# info

name: detailed_info
value:
<h2>Holy Bible</h2> <h3>New Life Version</h3> Christian Literature International <p/> Gleason and Kathryn Ledyard, 1969


# verses

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The earth was an empty waste and darkness was over the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was moving over the top of the waters.


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Then God called the light day, and He called the darkness night. There was evening and there was morning, one day.


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God made the open space, and divided the waters under the open space from the waters above the open space. And it was so.


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Then God said, "Let the waters under the heavens be gathered into one place. Let the dry land be seen." And it was so.


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Then God called the dry land Earth. He called the gathering of the waters Seas. And God saw that it was good.


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Then God said, "Let plants grow from the earth, plants that have seeds. Let fruit trees grow on the earth that bring their kind of fruit with their own seeds." And it was so.


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Plants grew out of the earth, giving their own kind of seeds. Trees grew with their fruit, and their kind of seeds. And God saw that it was good.


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Then God said, "Let there be lights in the open space of the heavens to divide day from night. Let them tell the days and years and times of the year.


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Then God made the two great lights, the brighter light to rule the day, and the smaller light to rule the night. He made the stars also.


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to rule the day and the night. He divided the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.


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Then God said, "Let the waters be full of living things. Let birds fly above the earth in the open space of the heavens."


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God made the big animals that live in the sea, and every living thing that moves through the waters by its kind, and every winged bird after its kind. And God saw that it was good.


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God wanted good to come to them, saying, "Give birth to many. Grow in number. Fill the waters in the seas. Let birds grow in number on the earth."


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Then God said, "Let the earth bring into being living things after their kind: Cattle and things that move upon the ground, and wild animals of the earth after their kind." And it was so.


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Then God made the wild animals of the earth after their kind, and the cattle after their kind, and every thing that moves upon the ground after its kind. And God saw that it was good.


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Then God said, "Let Us make man like Us and let him be head over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every thing that moves on the ground."


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And God made man in His own likeness. In the likeness of God He made him. He made both male and female.


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And God wanted good to come to them, saying, "Give birth to many. Grow in number. Fill the earth and rule over it. Rule over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth."


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Then God said, "See, I have given you every plant that gives seeds that is on the earth, and every tree that has fruit that gives seeds. They will be food for you.


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I have given every green plant for food to every animal of the earth, and to every bird of the sky, and to every thing that moves on the earth that has life." And it was so.


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God saw all that He had made and it was very good. There was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.


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On the seventh day God ended His work which He had done. And He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.


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Then God honored the seventh day and made it holy, because in it He rested from all His work which He had done.


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This is the story of the heavens and the earth when they were made, in the day the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.


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Now no bush of the field was yet on the earth. And no plant of the field had started to grow. For the Lord God had not sent rain upon the earth. And there was no man to work the ground.


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Then the Lord God made man from the dust of the ground. And He breathed into his nose the breath of life. Man became a living being.


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And the Lord God made to grow out of the ground every tree that is pleasing to the eyes and good for food. And He made the tree of life grow in the center of the garden, and the tree of learning of good and bad.


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Now a river flowed out of Eden to water the garden. And from there it divided and became four rivers.


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The name of the third river is Tigris. It flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.


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Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work the ground and care for it.


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But do not eat from the tree of learning of good and bad. For the day you eat from it you will die for sure."


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Then the Lord God said, "It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a helper that is right for him."


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Out of the ground the Lord God made every animal of the field and every bird of the sky. He brought them to the man to find out what he would call them. And whatever the man called a living thing, that was its name.


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Adam gave names to all the cattle, and to the birds of the sky, and to every animal of the field. But there was no helper found that was right for Adam.


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So the Lord God put the man to sleep as if he were dead. And while he was sleeping, He took one of the bones from his side and closed up the place with flesh.


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The Lord God made woman from the bone which He had taken from the man. And He brought her to the man.


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The man said, "This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh. She will be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man."


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For this reason a man will leave his father and his mother, and will be joined to his wife. And they will become one flesh.


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Now the snake was more able to fool others than any animal of the field which the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God say that you should not eat from any tree in the garden?"


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But from the tree which is in the center of the garden, God has said, 'Do not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.' "


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For God knows that when you eat from it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and bad."


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The woman saw that the tree was good for food, and pleasing to the eyes, and could fill the desire of making one wise. So she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave some to her husband, and he ate.


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Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew they were without clothes. So they sewed fig leaves together and made them-selves clothing.


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Then they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the evening. The man and his wife hid themselves from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.


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And the man said, "I heard the sound of You in the garden. I was afraid because I was without clothes. So I hid myself."


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The Lord God said, "Who told you that you were without clothes? Have you eaten from the tree of which I told you not to eat?"


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Then the Lord God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" And the woman said, "The snake fooled me, and I ate."


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Then the Lord God said to the snake, "Because you have done this, you will be hated and will suffer more than all cattle, and more than every animal of the field. You will go on your stomach and you will eat dust all the days of your life.


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And I will make you and the woman hate each other, and your seed and her seed will hate each other. He will crush your head, and you will crush his heel."


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To the woman He said, "I will make your pain much worse in giving birth. You will give birth to children in pain. Yet your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you."


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Then He said to Adam, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I told you, "Do not eat from it," the ground is cursed because of you. By hard work you will eat food from it all the days of your life.


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You will eat bread by the sweat of your face because of hard work, until you return to the ground, because you were taken from the ground. You are dust, and you will return to dust."


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Then the Lord God said, "See, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and bad. Now then, he might put out his hand to take from the tree of life also, and eat and live forever."


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So He drove the man out. And He placed cherubim east of the garden of Eden with a sword of fire that turned every way. They kept watch over the path to the tree of life.


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The man lay with his wife Eve and she was going to have a child and she gave birth to Cain. She said, "I have given birth to a man with the help of the Lord."


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Next she gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was one who worked the ground.


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But Abel brought a gift of the first-born of his flocks and of the fat parts. The Lord showed favor to Abel and his gift.


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Will not your face be happy if you do well? If you do not do well, sin is waiting to destroy you. Its desire is to rule over you, but you must rule over it."


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Cain told this to his brother Abel. And when they were in the field, Cain stood up against his brother Abel and killed him.


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Then the Lord said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?" And he said, "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?"


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The Lord said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying to Me from the ground.


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Now you are cursed because of the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand.


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When you work the ground, it will no longer give its strength to you. You will always travel from place to place on the earth."


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See, this day You have made me go away from the land. And I will be hidden from Your face. I will run away and move from place to place. And whoever finds me will kill me."


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So the Lord said to him, "Whoever kills Cain will be punished by Me seven times worse." And the Lord put a mark on Cain so that any one who found him would not kill him.


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Cain lay with his wife and she was going to have a child and she gave birth to Enoch. Cain built a city and gave it the name of Enoch, the name of his son.


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Now Irad was born to Enoch. And Irad became the father of Mehujael. Mehujael became the father of Methushael. And Methushael became the father of Lamech.


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Zillah gave birth to Tubal-cain who made things from brass and iron. The sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah.


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And Lamech said to his wives, "Adah and Zillah, listen to my voice. Hear what I say, you wives of Lamech. For I have killed a man for hurting me, and a boy for hitting me.


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If those who hurt Cain are punished seven times worse, then those who hurt Lamech will be punished seventy-seven times worse."


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And Adam lay with his wife again, and she gave birth to a son and gave him the name Seth. For she said, "God has let me have another son in the place of Abel, for Cain killed him."


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A son was born to Seth also, and he gave him the name Enosh. Then men began to call upon the name of the Lord.


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This is the book of the children of Adam and of their children's children. When God made man, He made him in the likeness of God.


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He made them male and female, and brought good to them. And He gave them the name Man when they were made.


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When Adam had lived 130 years, he gave birth to a son in his own likeness. And he gave him the name Seth.


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He gave him the name Noah. He said, "This one will give us rest from our work, from the hard work of our hands because the ground was cursed by the Lord."


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the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful. And they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose.


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Then the Lord said, "My Spirit will not stay in man forever, for he is flesh. But yet he will live for 120 years."


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Very large men were on the earth in those days, and later also, when the sons of God lived with the daughters of men, who gave birth to their children. These were the powerful men of long ago, men of much strength.


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Then the Lord saw that man was very sinful on the earth. Every plan and thought of the heart of man was sinful always.


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So the Lord said, "I will destroy man whom I have made from the land, man and animals, things that move upon the earth and birds of the sky. For I am sorry that I have made them."


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This is the story of Noah and his family. Noah was right with God. He was without blame in his time. Noah walked with God.


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God looked at the earth and saw how sinful it was. For all who lived on the earth had become sinful in their ways.


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Then God said to Noah, "I have decided to make an end to all the people on the earth. They are the cause of very much trouble. See, I will destroy them as I destroy the earth.


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Make a large boat of gopher wood for yourself. Build rooms in the boat. And cover it inside and out with tar.


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This is how you are to make it: The boat is to be as long as 150 long steps, as wide as twenty-five long steps, and eight times taller than a man.


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Make a window for the boat, that goes down an arm's length from the roof. Put a door in the side of the boat. And make it with first, second, and third floors.


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See, I will bring a flood of water upon the earth, to destroy all flesh under heaven that has the breath of life. Everything on earth will be destroyed.


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But I will make My agreement with you. You will go into the large boat, you and your sons and your wife, and your sons' wives with you.


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You are to bring into the large boat two of every kind of living thing of all flesh, to keep them alive with you. They will be male and female.


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Two of all the kinds of birds, and animals, and every thing that moves on the ground are to be with you to keep them alive.


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And take with you every kind of ood that is eaten, and store it. It will be food for you and for them."


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Then the Lord said to Noah, "Go into the boat, you and all your family. For I have seen that you only are right and good at this time.


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Take with you seven of every clean animal of each sex, and one of each sex of the animals that are unclean.


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And take with you seven of every kind of bird of the sky of each sex, to keep their kind alive over all the earth.


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In seven days I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights. I will destroy from the land every living thing that I have made."


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Then Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons' wives all went into the large boat because of the water of the flood.


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went into the large boat with Noah. They went two by two, male and female, just as God had told Noah.


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In the year 600 of Noah's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, all the wells of water under the earth broke open. The windows of the heavens were opened.


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On the very same day Noah and his sons, Shem and Ham and Japheth, and Noah's wife and the three wives of his sons with them, all went into the large boat.


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With them went every kind of animal, and all the cattle, and every thing that moved on the earth, and every kind of bird.


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The flood came upon the earth for forty days. The water got deeper and raised up the large boat so that it was lifted above the earth.


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The water got higher and higher upon the earth until all the high mountains under heaven were covered.


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God de-stroyed every living thing upon the land, from man to animals, from things that moved upon the ground to birds of the sky. They were de-stroyed from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those that were with him in the large boat.


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But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and all the cattle that were with him in the large boat. Then God made a wind blow over the earth until the water went down.


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Also the wells of water under the earth and the windows of the heavens were shut. And it stopped raining.


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And in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the large boat came to rest on Mount Ararat.


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The water kept on going down until the tenth month. In the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains could be seen.


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But the dove found no place to set her foot, so she returned to him in the boat. For the water was still over the earth. So Noah put out his hand and took her, and brought her into the boat with him.


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The dove returned to him in the evening. In her mouth was an olive leaf that had just been picked. So Noah knew that the water had gone from the earth.


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In the year 601, in the first month, on the first day of the month, the water was dried up from the earth. Then Noah took the covering off the large boat, and looked out and saw that the earth was dry.


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Bring out with you every living thing of all flesh that is with you, birds and animals and everything that moves on the earth. So they may give birth and become many upon the earth."


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Every animal, every bird, everything that moves on the earth, went out of the large boat by their families.


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Then Noah built an altar to the Lord. He took of every clean animal and every clean bird, and gave burnt gifts in worship on the altar.


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Then the Lord smelled a pleasing smell. And the Lord said to Himself, "I will never again curse the ground because of man. For the desire of man's heart is sinful from when he is young. I will never again destroy every living thing as I have done.


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While the earth lasts, planting time and gathering time, cold and heat, summer and win-ter, and day and night will not end."


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God made good come to Noah and his sons, and said to them, "Have many children, and cover the earth.


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Every animal of the earth, every bird of the sky, everything that moves on the ground, and all the fish of the sea will be afraid of you. They are given into your hand.


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Every moving thing that lives will be food for you. I give all to you as I gave you the green plants.


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For sure, I will take the life of every animal and every person for taking a life. I will punish every man's brother for taking the life of man.


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and with every living thing that is with you, the birds, the cattle, and every animal of the earth, of all that came out of the large boat, every living thing on earth.


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I make My agreement with you, that never again will all flesh be destroyed by the water of a flood. There will never again be a flood to destroy the earth."


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Then God said, "This is something special to see for all time, because of the agreement that I am making between Me and you and every living thing that is with you:


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I will set My rain-bow in the cloud, and it will be something special to see because of an agreement between Me and the earth.


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I will remember My agreement that is between Me and you and every living thing of all flesh. Never again will the water become a flood to destroy all flesh.


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When the rainbow is in the cloud, I will look upon it to remember the agreement that will last forever between God and every living thing of all flesh that is on the earth."


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God said to Noah, "This is the special thing to see because of the agreement I have made between Me and all flesh upon the earth."


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The sons of Noah who came out of the large boat were Shem , Ham and Japheth. Ham was the father of Canaan.


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Then Ham, the father of Canaan, saw that his father was without clothes. And he told his two brothers outside.


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But Shem and Japheth took a coat and laid it upon their shoulders and walked in with their backs toward their father and covered him. Their faces were turned away, so that they did not see their father without clothes.


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These are the families of Shem, Ham and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and of their families. Sons were born to them after the flood.


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From these the people who live beside the sea spread out into their lands, each one by his language, family, and nation.


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The sons of Cush were Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca. The sons of Raamah were Sheba and Dedan.


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He was a powerful animal-killer in the eyes of the Lord. So it is said, "Like Nimrod, a powerful animal-killer in the eyes of the Lord."


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So the land of the Canaanite was from Sidon toward Gerar as far as Gaza, then toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim as far as Lasha.


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Children were born to Shem, the father of all the children of Eber, and the older brother of Japheth.


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Eber had two sons. The name of one was Peleg, for the earth was divided in his day. The name of his brother was Joktan.


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These are the families of the sons of Noah. From these family groups, nations were spread over the earth after the flood.


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And as men traveled in the east, they found a valley in the land of Shinar and made their home there.


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They said to one another, "Come, let us make blocks and burn them until they are hard." They used blocks for stone, and tar to hold them together.


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Then they said, "Come, let us build a city for ourselves, with a tower that touches the heavens. Let us make a name for ourselves, or else we may be sent everywhere over the whole earth."


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And the Lord said, "See, they are one people, and they all have the same language. This is only the begin-ning of what they will do. Now all they plan to do will be possible for them.


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So the name of the city was Babel, because there the Lord mixed up the language of the whole earth. The Lord sent the people everywhere over the whole earth.


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These are the children of Shem. When Shem had lived 100 years, he became the father of Arpachshad, two years after the flood.


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Now these are the children of Terah. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot.


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Abram and Nahor both married. The name of Abram's wife was Sarai. The name of Nahor's wife was Milcah, the daughter of Haran. Haran was the father of Milcah and Iscah.


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Terah took his son Abram, and his grandson Lot, the son of Haran, and his daughterin-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram and they went together from Ur of the Chaldeans to the land of Canaan. But when they went as far as Haran, they made their home there.


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Now the Lord said to Abram, "Leave your country, your family and your father's house, and go to the land that I will show you.


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And I will make you a great nation. I will bring good to you. I will make your name great, so you will be honored.


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I will bring good to those who are good to you. And I will curse those who curse you. Good will come to all the families of the earth because of you."


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So Abram left as the Lord told him to do, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran.


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Abram took his wife Sarai, and his brother's son Lot, and all the things they had gathered, and the people who joined them in Haran. And they left to go to the land of Canaan. So they came to the land of Canaan.


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Abram passed through the land as far as the oak of Moreh at Shechem. The Canaanite people were living in the land at that time.


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Then the Lord showed Himself to Abram and said, "I will give this land to your children and to your children's children." So Abram built an altar there to the Lord Who had shown Himself to him.


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Then he went from there to the mountain east of Bethel. He put up his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord.


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Now there was no food in the land. So Abram went south to Egypt to stay there, because it was very hard to live in the land with no food.


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When he was about to go into Egypt, Abram said to his wife Sarai, "I know that you are a beautiful woman.


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When the men of Egypt see you, they will say, 'This is his wife.' And they will kill me, but they will let you live.


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Say that you are my sister. Then it may go well with me because of you. And because of you they will not kill me."


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Pharaoh's rulers saw her and told Pharaoh of her beauty. So the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house.


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And Pharaoh acted well toward Abram because of Sarai. He gave Abram sheep, cattle, male and female donkeys, and camels, and men and women servants.


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Then Pharaoh called Abram and said, "What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife?


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Why did you say, 'She is my sister,' so that I took her for my wife? Now then, here is your wife.' Take her and go."


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And Pharaoh told his men what to do with Abram. They led him away with his wife and all that belonged to him.


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So Abram left Egypt and went to the Negev, with his wife and all that belonged to him. And Lot went with him.


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He traveled from the Negev as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai,


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There was not enough land to feed all the animals while they lived together. They owned so many things that they were not able to stay together.


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There was fighting between those who cared for Abram's animals and those who cared for Lot's animals. The Canaanite and the Perizzite were living in the land at that time.


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So Abram said to Lot, "Let there be no fighting between you and me or between the men who take care of our animals, for we are brothers.


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Is not the whole land in front of you? Let each of us go a different way. If you go to the left, then I will go to the right. Or if you go to the right, then I will go to the left."


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Lot looked and saw that the Jordan valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt as you go to Zoar. <n>(This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.)</n>


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So Lot chose all the Jordan valley for himself. And as Lot traveled east, they went apart from each other.


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Abram made his home in the land of Canaan. Lot made his home in the cities of the valley and moved his tents as far as Sodom,


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The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had left him, "Raise your eyes and look from where you are to the north and south and east and west.


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For I will give all the land that you see to you and to your children and to your children's children forever.


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I will make your family after you like the dust of the earth. So if anyone could number the dust of the earth, then he could number your children's children.


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Then Abram moved his tent and came to live among the oaks of Mamre in Hebron. There he built an altar to the Lord.


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It was in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goiim,


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that they made war against Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela <n>(that is, Zoar)</n>.


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They had been ruled by Chedorlaomer for twelve years. But in the thirteenth year they went against him.


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Then in the fourteenth year, Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him came and won a war against the Rephaim in Ashteroth-karnaim, the Zuzim in Ham, the Emim in Shavehkiriathaim,


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Then they turned around and came to Enmishpat <n>(that is, Kadesh)</n>. There they won a war against all the country of the Amalekites and the Amorites who lived in Hazazon-tamar.


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Then the kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim and Bela <n>(that is, Zoar)</n> went out and joined in war against them in the valley of Siddim.


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They fought against Chedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of Goiim, Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar, four kings against five.


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Now the Siddim valley was full of deep holes with tar. The kings of Sodom and Gomorrah turned and ran, and some fell there. But the others ran away into the hill country.


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Then those who won the war took all that belonged to Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their food, and left.


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They also took Lot, the son of Abram's brother, who lived in Sodom, and all that belonged to him, and left.


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Then one who had run for his life came and told Abram the Hebrew. Abram was living by the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and Aner, who were friends of Abram.


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When Abram heard that one of his family had been taken away, he led 318 men who had been born in his house and whom he had taught to fight. They went after them as far as Dan.


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Abram night, he and his servants. They w divided his army against them by on the war against them, and followed them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus.


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Then Abram returned with all the things they had taken. He also returned with his brother's son Lot and all that belonged to him, and the women and the people.


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After Abram returned from destroying Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the valley of Shaveh <n>(that is, the King's valley)</n>.


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And Melchizedek honored Abram and said, "May good come to Abram from God Most High, Maker of heaven and earth.


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Honor and thanks be to God Most High, Who has given into your hand those who fought against you." Then Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of all he had taken.


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And the king of Sodom said to Abram, "Give me the people, but take the riches and food for yourself."


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But Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I have promised the Lord God Most High, Maker of heaven and earth,


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that I will not take a piece of string or piece of leather or anything that is yours. Or else you might say, 'I have made Abram rich.'


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I will take nothing but what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me. Let Aner, Eshcol and Mamre take their share."


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After these things, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a special dream, saying, "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your safe place. Your reward will be very great."


text:
Then Abram said, "O Lord God, what will You give me? For I have no child. And the one who is to receive what belongs to me is Eliezer of Damascus."


text:
Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, "This man will not be given what is yours. But he who will come from your own body will be given what is yours."


text:
He took him outside and said, "Now look up into the heavens and add up the stars, if you are able to number them." Then He said to him, "Your children and your children's children will be as many as the stars."


text:
God said to him, "I am the Lord Who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land for your own."


text:
So the Lord said to him, "Bring Me a three-year-old cow, a three-year-old female goat, a threeyear-old ram, a turtledove and a young pigeon."


text:
Then Abram brought all these to Him, and cut them in two. And he laid each half beside the other. But he did not cut the birds.


text:
When the sun was going down, Abram went into a sleep as if he were dead. And much fear and darkness came upon him.


text:
God said to Abram, "Know for sure that your children and those born after them will be strangers in a land that is not theirs. There they will be servants and suffer for 400 years.


text:
Then your great great-grandchildren will return here. For the sins of the Amorite are not yet finished."


text:
When the sun had gone down and it was very dark, a fire pot of smoke and a burning fire passed between these parts of animals.


text:
The Lord made an agreement with Abram on that day. He said, "I have given this land to your children and to their children's children, from the river of Egypt as far as the big Euphrates River,


text:
Now Abram's wife Sarai had not given birth to any children. She had a woman servant from Egypt whose name was Hagar.


text:
So Sarai said to Abram, "Now see, the Lord has kept me from having children. Go in to the woman who serves me. It may be that I will get children through her." Abram listened to what Sarai said.


text:
So Abram's wife Sarai took Hagar the Egyptian, who served her, and gave her to her husband Abram as his wife. That was after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan.


text:
He went in to Hagar, and she was going to have a child. And when she saw that she was going to have a child, she began to hate Sarai.


text:
Then Sarai said to Abram, "May the wrong done to me be upon you. I gave the woman who served me into your arms. But when she saw that she was going to have a child, she began to hate me. May the Lord judge who is guilty or not between you and me."


text:
But Abram said to Sarai, "See, the woman who serves you is in your power. Do what you want with her." So Sarai made it hard for Hagar. And Hagar ran away from her.


text:
He said, "Hagar, you who serve Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?" And she said, "I am running away from Sarai, the one I serve."


text:
The angel of the Lord said to her, "I will give you so many people in your family through the years that they will be too many to number."


text:
The angel of the Lord also said to her, "See, you are going to have a child. And you will give birth to a son. You will give him the name Ishmael, because the Lord has heard how you have suffered.


text:
He will be a wild donkey of a man. His hand will be against all people. And the hand of all people will be against him. He will live to the east of all his brothers."


text:
So Hagar gave this name to the Lord Who spoke to her, "You are a God Who sees." For she said, "Have I even stayed alive here after seeing Him?"


text:
Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord came to him and said, "I am God All-powerful. Obey Me, and be without blame.


text:
No more will your name be Abram. But your name will be Abraham. For I will make you the father of many nations.


text:
I will make My agreement between Me and you and your children after you through their whole lives for all time. I will be God to you and to your children's children after you.


text:
I will give to you and your children after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan for yourselves forever. And I will be their God."


text:
Then God said to Abraham, "You must keep My agreement, you and your children after you for all time.


text:
This is My agreement between Me and you and your children after you, which you must obey: Every man among you must have this religious act done.


text:
In this religious act the skin is cut off from the end of your sex part. This will be the special act of the agreement between Me and you.


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Every male child among you who is eight days old must have this religious act done, through all time. The same must be done to all the men born in your house or bought with your money from any stranger, who is not one of your family.


text:
He that is born in your house and he that is bought with your money must have this religious act done. So will My agreement be marked in your flesh, an agreement that lasts forever.


text:
But the man who has not had this religious act done, of cutting off his piece of skin, will be cut off from his people. He has broken My agreement."


text:
Then God said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, do not call her name Sarai. But Sarah will be her name.


text:
And I will bring good to her. I will give you a son by her. I will bring good to her. And she will be the mother of nations. Kings of many people will come from her."


text:
Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed. He said to himself, "Will a child be born to a man who is 100 years old?


text:
But God said, "No, but your wife Sarah will give birth to your son. And you will give him the name Isaac. I will make My agreement with him and for his children after him, an agreement that will last forever.


text:
As for Ishmael, I have heard you. I will bring good to him. I will make him grow in number. He will be the father of twelve rulers. I will make him a great nation.


text:
Then Abraham took his son Ishmael, and all who were born in his house, and all who were bought with his money, and every man and boy who lived in his house. And he cut off their piece of skin that very day, as God had told him to do.


text:
Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he had the religious act done of cutting off his piece of skin.


text:
His son Ishmael was thirteen years old when he had the religious act done of cutting off his piece of skin.


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And all the men of his house, who were born in the house or bought with money from a stranger, had this religious act done with him.


text:
The Lord showed Himself to Abraham by the oak trees of Mamre, as he sat at the tent door in the heat of the day.


text:
Abraham looked up and saw three men standing in front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them. He put his face to the ground


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And I will get a piece of bread so you may eat and get strength. After that you may go on your way, since you have come to your servant." The men said, "Do as you have said."


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So Abraham ran into the tent to Sarah, and said, "Hurry and get three pails of fine flour, mix it well, and make bread."


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Then Abraham ran to the cattle and took out a young and good calf. He gave it to the servant to make it ready in a hurry.


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He took milk and cheese and the meat which he had made ready, and set it in front of them. He stood by them under the tree while they ate.


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The Lord said, "I will be sure to return to you at this time next year. And your wife Sarah will have a son." Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him.


text:
Then the Lord said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh and say, 'How can I give birth to a child when I am so old?'


text:
Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son."


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Then the men got up from there and looked down toward Sodom. Abraham went with them to send them on their way.


text:
since Abraham will become a great and powerful nation, because good will come to all the nations of the earth through him?


text:
For I have chosen him, so that he may teach his children and the sons of his house after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and fair, so the Lord may bring to Abraham what He has promised him."


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I will now go down and see if they have done as much wrong as the cry against them has told Me they have. And if not, I will know."


text:
What if there are fifty good people within the city? Will You destroy the place and not save it because of the fifty good people in it?


text:
May You never do such a thing as to destroy the good with the bad! May the good never be punished like the bad! You would never do such a thing! Will not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?"


text:
So the Lord said, "If I find fifty good people in the city of Sodom, I will save the whole place because of them."


text:
Abraham said, "Now see, I have taken upon myself to speak to the Lord, I who am only dust and ashes.


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What if five of the fifty good people are not so good. Will You destroy the whole city because of five?" The Lord said, "I will not destroy it if I find forty-five good people there."


text:
Abraham spoke to Him again and said, "What if only forty are found there?" The Lord said, "I will not destroy it if there are forty."


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Then Abraham said, "O may the Lord not be angry, and I will speak. What if only thirty are found there?" The Lord said, "I will not do it if I find thirty there."


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Abraham said, "Now see, I have taken upon myself to speak to the Lord. What if twenty are found there?" The Lord said, "I will not destroy it because of the twenty."


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Then Abraham said, "O may the Lord not be angry. And I may speak once more. What if ten are found there?" The Lord said, "I will not destroy it because of the ten."


text:
Then the Lord went on His way when He finished speaking with Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place.


text:
The two angels came to Sodom in the evening. Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he got up to meet them. He put his face to the ground


text:
and said, "My lords, come into the house of your servant. Stay the night, and wash your feet. Then you may rise early and go on your way." But they said, "No, we will stay the night in the street."


text:
But he begged them, so they turned aside with him and went into his house. And he made a supper for them. He made bread without yeast, and they ate.


text:
Before they went to bed, all the men of the city of Sodom both young and old gathered around the house.


text:
They called to Lot, saying, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so we may lie with them."


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See, I have two daughters who have never had a man. Let me bring them out to you. And do to them whatever you want. But do nothing to these men, for they have come to be safe under my roof."


text:
But they said, "Get out of our way. This man came to live here from another land. And already he acts like a judge. Now we will do worse things to you than to them." So they pushed hard against Lot and almost broke down the door.


text:
Then they blinded the men who were at the door of the house, both small and big. So the men became tired trying to find the door.


text:
Then the two men asked Lot, "Do you have any others here? Sons-in-law, your sons, your daughters, anyone you have in the city, bring them out of this place.


text:
For we are about to destroy this place. Because the cry against its people has become so loud to the Lord that the Lord has sent us to destroy it."


text:
So Lot went out to speak to his sons-in-law who were to marry his daughters. He said, "Get up! Get out of this place! For the Lord will destroy the city!" But his sons-in-law thought he was only joking.


text:
When morning came, the angels told Lot to hurry. They said, "Get up. Take your wife and your two daughters who are here. Or else you will be destroyed when the city is punished."


text:
But Lot was slow to move. So the men took him, his wife and two daughters by the hand and brought them out of the city. For the Lord had loving-pity for him.


text:
When they had brought them out of the city, one of them said, "Run for your life! Do not look behind you. Do not stop until you are out of the valley. Run to the mountains or else you will be destroyed."


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See, your servant has found favor in your eyes. You have shown me great kindness in what you have done for me by saving my life. But I cannot run to the mountains. For I will run into danger and die.


text:
See, this town is near enough to run to, and it is small. Let me run there <n>(is it not small?)</n> and my life will be saved."


text:
The angel said to him, "See, I am doing what you ask. I will not destroy this town that you have spoken about.


text:
Hurry and run there. For I cannot do anything until you get there." So the name given to the town was Zoar.


text:
He destroyed those cities, and all the valley, and all the people of the cities, and what grew on the ground.


text:
He looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and toward all the land of the valley. And he saw the smoke of the land going up like the smoke from a place where there is much fire.


text:
But when God destroyed the cities of the valley, He remembered Abraham. He sent Lot out of the center of the danger, when He destroyed the cities where Lot lived.


text:
Then Lot went up from Zoar with his two daughters, and lived in the mountains for he was afraid to stay in Zoar. He lived in a cave in the side of a mountain with his two daughters.


text:
Then the first-born daughter said to the younger one, "Our father is old. And there is not a man on earth to marry us.


text:
Come, let us make our father drink wine. Let us lie with him, so we may keep our family through our father."


text:
So they made their father drink wine that night. And the first-born went in and lay with her father. He did not know when she lay down or when she got up.


text:
On the next day, the first-born said to the younger, "See, I lay with my father last night. Let us make him drink wine tonight also, then you go in and lie with him. And we may keep our family through our father."


text:
So they made their father drink wine that night also, then the younger daughter went and lay with him. He did not know when she lay down or when she got up.


text:
The first-born daughter gave birth to a son, and gave him the name Moab. He is the father of the Moabites to this day.


text:
The younger daughter gave birth to a son also. She gave him the name Benammi. He is the father of the Ammonites to this day.


text:
Abraham traveled from there to the land of the Negev, and made his home between Kadesh and Shur. Then he lived for a time in Gerar.


text:
Abraham said about his wife Sarah, "She is my sister." So Abimelech king of Gerar sent for Sarah and took her for his wife.


text:
But God came to Abimelech in a dream of the night, and said, "See, you are a dead man because of the woman you have taken. For she is already married."


text:
But Abimelech had not come near her. He said, "Lord, will You destroy a nation who is without blame?


text:
Did the man not tell me, 'She is my sister'? And she, even she herself said, 'He is my brother.' I have done this with a heart of honor and with hands that are not guilty."


text:
Then God said to him in the dream, "Yes, I know that you have done this with a heart of honor. And I kept you from sinning against Me. I did not let you touch her.


text:
So now return the man's wife. For he is one who speaks for Me. Then he will pray for you, and you will live. But if you do not return her, know that you and all who are yours will die for sure."


text:
So Abimelech got up early in the morning. He called all his servants and told them all these things. And the men were very much afraid.


text:
Then Abimelech called Abraham and said, "What have you done to us? What wrong have I done to you, that made you bring a great sin upon me and my nation? You have done to me what should not have been done."


text:
Abraham said, "I did it because I thought there was no fear of God in this place. I thought they would kill me because of my wife.


text:
And it is true she is my sister. She is the daughter of my father, but not of my mother. And she became my wife.


text:
When God made me go from my father's house, I said to Sarah, 'This is the kindness you must show me. Everywhere we go, say of me, "He is my brother."'"


text:
Then Abimelech gave to Abraham sheep and cattle, and men and women servants. And he returned his wife Sarah to him.


text:
He said to Sarah, "See, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver. It is to pay you for all that has happened. Your honor is made right in the eyes of all men."


text:
So Abraham prayed to God. And God healed Abimelech, his wife and the women who served him, so that they gave birth to children.


text:
Sarah was able to have a child and she gave birth to a son when Abraham was very old. He was born at the time the Lord said it would happen.


text:
Then Abraham did the religious act of the Jews on Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had told him to do.


text:
She said, "Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet when he is so old I have given him a son."


text:
But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian make fun of Isaac. Abraham was the father of Hagar's son.


text:
So Sarah said to Abraham, "Put this woman servant and her son out of your home. The son of this woman servant will never get any of the riches of the family as will my son Isaac."


text:
But God said to Abraham, "Do not be full of sorrow because of the boy and the woman who serves you. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you. For your children and all their children's children after you will be given a name through Isaac.


text:
So Abraham got up early in the morning. He took bread and a leather bag of water, and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder. He gave her the boy, and sent her away. She left, and went from place to place in a place where no people live in Beersheba.


text:
Then she sat down as far away from him as an arrow flies. For she said, "Do not let me see the boy die." As she sat there, she cried a loud cry.


text:
But God heard the voice of the boy. Then the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, and said, "Why are you so troubled, Hagar? Do not be afraid. For God has heard the cry of the boy.


text:
Then God opened Hagar's eyes. And she saw a well of water. She went and filled the leather bag with water and gave the boy a drink.


text:
God was with the boy and he grew. He lived in a place where no people live, and became very good in using the bow.


text:
At that time, Abimelech with Phicol, the head of his army, said to Abraham, "God is with you in all that you do.


text:
So promise me here by God that you will not work against me, or my son, or any children after me. I have shown you kindness. So return kindness to me and to the land where you have come."


text:
Abimelech said, "I do not know who did this. You never told me. And I did not hear about it until today."


text:
So they made an agreement at Beersheba. Then Abimelech and Phicol, the head of his army, returned to the land of the Philistines.


text:
Abraham planted a tree at Beersheba. He called there on the name of the Lord, the God Who lives forever.


text:
God said, "Take now your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love. And go to the land of Moriah. Give him as a burnt gift on the altar in worship, on one of the mountains I will show you."


text:
So Abraham got up early in the morning and got his donkey ready. He took two of his young men with him and his son Isaac. He cut wood for the burnt gift. And he went to the place where God told him to go.


text:
He said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey. I and the boy will go to that place and worship, and return to you."


text:
Abraham took the wood for the burnt gift and had Isaac carry it. He took in his hand the fire and the knife. And the two of them walked on together.


text:
Then Isaac said to Abraham, "My father!" Abraham answered, "Here I am, my son." Isaac said, "See, here is the fire and the wood. But where is the lamb for the burnt gift?"


text:
Abraham said, "God will have for Himself a lamb ready for the burnt gift, my son." So the two of them walked on together.


text:
Then they came to the place that God told them about. Abraham built the altar there, and set the wood in place. Then he tied rope around his son Isaac, and laid him upon the wood on the altar.


text:
But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, and said, "Abraham! Abraham!" And Abraham said, "Here I am."


text:
The angel of the Lord said, "Do not put out your hand against the boy. Do nothing to him. For now I know that you fear God. You have not kept from Me your son, your only son."


text:
Then Abraham looked and saw a ram behind him, with his horns caught in the bushes. Abraham went and took the ram, and gave him as a burnt gift instead of his son.


text:
Abraham gave that place the name "The Lord will give us what we need." And it is said to this day, "On the mountain of the Lord it will be given."


text:
He said, "I have promised by Myself, says the Lord, because you have done this and have not kept from Me your son, your only son,


text:
I will bring good to you. I will add many to the number of your children and all who come after them, like the stars of the heavens and the sand beside the sea. They will take over the cities of those who hate them.


text:
Good will come to all the nations of the earth by your children and their children's children. Because you have obeyed My voice."


