T45 - Va'etchanan
Portion (parasha) for this week:
Va'etchanan | ואתחנן | "I Pleaded"
Torah: Deuteronomy 3:23 - 7:11
Prophets: Isaiah 40:1-26
Brit Hadasha: Luke 4:1-13, 10:25-37, 22:13-38; Acts 13:13-43; Romans 3:21-31; 1 Timothy 2:1-15; James 2:14-26
(click on a selected reading to be taken directly to it)
"Torah Portions" are a systematic teaching schedule that includes a portion of scripture from the Torah, Prophets, and Brit Hadasha each week. This schedule is known all over the world, and serves as a great way to facilitate discussion and learning with others in the Body of the Messiah.
Deuteronomy 3:23 - 7:11
English Standard Version (ESV)
Moses Forbidden to Enter the Land
23 “And I pleaded with YHWH at that time, saying, 24 ‘O Lord YHWH, you have only begun to show your servant your greatness and your mighty hand. For what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do such works and mighty acts as yours? 25 Please let me go over and see the good land beyond the Jordan, that good hill country and Lebanon.’ 26 But YHWH was angry with me because of you and would not listen to me. And YHWH said to me, ‘Enough from you; do not speak to me of this matter again. 27 Go up to the top of Pisgah and lift up your eyes westward and northward and southward and eastward, and look at it with your eyes, for you shall not go over this Jordan. 28 But charge Joshua, and encourage and strengthen him, for he shall go over at the head of this people, and he shall put them in possession of the land that you shall see.’ 29 So we remained in the valley opposite Beth-peor.
Moses Commands Obedience
4 “And now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the rules[a] that I am teaching you, and do them, that you may live, and go in and take possession of the land that YHWH, the Elohim of your fathers, is giving you. 2 You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of YHWH your Elohim that I command you. 3 Your eyes have seen what YHWH did at Baal-peor, for YHWH your Elohim destroyed from among you all the men who followed the Baal of Peor. 4 But you who held fast to YHWH your Elohim are all alive today. 5 See, I have taught you statutes and rules, as YHWH my Elohim commanded me, that you should do them in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. 6 Keep them and do them, for that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ 7 For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as YHWH our Elohim is to us, whenever we call upon him? 8 And what great nation is there, that has statutes and rules so righteous as all this law that I set before you today?
9 “Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children's children— 10 how on the day that you stood before YHWH your Elohim at Horeb, YHWH said to me, ‘Gather the people to me, that I may let them hear my words, so that they may learn to fear me all the days that they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children so.’ 11 And you came near and stood at the foot of the mountain, while the mountain burned with fire to the heart of heaven, wrapped in darkness, cloud, and gloom. 12 Then YHWH spoke to you out of the midst of the fire. You heard the sound of words, but saw no form; there was only a voice. 13 And he declared to you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, that is, the Ten Commandments,[b] and he wrote them on two tablets of stone. 14 And YHWH commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and rules, that you might do them in the land that you are going over to possess.
Idolatry Forbidden
15 “Therefore watch yourselves very carefully. Since you saw no form on the day that YHWH spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire, 16 beware lest you act corruptly by making a carved image for yourselves, in the form of any figure, the likeness of male or female, 17 the likeness of any animal that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged bird that flies in the air, 18 the likeness of anything that creeps on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the water under the earth. 19 And beware lest you raise your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of heaven, you be drawn away and bow down to them and serve them, things that YHWH your Elohim has allotted to all the peoples under the whole heaven. 20 But YHWH has taken you and brought you out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be a people of his own inheritance, as you are this day. 21 Furthermore, YHWH was angry with me because of you, and he swore that I should not cross the Jordan, and that I should not enter the good land that YHWH your Elohim is giving you for an inheritance. 22 For I must die in this land; I must not go over the Jordan. But you shall go over and take possession of that good land. 23 Take care, lest you forget the covenant of YHWH your Elohim, which he made with you, and make a carved image, the form of anything that YHWH your Elohim has forbidden you. 24 For YHWH your Elohim is a consuming fire, a jealous Elohim.
