¹And behold, a man of God went from Judah to Bethel by the word of the Lᴏʀᴅ, and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense. ²Then he cried out against the altar by the word of the Lᴏʀᴅ, and said, “O altar, altar! Thus says the Lᴏʀᴅ: ‘Behold, a child, Josiah by name, shall be born to the house of David; and on you he shall sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense on you, and men’s bones shall be burned on you.’ ” ³And he gave a sign the same day, saying, “This is the sign which the Lᴏʀᴅ has spoken: Surely the altar shall split apart, and the ashes on it shall be poured out.” ⁴So it came to pass when King Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God, who cried out against the altar in Bethel, that he stretched out his hand from the altar, saying, “Arrest him!” Then his hand, which he stretched out toward him, withered, so that he could not pull it back to himself. ⁵The altar also was split apart, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the Lᴏʀᴅ. ⁶Then the king answered and said to the man of God, “Please entreat the favor of the Lᴏʀᴅ your God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored to me.” So the man of God entreated the Lᴏʀᴅ, and the king’s hand was restored to him, and became as before. ⁷Then the king said to the man of God, “Come home with me and refresh yourself, and I will give you a reward.” ⁸But the man of God said to the king, “If you were to give me half your house, I would not go in with you; nor would I eat bread nor drink water in this place. ⁹For so it was commanded me by the word of the Lᴏʀᴅ, saying, ‘You shall not eat bread, nor drink water, nor return by the same way you came.’ ” ¹⁰So he went another way and did not return by the way he came to Bethel. ¹¹Now an old prophet dwelt in Bethel, and his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Bethel; they also told their father the words which he had spoken to the king. ¹²And their father said to them, “Which way did he go?” For his sons had seen which way the man of God went who came from Judah. ¹³Then he said to his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” So they saddled the donkey for him; and he rode on it, ¹⁴and went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak. Then he said to him, “Are you the man of God who came from Judah?” And he said, “I am.” ¹⁵Then he said to him, “Come home with me and eat bread.” ¹⁶And he said, “I cannot return with you nor go in with you; neither can I eat bread nor drink water with you in this place. ¹⁷For I have been told by the word of the Lᴏʀᴅ, ‘You shall not eat bread nor drink water there, nor return by going the way you came.’ ” ¹⁸He said to him, “I too am a prophet as you are, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the Lᴏʀᴅ, saying, ‘Bring him back with you to your house, that he may eat bread and drink water.’ ” (He was lying to him.) ¹⁹So he went back with him, and ate bread in his house, and drank water. ²⁰Now it happened, as they sat at the table, that the word of the Lᴏʀᴅ came to the prophet who had brought him back; ²¹and he cried out to the man of God who came from Judah, saying, “Thus says the Lᴏʀᴅ: ‘Because you have disobeyed the word of the Lᴏʀᴅ, and have not kept the commandment which the Lᴏʀᴅ your God commanded you, ²²but you came back, ate bread, and drank water in the place of which the Lᴏʀᴅ said to you, “Eat no bread and drink no water,” your corpse shall not come to the tomb of your fathers.’ ” ²³So it was, after he had eaten bread and after he had drunk, that he saddled the donkey for him, the prophet whom he had brought back. ²⁴When he was gone, a lion met him on the road and killed him. And his corpse was thrown on the road, and the donkey stood by it. The lion also stood by the corpse. ²⁵And there, men passed by and saw the corpse thrown on the road, and the lion standing by the corpse. Then they went and told it in the city where the old prophet dwelt. ²⁶Now when the prophet who had brought him back from the way heard it, he said, “It is the man of God who was disobedient to the word of the Lᴏʀᴅ. Therefore the Lᴏʀᴅ has delivered him to the lion, which has torn him and killed him, according to the word of the Lᴏʀᴅ which He spoke to him.” ²⁷And he spoke to his sons, saying, “Saddle the donkey for me.” So they saddled it. ²⁸Then he went and found his corpse thrown on the road, and the donkey and the lion standing by the corpse. The lion had not eaten the corpse nor torn the donkey. ²⁹And the prophet took up the corpse of the man of God, laid it on the donkey, and brought it back. So the old prophet came to the city to mourn, and to bury him. ³⁰Then he laid the corpse in his own tomb; and they mourned over him, saying, “Alas, my brother!” ³¹So it was, after he had buried him, that he spoke to his sons, saying, “When I am dead, then bury me in the tomb where the man of God is buried; lay my bones beside his bones. ³²For the saying which he cried out by the word of the Lᴏʀᴅ against the altar in Bethel, and against all the shrines on the high places which are in the cities of Samaria, will surely come to pass.” ³³After this event Jeroboam did not turn from his evil way, but again he made priests from every class of people for the high places; whoever wished, he consecrated him, and he became one of the priests of the high places. ³⁴And this thing was the sin of the house of Jeroboam, so as to exterminate and destroy it from the face of the earth.

