Old/New Testament
New Stone Tablets
10 At that time the Lord said to me, “·Cut [Carve; Chisel] two stone tablets like the first ones and come up to me on the mountain. Also make a wooden Ark [Ex. 25:10]. 2 I will write on the tablets the same words that were on the first tablets, which you broke, and you will put the new tablets in the Ark [Ex. 34].”
3 So I made the Ark out of acacia wood, and I ·cut [carved; chiseled] out two stone tablets like the first ones. Then I went up on the mountain with the two tablets in my hands. 4 The Lord wrote the same things on these tablets he had written before—the Ten ·Commandments [L Words; Ex. 20:2–27; 34] that he had told you on the mountain from the fire, on the day ·you were gathered [of the assembly] there. And the Lord gave them to me. 5 Then I turned and came down the mountain; I put the tablets in the Ark I had made, as the Lord had commanded, and they are still there.
6 (The ·people [L sons; children] of Israel went from ·the wells of the Jaakanites [or Beeroth-bene-jaakan] to Moserah. Aaron died there and was buried [Num. 20:22–29]; his son Eleazar became priest in his place. 7 From Moserah they went to Gudgodah, and from Gudgodah they went to Jotbathah [Num. 33:33], a place with ·streams [wadis] of water. 8 At that time the Lord ·chose [set apart] the tribe of Levi to carry the Ark of the ·Agreement [Treaty; Covenant; Ex. 25:10] with the Lord. They were to ·serve [minister to] the Lord and to bless the people in his name, which they still do today [Num. 6:22–27]. 9 That is why the Levites did not ·receive any land of their own [L have an allotment and inheritance along with their brothers]; instead, they ·received the Lord himself as their gift [L inherited the Lord himself], as the Lord your God ·told [promised] them.)
10 I stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights just like the first time, and the Lord listened to me this time also. He did not want to destroy you. 11 The Lord said to me, “Go and lead the people so that they will go in and ·take [possess] the land I promised their ·ancestors [fathers; Gen. 12:1–3; 15:17–20].”
What the Lord Wants You to Do
12 Now, Israel, ·this is what [L what is it that…?] the Lord your God wants you to do: ·Respect [Fear] the Lord your God, and ·do what he has told you to do [L walk on all his ways/paths]. Love him. Serve the Lord your God with ·your whole being [L all your heart/mind and all your soul], 13 and obey the Lord’s commands and ·laws [statutes; ordinances; requirements] that I am giving you today for your own good.
14 The Lord owns the ·world [earth] and everything in it—the heavens, even the ·highest heavens [L heaven of heavens], are his. 15 But the Lord ·cared for [stuck to] and loved your ·ancestors [fathers], and he chose you, their ·descendants [L seed], over all the other nations, just as it is today. 16 ·Give yourselves completely to serving him [L Circumcise the foreskin of your heart], and do not be stubborn any longer. 17 The Lord your God is God of all gods and Lord of all lords. He is the great God, who is strong and ·wonderful [awesome]. He does not ·take sides [show favoritism/partiality], and he will not ·be talked into doing evil [take a bribe]. 18 He ·helps [grants justice to] orphans and widows, and he loves ·foreigners [resident aliens] and gives them food and clothes. 19 You also must love ·foreigners [resident aliens], because you were ·foreigners [resident aliens] in Egypt. 20 ·Respect [Fear] the Lord your God and serve him. ·Be loyal [Cling] to him and ·make your promises in [swear by] his name. 21 He is the one you should praise; he is your God, who has done great and ·wonderful [awesome] things for you, which you have seen with your own eyes. 22 There were only seventy of your ·ancestors [fathers] when they went down to Egypt [Gen. 46:26; Ex. 1:5], and now the Lord your God has made you as many as the stars in the sky [Gen. 15:5; 22:19].
Great Things Israel Saw
11 Love the Lord your God and always obey his orders, ·rules [statutes; ordinances; requirements], laws, and commands. 2 ·Remember [L You know] today it was not your children who saw and ·felt [experienced; knew] the ·correction [discipline] of the Lord your God. They did not see his ·majesty [greatness], his ·power [L strong hand], his ·strength [L outstretched arm], 3 or his signs and the things he did in Egypt to Pharaoh, the king, and his whole country. 4 They did not see what he did to the Egyptian army, its horses and chariots, when he drowned them in the ·Red [or Reed] Sea [Ex. 10:19] as they were chasing you. The Lord ·ruined [destroyed] them forever. 5 They did not see what he did for you in the ·desert [wilderness] until you arrived here. 6 They did not see what he did to Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab the Reubenite, when the ground opened ·up [L its mouth] and swallowed them, their ·families [L houses], their tents, and everyone who stood ·with them in Israel [L on their feet in all Israel; Num. 16]. 7 It was ·you who [L your eyes that] saw all these great things the Lord has done.