text:
So Abraham returned to his young men. And they got up and went with him to Beersheba. Abraham made his home there.


text:
And Reumah, the woman he kept who acted as his wife, gave birth to Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.


text:
Then Sarah died in Kiriath-arba <n>(that is, Hebron)</n> in the land of Canaan. And Abraham had sorrow for Sarah and cried for her.


text:
"Listen to us, my lord. You are a powerful ruler among us. Bury your wife in the best of our graves. None of us will keep his grave from you for burying your wife."


text:
He said to them, "If you are willing to have me bury my wife, hear me, and ask Zohar's son Ephron for me.


text:
Ask him to give me the grave of Machpelah which he has at the other side of his field. Let him give it to me for the full price in front of you, for a place to bury my wife."


text:
Ephron was sitting among the sons of Heth. So Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham so what he said could be heard by the sons of Heth and all who came in through the gate of his city.


text:
He said, "No, my lord. Listen to me. I give you the field. And I give you the grave that is in it. I give it to you in front of the sons of my people. Bury your wife."


text:
He said to Ephron so that all the people of the land heard it, "Listen to me if you will. I will give you the price of the field. Receive it from me, that I may bury my wife there."


text:
"My lord, listen to me. The land is worth four hundred pieces of silver. What is that between me and you? So bury your wife."


text:
Abraham listened to Ephron. And Abraham weighed for Ephron the silver which he had said and was heard by the sons of Heth to be the price, four hundred pieces of silver. He weighed it in the same way those who buy and sell weighed it at that time.


text:
So Ephron's field in Machpelah east of Mamre, the field and grave that was in it, and all the trees within the sides of the field, were handed over


text:
to Abraham for his own. It was handed over in front of the sons of Heth and all who came in through the gate of his city.


text:
After this, Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the grave of the field of Machpelah east of Mamre <n>(that is, Hebron)</n> in the land of Canaan.


text:
The field and the grave in it were handed over to Abraham by the sons of Heth for a place to bury his wife.


text:
Now Abraham was old. He had lived many years. And the Lord had brought good to Abraham in every way.


text:
Abraham said to the oldest servant in his house and the one who took care of all that he owned, "Place your hand under my hip,


text:
and I will have you promise by the Lord, the God of heaven and earth. Promise that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, who live around me.


text:
The servant said to Abraham, "What if the woman will not be willing to follow me to this land? Should I take your son to the land you came from?"


text:
The Lord, the God of heaven, Who took me from my father's house and from the land of my birth, spoke to me and promised me. He said, 'I will give this land to your children and to their children's children.' He will send His angel in front of you. And you will take a wife for my son from there.


text:
But if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be free from this promise to me. Only do not take my son there."


text:
Then the servant took ten of Abraham's camels and left. He took with him all kinds of gifts from Abraham. Then he went to the city of Nahor in Mesopotamia.


text:
He made the camels get down on their knees outside the city by the well of water in the evening. It was the time when women go out to get water.


text:
He said, "O Lord, the God of my boss Abraham, let all go well for me today. Show loving-kindness to my boss Abraham.


text:
See, I am standing here by the well of water. And the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to get water.


text:
If I say to a girl, 'Let down your jar so that I may drink,' and she answers, 'Drink, and I will give water to your camels also,' let her be the one whom You have chosen for your servant Isaac. I will know by this that You have shown loving-kindness to my boss."


text:
Before he had finished speaking, Rebekah came out, the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Milcah and Nahor, the brother of Abraham. She had a jar on her shoulder.


text:
The girl was very beautiful and had never lain with a man. She went down to the well, filled her jar and came up.


text:
When she had finished giving him a drink, she said, "I will get water for your camels also, until they have finished drinking."


text:
She was quick to empty her jar into the animals' drinking place. Then she ran to the well for more water, and got enough for all his camels.


text:
The man was quiet and watched her, waiting to know if the Lord had made all go well or not during his visit.


text:
When the camels had finished drinking, the man took a heavy gold ring and two heavy gold objects to wear on her arms.


text:
He said, "Honor and thanks be to the Lord, the God of my boss Abraham. He has not kept His loving-kindness and His truth from my boss. He has led me in the way to the house of my boss's brothers."


text:
When he saw the gold objects his sister was wearing, and heard his sister Rebekah saying, "This is what the man said to me," he went to the man. He saw him standing by the camels at the well.


text:
Laban said, "Come in, you who receive good from the Lord! Why do you stand outside? I have made the house ready, and a place for the camels."


text:
So the man came into the house. Laban took the load off the camels, and gave them straw and food. He got water to wash the feet of Abraham's servant and the feet of the men who were with him.


text:
Then food was set in front of the man to eat. But he said, "I will not eat until I have told you why I came here." Laban said, "Tell it."


text:
And the Lord has brought much good to my boss. He has become rich. The Lord has given him flocks and cattle, silver and gold, men and women servants, and camels and donkeys.


text:
My boss's wife Sarah gave birth to my boss's son when she was very old. And he has given him all he has.


text:
"My boss made me promise, saying, 'Do not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I live.


text:
He said to me, 'The Lord, Whom I have always obeyed, will send His angel with you to make all go well during your visit there. You will take a wife for my son from those of my family and from my father's house.


text:
Then you will be free from your promise to me. When you come to those of my family, and if they do not give her to you, then you will be free from your promise to me.'


text:
"So I came to the well today. I said, 'O Lord, the God of my boss Abraham, may all go well during my visit here.


text:
See, I am standing by the well of water. If I say to the girl who comes out for water, "Let me drink a little water from your jar,"


text:
and she says, "You drink, and I will get water for your camels also," then let her be the woman whom the Lord has chosen for my boss's son.''


text:
Before I had finished speaking in my heart, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She went down to the well and got water. I asked her, 'Let me drink.'


text:
And she was quick to take down her jar from her shoulder. She said, 'Drink, and I will give water to your camels also.' So I drank and she gave water to the camels also.


text:
Then I asked her, 'Whose daughter are you?' She said, 'The daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah and Nahor.' And I put the gold objects on her nose and arms.


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Then I bowed low and worshiped the Lord. I gave honor and thanks to the Lord, the God of my boss Abraham. For He had led me in the right way to take the daughter of my boss's brother for his son.


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So now if you will show kindness and be true to my boss, tell me. And if not, tell me so I may know which way to turn."


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Then Laban and Bethuel answered, "This thing comes from the Lord. We cannot speak for or against it.


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See, Rebekah is in front of you. Take her and go. Let her be the wife of your boss's son, as the Lord has spoken."


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He brought out things made of silver and gold, and clothes, and gave them to Rebekah. He gave things of much worth to her brother and mother also.


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Then he and the men with him ate and drank and stayed the night there. When they got up in the morning, he said, "Send me away to my boss."


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But her brother and her mother said, "Let the girl stay with us a few days, at least ten. Then she may go."


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But he said to them, "Do not make me stay any more days, since the Lord has made my way go well. Send me away so I may go to my boss."


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So they sent away their sister Rebekah and her nurse. They went with Abraham's servant and the men who were with him.


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They prayed that good would come to Rebekah, and said to her, "You are our sister. May you become the mother of millions. May your children and all their children's children after them take over the cities of those who hate them."


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Then Rebekah and her servants got up on the camels and followed the man. So the servant of Abraham took Rebekah and left.


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Isaac had gone out to pray in the field in the evening. He looked up and saw that camels were coming.


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and said to Abraham's servant, "Who is that man walking in the field to meet us?" Abraham's servant said, "He is my boss." So she took a cloth and covered her face.


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Then Isaac brought Rebekah into his mother Sarah's tent, and she became his wife. And he loved her. So Isaac found comfort after his mother's death.


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Jokshan became the father of Sheba and Dedan. The sons of Dedan were Asshurim, Letushim, and Leummim.


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The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the sons of Keturah.


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But while he was still living, Abraham gave gifts to the sons of the women he kept who acted as his wives. And he sent them to the land of the East, away from his son Isaac.


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Then Abraham breathed his last and died, after living a long and full life of many good years, and was buried with his people.


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His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the grave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, east of Mamre.


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This was the field that Abraham bought from the sons of Heth. Abraham was buried there with his wife Sarah.


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These are the children and their children's children of Abraham's son Ishmael, who was born to Abraham and Hagar, who was Sarah's woman servant.


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These are the names of the sons of Ishmael, the names of the first-born to the last: Nebaioth, Ish-mael's first-born, then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam,


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These are the sons of Ishmael and these are their names, by their towns and by their groups of tents, twelve rulers and their families.


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His people lived from Havilah as far as Shur, east of Egypt on the way toward Assyria. He lived away from all his brothers.


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These are the children and their children's children of Abraham's son Isaac. Abraham was the father of Isaac.


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Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Paddan-aram, and the sister of Laban the Syrian.


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Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife, because she could not give birth and the Lord answered him. Rebekah was able to give birth.


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But the babies within her fought together. And she said, "If this is so, why am I like this?" She went to ask the Lord why.


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The Lord said to her, "Two nations are within you. Two peoples will be divided from your body. One will be stronger than the other. And the older will serve the younger."


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Then the brother was born. His hand was holding Esau's heel. So he was given the name of Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when Rebekah gave birth to them.


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When the boys grew older, Esau became a good hunter, a man of the field. But Jacob was a man of peace, living in tents.


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Isaac showed favor to Esau, because he liked to eat the meat of the animals Esau killed. But Rebekah showed favor to Jacob.


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Esau said to Jacob, "Let me eat some of that red meat, for I am very hungry." That is why his name was called Edom.


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Then Jacob gave Esau bread and vegetables, and Esau ate and drank. Then Esau stood up and went on his way. So Esau hated his birth-right.


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Now there was another time when there was no food in the land, after the time of no food in the days of Abraham. So Isaac went to Gerar, to Abimelech king of the Philistines.


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The Lord showed Himself to Isaac, and said, "Do not go to Egypt. Stay in the land I will tell you about.


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Live in this land and I will be with you and bring good to you. For I will give all these lands to you and your children. I will keep the promise I made to your father Abraham.


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I will make your children and all your children's children as many as the stars of heaven. I will give these lands to them.


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When the men of the place asked him about his wife, he said, "She is my sister." He was afraid to say, "She is my wife," because he thought to himself, "The men of this place might kill me because of Rebekah, for she is beautiful."


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When Isaac had been there a long time, Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out of the window. And he saw Isaac loving his wife Rebekah.


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So Abimelech called Isaac and said, "See, she is your wife! How could you say, 'She is my sister'?" Isaac said to him, "Because I thought I would die because of her."


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Abimelech said, "What is this you have done to us? One of the men might have lain with your wife. And you would have brought guilt upon us."


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Isaac planted seeds in that land. And he gathered in the same year a hundred times as much as he had planted. The Lord brought good to him.


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For he had flocks and many cattle and many people working in his house. The Philistines became jealous of him.


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They filled all the wells with dirt that his father's servants had dug in the days of his father Abraham.


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And Isaac dug again the wells of water that had been dug in the days of his father Abraham. For the Philistines had closed them up after the death of Abraham. And he gave them the same names that his father had given them.


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The men who took care of the cattle of Gerar argued with the men who took care of Isaac's cattle. They said, "The water belongs to us!" So Isaac gave the well the name Esek, because they argued with him.


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He moved away from there and dug another well. And they did not argue about it. So he gave it the name Rehoboth. For he said, "Now the Lord has made a large place for us. We will grow much in this land."


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The Lord showed Himself to Isaac that same night, and said, "I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you. I will bring good to you, and add many to the number of your children and their children's children, because of My servant Abraham."


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So Isaac built an altar there. And he called upon the name of the Lord. He put up his tent there. And there Isaac's servants dug a well.


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Then Abimelech came to him from Gerar, with his friend Ahuzzath, and Phicol, the leader of his army.


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They said, "It is easy for us to see that the Lord is with you. So we said, 'Let there now be a promise between us, between you and us. Let us make an agreement with you,


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that you will not hurt us in any way. For we have not touched you, and have done nothing to you but good. We sent you away in peace. And you now have the Lord's favor.' "


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They got up early in the morning and made promises to each other. Then Isaac sent them away, and they left him in peace.


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That same day Isaac's servants came and told him about the well they had dug. They said to him, "We have found water."


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When Esau was forty years old, he married Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite.


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Isaac was now old, and had become blind. He called to his older son Esau, saying, "My son." And Esau answered, "Here I am."


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Get some food ready for me that I love. Bring it to me to eat, so that before I die I will pray that good will come to you."


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And Rebekah was listening while Isaac spoke to his son Esau. So when Esau went to the field to hunt for meat to bring home,


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'Bring me some meat. Make goodtasting food for me to eat. And before I die I will pray to the Lord for good to come to you.'


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Go to the flock and bring me two fat young goats. I will cook them into good-tasting food, just what your father loves to eat.


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Then you will take it to your father for him to eat. So before he dies he will pray for good to come to you."


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If my father touches me, he will think of me as one trying to fool him. Then he will bring a curse upon me instead of good."


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His mother said to him, "The curse will come upon me instead of you, my son. You do what I say, and go get them for me."


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So Jacob went and got them, and brought them to his mother. And his mother made good-tasting food, just what his father loved to eat.


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Then Rebekah took the best clothes that belonged to her older son Esau, that were with her in the house. And she put them on her younger son Jacob.


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Jacob said to his father, "I am Esau, your first-born. I have done as you told me. Sit up and eat the meat I brought, so you will pray that good will come to me."


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But Isaac said to his son, "How have you found it so fast, my son?" And Jacob said, "Because the Lord your God made it happen."


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Then Isaac said to Jacob, "Come near so I can touch you, my son, to know for sure if you are my son Esau or not."


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So Jacob came near his father Isaac. Isaac touched him, and said, "The voice is Jacob's voice. But the hands are Esau's hands."


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He did not know who he was, because his hands were covered with hair like his brother Esau's hands. So Isaac prayed that good would come to him.


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So Isaac said, "Bring it to me so I may eat the meat my son has made ready. And I will pray that good will come to you." He brought it to him, and he ate. He brought him wine also, and he drank.


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So Jacob came near and kissed him. When Isaac smelled his clothes, he prayed that good would come to him. He said, "The smell of my son is like the smell of a field that has received good from the Lord.


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May God give you from heaven water on the grass in the early morning, and the riches of the earth, and more than enough grain and new wine.


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May nations serve you, and the people bow down in front of you. Be the ruler of your brothers. May your mother's sons bow down in front of you. Cursed be those who curse you, and may good come to those who honor you."


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When Isaac had finished praying that good would come to Jacob, Jacob left his father Isaac. Just then his brother Esau came in from hunting.


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Then Esau made good-tasting food and brought it to his father, and said, "Sit up, my father, and eat the meat your son has made ready, so you will pray that good will come to me."


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Then Isaac shook all over, and he said, "Who was it then who killed an animal and brought meat to me? I ate all of it before you came! And I prayed that good would come to him! Yes, and good will come to him!"


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When he heard what his father said, Esau cried out with a loud and sad cry. He said to his father, "Pray that good will come to me also, O my father!"


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But Isaac said, "Your brother came in and fooled me. He has taken away the good that was to come to you."


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Then Esau said, "Was it not right that he was given the name Jacob? Two times now he has taken what should have been mine. He took away my right as a first-born. And now he has taken away the good that was to come to me." Then he said, "Can you not pray that good will come to me also?"


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Isaac answered Esau, "See, I have made him to rule over you. I have given him all his brothers as servants. I have given him grain and new wine to keep him alive and well. What then can I do for you, my son?"


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Esau said to his father, "Do you have only one prayer for good to come, my father? Pray that good will come to me also, O my father." And Esau gave out a loud cry.


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Then his father Isaac answered him: "See, the place where you live will be away from the riches of the earth, and away from the water on the grass in the early morning.


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You will live by your sword and you will serve your brother. But when you break loose, you will throw his load off your back."


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Esau hated Jacob because his father had prayed that good would come to Jacob. Esau said to himself, "The days when I will have sorrow for the loss of my father are soon. Then I will kill my brother Jacob."


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But the words of her older son Esau were told to Rebekah. She called her younger son Jacob, and said to him, "See, your brother Esau comforts himself by planning to kill you.


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When your brother's anger against you is gone and he forgets what you did to him, then I will send for you and have you return from there. Why should I have sorrow for both of you in one day?"


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Then Rebekah said to Isaac, "I am tired of living because of the daughters of Heth. If Jacob marries one of the daughters of Heth, like these, from the women of the land, what good will my life be to me?"


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So Isaac called Jacob and prayed that good would come to him. He said to him, "Do not marry one of the daugh-ters of Canaan.


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Get ready, and go to the house of your mother's father Bethuel in Paddan-aram. Take a wife for yourself from the daughters of your mother's brother Laban.


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May the All-powerful God bring good to you and give you many children until you become many nations.


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May He give you and your children after you the same gift that He gave Abraham. May He give you the land that He gave Abraham, the land where you are now a stranger."


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Then Isaac sent Jacob away. And he went to Paddan-aram, to Laban, the son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob and Esau's mother.


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Now Esau saw that Isaac had prayed for good to come to Jacob and that he had sent him away to Paddan-aram to find a wife. Esau knew that his father had prayed for good to come to Jacob and said, "Do not marry one of the daughters of Canaan,"


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So Esau went to Ishmael, and married Mahalath the daughter of Abraham's son Ishmael, the sister of Nebaioth. He added her to the wives he already had.


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He came to a certain place and stayed the night there, because the sun had gone down. He took one of the stones there and put it under his head for a pillow.


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And he had a dream. He saw steps going up from the earth to heaven. He saw the angels of God going up and down these steps.


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And he saw the Lord standing above them. He said, "I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham, and the God of Isaac. I will give to you and your children after you the land where you are lying.


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They will be like the dust of the earth. You will spread out to the west and the east and the north and the south. Good will come to all the families of the earth because of you and your children.


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See, I am with you. I will care for you everywhere you go. And I will bring you again to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done all the things I promised you."


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Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, "For sure the Lord is in this place and I did not know it."


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He was afraid and said, "This place is so different! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven."


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So Jacob got up early in the morning. He took the stone he had used as a pillow, and set it up as a pillar. He poured oil on the top of it.


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Then Jacob made a promise. He said, "If God will be with me and take care of me as I go, and if He will give me food to eat and clothes to wear,


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I have set up this stone as a pillar to be God's house. And I will give You a tenth part of all You give to me."


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He looked up and saw a well in the field where three flocks of sheep were lying beside it. The people gave water to the flocks from that well. The stone covering the top of the well was large.


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When all the flocks were gathered there, the men would roll the stone from the top of the well. Then after giving water to the sheep, they would put the stone again in its place on top of the well.


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He asked them, "Is he well?" They said, "He is well. And see, his daughter Rachel is coming with the sheep."


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Jacob said, "See, the sun is still high. It is not time for the flocks to be gathered. Give water to the sheep, and return them to their field."


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But they said, "We cannot, until all the flocks are gathered and they roll the stone from the top of the well. Then we will give the sheep water."


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When Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of his mother's brother Laban, and the sheep of his mother's brother Laban, Jacob went near and rolled the stone from the top of the well. And he gave water to the flock of his mother's brother Laban.


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Jacob told Rachel that he was of her father's family, the son of Rebekah. And she ran and told her father.


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When Laban heard the news of his sister's son Jacob, he ran to meet him. He put his arms around him and kissed him, and brought him to his house. Then Jacob told Laban all these things.


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Then Laban said to Jacob, "Because you are one of my family, should you serve me for nothing? Tell me, what do you want to be paid?"


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Now Laban had two daughters. The name of the older one was Leah, and the name of the younger one was Rachel.


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So Jacob worked seven years for Rachel. It was only like a few days to him, because of his love for her.


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When the morning came, Jacob saw that it was Leah. He said to Laban, "What have you done to me? Did I not work for you for Rachel? Why have you fooled me?"


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Laban said, "It is not allowed in our country to give the younger in marriage before the first-born.


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Complete the wedding week of this one. Then we will give you the other one also if you work for me seven years more."


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So Jacob went in to Rachel also. He loved Rachel more than Leah. And he worked for Laban seven years more.


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When the Lord saw that Leah was not loved, He made her able to give birth. But Rachel could not give birth.


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Leah was able to have a child and she gave birth to a son. She gave him the name Reuben. For she said, "The Lord has seen my trouble. Now my husband will love me."


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Then she was going to have another child and she gave birth to a son. She said, "The Lord has given me this son also, because He has heard that I am not loved." So she gave him the name Simeon.


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She was going to have another child and she gave birth to a son. She said, "Now this time my husband will be joined to me because I have given birth to his three sons." So she gave him the name Levi.


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She was going to have another child and she gave birth to a son. And she said, "This time I will praise the Lord." So she gave him the name of Judah. Then she stopped giving birth.


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When Rachel saw that she had not given birth to any children for Jacob, she became jealous of her sister. She said to Jacob, "Give me children, or else I am going to die!"


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Then Jacob became angry with Rachel. He said, "Am I taking God's place, Who has kept you from giving birth?"


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Then she said, "Here is Bilhah, the woman who serves me. Go in to her, and let her give birth for me. Even I may have children through her."


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Then Rachel said, "God has done the right thing for me. He has heard my voice and has given me a son." So she gave him the name Dan.


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Bilhah, the woman who served Rachel, was going to have another child. And she gave birth to another son for Jacob.


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So Rachel said, "I have fought a hard fight with my sister, and I have won." She gave him the name Naphtali.


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Leah saw that she had stopped giving birth. So she took Zilpah, the woman who served her, and gave her to Jacob as a wife.


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During the time of gathering grain, Reuben went out in the field and found some fruit. He brought it to his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, "Give me some of your son's fruit."


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But Leah said, "Is it not enough to take my husband? Would you take my son's fruit also?" So Rachel said, "Jacob may lie with you tonight if you give me your son's fruit."


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When Jacob came in from the field in the evening, Leah went to meet him. She said, "You must sleep with me tonight. For I have paid for you with my son's fruit." So he lay with her that night.


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Leah said, "God has given me my pay because I gave my husband the woman who serves me." So she gave him the name Issachar.


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Then Leah said, "God has given me a good gift. Now my husband will live with me, because I have given birth to six sons." So she gave him the name of Zebulun.


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When Rachel had given birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, "Send me away, so I may go to my own place and my own country.


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Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served. Let me leave, for you know how much I have served you."


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But Laban said to him, "If now it pleases you, stay with me. I have learned that the Lord has brought good to me because of you."


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For you had little before I came. But now it has become very much. The Lord has brought good to you everywhere I turned. But when will I be able to give much to those of my own house also?"


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Laban said, "What should I pay you?" Jacob said, "Do not pay me anything. If you will do this one thing for me, I will again feed and take care of your flock.


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Let me go through your whole flock today. Let me take out of it every sheep and every goat that has spots, and every black lamb. These will be my pay.


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So my fair actions will answer for me later, when you come to look at what I have been paid. If you find any sheep or goat without spots or any lamb that is not black, you may think of them as stolen."


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That day Laban took out all the male goats with spots and all the female goats with spots, every one with white on it, and every black sheep. And he put them into the care of his sons.


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Then he traveled three days away from Jacob. And Jacob was left to care for the rest of Laban's flocks.


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Then Jacob took green sticks of three kinds of trees. And he cut white marks in them, showing the white which was in the sticks.


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He took these sticks which he had cut and set them in front of the flocks, in the place where the flocks came to drink. And the animals mated when they came to drink.


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Then Jacob divided the lambs. He made the flocks look toward Laban's flock of the animals which were black or with spots. And he put his own flocks by themselves. He did not put them with Laban's flock.


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When the stronger animals of the flock were mating, Jacob would put the sticks in the water in front of the flock so they would mate by the sticks.


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But when the flock was weak, Jacob did not put the sticks in. So the weaker animals went to Laban and the stronger ones went to Jacob.


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Jacob heard the words of Laban's sons, saying, "Jacob has taken away all that our father had. He has become rich with what had belonged to our father."


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Then the Lord said to Jacob, "Return to the land of your fathers and to those of your family. And I will be with you."


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He said to them, "I see that your father does not show me as much favor as he did before. But the God of my father has been with me.


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Yet your father has not been fair with me. He has changed my pay ten times. But God did not let him hurt me.


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If he said, 'The animals that have spots will be your pay,' then all the flock gave birth to young ones with spots. If he said, 'The animals with black marks will be your pay,' then all the flock gave birth to young ones with black marks.


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I had a dream at the time the flocks were mating. I looked up and saw that the male goats which were mating with the female goats had black marks and spots.


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He said, 'Look and see how all the male goats that are mating with the others have black marks and spots. For I have seen all that Laban has been doing to you.


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I am the God of Bethel, where you set up a stone in honor to Me, and where you made a promise to Me. Now get up, leave this land, and return to the land of your birth.' "


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Does he not think of us as strangers? For he has sold us. And he has used all the money that was paid for us.


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All the riches that God has taken away from our father belong to us and our children. So do whatever God has told you to do."


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He took away all his animals, all the riches he had gathered and all the cattle he had gathered in Paddanaram. And he left to go to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan.


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So he left with all he had. He went and crossed the Euphrates River, and turned toward the hill country of Gilead.


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So he took the men of his family with him, and followed Jacob for seven days. He found him in the hill country of Gilead.


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But God came to Laban the Syrian in a dream by night. He said to him, "Be careful that you do not speak good or bad to Jacob."


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Then Laban came to Jacob. Now Jacob had put up his tent in the hill country. Laban and the men of his family put up their tents in the hill country of Gilead.


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Laban said to Jacob, "What do you mean by fooling me and carrying away my daughters as if they were taken by the sword?


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Why did you leave in secret and fool me? Why did you not tell me, so I would have sent you away with joy and with songs and with sounds of joy on the timbrel and harp.


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I have the power to hurt you. But the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, 'Be careful not to speak good or bad to Jacob.'


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Now you have gone away because you had a desire for your father's house. But why did you steal my gods?"


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Jacob answered Laban, "Because I was afraid you might take your daughters from me and make them stay.


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The one with whom you find your gods will not live. In front of those of our family, look for what I have that is yours, and take it." For Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.


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So Laban went into Jacob's tent, and into Leah's tent, and into the tent of the two women who served Rachel and Leah. But he did not find his gods. Then he went from Leah's tent into Rachel's tent.


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Now Rachel had taken the gods of Laban's house and put them in the seat that was used on the camel's back. And she sat upon them. Laban looked through the whole tent, but did not find them.


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She said to her father, "My lord, do not be angry that I cannot rise in front of you. For the way of women is upon me." So he looked, but could not find the gods.


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Then Jacob became angry and argued with Laban. Jacob said to Laban, "What have I done wrong? What is my sin that made you run after me?


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What things of your house have you found by looking through all that belongs to me? Set it here in front of my brothers and your brothers, so they may judge between us.


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During these twenty years I have been with you, your female goats and sheep have not lost a young one. And I have not eaten the sheep of your flocks.


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I did not bring to you those that were torn by wild animals. I took the loss upon myself. You had me pay for what was carried away during the day or during the night.


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This is the way it was for me. I suffered from heat during the day, and from cold during the night. And I could not sleep.


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I have been in your house twenty years. I worked for you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your flock. And you changed my pay ten times.


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If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the fear of Isaac, had not been with me, for sure you would have sent me away with nothing. God has seen my suffering and the work of my hands. So He spoke sharp words to you last night."


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Laban answered Jacob, "The daughters are my daughters. The children are my children. And the flocks are my flocks. All that you see is mine. But what can I do today to these my daughters or to their children who were born to them?


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So come now, let us make an agreement, you and I. And let us do something to show we have an agreement between us."


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Then Jacob said to the men of his family, "Gather stones." So they took stones and put them on top of each other. And they ate there by all the stones.


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Laban said, "These stones are to stand for the agreement between you and me today." So they were given the name Galeed.


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They were given the name of Mizpah also. For Laban said, "May the Lord watch between you and me when we are apart from each other.


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If you hurt my daughters, or if you take wives other than my daughters, no man may see it. But God sees what happens between you and me."


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These stones that have been set up will stand for our agreement. I will not pass by these stones to hurt you. And you will not pass by these stones to hurt me.


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The God of Abraham, the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us." So Jacob promised by the fear of his father Isaac.


text:
Then Jacob gave a gift in worship to God on the mountain. Then he called his brothers to eat bread. And they ate bread and stayed the night on the mountain.


text:
Laban got up early in the morning and kissed his grandchildren and daughters. He prayed that good would come to them. Then Laban left and returned home.


text:
Jacob sent men to carry news before him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the country of Edom.


text:
He told them, "Say this to my lord Esau: 'Your servant Jacob says, "I have been living with Laban, and stayed there until now.


text:
I have cattle and donkeys and flocks and men and women servants. And I have sent to tell my lord, hoping to find favor in your eyes.' "


text:
The men that carried the news returned to Jacob and said, "We came to your brother Esau. He is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him."


text:
Then Jacob was afraid and troubled. And he divided the people who were with him, and the flocks and cattle and camels, into two groups.


text:
Then Jacob said, "O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O Lord, Who said to me, 'Return to your country and to those of your family, and I will bring good to you.'


text:
I have not earned any of the loving-kindness and faith which You have shown to your servant. For I had crossed this Jordan with only my walking stick. And now I have become two large groups.


text:
Save me, I pray, from the hand of my brother, from the power of Esau. For I am afraid of him. I am afraid he will come and kill us all, the mothers with the children.


text:
But You said, 'I will bring good to you. I will make your children like the sand of the sea. There will be too many to number.' "


text:
thirty milk camels and their young ones, forty cows, ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys.


text:
He put them into the care of his servants, every group of animals by itself. Then he said to his servants, "Go in front of me. And keep the groups of animals apart."


text:
He told the one in front, "When my brother Esau meets you and asks, 'To whom do you belong, and where are you going, and who owns these animals in front of you?'


text:
then you say, 'These belong to your servant Jacob. It is a gift sent to my lord Esau. And he is coming behind us.' "


text:
He also told the second and the third and all those who followed the animals, "This is what you are to say to Esau when you meet him.


text:
And be sure to say, 'Your servant Jacob is coming behind us.' " For he said, "I will take away his anger with the gift that goes in front of me. Then when I meet him, he might receive me."


text:
But he got up that same night and crossed the Jabbok River, with his two wives, the two women who served him, and his eleven children.


text:
When the man saw that he was not winning he touched the joint of Jacob's thigh. And Jacob's thigh was put out of joint while he fought with him.


text:
The man said, "Let me go. For the morning has come." But Jacob said, "I will not let you go unless you pray that good will come to me."


text:
And the man said, "Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel. For you have fought with God and with men, and have won."


text:
Then Jacob asked him, "Tell me, what is your name?" But he said, "Why is it that you ask my name?" And there he prayed that good would come to Jacob.


text:
So Jacob gave the place the name of Peniel. For he said, "I have seen God face to face, and yet I am still alive."


text:
So to this day the sons of Israel do not eat the meat from inside the joint of the thigh, because he touched this part of the joint on Jacob's leg.


text:
Then Jacob looked up and saw Esau coming with 400 men. So he divided the children among Leah and Rachel and the two women who served him.


text:
He put the women who served him and their children in front, and Leah and her children behind them, and Rachel and Joseph behind them.


text:
Then Esau looked up and saw the women and the children. He said, "Who are these with you?" Jacob said, "They are the children whom God, in His loving-favor, has given your servant."


text:
Leah also came near with her children, and they bowed to the ground. Then Joseph and Rachel came near and bowed to the ground.


text:
Esau said, "What do you mean by all these animals I have met?" And Jacob said, "They are a gift so I may find favor in the eyes of my lord."


text:
But Jacob said, "No, I ask of you, if I have found favor in your eyes, then receive my gift. For I see your face as one sees the face of God. You have received me with favor.


text:
Take my gift that has been brought to you. For God has shown loving-kindness to me, and I have all I need." So he begged him until he took it.


text:
But Jacob said to him, "My lord knows that the children are weak. And there are young ones in my flocks that need milk. If they are made to go a long way in one day, all the flocks will die.


text:
Let my lord go in front of his servant. And I will be slow in coming to my lord at Seir. I will go as fast as the cattle in front of me and as the children are able."


text:
So Esau said, "Let me leave with you some of the people who are with me." But Jacob said, "What need is there? Let me find favor in the eyes of my lord."


text:
But Jacob traveled to Succoth. He built his house there, and put up small buildings for his animals. So the name of the place is Succoth.


text:
Now Jacob came in peace from Paddan-aram to the city of Shechem in the land of Canaan. And he put up his tents near the city.


text:
He bought the piece of land where he had put up his tents for one hundred pieces of money from the sons of Hamor, Shechem's father.


text:
And she was seen by Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, the ruler of the land. He took her and made her lay with him, and she was put to shame.


text:
Now Jacob heard that Shechem had put his daughter Dinah to shame. But his sons were with the flocks in the field, so Jacob kept quiet until they returned.


text:
Jacob's sons returned from the field when they heard what had happened. They were full of sorrow and were angry. For Shechem had put Israel to shame by lying with Jacob's daughter. Such a thing should not be done.


text:
But Hamor said to them, "The soul of my son Shechem has much desire for your daughter. I ask of you, give her to him in marriage.


text:
Then Shechem said to Dinah's father and brothers, "Let me find favor in your eyes. I will give you whatever you ask.


text:
Make your price and wedding gift as much as you want. I will give you as much as you ask. Only give me the girl to be my wife."


text:
But Jacob's sons lied in their answer to Shechem and his father Hamor because he had put their sister Dinah to shame.


text:
They said to them, "We cannot do this. We cannot give our sister to one who has not gone through the religious act of having his flesh cut. For that would be a shame to us.


text:
We will give you our sister only if you become like us. Every man among you must have this religious act done.


text:
Then we will give our daughters to you. And we will marry your daughters. We will live with you and become one people.


text:
But if you will not listen to us and have this religious act done, then we will take our daughter and go."


text:
The young man did not wait to do what they asked, because he was in love with Jacob's daughter. And he was the most honored of all his family.


text:
So Hamor and his son Shechem came to the gate of their city. And they said to the men of their city,


text:
"These men want to be at peace with us. Let them live in the land and trade in it. For, see, the land is large enough for them. Let us take their daughters in marriage, and give our daughters to them.


text:
But the men will be willing to live with us and become one people only if every man among us goes through the religious act that they have gone through.


text:
Will not their cattle and all they own, all their animals, be ours? Let us just do what they ask, and they will live with us."


text:
All who went out of the gate of his city listened to Hamor and his son Shechem. And every man went through the religious act of having his flesh cut, all who went out of the gate of his city.


text:
But on the third day, when all the men were in pain, two of Jacob's sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brothers, took their swords and went into the city in secret. And they killed every man.


text:
They killed Hamor and his son Shechem with the sword. And they took Dinah from Shechem's house and went away.


text:
Then Jacob's sons went over the dead men and robbed the city of its riches because its men had put their sister to shame.


text:
Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, "You have brought trouble on me by making me hated by the people of the land, the Canaanites and Perizzites. My men are few in number. And these people will gather together against me and fight me. I and those of my house will be destroyed."


text:
But they said, "Should he act towards our sister as if she were a woman who sells the use of her body?"


text:
God said to Jacob, "Get ready and go to Bethel to live. Make an altar there to God, Who showed Himself to you when you ran away from your brother Esau."


text:
So Jacob said to those of his house and all who were with him, "Put away the strange gods that are among you. Make yourselves clean and change your clothes.


text:
Then let us get ready and go to Bethel. I will make an altar there to God, Who answered me in the day of my trouble, and was with me every place I went."


text:
So they gave to Jacob all the strange gods they had, and the gold objects which they wore in their ears. And Jacob hid them under the tree near Shechem.


text:
As they traveled, much fear from God came upon the cities around them. So the people of the land did not go against the sons of Jacob.


text:
So Jacob and all the people who were with him came to Luz <n>(that is, Bethel)</n> in the land of Canaan.


text:
He built an altar there, and gave the place the name El-bethel. Because God had shown Himself to him there, when Jacob ran away from his brother.


text:
Then Rebekah's nurse Deborah died. She was buried below Bethel under a tree. It was given the name of Allonbacuth.


text:
God said to him, "Your name is Jacob. You will not be called Jacob any longer, but Israel will be your name." So his name was Israel.


text:
Then God said to him, "I am the All-powerful God. Have many children and add to your number. A nation and a group of nations will come from you. Kings will come from you.


text:
I will give you the land which I gave to Abraham and Isaac. This land I will give to your children and their children's children after you."


