¹ And Solomon made affinity with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and took Pharaoh's daughter, and brought her into the city of David, until he had made an end of building his own house, and the house of the LORD, and the wall of Jerusalem round about.² Only the people sacrificed in high places, because there was no house built unto the name of the LORD, until those days.³ And Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of David his father: only he sacrificed and burnt incense in high places.⁴ And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there; for that was the great high place: a thousand burnt offerings did Solomon offer upon that altar.⁵ In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee.⁶ And Solomon said, Thou hast shewed unto thy servant David my father great mercy, according as he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee; and thou hast kept for him this great kindness, that thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.⁷ And now, O LORD my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in.⁸ And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude.⁹ Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?¹⁰ And the speech pleased the LORD, that Solomon had asked this thing.¹¹ And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment;¹² Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee.¹³ And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honour: so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days.¹⁴ And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy days.¹⁵ And Solomon awoke; and, behold, it was a dream. And he came to Jerusalem, and stood before the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and offered up burnt offerings, and offered peace offerings, and made a feast to all his servants.¹⁶ Then came there two women, that were harlots, unto the king, and stood before him.¹⁷ And the one woman said, O my lord, I and this woman dwell in one house; and I was delivered of a child with her in the house.¹⁸ And it came to pass the third day after that I was delivered, that this woman was delivered also: and we were together; there was no stranger with us in the house, save we two in the house.¹⁹ And this woman's child died in the night; because she overlaid it.²⁰ And she arose at midnight, and took my son from beside me, while thine handmaid slept, and laid it in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom.²¹ And when I rose in the morning to give my child suck, behold, it was dead: but when I had considered it in the morning, behold, it was not my son, which I did bear.²² And the other woman said, Nay; but the living is my son, and the dead is thy son. And this said, No; but the dead is thy son, and the living is my son. Thus they spake before the king.²³ Then said the king, The one saith, This is my son that liveth, and thy son is the dead: and the other saith, Nay; but thy son is the dead, and my son is the living.²⁴ And the king said, Bring me a sword. And they brought a sword before the king.²⁵ And the king said, Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other.²⁶ Then spake the woman whose the living child was unto the king, for her bowels yearned upon her son, and she said, O my lord, give her the living child, and in no wise slay it. But the other said, Let it be neither mine nor thine, but divide it.²⁷ Then the king answered and said, Give her the living child, and in no wise slay it: she is the mother thereof.²⁸ And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged; and they feared the king: for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him, to do judgment.

¹ In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah Ahaz the son of Jotham king of Judah began to reign.² Twenty years old was Ahaz when he began to reign, and reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem, and did not that which was right in the sight of the LORD his God, like David his father.³ But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, yea, and made his son to pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel.⁴ And he sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree.⁵ Then Rezin king of Syria and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel came up to Jerusalem to war: and they besieged Ahaz, but could not overcome him.⁶ At that time Rezin king of Syria recovered Elath to Syria, and drave the Jews from Elath: and the Syrians came to Elath, and dwelt there unto this day.⁷ So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglathpileser king of Assyria, saying, I am thy servant and thy son: come up, and save me out of the hand of the king of Syria, and out of the hand of the king of Israel, which rise up against me.⁸ And Ahaz took the silver and gold that was found in the house of the LORD, and in the treasures of the king's house, and sent it for a present to the king of Assyria.⁹ And the king of Assyria hearkened unto him: for the king of Assyria went up against Damascus, and took it, and carried the people of it captive to Kir, and slew Rezin.¹⁰ And king Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglathpileser king of Assyria, and saw an altar that was at Damascus: and king Ahaz sent to Urijah the priest the fashion of the altar, and the pattern of it, according to all the workmanship thereof.¹¹ And Urijah the priest built an altar according to all that king Ahaz had sent from Damascus: so Urijah the priest made it against king Ahaz came from Damascus.¹² And when the king was come from Damascus, the king saw the altar: and the king approached to the altar, and offered thereon.¹³ And he burnt his burnt offering and his meat offering, and poured his drink offering, and sprinkled the blood of his peace offerings, upon the altar.¹⁴ And he brought also the brasen altar, which was before the LORD, from the forefront of the house, from between the altar and the house of the LORD, and put it on the north side of the altar.¹⁵ And king Ahaz commanded Urijah the priest, saying, Upon the great altar burn the morning burnt offering, and the evening meat offering, and the king's burnt sacrifice, and his meat offering, with the burnt offering of all the people of the land, and their meat offering, and their drink offerings; and sprinkle upon it all the blood of the burnt offering, and all the blood of the sacrifice: and the brasen altar shall be for me to enquire by.¹⁶ Thus did Urijah the priest, according to all that king Ahaz commanded.¹⁷ And king Ahaz cut off the borders of the bases, and removed the laver from off them; and took down the sea from off the brasen oxen that were under it, and put it upon the pavement of stones.¹⁸ And the covert for the sabbath that they had built in the house, and the king's entry without, turned he from the house of the LORD for the king of Assyria.¹⁹ Now the rest of the acts of Ahaz which he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?²⁰ And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David: and Hezekiah his son reigned in his stead.

