Bible Readings for February 14, 2015

Today our passages are Exodus 37:1–38:31; Matthew 28:1-20; Psalm 34:11-22; and Proverbs 9:9-10. The readings are the Contemporary English Version.  

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Exodus 37-38:31 (Contemporary English Version)

Exodus 37

The Sacred Chest

(Exodus 25.10-22)

 ¹Bezalel built a chest of acacia wood forty-five inches long, twenty-seven inches wide, and twenty-seven inches high. ²He covered it inside and out with pure gold and put a gold edging around the top. ³He made four gold rings and fastened one of them to each of the four legs of the chest. ⁴Then he made two poles of acacia wood, covered them with gold, ⁵and put them through the rings, so the chest could be carried by the poles.     ⁶The entire lid of the chest, which was also covered with pure gold, was the place of mercy. ^{[a] 7-9}On each of the two ends of the chest he made a winged creature of hammered gold. They faced each other, and their wings covered the place of mercy.

The Table for the Sacred Bread

(Exodus 25.23-30)

 ¹⁰Bezalel built a table of acacia wood thirty-six inches long, eighteen inches wide, and twenty-seven inches high. ^11-12He covered it with pure gold and put a gold edging around it with a border three inches wide. ^{[b] 13}He made four gold rings and attached one to each of the legs ¹⁴near the edging. The poles for carrying the table were placed through these rings ¹⁵and were made of acacia wood covered with gold. ¹⁶Everything that was to be set on the table was made of pure gold--the bowls, plates, jars, and cups for wine offerings.

The Lampstand

(Exodus 25.31-40)

 ¹⁷Bezalel made a lampstand of pure gold. The whole lampstand, including its decorative flowers, was made from a single piece of hammered gold, ¹⁸with three branches on each of its two sides. ¹⁹There were three decorative almond blossoms on each branch ²⁰and four on the stem. ²¹There was also a blossom where each pair of branches came out from the stem. ²²The lampstand, including its branches and decorative flowers, was made from a single piece of hammered pure gold. ^23-24The lamp and its equipment, including the tongs and trays, were made of about seventy-five pounds of pure gold.    

The Altar for Burning Incense

(Exodus 30.1-5)

 ²⁵For burning incense, Bezalel made an altar of acacia wood. It was eighteen inches square and thirty-six inches high with each of its four corners sticking up like the horn of a bull. ²⁶He covered it with pure gold and put a gold edging around it. ²⁷Then below the edging on opposite sides he attached two gold rings through which he put the poles for carrying the altar. ²⁸These poles were also made of acacia wood and covered with gold.    

The Oil for Dedication and the Incense

(Exodus 30.22-38)

 ²⁹Bezalel mixed the oil for dedication and the sweet-smelling spices for the incense.    

Exodus 38

The Altar for Offering Sacrifices

(Exodus 27.1-8)

 ¹Bezalel built an altar of acacia wood for offering sacrifices. It was seven and a half feet square and four and a half feet high ²with each of its four corners sticking up like the horn of a bull, and it was completely covered with bronze. ³The equipment for the altar was also made of bronze--the pans for the hot ashes, the shovels, the meat forks, and the fire pans. ⁴Midway up the altar he built a ledge around it and covered the bottom half of the altar with a decorative bronze grating. ⁵Then he attached a bronze ring beneath the ledge at the four corners to put the poles through. ⁶He covered two acacia wood poles with bronze and ⁷put them through the rings for carrying the altar, which was shaped like an open box.    

The Large Bronze Bowl

(Exodus 30.18-21)

 ⁸Bezalel made a large bowl and a stand out of bronze from the mirrors of the women who helped at the entrance to the sacred tent.    

The Courtyard around the Sacred Tent

(Exodus 27.9-19)

 ^9-17Around the sacred tent Bezalel built a courtyard one hundred fifty feet long on the south and north and seventy-five feet wide on the east and west. He used twenty bronze posts on bronze stands for the south and north and ten for the west. Then he hung a curtain of fine linen on the posts along each of these three sides by using silver hooks and rods. He placed three bronze posts on each side of the entrance at the east and hung a curtain seven and a half yards wide on each set of posts.     ^18-19For the entrance to the courtyard, Bezalel made a curtain ten yards long, which he hung on four bronze posts that were set on bronze stands. This curtain was the same height as the one for the rest of the courtyard and was made of fine linen embroidered and woven with blue, purple, and red wool. He hung the curtain on the four posts, using silver hooks and rods. ²⁰The pegs for the tent and for the curtain around the tent were made of bronze.
   