text:
Jacob set up a pillar of stone in the place where He had spoken with him. And he poured a drink offering and also oil on it.


text:
Then they traveled from Bethel. When there was still a long way to go before coming to Ephrath, Rachel began to give birth. She suffered much pain.


text:
And while she was suffering, the woman who was helping her said to her, "Do not be afraid. For now you have another son."


text:
As Rachel's soul was leaving, for she died, she gave him the name Benoni. But his father gave him the name Benjamin.


text:
The sons of Zilpah, the woman who served Leah, were Gad and Asher. These are the sons who were born to Jacob in Paddanaram.


text:
Jacob came to his father Isaac at Mamre of Kiriath-arba <n>(that is, Hebron)</n>, where Abraham and Isaac had been living.


text:
And Isaac breathed his last and died, and was joined to his people who died before him. He was an old man who had a long life, and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.


text:
Esau took his wives from the women of Canaan: Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Oholibamah the daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite,


text:
And Oholibamah gave birth to Jeush, Jalam and Korah. These are the sons who were born to Esau in the land of Canaan.


text:
Then Esau took his wives and sons and daughters and all those of his house, and his flocks and cattle, and all his riches from the land of Canaan. And he went to another land away from his brother Jacob.


text:
For they owned too much for them to live together. The land where they were staying could not keep them alive, because of all their animals.


text:
These are the children, and their children, of Esau the father of the Edomites in the hill country of Seir.


text:
These are the names of Esau's sons: Eliphaz the son of Esau's wife Adah, and Reuel the son of Esau's wife Basemath.


text:
Timna acted as the wife of Esau's son Eliphaz. And she gave birth to Eliphaz's son Amalek. These are the sons of Esau's wife Adah.


text:
These are the sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. They are the sons of Esau's wife Basemath.


text:
These are the sons of Esau's wife Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah, the daughter of Zibeon: She gave birth to Esau's sons, Jeush, Jalam and Korah.


text:
These are the leaders of the sons of Esau. The sons of Esau's first-born, Eliphaz, are leaders Teman, Omar, Zepho, Kenaz,


text:
Korah, Gatam, and Amalek. These are the leaders of Eliphaz in the land of Edom. They are the sons of Adah.


text:
These are the sons of Esau's son Reuel: Leaders Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These are the leaders of Reuel in the land of Edom. They are the sons of Esau's wife Basemath.


text:
These are the sons of Esau's wife Oholibamah: Leaders Jeush, Jalam and Korah. These are the leaders of Esau's wife Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah.


text:
Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. These are the leaders of the Horites, the sons of Seir in the land of Edom.


text:
The sons of Zibeon are Aiah and Anah. He is the Anah who found the hot water well in the place where no people live when he was caring for the donkeys of his father Zibeon.


text:
Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. These are the leaders of the Horites, by their families in the land of Seir.


text:
Then Husham died. And Hadad the son of Bedad, who won the fight against Midian in the field of Moab, became king in his place. The name of his city was Avith.


text:
Then Achbor's son died. And Hadar became king in his place. The name of his city was Pau. His wife's name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, daughter of Mezahab.


text:
These are the names of the leaders of Esau, by family, place and name: Leaders Timna, Alvah, Jetheth,


text:
Magdiel, and Iram. These are the leaders of Edom <n>(that is, Esau, the father of the Edomites)</n>, who lived in the land that belonged to them.


text:
This is the story of the children of Jacob and of their children. When Joseph was seventeen years old, he was caring for the flock with his brothers. The boy was with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's wives. And Joseph told his father about how bad they were.


text:
Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons, because Joseph was born when he was an old man. And Israel made him a long coat of many colors.


text:
His brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers. So they hated Joseph and could not speak a kind word to him.


text:
We were gathering grain in the field. My bundle of grain stood up. Your bundles of grain gathered around it and bowed down to my bundle."


text:
Then his brothers said to him, "Are you going to be our king? Are you going to rule over us?" So they hated him even more for his dreams and for what he said.


text:
Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. He said, "I have had another dream. The sun and the moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me."


text:
He told it to his father and to his brothers. His father spoke sharp words to him, saying, "What is this dream you have had? Will I and your mother and brothers come to bow ourselves down to the ground in front of you?"


text:
Israel said to Joseph, "Are not your brothers feeding the flock in Shechem? Come, I will send you to them." And Joseph said to him, "I will go."


text:
Then Israel said, "Go now, see if it is well with your brothers and with the flock. Then come and tell me." So he sent him from the valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.


text:
And the man said, "They have moved from here. For I heard them say, 'Let us go to Dothan.' "So Joseph followed his brothers and found them at Dothan.


text:
Now come and let us kill him and throw him into one of the deep holes. Then we will say that a wild animal ate him. And we will see what becomes of his dreams!"


text:
Reuben then said, "Do not put him to death. Throw him into this hole here in the place where no people live. But do not lay a hand on him." He wanted to be able to save Joseph and return him to his father.


text:
So when Joseph came to his brothers, they tore off his coat, the coat of many colors that he was wearing.


text:
Then they sat down to eat. When they looked up, they saw a group of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. They were taking spices and perfumes on their camels to Egypt.


text:
Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him. For he is our brother, our own flesh." And his brothers listened to him.


text:
Some Midianite traders were passing by. So the brothers pulled Joseph up out of the hole. And they sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver, and they took Joseph to Egypt.


text:
They sent the coat of many colors to their father. And they said, "We found this. Is it your son's coat or not?"


text:
Jacob looked at it and said, "It is my son's coat! A wild animal has eaten him! For sure Joseph has been torn to pieces!"


text:
So Jacob tore his clothes and dressed in clothes made from hair. He had sorrow for his son many days.


text:
All his sons and daughters tried to comfort him. But he would not be comforted. He said, "I will go down to the grave in sorrow for my son." And his father cried for him.


text:
Judah went away from his brothers at that time. He visited a certain Adullamite whose name was Hirah.


text:
There Judah saw a daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua. He took her as his wife and lived with her.


text:
Then Judah said to Onan, "Go in to your brother's wife. Do your duty as her brother-in-law. Have children for your brother."


text:
But Onan knew that the children would not be his. So when he went in to his brother's wife, he wasted his seed on the ground to keep his brother from having children.


text:
Then Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, "Stay in your father's house as a woman whose husband has died, until my son Shelah is grown. "For he thought, "I am afraid that he also may die like his brothers." So Tamar went and lived in her father's house.


text:
Now after a long time, Shua's daughter, the wife of Judah, died. And after the time of sorrow, Judah and his friend Hirah the Adullamite went to the men who cut the wool from his sheep at Timnah.


text:
So she took off the clothes of a woman whose husband has died and put on other clothes and covered her face with cloth. Then she sat in the gate of Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah. For she saw that Shelah was grown, and she had not been given to him for a wife.


text:
When Judah saw her, he thought she was a woman who sold the use of her body. For she had covered her face.


text:
He went to her at the side of the road, and said, "Here now, let me come in to you." He did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. And she said, "What will you give me to come in to me?"


text:
He answered, "I will send you a young goat from the flock." She asked, "Will you give something as a promise until you send it?"


text:
He said, "What should I give you as a promise?" And she said, "The ring you use to mark your name, and its string, and the stick that is in your hand." So he gave them to her and went in to her. And she was going to have a baby by him.


text:
Then she got up and left. She took off the cloth that covered her, and put on the clothes worn by a woman whose husband has died.


text:
Judah sent his friend the Adullamite to bring the young goat to the woman and take from her the things he had given as a promise. But he did not find her.


text:
He asked the men of the place, "Where is the woman who was selling the use of her body beside the road at Enaim?" They said, "There has been no woman selling the use of her body here."


text:
So he returned to Judah, and said, "I did not find her. The men of the place said, 'There has been no woman selling the use of her body here.' "


text:
Then Judah said, "Let her keep the things, or else we will be laughed at. I sent the young goat, and you did not find her."


text:
About three months later, Judah was told, "Your daughter-in-law Tamar has sold the use of her body. She is going to have a baby by doing this sinful thing." Judah said, "Bring her out and let her be burned!"


text:
When she was brought out, she sent word to her father-in-law, "I am going to have a baby by the man who owns these things." She said, "Look and see, who owns this ring for marking a name, and this string and stick?"


text:
Judah saw that they belonged to him. He said, "She is more right than I, because I did not give her to my son Shelah." And he did not lie with her again.


text:
While she was giving birth, one put out a hand. The nurse took his hand and tied a red string around it, saying, "This one came out first."


text:
But when he pulled away his hand, his brother was born. Then she said, "What an opening you have made for yourself!" So he was given the name of Perez.


text:
Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt by the Ishmaelites. And Potiphar, an Egyptian leader, the head of the soldiers of Pharaoh's house, bought him from the Ishmaelites.


text:
So Joseph found favor in his eyes, and worked only for him. Potiphar made him the one to watch over his house and take care of all that he owned.


text:
And from the time that he watched over his house and all he owned, the Lord brought good to the Egyptian's house because of Joseph. The Lord brought good upon all that he owned in the house and in the field.


text:
So he put all he owned in Joseph's care. Having Joseph near, he did not need to think about anything but the food he ate. Now Joseph was strong and good-looking.


text:
But he would not do it. He said to his boss's wife, "See, with me near, my boss does not worry about anything in the house. He has put all he owns in my care.


text:
There is no one more important in this house than I. And he has held nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do this sinful thing, and sin against God?"


text:
She spoke to Joseph day after day. But he did not listen to her. He would not lie with her or be with her.


text:
She caught him by his coat, saying, "Lie with me!" But he ran out of the house leaving the coat in her hand.


text:
she called the men of her house. And she said to them, "See, this Hebrew has been brought to us to make fun of us. He came in to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice.


text:
Then she told him the same story, saying, "The Hebrew servant whom you brought to us came to me to lie with me.


text:
When his boss heard his wife's story and her words, "This is what your servant did to me," he became very angry.


text:
So Joseph's boss took him and put him in prison, the place where the men who did wrong against the king were put in chains. So there he was in prison.


text:
But the Lord was with Joseph, and showed him kindness. He gave him favor in the eyes of the man who watched over the prison.


text:
The head of the prison put all the men who were in prison into Joseph's care. So whatever was done there was because of Joseph.


text:
The head of the prison did not worry about anything under Joseph's care, because the Lord was with him. The Lord made all go well with whatever Joseph did.


text:
Some time later, the man who carried the king's cup and the man who made the king's bread did wrong against the king of Egypt.


text:
So he put them in prison under the care of the head of the soldiers, the same place where Joseph was in prison.


text:
The head of the soldiers had Joseph watch over them. He took care of them, and they were in prison for a long time.


text:
One night both the cup-carrier and the bread-maker of the king of Egypt had a dream while they were in prison. Each man had his own dream, and each dream had its own meaning.


text:
So he asked these men who had worked for Pharaoh and who were with him in prison in his boss's house, "Why are your faces so sad today?"


text:
They said to him, "We have had a dream and there is no one to tell us what it means." Then Joseph said to them, "Do not the meanings of dreams belong to God? Tell them to me."


text:
So the head cup-carrier told his dream to Joseph. He said, "In my dream, there was a vine in front of me.


text:
And there were three branches on the vine. Then its flowers grew out. From the many flowers came grapes ready to eat.


text:
Pharaoh's cup was in my hand. So I took the grapes and made wine from them and poured it into Pharaoh's cup. And I put the cup into Pharaoh's hand."


text:
Before three days are over, Pharaoh will give you honor and return you to your place of work. You will put Pharaoh's cup into his hand just like you did before when you were his cup-carrier.


text:
But remember me when it is well with you, and show me kindness. Say a good word about me to Pharaoh. Get me out of this prison.


text:
For I was stolen from the land of the Hebrews. And here also I have done nothing for which they should put me in prison."


text:
The head bread-maker saw that the meaning of the dream was good. He said to Joseph, "I had a dream also. There were three baskets of white bread on my head.


text:
All kinds of food for Pharaoh were in the top basket. But the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head."


text:
Within three days, Pharaoh will lift up your head from you and put your body up on a tree. And the birds will eat the flesh from you."


text:
On the third day, Pharaoh's birthday, he made a special supper for his servants. He gave honor to the head cup-carrier and the head bread-maker among his servants.


text:
And he saw seven cows coming out of the Nile. They were good-looking and fat, and they ate the grass beside the river.


text:
Then he saw seven other cows coming out of the Nile after them. They looked bad and were thin. They stood by the other cows beside the Nile.


text:
Then he fell asleep and dreamed a second time. He saw seven heads of grain growing on one stick of grain. They were large and full.


text:
And the small heads of grain ate the seven large, full heads of grain. Then Pharaoh awoke and saw that it was a dream.


text:
So when morning came his spirit was troubled. He called for all the wise men of Egypt. Pharaoh told them his dreams. But there was no one who could tell Pharaoh the meaning of them.


text:
Pharaoh was angry with his servants. And he put me and the head bread-maker in prison in the house of the head of the soldiers.


text:
A young Hebrew was there with us. He worked for the head of the soldiers. We told our dreams to him. And he told us the meaning of them. He told each of us what our different dreams meant.


text:
And it happened just like he had said it would. I was returned to my place of work. The bread-maker was killed on a tree."


text:
Pharaoh then called for Joseph. And they brought him out of the prison in a hurry. He cut off the hair on his face and put on clean clothes. Then he came to Pharaoh.


text:
Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I have had a dream. But no one can tell me what it means. I have heard it said that you are able to hear a dream and tell what it means."


text:
I saw seven cows coming out of the Nile. They were fat and good-looking, and they ate the grass beside the river.


text:
Then I saw seven other cows coming after them. They looked bad and were thin. I had never seen worse cows in all the land of Egypt.


text:
But after they had eaten them, it could not be seen that they had eaten them. For they were just as bad looking as before. Then I awoke.


text:
I saw also in my dream seven heads of grain growing on one stick of grain. They were large and full.


text:
Then I saw seven heads of grain come after them. They were small and were dry because of the east wind.


text:
The small heads of grain ate the seven good heads of grain. Then I told it to the wise men. But there was no one who could tell me what it means."


text:
Joseph said to Pharaoh, "Pharaoh's dreams are one and the same. God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do.


text:
The seven good cows are seven years. And the seven good heads of grain are seven years. The dreams are one and the same.


text:
The seven bad looking cows that are thin that came up after them are seven years. And the seven small heads of grain made dry by the east wind mean seven years without food.


text:
But after them will come seven years when there will be no food. The time of much food will be forgotten in the land of Egypt. The time of no food will destroy the land.


text:
That the dream was sent twice to Pharaoh shows that what will happen is planned by God. And God will make it happen soon.


text:
"So now let Pharaoh look for a man who is understanding and wise. Let the land of Egypt be put into his care.


text:
Let Pharaoh take action to choose men to watch over the land. And let him take a fifth part of the food of the land of Egypt during the seven years of much food.


text:
Let them gather all the food of these good years that are coming. Have them store the grain under the power of Pharaoh, to be used as food in the cities. And let them keep it safe.


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This food will be kept for the people to eat during the seven years of no food that will come upon the land of Egypt. This way the land will not be destroyed during the time without food."


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So Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Because God has shown you all this, there is no one as understanding and wise as you are.


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My house will be put in your care. And all my people will do as you say. Only on the throne will I be greater than you."


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Then Pharaoh took the ring from his hand, and put it on Joseph's hand. He dressed him in clothes of fine cloth. He put a gold chain around his neck.


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He had him travel in his second wagon of honor. And they called out in front of him, "Bow down!" Pharaoh put him in power over all the land of Egypt.


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Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I am Pharaoh. But unless it is your will, no one will raise his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt."


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Then Pharaoh gave Joseph the name of Zaphenath-paneah. He gave him for a wife Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera who was the religious leader of On. So Joseph went out through the land of Egypt.


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Joseph was thirty years old when he stood in front of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. And Joseph went from Pharaoh to visit every part of Egypt.


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So he gathered into the cities all the food of these seven years when there was much in the land of Egypt. He put into each city the food from the fields around it.


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Joseph gathered as much grain as the sand of the sea. The time came when he stopped trying to know how much there was.


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Two sons were born to Joseph before the years without food came. Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, the religious leader of On, gave birth to them.


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Joseph gave the first-born the name Manasseh. "For," he said, "God has made me forget all my trouble and all those of my father's house."


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He gave the second son the name of Ephraim. "For," he said, "God has given me children in the land of my suffering."


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And the seven bad years of no food began, as Joseph had said. No food was growing in all the lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was food.


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So when all the people of Egypt were hungry, they cried to Pharaoh for bread. Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, "Go to Joseph. Do what he tells you."


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When the hunger was spreading over all the earth, Joseph opened the store-houses. And he sold food to the Egyptians for the time without food had become hard in the land of Egypt.


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The people of all the earth came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph because the time without food was hard everywhere.


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Now Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt. He said to his sons, "Why are you looking at one another?"


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And he said, "I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go there and buy some for us, so we may live and not die."


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But Jacob did not send Joseph's brother Benjamin with his brothers. For he said, "I am afraid that something will happen to him."


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Joseph was the ruler of the land. He was the one who sold grain to all the people of the land. And Joseph's brothers came and bowed to the ground in front of him.


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When Joseph saw his brothers, he knew who they were. But he acted like a stranger and spoke sharp words to them. He said, "Where have you come from?" They answered, "From the land of Canaan, to buy food."


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Joseph remembered the dreams he had had about them. He said to them, "You are spies. You have come to find the weak places in our land."


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But they said, "Your servants are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan. The youngest is now with our father. And one is no more."


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You will be put to a test. By the life of Pharaoh, you will not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here.


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Send one of you to bring your brother, and the rest of you will be kept in prison. Your words will be put to a test to see if you are telling the truth. Or else, by the life of Pharaoh, you are spies for sure."


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If you are men who do not lie, let one of your brothers stay here in prison for all of you. But you others go and carry grain for your hungry families.


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Then bring your youngest brother to me, so your words will be proven true. And you will live." So they did what he said.


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They said to one another, "For sure we are guilty for what we did to our brother. We saw the suffering of his soul while he begged us. But we would not listen. So this trouble has come to us."


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Reuben answered them, "Did I not tell you, 'Do not sin against the boy?' But you would not listen. Now we must pay for his blood."


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They did not know that Joseph understood them. For there was a man between them to tell the meaning of each other's language.


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Joseph went away from them and cried. Then he returned to speak with them. And he took Simeon from them and put chains on him in front of his brothers.


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Then Joseph had their bags filled with grain. He had each man's money returned to his bag, to buy what was needed as they traveled. So this was done for them.


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When one of them opened his bag to give his donkey food at the place where they were staying the night, he saw his money. It was there at the top of his bag.


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He said to his brothers, "My money has been returned! It is inside my bag!" Then their hearts became full of fear. They turned to each other, shaking in fear, saying, "What is this that God has done to us?"


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When they came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them. They said,


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"The man who is ruler of the land spoke sharp words to us. He thought that we had gone there to find the weak places in the country.


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We are twelve brothers, the sons of our father. One is no more. And the youngest is now with our father in the land of Canaan.'


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Then the man who is ruler of the land said to us, 'I will know that you are telling the truth by this test. Leave one of your brothers with me. Take grain for your hungry families and go.


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But bring your youngest brother to me, so I will know you are not spies, but honest men telling the truth. Then I will return your brother to you. And then you may trade in the land.' "


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When they took the grain out of their bags, they found that every man's money was in his bag. And when they and their father saw the money, they were afraid.


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Their father Jacob said to them, "You have taken my children from me! Joseph is no more. Simeon is no more. And now you would take Benjamin! All this has come upon me!"


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Then Reuben told his father, "You may kill my two sons if I do not return him to you. Put him in my care, and I will return him to you."


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But Jacob said, "My son will not go with you. For his brother is dead, and only he is left. If something were to happen to him during your traveling, you would bring my white hair down to the grave in sorrow."


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When they had eaten all the grain they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, "Go again and buy us a little food."


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But Judah told him, "The man said to us with sharp words, 'You will not see my face unless your brother is with you.'


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But if you do not send him, we will not go. For the man said, 'You will not see my face unless your brother is with you.' "


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And they said, "The man asked questions about us and our family. He said, 'Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?' So we answered his questions. How could we know that he would say, 'Bring your brother here'?"


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Judah said to his father Israel, "Send the boy with me. And we will get up and go, so we and you and our children may live and not die.


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I will put myself as trust for him. You may put him in my care. If I do not return him to you and set him in front of you, then let the blame be on me forever.


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Then their father Israel said to them, "If it must be so, then do this: take some of the best things of the land in your bags. Carry them to the man as a gift. Give him perfume and honey and spices and special things to eat.


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Take twice as much money with you to take the place of the money that was returned in your bags. It may be that it was a mistake.


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May the All-powerful God give you such favor with the man that he may let your other brother and Benjamin return. If my children are taken from me, I am filled with sorrow."


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So the men took the gift, and twice as much money, and Benjamin. They got up and went to Egypt, and stood in front of Joseph.


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When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the man who took care of his house, "Bring the men into the house. And kill an animal and make it ready. For the men will eat with me at noon."


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The men were afraid because they were brought to Joseph's house. They said, "We are being brought in because of the money that was returned in our bags the first time we came. He is looking for something against us. He will come down on us and take us for servants with our donkeys."


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So they came near the man who took care of Joseph's house, and spoke to him at the door of the house.


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When we came to the place where we stayed the night, we opened our bags. And we found that the full weight of each man's money was at the top of the bag. So we have brought it again with us.


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We have brought other money with us also to buy food. We do not know who put our money in our bags."


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But he answered, "Peace be with you. Do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has given you riches in your bags. I received your money." Then he brought Simeon out to them.


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The man brought the men into Joseph's house and gave them water to wash their feet. And he fed their donkeys.


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So they made the gift ready to give to Joseph when he came at noon. For they had heard that they were to eat there.


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When Joseph came home, they gave him the gift they had brought with them. They bowed to the ground in front of him.


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Then Joseph asked them about their well-being. He said, "Is your father well, the old man you spoke about? Is he still alive?"


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And they said, "Your servant, our father is well. He is still alive." Then they bowed their heads low in honor to Joseph.


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As he looked up, he saw his brother Benjamin, his mother's son. He said, "Is this your youngest brother whom you told me about? May God show you loving-favor, my son."


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Then Joseph went out in a hurry. For he had much feeling for his brother. He went in his room and cried.


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So they brought food to Joseph by himself, and to them by themselves, and to the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves. The Egyptians could not eat bread with the Hebrews because they thought it would be sinful.


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Joseph's brothers were seated in front of him by the way they were born, from the oldest to the youngest. And the men looked at each other in wonder.


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Joseph took food to them from his own table. But Benjamin's food was five times as much as any of theirs. And they were free in eating and drinking with him.


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Then Joseph told the man who took care of his house, "Fill the men's bags with as much food as they can carry. And put each man's money in his bag.


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Put my silver cup in the bag of the youngest, with his money for the grain." And he did what Joseph had told him to do.


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When they had left the city and were not far away, Joseph said to the man who took care of his house, "Get up and follow the men. When you come to them, say to them, 'Why have you returned bad for good? Why have you stolen the silver cup?


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Is this not my lord's drinking cup that he uses for telling about the future? You have done wrong.' "


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And they said to him, "Why does my lord say these things? Your servants would never do such a thing.


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Remember how we returned to you from the land of Canaan with the money we found in the top of our bags. Why then would we steal silver or gold from your owner's house?


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If the cup is found with any of your servants, let him be put to death. And the others of us will be your servants."


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He answered, "Let it be as you say. He who is found to have the cup will be my servant. But you others will be without blame."


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The man looked for it, beginning with the oldest and stopping with the youngest. And the cup was found in Benjamin's bag.


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When Judah and his brothers came to Joseph's house, he was still there. They fell to the ground in front of him.


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Joseph said to them, "What is this that you have done? Did you not know that a man like me has power to know what is not known by others?"


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Judah said, "We do not know what to say to my lord. How can we make ourselves right in your eyes? God has shown the guilt of your servants. See, we are your servants, both we and the one who was found with the cup."


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But Joseph said, "No. I will do no such thing. The person who was found with the cup will be my servant. But you others may go in peace to your father."


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Then Judah came near to him, and said, "O my lord, let your servant speak a word in my lord's ears. Do not be angry with your servant. For you are like Pharaoh himself.


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We said to my lord, 'We have an old father and a young brother who was born to him when he was old. Now his brother is dead. So he is all that is left of his mother, and his father loves him.'


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But we said to my lord, 'The boy cannot leave his father. For if he should leave his father, his father would die.'


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Then you said to your servants, 'Unless your youngest brother comes here with you, you will not see my face again.'


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But we said, 'We cannot go there. If our youngest brother is with us, we will go there. For we cannot see the man's face unless our youngest brother is with us.'


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If you take this one also from me, and something happens to him, you will bring my white hair down to the grave in sorrow.'


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My father's life and the boy's life are one. If I return to your servant my father, and the boy is not with us,


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when he sees that the boy is not with us, he will die. So your servants will bring the white hair of your servant our father down to the grave in sorrow.


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For I put myself as trust for the boy to my father. I said, 'If I do not return him to you, then let the blame be on me forever.'


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So let your servant stay and work for my lord, instead of the boy. Let the boy go home with his brothers.


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For how can I return to my father if the boy is not with me? I am afraid to see the sorrow that my father would suffer."


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Then Joseph could not hide his feelings in front of all who stood by him. He cried, "Send all the people away from me." So no one was with him when Joseph told his brothers who he was.


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Joseph said to his brothers, "I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?" But his brothers could not answer him, for they were afraid in front of him.


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Joseph said to his brothers, "Come near to me." So they came near. He said, "I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt.


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But do not be troubled or angry with yourselves because you sold me here. For God sent me before you to save your life.


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For the land has been without food these two years. And there are five more years without plowing or gathering.


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God sent me before you to make sure that your people will keep living on the earth. Now many of you will be saved.


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So it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and ruler of all his house, and of all the land of Egypt.


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Hurry and go to my father. Say to him, 'Your son Joseph says to you, "God has made me ruler of all Egypt. Come to me, and do not wait.


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You will live in the land of Goshen, you and your children and grandchildren, your flocks and cattle, and all you have. And you will be near me.


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There I will take care of you, so that you and your family will not be in need. For there are still five years coming without food. By then you would have nothing." '


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"Now your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see, that it is my mouth which is speaking to you.


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You must tell my father of all my greatness in Egypt, and of all you have seen. You must hurry and bring my father here."


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When the news was heard in Pharaoh's house that Joseph's brothers had come, Pharaoh and his servants were pleased.


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Take your father and your families and come to me. I will give you the best of the land of Egypt. And you will live on the fat of the land.'


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Also say to them, 'Take wagons from the land of Egypt for your little ones and your wives. Bring your father and come.


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Do not worry about the things that belong to you. For the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.' "


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The sons of Israel did as he said. Joseph gave them wagons as Pharaoh had told him. And he gave them what they would need as they traveled.


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He gave new clothes to each of them. But to Benjamin he gave 300 pieces of silver and five times as many clothes.


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To his father he sent ten donkeys loaded with the best things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain and bread and things his father would need as he traveled.


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Then he sent his brothers away. As they left he said to them, "Do not be mad at each other on the way."


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They told him, "Joseph is still alive! He is ruler of all the land of Egypt!" Jacob's heart almost stopped, because he did not believe them.


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So they told him all the things that Joseph had said to them. And when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to carry him, the life of Jacob's spirit returned.


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So Israel traveled with all he had to Beersheba. There he gave gifts to the God of his father Isaac.


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God spoke to Israel in special dreams in the night, saying, "Jacob, Jacob." And Jacob answered, "Here I am."


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He said, "I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go to Egypt. For I will make you a great nation there.


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Then Jacob left Beersheba. The sons of Israel carried their father Jacob, their little ones and their wives in the wagons which Pharaoh had sent to carry him.


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They took their animals and all the things they owned from the land of Canaan. And they came to Egypt, Jacob and all his children with him,


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his sons and grandsons, his daughters and granddaughters. He brought all his children with him to Egypt.


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These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt, Jacob and his sons: Reuben, Jacob's firstborn,


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The sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman.


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The sons of Judah were Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah <n>(but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan)</n>. The sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul.


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These are the sons who were born to Leah and Jacob in Paddan-aram, with his daughter Dinah. He had thirty-three sons and daughters.


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The sons of Asher were Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, and their sister Serah. The sons of Beriah were Heber and Malchiel.


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These are the sons of Jacob and Zilpah, the woman whom Laban gave to his daughter Leah. She gave birth to sixteen of Jacob's children.


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The sons of Joseph in the land of Egypt were Manasseh and Ephraim. Their mother was Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, the religious leader of On.


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These are the sons of Jacob and Bilhah, the woman whom Laban gave to his daughter Rachel. There were seven sons in all.


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All the people who came to Egypt with Jacob, the children of his own body, were sixty-six people in all. Added to this were the wives of Jacob's sons.


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Two sons were born to Joseph in Egypt. So all the people of Jacob's family when he came to Egypt were seventy.


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Jacob sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph to learn the way to Goshen. And they came to the land of Goshen.


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Then Joseph made his wagon ready and went to Goshen to meet his father Israel. When he came to him, they put their arms around each other and cried for a long time.


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Then Israel said to Joseph, "Now let me die, since I have seen your face and know that you are still alive."


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Joseph said to his brothers and to his father's family, "I will go and tell Pharaoh, 'My brothers and my father's family have come to me from the land of Canaan.


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And the men are shepherds, for they have taken care of animals. They have brought their flocks and cattle and all they have.'


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you answer, 'Your servants have taken care of cat-tle since we were young, both we and our fathers.' Then he will let you live in the land of Goshen. For the Egyptians look down upon every shepherd."


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Then Joseph went to Pharaoh and said, "My father and my brothers and their flocks and cattle and all they own have come from the land of Canaan. See, they are in the land of Goshen."


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Then Pharaoh said to his brothers, "What is your work?" So they said to Pharaoh, "Your servants are shepherds, both we and our fathers."


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They said to Pharaoh, "We have come to live in the land, for there is no field with food for our flocks. The time without food is hard in the land of Canaan. So now we ask of you, let your servants live in the land of Goshen."


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The land of Egypt is in front of you. Have your father and your brothers live in the best of the land. Let them live in the land of Goshen. And if you know any able men among them, put my cattle in their care."


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Jacob answered Pharaoh, "I have traveled on this earth for 130 years. The years of my life have been few and full of sorrow, and less than the years that my fathers lived."


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So Joseph made a place for his father and his brothers. He gave them a part of the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had told him.


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Joseph gave food to his father and his brothers and all his father's family, for the needs of their children.


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Now there was no food in the land for the time without food was very hard. So the people in the land of both Egypt and Canaan became weak because of hunger.


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So Joseph gathered all the money that was found in Egypt and Canaan for the grain they bought. And Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh's house.


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When the money was gone from the lands of Egypt and Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, "Give us food! Why should we die in front of you? For we have no more money."


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Then Joseph said, "Give your cat-tle. I will give you food in trade for your cattle, because your money is gone."


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So they brought their animals to Joseph. And Joseph gave them food in trade for the horses and flocks and cattle and donkeys. He fed them that year in trade for their animals.


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When that year ended, they came to him the next year. They said, "We will not hide from my lord that our money is all gone. And the cattle belong to my lord. There is nothing left for our lord except our bodies and our lands.


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Why should we die in front of you and our lands be wasted? Buy us and our land in trade for food. We and our land will work for Pharaoh. Give us seed, so that we may live and not die, and so the land will not be wasted."


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So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh. For every Egyptian sold his field, because the time without food was hard for them. So the land became Pharaoh's.


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Only the land of the religious leaders he did not buy. For the religious leaders received money from Pharaoh. They lived on the money Pharaoh gave them. So they did not sell their land.


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Then Joseph said to the people, "See, today I have bought you and your land for Pharaoh. Now here is seed for you to plant in the fields.


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At gathering time, you must give a fifth part to Pharaoh. Keep the rest to have seeds for the field, and to feed yourselves and your children and those of your houses."


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So they said, "You have saved our lives! Let us find favor in the eyes of my lord. We will be Pharaoh's servants."


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Joseph made it a law in the land of Egypt that Pharaoh should have the fifth part. It is a law to this day. Only the land of the religious leaders did not become Pharaoh's.


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Now Israel lived in the land of Egypt, in Goshen. They became richer there, and had children, and grew to a very large number.


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When the time came for Israel to die, he called his son Joseph. He said to him, "If I have found favor in your eyes, give me your promise to be kind and faithful to me. I ask of you, do not bury me in Egypt.


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But let me lie down with my fathers. Carry me out of Egypt and bury me where they are buried." And Joseph said, "I will do as you have said."


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Jacob said, "Promise me." So Joseph gave him his promise. Then Israel bowed in worship at the head of the bed.


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After this Joseph was told, "See, your father is sick." So he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim with him.


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When Jacob was told, "Your son Joseph has come to you," Israel gathered his strength and sat up in bed.


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Then Jacob said to Joseph, "The All-powerful God showed Himself to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and He brought good to me.


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He said to me, 'See, I will give you many children. I will make you a group of nations. And I will give this land to your children and to your children's children after you. It will belong to them forever.'


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Now your two sons, who were born to you in Egypt before I came to you here, are mine. Ephraim and Manasseh will be mine, as Reuben and Simeon are.


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The children born to you after them will be yours. They will be called by the names of their brothers in their share of what the family is to receive.


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For when I came from Paddan, Rachel died by my side in the land of Canaan before we came to Ephrath. I buried her there on the way to Ephrath <n>(that is, Bethlehem)</n>."


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Joseph said to his father, "They are my sons, whom God has given me here." So Is-rael said, "Bring them to me, so I may pray that good will come to them."


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Now Israel's eyes had become weak from being old, and he could not see. So Joseph brought them near to him. And Israel kissed them and put his arms around them.


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Israel said to Joseph, "I never thought I would see your face. But see, God has let me see your children also."


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Then taking Ephraim with his right hand, Joseph put him at Israel's left side. And with his left hand he put Manasseh at Israel's right side, placing them near him.


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But Israel put out his right hand and laid it on the head of Ephraim, the younger son. And he put his left hand on Manasseh's head, crossing his hands. But Manasseh was the first-born.


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Then he prayed that good would come to Joseph, and said, "The God with Whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God Who has been my Shepherd all my life to this day,


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the Angel Who has set me free from all sin, bring good to the boys. May my name and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac live on in them. May they become a great nation on the earth."


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When Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on Ephraim's head, he was not pleased. He took his father's hand to move it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head.


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Joseph said to his father, "Not this way, my father, for this one is the first-born. Place your right hand on his head."


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But his father would not, and said, "I know, my son, I know. He will become a nation also, and he also will be great. But his younger brother will be greater than he. His children and their children's children will become many nations."


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Then he prayed that day that good would come to them. He said, "By you Israel will pray that good will come, saying, 'May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh!' " So he placed Ephraim before Manasseh.


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Then Israel said to Joseph, "See, I am about to die. But God will be with you. He will return you to the land of your fathers.


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I have given you more than your brothers. I have given you the side of the mountain that I took from the Amorites with my sword and my bow."


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Then Jacob called his sons and said, "Gather yourselves together so that I may tell you what will happen to you in the days to come.


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"Reuben, you are my first-born, my power and the beginning of my strength, first in pride and first in power.


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But because you are as wild as water, the first place will not be yours. It is because you went to your father's bed and made it unclean.


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May my soul not have a part in their secrets, nor my shining-greatness be joined to them. Because in their anger they killed men and for no reason they hurt cattle.


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Their anger will be punished, for it is bad. Their bad temper will be punished, for it is bad. I will divide them in Jacob and spread them apart in Israel.


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"Judah, your brothers will praise you. Your hand will be on the neck of those who hate you. Your father's sons will bow down to you.


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Judah is a young lion. Like a lion full of meat, you have become great, my son. He lies down and sleeps like a lion. And as a lion, who is willing to wake him?


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The right of a ruler will not leave Judah. The ruler's special stick will not go from between his feet, until Shiloh comes. Then the people will obey Him.


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He ties his young donkey to the vine, his donkey's young one to the best vine. He washes his clothes in wine, his coats in the blood of grapes.


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He saw that a resting place was good and that the land was pleasing. So he made his shoulder ready to carry loads. He let himself be a servant.


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Dan will be a snake in the way, a snake in the road, that bites the horse's heels so that the man falls off.


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But his bow did not shake. His arms were made strong by the hands of the Powerful One of Jacob, by the name of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel,


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by the God of your father Who helps you, and by the All-powerful Who brings good to you. He brings good from heaven above, and from the deep that lies below, and from the body of a mother.


