The Covenant Confirmed

24 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron,^(A) Nadab and Abihu,^(B) and seventy of the elders^(C) of Israel. You are to worship at a distance, ² but Moses alone is to approach^(D) the Lord; the others must not come near. And the people may not come up with him.”

³ When Moses went and told the people all the Lord’s words and laws,^(E) they responded with one voice, “Everything the Lord has said we will do.”^{(F) 4} Moses then wrote^(G) down everything the Lord had said.

He got up early the next morning and built an altar^(H) at the foot of the mountain and set up twelve stone pillars^(I) representing the twelve tribes of Israel. ⁵ Then he sent young Israelite men, and they offered burnt offerings^(J) and sacrificed young bulls as fellowship offerings^(K) to the Lord. ⁶ Moses^(L) took half of the blood^(M) and put it in bowls, and the other half he splashed^(N) against the altar. ⁷ Then he took the Book of the Covenant^(O) and read it to the people. They responded, “We will do everything the Lord has said; we will obey.”^(P)

⁸ Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people^(Q) and said, “This is the blood of the covenant^(R) that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.”

⁹ Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders^(S) of Israel went up ¹⁰ and saw^(T) the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a pavement made of lapis lazuli,^(U) as bright blue as the sky.^{(V) 11} But God did not raise his hand against these leaders of the Israelites; they saw^(W) God, and they ate and drank.^(X)

³ Then Moses said to the people, “Commemorate this day, the day you came out of Egypt,^(A) out of the land of slavery, because the Lord brought you out of it with a mighty hand.^(B) Eat nothing containing yeast.^{(C) 4} Today, in the month of Aviv,^(D) you are leaving. ⁵ When the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites,^(E) Hittites, Amorites, Hivites and Jebusites^(F)—the land he swore to your ancestors to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey^(G)—you are to observe this ceremony^(H) in this month: ⁶ For seven days eat bread made without yeast and on the seventh day hold a festival^(I) to the Lord. ⁷ Eat unleavened bread during those seven days; nothing with yeast in it is to be seen among you, nor shall any yeast be seen anywhere within your borders. ⁸ On that day tell your son,^(J) ‘I do this because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ ⁹ This observance will be for you like a sign on your hand^(K) and a reminder on your forehead^(L) that this law of the Lord is to be on your lips. For the Lord brought you out of Egypt with his mighty hand.^{(M) 10} You must keep this ordinance^(N) at the appointed time^(O) year after year.

⁵⁰ Jesus replied, “Do what you came for, friend.”^[a](A)

Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him. ⁵¹ With that, one of Jesus’ companions reached for his sword,^(B) drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.^(C)

⁵² “Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.^{(D) 53} Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?^{(E) 54} But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled^(F) that say it must happen in this way?”

⁵⁵ In that hour Jesus said to the crowd, “Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me? Every day I sat in the temple courts teaching,^(G) and you did not arrest me. ⁵⁶ But this has all taken place that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled.”^(H) Then all the disciples deserted him and fled.

The Vine and the Branches

15 “I am^(A) the true vine,^(B) and my Father is the gardener. ² He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit,^(C) while every branch that does bear fruit^(D) he prunes^[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. ³ You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.^{(E) 4} Remain in me, as I also remain in you.^(F) No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

⁵ “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit;^(G) apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶ If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.^{(H) 7} If you remain in me^(I) and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.^{(J) 8} This is to my Father’s glory,^(K) that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.^(L)

⁹ “As the Father has loved me,^(M) so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. ¹⁰ If you keep my commands,^(N) you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. ¹¹ I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.^{(O) 12} My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.^{(P) 13} Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.^{(Q) 14} You are my friends^(R) if you do what I command.^{(S) 15} I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.^{(T) 16} You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you^(U) so that you might go and bear fruit^(V)—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.^{(W) 17} This is my command: Love each other.^(X)

The World Hates the Disciples

¹⁸ “If the world hates you,^(Y) keep in mind that it hated me first. ¹⁹ If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you^(Z) out of the world. That is why the world hates you.^{(AA) 20} Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’^[b](AB) If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.^(AC) If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. ²¹ They will treat you this way because of my name,^(AD) for they do not know the one who sent me.^{(AE) 22} If I had not come and spoken to them,^(AF) they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin.^{(AG) 23} Whoever hates me hates my Father as well. ²⁴ If I had not done among them the works no one else did,^(AH) they would not be guilty of sin.^(AI) As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. ²⁵ But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law:^(AJ) ‘They hated me without reason.’^[c](AK)

The Work of the Holy Spirit

²⁶ “When the Advocate^(AL) comes, whom I will send to you from the Father^(AM)—the Spirit of truth^(AN) who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me.^{(AO) 27} And you also must testify,^(AP) for you have been with me from the beginning.^(AQ)