Exodus 40 

The Tabernacle Completed

1Then the Lord said to Moses, ² “Set up the Tabernacle^[a] on the first day of the new year.^[b] 3 Place the Ark of the Covenant^[c] inside, and install the inner curtain to enclose the Ark within the Most Holy Place. ⁴ Then bring in the table, and arrange the utensils on it. And bring in the lampstand, and set up the lamps.

⁵ “Place the gold incense altar in front of the Ark of the Covenant. Then hang the curtain at the entrance of the Tabernacle. ⁶ Place the altar of burnt offering in front of the Tabernacle entrance. ⁷ Set the washbasin between the Tabernacle^[d] and the altar, and fill it with water.⁸ Then set up the courtyard around the outside of the tent, and hang the curtain for the courtyard entrance.

⁹ “Take the anointing oil and anoint the Tabernacle and all its furnishings to consecrate them and make them holy. ¹⁰ Anoint the altar of burnt offering and its utensils to consecrate them. Then the altar will become absolutely holy. ¹¹ Next anoint the washbasin and its stand to consecrate them.

¹² “Present Aaron and his sons at the entrance of the Tabernacle, and wash them with water.¹³ Dress Aaron with the sacred garments and anoint him, consecrating him to serve me as a priest. ¹⁴ Then present his sons and dress them in their tunics. ¹⁵ Anoint them as you did their father, so they may also serve me as priests. With their anointing, Aaron’s descendants are set apart for the priesthood forever, from generation to generation.”

¹⁶ Moses proceeded to do everything just as the Lord had commanded him. ¹⁷ So the Tabernacle was set up on the first day of the first month of the second year. ¹⁸ Moses erected the Tabernacle by setting down its bases, inserting the frames, attaching the crossbars, and setting up the posts. ¹⁹ Then he spread the coverings over the Tabernacle framework and put on the protective layers, just as the Lord had commanded him.

²⁰ He took the stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant and placed them^[e]inside the Ark. Then he attached the carrying poles to the Ark, and he set the Ark’s cover—the place of atonement—on top of it. ²¹ Then he brought the Ark of the Covenant into the Tabernacle and hung the inner curtain to shield it from view, just as the Lord had commanded him.

²² Next Moses placed the table in the Tabernacle, along the north side of the Holy Place, just outside the inner curtain. ²³ And he arranged the Bread of the Presence on the table before the Lord, just as the Lord had commanded him.

²⁴ He set the lampstand in the Tabernacle across from the table on the south side of the Holy Place. ²⁵ Then he lit the lamps in the Lord’s presence, just as the Lord had commanded him.²⁶ He also placed the gold incense altar in the Tabernacle, in the Holy Place in front of the inner curtain. ²⁷ On it he burned the fragrant incense, just as the Lord had commanded him.

²⁸ He hung the curtain at the entrance of the Tabernacle, ²⁹ and he placed the altar of burnt offering near the Tabernacle entrance. On it he offered a burnt offering and a grain offering, just as the Lord had commanded him.

³⁰ Next Moses placed the washbasin between the Tabernacle and the altar. He filled it with water so the priests could wash themselves. ³¹ Moses and Aaron and Aaron’s sons used water from it to wash their hands and feet. ³² Whenever they approached the altar and entered the Tabernacle, they washed themselves, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

³³ Then he hung the curtains forming the courtyard around the Tabernacle and the altar. And he set up the curtain at the entrance of the courtyard. So at last Moses finished the work.

The Lord’s Glory Fills the Tabernacle

³⁴ Then the cloud covered the Tabernacle, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle.³⁵ Moses could no longer enter the Tabernacle because the cloud had settled down over it, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle.

³⁶ Now whenever the cloud lifted from the Tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out on their journey, following it. ³⁷ But if the cloud did not rise, they remained where they were until it lifted. ³⁸ The cloud of the Lord hovered over the Tabernacle during the day, and at night fire glowed inside the cloud so the whole family of Israel could see it. This continued throughout all their journeys.

Exodus 22 

Protection of Property

1 ^[a]“If someone steals an ox^[b] or sheep and then kills or sells it, the thief must pay back five oxen for each ox stolen, and four sheep for each sheep stolen.

