Thematic Bible: Duties of


Thematic Bible






Therefore it is necessary for [one] of the men who have accompanied us during all the time [in] which the Lord Jesus went in and went out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day [on] which he was taken up from us--one of these [men] must become a witness of his resurrection together with us."





And we [are] witnesses of all [the things] that he did both in the land of the Judeans and in Jerusalem, whom they also executed [by] hanging [him] on a tree. God raised this one up on the third day and granted [that] he should become visible, not to all the people but to us who had been chosen beforehand by God [as] witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.

who appeared for many days to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem--who are now his witnesses to the people.


And [we] ourselves heard this voice brought from heaven [when we] were with him on the holy mountain,

What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and our hands have touched, concerning the word of life-- and the life was revealed, and we have seen and testify and announce to you the eternal life which was with the Father and was revealed to us-- what we have seen and heard, we announce to you also, in order that you also may have fellowship with us, and indeed our fellowship [is] with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.



On his day you shall give his wage, and the sun shall not go {down}, because [he is] poor and {his life depends on it}; [do this] so that he does not cry out against you to Yahweh, {and you incur guilt}.




All those who are under the yoke as slaves must regard their own masters as worthy of all honor, lest the name of God and the teaching be slandered.




Domestic slaves, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to those [who are] good and gentle, but also to those [who are] unjust.


Slaves must be subject to their own masters in everything, to be well-pleasing, not to talk back,


"Eleazar son of Aaron the priest is to supervise the oil of the light source, the incense, {the regular grain offering}, the oil of anointment, the supervision of all the tabernacle and all that [is] in it, in the sanctuary and in its vessels."




All those who are under the yoke as slaves must regard their own masters as worthy of all honor, lest the name of God and the teaching be slandered.




Domestic slaves, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to those [who are] good and gentle, but also to those [who are] unjust.


Slaves must be subject to their own masters in everything, to be well-pleasing, not to talk back,






"If I have rejected my male or female slave's case when their complaint [was] against me, then what shall I do when God rises up? And when he enquires, how shall I answer him?


Now when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon [son] of John, do you love me more than these?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." He said to him, "Feed my lambs!"


"However, {take care} for yourself and watch your inner self closely, so that you do not forget the things that your eyes have seen, so that they do not slip from your mind all the days of your life; and you shall make them known to your children and to {your grandchildren}.

And you shall recite them to your children, and you shall talk about them at [the time of] your living in your house and at [the time of] your going on the road and at [the time of] your lying down and at [the time of] your rising [up].


And [then] their children, who have not known, they [too] may hear, and they may learn to revere Yahweh their God all the days {that you live} on the land that you [are] crossing the Jordan {to get there} to take possession of it."

For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our ancestors to teach to their children,

[To] whom will he teach knowledge, and [to] whom will he explain [the] message? Those who are weaned from milk, [those] taken from [the] breast?







And you shall recite them to your children, and you shall talk about them at [the time of] your living in your house and at [the time of] your going on the road and at [the time of] your lying down and at [the time of] your rising [up].

"When your child asks you in the future, {saying}, 'What [is the meaning of] the legal provisions and the rules and the regulations that Yahweh our God commanded for you?'

then his father and his mother shall take hold of him, and they shall bring him out to the elders of his city and to the gate of his {town},



[The] living, [the] living one praises you like me today; a father will make your faithfulness known to children.

"Arise, cry out in the night, at the beginning of the night watches; pour out your heart like water, before the face of the Lord. Lift to him your hands, for the life of your children, who faint in starvation, at the head of all streets."






Deacons must be husbands of one wife, managing [their] children and their own households well.






And looking intently at the Sanhedrin, Paul said, "Men [and] brothers, I have lived my life in all good conscience before God to this day." So the high priest Ananias ordered those standing near him to strike his mouth. Then Paul said to him, "God is going to strike you, [you] whitewashed wall! And are you sitting [there] judging me according to the law, and acting contrary to the law do you order me to be struck?" read more.
And those who stood nearby said, "Are you reviling the high priest of God? And Paul said, "I did not know, brothers, that he was high priest. For it is written, 'You must not speak evil [of] a ruler of your people.'"

Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, who was named Caiaphas,

Now those who had arrested Jesus led [him] away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had gathered. But Peter was following him from a distance, as far as the courtyard of the high priest. And he went inside [and] was sitting with the officers to see the outcome. Now the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false testimony against Jesus in order that they could put him to death. read more.
And they did not find [it], [although] many false witnesses came forward. And finally two came forward [and] said, "This man said, 'I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild [it] within three days.'" And the high priest stood up [and] said to him, "Do you reply nothing? What are these [people] testifying against you?"

And [when they] heard [this], they entered at daybreak into the temple [courts] and began teaching. Now [when] the high priest and those with him arrived, they summoned the Sanhedrin--even the whole council of elders of the sons of Israel--and sent to the prison to have them brought. But the officers who came did not find them in the prison, and they returned [and] reported, saying, "We found the prison locked with all security and the guards standing at the doors, but [when we] opened [them], we found no one inside!" read more.
Now when both the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these words, they were greatly perplexed concerning them, [as to] what this might be. But someone came [and] reported to them, "Behold, the men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple [courts] and teaching the people!" Then the captain went with the officers [and] brought them, not with force (for they were afraid of the people, lest they be stoned [by them]). And [when they] had brought them, they made [them] stand in the Sanhedrin, and the high priest put a question to them, saying, "{We strictly commanded} you not to teach in this name? And behold, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching! And you are intending to bring upon us the blood of this man!"


Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, "Please bring the ephod here for me." So Abiathar brought the ephod to David. And David inquired of Yahweh, saying, "Should I pursue after this band [of raiders]? Will I overtake them?" He said to him, "Pursue [them], for you will certainly overtake them, and you will certainly rescue them."

When David learned that Saul [was] plotting evil against him, he said to Abiathar the priest, "Bring the ephod here." And David said, "O Yahweh, God of Israel, your servant has clearly heard that Saul [is] seeking to come to Keilah to destroy the city because of me. Will the rulers of Keilah deliver me into his hand? Will Saul come down as your servant has heard? O Yahweh, God of Israel, please tell your servant!" And Yahweh said, "He will come down." read more.
Then David said, "Will the rulers of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul?" And Yahweh said, "They will deliver [you]."


It happened that when they saw a great deal of money in the chest, the secretary of the king and the high priest would come up, put the money in bags, then count the money found in the temple of Yahweh.

"Go up to Hilkiah the high priest, and let them count the money being brought to the temple of Yahweh which the keepers of the threshold have collected from the people,


And Aaron will bear the names of the {Israelites} in the breast piece of judgment on his heart, when he comes to the sanctuary, for a remembrance before Yahweh continually.

And you will set the two stones on the ephod's shoulder pieces [as] stones of remembrance for the {Israelites}, and Aaron will bear their names before Yahweh on his two shoulder pieces for remembrance.


but only the high priest [enters] into the second [tent] once a year, not without blood, which he offers on behalf of himself and the [sins] of the people committed in ignorance.


And when Aaron sets up the lamps {at twilight}, he will turn it into smoke--incense of continuity--before Yahweh throughout your generations.

And Aaron did so; he set up the lampstand in front of the face of its lamps, just as Yahweh commanded Moses.


Then Aaron lifted his hand toward the people, and he blessed them, and he came down {after} {sacrificing} the sin offering and the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings. Then Moses and Aaron entered [the] tent of assembly. When they came out, they blessed the people, and Yahweh's glory appeared to all the people.


