Exodus 31; Exodus 32; Exodus 33; Matthew 22:1-22

1 Then the LORD spoke to Moses.

2 He said, "I have chosen Bezalel, the son of Uri. Uri is the son of Hur. Bezalel is from the tribe of Judah.

3 I have filled him with the Spirit of God. I have filled him with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts.

4 He can make beautiful patterns in gold, silver and bronze.

5 He can cut and set stones. He can work with wood. In fact, he can work in all kinds of crafts.

6 "I have also appointed Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, to help him. Oholiab is from the tribe of Dan. "I have given ability to all of the skilled workers. They can make everything I have commanded you to make. Here is the complete list.

7 "the Tent of Meeting the ark where the tablets of the covenant are kept the cover for the ark

8 the table for the holy bread and its articles the pure gold lampstand and everything that is used with it the altar for burning incense

9 the altar for burnt offerings and all of its tools the large bowl with its stand

10 the sacred clothes for Aaron the priest the clothes for his sons when they serve as priests

11 the anointing oil the sweet-smelling incense for the Holy Room "The skilled workers must make them just as I commanded you."

12 Then the LORD spoke to Moses.

13 He said, "Tell the people of Israel, 'You must always keep my Sabbath days. That will be the sign of the covenant I have made between me and you for all time to come. Then you will know that I am the Lord. I make you holy.

14 " 'Keep the Sabbath day. It is holy to you. Those who misuse it must be put to death. Those who do any work on that day must be cut off from their people.

15 Do your work in six days. But the seventh day is a Sabbath. You must rest on it. It is set apart for me. Those who work on the Sabbath day must be put to death.

16 " 'The people of Israel must keep the Sabbath. They must celebrate it for all time to come. It will be a covenant that lasts forever.

17 It will be the sign of the covenant I have made between me and the people of Israel forever. " 'I made the heavens and the earth in six days. But on the seventh day I did not work. I rested.' "

18 The LORD finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai. Then he gave him the two tablets of the covenant. They were made out of stone. The words on them were written by the finger of God.

1 The people saw that Moses took a long time to come down from the mountain. So they gathered around Aaron. They said to him, "Come. Make us a god that will lead us. This fellow Moses brought us up out of Egypt. But we don't know what has happened to him."

2 Aaron answered them, "Take the gold earrings off your wives, your sons and your daughters. Bring the earrings to me."

3 So all of the people took off their earrings. They brought them to Aaron.

4 He took what they gave him and made it into a metal statue of a god. It looked like a calf. He shaped it with a tool. Then the people said, "Israel, here is your god who brought you up out of Egypt."

5 When Aaron saw it, he built an altar in front of the calf. He said, "Tomorrow will be a feast day in the LORD's honor."

6 So the next day the people got up early. They sacrificed burnt offerings and brought friendship offerings. They sat down to eat and drink. Then they got up to dance wildly in front of their god.

7 The LORD spoke to Moses. He said, "Go down. Your people you brought up out of Egypt have become very sinful.

8 They have quickly turned away from what I commanded them. They have made themselves a statue of a god that looks like a calf. They have bowed down and sacrificed to it. And they have said, 'Israel, here is your god who brought you up out of Egypt.'

9 "I have seen those people," the LORD said to Moses. "They are stubborn.

10 Now leave me alone. My anger will burn against them. I will destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation."

11 But Moses asked the LORD his God to show favor to the people. "Lord," he said, "why should your anger burn against your people? You used your great power and mighty hand to bring them out of Egypt.

12 Why should the Egyptians say, 'He brought them out to hurt them. He wanted to kill them in the mountains. He wanted to wipe them off the face of the earth'? Turn away from your burning anger. Please take pity on your people. Don't destroy them!

13 "Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel. You made a promise. You took an oath in your name. You said, 'I will make your children after you as many as the stars in the sky. I will give them all of this land I promised them. It will belong to them forever.' "

14 Then the LORD took pity on his people. He didn't destroy them as he had said he would.

15 Moses turned and went down the mountain. He had the two tablets of the covenant in his hands. Words were written on both sides of the tablets, front and back.

16 The tablets were the work of God. The words had been written by God. They had been carved on the tablets.

17 Joshua heard the noise of the people shouting. So he said to Moses, "It sounds like war in the camp."

18 Moses replied, "It's not the sound of winning. It's not the sound of losing. It's the sound of singing that I hear."

19 As Moses approached the camp, he saw the calf. He also saw the people dancing. So he burned with anger. He threw the tablets out of his hands. They broke into pieces at the foot of the mountain.

20 He took the calf the people had made. He burned it in the fire. Then he ground it into powder. He scattered it on the water. And he made the people of Israel drink it.

21 He said to Aaron, "What did these people do to you? How did they make you lead them into such terrible sin?"

22 "Please don't be angry," Aaron answered. "You know how these people like to do what is evil.

23 They said to me, 'Make us a god that will lead us. This fellow Moses brought us up out of Egypt. But we don't know what has happened to him.'

24 "So I told them, 'Anyone who has any gold jewelry, take it off.' They gave me the gold. I threw it into the fire. And out came this calf!"

25 Moses saw that the people were running wild. Aaron had let them get out of control. The people had become a joke to their enemies.

26 Moses stood at the entrance to the camp. He said, "Anyone who is on the LORD's side, come to me." All of the Levites joined him.

