an ornament of honour, the work of an expert,
the desires of the eyes, goodly and beautiful.
13 Before him there never have been anything like it.
No stranger put them on, but only his sons and his offspring perpetually.
14 His sacrifices shall be wholly burnt,
twice every day continually.
15 Moses consecrated him,
and anointed him with holy oil.
It was an everlasting covenant with him
and to his offspring, all the days of heaven,
to minister to the Lord, to serve as a priest,
and to bless his people in his name.
16 He chose him out of all living
to offer sacrifice to the Lord—
incense, and a sweet fragrance, for a memorial,
to make atonement for your people.
17 He gave to him in his commandments,
authority in the covenants of judgements,
to teach Jacob the testimonies,
and to enlighten Israel in his law.
18 Strangers conspired against him
and envied him in the wilderness:
Dathan and Abiram with their company,
and the congregation of Korah, with wrath and anger.
19 The Lord saw it, and it displeased him.
In the wrath of his anger, they were destroyed.
He did wonders upon them,
to consume them with flaming fire.
20 He added glory to Aaron,
and gave him a heritage.
He divided to him the first fruits of the increase,
and prepared bread of first fruits in abundance.
21 For they eat the sacrifices of the Lord,
which he gave to him and to his offspring.
22 However, in the land of the people, he has no inheritance,
and he has no portion amongst the people,
for the Lord himself is your portion and inheritance.
23 Phinehas the son of Eleazar is the third in glory,
in that he was zealous in the fear of the Lord,
and stood fast when the people turned away,
and he made atonement for Israel.
24 Therefore, a covenant of peace was established for him,
that he should be leader of the sanctuary and of his people,
that he and his offspring should have the dignity of the priesthood forever.
25 Also he made a covenant with David the son of Jesse, of the tribe of Judah.
The inheritance of the king is his alone from son to son.
So the inheritance of Aaron is also to his seed.
26 May God give you wisdom in your heart
to judge his people in righteousness,
that their good things may not be abolished,
and that their glory may endure for all their generations.
46
1 Joshua the son of Nun was valiant in war,
and was the successor of Moses in prophecies.
He was made great according to his name
for the saving of† God’s elect,
to take vengeance on the enemies that rose up against them,
that he might give Israel their inheritance.
2 How was he glorified in the lifting up his hands,
and in stretching out his sword against the cities!
3 Who before him stood so firm?
For the Lord himself brought his enemies to him.
4 Didn’t the sun go back by his hand?
Didn’t one day become as two?
5 He called upon the Most High, the Mighty One,
when his foes pressed in all around him,
and the great Lord heard him.
6 With hailstones of mighty power,
he caused war to break violently upon the nation,
and‡ on the slope he destroyed those who resisted,
so that the nations might know his armour,
how he fought in the sight of the Lord;
for he followed the Mighty One.
7 Also in the time of Moses, he did a work of mercy—
he and Caleb the son of Jephunneh—
in that they withstood the adversary,
hindered the people from sin,
and stilled their wicked complaining.
8 And of six hundred thousand people on foot, they two alone were preserved
to bring them into their inheritance,
into a land flowing with milk and honey.
9 The Lord gave strength to Caleb,
and it remained with him to his old age,
so that he entered the hill country,
and his offspring obtained it for an inheritance,
10 that all the children of Israel might see that it is good to follow the Lord.
11 Also the judges, every one by his name,
all whose hearts didn’t engage in immorality,
and who didn’t turn away from the Lord—
may their memory be blessed!
12 May their bones flourish again out of their place.
May the name of those who have been honoured be renewed in their children.
13 Samuel, the prophet of the Lord, loved by his Lord,
established a kingdom and anointed princes over his people.
14 By the law of the Lord he judged the congregation,
and the Lord watched over Jacob.
15 By his faithfulness he was proved to be a prophet.
By his words he was known to be faithful in vision.
16 When his enemies pressed on him on every side,
he called upon the Lord, the Mighty One,
with the offering of the suckling lamb.
17 Then the Lord thundered from heaven.
He made his voice heard with a mighty sound.
18 He utterly destroyed the rulers of the Tyrians
and all the princes of the Philistines.
19 Before the time of his age-long sleep,
he testified in the sight of the lord and his anointed,
“I have not taken any man’s goods, so much as a sandal;”
and no one accused him.