^2 [c]“If a thief is caught in the act of breaking into a house and is struck and killed in the process, the person who killed the thief is not guilty of murder. ³ But if it happens in daylight, the one who killed the thief is guilty of murder.

“A thief who is caught must pay in full for everything he stole. If he cannot pay, he must be sold as a slave to pay for his theft. ⁴ If someone steals an ox or a donkey or a sheep and it is found in the thief’s possession, then the thief must pay double the value of the stolen animal.

⁵ “If an animal is grazing in a field or vineyard and the owner lets it stray into someone else’s field to graze, then the animal’s owner must pay compensation from the best of his own grain or grapes.

⁶ “If you are burning thornbushes and the fire gets out of control and spreads into another person’s field, destroying the sheaves or the uncut grain or the whole crop, the one who started the fire must pay for the lost crop.

⁷ “Suppose someone leaves money or goods with a neighbor for safekeeping, and they are stolen from the neighbor’s house. If the thief is caught, the compensation is double the value of what was stolen. ⁸ But if the thief is not caught, the neighbor must appear before God,^[d]who will determine if he stole the property.

⁹ “Suppose there is a dispute between two people who both claim to own a particular ox, donkey, sheep, article of clothing, or any lost property. Both parties must come before God, and the person whom God declares^[e] guilty must pay double compensation to the other.

¹⁰ “Now suppose someone leaves a donkey, ox, sheep, or any other animal with a neighbor for safekeeping, but it dies or is injured or is taken away, and no one sees what happened.¹¹ The neighbor must then take an oath in the presence of the Lord. If the Lord confirms that the neighbor did not steal the property, the owner must accept the verdict, and no payment will be required. ¹² But if the animal was indeed stolen, the guilty person must pay compensation to the owner. ¹³ If it was torn to pieces by a wild animal, the remains of the carcass must be shown as evidence, and no compensation will be required.

¹⁴ “If someone borrows an animal from a neighbor and it is injured or dies when the owner is absent, the person who borrowed it must pay full compensation. ¹⁵ But if the owner was present, no compensation is required. And no compensation is required if the animal was rented, for this loss is covered by the rental fee.

Social Responsibility

¹⁶ “If a man seduces a virgin who is not engaged to anyone and has sex with her, he must pay the customary bride price and marry her. ¹⁷ But if her father refuses to let him marry her, the man must still pay him an amount equal to the bride price of a virgin.

¹⁸ “You must not allow a sorceress to live.

¹⁹ “Anyone who has sexual relations with an animal must certainly be put to death.

²⁰ “Anyone who sacrifices to any god other than the Lord must be destroyed.^[f]

²¹ “You must not mistreat or oppress foreigners in any way. Remember, you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt.

²² “You must not exploit a widow or an orphan. ²³ If you exploit them in any way and they cry out to me, then I will certainly hear their cry. ²⁴ My anger will blaze against you, and I will kill you with the sword. Then your wives will be widows and your children fatherless.

²⁵ “If you lend money to any of my people who are in need, do not charge interest as a money lender would. ²⁶ If you take your neighbor’s cloak as security for a loan, you must return it before sunset. ²⁷ This coat may be the only blanket your neighbor has. How can a person sleep without it? If you do not return it and your neighbor cries out to me for help, then I will hear, for I am merciful.

²⁸ “You must not dishonor God or curse any of your rulers.

²⁹ “You must not hold anything back when you give me offerings from your crops and your wine.

“You must give me your firstborn sons.

³⁰ “You must also give me the firstborn of your cattle, sheep, and goats. But leave the newborn animal with its mother for seven days; then give it to me on the eighth day.

³¹ “You must be my holy people. Therefore, do not eat any animal that has been torn up and killed by wild animals. Throw it to the dogs.

Exodus 21 

Fair Treatment of Slaves

1 “These are the regulations you must present to Israel.

² “If you buy a Hebrew slave, he may serve for no more than six years. Set him free in the seventh year, and he will owe you nothing for his freedom. ³ If he was single when he became your slave, he shall leave single. But if he was married before he became a slave, then his wife must be freed with him.

