¹Then all the congregation of the children of Israel set out on their journey from the Wilderness of Sin, according to the commandment of the Lᴏʀᴅ, and camped in Rephidim; but there was no water for the people to drink. ²Therefore the people contended with Moses, and said, “Give us water, that we may drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you contend with me? Why do you tempt the Lᴏʀᴅ?” ³And the people thirsted there for water, and the people complained against Moses, and said, “Why is it you have brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” ⁴So Moses cried out to the Lᴏʀᴅ, saying, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me!” ⁵And the Lᴏʀᴅ said to Moses, “Go on before the people, and take with you some of the elders of Israel. Also take in your hand your rod with which you struck the river, and go. ⁶Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.” And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. ⁷So he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the contention of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the Lᴏʀᴅ, saying, “Is the Lᴏʀᴅ among us or not?” ⁸Now Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim. ⁹And Moses said to Joshua, “Choose us some men and go out, fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand.” ¹⁰So Joshua did as Moses said to him, and fought with Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. ¹¹And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. ¹²But Moses’ hands became heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. ¹³So Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. ¹⁴Then the Lᴏʀᴅ said to Moses, “Write this for a memorial in the book and recount it in the hearing of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.” ¹⁵And Moses built an altar and called its name, The-Lord-Is-My-Banner; ¹⁶for he said, “Because the Lᴏʀᴅ has sworn: the Lᴏʀᴅ will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.”

¹Now it happened on one of those days, as He taught the people in the temple and preached the gospel, that the chief priests and the scribes, together with the elders, confronted Him ²and spoke to Him, saying, “Tell us, by what authority are You doing these things? Or who is he who gave You this authority?” ³But He answered and said to them, “I also will ask you one thing, and answer Me: ⁴The baptism of John—was it from heaven or from men?” ⁵And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ ⁶But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us, for they are persuaded that John was a prophet.” ⁷So they answered that they did not know where it was from. ⁸And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.” ⁹Then He began to tell the people this parable: “A certain man planted a vineyard, leased it to vinedressers, and went into a far country for a long time. ¹⁰Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that they might give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the vinedressers beat him and sent him away empty-handed. ¹¹Again he sent another servant; and they beat him also, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. ¹²And again he sent a third; and they wounded him also and cast him out. ¹³Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son. Probably they will respect him when they see him.’ ¹⁴But when the vinedressers saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.’ ¹⁵So they cast him out of the vineyard and killed him. Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do to them? ¹⁶He will come and destroy those vinedressers and give the vineyard to others.” And when they heard it they said, “Certainly not!” ¹⁷Then He looked at them and said, “What then is this that is written: ‘The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone’? ¹⁸“Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.” ¹⁹And the chief priests and the scribes that very hour sought to lay hands on Him, but they feared the people—for they knew He had spoken this parable against them. ²⁰So they watched Him, and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, that they might seize on His words, in order to deliver Him to the power and the authority of the governor. ²¹Then they asked Him, saying, “Teacher, we know that You say and teach rightly, and You do not show personal favoritism, but teach the way of God in truth: ²²Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” ²³But He perceived their craftiness, and said to them, “Why do you test Me? ²⁴Show Me a denarius. Whose image and inscription does it have?” They answered and said, “Caesar’s.” ²⁵And He said to them, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” ²⁶But they could not catch Him in His words in the presence of the people. And they marveled at His answer and kept silent. ²⁷Then some of the Sadducees, who deny that there is a resurrection, came to Him and asked Him, ²⁸saying: “Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man’s brother dies, having a wife, and he dies without children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. ²⁹Now there were seven brothers. And the first took a wife, and died without children. ³⁰And the second took her as wife, and he died childless. ³¹Then the third took her, and in like manner the seven also; and they left no children, and died. ³²Last of all the woman died also. ³³Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife does she become? For all seven had her as wife.” ³⁴And Jesus answered and said to them, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage. ³⁵But those who are counted worthy to attain that age, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; ³⁶nor can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. ³⁷But even Moses showed in the burning bush passage that the dead are raised, when he called the Lord ‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ ³⁸For He is not the God of the dead but of the living, for all live to Him.” ³⁹Then some of the scribes answered and said, “Teacher, You have spoken well.” ⁴⁰But after that they dared not question Him anymore. ⁴¹And He said to them, “How can they say that the Christ is the Son of David? ⁴²Now David himself said in the Book of Psalms: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, ⁴³Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” ‘ ⁴⁴“Therefore David calls Him ‘Lord’; how is He then his Son?” ⁴⁵Then, in the hearing of all the people, He said to His disciples, ⁴⁶“Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, ⁴⁷who devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.”

¹Moreover Elihu answered and said: ²“Do you think this is right? Do you say, ‘My righteousness is more than God’s’? ³For you say, ‘What advantage will it be to You? What profit shall I have, more than if I had sinned?’ ⁴“I will answer you, And your companions with you. ⁵Look to the heavens and see; And behold the clouds— They are higher than you. ⁶If you sin, what do you accomplish against Him? Or, if your transgressions are multiplied, what do you do to Him? ⁷If you are righteous, what do you give Him? Or what does He receive from your hand? ⁸Your wickedness affects a man such as you, And your righteousness a son of man. ⁹“Because of the multitude of oppressions they cry out; They cry out for help because of the arm of the mighty. ¹⁰But no one says, ‘Where is God my Maker, Who gives songs in the night, ¹¹Who teaches us more than the beasts of the earth, And makes us wiser than the birds of heaven?’ ¹²There they cry out, but He does not answer, Because of the pride of evil men. ¹³Surely God will not listen to empty talk, Nor will the Almighty regard it. ¹⁴Although you say you do not see Him, Yet justice is before Him, and you must wait for Him. ¹⁵And now, because He has not punished in His anger, Nor taken much notice of folly, ¹⁶Therefore Job opens his mouth in vain; He multiplies words without knowledge.”

¹For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. ²For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, ³if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. ⁴For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. ⁵Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. ⁶So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. ⁷For we walk by faith, not by sight. ⁸We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. ⁹Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. ¹⁰For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. ¹¹Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are well known to God, and I also trust are well known in your consciences. ¹²For we do not commend ourselves again to you, but give you opportunity to boast on our behalf, that you may have an answer for those who boast in appearance and not in heart. ¹³For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; or if we are of sound mind, it is for you. ¹⁴For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; ¹⁵and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again. ¹⁶Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. ¹⁷Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. ¹⁸Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, ¹⁹that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. ²⁰Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. ²¹For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.