February 6
Exodus 39–40
1 Now from the blue, purple, and scarlet they made woven garments for serving in the holy place and made the holy garments for Aaron, just as the Lord commanded Moses.
2 He made the ephod of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet, and fine twisted linen. 3 Then they hammered the gold into thin sheets and cut it into threads to work them into the blue, the purple, the scarlet, and the fine linen, with skillful work. 4 They made shoulder pieces for it, in order to attach it together. It was joined by the two edges together. 5 The skillfully woven waistband of his ephod that was on it was like it, of the same material, of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet, and fine twisted linen, just as the Lord commanded Moses.
6 They set the onyx stones enclosed in gold filigree settings; they were engraved like the engravings of a signet, according to the names of the children of Israel. 7 And he put them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod, to be stones for a memorial to the children of Israel, just as the Lord commanded Moses.
8 He made the breastplate, the work of a skillful workman, like the workmanship of the ephod: of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet, and fine twisted linen. 9 It was square. They made the breastplate folded double, a span long and a span wide when doubled. 10 They set in it four rows of stones. A row of sardius, topaz, and carbuncle was the first row; 11 The second row, an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond; 12 the third row, a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; 13 and the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. They were enclosed in settings of gold filigree. 14 The stones were corresponding to the names of the children of Israel, twelve, corresponding to their names, like the engravings of a signet, each with its name, corresponding to the twelve tribes.
15 They made on the breastplate braided chains like cords of pure gold. 16 They made two gold filigree settings and two gold rings and put the two rings in the two ends of the breastplate. 17 They put the two braided chains of gold in the two rings on the ends of the breastplate. 18 The other two ends of the two braided chains they fastened in the two filigree settings and put them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod at the front of it. 19 They made two rings of gold and put them on the two ends of the breastplate, on the edge of it which was on the inner side of the ephod. 20 They made two other golden rings and put them on the two sides of the ephod underneath, toward the front of it, over against where it joined, above the waistband of the ephod. 21 They bound the breastplate by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a blue cord, so that it might be above the waistband of the ephod, and that the breastplate might not come loose from the ephod, just as the Lord commanded Moses.
22 Then he made the robe of the ephod of woven work, all of blue. 23 There was an opening in the middle of the robe, like the opening of a coat of mail, with a band all around the opening so that it should not be torn. 24 They made on the hems of the robe pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet, and twisted linen. 25 They made bells of pure gold and put the bells between the pomegranates all around on the hem of the robe. 26 There was a bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate, all around about the hem of the robe to be used in service, just as the Lord commanded Moses.
27 They made tunics of finely woven linen for Aaron and his sons, 28 and the turban of fine linen, and the decorated caps of fine linen, and linen breeches of fine twisted linen. 29 The sash was of fine twisted linen and blue, purple, and scarlet, the work of an embroiderer, just as the Lord commanded Moses.
30 They made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold and wrote on it an inscription, like the engravings of a signet:
HOLINESS TO THE LORD.
31 They attached to it a blue cord, to fasten it to the turban above, just as the Lord commanded Moses.
32 Thus all the work of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting was finished, and the children of Israel did according to all that the Lord commanded Moses—so they did. 33 They brought the tabernacle to Moses, the tent and all its furnishings: its clasps, its boards, its bars, and its pillars, and its sockets; 34 and the covering of rams’ skins dyed red, and the covering of porpoise skins, and the screening veil; 35 the ark of the testimony and its poles and the mercy seat; 36 the table, and all its utensils, and the showbread; 37 the pure gold lampstand, with its arrangement of lamps, and all its utensils, and the oil for the light; 38 and the gold altar, and the anointing oil, and the fragrant incense, and the curtain for the entrance to the tent; 39 the bronze altar, and its bronze grating, its poles and all its utensils, the basin and its stand; 40 the hangings of the courtyard, its pillars, and its sockets, and the curtain for the courtyard gate, its cords, and its pegs, and all the utensils for the service of the tabernacle, for the tent of meeting; 41 the woven garments of service to do service in the holy place, and the holy garments for Aaron the priest and his sons’ garments, to minister as priests.
