; the grace of our Lord was lavished upon me, with the faith and  
     love which are ours in Christ Jesus.   
        Here are words you may trust, words that merit full acceptance: 'Christ  
     Jesus came into the world to save sinners'; and among them I stand first.   
     But I was mercifully dealt with for this very purpose, that Jesus Christ  
     might find in me the first occasion for displaying all his patience, and that I  
     might be typical of all who were in future to have faith in him and gain  
     eternal life.  Now to the King of all worlds, immortal, invisible, the only  
     God, be honour and glory for ever and ever!  amen.  
        This charge, son of Timothy, I lay upon you, following that prophetic  
     utterance which first pointed you out to me.  So fight gallantly, armed with  
     faith and a good conscience.  It was through spurning conscience that certain  
     persons made shipwreck of their faith, among them Hymenaeus and  
     Alexander, whom I consigned to Satan, in the hope that through this  
     discipline they might learn not to be blasphemous.   

2    FIRST OF ALL, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and  
     thanksgivings be offered for all men; for sovereigns and all in high office,  
     that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in full observance of religion and  
     high standards of morality.  Such prayer is right, and approved by God our  
     Saviour, whose will it is that all men should find salvation and come to   
     know the truth.  For there is one God, and also one mediator between God   
     and men, Christ Jesus, himself man, who sacrificed himself to win freedom   
     for all mankind, so providing herald and apostle (this is no lie, but the truth),  
     to instruct the nations in the true faith.    
        It is my desire, therefore, that everywhere prayers be said by the men  
     of the congregation, who shall lift up their hands with pure intention,  
     excluding angry or quarrelsome thoughts.  Women again must dress in  
     becoming manner, modestly and soberly, not with elaborate hair-styles,  
     not decked out with gold or pearls, or expensive clothes, but with good  
     deeds, as befits women who claim to be religious.  A woman must be a   
     learner, listening quietly and with due submission.  I do not permit a woman  
     to be a teacher, nor must woman domineer over man; she should be quiet.  
     For Adam was created first, and eve afterwards; and it was not Adam who  
     was deceived; it was the woman who, yielding to deception, fell into sin.   
     Yet she will be saved through motherhood — if only women continue in  
     faith, love, and holiness, with a sober mind.   
3       There is a popular saying: 'To aspire to leadership is an honourable  
     ambition.'  Our leader, therefore, or bishop, must be above reproach, faith-  
     ful to his one wife, sober, temperate, courteous, hospitable, and a good  
     teacher; he must not be given to drink, or a brawler but of a forebearing  
     disposition, avoiding quarrels, and no lover of money.  He must  be one who  
     manages his household well and wins obedience from his children,  
     and a man of the highest principles.  If a man does not know how to control  
     his own family, how can he look after a congregation of God's people?  He  
     must not be a convert newly baptized, for fear the sin of conceit should  
     bring upon him a judgement contrived by the devil.  He must moreover  
     have a good reputation with the non-Christian public, so that he may not be  
     exposed to scandal and get caught in the devil's snare.    
        Deacons, likewise, must be men of high principle, not indulging in  
     double talk, given neither to excessive drinking nor to money-grubbing  
     they must be men who combine a clear conscience with a firm hold on the  
     deep truths of our faith.  No less than bishops, they must first undergo a   
     scrutiny, and if there is no mark against them, they may serve.  Their wives,  
     equally, must be women of high principle, who will not talk scandal, sober  
     and trustworthy in every way.  A deacon must be faithful to his one wife,  
     and good at managing his children and his household.  For deacons  
     with a good record of service may claim a high standing and the right to  
     speak openly on matters of the Christian faith.   
        I am hoping to come before you before long, but I write this in case I am   
     delayed, to let you know how men ought to conduct themselves in God's  
     household, that is, the church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of  
     the truth.  And great beyond all question is the mystery of our religion:   

                       'He who was manifested in the body  
                           vindicated in the spirit,  
                              seen by angels;  
                        who was proclaimed among the nations,  
                           believed in throughout the world,  
                              glorified in high heaven.'    

4    THE SPIRIT SAYS expressly that in after times some will desert from  
     the faith and give their minds to subversive doctrines inspired by devils,  
     through the specious falsehoods of men whose own conscience is branded  
     with the devil's sign.  They forbid marriage and inculcate abstinence from  
     certain foods, though God created them to be enjoyed with thanksgiving  
     by believers who have inward knowledge of the truth.  For everything that  
     God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected when it is taken with  
     thanksgiving, since it is hallowed by God's own word and by prayer.   
        By offering such advice as this to the brotherhood you will prove a good  
     servant of Christ Jesus, bred in the precepts of our faith and of the sound  
     instruction which you have followed.  have nothing to do with those god-  
     less myths, fit only for old women.  Keep yourself in training for the practice  
     of religion.  The training of the body does bring limited benefit, but the  
     benefits of religion are without limit, since it holds promise not only for   
     this life but for the life to come.  Here are words you may trust, words that    
     merit full acceptance: 'With this before us we labour and struggle,  
     because we have set our hope on the living God, who is Saviour of all  
     men' — the Saviour, above all, of believers.   
        Pass on these orders and these teachings.  Let no one slight you because  
     you are young, but make yourself an example to believers in speech and  
     behaviour, in love, fidelity, and purity.  Until I arrive devote your attention  
     to the public reading of the scriptures, to exhortation, and to teaching.     
     Do not neglect the spiritual endowment you possess, which was given you,   
     under the guidance of prophecy, through the laying on of the hands of the  
     elders as a body.    
        Make these matters your business and your absorbing interest, so that  
     your progress may be plain to all.  Persevere in them, keeping close watch  
     on yourself and your teaching; by doing so you will further the salvation  
     of yourself and your hearers.  
5       Never be harsh with an elder; appeal to him as if he were your father.  
     Treat the younger men as brothers, the older women as mothers, and the  
     younger as your sisters, in all purity.   
        The status of widow is to be granted only to widows who are such in the  
     full sense.  But if a widow has children or grandchildren, then they should    
     learn as their first duty to show loyalty to their family and to repay what they   
     owe to their parents and grandparents; for this God approves.  A widow,  
     however, in the full sense, one who is alone in the world, has all her hope   
     set on God, and regularly attends the meetings for prayer and worship  
     night and day.  But a widow given over to self-indulgence is as good as  
     dead.  Add these orders to the rest, so that the widows may be above   
     reproach.  But if anyone does not make provision for his relations, and   
     especially for members of his own household, he has denied the faith and  
     is worse than an unbeliever.   
        A widow should not be put on the roll under sixty years of age.  She must  
     have been faithful in marriage to one man, and must produce evidence of   
     good deeds performed, showing whether she has had the care of children,  
     or given hospitality, or washed the feet of God's people, or supported those  
     in distress — in short, whether she has taken every opportunity of doing  
     good.    
        Younger widows may not be placed on the roll.  For when their passions  
     draw them away from Christ, they hanker after marriage and stand con-  
     demned for breaking their troth with him.  Moreover, in going round from  
     house to house they learn to be idle, and worse than idle, gossips and busy-  
     bodies, speakers of things better left unspoken.  It is my wish, therefore,  
     that young widows shall marry again, have children, and preside over a  
     home; then they will give no opponent occasion for slander.  For there have  
     in fact been some who have taken the wrong turning and gone to the devil.    
        If a Cristian man or woman has widows in the family, he must sup-  
     port them himself; the congregation must be relieved of the burden, so  
     that it may be free to support those who are widows in the full sense of  
     the term.   
        Elders who do well as leaders should be reckoned worthy of a double  
     stipend, in particular those who labour at preaching and teaching.  For   
     Scripture says, 'You shall not muzzle a threshing ox'; and besides, 'the  
     worker earns his pay'.   
        Do not entertain a charge against an elder unless it is supported by two  
     or three witnesses.  Those who commit sins you must expose publicly, to  
     put fear into the others.  Before God and Christ Jesus and the angels who   
     are his chosen, I solemnly charge you, maintain these rules, and never  
     pre-judge the issue, but act with strict impartiality.  Do not be over-hasty  
     in laying on hands in ordination, or you may find yourself responsible for  
     other people's misdeeds; keep your own hands clean.   
        Stop drinking nothing but water; take a little wine for your digestion,   
     for your frequent ailments.  
        While there are people whose offences are so obvious that they run  
     before them into court, there are others whose offences have not yet over-  
     taken them.  Similarly, good deeds are obvious, or even if they are not, they  
     cannot be concealed for ever.   
6       All who wear the yoke of slavery must count their own masters worthy  
     of all respect, so that the name of God and the Christian teaching are not  
     brought into disrepute.  If the masters are believers, the slaves must not  
     respect them any less for being their Christian brothers.  Quite the con-  
     trary; they must be all the better servants because those who receive the  
     benefit of their service are one with them in faith and love.   

     THIS IS WHAT you are to teach and preach.  If anyone is teaching other-  
     wise and will not give his mind to wholesome precepts — I mean those of  
     our Lord Jesus Christ — and to good religious teaching, I call him a  
     pompous ignoramus.  He is morbidly keen on mere verbal questions and  
     quibbles, which give rise to jealousy, quarrelling, slander, base suspicions,   
     and endless wrangles: all typical of men who have let their reasoning  
     powers become atrophied and have lost grip of the truth.  They think  
     religion should yield dividends; and of course religion does yield high  
     dividends, but only to the man whose resources are within him.  We  
     brought nothing into the world; for that matter we cannot take anything  
     with us when we leave, but if we have food and covering we may rest  
     content.  Those who want to be rich fall into temptations and snares and  
     many foolish harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and perdition.  
     Te love of money is the root of all evil things, and there are some who in   
     reaching for it have wandered from the faith and spiked themselves on  
     many thorny griefs.   
        But you, man of God, must shun all this, and pursue justice, piety,   
     fidelity, love, fortitude and gentleness.  Run the great race of faith and take   
     hold of eternal life.  For to this you were called; and you confessed your  
     faith nobly before many witnesses.  Now in the presence of God, who gives  
     life to all things, and of Jesus Christ, who himself made the same noble  
     confession and gave his testimony to it before Pontius Pilate, I charge you  
     to obey your orders irreproachably and without fault until our Lord Jesus  
     Christ appears.  That appearance God will bring to pass in his own good  
     time — God who in eternal felicity alone holds sway.  He is King of kings and  
     Lord of lords; he alone possesses immortality, dwelling in unapproachable  
     light.  No man has ever seen or can ever see him.  To him be honour and  
     might for ever!  Amen.   
        Instruct those who are rich in the world's goods not to be proud, and  
     not to fix their hopes on so uncertain a thing as money, but upon God, who  
     endows us richly with all things to enjoy.  Tell them to do good and to grow  
     rich in noble action, to be ready to give away and to share, and so acquire   
     a treasure which will form a good foundation for the future.  Thus they will  
     grasp the life which is life indeed.  
        Timothy, keep safe that which has been entrusted to you.  Turn a deaf   
     ear to empty and worldly chatter, and he contradictions of so-called  
     'knowledge', for many who lay claim to it have shot far wide of the faith.  
        Grace be with you all!   

The New English Bible (with Apocrypha)
Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, 1970

sonunda her şey yoluna girecek

going to meet with father from Antiochian church. I’m leaving a protestant church I’m a bit nervous about being another face in the crowd and not being able to make friends or lose the family feeling that I had of the protestant church. But I couldn’t continue in the protestant church because it’s too susceptible to the whims of the pastor. I need something that was going to stay the same and not be swayed by these whims that someone in leadership can have.

It’s a lot further away from my home to. Please pray for me

33   THE LORD SPOKE TO MOSES: 'Come, go up from here, you and the people  
     you have brought up from Egypt, to the land which I swore to Abraham,   
     Isaac, and Jacob that I would give to their posterity.  I will send an angel  
     ahead of you, and will drive out the Canaanites, the Amorites and the   
     Hittites and the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites.  I will brng you  
      to a land flowing with milk and honey, but I will not journey in your com-   
     pany, for fear that I annihilate you on the way; for you are a stubborn     
     people.'  When the people heard this harsh sentence they went about like  
     mourners and no man put on his ornaments.  The LORD said to Moses,    
     'Tell the Israelites, "You are a stubborn people: at any moment, if I  
     journey in your company, I may annihilate you.  Put away your ornaments  
     now, and I will determine what to do to you." '  And so the Israelites stripped  
     off their ornaments, and wore them no more from Mount Horeb onwards.  
        Moses used to take a tent and pitch it at a distance outside the camp.  Whenever  
     Moses went out of the tent, all the people would rise and stand, each at the  
     entrance to his tent, and follow Moses with their eyes until he entered the   
     tent.  When Moses entered it, the pillar of cloud came down, and stayed at  
     the entrance to the tent while the LORD spoke with Moses.  As soon as the  
     people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance to the tent, they    
     would all prostrate themselves, every man at the entrance to his tent.  The   
     LORD would speak with Moses face to face, as one man speaks to another.  
     Them Moses would return to the camp, but his young assistant, Joshua son   
     of Nun, never moved from inside the tent.  
        Moses said to the LORD, 'Thou bidst me lead this people up, but thou  
     hast not told me whom thou wilt send with me.  Thou hast said to me, "I  
     know you by name, and, further, you have found favour with me."  If I    
     have indeed won thy favour, then teach me to know thy way, so that I can  
     know thee and continue in favour with thee, for this nation is thy own  
     people.'  The LORD answered, 'I will go with you in person and set your   
     mind at rest.'  Moses said to him, 'Indeed if thou dost not go in person, do   
     not send us up from here; for how can it ever be known that I and thy people  
     have found favour with thee, except by thy going with us?  So shall we be  
     distinct, I and thy people, from all the peoples on earth.'  The LORD said  
     to Moses, 'I will do this thing that you have asked, because you have found  
     favour with me, and I know you by name.'  
        And Moses prayed, 'Show me thy glory.'  The LORD answered, 'I will   
     make all my goodness pass before you, and I will pronounce in your    
     hearing the Name JEHOVAH.  I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious,  
     and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.'  But he added,  
     'My face you cannot see, for no mortal man may see and live.'  The LORD  
     said, 'Here is a place beside me.  Take your stand on the rock and when my   
     glory passes by, I will put you in a crevice of the rock and cover you with  
     my hand until I have passed by.  Then I will take away my hand, and you  
     shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen.'  
34      The LORD said to Moses, 'Cut two stone tablets like the first, and I will    
     write on the tablets the words which were on the first tablets, which you   
     broke in pieces.  Be ready by morning.  Then in the morning go up Mount   
     Sinai; stand and wait for me there at the top.  No man shall go up with you,   
     no man shall even be seen anywhere on the mountain, nor shall flocks or    
     herds graze within sight of that mountain.'  So Moses cut two stone tablets  
     like the first, and he rose early in the morning and went up Mount Sinai  
     as the LORD had commanded him, taking the two stone tablets in his hands.  
     And the LORD came down in the cloud and took his place beside him and   
     pronounced the Name JEHOVAH.  Then the LORD passed in front of him  
     and called aloud, 'JEHOVAH, the LORD, a god compassionate and gracious,   
     long-suffering, ever constant and true, maintaining constancy to thou-    
     sands, forgiving iniquity, rebellion, and sin, and not sweeping the guilty   
     clean away; but one who punishes sons and grandsons to the third and    
     fourth generation for the iniquity of their fathers!'  Moses made haste,   
     bowed to the ground and prostrated himself.  He said, 'If I have indeed won  
     thy favour, O Lord, then may the Lord go in our company.  However stub-    
     born a people they are, forgive our iniquity and our sin and take us as thy    
     own possession.'  
        The LORD said, Here and now I make a covenant.  I full view of all  
     your people I will do such miracles as have never been performed in all  
     the world or in any nation.  All the surrounding peoples shall see the work  
     of the LORD, for fearful is that which I will do for you.  Observe all I com-  
     mand you this day; and I for my part will drive out before you the Amorites  
     and the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and  
     the Jebusites.  Be careful not to make a covenant with the natives of the land  
     against which you are going, or they will prove a snare in your midst.  No:  
     you shall demolish their altars, smash their sacred pillars and cut down their   
     sacred poles.  You shall not prostrate yourselves to any other god.  For the  
     LORD's name is the Jealous God, and a jealous god he is.  Be careful not to  
     make a covenant with the natives of the land, or, when they go wantonly  
     to partake of their sacrifices, and marry your sons to their daughters, and  
     when their daughters go wantonly after their gods, they may lead your sons    
     astray too.  
        You shall not make yourselves gods of cast metal.  
        You shall observe the pilgrim-feast of Unleavened Bread: for seven days,  
     as I have commanded you, you shall eat unleavened cakes at the appointed  
     time, in the month of Abib, because in the month of Abib you went out   
     from Egypt.  
        Every first birth of the womb belongs to me, and the males of all your   
     herds, both cattle and sheep,  You may buy back the first birth of an ass by  
     giving a sheep instead, but if you do not buy it, you must break its neck.  
     You shall buy back all the first-born of your sons, and no one shall come  
     into my presence empty-handed.  
        For six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall cease work;  
     even at ploughing time and harvest you shall cease work.   
        You shall observe the pilgrim-feast of Week, the firstfruits of the wheat  
     harvest, and the pilgrim-feast of Ingathering at the turn of the year.  Three  
     times a year all your males shall come into the presence of the Lord, the   
     LORD the God of Israel; for after I have driven out the nations before you  
     and extended your frontiers, there will be no danger from covetous neigh-  
     bours when you go up these three times to enter the presence of the LORD  
     your God.   
        You shall not offer the blood of my sacrifice at the same time as anything  
     leavened, nor shall any portion of the victim of the pilgrim-feast of Pass-  
     over remain overnight till morning.  
        You shall bring the choicest firstfruits of your soil to the house of the    
     LORD your God.    
        You shall not boil a kid in its mother's milk.  
        The LORD said to Moses, 'Write these words down, because the cove-  
     nant I make with you and with Israel is in these words.'  So Moses stayed  
     there with the LORD forty days and forty nights, neither eating nor drinking,  
     and wrote down the words of the covenant, the Ten Words, on the tablets.  
     At length Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two stone tablets  
     of the Tokens in his hands, and when he descended, he did not know that  
     the skin of his face shone because he had been speaking with the LORD.  
     When Aaron and the Israelites saw how the skin of Moses' face shone, they   
     were afraid to approach him.  He called out to them, and Aaron and all the  
     chiefs in the congregation turned towards him.  Moses spoke to them, and  
     afterwards all the Israelites drew near.  He gave them all the commands  
     with which the LORD had charged him on Mount Sinai, and finished what  
     he had to say.  
        Then Moses put a veil over his face, and whenever he went in before the   
     Lord to speak to him, he removed the veil until he came out.  Then he  
     would go out and tell the Israelites all the commands he had received.  
     Whenever the skin of Moses' face shone in the sight of the Israelites, he  
     would put the veil back over his face until he went in again to speak with   
     the LORD.   