¹ Furthermore David the king said unto all the congregation, Solomon my son, whom alone God hath chosen, is yet young and tender, and the work is great: for the palace is not for man, but for the LORD God.² Now I have prepared with all my might for the house of my God the gold for things to be made of gold, and the silver for things of silver, and the brass for things of brass, the iron for things of iron, and wood for things of wood; onyx stones, and stones to be set, glistering stones, and of divers colours, and all manner of precious stones, and marble stones in abundance.³ Moreover, because I have set my affection to the house of my God, I have of mine own proper good, of gold and silver, which I have given to the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house.⁴ Even three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the houses withal:⁵ The gold for things of gold, and the silver for things of silver, and for all manner of work to be made by the hands of artificers. And who then is willing to consecrate his service this day unto the LORD?⁶ Then the chief of the fathers and princes of the tribes of Israel and the captains of thousands and of hundreds, with the rulers of the king's work, offered willingly,⁷ And gave for the service of the house of God of gold five thousand talents and ten thousand drams, and of silver ten thousand talents, and of brass eighteen thousand talents, and one hundred thousand talents of iron.⁸ And they with whom precious stones were found gave them to the treasure of the house of the LORD, by the hand of Jehiel the Gershonite.⁹ Then the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because with perfect heart they offered willingly to the LORD: and David the king also rejoiced with great joy.¹⁰ Wherefore David blessed the LORD before all the congregation: and David said, Blessed be thou, LORD God of Israel our father, for ever and ever.¹¹ Thine, O LORD is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all.¹² Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all.¹³ Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name.¹⁴ But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee.¹⁵ For we are strangers before thee, and sojourners, as were all our fathers: our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is none abiding.¹⁶ O LORD our God, all this store that we have prepared to build thee an house for thine holy name cometh of thine hand, and is all thine own.¹⁷ I know also, my God, that thou triest the heart, and hast pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of mine heart I have willingly offered all these things: and now have I seen with joy thy people, which are present here, to offer willingly unto thee.¹⁸ O LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, our fathers, keep this for ever in the imagination of the thoughts of the heart of thy people, and prepare their heart unto thee:¹⁹ And give unto Solomon my son a perfect heart, to keep thy commandments, thy testimonies, and thy statutes, and to do all these things, and to build the palace, for the which I have made provision.²⁰ And David said to all the congregation, Now bless the LORD your God. And all the congregation blessed the LORD God of their fathers, and bowed down their heads, and worshipped the LORD, and the king.²¹ And they sacrificed sacrifices unto the LORD, and offered burnt offerings unto the LORD, on the morrow after that day, even a thousand bullocks, a thousand rams, and a thousand lambs, with their drink offerings, and sacrifices in abundance for all Israel:²² And did eat and drink before the LORD on that day with great gladness. And they made Solomon the son of David king the second time, and anointed him unto the LORD to be the chief governor, and Zadok to be priest.²³ Then Solomon sat on the throne of the LORD as king instead of David his father, and prospered; and all Israel obeyed him.²⁴ And all the princes, and the mighty men, and all the sons likewise of king David, submitted themselves unto Solomon the king.²⁵ And the LORD magnified Solomon exceedingly in the sight of all Israel, and bestowed upon him such royal majesty as had not been on any king before him in Israel.²⁶ Thus David the son of Jesse reigned over all Israel.²⁷ And the time that he reigned over Israel was forty years; seven years reigned he in Hebron, and thirty and three years reigned he in Jerusalem.²⁸ And he died in a good old age, full of days, riches, and honour: and Solomon his son reigned in his stead.²⁹ Now the acts of David the king, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of Samuel the seer, and in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the book of Gad the seer,³⁰ With all his reign and his might, and the times that went over him, and over Israel, and over all the kingdoms of the countries.

