Exodus 27:20–30:10; 1 Samuel 15:2–34; Isaiah 9:6; Isaiah 9:7; Isaiah 60:19; Isaiah 60:20; Ezekiel 28:11–19; Ezekiel 43:10–27; Ezekiel 44:9–18; Romans 12–13; Philippians 4:4–20; Revelation 21:16–27

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Exodus 27:20–30:10

Oil for the Lamp

20 uYou shall command the people of Israel that they bring to you pure beaten olive oil for the light, that a lamp may regularly be set up to burn. 21 vIn the tent of meeting, woutside the veil that is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall tend it from evening to morning before the Lord. It shall be a statute forever to be observed throughout their generations by the people of Israel.

The Priests’ Garments

Then bring near to you xAaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the people of Israel, to serve me as priestsAaron and Aaron’s sons, yNadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. zAnd you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty. You shall speak to all the askillful, whom I have filled with a spirit of skill, that they make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him for my priesthood. These are the garments that they shall make: a bbreastpiece, an cephod, da robe, ea coat of checker work, ea turban, and ea sash. They shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother and his sons to serve me as priests. They shall receive fgold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen.

gAnd they shall make the ephod of gold, of blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and of fine twined linen, skillfully worked. It shall have two shoulder pieces attached to its two edges, so that it may be joined together. And the hskillfully woven band on it shall be made like it and be of one piece with it, of gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen. You shall take two onyx stones, and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel, 10 six of their names on the one stone, and the names of the remaining six on the other stone, in the order of their birth. 11 As a jeweler engraves signets, so shall you engrave the two stones with the names of the sons of Israel. You shall enclose them in settings of gold filigree. 12 And you shall set the two stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod, as stones of remembrance for the sons of Israel. And iAaron shall bear their names before the Lord on his two shoulders jfor remembrance. 13 You shall make settings of gold filigree, 14 and two chains of pure gold, twisted like cords; and you shall attach the corded chains to the settings.

15 kYou shall make a breastpiece of judgment, in skilled work. In the style of the ephod you shall make itof gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen shall you make it. 16 It shall be square and doubled, a span1 its length and a span its breadth. 17 lYou shall set in it four rows of stones. A row of sardius,2 topaz, and carbuncle shall be the first row; 18 and the second row an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond; 19 and the third row a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; 20 and the fourth row a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. They shall be set in gold filigree. 21 There shall be twelve stones with their names according to the names of the sons of Israel. They shall be like signets, each engraved with its name, for the twelve tribes. 22 You shall make for the breastpiece twisted chains like cords, of pure gold. 23 And you shall make for the breastpiece two rings of gold, and put the two rings on the two edges of the breastpiece. 24 And you shall put the two cords of gold in the two rings at the edges of the breastpiece. 25 The two ends of the two cords you shall attach to the two settings of filigree, and so attach it in front to the shoulder pieces of the ephod. 26 You shall make two rings of gold, and put them at the two ends of the breastpiece, on its inside edge next to the ephod. 27 And you shall make two rings of gold, and attach them in front to the lower part of the two shoulder pieces of the ephod, at its seam above the mskillfully woven band of the ephod. 28 And they shall bind the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, so that it may lie on the skillfully woven band of the ephod, so that the breastpiece shall not come loose from the ephod. 29 nSo Aaron shall bear the names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece of judgment on his heart, when he goes into the Holy Place, to bring them to regular oremembrance before the Lord. 30 And in the breastpiece of judgment pyou shall put the Urim and the Thummim, and they shall be on Aaron’s heart, when he goes in before the Lord. Thus Aaron shall bear the judgment of the people of Israel on his heart before the Lord regularly.

31 qYou shall make the robe of the ephod all of blue. 32 It shall have an opening for the head in the middle of it, with a woven binding around the opening, like the opening in a garment,3 so that it may not tear. 33 On its hem you shall make pomegranates of blue and purple and scarlet yarns, around its hem, with bells of gold between them, 34 a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, around the hem of the robe. 35 And it shall be on Aaron when he ministers, and its sound shall be heard when he goes into the Holy Place before the Lord, and when he comes out, so that he does not die.