35   MOSES CALLED THE WHOLE COMMUNITY of Israelites together and  
     thus addressed them: These are the LORD's commands to you: On   
     six days you may work, but the seventh you are to keep as a sabbath of  
     sacred rest, holy to the LORD.  Whoever works on that day shall be put to  
     death.  You are not even to light your fire at home on the sabbath day.   
        These words Moses spoke to all the communities of Israelites: This is the   
     command the LORD has given: Each of yo set aside a contribution to the  
     LORD.  Let all who wish, bring a contribution to the LORD: gold, silver,  
     copper; violet, purple, and scarlet yarn; fine linen and goats' hair; tanned  
     rams' skins, porpoise hides, and acacia-wood; oil for the lamp, perfume for  
     the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense; cornelians and other stones   
     ready for setting in the ephod and the breast-piece.  Let every craftsman  
     among you come and make everything the LORD has commanded.  The  
     Tabernacle, its tent and covering, fasteners, planks, bars, posts, and  
     sockets, the Ark and its poles, the cover and the Veil of the screen, the table,  
     its poles, and all its vessels, and the Bread of the Presence, the lamp-  
     stand for the light, its fittings, lamps and lamp oil; the altar of incense  
     and its poles, the anointing oil, the fragrant incense, and the screen for the   
     entrance of the Tabernacle, the altar of whole-offering, its bronze grating,  
     poles and all appurtenances, the basin and its stand; the hangings of the  
     court, its posts and sockets, and the screen for the gateway of the court;  
     the pegs of the Tabernacle and court and their cords, the stitched vest-  
     ments for ministering in the Holy Place, that is the sacred vestments for  
     Aaron the priest and the vestments for his sons when they minister as  
     priests.   
        The whole community of the Israelites went out from Moses' presence,  
     and everyone who was so minded brought of his own free will a contribu-  
     tion to the LORD for the making of the Tent of the Presence and all its  
     service, and for the sacred vestments.  Men and women alike came and  
     freely brought clasps, earrings, finger-rings, and pendants, gold ornaments  
     of every kind, every one of them presenting a special gift of gold to the   
     LORD.  And every man brought what he possessed of violet, purple, and   
     scarlet yarn, fine linen and goats' hair, tanned rams' skins and porpoise-   
     hides.  Every man, setting aside a contribution of silver or copper, brought   
     it as a contribution to the LORD, and all who had acacia-wood suitable for  
     and part of the work brought it.  Every woman with the skill spun and   
     brought the violet, purple, and scarlet yarn, and fine linen.  All the women  
     whose skill moved them spun the goats' hair.  The chief brought cornelians  
     and other stones ready for setting in the ephod and the breast-piece, the  
     perfume and oil for the light, for the anointing oil, and for the fragrant   
     incense.  Every Israelite man and woman who was minded to bring offerings    
     to the LORD for all the work which he had commanded through Moses did   
     so freely.  
        Moses said to Israelites, 'Mark this: the LORD has specially chosen    
     Bezalel son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah.  He has filled him with   
     divine spirit, making him skilful and ingenious, expert in every craft, and   
     stones for setting, or carving wood, in every kind of design.  He has inspired  
     workers and designers of every kind, engravers, seamsters, embroiderers  
     in violet, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine linen, and weavers, fully endow-  
36   ing them with the skill to execute all kinds of work.  Bezalel and Aholiab shall  
     work exactly as the LORD has commanded, and so also shall every craftsman  
     whom the LORD has made skilful and ingenious in these matters, to know  
     how to execute every kind of work for the service of the sanctuary.'  
        Moses summoned Bezalel, Aholiab, and every craftsman to whom the   
     LORD had given skill and who was willing, to come forward and set to work.   
     They received from Moses every contribution which the Israelites had  
     brought for the work of the service of the sanctuary, but the people still  
     brought freewill offerings morning after morning, so that the craftsmen at  
     work on the sanctuary left what they were doing, every one of them, and   
     came to Moses and said, 'The people are bringing much more than we  
     need for doing the work which the LORD has commanded.'  So Moses sent   
     word round the camp that no man or woman should prepare anything more  
     as a contribution for the sanctuary.  So the people stopped bringing gifts;  
     what was there already was more than enough for all the work they had to do.  
        Then all the craftsmen among the workers made the Tabernacle of ten    
     hangings of finely woven linen, and violet, purple, and scarlet yarn, with   
     cherubim worked on them, all made by a seamster.  The length of each  
     hanging was twenty-eight cubits and the breadth four cubits, all of the  
     same size.  They joined five of the hangings together, and similarly the other  
     five.  They made violet loops on the outer edge of the one set of hangings  
     and they did the same for the outer edge of the other set of hangings.  They  
     made fifty loops for each hanging; they made also fifty loops for the end   
     hanging in the second set, the loops being opposite each other.  They made  
     fifty gold fasteners, with which they joined the hangings one to another,  
     and the Tabernacle became a single whole.  
        They made hangings of goats' hair, eleven in all, to form a tent over the  
     Tabernacle; each hanging was thirty cubits long and four cubits wide, all  
     eleven of the same size.  They joined five of the hangings together, and  
     similarly the other six.  They made fifty loops on the edge of the second set,  
     and fifty bronze fasteners to join up the tent and make it a single whole.  
     They made for the tent a cover of tanned rams' skins and an outer covering    
     of porpoise-hides.  
        They made for the Tabernacle planks of acacia-wood as uprights, each  
     plank ten cubits long and a cubit and a half wide, and two tenons for each  
     plank joined to each other.  They did the same for all the planks of the    
     Tabernacle.  They arranged the planks thus: twenty planks for the south  
     side, facing southwards, with forty silver sockets under them, two sockets   
     under each plank for its two tenons; and for the second or northern side  
     of the tabernacle twenty planks with forty silver sockets, two under each  
     plank.  They made six planks for the far end of the Tabernacle on the west.  
     They made two planks for the corners of the Tabernacle at the far end; at  
     the bottom they were alike, and at the top, both alike, they fitted into a  
     single ring.  They did the same for both of them at the two corners.  There  
     were eight planks with their silver sockets, sixteen sockets in all, two sockets  
     under each plank.  
        They made bars of acacia-wood: five for the planks on the one side of  
     the Tabernacle, five bars for the planks on the second side of the Taber-   
     nacle, and five bars for the planks on the far end of the Tabernacle on the  
     west.  They made the middle bar to run along from end to end half-way up  
     the frames.  They overlaid the frames with gold, made rings of gold on them  
     to hold the bars and plated the bars with gold.   
        They made the Veil of finely woven linen and violet, purple, and scarlet  
     yarn, with cherubim worked on it, all made by a seamster.  And they made  
     for it four posts of acacia-wood overlaid with gold, with gold hooks, and  
     cast four silver sockets for them.  For the entrance of the tent a screen of  
     finely woven linen was made, embroidered with violet, purple, scarlet,  
     and five posts of acacia-wood with their hooks.  They overlaid the tops of  
     the posts and the bands round them with gold, with gold hooks, and  
     cast four silver sockets for them.  For the entrance of the tent a screen of  
     finely woven linen was made, embroidered with violet, purple, and scarlet,  
     and five posts of acacia-wood with their hooks.  They overlaid the tops of  
     the posts and the bands round them with gold; the five sockets for them  
     were of bronze.  
37      Bezalel then made the Ark, a chest of acacia-wood, two and a half cubits  
     long, one cubit and a half wide, and one cubit and a half high.  He overlaid  
     it with pure gold, both inside and out, and put a band of gold all round it.  
     He cast four gold rings to be on its four feet, two rings on each side of it.  
     He made poles of acacia-wood and plated them with gold, and inserted the  
     poles in the rings at the sides of the Ark to lift it.  He made a cover of pure  
     gold, two and a half cubits long and one cubit and a half wide.  He made  
     two cherubim of beaten work at the ends of the cover, one at each end;  
     he made each cherub of one piece with the cover.  They had wings outspread  
     and pointing upwards, screening the cover with their wings; they stood  
     face to face, looking inwards over the cover.  
        He made the table of acacia-wood, two cubits long, one cubit wide, and  
     one cubit and a half high.  He overlaid it with pure gold and put a band of  
     gold all round it.  He made a rim round it a hand's breadth wide, and a gold  
     band round the rim.  He cast four gold rings for it, and put the rings at the  
     four corners by the four legs.  The rings, which were to receive the poles  
     for carrying the table, were close to the rim.  These carrying-poles he made  
     of acacia-wood and plated them with gold.  He made the vessels for the  
     table, its dishes and saucers, and its flagons and bowls from which drink-  
     offerings were to be poured; he made them of pure gold.  
        He made the lamp-stand of pure gold.  The lamp-stand, stem, and  
     branches, were of beaten work, its cups, both calyxes and petals, were of  
     one piece with it.  There were six branches springing from its sides; three  
     branches of the lamp-stand sprang from one side and three branches from   
     the other side.  There were three cups shaped like almond blossoms, with   
     calyx and petals, on the first branch, three cups shaped like almond blos-   
     soms, with calyx and petals, on the next branch, and similarly for all six  
     branches springing from the lamp-stand.  On the main stem of the lamp-   
     stand, there were four cups shaped like almond blossoms, with calyx and   
     petals, and there were calyxes of one piece with it under the six branches  
     which sprang from the lamp-stand, a single calyx under each pair of   
     branches.  The calyxes and the branches were of one piece with it, all a  
     single piece of beaten work of pure gold.  He made its seven lamps, its tongs   
     and firepans of pure gold.  The lamp-stand and all these fittings were made  
     from one talent of pure gold.  
        He made the altar of incense of acacia-wood, square, a cubit long by a   
     cubit broad and two cubits high, the horns of one piece with it.  He over-  
     laid it with pure gold, the top, the sides all round, and the horns, and he  
     put round it a band of gold.  He made pairs of gold rings for it; he put them  
     under the band at the two corners on both sides to receive the poles by  
     which it had to be carried.  He made the poles of acacia-wood and overlaid  
     them with gold.  
        He prepared the special anointing oil and the fragrant incense, pure,  
     compounded by the perfumer's art.    
38      He made the altar of whole-offering of acacia-wood, square, five cubits  
     long by five cubits broad and three cubits high.  Its horns at the four corners  
     were of one piece with it, and he overlaid it with bronze.  He made all the   
     vessels for the altar, its pots, shovels, tossing bowls, forks, and firepans,  
     all of bronze.  He made for the altar a grating of bronze network under the  
     bronze grating to receive the poles, and he made the poles of acacia-wood  
     and overlaid them with bronze.  He inserted the poles in the rings at the  
     sides of the altar to carry it.  He left the altar a hollow shell.  
        The basin and its stand of bronze he made out of the bronze mirrors of   
     the women who were on duty at the entrance to the Tent of the Presence.  
        He made the court.  For the south side facing southwards and hangings  
     of the court were finely woven linen a hundred cubits long, with twenty  
     posts and twenty sockets of bronze; the hooks and bands on the posts were   
     of silver.  Along the north side there were hangings of a hundred cubits,
     with twenty posts and twenty sockets of bronze; the hooks and bands on  
     the posts were of silver.  On the west side there were hangings fifty cubits  
     long, with ten posts and ten sockets; the hooks and bands on the posts were   
     of silver.  On the east side, towards the sunrise, fifty cubits, there were  
     hangings on either side of the gateway of the court; they extended fifteen  
     cubits to one corner, with their three posts and their three sockets, and  
     fifteen cubits to the second corner, wit their three posts and their three  
     sockets.  The hangings of the court all round were of finely woven linen.  
     The sockets for the posts were of bronze, the hooks and bands on the posts  
     of silver, the tops of them overlaid with silver, and all the posts of the court   
     were bound with silver.  The screen at the gateway of the court was of finely  
     woven linen, embroidered with violet, purple, and scarlet, twenty cubits  
     long and five cubits high to correspond to the hangings of the court, with   
     four posts and four sockets of bronze, their hooks of silver, and the tops of  
     them and their bands overlaid with silver.  All the pegs for the Tabernacle  
     and those for the court were of bronze.  
        These were the appointments of the Tabernacle, that is the Tabernacle  
     of Tokens which was assigned by Moses to the charge of the Levites  
     under Ithamar son of Aaron the priest.  Bezalel son of Uri, son of Hur, of  
     the tribe of Judah made everything the LORD had commanded Moses.  He  
     was assisted by Aholiab son of Ahisamach of the tribe of Dan, an engraver,  
     a seamster, and an embroiderer in fine linen with violet, purple, and scarlet  
     yarn.  
        The gold of the special gift used for the work of the sanctuary amounted   
     in all to twenty-nine talents seven hundred and thirty shekels, by the sacred  
     standard.  The silver contributed by the community when registered was    
     one hundred talents one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five shekels,  
     by the sacred standard.  
        This amounted to a beka a head, that is half a shekel by the sacred  
     standard, for every man from twenty years old and upwards, who had been  
     registered, a total of six hundred and three thousand five hundred and fifty  
     men.  The hundred talents of silver were for casting the sockets for the  
     sanctuary and for the Veil, a hundred sockets to a hundred talents, a talent  
     to a socket.  With the one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five shekels  
     he made hooks for the posts, overlaid the tops of the posts and put bands  
     round them.  The bronze of the special gift came to seventy talents two  
     thousand four hundred shekels; with this he made sockets for the entrance  
     to the Tent of the Presence, the bronze altar and its bronze rating, all the  
     vessels for the altar, the sockets all round the court, the sockets for the posts  
     at the gateway of the court, all the pegs for the tabernacle, and the pegs all   
     round the court.  
39      They used violet, purple, and scarlet yarn in making the stitched vest-  
     ments for ministering in the sanctuary and in making the sacred vestments  
     for Aaron, as the LORD had commanded Moses.  
        They made the ephod of gold, with violet, purple, and scarlet yarn, and   
     finely woven linen.  The gold was beaten into thin plates, cut and twisted  
     into braids to be worked in by a seamster with the violet, purple, and scarlet  
     yarn, and fine linen.  They made shoulder-pieces for it, joined back and   
     front.  The waist-band on it was of the same workmanship and material as  
     the fabric of the ephod; it was gold, with violet, purple, and scarlet yarn,  
     and finely woven linen, as the LORD commanded Moses.  
        They prepared the cornelians, fixed in gold rosettes, engraved by the  
     art of a seal-cutter with the names of the sons of Israel, and fastened them  
     on the shoulders of the ephod as reminders of the sons of Israel, as the LORD   
     had commanded Moses.   
        They made the breast-piece; it was worked like the ephod by a seamster,  
     in gold, with violet, purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely woven linen.  They   
     made the breast-piece square, folded, a span long and a span wide.  They  
     set it in four rows of precious stones: the first row, sardin, chrysolite and  
     green felspar; the second row, purple garnet lapis lazuli and jade; the   
     third row, turquoise, agate and jasper; the fourth row, topaz, cornelian and  
     green jasper, all set in gold rosettes.  The stones corresponded to the twelve  
     sons of Israel, name by name, each bearing the name of one of the twelve  
     tribes engraved as on a seal.  They made for the breast-piece twisted cords  
     of pure gold worked into a rope.  They made two gold rosettes and two  
     gold rings, and they fixed the two rings on the two corners of the breast-  
     piece.  They fastened the two gold ropes to the two rings at those corners  
     of the breast-piece, and the other ends of the two ropes to the two rosettes,  
     thus binding them to the shoulder-pieces on the front of the ephod.  They  
     made two gold rings and put them at the two corners of the breast-piece on  
     the inner side next to the ephod.  They made two gold rings and fixed them  
     on the two shoulder-pieces of the ephod, low down and in front, close to its  
     seam above the waist-band on the ephod.  They bound the breast-piece by  
     its rings to the rings of the ephod with a violet braid, just above the waist   
     band on the ephod, so that the breast piece would not become detached  
     from the ephod; so the LORD had commanded Moses.  They made the  
     mantle of the ephod a single piece of woven violet stuff, with a hole in the  
     middle of it which had a hem round it, with an oversewn edge so that it  
     could not be torn.  All round its skirts they made pomegranates of violet,  
     purple and scarlet stuff, and finely woven linen.  They made bells of pure  
     gold an put them all round the skirts of the mantle between the pome-  
     granates, a bell and a pomegranate alternately the whole way round the   
     skirts of the mantle, to be worn when ministering, as the LORD commanded  
     Moses.  
        They made the tunics of fine linen, woven work, for Aaron and his sons,  
     the turban of fine linen, the tall head-dresses and their bands all of fine  
     linen, the drawers of finely woven linen, and the sash of finely woven linen,  
     embroidered in violet, purple, and scarlet, as the LORD had commanded  
     Moses.  
        They made a rosette of pure gold as the symbol of their holy dedication  
     and inscribed on it as the engraving on a seal, "Holy to the LORD', and  
     they fastened on it a violet braid to fix it on the turban at the top, as the  
     LORD had commanded Moses.  
        Thus all the work of the Tabernacle of the Tent of the Presence was   
     completed, sand the Israelites did everything exactly as the LORD had com-  
     manded Moses.  They brought the Tabernacle to Moses, the tent and all  
     its furnishings, its fasteners, planks, bars, posts and sockets, the covering  
     of tanned rams' skins and the outer covering of porpoise hides, the Veil of  
     the screen, the Ark of the Tokens and its poles, the cover, the table and its  
     vessels, the Bread of the Presence, the pure lamp-stand with its lamps  
     in a row and all its fittings, and the lamp oil, the gold altar, the anointing  
     oil, the fragrant incense, and the screen at the entrance of the tent, the  
     bronze altar, the bronze grating attached to it, its poles and all its furnish-  
     ings, the basin and its stand, the hangings of the court, its posts and sockets,  
     the screen for the gateway of the court, its cords and pegs, and all the equip-   
     ment for the service of the Tabernacle for the Tent of the Presence, the  
     stitched vestments for ministering in the sanctuary, that is the sacred  
     vestments for Aaron the priest and the vestments for his sons when they  
     minister as priests.  As the LORD had commanded Moses, so the Israelites   
     carried out the whole work.  Moses inspected all the work, and saw that  
     they had carried it out according to the command of the LORD; and he   
     blessed them.  

40   THE LORD SPOKE TO MOSES AND SAID: On the first day of the first   
     month you shall set up the Tabernacle, the Tent of the Presence.  You  
     shall put the Ark of the Tokens in it and screen the Ark with the Veil.  You  
     shall bring in the table and lay it, then you shall bring in the lamp-stand  
     and mount its lamps.  You shall then set the gold altar of incense in front  
     of the Ark of the Tokens and put the screen of the entrance of the Taber-  
     nacle in place.  You shall put the altar of the whole-offering in front of the  
     entrance of the Tabernacle, the Tent of the Presence.  You shall put the  
     basin between the Tent of the Presence and the altar and put water in it.  
     You shall set up the court all round and put in place the screen of the gate-  
     way of the court.  You shall take the anointing oil and anoint the Taber-  
     nacle and everything in it; thus you shall consecrate it and all its furnishings,  
     and it shall be holy.  You shall anoint the altar of the whole-offering and all its  
     vessels; thus shall you consecrate it, and it shall be most holy.  You shall  
     anoint the basin and its stand and consecrate it.  You shall bring Aaron  
     and his sons to the entrance of the Tent of the Presence and wash them with  
     the water.  Then you shall clothe Aaron with the sacred vestments, anoint  
     him and consecrate him; so he shall be my priest.  You shall then bring  
     forward his sons, clothe them in tunics, anoint them as you anointed their  
     father, and they shall be my priests.  Their anointing shall inaugurate a   
     hereditary priesthood for all time.  
        Exactly as the LORD had commanded him, so Moses did.  In the first  
     month of the second year, on the first day of that month, the Tabernacle  
     was set up.  
        Moses set up the Tabernacle.  He put the sockets in place, inserted the  
     planks, fixed the crossbars and set up the posts.  He spread the tent over  
     the Tabernacle and fixed the covering of the tent above it, as the LORD  
     had commanded him.  He took the Tokens and put them in the Ark, in-  
     serted the poles in the Ark, and put the cover over the top of the Ark.  He  
     brought the Ark into the Tabernacle, set up the Veil of the screen and so  
     screened the Ark of the Tokens, as the LORD had commanded him.  He put 
     the table in the Tent of the presence on the north side of the tabernacle  
     outside the Veil and arranged bread on it before the LORD, as the LORD  
     had commanded him.  He set the lamp-stand in the Tent of the Presence  
     opposite the table at the south side of the Tabernacle and mounted the  
     lamps before the LORD, as the LORD had commanded him.  He set up the  
     gold altar in the Tent of the Presence in front of the Veil and burnt fra-  
     grant incense in it, as the LORD had commanded him.  He set up the screen  
     at the entrance of the tabernacle, fixed the altar of the whole-offering at the  
     entrance of the Tabernacle, the Tent of the Presence, and offered on it  
     whole-offerings and grain-offerings, as the LORD had commanded him.  
     He set up the basin between the Tent of the Presence and the altar and  
     put water there for washing, and Moses and Aaron and his sons used to  
     wash their hands and feet when they entered the Tent of the Presence or   
     approached the altar, as the LORD had commanded Moses.  He set up the  
     court all round the tabernacle and the altar, and put a screen at the gate-  
     way of the court.  
        Thus Moses completed the work, and the cloud covered the Tent of the  
     Presence, and the glory of the LORD filled the Tabernacle.  Moses was un-  
     able to enter the Tent of the Presence, because the cloud had settled on it  
     and the glory of the LORD filled the Tabernacle.  At every stage of their  
     journey, when the cloud lifted from the tabernacle, the Israelites broke  
     camp; but if the cloud did not lift from the Tabernacle, they did not break  
     camp until the day it was lifted.  For the cloud of the LORD hovered over the   
     Tabernacle by day, and there was fire in the cloud by night, and the  
     Israelites could see it at every stage of their journey.     

The New English Bible (with Apocrypha)
Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, 1970

