One Year Bible.

The Ephod

¹From the blue, purple, and scarlet yarn they made specially woven garments for ministry in the sanctuary, as well as the holy garments for Aaron, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

²Bezalel made the ephod of finely spun linen embroidered with gold, and with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn. ³They hammered out thin sheets of gold and cut threads from them to interweave with the blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and fine linen — the work of a skilled craftsman. ⁴They made shoulder pieces for the ephod, which were attached at two of its corners, so it could be fastened. ⁵And the skillfully woven waistband of the ephod was of one piece with the ephod, of the same workmanship — with gold, with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and with finely spun linen, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

⁶They mounted the onyx stones in gold filigree settings, engraved like a seal with the names of the sons of Israel. ⁷Then they fastened them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as memorial stones for the sons of Israel, as the LORD had commanded Moses.

The Breastpiece

⁸He made the breastpiece with the same workmanship as the ephod, with gold, with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and with finely spun linen. ⁹It was square when folded over double, a span long and a span wide.

¹⁰And they mounted on it four rows of gemstones:

The first row had a ruby, a topaz, and an emerald;

¹¹the second row had a turquoise, a sapphire, and a diamond;

¹²the third row had a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst;

¹³and the fourth row had a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper.

These stones were mounted in gold filigree settings.

¹⁴The twelve stones corresponded to the names of the sons of Israel. Each stone was engraved like a seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes.

¹⁵For the breastpiece they made braided chains like cords of pure gold. ¹⁶They also made two gold filigree settings and two gold rings, and fastened the two rings to the two corners of the breastpiece. ¹⁷Then they fastened the two gold chains to the two gold rings at the corners of the breastpiece, ¹⁸and they fastened the other ends of the two chains to the two filigree settings, attaching them to the shoulder pieces of the ephod at the front.

¹⁹They made two more gold rings and attached them to the other two corners of the breastpiece, on the inside edge next to the ephod.

²⁰They made two additional gold rings and attached them to the bottom of the two shoulder pieces of the ephod, on its front, near the seam just above its woven waistband. ²¹Then they tied the rings of the breastpiece to the rings of the ephod with a cord of blue yarn, so that the breastpiece was above the waistband of the ephod and would not swing out from the ephod, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

Additional Priestly Garments

²²They made the robe of the ephod entirely of blue cloth, the work of a weaver, ²³with an opening in the center of the robe like that of a garment, with a collar around the opening so that it would not tear.

²⁴They made pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and finely spun linen on the lower hem of the robe. ²⁵They also made bells of pure gold and attached them around the hem between the pomegranates, ²⁶alternating the bells and pomegranates around the lower hem of the robe to be worn for ministry, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

²⁷For Aaron and his sons they made tunics of fine linen, the work of a weaver, ²⁸as well as the turban of fine linen, the ornate headbands and undergarments of finely spun linen, ²⁹and the sash of finely spun linen, embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

³⁰They also made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold, and they engraved on it, like an inscription on a seal:

HOLY TO THE LORD.

³¹Then they fastened to it a blue cord to mount it on the turban, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

Moses Approves the Work

³²So all the work for the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting, was completed. The Israelites did everything just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

³³Then they brought the tabernacle to Moses:

the tent with all its furnishings, its clasps, its frames, its crossbars, and its posts and bases;

³⁴the covering of ram skins dyed red, the covering of fine leather, and the veil of the covering;

³⁵the ark of the Testimony with its poles and the mercy seat;

³⁶the table with all its utensils and the Bread of the Presence;

³⁷the pure gold lampstand with its row of lamps and all its utensils, as well as the oil for the light;

³⁸the gold altar, the anointing oil, the fragrant incense, and the curtain for the entrance to the tent;

³⁹the bronze altar with its bronze grating, its poles, and all its utensils;

the basin with its stand;

⁴⁰the curtains of the courtyard with its posts and bases;

the curtain for the gate of the courtyard, its ropes and tent pegs, and all the equipment for the service of the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting;

⁴¹and the woven garments for ministering in the sanctuary, both the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons to serve as priests.

⁴²The Israelites had done all the work just as the LORD had commanded Moses. ⁴³And Moses inspected all the work and saw that they had accomplished it just as the LORD had commanded. So Moses blessed them.

Setting Up the Tabernacle

¹Then the LORD said to Moses, ²“On the first day of the first month you are to set up the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting. ³Put the ark of the Testimony in it and screen off the ark with the veil. ⁴Then bring in the table and set out its arrangement; bring in the lampstand as well, and set up its lamps.

⁵Place the gold altar of incense in front of the ark of the Testimony, and hang the curtain at the entrance to the tabernacle. ⁶Place the altar of burnt offering in front of the entrance to the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting. ⁷And place the basin between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and put water in it.

⁸Set up the surrounding courtyard and hang the curtain for the entrance to the courtyard.

⁹Take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and everything in it; consecrate it along with all its furnishings, and it shall be holy. ¹⁰Anoint the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils; consecrate the altar, and it shall be most holy. ¹¹Anoint the basin and its stand and consecrate them.

¹²Then bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and wash them with water. ¹³And you are to clothe Aaron with the holy garments, anoint him, and consecrate him, so that he may serve Me as a priest. ¹⁴Bring his sons forward and clothe them with tunics. ¹⁵Anoint them just as you anointed their father, so that they may also serve Me as priests. Their anointing will qualify them for a permanent priesthood throughout their generations.”

¹⁶Moses did everything just as the LORD had commanded him. ¹⁷So the tabernacle was set up on the first day of the first month of the second year.