8 So ·obey [keep] all the commands I am ·giving [commanding] you today so that you will be strong and can go in and ·take [possess] the land you are ·going to take as your own [L crossing over to possess]. 9 Then you will live a long time in the land that the Lord ·promised [swore] to give to your ·ancestors [fathers] and their ·descendants [L seed], a ·fertile land [L land flowing with milk and honey; Ex. 3:8]. 10 The land you are going to take is not like Egypt, where you were. There you had to plant your seed and water it, like a vegetable garden, by using your feet. 11 But the land that you will soon cross ·the Jordan River [L there] to ·take [possess] is a land of hills and valleys, ·a land that drinks [watered by] rain from heaven. 12 It is a land the Lord your God ·cares for [looks after]. His eyes are on it continually, and he watches it from the beginning of the year to the end.
13 If you carefully ·obey [L listen to] the commands I am ·giving [commanding] you today and love the Lord your God and serve him with ·your whole being [L all your heart/mind and all your soul], 14 then he[a] will send rain on your land at the right time, in the ·fall [L early rain] and ·spring [L late rain], and you will be able to gather your grain, new wine, and oil. 15 He[b] will put grass in the fields for your cattle, and you will have plenty to eat.
16 Be careful, or you will be ·fooled [tricked; deceived; seduced] and will turn away to serve and worship other gods. 17 If you do, the Lord will become angry with you and will ·shut [close up] the heavens so it will not rain [1 Kin. 17:1]. Then the land will not ·grow [produce] crops, and you will soon ·die [perish] in the good land the Lord is giving you. 18 ·Remember my words with your whole being [L Put these words of mine on your hearts/minds and on your soul]. ·Write them down and tie [L Bind] them to your hands as a sign; tie them ·on your foreheads [L between your eyes] ·to remind you [as an emblem/headband/frontlet; 6:8]. 19 Teach them well to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 20 Write them on ·your doors [L the lintels/doorposts of your house] and gates 21 so that both you and your children will live a long time in the land the Lord promised your ·ancestors [fathers], as long as the ·skies [heavens] are above the earth.
22 If you are careful to obey every command I am ·giving you to follow [L commanding you to do], and love the Lord your God, and ·do what he has told you to do [L walk on all his ways/paths], and ·are loyal [cling] to him, 23 then the Lord will ·force [dispossess] all those nations out of the land ahead of you, and you will ·take [possess] the land from nations that are bigger and stronger than you. 24 Everywhere ·you step [L the heel of your foot treads] will be yours. Your land will go from the ·desert [wilderness] to Lebanon and from the Euphrates River to the ·Mediterranean [L Great] Sea. 25 No one will be able to ·stop [stand against] you. The Lord your God will ·do what he promised and will make the people afraid everywhere you go [L put the dread and fear of you on all the land on which you tread as he promised].
26 See, today I am ·letting you choose [setting before you] a blessing or a curse. 27 You will be blessed if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am ·giving [commanding] you today. 28 But you will be cursed if you ·disobey [L do not listen to] the commands of the Lord your God. So do not ·disobey the commands [L turn aside from the way] I am ·giving [commanding] you today, and do not ·worship [go after] other gods you do not know. 29 When the Lord your God brings you into the land you will ·take as your own [possess], you are to announce the blessings from Mount Gerizim and the curses from Mount Ebal [27–28; Josh. 8:30–35]. 30 (·These mountains are [L Are they not…?] ·on the other side of [beyond] the Jordan River, to the west, toward the sunset. They are near the great trees of Moreh [Gen. 12:6] in the land of the Canaanites who live in the ·Jordan Valley [L Arabah] opposite Gilgal.) 31 You will soon cross the Jordan River to enter and ·take [possess] the land the Lord your God is giving you. When you ·take it over [possess it] and live there, 32 be careful to obey all the commands and ·laws [statutes; ordinances; requirements] I am giving you today.
The Place for Worship
12 These are the ·commands [statutes; ordinances; requirements] and laws you must carefully obey in the land the Lord, the God of your ·ancestors [fathers], is giving you to possess. Obey them as long as you live in the land. 2 When you ·inherit [possess] the lands of these nations, you must completely destroy all the places where they serve their gods, on high mountains and hills and under every green tree. 3 Tear down their altars, smash their holy stone pillars, and burn their ·Asherah idols [L Asherim; 7:5; Judg. 3:7] in the fire. Cut down their idols and destroy their names from those places.
4 Don’t ·worship [act for] the Lord your God that way, 5 but look for the place the Lord your God will choose—·a place among your tribes where he is to be worshiped [L as his dwelling where he will place his name]. Go there, 6 and bring to that place your burnt offerings [Lev. 1:1–17] and sacrifices; bring ·a tenth of what you gain [T your tithes] and your special gifts; bring what you have ·promised [vowed] and the special gifts you want to give the Lord, and bring the first animals born to your herds and flocks.