36 You shall make ra plate of pure gold and engrave on it, like the engraving of a signet, sHoly to the Lord. 37 And you shall fasten it on the turban by a cord of blue. It shall be on the front of the turban. 38 It shall be on Aaron’s forehead, and Aaron shall tbear any guilt from the holy things that the people of Israel consecrate as their holy gifts. It shall regularly be on his forehead, that they may be accepted before the Lord.

39 You shall weave the coat in checker work of fine linen, and you shall make a turban of fine linen, and you shall make a sash embroidered with needlework.

40 uFor Aaron’s sons you shall make coats and sashes and caps. You shall make them vfor glory and beauty. 41 And you shall put them on Aaron your brother, and on his sons with him, and shall wanoint them and ordain them and xconsecrate them, that they may serve me as priests. 42 You shall make for them ylinen undergarments to cover their naked flesh. They shall reach from the hips to the thighs; 43 and they shall be on Aaron and on his sons when they go into the tent of meeting or when they come near the altar to minister in the Holy Place, lest they zbear guilt and die. aThis shall be a statute forever for him and for his offspring after him.

Consecration of the Priests

Now this is what you shall do to them to consecrate them, that they may serve me as priests. bTake one bull of the herd and two rams without blemish, cand unleavened bread, unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers smeared with oil. You shall make them of fine wheat flour. You shall put them in one basket and bring them in the basket, and bring the bull and the two rams. You shall bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting and dwash them with water. Then eyou shall take the garments, and put on Aaron the coat and the robe of the ephod, and the ephod, and the breastpiece, and gird him with the fskillfully woven band of the ephod. gAnd you shall set the turban on his head and put the holy crown on the turban. You shall take hthe anointing oil and pour it on his head and anoint him. Then you ishall bring his sons and put coats on them, and you shall gird Aaron and his sons with jsashes and bind caps on them. And kthe priesthood shall be theirs by a statute forever. Thus you shall lordain Aaron and his sons.

10 Then you shall bring the bull before the tent of meeting. mAaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the bull. 11 Then you shall kill the bull before the Lord at the entrance of the tent of meeting, 12 and nshall take part of the blood of the bull and put it on the ohorns of the altar with your finger, and the rest of4 the blood you shall pour out at the base of the altar. 13 And you shall take all pthe fat that covers the entrails, and the long lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them, and burn them on the altar. 14 But the flesh of the bull and its skin and its dung you shall burn with fire qoutside the camp; rit is a sin offering.

15 Then syou shall take one of the rams, and tAaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram, 16 and you shall kill the ram and shall take its blood and throw it against the sides of the altar. 17 Then you shall ucut the ram into pieces, and wash its entrails and its legs, and put them with its pieces and its head, 18 and burn the whole ram on the altar. It is a burnt offering to the Lord. It is a vpleasing aroma, a food offering5 to the Lord.

19 wYou shall take the other ram, tand Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram, 20 and you shall kill the ram and take part of its blood and put it on the tip of the right ear of Aaron and on the tips of the right ears of his sons, and on the thumbs of their right hands and on the great toes of their right feet, and throw the rest of the blood against the sides of the altar. 21 Then you shall take part of the blood that is on the altar, and of the xanointing oil, and sprinkle it on Aaron and his garments, and on his sons and his sons’ garments with him. He and his garments shall be holy, and his sons and his sons’ garments with him.

22 You shall also take the fat from the ram and the fat tail and the yfat that covers the entrails, and the long lobe of the liver and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them, and the right thigh (for it is a ram of zordination), 23 and aone loaf of bread and one cake of bread made with oil, and one wafer out of the basket of unleavened bread that is before the Lord. 24 You shall put all these on the palms of Aaron and on the palms of his sons, and bwave them for a wave offering before the Lord. 25 Then cyou shall take them from their hands and burn them on the altar on top of the burnt offering, as a dpleasing aroma before the Lord. It is a food offering to the Lord.

26 You shall take the ebreast of the ram of Aaron’s fordination and gwave it for a wave offering before the Lord, and it shall be your portion. 27 And you shall consecrate the hbreast of the wave offering that is waved and the ithigh of the priests’ portion that is contributed from the ram of fordination, from what was Aaron’s and his sons’. 28 It shall be for Aaron and his sons as a jperpetual due from the people of Israel, for it is a gcontribution. It shall be a gcontribution from the people of Israel from their peace offerings, their contribution to the Lord.