¹ Now when these things were done, the princes came to me, saying, The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the people of the lands, doing according to their abominations, even of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites.² For they have taken of their daughters for themselves, and for their sons: so that the holy seed have mingled themselves with the people of those lands: yea, the hand of the princes and rulers hath been chief in this trespass.³ And when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my mantle, and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down astonied.⁴ Then were assembled unto me every one that trembled at the words of the God of Israel, because of the transgression of those that had been carried away; and I sat astonied until the evening sacrifice.⁵ And at the evening sacrifice I arose up from my heaviness; and having rent my garment and my mantle, I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands unto the LORD my God,⁶ And said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens.⁷ Since the days of our fathers have we been in a great trespass unto this day; and for our iniquities have we, our kings, and our priests, been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, and to a spoil, and to confusion of face, as it is this day.⁸ And now for a little space grace hath been shewed from the LORD our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a nail in his holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bondage.⁹ For we were bondmen; yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath extended mercy unto us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us a reviving, to set up the house of our God, and to repair the desolations thereof, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem.¹⁰ And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? for we have forsaken thy commandments,¹¹ Which thou hast commanded by thy servants the prophets, saying, The land, unto which ye go to possess it, is an unclean land with the filthiness of the people of the lands, with their abominations, which have filled it from one end to another with their uncleanness.¹² Now therefore give not your daughters unto their sons, neither take their daughters unto your sons, nor seek their peace or their wealth for ever: that ye may be strong, and eat the good of the land, and leave it for an inheritance to your children for ever.¹³ And after all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great trespass, seeing that thou our God hast punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and hast given us such deliverance as this;¹⁴ Should we again break thy commandments, and join in affinity with the people of these abominations? wouldest not thou be angry with us till thou hadst consumed us, so that there should be no remnant nor escaping?¹⁵ O LORD God of Israel, thou art righteous: for we remain yet escaped, as it is this day: behold, we are before thee in our trespasses: for we cannot stand before thee because of this.

¹ Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said,² How long will it be ere ye make an end of words? mark, and afterwards we will speak.³ Wherefore are we counted as beasts, and reputed vile in your sight?⁴ He teareth himself in his anger: shall the earth be forsaken for thee? and shall the rock be removed out of his place?⁵ Yea, the light of the wicked shall be put out, and the spark of his fire shall not shine.⁶ The light shall be dark in his tabernacle, and his candle shall be put out with him.⁷ The steps of his strength shall be straitened, and his own counsel shall cast him down.⁸ For he is cast into a net by his own feet, and he walketh upon a snare.⁹ The gin shall take him by the heel, and the robber shall prevail against him.¹⁰ The snare is laid for him in the ground, and a trap for him in the way.¹¹ Terrors shall make him afraid on every side, and shall drive him to his feet.¹² His strength shall be hungerbitten, and destruction shall be ready at his side.¹³ It shall devour the strength of his skin: even the firstborn of death shall devour his strength.¹⁴ His confidence shall be rooted out of his tabernacle, and it shall bring him to the king of terrors.¹⁵ It shall dwell in his tabernacle, because it is none of his: brimstone shall be scattered upon his habitation.¹⁶ His roots shall be dried up beneath, and above shall his branch be cut off.¹⁷ His remembrance shall perish from the earth, and he shall have no name in the street.¹⁸ He shall be driven from light into darkness, and chased out of the world.¹⁹ He shall neither have son nor nephew among his people, nor any remaining in his dwellings.²⁰ They that come after him shall be astonied at his day, as they that went before were affrighted.²¹ Surely such are the dwellings of the wicked, and this is the place of him that knoweth not God.

