¹ The Lord spoke to Moses on the day on which he brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt, saying, ‘Sanctify to me every first-born, first produced that opens every womb among the children of Israel’. And Moses said to the people, ‘Remember this day, on which you came out of Egypt, from the house of slavery, for the Lord has brought you out from there with a mighty hand. And keep his law. And it shall be that when the Lord God brings you into the land of the Chananites, in the way that he swore to your fathers, you shall set apart everything that opens the womb; the males to the Lord. But if after this your son asks you, saying, “What is this?â€�, you will say to him, “God brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery, with a mighty hand. And when Pharao hardened his heart against sending us out, the Lord slew every first-born in the land of Egypt, from the first-born of humans to the first-born of animals. This is why I sacrifice everything that opens the womb; the males to the Lord, and every first-born of my sons I will redeemâ€�. And it will be for a sign upon your hand, and immovable before your eyes, because thus said the Lord the Almighty, “All the first-born of your sons you will give me. And it shall be that everyone who gives birth to a male child shall circumcise the flesh of its foreskin on the eighth day. And for thirty three days he will not come into the sanctuary of God to the Priest, until the days of purification are completed. And after this he will offer an unblemished yearling lamb to the Lord for a holocaust, and a young pigeon or turtle dove to the Priest at the door of the Tabernacle of Witness. Or instead of these he will offer two young pigeons or two turtle doves. And the Priest will make atonement for him. Because these have been offered to me as an offering out of all the children of Israel. And I have taken them and sanctified them for myself in place of the first-born of the Egyptians, on the day when I smote every first-born in the land of Egypt from human to beast of burden,â€� said God the Most High, the Holy One of Israel.’

¹ In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up; and his train filled the temple. ² Above him stood the seraphim. Each one had six wings. With two he covered his face. With two he covered his feet. With two he flew. ³ One called to another, and said, “Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of Armies! The whole earth is full of his glory!â€� ⁴ The foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. ⁵ Then I said, “Woe is me! For I am undone, because I am a man of unclean lips and I live among a people of unclean lips, for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of Armies!â€� ⁶ Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar. ⁷ He touched my mouth with it, and said, “Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away, and your sin forgiven.â€� ⁸ I heard the Lord’s voice, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?â€� Then I said, “Here I am. Send me!â€� ⁹ He said, “Go, and tell this people, ‘You hear indeed, but don’t understand. You see indeed, but don’t perceive.’ ¹⁰ Make the heart of this people fat. Make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their heart, and turn again, and be healed.â€� ¹¹ Then I said, “Lord, how long?â€� He answered, “Until cities are waste without inhabitant, houses without man, the land becomes utterly waste, ¹² and the LORD has removed men far away, and the forsaken places are many within the land.

¹ See, the Lord will be seated on a light cloud and will come to Egypt and the idols of Egypt will be shaken at his presence and their heart will be worsted within them. ‘And their spirit will be troubled within them, and I will frustrate their counsel and hand Egypt over into the hands of harsh lords,’ says the Lord Sabaoth. And the Egyptians will drink water that is beside the sea, while the river will fail and be dried up. Thus says the Lord, ‘Where now are your wise men? And let them declare to you and let them say, “What has the Lord Sabaoth planned against Egypt?â€� On that day the Egyptians will be like women, in fear and trembling in the presence of the hand of the Lord Sabaoth, which he will bring against them. And there will be an Altar to the Lord in the country of the Egyptians and a pillar to Lord at its border. And it will be for a sign for ever to the Lord in the country of Egypt, because they will cry to the Lord and he will send them a man who will save them. And the Lord will be known to the Egyptians. And the Egyptians will know the Lord in that day, and they will offer sacrifice and gift, and they will vow vows to the Lord and pay them.

