17 verses
4Moses said, "This is what Yahweh says: 'About midnight I will go out into the middle of Egypt, 5and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt will die. From the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, to the firstborn of the female servant who is behind the mill, and all the firstborn of livestock. 6There will be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there has not been, nor will ever be again. 7But against any of the children of Israel a dog won't even bark or move its tongue, against man or animal, that you may know that Yahweh makes a distinction between the Egyptians and Israel. 8All these servants of yours will come down to me, and bow down themselves to me, saying, "Get out, with all the people who follow you;" and after that I will go out.'" He left Pharaoh in hot anger.
9Yahweh said to Moses, "Pharaoh won't listen to you, that my wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt." 10Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh, but Yahweh hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he didn't let the children of Israel go from his land.
1Yahweh spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, 2"This month will be the beginning of months for you. It'll be the first month of the year for you. 3Tell all the congregation of Israel, saying, 'On the tenth day of this month, they must each take a lamb, every man according to their fathers' houses; a lamb for each household; 4and if the household is too little for a lamb, then he and his next door neighbor will take one [large] enough for the number of souls. Make your count for the lamb according to what everyone can eat. 5Your lamb must be without defect, a male a year old. Take it from the sheep or from the goats. 6Keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month; and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel will kill it in the evening. 7They must take some of the blood, and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel, on the houses where they'll eat it. 8That night they must eat the flesh, roasted with fire, with unleavened bread. They must eat it with bitter herbs. 9Don't eat it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roasted with fire; with its head, its legs and its inner parts. 10Let none of it remain until morning; but if any does remain in the morning, you must burn it with fire.
33 verses
11After him was Shammah the son of Agee a Hararite. The Philistines had gathered together into a troop where there was a plot of ground full of lentils; and the people fled from the Philistines. 12But he stood in the middle of the plot and defended it, and killed the Philistines; and Yahweh worked a great victory. 13Three of the thirty chief men went down, and came to David in the harvest time to the cave of Adullam; and the troop of the Philistines was encamped in the valley of Rephaim. 14David was then in the stronghold; and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem. 15David said longingly, "Oh that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!"
16The three mighty men broke through the army of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate and took it and brought it to David; but he would not drink of it, but poured it out to Yahweh. 17He said, "Be it far from me, Yahweh, that I should do this! Isn't this the blood of the men who risked their lives to go?" Therefore he would not drink it. The three mighty men did these things.
18Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief of the three. He lifted up his spear against three hundred and killed them, and had a name among the three. 19Wasn't he most honorable of the three? Therefore he was made their captain. However he wasn't included as one of the three.
20Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man of Kabzeel, who had done mighty deeds, killed the two [sons of] Ariel of Moab. He also went down and killed a lion in the middle of a pit in a time of snow. 21He killed an Egyptian, a man of striking appearance. [Though] the Egyptian had a spear in his hand he went down to him with a staff and snatched the spear out of the Egyptian's hand, then killed him with his [own] spear! 22Benaiah the son of Jehoiada did these things, and had a name among the three mighty men. 23He was more honorable than the thirty, but he didn't attain to the three. David set him over his guard.
24Asahel the brother of Joab was one of the thirty: Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem, 25Shammah the Harodite, Elika the Harodite, 26Helez the Paltite, Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite, 27Abiezer the Anathothite, Mebunnai the Hushathite, 28Zalmon the Ahohite, Maharai the Netophathite, 29Heleb the son of Baanah the Netophathite, Ittai the son of Ribai of Gibeah of the children of Benjamin, 30Benaiah a Pirathonite, Hiddai of the brooks of Gaash. 31Abialbon the Arbathite, Azmaveth the Barhumite, 32Eliahba the Shaalbonite, the sons of Jashen, Jonathan, 33Shammah the Hararite, Ahiam the son of Sharar the Ararite, 34Eliphelet the son of Ahasbai, the son of the Maacathite, Eliam the son of Ahithophel the Gilonite, 35Hezro the Carmelite, Paarai the Arbite, 36Igal the son of Nathan of Zobah, Bani the Gadite, 37Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Beerothite, armor bearers to Joab the son of Zeruiah, 38Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, 39and Uriah the Hittite: thirty-seven in all.
