Exodus 25; Exodus 26; Matthew 20:17-34

Exodus 25

1 The Lord spoke to Moses:

2 "Tell the Israelites to take an offering for Me. You are to take My offering from everyone whose heart stirs him [to give].

3 This is the offering you are to receive from them: gold, silver, and bronze;

4 blue, purple, and scarlet yarn; fine linen and goat hair;

5 ram skins dyed red and manatee skins; acacia wood;

6 oil for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense;

7 and onyx along with [other] gemstones for mounting on the ephod and breastpiece.

8 "They are to make a sanctuary for Me so that I may dwell among them.

9 You must make [it] according to all that I show you-the design of the tabernacle as well as the design of all its furnishings."

10 "They are to make an ark of acacia wood, 45 inches long, 27 inches wide, and 27 inches high.

11 Overlay it with pure gold; overlay it both inside and out. Also make a gold molding all around it.

12 Cast four gold rings for it and place [them] on its four feet, two rings on one side and two rings on the other side.

13 Make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.

14 Insert the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark in order to carry the ark with them.

15 The poles are to remain in the rings of the ark; they must not be removed from it.

16 Put the [tablets of the] testimony that I will give you into the ark.

17 Make a mercy seat of pure gold, 45 inches long and 27 inches wide.

18 Make two cherubim of gold; make them of hammered work at the two ends of the mercy seat.

19 Make one cherub at one end and one cherub at the other end. Make the cherubim of one piece with the mercy seat at its two ends.

20 The cherubim are to have wings spread out above, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and are to face one another. The faces of the cherubim should be toward the mercy seat.

21 Set the mercy seat on top of the ark and put the testimony that I will give you into the ark.

22 I will meet with you there above the mercy seat, between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the testimony; I will speak with you from there about all that I command you regarding the Israelites.

23 "You are to construct a table of acacia wood, 36 inches long, 18 inches wide, and 27 inches high.

24 Overlay it with pure gold and make a gold molding all around it.

25 Make a three-inch frame all around it and make a gold molding for it all around its frame.

26 Make four gold rings for it, and attach the rings to the four corners at its four legs.

27 The rings should be next to the frame as holders for the poles to carry the table.

28 Make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold so that the table can be carried by them.

29 You are also to make its plates and cups, as well as its pitchers and bowls for pouring drink offerings. Make them out of pure gold.

30 Put the bread of the Presence on the table before Me at all times.

31 "You are to make a lampstand out of pure, hammered gold. It is to be made of one piece: its base and shaft, its [ornamental] cups, and its calyxes and petals.

32 Six branches are to extend from its sides, three branches of the lampstand from one side and three branches of the lampstand from the other side.

33 There are to be three cups shaped like almond blossoms, each with a calyx and petals, on the first branch, and three cups shaped like almond blossoms, each with a calyx and petals, on the next branch. It is to be this way for the six branches that extend from the lampstand.

34 There are to be four cups shaped like almond blossoms on the lampstand [shaft] along with its calyxes and petals.

35 For the six branches that extend from the lampstand, a calyx must be under the [first] pair of branches from it, a calyx under the [second] pair of branches from it, and a calyx under the [third] pair of branches from it.

36 Their calyxes and branches are to be of one piece. All of it is to be a single hammered piece of pure gold.

37 "Make seven lamps on it. Its lamps are to be set up so they illuminate the area in front of it.

38 Its snuffers and firepans must be of pure gold.

39 The lampstand with all these utensils is to be made from 75 pounds of pure gold.

40 Be careful to make [everything] according to the model of them you have been shown on the mountain.

Exodus 26

1 "You are to construct the tabernacle itself with 10 curtains. You must make them of finely spun linen, and blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, with a design of cherubim worked into them.

2 The length of each curtain should be 42 feet, and the width of each curtain six feet; all the curtains are to have the same measurements.

3 Five of the curtains should be joined together, and the [other] five curtains joined together.

4 Make loops of blue yarn on the edge of the last curtain in the [first] set, and do the same on the edge of the outermost curtain in the second set.

5 Make 50 loops on the one curtain and make 50 loops on the edge of the curtain in the second set, so that the loops line up together.

6 Also make 50 gold clasps and join the curtains together with the clasps, so that the tabernacle may be a single unit.

7 "You are to make curtains of goat hair for a tent over the tabernacle; make 11 of these curtains.