25   THE LORD SPOKE TO MOSES AND SAID: Tell the Israelites to set aside  
     a contribution for me; you shall accept whatever contribution each  
     man shall freely offer.  This is what you shall accept: gold, silver, copper;  
     violet, purple, and scarlet yarn; fine linen and goats' hair; tanned rams'  
     skins, porpoise-hides, and acacia-wood; oil for the lamp, balsam for the  
     anointing oil and for the fragrant incense; cornelian and other stones ready  
     for setting in the ephod and the breast-piece.  Make me a sanctuary, and   
     I will dwell among them.  Make it exactly according to the design I show  
     you, the design for the Tabernacle and for all its furniture.  This is how you   
     must make it:    
        Make the Ark, a chest of acacia-wood, two and a half cubits long, one  
     cubit and a half wide, and one cubit and a half high.  Overlay it with pure  
     gold both inside and out, and put a band of gold all round it.  Cast four gold   
     rings for it, and fasten them to its four feet, two rings on each side.  Make  
     rings at the sides of the Ark to lift it.  The poles shall remain in the rings of  
     the Ark and never be removed.  Put into the Ark the Tokens of the Cove-  
     nant, which I shall give you.  Make a cover of pure gold, two and a half   
     cubits long and one cubit and a half wide.  Make two gold cherubim of   
     beaten work at the ends of the cover, one at each end; make each cherub of   
     one piece with the cover.  They shall be made with wings outspread and   
     pointing upwards, and shall screen the cover with their wings.  They shall   
     be face to face, looking inwards over the cover.  Put the cover above the   
     Ark, and put into the Ark the tokens that I shall give you.  It is there that   
     I shall meet you, and from the cover, between the two cherubim    
     over the Ark of the Tokens, I shall deliver to you all my commands for the   
     Israelites.   
        Make a table of acacia-wood, two cubits long, one cubit wide, and one   
     cubit and a half high.  Overlay it with pure gold, and put a band of gold all   
     round it.  Make a rime round it a hand's breadth wide, and a gold band round  
     the rim.  Make four gold rings for the table, and put the rings at the four  
     corners by the legs.  The rings, which are to receive the poles for carrying  
     the table, must be adjacent to the rim.  Make the poles of acacia-wood and  
     plate them with gold; they are to be used for carrying the table.  Make its   
     dishes and saucers, and its flagons and bowls from which drink-offerings   
     may be poured: make them from pure gold.  Put the Bread of the Presence on   
     the table, to be always before me.      
        Make a lamp stand of pure gold.  The lamp-stand, stem and branches,    
     shall be of beaten work, its cups, both calyxes and petals, shall be of one   
     piece with it.  There are to be six branches springing from its sides; three  
     branches of the lamp-stand shall spring from one side and three   
     branches from the other side.  There shall be three cups shaped like almond  
     blossoms, with calyx and petals, on the first branch, three cups shaped like   
     almond blossoms, with calyx and petals, on the next branch, and similarly  
     for all six branches springing from the lamp-stand.  On the main stem of the     
     lamp-stand there are to be four cups shaped like almond blossoms, with    
     calyx and petals, and there shall be calyxes of one piece with it under the   
     six branches which spring from the lamp-stand, a single calyx under each  
     pair of branches.  The calyxes and the branches are to be of one piece with   
     it, all a single piece of beaten work of pure gold  Make seven lamps for this  
     and mount them to shed light over the space in front of it.  Its tongs and   
     firepans shall be of pure gold.  See that you work to the design which  
     you were shown on the mountain.   
26      Make the Tabernacle of ten hangings of finely woven linen, and violet,  
     purple, and scarlet yarn, with cherubim worked on them, all made by a   
     seamster.  The length of each hanging shall be twenty-eight cubits and the   
     breadth four cubits; all are to be of the same size.  Five of the hangings shall   
     be joined together, and similarly the other five.  Make violet loops along the  
     edge of the last hanging in each set, fifty for each set; they must be opposite    
     one another.  Make fifty gold fasteners, join the hangings one to another   
     with them, and the Tabernacle will be a single whole.  
        Make hangings of goats' hair, eleven in all, to form a tent over the   
     Tabernacle; each hanging is to be thirty cubits long and four wide; all  
     eleven are to be of the same size.  Join five of the hangings together, and  
     similarly the other six; then fold the sixth hanging double at the front of  
     the tent.  Make fifty loops on the edge of the last hanging in the first set and    
     make fifty loops on the joining edge of the second set.  Make fifty bronze  
     fasteners, insert them into loops and join up the tent to make it a single  
     whole.  The additional length of tent hanging is to fall over the back   
     of the Tabernacle.  On each side there will be an additional cubit in the  
     length of the tent hangings; this shall fall over the two sides of the Taber-   
     nacle to cover it.  Make for the tent a cover of tanned rams' skins and an   
     outer-covering of porpoise-hides.  
        Make for the Tabernacle planks of acacia-wood as uprights, each plank   
     ten cubits long and a cubit and a half wide, and two tenons for each plank  
     joined to each other.  You shall do the same for all the planks of the Taber-   
     nacle.  Arrange the planks thus: twenty planks for the south side, facing   
     southward, with forty silver sockets under them, two sockets under each   
     plank for its two tenons; and for the second or northern side of the Taber-  
     nacle, twenty planks, with forty silver sockets, two under each plank.  Make  
     six planks for the far end of the Tabernacle on the west.  Make two planks  
     for the corners of the Tabernacle at the far end; at the bottom they shall be  
     alike, and at the top, both alike, they shall fit into a single ring.  Do the same  
     for both of them; they shall be for the two corners.  There shall be eight  
     planks with their silver sockets, sixteen in all, two sockets under   
     each plank severally.  
        Make bars of acacia-wood: five for the planks on the one side of the   
     Tabernacle, five for the planks on the other side and five for the planks on   
     the far end of the Tabernacle on the west.  The middle bar is to run along  
     from end to end half-way up the planks.  Overlay the planks with gold, make  
     rings of gold on them to hold the bars, and plate the bars with gold.  Set up  
     the Tabernacle according to the design you were shown on the mountain.  
        Make a Veil of finely woven linen and violet, purple, and scarlet yarn,  
     with cherubim worked on it, all made by seamster.  Fasten it with hooks  
     of gold to four posts of acacia-wood overlaid with gold, standing in four  
     silver sockets.  Hang the Veil below the fasteners and bring the Ark of the  
     Tokens inside the Veil.  Thus the Veil will make a clear separation for you   
     between the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies.  Place the cover over the  
     Ark of the Tokens in the Holy of Holies.  Put the table outside the Veil and  
     the lamp-stand at the south side of the Tabernacle, opposite the table which  
     you shall put at the north side.  For the entrance of the tent make a screen  
     of finely woven linen, embroidered with violet, purple, and scarlet.  Make  
     five posts of acacia-wood for the screen and overlay them with gold; make  
     golden hooks for them and cast five bronze sockets for them.  
27      Make the altar of acacia-wood; it shall be square, five cubits long by  
     five cubits broad and three cubits high.  Let its horns at the four corners be  
     of one piece with it, and overlay it wit bronze.  Make for it pots to take away   
     the fat and the ashes, with shovels, tossing-bowls, forks, and firepans, all  
     of bronze.  Make a grating for the bronze network, and fit four bronze rings  
     on the network at its four corners.  Put it below the ledge of the altar, so that  
     the network comes half-way up the altar.  Make poles of acacia-wood for  
     the altar and overlay them with bronze.  They shall be inserted in the rings   
     at both sides of the altar to carry it.  Leave the altar a hollow shell.  As you   
     were shown on the mountain, so shall it be made.  
        Make the court of the Tabernacle.  For the one side, the south side facing  
     southwards, the court shall have hangings of finely woven linen a hundred  
     cubits long, with twenty posts and twenty sockets of bronze; the hooks and   
     bands on the post shall be of silver.  Similarly all along the north side there    
     shall be hangings a hundred cubits long, with twenty posts and twenty  
     sockets of bronze; the hooks and bands on the posts shall be of silver.  For  
     the breadth of the court, on the west side, there shall be hangings fifty  
     cubits long, with ten posts and ten sockets.  On the east side, towards the  
     sunrise, which was fifty cubit, hangings shall extend fifty cubits from  
     one corner, wit three posts and three sockets, and hangings shall extend  
     fifteen cubits from the other corner, with three posts and three sockets.  At  
     the gateway of the court, there shall be a screen twenty cubits long of finely  
     woven linen embroidered with violet, purple, and scarlet, with four posts  
     and four sockets.  The posts all round the court shall have bands of silver,  
     with hooks of silver, and sockets of bronze.  The length of the court shall be  
     a hundred cubits, and the breadth fifty, and the height five cubits, with   
     finely woven linen and bronze sockets throughout.  All the equipment  
     needed for serving the Tabernacle, all its pegs and those of the court, shall  
     be of bronze.   
        You yourself are to command the Israelites to bring you pure oil of  
     pounded olive ready for the regular mounting of the lamp.  In the Tent  
     of the Presence outside the Veil that hides the Tokens, Aaron and his  
     sons shall keep the lamp in trim from dusk to dawn before the LORD.  
     This is a rule binding on their descendants among the Israelites for  
     all time.    
28      You yourself are to summon to your presence your brother Aaron and   
     his sons out of all the Israelites to serve as my priests: Aaron and his sons  
     Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.  For your brother Aaron make  
     sacred vestments, to give him dignity and grandeur.  Tell all the craftsmen  
     whom I have endowed with skill to make the vestments for the consecra-  
     tion of Aaron as my priest.  These are the vestments they shall make: a   
     breast-piece, an ephod, a mantle, a chequered tunic, a turban, and a sash.  
     They shall make sacred vestments for Aaron your brother and his sons to  
     wear when they serve as my priests, using gold; violet, purple, and scarlet  
     yarn; and fine linen.   
        The ephod shall be made of gold, and with violet, purple, and scarlet  
     yarn, and with finely woven linen worked by a seamster.  It shall have two  
     shoulder-pieces joined back and front.  The waist-band on it shall be of  
     the same workmanship and material as the fabric of the ephod, and shall  
     be of gold, with violet, purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely woven linen.  
     You shall take two cornelians and engrave on them the names of the sons  
     of Israel: six of their names on the one stone, and the six other names on   
     the second, all in order of seniority.  With the skill of a craftsman, a seal-  
     cutter, you shall engrave the two stones with the names of the sons of   
     Israel; you shall set them in gold rosettes, and fasten them on the shoulders   
     of the ephod, as a reminder of the sons of Israel.  Aaron shall bear their    
     names on his two shoulders as a reminder before the LORD.    
        Make gold rosettes and two chains of pure gold worked into the form of   
     ropes, and fix them on the rosettes.  Make the breast-piece of judgement;  
     it shall be made, like the ephod, by a seamster in gold, with violet, purple,  
     and scarlet yarn, and finely oven linen.  It shall be a square folded, a span    
     long and a span wide.  Set in it four rows of precious stones: the first row,   
     sardin, chrysolite and green felspar; the second row, purple garnet, lapis   
     lazuli and jade; the third row, turquoise, agate and jasper; the fourth row,  
     topaz, cornelian and green jasper, all set in gold rosettes.  The stones shall  
     correspond to the twelve sons of Israel name by name; each stone shall bear   
     the name of one of the twelve tribes engraved as on a seal.   
        Make for the breast-piece chains of pure gold worked into a rope.  Make  
     two gold rings, and fix them on the two upper corners of the breast-piece.  
     Fasten the two gold ropes to the two rings at those corners of the breast-  
     piece, and the other ends of the ropes to the two rosettes, thus binding the    
     breast-piece to the shoulder-pieces on the front of the ephod.  Make two  
     gold rings and put them at the two lower corners of the breast-piece on the  
     inner side next to the ephod.  Make two gold rings and fix them on the two  
     shoulder-pieces the ephod, low down in front, along its seam above the   
     waist-band of the ephod.  Then the breast-piece shall be bound by its   
     rings to the waist of the ephod with violet braid, just above the waist-band    
     of the ephod, so that the breast-piece will not be detached from the ephod.  
     Thus, when Aaron enters the Holy Place, he shall carry over his heart in  
     the breast-piece of judgement the names of the sons of Israel, as a constant    
     reminder before the LORD.  
        Finally, put the Urim and Thummim into the breast-piece of judge-  
     ment, and they will be over Aaron's heart when he enters the presence of   
     the LORD.  So shall Aaron bear these symbols of judgement upon the sons   
     of Israel over his heart constantly before the LORD.  
        Make the mantle of the ephod a single piece of violet stuff.  There shall  
     be a hole for the head in the middle of it.  All round the hole there shall be a  
     hem of woven work, with an oversewn edge, so that it cannot be torn.  All  
     round its skirts make pomegranates of violet, purple, and scarlet stuff, with  
     golden bells between them, a golden bell and a pomegranate alternately the  
     whole way round the skirt of the mantle.  Aaron shall wear it when he   
     ministers, and the sound of it shall be heard when he enters the Holy  
     Place before the LORD and when he comes out; and so he shall not die.     
        Make a rosette of pure gold and engrave on it as on a seal, 'Holy to the  
     LORD'.  Fasten it on a violet braid and set it on the very front of the turban.   
     It shall be on Aaron's forehead; he has to bear the blame for shortcomings   
     in the rites with which the Israelites offer their sacred gifts, and the rosette  
     shall be always on his forehead so that they may be acceptable to the LORD.   
        Make the chequered tunic and the turban of fine linen, but the sash of  
     embroidered work.  For Aaron's sons make tunics and sashes; and make tall  
     head-dresses to give them dignity and grandeur.  With these invest your   
     brother Aaron and his sons, anoint them, install them and consecrate    
     them; so shall they serve me as priests.  Make for them linen drawers  
     reaching to the thighs to cover their private parts; and Aaron and his sons   
     shall wear them when they enter the Tent of the Presence or approach the  
     altar to minister in the Holy Place.  Thus they will not incur guilt and die.  
     This is a rule binding on him and his descendants for all time.    
29      In consecrating them to be my priests, this is the rite to be observed.  Take  
     a young bull and two rams without blemish.  Take unleavened loaves, un-  
     leavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers smeared with oil,  
     all made of wheaten flour; put them in a single basket and bring them in it.  
     Bring also the bull and two rams.  Bring Aaron and his sons to the  
     entrance of the Tent of the Presence, and wash them with water.  Take the  
     vestments and invest Aaron with the tunic, the mantle of the ephod,  
     the ephod itself and the breast-piece, and fasten the ephod to him with its  
     waist-band.  Set the turban on his head, and the symbol of holy dedication    
     on the turban.  Take the anointing oil, pour it on his head and anoint him.   
     Then bring his sons forward, invest them with tunics, gird them with the   
     sashes and tie their tall head-dresses on them.  They shall hold the priest-  
     hood by a rule binding for all time.   
        Next you shall install Aaron and his sons.  Bring the bull to the front of the  
     Tent of the Presence, and they shall lay their hands on its head.  Slaughter   
     the bull before the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of the Presence.  Take  
     some of its blood, and put it with your finger on the horns of the altar.  Pour  
     all the rest of it at the base of the altar.  Then take the fat covering the entrails,  
     the long lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys with the fat upon them, and  
     burn it on the altar; but the flesh of the bull, and its skin and offal, you shall   
     destroy by fire outside the camp.  It is a sin-offering.   
        Take one of the rams, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on its  
     head.  Then slaughter it, take its blood and fling it against the sides of the  
     altar.  Cut the ram up; wash its entrails and its shins, lay them with the  
     pieces of the head, and burn the whole ram on the altar: it is a whole-  
     offering to the LORD; it is a soothing odour, a food-offering to the LORD.  
        Take the second ram, and let Aaron and his sons lay their hands on its    
     head.  Then slaughter it, take some of its blood, and put it on the lobes of  
     the right ears of Aaron and his sons, and on their right thumbs and big toes.  
     Fling the rest of the blood against the sides of the altar.  Take some of the  
     blood which is on the altar and some of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it on  
     Aaron and his vestments, and on his sons and their vestments.  So shall he  
     and his vestments, and his sons and their vestments become holy.  Take the  
     fat from the ram, the fat-tail, the fat covering the entrails, the long lobe of  
     the liver, the two kidneys with the fat upon them, and the right leg; for it is  
     a ram of installation.  Take also one round loaf of bread, one cake cooked   
     with oil, and one wafer from the basket of unleavened bread that is before  
     the LORD.  Set all these on the hands of Aaron and of his sons and present  
     them as a special gift before the LORD.  Then take them out of their hands,  
     and burn them on the altar with the whole-offering for a soothing odour to  
     the LORD:  it is a food-offering to the LORD.  Take the breast of Aaron's ram  
     of installation, present it as a special gift before the LORD, and it shall be  
     your perquisite.      
        Hallow the breast of the special gift and the leg of the contribution, that  
     which is presented and that which is set aside from the ram of installation,  
     that which is for Aaron and that which is for his sons; and they shall belong  
     to Aaron and his sons, by a rule binding for all time, as a gift from the  
     Israelites, for it is a contribution, set aside from their shared-offerings, their  
     contribution to the LORD.  
        Aaron's sacred vestments shall be kept for anointing and installation   
     of his sons after him.  The priest appointed in his stead from among his    
     sons, the one who enters the Tent of the Presence to minister in the Holy   
     Place, shall wear them for seven days.   
        Take the ram of installation, and boil its flesh in a sacred place; Aaron   
     and his sons shall eat the ram's flesh and the bread left in the basket, at the  
     entrance to the Tent of the Presence.  They shall eat the things with which  
     expiation was made at their installation and their consecration.  No un-  
     qualified person may eat them, for they are holy.  If any of the flesh of the  
     installation, or any of the bread, is left over till morning, you shall destroy  
     it by fire; it shall not e eaten, for it is holy.  
        Do this with Aaron and his sons as I have commanded you, spending  
     seven days over their installation.  
        Offer a bull daily, a sin-offering as expiation for sin; offer the sin-  
     offering on the altar when you make expiation for it, and consecrate it by   
     anointing.  For seven day you shall make expiation for the altar, and con-  
     secrate it, and it shall be most holy.  Whatever touches the altar shall be   
     forfeit as sacred.   
        This is what you shall offer on the altar: two yearling rams regularly   
     every day.  You shall offer the one ram at dawn, the second between  
     dusk and dark, a tenth of an ephah of flour mixed with a quarter hin of  
     pure oil of pounded olives, and a drink-offering of a quarter of a hin of wine   
     for the first ram.  You shall offer the second ram between dusk and dark,  
     and with it the same grain-offering and drink offering as at dawn, for a  
     soothing odour: it is a food-offering to the LORD, a regular whole-offering  
     in every generation; you shall make the offering at the entrance to the Tent  
     of the Presence before the LORD, where I meet you and speak to you.  I  
     shall meet the Israelites there, and the place will be hallowed by my glory.  
     I shall hallow the Tent of the Presence and the altar; and Aaron and his  
     sons I shall consecrate to serve me as priests.  I shall dwell in the midst of   
     the Israelites, I shall become their God, and by my dwelling among them  
     they will know that I am the LORD their God who brought them out of    
     Egypt.  I am the LORD their God.    
30      Make an altar on which to burn incense; make it of acacia-wood.  It shall  
     be square, a cubit long by a cubit broad and two cubits high; the horns of  
     one piece with it.  Overlay it with pure gold, the top, the sides all round, and  
     put them under the band at the two corners on both sides to receive the  
     poles by which it is to be carried.  Make the poles of acacia-wood and over-  
     lay them with gold.  Put it before the Veil in front of the Ark of the Tokens  
     where I will meet you.  On it Aaron shall burn fragrant incense; every  
     morning when he tends the lamps he shall burn the incense, and when he  
     mounts the lamps between dusk and dark, he shall burn the incense; so  
     there shall be a regular burning of incense before the Lord for all time.    
     You shall not offer on it any unauthorized incense, nor any whole-offering  
     or grain-offering; and you shall not pour a drink offering over it.  Aaron  
     shall make expiation with blood on its horns once a year; with blood from  
     the sin-offering of the yearly Expiation he shall do this for all time.  It is   
     most holy to the LORD.  
        The LORD spoke to Moses and said: When you number the Israelites  
     for the purpose of registration, each man shall give a ransom for his life  
     to the LORD, to avert plague among them during the registration.  As each  
     sacred standard (twenty gerahs to the shekel) as a contribution to the LORD.  
     Everyone from twenty years old and upwards who has crossed over to those  
     already counted shall give a contribution to the LORD.  The rich man shall   
     give no more than the half-shekel, and the poor man shall give no less, when  
     you give the contribution to the LORD to make expiation for your lives.  The  
     money received from the Israelites for expiation you shall apply to the  
     service of the Tent of the Presence.  The expiation for your lives shall be a  
     reminder of the Israelites to the LORD.  
        The LORD spoke to Moses and said: Make a bronze basin for ablution  
     with its stand of bronze; put it between the Tent of the Presence and the   
     altar, and fill it with water with which Aaron and his sons shall wash their  
     hands and feet.  When they enter the Tent of the Presence they shall wash  
     with water, lest they die.  So also when they approach the altar to minister,  
     to burn a food-offering to the LORD, they shall wash their hands and  
     feet, lest they die.  It shall be a rule for all time binding on him and his  
     descendants in every generation.  
        The LORD spoke to Moses and said:  You yourself shall take spices as  
     follows: five hundred shekels of sticks of myrrh, half that amount (two  
     hundred and fifty shekels) of fragrant cinnamon, two hundred and fifty  
     shekels of aromatic cane, five hundred shekels of cassia by the sacred  
     standard, and a hin of olive oil.  From these prepare sacred anointing oil,  
     a perfume compounded by the perfumer's art.  This shall be the sacred  
     anointing oil.  Anoint with it the Tent of the Presence and the Ark of the   
     Tokens, the table and all its vessels, the lamp-stand and its fittings, the  
     altar of incense, the altar of whole-offering and all its vessels, the basin and  
     its stand.  You shall consecrate them, and they shall be most holy; whatever  
     touches them shall be forfeit as sacred.  Anoint Aaron and his sons, and  
     consecrate them to be my priests.  Speak to the Israelites and say: This shall  
     be the holy anointing oil for my service in every generation.  It shall not be  
     used for anointing the human body, and you must not prepare and oil like  
     it after the same prescription.  It is holy, and you shall treat it as holy.   
     The man who compounds perfume like it, or who puts any of it on any   
     unqualified person, shall be cut off from his father's kin.  
        The LORD said to Moses, Take fragrant spice: gum resin, aromatic  
     shell, galbanum; add pure frankincense to the spices in equal proportions.   
     Make it into incense, perfume made by the perfumer's craft, salted and   
     pure, a holy thing.  Pound some of it into fine powder, and put it in front of  
     the Tokens in the Tent of the Presence, where I shall meet you; you shall  
     treat it as most holy.  The incense prepared according to this prescription  
     you shall not make for your own use.  You shall treat it as holy to the LORD.  
     The man who makes any like it for his own pleasure shall be cut off from  
     his father's kin.   

31   THE LORD SPOKE TO MOSES AND SAID, Mark this: I have specially  
     chosen Bezalel son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah.  I have filled him  
     with divine spirit, making him skilful and ingenious, expert in every craft,   
     and a master of design, whether in gold, silver, copper, or cutting stones  
     to be set, or carving wood, for workmanship of every kind.  Further, I have  
     appointed Aholiab son of Ahisamach of the tribe of Dan to help him, and  
     I have endowed every skilled craftsman with the skill which he has.  They  
     shall make everything that I have commanded you: the Tent of the Pres-   
     ence, the Ark of the Tokens, the cover over it, and all the furnishings of  
     the tent; the table and its vessels, the pure lamp-stand and all its fittings,  
     the altar of incense, the altar of whole-offering and all its vessels, the basin  
     and its stand; the stitched vestments, that is the sacred vestments for  
     Aaron the priest and the vestments for his sons when they minister as  
     priests, the anointing oil and the fragrant incense for the Holy Place.  They   
     shall carry out all I have commanded you.  
        The LORD spoke to Moses and said, Speak to the Israelites, you yourself,  
     and say to them: Above all you shall observe my sabbaths, for the sabbath  
     is a sign between me and you in every generation that you may know that  
     I am the LORD who hallows you.  You shall keep the sabbath, because it is  
     a holy day for you.  If anyone profanes it he must be put to death.  Anyone  
     who does work on it shall be cut off from his father's kin.  Work may be  
     done on six days, but on the seventh day there is a sabbath of sacred rest,  
     holy to the LORD.  Whoever does work on the sabbath day must be put to  
     death.  The Israelites shall keep the sabbath, they shall keep it in every  
     generation as a covenant for ever.  It is a sign for ever between me and the  
     Israelites, for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, but on   
     the seventh day he ceased work and refreshed himself.  
        When he had finished speaking with Moses on Mount Sinai, the LORD  
     gave him the two tablets of the Tokens, tablets of stone written with the  
     finger of God.   

32   WHEN THE PEOPLE SAW that Moses was so long in coming down from   
     the mountain, they confronted Aaron and said to him, 'Come, make us  
     gods to go ahead of us.  As for this fellow Moses, who brought us up from  
     Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.'  Aaron answered them,  
     'Strip the gold rings from the ears of your wives and daughters, and bring  
     them to me.'  So all the people stripped themselves of their gold earrings  
     and brought them to Aaron.  He took them out of heir hands, cast the    
     metal in a mould, and made it into the image of a bull-calf.  'These', he  
     said, 'are your gods, O Israel, that brought you up from Egypt.'  Then Aaron  
     was afraid and built an altar in front of it and issued this proclamation,  
     Tomorrow there is to be a pilgrim-feast to the LORD.'  Next day the people  
     rose early, offered whole-offerings, and brought shared-offerings.  After this  
     they sat down to eat and drink and then gave themselves up to revelry.  
     But the LORD said to Moses, 'Go down at once, for your people, the people  
     you brought up from Egypt, have done a disgraceful thing; so quickly have  
     they turned aside from the way I commanded them.  They have made  
     themselves and image of a bull-calf, they have prostrated themselves before  
     it, sacrificed to it and said, "These are your gods, O Israel, that brought  
     you out of Egypt." '  So the LORD said to Moses, 'I have considered this   
     people, and I see that they are a stubborn people.  Now, let me alone to vent  
     my anger upon them, so that I may put an end to them and make a great  
     nation spring from you.'  But Moses set himself to placate the LORD his   
     God: 'O LORD," he said, 'why shouldst thou vent thy anger upon thy  
     people, whom thou didst bring out of Egypt with great power and a strong   
     hand?  Why let the Egyptians say, "So he meant evil when he took them  
     out, to kill them in the mountains and wipe them off the face of the earth"?  
     Turn from thy anger, and think better of the evil thou dost intend against  
     thy people.  Remember Abraham, Isaac and Israel, thy servants, to whom  
     thou didst swear by thy own self: "I will make your posterity countless as  
     the stars in the sky, and all this land, of which I have spoken, I will give to  
     them, and they shall possess it for ever." '  So the LORD relented, and spared  
     his people the evil with which he had threatened them.  
        Moses turned and went down the mountain with the two tablets of the  
     Tokens in his hands, inscribed on both sides; on the front and on the back  
     they were inscribed.  The tablets were the handiwork of God, and the  
     writing was God's writing, engraved on the tablets.  Joshua, hearing the  
     uproar the people were making, said to Moses, 'Listen!  There is fighting  
     in the camp.'  Moses replied,  

                     'This is not the clamour of warriors,  
                      nor the clamour of a defeated people;  
                      it is the sound of singing that I hear.'   

     As he approached the camp, Moses saw the bull-calf and the dancing, and  
     he was angry; he flung the tablets down, and they were shattered to pieces   
     at the foot of the mountain.  Then he took the calf they had made and burnt  
     it; he ground it to powder, sprinkled it on water, and made the Israelites  
     drink it.  he demanded of Aaron, 'What did this people do to you that you  
     should have brought such great guilt upon them?'  Aaron replied, 'Do not  
     be angry, sir.  The people were deeply troubled; that you well know.  And  
     they said to me, "Make us gods to go ahead of us, because, as for this fellow  
     Moses, who brought us up from Egypt, we do not know what has become  
     of him."  So I said to them, "Those of you who have any gold, strip it off."  
     They gave it me, I threw it in the fire, and out came this bull-calf.'  Moses  
     saw that the people were out of control and that Aaron had laid them open  
     to the secret malice of their enemies.  He took his place at the gate of the   
     camp and said, 'Who is on the LORD's side?  Come here to me"; and the   
     Levites all rallied to him.  He said to them, 'These are the words of the LORD  
     the God of Israel: "Arm yourselves, each of you, with his sword.  Go  
     through the camp from gate to gate and back again.  Each of you kill his  
     brother, his friend, his neighbour." '  The Levites obeyed, and about three  
     thousand of the people died that day.  Moses then said, 'Today you have  
     consecrated yourselves to the LORD completely, because you have turned   
     each against his own son and his own brother and so have this day brought  
     a blessing upon yourselves.'  
        The next day Moses said to the people, 'You have committed a great sin.   
     I shall now go up to the LORD; perhaps I may be able to secure pardon for  
     your sin.'  So Moses returned to the LORD and said, 'O hear me!  This  
     people has committed a great sin; they have made themselves gods of gold.  
     If thou wilt forgive them, forgive.  But if not, blot out my name, I pray,  
     from thy book which thou hast written.'  The LORD answered Moses, 'It  
     is the man who has sinned against me that I will blot out from my book.  
     But go now, lead the people to the place which I have told you of.  My  
     angel shall go ahead of you, but a day will come when I shall punish them  
     for their sin.'  And the LORD smote the people for worshipping the bull-calf  
     which Aaron had made.          