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More good has come to your father than to my fathers before me, as lasting as the hills that last forever. May this good be on the head of Joseph, on the crown of him who was divided from his brothers.


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"Benjamin is a hungry wolf. In the morning he eats the animals he has caught. And in the evening he divides what he has taken."


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All these are the twelve family groups of Israel. This is what their father said to them when he prayed that good would come to them. He prayed for each of them to receive the good they should have.


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Then he told them, "I will soon be with my people who have died be-fore me. Bury me with my fathers in the grave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite,


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in the grave that is in the field of Machpelah, east of Mamre, in the land of Canaan. Abraham bought this grave and the field from Ephron the Hittite for a burying place.


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There they buried Abraham and his wife Sarah. There they buried Isaac and his wife Rebekah. And there I buried Leah.


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Joseph told his servants the doctors to make his father ready to be buried. So the doctors made Israel ready.


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Forty days were needed for this. For this is how much time it took for making the body ready to be buried. And the Egyptians cried for him seventy days.


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When the days of sorrow for him were past, Joseph said to those of Pharaoh's house, "If now I have found favor in your eyes, speak to Pharaoh, saying,


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'My father had me make a promise to him. He said, "See, I am about to die. Bury me in my grave which I dug for myself in the land of Canaan." So let me go and bury my father. Then I will return.' "


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So Joseph went to bury his father. With him went all the servants of Pharaoh, the leaders of his house and all the important men of the land of Egypt,


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and all those of the house of Joseph, and his brothers, and those of his father's house. They left only their little ones and their flocks and cattle in the land of Goshen.


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They came to the grain-floor of Atad on the other side of the Jordan. There they cried with much sorrow. Joseph cried in sorrow for his father for seven days.


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When those who lived in the land, the Canaanites, saw the people crying in sorrow at the grain-floor of Atad, they said, "This is a great sorrow for the Egyptians." So the place was given the name Abelmizraim. It is on the other side of the Jordan.


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They carried him to the land of Canaan. They buried him in the grave of the field of Machpelah, east of Mamre, which Abraham had bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite for a burying place.


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After he had buried his father, Joseph returned to Egypt with his brothers and all who had gone with him to bury his father.


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When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, "It may be now that Joseph will hate us, and pay us in return for all the wrong that we did to him!"


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'You say to Joseph, "Forgive the wrong-doing of your brothers and their sin. For they did a bad thing to you." Now we beg you, forgive the wrong-doing of the servants of the God of your father.' " Joseph cried when they spoke to him.


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You planned to do a bad thing to me. But God planned it for good, to make it happen that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.


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So do not be afraid. I will take care of you and your little ones." He gave them comfort and words of kindness.


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He lived long enough to see Ephraim's grandchildren. And the sons of Manasseh's son Machir were held on Joseph's knees.


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Joseph said to his brothers, "I am about to die. But God will take care of you. He will bring you from this land to the land that He promised to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob."


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Then Joseph made the sons of Israel promise. He said, "God will take care of you. And you will carry my bones from here."


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So Joseph died after living 110 years. They made his body ready, and he was put in a grave in Egypt.


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These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob. Each one came with those of his house:


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But the sons of Israel had many children, and the people became many in number. There were so many that the land was filled with them.


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Come, let us be wise in how we act towards them, or they will become more in number. If there is a war, they might join with those who hate us. They might fight against us and then leave the land."


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So they put men in power over them to make them work hard. And they built the store-cities Pithom and Raamses for Pharaoh the king.


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But the more the Egyptians made them suffer, the more they became until they spread throughout the land. So the Egyptians were afraid of the people of Israel.


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They made their lives bitter with hard work building with stones and with all kinds of work in the field. They made them work very hard.


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Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew nurses. The name of one was Shiphrah. The name of the other was Puah.


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He said, "When you are helping the Hebrew women to give birth, and see the baby before the mother does, if it is a son, kill him. But if it is a daughter, let her live."


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But the nurses feared God. They did not do what the king of Egypt told them. They let the boys live.


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So the king of Egypt called the nurses and said to them, "Why have you done this, and let the boys live?"


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The nurses answered Pharaoh, "Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women. They are strong. They give birth before the nurse comes to them."


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Then Pharaoh told all his people, "Throw every son who is born to the Hebrews into the Nile. But keep every daughter alive."


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She was going to have a baby, and she gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was beautiful, she hid him for three months.


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But the time came when she could hide him no longer. So she took a basket made from grass, and covered it with tar and put the child in it. And she set it in the grass by the side of the Nile.


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Then the daughter of Pharaoh came to wash herself in the Nile. Her young women walked beside the Nile. She saw the basket in the tall grass and sent the woman who served her to get it.


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She opened it and saw the child. The boy was crying. She had pity on him and said, "This is one of the Hebrews' children."


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Then his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, "Should I go and call a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?"


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Then Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Take this child away and nurse him for me. And I will pay you." So the woman took the child and nursed him.


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The child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter. And he became her son. She gave him the name Moses, saying, "Because I took him out of the water."


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One day after Moses had grown up, he went out to his brothers and saw how hard they worked. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his people,


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so he looked this way and that way. He did not see anyone, so he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.


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The next day he went out and saw two Hebrews fighting. He said to the man who did the wrong, "Why are you hitting your neighbor?"


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But the man said, "Who made you a ruler and a judge among us? Do you plan to kill me like you killed the Egyptian?" Then Moses was afraid. He thought, "For sure the thing I have done is known."


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When Pharaoh heard what had happened, he tried to kill Moses. But Moses ran away from Pharaoh and stayed in the land of Midian. He sat down there by a well.


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Now the religious leader of Midian had seven daughters. They came to get water, and filled the barrels used to water their father's flock.


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The shepherds came and tried to make them go away. But Moses stood up and helped them. He gave water to their flock.


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They answered, "An Egyptian saved us from the shepherds. He even got the water for us and gave water to the flock."


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He said to his daughters, "Where is he? Why have you left the man? Ask him to have something to eat with us."


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She gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Gershom. For he said, "I have been a stranger in a strange land."


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Now after a long time, the king of Egypt died. The people of Israel were sad in their spirit because of being servants. They cried for help. And because of their hard work their cry went up to God.


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Now Moses was taking care of the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the religious leader of Midian. He led the flock to the west side of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.


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There the Angel of the Lord showed Himself to Moses in a burning fire from inside a bush. Moses looked and saw that the bush was burning with fire, but it was not being burned up.


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The Lord saw him step aside to look. And God called to him from inside the bush, saying, "Moses, Moses!" Moses answered, "Here I am."


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God said, "Do not come near. Take your shoes off your feet. For the place where you are standing is holy ground."


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He said also, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." Then Moses hid his face. For he was afraid to look at God.


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The Lord said, "I have seen the suffering of My people in Egypt. I have heard their cry because of the men who make them work. I know how they suffer.


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So I have come down to save them from the power of the Egyptians. I will bring them out of that land to a good big land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Hivite and the Jebusite.


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Now the cry of the people of Israel has come to Me. I have seen what power the Egyptians use to make it hard for them.


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Now come, and I will send you to Pharaoh so that you may bring My people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt."


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God said, "But I will be with you. And this will be something special for you to see to know that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God at this mountain."


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Then Moses said to God, "See, I am going to the people of Israel, and I will say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you.' Now they might say to me, 'What is His name?' What should I say to them?"


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And God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." And He said, "Say to the Israelites, 'I AM has sent me to you.' "


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Again He said, "Say this to the people of Israel, 'The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.' This is My name forever. By this name I am to be remembered by all people for all time.


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Go and gather together the leaders of Israel. Say to them, 'The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, has shown Himself to me. And He said, "I have visited you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt.


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I promise to bring you out of the suffering of Egypt to the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, to a land flowing with milk and honey.' "


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They will listen to what you say. Then you and the leaders of Israel will go to the king of Egypt and say to him, 'The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. So now we ask you to let us travel three days to the place where no people live to give gifts on an altar in worship to the Lord our God.'


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So I will put out My hand and trouble Egypt with all the powerful works I will do there. After that he will let you go.


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And I will give these people favor in the eyes of the Egyptians. When you go, you will not go empty handed.


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But each woman will get from her neighbor and the woman who lives in her house, things made of silver and gold, and clothes that you will put on your sons and daughters. You will take the best of things from the Egyptians."


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Then Moses answered, "What if they will not believe me or listen to me? They might say, 'The Lord has not shown Himself to you.' "


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Then the Lord said, "Throw it on the ground." So Moses threw it on the ground, and it became a snake. And Moses ran from it.


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But the Lord said to Moses, "Put out your hand and take it by its tail." So Moses put out his hand and caught it. And it became a stick in his hand.


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The Lord said, "By seeing this they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has shown Himself to you."


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The Lord said to him, "Put your hand inside your coat." So Moses put his hand inside his coat. When he took it out, his hand had a bad skin disease and was white as snow.


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Then God said, "Put your hand inside your coat again." So Moses put his hand inside his coat again. When he took it out of his coat, he saw that it had become like his other flesh.


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God said, "If they will not listen to you or believe you when they are shown the first thing, they may believe when this is shown to them.


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But they might not believe even these two things or listen to what you say. So then take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground. And the water you take from the Nile will become blood on the dry ground."


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Moses said to the Lord, "Lord, I am not a man of words. I have never been. Even now since You spoke to Your servant, I still am not. For I am slow in talking and it is difficult for me to speak."


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Then the Lord said to him, "Who has made man's mouth? Who makes a man not able to speak or hear? Who makes one blind or able to see? Is it not I, the Lord?


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Then the anger of the Lord burned against Moses. He said, "Is not Aaron the Levite your brother? I know he can speak well. Also, he is coming to meet you. And when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart.


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You must speak to him and put the words in his mouth. I will be with your mouth and his mouth. I will teach you what you are to do.


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You will take this special stick in your hand. And you will use it to make the special things happen for the people to see."


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Then Moses left and returned to Jethro his father-in-law, and said to him, "I ask of you, let me return to my brothers in Egypt to see if they are still alive." And Jethro said to Moses, "Go in peace."


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The Lord said to Moses in Midian, "Return to Egypt. For all the men who wanted to kill you are dead."


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So Moses took his wife and sons and put them on a donkey, and he returned to the land of Egypt. Moses also took the special stick of God in his hand.


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The Lord said to Moses, "When you return to Egypt, make sure you show Pharaoh all the works that I have placed in your power. But I will make his heart hard so that he will not let the people go.


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And I say to you, 'Let My son go. Let him work for Me.' But if you will not let him go, I will kill your son, your first-born." ' "


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But Zipporah took a knife and cut off her son's piece of skin and threw it at Moses' feet. And she said, "For sure you are a husband of blood to me."


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Then the Lord let him alone. Zipporah said, "You are a husband of blood," because of the religious act of becoming a Jew.


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The Lord said to Aaron, "Go to meet Moses in the place where no people live." So he went and met him at the mountain of God and kissed him.


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Moses told Aaron all the words of the Lord with which He had sent him. And he told him about all the special works that the Lord had told him to do.


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Aaron spoke all the words which the Lord had spoken to Moses. Then he did all the special works for the people to see.


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So the people believed. When they heard that the Lord cared about the people of Israel and had seen their suffering, they bowed to the ground and worshiped.


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After this, Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, "The Lord, the God of Israel, says this: 'Let My people go, that they may have a special supper to honor Me in the place where no people live.' "


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But Pharaoh said, "Who is the Lord, that I should obey Him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord. And I will not let Israel go."


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Then they said, "The God of the Hebrews has met with us. We ask of you, let us travel into the desert three days, to give a gift on an altar in worship to the Lord our God. Or He may send death to us by disease or by the sword."


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But the king of Egypt said to them, "Moses and Aaron, why do you take the people away from their work? Return to your work!"


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Then Pharaoh said, "See, the people of the land are now many. And you would have them stop working!"


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"Do not give the people straw for making clay blocks any more. Let them go and gather straw for themselves.


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But have them make the same number of clay blocks as before, and no less. They are crying, 'Let us go and give a gift in worship to our God,' because they are lazy.


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So the men who made the people work went out and said to the people, "This is what Pharaoh says: 'I will not give you straw.


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You go and get straw for yourselves where you can find it. But you will not work any less than before.' "


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The men who made them work made them hurry, saying, "Finish your full day's work as you did when there was straw."


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And the Hebrew men who had been made to rule over the people by Pharaoh's work-leaders were beaten. They were asked, "Why have you not made as many clay blocks yesterday or today as you made before?"


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Then the Hebrew men who made the people work went to Pharaoh and cried, "Why do you act this way toward your servants?


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There is no straw given to your servants. Yet they still say to us, 'Make clay blocks!' See, your servants are being beaten. But your own people are to blame."


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But Pharaoh said, "You are lazy, very lazy. So you say, 'Let us go and give a gift on an altar in worship to the Lord.'


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The Hebrew men who made the people work knew that they were in trouble because they were told, "You must make the same number of clay blocks each day."


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They said to Moses and Aaron, "May the Lord look upon you and judge you. For you have caused us to be hated by Pharaoh and his servants. You have put a sword in their hand to kill us."


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Then Moses returned to the Lord and said, "O Lord, why have You hurt these people? Why did you ever send me?


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For since I went to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has hurt these people. You have not set Your people free at all."


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Then the Lord said to Moses, "Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh. For he will be made to let them go because of My strong hand. By My strong hand, he will make them go out of his land."


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I showed Myself as God Allpowerful to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. But I did not make Myself known to them by My name, the Lord.


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I also made My agreement with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land where they were strangers.


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I have heard the crying of the people of Israel, because they are being held by the Egyptians. And I have remembered My agreement.


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So say to the people of Israel, 'I am the Lord. I will take you away from the hard work and suffering in Egypt. I will take you away from being their servants. I will make you free by the strength of My arm and by the great things I will do to punish the guilty.


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Then I will take you for My people, and I will be your God. And you will know that I am the Lord your God. I will bring you out from under the heavy loads of the Egyptians.


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I will bring you to the land I promised to give to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. I will give it to you for your own. I am the Lord.' "


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So Moses said this to the people of Israel. But they did not listen to Moses because of their broken spirit and how hard they were made to work.


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But Moses said to the Lord, "See, the people of Israel have not listened to me. How then will Pharaoh listen to me? I am not able to speak well."


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But the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron. He told them to tell the people of Israel and Pharaoh king of Egypt that they were to bring the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt.


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These are the leaders of their fathers' families. The sons of Reuben, Israel's first-born: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. These are the families of Reuben.


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The sons of Simeon: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman. These are the families of Simeon.


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These are the names of Levi's sons by their family groups: Gershon, Kohath and Merari. Levi lived 137 years.


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Amram married his father's sister Jochebed. She gave birth to his sons, Aaron and Moses. Amram lived 137 years.


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Aaron married Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab, the sister of Nahshon. She gave birth to his sons, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.


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Aaron's son Eleazar married one of the daughters of Putiel. She gave birth to his son Phinehas. These are the heads of the fathers' houses of the Levites by their families.


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It was the same Aaron and Moses to whom the Lord said, "Bring the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their family groups."


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They were the ones who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt about bringing the people of Israel out of Egypt. It was the same Moses and Aaron.


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The Lord said to Moses, "See, I have made you as God to Pharaoh. Your brother Aaron will be the one who speaks for you.


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You will speak all that I tell you. Your brother Aaron will tell Pharaoh to let the people of Israel leave his land.


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But I will make Pharaoh's heart hard. So I will do many powerful works for the people to see in the land of Egypt.


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Pharaoh will not listen to you. Then I will lay My hand on Egypt. By great acts that will punish the Egyptians, I will bring out My family groups, My people, the sons of Israel, from the land of Egypt.


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The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I put My hand upon Egypt and bring out the people of Israel from among them."


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"When Pharaoh says to you, 'Prove yourselves by doing a powerful work,' then you say to Aaron, 'Take your special stick and throw it down in front of Pharaoh so that it will become a snake.' "


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So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh. They did just as the Lord had told them. Aaron threw his stick down in front of Pharaoh and his servants and it became a snake.


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Then Pharaoh called for his wise men and wonder-workers. They did the same thing using their secret ways.


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For each one threw down his stick and it became a snake. But Aaron's special stick ate their sticks.


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Go to Pharaoh in the morning when he is going out to the water. Wait for him beside the Nile River. Take in your hand the special stick that became a snake.


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And say to him, 'The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you, saying, "Let My people go, so they may worship Me in the place where no people live. But see, you have not yet listened."


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So the Lord says, "By this you will know that I am the Lord. I will hit the water of the Nile with the special stick that is in My hand. And the water will be changed to blood.


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The fish that are in the Nile will die. And the Nile will have a bad smell. The Egyptians will not be able to drink water from the Nile." ' "


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Then the Lord said to Moses, "Say to Aaron, 'Take your special stick and put your hand out over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, their pools, and all their man-made lakes of water, so they will become blood. There will be blood through all the land of Egypt, even in pots of wood and pots of stone.' "


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Moses and Aaron did what the Lord had told them. Aaron raised the special stick and hit the water of the Nile in front of Pharaoh and his servants. And all the water in the Nile was turned into blood.


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The fish that were in the Nile died. And the Nile had a bad smell. So the Egyptians could not drink water from the Nile. The blood was through all the land of Egypt.


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But the wonderworkers of Egypt did the same thing using their secret ways. And Pharaoh's heart was hard. He did not listen to them, just as the Lord had said.


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And all the Egyptians dug around the Nile for water to drink. For they could not drink the water of the Nile.


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Then the Lord said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh and say to him, 'The Lord says this: "Let My people go, so they may worship Me.


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The Nile will be full of frogs. They will come up and go in your house and in your room and on your bed. They will come in the houses of your servants and on your people. They will come in your stoves and in your bread dough.


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Then the Lord said to Moses, "Say to Aaron, 'Put out your hand with your special stick over the rivers and over the pools. Make frogs come up on the land of Egypt.' "


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So Aaron put his hand out over the waters of Egypt. And the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt.


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But the wonder-workers did the same thing using their secret ways. They made frogs come up on the land of Egypt.


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Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and said, "You pray to the Lord to take the frogs away from me and my people. And I will let the people go, so they may give a gift in worship to the Lord."


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Moses said to Pharaoh, "The honor is yours to tell me when I should pray for you and your servants and your people, that the frogs may be sent away from you and your houses and stay only in the Nile."


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Pharaoh said, "Tomorrow." And Moses said, "May it be as you say. You will know that there is no one like the Lord our God.


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The frogs will go away from you and your houses and your servants and your people. They will stay only in the Nile."


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Then Moses and Aaron went away from Pharaoh. And Moses cried to the Lord about the frogs that He had brought against Pharaoh.


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But when Pharaoh saw that there was rest from the trouble, he made his heart hard. He did not listen to them, just as the Lord had said.


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Then the Lord said to Moses, "Say to Aaron, 'Put out your special stick and hit the dust of the earth. It will become lice through all the land of Egypt.' "


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And they did so. Aaron put out his hand with his stick and hit the dust of the earth. And there were lice on man and animal. All the dust of the earth became lice through all the land of Egypt.


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The wonderworkers tried to cause lice to come by using their secret ways. But they could not. So there were lice on man and animal.


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Then the wonderworkers said to Pharaoh, "This is the finger of God." But Pharaoh's heart was hard. He did not listen to them, just as the Lord had said.


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Then the Lord said to Moses, "Get up early in the morning and wait for Pharaoh as he goes out to the water. Say to him, 'The Lord says this: "Let My people go, so they may worship Me.


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For if you will not let My people go, I will send many flies upon you and upon your servants and upon your people and into your houses. The houses of the Egyptians will be full of flies, and also the ground will be covered with them.


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But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen where My people are living so no flies will be there. Then you may know that I, the Lord, am in the land.


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And the Lord did so. And there came a great many flies flying all over inside the house of the Pharaoh and in the houses of his servants. The land was destroyed because of the many flies in all the land of Egypt.


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Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and said, "Go and give a gift in worship to your God here in the land."


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But Moses said, "It is not right to do this. For the Egyptians hate what we would give in worship to the Lord our God. If the Egyptians see us giving this gift and doing what they think is sinful, will they not throw stones at us?


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We must travel three days to the place where no people live and give a gift in worship to the Lord our God, as He tells us to do."


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So Pharaoh said, "I will let you go, so you may give a gift to the Lord your God. But do not go very far away. Pray for me."


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Then Moses said, "I am leaving you. I will pray to the Lord that the many flies may leave Pharaoh and his servants and his people tomorrow. But do not let Pharaoh lie again by not letting the people go to give a gift on an altar to the Lord."


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And the Lord did as Moses asked. He took the many flies away from Pharaoh and his servants and his people. Not one was left.


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Then the Lord said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh and say to him, 'The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says this: "Let My people go, so they may worship Me.


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the hand of the Lord will come with a very bad disease on your animals in the field: on the horses, the donkeys, the camels, the cattle and the flocks.


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But the Lord will divide the animals of Israel from the animals of Egypt. So nothing will die of all that belongs to the people of Israel." ' "


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So the Lord did this on the next day. All the animals of Egypt died. But not one of the animals died that belonged to the people of Israel.


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Pharaoh learned that not one of the animals of Israel was dead. But the heart of Pharaoh was hard. He did not let the people go.


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Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, "Fill your hands with ashes from a stove. Let Moses throw them toward the sky in front of Pharaoh.


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And it will become fine dust over all the land of Egypt and will become bad sores on man and animal through all the land of Egypt."


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So they took ashes from a stove. Moses stood in front of Pharaoh and threw the ashes toward the sky. And it became sores on man and animal.


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The wonderworkers could not stand in front of Moses because of the sores. For the sores were on the wonder-workers and on all the Egyptians.


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But the Lord made the heart of Pharaoh hard. He did not listen to them, just as the Lord had said to Moses.


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Then the Lord said to Moses, "Get up early in the morning and stand in front of Pharaoh and say to him, 'The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says this: "Let My people go, so they may worship Me.


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For this time I will send all My troubles on you and your servants and your people. So you may know that there is no one like Me in all the earth.


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For by now I could have put out My hand and hit you and your people with much trouble and great suffering. You would then have been destroyed from the earth.


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But I have let you live so you could see My power and so My name may be honored through all the earth.


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About this time tomorrow I will send a very heavy hail such as has never been seen in Egypt from the day it began until now.


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Have your cattle and whatever you have in the field brought to a safe place. For the hail will come down upon every man and animal that is in the field and is not brought home. And they will die." ' "


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Any of the people of Egypt who feared the word of the Lord made his servants and animals run to the houses.


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The Lord said to Moses, "Put out your hand toward the sky and hail will fall on all the land of Egypt. Hail will fall on man and animal and every plant of the field through all the land of Egypt."


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Moses put out his special stick toward the sky. Then the Lord sent thunder and hail. And lightning struck the ground. The Lord poured hail on the land of Egypt.


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So there was hail and lightning striking through the hail without stopping. It was very bad, worse than had ever been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.


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The hail hit all that was in the field through all the land of Egypt, both man and animal. The hail hit every plant of the field and broke down every tree of the field.


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Then Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron. He said to them, "I have sinned this time. The Lord is right. I and my people are guilty.


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Pray to the Lord. For there has been enough of God's thunder and hail. And I will let you go. You will stay here no longer."


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Moses said to him, "When I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands to the Lord. The thunder will stop. There will be no more hail. Then you may know that the earth is the Lord's.


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So Moses left the city and Pharaoh. He spread out his hands to the Lord. And the thunder and the hail stopped. The rain no longer poured on the earth.


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But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and hail and thunder had stopped, he sinned again. He and his servants made their hearts hard.


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Pharaoh's heart was not changed. He did not let the people of Israel go, just as the Lord had said by Moses.


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Then the Lord said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh. For I have made his heart and the heart of his servants hard, so that I may do My powerful works among them.


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You may tell your son and your grandson how I made it very hard for the Egyptians and how I did My powerful works among them. So you may know that I am the Lord."


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Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh. They said to him, "The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says this: 'How long will you hold your pride before Me? Let My people go, so they may worship Me.


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They will cover the land, so no one will be able to see the ground. They will eat what is left for you after the hail. They will eat every tree of yours that grows in the field.


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They will fill your houses, and the houses of your servants, and the houses of all the Egyptians. Your fathers and your grandfathers have never seen such a thing from the day they were born until this day.' " Then Moses turned and left Pharaoh.


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Pharaoh's servants said to him, "How long will this man bring trouble to us? Let the men go, so they may worship the Lord their God. Do you not yet understand that Egypt is destroyed?"


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So Moses and Aaron were brought again to Pharaoh. He said to them, "Go and worship the Lord your God. But who will be going?"


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Moses said, "We will go with our young and our old, our sons and our daughters, and our flocks and cattle. For we must make a special supper to the Lord."


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Then Pharaoh said to them, "Let the Lord be with you if I ever let you go with your little ones! See, you have something bad in mind.


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No! You men go and worship the Lord. For that is what you want." And Moses and Aaron were sent away from Pharaoh.


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Then the Lord said to Moses, "Put out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts to come upon the land of Egypt. They will eat every plant of the land, all that the hail has left."


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So Moses put out his special stick over the land of Egypt. And the Lord sent an east wind on the land all that day and all that night. When it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts.


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The locusts came over all the land of Egypt and they stayed on the whole country of Egypt. There were very many. There had never been so many locusts. And there would never be so many again.


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For they covered the whole land and made it dark. They ate every plant of the land, and all the fruit of the trees that the hail had left. Nothing green was left on any tree or plant of the field through all the land of Egypt.


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Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in a hurry. He said, "I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you.


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And the Lord changed the wind to a very strong west wind. It lifted the locusts and sent them into the Red Sea. Not one locust was left in all the country of Egypt.


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Then the Lord said to Moses, "Put out your hand toward the sky. And there will be darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness people will feel."


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So Moses put out his hand toward the sky. And there was darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days.


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The Egyptians did not see each other. No one got up from his place for three days. But all the people of Israel had light in their homes.


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Then Pharaoh called to Moses, and said, "Go and worship the Lord. Your children may go with you also. Only let your flocks and your cattle stay."


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But Moses said, "You must let us have gifts to give in worship and gifts for burning, so we may give them to the Lord our God.


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So our animals will go with us also. Not a foot of an animal will be left behind. For we will take some of them to use as we worship the Lord our God. And until we are there, we do not know which ones we will use in worshiping the Lord."


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Pharaoh said to Moses, "Go away from me! Make sure that you do not see my face again! For the day you see my face again, you will die!"


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The Lord said to Moses, "I will bring trouble upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt one more time. After that he will let you go. He will not only let you go, but he will make you leave.


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Tell the people that each man should ask his neighbor and each woman ask her neighbor for things made of silver and gold."


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Then the Lord gave the people favor in the eyes of the Egyptians. And the man Moses was respected in the land of Egypt, in the eyes of Pharaoh's servants and the people.


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And all the first-born in the land of Egypt will die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne to the first-born of the servant girl grinding the grain, and even the first-born of the cattle.


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There will be loud crying in all the land of Egypt, more than has ever been heard before or will ever be heard again.


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Not even a dog will make a sound against those of Israel, man or animal, so you may know that the Lord divides Egypt from Israel.'


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All these who are your servants will come to me and bow in front of me. They will say, 'Go away, you and all the people who follow you.' After that I will go." And he went away from Pharaoh very angry.


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Then the Lord said to Moses, "Pharaoh will not listen to you. So I will do more powerful works in the land of Egypt."


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Moses and Aaron did all these great works in front of Pharaoh. But the Lord made Pharaoh's heart hard. He did not let the people of Israel leave his land.


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Speak to the people of Israel when they are gathered together. Tell them that on the tenth day of this month, every man must take a lamb for those of his father's house, a lamb for each house.


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If those in the house are too few to eat a lamb, let him and his nearest neighbor take the right amount for the number of people. Divide the lamb by how much each can eat.


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Keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then all the people of Israel are to kill it in the evening.


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Then they must take some of the blood and put it on the wood pieces at the sides and top of the door of each house where they will eat it.


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They must eat the meat that same night, made ready over a fire. They will eat it with bread made without yeast and with bitter plants.


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Do not eat any of it if it is not cooked or if it is made ready by boiling. But cook it over a fire, its head, legs and inside parts.


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"Eat it with your shoes on your feet and your walking stick in your hand. And you must eat it in a hurry. It is the time the Lord will pass over.


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For I will go through the land of Egypt on that night. And I will kill all the first-born in the land of Egypt, both man and animal. I will punish all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord.


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But the blood will mark for you the houses where you live. When I see the blood I will pass over you. And no trouble will come upon you to destroy you when I punish the land of Egypt.


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"This day will be for you to remember. You must remember it by having a special supper in honor to the Lord. All of you must keep it as a law forever.


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Seven days you must eat bread made without yeast. On the first day you must get all the yeast out of your houses. Whoever eats anything with yeast from the first day until the seventh day will be taken away from Israel.


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On the first day you must have a holy meeting of the people, and another holy meeting on the seventh day. Do no work at all on these days, except to get ready what every person must eat. You may do only that.


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You must have the special supper of bread without yeast. For on this same day I brought your family groups out of the land of Egypt. So all of you must remember this day as a law forever.


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"In the first month, from the evening of the fourteenth day until the evening of the twenty-first day, you must eat bread made without yeast.


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There must be no yeast found in your houses for seven days. For whoever eats anything with yeast, that person, stranger or born in the land, will be cut off from the people of Israel.


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Then Moses called for all the leaders of Israel. He said to them, "Go and choose lambs for your families, and kill the Passover lamb.


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Take a small branch and put it in the blood in the pot. Spread some of the blood on the wood pieces on the top and sides of the door. Then none of you go outside the door of his house until morning.


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For the Lord will pass through to kill the Egyptians. But when He sees the blood around your door, the Lord will pass over the door. He will not let the one who destroys come into your houses to kill you.


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you will say, 'It is a Passover gift to the Lord. Because He passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt. He killed the Egyptians but saved our homes.' " And the people bowed to the ground and worshiped.


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At midnight the Lord killed all the first-born in the land of Egypt, from the first-born of Pharaoh who sat on the throne to the first-born of the one who was held in prison, and all the first-born of the cattle.


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Phar-aoh got up in the night, he and his servants and all the Egyptians. And there was a loud cry in Egypt. For there was no home where there was not someone dead.


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Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron at night. He said, "Get up and go away from my people, both you and the people of Israel. Go and worship the Lord, as you have said.


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Take your flocks and your cattle, as you have said, and go. And pray that good will come to me also."


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The Egyptians were trying to make the people hurry out of the land. For they said, "We will all be dead."


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So the people took their dough before yeast had been added. They tied their dough pots in their clothes on their shoulders.


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The people of Israel had done what Moses had said. They had asked the Egyptians for things made of silver and gold and for clothes.


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And the Lord had given the people favor in the eyes of the Egyptians. So the Egyptians let them have whatever they asked for. And they took the best things of Egypt.


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The people of Israel traveled from Rameses to Succoth. There were about 600,000 men on foot, and also the women and children.


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They made the dough they had brought out of Egypt into loaves of bread without yeast. Yeast was not added to the dough because they had been sent out of Egypt and could not wait. They could not make ready any food for themselves.


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It was a night to be remembered for the Lord for having brought them out of the land of Egypt. This night is for the Lord, to be remembered by all the people of Israel for all time.


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But every servant who is bought with money may eat of it, only after he has gone through the religious act of becoming a Jew.


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It must be eaten in one house. You must not carry any of the meat outside the house. And you must not break a bone of it.


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But when a stranger staying with you wants to share in this special supper to the Lord, let all his men and boys go through the religious act of becoming a Jew. Then let him come near to share in the special supper. He will be like one who is born in the land. But no person who has not gone through the religious act may eat of it.


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On that same day the Lord brought the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their family groups.


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"Set apart to Me every first-born male. The first-born male among the people of Israel, and the first-born male animal are Mine."


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Then Moses said to the people, "Remember this day in which you went out of Egypt, out of the land where you were made to stay and work. For the Lord brought you out of this place by a powerful hand. No bread made with yeast will be eaten.


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And the Lord will bring you to the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Hivite and the Jebusite, which He promised to your fathers to give you. It is a land flowing with milk and honey. There you will do this act of worship in this month.


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For seven days you will eat bread without yeast. On the seventh day there will be a special supper to the Lord.


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Bread without yeast will be eaten for seven days. Nothing made with yeast will be seen among you. No yeast will be seen among you in all your country.


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You will say to your son on that day, 'It is because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.'


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It will be a special mark on your hand and on your forehead to make people remember, that the Law of the Lord is to be in your mouth. For the Lord brought you out of Egypt with a powerful hand.


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"The Lord will bring you to the land of the Canaanite. He will give it to you as He promised you and your fathers.


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There you must give to the Lord the first male to be born. And all the first male animals born belong to the Lord.


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But you may buy every first-born donkey by giving a lamb for it. But if you do not buy it, then you must break its neck. You must buy with a gift of money every first-born male among your sons.


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And when the time comes when your son asks you, 'What does this mean?' then say to him, 'With a powerful hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, from the land where we were servants.


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When Pharaoh would not let us go, the Lord killed every first-born in the land of Egypt, both the first-born of man and of animal. So I give to the Lord every first male animal to be born. But I buy with a gift of money every first-born of my sons.'


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So it will be like a special mark on your hand and on your forehead. For the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a powerful hand."


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When Pharaoh had let the people go, God did not lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines, even when that was nearer. For God said, "The people may change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt."


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So God led the people through the place where no people live to get to the Red Sea. The people of Israel went out of the land of Egypt ready for war.


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Moses took the bones of Joseph with him because Joseph had made the people of Israel promise. He had said, "For sure God will keep you and you will carry my bones with you from here."


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The Lord went before them, in a pillar of cloud during the day to lead them on the way, and in a pillar of fire during the night to give them light. So they could travel day and night.


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The pillar of cloud during the day and the pillar of fire during the night did not leave the people.


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"Tell the people of Israel to turn around and set up their tents in front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. Set up your tents in front of Baal-zephon, beside the sea.


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For Pharaoh will say of the people of Israel, 'They have lost their way. The desert has shut them in.'


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I will make Pharaoh's heart hard. And he will try to catch them. So I will be honored through Pharaoh and his whole army. Then the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord." And they did so.


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When the king of Egypt was told that the people had left, Pharaoh and his servants changed their minds about the people. They said, "What is this we have done? We have let Israel go from working for us."


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The Lord made the heart of Pharaoh, king of Egypt hard. And Pharaoh went to catch the people of Israel, who were leaving without fear.


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The Egyptians followed them with all the horses and war-wagons of Pharaoh, his horsemen and his army. And they came to them at their tents by the sea, beside Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon.


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When Pharaoh came near, the people of Israel looked and saw the Egyptians coming after them. And they were filled with fear and cried out to the Lord.


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Then they said to Moses, "Is it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the place where no people live? What have you done to us, in bringing us out of Egypt?


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Did we not tell you in Egypt, 'Leave us alone and let us serve the Egyptians'? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die here."


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But Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid! Be strong, and see how the Lord will save you today. For the Egyptians you have seen today, you will never see again.


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Lift up your special stick and put out your hand over the sea, and divide it. Then the people of Israel will go through the sea on dry land.


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I will make the Egyptians' hearts hard, so they will go after them. And I will be honored through Pharaoh and his whole army, his war-wagons and his horsemen.


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The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I am honored through Pharaoh, his war-wagons and his horsemen."


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Then the Angel of God, who had been going in front of the army of Israel, moved and went behind them. The cloud moved from the front of them and stood behind them.


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It came between the army of Egypt and the army of Israel. There was the cloud and the darkness, yet it gave light at night. And the one army did not come near the other all night.


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Then Moses put out his hand over the sea. And the Lord moved the sea all night by a strong east wind. So the waters were divided.


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And the people of Israel went through the sea on dry land. The waters were like a wall to them on their right and on their left.


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Then the Egyptians followed them. All Pharaoh's horses and war-wagons and horsemen went in the sea after them.


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In the morning hours, the Lord looked down on the Egyptian army through the fire and cloud. And He made the Egyptian army afraid.


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He made the wheels of their war-wagons come off, so it was hard for the wagons to be moved. So the Egyptians said, "Let us run away from Israel. For the Lord is fighting for them against the Egyptians."


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Then the Lord said to Moses, "Put out your hand over the sea. And the waters will flow over the Egyptians, and over their war-wagons and their horsemen."


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And when the morning came, the Egyptians ran into the wall of water as the sea returned to the way it was before. The Lord destroyed the Egyptians in the sea.