¹ Then Job answered and said,² How long will ye vex my soul, and break me in pieces with words?³ These ten times have ye reproached me: ye are not ashamed that ye make yourselves strange to me.⁴ And be it indeed that I have erred, mine error remaineth with myself.⁵ If indeed ye will magnify yourselves against me, and plead against me my reproach:⁶ Know now that God hath overthrown me, and hath compassed me with his net.⁷ Behold, I cry out of wrong, but I am not heard: I cry aloud, but there is no judgment.⁸ He hath fenced up my way that I cannot pass, and he hath set darkness in my paths.⁹ He hath stripped me of my glory, and taken the crown from my head.¹⁰ He hath destroyed me on every side, and I am gone: and mine hope hath he removed like a tree.¹¹ He hath also kindled his wrath against me, and he counteth me unto him as one of his enemies.¹² His troops come together, and raise up their way against me, and encamp round about my tabernacle.¹³ He hath put my brethren far from me, and mine acquaintance are verily estranged from me.¹⁴ My kinsfolk have failed, and my familiar friends have forgotten me.¹⁵ They that dwell in mine house, and my maids, count me for a stranger: I am an alien in their sight.¹⁶ I called my servant, and he gave me no answer; I intreated him with my mouth.¹⁷ My breath is strange to my wife, though I intreated for the children's sake of mine own body.¹⁸ Yea, young children despised me; I arose, and they spake against me.¹⁹ All my inward friends abhorred me: and they whom I loved are turned against me.²⁰ My bone cleaveth to my skin and to my flesh, and I am escaped with the skin of my teeth.²¹ Have pity upon me, have pity upon me, O ye my friends; for the hand of God hath touched me.²² Why do ye persecute me as God, and are not satisfied with my flesh?²³ Oh that my words were now written! oh that they were printed in a book!²⁴ That they were graven with an iron pen and lead in the rock for ever!²⁵ For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:²⁶ And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:²⁷ Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.²⁸ But ye should say, Why persecute we him, seeing the root of the matter is found in me?²⁹ Be ye afraid of the sword: for wrath bringeth the punishments of the sword, that ye may know there is a judgment.

¹ After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.² And Abram said, LORD God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?³ And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.⁴ And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.⁵ And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.⁶ And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.⁷ And he said unto him, I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.⁸ And he said, LORD God, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?⁹ And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.¹⁰ And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not.¹¹ And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away.¹² And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him.¹³ And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not their's, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;¹⁴ And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.¹⁵ And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age.¹⁶ But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.¹⁷ And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces.¹⁸ In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:¹⁹ The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites,²⁰ And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims,²¹ And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.

¹ Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.² And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.³ And Sarai Abram's wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife.⁴ And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.⁵ And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee: I have given my maid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the LORD judge between me and thee.⁶ But Abram said unto Sarai, Behold, thy maid is in thine hand; do to her as it pleaseth thee. And when Sarai dealt hardly with her, she fled from her face.⁷ And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur.⁸ And he said, Hagar, Sarai's maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai.⁹ And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands.¹⁰ And the angel of the LORD said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.¹¹ And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.¹² And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.¹³ And she called the name of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me?¹⁴ Wherefore the well was called Beerlahairoi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.¹⁵ And Hagar bare Abram a son: and Abram called his son's name, which Hagar bare, Ishmael.¹⁶ And Abram was fourscore and six years old, when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram.

¹ And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, after their journeys, according to the commandment of the LORD, and pitched in Rephidim: and there was no water for the people to drink.² Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? wherefore do ye tempt the LORD?³ And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?⁴ And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me.⁵ And the LORD said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go.⁶ Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.⁷ And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD, saying, Is the LORD among us, or not?⁸ Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim.⁹ And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand.¹⁰ So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.¹¹ And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.¹² But Moses hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.¹³ And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.¹⁴ And the LORD said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.¹⁵ And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovahnissi:¹⁶ For he said, Because the LORD hath sworn that the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.