1Again Yahweh's anger burned against Israel, and he moved David against them, saying, "Go, count Israel and Judah." 2The king said to Joab the captain of the army, who was with him, "Now go back and forth through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan even to Beersheba, and number the people, that I may know the sum of the people."
3Joab said to the king, "Now may Yahweh your God add to the people, however many they may be, one hundred times; and may the eyes of my lord the king see it. But why does my lord the king delight in this thing?"
4Notwithstanding, the king's word prevailed against Joab, and against the captains of the army. Joab and the captains of the army went out from the presence of the king, to number the people of Israel.
17 verses
8Rehum the chancellor and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king in this sort: 9then [wrote] Rehum the chancellor, and Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their companions, the Dinaites, and the Apharsathchites, the Tarpelites, the Apharsites, the Archevites, the Babylonians, the Susanchites, the Dehaites, the Elamites, 10and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Osnappar brought over, and set in the city of Samaria, and in the rest [of the country] beyond the River, and so forth. 11This is the copy of the letter that they sent to Artaxerxes the king: "Your servants the men beyond the River, now. 12Be it known to the king, that the Jews who came up from you have come to us to Jerusalem; they are building the rebellious and the bad city, and have finished the walls, and repaired the foundations. 13Be it known now to the king that if this city is built, and the walls finished, they will not pay tribute, custom, or toll, and in the end it will be hurtful to the king. 14Now because we eat the salt of the palace, and it is not appropriate for us to see the king's dishonor, therefore have we sent and informed the king; 15that search may be made in the book of the records of your fathers: so you shall find in the book of the records, and know that this city is a rebellious city, and hurtful to kings and provinces, and of old time they have moved sedition within it; for this cause the city was laid waste. 16We inform the king that, if this city be built, and the walls finished, by this means you shall have no portion beyond the River."
17The king sent an answer to Rehum the chancellor, to Shimshai the scribe, and to the rest of their companions who live in Samaria, and in the rest [of the country] beyond the River: "Peace now! 18The letter which you sent to us has been plainly read before me. 19I decreed, and search has been made, and it is found that this city of old time has made insurrection against kings, and that rebellion and sedition have been made there. 20There have been mighty kings also over Jerusalem, who have ruled over all [the country] beyond the River; and tribute, custom, and toll, was paid to them. 21Make a decree now to cause these men to cease, and that this city not be built, until a decree shall be made by me. 22Be careful that you are not slack in doing so. Why should damage grow to the hurt of the king?"
23Then when the copy of king Artaxerxes's letter was read before Rehum, and Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they went in haste to Jerusalem to the Jews, and made them to cease by force and power. 24Then work stopped on God's house which is at Jerusalem. It stopped until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.
19 verses
35"Let your waist be dressed and your lamps burning. 36Be like men watching for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, that when he comes and knocks, they may immediately open to him. 37Happier are those servants whom the master will find watching when he comes. Absolutely I tell you that he will dress himself, make them recline, and will come and serve them. 38They will be happier if he comes in the second or third watch, and finds them so. 39But know this, that if the householder had known in what hour the thief was coming, he would have watched, and not allowed his house to be broken into. 40So be ready also, for the Son of Man is coming in an hour that you don't expect him."
41Peter said to him, "Lord, are you telling this parable to us, or to everybody?"
42The Lord said, "Who then is the faithful and wise steward, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the right times? 43Happier is that servant whom his master will find doing so when he comes. 44Truly I tell you, that he will set him over all that he has. 45But if that servant says in his heart, 'My master delays his coming,' and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants, and to eat and drink, and to be drunk, 46then the master of that servant will come in a day when he isn't expecting him, and in an hour that he doesn't know, and will cut him in two, and place his portion with the unfaithful. 47That servant, who knew his master's will, and didn't prepare, nor do what he wanted, will be beaten with many lashes, 48but he who didn't know, and did things worthy of lashes, will be beaten with few lashes. To whomever much is given, of him will much be required; and to whom much was entrusted, of him more will be asked.
49"I came to throw fire on the earth. I wish it were already kindled. 50But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished! 51Do you think that I have come to give peace in the earth? I tell you, no, but rather division. 52For from now on, there will be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three. 53They will be divided, father against son, and son against father; mother against daughter, and daughter against her mother; mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law, and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law."
