391 And of the blue, and the purple, and the scarlet, they made coloured garments, to minister in the sanctuary; and they make the holy garments which 'are' for Aaron, as Jehovah hath commanded Moses. 2 And he maketh the ephod, of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and twined linen, 3 and they expand the plates of gold, and have cut off wires to work in the midst of the blue, and in the midst of the purple, and in the midst of the scarlet, and in the midst of the linen—work of a designer; 4 shoulder-pieces they have made for it, joining; at its two ends it is joined. 5 And the girdle of his ephod which 'is' on it is of the same, according to its work, of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and twined linen, as Jehovah hath commanded Moses. 6 And they prepare the shoham stones, set, embroidered 'with' gold, opened with openings of a signet, by the names of the sons of Israel; 7 and he setteth them on the shoulders of the ephod—stones of memorial for the sons of Israel, as Jehovah hath commanded Moses. 8 And he maketh the breastplate, work of a designer, like the work of the ephod, of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and twined linen; 9 it hath been square; double they have made the breastplate, a span its length, and a span its breadth, doubled. 10 And they fill in it four rows of stones; a row of a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle 'is' the one row; 11 and the second row an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond; 12 and the third row an opal, an agate, and an amethyst; 13 and the fourth row a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper—set, embroidered 'with' gold, in their settings. 14 And the stones, according to the names of the sons of Israel, are twelve, according to their names, openings of a signet, each according to his name, for the twelve tribes. 15 And they make on the breastplate wreathed chains, work of thick bands, of pure gold; 16 and they make two embroidered things of gold, and two rings of gold, and put the two rings on the two ends of the breastplate, 17 and they put the two thick bands of gold on the two rings on the ends of the breastplate; 18 and the two ends of the two thick bands they have put on the two embroidered things, and they put them on the shoulders of the ephod, over-against its front. 19 And they make two rings of gold, and set 'them' on the two ends of the breastplate, on its border, which 'is' on the side of the ephod within; 20 and they make two rings of gold, and put them on the two shoulders of the ephod below, over-against its front, over-against its joining, above the girdle of the ephod; 21 and they bind the breastplate by its rings unto the rings of the ephod, with a ribbon of blue, to be above the girdle of the ephod, and the breastplate is not loosed from off the ephod, as Jehovah hath commanded Moses. 22 And he maketh the upper robe of the ephod, work of a weaver, completely of blue; 23 and the opening of the upper robe 'is' in its midst, as the opening of a habergeon, a border 'is' to its opening round about, it is not rent; 24 and they make on the hems of the upper robe pomegranates of blue, and purple, and scarlet, twined. 25 And they make bells of pure gold, and put the bells in the midst of the pomegranates, on the hems of the upper robe, round about, in the midst of the pomegranates; 26 a bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate, 'are' on the hems of the upper robe, round about, to minister in, as Jehovah hath commanded Moses. 27 And they make the coats of linen, work of a weaver, for Aaron and for his sons, 28 and the mitre of linen, and the beautiful bonnets of linen, and the linen trousers, of twined linen, 29 and the girdle of twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, work of an embroiderer, as Jehovah hath commanded Moses. 30 And they make the flower of the holy crown of pure gold, and write on it a writing, openings of a signet, 'Holy to Jehovah;' 31 and they put on it a ribbon of blue, to put 'it' on the mitre above, as Jehovah hath commanded Moses.
32 And all the service of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting is completed; and the sons of Israel do according to all that Jehovah hath commanded Moses; so they have done. 33 And they bring in the tabernacle unto Moses, the tent, and all its vessels, its hooks, its boards, its bars, and its pillars, and its sockets; 34 and the covering of rams' skins, which are made red, and the covering of badgers' skins, and the vail of the covering; 35 the ark of the testimony and its staves, and the mercy-seat; 36 the table, all its vessels, and the bread of the presence; 37 the pure candlestick, its lamps, the lamps of arrangement, and all its vessels, and the oil for the light. 38 And the golden altar, and the anointing oil, and the spice-perfume, and the covering of the opening of the tent; 39 the brazen altar and the brazen grate which it hath, its staves, and all its vessels, the laver and its base. 40 The hangings of the court, its pillars, and its sockets; and the covering for the gate of the court, its cords, and its pins; and all the vessels of the service of the tabernacle, for the tent of meeting; 41 the coloured clothes to minister in the sanctuary, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, to act as priest in. 42 According to all that Jehovah hath commanded Moses, so have the sons of Israel done all the service; 43 and Moses seeth all the work, and lo, they have done it as Jehovah hath commanded; so they have done. And Moses doth bless them.