¹ When Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses' father in law, heard of all that God had done for Moses, and for Israel his people, and that the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt;² Then Jethro, Moses' father in law, took Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her back,³ And her two sons; of which the name of the one was Gershom; for he said, I have been an alien in a strange land:⁴ And the name of the other was Eliezer; for the God of my father, said he, was mine help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh:⁵ And Jethro, Moses' father in law, came with his sons and his wife unto Moses into the wilderness, where he encamped at the mount of God:⁶ And he said unto Moses, I thy father in law Jethro am come unto thee, and thy wife, and her two sons with her.⁷ And Moses went out to meet his father in law, and did obeisance, and kissed him; and they asked each other of their welfare; and they came into the tent.⁸ And Moses told his father in law all that the LORD had done unto Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel's sake, and all the travail that had come upon them by the way, and how the LORD delivered them.⁹ And Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which the LORD had done to Israel, whom he had delivered out of the hand of the Egyptians.¹⁰ And Jethro said, Blessed be the LORD, who hath delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of Pharaoh, who hath delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians.¹¹ Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods: for in the thing wherein they dealt proudly he was above them.¹² And Jethro, Moses' father in law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God: and Aaron came, and all the elders of Israel, to eat bread with Moses' father in law before God.¹³ And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses sat to judge the people: and the people stood by Moses from the morning unto the evening.¹⁴ And when Moses' father in law saw all that he did to the people, he said, What is this thing that thou doest to the people? why sittest thou thyself alone, and all the people stand by thee from morning unto even?¹⁵ And Moses said unto his father in law, Because the people come unto me to enquire of God:¹⁶ When they have a matter, they come unto me; and I judge between one and another, and I do make them know the statutes of God, and his laws.¹⁷ And Moses' father in law said unto him, The thing that thou doest is not good.¹⁸ Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with thee: for this thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone.¹⁹ Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee: Be thou for the people to God-ward, that thou mayest bring the causes unto God:²⁰ And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt shew them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do.²¹ Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens:²² And let them judge the people at all seasons: and it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small matter they shall judge: so shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear the burden with thee.²³ If thou shalt do this thing, and God command thee so, then thou shalt be able to endure, and all this people shall also go to their place in peace.²⁴ So Moses hearkened to the voice of his father in law, and did all that he had said.²⁵ And Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people, rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.²⁶ And they judged the people at all seasons: the hard causes they brought unto Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves.²⁷ And Moses let his father in law depart; and he went his way into his own land.

¹ And the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto the priests the sons of Aaron, and say unto them, There shall none be defiled for the dead among his people:² But for his kin, that is near unto him, that is, for his mother, and for his father, and for his son, and for his daughter, and for his brother.³ And for his sister a virgin, that is nigh unto him, which hath had no husband; for her may he be defiled.⁴ But he shall not defile himself, being a chief man among his people, to profane himself.⁵ They shall not make baldness upon their head, neither shall they shave off the corner of their beard, nor make any cuttings in their flesh.⁶ They shall be holy unto their God, and not profane the name of their God: for the offerings of the LORD made by fire, and the bread of their God, they do offer: therefore they shall be holy.⁷ They shall not take a wife that is a whore, or profane; neither shall they take a woman put away from her husband: for he is holy unto his God.⁸ Thou shalt sanctify him therefore; for he offereth the bread of thy God: he shall be holy unto thee: for I the LORD, which sanctify you, am holy.⁹ And the daughter of any priest, if she profane herself by playing the whore, she profaneth her father: she shall be burnt with fire.¹⁰ And he that is the high priest among his brethren, upon whose head the anointing oil was poured, and that is consecrated to put on the garments, shall not uncover his head, nor rend his clothes;¹¹ Neither shall he go in to any dead body, nor defile himself for his father, or for his mother;¹² Neither shall he go out of the sanctuary, nor profane the sanctuary of his God; for the crown of the anointing oil of his God is upon him: I am the LORD.¹³ And he shall take a wife in her virginity.¹⁴ A widow, or a divorced woman, or profane, or an harlot, these shall he not take: but he shall take a virgin of his own people to wife.¹⁵ Neither shall he profane his seed among his people: for I the LORD do sanctify him.¹⁶ And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,¹⁷ Speak unto Aaron, saying, Whosoever he be of thy seed in their generations that hath any blemish, let him not approach to offer the bread of his God.¹⁸ For whatsoever man he be that hath a blemish, he shall not approach: a blind man, or a lame, or he that hath a flat nose, or any thing superfluous,¹⁹ Or a man that is brokenfooted, or brokenhanded,²⁰ Or crookbackt, or a dwarf, or that hath a blemish in his eye, or be scurvy, or scabbed, or hath his stones broken;²¹ No man that hath a blemish of the seed of Aaron the priest shall come nigh to offer the offerings of the LORD made by fire: he hath a blemish; he shall not come nigh to offer the bread of his God.²² He shall eat the bread of his God, both of the most holy, and of the holy.²³ Only he shall not go in unto the vail, nor come nigh unto the altar, because he hath a blemish; that he profane not my sanctuaries: for I the LORD do sanctify them.²⁴ And Moses told it unto Aaron, and to his sons, and unto all the children of Israel.

