To The Word – Day 23

₁With the blue, purple, and red wool they made the magnificent garments which the priests were to wear when they served in the Holy Place. They made the priestly garments for Aaron, as the LORD had commanded Moses.

₂They made the ephod of fine linen; blue, purple, and red wool; and gold thread. ₃They hammered out sheets of gold and cut them into thin strips to be worked into the fine linen and into the blue, purple, and red wool. ₄They made two shoulder straps for the ephod and attached them to its sides, so that it could be fastened. ₅The finely woven belt, made of the same materials, was attached to the ephod so as to form one piece with it, as the LORD had commanded Moses. ₆They prepared the carnelians and mounted them in gold settings; they were skilfully engraved with the names of the twelve sons of Jacob. ₇They put them on the shoulder straps of the ephod to represent the twelve tribes of Israel, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

₈They made the breastpiece of the same materials as the ephod and with similar embroidery. ₉It was square and folded double, 22 centimetres long and 22 centimetres wide. ₁₀They mounted four rows of precious stones on it: in the first row they mounted a ruby, a topaz, and a garnet; ₁₁in the second row, an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond; ₁₂in the third row, a turquoise, an agate, and an amethyst; ₁₃and in the fourth row, a beryl, a carnelian, and a jasper. These were mounted in gold settings. ₁₄Each of the twelve stones had engraved on it the name of one of the sons of Jacob, in order to represent the twelve tribes of Israel. ₁₅For the breastpiece they made chains of pure gold, twisted like cords. ₁₆They made two gold settings and two gold rings and attached the two rings to the upper corners of the breastpiece. ₁₇They fastened the two gold cords to the two rings ₁₈and fastened the other two ends of the cords to the two settings and in this way attached them in front to the shoulder straps of the ephod. ₁₉They made two rings of gold and attached them to the lower corners of the breastpiece, on the inside edge next to the ephod. ₂₀They made two more gold rings and attached them to the lower part of the front of the two shoulder straps of the ephod, near the seam and above the finely woven belt. ₂₁Just as the LORD had commanded Moses, they tied the rings of the breastpiece to the rings of the ephod with a blue cord, so that the breastpiece rested above the belt and did not come loose.

₂₂The robe that goes under the ephod was made entirely of blue wool. ₂₃The hole for the head was reinforced with a woven binding to keep it from tearing. _24-26All round its lower hem they put pomegranates of fine linen and of blue, purple, and red wool, alternating with bells of pure gold, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

₂₇They made the shirts for Aaron and his sons, ₂₈and the turban, the caps, the linen shorts, ₂₉and the sash of fine linen and of blue, purple, and red wool, decorated with embroidery, as the LORD had commanded Moses. ₃₀They made the ornament, the sacred sign of dedication, out of pure gold, and they engraved on it “Dedicated to the LORD”. ₃₁They tied it to the front of the turban with a blue cord, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

₃₂All the work on the Tent of the LORD's presence was finally completed. The Israelites made everything just as the LORD had commanded Moses. ₃₃They brought to Moses the Tent and all its equipment, its hooks, its frames, its crossbars, its posts, and its bases; ₃₄the covering of rams' skin dyed red; the covering of fine leather; the curtain; ₃₅the Covenant Box containing the stone tablets, its poles, and its lid; ₃₆the table and all its equipment, and the bread offered to God; ₃₇the lampstand of pure gold, its lamps, all its equipment, and the oil for the lamps; ₃₈the gold altar; the anointing oil; the sweet-smelling incense; the curtain for the entrance of the Tent; ₃₉the bronze altar with its bronze grating, its poles, and all its equipment; the washbasin and its base; ₄₀the curtains for the enclosure and its posts and bases; the curtain for the entrance of the enclosure and its ropes; the pegs for the Tent; all the equipment to be used in the Tent; ₄₁and the magnificent garments the priests were to wear in the Holy Place — the sacred clothes for Aaron the priest and for his sons. ₄₂The Israelites had done all the work just as the LORD had commanded Moses. ₄₃Moses examined everything and saw that they had made it all just as the LORD had commanded. So Moses blessed them.

₁The LORD said to Moses, ₂“On the first day of the first month set up the Tent of the LORD's presence. ₃Place in it the Covenant Box containing the Ten Commandments and put the curtain in front of it. ₄Bring in the table and place the equipment on it. Also bring in the lampstand and set up the lamps on it. ₅Put the gold altar for burning incense in front of the Covenant Box and hang the curtain at the entrance of the Tent. ₆Put in front of the Tent the altar for burning offerings. ₇Put the washbasin between the Tent and the altar and fill it with water. ₈Put up the surrounding enclosure and hang the curtain at its entrance.

