¹In the third month after the children of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on the same day, they came to the Wilderness of Sinai. ²For they had departed from Rephidim, had come to the Wilderness of Sinai, and camped in the wilderness. So Israel camped there before the mountain. ³And Moses went up to God, and the Lᴏʀᴅ called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: ⁴‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. ⁵Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. ⁶And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.” ⁷So Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before them all these words which the Lᴏʀᴅ commanded him. ⁸Then all the people answered together and said, “All that the Lᴏʀᴅ has spoken we will do.” So Moses brought back the words of the people to the Lᴏʀᴅ. ⁹And the Lᴏʀᴅ said to Moses, “Behold, I come to you in the thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you, and believe you forever.” So Moses told the words of the people to the Lᴏʀᴅ. ¹⁰Then the Lᴏʀᴅ said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes. ¹¹And let them be ready for the third day. For on the third day the Lᴏʀᴅ will come down upon Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. ¹²You shall set bounds for the people all around, saying, ‘Take heed to yourselves that you do not go up to the mountain or touch its base. Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death. ¹³Not a hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned or shot with an arrow; whether man or beast, he shall not live.’ When the trumpet sounds long, they shall come near the mountain.” ¹⁴So Moses went down from the mountain to the people and sanctified the people, and they washed their clothes. ¹⁵And he said to the people, “Be ready for the third day; do not come near your wives.” ¹⁶Then it came to pass on the third day, in the morning, that there were thunderings and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain; and the sound of the trumpet was very loud, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled. ¹⁷And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. ¹⁸Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the Lᴏʀᴅ descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly. ¹⁹And when the blast of the trumpet sounded long and became louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him by voice. ²⁰Then the Lᴏʀᴅ came down upon Mount Sinai, on the top of the mountain. And the Lᴏʀᴅ called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. ²¹And the Lᴏʀᴅ said to Moses, “Go down and warn the people, lest they break through to gaze at the Lᴏʀᴅ, and many of them perish. ²²Also let the priests who come near the Lᴏʀᴅ consecrate themselves, lest the Lᴏʀᴅ break out against them.” ²³But Moses said to the Lᴏʀᴅ, “The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai; for You warned us, saying, ‘Set bounds around the mountain and consecrate it.’ ” ²⁴Then the Lᴏʀᴅ said to him, “Away! Get down and then come up, you and Aaron with you. But do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the Lᴏʀᴅ, lest He break out against them.” ²⁵So Moses went down to the people and spoke to them.

¹Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called Passover. ²And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might kill Him, for they feared the people. ³Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve. ⁴So he went his way and conferred with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray Him to them. ⁵And they were glad, and agreed to give him money. ⁶So he promised and sought opportunity to betray Him to them in the absence of the multitude. ⁷Then came the Day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover must be killed. ⁸And He sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat.” ⁹So they said to Him, “Where do You want us to prepare?” ¹⁰And He said to them, “Behold, when you have entered the city, a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him into the house which he enters. ¹¹Then you shall say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, “Where is the guest room where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?” ’ ¹²Then he will show you a large, furnished upper room; there make ready.” ¹³So they went and found it just as He had said to them, and they prepared the Passover. ¹⁴When the hour had come, He sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him. ¹⁵Then He said to them, “With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; ¹⁶for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” ¹⁷Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, “Take this and divide it among yourselves; ¹⁸for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” ¹⁹And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” ²⁰Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you. ²¹But behold, the hand of My betrayer is with Me on the table. ²²And truly the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!” ²³Then they began to question among themselves, which of them it was who would do this thing. ²⁴Now there was also a dispute among them, as to which of them should be considered the greatest. ²⁵And He said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called ‘benefactors.’ ²⁶But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves. ²⁷For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves? Is it not he who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as the One who serves. ²⁸But you are those who have continued with Me in My trials. ²⁹And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me, ³⁰that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” ³¹And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. ³²But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.” ³³But he said to Him, “Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death.” ³⁴Then He said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me.” ³⁵And He said to them, “When I sent you without money bag, knapsack, and sandals, did you lack anything?” So they said, “Nothing.” ³⁶Then He said to them, “But now, he who has a money bag, let him take it, and likewise a knapsack; and he who has no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one. ³⁷For I say to you that this which is written must still be accomplished in Me: ‘And He was numbered with the transgressors.’ For the things concerning Me have an end.” ³⁸So they said, “Lord, look, here are two swords.” And He said to them, “It is enough.” ³⁹Coming out, He went to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed, and His disciples also followed Him. ⁴⁰When He came to the place, He said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” ⁴¹And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, ⁴²saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” ⁴³Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. ⁴⁴And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. ⁴⁵When He rose up from prayer, and had come to His disciples, He found them sleeping from sorrow. ⁴⁶Then He said to them, “Why do you sleep? Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation.” ⁴⁷And while He was still speaking, behold, a multitude; and he who was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them and drew near to Jesus to kiss Him. ⁴⁸But Jesus said to him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?” ⁴⁹When those around Him saw what was going to happen, they said to Him, “Lord, shall we strike with the sword?” ⁵⁰And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear. ⁵¹But Jesus answered and said, “Permit even this.” And He touched his ear and healed him. ⁵²Then Jesus said to the chief priests, captains of the temple, and the elders who had come to Him, “Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs? ⁵³When I was with you daily in the temple, you did not try to seize Me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness.” ⁵⁴Having arrested Him, they led Him and brought Him into the high priest’s house. But Peter followed at a distance. ⁵⁵Now when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them. ⁵⁶And a certain servant girl, seeing him as he sat by the fire, looked intently at him and said, “This man was also with Him.” ⁵⁷But he denied Him, saying, “Woman, I do not know Him.” ⁵⁸And after a little while another saw him and said, “You also are of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not!” ⁵⁹Then after about an hour had passed, another confidently affirmed, saying, “Surely this fellow also was with Him, for he is a Galilean.” ⁶⁰But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are saying!” Immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. ⁶¹And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” ⁶²So Peter went out and wept bitterly. ⁶³Now the men who held Jesus mocked Him and beat Him. ⁶⁴And having blindfolded Him, they struck Him on the face and asked Him, saying, “Prophesy! Who is the one who struck You?” ⁶⁵And many other things they blasphemously spoke against Him. ⁶⁶As soon as it was day, the elders of the people, both chief priests and scribes, came together and led Him into their council, saying, ⁶⁷“If You are the Christ, tell us.” But He said to them, “If I tell you, you will by no means believe. ⁶⁸And if I also ask you, you will by no means answer Me or let Me go. ⁶⁹Hereafter the Son of Man will sit on the right hand of the power of God.” ⁷⁰Then they all said, “Are You then the Son of God?” So He said to them, “You rightly say that I am.” ⁷¹And they said, “What further testimony do we need? For we have heard it ourselves from His own mouth.”