401 And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying, 2 'On the first day of the month, in the first month, thou dost raise up the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, 3 and hast set there the ark of the testimony, and hast covered over the ark with the vail, 4 and hast brought in the table, and set its arrangement in order, and hast brought in the candlestick, and caused its lamps to go up. 5 'And thou hast put the golden altar for perfume before the ark of the testimony, and hast put the covering of the opening to the tabernacle, 6 and hast put the altar of the burnt-offering before the opening of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, 7 and hast put the laver between the tent of meeting and the altar, and hast put water there. 8 'And thou hast set the court round about, and hast placed the covering of the gate of the court, 9 and hast taken the anointing oil, and anointed the tabernacle, and all that 'is' in it, and hallowed it, and all its vessels, and it hath been holy; 10 and thou hast anointed the altar of the burnt-offering, and all its vessels, and sanctified the altar, and the altar hath been most holy; 11 and thou hast anointed the laver and its base, and sanctified it. 12 'And thou hast brought near Aaron and his sons unto the opening of the tent of meeting, and hast bathed them with water; 13 and thou hast clothed Aaron with the holy garments, and anointed him, and sanctified him, and he hath acted as priest to Me. 14 'And his sons thou dost bring near, and hast clothed them with coats, 15 and anointed them as thou hast anointed their father, and they have acted as priests to Me, and their anointing hath been to be to them for a priesthood age-during, to their generations.'
16 And Moses doth according to all that Jehovah hath commanded him; so he hath done. 17 And it cometh to pass, in the first month, in the second year, in the first of the month, the tabernacle hath been raised up; 18 and Moses raiseth up the tabernacle, and setteth its sockets, and placeth its boards, and placeth its bars, and raiseth its pillars, 19 and spreadeth the tent over the tabernacle, and putteth the covering of the tent upon it above, as Jehovah hath commanded Moses. 20 And he taketh and putteth the testimony unto the ark, and setteth the staves on the ark, and putteth the mercy-seat on the ark above; 21 and bringeth in the ark unto the tabernacle, and placeth the vail of the covering, and covereth over the ark of the testimony, as Jehovah hath commanded Moses. 22 And he putteth the table in the tent of meeting, on the side of the tabernacle northward, at the outside of the vail, 23 and setteth in order upon it the arrangement of bread, before Jehovah, as Jehovah hath commanded Moses. 24 And he putteth the candlestick in the tent of meeting, over-against the table, on the side of the tabernacle southward, 25 and causeth the lamps to go up before Jehovah, as Jehovah hath commanded Moses. 26 And he setteth the golden altar in the tent of meeting, before the vail, 27 and maketh perfume on it—spice-perfume—as Jehovah hath commanded Moses. 28 And he setteth the covering of the opening to the tabernacle, 29 and the altar of the burnt-offering he hath set at the opening of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, and causeth the burnt-offering to go up upon it, and the present, as Jehovah hath commanded Moses. 30 And he putteth the laver between the tent of meeting and the altar, and putteth water there for washing, 31 and Moses and Aaron and his sons have washed their hands and their feet at the same; 32 in their going in unto the tent of meeting, and in their drawing near unto the altar, they wash, as Jehovah hath commanded Moses. 33 And he raiseth up the court round about the tabernacle, and about the altar, and placeth the covering of the gate of the court; and Moses completeth the work.
34 And the cloud covereth the tent of meeting, and the honour of Jehovah hath filled the tabernacle; 35 and Moses hath not been able to go in unto the tent of meeting, for the cloud hath tabernacled on it, and the honour of Jehovah hath filled the tabernacle. 36 And in the going up of the cloud from off the tabernacle the sons of Israel journey in all their journeys; 37 and if the cloud go not up then they journey not, until the day of its going up: 38 for the cloud of Jehovah 'is' on the tabernacle by day, and fire is in it by night, before the eyes of all the house of Israel in all their journeys.