₉“Then dedicate the Tent and all its equipment by anointing it with the sacred oil, and it will be holy. ₁₀Next, dedicate the altar and all its equipment by anointing it, and it will be completely holy. ₁₁Also dedicate the washbasin and its base in the same way.

₁₂“Bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the Tent, and tell them to take a ritual bath. ₁₃Dress Aaron in the priestly garments, anoint him, and in this way consecrate him, so that he can serve me as priest. ₁₄Bring his sons and put the shirts on them. ₁₅Then anoint them, just as you anointed their father, so that they can serve me as priests. This anointing will make them priests for all time to come.”

₁₆Moses did everything just as the LORD had commanded. ₁₇So on the first day of the first month of the second year after they left Egypt, the Tent of the LORD's presence was set up. ₁₈Moses put down its bases, set up its frames, attached its crossbars, and put up its posts. ₁₉He spread out the covering over the Tent and put the outer covering over it, just as the LORD had commanded. ₂₀Then he took the two stone tablets and put them in the Covenant Box. He put the poles in the rings of the box and put the lid on it. ₂₁Then he put the box in the Tent and hung up the curtain. In this way he screened off the Covenant Box, just as the LORD had commanded.

₂₂He put the table in the Tent, on the north side outside the curtain, ₂₃and placed on it the bread offered to the LORD, just as the LORD had commanded. ₂₄He put the lampstand in the Tent, on the south side, opposite the table, ₂₅and there in the LORD's presence he lit the lamps, just as the LORD had commanded. ₂₆He put the gold altar in the Tent, in front of the curtain, ₂₇and burnt the sweet-smelling incense, just as the LORD had commanded. ₂₈He hung the curtain at the entrance of the Tent, ₂₉and there in front of the curtain he placed the altar for burning offerings. On it he sacrificed the burnt offering and the grain offering, just as the LORD had commanded. ₃₀He put the washbasin between the Tent and the altar and filled it with water. ₃₁Moses, Aaron, and his sons washed their hands and their feet there ₃₂whenever they went into the Tent or to the altar, just as the LORD had commanded. ₃₃Moses set up the enclosure round the Tent and the altar and hung the curtain at the entrance of the enclosure. So he finished all the work.

₃₄Then the cloud covered the Tent and the dazzling light of the LORD's presence filled it. ₃₅Because of this, Moses could not go into the Tent. ₃₆The Israelites moved their camp to another place only when the cloud lifted from the Tent. ₃₇As long as the cloud stayed there, they did not move their camp. ₃₈During all their wanderings they could see the cloud of the LORD's presence over the Tent during the day and a fire burning above it during the night.

₁From Peter, apostle of Jesus Christ —

To God's chosen people who live as refugees scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. ₂You were chosen according to the purpose of God the Father and were made a holy people by his Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be purified by his blood.

May grace and peace be yours in full measure.

₃Let us give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! Because of his great mercy he gave us new life by raising Jesus Christ from death. This fills us with a living hope, ₄and so we look forward to possessing the rich blessings that God keeps for his people. He keeps them for you in heaven, where they cannot decay or spoil or fade away. ₅They are for you, who through faith are kept safe by God's power for the salvation which is ready to be revealed at the end of time.

₆Be glad about this, even though it may now be necessary for you to be sad for a while because of the many kinds of trials you suffer. ₇Their purpose is to prove that your faith is genuine. Even gold, which can be destroyed, is tested by fire; and so your faith, which is much more precious than gold, must also be tested, so that it may endure. Then you will receive praise and glory and honour on the Day when Jesus Christ is revealed. ₈You love him, although you have not seen him, and you believe in him, although you do not now see him. So you rejoice with a great and glorious joy which words cannot express, ₉because you are receiving the salvation of your souls, which is the purpose of your faith in him.

₁₀It was concerning this salvation that the prophets made careful search and investigation, and they prophesied about this gift which God would give you. ₁₁They tried to find out when the time would be and how it would come. This was the time to which Christ's Spirit in them was pointing, in predicting the sufferings that Christ would have to endure and the glory that would follow. ₁₂God revealed to these prophets that their work was not for their own benefit, but for yours, as they spoke about those things which you have now heard from the messengers who announced the Good News by the power of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. These are things which even the angels would like to understand.