25 “When you father children and children's children, and have grown old in the land, if you act corruptly by making a carved image in the form of anything, and by doing what is evil in the sight of YHWH your Elohim, so as to provoke him to anger, 26 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that you will soon utterly perish from the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess. You will not live long in it, but will be utterly destroyed. 27 And YHWH will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations where YHWH will drive you. 28 And there you will serve gods of wood and stone, the work of human hands, that neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell. 29 But from there you will seek YHWH your Elohim and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul. 30 When you are in tribulation, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, you will return to YHWH your Elohim and obey his voice. 31 For YHWH your Elohim is a merciful Elohim. He will not leave you or destroy you or forget the covenant with your fathers that he swore to them.
YHWH Alone Is Elohim
32 “For ask now of the days that are past, which were before you, since the day that Elohim created man on the earth, and ask from one end of heaven to the other, whether such a great thing as this has ever happened or was ever heard of. 33 Did any people ever hear the voice of a god speaking out of the midst of the fire, as you have heard, and still live? 34 Or has any god ever attempted to go and take a nation for himself from the midst of another nation, by trials, by signs, by wonders, and by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and by great deeds of terror, all of which YHWH your Elohim did for you in Egypt before your eyes? 35 To you it was shown, that you might know that YHWH is Elohim; there is no other besides him. 36 Out of heaven he let you hear his voice, that he might discipline you. And on earth he let you see his great fire, and you heard his words out of the midst of the fire. 37 And because he loved your fathers and chose their offspring after them[c] and brought you out of Egypt with his own presence, by his great power, 38 driving out before you nations greater and mightier than you, to bring you in, to give you their land for an inheritance, as it is this day, 39 know therefore today, and lay it to your heart, that YHWH is Elohim in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other. 40 Therefore you shall keep his statutes and his commandments, which I command you today, that it may go well with you and with your children after you, and that you may prolong your days in the land that YHWH your Elohim is giving you for all time.”
Cities of Refuge
41 Then Moses set apart three cities in the east beyond the Jordan, 42 that the manslayer might flee there, anyone who kills his neighbor unintentionally, without being at enmity with him in time past; he may flee to one of these cities and save his life: 43 Bezer in the wilderness on the tableland for the Reubenites, Ramoth in Gilead for the Gadites, and Golan in Bashan for the Manassites.
Introduction to the Law
44 This is the law that Moses set before the people of Israel. 45 These are the testimonies, the statutes, and the rules, which Moses spoke to the people of Israel when they came out of Egypt, 46 beyond the Jordan in the valley opposite Beth-peor, in the land of Sihon the king of the Amorites, who lived at Heshbon, whom Moses and the people of Israel defeated when they came out of Egypt. 47 And they took possession of his land and the land of Og, the king of Bashan, the two kings of the Amorites, who lived to the east beyond the Jordan; 48 from Aroer, which is on the edge of the Valley of the Arnon, as far as Mount Sirion[d] (that is, Hermon), 49 together with all the Arabah on the east side of the Jordan as far as the Sea of the Arabah, under the slopes of Pisgah.
The Ten Commandments
5 And Moses summoned all Israel and said to them, “Hear, O Israel, the statutes and the rules that I speak in your hearing today, and you shall learn them and be careful to do them. 2 YHWH our Elohim made a covenant with us in Horeb. 3 Not with our fathers did YHWH make this covenant, but with us, who are all of us here alive today. 4 YHWH spoke with you face to face at the mountain, out of the midst of the fire, 5 while I stood between YHWH and you at that time, to declare to you the word of YHWH. For you were afraid because of the fire, and you did not go up into the mountain. He said:
6 “‘I am YHWH your Elohim, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
7 “‘You shall have no other gods before[e] me.
8 “‘You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 9 You shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I YHWH your Elohim am a jealous Elohim, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 10 but showing steadfast love to thousands[f] of those who love me and keep my commandments.