23 'Wo to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye give tithe of the mint, and the dill, and the cumin, and did neglect the weightier things of the Law—the judgment, and the kindness, and the faith; these it behoved 'you' to do, and those not to neglect. 24 'Blind guides! who are straining out the gnat, and the camel are swallowing. 25 'Wo to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye make clean the outside of the cup and the plate, and within they are full of rapine and incontinence. 26 'Blind Pharisee! cleanse first the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside of them also may become clean. 27 'Wo to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye are like to whitewashed sepulchres, which outwardly indeed do appear beautiful, and within are full of bones of dead men, and of all uncleanness; 28 so also ye outwardly indeed do appear to men righteous, and within ye are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. 29 'Wo to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and adorn the tombs of the righteous, 30 and say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. 31 So that ye testify to yourselves, that ye are sons of them who did murder the prophets; 32 and ye—ye fill up the measure of your fathers. 33 'Serpents! brood of vipers! how may ye escape from the judgment of the gehenna?
34 'Because of this, lo, I send to you prophets, and wise men, and scribes, and of them ye will kill and crucify, and of them ye will scourge in your synagogues, and will pursue from city to city; 35 that on you may come all the righteous blood being poured out on the earth from the blood of Abel the righteous, unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the sanctuary and the altar: 36 verily I say to you, all these things shall come upon this generation.
37 'Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that art killing the prophets, and stoning those sent unto thee, how often did I will to gather thy children together, as a hen doth gather her own chickens under the wings, and ye did not will. 38 Lo, left desolate to you is your house; 39 for I say to you, ye may not see me henceforth, till ye may say, Blessed 'is' he who is coming in the name of the Lord.'
(Read Matthew 23:13-33)
The scribes and Pharisees were enemies to the gospel of Christ, and therefore to the salvation of the souls of men. It is bad to keep away from Christ ourselves, but worse also to keep others from him. Yet it is no new thing for the show and form of godliness to be made a cloak to the greatest enormities. But dissembled piety will be reckoned double iniquity. They were very busy to turn souls to be of their party. Not for the glory of God and the good of souls, but that they might have the credit and advantage of making converts. Gain being their godliness, by a thousand devices they made religion give way to their worldly interests. They were very strict and precise in smaller matters of the law, but careless and loose in weightier matters. It is not the scrupling a little sin that Christ here reproves; if it be a sin, though but a gnat, it must be strained out; but the doing that, and then swallowing a camel, or, committing a greater sin. While they would seem to be godly, they were neither sober nor righteous. We are really, what we are inwardly. Outward motives may keep the outside clean, while the inside is filthy; but if the heart and spirit be made new, there will be newness of life; here we must begin with ourselves. The righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees was like the ornaments of a grave, or dressing up a dead body, only for show. The deceitfulness of sinners' hearts appears in that they go down the streams of the sins of their own day, while they fancy that they should have opposed the sins of former days. We sometimes think, if we had lived when Christ was upon earth, that we should not have despised and rejected him, as men then did; yet Christ in his Spirit, in his word, in his ministers, is still no better treated. And it is just with God to give those up to their hearts' lusts, who obstinately persist in gratifying them. Christ gives men their true characters.
(Read Matthew 23:34-39)
Our Lord declares the miseries the inhabitants of Jerusalem were about to bring upon themselves, but he does not notice the sufferings he was to undergo. A hen gathering her chickens under her wings, is an apt emblem of the Saviour's tender love to those who trust in him, and his faithful care of them. He calls sinners to take refuge under his tender protection, keeps them safe, and nourishes them to eternal life. The present dispersion and unbelief of the Jews, and their future conversion to Christ, were here foretold. Jerusalem and her children had a large share of guilt, and their punishment has been signal. But ere long, deserved vengeance will fall on every church which is Christian in name only. In the mean time the Saviour stands ready to receive all who come to him. There is nothing between sinners and eternal happiness, but their proud and unbelieving unwillingness.
