Old/New Testament
The Holy Tent
7 When Moses finished setting up the Holy Tent, he gave it for service to the Lord. Moses poured olive oil on the Tent and on everything used in the Tent. He also poured oil on the altar and all its tools. In this way he prepared them for service to the Lord. 2 Then the leaders of Israel made offerings. These were the heads of the families and leaders of each tribe. They were the men who counted the people. 3 They brought to the Lord 6 covered carts and 12 oxen. Each leader gave an ox. Every two leaders gave a cart. They gave these to the Holy Tent.
4 The Lord said to Moses, 5 “Accept these gifts from the leaders. Use them in the work of the Meeting Tent. Give them to the Levites as they need them.”
6 So Moses accepted the carts and the oxen. He gave them to the Levites. 7 He gave 2 carts and 4 oxen to the Gershonites. This is what they needed for their work. 8 Then Moses gave 4 carts and 8 oxen to the Merarites. This is what they needed for their work. Ithamar son of Aaron, the priest, directed the work of all of them. 9 Moses did not give any oxen or carts to the Kohathites. They were to carry the holy things on their shoulders. This was their job.
10 The oil was poured on the altar. Then the leaders brought their offerings to it to give to the Lord’s service. 11 The Lord had already told Moses, “Each day one leader must bring his gift. The gifts will make the altar ready for service to me.”
12-83 Each of the 12 leaders brought these gifts. Each leader brought 1 silver plate that weighed about 3¼ pounds. And each one brought 1 silver bowl that weighed about 1¾ pounds. These weights were set by the Holy Place measure. Each bowl and plate were filled with fine flour mixed with oil. This was for a grain offering. Each leader also brought a large gold dish that weighed about 4 ounces. It was filled with incense.
Each leader also brought 1 young bull, 1 male sheep and 1 male lamb a year old. These were for a burnt offering. Each leader also brought 1 male goat for a sin offering. Each leader brought 2 oxen, 5 male sheep, 5 male goats and 5 male lambs a year old. All of these were sacrificed for a fellowship offering.
On the first day Nahshon son of Amminadab brought his gifts. He was the leader of the tribe of Judah.
On the second day Nethanel son of Zuar brought his gifts. He was the leader of the tribe of Issachar.
On the third day Eliab son of Helon brought his gifts. He was the leader of the tribe of Zebulun.
On the fourth day Elizur son of Shedeur brought his gifts. He was the leader of the tribe of Reuben.
On the fifth day Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai brought his gifts. He was the leader of the tribe of Simeon.
On the sixth day Eliasaph son of Deuel brought his gifts. He was the leader of the tribe of Gad.
On the seventh day Elishama son of Ammihud brought his gifts. He was the leader of the tribe of Ephraim.
On the eighth day Gamaliel son of Pedahzur brought his gifts. He was the leader of the tribe of Manasseh.
On the ninth day Abidan son of Gideoni brought his gifts. He was the leader of the tribe of Benjamin.
On the tenth day Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai brought his gifts. He was the leader of the tribe of Dan.
On the eleventh day Pagiel son of Ocran brought his gifts. He was the leader of the tribe of Asher.
On the twelfth day Ahira son of Enan brought his gifts. He was the leader of the tribe of Naphtali.
84 So these were the gifts from the Israelite leaders. Moses poured oil on the altar. And they brought their gifts to give the altar for service to the Lord. They brought 12 silver plates, 12 silver bowls and 12 gold dishes. 85 Each silver plate weighed about 3¼ pounds. And each bowl weighed about 1¾ pounds. All the silver plates and silver bowls together weighed about 60 pounds. This weight was set by the Holy Place measure. 86 The 12 gold dishes filled with incense weighed 4 ounces each. Together the gold dishes weighed about 3 pounds. 87 The total number of animals for the burnt offering was 12 bulls, 12 male sheep and 12 male lambs a year old. There was also a grain offering. And there were 12 male goats for a sin offering. 88 The total number of animals for the fellowship offering was 24 bulls, 60 male sheep, 60 male goats and 60 male lambs a year old. All these offerings were for giving the altar to the service of the Lord. This was after Moses had poured oil on it.
89 Moses went into the Meeting Tent to speak with the Lord. He heard the Lord speaking to him. The voice was coming from between the two gold creatures with wings. They were above the lid of the Ark of the Covenant. And the Lord spoke with him.
The Lampstand
8 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Speak to Aaron. Tell him, ‘Put the seven lamps where they can light the area in front of the lampstand.’”
3 Aaron did this. He put the lamps so they lighted the area in front of the lampstand. He obeyed the command the Lord gave Moses. 4 The lampstand was made from hammered gold. It was gold from its base to the flowers. It was made exactly the way the Lord had showed Moses.