29 The holy garments of Aaron kshall be for his sons after him; they shall lbe anointed in them and ordained in them. 30 The son who succeeds him as priest, who comes into the tent of meeting to minister in the Holy Place, shall wear them mseven days.

31 You shall take the ram of ordination and nboil its flesh in a holy place. 32 And Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram and the obread that is in the basket in the entrance of the tent of meeting. 33 pThey shall eat those things with which atonement was made at their ordination and consecration, but an qoutsider shall not eat of them, because they are holy. 34 And if any of the flesh for the ordination or of the bread remain until the morning, then you shall rburn the remainder with fire. It shall not be eaten, because it is holy.

35 Thus you shall do to Aaron and to his sons, according to all that I have commanded you. Through sseven days shall you ordain them, 36 and every day you shall offer a tbull as a sin offering for atonement. Also you shall purify the altar, when you make atonement for it, and shall uanoint it to consecrate it. 37 Seven days you shall make atonement for the altar and consecrate it, and the valtar shall be most holy. wWhatever touches the altar shall become holy.

38 Now this is what you shall offer on the altar: xtwo lambs a year old yday by day regularly. 39 One lamb you shall offer zin the morning, and the other lamb you shall offer aat twilight. 40 And with the first lamb a tenth measure6 of fine flour mingled with a fourth of a hin7 of beaten oil, and a fourth of a hin of wine for a drink offering. 41 The other lamb you shall offer aat twilight, and shall offer with it a grain offering and its drink offering, as bin the morning, for a cpleasing aroma, a food offering to the Lord. 42 It shall be a dregular burnt offering throughout your generations at the entrance of the tent of meeting before the Lord, ewhere I will meet with you, to speak to you there. 43 There I will meet with the people of Israel, and it shall be fsanctified by my glory. 44 I will consecrate the tent of meeting and the altar. gAaron also and his sons I will consecrate to serve me as priests. 45 hI will dwell among the people of Israel and will be their God. 46 And they shall know that iI am the Lord their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt that I might dwell among them. I am the Lord their God.

The Altar of Incense

jYou shall make kan altar on which to burn incense; you shall make it of acacia wood. A cubit8 shall be its length, and a cubit its breadth. It shall be square, and two cubits shall be its height. lIts horns shall be of one piece with it. You shall moverlay it with pure gold, its top and around its sides and its horns. And you shall make a molding of gold around it. And you shall make two golden rings for it. Under its molding on two opposite sides of it you shall make them, and they shall be nholders for poles with which to carry it. You shall make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. And you shall put it in front of the veil that is above the ark of the testimony, in front of the omercy seat that is above the testimony, where I will meet with you. And Aaron shall pburn fragrant incense on it. Every morning when he qdresses the lamps he shall burn it, and when Aaron sets up the lamps at twilight, he shall burn it, a regular incense offering before the Lord throughout your generations. You shall not offer runauthorized incense on it, or a burnt offering, or a grain offering, and you shall not pour a drink offering on it. 10 sAaron shall make atonement on its horns once a year. With the blood of the tsin offering of atonement he shall make atonement for it once in the year throughout your generations. It is most holy to the Lord.


1 Samuel 15:2–34

Thus says the Lord of hosts, I have noted what Amalek did to Israel din opposing them on the way when they came up out of Egypt. Now go and strike Amalek and edevote to destruction1 all that they have. Do not spare them, fbut kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.

So Saul summoned the people and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand men on foot, and ten thousand men of Judah. And Saul came to the city of Amalek and lay in wait in the valley. Then Saul said to gthe Kenites, Go, depart; go down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them. hFor you showed kindness to all the people of Israel when they came up out of Egypt. So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites. iAnd Saul defeated the Amalekites from jHavilah as far as kShur, which is east of Egypt. And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive land devoted to destruction all the people with the edge of the sword. mBut Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep and of the oxen and of the fattened calves2 and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them. All that was despised and worthless they devoted to destruction.