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The waters returned and covered the war-wagons and the horsemen and Pharaoh's whole army that had gone in the sea after them. Not even one of them was left.


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But the people of Israel walked on dry land through the sea. The waters were like a wall to them on their right and on their left.


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So the Lord saved Israel that day from the Egyptians. And Israel saw the Egyptians dead beside the sea.


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Israel saw the great power which the Lord had used against the Egyptians. And the people had fear of the Lord. They believed in the Lord and in His servant Moses.


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Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the Lord, saying, "I will sing to the Lord, for He is praised for His greatness. He has thrown the horse and horseman into the sea.


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The Lord is my strength and song. He is the One Who saves me. He is my God and I will praise Him. He is my father's God and I will honor Him.


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He has thrown Pharaoh's war-wagons and army into the sea. The best of Pharaoh's leaders are under the Red Sea.


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In the greatness of Your power You destroy those who fight against You. You send Your burning anger and it burns them like straw.


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The waters were lifted up by Your breath. The flowing waters stood up like a wall. The water became hard in the middle of the sea.


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Those who hated us said, 'I will go after them. I will catch them. I will divide the riches taken from them. My soul will have its way against them. I will take out my sword and my hand will destroy them.'


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You, Lord, blew with Your wind and the sea covered them. They went down like iron in the powerful sea.


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Who is like You among the gods, O Lord? Who is like You, great and holy, praised in fear, doing powerful works?


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You have led with loving-kindness the people You have made free. You have led them in Your strength to Your holy place.


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Now the leaders of Edom are afraid. The leaders of Moab shake in fear. All the people of Canaan have become weak.


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Much fear comes upon them. They see Your strength, O Lord. They are afraid and do not move until Your people have passed by, the people You have bought and made free.


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You will bring them in and put them on Your own mountain. It is the place, O Lord, where You have made Your house, the holy place, which Your hands have built.


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For Pharaoh's horses and warwagons and horsemen went in the sea. The Lord brought the waters of the sea upon them. But the people of Israel walked on dry land through the sea.


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Then Aaron's sister Miriam, the woman who spoke for the Lord, took a timbrel in her hand. And all the women followed her, with timbrels and dancing.


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Miriam said to them, "Sing to the Lord, for He is praised for His greatness. He has thrown the horse and horseman into the sea."


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Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea. They went into the Desert of Shur. They went three days in the place where no people live and found no water.


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When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter. So it was given the name Marah.


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Moses cried to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree. He threw it into the water, and the water became sweet. There the Lord made a Law for them and tested them.


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He said, "Listen well to the voice of the Lord your God. Do what is right in His eyes. Listen to what He tells you, and obey all His Laws. If you do this, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord Who heals you."


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Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve wells of water and seventy trees. They set up their tents there beside the water.


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All the people of Israel left Elim, and came to the Desert of Sin, between Elim and Sinai. It was the fifteenth day of the second month after they left the land of Egypt.


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saying, "We should have died by the Lord's hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and ate all the bread we wanted. For you have brought us out into this desert to kill all of us with hunger."


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Then the Lord said to Moses, "See, I will rain bread from heaven for you. The people will go out and gather a day's share every day, so I may test them to see if they will follow My Law or not.


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So Moses and Aaron said to the people of Israel, "This evening you will know that the Lord has brought you out of the land of Egypt.


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And in the morning you will see the greatness of the Lord. For He hears your complaining against the Lord. What are we, that you complain against us?"


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Moses said, "The Lord is giving you meat to eat in the evening and all the bread you want in the morning. For He hears how you complain against Him. What are we? You complain not against us, but against the Lord."


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Then Moses said to Aaron, "Say to all the people of Israel, 'Come near to the Lord, for He has heard your complaining.' "


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When Aaron spoke to all the people of Israel, they looked toward the desert. And they saw in the cloud the shining-greatness of the Lord.


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"I have heard the complaining of the people of Israel. Say to them, 'In the evening you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.' "


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In the evening quails came and covered the place where the people were staying. And in the early morning a little water was around the tents.


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When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, "What is it?" For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, "It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat.


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This is what the Lord has told you to do: 'Every man gather as much of it as he can eat. Take a jar for every person that each of you has in his tent.' "


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When they saw how much they had, he who had gathered much had no more than what was needed. And he who had gathered less had enough. Every man gathered as much as he could eat.


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But they did not listen to Moses. Some left part of it until morning. And worms grew in it and it became bad to eat. So Moses was angry with them.


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Morning after morning they gathered it, every man as much as he could eat. But when the sun became hot, it would melt.


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On the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two jars for each person. When all the leaders of the people came and told Moses,


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he said to them, "This is what the Lord said: 'Tomorrow is a time of rest, a holy Day of Rest to the Lord. Make ready the food you will need for today. Then put aside what is left to be kept until morning.' "


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So they put it aside until morning, as Moses told them. And it did not become bad to eat, and there were no worms in it.


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Moses said, "Eat it today. For today is a Day of Rest to the Lord. Today you will not find it in the field.


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See, the Lord has given you the Day of Rest. This is why He gives you bread for two days on the sixth day. Every man should stay home and not leave his place on the seventh day."


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The people of Israel called it bread from heaven. It was like coriander seed, white, and tasted like bread made with honey.


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Moses said, "This is what the Lord has said: 'Let a jar of it be kept for your children and grandchildren to come, so they may see the bread that I fed you in the place where no people live when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.' "


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Then Moses said to Aaron, "Take a jar full of the bread from heaven. And put it before the Lord, to be kept for all your children to come."


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The people of Israel ate the bread from heaven forty years, until they came to a land where other people lived. They ate the bread from heaven until they came to the land of Canaan.


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All the people of Israel left the Desert of Sin, traveling from one place to another as the Lord told them. They set up their tents at Rephidim. But there was no water for the people to drink.


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So the people argued with Moses, saying, "Give us water to drink." And Moses said to them, "Why do you argue with me? Why do you test the Lord?"


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But the people were thirsty there for water. They complained against Moses, saying, "Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and animals with thirst?"


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So Moses called to the Lord, saying, "What should I do with these people? They are almost ready to throw stones at me."


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The Lord said to Moses, "Pass in front of the people and take some of the leaders of Israel with you. Take the special stick in your hand with which you hit the Nile, and go.


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See, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb. When you hit the rock, water will come out of it and the people will drink." And Moses did so, with the leaders of Israel watching.


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He called the name of the place Massah and Meribah because of the arguing of the people of Israel, and because they tested the Lord, saying, "Is the Lord among us or not?"


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So Moses said to Joshua, "Choose men for us. And go out and fight against Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the special stick of God in my hand."


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Joshua did as Moses told him. He fought against Amalek. And Moses, Aaron and Hur went up to the top of the hill.


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When Moses held up his hand, Israel would be winning. But when he let his hand down, Amalek would win.


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Moses' hands became tired. So they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. Then Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on each side. His hands did not move until the sun went down.


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Then the Lord said to Moses, "Write this in a book, to be remembered, and tell Joshua that I will take away everything under heaven that would help you remember Amalek."


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Moses' father-in-law, Jethro, the religious leader of Midian, heard about all that God had done for Mo- ses and for Israel His people. He heard about how the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt.


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And he had taken her two sons. One was given the name Gershom, for he said, "I have been a stranger in a strange land."


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The other was given the name Eliezer, for he said, "The God of my father was my help. And He saved me from the sword of Pharaoh."


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Then Moses' father-in-law, Jethro, came to Moses with his sons and his wife to the place where no people live by the mountain of God where he was staying.


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He sent the news to Moses, "I, your father-in-law, Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons with her."


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Then Moses went to meet his father-in-law. He bowed down and kissed him. They asked each other if all was well, and went into the tent.


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Moses told his father-in-law all the Lord had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians because of Israel. He told him about how they had suffered on the way, and how the Lord had saved them.


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Jethro was glad because of all the good things the Lord had done for Israel in saving them from the hand of the Egyptians.


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So Jethro said, "Honor and thanks be to the Lord, Who saved you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of Pharaoh, and Who made you free from the power of Egypt.


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Now I know that the Lord is great-er than all the gods. It was proven when they acted in their pride against the people."


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Then Moses' father-in-law, Jethro, gave a burnt gift in wor-ship to God. And Aaron came with all the leaders of Israel to eat bread with Moses' father-in-law before God.


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The next day Moses sat to judge the people. And the people stood around Moses from morning until evening.


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When Moses' father-in-law saw all he was doing for the people, he said, "What is this that you do for the people? Why do you sit alone and judge and all the people stand around you from morning until evening?"


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When they argue, they come to me. And I judge between a man and his neighbor. I teach them the Laws of God."


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You and the people with you will become tired and weak. For the work is too much for you. You cannot do it alone.


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Now listen to me. I will tell you what you should do, and God be with you. You speak for the people before God. Bring the troubles to God.


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Also, you should choose from the people able men who fear God, men of truth who hate to get things by doing wrong. Have these men rule over the people, as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens.


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Let them judge the people at all times. Have all the big troubles brought to you. But have them judge the small troubles. So it will be easier for you. They will share the work with you.


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If you do this and God tells you to do it, then you will be able to keep your strength. And all these people will go to their place in peace."


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Moses chose able men out of all Israel. And he made them leaders over the people, leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens.


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They judged the people at all times. They would bring the big troubles to Moses. But they would judge every small trouble them-selves.


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In the third month after the people of Israel left Egypt, they came to the Sinai Desert on the same day.


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They had left Rephidim and had come to the Sinai Desert. There Israel set up their tents in front of the mountain.


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And Moses went up to God. The Lord called to him from the mountain, saying, "Say this to the house of Jacob and tell the people of Israel:


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'You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to Myself.


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Now then, if you will obey My voice and keep My agreement, you will belong to Me from among all nations. For all the earth is Mine.


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You will be to Me a nation of religious leaders, a holy nation.' These are the words you will speak to the people of Israel."


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So Moses came and called the leaders of the people. He told them all these words which the Lord had told him.


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And all the people answered together and said, "We will do all that the Lord has said!" Then Moses went to tell the Lord what the people had said.


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The Lord said to Moses, "See, I will come to you in a thick cloud. So the people may hear when I speak with you, and may believe you forever." Then Moses told the Lord what the people had said.


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The Lord said to Moses, "Go to the people. Today and tomorrow set them apart to be holy. Have them wash their clothes.


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And let them be ready for the third day. For on the third day people will see the Lord come down on Mount Sinai.


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Let the people know the places all around that they must not pass. Tell them, 'Be careful that you do not go up on the mountain or touch any place around it. Whoever touches the mountain will be put to death.


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No hand will touch him. But he will be killed with stones or arrows. If he be animal or man, he will not live.' When a long sound from a horn is heard, they may come up to the mountain."


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So Moses went down from the mountain to the people. He set the people apart to be holy, and they washed their clothes.


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On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning. A cloud covered the mountain, and a very loud horn sounded. All the people among the tents shook with fear.


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Then Moses brought the people from among the tents to meet God. They stood at the base of the mountain.


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Mount Sinai was all in smoke because the Lord came down upon it in fire. Its smoke went up like the smoke of a stove. And the whole mountain shook.


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Then the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain. The Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and he went up.


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Then the Lord said to Moses, "Go down and tell the people not to break through to look at the Lord. For then many of them would be destroyed.


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Have the religious leaders who come near to the Lord set themselves apart to be holy. Or the Lord will go against them."


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Moses said to the Lord, "The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai. For You told us, 'Set places around the mountain that must not be passed, and set it apart as holy.' "


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Then the Lord said to him, "Go down, and then come up with Aaron. But do not let the religious leaders and the people break through to come up to the Lord, or He will go against them."


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"I am the Lord your God, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house where you were servants.


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"Do not make for yourselves a god to look like anything that is in heaven above or on the earth below or in the waters under the earth.


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"Do not worship them or work for them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God. I punish the children, even the great-grandchildren, for the sins of their fathers who hate Me.


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"Do not use the name of the Lord your God in a false way. For the Lord will punish the one who uses His name in a false way.


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But the seventh day is a Day of Rest to the Lord your God. You, your son, your daughter, your male servant, your female servant, your cattle, or the traveler who stays with you, must not do any work on this day.


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For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea and all that is in them. And He rested on the seventh day. So the Lord gave honor to the Day of Rest and made it holy.


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"Honor your father and your mother, so your life may be long in the land the Lord your God gives you.


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"Do not have a desire for your neighbor's house. Do not have a desire for his wife or his male servant, his female servant, or his bull or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor."


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All the people heard and saw the thunder and lightning, the sound of the horn, and the mountain smoking. And when the people saw it, they shook with fear and stood far away.


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They said to Moses, "You speak to us and we will listen. But do not let God speak to us or we will die."


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Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so you may have enough fear of Him to keep you from sinning."


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Then the Lord said to Moses, "Say this to the people of Israel: 'You have seen for yourselves that I have spoken to you from heaven.


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Make an altar of earth for Me, and on it give your burnt and peace gifts in worship, your sheep and cattle. In every place where My name is to be remembered, I will come to you and bring good to you.


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If you make an altar of stone for Me, do not build it of cut stones. For if you use an object to cut it, it will be unclean.


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If you buy a Hebrew servant, he will work for six years. In the seventh year he will go free, paying nothing.


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If his owner gives him a wife and she gives birth to his sons or daughters, the wife and her children will belong to her owner, and he will leave by himself.


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then his owner will bring him to the judges. And he will bring him to the door or the side of the door. There his owner will make a hole in his ear with a sharp object. And he will serve him all his life.


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If she does not please her owner who has taken her for himself, he will take pay for her to be set free. He does not have the right to sell her to a strange people, because he has not been fair to her.


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But if he did not plan to hurt him, but God allowed it to happen, then I will give you a place where he may run to be safe.


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But if a man wants to hurt his neighbor and he plans to kill him, then you take him away from My altar and put him to death.


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"When men argue and one hits the other with a stone or with his hand, and he does not die but has to stay in bed because of it,


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then if he gets up and walks around outside using his walking stick, the one who hit him will not be punished. He will only pay for the loss of his time. And he will take care of him until he is healed.


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"When a man hits his male or female servant with a stick so that he or she dies, he will be punished.


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"If men fight with each other and hit a woman who is going to have a child so that she loses her baby but no other hurt comes to her, he must pay whatever the woman's husband says he must, as agreed upon by the judges.


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"If a man hits the eye of his male or female servant and destroys it, he will let the person go free because of the eye.


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If he knocks out a tooth of his man or woman servant, he will let the person go free because of the tooth.


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"When a bull kills a man or a woman with its horns, the bull will be killed with stones. And its flesh will not be eaten. But the owner of the bull will not be punished.


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But if a bull has tried to kill with its horns before, and the owner has been told but does not keep him shut up, and the bull kills a man or a woman, the bull will be killed with stones and the owner will be put to death.


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If the bull kills a male or female servant, the bull's owner will give the servant's owner thirty pieces of silver. And the bull will be killed with stones.


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"When a man leaves a deep hole open, or digs a deep hole and does not cover it, and a bull or donkey falls into it,


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the owner of the hole will pay for the loss. He will give money to the animal's owner. And the dead animal will become his.


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"If one man's bull hurts another's so that it dies, they will sell the live bull and divide the price so they will each have the same. And they will divide the dead bull.


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Or if it is known that the bull has tried to kill with its horns in the past, but its owner has not kept it shut up, he will pay bull for bull. And the dead animal will become his.


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If a man steals a bull or a sheep and kills it or sells it, he will pay five bulls for the bull and four sheep for the sheep.


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If the robber is caught while breaking in, and is hit so that he dies, the owner of the house is not guilty for his blood.


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But if the sun has risen on him, there will be guilt for his blood. The robber must pay for the loss. If he has nothing, then he must be sold for stealing.


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If a man lets his cattle eat from a field or grape-field and lets his cattle loose to eat in another man's field, he will pay for the loss from the best of his own field or grape-field.


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"When a fire starts and spreads to thorn bushes so as to burn up picked grain or standing grain or the field itself, he who started the fire will pay for the loss.


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"If a man gives his neighbor money or things to keep for him, and it is stolen from the man's house, if the robber is caught he will pay twice as much as the loss.


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If the robber is not caught, then the owner of the house will be brought to the judges. They will see if he stole what belongs to his neighbor.


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For every wrong act, if it is for bull, donkey, sheep, clothing, or any lost thing about which someone says, 'This is mine,' the stories of both men will come in front of the judges. Whoever the judges say is guilty will pay his neighbor twice as much as the loss.


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"If a man gives his neighbor a donkey, bull, sheep or any animal to keep for him, and it dies or is hurt or is driven away while no one is looking,


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the two men will make a promise before the Lord that he has not taken what belongs to his neighbor. The owner will take his word for it. And he will not make him pay for the loss.


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If the animal is torn to pieces, let him bring it to prove what happened. He will not pay for what has been torn to pieces.


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"If a man asks to use anything that belongs to his neighbor, and it gets hurt or dies while its owner is not with it, the man who was using it will pay for the loss.


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If its owner is with it, the man who was using it will not pay for the loss. If he paid money to use it, then the loss is paid for.


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"If a man tempts a woman who has never had a man and is not promised in marriage, and lies with her, he must pay a wedding gift for her to be his wife.


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If her father will not give her to him, he will pay the wedding gift that is to be paid for women who have never had a man.


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My anger will burn and I will kill you with the sword. Then your wives will lose their husbands. And your children will lose their fathers.


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"If you let any of the poor among My people use your money, do not act toward him like one who is owed money. And do not make him pay you for the use of it.


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If you ever take your neighbor's coat to keep while he owes you money, return it to him before the sun goes down.


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For that is his only covering. It is his clothing for his body. What else will he sleep in? When he cries out to Me, I will hear him. For I have loving-pity.


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Do not wait before giving Me a gift from your gathered grain and the fruit of your fields. You will give to Me the first-born of your sons.


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You will do the same with your cattle and your sheep. The firstborn will be with its mother seven days. On the eighth day you will give it to Me.


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You will be holy men to Me. So you will not eat any flesh torn to pieces in the field. You will throw it to the dogs.


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Do not tell a lie about someone else. Do not join with the sinful to say something that will hurt someone.


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Do not follow many people in doing wrong. When telling what you know in a trial, do not agree with many people by saying what is not true.


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"If you meet a bull or donkey that belongs to a man who hates you, be sure to return the animal to him.


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If you see the donkey of one who hates you falling under its load, do not leave the problem to him. Help him to free the animal.


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Do not keep from doing what is right and fair in trying to help a poor brother when he has a problem.


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Do not lie against someone. And do not kill those who are right and good or those who are not guilty. For I will not free the guilty.


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Do not take pay in secret for wrong-doing. For such pay blinds the one who sees well and destroys the words of a good man.


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Do not make it hard for a stranger because you know how a stranger feels. You were strangers in the land of Egypt.


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But in the seventh year you will let the land rest without planting. So your people who are in need may eat. Whatever they leave, the animals may eat. You are to do the same with your grape-fields and olive trees.


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You will work six days and rest on the seventh day. So your bull and your donkey may rest. And the son of your female servant, and the stranger, may get their strength again.


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Be careful to do all I have said to you. Never speak the name of other gods. Do not let them be heard from your mouth.


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You will have the special supper of bread without yeast. For seven days you are to eat bread without yeast at the time I tell you in the month of Abib. For you came out of Egypt during this month. And no one will come before Me with nothing in his hands.


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You will have the special supper of the gathering time of the first-fruits of your work, of all you plant in the field. And you will have the special supper of gathering at the end of the year when you gather in the fruit of your work from the field.


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"Do not give the blood of My gift of worship with bread made with yeast. And the fat of My special supper is not to be kept all night until morning.


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Bring the best first-fruits of your land to the house of the Lord your God. Do not boil the meat of a young goat in its mother's milk.


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"See, I am sending an angel be-fore you to keep you safe on the way. He will bring you to the place I have made ready.


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Listen to him and obey his voice. Do not turn against him, for he will not forgive your sins, because My name is in him.


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But if you obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will hate those who hate you and fight against those who fight against you.


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For My angel will go before you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites and the Jebusites. And I will destroy them.


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Do not worship their gods, or serve them, or act like them. But you are to destroy them and break their pillars of worship to pieces.


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Serve the Lord your God and He will give you bread and water. And I will take sickness from among you.


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Women in your land will not lose their babies before they are born, and will be able to give birth. I will give you a full life.


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I will send My fear before you. The people you meet will be afraid. And I will make all those who hate you run away from you.


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I will send hornets before you. They will drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites and the Hittites before you come.


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I will not move them out of your way in one year. So the land will not become a waste, and the animals of the field become too many for you.


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I will give you the land from the Red Sea to the sea of the Philistines, and from the place where no people live to the Euphrates River. For I will give you power over the people of the land. And you will drive them away from you.


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They are not to live in your land, or they will make you sin against Me. If you worship their gods, for sure it will be a trap to you."


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Then He said to Moses, "Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron, Nadab, Abihu and seventy of the leaders of Israel and worship from far away.


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But Moses alone may come near the Lord. The others should not come near and should not come up with him."


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Moses came and told the people all the Lord said and all the Laws. All the people answered with one voice, saying, "We will do all that the Lord has spoken."


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Moses wrote all the words of the Lord. He got up early the next morning and built an altar at the base of the mountain, with twelve pillars, one for each of the twelve families of Israel.


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Then he sent young men of Israel, who gave burnt gifts and killed young bulls as gifts of peace given in worship to the Lord.


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Then he took the Book of the Agreement and read it for the people to hear. They said, "We will do all that the Lord has spoken. We will obey."


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So Moses took the blood and put some on the people. He said, "See, the blood of the agreement, which the Lord has made with you in these words."


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And they saw the God of Israel. The ground under His feet looked like sapphire stone, as clear as the sky itself.


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The Lord said to Moses, "Come up to Me on the mountain and stay there. I will give you the pieces of stone with the Law which I have written for you to teach the people."


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He said to the leaders, "Wait here until we return to you. See, Aaron and Hur are with you. Let whoever has a problem go to them."


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The shining-greatness of the Lord rested on Mount Sinai. And the cloud covered it for six days. On the seventh day He called to Moses from the cloud.


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To the people of Israel, the shining-greatness of the Lord looked like a fire that destroys on the mountain top.


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Moses went into the cloud as he went up on the mountain. And Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.


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"Tell the people of Israel to take a gift for Me. Receive the gift for Me from every person whose heart makes him willing.


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"They will make a special box of acacia wood, two and a half armlengths long, one and a half armlengths wide, and one and a half arm-lengths tall.


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Make four gold rings for it and put them on its four feet. Put two rings on one side of it and two rings on the other side.


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Then make a mercy-seat from pure gold, two and a half arm-lengths long and one and a half arm-lengths wide.


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Make one cherub on one end and one cherub on the other end. Make the top of the mercy-seat, with the cherubim at each end, of one piece.


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The wings of the cherubim should spread up over the mercy-seat. Their faces should be toward each other, and toward the mercy-seat.


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I will meet with you there. Between the two cherubim which are upon the special box of the Law, I will speak to you about all the Laws I will give you for the people of Israel.


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"Make a table of acacia wood, two arm-lengths long, one arm-length wide, and one and a half arm-lengths tall.


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Cut the long, straight pieces of acacia wood and cover them with gold. The table will be carried with these.


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"Then make a lamp-stand of pure gold. The lamp-stand and its base are to be made of beaten gold. Its cups, its buds, and its flowers will be of one piece with it.


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Six branches will go out of its sides, three branches of the lamp-stand out of one side, and three branches out of its other side.


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Three cups will be made to look like almond flowers, each with bud and flower on one branch, and three on the next branch. This is to be done for all six branches going out of the lamp-stand.


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Four cups made to look like almond flowers, with their buds and flowers, will be put on the lamp-stand's base.


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"Make the meeting tent with ten curtains of fine linen, blue and purple and red. Make them with cherubim sewed into them by an able workman.


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Each curtain will be as long as fourteen long steps, and as wide as two long steps, all of them the same.


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Five curtains will be joined to one another. And the other five curtains will be joined to one another.


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Take small pieces of blue cloth, longer than they are wide. Sew both ends to the side of the last curtain in the first group. Then do the same on the side of the last curtain in the second group.


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Put fifty of these pieces on the one curtain. And put fifty on the side of the other curtain, so that the pieces meet each other.


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Make fifty hooks of gold and join the curtains together with the hooks so the meeting tent will be as one.


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Each curtain will be as long as fifteen long steps, and as wide as two long steps, all of them the same.


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Join five curtains by themselves and six curtains by themselves. Lay the sixth curtain over the front of the meeting tent twice.


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Take fifty small pieces of cloth, longer than they are wide. Sew both ends of each to the side of the last curtain in the first group. Then sew fifty pieces onto the side of the last curtain in the second group.


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Make fifty hooks of brass. Put the hooks through the sewed pieces of cloth and join the tent together as one.


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The part that is left of the tent's curtains, the half curtain, will lie over the back of the meeting tent.


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There will be parts of the tent's curtains left over on each side, about an arm-length. These will hang over each side of the meeting tent to cover it.


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Make two joint-pieces in each piece of wood for joining them together. Do this for all the pieces of wood of the meeting tent.


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Make forty silver bases under the twenty pieces of wood, with two holes in each one for joining the two jointpieces on each piece of wood.


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They will be apart at the bottom, and joined at the top with one ring. They will both be made the same and will make the two corners.


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There will be eight special pieces of wood and their silver bases with sixteen holes, two holes under each piece of wood.


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"Then make cross-pieces of acacia wood, five for the pieces of wood on one side of the meeting tent,


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and five for the pieces of wood on the other side of the meeting tent. Then make five for the pieces of wood at the back of the meeting tent to the west side.


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The long, cross-piece for the center of the standing pieces of wood will go through from end to end.


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Cover the standing pieces of wood with gold. Make rings of gold to hold the cross-pieces and cover these pieces with gold.


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"Make a curtain of blue and purple and red cloth and fine linen. It will be made with cherubim sewed into it by an able workman.


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Hang it on four strong pillars of acacia wood covered with gold. Their hooks will be made of gold also. And the pillars will stand on four silver bases.


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Hang the top of the curtain from the hooks. Then bring the box of the Law within the curtain. This curtain will divide the holy place from the Holiest Place of All.


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Set the table outside the curtain. Put the lamp-stand on the south side of the meeting tent. And put the table on the north side.


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"Make another curtain of fine linen for the door of the tent. It will be made of blue and purple and red cloth by an able workman.


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Hang it on five pillars of acacia wood covered with gold. Make their hooks of gold. And make five brass bases for them.


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"Make the altar of acacia wood. It will be as long and as wide as three steps, and as tall as a man's chest.


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Make its pails for taking away its ashes, its tools for picking up the ashes, its pots, meat-hooks and fire-holders. Make all of these out of brass.


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Make the altar with pieces of wood so it is empty inside. Make it as it was shown to you on the mountain.


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"Make the open space of the meeting tent. On the south side there will be curtains for the open space. Make them of fine linen, as long as fifty long steps.


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They will hang from twenty pillars which are put on twenty bases of brass. The hooks of the pillars and their rings will be made of silver.


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Do the same for the north side. There will be curtains as long as fifty long steps, and twenty pillars with twenty bases of brass. The hooks of the pillars and their rings will be made of silver.


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On the west side of the open space there will be curtains as long as twenty-five long steps. They will have ten pillars with ten bases.


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"The curtains for one side of the gate will be as long as seven steps. They will have three pillars with three bases.


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On the other side there will be curtains as long as seven steps, with three pillars and three bases.


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Have an able workman make a curtain out of fine linen for the gate of the open space. It will be blue, purple and red, and as long as ten long steps. It will have four pillars with four bases.


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All the pillars around the open space will have silver hooks, silver rings, and their bases of brass.


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The open space will be as long as fifty long steps, as wide as twenty-five long steps, and as high as a man raises his hand. It will have curtains of fine linen and the bases will be brass.


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All the tools used in the meeting tent, all its nails, and all the nails for the open space will be made of brass.


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"Tell the people of Israel to bring you clear oil of beaten olives for the light, so a lamp may burn all the time.


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In the meeting tent, outside the curtain which is in front of the Law, Aaron and his sons will take care of it from evening until morning before the Lord. It will be a law forever for the people of Israel.


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"Take from among the people of Israel your brother Aaron and his sons, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, to work for Me as religious leaders.


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Tell all the able workmen, whom I have given the spirit of wisdom, to make Aaron's clothing to set him apart for My work. He will work for Me as a religious leader.


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These are the clothes they will make: A breast-piece, a linen vest, a long piece of clothing, a long coat, a head-covering, and a wide belt. They will make holy clothing for your brother Aaron and his sons to work for Me as religious leaders.


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"They will use gold and blue, purple and red cloth and fine linen to make the linen vest that holds the breast-piece. It will be the work of the able workman.


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The well-made belt on it will be made of the same gold and blue, purple and red cloth and fine linen.


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Put six of their names on one stone, and the six names of the others on the other stone, from the oldest to the youngest.


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As an able workman cuts words in a ring, cut the names of Israel's sons on the two stones. Then set them into beautiful pieces of gold.


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Put the two stones on the shoulder pieces of the linen vest, as stones for the family groups of Israel to be remembered. Aaron will carry their names on his two shoulders before the Lord, to be remembered.


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and two chains of pure gold. Make them like ropes are made. And put the chains on the pieces of gold.


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"Make a breast-piece to be used when judging. It is to be made by an able workman. Make it like the work of the linen vest, of gold, and blue, purple and red cloth and fine linen.


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It will be as long as it is wide, with one half laid over the other. Make it as long and as wide as a man's fingers can spread.


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And the fourth row will be a beryl, an onyx and a jasper. They will be set in beautiful pieces of gold.


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There will be twelve stones, one for each name of the sons of Israel. The name of each family group will be cut on one of these special stones.


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Join the other two ends of the two chains to the beautiful gold pieces that hold the two stones at the shoulders in the front.


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Make two rings of gold to put on the two ends of the breast-piece, on the inside, next to the linen vest.


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Then make two rings of gold and put them on the bottom of the two shoulder pieces of the linen vest in front, near where they join. They will be above the well-made belt of the linen vest.


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Tie the rings of the breast-piece to the rings of the linen vest with a blue rope so the breast-piece may not come loose from the linen vest.


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"Aaron will carry the names of the sons of Israel over his heart on the breast-piece of judging when he goes in the holy place, so they will be remembered before the Lord all the time.


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"Put the Urim and the Thummim into the breast-piece over Aaron's heart when he goes before the Lord. Aaron will carry the judging of the people of Israel over his heart before the Lord all the time.


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There will be an opening at its top in the center. Around the opening it will be sewed like the opening on heavy battle clothes, so it may not be torn.


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Make pomegranates of blue and purple and red cloth to put all around the bottom of this clothing. And put bells of gold between them.


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Put a gold bell and a pomegranate, then a gold bell and a pomegranate, all the way around the bottom of this clothing.


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Aaron will wear it when he serves Me. The sound of the bells will be heard when he goes in the holy place and when he comes out so that he will not die.


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It will be on Aaron's forehead. Aaron will take away the sin of the holy things which the people of Israel set apart for the Lord as their holy gifts. It will always be on his forehead, so they may be received by the Lord.


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Make the long coat of fine linen, a head covering of fine linen, and a wide belt, the work of an able workman.


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"Make long coats for Aaron's sons. And make belts and head coverings for them, for honor and for beauty.


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Dress your brother Aaron and his sons in them. Then pour oil on them, set them apart and make them holy, so they may serve Me as religious leaders.


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Aaron and his sons will wear them when they go into the meeting tent, or when they go near the altar to serve in the holy place. Then they will not be guilty and die. It will be a law for him and for his children forever.


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This is what you will do to set them apart to serve as religious leaders for Me. Take one young bull and two rams that are perfect.


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Have bread without yeast, and bread mixed with oil, and hard bread made without yeast and spread with oil. Make them of fine grain flour.


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Take the clothing and dress Aaron in the long coat, the clothing over the linen vest, the linen vest, and the breast-piece. Put on him the well-made belt of the linen vest.


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Put belts on Aaron and his sons. Tie head coverings on them. And they will be religious leaders by law for all time. So you will set apart Aaron and his sons for My work.


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"Then bring the bull in front of the meeting tent. Aaron and his sons will lay their hands on the head of the bull.


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Take some of the blood of the bull and put it on the horns of the altar with your finger. Then pour out all the blood at the base of the altar.


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Take all the fat that covers the inside parts, and the part that is on the liver, and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them, and burn them on the altar.


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But the flesh of the bull, its skin, and its waste you will burn away from the tents. It is a sin gift.


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Cut the ram into pieces. Wash its inside parts and its legs. And put them with its pieces and its head.


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Burn the whole ram on the altar for a burnt gift in worship to the Lord. It is a pleasing smell, a gift by fire to the Lord.


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Kill the ram and put some of its blood on the bottom of Aaron's right ear, on the bottom of his sons' right ears, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet. Put the rest of the blood around the altar.


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Take some of the blood from the altar and some of the special oil. Put some on Aaron and his sons and their clothing. So Aaron and his clothing and his sons and their clothing will be set apart and made holy.


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Take the fat from the ram, the fat tail, the fat that covers the inside parts, the part that is on the liver, the two kidneys with their fat, and the fat that is on the right thigh. For it is a ram used to set apart those who work for Me.


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And take one loaf of bread, and one loaf of bread mixed with oil, and one piece of hard bread from the basket of bread without yeast that is set before the Lord.


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Put all these in the hands of Aaron and his sons. They will wave them for a wave gift before the Lord.


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Then take them from their hands and burn them on the altar for a burnt gift in worship. It is a pleasing smell before the Lord. It is a gift by fire to the Lord.


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"Take the breast of Aaron's ram used to set him apart. Wave it as a wave gift before the Lord. And it will be your share.


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Then set apart the breast of the wave gift and the thigh that was waved and given from the ram used to set apart those who work for Me. One was for Aaron and one for his sons.


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It will be for Aaron and his sons as their share forever from the people of Israel. For it is the religious leaders' share to be given by the people of Israel from their peace gifts. It is their gift to the Lord.


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"The holy clothing of Aaron will be for his sons after him. They will wear them when the oil for holy use is poured on them and they are set apart for My work.


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The son who takes his place as religious leader will wear them seven days as he goes into the meeting tent to serve in the holy place.


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Aaron and his sons will eat the flesh of the ram, and the bread that is in the basket, at the door of the meeting tent.


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They will eat those things that were used in worship when they were forgiven of their sin and when they were set apart for My work. But one who is not a religious leader may not eat them, because they are holy.


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If any of the meat or bread used to set apart those who work for Me is left until morning, it must be burned. It must not be eaten, because it is holy.


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Give a bull each day for a sin gift, to take away sin. Make the altar clean by taking sin away from it and pour special oil on it to set it apart for Me.


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For seven days give gifts upon the altar to take away sin and set it apart for Me. Then the altar will be most holy. And whatever touches the altar will be holy.


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With the first lamb give a jar of fine flour mixed with a half jar of beaten oil, and a half jar of wine to be poured out.


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Give the other lamb in the evening. Do it with a grain gift and a gift to pour out as in the morning. It has a pleasing smell, a gift by fire to the Lord.


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For all time to come this burnt gift is to be given at the door of the meeting tent before the Lord. There I will meet with you and speak to you.


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I will set apart the meeting tent and the altar. And I will set apart Aaron and his sons to work as religious leaders for Me.


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They will know that I am the Lord their God, Who brought them out of the land of Egypt to live among them. I am the Lord their God.


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It will be as long and as wide as a man's arm and as high as a man's waist. Its horns will be of one piece with it.


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Cover its top, all its sides and its horns with pure gold. And make a piece of gold to go around it.


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Then make two gold rings for the altar to put under this piece. Put one on each side of the altar so it can hold the long pieces of wood used for carrying it.


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Put this altar in front of the curtain that is by the box of the Law, in front of the mercy-seat that is over the box of the Law. There I will meet with you.


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And when Aaron takes care of the lamps in the evening, he will burn special perfume. There will be a burning of special perfume before the Lord for all your people for all time.


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Do not give upon this altar any perfume, burnt gift or grain gift that is not holy. And do not pour out a drink gift on it.


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Once a year Aaron will give a gift for sin on its horns to take away sin. He will give the blood of the sin gift to make it holy once a year for all your people for all time. It is most holy to the Lord."


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"When you number the people of Israel, each one of them will pay a price for his life to the Lord. Then no trouble will come upon them when you number them.