On the second month on the fourteenth day {at twilight} they will observe it; they will eat it with unleavened bread and bitter plants. They will leave none of it until morning, and they will not break a bone in it; they will observe it according to every decree of the Passover. But the man who [is] clean and not on a journey, and he fails to observe the Passover, that person will be cut off from the people because he did not present the offering of Yahweh on its appointed time. That man will bear his guilt. read more.
If an alien dwells with you he will observe the Passover of Yahweh according [to] the decree of the Passover and according [to] its stipulation; thus you will have one decree for you, for the alien and for the native of the land.'" And on a day setting up the tabernacle, the cloud covered the tent of the tabernacle, the tent of the testimony; in the evening it was on the tabernacle as an appearance of fire until morning. So it was continually; the cloud would cover it and the appearance of fire [by] night. [Whenever] the cloud lifted up from on the tent, after that the {Israelites} would set out, and in the place where the cloud dwelled, there the {Israelites} camped. On the {command of Yahweh} the {Israelites} would set out, and on the {command of Yahweh} they encamped; all the days that the cloud dwelled on the tabernacle they encamped. And when the cloud prolonged on the tabernacle many days the {Israelites} kept the kept requirement of Yahweh and did not set out. When the cloud {remained} a number of days on the tabernacle, on the {command of Yahweh} they encamped; and on the {command of Yahweh} they set out. When the cloud {remained} from evening until morning, and the cloud lifted up in the morning, they would set out, or [if it remained] in the daytime and [at] night, [when] the cloud lifted up they set out.


All the remainder of your household will come to bow down {before} him for a bit of silver or a loaf of bread and will say, "Please assign me to one of the {priestly offices} so that I can eat a morsel of bread." '"


from {twenty years old} and above, everyone in Israel who [is able] to go to war. You and Aaron must muster them for their wars.


For every high priest taken from among men is appointed on behalf of people in the things relating to God, in order that he can offer both gifts and sacrifices on behalf of sins,


and he shall lay his hand on the head of his offering, and he shall slaughter it before the tent of assembly, and Aaron's sons shall sprinkle its blood on the altar all around.

and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood and shall spatter it seven times before Yahweh in front of the curtain.

Aaron's sons shall turn it to smoke on the altar in addition to the burnt offering that [is] on the wood, which [is] on the fire; it [is] an offering made by fire [as] an appeasing fragrance for Yahweh.

The priest shall turn them into smoke on the altar [as] a food [offering]; all the fat [is] an offering made by fire [as] an appeasing fragrance for Yahweh.

But the priests were too few, and they were not able to offer all the burnt offerings, so their brothers, the Levites, strengthened them to finish the work, and until the [rest of] the priests consecrated themselves. (For the Levites [were] {more conscientious} to sanctify themselves than the priests.)

They offer burnt offerings to Yahweh {every morning} and {every evening}, sweet spices of incense, and the rows of bread upon the pure table. And the golden lampstand with its lamps [they] keep kindled {every evening}, for we are keeping the requirement of Yahweh our God, but you yourselves have forsaken him.

And he shall bring it to the sons of Aaron, the priests, and he shall take {his handful from its finely milled flour} and from its oil in addition to all its frankincense. The priest shall turn its token portion into smoke on the altar [as] an offering made [by] fire, [as] an appeasing fragrance for Yahweh.

to offer burnt offerings regularly to Yahweh on the altar of burnt offering, morning and evening, according to all that was written in the law of Yahweh that he commanded concerning Israel.

For the priests and Levites together had consecrated themselves; all of them were clean. And they slaughtered the Passover sacrifice for all of the returned exiles, for their brothers the priests, and for themselves.

" 'He must lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering and it will be accepted for him [in order] to make atonement for him. He must slaughter {the young bull} {before} Yahweh, then Aaron's sons, the priests, will present the blood and sprinkle the blood all around the altar that [is] [at] the door of the tent of assembly. Then he must remove [the] skin [of] the burnt offering and cut it into its pieces. read more.
The sons of Aaron the priest will put fire on the altar and arrange the wood on the fire. Then Aaron's sons, the priests, will arrange the pieces [of meat], the head, and the suet on the wood that [is] on the fire that [is] on the altar. Then he must wash its inner parts and its lower leg bones with water, and the priest will turn into smoke the whole [animal] on the altar [as] a burnt offering [by] fire, [as] an appeasing fragrance for Yahweh. " 'But if his offering [is] from the flock, from the sheep or from the goats for a burnt offering, he must present an unblemished male. He must slaughter it on the north side of the altar {before} Yahweh; then Aaron's sons, the priests, will sprinkle its blood all around the altar. Then he must cut it into pieces [along] with its head and its suet; and the priest will arrange them on the wood that [is] on the fire that [is] on the altar. Then he must wash the inner parts and the lower leg bones with water and the priest shall present the whole [animal] and will turn [it] into smoke on the altar; it [is] a burnt offering [by] fire [as] an appeasing fragrance for Yahweh. " 'But if his offering for Yahweh is a burnt offering from the birds, [then] he must present his offering from the turtledoves or from {the young doves}. The priest will present it at the altar and must wring off its head and turn [it] into smoke on the altar, and its blood will be drained out on the wall of the altar. He must remove its crop with its plumage and throw it to the east beside the altar on the place of the fatty ashes. Then he must tear it apart by its wings [but] must not sever [it]; then the priest will turn it into smoke on the altar. It [is] a burnt offering [by] fire [as] an appeasing fragrance for Yahweh.'"