10 The word of the Lord came to Samuel: 11 nI regret3 that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me and ohas not performed my commandments. And Samuel was angry, and he cried to the Lord all night. 12 And Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning. And it was told Samuel, Saul came to pCarmel, and behold, he set up a monument for himself and turned and passed on and went down to Gilgal. 13 And Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, qBlessed be you to the Lord. I have performed the commandment of the Lord. 14 And Samuel said, What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears and the lowing of the oxen that I hear? 15 Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites, rfor the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen to sacrifice to the Lord your God, and the rest we have devoted to destruction. 16 Then Samuel said to Saul, Stop! I will tell you what the Lord said to me this night. And he said to him, Speak.

17 And Samuel said, sThough you are little in your own eyes, are you not the head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king over Israel. 18 And the Lord sent you on a mission and said, Go, devote to destruction the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed. 19 Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord? tWhy did you pounce on the spoil and do what was evil in the sight of the Lord? 20 And Saul said to Samuel, uI have obeyed the voice of the Lord. I have gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me. I have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and I have devoted the Amalekites to destruction. 21 vBut the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the best of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal. 22 And Samuel said,

wHas the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,

as in obeying the voice of the Lord?

Behold, xto obey is better than sacrifice,

and to listen than the fat of rams.

23  For rebellion is as the sin of divination,

and presumption is as iniquity and yidolatry.

Because zyou have rejected the word of the Lord,

ahe has also rejected you from being king.

24 Saul said to Samuel, bI have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice. 25 Now therefore, please pardon my sin and creturn with me that I may bow before the Lord. 26 And Samuel said to Saul, I will not return with you. dFor you have rejected the word of the Lord, eand the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel. 27 fAs Samuel turned to go away, Saul seized the skirt of his robe, and it tore. 28 And Samuel said to him, gThe Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you this day and has given it to a neighbor of yours, who is better than you. 29 And also the Glory of Israel hwill not lie or have regret, for he is not a man, that he should have regret. 30 Then he said, I have sinned; yet ihonor me now before the elders of my people and before Israel, jand return with me, that I may bow before the Lord your God. 31 So Samuel turned back after Saul, and Saul bowed before the Lord.

32 Then Samuel said, Bring here to me Agag the king of the Amalekites. And Agag came to him cheerfully.4 Agag said, Surely the bitterness of death is past. 33 And Samuel said, kAs your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women. And Samuel hacked Agag to pieces before the Lord lin Gilgal.

34 Then Samuel went mto Ramah, and Saul went up to his house in nGibeah of Saul.


Isaiah 9:6

uFor to us a child is born,

to us va son is given;

wand the government shall be xupon1 his shoulder,

and his name shall be called2

Wonderful yCounselor, zMighty God,

aEverlasting bFather, Prince of cPeace.


Isaiah 9:7

Of the increase of his government and of peace

dthere will be no end,

on the throne of David and over his kingdom,

to establish it and to uphold it

ewith justice and with righteousness

from this time forth and forevermore.

fThe zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.


Isaiah 60:19

19  lThe sun shall be no more

your light by day,

nor for brightness shall the moon

give you light;1

but the Lord will be your everlasting light,

and your God will be your glory.2


Isaiah 60:20

20  Your sun shall no more go down,

nor your moon withdraw itself;

for the Lord will be your everlasting light,

and myour days of mourning shall be ended.


Ezekiel 28:11–19

A Lament over the King of Tyre

11 Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me: 12 zSon of man, araise a lamentation over bthe king of Tyre, and say to him, Thus says the Lord God:

You were the signet of perfection,1

cfull of wisdom and dperfect in beauty.

13  You were in eEden, the garden of God;

fevery precious stone was your covering,

gsardius, topaz, and diamond,

beryl, onyx, and jasper,

sapphire,2 femerald, and carbuncle;

and crafted in gold were your settings

and your engravings.3

iOn the day that you were created

they were prepared.

14  You were an anointed jguardian cherub.

I placed you;4 you were on kthe holy mountain of God;

in the midst of the stones of fire you walked.

15  You were blameless in your ways

lfrom the day you were created,

till unrighteousness was found in you.

