Gifts of Dedication and Spirit-Empowered Witness

1. On the day that Moses had finished setting up the tabernacle, and had anointed it and sanctified it, with all its furniture, and the altar with all its vessels, and had anointed and sanctified them; 2. the princes of Israel, the heads of their fathers’ houses, offered. These were the princes of the tribes. These are they who were over those who were counted: 3. and they brought their offering before Yahweh, six covered wagons, and twelve oxen; a wagon for every two of the princes, and for each one an ox: and they presented them before the tabernacle. 4. Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 5. “Accept these from them, that they may be used in doing the service of the Tent of Meeting; and you shall give them to the Levites, to every man according to his service.” 6. Moses took the wagons and the oxen, and gave them to the Levites. 7. He gave two wagons and four oxen to the sons of Gershon, according to their service: 8. and he gave four wagons and eight oxen to the sons of Merari, according to their service, under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest. 9. But to the sons of Kohath he gave none, because the service of the sanctuary belonged to them; they carried it on their shoulders. 10. The princes gave offerings for the dedication of the altar in the day that it was anointed, even the princes gave their offerings before the altar. 11. Yahweh said to Moses, “They shall offer their offering, each prince on his day, for the dedication of the altar.” 12. He who offered his offering the first day was Nahshon the son of Amminadab, of the tribe of Judah, 13. and his offering was: one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering; 14. one golden ladle of ten shekels, full of incense; 15. one young bull, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering; 16. one male goat for a sin offering; 17. and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two head of cattle, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Nahshon the son of Amminadab. 18. On the second day Nethanel the son of Zuar, prince of Issachar, gave his offering. 19. He offered for his offering: one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering; 20. one golden ladle of ten shekels, full of incense; 21. one young bull, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering; 22. one male goat for a sin offering; 23. and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two head of cattle, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Nethanel the son of Zuar. 24. On the third day Eliab the son of Helon, prince of the children of Zebulun 25. gave his offering: one silver platter, the weight of which was a hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering; 26. one golden ladle of ten shekels, full of incense; 27. one young bull, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering; 28. one male goat for a sin offering; 29. and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two head of cattle, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Eliab the son of Helon. 30. On the fourth day Elizur the son of Shedeur, prince of the children of Reuben 31. gave his offering: one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering; 32. one golden ladle of ten shekels, full of incense; 33. one young bull, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering; 34. one male goat for a sin offering; 35. and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two head of cattle, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Elizur the son of Shedeur. 36. On the fifth day Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai, prince of the children of Simeon 37. gave his offering: one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering; 38. one golden ladle of ten shekels, full of incense; 39. one young bull, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering; 40. one male goat for a sin offering; 41. and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two head of cattle, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old: this was the offering of Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai. 42. On the sixth day, Eliasaph the son of Deuel, prince of the children of Gad 43. gave his offering: one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering; 44. one golden ladle of ten shekels, full of incense; 45. one young bull, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering; 46. one male goat for a sin offering; 47. and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two head of cattle, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Eliasaph the son of Deuel. 48. On the seventh day Elishama the son of Ammihud, prince of the children of Ephraim 49. gave his offering: one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering; 50. one golden ladle of ten shekels, full of incense; 51. one young bull, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering; 52. one male goat for a sin offering; 53. and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two head of cattle, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Elishama the son of Ammihud. 54. On the eighth day Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur, prince of the children of Manasseh 55. gave his offering: one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering; 56. one golden ladle of ten shekels, full of incense; 57. one young bull, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering; 58. one male goat for a sin offering; 59. and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two head of cattle, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur. 60. On the ninth day Abidan the son of Gideoni, prince of the children of Benjamin 61. gave his offering: one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering; 62. one golden ladle of ten shekels, full of incense; 63. one young bull, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering; 64. one male goat for a sin offering; 65. and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two head of cattle, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Abidan the son of Gideoni. 