27 Then he spoke to them. He said, "The Lord, the God of Israel, says, 'Each man must put on his sword. Then he must go back and forth through the camp from one end to the other. Each man must kill his brother, friend and neighbor.' "

28 The Levites did as Moses commanded. About 3,000 of the people died that day.

29 Then Moses said to the Levites, "You have been set apart for the LORD today. You stood against your own sons and brothers. And he has blessed you this day."

30 The next day Moses said to the people, "You have committed a terrible sin. But now I will go up to the Lord. Maybe if I pray to him, he will forgive your sin."

31 So Moses went back to the Lord. He said, "These people have committed a terrible sin. They have made a god out of gold for themselves.

32 Now please forgive their sin. But if you won't, then erase my name from the scroll you have written."

33 The LORD replied to Moses, "I will erase from my scroll only the names of those who have sinned against me.

34 Now go. Lead the people to the place I spoke about. My angel will go ahead of you. But when the time comes for me to punish, I will punish them for their sin."

35 The LORD struck the people with a plague. That's because of what they did with the calf Aaron had made.

1 Then the LORD spoke to Moses. He said, "Leave this place. You and the people you brought up out of Egypt must leave it. Go up to the land I promised with an oath to give to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. I said to them, 'I will give it to your children after you.'

2 I will send an angel ahead of you. I will drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites.

3 "Go up to the land that has plenty of milk and honey. But I will not go with you. You are stubborn. I might destroy you on the way."

4 When the people heard those painful words, they became sad and began to sob. No one put on any jewelry.

5 The LORD had said to Moses, "Tell the people of Israel, 'You are stubborn. If I went with you even for a moment, I might destroy you. Now take off your jewelry. Then I will decide what to do with you.' "

6 So the people took off their jewelry at Mount Horeb.

7 Moses used to take a tent and set it up far outside the camp. He called it the "tent of meeting." Anyone who wanted to ask the LORD a question would go to the tent of meeting that was outside the camp.

8 When Moses would go out to the tent, all of the people would get up and stand at the entrances to their tents. They would watch Moses until he entered the tent.

9 As Moses would go into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down. It would stay at the entrance while the LORD spoke with Moses.

10 The people would see the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance to the tent. Then all of them would stand and worship at the entrances to their tents.

11 The LORD would speak to Moses face to face. It was like a man speaking to his friend. Then Moses would return to the camp. But Joshua, his young helper, didn't leave the tent. Joshua was the son of Nun.

12 Moses said to the Lord, "You have been telling me, 'Lead these people.' But you haven't let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, 'I know your name. I know all about you. And I am pleased with you.'

13 If you are pleased with me, teach me more about yourself. Then I can know you. And I can continue to please you. Remember that this nation is your people."

14 The LORD replied, "I will go with you. And I will give you rest."

15 Then Moses said to him, "If you don't go with us, don't send us up from here.

16 How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and your people? You must go with us. How else will we be different from all of the other people on the face of the earth?"

17 The LORD said to Moses, "I will do exactly what you have asked. I am pleased with you. And I know your name. I know all about you."

18 Then Moses said, "Now show me your glory."

19 The LORD said, "I will make all of my goodness pass in front of you. And I will announce my name, The Lord, in front of you. I will have mercy on whom I have mercy. And I will show love to those I love.

20 But you can't see my face," he said. "No one can see me and stay alive."

21 The LORD continued, "There is a place near me where you can stand on a rock.

22 When my glory passes by, I will put you in an opening in the rock. I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by.

23 Then I will remove my hand. You will see my back. But my face must not be seen."

1 Jesus told them more stories. He said,

2 "Here is what the kingdom of heaven is like. A king prepared a wedding dinner for his son.

3 He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the dinner. The servants told them to come. But they refused.

4 "Then he sent some more servants. He said, 'Tell those who were invited that I have prepared my dinner. I have killed my oxen and my fattest cattle. Everything is ready. Come to the wedding dinner.'

5 "But the people paid no attention. One went away to his field. Another went away to his business.

6 The rest grabbed his servants. They treated them badly and then killed them.

7 "The king became very angry. He sent his army to destroy them. They killed those murderers and burned their city.

8 "Then the king said to his servants, 'The wedding dinner is ready. But those I invited were not fit to come.

9 Go to the street corners. Invite to the dinner anyone you can find.'

10 So the servants went out into the streets. They gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad. Soon the wedding hall was filled with guests.

11 "The king came in to see the guests. He noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes.

12 'Friend,' he asked, 'how did you get in here without wedding clothes?' The man couldn't think of anything to say.

13 "Then the king told his servants, 'Tie up his hands and feet. Throw him outside into the darkness. Out there people will sob and grind their teeth.'

14 "Many are invited, but few are chosen."

15 The Pharisees went out. They made plans to trap Jesus with his own words.

16 They sent their followers to him. They sent the Herodians with them. "Teacher," they said, "we know you are a man of honor. You teach the way of God truthfully. You don't let others tell you what to do or say. You don't care how important they are.

17 Tell us then, what do you think? Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"

18 But Jesus knew their evil plans. He said, "You pretenders! Why are you trying to trap me?

19 Show me the coin people use for paying the tax." They brought him a silver coin.

20 He asked them, "Whose picture is this? And whose words?"

21 "Caesar's," they replied. Then he said to them, "Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar. And give to God what belongs to God."

22 When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away.