16  In the abundance of myour trade

you were filled with violence in your midst, and you sinned;

so I cast you as a profane thing from kthe mountain of God,

and I destroyed you,5 jO guardian cherub,

from the midst of the stones of fire.

17  nYour heart was proud because of oyour beauty;

you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor.

I cast you to the ground;

I exposed you before kings,

to feast their eyes on you.

18  By the multitude of your iniquities,

in the unrighteousness of your trade

you profaned your sanctuaries;

so pI brought fire out from your midst;

it consumed you,

and I turned you to ashes on the earth

qin the sight of all who saw you.

19  All who know you among the peoples

are appalled at you;

ryou have come to a dreadful end

and shall be no more forever.


Ezekiel 43:10–27

10 As for you, qson of man, xdescribe to the house of Israel the temple, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities; and they shall measure the plan. 11 And if they are ashamed of all that they have done, xmake known to them the design of the temple, its arrangement, yits exits and its entrances, that is, its whole design; and make known to them as well all its statutes and its whole design and all its laws, and write it down zin their sight, so that they may observe all its laws and all its statutes and carry them out. 12 This is the law of the temple: the whole territory on the top of athe mountain ball around shall be most holy. Behold, this is the law of the temple.

The Altar

13 These are the measurements of cthe altar by cubits (the cubit being da cubit and a handbreadth):1 its base shall be one cubit high2 and one cubit broad, with a rim of one span3 around its edge. And this shall be the height of the altar: 14 from the base on the ground to the lower ledge, two cubits, with a breadth of one cubit; and from the smaller ledge to the larger ledge, four cubits, with a breadth of one cubit; 15 and the altar hearth, four cubits; and from the altar hearth projecting upward, efour horns. 16 The altar hearth shall be fsquare, twelve cubits long by twelve broad. 17 The ledge also shall be square, fourteen cubits long by fourteen broad, with a rim around it half a cubit broad, and its base one cubit all around. gThe steps of the altar shall face east.

18 And he said to me, hSon of man, thus says the Lord God: These are the ordinances for the altar: On the day when it is erected for offering burnt offerings upon it and ifor throwing blood against it, 19 you shall give to jthe Levitical priests kof the family of Zadok, who draw near to me to minister to me, declares the Lord God, la bull from the herd for a sin offering. 20 And myou shall take some of its blood and put it on ethe four horns of the altar and on the four corners of the ledge and upon nthe rim all around. oThus you shall purify the altar and make atonement for it. 21 You shall also take the bull of the sin offering, and pit shall be burned in the appointed place belonging to the temple, outside the sacred area. 22 And on the second day you shall offer a male goat without blemish for a sin offering; and the altar shall be purified, as it was purified with the bull. 23 When you have finished opurifying it, you shall offer a bull from the herd without blemish and qa ram from the flock without blemish. 24 You shall present them before the Lord, and the priests rshall sprinkle salt on them and offer them up as a burnt offering to the Lord. 25 sFor seven days you shall provide daily a male goat for a sin offering; also, a bull from the herd and a ram from the flock, without blemish, shall be provided. 26 Seven days shall they make atonement for the altar and cleanse it, and so consecrate it.4 27 And when they have completed these days, then tfrom the eighth day onward the priests shall offer on the altar your burnt offerings and your upeace offerings, and vI will accept you, declares the Lord God.


Ezekiel 44:9–18

Thus says the Lord God: pNo foreigner, uncircumcised in heart and flesh, of all the foreigners who are among the people of Israel, shall enter my sanctuary. 10 But qthe Levites who went far from me, going astray from me after their idols rwhen Israel went astray, sshall bear their punishment.1 11 They shall be tministers in my sanctuary, having oversight uat the gates of the temple and ministering in the temple. They shall slaughter the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and vthey shall stand before the people, to minister to them. 12 Because they ministered to them before their idols and became wa stumbling block of iniquity to the house of Israel, therefore I have xsworn concerning them, declares the Lord God, and they shall bear their punishment. 13 They yshall not come near to me, to serve me as priest, nor come near any of my holy things and the things that are most holy, but zthey shall bear their shame and the abominations that they have committed. 14 Yet I will appoint them to keep acharge of the temple, bto do all its service and all that is to be done in it.