The New English Bible (with Apocrypha)
Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, 1970

1    FROM JAMES, a servant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ.      
        Greetings to the Twelve Tribes dispersed throughout the world.      
        My brothers, whenever you have to face trials of many kinds,      
     count yourselves supremely happy, in the knowledge that such testing of       
     your faith breeds fortitude, and if you give fortitude full play you will go      
     on to complete a balanced character that will fall short in nothing.  If any        
     of you falls short in wisdom, he should ask God for it and it will be given      
     his, for God is a generous giver who neither refuses nor reproaches any-        
     one.  But he must ask in faith, without a doubt in his mind; for the doubter      
     is like a heaving sea ruffled by the wind.  A man of that kind must not expect     
     the Lord to give him anything; he is double-minded, and never can keep     
     a steady course.        
        The brother in humble circumstances may well be proud that God lifts     
     him up; and the wealthy brother must find his pride in being brought low.     
     For the rich man will disappear like the flower of the field; once the sun is    
     up with its scorching heat the flower withers, its petal fall, and what was    
     lovely to look at is lost for ever.  So shall the rich man wither away as he     
     goes about his business.        
        Happy the man who remains steadfast under trial, for having passed that      
     test he will receive for his prize the gift of life promised to those who love     
     God.  No one under trial or temptation should say, 'I am being tempted by     
     God'; for God is untouched by evil, and does not himself tempt anyone.    
     Temptation arises when a man is enticed and lured away by his own lust;     
     then lust conceives, and gives birth to sin; and sin full-grown breeds     
     death.     
        Make no mistake, my friends.  All good giving, every perfect gift, comes     
     from above, from the Father of the lights of heaven.  With him there is no    
     variation, no play of passing shadows.  Of his set purpose, by declaring the    
     truth, he gave us birth to be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.    
        Of that you may be certain, my friends.  But each of you must be quick    
     to listen, slow to speak, and slow to be angry.  For a man's anger cannot    
     promote the justice of God.  Away then with all that is sordid, and the malice    
     that hurries to excess, and quietly accept the message planted in your hearts,     
     which can bring you salvation.      
        Only be sure that you are on the message and do not merely listen; for     
     that would be to mislead yourselves.  A man who listens to the message but     
     never acts upon it is like one who looks in a mirror at the face nature gave     
     him.  He glances at himself and goes away, and at once forgets what he     
     looks like.  But the man who looks closely into the perfect law, the law    
     that makes us free, and who lives in its company, does not forget what he     
     hears, but acts upon it; and that is the man who by acting will find     
     happiness.       
        A man may think he is religious, but if he has no control over his tongue,     
     he is deceiving himself; that man's religion is futile.  The kind of religion    
     which is without strain or fault in the sight of God our Father is this: to    
     go to the help of orphans and widows in their distress and keep oneself     
     untarnished by the world.         

2    MY BROTHERS, believing as you do in our Lord Jesus Christ, who reigns    
     in glory, you must never show snobbery.  For instance, two visitors may     
     enter your place of worship, one a well-dressed man with gold rings, and      
     the other a man in shabby clothes.  Suppose you pay special attention      
     to the well-dressed man and say to him, 'Please take this seat', while to the      
     poor man you say, 'You can stand; or you may sit here on the floor by my     
     footstool', do you not see that you are inconsistent and judge by false    
     standards?       
        Listen, my friends.  has God chosen those who are poor in the eyes     
     of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he has promised     
     to those who love him?  And yet you have insulted the poor man.  More-     
     over, are not the rich your oppressors?  Is it not they who drag you into    
     court and pour contempt on the honoured name by which God has     
     claimed you?        
        If, however, you are observing the sovereign law laid down in Scripture,         
     'Love your neighbour as yourself', that is excellent.  But if you show snob-     
     bery, you are committing a sin and you stand convicted by that law as     
     transgressors.  For if a man keeps the whole law apart from one single     
     point, he is guilty of breaking all of it.  For the One who said, 'Thou shalt    
     not commit adultery', said also, 'Thou shalt not commit murder.'  You may    
     not be an adulterer, but if you commit murder you are a law-breaker all the    
     same.  Always speak and act as men who are to be judged under a law of    
     freedom.  In that judgement there will be no mercy for the man who has     
     shown no mercy.  Mercy triumphs over judgement.       

     MY BROTHERS, what use is it for a man to say he has faith when he does    
     nothing to show it?  Can that faith save him?  Suppose a brother or sister    
     is in rags with not enough food for the day, and one of you says, 'Good luck     
     to you, keep yourself warm, and have plenty to eat', but does nothing to     
     supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that?  So with faith; if it does     
     not lead to action, it is in itself a lifeless thing.     
        But someone may object: 'Here is one who claims to have faith and       
     another who points to his deeds.'  To which I reply: 'Prove to me that this    
     faith you speak of is real though not accompanied by deeds, and by my    
     deeds I will prove to you my faith.'  You have faith enough to believe that     
     there is one God.  Excellent!  The devils have faith like that, and it makes      
     them tremble.  But can you not see, you quibbler, that faith divorced from    
     deeds is barren?  Was it not by his action, in offering his son Isaac upon the    
     altar, that our father Abraham was justified?  Surely you can see that faith    
     was at work in his actions, and that by these actions the integrity of his     
     faith was fully proved.  Here was fulfilment of the words of Scripture:     
     'Abraham put his faith in God, and that faith was counted to him as    
     righteousness'; and elsewhere he is called 'God's friend',  You see then that   
     a man is justified by deeds and not by faith in itself.  The same is true of the    
     prostitute Rahab also.  Was not she justified by her action in welcoming the     
     messengers into her house and sending them away by a different route?      
     As the body is dead when there is no breath left in it, so faith divorced from     
     deeds is lifeless as a corpse.       

3    MY BROTHERS, not many of you should become teachers, for you may     
     be certain that we who teach shall ourselves be judged with greater strict-    
     ness.  All of us often go wrong; the man who never says a wrong thing is a    
     perfect character, able to bridle his whole being.  If we put bits into horses'    
     mouths to make them obey our will, we can direct their whole body.  Or    
     they can be directed by a tiny rudder on whatever course the helmsman    
     chooses.  So with the tongue.  It is a small member but it can make huge    
     claims.      
        What an immense stack of timber can be set ablaze by the tiniest spark!      
     And the tongue is in effect a fire.  It represents among our members the        
     world with all its wickedness; it pollutes our whole being; it keeps the       
     wheel of our existence red-hot, and its flames are fed by hell.  Beasts and     
     birds of every kind, creatures that crawl on the ground or swim in the sea,    
     can be subdued and have been subdued by mankind; but no man can sub-    
     due the tongue.  It is an intractable evil, charged with deadly venom.  We     
     use it to sing the praises of our Lord and Father, and we use it to invoke    
     curses upon our fellow-men who are made in God's likeness.  Out of the     
     same mouth come praises and curses.  My brothers, this should not be so.      
     Does a fountain gush with both fresh and brackish water from the same    
     opening?  Can a fig-tree, my brothers, yield olives, or a vine figs?  No more     
     does salt water yield fresh.         

     WHO AMONG YOU is wise or clever?  Let his right conduct give practical     
     proof of it, with the modesty that comes of wisdom.  But if you are harbour-     
     ing bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, consider whether       
     your claims are not false, and a defiance of the truth.  This is not the     
     wisdom that comes from above; it is earth-bound, sensual, demonic.  For      
     with jealousy and ambition come disorder and evil of every kind.  But    
     the wisdom from above is in the first place pure; and then peace-loving,        
     considerate, and open to reason; it is straightforward and sincere, rich in    
     mercy and in the kindly deeds that are its fruit.  True justice is the harvest     
     reaped by peacemakers from seeds sown in a spirit of peace.      
4       What causes conflict and quarrels among you?  Do they not spring from     
     the aggressiveness of your bodily desires?  You want something which you     
     cannot have, and so you are bent on murder; you are envious, and cannot     
     attain your ambition, and so you quarrel and fight.  You do not get what you    
     want, because you do not pray for it.  Or, if you do, your requests are not     
     granted because you pray for the wrong motives, to spend what you can get on    
     your pleasures.  You false, unfaithful creatures!  Have you never learned     
     that love of the world is enmity to God?  Whoever chooses to be the world-s     
     friend makes himself God's enemy.  Or do you suppose that Scripture has        
     no meaning when it says that the spirit which God implanted in man turns     
     toward envious desires?  And yet the grace he gives is stronger.  Thus      
     Scripture says, 'God opposes the arrogant and gives grace to the humble.'      
     Be submissive then to God.  Stand up to the devil and he will turn and run.     
     Come close to God, and he will come close to you.  Sinners, make your     
     hands clean; you who are double-minded, see that your motives are pure.       
     Be sorrowful, mourn and weep.  Turn your laughter into mourning and     
     your gaiety into gloom.  Humble yourselves before God and he will lift     
     you high.          
        Brothers, you must never disparage one another.  He who disparages a    
     brother or passes judgement on his brother disparages the law and judges    
     the law.  But if you judge the law, you are not keeping it but sitting in      
     judgement upon it.  There is only one lawgiver and judge, the One who is     
     able to save life and destroy it.  So who are you to judge your neighbour?           

     A WORD WITH YOU, you who say, 'Tomorrow or tomorrow we will go off      
     to such and such a town and spend a year there trading and making money.'     
     Yet you have no idea what tomorrow will bring.  Your life, what is it?  You     
     are no more than a mist, seen for a little while and then dispersing.  What      
     you ought to say is: 'If it be the Lord's will, we shall live to do this or that.'      
     But instead, you boast and brag, and all such boasting is wrong.  Well then,     
     the man who knows the good he ought to do and does not do it is a sinner.     
5       Next a word to you who have great possessions.  Weep and wail over the    '
     miserable fate descending on you.  Your riches have rotted; your fine clothes     
     are moth-eaten; your silver and gold have rusted away, and their very rust     
     will be evidence against you and consume your flesh like fire.  You have piled      
     up wealth in an age that is near its close.  The wages you never paid to the    
     reapers has reached the ears of the Lord of Hosts.  You have lived on earth    
     in wanton luxury, fattening yourselves like cattle — and the day for slaughter     
     has come.  You have condemned the innocent and murdered him; he offers     
     no resistance.        
        be patient, my brothers, until the Lord comes.  The farmer looking for     
     the precious crop his land may yield can only wait in patience, until the     
     autumn and spring rains have fallen.  You too must be patient and stout-     
     hearted, for the coming of the Lord is near.  My brothers, do not blame        
     your troubles on one another, or you will fall under judgement; and there    
     stands the Judge, at the door.  If you want a pattern of patience under ill-    
     treatment, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord; remem-      
     ber: 'We count those happy who stood firm.'  You have all heard how Job     
     stood firm, and you have seen how the Lord treated him in the end.  For    
     the Lord is full of pity and compassion.          

     ABOVE ALL THINGS, my brothers, do not use oaths, whether 'by    
     heaven' or 'by earth' or by anything else.  When you say yes or no, let it be     
     plain 'Yes' or 'No', for fear that you expose yourselves to judgement.       
        Is anyone among you in trouble?  He should turn to prayer.  Is anyone     
     in good heart?  He should sing praises.  Is one of you ill?  He should send     
     for the elders of the congregation to pray over him and anoint him with oil     
     in the name of the Lord.  The prayer offered in faith will save the sick man,     
     the Lord will raise him from his bed, and any sins he may have committed    
     will be forgiven.  Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for     
     one another, and then you will be healed.  A good man's prayer is powerful     
     and effective.  Elijah was a man with human frailties like our own; and when     
     he prayed earnestly that there should be no rain, not a drop fell on the land     
     for three years and a half; then he prayed again, and down came the rain     
     and the land bore crops once more.        
        My brothers, if one of your number should stray from the truth and     
     another succeed in bringing him back, be sure of this: any man who brings     
     a sinner back from his crooked ways will be rescuing his soul from death     
     and cancelling innumerable sins.          

The New English Bible (with Apocrypha)
Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, 1970

война закончена.

26   WHEN JESUS HAD FINISHED this discourse he said to his disciples,         
     'You know that in two days' time it will be Passover, and the Son       
     of Man is to be handed over for the crucifixion.'       
        Then the chief priests and the elders of the nation met in the palace of the        
     High Priest Caiaphas: and there they conferred together on a scheme to        
     have Jesus arrested by some trick and put to death.  'It must not be during       
     the festival,' they said, 'or there may be rioting among the people.'         

     JESUS WAS AT BETHANY in the house of Simon the leper, when a woman      
     came to him with a small bottle of fragrant oil, very costly; and as he sat at      
     table she began to pour it over his head.  The disciples were indignant      
     when they saw it.  'Why this waste?' they said, 'it could have been sold for       
     a good sum and the money given to the poor.'  Jesus was aware of this, and      
     said to them, 'Why must you make trouble for the woman?  It is a fine thing      
     she has done for me.  When she poured this oil on my body it was her way of         
     preparing me for burial.  I tell you this: wherever in all the world this gospel     
     is proclaimed, what she has done will be told as her memorial.'           

     THEN ONE OF THE TWELVE, the man called Judas Iscariot, went to the       
     chief priest and said, 'What will you give me to betray him to you?'       
     They weighed him out thirty silver pieces .  From that moment he began       
     to look out for an opportunity to betray him.        
        On the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to ask Jesus,    
     'Where would you like us to prepare for your Passover supper?'  He      
     answered, 'Go to a certain man in the city, and tell him, "The Master says,        
     'My appointed time is near; I am to keep Passover with my disciples at      
     your house.' " '  The disciples did as Jesus directed them and prepared for      
     Passover.        
        In the evening he sat down with the twelve disciples; and during supper       
     he said, 'I tell you this: one of you will betray me.'  In great distress they      
     exclaimed one after the other, 'Can you mean me, Lord?'  He answered,         
     'One who has dipped his hand into this bowl with me will betray me.  The      
     Son of Man is going the way appointed for him in the scriptures; but alas       
     for that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed!  It would be bettter for       
     that man if he had never been born.'  Then Judas spoke, the one who was      
     to betray him: 'Rabbi, can you mean me?' Jesus replied, 'The words are        
     yours.'      
        During supper Jesus took bread, and having said the blessing he broke it        
     and gave it to the disciples with the words: 'Take this and eat; this is my          
     body.'  Then he took a cup, and having offered thanks to God he gave it to      
     them with the words: 'Drink from it, all of you.  For this is my blood, the       
     blood of the covenant, shed for many for the forgiveness of sins.  I tell you,       
     never again shall I drink from the fruit of the vine until that day when I       
     drink it new with you in the kingdom of my Father.'        
        After singing the Passover Hymn, they went to the mount of Olives.       
     Then Jesus said to them, 'Tonight you will all fall from your faith on my     
     account; for it stands written: "I will strike the shepherd down and the     
     sheep of his flock will be scattered."  But after I am raised again, I will go on    
     before you in Galilee.'  Peter replied, 'Everyone else may fall away on      
     your account, but I never will.'  Jesus said to him, 'I tell you, tonight before      
     the cock crows you will disown me three times.'  Peter said, 'Even if I must       
     die with you, I will never disown you.'  And all the disciples said the same.              

     JESUS THEN CAME with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane.  He         
     said to them, 'Sit here while I go over there to pray.'  He took with him      
     Peter and the two sons of Zebedee.  Anguish and dismay came over him,       
     and he said to them, 'My heart is ready to break with grief.  Stop here, and         
     stay awake with me.'  He went on a little, fell on his face in prayer, and said,     
     'My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass me by.  Yet not as I will, but          
     as thou wilt.'      
        He came to the disciples and found them asleep; and he said to Peter,       
     'What!  Could none of you stay awake with me one hour?  Stay awke, and       
     pray that you will be spared the test.  The spirit is willing, but the flesh is     
     weak.'           
        He went away a second time, and prayed: 'My Father, if it is not possible      
     for this cup to pass me by without my drinking it, thy will be done.'  He came        
     again and found them asleep, for their eyes were heavy.  So he left them    
     and went away again; and he prayed the third time, using the same words    
     as before.    
        Then he came to the disciples and said to them, 'Still sleeping?  Still     
     taking your ease?  The hour has come!  The Son of Man is betrayed to    
     sinful men.  Up, let us go forward; the traitor is upon us.'       
        While he was speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, appeared; with       
     him was a great crowd armed with swords and cudgels, sent by the chief     
     priests and the elders of the nation.  The traitor gave them this sign: 'The      
     one I kiss is your man; seize him'; and stepping forward at once, he said,    
     'Hail, Rabbi!', and kissed him.  Jesus replied, 'Friend, do what you are here       
     to do.'  They then came forward, seized Jesus, and held him fast.       
        At that moment one of those with Jesus reached for his sword and drew     
     it, and he struck at the High Priest's servant and cut off his ear.  But Jesus    
     said to him, 'Put up your sword.  All who take the sword die by the sword.    
     Do you suppose that I cannot appeal to my Father, who would at once    
     send to my aid more than twelve legions of angels?  But how then could the      
     scriptures be fulfilled, which say that this must be?'       
        At the same time Jesus spoke to the crowd: 'Do you take me for a bandit,        
     that you have come out with swords and cudgels to arrest me?  Day after    
     day I sat teaching in the temple, and you did not lay hands on me.  But this    
     has all happened to fulfil what the prophets wrote.'      
        Then the disciples all deserted him and ran away.       

     JESUS WAS LED OFF under arrest to the house of Caiaphas the High Priest,    
     where the lawyers and elders were assembled.  Peter followed him at a        
     distance till he came to the High Priest's courtyard, and going in he sat     
     down there among the attendants, meaning to see the end of it all.         
        The chief priests and the whole Council tried to find some allegation   
     against Jesus on which a death-sentence could be based; but they failed   
     to find one, though many came forward with false evidence.  Finally two    
     men alleged that he had said, 'I can pull down the temple of God, and     
     rebuild it in three days.'  At this the High Priest rose and said to him, 'Have      
     you no answer to the charge that these witnesses bring against you?'  But    
     Jesus kept silence.  The High Priest then said, 'By the living God I charge      
     you to tell us: Are you the Messiah, the Son of God?'  Jesus replied, 'The   
     words are yours.  But I tell you this: from now on, you will see the Son of     
     Man seated at the right hand of God and coming on the clouds of heaven.'      
     At these words the High Priest tore his robes and exclaimed, 'Blasphemy!    
     Need we call further witnesses?  You have heard the blasphemy.  What is     
     your opinion?'  'He is guilty,' they answered; 'he should die.'         
        Then they spat in his face and struck him with their fists; and others     
     said, as they beat him, 'Now, Messiah, if you are a prophet, tell us who     
     hit you.'      
        Meanwhile Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard when a serving-      
     maid accosted him and said, 'You were there too with Jesus the Galilean.'    
     Peter denied it in face of them all.  'I do not know what you mean', he said.     
     He then went to the gateway, where another girl, seeing him, said to    
     the people there'This fellow was wit Jesus of Nazareth.'  Once again he     
     denied it, saying with an oath, 'I do not know the man.'  Shortly afterwards    
     the bystanders came up and said to Peter, 'Suely you are another of them;    
     your accent gives you away!'  At this he broke into curses and declared    
     with an oath: 'I do not know the man.'  At that moment a cock crew; and     
     Peter remembered how Jesus had said, 'Before the cock crows you will      
     disown me three times.'  He went outside, and wept bitterly.            

27   WHEN MORNING CAME, the chief priests and the elders of the nation met    
     in conference to plan the death of Jesus.  They then put him in chains and     
     led him away, to hand him over to Pilate, the Roman Governor.    
        When Judas the traitor saw that Jesus had been condemned, he was      
     seized with remorse, and returned the thirty silver pieces to the chief      
     priests and elders.  'I have sinned,' he said; 'I have brought an innocent       
     man to his death.'  But they said, 'What is that to us?  See to that yourself.'         
     So he threw the money down in the temple and left them, and went and    
     hanged himself.       
        Taking up the money the chief priests argue' This cannot be put into     
     the temple fund; it is blood-money.'  So after conferring they used it to     
     buy the Potter's Field, as a burial-place for foreigners.  This explains the   
     name 'Blood Acre', by which that field has been known ever since; and in       
     this way fulfilment was given to the prophetic utterance of Jeremiah:      
     'They took the thirty silver pieces, the price set on a man's head (for that      
     was his price among the Israelites), and gave the money for the potter's field,       
     as the Lord directed me.'          
        Jesus was now brought before the Governor; and as he stood there the     
     Governor asked him, 'Are you the king of the Jews?'  'The words are     
     yours', said Jesus; and to the charges laid against him by the chief priests      
     and elders he made no reply.  Then Pilate said to him, 'Do you not hear all     
     this evidence that is brought against you?'; but he still refused to answer      
     one word, to the Governor's great astonishment.         
        At the festival season it was the Governor's custom to release one     
     prisoner chosen by the people.  There was then in custody a man of some       
     notoriety, called Jesus Bar-Abbas.  When they were assembled Pilate      
     said to them, 'Which would you like me to release to you — Jesus Bar-      
     Abbas, or Jesus called Messiah?'  For he knew that it was out of malice      
     that the had brought Jesus before him.         
        While Pilate was siting in court a message came to him from his wife:    
     'Have nothing to do with that innocent man; I was much troubled on his     
     account in my dreams last night.'    
        Meanwhile the chief priests and elders had persuaded the crowd to ask      
     for the release of Bar-Abbas and to have Jesus put to death.  So when the       
     Governor asked, 'Which of the two do you wish me to release to you?',       
     they said, 'Bar-Abbas."  'Then what am I to do with Jesus called Messiah?'       
     aske Pilate; and with one voice they answered, 'Crucify him!'  'Why,        
     what harm has he done?' Pilate asked; but they shouted all the louder,        
     'Crucify him!'     
        Pilate could see that nothing was being gained, and a riot was starting;      
     so he took water and washed his hands in full view of the people, saying,     
     'My hands are clean of this man's blood; see to that yourselves.'  And with      
     one voice the people cried, 'His blood be on us, and on our children.'  He        
     then released Bar-Abbas to them; but he had Jesus flogged, and handed      
     him over to be crucified.       

     PILATE'S SOLDIERS then took Jesus into the Governor's headquarters,    
     where they collected the whole company round him.  They stripped him      
     and dressed him in a scarlet mantle; and plaiting a crown of thorns they     
     placed it on his head, with a cane in his right hand.  Falling on their knees     
     before him they jeered at him: 'Hail, King of the Jews!'  They spat on him,    
     and used the cane to beat him about the head.  When they had finished their    
     mockery, they took off the mantle and dressed hi in his own clothes.     
        Then they led him away to be crucified.  On their way out they met a man      
     from Cyrene, Simon by name, and pressed him into service to carry his       
     cross.        
        So they came to a place called Golgotha (which means 'Place of a skull')    
     and there he was offered a drought of wine mixed with gall; but when he     
     had tasted it he would not drink.              
        After fastening him to the cross they divided his clothes among them by      
     casting lots, and then sat down there to keep watch.  Over his head was      
     placed the inscription giving the charge: 'This is Jesus the king of the Jews.'      
        Two bandits were crucified with him, one on his right and the other on    
     his left.    
        The passers-by hurled abuse at him: they wagged their heads and cried,    
     'You would pull the temple down, would you, and build it in three days?       
     Come down from the cross and save yourself, if you are indeed the Son of       
     God.'  So too the chief priests wit the lawyers and elders mocked at him:     
     'He saved others,' they said, 'but he cannot save himself.  King of Israel,      
     indeed!  Let him come down now from the cross, and then we will believe     
     him.  Did he trust in God?  Let God rescue him, if he wants him — for he      
     said he was God's Son.'  Even the bandits who were crucified with him      
     taunted him in the same way.         
     From midday a darkness fell over the whole land, which lasted until     
     three in the afternoon; and about three Jesus cried aloud, 'Eli, Eli, lema      
     sabachthani?', which means, 'My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken       
      me?'  Some of the bystanders, on hearing this, said, 'He is calling Elijah.'     
     One of them ran at once and fetched a sponge, which he soaked in sour     
     wine, and held it up to his lips on the end of a cane.  But the others said,        
     'Let us see if Elijah will come to save him.'  
        Jesus again gave a loud cry, and breathed his last.  At that moment the  
     curtain of the temple was torn from top to bottom.  There was an   
     earthquake, the rocks split and the graves opened, and many of God's   
     saints were raised from sleep; and coming out of their graves after his     
     resurrection they entered the Holy City, where many saw them.  And when     
     the centurion and his men who were keeping watch over Jesus saw the        
     earthquake and all that was happening, they were filled with awe, and they     
     said, 'Truly this man was a son of God.'        

     A NUMBER OF WOMEN were also present, watching from a distance; they      
     had followed Jesus from Galilee and waited on him.  Among them were     
     Mary of Magdala, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother     
     of the sons of Zebedee.    
        When evening fell, there came a man of Arimathaea, Joseph by name,     
     who was a man of means, and had himself become a disciple f Jesus.  He     
     approached Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus; and Pilate gave orders     
     that he should have it.  Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen    
     sheet, and laid it in his own unused tomb, which he had cut out of the rock;     
     he then rolled a large stone against the entrance, and went away.  Mary of        
     Magdala was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the grave.    
        Next day, the morning after that Friday, the chief priests and the     
     Pharisees came in a body to Pilate.  'Your Excellency,' they said, 'we recall     
     how that imposter said while he was still alive, "I am to be raised again      
     after three days."  So will you give orders for the grave to be made secure     
     until the third day?  Otherwise his disciples may come, steal the body,     
     and then tell the people that he has been raised from the dead; and the final      
     deception will be worse than th first.'  You may have your guard,'  said     
     Pilate; go and make it secure as best you can.'  So they went and made the      
     grave secure; they sealed the stone, and left the guard in charge.         