The priest shall turn into smoke its token portion from its coarsely crushed grain together with all of its frankincense--[it is] an offering made by fire for Yahweh.'"

The priest shall turn it into smoke on the altar [as] a food offering made by fire for Yahweh.

The anointed priest shall take {some of} the bull's blood and shall bring it to [the] tent of assembly, and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood and shall spatter {some of} the blood seven times before Yahweh in front of the sanctuary's curtain. The priest shall put {some of} the blood on the horns of the altar of fragrant incense before Yahweh, which [is] in [the] tent of assembly, and all [the rest] of the bull's blood he must pour out on the base of the altar of the burnt offering, which [is at the] entrance of [the] tent of assembly. read more.
" 'He must remove all the fat from the bull of the sin offering: the fat that covers the inner parts and all of the fat that [is] on the inner parts, the two kidneys and the fat that [is] on them, and the liver's lobe [that] he must remove in addition to the kidneys-- just as it is removed from the ox of the fellowship offerings' sacrifice--and the priest shall turn them into smoke on the altar of the burnt offering. But the bull's skin and its meat, in addition to its head, {its lower leg bones}, its inner parts, and its offal-- he shall carry all of the bull {outside the camp} to a ceremonially clean place, to the fatty ashes' dump, and he shall burn it on wood in the fire; it must be burned up on the fatty ashes' dump.

The priest shall take {some of} the sin offering's blood with his finger, and he shall put [it] on the horns of the altar of the burnt offering, and he must pour out [the rest of] its blood on the base of the altar of the burnt offering. He must turn all of its fat into smoke on the altar like the fat of the fellowship offerings' sacrifice, and the priest shall make atonement for him {because of} his sin, and {he will be forgiven}.

The priest shall take {some of} its blood with his finger, and he shall put [it] on the horns of the altar of the burnt offering, and he must pour out all [the rest of] its blood on the altar's base. He must remove all of its fat {just as} [the] fat was removed from the fellowship offerings' sacrifice, and the priest shall turn [it] into smoke on the altar as an appeasing fragrance for Yahweh. The priest shall make atonement for him, and {he will be forgiven}. " 'But if he brings a lamb [as] his offering for a sin offering, he must bring a female without defect. read more.
He shall place his hand on the sin offering's head, and he shall slaughter it as a sin offering in the place where he slaughtered the burnt offering. The priest shall take {some of} the sin offering's blood with his finger, and he shall put [it] on the horns of the altar of the burnt offering, and he must pour out all [the rest] of its blood on the altar's base. He must remove all of its fat {just as} the lamb's fat from the fellowship offerings' sacrifice was removed, and the priest shall turn them into smoke on the altar upon Yahweh's offerings made by fire; and the priest shall make atonement for him because of his sin that he {committed}, and {he will be forgiven}.'"

And they slaughtered the Passover [lamb], and the priests sprinkled [the blood] from their hand, and the Levites flayed [the sacrifices]. And they set aside the burnt offerings to give them to the clans of the {families} for the {lay people}, to offer to Yahweh according to what is written in the scroll of Moses. And thus they did with the bulls. Then they roasted the Passover [lamb] in the fire according to the ordinance. And they boiled the holy offerings in pots, in kettles, and in dishes and brought it quickly to the {lay people}. read more.
And afterward they prepared for themselves and for the priests, since the priests, the descendants of Aaron, [were busy] with offering the burnt offerings and the fat until night. So the Levites prepared for themselves and for the priests, the descendants of Aaron.