¹ These are the journeys of the children of Israel, which went forth out of the land of Egypt with their armies under the hand of Moses and Aaron.² And Moses wrote their goings out according to their journeys by the commandment of the LORD: and these are their journeys according to their goings out.³ And they departed from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month; on the morrow after the passover the children of Israel went out with an high hand in the sight of all the Egyptians.⁴ For the Egyptians buried all their firstborn, which the LORD had smitten among them: upon their gods also the LORD executed judgments.⁵ And the children of Israel removed from Rameses, and pitched in Succoth.⁶ And they departed from Succoth, and pitched in Etham, which is in the edge of the wilderness.⁷ And they removed from Etham, and turned again unto Pihahiroth, which is before Baalzephon: and they pitched before Migdol.⁸ And they departed from before Pihahiroth, and passed through the midst of the sea into the wilderness, and went three days' journey in the wilderness of Etham, and pitched in Marah.⁹ And they removed from Marah, and came unto Elim: and in Elim were twelve fountains of water, and threescore and ten palm trees; and they pitched there.¹⁰ And they removed from Elim, and encamped by the Red sea.¹¹ And they removed from the Red sea, and encamped in the wilderness of Sin.¹² And they took their journey out of the wilderness of Sin, and encamped in Dophkah.¹³ And they departed from Dophkah, and encamped in Alush.¹⁴ And they removed from Alush, and encamped at Rephidim, where was no water for the people to drink.¹⁵ And they departed from Rephidim, and pitched in the wilderness of Sinai.¹⁶ And they removed from the desert of Sinai, and pitched at Kibrothhattaavah.¹⁷ And they departed from Kibrothhattaavah, and encamped at Hazeroth.¹⁸ And they departed from Hazeroth, and pitched in Rithmah.¹⁹ And they departed from Rithmah, and pitched at Rimmonparez.²⁰ And they departed from Rimmonparez, and pitched in Libnah.²¹ And they removed from Libnah, and pitched at Rissah.²² And they journeyed from Rissah, and pitched in Kehelathah.²³ And they went from Kehelathah, and pitched in mount Shapher.²⁴ And they removed from mount Shapher, and encamped in Haradah.²⁵ And they removed from Haradah, and pitched in Makheloth.²⁶ And they removed from Makheloth, and encamped at Tahath.²⁷ And they departed from Tahath, and pitched at Tarah.²⁸ And they removed from Tarah, and pitched in Mithcah.²⁹ And they went from Mithcah, and pitched in Hashmonah.³⁰ And they departed from Hashmonah, and encamped at Moseroth.³¹ And they departed from Moseroth, and pitched in Benejaakan.³² And they removed from Benejaakan, and encamped at Horhagidgad.³³ And they went from Horhagidgad, and pitched in Jotbathah.³⁴ And they removed from Jotbathah, and encamped at Ebronah.³⁵ And they departed from Ebronah, and encamped at Eziongaber.³⁶ And they removed from Eziongaber, and pitched in the wilderness of Zin, which is Kadesh.³⁷ And they removed from Kadesh, and pitched in mount Hor, in the edge of the land of Edom.³⁸ And Aaron the priest went up into mount Hor at the commandment of the LORD, and died there, in the fortieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the first day of the fifth month.³⁹ And Aaron was an hundred and twenty and three years old when he died in mount Hor.⁴⁰ And king Arad the Canaanite, which dwelt in the south in the land of Canaan, heard of the coming of the children of Israel.⁴¹ And they departed from mount Hor, and pitched in Zalmonah.⁴² And they departed from Zalmonah, and pitched in Punon.⁴³ And they departed from Punon, and pitched in Oboth.⁴⁴ And they departed from Oboth, and pitched in Ijeabarim, in the border of Moab.⁴⁵ And they departed from Iim, and pitched in Dibongad.⁴⁶ And they removed from Dibongad, and encamped in Almondiblathaim.⁴⁷ And they removed from Almondiblathaim, and pitched in the mountains of Abarim, before Nebo.⁴⁸ And they departed from the mountains of Abarim, and pitched in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho.⁴⁹ And they pitched by Jordan, from Bethjesimoth even unto Abelshittim in the plains of Moab.⁵⁰ And the LORD spake unto Moses in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho, saying,⁵¹ Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye are passed over Jordan into the land of Canaan;⁵² Then ye shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their pictures, and destroy all their molten images, and quite pluck down all their high places:⁵³ And ye shall dispossess the inhabitants of the land, and dwell therein: for I have given you the land to possess it.⁵⁴ And ye shall divide the land by lot for an inheritance among your families: and to the more ye shall give the more inheritance, and to the fewer ye shall give the less inheritance: every man's inheritance shall be in the place where his lot falleth; according to the tribes of your fathers ye shall inherit.⁵⁵ But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you; then it shall come to pass, that those which ye let remain of them shall be pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell.⁵⁶ Moreover it shall come to pass, that I shall do unto you, as I thought to do unto them.