¹“At this also my heart trembles, And leaps from its place. ²Hear attentively the thunder of His voice, And the rumbling that comes from His mouth. ³He sends it forth under the whole heaven, His lightning to the ends of the earth. ⁴After it a voice roars; He thunders with His majestic voice, And He does not restrain them when His voice is heard. ⁵God thunders marvelously with His voice; He does great things which we cannot comprehend. ⁶For He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth’; Likewise to the gentle rain and the heavy rain of His strength. ⁷He seals the hand of every man, That all men may know His work. ⁸The beasts go into dens, And remain in their lairs. ⁹From the chamber of the south comes the whirlwind, And cold from the scattering winds of the north. ¹⁰By the breath of God ice is given, And the broad waters are frozen. ¹¹Also with moisture He saturates the thick clouds; He scatters His bright clouds. ¹²And they swirl about, being turned by His guidance, That they may do whatever He commands them On the face of the whole earth. ¹³He causes it to come, Whether for correction, Or for His land, Or for mercy. ¹⁴“Listen to this, O Job; Stand still and consider the wondrous works of God. ¹⁵Do you know when God dispatches them, And causes the light of His cloud to shine? ¹⁶Do you know how the clouds are balanced, Those wondrous works of Him who is perfect in knowledge? ¹⁷Why are your garments hot, When He quiets the earth by the south wind? ¹⁸With Him, have you spread out the skies, Strong as a cast metal mirror? ¹⁹“Teach us what we should say to Him, For we can prepare nothing because of the darkness. ²⁰Should He be told that I wish to speak? If a man were to speak, surely he would be swallowed up. ²¹Even now men cannot look at the light when it is bright in the skies, When the wind has passed and cleared them. ²²He comes from the north as golden splendor; With God is awesome majesty. ²³As for the Almighty, we cannot find Him; He is excellent in power, In judgment and abundant justice; He does not oppress. ²⁴Therefore men fear Him; He shows no partiality to any who are wise of heart.”

¹Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. ²Open your hearts to us. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have cheated no one. ³I do not say this to condemn; for I have said before that you are in our hearts, to die together and to live together. ⁴Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my boasting on your behalf. I am filled with comfort. I am exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation. ⁵For indeed, when we came to Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were troubled on every side. Outside were conflicts, inside were fears. ⁶Nevertheless God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, ⁷and not only by his coming, but also by the consolation with which he was comforted in you, when he told us of your earnest desire, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced even more. ⁸For even if I made you sorry with my letter, I do not regret it; though I did regret it. For I perceive that the same epistle made you sorry, though only for a while. ⁹Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. ¹⁰For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death. ¹¹For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter. ¹²Therefore, although I wrote to you, I did not do it for the sake of him who had done the wrong, nor for the sake of him who suffered wrong, but that our care for you in the sight of God might appear to you. ¹³Therefore we have been comforted in your comfort. And we rejoiced exceedingly more for the joy of Titus, because his spirit has been refreshed by you all. ¹⁴For if in anything I have boasted to him about you, I am not ashamed. But as we spoke all things to you in truth, even so our boasting to Titus was found true. ¹⁵And his affections are greater for you as he remembers the obedience of you all, how with fear and trembling you received him. ¹⁶Therefore I rejoice that I have confidence in you in everything.