1 The sons of Reuben, Israel’s firstborn—
(Now he was the firstborn, but when he defiled his father’s bed, his rights as firstborn were given to the sons of Joseph, Israel’s son. So Reuben is not listed as firstborn in the genealogical records. 2 Though Judah was the strongest among his brothers and a leader descended from him, the right of the firstborn belonged to Joseph.)
3 The sons of Reuben, Israel’s firstborn: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.
4 The descendants of Joel: his son Shemaiah, his son Gog, his son Shimei, 5 his son Micah, his son Reaiah, his son Baal, 6 and his son Beerah, whom King Tiglath-Pileser of Assyria carried into exile. Beerah was the tribal leader of Reuben.
7 His brothers by their clans, as listed in their genealogical records:
The leader Jeiel, Zechariah, 8 and Bela son of Azaz, son of Shema, son of Joel.
They lived in Aroer as far as Nebo and Baal Meon. 9 In the east they settled as far as the entrance to the wilderness that stretches to the Euphrates River, for their cattle had increased in numbers in the land of Gilead. 10 During the time of Saul they attacked the Hagrites and defeated them. They took over their territory in the entire eastern region of Gilead.
11 The descendants of Gad lived near them in the land of Bashan, as far as Salecah.
12 They included Joel the leader, Shapham the second in command, Janai, and Shaphat in Bashan. 13 Their relatives, listed according to their families, included Michael, Meshullam, Sheba, Jorai, Jacan, Zia, and Eber—seven in all.
14 These were the sons of Abihail son of Huri, son of Jaroah, son of Gilead, son of Michael, son of Jeshishai, son of Jahdo, son of Buz. 15 Ahi son of Abdiel, son of Guni, was the leader of the family. 16 They lived in Gilead, in Bashan and its surrounding settlements, and in the pasturelands of Sharon to their very borders. 17 All of them were listed in the genealogical records in the time of King Jotham of Judah and in the time of King Jeroboam of Israel.
18 The Reubenites, Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh had 44,760 men in their combined armies, warriors who carried shields and swords, were equipped with bows, and were trained for war. 19 They attacked the Hagrites, Jetur, Naphish, and Nodab. 20 They received divine help in fighting them, and the Hagrites and all their allies were handed over to them. They cried out to God during the battle; he responded to their prayers because they trusted in him. 21 They seized the Hagrites’ animals, including 50,000 camels, 250,000 sheep, and 2,000 donkeys. They also took captive 100,000 people. 22 Because God fought for them, they killed many of the enemy. They dispossessed the Hagrites and lived in their land until the exile.
23 The half-tribe of Manasseh settled in the land from Bashan as far as Baal Hermon, Senir, and Mount Hermon. They grew in number.
24 These were the leaders of their families:
Epher, Ishi, Eliel, Azriel, Jeremiah, Hodaviah, and Jahdiel. They were skilled warriors, men of reputation, and leaders of their families. 25 But they were unfaithful to the God of their ancestors and worshiped instead the gods of the native peoples whom God had destroyed before them. 26 So the God of Israel stirred up King Pul of Assyria (that is, King Tiglath-Pileser of Assyria), and he carried away the Reubenites, Gadites, and half-tribe of Manasseh and took them to Halah, Habor, Hara, and the river of Gozan, where they remain to this very day.
1 (5:27) The sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
2 The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
3 The children of Amram: Aaron, Moses, and Miriam.
The sons of Aaron: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
4 Eleazar was the father of Phinehas, and Phinehas was the father of Abishua. 5 Abishua was the father of Bukki, and Bukki was the father of Uzzi. 6 Uzzi was the father of Zerahiah, and Zerahiah was the father of Meraioth. 7 Meraioth was the father of Amariah, and Amariah was the father of Ahitub. 8 Ahitub was the father of Zadok, and Zadok was the father of Ahimaaz. 9 Ahimaaz was the father of Azariah, and Azariah was the father of Johanan. 10 Johanan was the father of Azariah, who served as a priest in the temple Solomon built in Jerusalem. 11 Azariah was the father of Amariah, and Amariah was the father of Ahitub. 12 Ahitub was the father of Zadok, and Zadok was the father of Shallum. 13 Shallum was the father of Hilkiah, and Hilkiah was the father of Azariah. 14 Azariah was the father of Seraiah, and Seraiah was the father of Jehozadak. 15 Jehozadak went into exile when the Lord sent the people of Judah and Jerusalem into exile by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar.