⁴ “If his master gave him a wife while he was a slave and they had sons or daughters, then only the man will be free in the seventh year, but his wife and children will still belong to his master. ⁵ But the slave may declare, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children. I don’t want to go free.’ ⁶ If he does this, his master must present him before God.^[a] Then his master must take him to the door or doorpost and publicly pierce his ear with an awl. After that, the slave will serve his master for life.

⁷ “When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she will not be freed at the end of six years as the men are. ⁸ If she does not satisfy her owner, he must allow her to be bought back again. But he is not allowed to sell her to foreigners, since he is the one who broke the contract with her. ⁹ But if the slave’s owner arranges for her to marry his son, he may no longer treat her as a slave but as a daughter.

¹⁰ “If a man who has married a slave wife takes another wife for himself, he must not neglect the rights of the first wife to food, clothing, and sexual intimacy. ¹¹ If he fails in any of these three obligations, she may leave as a free woman without making any payment.

Cases of Personal Injury

¹² “Anyone who assaults and kills another person must be put to death. ¹³ But if it was simply an accident permitted by God, I will appoint a place of refuge where the slayer can run for safety. ¹⁴ However, if someone deliberately kills another person, then the slayer must be dragged even from my altar and be put to death.

¹⁵ “Anyone who strikes father or mother must be put to death.

¹⁶ “Kidnappers must be put to death, whether they are caught in possession of their victims or have already sold them as slaves.

¹⁷ “Anyone who dishonors^[b] father or mother must be put to death.

¹⁸ “Now suppose two men quarrel, and one hits the other with a stone or fist, and the injured person does not die but is confined to bed. ¹⁹ If he is later able to walk outside again, even with a crutch, the assailant will not be punished but must compensate his victim for lost wages and provide for his full recovery.

²⁰ “If a man beats his male or female slave with a club and the slave dies as a result, the owner must be punished. ²¹ But if the slave recovers within a day or two, then the owner shall not be punished, since the slave is his property.

²² “Now suppose two men are fighting, and in the process they accidentally strike a pregnant woman so she gives birth prematurely.^[c] If no further injury results, the man who struck the woman must pay the amount of compensation the woman’s husband demands and the judges approve. ²³ But if there is further injury, the punishment must match the injury: a life for a life, ²⁴ an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, a foot for a foot, ²⁵ a burn for a burn, a wound for a wound, a bruise for a bruise.

²⁶ “If a man hits his male or female slave in the eye and the eye is blinded, he must let the slave go free to compensate for the eye. ²⁷ And if a man knocks out the tooth of his male or female slave, he must let the slave go free to compensate for the tooth.

²⁸ “If an ox^[d] gores a man or woman to death, the ox must be stoned, and its flesh may not be eaten. In such a case, however, the owner will not be held liable. ²⁹ But suppose the ox had a reputation for goring, and the owner had been informed but failed to keep it under control. If the ox then kills someone, it must be stoned, and the owner must also be put to death. ³⁰ However, the dead person’s relatives may accept payment to compensate for the loss of life. The owner of the ox may redeem his life by paying whatever is demanded.

³¹ “The same regulation applies if the ox gores a boy or a girl. ³² But if the ox gores a slave, either male or female, the animal’s owner must pay the slave’s owner thirty silver coins,^[e] and the ox must be stoned.

³³ “Suppose someone digs or uncovers a pit and fails to cover it, and then an ox or a donkey falls into it. ³⁴ The owner of the pit must pay full compensation to the owner of the animal, but then he gets to keep the dead animal.

³⁵ “If someone’s ox injures a neighbor’s ox and the injured ox dies, then the two owners must sell the live ox and divide the price equally between them. They must also divide the dead animal. ³⁶ But if the ox had a reputation for goring, yet its owner failed to keep it under control, he must pay full compensation—a live ox for the dead one—but he may keep the dead ox.

Genesis 47 

I made an error and didn’t finish the last few verses but will include that int he reading for Genesis 48.

Jacob Blesses Pharaoh

1 Then Joseph went to see Pharaoh and told him, “My father and my brothers have arrived from the land of Canaan. They have come with all their flocks and herds and possessions, and they are now in the region of Goshen.”