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Every one who is numbered will give one piece of silver, by the weight decided upon for the holy place. One piece of silver will be a gift to the Lord.


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The rich will not pay more and the poor will not pay less than one piece of silver. It will be a gift to the Lord so you will be forgiven of sin.


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Receive this money from the people of Israel and use it for the work of the meeting tent. Then it will be remembered before the Lord that the people of Israel gave a gift to take away their sin of being numbered."


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"Make a pot of brass for washing. Make its base of brass also. Put it between the meeting tent and the altar, and put water in it.


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When they go into the meeting tent, they will wash with water, so they will not die. And they will wash when they go near the altar to give a gift made by fire to the Lord.


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They will wash their hands and their feet, so they will not die. It will always be a law for Aaron and his children forever."


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"Take the best spices: a heavy weight of flowing myrrh, half that weight of sweet-smelling cinnamon and of sweet-smelling cane,


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and a heavy weight of cassia, the weight decided upon by the holy place, and a large jar of olive oil.


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Mix these to make a holy oil for holy use, mixed like perfume made by an able workman. It will be a holy oil for holy use.


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It will not be poured on the flesh of man. And you will not mix any like it. It is holy. It will be holy to you.


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Whoever mixes any like it, or puts any of it on a man who is not a religious leader, will be cut off from his people.' "


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The Lord said to Moses, "Take sweet spices, stacte, onycha and galbanum, spices with pure frankincense. Take the same amount of each.


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Beat some of it very fine. And put some of it in front of the special box of the agreement in the meeting tent, where I will meet with you. It will be most holy to you.


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Do not mix this special perfume in the same way for yourselves. It will be holy for you to the Lord.


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I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, understanding, much learning, and all kinds of special work.


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And see, I have given Aholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the family of Dan to help him. I have put wisdom in the hearts of all who are wise, so they may make all that I have told you:


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the table and its objects, the pure gold lamp-stand with all its objects, the altar of special perfume,


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the well-made clothing, the holy clothing for Aaron the religious leader, the clothing for his sons for their work as religious leaders,


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the oil for holy use, and the sweet-smelling perfume for the holy place. Have them do all I have told you."


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"Say to the people of Israel, 'Keep My Days of Rest. For this is something special between Me and you for all your people forever. So you may know that I am the Lord Who sets you apart for Myself.


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You will keep the Day of Rest, for it is holy to you. Every one who does what is sinful on this day will be put to death for sure. Whoever does any work on this day will be cut off from among his people.


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Work may be done for six days. But the seventh day is a Day of Rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Day of Rest will be put to death for sure.


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So the people of Israel will keep the Day of Rest as a special day for all their people for all time, as an agreement forever.'


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It is something special between Me and the people of Israel forever. For the Lord made heaven and earth in six days. But He stopped working and rested on the seventh day."


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When the Lord had finished speaking with Moses on Mount Sinai, He gave him the two stone writings of the Law, pieces of stone written on by the finger of God.


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When the people saw that Moses was staying a long time before coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron, and said, "Come, make a god for us who will go in front of us. For we do not know what has become of Moses, the man who brought us out of the land of Egypt."


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Aaron said to them, "Take the objects of gold from the ears of your wives, your sons and your daughters, and bring them to me."


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He took the gold from their hands, worked on it with a sharp tool, and by melting it, made it into a calf. Then they said, "This is your god, O Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt."


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When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of it. Aaron said to all the people, "Tomorrow will be a special supper to the Lord."


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So the next day they got up early and gave burnt gifts and peace gifts. The people sat down to eat and drink, and got up to play.


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Then the Lord said to Moses, "Go down. For your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt, have turned to sin.


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They have been quick to turn aside from the way I have told them. They have melted gold and made a calf for themselves. They have worshiped it, have given gifts to it, and have said, 'This is your god, O Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt!' "


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Now let Me alone, so My anger may be against them and I may destroy them. But I will make you into a great nation."


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Then Moses begged the Lord his God, saying, "O Lord, why are you very angry against Your people whom You brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and a strong hand?


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Why should the Egyptians say, 'He brought them out to kill them in the mountains and destroy them from the earth'? Turn from Your anger and change Your mind about destroying Your people.


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Remember Abraham, Isaac and Israel, who were your servants. You promised them by Yourself, saying, 'I will make your children become as many as the stars of the heavens. And I will give all this land I have spoken about to your children. It will be theirs forever.' "


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Then Moses turned and went down from the mountain with the two stone writings of the Law in his hand. The stones were written on both sides, on one side and the other.


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When Joshua heard the sound of the people as they made noise, he said to Moses, "There is a sound of war at the tents."


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But Moses said, "It is not the sound of winning, or the sound of losing. It is the sound of singing I hear."


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As soon as Moses came near the tents, he saw the calf and the dancing. Moses became very angry. He threw the stone writings from his hands and broke them at the base of the mountain.


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And he took the calf they had made and burned it with fire, ground it to dust, spread it over the top of the water, and made the people of Israel drink it.


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Then Moses said to Aaron, "What did this people do to you to make you bring such great sin upon them?"


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They said to me, 'Make a god for us who will go in front of us. For we do not know what has become of Moses, the man who brought us out of the land of Egypt.'


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And I said to them, 'Whoever has any gold, let them take it off.' So they gave it to me. I threw it into the fire and out came this calf."


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So Moses stood in the gate of the place where they had set up their tents and said, "Whoever is for the Lord, come to me!" And all the sons of Levi came together around him.


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He said to them, "This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: 'Every man put his sword on his thigh. And go from one end of the tents to the other, and each one kill his brother, his friend, and his neighbor.' "


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Then Moses said, "Today you have set yourselves apart for the Lord. For each man has been against his son and against his brother, so the Lord may bring good to you today."


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The next day Moses said to the people, "You have sinned. Now I am going up to the Lord. It might be that I can have your sin forgiven."


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Then Moses returned to the Lord and said, "O, this people have sinned. They have made a god of gold for themselves.


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But now, if You will, forgive their sin. If not, then take my name out of Your book which You have written."


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But go now. Lead the people where I told you. See, My angel will go before you. But in the day when I punish, I will punish them for their sin."


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The Lord said to Moses, "Go away from this place, you and the people you have brought out of the land of Egypt. Go to the land that I promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, saying, 'I will give it to your children.'


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I will send an angel before you. And I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite.


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Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go with you, because you are a strong-willed people and I might destroy you on the way."


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When the people heard this bad news, they were filled with sorrow. None of them wore his objects of gold or silver.


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For the Lord had said to Moses, "Say to the people of Israel, 'You are a strong-willed people. If I go with you even for just a little time, I would destroy you. So take off your objects of gold and silver that I may know what to do with you.' "


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Now Moses used to take the tent and set it up far away from the other tents. He called it the meeting tent. Anyone who wanted to meet with the Lord would go away from the other tents to the meeting tent.


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When Moses went out to the tent, all the people would get up and stand at the doors of their tents. And they would watch Moses until he went into the meeting tent.


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Whenever Moses went into the meeting tent, the cloud would come down and stand at the door of the tent. And the Lord would speak with Moses.


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When all the people saw the cloud standing at the door of the meeting tent, they would stand up and worship, each at his tent door.


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The Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses returned to the other tents, his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, would not leave the meeting tent.


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Moses said to the Lord, "See, You say to me, 'Lead this people!' But You have not let me know whom You will send with me. Yet You said, 'I have known you by name. You have found favor in My eyes.'


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So I pray to You, if I have found favor in Your eyes, let me know Your ways. Then I may know You and find favor in Your eyes. And keep in mind that this nation is Your people."


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For how will it be known that I and Your people have found favor in Your eyes, unless You go with us? Then I and Your people will be different from all the other people on the earth."


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The Lord said to Moses, "I will do what you have said. For you have found favor in My eyes, and I have known you by name."


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And God said, "I will have My goodness pass in front of you. I will make the name of the Lord known in front of you. I will have loving-kindness and loving-pity for anyone I want to."


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While My shining-greatness is pass-ing by, I will put you in the large crack of the rock. And I will cover you with My hand until I have passed by.


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The Lord said to Moses, "Cut two pieces of stone like the first ones. And I will write on the stones the words that were on the first stones which you broke.


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So be ready in the morning. Come up in the morning to Mount Sinai. And stand before Me on the top of the mountain.


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No one is to come up with you. Do not let anyone be seen on the whole mountain. Even the sheep and the cattle may not eat in front of the mountain."


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So Moses cut two pieces of stone like the first ones. Then he got up early in the morning and went up on Mount Sinai, as the Lord told him. And he took the two pieces of stone in his hand.


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Then the Lord passed by in front of him, saying, "The Lord, the Lord God, with loving-pity and loving-favor, slow to anger, filled with loving-kindness and truth,


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keeping loving-kindness for thousands, forgiving wrong-doing and sin. But He will not let the guilty go without being punished. He brings the sin of fathers down upon the children, even the great-grandchildren."


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And Moses said, "O Lord, if I have found favor in Your eyes, I pray, let the Lord go with us, even if the people are strong-willed. Forgive our wrong-doing and our sin. And take us for Your own."


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Then God said, "See, I am going to make an agreement. I will do powerful works in front of all your people which have never been done on earth among any nation. All the people with whom you live will see the work of the Lord. For what I am going to do with you will fill people with fear.


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Be sure to do what I am telling you this day. See, I am going to drive out of your way the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite.


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Take care to make no agreement with the people of the land where you are going. It would be a trap to you.


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Instead you are to tear down their altars, break their objects of worship, and cut down their false gods.


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So do not make an agreement with the people of the land. Or when they follow their desire with their gods and give gifts to their gods, they would ask you to eat of their gift used in worship.


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And you would marry your sons to their daughters who follow their gods. And they would lead your sons to follow their gods also.


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"Keep the special supper of bread without yeast. Eat bread without yeast for seven days as I told you, at the time set aside for it in the month of Abib. For you came out of Egypt in the month of Abib.


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But the life of a first-born donkey should be paid for with the blood of a lamb. If you do not pay for its life, you should break its neck. Pay for the life of all your first-born sons with the blood of a lamb. No one is to come before Me without a gift.


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Have the special supper of weeks at the first gathering of grain. Have the special supper of gathering time at the end of the year.


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For I will drive nations out of your way and give you more land. No man will desire to have your land when you go to show yourselves before the Lord your God.


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"Do not give the blood of My gift together with bread made with yeast. Do not leave any of the gift of the special supper of the Passover until morning.


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Bring the first of the first-fruits of your ground into the house of the Lord your God. Do not boil the meat of a young goat in its mother's milk."


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The Lord said to Moses, "Write these words. For by these words I have made an agreement with you and with Israel."


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Moses was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights. He did not eat bread or drink water. And he wrote on the stones the words of the agreement, the Ten Great Laws.


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Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two stone writings in his hand. He did not know that the skin of his face was shining because of his speaking with the Lord.


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When Aaron and all the people of Israel saw Moses, they saw that the skin of his face was shining. They were afraid to come near him.


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But Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the leaders of the people returned to him. And Moses spoke to them.


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After this all the people of Israel came near. Moses told them to do all the Lord had said to him on Mount Sinai.


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But whenever Moses went before the Lord to speak with Him, he would take off the face covering until he came out. Then he would tell the people of Israel what the Lord had said for them to do.


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The people of Israel saw that the skin of Moses' face shone. So Moses would put the covering over his face again until he went in to speak with the Lord.


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Then Moses gathered together all the people of Israel, saying, "These are the things that the Lord has told you to do.


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Work may be done for six days. But the seventh day will be a holy day for you, a Day of Rest to the Lord. Whoever does any work on this day will be put to death.


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Take from among you a gift to the Lord. Whoever has a willing heart, let him bring the Lord's gift: gold, silver and brass,


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the meeting tent, its tent and its covering, its hooks, its wood pieces, its cross-pieces, its pillars and their bases,


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the special box of the agreement and the long pieces of wood for carrying it, the mercy-seat, the curtain to hang in front of it,


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the table and the long pieces of wood for carrying it, all its objects, and the holy bread to set before the Lord.


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Also the able workmen are to make: the lamp-stand for the light, and its lamps and oil for the light,


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the altar of special perfume and the long pieces of wood for carrying it, the oil for holy use, the sweet-smelling per-fume, and the curtain for the door of the meeting tent.


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Also they are to make: the altar of burnt gifts with its brass net and long pieces of wood for carrying it, all its objects, the washing pot and its base,


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the curtains of the open space, its pillars and its bases, and the curtain for the gate of the open space.


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Also the able workmen are to make: the nails of the meeting tent and the nails of the open space and their ropes,


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the well-made clothing for working in the holy place, the holy clothing for Aaron the religious leader, and the clothing for his sons as they work as religious leaders."


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And every one whose heart or spirit moved him brought the Lord's gift to be used for the meeting tent, for all its work, and for the holy clothing.


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Then all the men and women who wanted to give brought objects of gold that had been worn on their clothing, ears, fingers and arms. Every man gave a gift of gold to the Lord.


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And every one who had blue, purple and red cloth, fine linen, cloth made from goats' hair, rams' skins made red, and badgers' skins, brought them.


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Every one who could give a gift of silver or brass brought it as a gift to the Lord. Every one who had acacia wood to be used for the work, brought it.


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All the able women made cloth with their hands. They brought the blue, purple and red cloth and fine linen they had made.


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The leaders brought the onyx stones and the stones to be set for the linen vest and the breast-piece,


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and the spice and the oil for the light, and the oil for holy use, and for the sweet-smelling perfume.


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The people of Israel who wanted to brought gifts to the Lord. Every man and woman, whose heart moved them, brought what the Lord had told them through Moses.


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Then Moses said to the people of Israel, "See, the Lord has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the family of Judah.


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The Lord has filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, understanding, much learning, and in all work.


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The Lord has given him the power to teach also, both he and Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the family of Dan.


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He has made them able to do every work: writing words in stone, gold, silver and brass, planning, sewing beautiful work on blue, purple and red cloth and fine linen, making cloth, and all kinds of work done by able workmen.


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Bezalel and Oholiab will do the work, together with every workman whom the Lord has made able and understands how to do all the work in the building of the holy place. They will do all that the Lord has said."


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Then Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab and every workman whom the Lord had made able, every one whose heart moved him to come to do the work.


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They received from Moses all the gifts the people of Israel had brought for the work of building the holy place. And they kept bringing gifts because they wanted to every morning.


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All the able workmen came who were doing all the work on the holy place. Each man came from the work he had been doing.


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They said to Moses, "The people are bringing much more than enough for the work the Lord told us to do."


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So Moses made it be known to all the people, saying, "No man or woman is to give any more gifts for the holy place." So the people were kept from bringing any more.


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All the able men among those who were doing the work made the meeting tent with ten curtains. They made them of fine linen and blue, purple and red cloth, with cherubim sewed into them by an able workman. Bezalel made them.


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Each curtain was as long as fourteen long steps and as wide as two long steps, all of them the same.


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He took small pieces of blue cloth, longer than they were wide. He sewed both ends to the side of the last curtain in the first row. Then he did the same on the side of the last curtain in the second row.


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He put fifty of these pieces on the one curtain. And he put fifty on the side of the other curtain, so that the pieces met each other.


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He made fifty hooks of gold. Then he joined the curtains together with the hooks so the meeting tent was as one.


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Each curtain was as long as fifteen long steps, and as wide as two long steps, all of them the same.


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He took fifty small pieces of cloth, longer than they were wide. He sewed both ends of each to the side of the last curtain in the first row. Then he sewed fifty pieces onto the side of the last cur-tain in the second row.


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He made fifty hooks of brass. And he put the hooks through the sewed pieces of cloth and joined the tent together as one.


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He made a covering for the tent out of rams' skins made red, and a covering of badgers' skins over this.


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He made two joining pieces in each piece of wood for joining them together. He did this for all the pieces of wood of the meeting tent.


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They were together at the bottom, and joined at the top with one ring. They were made the same for the two corners.


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He made long, straight pieces of acacia wood, five for the pieces of wood on one side of the meeting tent,


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and five for the pieces of wood on the other side of the meeting tent. Then he made five for the pieces of wood at the back of the meeting tent, the west side.


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He covered the pieces of wood with gold. He made rings of gold to hold the long, straight pieces of wood. And he covered these pieces of wood with gold.


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He made the curtain of blue and purple and red cloth and fine linen. He made it with cherubim sewed into it by an able workman.


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He hung it on four pillars of acacia wood covered with gold. Their hooks were made of gold and he made four silver bases for it.


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He made a curtain for the door of the meeting tent out of blue, pur-ple and red cloth and fine linen, the work of an able workman.


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He made five pillars with their hooks and covered their tops with gold. But he made their five bases of brass.


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Bezalel made the special box of the agreement of acacia wood, two and a half arm-lengths long, one and a half arm-lengths wide, and one and a half arm-lengths tall.


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He made four rings of gold for it and put them on its four feet. He put two rings on one side of it and two rings on the other side.


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He made a mercy-seat of pure gold, two and a half arm-lengths long, and one and a half arm-lengths wide.


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He made one cherub on one end and one cherub on the other end. He made the cherubim and the mercy-seat of one piece.


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The cherubim had their wings spread up over the mercy-seat. Their faces were toward each other, and toward the mercy-seat.


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Then he made a table of acacia wood, two arm-lengths long, one arm-length wide, and one and a half arm-lengths tall.


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He made four rings of gold for it. He put them on the four corners that were on the table's four legs.


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He made the long pieces of acacia wood and covered them with gold. The table was carried with these.


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Then he made the lamp-stand of pure gold and the base of the lamp-stand of beaten gold. Its cups, its buds and its flowers were all made of one piece with it.


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Six branches went out of its sides, three branches of the lamp-stand out of one side, and three branches out of its other side.


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Three cups were made to look like almond flowers, each with bud and flower, on one branch, and three on the next branch. This was done for all six branches going out of the lamp-stand.


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In the lamp-stand there were four cups made to look like almond flowers, with their buds and flowers.


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Their buds and their branches were of one piece with it. All of it was one piece of pure, beaten gold.


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Then he made the altar for burning special perfume of acacia wood. It was one arm-length long, one armlength wide, and as high as a man's waist. Its horns were of one piece with it.


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He covered its top, all its sides and its horns with pure gold. And he made a piece of gold to go around it.


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Then he made two gold rings to put under this piece. He put one on the altar's left side and one on its right side to hold the long pieces of wood used for carrying it.


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And he made the holy oil for pouring, and the pure, sweet-smelling perfume of spices, the work of an able workman.


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Then he made the altar for burnt gifts of acacia wood. It was as long and as wide as three steps, and as tall as a man's chest.


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He made all the objects of the altar, its pails, its tools for picking up the ashes, its pots, meat-hooks and fire-holders of brass.


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He put the long pieces of wood through the rings on each side of the altar for carrying it. He made the altar with pieces of wood so it was empty inside. Making The Pot Of Brass For Washing


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He made the pot for washing and its base of brass. They were made from the mirrors of the women servants who worked at the door of the meeting tent.


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Then he made the open space for the holy tent. On the south side were curtains for the open space. They were made of fine linen, as long as fifty long steps.


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They hung from twenty pillars with twenty brass bases. The hooks of the pillar and their rings were made of silver.


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And on the north side there were curtains as long as fifty long steps, and twenty pillars with twenty brass bases. The hooks of the pillars and their rings were made of silver.


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On the west side there were curtains as long as twenty-five long steps. They had ten pillars with ten bases. The hooks of the pillars and their rings were made of silver.


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The curtains for one side of the gate were as long as seven steps. They had three pillars with three bases.


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And on the other side there were curtains as long as seven steps, with three pillars and three bases.


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The bases for the pillars were made of brass. The hooks of the pillars and their rings were made of silver. Their tops were covered with silver. And the pillars were joined with silver.


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The curtain for the gate of the open space was the work of an able workman. It was made of blue, purple and red cloth and fine linen. It was as long as ten long steps, and as high as a man raises his hand, to go with the curtains around the open space.


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Its four pillars and their bases were made of brass. Their hooks and rings were made of silver. And their tops were covered with silver.


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This is the number of the things for the meeting tent, the meeting tent of the Law, as they were given by the mouth of Moses, for the work of the Levites, under the leading of Ithamar, the son of Aaron the religious leader.


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With him was Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the family of Dan. He was an able workman who cut words in stone, gold or silver, and in sewing blue, purple and red cloth and fine linen.


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All the gold used for the work of the holy tent, the gold given as a gift in worship, weighed as much as twelve men.


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Each one of the men who were twenty years old and older, added up to 603,550 men, gave only a small weight of silver.


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One hundred heavy weights of silver were used for making the bases for the holy tent and for the curtain in front of the most holy place. One hundred bases were made from the heavy weights of silver.


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And from the heavy weights of silver he made hooks and joining parts for the pillars, and also covered their tops.


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With it he made the base for the door of the meeting tent, the brass altar and its brass net, and all the objects of the altar.


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He also made bases all around the open space and the base for the gate of the open space, and all the nails of the meeting tent and all around the open space.


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They used the blue, purple and red cloth for the well-made clothing for those working in the holy place. They made the holy clothing for Aaron, just as the Lord had told Moses.


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They beat the gold into plates. Then they cut them into strings to be sewed in with the blue, purple and red cloth and the fine linen, the work of an able workman.


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The well-made belt on it was made of the same gold, and blue, purple and red cloth and fine linen, just as the Lord had told Moses.


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They set the onyx stones into beautiful pieces of gold. The names of Israel's sons were cut in the stones like the writing on a ring by an able workman.


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They were put on the shoulder pieces of the linen vest, to help them remember the sons of Israel, just as the Lord had told Moses.


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Bezalel made the breast-piece, the work of an able workman. It was like the work of the linen vest, of gold, and blue, purple and red cloth and fine linen.


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It was as long as it was wide, with one half laid over the other. It was made as long and as wide as a man's fingers can spread.


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Each of the twelve stones had written on it the name of one of the sons of Israel. Each name spoke of one of the twelve family groups.


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They joined the other two ends of the two chains to the beautiful gold pieces that hold the two stones at the shoulders, joining them in the front.


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They made two gold rings to put on the two ends of the breast-piece, on the inside next to the linen vest.


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Then they made two gold rings and put them on the bottom of the two shoulder pieces of the linen vest in front, near where they join. They were above the belt of the linen vest.


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They tied the rings of the breast-piece to the rings of the linen vest with a blue rope. So the breast-piece could not come loose from the linen vest, just as the Lord had told Moses.


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There was an opening at its top in the center. Around the opening it was sewed like the opening on heavy battle-clothes, so it could not be torn.


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They made pomegranates of blue, purple and red cloth and fine linen, to put all around the bottom of this clothing.


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They made bells of pure gold. And they put the bells between the pomegranates all around the bottom of the clothing.


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They put a bell and then a pomegranate all around the bottom of this clothing. It was for the work of the Lord, and was just as the Lord had told Moses.


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They made the beautiful head coverings of fine linen and the clothing that cov-ered the flesh from the belt to the legs.


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And they made the wide belt of fine linen and blue, purple and red cloth which was the work of an able workman, just as the Lord had told Moses.


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They made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold. And they cut in it like the writings on a ring: "Holy to the Lord."


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So all the work of the holy tent, the meeting tent, was finished. The sons of Israel did all that the Lord had told Moses.


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They brought the meeting tent to Moses, the tent and all its objects, its hooks, all kinds of pieces of wood, pillars and bases.


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They brought the covering of rams' skins made red, the covering of badgers' skins, and the curtain to hang in front of the most holy place.


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They brought the special box of the agreement, its long pieces of wood for carrying it and its mercy-seat,


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They brought the gold altar, the oil for holy use, the sweet-smelling perfume, and the curtain for the door of the meeting tent.


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They brought the brass altar, its brass net, its long pieces of wood for carrying it and all its objects, the washing pot and its stand,


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the curtains for the open space, its pillars and bases, the curtain for the gate of the open space, its ropes and nails, and all the tools for the work of the meeting tent.


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They brought the clothing for the work in the holy place, the holy clothing for Aaron the religious leader, and the clothing of his sons for their work as religious leaders.


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Moses looked at all the work and saw they had done it just as the Lord had said. So Moses gave thanks and prayed that good would come to them.


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Set the gold altar of special perfume in front of the box of the Law. Hang the curtain for the door of the meeting tent.


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Then take the oil and pour it upon the meeting tent and all that is in it. Set it apart with all its objects, and it will be holy.


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Pour the oil upon the altar of burnt gifts and all its objects. Set the altar apart, and it will be most holy.


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Put the holy clothing on Aaron. Then pour oil upon him and set him apart to work for Me as a religious leader.


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Then pour oil upon them as you have done to their father, so they may serve Me as religious leaders. Pouring oil upon them will make them ready to be religious leaders, they and all their children-to-come."


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Moses set up the meeting tent, laid the bases, set up its pieces of wood, put in its cross-pieces and set up its pillars.


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He spread the covering over the meeting tent. And he put the top covering over it, just as the Lord had told Moses.


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Then he took the Law and put it into the special box. He put the long pieces of wood on the special box of the agreement. And he put the mercy-seat on top of the special box.


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He brought the special box into the meeting tent and hung the curtain. He put the curtain in front of the special box of the agreement, just as the Lord had told Moses.


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He set the altar of burnt gifts in front of the door of the meeting tent. And he gave the burnt gift and the grain gift on it, just as the Lord had told Moses.


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They washed when they came into the tent of meeting and when they came near the altar, just as the Lord had told Moses.


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He made the open space all around the meeting tent and the altar. And he hung the curtain for the gate of the open space. So Moses finished the work.


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Moses was not able to go into the meeting tent because the cloud had rested upon it and the shining-greatness of the Lord filled the holy tent.


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When the cloud was lifted from the meeting tent, the people of Israel would go on their way through all their traveling days.


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For the cloud of the Lord rested on the meeting tent during the day. And fire was in the cloud during the night. It was seen by all the people of Israel as they traveled.


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" Speak to the people of Israel. Tell them, ' When any of you bring a gift in worship to the Lord, bring your gift of animals from the herd or the flock.


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If his gift is a burnt gift from the cattle, he should bring a male that is perfect. He should give it at the door of the meeting tent, so he will be pleasing to the Lord.


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He will kill the young bull before the Lord. Then Aaron' s sons, the religious leaders, will take the blood and put it around on the altar that is at the door of the meeting tent.


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Then Aaron' s sons, the religious leaders, will lay the pieces, the head and the fat on the wood that is on the altar fire.


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But he will wash its legs and inside parts with water. Then the religious leader will burn all of it on the altar as a burnt gift. It will be a gift by fire, a pleasing smell to the Lord.


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'If his gift is a burnt gift from the sheep or the goats of the flock, he should give a male that is perfect.


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He should kill it on the north side of the altar before the Lord. Aaron's sons, the religious leaders, will put its blood around on the altar.


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Then he will cut it into pieces with its head and its fat. And the religious leader will lay them on the wood that is on the altar fire.


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But he will wash the legs and inside parts with water. The religious leader will burn all of it on the altar as a burnt gift. It will be a gift by fire, a pleasing smell to the Lord.


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'If his gift is a burnt gift of birds, he should bring his gift from the turtle-doves or young pigeons.


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The religious leader will bring it to the altar and take off its head. Then he will burn it on the altar. Its blood will flow down on the side of the altar.


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He will take the part of its body where the food it eats is kept and with its feathers throw them on the ashes on the east side of the altar.


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Then he will tear it by its wings, but not divide it. And the religious leader will burn it on the altar as a burnt gift. It will be a gift by fire, a pleasing smell to the Lord.


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'When anyone gives a grain gift to the Lord, it should be of fine flour. He should pour oil on it and put special perfume on it.


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Then he will take it to Aaron's sons, the religious leaders. The religious leader will fill his hand with the fine flour, oil and special perfume and will burn it on the altar as a part to be remembered. It will be a gift by fire, a pleasing smell to the Lord.


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The rest of the grain gift will belong to Aaron and his sons. It is a most holy part of the gifts by fire to the Lord.


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'When you bring a gift of grain that has been baked, it should be loaves of fine flour without yeast and mixed with oil, or hard bread without yeast and spread with oil.


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If your gift of grain has been cooked on top of the stove, it should be of fine flour without yeast and mixed with oil.


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Bring the grain gift that is made of these things to the Lord. It will be given to the religious leader, and he will bring it to the altar.


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The religious leader will take the part to be remembered from the grain gift and burn it on the altar. It will be a gift by fire, a pleasing smell to the Lord.


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The rest of the grain gift belongs to Aaron and his sons. It is a most holy part of the gifts by fire to the Lord.


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'No grain gift that you bring to the Lord will be made with yeast. For you must never burn yeast or honey in any gift by fire to the Lord.


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You may bring them to the Lord as a gift of first-fruits, but not for a pleasing smell upon the altar.


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You should add salt to all your grain gifts. The salt of the agreement of your God must be in your grain gift. Give salt with all your gifts.


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'If you give a grain gift of first-fruits to the Lord, give crushed new grain from new plants, dried by fire.


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The religious leader will burn part of its crushed grain and oil with all its special perfume, as its part to be remembered. It is a gift by fire to the Lord.


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'If this gift given on the altar is a peace gift taken from the herd, male or female, he should give one to the Lord that is perfect.


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He will lay his hand on the head of his gift, and kill it at the door of the meeting tent. Aaron's sons, the religious leaders, will put the blood around on the altar.


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And from the peace gift, a gift by fire to the Lord, he will give all the fat that covers and is upon the inside parts,


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and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them, and the part that is on the liver, which he will take away with the kidneys.


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Then Aaron's sons will burn it on the altar, on the burnt gift that is on the wood of the fire. It is a gift by fire, a pleasing smell to the Lord.


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He will lay his hand on the head of his gift, and kill it in front of the meeting tent. Aaron's sons will put its blood around on the altar.


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And from the peace gifts he will bring as a gift by fire to the Lord, its fat, the whole fat tail, taking it off close to the backbone, and the fat that covers and is upon the inside parts,


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He will lay his hand on its head, and kill it in front of the meeting tent. The sons of Aaron will put its blood around on the altar.


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Then he will give from it as his gift by fire to the Lord, the fat that covers and is on the inside parts,


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The religious leader will burn them on the altar, a food gift by fire for a pleasing smell. All fat is the Lord's.


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It will be a Law forever for all your people in all your houses, that you do not eat any fat or any blood.' "


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"Say to the people of Israel, 'If a person sins without meaning to, by not obeying what the Lord has told us to do, these are the rules he must follow.


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If the chosen religious leader sins and so brings guilt on the people, let him give to the Lord a bull that is perfect. It is a sin gift for the sin he has done.


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He will bring the bull to the door of the meeting tent before the Lord. He will lay his hand on the head of the bull, and kill the bull before the Lord.


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Then the chosen religious leader is to take some of the bull's blood and bring it to the meeting tent.


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The religious leader will put his finger in the blood and put some of the blood seven times before the Lord and in front of the curtain of the holy place.


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And the religious leader will put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of sweet-smelling perfume in the meeting tent before the Lord. Then he will pour out all of the bull's blood at the base of the altar of burnt gifts at the door of the meeting tent.


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He will take from it all the fat of the bull of the sin gift, the fat that covers the inside parts, and all the fat that is on the inside parts,


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and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them, and the part on the liver, which he will take off with the kidneys,


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just as these are taken from the bull of the peace gift. The religious leader is to burn them on the altar of burnt gifts.


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all the rest of the bull, he is to bring to a clean place away from the tents, where the ashes are poured out. There he will burn it on wood with fire. It will be burned where the ashes are poured out.


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'If all the people of Israel sin and do not obey what the Lord has told them, without meaning to and without knowing about it, they are guilty.


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When their sin becomes known, the people will give a bull from the herd for a sin gift. They will bring it in front of the meeting tent.


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Then the leaders of the people will lay their hands on the bull's head before the Lord. And the bull will be killed before the Lord.


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There the religious leader will put his finger in the blood and put it seven times before the Lord and in front of the curtains.


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He will put some of the blood on the horns of the altar before the Lord in the meeting tent. And he will pour out all the blood at the base of the altar of burnt gifts at the door of the meeting tent.


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He will do the same with the bull as he did with the bull of the sin gift. So the religious leader will pay for their sins. And they will be forgiven.


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Then he will bring the bull away from the tents and burn it as he burned the first bull. It is the sin gift for all the people.


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'When a leader sins without meaning to, by doing any of all the things the Lord God has told us not to do, he becomes guilty.


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He will lay his hand on the head of the male goat, and kill it in the place where they kill the burnt gifts before the Lord. It is a sin gift.


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Then the religious leader will take some of the blood of the sin gift with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt gifts. He will pour out the rest of its blood at the base of the altar of burnt gifts.


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He will burn all its fat on the altar like the fat of the peace gifts. So the religious leader will pay the price for the man's sin. And he will be forgiven.


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'If anyone among the people of the land sins without meaning to, by doing any of the things the Lord said not to do, he becomes guilty.


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If his sin is made known to him, he will bring for his gift a female goat that is perfect, for the sin he has done.


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He will lay his hand on the head of the sin gift, and kill the sin gift at the place of burnt gifts.


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The religious leader will take some of its blood with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt gifts. He will pour out all the rest of its blood at the base of the altar.


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Then he will take all its fat, just as the fat was taken from the peace gifts. And the religious leader will burn it on the altar for a pleasing smell to the Lord. So the religious leader will pay for his sin. And he will be forgiven.


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He will lay his hand on the head of the sin gift, and kill it for a sin gift in the place where they kill the burnt gifts.


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The religious leader will take some of the blood of the sin gift with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt gifts. He will pour out all the rest of its blood at the base of the altar.


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Then he will take all its fat, just as the lamb's fat is taken from the peace gifts. The religious leader will burn it on the altar, on the gifts by fire to the Lord. So the religious leader will pay for him the price for the sin he has done. And he will be forgiven.


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'If a person sins by saying nothing when he is told in court to tell what he knows or what he has seen, he will become guilty.


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If a person touches anything that is unclean, the dead body of a wild animal, or of cattle, or of anything that moves on the earth that is unclean, even without knowing it, then he will be unclean and will be guilty.


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Or if he touches a human who is unclean for whatever reason, without knowing it, when he learns about it, he will be guilty.


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If a person without thinking swears he will do something, whether bad or good, any foolish promise a person may swear, when he learns about it, he will be guilty.


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He should bring his guilt gift to the Lord for the sin he has done, a female from the flock, a lamb or a goat, for a sin gift. And the religious leader will pay the price for him for his sin.


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'But if he does not have enough money for a lamb, he should bring to the Lord as his guilt gift for his sin two turtle-doves or two young pigeons. One will be for a sin gift, and the other for a burnt gift.


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He will bring them to the religious leader, who will give the sin gift first. He will break its neck without taking off its head.


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Then he will put some of the blood of the sin gift on the side of the altar. He will pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. It is a sin gift.


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Then he will make the second bird ready for a burnt gift, by following the Law. So the religious leader will pay the price for him for the sin he has done. And he will be forgiven.


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'But if he does not have enough money for two turtle-doves or two young pigeons, he should bring onetenth part of a basket of fine flour for a sin gift. He should not put oil or special perfume on it, for it is a sin gift.


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He will bring it to the religious leader, who will take a handful of it as a part to be remembered. And he will burn this part of the flour on the altar with the gifts made by fire to the Lord. It is a sin gift.


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So the religious leader will pay the price for him for the sin he has done in any of these things. And he will be forgiven. The rest of the flour will be for the religious leader, as in the grain gift.' "


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''If a person is not faithful and sins against the holy things of the Lord without meaning to, he should bring his guilt gift to the Lord. It should be a ram that is perfect from the flock, worth money the same as the weight of silver decided upon for the holy place. It is a guilt gift.


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He should pay for his sin against the holy thing, and add one-fifth part to it, and give it to the religious leader. Then the religious leader will give for his sin the ram of the guilt gift as the price for his sin. And he will be forgiven.


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"If a person sins by doing any of the things the Lord has told him not to do, even without meaning to, he is guilty and must pay for his sin.


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He will bring to the religious leader a ram that is perfect from the flock, that is decided to be the right price for a guilt gift. So the religious leader will pay the price for him for the sin he had done without meaning to. And he will be forgiven.


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"If a person is not faithful and sins against the Lord by lying to his neighbor about money given to him for safe-keeping, or by stealing, or by false ways,


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or by finding what was lost and lying about it before God, if a man does any of the things that men sin by doing,


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he will become guilty. Then he should return what he took by stealing, or what he got by false ways, or the money which was given to him for safe-keeping, or the lost thing which he found,


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or anything that he lied about. He should pay for it in full, and add to it one-fifth part more. He should give it to whom it belongs on the day he gives his guilt gift.