16 (6:1) The sons of Levi: Gershom, Kohath, and Merari.
17 These are the names of the sons Gershom: Libni and Shimei.
18 The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
19 The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi.
These are the clans of the Levites by their families.
20 To Gershom: his son Libni, his son Jahath, his son Zimmah, 21 his son Joah, his son Iddo, his son Zerah, and his son Jeatherai.
22 The sons of Kohath: his son Amminadab, his son Korah, his son Assir, 23 his son Elkanah, his son Ebiasaph, his son Assir, 24 his son Tahath, his son Uriel, his son Uzziah, and his son Shaul.
25 The sons of Elkanah: Amasai, Ahimoth, 26 his son Elkanah, his son Zophai, his son Nahath, 27 his son Eliab, his son Jeroham, and his son Elkanah.
28 The sons of Samuel: Joel the firstborn and Abijah the second oldest.
29 The descendants of Merari: Mahli, his son Libni, his son Shimei, his son Uzzah, 30 his son Shimea, his son Haggiah, and his son Asaiah.
31 These are the men David put in charge of music in the Lord’s sanctuary, after the ark was placed there. 32 They performed music before the sanctuary of the meeting tent until Solomon built the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem. They carried out their tasks according to regulations.
33 These are the ones who served along with their sons:
From the Kohathites: Heman the musician, son of Joel, son of Samuel, 34 son of Elkanah, son of Jeroham, son of Eliel, son of Toah, 35 son of Zuph, son of Elkanah, son of Mahath, son of Amasai, 36 son of Elkanah, son of Joel, son of Azariah, son of Zephaniah, 37 son of Tahath, son of Assir, son of Ebiasaph, son of Korah, 38 son of Izhar, son of Kohath, son of Levi, son of Israel.
39 Serving beside him was his fellow Levite Asaph, son of Berechiah, son of Shimea, 40 son of Michael, son of Baaseiah, son of Malkijah, 41 son of Ethni, son of Zerah, son of Adaiah, 42 son of Ethan, son of Zimmah, son of Shimei, 43 son of Jahath, son of Gershom, son of Levi.
44 Serving beside them were their fellow Levites, the descendants of Merari, led by Ethan, son of Kishi, son of Abdi, son of Malluch, 45 son of Hashabiah, son of Amaziah, son of Hilkiah, 46 son of Amzi, son of Bani, son of Shemer, 47 son of Mahli, son of Mushi, son of Merari, son of Levi.
48 The rest of their fellow Levites were assigned to perform the remaining tasks at God’s sanctuary. 49 But Aaron and his descendants offered sacrifices on the altar for burnt offerings and on the altar for incense as they had been assigned to do in the Most Holy Sanctuary. They made atonement for Israel, just as God’s servant Moses had ordered.
50 These were the descendants of Aaron:
His son Eleazar, his son Phinehas, his son Abishua, 51 his son Bukki, his son Uzzi, his son Zerahiah, 52 his son Meraioth, his son Amariah, his son Ahitub, 53 his son Zadok, and his son Ahimaaz.
54 These were the areas where Aaron’s descendants lived:
The following belonged to the Kohathite clan, for they received the first allotment:
55 They were allotted Hebron in the territory of Judah, as well as its surrounding pasturelands. 56 (But the city’s land and nearby towns were allotted to Caleb son of Jephunneh.) 57 The descendants of Aaron were also allotted as cities of refuge Hebron, Libnah and its pasturelands, Jattir, Eshtemoa and its pasturelands, 58 Hilez and its pasturelands, Debir and its pasturelands, 59 Ashan and its pasturelands, and Beth Shemesh and its pasturelands.
60 Within the territory of the tribe of Benjamin they were allotted Geba and its pasturelands, Alemeth and its pasturelands, and Anathoth and its pasturelands. Their clans were allotted thirteen cities in all. 61 The rest of Kohath’s descendants were allotted ten cities in the territory of the half-tribe of Manasseh.
62 The clans of Gershom’s descendants received thirteen cities within the territory of the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and Manasseh (in Bashan).
63 The clans of Merari’s descendants were allotted twelve cities within the territory of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun.
64 So the Israelites gave to the Levites these cities and their pasturelands. 65 They allotted these previously named cities from the territory of the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin.