66. On the tenth day Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai, prince of the children of Dan 67. gave his offering: one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering; 68. one golden ladle of ten shekels, full of incense; 69. one young bull, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering; 70. one male goat for a sin offering; 71. and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two head of cattle, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai. 72. On the eleventh day Pagiel the son of Ochran, prince of the children of Asher 73. gave his offering: one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering; 74. one golden ladle of ten shekels, full of incense; 75. one young bull, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering; 76. one male goat for a sin offering; 77. and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two head of cattle, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Pagiel the son of Ochran. 78. On the twelfth day Ahira the son of Enan, prince of the children of Naphtali 79. gave his offering: one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a meal offering; 80. one golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense; 81. one young bull, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering; 82. one male goat for a sin offering; 83. and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two head of cattle, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Ahira the son of Enan. 84. This was the dedication of the altar, on the day when it was anointed, by the princes of Israel: twelve silver platters, twelve silver bowls, twelve golden ladles; 85. each silver platter weighing one hundred thirty shekels, and each bowl seventy; all the silver of the vessels two thousand four hundred shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; 86. the twelve golden ladles, full of incense, weighing ten shekels apiece, after the shekel of the sanctuary; all the gold of the ladles weighed one hundred twenty shekels; 87. all the cattle for the burnt offering twelve bulls, the rams twelve, the male lambs a year old twelve, and their meal offering; and the male goats for a sin offering twelve; 88. and all the cattle for the sacrifice of peace offerings twenty-four bulls, the rams sixty, the male goats sixty, the male lambs a year old sixty. This was the dedication of the altar, after it was anointed. 89. When Moses went into the Tent of Meeting to speak with Yahweh, he heard his voice speaking to him from above the mercy seat that was on the ark of the Testimony, from between the two cherubim: and he spoke to him. 1. Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 2. “Speak to Aaron, and tell him, ‘When you light the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light in front of the lamp stand.’” 3. Aaron did so. He lit its lamps to light the area in front of the lamp stand, as Yahweh commanded Moses. 4. This was the workmanship of the lamp stand, beaten work of gold. From its base to its flowers, it was beaten work: according to the pattern which Yahweh had shown Moses, so he made the lamp stand. 5. Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 6. “Take the Levites from among the children of Israel, and cleanse them. 7. You shall do this to them, to cleanse them: sprinkle the water of cleansing on them, let them shave their whole bodies with a razor, and let them wash their clothes, and cleanse themselves. 8. Then let them take a young bull, and its meal offering, fine flour mixed with oil; and another young bull you shall take for a sin offering. 9. You shall present the Levites before the Tent of Meeting. You shall assemble the whole congregation of the children of Israel. 10. You shall present the Levites before Yahweh. The children of Israel shall lay their hands on the Levites, 11. and Aaron shall offer the Levites before Yahweh for a wave offering, on the behalf of the children of Israel, that it may be theirs to do the service of Yahweh. 12. “The Levites shall lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, and you shall offer the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering to Yahweh, to make atonement for the Levites. 13. You shall set the Levites before Aaron, and before his sons, and offer them as a wave offering to Yahweh. 14. Thus you shall separate the Levites from among the children of Israel, and the Levites shall be mine. 15. “After that, the Levites shall go in to do the service of the Tent of Meeting: and you shall cleanse them, and offer them as a wave offering. 16. For they are wholly given to me from among the children of Israel; instead of all who open the womb, even the firstborn of all the children of Israel, I have taken them to me. 17. For all the firstborn among the children of Israel are mine, both man and animal. On the day that I struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I sanctified them for myself. 18. I have taken the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel. 19. I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and to his sons from among the children of Israel, to do the service of the children of Israel in the Tent of Meeting, and to make atonement for the children of Israel; that there be no plague among the children of Israel, when the children of Israel come near to the sanctuary.” 20. Moses, and Aaron, and all the congregation of the children of Israel did so to the Levites. According to all that Yahweh commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so the children of Israel did to them. 21. The Levites purified themselves from sin, and they washed their clothes; and Aaron offered them for a wave offering before Yahweh; and Aaron made atonement for them to cleanse them. 22. After that, the Levites went in to do their service in the Tent of Meeting before Aaron, and before his sons: as Yahweh had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so they did to them. 23. Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 24. “This is that which belongs to the Levites: from twenty-five years old and upward they shall go in to wait on the service in the work of the Tent of Meeting; 25. and from the age of fifty years they shall cease waiting on the work, and shall serve no more, 26. but shall minister with their brothers in the Tent of Meeting, to perform the duty, and shall perform no service. You shall do thus to the Levites concerning their duties.” 1. Yahweh spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying, 2. “Moreover let the children of Israel keep the Passover in its appointed season. 3. On the fourteenth day of this month, at evening, you shall keep it in its appointed season—according to all its statutes, and according to all its ordinances, you shall keep it.” 4. Moses spoke to the children of Israel, that they should keep the Passover. 