Rules for Levitical Priests

15 But cthe Levitical priests, cthe sons of Zadok, who kept athe charge of my sanctuary rwhen the people of Israel went astray from me, shall come near to me dto minister to me. And they shall stand before me to offer me ethe fat and the blood, declares the Lord God. 16 They shall enter my sanctuary, and they shall approach fmy table, to minister to me, and they shall keep my charge. 17 When they enter the gates of the inner court, they shall wear glinen garments. They shall have nothing of wool on them, while they minister at the gates of the inner court, and within. 18 They shall have linen turbans on their heads, and linen undergarments around their waists. They shall not bind themselves with anything that causes sweat.


Romans 12–13

A Living Sacrifice

zI appeal to you therefore, brothers,1 by the mercies of God, ato present your bodies bas a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.2 cDo not be conformed to this world,3 but be transformed by dthe renewal of your mind, that by testing you may ediscern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.4

Gifts of Grace

For fby the grace given to me I say to everyone among you gnot to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, heach according to ithe measure of faith that God has assigned. For jas in one body we have many members,5 and the members do not all have the same function, so we, kthough many, lare one body in Christ, and individually mmembers one of another. nHaving gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if oprophecy, pin proportion to our faith; if qservice, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; rthe one who leads,6 with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with scheerfulness.

Marks of the True Christian

tLet love be genuine. uAbhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 vLove one another with brotherly affection. wOutdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, xbe fervent in spirit,7 yserve the Lord. 12 zRejoice in hope, abe patient in tribulation, bbe constant in prayer. 13 cContribute to the needs of the saints and dseek to show hospitality.

14 eBless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 fRejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 gLive in harmony with one another. hDo not be haughty, but associate with the lowly.8 iNever be wise in your own sight. 17 jRepay no one evil for evil, but kgive thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, llive peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, mnever avenge yourselves, but leave it9 to the wrath of God, for it is written, nVengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord. 20 To the contrary, oif your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head. 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Submission to the Authorities

Let every person pbe subject to the governing authorities. For qthere is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you rwill receive his approval, for she is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, tan avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also ufor the sake of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. vPay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.

Fulfilling the Law Through Love

wOwe no one anything, except to love each other, for xthe one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, yYou shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet, and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: zYou shall love your neighbor as yourself. 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore alove is the fulfilling of the law.

11 Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you bto wake from sleep. cFor salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. 12 dThe night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us ecast off fthe works of darkness and gput on the armor of light. 13 hLet us walk properly as in the daytime, inot in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, jnot in quarreling and jealousy. 14 But kput on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, lto gratify its desires.


Philippians 4:4–20

pRejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness1 be known to everyone. qThe Lord is at hand; rdo not be anxious about anything, sbut in everything by prayer and supplication twith thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And uthe peace of God, vwhich surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned2 and wreceived and heard and seen xin mepractice these things, and ythe God of peace will be with you.

God’s Provision

10 I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length zyou have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. 11 Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be acontent. 12 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and bhunger, abundance and cneed. 13 I can do all things dthrough him who strengthens me.

14 Yet it was kind of you eto share3 my trouble. 15 And you Philippians yourselves know that fin the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, gno church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only. 16 Even in Thessalonica you sent me help for my needs once and again. 17 hNot that I seek the gift, but I seek ithe fruit that increases to your credit.4 18 I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, jhaving received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, ka fragrant offering, la sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. 19 And my God mwill supply every need of yours naccording to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. 20 To oour God and Father be pglory forever and ever. Amen.


Revelation 21:16–27

16 The city lies foursquare, its length the same as its width. And he measured the city with his rod, 12,000 stadia.1 Its length and width and height are equal. 17 He also measured its wall, 144 cubits2 by jhuman measurement, which is also kan angel’s measurement. 18 The wall was built of ljasper, while the city was pure gold, like lclear glass. 19 mThe foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of jewel. The first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. 21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl, and nthe street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.

22 And oI saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. 23 And the city phas no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for qthe glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24 By its light rwill the nations walk, and the kings of the earth swill bring their glory into it, 25 and tits gates will never be shut by dayand uthere will be no night there. 26 They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. 27 But vnothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s wbook of life.