NASO (ELEVATE!)

Parashat Naso

²¹ Again Adonai spoke to Moses saying, ²² “Take a census also of the sons of Gershon, by their ancestral households and by their families. ²³ Count all the males from 30 to 50 years of age, everyone coming to work in the service of the Tent of Meeting. ²⁴ This is the task of the Gershonite families in working and carrying burdens. ²⁵ They are to carry the curtains of the Tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting, its covering, the outer covering of porpoise hide, the curtains for the entrance for the Tent of Meeting, ²⁶ the curtains surrounding the courtyard and the altar, the curtain for the entrance, the ropes and all the equipment used in its operations. They are to do all that needs to be done with these things.

²⁷ The sons of the Gershonites are to do all their tasks, whether carrying or doing other work, according to the word of Aaron and his sons. You are to assign to them all that is their responsibility to carry. ²⁸ This is the duty of the families of the sons of the Gershonites regarding the Tent of Meeting. Their duty will be under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron the kohen.

²⁹ Next, count the sons of Merari, according to their families and their ancestral houses, ³⁰ sons 30 years old and upward to 50, everyone coming to work in the service of the Tent of Meeting. ³¹ This is their task in the service of the Tent of Meeting: the frames of the Tabernacle, its crossbars, posts and bases, ³² as well as the posts of the surrounding courtyard, plus their bases, tent pegs, ropes, and all their paraphernalia with everything related to their operation. Assign to them by name their duties and tasks. ³³ This is the service of the families of the sons of Merari as they work under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron the kohen.”

³⁴ So Moses, Aaron and the princes of the community counted the sons of the Kohathites according to their families and their ancestral households. ³⁵ All the men who came to do the service of the Tent of Meeting, from 30 to 50 years of age, ³⁶ were counted by families—2,750. ³⁷ This was the total of those in the families of the Kohathites, every one serving in the Tent of Meeting—Moses and Aaron counted them according to the mouth of Adonai by Moses’s hand.

³⁸ The sons of Gershon were counted according to their families and their ancestral households. ³⁹ Males from 30 years old and upward to 50, all those coming into the work of the service of the Tent of Meeting, ⁴⁰ numbered according to their families and ancestral households 2,630. ⁴¹ These were those counted from the families of the sons of Gershon, each serving in the Tent of Meeting—Moses and Aaron counted according to the mouth of Adonai.

⁴² Those were counted from the families and ancestral households of the sons of Merari, ⁴³ from 30 years of age upward to 50, who came to the work of the service of the Tent of Meeting. ⁴⁴ Numbered by their families, they were 3,200. ⁴⁵ These were those numbered from the families of the sons of Merari by Moses and Aaron in accordance with the mouth of Adonai by Moses’s hand.

⁴⁶ Thus Moses, Aaron and the princes of Israel counted all the Levites by their families and by their ancestral houses. ⁴⁷ All the men from 30 to 50 years old who came to do the work of the service and of carrying the Tent of Meeting ⁴⁸ numbered 8,580.

⁴⁹ From the mouth of Adonai by Moses’s hand, each man was assigned his work and his burden to carry. So they were counted, as Adonai commanded Moses.

Purity in the Camp

5 Adonai spoke to Moses saying, ² “Command Bnei-Yisrael to send out from the camp everyone with tza’arat, who has some kind of discharge, or any contaminated by a dead body. ³ Whether male or female, you are to send them outside the camp so as not to defile the camp where I am dwelling among them.” ⁴ This Bnei-Yisrael did, sending them outside the camp. Just as Adonai spoke to Moses, so Bnei-Yisrael did.

⁵ Adonai spoke to Moses saying, ⁶ “Say to Bnei-Yisrael: Whenever a man or woman commits any sins against any person, thus breaking faith with Adonai, that soul bears guilt. ⁷ That person is to confess the sin he has committed, make full restitution for his wrong, add one fifth to it and give it to the one he wronged. ^{[a] 8} But if that person has no close relative to whom to pay the restitution, the restitution belongs to Adonai. It is to be given to the kohen along with the ram of atonement with which he is to make atonement for him.

⁹ “Every contribution from all the sacred things that Bnei-Yisrael brings to the kohen will belong to him. ¹⁰ Each one’s sacred holy gifts are his own, but whatever each man gives to the kohen belongs to that kohen.”

Jealousy Ritual

¹¹ Adonai spoke to Moses saying, ¹² “Speak to Bnei-Yisrael and say to them: Suppose some man’s wife goes astray and is unfaithful to him, ¹³ and another man has sexual relations with her, but it is hidden from her husband’s eyes and her impurity is not detected. Yet there was no witness against her and she was not caught in the act. ¹⁴ Then a spirit of jealousy overcomes him and he is suspicious of his wife, when she is impure. Or a spirit of jealousy overcomes him and he suspects his wife, yet she is not impure.