And every priest stands every day serving and offering the same sacrifices many times, which are never able to take away sins.


Then the priests, the descendants of Levi, shall come near, for Yahweh your God has chosen them to bless in the name of Yahweh, and every legal dispute and every [case of] assault will be {subject to their ruling}.

"{If a matter is too difficult for you}, [for example disputes] between blood and blood, between legal claim and legal claim and between assault and assault [and between] matters of discernment in your {towns}, then you shall get up and you shall go to the place that Yahweh your God will choose; then you shall go to the priests and the Levites and to the judge who will be [in office] in those days, and you shall enquire, and they shall announce to you {the verdict}. "And {you shall carry out exactly the decision} that they announced to you from that place that Yahweh will choose, and {you shall diligently observe} according to all that they instruct you. read more.
[And so] according to {the instruction of the law} that they teach you and according to the decisions that they say to you, you shall do; you shall not turn from the word that they tell you to the right or [to the] left. And the man who treats with contempt [so as] not to listen to the priest [who] [is] standing to minister on behalf of Yahweh your God or to the judge, that man shall die; so you shall purge the evil from Israel. And all the people will hear and will be afraid, and they will not behave presumptuously again.

Moreover, Jehoshaphat appointed in Jerusalem some of the Levites and the priests and heads of the {families} of Israel as judges and to decide legal disputes for Yahweh. And they sat [in] Jerusalem.

And they will teach my people [the difference] between what is holy and what is unholy, and [the difference] between unclean and clean they must show them. And at a legal dispute they themselves shall stand to judge; employing my judgments they shall judge it, and [with respect to] my laws and my statutes. All my festivals they shall keep and my Sabbaths they shall consecrate.

if a spirit of jealousy comes over him, and he is jealous [of] his wife and she is defiled; or if a spirit of jealousy comes over him and he is jealous [of] his wife but she is not defiled, he will bring his wife to the priest. And he will bring her offering for her, one-tenth of an ephah of flour. He will not pour oil on it, and he will not put frankincense on it because [it is] a grain offering of jealousy, a grain offering of remembering, a reminding of guilt. " 'Then the priest will bring her near and present her {before} Yahweh; read more.
the priest will take holy waters in a clay vessel, and from the dust that is on the floor of the tabernacle, and the priest will put [it] into the waters. And the priest will present the woman {before} Yahweh, and he will uncover the head of the woman; he will then put in her hands the grain offering of the remembering--[which is] the grain offering of jealousy--and in the hand of the priest will be the waters of bitterness that brings a curse. Then the priest will make her swear an oath, and he will say to the woman, "If a man has not slept with you, and if you have not had an impurity affair under your husband, go unpunished from the waters of bitterness that brings this curse. But if you have had an affair under your husband, and if you are defiled and a man other than your husband had intercourse with you," the priest will make the woman swear an oath of the sworn oath of the curse, the priest will say to the woman, "May Yahweh give you a curse and a sworn oath in the midst of your people with Yahweh making your hip fall away and your stomach swollen; and these waters that bring a curse will go into your intestines to cause [your] womb to swell and to make [your] hip fall away." And the women will say, "Amen. Amen." " 'And the priests will write these curses on the scroll, and he will wipe [them] off into the waters of the bitterness. He will make the woman drink the waters of the bitterness that brings a curse, and the waters of bitterness that bring a curse will go into her. The priest will take the grain offering of jealousy from the hand of the woman, and he will wave the grain offering {before Yahweh}, and he will present it to the altar; the priest will grasp her memorial offering from the grain offering, and he will turn [it] into smoke [on] the altar, and afterward he will make the woman drink the waters. When he has made her drink the waters, it will come about, if she has defiled herself and acted unfaithfully to her husband and the waters of bitterness that bring a curse go into her and her stomach swells and her hip falls away, the woman will be as a curse in the midst of her people. And if the woman is not defiled, and she [is] pure, she will go unpunished and be able to conceive children. " 'This [is] the regulation of jealousy, when a woman has an affair under her husband and she is defiled, or when a spirit of jealousy comes over a man and he is jealous [of] his wife, he will present the woman {before Yahweh},and the priest will do to her all of this law. The man will go unpunished from guilt, and the woman, she will bear her guilt.'"

then the two men {to whom the legal dispute pertains} shall stand {before} Yahweh, {before} the priests and the judges who are [in office] in those days.