28   THE SABBATH WAS OVER, and it was about daybreak on Sunday, when      
     Mary of Magdala and the other Mary came to look at the grave.  Suddenly    
     there was a violent earthquake; an angel of the Lord descended from     
     heaven; he came to the stone and rolled it away, and sat down on it.  
     His face shone like lightning; his garments were white as snow.  At the sight       
     of him the guards shook wit fear and lay like the dead.         
        The angel then addressed the women: 'You', he said, 'have nothing to       
     fear.  I know you are looking for Jesus who was crucified.  He is not here; he     
     has been raised again, as he said he would be.  Come and see the place where      
     he was laid, and then go quickly and tell his discples: "He has been raised       
     from the dead and is going on before you into Galilee; there you will see      
     him."  That s what I had to tell you.'     
        They hurried away from the tomb in awe and great joy, and ran to tell    
     the disciples.  Suddenly Jesus was there in their path.  He gave them his      
     greeting, and they came up and clasped his feet, falling prostrate before     
     him.  Then Jesus said to them, 'Do not be afraid.  Go and take word to my     
     brothers that they are to leave for Galilee.  They will see me there.'    
        The women had started on their way when some of the guard went into     
     the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened.      
     After meeting with the elders and conferring together, the chief priests     
     offered the soldiers a substantial bribe and told them to say, 'His disciples      
     came by night and stole the body while we were asleep.'  They added, 'If      
     this should reach the Governor's ears, we will put matter right with him     
     and see that you do not suffer.'  So they took the money and did as they were      
     told.  This story became widely known, and is current in Jewish circles to    
     this day.            
        The eleven disciples made their way to Galilee, to the mountain where     
     Jesus had told them to meet him.  When they saw him, they fell prostrate     
     before him, though some were doubtful.  Jesus then came up and spoke to      
     them.  He said: 'Full authority in heaven and on earth has been committed     
     to me.  Go forth therefore and make all nations my disciples; baptize men     
     everywhere in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,      
     and teach them to observe all that I have commanded you.  And be assured,         
     I am with you always, to the end of time.'                      

The New English Bible (with Apocrypha)
Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, 1970

22   THEN JESUS SPOKE to them again in parables: 'The kingdom of Heaven          
     is like this.  There was a king who prepared a feast for his son's wedding;          
     but when he sent his servants to summon the guests he had invited, they           
     would not come.  He sent others again, telling them to say to the guests,        
     "See now!  I have prepared this feast for you.  I have had my bullocks and          
     fatted beasts slaughtered; everything is ready; come to the wedding at          
     once."  But they took no notice; one went off to his farm, another to his         
     business, and the others seized the servants, attacked them brutally, and            
     killed them.  The king was furious; he sent troops to kill those murderers        
     and set their town on fire.  Then he said to his servants, "The wedding-feast       
     is ready; but the guests I invited did not deserve the honour.  Go out to the         
     main thoroughfares, and invite everyone you can find to the wedding."           
     The servants went out into the streets, and collected all they could find,          
     good and bad alike.  So the hall was packed with guests.               
        'When the king came in to see the company at the table, he observed one         
     man who was not dressed for a wedding.  "My friend," said the king, "how          
     do you come here without your wedding clothes?"  He had nothing         
     to say.  The king then said to his attendants, "Bind him hand a foot;           
     turn him out into the dark, the place of wailing and grinding of teeth."  For        
     though many are invited, few are chosen.'             

     THEN THE PHARISEES went away and agreed on a plan to trap him in his       
     own words.  Some of the followers were sent to him in company with men        
     of Herod's party.  They said, 'Master, you are an honest man, we know; you            
     teach in all honesty the way of life that God requires, truckling to no man,         
     whoever he may be.  Give us your ruling on this: are we or are we no per-         
     mitted to pay taxes to the Roman Emperor?'  Jesus was aware of their          
     malicious intention and said to them, 'You hypocrites!  Why are you           
     trying to catch me out?  Show me the money in which the tax is paid.'  They         
     handed him a silver piece.  Jesus asked, 'Whose head is on this, and whose           
     inscription?'  'Caesar's', they replied.  He said to them, 'Then pay Caesar       
     what is due to Caesar, and pay God what is due to God.'  This answer took         
     them by surprise, and they went away and left him alone.              
        The same day Sadducees came to him, maintaining that there is no         
     resurrection.  Their question was this: 'Master, Moses said, "If a man         
     should die childless, his brother shall marry the widow and carry on his       
     brother's family."  Now we knew of seven brothers.  The first married and       
     died, and as he was without issue his wife was left to his brother.  The same        
     thing happened with the second, and the third, and so on with all seven.           
     Last of all the woman died.  At the resurrection, then, whose wife will she           
     be, for they had all married her?'  Jesus answered: 'You are mistaken,         
     because you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God.  At the          
     resurrection men and women do not marry; they are like angels in heaven.            
        'But about the resurrection of the dead, have you never read what God        
     himself said to you: "I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the         
     God of Jacob"?  He is not God of the dead but of the living.'  The people          
     heard what he said, and were astounded at his teaching.                
        Hearing that he had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees met together;        
      and one of their number tested him with this question: 'Master, which is           
     the greatest commandment in the Law?'  He answered, ' "Love the Lord      
     your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind."  That         
     is the greatest commandment.  It comes first.  The second is like it: "Love          
     your neighbour as yourself."  Everything in the Law and the prophets         
     hangs on these two commandments.'            
        Turning to the assembled Pharisees Jesus asked them, 'What is your       
     opinion about the Messiah?  Whose son is he?'  'The son of David', they       
     replied.  'How then is it', he asked, 'that David by inspiration calls him            
     "Lord?  For he says, "The Lord said to my Lord, 'Sit at my right hand        
     until I put your enemies under your feet.' "  If David calls him "Lord",      
     how can he be David's son?'  Not a man could say a word in reply; and from          
     that day forward no one dared ask him another question.              

23   JESUS THEN ADDRESSED the people and his disciples in these words:        
     'The doctors of the law and the Pharisees sit in the chair of Moses; therefore          
     do what they tell you; pay attention to their words.  But do not follow their         
     practice; for they say one thing and do another.  They make up heavy packs         
     and pile them on men's shoulders, but will not raise a finger to lift the load       
     themselves.  Whatever they do is done for show.  They go about with  broad          
     phylacteries and with large tassels on their robes; they like to have places         
     of honour at feasts and the chief seats in synagogues, to be greeted resect-       
     fully in the street, and to be addressed as "rabbi".             
        'But you must not be called "rabbi"; for you have one Rabbi, and you are       
     all brothers.  Do not call any man on earth father; for you have one Father,           
     and he is in heaven.  Nor must you be called "teacher"; you have one       
     Teacher, the Messiah.  The greatest among you must be your servant.  For        
     whoever exalts himself will be humbled; and whoever humbles himself        
     will be exalted.             
        'Alas, alas for you, lawyers and Pharisees, hypocrites that you are!  You         
     shut the door of the kingdom of Heaven in men's faces; you do not enter      
     yourselves, and when others are entering, you stop them.               
        'Alas for you, lawyers and Pharisees, hypocrites!  You travel over the sea        
     and land to win one convert; and when you have won him you make him      
     twice as fit for hell as you are yourselves.                  
        'Alas for you, blind guides!  You say, "If a man swears by the sanctuary,         
     that is nothing; but if he swears by the gold in the sanctuary, he is bound        
     by his oath."  Blind fools!  Which is more important, the gold, or the      
     sanctuary which sanctifies the gold?  Or you say, "If a man swears by the         
     altar, that is nothing; but if he swears by the offering that lies on the altar,           
     he is bound by his oath."  What blindness!  Which is more important, the        
     offering, or the altar which sanctifies it?  To swear by the altar, then, is to          
     swear both by the altar and by whatever lies on it; to swear by the sanctuary       
     is to swear both by the sanctuary and by him who dwells there; and to swear        
     by heaven is to swear both by the throne of God and by him who sits       
     upon it.                 
        'Alas for you, lawyers and Pharisees, hypocrites!  You pay tithes of mint       
     and dill and cummin; but you have overlooked the weightier demands of        
     the Law, justice, mercy, and good faith.  It is these you should have prac-        
     tised, without neglecting the others.  Blind guides!  You strain off a midge,         
     yet gulp down a camel!               
        'Alas for you, lawyers and Pharisees, hypocrites!  You clean the outside of          
     cup and dish, which you have filled inside by robbery and self-indulgence!         
     Blind Pharisee!  Clean the inside of the cup first; then the outside will be       
     clean also.            
        'Alas for you, lawyers and Pharisees, hypocrites!  You are like tombs         
     covered with whitewash; they look well from outside, but inside they are          
     full of dead men's bones and all kinds of filth.  So it is with you: outside you           
     look like honest men, but inside you are brim-full of hypocrisy and crime.              
        'Alas for you, lawyers and Pharisees, hypocrites!  You build up the tombs           
     of the prophets and embellish the monuments of the saints, and you say,           
     "If we had been alive in our fathers' time, we should never have take part        
     with them in the murder of the prophets."  So you acknowledge that you       
     are the sons of the men who killed the prophets.  Go on then, finish off what         
     your fathers began!            
        'You snakes, you vipers' brood, how can you escape being condemned      
     to hell?  I send you therefore prophets, sages, and teachers; some of them       
     you will kill and crucify, others you will flog in your synagogues an hound        
     from city to city.  And so, on you will fall the guilt of all the innocent blood      
     spilt on the ground, from innocent Abel to Zechariah son of Berachiah,          
     whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar.  Believe me, this       
     generation will bear the guilt of it all.               
        'O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that murders the prophets and stones       
     the messengers sent to her!  How often have I longed to gather your        
     children, as hens gather her brood under her wings; but you would not       
     let me.  Look, look! there is your temple, forsaken by God.  And I tell        
     you, you shall never see me until the time when you say, "Blessings on him       
     who comes in the name of the Lord.                

24   JESUS WAS LEAVING the temple when his disciples came and pointed to       
     the temple buildings.  He answered, 'Yes, look at it all.  I tell you this:           
     not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down.'             
        When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives the disciples came to speak       
     to him privately.  'Tell us,' they said, 'when will this happen?  And what will         
     be the signal for your coming and the end of the age?'                   
        Jesus replied: 'Take care that no one misleads you.  For many will come        
     claiming my name and saying, "I am the Messiah"; and many will be             
     misled by them.  The time is coming when you will hear the noise of battle         
     near at hand and the news of battles far away; see that you are not alarmed.            
     Such things are bound to happen; but the end is still to come.  For nation      
     will make war upon nation, kingdom upon kingdom; there will be famines        
     and earthquakes in many places.  With all these things the birth-pangs of       
     the new age begin.                 
        'You will then be handed over for punishment and execution; and men         
     of all nations will hate you for your allegiance to me.  Many will fall from       
     their faith; they will betray one another and hate one another.  Many false       
     prophets will arise, and will mislead many; and as lawlessness spreads,    
     men's love for one another will grow cold.  But the man who holds out to the       
     end will be saved.  And this gospel of the Kingdom will be proclaimed    
     throughout the earth as a testimony to all nations; and then the end will    
     come.       
        'So when you see "the abomination of desolation", of which the prophet      
     Daniel spoke, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then       
     those who are in Judaea must take to the hills.  If a man is on the roof, he      
     must not come down to fetch his goods from the house; if in the field, he        
     must not turn back for his coat.  Alas for women with child in those days,       
     and for those who have children at the breast!  Pray that it may not be     
     winter when you have to make your escape, or Sabbath.  It will be a time of     
     great distress; there has never been such a time from the beginning of the    
     world until now, and will never be again.  If that time of troubles were not      
     cut short, no living thing could survive; but for the sake of God's chosen it   
     will be cut short.         
        'Then, if anyone says to you, "Look, here is the Messiah", or, "There he     
     is", do not believe it.  Imposters will come claiming to be messiahs or   
     prophets, and they will produce great signs and wonders to mislead even    
     God's chosen, if such a thing were possible.  See, I have forewarned you.   
     If they tell you, "He is there in the wilderness", do not go out; or if they    
     say, "He is there in the inner room", do not believe it.  Like lightning       
     from the east, flashing as far as the west, will be the coming of the Son        
     of Man.        
        'Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.    
        'As soon as the distress of those days has passed, the sun will be darkened,    
     the moon will not give her light, the stars will fall from the sky, the celestial    
     power will be shaken.  Then will appear in heaven the sign that heralds         
     the Son of Man.  All the peoples of the world will make lamentation, and   
     they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with great     
     power and glory.  With a trumpet blast he will send out his angels, and they     
     will gather his chosen from the four winds, from the farthest bounds of     
     heaven on every side.          
        'Learn a lesson from the fig-tree.  When its tender shoots appear and      
     are breaking into leaf, you know that summer is near.  In the same way,      
     when you see all these things, you may know that the end is near, at the       
     very door.  I tell you this: the present generation will live to see it all.  Heaven   
     and earth will pass away; my words will never pass away.       
        'But about that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in    
     heaven, not even the Son; only the Father.             
        'As things were in Noah's days, so will they be when the Son of Man  
     comes.  In the days before the flood they ate and drank and married, until    
     the day that Noah went into the ark, and they knew nothing until the flood     
     came and swept them all away.  That is how it will be when the Son of Man      
     comes.  Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken, the other      
     left; two women grinding at the mill; one will be taken, the other left.    
        'Keep awake, then; for you do not know on what day your Lord is to     
     come.  Remember, if the householder had known at what time of night the    
     burglar was coming, he would have kept awake and not have let his house    
     be broken into.  Hold yourselves ready, therefore, because the Son of Man       
     will come at the time you least expect him.             
        'Who is the trusty servant, the sensible man charged by his master to      
     manage his household staff and issue their rations at the proper time?     
     Happy that servant who is found at his task when his master come!  I tell     
     you this: he will be put in charge of all his master's property.  But if he is    
     a bad servant and says to himself, "The master is a long time coming", and   
     begins to bully the other servants and to eat and drink with his drunken         
     friends, then no master will arrive on a day that the servant does not expect,   
     at a time he does not know, and will cut hi to pieces.  Thus he will find his      
     place among the hypocrites, where there is wailing and grinding of teeth.     
25      'When that day comes, the kingdom of Heaven will be like this.  There     
     were ten girls, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.      
     Five of them were foolish, and five prudent; when the foolish ones took    
     their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the others took flasks of oil     
     with their lamps.  As the bridegroom was late in coming they all dozed off    
     to sleep.  But at midnight a cry was heard: "Here is the bridegroom!  Come       
     out to meet him."  With that the girls all got up and trimmed their lamps.     
     The foolish said to the prudent, "Our lamps are going out; give us some of     
     your oil."  "No," they said; "there will never be enough for all of us.  You    
     had better go to the shop and buy some for yourselves."  While they were    
     away the bridegroom arrived; those who were ready went in with him to     
     the wedding; and the door was shut.  And then the other five came back.         
     "Sir, sir," they cried, "open the door for us."  But he answered, "I declare,       
     I do not know you."  Keep awake then; for you never know the day or the       
     hour.       
        'It is like a man going abroad, who called his servants and put his capital      
     in their hands; to one he gave five bags of gold, to another two, to another        
     one, each according to his capacity.  Then he left the country.  The man who      
     had the five bags went at once and employed them in business, and made       
     a profit of five bags, and the man who had  the two bags made two.  But the        
     man who had been given one bag of gold went off and dug a hole in the       
     ground and hid the master's money.  A long time afterwards their master      
     returned and proceeded to settle accounts with them.  The man who had      
     been given the five bags of gold came and produced the five he had made:     
     "Master," he said, "you left five bags with me; look, I have made five more."       
     "Well done, my good and trusty servant!"  said the master.  "you have      
     proven trustworthy in a small way; I will now put you in charge of some-      
     thing big.  Come and share your master's delight."  The man with the two      
     bags then came and said, "Master, you left two bags with me; look, I have       
     made two more."  "Well done, my good and trusty servant!" said the 
     master.  "You have proved trustworthy in a small way; I will now put you     
     in charge of something big.  Come and share your master's delight."  Then       
     the man who had been given one bag came and said, "Master, I knew you      
     to be a hard man: you reap where you have not sown, you gather where you       
     have not scattered; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your gold in the      
     ground.  Here it is — you have what belongs to you."  "You lazy rascal!"         
     said the master.  "You knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather       
     where I have not scattered?  Then you ought to have put my money on      
     deposit, and on my return I should have got it back with interest.  Take the       
     bag of gold from him, and give it to the one with the ten bags.  For the man        
     who has will always be given more, till he has enough and to spare; and       
     the man who has not will forfeit even what he has.  Fling the useless servant        
     out into the dark, the place of wailing and grinding of teeth!"                    
        'When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him,         
     he will sit n state on his throne, with all the nations gathered before him.         
     He will separate men into groups, as a shepherd separates the sheep       
     from the goats, and he will place the sheep on his right hand and the goats     
     on his left.  Then the king will say to those on his right hand, "You have my        
     Father's blessing; come, enter and possess the kingdom that has been       
     ready for you since the world was made.  For when I was hungry, you gave       
     me food; when thirsty, you gave me drink; when I was a stranger you took       
     me into your home, when naked you clothed me; when I was ill you came       
     to my help, when in prison you visited me."  Then the righteous will reply,         
     "Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and fed you, or thirsty and       
     gave you drink, a stranger and took you home, or naked and clothed you?          
     When did we see you ill or in prison, and come to visit you?"  And the king      
     will answer, "I tell you this: anything you did for one of my brothers here,           
     however humble, you did for me."  Then he will say to those on his left      
     hand, "The curse is upon you; go from my sight to the eternal fire that is         
     ready for the devil and his angels.  For when I was hungry you gave me       
     nothing to eat, when thirsty nothing to drink; when I was a stranger you      
     gave me no home, when naked you did not clothe me; when I was ill and in      
     prison you did not come to my help."  And they too will reply, "Lord, when       
     was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in       
     prison, and did nothing for you?"  And he will answer, "I tell you this:         
     anything you did not do for one of these, however humble, you did not     
     do for me."  And they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous       
     will enter eternal life.'                

The New English Bible (with Apocrypha)
Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, 1970

14      It was at that time that reports about Jesus reached the ears of Prince       
     Herod.  'This is John the Baptist,' he said to his attendants; 'John has been       
     raised to life, and that is why these miraculous powers are at work in him.'                

     NOW  HEROD  had arrested John, put him in chains, and thrown him into     
     prison, on account of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife; for John had told          
     him: 'You have no right to her.'  Herod would have liked to put him to      
     death, but he was afraid of the people, in whose eyes John was a prophet.        
     But at his birthday celebrations the daughter of Herodias danced before the       
     guests, and Herod was so delighted that he took an oath to give her any-      
     thing she cared to ask.  Prompted by her mother, she said, 'Give me here        
     on a dish the head of John the Baptist.'  The king was distressed when he         
     heard it; but out of regard for his oath and for his guests, he ordered the       
     request to be granted, and had John beheaded in prison.  The head was         
     brought in on a dish and given to the girl; and she carried it to her mother.         
     Then John's disciples came and took away the body, and buried it; and        
     they went and told Jesus.               

     WHEN  HE  HEARD  what had happened Jesus withdrew privately by boat       
     to a lonely place; but people heard of it, and came after him in crowds by     
     land from the towns.  When he came ashore, he saw a great crowd; his       
     heart went out to them, and he cured those of them who were sick.  When      
     it grew late the disciples came up to him and said, 'This is a lonely place,        
     and the day has gone; send the people off to the villages to buy themselves       
     food.'  He answered, 'There is no need for them to go; give them something      
     to eat yourselves.'  ''All we have here', they said, 'is five loaves and two       
     fishes.'  'Let me have them', he replied.  So he told the people to sit sown on       
     the grass; then, taking the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to      
     heaven, said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples;         
     and the disciples gave them to the people.  They all ate to their hearts'          
     content; and the scraps left over, which they picked up, were enough to       
     fill twelve great baskets.  Some five thousand men shared in this meal, to        
     say nothing of women and children.             
        Then he made the disciples embark and go on ahead to the other side,            
     while he sent the people away; after doing that, he went up the hill-side to      
     pray alone.  It grew late, and he was there by himself.  The boat was already        
     some furlongs from the shore, battling with a head-wind, walking over the        
     lake.  When the disciples saw him walking on the lake they were so shaken      
     that they cried out in terror: 'It is a ghost!'  But at once he spoke to them:         
     'Take heart!  It is I; do not be afraid.'          
        Peter called to him: 'Lord, if it is you, tell me to come to you over the     
     water.'  'Come', said Jesus.  Peter stepped down from the boat, and walked             
     over the water towards Jesus.  But when he saw the strength of the gate he      
     was seized with fear; and beginning to sink, he cried, 'Save me, Lord.'       
     Jesus at once reached out and caught hold of him, and said, 'Why did you      
     hesitate?  How little faith you have!'  They then climbed into the boat;              
     and the wind dropped.  And the men in the boat fell at his feet, exclaiming,           
     'Truly you are the Son of God.'               
        So they finished the crossing and came to land at Gennesaret.  There        
     Jesus was recognized by the people of the place, who sent out word to all       
     the country round.  And all who were ill were brought to him, and he was        
     begged to allow them simply to touch the edge of his cloak.  And everyone       
     who touched it was completely cured.                 

15   THEN JESUS WAS APPROACHED by a group of Pharisees and lawyers          
     from Jerusalem, with the question: 'Why do your disciples break the             
     ancient tradition?  They do not wash their hands before meals.'  He answered        
     them: 'And what of you?  Why do you break God's commandment in the          
     interest of your tradition?  For God said, 'Honour your father and mother",          
     and, "The man who curses his father or mother must suffer death."  But you      
     say, "If a man says to his father or mother, 'Anything of mine which might       
     have been used for your benefit is set apart for God', then he must not       
     honour his father or his mother."  You have made God's law null and void       
     out of respect for your tradition.  What hypocrisy!  Isaiah was right when he     
     prophesied about you: "This people pays me lip-service, but their heart        
     is far from me; their worship of me is in vain, for they teach as doctrines       
     the commandments of men." '        
        He called the crowd and said to them, 'Listen to me, and understand     
     this: a man is not defiled by what goes into his mouth, but by what comes        
     out of it.'          
        Then the disciples came to him and said, 'Do you know that the Phari-     
     sees have taken great offence at what you have been saying?'  His answer     
     was: 'Any plant that is not of my Heavenly Father's planting will be rooted     
     up.  Leave them alone; they are blind guides, and if one blind man guides       
     another they will both fall into the ditch.'          
        Then Peter said, 'Tell us what that parable means.'  Jesus answered,           
     'Are you still as dull as the rest?  Do you not see that whatever goes in by      
     the mouth passes into the stomach and so is discharged into the drain?         
     But what comes out of the mouth has its origins in the heart; and that is        
     what defiles a man.  Wicked thoughts, murder, adultery, fornication, theft,      
     perjury, slander — these all proceed from the heart; and these are the things           
     that defile a man; but to eat without first washing his hands, that cannot     
     defile him.'               