The Levites
5 The Lord said to Moses, 6 “Take the Levites away from the other Israelites and make them clean. 7 This is what you should do to make them clean. Sprinkle the cleansing water on them. Have them shave their bodies and wash their clothes. Then they will be clean. 8 They must take a young bull and the grain offering that goes with it. The grain offering will be flour mixed with oil. Then take another young bull for a sin offering. 9 Bring the Levites to the front of the Meeting Tent. And gather all the Israelites around. 10 Bring the Levites before the Lord. Then the Israelites should put their hands on them.[a] 11 Aaron will present the Levites before the Lord. They will be like an offering presented from the Israelites. Then the Levites will be ready to do the work of the Lord.
12 “The Levites will put their hands on the bulls’ heads. One bull will be a sin offering to the Lord. The other will be a burnt offering. This will remove the sins of the Levites so they will belong to God. 13 Make the Levites stand in front of Aaron and his sons. Then present the Levites as an offering to the Lord. 14 In this way you must set apart the Levites from the other Israelites. The Levites will be mine.
15 “So make the Levites pure. And present them as an offering. Then they may come to work at the Meeting Tent. 16 They will be given to me from the Israelites. I have taken them for myself. They are mine instead of the firstborn son of every Israelite woman. 17 Every firstborn male in Israel—man or animal—is mine. I killed all the firstborn in Egypt. So now I set them aside for myself. 18 I have taken the Levites instead of all the firstborn sons in Israel. 19 I have chosen the Levites from all the Israelites. And I have given them to Aaron and his sons. They will serve all the Israelites at the Meeting Tent. They will help remove the Israelites’ sins so they will belong to God. Then no disaster will strike the Israelites when they approach the Holy Place.”
20 So Moses, Aaron and all the Israelites obeyed the Lord. They did with the Levites what the Lord commanded Moses. 21 The Levites made themselves clean and washed their clothes. Then Aaron presented them as an offering to the Lord. Aaron also removed their sins so they would be pure for the Lord. 22 After that, the Levites came to the Meeting Tent to work. Aaron and his sons told them what to do. They did with the Levites what the Lord commanded Moses.
23 The Lord said to Moses, 24 “This command is for the Levites. Every man 25 years old or older must come to the Meeting Tent. They all have a job to do in the work there. 25 At the age of 50, he must retire from his job. He doesn’t have to work again. 26 He may help his fellow Levites with their work at the Meeting Tent. But he must not do the work himself. This is the way you are to give the Levites their jobs.”
Use What You Have
21 Then Jesus said to them, “Do you hide a lamp under a bowl or under a bed? No! You put the lamp on a lampstand. 22 Everything that is hidden will be made clear. Every secret thing will be made known. 23 Let those with ears use them and listen!
24 “Think carefully about the things you hear. The way you give to others is the way God will give to you. But God will give you more than you give. 25 The person who has something will be given more. But the person who does not have much, even what he has will be taken from him.”
Jesus Uses a Story About Seed
26 Then Jesus said, “The kingdom of God is like a man who plants seed in the ground. 27 The seed comes up and grows night and day. It doesn’t matter whether the man is asleep or awake; the seed still grows. The man does not know how it grows. 28 Without any help, the earth produces grain. First the plant grows, then the head, and then all the grain in the head. 29 When the grain is ready, the man cuts it. This is the harvest time.”
A Story About Mustard Seed
30 Then Jesus said, “How can I show you what the kingdom of God is like? What story can I use to explain it? 31 The kingdom of God is like a mustard seed. The mustard seed is the smallest seed you plant in the ground. 32 But when you plant this seed, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants. It produces large branches. Even the wild birds can make nests in it and be protected from the sun.”
33 Jesus used many stories like these to teach them. He taught them all that they could understand. 34 He always used stories to teach them. But when he and his followers were alone together, Jesus explained everything to them.
Jesus Stops a Storm
35 That evening, Jesus said to his followers, “Come with me across the lake.” 36 He and the followers left the people there. They went in the boat that Jesus was already sitting in. There were also other boats with them. 37 A very strong wind came up on the lake. The waves began coming over the sides and into the boat. It was almost full of water. 38 Jesus was at the back of the boat, sleeping with his head on a pillow. The followers went to him and woke him. They said, “Teacher, do you care about us? We will drown!”
39 Jesus stood up and commanded the wind and the waves to stop. He said, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind stopped, and the lake became calm.
40 Jesus said to his followers, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
41 The followers were very afraid and asked each other, “What kind of man is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.