11 “‘You shall not take the name of YHWH your Elohim in vain, for YHWH will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.
12 “‘Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as YHWH your Elohim commanded you. 13 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 14 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to YHWH your Elohim. On it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter or your male servant or your female servant, or your ox or your donkey or any of your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates, that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. 15 You shall remember that you were a slave[g] in the land of Egypt, and YHWH your Elohim brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore YHWH your Elohim commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.
16 “‘Honor your father and your mother, as YHWH your Elohim commanded you, that your days may be long, and that it may go well with you in the land that YHWH your Elohim is giving you.
17 “‘You shall not murder.[h]
18 “‘And you shall not commit adultery.
19 “‘And you shall not steal.
20 “‘And you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
21 “‘And you shall not covet your neighbor's wife. And you shall not desire your neighbor's house, his field, or his male servant, or his female servant, his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's.’
22 “These words YHWH spoke to all your assembly at the mountain out of the midst of the fire, the cloud, and the thick darkness, with a loud voice; and he added no more. And he wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me. 23 And as soon as you heard the voice out of the midst of the darkness, while the mountain was burning with fire, you came near to me, all the heads of your tribes, and your elders. 24 And you said, ‘Behold, YHWH our Elohim has shown us his glory and greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire. This day we have seen Elohim speak with man, and man still live. 25 Now therefore why should we die? For this great fire will consume us. If we hear the voice of YHWH our Elohim any more, we shall die. 26 For who is there of all flesh, that has heard the voice of the living Elohim speaking out of the midst of fire as we have, and has still lived? 27 Go near and hear all that YHWH our Elohim will say, and speak to us all that YHWH our Elohim will speak to you, and we will hear and do it.’
28 “And YHWH heard your words, when you spoke to me. And YHWH said to me, ‘I have heard the words of this people, which they have spoken to you. They are right in all that they have spoken. 29 Oh that they had such a heart as this always, to fear me and to keep all my commandments, that it might go well with them and with their descendants[i] forever! 30 Go and say to them, “Return to your tents.” 31 But you, stand here by me, and I will tell you the whole commandment and the statutes and the rules that you shall teach them, that they may do them in the land that I am giving them to possess.’ 32 You shall be careful therefore to do as YHWH your Elohim has commanded you. You shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. 33 You shall walk in all the way that YHWH your Elohim has commanded you, that you may live, and that it may go well with you, and that you may live long in the land that you shall possess.
The Greatest Commandment
6 “Now this is the commandment—the statutes and the rules[j]—that YHWH your Elohim commanded me to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you are going over, to possess it, 2 that you may fear YHWH your Elohim, you and your son and your son's son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be long. 3 Hear therefore, O Israel, and be careful to do them, that it may go well with you, and that you may multiply greatly, as YHWH, the Elohim of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey.
4 “Hear, O Israel: YHWH our Elohim, YHWH is one.[k] 5 You shall love YHWH your Elohim with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
10 “And when YHWH your Elohim brings you into the land that he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you—with great and good cities that you did not build, 11 and houses full of all good things that you did not fill, and cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant—and when you eat and are full, 12 then take care lest you forget YHWH, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 13 It is YHWH your Elohim you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear. 14 You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are around you— 15 for YHWH your Elohim in your midst is a jealous Elohim—lest the anger of YHWH your Elohim be kindled against you, and he destroy you from off the face of the earth.
16 “You shall not put YHWH your Elohim to the test, as you tested him at Massah. 17 You shall diligently keep the commandments of YHWH your Elohim, and his testimonies and his statutes, which he has commanded you. 18 And you shall do what is right and good in the sight of YHWH, that it may go well with you, and that you may go in and take possession of the good land that YHWH swore to give to your fathers 19 by thrusting out all your enemies from before you, as YHWH has promised.