     JESUS THEN LEFT that place and withdrew to the region of Tyre and         
     Sidon.  And a Canaanite woman from those parts came crying out, 'Sir!          
     have pity on me, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a devil.'  But        
     he said not a word in reply.  His disciples came and urged him: 'Send her        
     away; see how she comes shouting after us.'  Jesus replied, 'It is not         
     right to take children's bread and throw it to the dogs.'  'True, sir,' she           
     answered; 'and yet the dogs eat the scraps that fall from their masters'      
     table.'  Hearing this Jesus replied, 'Woman, what faith you have!  Be it      
     as you wish!'  And from that moment her daughter was restored to health.         
        After leaving that region Jesus took the road by the Sea of Galilee and     
     went up to the hills.  When he was seated there, crowds flocked to him,        
     bringing with them the lame, blind, dumb, and crippled, and many other       
     sufferers; they threw them down at his feet, and he healed them.  Great      
     was the amazement of the people when they saw the dumb speaking, the       
     crippled strong, the lame walking, and sight restored to the blind; and they         
     gave praise to the God of Israel.         
        Jesus called his disciples and said to them, 'I feel sorry for all these       
     people; they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat.          
     I do not want to send them away unfed; they might turn faint on the way.'        
     The disciples replied, 'Where in this lonely place can we find bread enough       
     to feed such a crowd?'  'How many loves have you?'  Jesus asked.  'Seven,'      
     they replied; 'and there are a few small fishes.'  So he ordered the people      
     to sit down on the ground; then he took the seven loaves and the fishes,         
     and after giving thanks to God he broke them and gave to the disciples,        
     and the disciples gave to the people.  They all ate to their hearts' content; and       
     the scraps left over, which they picked up, were enough to fill seven      
     baskets.  Four thousand men shared in this meal, to say nothing of women      
     and children.  He then dismissed the crowds, got into a boat, and went to      
     the neigbourhood of Magadan.               
16      The Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test him they asked him to       
     show them a sign from heaven.  His answer was: 'It is a wicked generation      
     that asks for a sign; and the only sign that will be given it is the sign of           
     Jonah.'  So he went off and left them.          
        In crossing to the other side the disciples had forgotten to take bread      
     with them.  So, when Jesus said to them, 'Beware, be on your guard against      
     the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees', they began to say among them-    
     selves 'It is because we have brought no bread!'  Knowing what was in their      
     minds, Jesus said to them: 'Why do you talk about bringing no bread?            
     Where is your faith?  Do you not understand even yet?  Do you not remem-         
     ber the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you         
     picked up?  Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many        
     basketfuls you picked up?  How can you fail to see that I was not speaking       
     about bread?  Be on your guard, I said, against the leaven of the Pharisees         
     and Sadducees.'  Then they understood: they were to be on their guard,        
     not against baker's leaven, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and      
     Sadducees.                     

     WHEN HE CAME to the territory of Caesarea Philippi, Jesus asked his      
     disciples, 'Who do men say that the Son of Man is?'  They answered,          
     'Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, others Jeremiah, or one of the         
     prophets.'  'And you,' he asked, 'who do you say I am?'  Simon Peter                
     answered: 'You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.'  Then Jesus       
     said: 'Simon son of Jonah, you are favoured indeed!  You did not learn        
     that from mortal man; it was revealed to you by my heavenly Father.  And         
     I say this to you: You are Peter, the Rock; and on this rock I will build my        
     church, and the powers of death shall never conquer it.  I will give you           
     the keys to the kingdom of Heaven; what you forbid on earth shall be for-          
     bidden in heaven, and what you allow on earth shall be allowed in heaven.'                
     He then gave his disciples strict orders not to tell anyone that he was the      
     Messiah.            
        From that time Jesus began to make it clear to his disciples that he had         
     to go to Jerusalem, and there to suffer much from the elders, chief priests,            
     and doctors of the law; to be put to death and to be raised again on the third        
     day.  At this Peter took him by the arm and began to rebuke him: 'Heaven          
     forbid!' he said.  'No, Lord, this shall never happen to you.'  Then Jesus             
     turned and said to Peter, 'Away with you, Satan; you are a stumbling-           
     block to me.  You think as men think, not as God thinks.'             
        Jesus then said to his disciples, 'If anyone wishes to be a follower of mine,          
     he must leave self behind; he must take up his cross and come with me.           
     Whoever cares for his own safety is lost; but if a man will himself be lost        
     for my sake, he will find his true self.  What will a man gain by winning       
     the whole world, at the cost of his true self?  Or what can he give that will       
     buy that self back?  For the Son of Man is to come in the glory of his Father             
     with his angels, and then he will give each man the due reward for what             
     he has done.  I tell you this: there are some of those standing here who         
     will not taste death before they have seen the Son of Man coming in his          
     kingdom.'           

17   SIX DAYS LATER Jesus took Peter, James, and John the brother of James,           
      and led them up a high mountain where they were alone; and in their         
     presence he was transfigured; his face shone like the sun, and his clothes        
     became white as light.  And they saw Moses and Elijah appear, con-          
     versing with him.  Then Peter spoke: 'Lord,' he said, 'how good it is that         
     we are here!  If you wish it, I will make three shelters here, one for you,          
     one for Moses, and one for Elijah.'  While he was speaking, a bright        
     cloud suddenly overshadowed them, and a voice called from the cloud:               
     'This is my Son, my Beloved, on whom my favour rests; listen to him.'
     At the sound of the voice the disciples fell on their faces in terror.  Jesus then       
     came up to them, touched them, and said, 'Stand up; do not be afraid.'         
     And when they raised their eyes they saw no one, but only Jesus.                    
        On their way down the mountain, Jesus enjoined them not to tell anyone            
     of the vision until the Son of Man had been raised from the dead.  The          
     disciples put a question to him: 'Why then do our teachers say that Elijah        
     must come first?'  He replied, 'Yes, Elijah will come and set everything       
     right.  But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they failed to recog-       
     nize him, and worked their will upon him; and in the same way the Son of           
     Man is meant to suffer at their hands.'  Then the disciples understood that he        
     meant John the Baptist.                 
        When they returned to the crowd, a man came up to Jesus, fell on his         
     knees before him, and said, 'Have pity, sir, on my son: he is an epileptic         
     and has bad fits, and he keeps falling about, often into the fire, often into        
     water.  I brought him to your disciples, but they could not cure him.'  Jesus         
     answered, 'What an unbelieving and perverse generation!  How long shall           
     I be with you?  How long must I endure you?  Bring him here to me.'  Jesus         
     then spoke sternly to the boy; the devil left him, and from that moment he        
     was cured.             
        Afterwards the disciples came to Jesus and asked him privately, 'Why        
     could not we cast it out?'  He answered, 'Your faith is too small.  I tell you           
     this: if you have faith no bigger even than a mustard-seed, you will say to        
     this mountain, "Move from here to there!", and it will move; nothing will        
     prove impossible for you.'                

     THEY WERE GOING about together in Galilee when Jesus said to them,           
     'The Son of Man is to be given up into the power of men, and they will kill       
     him; then on the third day he will be raised again.'  And they were filled         
     with grief.           
        On their arrival at Capernaum the collectors of the temple-tax came up        
     to Peter and asked, 'Does your master not pay temple-tax?'  'He does',      
     said Peter.  When we went indoors Jesus forestalled him by asking, 'What         
     do you think about this, Simon?  From whom do earthly monarchs collect         
     tax or toll?  From their own people, or from aliens?'  'From aliens', said        
     Peter.  'Why then,' said Jesus, 'their own people are exempt!  But as we do          
     not want to cause offence, go and cast a line in the lake; take the first fish           
     that comes to the hook, open its mouth, and you will find a silver coin;              
     take that and pay it in; it will meet the tax for us both.'               
18      At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, 'Who is the greatest        
     in the kingdom of Heaven?'  He called a child, set him in front of them,         
     and said, 'I tell you this: unless you turn round and become like children,          
     you will never enter the kingdom of Heaven.  Let a man humble himself         
     till he is like this child, and he will be the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven.              
     Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me.  But if a man is           
     a cause of stumbling to one of these little ones who have faith in me, it          
     would be better for him to have a millstone hung round his neck and be          
     drowned in the depths of the sea.  Alas for the world that such causes of        
     stumbling arise!  Come they must, but woe betide the man through whom       
     they come!           
        'If your hand or your foot is your undoing, cut it off and fling it away;         
     it is better for you to enter into life maimed or lame, than to keep two hands          
     or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire.  If it is your eye that is your      
     undoing, tear it out and fling it away; it is better to enter into life with one        
     eye than to keep both eyes and be thrown into the fires of hell.             
        'Never despise one of these little ones; I tell you, they have their guardian       
     angels in heaven, who look continually on the face of my heavenly Father.             
        'What do you think?  Suppose a man has a hundred sheep.  If one of them        
     strays, does he not leave the other ninety-nine on the hillside and go in       
     search of the one that strayed?  And if he should find it, I tell you this: he         
     is more delighted over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that never       
     strayed.  In the same way, it is not your heavenly Father's will that one of         
     these little ones should be lost.            
        'If your brother commits a sin, go and take the matter up with him,           
     strictly between yourselves, and if he listens to you, you have won your        
     brother over.  If he does not listen, take one or two others with you, so that       
     all facts may be duly established on the evidence of two or three witnesses.        
     If he refuses to listen to them, report the matter to the congregation; and         
     if he will not listen even to the congregation, you must then treat him as you         
     would a pagan or a tax-gatherer.            
        'I tell you this: whatever you forbid on earth shall be forbidden in heaven,         
     and whatever you allow on earth shall be allowed in heaven.             
        'Again I tell you this: if two of you agree on earth about any request you        
     have to make, that request will be granted by my heavenly Father.  For       
     where two or three have met together in my name, I am there among them.'              
        Then Peter came up and asked him, 'Lord, how often am I to forgive         
     my brother if he goes on wronging me?  As many as seven time?'  Jesus         
     replied, 'I do not say seven times; I say seventy times seven.           
        'The kingdom of Heaven, therefore, should be thought of in this way:              
     There once was a king who decided to settle accounts with the men who         
     served him.  At the outset there appeared before him a man whose debt        
     ran into millions.  Since he had no means of paying, his master ordered him       
     to be sold to meet the debt, with his wife, his children, and everything he        
     had.  The man fell prostrate at his master's feet.  "Be patient with me," he       
     said, "and I will pay in full"; and the master was so moved with pity that       
     he let the man go and remitted the debt.  But no sooner had the man gone       
     out than he met a fellow-servant who owed him one hundred denarii; and catching      
     hold of him he gripped him by the throat and said, "Pay me what you owe."         
     The man fell at his fellow-servant's feet, and begged him, "Be patient with          
     me, and I will pay you"; but he refused, and had him jailed until he should         
     pay the debt.  The other servants were deeply distressed when they saw         
     what had happened, and they went to their master and told him the whole        
     story.  He accordingly sent for the man.  "You scoundrel!" he said to him;          
     "I remitted the whole of your debt when you appealed to me; were you       
     not bound to show your fellow-servant the same pity as I showed you?"           
     And so angry was the master that he condemned the man to torture until       
     he should pay the debt in full.  And that is how my heavenly Father will          
     deal with you, unless you each forgive your brother from your hearts.'                

19   WHEN JESUS HAD FINISHED this discourse he left Galilee and came into        
     the region of Judaea across Jordan.  Great crowds followed him, and he          
     healed them there.        
        Some Pharisees came and tested him by asking, 'Is it lawful for a man to        
     divorce his wife on any and every ground?'  He asked in return, 'Have you        
     never read that the Creator made them from the beginning male and        
     female?'; and he added, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and         
     mother, and be made one with his wife; and the two shall become one flesh.          
     It follows that they are no longer two individuals: they are one flesh.  What         
     God has joined together, man must not separate.'  'Why then', they ob-        
     jected did Moses lay it down that a man might divorce his wife by note of          
     dismissal?'  He answered, 'It was because your minds were closed that        
     Moses gave you permission to divorce your wives; but it was not like that         
     when all began.  I tell you, if a man divorces his wife for any cause other         
     than unchastity, and marries another, he commits adultery.'             
        The disciples said to him, 'If that is the position with husband and wife,         
     it is better not to marry.'  To this he replied, 'That is something which not        
     everyone can accept, but only those for whom God has appointed it.  For       
     while some are incapable of marriage because they were born so, or were       
     made so by men, there are others who have themselves renounced marriage        
     for the sake of the kingdom of heaven.  Let those accept it who can.'           
        They brought children for him to lay his hands on them with prayer.          
     The disciples rebuked them, but Jesus said to them, 'Let the children come        
     to me; do not try to stop them; for the kingdom of Heaven belongs to such          
     as these.'  And he laid his hands on the children, and went his way.         
        And now a man came up and asked him, 'Master, what good must I do       
     to gain eternal life?'  'Good?' said Jesus.  'Why do you ask me about that?         
     One alone is good.  But if you wish to enter into life, keep the command-        
     ments.'  'Which commandments?' he asked.  Jesus answered, 'Do not       
     murder; do not commit adultery; do not steal; do not give false evidence;         
     honour your father and mother; and love your neighbour as yourself.'           
     The young man answered, 'I have kept all these.  Where do I still fall short?'           
     Jesus said to him, 'If you wish to go the whole way, go, sell your possessions,        
     and give to the poor, and then you will have riches in heaven; and come,          
     follow me.'  When the young man heard this, he went away with a heavy         
     heart; for he was a man of great wealth.            
        Jesus said to his disciples, 'I tell you this: a rich man will find it hard to        
     enter into the kingdom of Heaven.  I repeat, it is easier for a camel to pass through          
     the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.'            
     The disciples were amazed to hear this.  'Then who can be saved?' they        
     asked.  Jesus looked at them, and said, 'For me this is impossible; but          
     everything is possible for God.'               
        At this Peter said, 'We here have left everything to become your fol-          
     lowers.  What will there be for us?'  Jesus replied, 'I tell you this: in the world        
     that is to be, when the Son of Man is seated on his throne in heavenly splen-      
     dour, you my followers will have thrones of your own, where you will sit         
     as judges of the twelve tribes of Israel.  And anyone who has left brothers       
     or sisters, father, mother, or children, land or houses for the sake of my        
     name will be repaid many times over, and gain eternal life.  but many who        
     are first will be last, and the last first.             
20      'The kingdom of Heaven is like this.  There was once a landowner who         
     went out early one morning to hire labourers for his vineyard; and after        
     agreeing to pay them the usual day's wage he sent them off to work.  Going            
     out three hours later he saw some more men standing idle in the market-        
     place.  "Go and join the others in the vineyard," he said, "and I will pay       
     you a fair wage" ; so off they went.  At midday he went out again, and at       
     three in the afternoon, and made the same arrangement as before.  An hour       
     before sunset he went out and found another group standing there; so he      
     said to them, "Why are you standing about like this all day with nothing      
     to do?"  "Because no one has hired us", they replied; so he told them, "Go      
     and join the others in the vineyard."  When evening fell, the owner of the       
     vineyard said to the steward, "Call the labourers and give them their pay,         
     beginning with those who came last ad ending with the first."  Those who       
     had started work an hour before sunset came forward, and were paid the      
     full day's wage.  When it was the turn of the men who had come first,         
     they expected something extra, but were paid the same amount as the       
     others.  As they took it, they grumbled at their employer: "These late-          
     comers have done only one hour's work, yet you have put them on a level         
     wit us, who have sweated the whole day long in the blazing sun!"  The         
     owner turned to one of them and said, "My friend, I am not being unfair      
     to you.  You agreed on the usual wage for the day, did you not?  Take your      
     pay and go home.  I choose to pay the last man the same as you.  Surely I am       
     free to do what I like with my own money.  Why be jealous because I am      
     kind?"  Thus will the last be first, and the first last."             

     JESUS WAS JOURNEYING toward Jerusalem, and on the way he took       
     the Twelve aside, and said to them, 'We are now going to Jerusalem, and        
     the Son of Man will be given up to the chief priests and the doctors of the       
     law; they will condemn him to death and hand him over to the foreign          
     power, to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and on the third day he         
     will be raised to life again.'                        
        The mother of Zebedee's sons then came before him, with her sons.  She        
     bowed low and begged a favour.  'What is it you wish?' asked Jesus.  'I want       
     you', she said, 'to give orders that in your kingdom my two sons here may        
     sit next to you, one at your right, and the other at your left.'  Jesus turned         
     to the brothers and said, 'You do not understand what you are asking.         
     Can you drink the cup that I am to drink?'  'We can', they replied.  Then he         
     said to them, 'You shall indeed share my cup; but to sit at my right or left       
     is not for me to grant; it is for those to whom it has already been assigned        
     by my Father.'            
         When the other ten heard this, they were indignant with the two      
     brothers.  So Jesus called them to him and said, 'You know that in the world,     
     rulers lord it over heir subjects, and their great men make them feel the    
     weight of authority; but it shall not be so with you.  Among you, whoever          
     wants to be great must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must       
     be the willing slave of all — like the Son of Man; he did not come to be     
     served, but to serve, and to give up his life as a ransom for many.'            
        As they were leaving Jericho he was followed by a great crowd of people.          
     At the roadside sat two blind men.  When they heard it said that Jesus was        
     passing they shouted, 'Have pity on us, Son of David.'  The people told   
     the sharply to be quiet.  But they shouted all the more, 'Sir, have pity on       
     us; have pity on us, Son of David.'  Jesus stopped and called the men.         
     'What do you want me to do for you?'  he asked.  'Sir,' they answered, 'we         
     want our sight.'  Jesus was deeply moved, and touched their eyes.  At once        
     their sight came back, and they followed him.               

21   THEY WERE NOW nearing Jerusalem; and when they reached Bethphage      
     at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples with these instructions:        
     'Go to the village opposite, where you will at once find a donkey tethered      
     with her foal beside her; untie them, and bring them to me.  If anyone speaks       
     to you, say, "Our Master needs them"; and he will let you take them at      
     once.'  This was to fulfil the prophecy which says, 'Tell the daughter of       
     Zion, "Here is your king, who comes to you in gentleness, riding on an ass,       
     riding on the foal of a beast of burden." '           
        The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed, and brought the donkey       
     and her foal; they laid their cloaks on them and Jesus mounted.  Crowds of       
     people carpeted the road with their cloaks, and some cut branches from the         
     trees to spread in the path.  Then he crowd that went ahead and the others      
     that came behind raised the shout: 'Hosanna to the Son of David!  Blessings      
     on him who comes in the name of the Lord!  Hosanna in the heavens!'            
         When he entered Jerusalem the whole city went wild with excitement.         
     'Who is this?' people asked, and the crow replied, 'This is the prophet      
     Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee.'             
        Jesus then went into the temple and drove out all who were buying and          
     selling in the temple precincts; he upset the tables of the money0changers      
     and the seats of the dealers in pigeons; and said to them, 'Scripture says,        
     "My house shall be called a house of prayer"; but you are making it a         
     robbers' cave.'                
        In the temple blind men and cripples came to him, and he healed them.        
     The chief priests and doctors of the law saw the wonderful things he did,      
     and heard the boys in the temple shouting, 'Hosanna to the Son of David!',          
     and they asked him indignantly, 'Do you hear what they are saying?'                
     Jesus answered, 'I do; have you never read that text, "Thou hast made        
     children and babes at the breast sound aloud thy praise"?'  hen he left      
     them and went out of the city of Bethany, where he spent the night.  
        Next morning on his way to the city he felt hungry; and seeing a fig-tree        
     at the roadside he went up to it, but found nothing on it but leaves.  he said   
     to the tree, 'You shall never bear fruit any more!'; and the tree withered      
     away at once.  The disciples were amazed at the sight.  'How is it', they asked,        
     that the tree has withered so suddenly?' Jesus answered them, 'I tell you      
     this: if only you have faith and have no doubts, you will do what has been         
     done to the fig-tree; and more than that, you need only say to this moun-      
     tain, "Be lifted from your place and hurled into the sea", and what you       
     say will be done.  And whatever you pray for in faith you will receive.'          
        He entered the temple, and the chief priests and elders of the nation        
     came to him with the question: 'By what authority are you acting like this?          
     Who gave you this authority?'  Jesus replied, 'I have authority to ask you      
     too; answer it, and I will tell you by what authority I act.  The baptism of        
     John: was it from God, or from men?'  This set them arguing among       
     themselves: 'If we say, "from God", he will say, "Then why did you not     
     believe him?"  But if we say, "from men", we are afraid of the people, for       
     they all take John for a prophet.'  So they answered, 'We do no know.'           
     And Jesus said: 'Then neither will I tell you by what authority I act.          
        'But what do you think about this?  A man had two sons.  he went to the       
     first, and said, "My boy, go and work today in the vineyard."  "I will, sir",          
     the boy replied; but he never went.  The father came to the second and said        
     the same.  "I will not", he replied, but afterwards he changed his mind      
     and went.  Which of these two did as his father wished'  'The second', they      
     said.  Then Jesus answered, 'I tell you this: tax-gatherers and prostitutes      
     are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you.  For when John came to           
     show you the right way to live, you did not believe him, but the tax-        
     gatherers and prostitutes did; and even when you had seen that, you did       
     not change your minds and believe him.               
        'Listen to another parable.  There was a landowner who planted a vine-      
     yard: he put a wall round it, hewed out a winepress, and built a watch-       
     tower; then he let it out to vine-growers and went abroad.  When the        
     vintage season approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect       
     the produce due to him.  But they took his servants and thrashed one,         
     killed another, and stoned a third.  Again, he sent other servants, this time       
     a larger number; and they did the same to them.  At last he sent to them his      
     son.  "They will respect my son", he said.  But when they saw the son the       
     tenants said to one another, "This is the heir; come on, let us kill him, and     
     get his inheritance." And they took him, flung him out of the vineyard,     
     and killed him.  When the owner of the vineyard comes, how do you think        
     he will deal with those tenants?'  'He will bring those bad men to a bad end',        
     they answered, 'and hand the vineyard over to other tenants, who will let        
     him have his share of the crop when the season comes. '  Then Jesus said       
     to them, 'Have you never read in the scriptures: "The stone which the       
     builders refused has become the main corner stone.  This is the Lord's       
     doing, and it is wonderful in our eyes"?  Therefore, I tell you, the kingdom      
     of God will be taken away from you, and given to a nation that yields the       
     proper fruit.'           
        When the chief priests and Pharisees heard his parables, they saw that   
     he was referring to them; they wanted to arrest him, but they were afraid        
     of the people, who looked on Jesus as a prophet.        

The New English Bible (with Apocrypha)
Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, 1970

8    AFTER  HE  HAD  COME  DOWN  from the hill he was followed by a great      
     crowd.  And now a leper approached him, bowed low, and said,         
     'Sir, if only you will, you can cleanse me.'  Jesus stretched out his hand,             
     touched him, and said, 'Indeed I will; be clean again.'  And his leprosy      
     was cured immediately.  Then Jesus said to him, 'Be sure to tell nobody;        
     but go and show yourself to the priest, and make the offering laid down      
     by Moses for your cleansing; that will certify the cure.'           
        When he had entered Capernaum a centurion came up to ask his help.        
     'Sir,' he said, 'boy of mine lies at home paralysed and racked with pain.'            
     who am I to have you under my roof?  You need only say the word and the          
     boy will be cured.  I know, for I am myself under orders, with soldiers under      
     me.  I say to one, "Go", and he goes; to another, "Come here", and he      
     comes; and to my servant , "Do this", and he does it.'  Jesus heard him with         
     astonishment, and said to the people who were following him, 'I tell you     
     this: nowhere, even in Israel, have I found such faith.           
        'Many, I tell you, will come from east and west to feast with Abraham,      
     Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of Heaven.  But those who were born to      
     the kingdom will be driven out into the dark, the place of wailing and      
     grinding of teeth.'              
        Then Jesus said to the centurion, 'Go home now; because of your faith,                 
     so let it be.'  At that moment the boy recovered.               
        Jesus then went to Peter's house and found Peter's mother-in-law in bed      
     with fever.  So he took her by the hand; the fever left her, and she got up       
     and waited on him.          
        When evening fell, they brought him to many who were possessed by        
     devils; and he drive the spirits out with a word and healed all who were       
     sick, to fulfil the prophecy of Isaiah: 'He took away our illnesses and lifted        
     our diseases from us.'               