7 There you and your families will eat in the presence of the Lord, and you will enjoy all ·the good things for which you have worked [your undertakings; L all that is sent out from your hand], because the Lord your God has blessed you.
8 Do not ·worship [act] the way we have been ·doing [acting] today, each person doing what ·he thinks is right [L is right/virtuous in his own eyes]. 9 You have not yet come to a resting place, to the ·land [L inheritance] the Lord your God will give you as your own. 10 But soon you will cross the Jordan River to live in the land the Lord your God is ·giving you as your own [L causing you to inherit], where he will give you rest from all your enemies and you will live in safety [2 Sam. 7:1; C David would achieve rest from enemies; Solomon would build the temple in an era of peace]. 11 Then the Lord your God will choose a place where he ·is to be worshiped [L will cause his name to dwell; C Zion, where the Temple would be built]. To that place you must bring everything I ·tell [command] you: your burnt offerings [Lev. 1:1–17] and sacrifices, your ·offerings of a tenth of what you gain [T tithes], your special gifts, and all your best things you ·promised [vowed] to the Lord. 12 There rejoice before the Lord your God. Everyone should rejoice: you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levites ·from your towns [L in your gates] who have no ·land [allotment] of their own. 13 Be careful that you don’t sacrifice your burnt offerings [Lev. 1:1–17] just anywhere you ·please [L see]. 14 Offer them only in the place the Lord will choose [C Zion; v. 11]. He will choose a place in one of your tribes, and there you must do everything I am commanding you.
15 But you may ·kill [slaughter] your animals in any of your ·towns [L gates] and eat ·as much of the meat as you want [L as much of the meat as your soul desires; or when your soul desires], as if it were a deer or a gazelle; this is the blessing the Lord your God is giving you. Anyone, clean or unclean [C in a ritual sense], may eat this meat, 16 but do not eat the blood [Gen. 9:4; Lev. 3:17; Acts 15:20, 29]. Pour it out on the ground like water. 17 Do not eat in your own ·towns [L gates] what belongs to the Lord: ·one-tenth [T a tithe] of your grain, new wine, or oil; the first animals born to your herds or flocks; whatever you have ·promised to give [vowed]; the special gifts you want to give to the Lord, or any other gifts. 18 Eat these things when you are together with the Lord your God, in the place the Lord your God chooses to be worshiped. Everyone must do this: you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levites from your ·towns [L gates]. Rejoice in the Lord your God’s presence about ·the things you have worked for [your undertakings; L all that is sent out from your hand]. 19 Be careful not to ·forget [L abandon; forsake] the Levites as long ·as you live [L all your days] in the land.
20 When the Lord your God enlarges your ·country [borders] as he has promised, and ·you want [L your soul desires] some meat so you say, “I want some meat,” you may eat ·as much meat as you want [L what your soul desires; or when your soul desires]. 21 If the Lord your God chooses a place where he ·is to be worshiped [L puts his name] that is too far away from you, you may ·kill [slaughter] animals from your herds and flocks, which the Lord has given to you. I have commanded that you may do this. You may eat ·as much of them as you want [L as much as your soul desires; or when your soul desires] in your own ·towns [L gates], 22 as you would eat gazelle or deer meat. Both clean and unclean people [C in a ritual sense] may eat this meat, 23 but be sure you don’t eat the blood, because the life is in the blood [Gen. 9:4; Lev. 3:17; Acts 15:20, 29]. Don’t eat the life with the meat. 24 Don’t eat the blood, but pour it out on the ground like water. 25 If you don’t eat it, things will go well for you and your children, because you will be doing what ·the Lord says is right [L is right/virtuous in the eyes of the Lord].
26 Take your holy ·things [gifts; donations] and ·the things you have promised to give [L your vows that you have lifted up], and go to the place the Lord will choose. 27 Present your burnt offerings [Lev. 1:1–17] on the altar of the Lord your God, both the meat and the blood. The blood of your sacrifices should be poured beside the altar of the Lord your God, but you may eat the meat. 28 Be careful to ·obey [L listen to] all the rules I am ·giving [commanding] you so that things will always go well for you and your children, and you will be doing what the Lord your God says is good and ·right [virtuous in his eyes].
29 You will enter the land and ·take it away from [dispossess] the nations that the Lord your God will ·destroy [L cut them off] ahead of you. When you ·force them out [dispossess] and live in their land, 30 they will be destroyed for you, but be careful not to be ·trapped [snared] by asking about their gods. Don’t say, “How do these nations ·worship [L serve]? I will do the same.” 31 Don’t ·worship [act toward] the Lord your God that way, because the Lord hates the ·evil [detestable; abhorrent; abominable] ways they ·worship [act toward] their gods. They even burn their sons and daughters as sacrifices to their gods!