20 “When your son asks you in time to come, ‘What is the meaning of the testimonies and the statutes and the rules that YHWH our Elohim has commanded you?’ 21 then you shall say to your son, ‘We were Pharaoh's slaves in Egypt. And YHWH brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. 22 And YHWH showed signs and wonders, great and grievous, against Egypt and against Pharaoh and all his household, before our eyes. 23 And he brought us out from there, that he might bring us in and give us the land that he swore to give to our fathers. 24 And YHWH commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear YHWH our Elohim, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as we are this day. 25 And it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to do all this commandment before YHWH our Elohim, as he has commanded us.’
What’s the difference between the law of God
and the law of Moses?
A Chosen People
7 “When YHWH your Elohim brings you into the land that you are entering to take possession of it, and clears away many nations before you, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations more numerous and mightier than you, 2 and when YHWH your Elohim gives them over to you, and you defeat them, then you must devote them to complete destruction.[l] You shall make no covenant with them and show no mercy to them. 3 You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons, 4 for they would turn away your sons from following me, to serve other gods. Then the anger of YHWH would be kindled against you, and he would destroy you quickly. 5 But thus shall you deal with them: you shall break down their altars and dash in pieces their pillars and chop down their Asherim and burn their carved images with fire.
6 “For you are a people holy to YHWH your Elohim. YHWH your Elohim has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. 7 It was not because you were more in number than any other people that YHWH set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, 8 but it is because YHWH loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that YHWH has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 9 Know therefore that YHWH your Elohim is Elohim, the faithful Elohim who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations, 10 and repays to their face those who hate him, by destroying them. He will not be slack with one who hates him. He will repay him to his face. 11 You shall therefore be careful to do the commandment and the statutes and the rules that I command you today.
Footnotes:
- Deuteronomy 4:1 Or just decrees; also verses 5, 8, 14, 45
- Deuteronomy 4:13 Hebrew words
- Deuteronomy 4:37 Hebrew his offspring after him
- Deuteronomy 4:48 Syriac; Hebrew Sion
- Deuteronomy 5:7 Or besides
- Deuteronomy 5:10 Or to the thousandth generation
- Deuteronomy 5:15 Or servant
- Deuteronomy 5:17 The Hebrew word also covers causing human death through carelessness or negligence
- Deuteronomy 5:29 Or sons
- Deuteronomy 6:1 Or just decrees; also verse 20
- Deuteronomy 6:4 Or The Lord our Elohim is one Lord; or The Lord is our Elohim, the Lord is one; or The Lord is our Elohim, the Lord alone
- Deuteronomy 7:2 That is, set apart (devote) as an offering to the Lord (for destruction)
Isaiah 40:1-26
English Standard Version (ESV)
Comfort for Elohim's People
40 Comfort, comfort my people, says your Elohim.
2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
and cry to her
that her warfare[a] is ended,
that her iniquity is pardoned,
that she has received from YHWH's hand
double for all her sins.
3 A voice cries:[b]
“In the wilderness prepare the way of YHWH;
make straight in the desert a highway for our Elohim.
4 Every valley shall be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
and the rough places a plain.
5 And the glory of YHWH shall be revealed,
and all flesh shall see it together,
for the mouth of YHWH has spoken.”
The Word of Elohim Stands Forever
6 A voice says, “Cry!”
And I said,[c] “What shall I cry?”
All flesh is grass,
and all its beauty[d] is like the flower of the field.
7 The grass withers, the flower fades
when the breath of YHWH blows on it;
surely the people are grass.
8 The grass withers, the flower fades,
but the word of our Elohim will stand forever.
What happens if what Isaiah says is not true?
The Greatness of Elohim
9 Go on up to a high mountain,
O Zion, herald of good news;[e]
lift up your voice with strength,
O Jerusalem, herald of good news;[f]
lift it up, fear not;
say to the cities of Judah,
“Behold your Elohim!”
10 Behold, the Lord Elohim comes with might,
and his arm rules for him;
behold, his reward is with him,
and his recompense before him.
11 He will tend his flock like a shepherd;
he will gather the lambs in his arms;
he will carry them in his bosom,
and gently lead those that are with young.
12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand
and marked off the heavens with a span,
enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure
and weighed the mountains in scales
and the hills in a balance?