5. They kept the Passover in the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, at evening, in the wilderness of Sinai. According to all that Yahweh commanded Moses, so the children of Israel did. 6. There were certain men, who were unclean because of the dead body of a man, so that they could not keep the Passover on that day, and they came before Moses and before Aaron on that day. 7. Those men said to him, “We are unclean because of the dead body of a man. Why are we kept back, that we may not offer the offering of Yahweh in its appointed season among the children of Israel?” 8. Moses answered them, “Wait, that I may hear what Yahweh will command concerning you.” 9. Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 10. “Say to the children of Israel, ‘If any man of you or of your generations is unclean by reason of a dead body, or is on a journey far away, he shall still keep the Passover to Yahweh. 11. In the second month, on the fourteenth day at evening they shall keep it; they shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. 12. They shall leave none of it until the morning, nor break a bone of it. According to all the statute of the Passover they shall keep it. 13. But the man who is clean, and is not on a journey, and fails to keep the Passover, that soul shall be cut off from his people. Because he didn’t offer the offering of Yahweh in its appointed season, that man shall bear his sin. 14. “‘If a foreigner lives among you, and desires to keep the Passover to Yahweh; according to the statute of the Passover, and according to its ordinance, so shall he do. You shall have one statute, both for the foreigner, and for him who is born in the land.’” 15. On the day that the tabernacle was raised up, the cloud covered the tabernacle, even the Tent of the Testimony: and at evening it was over the tabernacle, as it were the appearance of fire, until morning. 16. So it was continually. The cloud covered it, and the appearance of fire by night. 17. Whenever the cloud was taken up from over the Tent, then after that the children of Israel traveled; and in the place where the cloud remained, there the children of Israel encamped. 18. At the commandment of Yahweh, the children of Israel traveled, and at the commandment of Yahweh they encamped. As long as the cloud remained on the tabernacle they remained encamped. 19. When the cloud stayed on the tabernacle many days, then the children of Israel kept Yahweh’s command, and didn’t travel. 20. Sometimes the cloud was a few days on the tabernacle; then according to the commandment of Yahweh they remained encamped, and according to the commandment of Yahweh they traveled. 21. Sometimes the cloud was from evening until morning; and when the cloud was taken up in the morning, they traveled: or by day and by night, when the cloud was taken up, they traveled. 22. Whether it was two days, or a month, or a year that the cloud stayed on the tabernacle, remaining on it, the children of Israel remained encamped, and didn’t travel; but when it was taken up, they traveled. 23. At the commandment of Yahweh they encamped, and at the commandment of Yahweh they traveled. They kept Yahweh’s command, at the commandment of Yahweh by Moses.

1. He came to Derbe and Lystra: and behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewess who believed; but his father was a Greek. 2. The brothers who were at Lystra and Iconium gave a good testimony about him. 3. Paul wanted to have him go out with him, and he took and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those parts; for they all knew that his father was a Greek. 4. As they went on their way through the cities, they delivered the decrees to them to keep which had been ordained by the apostles and elders who were at Jerusalem. 5. So the assemblies were strengthened in the faith, and increased in number daily. 6. When they had gone through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. 7. When they had come opposite Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit didn’t allow them. 8. Passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas. 9. A vision appeared to Paul in the night. There was a man of Macedonia standing, begging him, and saying, “Come over into Macedonia and help us.” 10. When he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go out to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the Good News to them. 11. Setting sail therefore from Troas, we made a straight course to Samothrace, and the day following to Neapolis; 12. and from there to Philippi, which is a city of Macedonia, the foremost of the district, a Roman colony. We were staying some days in this city. 13. On the Sabbath day we went outside of the city by a riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down, and spoke to the women who had come together. 14. A certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, one who worshiped God, heard us; whose heart the Lord opened to listen to the things which were spoken by Paul. 15. When she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and stay.” So she persuaded us. 16. As we were going to prayer, a certain girl having a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much gain by fortune telling. 17. Following Paul and us, she cried out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us a way of salvation!” 18. She was doing this for many days. But Paul, becoming greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!” It came out that very hour. 19. But when her masters saw that the hope of their gain was gone, they seized Paul and Silas, and dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers. 20. When they had brought them to the magistrates, they said, “These men, being Jews, are agitating our city, 21. and advocate customs which it is not lawful for us to accept or to observe, being Romans.” 22. The multitude rose up together against them, and the magistrates tore their clothes from them, and commanded them to be beaten with rods. 23. When they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, charging the jailer to keep them safely, 24. who, having received such a command, threw them into the inner prison, and secured their feet in the stocks. 25. But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 26. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bonds were loosened. 