¹⁵ “Then he should take his wife to the kohen. He must also bring a tenth of an ephah of barley flour as an offering for her. He is not to pour oil or put incense on it, because it is an offering for jealousy, a reminder offering drawing attention to guiltiness.

¹⁶ “The kohen is to bring her near and have her stand before Adonai. ¹⁷ Then the kohen is to take some holy water in a clay jar and take some dust from the floor of the Tabernacle and put it into the water. ¹⁸ Then the kohen will have the woman stand before Adonai, loosen the woman’s hair, put into her hands the reminder offering, the offering for jealousy, while in the kohen’s own hands are the bitter waters that bring a curse. ¹⁹ Then the kohen will have her swear under oath, then say to the woman, ‘If no man other than your husband has slept with you, and if you have not gone astray into impurity from your husband, may this bitter water that brings a curse not harm you. ²⁰ If, however, you have gone astray from your husband and if you became impure and had sexual relations with a man other than your husband’— ²¹ Then the kohen is to have the woman swear under this oath of a curse, and say to the woman—‘then let Adonai cause you to be cursed and denounced among your people when Adonai causes your thigh to rot and your belly to swell. ²² “May this water which brings a curse enter your body and cause your belly to swell and your thigh to rot.’

“The woman is to say, ‘Amen, amen!’

²³ “Then the kohen is to write these curses on a scroll and wash them into the waters of bitterness. ²⁴ The kohen will then have the woman drink the bitter water bearing curses, so that the water of the curses of bitterness enters her. ²⁵ The kohen is to take the jealousy offering from the woman’s hand, wave the offering before Adonai and bring it to the altar. ²⁶ The kohen is to take a handful of the grain offering and burn it up in smoke on the altar as a memorial offering. The kohen will then have the woman drink the water.

²⁷ “When she is made to drink the water that carries the curse, if she has defiled herself and been unfaithful to her husband, it will enter her and cause bitterness—her abdomen will swell and her thigh will waste away. She will be accursed among her people. ²⁸ If, however, the woman has not defiled herself and is clean, she will be free from guilt and be able to have children.

²⁹ “This is the Torah regarding jealousy, when a woman goes astray from her husband and defiles herself, ³⁰ or when a spirit of jealousy comes over a man and he jealously suspects his wife. The kohen is to have her stand before Adonai and apply this entire Torah to her. ³¹ The husband will be free of guilt, but that woman will bear her guilt.”

Nazirite Vows

6 Again Adonai spoke to Moses saying, ² “Speak to Bnei-Yisrael and say to them: Any man or woman who desires to vow a Nazirite vow to be separate for Adonai, ^{[b] 3} is to abstain from wine and any other fermented drink. He is not to drink any vinegar made from wine or any fermented drink, or any grape juice, or eat grapes or raisins.

⁴ “All during his days as a Nazirite he is not to eat anything from the grapevine—even the seeds or skins. ⁵ All the duration of his Nazirite vow, no razor is to come on his head until the time of his consecration to Adonai is over. He is to be holy, and the hair of his head is to grow long. ⁶ All the days of his separation to Adonai, he is not to go near a dead body. ⁷ Even if his father, mother, brother or sister should die, he is not to make himself unclean, because his consecration to God is on his head. ⁸ All the days of his separation, he is to be consecrated to Adonai.

⁹ “Now if someone should die suddenly in his presence, thereby defiling his dedicated head, he is to shave his head on the day of his purification—the seventh day. ¹⁰ Then on the eighth day, he is to bring two doves or two young pigeons to the kohen at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. ¹¹ The kohen is to offer one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering. He is to make atonement for him because he sinned through the corpse. He must consecrate his head on the same day. ¹² He will be dedicated to Adonai for the days of his Nazirite separation. He is to bring a year-old male lamb as a guilt offering. The previous days will not count because he was contaminated during his Nazirite separation.

¹³ “Then this is the Torah of the Nazirite when his period of separation is over. He must be brought to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. ¹⁴ He is to present his offering to Adonai: a year-old male lamb without flaw as a burnt offering, a year-old female lamb without flaw as a sin offering, a flawless ram as a fellowship offering, ^{[c] 15} along with a basket of matzah cakes made of fine flour mixed with oil and matzah wafers spread with oil, along with their grain and drink offerings.