13 Who has measured[g] the Spirit of YHWH,
or what man shows him his counsel?
14 Whom did he consult,
and who made him understand?
Who taught him the path of justice,
and taught him knowledge,
and showed him the way of understanding?
15 Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket,
and are accounted as the dust on the scales;
behold, he takes up the coastlands like fine dust.
16 Lebanon would not suffice for fuel,
nor are its beasts enough for a burnt offering.
17 All the nations are as nothing before him,
they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness.
18 To whom then will you liken Elohim,
or what likeness compare with him?
19 An idol! A craftsman casts it,
and a goldsmith overlays it with gold
and casts for it silver chains.
20 He who is too impoverished for an offering
chooses wood[h] that will not rot;
he seeks out a skillful craftsman
to set up an idol that will not move.
21 Do you not know? Do you not hear?
Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
22 It is he who sits above the circle of the earth,
and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers;
who stretches out the heavens like a curtain,
and spreads them like a tent to dwell in;
23 who brings princes to nothing,
and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness.
24 Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown,
scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth,
when he blows on them, and they wither,
and the tempest carries them off like stubble.
25 To whom then will you compare me,
that I should be like him? says the Holy One.
26 Lift up your eyes on high and see:
who created these?
He who brings out their host by number,
calling them all by name,
by the greatness of his might,
and because he is strong in power
not one is missing.
Footnotes:
- Isaiah 40:2 Or hardship
- Isaiah 40:3 Or A voice of one crying
- Isaiah 40:6 Revocalization based on Dead Sea Scroll, Septuagint, Vulgate; Masoretic Text And someone says
- Isaiah 40:6 Or all its constancy
- Isaiah 40:9 Or O herald of good news to Zion
- Isaiah 40:9 Or O herald of good news to Jerusalem
- Isaiah 40:13 Or has directed
- Isaiah 40:20 Or He chooses valuable wood
Luke 4:1-13
English Standard Version (ESV)
The Temptation of Yeshua
4 And Yeshua, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness 2 for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. 3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of Elohim, command this stone to become bread.” 4 And Yeshua answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’” 5 And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, 6 and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. 7 If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” 8 And Yeshua answered him, “It is written,
“‘You shall worship the Lord your Elohim,
and him only shall you serve.’”
9 And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of Elohim, throw yourself down from here, 10 for it is written,
“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
to guard you,’
11 and
“‘On their hands they will bear you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”
12 And Yeshua answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your Elohim to the test.’” 13 And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.
Luke 10:25-37
English Standard Version (ESV)
The Parable of the Good Samaritan
25 And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” 27 And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your Elohim with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” 28 And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”
29 But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Yeshua, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Yeshua replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 And the next day he took out two denarii[a] and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ 36 Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” 37 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Yeshua said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”
Footnotes:
- Luke 10:35 A denarius was a day's wage for a laborer
Luke 22:13-38
English Standard Version (ESV)
13 And they went and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover.
Institution of the Lord's Supper
14 And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. 15 And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16 For I tell you I will not eat it[a] until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of Elohim.” 17 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. 18 For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of Elohim comes.” 19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.[b] 21 But behold, the hand of him who betrays me is with me on the table. 22 For the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed!” 23 And they began to question one another, which of them it could be who was going to do this.
Who Is the Greatest?
24 A dispute also arose among them, as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest. 25 And he said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors. 26 But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. 27 For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves.
28 “You are those who have stayed with me in my trials, 29 and I assign to you, as my Father assigned to me, a kingdom, 30 that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
Yeshua Foretells Peter's Denial
31 “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you,[c] that he might sift you like wheat, 32 but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” 33 Peter[d] said to him, “Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death.” 34 Yeshua[e] said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow this day, until you deny three times that you know me.”