27. The jailer, being roused out of sleep and seeing the prison doors open, drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. 28. But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, “Don’t harm yourself, for we are all here!” 29. He called for lights, sprang in, fell down trembling before Paul and Silas, 30. brought them out, and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31. They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32. They spoke the word of the Lord to him, and to all who were in his house. 33. He took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes, and was immediately baptized, he and all his household. 34. He brought them up into his house, and set food before them, and rejoiced greatly, with all his household, having believed in God. 35. But when it was day, the magistrates sent the sergeants, saying, “Let those men go.” 36. The jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, “The magistrates have sent to let you go; now therefore come out, and go in peace.” 37. But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us publicly, without a trial, men who are Romans, and have cast us into prison! Do they now release us secretly? No, most certainly, but let them come themselves and bring us out!” 38. The sergeants reported these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Romans, 39. and they came and begged them. When they had brought them out, they asked them to depart from the city. 40. They went out of the prison, and entered into Lydia’s house. When they had seen the brothers, they encouraged them, and departed. 1. Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. 2. Paul, as was his custom, went in to them, and for three Sabbath days reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3. explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.” 4. Some of them were persuaded, and joined Paul and Silas, of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and not a few of the chief women. 5. But the unpersuaded Jews took along some wicked men from the marketplace, and gathering a crowd, set the city in an uproar. Assaulting the house of Jason, they sought to bring them out to the people. 6. When they didn’t find them, they dragged Jason and certain brothers before the rulers of the city, crying, “These who have turned the world upside down have come here also, 7. whom Jason has received. These all act contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus!” 8. The multitude and the rulers of the city were troubled when they heard these things. 9. When they had taken security from Jason and the rest, they let them go. 10. The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Beroea. When they arrived, they went into the Jewish synagogue. 11. Now these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so. 12. Many of them therefore believed; also of the prominent Greek women, and not a few men. 13. But when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the word of God was proclaimed by Paul at Beroea also, they came there likewise, agitating the multitudes. 14. Then the brothers immediately sent out Paul to go as far as to the sea, and Silas and Timothy still stayed there. 15. But those who escorted Paul brought him as far as Athens. Receiving a commandment to Silas and Timothy that they should come to him very quickly, they departed. 16. Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw the city full of idols. 17. So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who met him. 18. Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also were conversing with him. Some said, “What does this babbler want to say?” Others said, “He seems to be advocating foreign deities,” because he preached Jesus and the resurrection. 19. They took hold of him, and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new teaching is, which is spoken by you? 20. For you bring certain strange things to our ears. We want to know therefore what these things mean.” 21. Now all the Athenians and the strangers living there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell or to hear some new thing. 22. Paul stood in the middle of the Areopagus, and said, “You men of Athens, I perceive that you are very religious in all things. 23. For as I passed along, and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.’ What therefore you worship in ignorance, this I announce to you. 24. The God who made the world and all things in it, he, being Lord of heaven and earth, doesn’t dwell in temples made with hands, 25. neither is he served by men’s hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he himself gives to all life and breath, and all things. 26. He made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the surface of the earth, having determined appointed seasons, and the boundaries of their dwellings, 27. that they should seek the Lord, if perhaps they might reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 28. ‘For in him we live, and move, and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also his offspring.’ 29. Being then the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold, or silver, or stone, engraved by art and design of man. 30. The times of ignorance therefore God overlooked. But now he commands that all people everywhere should repent, 31. because he has appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he has ordained; of which he has given assurance to all men, in that he has raised him from the dead.” 32. Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked; but others said, “We want to hear you again concerning this.” 33. Thus Paul went out from among them. 34. But certain men joined with him, and believed, among whom also was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them. 1. After these things Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth. 2. He found a certain Jew named Aquila, a man of Pontus by race, who had recently come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to depart from Rome. He came to them, 3. and because he practiced the same trade, he lived with them and worked, for by trade they were tent makers. 4. He reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded Jews and Greeks. 5. But when Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul was compelled by the Spirit, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. 6. When they opposed him and blasphemed, he shook out his clothing and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am clean. From now on, I will go to the Gentiles!” 