The priests did not say, 'Where [is] Yahweh?' and those who handle the law did not know me, and the shepherds have {rebelled against me}, and the prophets prophesied by Baal, and they went after [things which] do not profit.

For the lips of [the] priest should guard knowledge, and they should seek instruction from his mouth, for he [is] the messenger of Yahweh of hosts.

and to teach the {Israelites} all the rules that Yahweh has spoken to them {through} Moses."

Be watchful {with respect to} [an] outbreak of [any] infectious skin disease, by being very careful and by acting according to all that the priests and the Levites have instructed you, [just] as I have commanded them, {so you shall diligently observe}.

They taught your regulations to Jacob, and your law to Israel; they placed incense smoke {before you}, and whole burnt offerings on your altar.

And {the Levites shall declare}, and they shall say to each man of Israel [with] a loud voice,

So Moses wrote this law, and he gave it to the priests, the descendants of Levi, the [ones] carrying the ark of the covenant of Yahweh, and to all the elders of Israel. Then Moses commanded them, {saying}, "At the end of seven years, in the time of the year for canceling debts during the Feast of Booths, {when all Israel comes to appear before} Yahweh their God at the place that he will choose, you shall read this law before all Israel {in their hearing}. read more.
Assemble the people, the men and the women and the little children and your aliens that are in your {towns}, so that they may hear and so that they may learn and they may revere Yahweh your God, and {they shall diligently observe} all the words of this law. And [then] their children, who have not known, they [too] may hear, and they may learn to revere Yahweh their God all the days {that you live} on the land that you [are] crossing the Jordan {to get there} to take possession of it."


Moses sent them, a thousand from each tribe, to the battle, and Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest to the battle with them, and the vessels of the sanctuary and the trumpets of the blast [were] in his hand.

And look, God [is] with us at the head, and his priests [have] the trumpets for sounding blasts against you, O sons of Israel. Do not fight against Yahweh, the God of your ancestors, for you will not succeed."

"Make yourself two silver trumpets; make them [of] hammered-work. {You will use them} for calling the community and for breaking the camp. You will blow them, and all the community will assemble to the doorway of the tent of assembly. But if they blow only one, the leaders, the heads of the thousands of Israel, will assemble to you. read more.
[When] you will blow a blast, the camps that are camping on the east will set out; [when] you blow a second blast, the camps that are camping on the south will set out; they will blow a blast for their journeys. But when summoning the assembly, you will blow, but you will not signal with a loud noise. The sons of Aaron, the priests, will blow on the trumpets; this will be an eternal decree for your generations. If you go [to] war in your land against the enemy who attacks you, you will signal with a loud noise on the trumpets. You will be remembered {before} Yahweh your God, and you will be rescued from your enemies. "And on the day of your joy and in your appointed times, at the beginning of your months, you will blow on the trumpets in addition to your burnt offerings and in addition to the sacrifices of your fellowship offerings. And they will be as a memorial for you {before} your God; I [am] Yahweh your God."


Aaron shall arrange for it {outside} the curtain of the testimony in [the] tent of assembly from evening until morning {before} Yahweh continually; [it shall be] a {lasting statute} throughout your generations. On the pure [golden] lampstand he shall arrange for the lamps {before} Yahweh continually.

"And you will command the {Israelites}, and they will bring to you pure, beaten olive oil for the light, to cause a lamp to burn continually. In the tent of assembly outside the curtain that [is] before the testimony, Aaron and his sons will arrange it, from evening until morning, before Yahweh [as] a lasting statute throughout their generations from the {Israelites}.