₁₃So then, have your minds ready for action. Keep alert and set your hope completely on the blessing which will be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. ₁₄Be obedient to God, and do not allow your lives to be shaped by those desires you had when you were still ignorant. ₁₅Instead, be holy in all that you do, just as God who called you is holy. ₁₆The scripture says, “Be holy because I am holy.”

₁₇You call him Father, when you pray to God, who judges all people by the same standard, according to what each one has done; so then, spend the rest of your lives here on earth in reverence for him. ₁₈For you know what was paid to set you free from the worthless manner of life handed down by your ancestors. It was not something that can be destroyed, such as silver or gold; ₁₉it was the costly sacrifice of Christ, who was like a lamb without defect or flaw. ₂₀He had been chosen by God before the creation of the world and was revealed in these last days for your sake. ₂₁Through him you believe in God, who raised him from death and gave him glory; and so your faith and hope are fixed on God.

₂₂Now that by your obedience to the truth you have purified yourselves and have come to have a sincere love for your fellow-believers, love one another earnestly with all your heart. ₂₃For through the living and eternal word of God you have been born again as the children of a parent who is immortal, not mortal. ₂₄As the scripture says:

₁Rid yourselves, then, of all evil; no more lying or hypocrisy or jealousy or insulting language. ₂Be like newborn babies, always thirsty for the pure spiritual milk, so that by drinking it you may grow up and be saved. ₃As the scripture says, “You have found out for yourselves how kind the Lord is.”

₄Come to the Lord, the living stone rejected by people as worthless but chosen by God as valuable. ₅Come as living stones, and let yourselves be used in building the spiritual temple, where you will serve as holy priests to offer spiritual and acceptable sacrifices to God through Jesus Christ. ₆For the scripture says:

₉But you are the chosen race, the King's priests, the holy nation, God's own people, chosen to proclaim the wonderful acts of God, who called you out of darkness into his own marvellous light. ₁₀At one time you were not God's people, but now you are his people; at one time you did not know God's mercy, but now you have received his mercy.

₁₁I appeal to you, my friends, as strangers and refugees in this world! Do not give in to bodily passions, which are always at war against the soul. ₁₂Your conduct among the heathen should be so good that when they accuse you of being evildoers, they will have to recognize your good deeds and so praise God on the Day of his coming.

₁₃For the sake of the Lord submit to every human authority: to the Emperor, who is the supreme authority, ₁₄and to the governors, who have been appointed by him to punish the evildoers and to praise those who do good. ₁₅For God wants you to silence the ignorant talk of foolish people by the good things you do. ₁₆Live as free people; do not, however, use your freedom to cover up any evil, but live as God's slaves. ₁₇Respect everyone, love your fellow-believers, honour God, and respect the Emperor.

₁₈You servants must submit to your masters and show them complete respect, not only to those who are kind and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. ₁₉God will bless you for this, if you endure the pain of undeserved suffering because you are conscious of his will. ₂₀For what credit is there if you endure the beatings you deserve for having done wrong? But if you endure suffering even when you have done right, God will bless you for it. ₂₁It was to this that God called you, for Christ himself suffered for you and left you an example, so that you would follow in his steps. ₂₂He committed no sin, and no one ever heard a lie come from his lips. ₂₃When he was insulted, he did not answer back with an insult; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but placed his hopes in God, the righteous Judge. ₂₄Christ himself carried our sins in his body to the cross, so that we might die to sin and live for righteousness. It is by his wounds that you have been healed. ₂₅You were like sheep that had lost their way, but now you have been brought back to follow the Shepherd and Keeper of your souls.

₁In the same way you wives must submit to your husbands, so that if any of them do not believe God's word, your conduct will win them over to believe. It will not be necessary for you to say a word, ₂because they will see how pure and reverent your conduct is. ₃You should not use outward aids to make yourselves beautiful, such as the way you do your hair, or the jewellery you put on, or the dresses you wear. ₄Instead, your beauty should consist of your true inner self, the ageless beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of the greatest value in God's sight. ₅For the devout women of the past who placed their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful by submitting to their husbands. ₆Sarah was like that; she obeyed Abraham and called him her master. You are now her daughters if you do good and are not afraid of anything.

₇In the same way you husbands must live with your wives with the proper understanding that they are weaker than you. Treat them with respect, because they also will receive, together with you, God's gift of life. Do this so that nothing will interfere with your prayers.