20 Even after he fell asleep, he prophesied,
and showed the king his end,
and lifted up his voice from the earth in prophecy,
to blot out the wickedness of the people.
47
1 After him, Nathan rose up
to prophesy in the days of David.
2 As is the fat when it is separated from the peace offering,
so was David separated from the children of Israel.
3 He played with lions as with kids,
and with bears as with lambs of the flock.
4 In his youth didn’t he kill a giant,
and take away reproach from the people
when he lifted up his hand with a sling stone,
and beat down the boasting Goliath?
5 For he called upon the Most High Lord,
and he gave him strength in his right hand
to kill a man mighty in war,
to exalt the horn of his people.
6 So they glorified him for his tens of thousands,
and praised him for the blessings of the Lord,
in that a glorious diadem was given to him.
7 For he destroyed the enemies on every side,
and defeated the Philistines his adversaries.
He broke their horn in pieces to this day.
8 In every work of his he gave thanks to the Holy One Most High with words of glory.
He sang praise with his whole heart,
and loved him who made him.
9 He set singers before the altar,
to make sweet melody by their music.†
10 He gave beauty to the feasts,
and set in order the seasons to completion
while they praised his holy name,
and the sanctuary resounded from early morning.
11 The Lord took away his sins,
and exalted his horn forever.
He gave him a covenant of kings,
and a glorious throne in Israel.
12 After him a wise son rose up,
who because of him lived in security.
13 Solomon reigned in days of peace.
God gave him rest all around,
that he might set up a house for his name,
and prepare a sanctuary forever.
14 How wise you were made in your youth,
and filled as a river with understanding!
15 Your influence covered the earth,
and you filled it with parables and riddles.
16 Your name reached to the far away islands,
and you were loved for your peace.
17 For your songs, proverbs, parables,
and interpretations, the countries marvelled at you.
18 By the name of the Lord God,
who is called the God of Israel,
you gathered gold like tin,
and multiplied silver like lead.
19 You bowed your loins to women,
and in your body you were brought into subjection.
20 You blemished your honour,
and defiled your offspring,
to bring wrath upon your children.
I was grieved for your folly,
21 because the sovereignty was divided,
and a disobedient kingdom ruled out of Ephraim.
22 But the Lord will never forsake his mercy.
He won’t destroy any of his works,
nor blot out the posterity of his elect.
He won’t take away the offspring him who loved him.
He gave a remnant to Jacob,
and to David a root from his own family.
23 So Solomon rested with his fathers.
Of his offspring, he left behind him Rehoboam,
the foolishness of the people, and one who lacked understanding,
who made the people revolt by his counsel.
Also Jeroboam the son of Nebat,
who made Israel to sin,
and gave a way of sin to Ephraim.
24 Their sins were multiplied exceedingly,
until they were removed from their land.
25 For they sought out all manner of wickedness,
until vengeance came upon them.
48
1 Then Elijah arose, the prophet like fire.
His word burnt like a torch.
2 He brought a famine upon them,
and by his zeal made them few in number.
3 By the word of the Lord he shut up the heavens.
He brought down fire three times.
4 How you were glorified, O Elijah, in your wondrous deeds!
Whose glory is like yours?
5 You raised up a dead man from death,
from Hades, by the word of the Most High.
6 You brought down kings to destruction,
and honourable men from their sickbeds.
7 You heard rebuke in Sinai,
and judgements of vengeance in Horeb.
8 You anointed kings for retribution,
and prophets to succeed after you.
9 You were taken up in a tempest of fire,
in a chariot of fiery horses.
10 You were recorded for reproofs in their seasons,
to pacify anger, before it broke out into wrath,
to turn the heart of the father to the son,
and to restore the tribes of Jacob.
11 Blessed are those who saw you,
and those who have been beautified with love;
for we also shall surely live.
12 Elijah was wrapped in a whirlwind.
Elisha was filled with his spirit.
In his days he was not moved by the fear of any ruler,
and no one brought him into subjection.
13 Nothing was too hard for him.
When he was buried, his body prophesied.
14 As in his life he did wonders,
so his works were also marvellous in death.
15 For all this the people didn’t repent.
They didn’t depart from their sins,
until they were carried away as a plunder from their land,
and were scattered through all the earth.
The people were left very few in number,
but with a