66 The clans of Kohath’s descendants also received cities as their territory within the tribe of Ephraim. 67 They were allotted as cities of refuge Shechem and its pasturelands (in the hill country of Ephraim), Gezer and its pasturelands, 68 Jokmeam and its pasturelands, Beth Horon and its pasturelands, 69 Aijalon and its pasturelands, and Gath Rimmon and its pasturelands.
70 Within the territory of the half-tribe of Manasseh, the rest of Kohath’s descendants received Aner and its pasturelands and Bileam and its pasturelands.
71 The following belonged to Gershom’s descendants:
Within the territory of the half-tribe of Manasseh: Golan in Bashan and its pasturelands and Ashtaroth and its pasturelands.
72 Within the territory of the tribe of Issachar: Kedesh and its pasturelands, Daberath and its pasturelands, 73 Ramoth and its pasturelands, and Anem and its pasturelands.
74 Within the territory of the tribe of Asher: Mashal and its pasturelands, Abdon and its pasturelands, 75 Hukok and its pasturelands, and Rehob and its pasturelands.
76 Within the territory of the tribe of Naphtali: Kedesh in Galilee and its pasturelands, Hammon and its pasturelands, and Kiriathaim and its pasturelands.
77 The following belonged to the rest of Merari’s descendants:
Within the territory of the tribe of Zebulun: Rimmono and its pasturelands, and Tabor and its pasturelands.
78 Within the territory of the tribe of Reuben across the Jordan River east of Jericho: Bezer in the wilderness and its pasturelands, Jahzah and its pasturelands, 79 Kedemoth and its pasturelands, and Mephaath and its pasturelands.
80 Within the territory of the tribe of Gad: Ramoth in Gilead and its pasturelands, Mahanaim and its pasturelands, 81 Heshbon and its pasturelands, and Jazer and its pasturelands.
1 For the law possesses a shadow of the good things to come but not the reality itself, and is therefore completely unable, by the same sacrifices offered continually, year after year, to perfect those who come to worship. 2 For otherwise would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers would have been purified once for all and so have no further consciousness of sin? 3 But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year after year. 4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. 5 So when he came into the world, he said,
“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me.
6 “Whole burnt offerings and sin-offerings you took no delight in.
7 “Then I said, ‘Here I am: I have come—it is written of me in the scroll of the book—to do your will, O God.’”
8 When he says above, “Sacrifices and offerings and whole burnt offerings and sin-offerings you did not desire nor did you take delight in them” (which are offered according to the law), 9 then he says, “Here I am: I have come to do your will.” He does away with the first to establish the second. 10 By his will we have been made holy through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 11 And every priest stands day after day serving and offering the same sacrifices again and again—sacrifices that can never take away sins. 12 But when this priest had offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 where he is now waiting until his enemies are made a footstool for his feet. 14 For by one offering he has perfected for all time those who are made holy. 15 And the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us, for after saying, 16 “This is the covenant that I will establish with them after those days, says the Lord. I will put my laws on their hearts and I will inscribe them on their minds,” 17 then he says, “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no longer.” 18 Now where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.
19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the fresh and living way that he inaugurated for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in the assurance that faith brings, because we have had our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water. 23 And let us hold unwaveringly to the hope that we confess, for the one who made the promise is trustworthy. 24 And let us take thought of how to spur one another on to love and good works, 25 not abandoning our own meetings, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and even more so because you see the day drawing near.
26 For if we deliberately keep on sinning after receiving the knowledge of the truth, no further sacrifice for sins is left for us, 27 but only a certain fearful expectation of judgment and a fury of fire that will consume God’s enemies. 28 Someone who rejected the law of Moses was put to death without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 How much greater punishment do you think that person deserves who has contempt for the Son of God, and profanes the blood of the covenant that made him holy, and insults the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know the one who said, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.” 31 It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
32 But remember the former days when you endured a harsh conflict of suffering after you were enlightened. 33 At times you were publicly exposed to abuse and afflictions, and at other times you came to share with others who were treated in that way. 34 For in fact you shared the sufferings of those in prison, and you accepted the confiscation of your belongings with joy, because you knew that you certainly had a better and lasting possession. 35 So do not throw away your confidence, because it has great reward. 36 For you need endurance in order to do God’s will and so receive what is promised. 37 For just a little longer and he who is coming will arrive and not delay. 38 But my righteous one will live by faith, and if he shrinks back, I take no pleasure in him. 39 But we are not among those who shrink back and thus perish, but are among those who have faith and preserve their souls.