²⁵ Behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. ²⁶ It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. ²⁷ He came in the Spirit into the temple. When the parents brought in the child, Jesus, that they might do concerning him according to the custom of the law, ²⁸ then he received him into his arms and blessed God, and said, ²⁹ “Now you are releasing your servant, Master, according to your word, in peace; ³⁰ for my eyes have seen your salvation, ³¹ which you have prepared before the face of all peoples; ³² a light for revelation to the nations, and the glory of your people Israel.â€�

⁷ But without any dispute the lesser is blessed by the greater. ⁸ Here people who die receive tithes, but there one receives tithes of whom it is testified that he lives. ⁹ We can say that through Abraham even Levi, who receives tithes, has paid tithes, ¹⁰ for he was yet in the body of his father when Melchizedek met him. ¹¹ Now if perfection was through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people have received the law), what further need was there for another priest to arise after the order of Melchizedek, and not be called after the order of Aaron? ¹² For the priesthood being changed, there is of necessity a change made also in the law. ¹³ For he of whom these things are said belongs to another tribe, from which no one has officiated at the altar. ¹⁴ For it is evident that our Lord has sprung out of Judah, about which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood. ¹⁵ This is yet more abundantly evident, if after the likeness of Melchizedek there arises another priest, ¹⁶ who has been made, not after the law of a fleshly commandment, but after the power of an endless life; ¹⁷ for it is testified, “You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.â€�7:17 Psalms 110:4

²⁰ knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of private interpretation. ²¹ For no prophecy ever came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke, being moved by the Holy Spirit. ¹ But false prophets also arose among the people, as false teachers will also be among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, denying even the Master who bought them, bringing on themselves swift destruction. ² Many will follow their immoral ways, and as a result, the way of the truth will be maligned. ³ In covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words: whose sentence now from of old doesn’t linger, and their destruction will not slumber. ⁴ For if God didn’t spare angels when they sinned, but cast them down to Tartarus, and committed them to pits of darkness to be reserved for judgment; ⁵ and didn’t spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah with seven others, a preacher of righteousness, when he brought a flood on the world of the ungodly, ⁶ and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, having made them an example to those who would live in an ungodly way, ⁷ and delivered righteous Lot, who was very distressed by the lustful life of the wicked ⁸ (for that righteous man dwelling among them was tormented in his righteous soul from day to day with seeing and hearing lawless deeds), ⁹ then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptation and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment,

²² When the days of their purification according to the law of Moses were fulfilled, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord ²³ (as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lordâ€�),2:23 Exodus 13:2,12 ²⁴ and to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, “A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.â€�2:24 Leviticus 12:8 ²⁵ Behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. ²⁶ It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. ²⁷ He came in the Spirit into the temple. When the parents brought in the child, Jesus, that they might do concerning him according to the custom of the law, ²⁸ then he received him into his arms and blessed God, and said, ²⁹ “Now you are releasing your servant, Master, according to your word, in peace; ³⁰ for my eyes have seen your salvation, ³¹ which you have prepared before the face of all peoples; ³² a light for revelation to the nations, and the glory of your people Israel.â€� ³³ Joseph and his mother were marveling at the things which were spoken concerning him. ³⁴ Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary, his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which is spoken against. ³⁵ Yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.â€� ³⁶ There was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher (she was of a great age, having lived with a husband seven years from her virginity, ³⁷ and she had been a widow for about eighty-four years), who didn’t depart from the temple, worshiping with fastings and petitions night and day. ³⁸ Coming up at that very hour, she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of him to all those who were looking for redemption in Jerusalem. ³⁹ When they had accomplished all things that were according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth. ⁴⁰ The child was growing, and was becoming strong in spirit, being filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him.

⁹ “But watch yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils. You will be beaten in synagogues. You will stand before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony to them. ¹⁰ The Good News must first be preached to all the nations. ¹¹ When they lead you away and deliver you up, don’t be anxious beforehand or premeditate what you will say, but say whatever will be given you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. ¹² “Brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child. Children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. ¹³ You will be hated by all men for my name’s sake, but he who endures to the end will be saved.