¹Therefore, my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved. ²I implore Euodia and I implore Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. ³And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life. ⁴Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! ⁵Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. ⁶Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; ⁷and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. ⁸Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. ⁹The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you. ¹⁰But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again; though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity. ¹¹Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: ¹²I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. ¹³I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. ¹⁴Nevertheless you have done well that you shared in my distress. ¹⁵Now you Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me concerning giving and receiving but you only. ¹⁶For even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessities. ¹⁷Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account. ¹⁸Indeed I have all and abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God. ¹⁹And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. ²⁰Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen. ²¹Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brethren who are with me greet you. ²²All the saints greet you, but especially those who are of Caesar’s household. ²³The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

¹Afterward he brought me to the gate, the gate that faces toward the east. ²And behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east. His voice was like the sound of many waters; and the earth shone with His glory. ³It was like the appearance of the vision which I saw—like the vision which I saw when I came to destroy the city. The visions were like the vision which I saw by the River Chebar; and I fell on my face. ⁴And the glory of the Lᴏʀᴅ came into the temple by way of the gate which faces toward the east. ⁵The Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court; and behold, the glory of the Lᴏʀᴅ filled the temple. ⁶Then I heard Him speaking to me from the temple, while a man stood beside me. ⁷And He said to me, “Son of man, this is the place of My throne and the place of the soles of My feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel forever. No more shall the house of Israel defile My holy name, they nor their kings, by their harlotry or with the carcasses of their kings on their high places. ⁸When they set their threshold by My threshold, and their doorpost by My doorpost, with a wall between them and Me, they defiled My holy name by the abominations which they committed; therefore I have consumed them in My anger. ⁹Now let them put their harlotry and the carcasses of their kings far away from Me, and I will dwell in their midst forever. ¹⁰“Son of man, describe the temple to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities; and let them measure the pattern. ¹¹And if they are ashamed of all that they have done, make known to them the design of the temple and its arrangement, its exits and its entrances, its entire design and all its ordinances, all its forms and all its laws. Write it down in their sight, so that they may keep its whole design and all its ordinances, and perform them. ¹²This is the law of the temple: The whole area surrounding the mountaintop is most holy. Behold, this is the law of the temple. ¹³“These are the measurements of the altar in cubits (the cubit is one cubit and a handbreadth): the base one cubit high and one cubit wide, with a rim all around its edge of one span. This is the height of the altar: ¹⁴from the base on the ground to the lower ledge, two cubits; the width of the ledge, one cubit; from the smaller ledge to the larger ledge, four cubits; and the width of the ledge, one cubit. ¹⁵The altar hearth is four cubits high, with four horns extending upward from the hearth. ¹⁶The altar hearth is twelve cubits long, twelve wide, square at its four corners; ¹⁷the ledge, fourteen cubits long and fourteen wide on its four sides, with a rim of half a cubit around it; its base, one cubit all around; and its steps face toward the east.” ¹⁸And He said to me, “Son of man, thus says the Lᴏʀᴅ God: ‘These are the ordinances for the altar on the day when it is made, for sacrificing burnt offerings on it, and for sprinkling blood on it. ¹⁹You shall give a young bull for a sin offering to the priests, the Levites, who are of the seed of Zadok, who approach Me to minister to Me,’ says the Lᴏʀᴅ God. ²⁰You shall take some of its blood and put it on the four horns of the altar, on the four corners of the ledge, and on the rim around it; thus you shall cleanse it and make atonement for it. ²¹Then you shall also take the bull of the sin offering, and burn it in the appointed place of the temple, outside the sanctuary. ²²On the second day you shall offer a kid of the goats without blemish for a sin offering; and they shall cleanse the altar, as they cleansed it with the bull. ²³When you have finished cleansing it, you shall offer a young bull without blemish, and a ram from the flock without blemish. ²⁴When you offer them before the Lᴏʀᴅ, the priests shall throw salt on them, and they will offer them up as a burnt offering to the Lᴏʀᴅ. ²⁵Every day for seven days you shall prepare a goat for a sin offering; they shall also prepare a young bull and a ram from the flock, both without blemish. ²⁶Seven days they shall make atonement for the altar and purify it, and so consecrate it. ²⁷When these days are over it shall be, on the eighth day and thereafter, that the priests shall offer your burnt offerings and your peace offerings on the altar; and I will accept you,’ says the Lᴏʀᴅ God.”

¹Oh come, let us sing to the Lᴏʀᴅ! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. ²Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. ³For the Lᴏʀᴅ is the great God, And the great King above all gods. ⁴In His hand are the deep places of the earth; The heights of the hills are His also. ⁵The sea is His, for He made it; And His hands formed the dry land. ⁶Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the Lᴏʀᴅ our Maker. ⁷For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture, And the sheep of His hand. Today, if you will hear His voice: ⁸“Do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion, As in the day of trial in the wilderness, ⁹When your fathers tested Me; They tried Me, though they saw My work. ¹⁰For forty years I was grieved with that generation, And said, ‘It is a people who go astray in their hearts, And they do not know My ways.’ ¹¹So I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest.’ ”

¹Oh, sing to the Lᴏʀᴅ a new song! Sing to the Lᴏʀᴅ, all the earth. ²Sing to the Lᴏʀᴅ, bless His name; Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day. ³Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples. ⁴For the Lᴏʀᴅ is great and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods. ⁵For all the gods of the peoples are idols, But the Lᴏʀᴅ made the heavens. ⁶Honor and majesty are before Him; Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary. ⁷Give to the Lᴏʀᴅ, O families of the peoples, Give to the Lᴏʀᴅ glory and strength. ⁸Give to the Lᴏʀᴅ the glory due His name; Bring an offering, and come into His courts. ⁹Oh, worship the Lᴏʀᴅ in the beauty of holiness! Tremble before Him, all the earth. ¹⁰Say among the nations, “The Lᴏʀᴅ reigns; The world also is firmly established, It shall not be moved; He shall judge the peoples righteously.” ¹¹Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; Let the sea roar, and all its fullness; ¹²Let the field be joyful, and all that is in it. Then all the trees of the woods will rejoice before the Lᴏʀᴅ. ¹³For He is coming, for He is coming to judge the earth. He shall judge the world with righteousness, And the peoples with His truth.