8 The length of each curtain should be 45 feet and the width of each curtain six feet. All 11 curtains are to have the same measurements.

9 Join five of the curtains by themselves, and the [other] six curtains by themselves. Then fold the sixth curtain double at the front of the tent.

10 Make 50 loops on the edge of the one curtain, the outermost in the [first] set, and make 50 loops on the edge of the [corresponding] curtain of the second set.

11 Make 50 bronze clasps; put the clasps through the loops and join the tent together so that it is a single unit.

12 As for the flap that is left over from the tent curtains, the leftover half curtain is to hang down over the back of the tabernacle.

13 The half yard on one side and the half yard on the other of what is left over along the length of the tent curtains should be hanging down over the sides of the tabernacle on either side to cover it.

14 Make a covering for the tent from ram skins dyed red, and a covering of manatee skins on top of that.

15 "You are to make upright planks of acacia wood for the tabernacle.

16 The length of each plank is to be 15 feet, and the width of each plank 27 inches.

17 Each plank must be connected together with two tenons. Do the same for all the planks of the tabernacle.

18 Make the planks for the tabernacle as follows: 20 planks for the south side,

19 and make 40 silver bases under the 20 planks, two bases under the first plank for its two tenons, and two bases under the next plank for its two tenons;

20 20 planks for the second side of the tabernacle, the north side,

21 along with their 40 silver bases, two bases under the first plank and two bases under each plank;

22 and make six planks for the west side of the tabernacle.

23 Make two additional planks for the two back corners of the tabernacle.

24 They are to be paired at the bottom, and joined together at the top in a single ring. So it should be for both of them; they will serve as the two corners.

25 There are to be eight planks with their silver bases: 16 bases; two bases under the first plank and two bases under each plank.

26 "You are to make five crossbars of acacia wood for the planks on one side of the tabernacle,

27 five crossbars for the planks on the other side of the tabernacle, and five crossbars for the planks of the back side of the tabernacle on the west.

28 The central crossbar is to run through the middle of the planks from one end to the other.

29 Then overlay the planks with gold, and make their rings of gold as the holders for the crossbars. Also overlay the crossbars with gold.

30 You are to set up the tabernacle according to the plan for it that you have been shown on the mountain.

31 "You are to make a veil of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely spun linen with a design of cherubim worked into it.

32 Hang it on four gold-plated posts of acacia wood that have gold hooks [and that stand] on four silver bases.

33 Hang the veil under the clasps and bring the ark of the testimony there behind the veil, so the veil will make a separation for you between the holy place and the most holy place.

34 Put the mercy seat on the ark of the testimony in the most holy place.

35 Place the table outside the veil and the lampstand on the south side of the tabernacle, opposite the table; put the table on the north side.

36 "For the entrance to the tent you are to make a screen embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely spun linen.

37 Make five posts of acacia wood for the screen and overlay them with gold; their hooks are to be gold, and you are to cast five bronze bases for them.

Matthew 20:17-34

17 While going up to Jerusalem, Jesus took the 12 disciples aside privately and said to them on the way:

18 "Listen! We are going up to Jerusalem. The Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death.

19 Then they will hand Him over to the Gentiles to be mocked, flogged, and crucified, and He will be resurrected on the third day."

20 Then the mother of Zebedee's sons approached Him with her sons. She knelt down to ask Him for something.

21 "What do you want?" He asked her. "Promise," she said to Him, "that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right and the other on Your left, in Your kingdom."

22 But Jesus answered, "You don't know what you're asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?" "We are able," they said to Him.

23 He told them, "You will indeed drink My cup. But to sit at My right and left is not Mine to give; instead, it belongs to those for whom it has been prepared by My Father."

24 When the 10 [disciples] heard this, they became indignant with the two brothers.

25 But Jesus called them over and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles dominate them, and the men of high position exercise power over them.

26 It must not be like that among you. On the contrary, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,

27 and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave;

28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life-a ransom for many."

29 As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Him.

30 There were two blind men sitting by the road. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, "Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!"

31 The crowd told them to keep quiet, but they cried out all the more, "Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!"

32 Jesus stopped, called them, and said, "What do you want Me to do for you?"

33 "Lord," they said to Him, "open our eyes!"

34 Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes. Immediately they could see, and they followed Him.