1 Listen to this message, you cows of Bashan who live on Mount Samaria!
You oppress the poor;
you crush the needy.
You say to your husbands,
“Bring us more to drink!”
2 The Sovereign Lord confirms this oath by his own holy character:
“Certainly the time is approaching
when you will be carried away in baskets,
every last one of you in fishermen’s pots.
3 Each of you will go straight through the gaps in the walls;
you will be thrown out toward Harmon.”
The Lord is speaking.
4 “Go to Bethel and rebel!
At Gilgal rebel some more!
Bring your sacrifices in the morning,
your tithes on the third day!
5 Burn a thank offering of bread made with yeast!
Make a public display of your voluntary offerings!
For you love to do this, you Israelites.”
The Sovereign Lord is speaking.
6 “But surely I gave you no food to eat in all your cities;
you lacked food everywhere you lived.
Still you did not come back to me.”
The Lord is speaking
7 “I withheld rain from you three months before the harvest.
I gave rain to one city, but not to another.
One field would get rain, but the field that received no rain dried up.
8 People from two or three cities staggered into one city to get water,
but remained thirsty.
Still you did not come back to me.”
The Lord is speaking
9 “I destroyed your crops with blight and disease.
Locusts kept devouring your orchards, vineyards, fig trees, and olive trees.
Still you did not come back to me.”
The Lord is speaking
10 “I sent against you a plague like one of the Egyptian plagues.
I killed your young men with the sword,
along with the horses you had captured.
I made the stench from the corpses rise up into your nostrils.
Still you did not come back to me.”
The Lord is speaking
11 “I overthrew some of you the way God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.
You were like a burning stick snatched from the flames.
Still you did not come back to me.”
The Lord is speaking
12 “Therefore this is what I will do to you, Israel.
Because I will do this to you,
prepare to meet your God, Israel!”
13 For here he is!
He formed the mountains and created the wind.
He reveals his plans to men.
He turns the dawn into darkness
and marches on the heights of the earth.
The Lord God of Heaven’s Armies is his name!
1 Praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord from the sky.
Praise him in the heavens.
2 Praise him, all his angels.
Praise him, all his heavenly assembly.
3 Praise him, O sun and moon.
Praise him, all you shiny stars.
4 Praise him, O highest heaven,
and you waters above the sky.
5 Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for he gave the command and they came into existence.
6 He established them so they would endure;
he issued a decree that will not be revoked.
7 Praise the Lord from the earth,
you sea creatures and all you ocean depths,
8 O fire and hail, snow and clouds,
O stormy wind that carries out his orders,
9 you mountains and all you hills,
you fruit trees and all you cedars,
10 you animals and all you cattle,
you creeping things and birds,
11 you kings of the earth and all you nations,
you princes and all you leaders on the earth,
12 you young men and young women,
you elderly, along with you children.
13 Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for his name alone is exalted;
his majesty extends over the earth and sky.
14 He has made his people victorious,
and given all his loyal followers reason to praise—
the Israelites, the people who are close to him.
Praise the Lord!
1 Praise the Lord.
Sing to the Lord a new song.
Praise him in the assembly of the godly.
2 Let Israel rejoice in their Creator.
Let the people of Zion delight in their King.
3 Let them praise his name with dancing.
Let them sing praises to him to the accompaniment of the tambourine and harp.
4 For the Lord takes delight in his people;
he exalts the oppressed by delivering them.
5 Let the godly rejoice because of their vindication.
Let them shout for joy upon their beds.
6 May the praises of God be in their mouths
and a two-edged sword in their hands,
7 in order to take revenge on the nations,
and punish foreigners.
8 The godly bind their enemies’ kings in chains,
and their nobles in iron shackles,
9 and execute the judgment to which their enemies have been sentenced.
All his loyal followers will be vindicated.
Praise the Lord.
1 Praise the Lord!
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in the sky, which testifies to his strength!
2 Praise him for his mighty acts;
praise him for his surpassing greatness!
3 Praise him with the blast of the horn;
praise him with the lyre and the harp!
4 Praise him with the tambourine and with dancing;
praise him with stringed instruments and the flute!
5 Praise him with loud cymbals;
praise him with clanging cymbals!
6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord!