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Then he will bring to the religious leader his guilt gift to the Lord, a ram that is perfect from the flock, that you decide to be the right price for a guilt gift.


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Before the Lord the religious leader will pay the price for him for whatever he did that made him guilty. And he will be forgiven."


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"Tell Aaron and his sons, 'This is the Law for the burnt gift. The burnt gift should stay on the altar all night until the morning, and the fire should be kept burning on the altar.


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Then the religious leader will put on the clothing next to his flesh, and the long linen clothing over that. And he will take the ashes that are left from the fire of the burnt gift on the altar, and put them beside the altar.


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The fire should be kept burning on the altar. It should not go out. The religious leader should burn wood on it every morning. He will lay the burnt gifts on it, and burn the fat parts of the peace gifts on it.


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`This is the Law of the grain gift. The sons of Aaron will give it to the Lord in front of the altar.


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One of them will fill his hand with the fine flour of the grain gift, with its oil and all the special perfume that is on it, and burn it on the altar to be remembered as a pleasing smell to the Lord.


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Aaron and his sons are to eat what is left of it. It will be eaten as loaves without yeast in a holy place. They will eat it in the open space of the meeting tent.


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It will not be baked with yeast. I have given it as their share from My gifts by fire. It is most holy, like the sin gift and the guilt gift.


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Every male among the sons of Aaron may eat it. It is a Law forever for all your people, from the gifts by fire to the Lord. Whoever touches them will become holy.' "


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"This is the gift which Aaron and his sons are to give to the Lord on the day when he is set apart: The tenth part of a basket of fine flour for a grain gift each day, half of it in the morning and half of it in the evening.


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It should be cooked with oil on top of a stove. Bring it when it is mixed well, and give the grain gift in baked pieces as a pleasing smell to the Lord.


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The religious leader among Aaron's sons, who is chosen to be in his place, will give it. By a Law forever, all of it will be burned and given to the Lord.


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"Tell Aaron and his sons, `This is the Law of the sin gift. The sin gift will be killed before the Lord in the place where the burnt gift is killed. It is most holy.


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The religious leader who gives it for sin will eat it. It will be eaten in a holy place, in the open space of the meeting tent.


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Anyone who touches its flesh will become holy. When any of its blood gets on a piece of clothing, wash the blood from the clothing in a holy place.


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The clay pot in which it was made ready should be broken. But if it was made ready in a brass pot, it should be well cleaned with water.


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But no sin gift should be eaten from which any blood is brought into the meeting tent to pay for sins in the holy place. It should be burned with fire.


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They are to kill the guilt gift in the place where they kill the burnt gift. And the religious leader should put its blood around on the altar.


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the two kidneys with the fat that is on them, and the part that is on the liver which he will take away with the kidneys.


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Every male among the religious leaders may eat of it. It will be eaten in a holy place. It is most holy.


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The guilt gift is like the sin gift. There is one Law for them. It belongs to the religious leader who pays the price for sin with it.


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And the religious leader who gives any man's burnt gift will keep for himself the skin of the burnt gift he has given.


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Every grain gift that is baked in a stove and everything that is cooked in a pot or on top of a stove will belong to the religious leader who gives it.


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If he gives it because he is thankful, then with the thank gift he will give bread mixed with oil and without yeast, hard bread spread with oil and without yeast, and loaves of fine flour well mixed with oil.


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Out of each gift he will give a part as a gift to the Lord. It will belong to the religious leader who puts the blood on the peace gifts.


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'The flesh of the thank gift, given as a peace gift, will be eaten on the day it is given. None of it is to be left until morning.


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But if his gift is for a promise or is given only because he wants to give it, it will be eaten the same day he gives his gift. And whatever is left may be eaten the next day.


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If any of the flesh of his gift is eaten on the third day, then the one who brought it will not be received and it will not do him any good. It will be a sin. And the person who eats of it must suffer for his own sin.


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'The flesh that touches anything that is unclean must not be eaten. It will be burned with fire. Anyone who is clean may eat other flesh.


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But the person who is unclean, who eats the flesh of the peace gifts which belong to the Lord, will be kept away from his people.


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And a person will be kept away from his people when he touches anything that is unclean, a human, animal or thing that is unclean, and then eats of the flesh of the peace gifts that belong to the Lord.' "


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The fat of an animal that dies, and the fat of an animal torn by wild animals, may be used in other ways. But for sure you must not eat it.


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For whoever eats the fat of the animal from which a gift is given by fire to the Lord will be kept away from his people.


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"Say to the people of Israel, 'Whoever gives his peace gift to the Lord will bring a part of it as a special gift to the Lord.


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With his own hands he will bring the gift given to the Lord by fire. He will bring the fat with the breast so the breast may be given as a wave gift before the Lord.


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The religious leader will burn the fat on the altar. But the breast will belong to Aaron and his sons.


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The son of Aaron who gives the blood and the fat of the peace gift will have the right thigh for his share.


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For I have taken the breast of the wave gift and the right thigh out of the peace gifts given by the people of Israel. And I have given them to Aaron the religious leader and to his sons as their share forever from the people of Israel.


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'This is the share for Aaron and his sons from the gifts made by fire to the Lord. It was set apart for them on the day they were set apart to work as religious leaders for the Lord.


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The Lord said that this should be given to them by the people of Israel on the day they were set apart. It is their share forever.' ''


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This is the Law of the burnt gift, the grain gift, the sin gift, the guilt gift, the gift when the religious leader is set apart for the Lord's work, and the peace gift.


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The Lord gave this Law to Moses on Mount Sinai on the day that He told the people of Israel to give their gifts to the Lord in the Desert of Sinai.


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"Take Aaron and his sons, and the clothing, the oil for holy use, the bull for the sin gift, the two rams and the basket of bread without yeast.


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So Moses did just as the Lord told him. The people were gathered together at the door of the meeting tent.


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He dressed him with the coat, the belt, the long piece of clothing, and the linen vest. He tied the well-made rope of the linen vest, to keep his clothing in place.


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He put the head covering on his head. And on the front of it he put the gold plate, the holy crown, just as the Lord had told Moses.


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Then Moses took the oil for holy use and poured it on the meeting tent and all that was in it, and made them holy.


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He put some of it on the altar seven times. He poured this oil on the altar and all its objects, and the washing pot and its base, to make them holy.


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Then Moses had Aaron's sons come near and dressed them with coats, belts and head coverings, just as the Lord had told Moses.


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Moses brought the bull of the sin gift. And Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the bull of the sin gift.


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Then Moses killed it. He took some of the blood, and put it around on the horns of the altar with his finger, to make the altar clean. He poured out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar to make it holy.


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He took all the fat that was on the inside parts, and the part that was on the liver, and the two kidneys and their fat. And Moses burned them on the altar.


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But the bull and its skin, its meat and its waste, he burned in the fire away from the tents, just as the Lord had told Moses.


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Moses brought the ram of the burnt gift. And Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the sheep.


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After he had washed the inside parts and the legs with water, Moses burned the whole ram on the altar. It was a burnt gift for a pleasing smell. It was a gift by fire to the Lord, just as the Lord had told Moses.


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Then Moses brought the ram, the ram for setting them apart. Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram.


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And Moses killed it, took some of its blood, and put it on the bottom of Aaron's right ear, the thumb of his right hand, and the big toe of his right foot.


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Then he had Aaron's sons come near. Moses put some of the blood on the bottom of their right ear, the thumb of their right hand, and the big toe of their right foot. Then Moses put the rest of the blood around on the altar.


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He took the fat, the fat tail, all the fat that was on the inside parts, the part that is on the liver, the two kidneys and their fat, and the right thigh.


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From the basket of bread made without yeast that was before the Lord, he took one loaf without yeast, and one loaf of bread mixed with oil, and one piece of hard bread. And he put them on the fat parts and the right thigh.


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He put all these on the hands of Aaron and his sons, and waved them for a wave gift before the Lord.


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Then Moses took these things from their hands and burned them on the altar with the burnt gift. It was a gift to set them apart. It was a pleasing smell, a gift by fire to the Lord.


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Moses took the breast of the ram also. He gave it as a wave gift before the Lord. It was Moses' part of the ram for setting Aaron and his sons apart, just as the Lord had told Moses.


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Moses took some of the oil for holy use and some of the blood that was on the altar. He put it on Aaron and his clothing, and on his sons and their clothing. So Aaron and his clothing and his sons and their clothing were set apart.


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Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons, "Boil the meat at the door of the meeting tent. And eat it there with the bread which is in the basket that was set apart as an offering. Just as I said, 'Aaron and his sons will eat it.'


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Do not go outside the door of the meeting tent for seven days, until the time is over for you to be set apart. For it will take seven days to set you apart.


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Stay day and night at the door of the meeting tent for seven days. Do what the Lord has told you to do, so you will not die. For this is what I have been told."


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He said to Aaron, "Take a bull calf for a sin gift and a ram for a burnt gift, both of them perfect. And give them to the Lord.


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Then say to the people of Israel, 'Take a male goat for a sin gift, and a calf and a lamb, both a year old and perfect, for a burnt gift,


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and a bull and a ram for peace gifts. Give them to the Lord with a grain gift mixed with oil. For today the Lord will show Himself to you.' ''


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So they brought to the front of the meeting tent what Moses had told them. All the people came near and stood before the Lord.


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Moses said, "This is what the Lord has told you to do. And the shining-greatness of the Lord will be shown to you."


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Then Moses said to Aaron, "Come to the altar and give your sin gift and burnt gift to pay for the sins of yourself and for the people. Then give the gift for the people, to pay for their sins, just as the Lord has said."


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The sons of Aaron gave the blood to him. He put his finger in the blood and put some on the horns of the altar. He poured out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar.


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But he burned on the altar the fat and the kidneys and the part that is on the liver from the sin gift, just as the Lord had told Moses.


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Then he killed the burnt gift. Aaron's sons handed the blood to him and he put it around on the altar.


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Then he gave the people's gift. He took the goat of the sin gift which was for the people. And he killed it and gave it for sin, like the first sin gift.


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Next he gave the grain gift. He filled his hand with some of the grain and burned it on the altar beside the burnt gift of the morning.


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Then he killed the bull and the ram, the peace gifts which were for the people. Aaron's sons handed the blood to him and he put it around on the altar.


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The fat parts from the bull and ram, the fat tail, the fat around the inside parts, the kidneys and the part that is on the liver,


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But Aaron gave the breasts and the right thigh as a wave gift before the Lord, just as Moses had said.


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Then Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people and prayed that good would come to them. After giving the sin gift, the burnt gift and the peace gifts, he came down.


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Moses and Aaron went into the meeting tent. When they came out and prayed that good would come to the people, the shining-greatness of the Lord was shown to all the people.


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Then fire came from the Lord and burned up the burnt gift and the fat parts on the altar. When the people saw it, they cried out and bowed down with their faces to the ground.


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Aaron's sons, Nadab and Abihu, each took his fire pan, put fire in it, and put special perfume on it. They gave a fire that was not holy to the Lord because the Lord had not told them to do this.


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Then Moses said to Aaron, "This is what the Lord meant when He said, 'I will show Myself holy among those who are near Me. I will be honored in front of all the people.' '' And Aaron said nothing.


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Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel, the brother of Aaron's father. He said to them, "Come, carry your brothers away from the holy place and away from the tents."


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Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, "Do not take the covering off your heads and do not tear your clothes, so you will not die and God will not be angry with all the people. But your brothers, the whole house of Israel, will cry in sorrow because of the burning the Lord has done.


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Do not even go out the door of the meeting tent, so you will not die. For the holy oil of the Lord is upon you." And they did what Moses said.


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"Do not drink wine or strong drink, you or your sons, when you come into the meeting tent, so you will not die. It is a Law forever for all your people.


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You are to know the difference between what is holy and what is not, and between what is clean and what is not.


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Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons who were left, Eleazar and Ithamar, "Take the grain gift that is left from the gifts by fire to the Lord. And eat it without yeast beside the altar, for it is most holy.


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Eat it in a holy place, because it is yours and your sons', from the gifts by fire to the Lord. For so I have been told.


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But you and your sons and daughters may eat in a clean place the breast of the wave gift and the thigh that is given. For they are given to you as your right and your sons' right, from the peace gifts of the people of Israel.


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They will bring the thigh that is given and the breast of the wave gift, with the gifts by fire of the fat. They will wave them before the Lord for a wave gift. They will be yours and your sons', as your right forever, as the Lord has said."


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But Moses looked and looked for the goat of the sin gift, and found that it had been burned up! So he was angry with Aaron's sons who were left, Eleazar and Ithamar, saying,


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"Why have you not eaten the sin gift in the holy place? For it is most holy and He gave it to you to take away the guilt of the people, to take away their sins before the Lord.


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See, its blood has not been brought inside the holy place. You should have been sure to eat it in the holy place, as I told you."


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But Aaron said to Moses, "See, today they have given their sin gift and their burnt gift to the Lord. When things like these happened to me, if I had eaten a sin gift today, would it have been good in the eyes of the Lord?"


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"Say to the people of Israel, 'These are the living things which you may eat among all the animals on the earth.


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But among those which chew their food again or have feet that are hard and divided, do not eat the camel. For it chews its food again, but does not have feet that are hard and divided. It is unclean to you.


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Do not eat the rock badger. For it chews its food again, but does not have feet that are hard and divided. It is unclean to you.


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Do not eat the rabbit. For it chews its food again, but does not have feet that are hard and divided. It is unclean to you.


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And do not eat the pig. For it has feet that are hard and divided, but it does not chew its food again. It is unclean to you.


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'These you may eat, of all that are in the water. You may eat everything in the water that has fins and scales, in the seas or in the rivers.


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But whatever is in the seas and rivers that does not have fins and scales, among all the living things moving in the water, are to be hated by you.


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'These you will hate among the birds. They are hated and not to be eaten: the eagle, the vulture, the buzzard,


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But you may eat, among all the bugs with wings and that walk on all fours, those which have legs above their feet that allow them to jump on the ground.


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You may eat every kind of locust, every kind of destroying locust, every kind of cricket, and every kind of grasshopper.


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'If you touch these you will be unclean. Whoever touches their dead bodies will be unclean until evening.


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Every animal that has a parted foot but not a divided foot, or that does not eat its food again, is unclean to you. Whoever touches them will be unclean.


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Whatever walks on its soft feet, among all the animals that walk on all fours, are unclean to you. Whoever touches their dead bodies will be unclean until evening.


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And he who picks up their dead bodies will wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. They are unclean to you.


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'These animals that move on the earth are unclean to you: the mole, the mouse, every kind of big lizard,


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These animals that move on the earth are unclean to you. Whoever touches their dead bodies will be unclean until evening.


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And anything on which one of them may fall when they are dead will be unclean. Each piece of wood or clothing or skin or bag or anything used as you work, must be put in water. It will be unclean until evening. Then it will be clean.


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Any food that could be eaten but has water from such a pot on it will be unclean. And anything which could be drunk from any such pot will be unclean.


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Everything on which part of their dead body may fall will be unclean. A stove or a place for pots must be broken. They are unclean to you.


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'If one of the animals dies which you have for food, the one who touches its dead body will be unclean until evening.


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He who eats some of the dead body will wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. And he who picks up its dead body will wash his clothes and be unclean until evening.


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You should not eat whatever moves on its stomach, or goes on four feet, or has many feet, among all the things that move around on the ground in large numbers. For they are hated.


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Do not make yourselves unclean by any of the small living things that move together on the ground, so you become unclean.


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For I am the Lord your God. So set yourselves apart, and be holy. For I am holy. Do not make yourselves unclean with any of the small living things that move together in large numbers on the ground.


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For I am the Lord Who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God. So be holy, because I am holy.' ''


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This is the Law of the animal, the bird, every living thing that moves in the water, and everything that moves on the ground.


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It is so you know the difference between those that are clean and those that are unclean, and between the animal that may be eaten and the animal that may not be eaten.


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"Say to the people of Israel, 'When a woman gives birth to a male child, she will be unclean for seven days as during her time each month.


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The mother will be unclean for thirty-three days, until her blood stops flowing. She will not touch any holy thing or go into the holy place, until the days for making her clean are finished.


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If she gives birth to a female child, she will be unclean for two weeks, as during the time she is unclean each month. She will be unclean for sixty-six days, until her blood stops flowing.


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'When the days for making her clean are finished, for a son or for a daughter, she will bring her gifts to the religious leader at the door of the meeting tent. She will bring a one year old lamb for a burnt gift, and a young pigeon or a turtle-dove for a sin gift.


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Then he will give it to the Lord and pay for her sins. She will be made clean from the flow of her blood. This is the Law for her who gives birth to a son or daughter.


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But if she does not have enough money for a lamb, then she will take two turtle-doves or two young pigeons, one for a burnt gift and the other for a sin gift. The religious leader will pay for her sins and she will be clean.' ''


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"When a man has a sore spot on his skin, an open sore or a bright spot, and it becomes a bad skin disease, he should be brought to the religious leader, to Aaron or one of his sons.


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The religious leader will look at the mark on his skin of the body. If the hair in the spot has become white and the disease looks deeper than his skin, it is a bad skin disease. The religious leader will look at him, and will say that he is unclean.


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But the spot may be white on his skin, and not seem to be deeper than the skin, and the hair on it not white. Then the religious leader will keep the sick man away from other people for seven days.


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The religious leader will look at him on the seventh day. If he finds that the disease has not changed and has not spread on the skin, the religious leader will keep him away from other people for seven more days.


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The religious leader will look at him again on the seventh day. If the spot is not as bright and has not spread on the skin, the religious leader will say he is clean. It is only what is left of a sore. He will wash his clothes and be clean.


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"But if what is left of the sore spreads farther on the skin, after he has been seen by the religious leader as being clean, he must show himself to the religious leader again.


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And the religious leader will look, and if the sore has spread on the skin, the religious leader will say that he is unclean. It is a bad skin disease.


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The religious leader will look at it. If there is a white sore on the skin that has made the hair white, and there are open sores growing on the flesh,


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it is an old and deep skin disease on his body. The religious leader will say he is unclean. He will not keep him away from others, for he already is unclean.


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But the disease may spread farther on the skin, and cover all the skin of him who has the disease from head to foot, everywhere the religious leader looks.


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If the religious leader sees that the skin disease has covered all his body, he will say he is clean from the disease, because the skin has all become white and he is clean.


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The religious leader will look at the open sores in the flesh, and he will say he is unclean. The open sores in the flesh are unclean. It is a bad skin disease.


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If the religious leader sees that the disease has become white, the religious leader will say that he who had the disease is clean; he is clean.


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and in the place of the sore there is a white, growing spot or a light-red, bright spot, it must be shown to the religious leader.


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If the religious leader finds that it is under the skin and that the hair on it has become white, the religious leader will say he is unclean. It is the bad skin disease. It has broken out in the sore.


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But the religious leader may find there are no white hairs in it, and that it is not under the skin and not as dark. Then the religious leader will keep him away from other people for seven days.


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If it spreads farther on the skin, the religious leader will say he is unclean. It is a spreading disease.


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But if the bright spot stays in one place and does not spread, it is only what is left of the sore. The religious leader will say he is clean.


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"If the body has a burn on its skin, and the open sore of the burned flesh becomes a bright spot, light-red or white,


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the religious leader must look at it. If the hair in the bright spot has become white and it shows to be deeper than the skin, it is a bad skin disease. It has broken out in the burn. So the religious leader will say he is unclean. It is a bad skin disease.


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But the religious leader may find there is no white hair in the bright spot, and that it is not under the skin and not as dark. Then the religious leader will keep him away from other people for seven days.


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On the seventh day the religious leader will look at him. If it has spread farther in the skin, the religious leader will say he is unclean. It is a bad skin disease.


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But if the bright spot stays in one place and has not spread in the skin and is not as dark, it is only what is left of the burn. The religious leader will say he is clean. For it is what is left of the burn.


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the religious leader will look at the sore. If it looks like it is under the skin, with yellow, fine hair in it, the religious leader will say he is unclean. It is a bad skin disease of the head or hair of the face.


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But the religious leader may find that the skin disease is not under the skin and there is no black hair in it. Then the religious leader will keep the person with the disease away from other people for seven days.


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On the seventh day the religious leader will look at the disease. If the sore has not spread, and no yellow hair has grown in it, and it does not look like it is under the skin,


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then the sick man will cut off his hair. But he will not cut the hair from the sore. The religious leader will keep the person with the disease away from other people seven more days.


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On the seventh day the religious leader will look at the disease. If the disease has not spread and looks like it is not under the skin, the religious leader will say he is clean. And he will wash his clothes and be clean.


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then the religious leader will look at him. If the disease has spread in the skin, the religious leader does not need to look for yellow hair. He is unclean.


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But if he finds that the disease has stayed in one place and black hair has grown in it, the disease has healed. He is clean. And the religious leader will say he is clean.


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then the religious leader will look at them. If the white spots on the skin are not very bright, it is not a bad disease that has broken out on the skin. He is clean.


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But if a red and white sore is on the head where there is no hair, it is a bad skin disease breaking out on his head.


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Then the religious leader will look at him. If the sore is red and white on the head where there is no hair, looking like a bad disease in the skin of the body,


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he is a man with a bad skin disease. He is unclean. The religious leader will say he is unclean. His disease is on his head.


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"The person who has the bad skin disease will wear torn clothes and not cover the hair of his head. He will cover his mouth and cry out, 'Unclean! Unclean!'


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He will be unclean as long as he has the disease. He is unclean. He will live alone. His home will be away from the tents.


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if the mark is green or red in the clothing or leather, in the cloth or in anything made of leather, it is the mark of a bad skin disease. It will be shown to the religious leader.


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The religious leader will look at the mark, and will keep the piece of clothing away from people for seven days.


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He will look at the mark again on the seventh day. If the mark has spread in the clothing, in the cloth or leather or anything made of leather, the mark is a bad disease. It is unclean.


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So he will burn the clothing if the disease is in the cloth, in wool or linen or in anything made of leather, for it is a very bad disease. It will be burned in the fire.


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"But the religious leader may look and find that the mark has not spread in the clothing, in the cloth or anything made of leather.


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Then the religious leader will tell them to wash the thing that has the mark of disease. And he will keep it away from people for seven more days.


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After the piece of cloth or leather with the mark has been washed, the religious leader will look at it again. If the mark has not changed, even if the mark has not spread, it is unclean. You will burn it in the fire, if the mark of disease is on the back or the front.


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"But the religious leader may find that the mark is not as easy to see after it is washed. Then he will tear it out of the clothing, leather or cloth.


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If it is seen again in the clothing, in cloth or anything made of leather, it is spreading. The thing that has the mark will be burned in the fire.


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But if the clothing, cloth or anything made of leather, had the mark washed out of it, it will then be washed a second time. And it will be clean."


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This is the law for the mark of a very bad disease in clothing of wool or linen, in cloth or in anything made of leather, for deciding if it is clean or not.


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"This is the law of the person with a bad skin disease when he is made clean. He will be brought to the religious leader.


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The religious leader will go away from the tents and look at him. If the sick person has been healed of the bad skin disease,


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the religious leader must have two live clean birds, cedar wood, a red string and hyssop brought for the one who is to be made clean.


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Then he will take the living bird with the cedar wood, the red string and the hyssop. He will put them and the live bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the flowing water.


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He will put blood seven times on the one who is to be made clean from the bad skin disease. And he will say he is clean. Then he will let the live bird go free over the open field.


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The one to be made clean will wash his clothes, cut off all his hair, wash himself in water, and be clean. After that he may go among the tents. But he must stay outside his tent for seven days.


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On the seventh day he will cut off his hair. He will cut the hair from his head and face, all his hair. Then he will wash his clothes and wash himself in water, and be clean.


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"On the eighth day he is to take two male lambs that are perfect, a year old female lamb that is perfect, three-tenths part of a basket of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain gift, and one jar of oil.


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The religious leader who makes him clean will set the man who is to be made clean and these things before the Lord at the door of the meeting tent.


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Then the religious leader will take the one male lamb and bring it for a guilt gift with the jar of oil. He will give them as a wave gift before the Lord.


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He will kill the lamb in the holy place where they kill the sin gifts and the burnt gifts. For the guilt gift belongs to the religious leader like the sin gift. It is most holy.


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Then the religious leader will take some of the blood of the guilt gift. He will put it on the bottom part of the right ear of the person to be made clean. And he will put it on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot.


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The religious leader will put a finger of his right hand into the oil that is in his left hand seven times before the Lord.


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Then the religious leader will put some of the rest of the oil upon the blood of the guilt gift on the bottom part of the right ear, the thumb of the right hand and the big toe of the right foot of the person to be made clean.


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The rest of the oil in the religious leader's hand will be put on the head of the person to be made clean. So the religious leader will pay for the person's sins before the Lord.


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The religious leader will then give the sin gift to pay for the sins of the person to be made clean. After that he will kill the burnt gift.


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The religious leader will give the burnt gift and the grain gift on the altar. So the religious leader will pay for the person's sins, and he will be clean.


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"But if he is poor and does not have enough money for so much, he will take one male lamb for a guilt gift, a wave gift, to pay for his sins. And he will take one-tenth part of a basket of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain gift, a jar of oil,


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and two turtle-doves or two young pigeons, whatever he is able to buy. One will be a sin gift and the other a burnt gift.


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On the eighth day he will bring them to the religious leader at the door of the meeting tent before the Lord so he can be made clean.


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The religious leader will take the lamb of the guilt gift and the jar of oil. And the religious leader will wave them as the wave gift before the Lord.


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Then he will kill the lamb of the guilt gift. The religious leader will take some of the blood of the guilt gift and put it on the bottom part of the right ear, the thumb of the right hand and the big toe of the right foot of the person to be made clean.


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The religious leader will put a finger of his right hand into the oil that is in the left hand seven times before the Lord.


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Then the religious leader will put some of the oil in his hand on the bottom part of the right ear, the thumb of the right hand and the big toe of the right foot of the person to be made clean. It will be put on the place where he has put the blood of the guilt gift.


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The rest of the oil in the religious leader's hand will be put on the head of the person to be made clean, to pay for his sins before the Lord.


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He will give what he is able to give, one for a sin gift and the other for a burnt gift, together with the grain gift. So the religious leader will pay for the sins of the person to be made clean before the Lord.


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This is the law for him who had a bad skin disease and is not able to buy what is needed for making him clean."


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"When you come into the land of Canaan, which I give you for your own, and I put a mark of a bad skin disease on a house in your land,


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then the one who owns the house will come and tell the religious leader, 'I see something like a mark of a bad skin disease in my house.'


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Then the religious leader will tell them to empty the house before he goes in to look at the mark, so he will not say that everything in the house is unclean. After this the religious leader will go in to look at the house.


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He will look at the mark of the disease. If the mark is in the walls of the house with green or red spots deep in the walls,


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He will come again on the seventh day and look. If the disease has spread in the walls of the house,


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the religious leader will tell them to tear out the stones with the disease in them and throw them away outside the city at an unclean place.


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He will have the walls and floors of the house cleaned inside. And they will take the pieces that are rubbed off to an unclean place outside the city.


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Then they will take other stones to put in the place of those stones. And he will cover the walls with a new covering.


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"If the disease comes again in the house, after he has taken out the stones, cleaned the house inside and covered the walls again,


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then the religious leader will come and look. If the disease has spread in the house, it is a very bad disease in the house. It is unclean.


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He will tear down the house, its stones, wood, and all the covering of the house. And he will take the pieces outside the city to an unclean place.


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Whoever lies down in the house will wash his clothes. And whoever eats in the house will wash his clothes.


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"But the religious leader may come in and find that the disease has not spread in the house after its walls have been covered again. Then the religious leader will say the house is clean, because the mark of the disease cannot be seen.


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Then he will take the cedar wood and the hyssop and the red string, with the live bird, and put them in the blood of the killed bird and in the flowing water. And he will put some of the blood and water on the house seven times.


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He will make the house clean with the blood of the bird, the flowing water, the live bird, the cedar wood, the hyssop and the red string.


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He will let the live bird go free outside the city into the open field. So he will take away sin from the house, and it will be clean."


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It is to teach when they are unclean, and when they are clean. This is the law of the very bad skin disease.


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"Say to the people of Israel, 'When a man has something flowing from his body, what is flowing is unclean.


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Whoever touches his bed must wash his clothes and wash himself in water. And he will be unclean until evening.


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Whoever sits where the man with the flow has been sitting must wash his clothes and wash himself with water. He will be unclean until evening.


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Whoever touches the person with the flow must wash his clothes and wash himself in water. And he will be unclean until evening.


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If the man with the flow spits on one who is clean, then he must wash his clothes, wash himself in water, and be unclean until evening.


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Anyone the man with the flow touches must wash his clothes and wash himself in water. He will be unclean until evening.


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The clay pot that the man with the flow touches must be broken. And anything made of wood must be washed in water.


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'When the flow of the man stops, he will take seven days to make himself clean. Then he will wash his clothes and wash his body in running water. And he will be clean.


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On the eighth day he will take two turtle-doves or two young pigeons, come before the Lord at the door of the meeting tent, and give them to the religious leader.


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The religious leader will give them, one for a sin gift, and the other for a burnt gift. So the religious leader will pay for his sins before the Lord because of his flow.


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'If a man's seed comes from his sex part, he must wash his whole body in water. And he will be unclean until evening.


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Any clothing or leather on which the seed touches must be washed with water. It will be unclean until evening.


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If a man lies with a woman so that seed goes out from him, they must both wash themselves in water and will be unclean until evening.


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'When a woman has something flowing from her body, and if it is blood, she will be unclean for seven days. Whoever touches her will be unclean until evening.


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Everything she lies on while she is unclean will be unclean. And everything she sits on will be unclean.


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Whoever touches her bed must wash his clothes and wash himself in water and be unclean until evening.


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Whoever touches anything she sits on must wash his clothes and wash himself in water and be unclean until evening.


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If a man lies with her so that her blood is on him, he will be unclean for seven days. And every bed he lies on will be unclean.


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'If a woman has a flow of blood for many days, at a different time than when it happens each month, or if the blood flows longer at that time, all the days the blood flows she will be unclean. It will be as if it were the time when she is unclean each month. She will be unclean.


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Any bed she lies on while her blood is flowing will be like the bed during the time she is unclean and whatever she sits on will be unclean.


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Whoever touches them will be unclean. He must wash his clothes and wash himself in water and be unclean until evening.


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On the eighth day she will take two turtle-doves or two young pigeons, and bring them to the religious leader at the door of the meeting tent.


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The religious leader will give one for a sin gift and the other for a burnt gift. In this way the woman will be clean before the Lord from the flow of blood that made her unclean.'


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"In this way you will keep the people of Israel away from whatever makes them unclean or they will die because of making My meeting tent unclean that is among them."


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This is the law for him who has something flowing from his body, and for the man whose seed flows from his sex part and makes him unclean.


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And this is the law for the woman who is sick because of her flow of blood, and for the man or woman who has something flowing from the body, and for the man who lies with a woman who is unclean.


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The Lord spoke to Moses after the death of Aaron's two sons, when they had come near the Lord and died.


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The Lord said to Moses, "Tell your brother Aaron that he must not come just any time into the holy place inside the curtain, in front of the mercy-seat on the special box of the agreement or he will die. For I will show Myself in the cloud over the mercy-seat.


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Only this way will Aaron go into the holy place, with a bull for a sin gift and a ram for a burnt gift.


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He will put on the holy linen coat. And the linen under-clothing will be next to his body. He will be wearing the linen belt and the linen head-covering. These are holy clothing. He will wash his body in water and then dress himself.


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Then Aaron will give the bull as a sin gift for himself, to pay for the sins of himself and those in his house.


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But the goat that was chosen to be sent away will be brought alive before the Lord, for the taking away of sin. And it will be sent into the desert.


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"Then Aaron will give the bull as the sin gift for himself, to pay for the sins of himself and those in his house. He will kill the bull as the sin gift for himself.


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He will take a fire pan full of fire from the altar before the Lord, and enough fine, ground, sweet perfume to fill two hands. And he will bring it inside the curtain.


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He will put the special perfume on the fire before the Lord so that the cloud of the special perfume covers the mercy-seat on the special box of the agreement or he will die.


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He will take some of the bull's blood and put it with his finger on the east side of the mercy-seat. And with his finger he will put some of the blood seven times in front of the mercy-seat.


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"Then he will kill the goat as the sin gift for the people. He will bring its blood inside the curtain, and do the same with its blood as he did with the bull's blood. He will put it on the seat and in front of the mercy-seat.


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He will make the holy place, and also the meeting tent which is in the center of the camp, clean and pure because all the sins of the people make them unclean.


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When he goes in to pay for sins in the holy place, no one will be in the meeting tent until he comes out. He will pay for the sins of himself, of those in his house, and of all the people of Israel.


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Then he will go out to the altar before the Lord and make it clean and pure. He will take some of the bull's blood and goat's blood and put it on the horns of the altar on all sides.


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With his finger he will put some of the blood on the altar seven times so it will be clean. He will set it apart from what is unclean among the people of Israel.


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"When he finishes making the holy place, the meeting tent and the altar free from sin, he will give the live goat.


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Aaron will lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, and tell of all the sins and wrong-doings of the people of Israel. He will lay them upon the head of the goat and send it away into the place where no people live by the hand of a man ready to help.


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The goat will carry upon itself all their sins to a land where no one lives. Then the man will let the goat go free there.


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"Aaron will come into the meeting tent. He will take off the linen clothing he put on when he went into the holy place. And he will leave them there.


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He will wash his body with water in a holy place and put on his clothes. Then he will come out and give his burnt gift and the people's burnt gift, to pay for the sins of himself and the people.


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The man who let the goat carry away the sins will wash his clothes and wash his body with water. Then he may come among the tents.


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The bull and the goat for the sin gift, whose blood was brought in to pay for sins in the holy place, will be taken away from the tents. Their skin, their flesh and their waste will be burned with fire.


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Whoever burns them will wash his clothes and wash his body with water. Then he may come among the tents.


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"This will be a Law forever for you. On the tenth day of the seventh month, you must get rid of your pride and not do any work, both those who live in the land and those who visit from another land.


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For on this day your sin will be taken away and you will be clean. You will be made free from all your sins before the Lord.


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The chosen religious leader who is set apart to work as religious leader in his father's place will pay for the sin. He will put on the holy linen clothing


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and make the holy place, the meeting tent and the altar free from sin. He will make the religious leaders and all the people free from sin also.


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This will be a Law forever for you. The people of Israel must be made free from all their sins once a year." And Moses did what the Lord told him to do.


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"Say to Aaron and his sons and to all the people of Israel, 'This is what the Lord has told us to do.


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If any man of the house of Israel kills a bull, lamb or goat, among the tents or away from the tents,


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and has not brought it to the door of the meeting tent to give it to the Lord, he will be guilty for that blood, and will not be among God's people.


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The reason is so that the people of Israel may bring their gifts which were killed in the open field to the Lord, to the religious leader at the door of the meeting tent. Then they can be given as peace gifts to the Lord.


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The religious leader will put the blood on the altar of the Lord at the door of the meeting tent. And he will burn the fat for a pleasing smell to the Lord.


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So they will no longer give their gifts to the goat-like gods to whom they sell themselves. This will be a Law to them for all their people forever.'


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"Then say to them, 'Any man of the house of Israel, or visiting from another land, who gives a burnt gift or other gift,


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and does not bring it to the door of the meeting tent to give it to the Lord, will be cut off from his people.


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'If any man of the house of Israel, or visiting from another land, eats any blood, I will turn against that person who eats blood, and he will not be among God's people.


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For the life of the flesh is in the blood. I have given it to you on the altar to make your souls free from sin. For the blood makes you free from sin because of the life in it.'


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So I have said to the people of Israel, 'None of you should eat blood. And the man who visits you from another land should not eat blood.'


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If any man from the people of Israel, or from other people living among them, catches an animal or bird which may be eaten, he should pour out its blood and cover it with dust.


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"For blood is the life of every living thing. So I said to the people of Israel, 'Do not eat the blood of any living thing. For the life of every living thing is its blood. Whoever eats it will be cut off.'


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Every person, both living in the land or one who has come from another land, who eats an animal that dies or is killed by wild animals, must wash his clothes and wash himself in water. He will be unclean until evening. Then he will be clean.


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Do not do what is done in the land of Egypt where you lived. And do not do what is done in the land of Canaan where I am bringing you. Do not follow their laws.