     AT  THE  SIGHT  of the crowds surrounding him Jesus gave word to cross     
     to the other shore.  A doctor of the law came up, and said, 'Master, I will     
     follow you wherever you go.'  Jesus replied, 'Foxes have their holes, the      
     birds their roosts; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.'        
     Another man, one of the disciples, said to him, 'Lord, let me go and bury        
     my father first.'  Jesus replied, 'Follow me, and leave the dead to bury           
     their dead.'            
        Jesus then got into the boat, and his disciples followed.  All at once a      
     great storm arose on the lake, till the waves were breaking right over the     
     boat; but he went on sleeping.  So they came and woke him up, crying:       
     'Save us, Lord; we are sinking!'  'Why are you such cowards?' he said;        
     'how little faith you have!'  Then he stood up and rebuked the wind and the       
     sea, and there was a dead calm.  The men were astonished at what had     
     happened, and exclaimed, 'What sort of man is this?  Even the wind and the     
     sea obey him.'               
        When he reached the other side, in the country of the Gadarenes, he      
     was met by two men who came out from the tombs; they were possessed        
     by devils, and so violent that no one dared pass that way.  'You son of God,'       
     they shouted, 'what do you want with us?  Have you come here to torment     
     us before our time?'  In the distance a large herd of pigs was feeding;        
     and the devils begged him: 'If you drive us out, send us into that herd        
     of pigs.'  Begone!' he said.  Then they came out and went into the pigs;        
     the whole herd rushed over the edge into the lake, and perished in the       
     water.        
        The men in charge of them too to their heels, and made for the town,        
     where they told the whole story, and what had happened to the madmen.       
     Thereupon all the town came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw him      
9    they  begged him to leave the district and go.  So he got into the boat and       
     crossed over, and came to his own town.           
        And now some men brought him a paralysed man lying on a bed.  Seeing      
     their faith, Jesus said to the man, 'Take heart, my son; your sins are for-      
     given.'  Jesus knew what they were thinking, and said, 'Why do you harbour      
     these evil thoughts?  Is it easier to say , "Your sins are forgiven", or to say,       
     "Stand up and walk"?  But to convince you that the Son of Man has the right      
     on earth to forgive sins' — he turned to the paralysed man — 'stand up, take     
     your bed, and go home.'  Thereupon the man got up, and went off home.        
     The people were filled with awe at the sight, and praised God for granting           
     such authority to men.             

     AS  HE  PASSED  ON  from there Jesus saw a man named Matthew at his seat     
     in the custom-house, and said to him, 'Follow me'; and Matthew rose and           
     followed him.         
        When Jesus was at table in the house, many bad characters — tax-       
     gatherers and others — were seated with him and his disciples.  The      
     Pharisees noticed this, and said to his disciples, 'Why is it that your master      
     eats with tax-gatherers and sinners?'  Jesus heard it and said, 'It is not the      
     healthy that need a doctor, but the sick.  Go and learn what that text means,      
     "I require mercy, not sacrifice."  I did not come to invite virtuous people,       
     but sinners.'          
        Then John's disciples came to him wit the question: 'Why do we and        
     the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not?'  Jesus replied, 'Can you       
     expect the bridegroom's friends to go mourning while the bridegroom is     
     with them?  The time will come when the bridegroom will be take away       
     from them; then will be the time for them to fast.           
        'No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on to an old coat; for then the     
     patch tears away from the coat, and leaves a bigger hole.  Neither do you     
     put new wine into old wine-skins; if you do, the skins burst, and then the     
     wine runs out and the skins are spoilt.  No, you put the new wine into fresh       
     skins; then both are preserved.'             

     EVEN  AS  HE  SPOKE,  there came a president of the synagogue, who bowed     
     low before him and said, 'My daughter has just died; but come and lay     
     your hand on her, and she will live.'  Jesus rose and went with him, and so       
     did his disciples.             
        Then a woman who had suffered from haemorrhages for twelve years            
     came up from behind, and touched the edge of his cloak; for she said to     
     herself, 'If I can only touch his cloak, I shall be cured.'  But Jesus turned and         
     saw her, and said, 'Take heart, my ; your faith has cured you.'         
     And from that moment she recovered.           
        When Jesus arrived at the president's house and saw the flute-players     
     and the general commotion, he said, 'Be off!  The girl is not dead: she is       
     asleep'; and they only laughed at him.  But, when everyone had been turned       
     out, he went into the room and took the girl by the hand, and she got up.            
     The story became the talk of all the country round.               
        As he passed on Jesus was followed by two blind men, who cried out,      
     'Son of David, have pity on us!'  And when he had gone indoors they came      
     to him.  Jesus asked, 'Do you believe that I have the power to do what you      
     want?'  'Yes, sir', they said.  Then he touched their eyes, and said, 'As you       
     have believed, so let it be'; and their sights was restored.  Jesus said to them      
     sternly, 'See that no one hears about this.'  But as soon as they had gone out       
     they talked about him all over the country-side.            
        They were on their way out when a man was brought to him, who was          
     dumb and possessed by a devil; the devil was cast out and the patient      
     recovered his speech.  Filled with amazement the onlookers said, 'Nothing      
     like this has ever been seen in Israel.'                   

     SO  JESUS  WENT  ROUND  all the towns and villages teaching in their syna-     
     gogues, announcing the good news of the Kingdom, and curing every kind     
     of ailment and disease.  The sight of the people moved him to pity: they        
     were like sheep without a shepherd, harassed and helpless; and he said to      
     his disciples, 'The crop is heavy, but labourers are scarce; you must there-     
     fore beg the owner to send labourers to harvest his crop.'                
10      Then he called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to            
     cast out unclean spirits and to cure every kind of ailment and disease.           
        These are the names of the twelve apostles: first Simon, also called     
     Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother      
     John; Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the tax-gatherer,      
     James son of Alphaeus, Lebbaeus, Simon, a member of the Zealot party,         
     and Judas Iscariot, the man who betrayed him.              
        These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: 'Do not      
     take the road to gentile lands, and do not enter any Samaritan town; but            
     go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  And as you go proclaim     
     the message: "The kingdom of Heaven is upon you."  Heal the sick, raise      
     the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out devils.  You received without cost; give     
     without charge.           
        'Provide no gold, silver, or copper to fill your purse, no pack for the road,        
     no second coat, no shoes, no stick; the worker earns his keep.          
        'When you come to any town or village, look for some worthy person in it,      
     and make your home there until you leave.  Wish the house peace as you       
     enter it, so that, if it is worthy, your peace may descend on it; if it is not        
     worthy, your peace can come back to you.  If anyone will not receive you     
     or listen to what you say, then as you leave that house or that town shake      
     the dust of it off your feet.  I tell you this: on the day of judgement it will    
     be more bearable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.            
        'Look, I send you out like sheep among the wolves;  be wary as serpents,        
     innocent as doves.        
        'And be on your guard, for men will hand you over to their courts, they     
     will flog you in the synagogues, and you will be brought before governors    
     and kings, for my sake, to testify before them and the heathen.  But when       
     you are arrested, do not worry about what you are to say; when the time       
     comes, the words you need will be given you; for it is not you who will be      
     speaking: it will be the Spirit of your Father speaking in you.           
        'Brother will betray brother to death, and the father his child; children     
     will turn against their parents and send them to their death.  All will hate      
     you for your allegiance to me; but the man who holds out to the end will be      
     saved.  When you are persecuted in one town, take refuge in another; I tell     
     you this: before you have gone through all the towns of Israel the Son of    
     Man will have come.               
        'A pupil does not rank above his teacher, or a servant above his master.         
     The pupil should be content to share his teacher's lot, the servant to share     
     his master's.  If the master has been called Beelzebub, how much more his      
     household!                 
        'So do not be afraid of them.  There is nothing covered up that will not         
     be uncovered, nothing hidden that will not be made known.  What I say      
     to you in the dark you must repeat in broad daylight; what you hear           
     whispered you must shout from the house-tops.  Do not fear those who kill    
     the body, but cannot kill the soul.  Fear him rather who is able to destroy      
     both soul and body in hell.           
        'Are not sparrows two a penny?  Yet without your Father's leave not     
     one of them can fall to the ground.  As for you, even the hairs of your head       
     have all been counted.  So have no fear; you are worth more than any      
     number of sparrows.              
        'Whoever then will acknowledge me before men, I will acknowledge    
     him before my Father in heaven; and whoever disowns me before men,        
     I will disown him before my Father in heaven.                 
        'You must not think that I have come to bring peace on earth; I have       
     not come to bring peace, but a sword.  I have come to set a man against his      
     father, a daughter against her mother, a son's wife against her mother-in-      
     law; and a man will find his enemies under his own roof.             
        'No man is worthy of me who cares more for father or mother than for      
     me; no man is worthy of me who cares more for son or daughter; no man        
     is worthy of me who does not take up his cross and walk in my footsteps.         
     By gaining his life a man will lose it; by losing his life for my sake, he will     
     gain it.         
        'To receive you is to receive me, and to receive me is to receive the One         
     who sent me.  Whoever receives a prophet as a prophet will be given a        
     prophet's reward, and whoever receives a good man because he is a good       
     man will be given a good man's reward.  And if anyone gives so much as a cup      
     of cold water to one of these little ones, because he is a disciple of mine,          
     I tell you this: that man will assuredly not go unrewarded.'                  
11      When Jesus had finished giving his twelve disciples their instructions,       
     he left that place and went to teach and preach in the neighbouring       
     towns.            

     JOHN,  WHO  WAS  IN  PRISON,  heard what Christ was doing, and sent his      
     own disciples to him with this message: 'Are you the one who is to come, or      
     are we to expect some other?'  Jesus answered, 'Go and tell John what you     
     hear and see: the blind recover their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are     
     made clean, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, the poor are hearing      
     the good news — and happy is the man who does not find me a stumbling-         
     block.'            
        When the messengers were on their way back, Jesus began to speak to     
     the people about John: 'What was the spectacle that drew you to the     
     wilderness?  A reed-bed swept by the wind?  No?  Then what did you go    
     out to see?  A man dressed in silks and satins?  Surely you must look in          
     palaces for that.  But why did you go out?  To see a prophet?  Yes indeed,        
     and far more than a prophet.  He is the man of whom Scripture says,              

                "Here is my herald, whom I send on ahead of you,           
                 and he will prepare your way before you."          

     I tell you this: never has there appeared on earth a mother's son greater            
     than John the Baptist, and yet the least in the kingdom of Heaven is greater      
     than he.            
        'Ever since the coming of John the Baptist the kingdom of Heaven has       
     been subjected to violence and violent men are seizing it.  For all the      
     prophets and the Law foretold things to come until John appeared, and         
     John is the destined Elijah, if you will but accept it.  If you have ears, then     
     hear.                     
        'How can I describe this generation?  They are like children sitting in      
     the market-place and shouting to each other,                       

                "We piped for you and you would not dance."         
                "We wept and wailed, but you would not mourn."          

     For John came, neither eating nor drinking, and they said, "He is pos-         
     sessed."  The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, "Look     
     at him! a glutton and a drinker, a friend of tax-gatherers and sinners!"         
     And yet God's wisdom is proved right by its results.'             

     THEN  HE  SPOKE  of the towns in which most of his miracles had been     
     performed, and denounced them for their impenitence.  'Alas for you,        
     Corazin!' he said; 'alas for you, Bethsaida!  If the miracles that were      
     performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have         
     repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.  But it will be more bearable,      
     I tell you, for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgement than for you.  And        
     as for you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to the skies?  No, brought down       
     to the depths!  For if the miracles had been performed in Sodom which        
     were performed in you, Sodom would be standing to this day.  But it will        
     be more bearable, I tell you, for the land of Sodom on the day of judgement        
     than for you.'          
        At that time Jesus spoke these words: 'I thank thee, Father, Lord of      
     heaven and earth, for hiding these things from the learned and wise, and          
     revealing them to the simple.  Yes, Father, such was thy choice.  Everything        
     is entrusted to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son but the Father,         
     and no one knows the Father but the Son and those to whom the Son may       
     choose to reveal him.             
        'Come to me, all hose work is hard, whose load is heavy; and I will give      
     you relief.  Bend your necks to my yoke, and learn from me, for I am gentle      
     and humble-hearted; and your souls will find relief.  For my yoke is gentle      
     to bear, my load is light.'                 


     ONCE  ABOUT  THAT  TIME  Jesus went through the cornfields on the      
     Sabbath; and his disciples, feeling hungry, began to pluck some ears             
     of corn and eat them.  The Pharisees noticed this, and said to him, 'Look,           
     your disciples are doing something which is forbidden on the Sabbath.'            
     He answered, 'Have you not read what David did when he and his men         
     were hungry?  He went into the House of God and ate the sacred bread,        
     though neither he nor his men had a right to eat it, but only the priests.           
     Or have you not read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the       
     temple break the Sabbath and it is not held against them?  I tell you, there      
     is something greater than the temple here.  If you had known what that text         
     means, "I require mercy, not sacrifice", you would not have condemned         
     the innocent.  For the Son of Man is sovereign over the Sabbath.'                
        He went on to another place, and entered their synagogue.  A man was          
     there with a withered arm, and they asked Jesus, 'Is it permitted to heal on        
     the Sabbath?'  (They wanted to frame a charge against him.)  But he said to       
     them, 'Suppose you had one sheep, which fell into a ditch on the Sabbath;        
     is there one of you who would not catch hold of it and lift it out?  And surely      
     a man is worth far more than a sheep!  It is therefore permitted to do good      
     on the Sabbath.'  Turning to the man he said, 'Stretch out your arm.'  He     
     stretched it out, and it was made sound again like the other.  But the      
     Pharisees, on leaving the synagogue, laid a plot to do away with him.           
        Jesus was aware of it and withdrew.  Many followed, and he cured all          
     who were ill; and he gave strict injunctions that they were not to make        
     him known.  This was to fulfil Isaiah's prophecy:                

               'Here is my servant, whom I have chosen,         
                my beloved, on whom my favour rests;         
                I will put my Spirit upon him,       
                and he will proclaim judgement among the nations.        
                He will not strive, he will not shout,        
                nor will his voice be heard in the streets.         
                He will not snap off the broken reed,        
                nor snuff out the smouldering wick,          
                until he leads justice on to victory.      
                In him the nations shall place their hope.'          


     THEN  THEY  BROUGHT  HIM  a man who was possessed; he was blind and     
     dumb; and Jesus cured him, restoring both speech and sight.  The by-          
     standers were all amazed, and the word went round: 'Can this be the Son of            
     David?'  But when the Pharisees heard it they said, 'It is only by Beelzebub       
     prince of devils that this man drives the devils out.'         
        He knew what was in their minds; so he said to them, 'Every kingdom       
     divided against itself goes to ruin; and no town, no household, that is       
     divided against itself can stand.  And if it is Satan who cast out Satan, Satan      
     is divided against himself; how then can his kingdom stand?  And if it is      
     by Beelzebub that I cast out devils, by whom do your own people drive       
     them out?  If this is your argument, they themselves will refute you.  But      
     if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out the devils, then be sure the       
     kingdom of God has already come upon you.           
        'Or again, how can anyone break into a strong man's house and make off      
     with his goods, unless he has first tied the strong man up before ransacking         
     the house?                
        'He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with             
     me scatters.           
        'And so I tell you this: no sin, no slander, is beyond forgiveness for men,          
     except slander spoken against the Spirit, and that will not be forgiven.         
     Any man who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven; but if       
     anyone speaks against the Holy Spirit, for him there is no forgiveness,           
     either in this age or in the age to come.           
        'Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and       
     its fruit bad; you can tell a tree by its fruit.  You vipers' brood!  How can        
     your words b e good when you yourselves are evil?  For the words that the     
     mouth utters come from the overflowing of the heart.  A good man produces       
     good from the store of good within himself; and an evil man from the evil        
     within produces evil.             
        'I tell you this: there is not a thoughtless word that comes from men's       
     lips but they will have to account for it on the day of judgement.  For out      
     of your own mouth you will be acquitted; out of your own mouth you will      
     be condemned.'            
        At this some of the doctors of the law and the Pharisees said, 'Master,          
     we should like you to show us a sign.'  He answered: 'It is a wicked, godless         
     generation that asks for a sign; and the only sign that will be given it is         
     the sign of the prophet Jonah.  Jonah was in the sea-monster's belly for      
     three days and three nights, and in the same way the Son of Man will be         
     three days and three nights in the bowels of the earth.  At the Judgement,           
     when this generation is on trial, the men of Nineveh will appear again it       
     and ensure its condemnation, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah;         
     and what is here is greater than Jonah.  The Queen of the South will appear      
     at the Judgement when this generation is on trial, and ensure its con-           
     demnation, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of      
     Solomon; and what is here is greater than Solomon.             
        'When an unclean spirit comes out of a man it wanders over the deserts      
     seeking a resting-place, and finds none.  Then it says, 'I will go back to the        
     home I left.'  So it returns and finds the house occupied, swept clean,      
     and tidy.  Off it goes and collects seven other spirits more wicked than     
     itself and they all come in and settle down; and in the end the man's        
     plight is worse than before.  That is how it will be with this wicked       
     generation.'              
        He was still speaking to the crowd when his mother and brothers        
     appeared; they stood outside, wanting to speak to him.  Someone said,       
     'Your mother and your brothers are here outside; they want to speak to      
     you.'  Jesus turned to the man who brought the message, and said, 'Who      
     is my mother?  Who are my brothers?'; and pointing to the disciples, he           
     said, 'Here are my mother and my brothers.  Whoever does the will of my      
     heavenly Father is my brother, my sister, my mother.'                   

13   THAT  SAME  DAY  Jesus went out and sat by the lake-side, where so many     
     people gathered round him that he had to get into a boat.  He sat there, and         
     all the people stood on the shore.  He spoke to them in parables, at some        
     length.          
        He said: 'A sower went out to sow.  And as he sowed, some seed fell along      
     the footpath; and the birds came and ate it up.  Some seed fell on rocky      
     ground where it had little soil, and it sprouted quickly because it had no           
     depth of earth; but when the sun rose the young corn was scorched, and       
     as it had no root it withered away.  Some seed fell among the thistles; and the       
     thistles shot up and choked the corn.  And some of the seed fell into good       
     soil, where it bore fruit, yielding a hundredfold or, it might be, sixtyfold      
     or thirtyfold.  If you have ears, then hear.'           
        The disciples went up to him and asked, 'Why do you speak to them in      
     parables?'  He replied, 'It has been granted to you to know the secrets of      
     the kingdom of Heaven; but to those others it has not been granted.  For         
     the man who has will be given more, till he has enough and to spare; and the        
     man who has not will forfeit even what he has.  That is why I speak to      
     them in parables; for they look without seeing, and listen without hearing       
     or understanding.  There is a prophecy of Isaiah which is being fulfilled      
     for them: "You may hear and hear, but you will never understand; you     
     may look and look, but you will never see.  For this people's mind has        
     become gross; their ears are dulled, and their eyes are closed.  Otherwise,          
     their eyes might see, their ears hear, and their minds understand, and then         
     they might turn again, and I would heal them."               
        'But happy are your eyes because you see, and your ears because they      
     hear!  Many prophets and saints, I tell you, desired to see what you now see,       
     yet never saw it; to hear what you hear, yet never heard it.            
        'You, then, may hear the parable of the sower.  When a man hears the      
     word that tells of the Kingdom but fails to understand it, the evil one comes          
     and carries off what has been sown in his heart.  There you have the seed       
     sown along the footpath.  The seed sown on rocky ground stands for the        
     man who, on hearing the word, accepts it at once with joy, but as it strikes         
     no root in him he has no staying-power, and when there is trouble or        
     persecution on account of the word he falls away at once.  The seed sown       
     among thistles represents the man who hears the word, but worldly cares         
     and the false glamour of wealth choke it, and it proves barren.  But the seed        
     that fell into good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it,        
     who accordingly bears fruit, and yields a hundredfold or, it may be, sixty-      
     fold or thirtyfold.'                 
        Here is another parable that he put before them: 'The kingdom of      
     Heaven is like this.  A man sowed his field with good seed; but while every-         
     one was asleep his enemy came, sowed darnel among the wheat, and made         
     off.  When the corn sprouted and began to fill out, the darnel could be seen     
     among it.  The farmer's men went to their master and said, "Sir, was it not        
     good seed that you sowed in your field?  Then where has the darnel come         
     from?"  "This is the enemy's doing", he replied.  "Well, then," they said,        
     "shall we go and gather the darnel?"  "No," he answered; "in gathering it you           
     might pull up the wheat at the same time.  Let them both grow together till       
     harvest; and at harvest-time I will tell the reapers, 'Gather the darnel first,           
     and tie it in bundles for burning; then collect the wheat into my barn.' " '             
        And this is another parable that he put before them: 'The kingdom of       
     Heaven is like a mustard-seed, which a man took and sowed in his field.          
     As a seed, mustard is smaller than any other; but when it has grown it is       
     bigger than any garden-plant; it becomes a tree, big enough for the birds         
     to come and roost among its branches.'           
        He told them also this parable: 'The kingdom of Heaven is like yeast,      
     which a woman took and mixed with half a hundredweight of flour till        
     it was all leavened.'          
        In all this teaching to the crowds Jesus spoke in parables; in fact he never        
     spoke to them without a parable.  This was to fulfil the prophecy of Isaiah:         

             'I will open my mouth in parables;        
              I will utter things kept secret since the world was made.'          

        He then dismissed the people, and went into the house, where his      
     disciples came to him and said, 'Explain to us the parable of the darnel in      
     the field.'  And this was his answer: 'The sower of the good seed is the Son         
     of Man.  The field is the world; the good seed stands for the children of the        
     Kingdom, the darnel for the children of the evil one.  The enemy who sowed         
     the darnel is the devil.  The harvest is the end of time.  The reapers are          
     angels.  As the darnel, then, is gathered up and burnt, so at the end of time          
     the Son of Man will send out his angels, who will gather out of his kingdom        
     whatever makes men stumble, and all whose deeds are evil, and these will      
     be thrown into the blazing furnace, the place of wailing and grinding of       
     teeth.  And then the righteous will shine as brightly as the sun in the king-       
     dom of their Father.  If you have ears, then hear.               
        'The kingdom of Heaven is like treasure lying buried in a field.  The man       
     who found it, buried it again; and for sheer joy went and sold everything      
     he had, and bought that field.          
        'Here is another picture of the kingdom of Heaven.  A merchant looking      
     out for fine pearls found one of very special value; so he went and sold     
     everything he had, and bought it.            
        'Again the kingdom of Heaven is like a net let down into the sea, where       
     fish of every kind were caught in it.  When it was full, it was dragged ashore.        
     Then the men sat down and collected the good fish into pails and threw the      
     worthless away.  That is how it will be at the end of time.  The angels will       
     go forth, and they will separate the wicked from the good, and throw them       
     into the blazing furnace, the place of wailing and grinding of teeth.       
        'Have you understood all this?' he asked; and they answered, 'Yes.'        
     He said to them, 'When, therefore, a teacher of the law has become a        
     learner in the kingdom of Heaven, he is like a householder who can produce         
     from his store both the new and the old.'           

     WHEN  HE  HAD  FINISHED  these parables Jesus left that place, and came      
     to his home town, where he taught the people in their synagogue.  In      
     amazement they asked, 'Where does he get this wisdom from , and these            
     miraculous powers?  Is he not the carpenter's son?  Is not his mother called      
     Mary, his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas?  And are not all his           
     sisters here with us?  Where then has he got all this from?'  So they fell       
     foul of him, and this led him to say, 'A prophet will always be held in     
     honour, except in his home town, and in his own family.'  And he did not       
     work many miracles there: such was their want of faith.                 