Scripture Must Be Fulfilled in Yeshua
35 And he said to them, “When I sent you out with no moneybag or knapsack or sandals, did you lack anything?” They said, “Nothing.” 36 He said to them, “But now let the one who has a moneybag take it, and likewise a knapsack. And let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one. 37 For I tell you that this Scripture must be fulfilled in me: ‘And he was numbered with the transgressors.’ For what is written about me has its fulfillment.” 38 And they said, “Look, Lord, here are two swords.” And he said to them, “It is enough.”
Footnotes:
- Luke 22:16 Some manuscripts never eat it again
- Luke 22:20 Some manuscripts omit, in whole or in part, verses 19b-20 (which is given… in my blood)
- Luke 22:31 The Greek word for you (twice in this verse) is plural; in verse 32, all four instances are singular
- Luke 22:33 Greek He
- Luke 22:34 Greek He
Acts 13:13-43
English Standard Version (ESV)
Paul and Barnabas at Antioch in Pisidia
13 Now Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. And John left them and returned to Jerusalem, 14 but they went on from Perga and came to Antioch in Pisidia. And on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down. 15 After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent a message to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, say it.” 16 So Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said:
“Men of Israel and you who fear Elohim, listen. 17 The Elohim of this people Israel chose our fathers and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with uplifted arm he led them out of it. 18 And for about forty years he put up with[a] them in the wilderness. 19 And after destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance. 20 All this took about 450 years. And after that he gave them judges until Samuel the prophet. 21 Then they asked for a king, and Elohim gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. 22 And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’ 23 Of this man's offspring Elohim has brought to Israel a Savior, Yeshua, as he promised. 24 Before his coming, John had proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. 25 And as John was finishing his course, he said, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. No, but behold, after me one is coming, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.’
26 “Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear Elohim, to us has been sent the message of this salvation. 27 For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him. 28 And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed. 29 And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. 30 But Elohim raised him from the dead, 31 and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people. 32 And we bring you the good news that what Elohim promised to the fathers, 33 this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Yeshua, as also it is written in the second Psalm,
“‘You are my Son,
today I have begotten you.’
34 And as for the fact that he raised him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he has spoken in this way,
“‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.’
35 Therefore he says also in another psalm,
“‘You will not let your Holy One see corruption.’
36 For David, after he had served the purpose of Elohim in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption, 37 but he whom Elohim raised up did not see corruption. 38 Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, 39 and by him everyone who believes is freed[b] from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses. 40 Beware, therefore, lest what is said in the Prophets should come about:
41 “‘Look, you scoffers,
be astounded and perish;
for I am doing a work in your days,
a work that you will not believe, even if one tells it to you.’”
42 As they went out, the people begged that these things might be told them the next Sabbath. 43 And after the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who, as they spoke with them, urged them to continue in the grace of Elohim.
Footnotes:
- Acts 13:18 Some manuscripts he carried (compare Deuteronomy 1:31)
- Acts 13:39 Greek justified; twice in this verse
Romans 3:21-31
English Standard Version (ESV)
The Righteousness of Elohim Through Faith
21 But now the righteousness of Elohim has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of Elohim through faith in Yeshua HaMashiach for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of Elohim, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Yeshua HaMashiach, 25 whom Elohim put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show Elohim's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Yeshua.
27 Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. 28 For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. 29 Or is Elohim the Elohim of Jews only? Is he not the Elohim of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, 30 since Elohim is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. 31 Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.
Has “faith” always been important? Or is it new?
1 Timothy 2:1-15
English Standard Version (ESV)
Pray for All People
2 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. 3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of Elohim our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one Elohim, and there is one mediator between Elohim and men, the man[a] Yeshua HaMashiach, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. 7 For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.
8 I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling; 9 likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, 10 but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works. 11 Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. 12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve; 14 and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. 15 Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control.
Footnotes:
- 1 Timothy 2:5 men and man render the same Greek word that is translated people in verses 1 and 4
James 2:14-26
English Standard Version (ESV)
Faith Without Works Is Dead
14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good[a] is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that Elohim is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! 20 Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed Elohim, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of Elohim. 24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? 26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.
Footnotes:
- James 2:16 Or benefit