7. He departed there, and went into the house of a certain man named Justus, one who worshiped God, whose house was next door to the synagogue. 8. Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord with all his house. Many of the Corinthians, when they heard, believed and were baptized. 9. The Lord said to Paul in the night by a vision, “Don’t be afraid, but speak and don’t be silent; 10. for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many people in this city.” 11. He lived there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them. 12. But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews with one accord rose up against Paul and brought him before the judgment seat, 13. saying, “This man persuades men to worship God contrary to the law.” 14. But when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, “If indeed it were a matter of wrong or of wicked crime, you Jews, it would be reasonable that I should bear with you; 15. but if they are questions about words and names and your own law, look to it yourselves. For I don’t want to be a judge of these matters.” 16. So he drove them from the judgment seat. 17. Then all the Greeks laid hold on Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him before the judgment seat. Gallio didn’t care about any of these things. 18. Paul, having stayed after this many more days, took his leave of the brothers, and sailed from there for Syria, together with Priscilla and Aquila. He shaved his head in Cenchreae, for he had a vow. 19. He came to Ephesus, and he left them there; but he himself entered into the synagogue, and reasoned with the Jews. 20. When they asked him to stay with them a longer time, he declined; 21. but taking his leave of them, he said, “I must by all means keep this coming feast in Jerusalem, but I will return again to you if God wills.” Then he set sail from Ephesus. 22. When he had landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the assembly, and went down to Antioch. 23. Having spent some time there, he departed, and went through the region of Galatia, and Phrygia, in order, establishing all the disciples. 24. Now a certain Jew named Apollos, an Alexandrian by race, an eloquent man, came to Ephesus. He was mighty in the Scriptures. 25. This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, although he knew only the baptism of John. 26. He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside, and explained to him the way of God more accurately. 27. When he had determined to pass over into Achaia, the brothers encouraged him, and wrote to the disciples to receive him. When he had come, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace; 28. for he powerfully refuted the Jews, publicly showing by the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.

1. Don’t fret because of evildoers, neither be envious against those who work unrighteousness. 2. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither like the green herb. 3. Trust in Yahweh, and do good. Dwell in the land, and enjoy safe pasture. 4. Also delight yourself in Yahweh, and he will give you the desires of your heart. 5. Commit your way to Yahweh. Trust also in him, and he will do this: 6. he will make your righteousness go out as the light, and your justice as the noon day sun. 7. Rest in Yahweh, and wait patiently for him. Don’t fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who makes wicked plots happen. 8. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath. Don’t fret, it leads only to evildoing. 9. For evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for Yahweh shall inherit the land. 10. For yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more. Yes, though you look for his place, he isn’t there. 11. But the humble shall inherit the land, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. 12. The wicked plots against the just, and gnashes at him with his teeth. 13. The Lord will laugh at him, for he sees that his day is coming. 14. The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, to kill those who are upright on the path. 15. Their sword shall enter into their own heart. Their bows shall be broken. 16. Better is a little that the righteous has, than the abundance of many wicked. 17. For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but Yahweh upholds the righteous. 18. Yahweh knows the days of the perfect. Their inheritance shall be forever. 19. They shall not be disappointed in the time of evil. In the days of famine they shall be satisfied. 20. But the wicked shall perish. The enemies of Yahweh shall be like the beauty of the fields. They will vanish— vanish like smoke. 21. The wicked borrow, and don’t pay back, but the righteous give generously. 22. For such as are blessed by him shall inherit the land. Those who are cursed by him shall be cut off. 23. A man’s goings are established by Yahweh. He delights in his way. 24. Though he stumble, he shall not fall, for Yahweh holds him up with his hand. 25. I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his children begging for bread. 26. All day long he deals graciously, and lends. His offspring is blessed. 27. Depart from evil, and do good. Live securely forever. 28. For Yahweh loves justice, and doesn’t forsake his saints. They are preserved forever, but the children of the wicked shall be cut off. 29. The righteous shall inherit the land, and live in it forever. 30. The mouth of the righteous talks of wisdom. His tongue speaks justice. 31. The law of his God is in his heart. None of his steps shall slide. 32. The wicked watches the righteous, and seeks to kill him. 33. Yahweh will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged. 34. Wait for Yahweh, and keep his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the land. When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it. 35. I have seen the wicked in great power, spreading himself like a green tree in its native soil. 36. But he passed away, and behold, he was not. Yes, I sought him, but he could not be found. 37. Mark the perfect man, and see the upright, for there is a future for the man of peace. 38. As for transgressors, they shall be destroyed together. The future of the wicked shall be cut off. 39. But the salvation of the righteous is from Yahweh. He is their stronghold in the time of trouble. 40. Yahweh helps them, and rescues them. He rescues them from the wicked, and saves them, Because they have taken refuge in him.