₈To conclude: you must all have the same attitude and the same feelings; love one another as brothers and sisters, and be kind and humble with one another. ₉Do not pay back evil with evil or cursing with cursing; instead, pay back with a blessing, because a blessing is what God promised to give you when he called you. ₁₀As the scripture says:

₁₃Who will harm you if you are eager to do what is good? ₁₄But even if you should suffer for doing what is right, how happy you are! Do not be afraid of anyone, and do not worry. ₁₅But have reverence for Christ in your hearts, and honour him as Lord. Be ready at all times to answer anyone who asks you to explain the hope you have in you, ₁₆but do it with gentleness and respect. Keep your conscience clear, so that when you are insulted, those who speak evil of your good conduct as followers of Christ will be ashamed of what they say. ₁₇For it is better to suffer for doing good, if this should be God's will, than for doing evil. ₁₈For Christ died for sins once and for all, a good man on behalf of sinners, in order to lead you to God. He was put to death physically, but made alive spiritually, ₁₉and in his spiritual existence he went and preached to the imprisoned spirits. ₂₀These were the spirits of those who had not obeyed God when he waited patiently during the days that Noah was building his boat. The few people in the boat — eight in all — were saved by the water, ₂₁which was a symbol pointing to baptism, which now saves you. It is not the washing away of bodily dirt, but the promise made to God from a good conscience. It saves you through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, ₂₂who has gone to heaven and is at the right-hand side of God, ruling over all angels and heavenly authorities and powers.

₁Since Christ suffered physically, you too must strengthen yourselves with the same way of thinking that he had; because whoever suffers physically is no longer involved with sin. ₂From now on, then, you must live the rest of your earthly lives controlled by God's will and not by human desires. ₃You have spent enough time in the past doing what the heathen like to do. Your lives were spent in indecency, lust, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and the disgusting worship of idols. ₄And now the heathen are surprised when you do not join them in the same wild and reckless living, and so they insult you. ₅But they will have to give an account of themselves to God, who is ready to judge the living and the dead. ₆That is why the Good News was preached also to the dead, to those who had been judged in their physical existence as everyone is judged; it was preached to them so that in their spiritual existence they may live as God lives.

₇The end of all things is near. You must be self-controlled and alert, to be able to pray. ₈Above everything, love one another earnestly, because love covers over many sins. ₉Open your homes to each other without complaining. ₁₀Each one, as a good manager of God's different gifts, must use for the good of others the special gift he has received from God. ₁₁Whoever preaches must preach God's messages; whoever serves must serve with the strength that God gives, so that in all things praise may be given to God through Jesus Christ, to whom belong glory and power for ever and ever. Amen.

₁₂My dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful test you are suffering, as though something unusual were happening to you. ₁₃Rather be glad that you are sharing Christ's sufferings, so that you may be full of joy when his glory is revealed. ₁₄Happy are you if you are insulted because you are Christ's followers; this means that the glorious Spirit, the Spirit of God, is resting on you. ₁₅If any of you suffer, it must not be because you are a murderer or a thief or a criminal or a meddler in other people's affairs. ₁₆However, if you suffer because you are a Christian, don't be ashamed of it, but thank God that you bear Christ's name.

₁₇The time has come for judgement to begin, and God's own people are the first to be judged. If it starts with us, how will it end with those who do not believe the Good News from God? ₁₈As the scripture says:

₁I, who am an elder myself, appeal to the church elders among you. I am a witness of Christ's sufferings, and I will share in the glory that will be revealed. I appeal to you ₂to be shepherds of the flock that God gave you and to take care of it willingly, as God wants you to, and not unwillingly. Do your work, not for mere pay, but from a real desire to serve. ₃Do not try to rule over those who have been put in your care, but be examples to the flock. ₄And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the glorious crown which will never lose its brightness.

₅In the same way you younger people must submit to your elders. And all of you must put on the apron of humility, to serve one another; for the scripture says, “God resists the proud, but shows favour to the humble.” ₆Humble yourselves, then, under God's mighty hand, so that he will lift you up in his own good time. ₇Leave all your worries with him, because he cares for you.

₈Be alert, be on the watch! Your enemy, the Devil, roams round like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. ₉Be firm in your faith and resist him, because you know that your fellow-believers in all the world are going through the same kind of sufferings. ₁₀But after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who calls you to share his eternal glory in union with Christ, will himself perfect you and give you firmness, strength, and a sure foundation. ₁₁To him be the power for ever! Amen.

₁₂I write you this brief letter with the help of Silas, whom I regard as a faithful fellow-Christian. I want to encourage you and give my testimony that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it.

₁₃Your sister church in Babylon, also chosen by God, sends you greetings, and so does my son Mark. ₁₄Greet one another with the kiss of Christian love.

May peace be with all of you who belong to Christ.