They offer burnt offerings to Yahweh {every morning} and {every evening}, sweet spices of incense, and the rows of bread upon the pure table. And the golden lampstand with its lamps [they] keep kindled {every evening}, for we are keeping the requirement of Yahweh our God, but you yourselves have forsaken him.


The {chief of the leaders} of the Levites was Eleazar son of Aaron the priest [who had] oversight of those keeping the responsibility of the sanctuary.

This [is] the work of the clan of the descendants of the Gershonites in the tent of assembly, and their responsibility [lies] {under the direction} of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest.

You will give the Levites to Aaron and to his descendants; they [are] surely assigned to him from among the {Israelites}.

And Phinehas the son of Eleazar was the leader over them {in time past}; Yahweh [was] with him.

This [is] the work of the clan of the descendants of Merari, for all their work in the tent of assembly {under the direction} of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest."

Do this to them and they will live and not die when they come near the most holy things. Aaron and his sons will go and appoint them, each one to his task and burden.


Then the priests, the descendants of Levi, shall come near, for Yahweh your God has chosen them to bless in the name of Yahweh, and every legal dispute and every [case of] assault will be {subject to their ruling}.

Then the priests and the Levites arose and blessed the people, and their voice was heard, and their prayer came to his holy dwelling place in the heavens.

Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, 'You will bless the {Israelites}: You will say to them: Yahweh will bless you and keep you; read more.
Yahweh will make shine his face on you and be gracious to you; Yahweh will lift up his face upon you, and he will give you peace.' And they will put my name on the {Israelites}, and I will bless them."


"Speak to the {Israelites}, and say to them, 'When you come to the land that I [am about] to give to you and you reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruit of your harvest to the priest. And he shall wave the sheaf {before} Yahweh for your acceptance; the priest shall wave it {on the day after} the Sabbath.

And you shall go to the priest who is [in office] in those days, and you shall say, 'I declare {today} to Yahweh your God that I have come into the land that Yahweh swore to our ancestors to give to us.' Then the priest takes the basket from your hand and places it {before} the altar of Yahweh your God.


Yahweh said to Aaron, "You, your sons, and your family with you will bear the guilt of the sanctuary, and you and your sons with you will bear the guilt of your priesthood.

But you with your sons will keep your priesthood to perform your priestly duties for everything at the altar and for {the area behind the curtain}. I give you the priesthood as a gift, but the stranger who approaches will be put to death."

When setting out the camp, Aaron and his sons will go and lower the curtain of the covering and cover with it the ark of the testimony. They will put on it a covering of {fine leather}, and they will spread a cloth of perfect blue over it, and they will place its poles. And over the table of the presence they will spread [out] a blue cloth and put on it the plates, dishes, and libation bowls, and the pitchers of the libation; and the bread of continuity will be on it. read more.
They will spread over it a scarlet cloth, and they will cover it with a covering of {fine leather}, and they will place its poles. They will take a blue cloth and cover the lampstand for the light source, its lamps, a pair of its tongs, its small pans, and all the vessels of its oil with which they attend to it. They will put it and all its vessels inside a covering of {fine leather} and put it on the carrying frame. Over the altar of gold they will spread a blue cloth, and they will cover it with a covering of {fine leather} and place its poles. They will take all the vessels of the cultic service with which they serve in the sanctuary and put [them] on a blue cloth, and they will cover them with a covering of {fine leather}; and they will put [them] on the carrying frame. They will remove the fat-soaked ashes from the altar and spread a purple cloth over it; they will put on it all the vessels with which they serve, the fire pans, forks, shovels, and bowls--all the vessels of the altar. They will spread on it a covering of {fine leather}; and they will place its poles. And when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the vessels of the sanctuary when the camp sets out, the descendants of Kohath will come after to carry [these], but they must not touch the sanctuary, or they will die. These [are] the load of the descendants of Kohath in the tent of assembly.

You will keep the responsibility of the sanctuary and the responsibility of the altar, and there will no longer be wrath on the {Israelites}.