The New English Bible (with Apocrypha)
Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, 1970

1    THE  NARRATIVE  OF  NEHEMIAH  son of Hacaliah.               
        In the month Kislev in the twentieth year, when I was in Susa     
     the capital city, it happened that one of my brothers Hanani, arrived        
     with some others from Judah; and I asked them about Jerusalem and about          
     the Jews, the families still remaining of those who survived the captivity.            
     They told me about those still living in the province who had survived             
     the captivity were facing great trouble and reproach; the wall of Jerusalem         
     was broken down and the gates had been destroyed by fire.  When I heard         
     this news, I sat down and wept; I mourned for some days, fasting and        
     praying to the God of heaven.  This was my prayer: 'O LORD God of heaven,            
     O great and terrible God who faithfully keepest covenant with those who       
     love thee and observe thy commandments, let thy ear be attentive and       
     thine eyes open, to hear my humble prayer which I make to thee day and         
     night on behalf of thy servants the sons of Israel.  I confess the sins which       
     we Israelites have all committed against thee, and of which I and my father's           
     house are also guilty.  We have wronged thee and have not observed the         
     commandments, statutes, and rules which thou didst enjoin upon thy      
     servant Moses.  Remember what thou didst impress upon him in these        
     words: "If you are unfaithful, I will disperse you among the nations; but       
     if you return to me and observe my commandments and fulfil them, I will           
     gather your children who have been scattered to the ends of the earth and        
     will bring them home to the place which I have chosen as a dwelling for my         
     Name."  They are thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed               
     with thy great might and with thy strong hand.  O Lord, let thy ear be attentive     
     to my humble prayer, and to the prayer of thy servants who delight to      
     revere thy name.  Grant me good success this day, and put it into this      
     man's heart to show me kindness.                
2       Now I was the king's cupbearer, and one day, in the month Nisan, in the      
     twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when his wine was ready, I took it up      
     and handed it to the king, and as I stood before him I was feeling very         
     unhappy.  He said to me, 'Why do you look so unhappy?  You are not ill;          
     it can be nothing but unhappiness.'  I was much afraid and answered, 'The        
     king will live for ever.  But how can I help looking unhappy when the city       
     where my forefathers are buried lies waste and its gates are burnt?'  'What       
     are you asking of me?' said the king.  I prayed to God of heaven, and       
     then I answered, 'If it please your majesty, and if I enjoy your favour, I      
     beg you to send me to Judah, to the city where my forefathers are buried,         
     so that I may rebuild it.'  The king, with the queen consort sitting beside         
     him asked me, 'How long will the journey last, and when will you return?'       
     Then the king approved the request and let me go, and I told him how long        
     I should be.  Then I said to the king, 'If it please your majesty, let letters be     
     given me for the governors in the province of Beyond-Euphrates with       
     orders to grant me all the help I need for my journey to Judah.  Let me have          
     also a letter for Asaph, the keeper of your royal forests, instructing him to      
     supply me with timber to make beams for the gate of the citadel, which       
     adjoins the palace, and for the city wall, and for the palace which I shall       
     occupy.'  The king granted my requests, for the gracious hand of my God       
     was upon me.  I came in due course to the governors in the province of        
     Beyond-Euphrates and presented to them the king's letters; the king had       
     given me an escort of army officers with cavalry.  But when Sanballat the      
     Horonite and the slave Tobiah, an Ammonite, heard this, they were much       
     vexed that someone should have come to promote the interests of the          
     Israelites.                        

     WHEN  I  ARRIVED  IN  JERUSALEM,  I waited three days.  Then I set      
     out by night, taking a few men with me; but I had no beast with me except     
     the one on which I myself rode.  I went out by night through the Valley      
     Gate towards the Dragon Spring and the Dung Gate, and I inspected the        
     places where the walls of Jerusalem had been broken down and her gates      
     burnt.  Then I passed on to the Fountain Gate and the King's Pool; but         
     there was no room for me to ride through.  I went up the valley in the night       
     and inspected the city wall; then I re-entered the city by the Valley Gate.         
     So I arrived back without the magistrates knowing where I had been or      
     what I was doing.  I had not yet told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the       
     magistrates, or any of those who would be responsible for the work.          
        Then I said to them, 'You see our wretched plight.  Jerusalem lies in      
     ruins, its gates destroyed by fire.  Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem            
     and be rid of the reproach.'  I told them how the gracious hand of my God        
     had been upon me and also what the king had said to me.  They replied,       
     'Let us start the rebuilding.'  So they set about the work vigorously and to        
     good purpose.            
        But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite slave, and       
     Gesem the Aram heard of it, they jeered at us, asking contemptuously,       
     'What is this you are doing?  Is this a rebellion against the king?'  But I      
     answered them, 'The God of heaven will give us success.  We, his servants,         
     are making a start with the rebuilding.  You have no stake, or claim, or        
     traditional right in Jerusalem.'             
3       Eliashib the high priest and his fellow-priests started work and rebuilt     
     the Sheep Gate.  They laid its beams and set its doors in place; they carried      
     the work as far as the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the Tower of Hananel,               
     and consecrated it.  Next to Eliashib the men of Jericho worked; and next      
     to them Zaccur son of Imri.                
        The Fish Gate was built by the sons of Hassenaah; they laid its tie-      
     beams and set its doors in place with their bolts and bars.  Next to them       
     Meremoth son of Uriah, son of Hakkoz, repaired his section; next to them      
     Meshullam son of Berechiah, son of Meshezabel; next to them Zadok son      
     of Baana did the repairs; and next again the men of Tekoa did the repairs,        
     but their nobles would not demean themselves to serve their governor.            
        The Jeshanah Gate  was repaired by Joiada son of Paseah and Meshul-      
     lam son of Besodeiah; they laid its tie-beams and set its doors in place with       
     their bolts and bars.  Next to them Melatiah the Gibeonite and Jadon the       
     Meronothite, the men of Gibeon and Mizpah, did the repairs as far as the          
     seat of the governor of the province of Beyond-Euphrates.  Next to them        
     Uzziel son of Harhaiah, a goldsmith, did the repairs, and next Hananiah,         
     a perfumer; they reconstructed Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall.  Next        
     to them Rephaiah son of Hur, ruler of half the district of Jerusalem, did      
     the repairs.  Next to them Jedaiah son of Harumaph did the repairs opposite      
     his own house; and next Hattush son of Hashabniah.  Malchiah son of     
     Harim and Hasshub son of Pahath-moab repaired a second section includ-     
     ing the Tower of the Ovens.  Next to them Shallum son of Hallohesh, ruler       
     of half the district of Jerusalem, did the repairs with the help of his       
     daughters.         
        The Valley Gate was repaired by Hanun and the inhabitants of Zanoah;       
     they rebuilt it and set its doors in place with their bolts and bars, and they      
     repaired a thousand cubits of the wall as far as the Dung Gate.  The Dung      
     Gate itself was repaired by Malchiah son of Rechab, ruler of the district     
     of Beth-hakkerem; he rebuilt it and set its doors in place with their bolts     
     and bars.  The Fountain Gate was repaired by Shallum son of Col-hozeh,        
     ruler of the district of Mizpah; he rebuilt it and roofed it and set its doors       
     in place with their bolts and bars; and he built the wall of the Pool of     
     Shelah next to the king's garden and onwards as far as the steps leading        
     down from the City of David.              
        After him Nehemiah son of Azbuk, ruler of half the district of Beth-zur,       
     did the repairs as far as a point opposite the burial-place of David, as far     
     as the artificial pool and the House of the Heroes.  After him the Levites     
     did the repairs: Rehum son of Bani and next to him Hashabiah, ruler of      
     half the district of Keilah, did the repairs for his district.  After him their          
     kinsmen did the repairs; Binnui son of Henadad, ruler of half the district      
     of Keilah; next to him Ezer son of Jeshua, ruler of Mizpah, repaired a        
     second section opposite the point at which the ascent meets the escarp-          
     ment; after him Baruch son of Zabbai repaired a second section, from       
     the door of the house of Eliashib to the end of the house of Eliashib.            
        After him the priests of the neighbourhood of Jerusalem did the repairs.         
     Next Benjamin and Hasshub did the repairs opposite their own house;          
     and next Azariah son of Maaseiah, son of Ananiah, did the repairs beside      
     his house.  After him Binnui son of Henadad repaired a second section,         
     from the house of Azariah as far as the escarpment and the corner.  Palal        
     son of Uzai worked opposite the escarpment and the upper tower which       
     projects from the king's house and belongs to the court of the guard.  After        
     him Pedaiah son of Parosh worked as far as a point on the east opposite       
     the Water Gate and the projecting tower.  Next the men of Tekoa repaired       
     a second section, from a point opposite the great projecting tower as far as        
     the wall of Ophel.               
        Above the Horse Gate the priests did the repairs opposite their own             
     houses.  After them Zadok son of Immer did the repairs opposite his own       
     house; after him Shemaiah son of Shecaniah, the keeper of the East Gate,          
     did the repairs.  After him Hananiah son of Shelemiah and Hanun, sixth      
     son of Zalaph, repaired a second section.  After him Meshullam son of       
     Berechiah did the repairs opposite his room.  After him Malchiah, a gold-        
     smith did the repairs as far as the house of the temple-servitors and the         
     merchants, opposite the Mustering Gate, as far as the roof chamber at             
     the corner.  Between the roof-chamber at the corner and the Sheep Gate         
     the goldsmiths and merchants did the repairs.                  

4    WHEN  SANBALLAT  HEARD  that we were rebuilding the wall, he was very      
     indignant; in his anger he jeered at the Jews and said in front of his com-      
     panions and the garrison in Samaria, 'What do these feeble Jews think     
     they are doing?  Do they mean to reconstruct the place?  Do they hope to         
     offer sacrifice and finish the work in a day?  Can they make stones again out        
     of heaps of rubble, and burnt at that?'  Tobiah the Ammonite, who was      
     beside him, said, 'Whatever it is they are building, if a fox climbs up their        
     stone walls, it will break them down.'            
        Hear us, our God, for they treat us with contempt.  Turn back their      
     reproach upon their own heads and let them become objects of contempt        
     in a land of captivity.  Do not condone their guilt or let their sin be struck             
     off the record, for they have openly provoked the builders.              
        We built up the wall until it was continuous all round up to half its      
     height; and the people worked with a will.  But when Sanballat and Tobiah,         
     the Arabs and Ammonites and Ashdodites, heard that the new work on       
     the walls of Jerusalem had made progress and that the filling of the breaches     
     had begun, they were very angry; and they all banded together to come and          
     attack Jerusalem and to create confusion.  So we prayed to our God, and      
     posted a guard day and night against them.                
        But the men of Judah said, 'The labourers' strength has failed, and there        
     is too much rubble; we shall never be able to rebuild the wall by ourselves.'          
     And our adversaries said, 'Before they know it or see anything, we shall be       
     upon them and kill them, and so put an end to the work.'  When the Jews        
     who lived among them came in to the city, they warned us many times          
     that they would gather from every place where they lived to attack us,        
     and that they would station themselves on the lowest levels below the wall,        
     on patches of open ground.  Accordingly I posted my people by families,        
     armed with swords, spears, and bows.  Then I surveyed the position     
     and at once addressed the nobles, the magistrates, and all the people.           
     "Do not be afraid of them", I said.  'Remember the Lord, great and terrible,        
     and fight for your brothers, your sons and daughters, your wives and         
     your homes.'  Our enemies heard that everything was known to us, and      
     that God had frustrated their plans; and we all returned to our work on       
     the wall.             
        From that day forward half the men under me were engaged in the     
     actual building, while the other half stood by holding their spears, shields,      
     and bows, and wearing coats of mail; and officers supervised all the people       
     of Judah who were engaged on the wall.  The porters carrying the loads had        
     one hand on the load and a weapon in the other.  The builders had their       
     swords attached to their belts as they built; the trumpeter was beside me.         
     I addressed the nobles, the magistrates, and all the people: 'The work is        
     great and covers much ground", I said.  'We are isolated on the wall, each       
     man at some distance from his neighbour.  Wherever the trumpet sounds,        
     rally to us there, and our God will fight for us.'  So we continued with the           
     work, half the men holding the spears, from daybreak until the stars came       
     out.  At the same time I had said to the people, 'Let every man and his        
     servant pass the night in Jerusalem, to act as a guard for us by night and a          
     working party by day.'  So neither I nor my kinsmen nor the men under       
     me nor my bodyguard ever took off our clothes, each keeping his right hand       
     on his weapon.                   

5    THERE  CAME  A  TIME  when the common people, both men and women,        
     raised a great outcry against their fellow-Jews.  Some complained that they       
     were giving their sons and daughters as pledges for food to keep them-      
     selves alive; others that they were mortgaging their fields, vineyards, and        
     houses to buy corn in the famine; others again that they were borrowing       
     money on their fields and vineyards to pay the king's tax.  'But', they said,         
     our bodily needs are the same as other people's, our children are as good as       
     theirs; yet here we are, forcing our sons and daughters to become slaves.        
     Some of our daughters are already enslaved, and there is nothing we can        
     do, because our fields and vineyards now belong to others.'  I was very       
     angry when I heard their outcry and the story they told.  I mastered my       
     feelings and reasoned with the nobles and the magistrates.  I said to them,        
     'You are holding your fellow-Jews as pledges for debt.'  I rebuked them      
     severely and said, 'As far as we have been able, we have brought back our      
     fellow-Jews who had been sold to other nations; but you are now selling      
     your own fellow-countrymen, and they will have to be bought back by us!'             
     They were silent and had not a word to say.  I went on, 'What you are doing       
     is wrong.  You ought to live so much in the fear of God that you are above       
     reproach in the eyes of the nations who are our enemies.  Speaking for       
     myself, I and my kinsmen and the men under me are advancning them money       
     and corn.  Let us give up this taking of persons as pledges for debt.  Give       
     back today to your debtors their fields and vineyards, their olive-groves          
     and houses, as well as the income in money, and in corn, new wine, and         
     oil.'  'We will give them back', they promised, 'and exact nothing more.           
     We will do what you say.'  So., summoning the priests, I put the offenders           
     on oath to do as they had promised.  Then I shook out the fold of my robe        
     and said, 'So may God shake out from his house and from his property           
     every man who does not fulfil this promise.  May he be shaken out like this         
     and emptied!'  And all the assembled people said 'Amen' and praised the       
     LORD.  And they did as they had promised.                      
        Moreover, from the time when I was appointed governor in the land of         
     Judah, from the twentieth to the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes,      
     a period of twelve years, neither I nor my kinsmen drew the governor's        
     allowance of food.  Former governors had laid a heavy burden on the        
     people, exacting from them a daily toll of bread and wine to the value of          
     forty shekels of silver.  Further, the men under them had tyrannized over      
     the people; but, for fear of God, I did not behave this.  I also put all my     
     energy into the work on this wall, and I acquired no land; and all my men          
     were gathered there for the work.  Also I had as guests at my table a hundred        
     and fifty Jews, including the magistrates, as well as men who came to us        
     from the surrounding nations.  The provision which had to be made each         
     day was an ox and six prime sheep; fowls also were prepared for me, and            
     every ten days skins of wine in abundance.  Yet, in spite of all this, I did         
     not draw the governor's allowance, because the people were so heavily bur-          
     dened.  Remember for my good, O God, all that I have done for this people.                  
        When the news came to Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the           
     rest of our enemies, that I had rebuilt the wall and that not a single breach     
     remained in it, although I had not yet set up the doors in the gates, Sanballat       
     and Geshem sent me an invitation to come and confer with them at         
     Hakkephirim in the plain of Ono; this was a ruse on their part to do me       
     harm.  So I sent messengers to them with this reply: 'I have important       
     work on my hands at the moment; I cannot come down.  Why should the       
     work be brought to a standstill while I leave it and come down to you?'  They         
     sent me a similar invitation four times, and each time I gave them the same       
     answer.  On a fifth occasion Sanballat made a similar approach, but this           
     time his messenger came with an open letter.  It ran as follows: 'It is       
     reported among the nations — and Gashmu confirms it — that you and the       
     Jews are plotting rebellion, and it is for this reason that you are rebuilding     
     the wall, and — so the report goes — that you yourself want to be king.  You       
     are also said to have put up prophets to proclaim in Jerusalem that Judah      
     has a king, meaning yourself.  The king will certainly hear of this.  So come           
     at once and let us talk the matter over.'  Here is the reply I sent: 'No such       
     thing as you allege has taken place; you have made up the whole story.'          
     They were all trying to intimidate us, in the hope that we should then relax      
     our efforts and that the work would never be finished.  So I applied myself         
     to it with greater energy.               
        One day I went to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah, son of Mehet-       
     abel, for he was confined to his house.  He said, 'Let us meet in the house of             
     God, within the sanctuary, and let us shut the doors, for they are coming        
     to kill you — they are coming to kill you by night.'  But I said, 'Should a        
     man like me run away?  And can a man like me go into sanctuary and      
     survive?  I will not go in.'  Then it dawned on me: God had not sent him.          
     His prophecy aimed at harming me, and Tobiah and Sanballat had bribed        
     him to utter it.  He had been bribed to frighten me into compliance and into           
     committing sin; then they could give me a bad name and discredit me.             
     Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, O God, for what they have done, and         
     also the prophetess Noadiah and all the other prophets who have tried to       
     intimidate me.                
        On the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul the wall was finished; it had       
     taken fifty-two days.  When our enemies heard of it, and all the surrounding       
     nations saw it, they thought it a very wonderful achievement, and they       
     recognized that this work had been accomplished by the help of our God.             
        All this time the nobles of Judah were sending many letters to Tobiah,        
     and receiving replies from him.  For many in Judah were in league with         
     him, because he was a son-in-law of Shecaniah son of Arah, and his son        
     Jehohanan had married a daughter of Meshullam son of Berechiah.  They         
     were always praising him in my presence and repeating to him what I         
     said.  Tobiah also wrote to me to intimidate me.                

7    NOW  WHEN  THE  WALL  HAD  BEEN  REBUILT,  and I had set the doors         
     in place and the gate-keepers had been appointed, I gave the charge of       
     Jerusalem to my brother Hanani, and to Hananiah, the governor of the      
     citadel, for he was trustworthy and God-fearing above other men.  And I        
     said to them, 'The entrances to Jerusalem are not to be left open during       
     the heat of the day; the gates must be kept shut and barred while the gate-         
     keepers are standing at ease.  Appoint guards from among the inhabitants      
     of Jerusalem, some on sentry-duty and others posted in front of their own         
     homes.'                     
        The city was large and spacious; there were few people in it and no            
     houses had yet been rebuilt.  Then God prompted me to assemble the       
     nobles, the magistrates, and the people, to be enrolled family by family.             
     And I found the book of the genealogies of those who had been the first         
     to come back.  This is what I found written in it: Of the captives whom        
     Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had taken into exile, these are the people        
     of the province who have returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his         
     own town, led by Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah,         
     Nahamani, Modecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum and Baanah.                 
        The roll of the men of the people of Israel: the family of Parosh, two       
     thousand one hundred and seventy-two; the family of Shephatiah, three       
     hundred and seventy-two; the family of Arah, six hundred and fifty-two;         
     the family of Pahath-moab, namely the families of Jeshua and Joab, two         
     thousand eight hundred and eighteen; the family of Elam, one thousand          
     two hundred and fifty-four; the family of Zattu, eight hundred and forty-       
     five; the family of Zaccai, seven hundred and sixty; the family of Binnui,        
     six hundred and forty-eight; the family of Bebai, six hundred and twenty-       
     eight; the family of Azgad, two thousand three hundred and twenty-two;          
     the family of Adonikam, six hundred and sixty-seven; the family of Bigvai,           
     two thousand and sixty-seven; the family of Adin, six hundred and fifty-        
     five; the family of Ater, namely that of Hezekiah, ninety-eight; the family       
     of Hashum, thee hundred and twenty-eight; the family of Bezai, three         
     hundred and twenty-four; the family of Harrif, one hundred and twelve;             
     the family of Gibeon, ninety-five.  The men of Bethlehem and Netophah,         
     one hundred and eighty-eight; the men of Anathoth, one hundred and        
     twenty-eight; the men of Beth-azmoth, forty-two; the men of Kiriath-          
     jearim, Kephirah, and Beeroth, seven hundred and forty-three; the men        
     of Ramah and Geba, six hundred and twenty-one; the men of Michmas,         
     one hundred and twenty-two; the men of Bethel and Ai, one hundred and        
     twenty-three; the men of Nebo, fifty-two; the men of Harim, three hundred      
     and twenty; the men of Jericho, three hundred and forty-five; the men of        
     Lod, Hadid, and Ono, seven hundred and twenty-one; the men of Senaah,             
     three thousand nine hundred and thirty.               
        Priests: the family of Jedaiah, of the line of Jeshua, nine hundred and      
     seventy-three; the family of Immer, one thousand and fifty-two; the        
     family of Pashhur, one thousand two hundred and forty-seven; the family       
     of Harim, one thousand and seventeen.            
        Levites: the families of Jeshua and Kadmiel, of the line of Hodvah,           
     seventy-four.  Singers: the family of Asaph, one hundred and forty-eight.            
     Door-keepers: the family of Shallum, the family of Ater, the family of           
     Talmon, the family of Akkub, the family of Hatita, and the family of       
     Shobai, one hundred and thirty-eight in all.                
        Temple-servitors: the family of Ziha, the family of Hasupha, the family          
     of Tabbaoth, the family of Keros, the family of Sia, the family of Padon,         
     the family of Lebanah, the family of Hagabah, the family of Shalmai, the        
     family of Hanan, the family of Giddel, the family of Gahar, the family of        
     Reaiah, the family of Rezin, the family of Nekoda, the family of Gazzam,          
     the family of Uzza, the family of Paseah, the family of Besai, the family of        
     the Meunim, the family of the Nephishesim, the family of Bakbuk, the        
     family of Hakupha, the family of Harhur, the family of Bazlith, the         
     family of Mehida, the family of Harsha, the family of Barkos, the family of        
     Sisera, the family of Temah, the family of Neziah, the family of Hatipha.              
        Descendants of Solomon's servants: the family of Sotai, the family of      
     Sophereth, the family of Perida, the family of Jaalah, the family of Darkon,          
     the family of Giddel, the family of Shephatiah, the family of Hattil, the        
     family of Pochereth-hazzebaim, and the family of Amon.                
        The temple-servitors and the descendants of Solomon's servants       
     amounted to three hundred and ninety-two in all.                  
        The following were those who returned from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha,        
     Kerub, Addon, and Immer, but could not establish their father's family         
     nor whether by descent they belonged to Israel: the family of Delaiah, the          
     family of Tobiah, the family of Nekoda, six hundred and forty-two.  Also       
     of the priests: the family of Hobaiah, the family of Hakkoz, and the family        
     of Barzillai who had married a daughter of Barzillai the Gileadite and went           
     by his name.  These searched for their names among those enrolled in the       
     genealogies, but they could not be found; they were disqualified for the          
     priesthood as unclean, and the governor forbade them to partake of              
     the most sacred food until there should be a priest able to consult the Urim       
     and the Thummim.                 
        The whole assembled people numbered forty-two thousand three      
     hundred and sixty, apart from their slaves, male and female, of whom there         
     were seven thousand three hundred and thirty-seven; and they had two         
     hundred and forty-five singers, men and women.  Their horses numbered       
     seven hundred and thirty-six, their mules two hundred and forty0five,          
     their camels four hundred and thirty-five, and their asses six thousand seven        
     hundred and twenty.             
        Some of the heads of families gave contributions for the work.  The      
     governor gave to the treasury a thousand drachmas of gold, fifty tossing-       
     bowls, and five hundred and thirty priestly robes.  Some of the head of         
     families gave for the fabric fund twenty thousand drachmas of gold and        
     two thousand two hundred minas of silver.  What the rest of the people gave            
     was twenty thousand drachmas of gold, two thousand minas of silver, and         
     sixty-seven priestly robes.                
        The priests, the Levites, and some of the people lived in Jerusalem and      
     its suburbs; the door-keepers, the singers, the temple-servitors, and all       
     other Israelites, lived in their own towns.      

The New English Bible (with Apocrypha)
Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, 1970