42 The children of Israel did all the work according to all that the Lord commanded Moses. 43 Moses looked over all the work, and indeed they had done it; as the Lord had commanded, so they had done. Then Moses blessed them.
Chapter 40
1 Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 2 On the first day of the first month you shall set up the tabernacle of the tent of meeting. 3 You shall put the ark of the testimony in it and screen the ark with the veil. 4 You shall bring in the table and arrange the things that are to be arranged on it, and you shall bring in the lampstand and set up its lamps. 5 You shall set the gold altar of incense before the ark of the testimony and put the curtain for the entrance to the tabernacle.
6 You shall set the altar of the burnt offering in front of the entrance of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting. 7 You shall set the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar and put water in it. 8 You shall set up the courtyard around it and hang up the curtain at the courtyard gate.
9 You shall take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and all that is in it and shall consecrate it and all its furnishings, and it shall be holy. 10 Then you shall anoint the altar of the burnt offering and all its utensils, and consecrate the altar, and the altar shall be most holy. 11 You shall anoint the basin and its stand, and consecrate it.
12 Then you shall bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting and wash them with water. 13 You shall put the holy garments on Aaron and anoint him and consecrate him, so that he may minister to Me as a priest. 14 You shall bring his sons and clothe them with tunics. 15 Then you shall anoint them just as you anointed their father, so that they may minister to Me as priests, for their anointing will surely be an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations. 16 Thus Moses did. According to all that the Lord commanded him, so he did.
17 In the first month of the second year, on the first day of the month, the tabernacle was erected. 18 Moses erected the tabernacle and fastened its sockets, and set up its boards, and inserted its bars, and erected its pillars. 19 Then he spread the tent over the tabernacle and put the covering of the tent on top of it, just as the Lord commanded Moses.
20 He took the testimony and put it into the ark, attached the poles to the ark, and put the mercy seat on top of the ark. 21 And he brought the ark into the tabernacle, and set up the veil of the screening, and screened the ark of the testimony, just as the Lord commanded Moses.
22 Then he put the table in the tent of meeting on the north side of the tabernacle outside the veil. 23 He set the bread in order on it before the Lord, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.
24 And he put the lampstand in the tent of meeting, opposite the table, on the south side of the tabernacle. 25 He lighted the lamps before the Lord, just as the Lord commanded Moses.
26 Then he put the gold altar in the tent of meeting before the veil. 27 And he burned fragrant incense on it, just as the Lord commanded Moses. 28 Then he set up the curtain at the entrance of the tabernacle.
29 He put the altar of burnt offering by the entrance of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting and offered on it the burnt offering and the grain offering, just as the Lord commanded Moses.
30 Then he set the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar and put water in it for washing. 31 It was there Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet. 32 Whenever they went into the tent of meeting, and whenever they came near the altar, they washed, just as the Lord commanded Moses.
33 He erected the courtyard all around the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the curtain of the courtyard gate. So Moses finished the work.
34 Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 35 Moses was not able to enter into the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.
36 When the cloud was lifted up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel would set out in all their journeys. 37 But if the cloud was not lifted up, then they did not set out until the day that it was lifted. 38 For the cloud of the Lord was on the tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.
Matthew 23:23–39
23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You tithe mint and dill and cumin, but have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done without leaving the others undone. 24 You blind guides who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!
25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and greed. 26 You blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may also be clean.
27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and of all uncleanness. 28 So you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
29 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You build the tombs of the prophets, and adorn the memorials of the righteous, 30 and say, ‘If we lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have partaken with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ guilt.
33 “You serpents! You generation of vipers! How can you escape the judgment of hell? 34 Therefore I send you prophets, and wise men, and scribes. Some of them you will kill and crucify, and some you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute them from city to city, 35 that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. 36 Truly I say to you, all these things will come on this generation.
37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you, how often I would have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would not! 38 Look, your house is left to you desolate. 39 For I tell you, you shall not see Me again until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.’”