After these things [during] the reign of King Artaxerxes of Persia, Ezra the son of Seraiah, son of Azariah, son of Hilkiah, son of Shallum, son of Zadok, son of Ahitub, son of Amariah, son of Azariah, son of Meraioth, read more.
, son of Zerahiah, son of Uzzi, son of Bukki, son of Abishua, son of Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the chief priest-- this Ezra went up from Babylonia. He was a scribe skilled in the law of Moses, which Yahweh the God of Israel gave. The king granted him all his requests, for the hand of Yahweh was upon him.

Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all of the people, "This day is holy to Yahweh your God. Do not mourn nor weep." For all of the people wept when they heard the words of the law.


Then Yahweh said to Joshua, saying, "Command the priests carrying the ark of the testimony {to come up} from the Jordan." So Joshua commanded the priests, saying, "Come up from the Jordan." read more.
And it happened that when the priests carrying the ark came up from the middle of the Jordan, and the soles of the priests' feet {touched dry land}, the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and flowed over all its banks as before.


But you with your sons will keep your priesthood to perform your priestly duties for everything at the altar and for {the area behind the curtain}. I give you the priesthood as a gift, but the stranger who approaches will be put to death."

Moreover, bring your brothers with you, the tribe of Levi the tribe of your father, that they may be joined to you and minister [to] you, you and your sons with you before the tent of testimony.

You will keep the responsibility of the sanctuary and the responsibility of the altar, and there will no longer be wrath on the {Israelites}.


but the fire on the altar must be kept burning on it; it must not be quenched. And the priest must burn wood {every morning} on it, and he shall arrange the burnt offering on it, and he shall turn into smoke the fat portions of the fellowship offerings on it. A perpetual fire must be kept burning on the altar; it must not be quenched.


But if he [is] poorer than your proper value, then he shall present himself {before} the priest, and the priest shall set a value [on] him; the priest shall value him {according to} what the person who made a vow {can afford}.

And the priest shall set a value on it, {either good or bad}; as the priest [sets] your proper value, so it shall be.


{And then} when you approach the battle, then the priest shall come near and speak to the troops. And he shall say to them, 'Hear, Israel, you are near {today} to the battle against your enemies; {do not lose heart}; you shall not be afraid, and you shall not panic, and you shall not be terrified {because of them}, for Yahweh your God [is] going with you to fight for you against your enemies to help you.'


When the army came [back] to the camp, the elders of Israel asked, "Why has Yahweh defeated us today before [the] Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of Yahweh to us from Shiloh so that it may come into our midst and deliver us from the hand of our enemies." So the army sent to Shiloh and brought from there the ark of the covenant of Yahweh of hosts who sits [between] the cherubim. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, [were] there with the ark of the covenant of God. Now when the ark of the covenant of Yahweh arrived at the camp, all Israel {let out a loud shout} so that the earth shook.


And we have cast lots for the contributions of the wood offering of the priests, the Levites, and the people to bring [it] to the house of our God, by our fathers' houses, at designated times, year by year, to burn on the altar of Yahweh our God--as it is written in the law.


And the priest, the descendant of Aaron, will be with the Levites during the tithe the Levites receive. The Levites will bring up a tithe of the tithes for the house of our God to the chambers of the storehouse.


"And you shall keep the {Israelites} separate from their uncleanness so that they might not die because of their uncleanness by their making my tabernacle, which [is] in their midst, unclean.


Now these things having been prepared in this way, the priests enter into the first tent {continually} [as they] accomplish their service,


Except, he may {not make numerous} for himself horses, and he may not allow the people to [to go] to Egypt {in order to increase horses}, for Yahweh has said to you that {you may never return}.


A king who judges with truthfulness [to] the poor, his throne will be established forever.

The God of Israel said to me, the rock of Israel has spoken; 'He who rules over mankind rules righteously, in the fear of God.

And he said to the judges, "Consider what you are doing, for you are not judging for a man but for Yahweh. Now [he is] with you in speaking justice.

So then, O kings, be wise. Be warned, O rulers of [the] earth. Serve Yahweh with fear, and rejoice with trembling.


Loyalty and faithfulness will preserve a king, and he is upheld with the righteousness of his throne.