¹ And this is the blessing, wherewith Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death.² And he said, The LORD came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth from mount Paran, and he came with ten thousands of saints: from his right hand went a fiery law for them.³ Yea, he loved the people; all his saints are in thy hand: and they sat down at thy feet; every one shall receive of thy words.⁴ Moses commanded us a law, even the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob.⁵ And he was king in Jeshurun, when the heads of the people and the tribes of Israel were gathered together.⁶ Let Reuben live, and not die; and let not his men be few.⁷ And this is the blessing of Judah: and he said, Hear, LORD, the voice of Judah, and bring him unto his people: let his hands be sufficient for him; and be thou an help to him from his enemies.⁸ And of Levi he said, Let thy Thummim and thy Urim be with thy holy one, whom thou didst prove at Massah, and with whom thou didst strive at the waters of Meribah;⁹ Who said unto his father and to his mother, I have not seen him; neither did he acknowledge his brethren, nor knew his own children: for they have observed thy word, and kept thy covenant.¹⁰ They shall teach Jacob thy judgments, and Israel thy law: they shall put incense before thee, and whole burnt sacrifice upon thine altar.¹¹ Bless, LORD, his substance, and accept the work of his hands; smite through the loins of them that rise against him, and of them that hate him, that they rise not again.¹² And of Benjamin he said, The beloved of the LORD shall dwell in safety by him; and the Lord shall cover him all the day long, and he shall dwell between his shoulders.¹³ And of Joseph he said, Blessed of the LORD be his land, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that coucheth beneath,¹⁴ And for the precious fruits brought forth by the sun, and for the precious things put forth by the moon,¹⁵ And for the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the lasting hills,¹⁶ And for the precious things of the earth and fulness thereof, and for the good will of him that dwelt in the bush: let the blessing come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head of him that was separated from his brethren.¹⁷ His glory is like the firstling of his bullock, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns: with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth: and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh.¹⁸ And of Zebulun he said, Rejoice, Zebulun, in thy going out; and, Issachar, in thy tents.¹⁹ They shall call the people unto the mountain; there they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness: for they shall suck of the abundance of the seas, and of treasures hid in the sand.²⁰ And of Gad he said, Blessed be he that enlargeth Gad: he dwelleth as a lion, and teareth the arm with the crown of the head.²¹ And he provided the first part for himself, because there, in a portion of the lawgiver, was he seated; and he came with the heads of the people, he executed the justice of the LORD, and his judgments with Israel.²² And of Dan he said, Dan is a lion's whelp: he shall leap from Bashan.²³ And of Naphtali he said, O Naphtali, satisfied with favour, and full with the blessing of the LORD: possess thou the west and the south.²⁴ And of Asher he said, Let Asher be blessed with children; let him be acceptable to his brethren, and let him dip his foot in oil.²⁵ Thy shoes shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be.²⁶ There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth upon the heaven in thy help, and in his excellency on the sky.²⁷ The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them.²⁸ Israel then shall dwell in safety alone: the fountain of Jacob shall be upon a land of corn and wine; also his heavens shall drop down dew.²⁹ Happy art thou, O Israel: who is like unto thee, O people saved by the LORD, the shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy excellency! and thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee; and thou shalt tread upon their high places.

¹ And Moses went up from the plains of Moab unto the mountain of Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, that is over against Jericho. And the LORD shewed him all the land of Gilead, unto Dan,² And all Naphtali, and the land of Ephraim, and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah, unto the utmost sea,³ And the south, and the plain of the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, unto Zoar.⁴ And the LORD said unto him, This is the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed: I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither.⁵ So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD.⁶ And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Bethpeor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day.⁷ And Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated.⁸ And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days: so the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were ended.⁹ And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him: and the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did as the LORD commanded Moses.¹⁰ And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face,¹¹ In all the signs and the wonders, which the LORD sent him to do in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land,¹² And in all that mighty hand, and in all the great terror which Moses shewed in the sight of all Israel.