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So keep My Laws and do what I say. If a man obeys them, My Laws will be life for him. I am the Lord.


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Do not put your father to shame by taking the clothes off your mother. She is your mother. Do not take her clothes off.


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Do not take the clothes off your sister, the daughter of your father or of your mother, if she is born at home or away from home.


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Do not take the clothes off your son's daughter or your daughter's daughter. For they are of your own family.


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Do not put your father's brother to shame. Do not go near to take the clothes off his wife. She is of your family.


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Do not take the clothes off your daughter-inlaw. She is your son's wife. Do not take her clothes off.


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Do not take the clothes off a woman and her daughter. And do not take the clothes off her son's daughter or her daughter's daughter. They are of her own family. It is sin.


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While your wife is still living do not marry her sister making her as important to you. Do not take off her sister's clothes.


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'And you are not to go near a woman to take off her clothes during the time when she has a flow of blood.


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Do not give any of your children as a gift on an altar to the false god Molech. Do not put the name of your God to shame. I am the Lord.


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Do not have sex with any animal, or you will be unclean. And no woman should give herself to an animal to lie with it. It is a sin.


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'Do not allow yourself to sin in any of these ways. For by doing all these things the nations that I am driving out in front of you became unclean.


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But as for you, you are to keep My Laws and do what I have decided. Do not do any of these sinful things, not you or the man who lives among you from another land.


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For the men who have lived in the land before you have done all of these sinful things. The land is unclean.


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Do none of these things or the land will spit you out when you make it sinful, as it has spit out the nation that was before you.


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So do what I say. Do not do any of these sinful things that were done before you. Do not make yourselves sin by doing them. I am the Lord your God.' ''


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Every one of you must have respect for his mother and his father. And keep My Days of Rest. I am the Lord your God.


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It will be eaten the same day you give it, and the next day. But what is left until the third day will be burned with fire.


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Every one who eats it will carry his guilt. For he has made the holy thing of the Lord sinful. That person will not be among God's people.


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'When you pick the food of your land at gathering time, do not pick all the way to the corners of your field. And do not gather the food left on the ground there after you have picked.


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Do not gather what is left among your vines, or gather the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for those in need and for the stranger. I am the Lord your God.


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Do not lie when you make a promise in My name, and so put the name of your God to shame. I am the Lord.


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'Do not make it hard for your neighbor or rob him. You should not keep the pay of a man who works for you until the next morning.


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Do not say bad things against a man who cannot hear. Do not put something in the way of a man who cannot see. But fear your God. I am the Lord.


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'Be fair in how you judge. Do not show favor to the poor or to the great. Be fair in how you judge your neighbor.


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Do not go around saying things that hurt your people. Do not do things against the life of your neighbor. I am the Lord.


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'In your heart do not hate someone from your own country. You may speak sharp words to your neighbor, but do not sin because of him.


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Do not hurt someone who has hurt you. Do not keep on hating the sons of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.


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'Keep My Laws. Do not let your cattle have young by a different kind. Do not plant your field with two kinds of seed. Do not wear clothing made of two kinds of cloth.


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If a man lies with a woman who is a servant, promised to another man, but has not been paid for or made free, they must be punished. But they will not be put to death, because she was not free.


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He will bring his guilt gift to the Lord at the door of the meeting tent. A ram will be used for the guilt gift before the Lord.


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With it the religious leader will go through the worship of washing to take away the man's sin, and he will be forgiven for the sin he has done.


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'When you come into the land and plant all kinds of trees for food, think of their fruit as being something you should not touch. You should not touch it for three years. It must not be eaten.


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In the fifth year you may eat of their fruit, so they may give more food for you. I am the Lord your God.


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Do not make any cuts on your body for the dead. Do not burn any pictures that will stay on your body. I am the Lord.


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'Do not put your daughter to shame by making her sell the use of her body. Or the land will become full of shame and sin.


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'Do not ask what you should do from those who speak with bad spirits or talk to the dead. Do not find them or you will be unclean. I am the Lord your God.


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'Show respect to the person with white hair. Honor an older person and you will honor your God. I am the Lord.


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You should act toward the stranger who lives among you as you would toward one born among you. Love him as you love yourself. For you were strangers in the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.


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"Say to the people of Israel, 'Any man of Israel or of the strangers living in Israel, who gives any of his children to the false god Molech, must be put to death. The people of the land will kill him with stones.


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I Myself will go against that man and he will not be numbered among God's people, because he has given some of his children to Molech, making My holy place sinful and bringing shame on My holy name.


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If the people of the land close their eyes when a man gives any of his children to Molech, and do not put him to death,


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then I Myself will go against that man and his family. They will not be numbered among God's people, and all who follow him to sell themselves to Molech.


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'I will go against the person who turns to those who speak with bad spirits and talk to the dead. In doing this, he sells himself to them. He will not be numbered among God's people.


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'If there is anyone who curses his father or mother, he will for sure be put to death. Because he has cursed his father or mother, his blood will be on his own head.


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'If a man does sex sins with another man's wife, even his friend's wife, both the sinful man and woman must be put to death.


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If a man lies with his father's wife, he has put his father to shame. Both of the guilty ones must be put to death. They will suffer for their own sin.


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If a man lies with his daughter-in-law, both of them must be put to death. They have done a bad sex sin. They will suffer for their own sin.


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If a man lies with a male as if he were a woman, both of them have done a very sinful act. They must be put to death. They will suffer for their own sin.


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If a man marries a woman and her mother, it is sin. Both he and they will be burned with fire, so this kind of sin will not be among you.


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If a woman goes near any animal to have sex with it, you must kill the woman and the animal. They must be put to death. They will suffer for their own sin.


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'If a man takes his sister, his father's or mother's daughter, and he sees her without clothes on and she sees him, it is a shame. They will be punished in front of their people. He has taken off his sister's clothes. He will suffer for his own sin.


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If a man lies with a woman who has a flow of blood, and takes her clothes off, he has made her flow to show. And she has shown the flow of her blood. So both of them will not be numbered among God's people.


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Do not take the clothes off your mother's sister or father's sister. For that is putting to shame one of your own family. They will suffer for their own sin.


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If a man lies with the wife of his father's or mother's brother, he has put to shame his father's or mother's brother. They will suffer for their own sin. They will die without children.


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If a man takes his brother's wife, it is sin. He has put his brother to shame. They will have no children.


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'Keep all My Laws and do what I tell you, so the land where I am bringing you to live will not spit you out.


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Do not follow the ways of the nation which I am driving out before you. For they did all these things, and so I hated them.


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But I have said to you, "Their land will belong to you. I Myself will give it to you for your own, a land flowing with milk and honey." I am the Lord your God, Who has set you apart from all other peoples.


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You are to know the difference between the clean animal and the animal that is unclean, and between the clean bird and the bird that is unclean. Do not make yourselves a sinful people with animal or bird or anything that moves on the ground, which I have set apart from you as being unclean.


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'A man or woman who speaks with bad spirits or who talks to the dead must be put to death. They will be killed with stones. They will suffer for their own sin.' ''


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The Lord said to Moses, "Say to the religious leaders, the sons of Aaron, 'No one should make himself unclean for a dead person among his people,


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or his young sister who is near to him because she has had no husband. For her he may make himself unclean.


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They should not cut all the hair from any part on their heads, or cut part of the hair off their face, or make cuts in their flesh.


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They should be holy to their God and not put the name of their God to shame. For they give the gifts by fire to the Lord, the bread of their God. So they must be holy.


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They should not take a woman who is unclean because of selling the use of her body. They should not take a woman who is divorced from her husband. For the religious leader is holy to his God.


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So you must set him apart, for he gives the bread of your God. He will be holy to you. For I, the Lord Who sets you apart, am holy.


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If the daughter of any religious leader makes herself sinful by selling the use of her body, she puts her father to shame. She will be burned with fire.


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'The head religious leader on whose head the holy oil has been poured, and who has been set apart to wear the clothing, must not take the covering off his head or tear his clothes.


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He must not go out of the holy place or sin against the holy place of his God. For the crown of the holy oil of his God is on him. I am the Lord.


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He should not marry a woman whose husband has died, or a divorced woman, or one who has made herself sinful by selling the use of her body. But he should marry a woman from his own people, who has never had a man.


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By doing this he will not sin against his children among his people. For I am the Lord Who makes him holy.' ''


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"Say to Aaron, 'None of your children or their children who has something wrong with his body should go near to give the bread as a gift to his God.


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For no one whose body is not perfect should come near, no blind man, or man who cannot walk, or one with a marked face, or a bad arm or leg,


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or a man with a crooked upper back from birth, or a very little man, or one who has a bad eye or skin trouble or sores, or one whose sex parts have been crushed.


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No man among the children of Aaron the religious leader, who has something wrong with his body, should come near to give the Lord's gifts by fire. He should not come near to give the bread of his God, because he has something wrong with him.


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But he should not come near the curtain or the altar, because he has something wrong with him, and so he may not sin against My holy places. For I am the Lord Who makes them holy.' ''


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"Tell Aaron and his sons to be careful with the holy gifts that the people of Israel set apart for Me. So they will not sin against My holy name. I am the Lord.


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Say to them, 'If any one of all your children comes near the holy gifts that the people of Israel set apart for the Lord, while he is unclean, he will be cut off from My holy place. I am the Lord.


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None of the children of Aaron who has a bad skin disease or something flowing from his body may eat of the holy gifts until he is clean. If one touches anything that is unclean because of a dead body, or has had his seed come from his sex part,


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or touches anything that is unclean that moves on the ground, or touches any man who makes him unclean, for whatever reason,


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the man who touches any such thing will be unclean until evening. He must not eat of the holy gifts unless he has washed his body in water.


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When the sun has gone down, he will be clean. After that he may eat of the holy gifts, for they are his food.


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He should not eat an animal that dies of itself or is killed by wild animals. He will be unclean if he does. I am the Lord.


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The religious leaders must obey My Law, so they will not be sinful because of it and die because they sin against My Law. I am the Lord Who makes them holy.


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'But no one who is not a religious leader may eat the holy gift. One who is visiting the religious leader or working for him must not eat of the holy gift.


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But a person whom the religious leader buys to work for him with his own money may eat of it. And those who are born in his house may eat of his food.


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If a religious leader's daughter is married to a man who is not a religious leader, she must not eat of the holy gifts.


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But if a religious leader's daughter loses her husband by death or divorce, and has no child and returns to her father's house as when she was young, she may eat of her father's food. But no stranger may eat of it.


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If a man eats a holy gift by mistake, he must add a fifth of its worth to it and give the holy gift to the religious leader.


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The religious leaders must not make the holy gifts unclean that the people of Israel give to the Lord.


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This would bring sin upon them when they eat their holy gifts. For I am the Lord Who makes them holy.' ''


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"Say to Aaron and to his sons and to all the people of Israel, 'When any man of the house of Israel or of the strangers in Israel gives his gift for a burnt gift to the Lord, to pay a promise or as a free-will gift


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When a man gives a peace gift to the Lord to keep a special promise or for a free-will gift from the cattle or the flock, it must be perfect to be received. It must have nothing wrong with it.


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You must not give to the Lord or make a gift by fire on the altar to the Lord any animals that are blind or broken or hurt or have a flowing sore or a skin disease.


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You may give for a free-will gift a bull or lamb which has some part too long or too short. But it will not be received if it is to pay a promise.


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Do not give to the Lord any animal with its sex parts hurt or crushed or torn or cut. Do not give such animals on the altar in your land.


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And do not receive such animals from a man from another land to give as the food of your God. For they are unclean. They are not perfect. They will not be received from you.' ''


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"When a bull or sheep or goat is born, it must stay seven days with its mother. After that it will be received as a gift by fire to the Lord.


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When you give thanks to the Lord by giving a gift in worship, give it the right way so you will be received.


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Do not sin against My holy name. I will be honored among the people of Israel. I am the Lord Who makes you holy.


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"Say to the people of Israel, 'These are the special suppers of the Lord, which you will keep for holy meetings. These are My special suppers.


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Work may be done for six days. But the seventh day is the Day of Rest, a holy meeting when you do no work at all. It is the Day of Rest to the Lord in all your homes.


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On the fourteenth day of the first month in the evening begins the Lord's religious gathering to remember how His people left Egypt.


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On the fifteenth day of the same month is the Lord's special supper of bread without yeast. For seven days you will eat bread made without yeast.


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But you will give a gift by fire to the Lord for seven days. On the seventh day is a holy meeting. You will not do any hard work.' ''


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"Say to the people of Israel, 'When you come into the land I am going to give you and gather its grain, bring some of the first fruits of your grain to the religious leader.


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He will wave the grain before the Lord for you to be received. The religious leader will wave it on the day after the Day of Rest.


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On the day when you wave the grain, you will give a perfect, one year old male lamb as a burnt gift to the Lord.


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The grain gift with it will be one-fifth part of a basket of fine flour mixed with oil. It is a gift by fire to the Lord for a pleasing smell. And the drink gift with it will be a jar of wine.


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Do not eat bread or dry grain or new grain until this same day, when you have brought the gift to your God. It is to be a Law forever for all your people in all your homes.


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'Number seven full weeks from the day after the Day of Rest, from the day when you give the grain for the wave gift. There will be seven whole Days of Rest.


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Bring from your homes two loaves of bread for a wave gift, made of one-fifth part of a basket of fine flour. They will be made with yeast, as first-fruits to the Lord.


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With the bread give seven one year old male lambs that are perfect, and one young bull, and two rams. They will be a burnt gift to the Lord, with their grain gift and their drink gift. It is a gift by fire with a pleasing smell to the Lord.


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The religious leader will wave them with the bread of the first-fruits as a wave gift before the Lord, with the two lambs. They will be holy to the Lord for the religious leader.


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On this same day call together a holy meeting. Do no hard work. It is a Law forever in all your homes for all your people.


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'When you gather the food of your land, do not pick all the way to the corners of your field. And do not gather the food that falls. Leave it for those in need and the stranger. I am the Lord your God.' ''


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"Say to the people of Israel, 'On the first day of the seventh month, you will have a Day of Rest. It will be a day of remembering, made known by the blowing of horns, a holy meeting.


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"The tenth day of this seventh month is the day to be made free from sin. It will be a holy meeting for you. You will be without pride and give a gift by fire to the Lord.


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"Do no work on this day. For it is a day to be made free from sin, to be made free from your sin before the Lord your God.


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If there is any person who will not be free from his pride on this day, he will be kept away from his people.


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It will be a Day of Rest for you. And you must be without pride. You will keep your Day of Rest from evening until evening on the ninth day of the month.''


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"Say to the people of Israel, 'On the fifteenth day of this seventh month is the special supper of tents to the Lord. It will last seven days.


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Give a gift by fire to the Lord for seven days. On the eighth day have a holy meeting and give a gift by fire to the Lord. It is a special gathering. Do no hard work.


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'These are the special suppers, the holy meetings you will keep at the right times. They will be for giving to the Lord gifts by fire, burnt gifts and grain gifts, gifts of animals and drink gifts, each on its own day.


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These are to be added to the Days of Rest of the Lord, and your gifts, both those that are promised and your free-will gifts that you give to the Lord.


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'On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered the food of your land, you will have the special supper of the Lord for seven days. The first day and the eighth day will be Days of Rest.


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On the first day, you will take the leaves of beautiful trees, branches of trees with big leaves and of trees beside the river. And be full of joy before the Lord your God for seven days.


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You will keep it as a special supper to the Lord seven days in the year. It will be a Law forever for all your people. You will have it in the seventh month.


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So all your people to come may know that I had the people of Israel live in tents when I brought them out of the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.' ''


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"Tell the people of Israel to bring you pure oil from beaten olives for the light to keep a lamp burning all the time.


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Outside the curtain of the Law in the meeting tent, Aaron will keep it burning from evening to morning before the Lord always. It will be a Law forever for all your people.


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Put pure, sweet-smelling spices on each row to go with the bread as something to be remembered. It is a gift by fire to the Lord.


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Every Day of Rest he will set it before the Lord all the time. It is a Law forever for the people of Israel.


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The bread is for Aaron and his sons who will eat it in a holy place. It is a most holy part for him out of the gifts by fire to the Lord. It is his share forever."


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Now the son of an Israelite woman, whose father was an Egyptian, went among the people of Israel. And the Israelite woman's son and a man of Israel fought with each other among the tents.


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The son of the Israelite woman swore against the Name of the Lord. So they brought him to Moses. <n>(His mother's name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the family of Dan.)</n>


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"Take the one who has sworn against Me away from the tents. Let all who heard him lay their hands on his head. Then let all the people kill him by throwing stones.


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The one who speaks against the name of the Lord will be put to death for sure. All the people will kill him with stones. Both the stranger and those born in the land will be put to death when he speaks against the Name of the Lord.


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broken bone for broken bone, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. Just as he has hurt a man, so he will be hurt.


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So the one who kills an animal will pay for it with an animal. But the one who kills a man will be put to death.


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You will have the same Law for the stranger and for the one born among you. For I am the Lord your God.' ''


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Then Moses spoke to the people of Israel. And they took the one who swore against God and brought him away from the tents and killed him with stones. So the people of Israel did as the Lord told Moses.


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"Say to the people of Israel, 'When you come to the land I will give you, then the land will have a Year of Rest to the Lord.


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Six years you will plant seeds in your field. Six years you will take care of your vines and gather their fruit.


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But the seventh year will be a Year of Rest for the land, a Year of Rest to the Lord. You will not plant seeds in your field or take care of your vines.


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You will not gather what grows of itself in your field. And do not gather the fruit of the vines that have not been cared for. The land will have a Year of Rest.


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During the Year of Rest the land will give food for you, for your men and women servants, the man you pay to work for you, and the stranger who lives with you.


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'You are to number seven Years of Rest for yourself, seven times seven years. The time of the seven Years of Rest will be forty-nine years.


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Then let the horn be heard on the tenth day of the seventh month. On the day to be made free from sin you will let a horn be heard all through your land.


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You will honor the fiftieth year as holy. And let it be known in all the land that all who are living there are free. It will be a happy time for you. Each of you will return to what is his. Each will return to his family.


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That fiftieth year will be a happy time for you. You will not plant seeds in the field, or gather the food that grows of itself, or gather fruit from the vines that are not cared for.


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You will pay your neighbor by the number of years since the Year of Jubilee. And he will sell to you by the number of years the food may be gathered.


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You will make the price more if there are many years, and make the price less if there are few years. For he is selling you the food that is gathered each year.


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If you say, "What will we eat in the seventh year if we do not plant seeds or gather in the food of our field?"


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I will let My good come upon you in the sixth year, so it will give you enough food for three years.


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When you are planting seeds in the eighth year, you can still eat from the old store of food. You can eat the old food until the food of the ninth year is gathered.


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'The land will not be sold to be kept forever. For the land is Mine. You are only strangers staying with Me.


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When your brother becomes poor and sells some of his land, then one in his family who is near to him is to come and buy what his brother has sold.


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Then he should add up the years since he sold it, and pay what is left of the price to the man to whom he sold it. So he will return to his own land.


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But if he is not able to buy it again for himself, then what he has sold will belong to the one who bought it until the Year of Jubilee. In the Year of Jubilee it will be let go and he may return to it.


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'If a man sells a house within the walls of a city, he has the right to buy it back for a whole year from the time he sold it. He can buy it during that year.


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But if it is not bought back again for him within a whole year, then the house within the city walls belongs forever to the family of the one who bought it. It will not be returned to him in the Year of Jubilee.


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But houses in towns that have no walls will be thought of as open fields. They may be let go, and will be returned in the Year of Jubilee.


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If a house is not bought again by a Levite, then the house that was sold in one of their cities will be returned to him in the Year of Jubilee. For the houses of the Levites belong to them among the people of Israel.


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'If your brother becomes poor and is not able to pay you what he owes, then you should help him as you would help a stranger or visitor. So he may live with you.


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Do not make him pay for the use of the money he owes you. But fear your God, so your brother may live with you.


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I am the Lord your God, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan and to be your God.


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He will be as a man who is paid to work for you, as one who is traveling from place to place, until the Year of Jubilee.


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You may buy from among the children of the strangers who live among you, and from their families that are with you and were born in your land. You may own them.


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You may give them to your children after you, to receive as their own. You can have them as servants forever. But do not make it hard for your brothers, the people of Israel.


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'Now a stranger or one visiting you may become rich. And your brother may become so poor that he sells himself to a stranger living among you, or to the children of a stranger's family.


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His father's brother, the son of his father's brother, or one of his own family may pay the price to free him. Or if he becomes rich he may pay the price himself.


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With the one who bought him he will add the years from the year he sold himself until the Year of Jubilee. The price for him to be set free will be decided upon by the number of years. The time he was with the man who owned him will be as that of a man paid to work for him.


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If there is only a few years until the Year of Jubilee, he will decide upon the amount of money with his owner. He should pay the price to be set free, decided upon by the number of years.


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He will be like a man paid to work for him year by year. Make sure his owner does not make it hard for him.


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Even if the price is not paid for him in this way, he will go free in the Year of Jubilee, he and his children.


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Because the people of Israel are My servants. They are My servants whom I brought out of the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.


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'Do not make gods for yourselves. Do not set up for yourselves something to look like a god or a holy object. Do not set up something cut from stone in your land to bow down to. For I am the Lord your God.


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I will give you rain at the right time. So the land will give its food and the trees will give their fruit.


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The crushing of your grain will last until the grapes are gathered. The grape gathering will last until the seeds are planted. You will eat your food until you are full, and be safe living in your land.


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I will give peace in the land. You will lie down and no one will make you afraid. I will make the land free from the danger of wild animals. And no sword will move through your land.


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Five of you will go after a hundred. A hundred of you will go after ten thousand. And those who hate you will fall in front of you by the sword.


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I am the Lord your God Who brought you out of the land of Egypt so you would not be their servants. I have broken loose the heavy load from your back and made you walk straight.


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if you turn away from My Laws and do not want to do what I tell you to do, and do not do it, and so break My agreement,


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I will do this to you: I will bring upon you much fear, disease that destroys, and sickness that will waste away the eyes and make the body weak. You will plant your seeds for nothing, for those who hate you will eat it.


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I will turn against you so you will fall in front of those who fight you. Those who hate you will rule over you. You will run away when no one is coming after you.


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If after all of these things you still do not obey Me, I will punish you seven times more for your sins.


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I will break the pride you have of your power. I will make your sky like iron and your earth like brass.


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You will use your strength for nothing. For your land will not give food, and the trees of the land will not give fruit.


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'If you act against Me and will not obey Me, I will bring you seven times more trouble than your sins.


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I will let the wild animals loose among you. They will rob you of your children and destroy your cattle. They will make you few in number, so that your roads will be empty.


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I will bring a sword upon you that will punish you for breaking the agreement. I will send disease among you when you gather together in your cities. So you will be given into the hands of those who hate you.


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When I take away your bread of life, ten women will make your bread in one stove. They will give out your bread by weight. And you will eat it and not be filled.


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I will destroy your high places and cut down your altars of special perfume. I will throw your dead bodies on what is left of your gods. My soul will hate you.


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I will divide you among the nations and send the sword after you. Your land will be destroyed and your cities a waste.


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'Then the land will be like new because of its Days of Rest while it lies waste and you are in the land of those who hate you. Then the land will rest and have new life because of the Days of Rest.


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As long as it lies waste it will have the rest it did not have on your Days of Rest, while you were living in it.


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Of those of you who are left in the lands of those who hate you, I will make their hearts weak. The sound of a leaf blown by the wind will make them run away even when no one is going after them. They will run away as if it were a sword, and they will fall.


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They will fall over each other as if running from the sword, when no one is going after them. You will have no strength to stand up in front of those who hate you.


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So those of you who are left will waste away in the lands of those who hate you, because of their sins. Also because of the sins of their fathers, they will waste away with them.


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'If they tell their sins and the sins of their fathers which they did when they were not faithful to Me and were against Me with anger,


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<n>(I also was angry with them and brought them into the land of those who hate them)</n> if their sinful heart loses its pride and they are willing to turn away from their sin,


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I will remember My agreement with Jacob, My agreement with Isaac, and My agreement with Abraham. And I will remember the land.


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But the land will be left behind them and become better with its Days of Rest while it lies empty without them. During this time they will turn away from their sin because they had not done what I told them to do and their soul hated My Laws.


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Yet even when they are in the land of those who hate them, I will not turn away from them. I will not hate them enough to destroy them and break My agreement with them. For I am the Lord their God.


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But because of them I will remember the agreement with their fathers, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the eyes of the nations, to be their God. I am the Lord.' ''


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These are the Laws which the Lord made between Himself and the people of Israel through Moses at Mount Sinai.


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"Say to the sons of Israel, 'When a man makes a special promise, you will decide upon the worth of this person for the Lord.


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The price you put on a man from twenty to sixty years old will be fifty pieces of silver, by the weight of the holy place.


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For a male from five to twenty years old it will be twenty pieces of silver. For a woman it will be ten pieces of silver.


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Your price for a child from one month to five years old will be five pieces of silver for the boy, and three pieces of silver for the girl.


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Your price for a person sixty years old and older will be fifteen pieces of silver for the man, and ten pieces of silver for the woman.


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But if the person is too poor to pay your price, he will be brought to the religious leader. The religious leader will decide the worth of the person by how much he who made the promise is able to pay.


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'If it is a kind of animal which men give as a gift to the Lord, any such animal that is given to the Lord will be holy.


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He must not have another animal take its place, good for bad or bad for good. If he does trade one animal for another, then both animals will become holy.


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But if the animal is unclean and not the kind which men give to the Lord, then he will bring the animal to the religious leader.


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The religious leader will decide if it is good or bad. Whatever price the religious leader puts on it, so it will be.


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'When a man sets apart his house as holy to the Lord, the religious leader will decide if it is good or bad. Whatever price the religious leader puts on it, so it will be.


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If the man who sets it apart wants to buy his house again, he will add one-fifth part to your price. Then it will be his.


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'If a man sets apart to the Lord part of a field he owns, you will decide upon its price by the seed needed for it. Ten baskets of barley seed will be worth fifty pieces of silver.


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But if he sets apart his field after the Year of Jubilee, the religious leader will decide upon its worth by the years left until the next Year of Jubilee. It will be taken off your price.


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If the man who sets it apart wants to buy his field again, he will add one-fifth part to your price. Then it will be his.


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But if he does not want to buy the field again, or has sold the field to another man, it cannot be bought again.


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And when the field becomes free in the Jubilee, it will be holy to the Lord, like a field set apart. It will belong to the religious leader.


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If a man sets apart to the Lord a field he has bought, which is not a part of the land he was given by his father,


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the religious leader will decide its worth until the Year of Jubilee. The man will pay that amount on that day as holy to the Lord.


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The price of silver used in the holy place will decide its worth. One piece of silver will be worth twenty small pieces of money.


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'But no man may set apart a first-born of the animals. A first-born of the cattle or the flock belongs to the Lord.


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If it is an animal that is unclean, he will buy it again by paying your price and one-fifth part added to it. If it is not bought again, then it will be sold for your price.


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'But nothing that a man sets apart to the Lord of all he has, of man or animal or his own land, will be sold or bought. Everything that has been set apart is most holy to the Lord.


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No person who has been set apart to be destroyed from among men can be paid for. He must be put to death.


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'The tenth part of all the land, of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord's. It is holy to the Lord.


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If a man wants to buy any of the tenth part that belongs to the Lord, he will add one-fifth part to its price.


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And every tenth animal of the cattle or flock, whatever passes under the shepherd's stick, the tenth one will be holy to the Lord.


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The man will not ask if it is good or bad, or trade it for something else. If he does trade it for something else, then both will become holy. He cannot buy them again.' ''


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The Lord spoke to Moses in the Sinai desert, in the meeting tent on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt. The Lord said,


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"Number all the people of Israel, by their families, by those of their fathers' houses. Write down the names of every male, head by head,


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twenty years old and older. You and Aaron number by their armies whoever in Israel is able to go out to war.


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A man from each family should be with you to help you. Each one should be the head of his father's house.


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From the sons of Joseph there will be Ammihud's son Elishama from Ephraim, and Pedahzur's son Gamaliel from Manasseh.


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These were the ones chosen from the people. They were the leaders of their fathers' families, the heads of thousands in Israel.


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And they gathered all the people together on the first day of the second month. The people gave their names by families, by their fathers' houses, by the number of names from twenty years old and older, head by head.


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The sons of Reuben, Israel's firstborn, were numbered by their families, by their fathers' houses, by the number of names. Every male twenty years old and older was numbered, whoever was able to go out to war.


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The sons of Simeon were numbered by their families, by their fathers' houses, by the number of names. Every male twenty years old and older was numbered, whoever was able to go out to war.


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The sons of Gad were numbered by their families, by their fathers' houses, by the number of names. Every male twenty years old and older was numbered, whoever was able to go out to war.


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The sons of Judah were numbered by their families, by their fathers' houses, by the number of names. Every male twenty years old and older was numbered, whoever was able to go out to war.


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"The people of Israel will set up their tents, each by his own flag and beside that of their fathers'. They will set up their tents to face the meeting tent on every side.


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Those who stay in their tents on the east side toward the sunrise will have the flag of Judah by their armies. The leader of the people of Judah is Nahshon the son of Amminadab.


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The family of Issachar will set up their tents next to Judah. The leader of the people of Issachar is Nethanel the son of Zuar.


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The whole number among the tents of Judah is 186,400, by their armies. They will be first to move on.


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"On the south side will be the tents of Reuben by their armies with their flags. The leader of the people of Reuben is Elizur the son of Shedeur.


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The family of Simeon will set up their tents next to him. The leader of the people of Simeon is Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai.


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The whole number among the tents of Reuben is 151,450 by their armies. They will be second to move on.


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"Then the meeting tent will go out with the Levites among the people. In the same way that they set up their tents, so they will leave to move on, every man in his place, by his flags.


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"On the west side will be the flag of the tents of Ephraim by their armies. The leader of the people of Ephraim is Elishama the son of Ammihud.


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The family of Manasseh will be next to him. The leader of the people of Manasseh is Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur.


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The family of Benjamin will be next. The leader of the people of Benjamin is Abidan the son of Gideoni.


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The whole number among the tents of Ephraim is 108,100, by their armies. They will be third to move on.


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"On the north side will be the flag of the tents of Dan by their armies. The leader of the people of Dan is Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai.


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The family of Asher will set up their tents next to him. The leader of the people of Asher is Pagiel the son of Ochran.


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These are the numbers of the men of Israel by their fathers' houses. The whole number among all the tents, by their armies, was 603,550.


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So the people of Israel did all that the Lord had told Moses. They set up their tents by their flags. And they left to move on in the same way, every one by his family and by his father's house.


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These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the chosen religious leaders. Aaron set them apart to work as religious leaders.


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But Nadab and Abihu died before the Lord when they made a fire that was not holy to the Lord in the Desert of Sinai. And they had no children. So Eleazar and Ithamar worked as religious leaders during the life-time of their father Aaron.


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"Bring the family of Levi near. Set them in front of Aaron the religious leader so they may serve him.


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They will do the duties for him and for all the people in front of the meeting tent. They will do the work around the meeting tent,


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and will keep all the things that belong to the meeting tent. They will take care of the duties for the people of Israel as they work around the meeting tent.


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You will give the Levites to Aaron and his sons. They are all given to him from among the people of Israel.


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Set apart Aaron and his sons to do the work of religious leaders. But if anyone comes near who is not a religious leader, he must be put to death."


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"See, I have taken the Levites from among the people of Israel instead of every first-born among the people of Israel. The Levites will be Mine.


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For all the first-born are Mine. On the day that I killed all the first-born in the land of Egypt, I set apart for My own all the first-born in Israel, both man and animal. They will be Mine. I am the Lord."


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"Number the sons of Levi by their fathers' houses and by their families. Number every male a month old and older."


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The sons of Merari by their families are Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites by their fathers' houses.


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Of Gershon were the families of the Libnites and the Shimeites. These were the families of the Gershonites.


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The families of the Gershonites were to set up their tents behind the meeting tent on the west side.


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The sons of Gershon were to take care of the meeting tent, its covering, and the curtain for the door of the meeting tent.


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And they were to take care of the curtains for the door of the open space, and all curtains around the meeting tent and the altar and their ropes. They did all the work having to do with them.


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Of Kohath were the families of the Amramites, the Izharites, the Hebronites and the Uzzielites. These were the families of the Kohathites.


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The families of the sons of Kohath were to set up their tents on the south side of the meeting tent.


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They took care of the special box with the Law, and the table, the lamp-stand, the altars, the things used in the holy place, and the curtain. They did all the work having to do with them.


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Eleazar, the son of Aaron the religious leader, was the head of the leaders of Levi. He watched over those who did the duties of the holy place.


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The leader of the fathers' houses of the families of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail. They were to set up their tents on the north side of the meeting tent.


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The duties given to the sons of Merari were to take care of the parts made of wood of the meeting tent, its cross pieces, its pillars, its bases, and all the pieces that had to do with them. They took care of all these things,


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Moses and Aaron and his sons were to set up their tents on the east side in front of the meeting tent, toward the sunrise. They did the duties of the meeting tent, whatever had to be done for the people of Israel. But the one who came near who was not a religious leader was to be put to death.


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The number of all the Levite men a month old and older, whom Moses and Aaron numbered by their families as the Lord told them, was 22,000.


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The Lord said to Moses, "Number every first-born male of the sons of Israel a month old and older. Write down their names.


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Take the Levites for Me, instead of all the first-born among the sons of Israel. I am the Lord. And take the cattle of the Levites instead of all the first-born among the cattle of the people of Israel."


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"Take the Levites instead of all the first-born sons of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites. The number of the Levites will be Mine. I am the Lord.


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There are 273 first-born of the sons of Israel, who are more in number than the Levites. You must pay the price for each of them.


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He took the money from the first-born sons of Israel, by the weight agreed upon for the meeting tent. He took 1,365 pieces of silver.


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"Number the sons of Kohath from among the sons of Levi. Number them by their families, by the fathers' houses,


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from thirty years old and older, even to fifty years old. Number all who are able to do the work in the meeting tent.


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When the people leave to move on, Aaron and his sons will go in and take down the curtain in front of the special box with the Law inside. And they will cover the special box with it.


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Then they will lay a covering of badgers' skins on it, and spread a pure blue cloth over that. And they will put in the long pieces of wood to carry it.


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They will spread a blue cloth over the table of the bread before the Lord. They will put on it the plates, the dishes for special perfume, the pots, and the jars for the drink gift. And the bread will be on it always.


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They will spread a red cloth over them, and cover that with badgers' skins. And they will put in its long pieces of wood to carry it.


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They will take a blue cloth and cover the lamp-stand for the light, with its lamps, its objects to put out the light, its dishes and all its pots of oil used for the light.


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They will put the lamp-stand and all its objects in a covering of badgers' skins. Then they will put it on the long pieces of wood used to carry it.


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They will spread a blue cloth over the altar of gold, and cover it with badgers' skins. And they will put in the long pieces of wood to carry it.


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They will take all the things used for the work done in the meeting tent. They will put them in a blue cloth and cover them with a covering of badgers' skins. And they will put them on the long pieces of wood to carry them.


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They will put on it all the things used for the work done on the altar: the fire-holders, meat-hooks, objects for picking up the ashes, and the pots. Then they will spread a covering of badgers' skins over it, and put in the long pieces of wood for carrying it.


text:
Aaron and his sons will finish covering the holy objects and all the things of the meeting tent, as the people move on. After that the sons of Kohath will come to carry them. In this way they will not touch the holy objects and die. These are the things in the meeting tent which the sons of Kohath are to carry.


text:
Eleazar the son of Aaron the religious leader will take care of the oil for the light, the special perfume, the grain gift which is always given, and the oil for holy use. He will watch over all the meeting tent and all that is in it, the holy place and its objects."


text:
But do this to them so they may live and not die when they come near the most holy objects. Aaron and his sons must go in and give each of them their work and what they are to carry.


text:
Number those who are thirty years old and older, to fifty years old, all who go in to do the work in the meeting tent.


text:
They will carry the curtains of the meeting tent and the meeting tent with its covering and the covering of badgers' skins that is over it. They will carry the curtain for the door of the meeting tent,


text:
the curtains of the open space, and the curtain for the gate of the open space which is around the meeting tent and the altar. And they will carry the ropes for the curtains, and all the things used for their work. They will do whatever needs to be done with them.


text:
All the work of the sons of the Gershonites will be what Aaron and his sons tell them to do. They will tell them what they are to carry and what work they are to do. You will tell them what things they have a duty to carry.