32 Be sure to do everything I have commanded you. Do not add anything to it, and do not take anything away from it.
The Story of the Evil Farmers(A)
12 [Then] Jesus began ·to use stories to teach the people [L to speak to them in parables; see 3:23]. He said, “A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it and dug a ·hole [vat; pit] for a winepress and built a tower [C to protect against thieves; see Is. 5:1–7 for the background to this parable]. Then he leased the land to some [C tenant] farmers and left for a trip [C the owner represents God, the farmers are Israel’s religious leaders]. 2 When it was time for the grapes to be picked, he sent a ·servant [slave] to the farmers to get his share of the grapes. 3 But the farmers grabbed ·the servant [L him] and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 4 Then the man sent another ·servant [slave]. They ·hit [beat] him on the head and ·showed no respect for [humiliated; dishonored] him. 5 So the man sent another, whom they killed. The man sent many others; the farmers beat some of them and killed others [C the servants represent the prophets God sent to Israel].
6 “The man had one person left to send, his son whom he loved [C representing Jesus; see 1:11; 9:7]. He sent him last of all, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’
7 “But the farmers said to each other, ‘This son will inherit the vineyard. Let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 8 So they took the son, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.
9 “So what will the ·owner [lord] of the vineyard do? He will come and ·kill [destroy] those farmers and will give the vineyard to ·other farmers [L others; C referring to the sinners who were responding to Jesus’ call for repentance, and eventually to the Gentiles who would be saved]. 10 ·Surely you have read [L Have you never read…?] this Scripture:
‘The stone that the builders rejected
became the ·cornerstone [capstone; keystone; L head of the corner; C the meaning is uncertain, but clearly refers to the most important stone in the building; Jesus is the rejected stone].
11 The Lord did this,
and it is ·wonderful [amazing; marvelous] ·to us [for us to see; L in our eyes; Ps. 118:22–23].’”
12 The Jewish leaders knew that the ·story [parable] was about them. So they ·wanted to find a way [were seeking/trying] to arrest Jesus, but they were afraid of the people. So the leaders left him and went away.
Is It Right to Pay Taxes or Not?(B)
13 Later, the Jewish leaders sent some Pharisees and Herodians [C a political group that supported king Herod and his family; 3:6] to Jesus to ·trap [catch] him in saying something wrong. 14 They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know that you are ·an honest man [true; honest; sincere]. You are not ·afraid of [concerned about] what other people think about you, because you ·pay no attention to who they are [play no favorites; are impartial; aren’t swayed by appearances]. And you teach ·the truth [with sincerity/honesty] about God’s way. Tell us: Is it ·right [permissible; lawful] to pay taxes to Caesar or not? 15 Should we pay them, or not?” [C Saying “yes” would anger Jews who hated Roman rule; saying “no” could result in being charged with insurrection.]
But knowing ·what these men were really trying to do [L their hypocrisy], Jesus said to them, “Why are you ·trying to trap [testing] me? Bring me a ·coin [L denarius; C a Roman coin worth a day’s wages] to look at.” 16 They gave Jesus a coin, and he asked, “Whose ·image [likeness; portrait] and ·name [inscription] are on the coin?”
They answered, “Caesar’s.” [C Ironically, the religious leaders carry coins bearing the idolatrous image of Caesar.]
17 Then Jesus said to them, “·Give [T Render] to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and give to God the things that are God’s.” They were amazed at what Jesus said.
Some Sadducees Try to Trick Jesus(C)
18 Then some Sadducees came to Jesus and asked him a question. (Sadducees believed that people would not rise from the dead.) 19 They said, “Teacher, Moses wrote that if a man’s brother dies, leaving a wife but no children, then that man must marry the widow and ·have children [L raise up offspring/seed] for his brother [Deut. 25:5]. 20 Once there were seven brothers. The first brother ·married [L took a wife] and died, leaving no children. 21 So the second brother married the widow, but he also died and had no children. The same thing happened with the third brother. 22 All seven brothers married her and died, and none of the brothers had any children. Finally the woman died too. 23 Since all seven brothers had married her, ·when people rise from the dead [L at the resurrection], whose wife will she be?”
24 Jesus answered, “·You are mistaken [L Are you not mistaken/in error…?] because you don’t know what the Scriptures say, and don’t you know about the power of God. 25 [L For] When people rise from the dead, they will not marry, nor will they be given to someone to marry. They will be like the angels in heaven. 26 ·Surely you have read [L Have you not read…?] what God said about people rising from the dead. In the book in which Moses wrote about the burning bush [Ex. 3:1–12], it says that God told Moses, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob [Ex. 3:6; C God is still the God of the patriarchs, so they must have a continued existence after death].’ 27 God is the God of the living, not the dead. You Sadducees are ·wrong [greatly deceived; badly mistaken]!”
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.