² Joseph took five of his brothers with him and presented them to Pharaoh. ³ And Pharaoh asked the brothers, “What is your occupation?”

They replied, “We, your servants, are shepherds, just like our ancestors. ⁴ We have come to live here in Egypt for a while, for there is no pasture for our flocks in Canaan. The famine is very severe there. So please, we request permission to live in the region of Goshen.”

⁵ Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Now that your father and brothers have joined you here,⁶ choose any place in the entire land of Egypt for them to live. Give them the best land of Egypt. Let them live in the region of Goshen. And if any of them have special skills, put them in charge of my livestock, too.”

⁷ Then Joseph brought in his father, Jacob, and presented him to Pharaoh. And Jacob blessed Pharaoh.

⁸ “How old are you?” Pharaoh asked him.

⁹ Jacob replied, “I have traveled this earth for 130 hard years. But my life has been short compared to the lives of my ancestors.” ¹⁰ Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh again before leaving his court.

¹¹ So Joseph assigned the best land of Egypt—the region of Rameses—to his father and his brothers, and he settled them there, just as Pharaoh had commanded. ¹² And Joseph provided food for his father and his brothers in amounts appropriate to the number of their dependents, including the smallest children.

Joseph’s Leadership in the Famine

¹³ Meanwhile, the famine became so severe that all the food was used up, and people were starving throughout the lands of Egypt and Canaan. ¹⁴ By selling grain to the people, Joseph eventually collected all the money in Egypt and Canaan, and he put the money in Pharaoh’s treasury. ¹⁵ When the people of Egypt and Canaan ran out of money, all the Egyptians came to Joseph. “Our money is gone!” they cried. “But please give us food, or we will die before your very eyes!”

¹⁶ Joseph replied, “Since your money is gone, bring me your livestock. I will give you food in exchange for your livestock.” ¹⁷ So they brought their livestock to Joseph in exchange for food. In exchange for their horses, flocks of sheep and goats, herds of cattle, and donkeys, Joseph provided them with food for another year.

¹⁸ But that year ended, and the next year they came again and said, “We cannot hide the truth from you, my lord. Our money is gone, and all our livestock and cattle are yours. We have nothing left to give but our bodies and our land. ¹⁹ Why should we die before your very eyes? Buy us and our land in exchange for food; we offer our land and ourselves as slaves for Pharaoh. Just give us grain so we may live and not die, and so the land does not become empty and desolate.”

²⁰ So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh. All the Egyptians sold him their fields because the famine was so severe, and soon all the land belonged to Pharaoh. ²¹ As for the people, he made them all slaves,^[a] from one end of Egypt to the other. ²² The only land he did not buy was the land belonging to the priests. They received an allotment of food directly from Pharaoh, so they didn’t need to sell their land.

²³ Then Joseph said to the people, “Look, today I have bought you and your land for Pharaoh. I will provide you with seed so you can plant the fields. ²⁴ Then when you harvest it, one-fifth of your crop will belong to Pharaoh. You may keep the remaining four-fifths as seed for your fields and as food for you, your households, and your little ones.”

²⁵ “You have saved our lives!” they exclaimed. “May it please you, my lord, to let us be Pharaoh’s servants.” ²⁶ Joseph then issued a decree still in effect in the land of Egypt, that Pharaoh should receive one-fifth of all the crops grown on his land. Only the land belonging to the priests was not given to Pharaoh.

²⁷ Meanwhile, the people of Israel settled in the region of Goshen in Egypt. There they acquired property, and they were fruitful, and their population grew rapidly. ²⁸ Jacob lived for seventeen years after his arrival in Egypt, so he lived 147 years in all.

²⁹ As the time of his death drew near, Jacob^[b] called for his son Joseph and said to him, “Please do me this favor. Put your hand under my thigh and swear that you will treat me with unfailing love by honoring this last request: Do not bury me in Egypt. ³⁰ When I die, please take my body out of Egypt and bury me with my ancestors.”

So Joseph promised, “I will do as you ask.”

³¹ “Swear that you will do it,” Jacob insisted. So Joseph gave his oath, and Jacob bowed humbly at the head of his bed.^[c]