The Sacred Tent

 ^21-23Bezalel had worked closely with Oholiab, ^[c] who was an expert at designing and engraving, and at embroidering blue, purple, and red wool. The two of them completed the work that the LORD had commanded. Moses made Aaron's son Ithamar responsible for keeping record of the metals used for the sacred tent. ²⁴According to the official weights, the amount of gold given was two thousand two hundred nine pounds, ²⁵and the silver that was collected when the people were counted ^[d] came to seven thousand five hundred fifty pounds. ²⁶Everyone who was counted paid the required amount, and there was a total of 603,550 men who were twenty years old or older. ²⁷Seventy-five pounds of the silver were used to make each of the one hundred stands for the sacred tent and the curtain. ²⁸The remaining fifty pounds of silver were used for the hooks and rods and for covering the tops of the posts.     ²⁹Five thousand three hundred pounds of bronze were given. ³⁰And it was used to make the stands for the entrance to the tent, the altar and its grating, the equipment for the altar, ³¹the stands for the posts that surrounded the courtyard, including those at the entrance to the courtyard, and the pegs for the tent and the courtyard.
   

Footnotes:

1. Exodus 37:6 place of mercy: See the note at 26.34.
2. Exodus 37:11 a gold edging. . . wide: Or " a gold edging around it three inches wide."
3. Exodus 38:21 Bezalel. . . Oholiab: Hebrew " Bezalel son of Uri and grandson of Hur of the Judah tribe had worked closely with Oholiab son of Ahisamach from the tribe of Dan."
4. Exodus 38:25 counted: See 30.11-16; Numbers 1.

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Matthew 28:1-20 (Contemporary English Version)

Matthew 28

Jesus Is Alive

(Mark 16.1-8; Luke 24.1-12; John 20.1-10)

 ¹The Sabbath was over, and it was almost daybreak on Sunday when Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. ²Suddenly a strong earthquake struck, and the Lord's angel came down from heaven. He rolled away the stone and sat on it. ³The angel looked as bright as lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. ⁴The guards shook from fear and fell down, as though they were dead.     ⁵The angel said to the women, "Don't be afraid! I know you are looking for Jesus, who was nailed to a cross. ⁶He isn't here! God has raised him to life, just as Jesus said he would. Come, see the place where his body was lying. ⁷Now hurry! Tell his disciples that he has been raised to life and is on his way to Galilee. Go there, and you will see him. That is what I came to tell you."
    ⁸The women were frightened and yet very happy, as they hurried from the tomb and ran to tell his disciples. ⁹Suddenly Jesus met them and greeted them. They went near him, held on to his feet, and worshiped him. ¹⁰Then Jesus said, "Don't be afraid! Tell my followers to go to Galilee. They will see me there."
   

Report of the Guard

 ¹¹While the women were on their way, some soldiers who had been guarding the tomb went into the city. They told the chief priests everything that had happened. ¹²So the chief priests met with the leaders and decided to bribe the soldiers with a lot of money. ¹³They said to the soldiers, "Tell everyone that Jesus' disciples came during the night and stole his body while you were asleep. ¹⁴If the governor ^[a] hears about this, we will talk to him. You won't have anything to worry about." ¹⁵The soldiers took the money and did what they were told. The Jewish people still tell each other this story.

What Jesus' Followers Must Do

(Mark 16.14-18; Luke 24.36-49; John 20.19-23; Acts 1.6-8)

 ¹⁶Jesus' eleven disciples went to a mountain in Galilee, where Jesus had told them to meet him. ¹⁷They saw him and worshiped him, but some of them doubted.     ¹⁸Jesus came to them and said:
   I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth! ¹⁹Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, ²⁰and teach them to do everything I have told you. I will be with you always, even until the end of the world.
   

Footnotes:

1. Matthew 28:14 governor: Pontius Pilate.

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Psalm 34:11-22 (Contemporary English Version)

¹¹Come, my children, listen
   as I teach you
   to respect the LORD.
    ¹²Do you want to live
   and enjoy a long life?
    ¹³Then don't say cruel things
   and don't tell lies.
    ¹⁴Do good instead of evil
   and try to live at peace.
    ¹⁵If you obey the LORD,
   he will watch over you
   and answer your prayers.
    ¹⁶But God despises evil people,
   and he will wipe them all
   from the earth,
   till they are forgotten.
    ¹⁷When his people pray for help,
   he listens and rescues them
   from their troubles.
    ¹⁸The LORD is there to rescue
   all
   who are discouraged
   and have given up hope.
    ¹⁹The LORD's people
   may suffer a lot,
   but he will always
   bring them safely through.
    ²⁰Not one of their bones
   will ever be broken.
    ²¹Wicked people are killed
   by their own evil deeds,
   and if you hate God's people
   you will be punished.
    ²²The LORD saves the lives
   of his servants.
   Run to him for protection,
   and you won't be punished.

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Proverbs 9:9-10 (Contemporary English Version)

⁹If you have good sense,
   instruction will help you
   to have even better sense.
   And if you live right,
   education will help you
   to know even more.
    ¹⁰Respect and obey the LORD!
   This is the beginning
   of wisdom. ^[a] To have understanding,
   you must know the Holy God.
   

Footnotes:

1. Proverbs 9:10 the beginning of wisdom: Or " what wisdom is all about."

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Verse of the Day

 

“But I am giving you a new command. You must love each other, just as I have loved you. If you love each other, everyone will know that you are my disciples.” - John 13:34-35

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

 

American character actor, Frank Morgan wrote, “A heart is not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others.”