¹⁸When Moses set up the tabernacle, he laid its bases, positioned its frames, inserted its crossbars, and set up its posts. ¹⁹Then he spread the tent over the tabernacle and put the covering over the tent, just as the LORD had commanded him.

²⁰Moses took the Testimony and placed it in the ark, attaching the poles to the ark; and he set the mercy seat atop the ark. ²¹Then he brought the ark into the tabernacle, put up the veil for the screen, and shielded off the ark of the Testimony, just as the LORD had commanded him.

²²Moses placed the table in the Tent of Meeting on the north side of the tabernacle, outside the veil. ²³He arranged the bread on it before the LORD, just as the LORD had commanded him.

²⁴He also placed the lampstand in the Tent of Meeting opposite the table on the south side of the tabernacle ²⁵and set up the lamps before the LORD, just as the LORD had commanded him.

²⁶Moses placed the gold altar in the Tent of Meeting, in front of the veil, ²⁷and he burned fragrant incense on it, just as the LORD had commanded him. ²⁸Then he put up the curtain at the entrance to the tabernacle. ²⁹He placed the altar of burnt offering near the entrance to the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting, and offered on it the burnt offering and the grain offering, just as the LORD had commanded him.

³⁰He placed the basin between the Tent of Meeting and the altar and put water in it for washing; ³¹and from it Moses, Aaron, and his sons washed their hands and feet. ³²They washed whenever they entered the Tent of Meeting or approached the altar, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

³³And Moses set up the courtyard around the tabernacle and the altar, and he hung the curtain for the entrance to the courtyard. So Moses finished the work.

The Cloud and the Glory

³⁴Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. ³⁵Moses was unable to enter the Tent of Meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.

³⁶Whenever the cloud was lifted from above the tabernacle, the Israelites would set out through all the stages of their journey. ³⁷If the cloud was not lifted, they would not set out until the day it was taken up. ³⁸For the cloud of the LORD was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel through all their journeys.

Mary Anoints Jesus

¹Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, the hometown of Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead. ²So they hosted a dinner for Jesus there. Martha served, and Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with Him. ³Then Mary took about a pint of expensive perfume, made of pure nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet and wiped them with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

⁴But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was going to betray Him, asked, ⁵“Why wasn’t this perfume sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?” ⁶Judas did not say this because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief. As keeper of the money bag, he used to take from what was put into it.

⁷“Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “She has kept this perfume in preparation for the day of My burial. ⁸The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have Me.”

The Plot to Kill Lazarus

⁹Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews learned that Jesus was there. And they came not only because of Him, but also to see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead. ¹⁰So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, ¹¹for on account of him many of the Jews were deserting them and believing in Jesus.

The Triumphal Entry

¹²The next day the great crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. ¹³They took palm branches and went out to meet Him, shouting:

“Hosanna!”

“Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Blessed is the King of Israel!”

¹⁴Finding a young donkey, Jesus sat on it, as it is written:

¹⁵“Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion.

See, your King is coming,

seated on the colt of a donkey.”

¹⁶At first His disciples did not understand these things, but after Jesus was glorified they remembered what had been done to Him, and they realized that these very things had also been written about Him.

¹⁷Meanwhile, many people who had been with Jesus when He called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to testify. ¹⁸That is also why the crowd went out to meet Him, because they heard that He had performed this sign.

¹⁹Then the Pharisees said to one another, “You can see that this is doing you no good. Look how the whole world has gone after Him!”

Jesus Predicts His Death

²⁰Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the feast. ²¹They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and requested of him, “Sir, we want to see Jesus.” ²²Philip relayed this appeal to Andrew, and both of them went and told Jesus.

²³But Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. ²⁴Truly, truly, I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a seed. But if it dies, it bears much fruit. ²⁵Whoever loves his life will lose it, but whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. ²⁶If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, My servant will be as well. If anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.

²⁷Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? No, it is for this purpose that I have come to this hour. ²⁸Father, glorify Your name!”

Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.”

²⁹The crowd standing there heard it and said that it had thundered. Others said that an angel had spoken to Him.

³⁰In response, Jesus said, “This voice was not for My benefit, but yours. ³¹Now judgment is upon this world; now the prince of this world will be cast out. ³²And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw everyone to Myself.” ³³He said this to indicate the kind of death He was going to die.

³⁴The crowd replied, “We have heard from the Law that the Christ will remain forever. So how can You say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?”

³⁵Then Jesus told them, “For a little while longer, the Light will be among you. Walk while you have the Light, so that darkness will not overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. ³⁶While you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of light.”

After Jesus had spoken these things, He went away and was hidden from them.

Belief and Unbelief

³⁷Although Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still did not believe in Him. ³⁸This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet:

“Lord, who has believed our message?

And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”

³⁹For this reason they were unable to believe. For again, Isaiah says:

⁴⁰“He has blinded their eyes

and hardened their hearts,

so that they cannot see with their eyes,

and understand with their hearts,

and turn,

and I would heal them.”

⁴¹Isaiah said these things because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about Him. ⁴²Nevertheless, many of the leaders believed in Him. But because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue. ⁴³For they loved praise from men more than praise from God.

⁴⁴Then Jesus cried out, “Whoever believes in Me does not believe in Me alone, but in the One who sent Me. ⁴⁵And whoever sees Me sees the One who sent Me. ⁴⁶I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in Me should remain in darkness.

⁴⁷As for anyone who hears My words and does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I have not come to judge the world, but to save the world. ⁴⁸There is a judge for the one who rejects Me and does not receive My words: The word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day.

⁴⁹I have not spoken on My own, but the Father who sent Me has commanded Me what to say and how to say it. ⁵⁰And I know that His command leads to eternal life. So I speak exactly what the Father has told Me to say.”