¹⁶ “The kohen will offer these before Adonai, and present his sin offering and burnt offering. ¹⁷ Then he is to sacrifice the ram as a fellowship offering to Adonai, along with the basket of matzot. The kohen will also present the grain and drink offerings. ¹⁸ The Nazirite is then to shave the hair of his dedication at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, and he is to take the hair of his dedication and put it into the fire of the fellowship offering sacrifice. ¹⁹ The kohen is to take the boiled shoulder of the ram and one matzah cake and one matzah wafer from the basket, and he is to place them into the hands of the Nazirite after he has shaved the hair of his dedication. ²⁰ The kohen will wave them before Adonai as a wave offering. They are holy, and belong to the kohen along with the breast that was waved and the thigh that was presented. Afterward, the Nazirite may drink wine.

²¹ This is the Torah regarding the Nazirite who vows his offering to Adonai with regard to his consecration, besides whatever else he can afford. He must fulfill the vow he has made, in accordance with the Torah of his consecration.’”

Aaronic Benediction

²² Again Adonai spoke to Moses saying, ²³ “Speak to Aaron and to his sons saying: Thus you are to bless Bnei-Yisrael, by saying to them:

²⁷ In this way they are to place My Name over Bnei-Yisrael, and so I will bless them.”

Offerings of Tribal Princes

7 When Moses finished setting up the Tabernacle, he anointed and consecrated it and all its implements, the altar and all its utensils, and he anointed and consecrated them. ² Then the princes of Israel, heads of their ancestral houses—they were tribal princes in charge over those who were numbered—gave offerings. ³ They brought as their gift before Adonai six covered carts and twelve oxen. A cart came from every two princes and an ox from each one of them. They presented them before the Tabernacle.

⁴ Adonai spoke to Moses saying, ⁵ “Accept these from them to use in the service of the Tent of Meeting. Give them to the Levites to use as each man’s work requires.”

⁶ So Moses took the carts and the oxen and he gave them to the Levites. ⁷ He gave two carts and four oxen to the sons of Gershon, as their work required, ⁸ and four carts and eight oxen to the sons of Merari, as their work required, under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron the kohen. ⁹ But to the sons of Kohath he did not give any because their responsibility was carrying the holy items on their shoulders.

¹⁰ When the altar was anointed, the princes brought their dedication offerings and presented them before Adonai. ¹¹ For Adonai had said to Moses, “Each day one of the princes is to bring his offering for the altar’s dedication.”

¹² Bringing his offering on the first day was Nahshon son of Amminadab, from the tribe of Judah. ¹³ His offering was one silver plate weighing 130 shekels, one silver basin weighing 70 shekels by the shekel of the Sanctuary, both of them filled with fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering, ¹⁴ one ladle of 10 shekels of gold filled with incense, ¹⁵ one young bull from the herd, one ram, one male lamb a year old as a burnt offering, ¹⁶ one male goat as a sin offering, ¹⁷ and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs one year old to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Nahshon son of Amminadab.

¹⁸ On the second day, Nethanel son of Zuar, prince of Issachar, brought his offering. ¹⁹ The offering he brought was one silver plate weighing 130 shekels, one silver basin weighing 70 shekels according to the shekel of the Sanctuary, both filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering, ²⁰ one gold ladle of 10 shekels filled with incense, ²¹ one young bull, one ram and one male lamb one year old for a burnt offering, ²² one male goat for a sin offering, ²³ and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs one year old to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Nethanel son of Zuar.

²⁴ On the third day was the prince of the sons of Zebulun, Eliab son of Helon. ²⁵ His offering was one silver plate weighing 130 shekels, one silver basin weighing 70 shekels, both according to the shekel of the Sanctuary, both filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering, ²⁶ one ladle of 10 shekels of gold filled with incense, ²⁷ one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering, ²⁸ one male goat for a sin offering, ²⁹ two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Eliab son of Helon.

³⁰ On the fourth day was the prince of the sons of Reuben, Elizur son of Shedeur. ³¹ His offering was one silver plate weighing 130 shekels, one silver basin weighing 70 shekels according to the shekel of the Sanctuary, both filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering, ³² one ladle of 10 shekels of gold filled with incense, ³³ one young bull, one ram, one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering, ³⁴ one male goat for a sin offering, ³⁵ and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Elizur son of Shedeur.

³⁶ On the fifth day was the prince of the sons of Simeon, Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai. ³⁷ His offering was one silver plate weighing 130 shekels, one silver basin weighing 70 shekels according to the shekel of the Sanctuary, both filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering, ³⁸ one ladle of 10 shekels of gold filled with incense, ³⁹ one young bull, one ram, one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering, ⁴⁰ one male goat for a sin offering, ⁴¹ and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai.

⁴² On the sixth day was the prince of the sons of Gad, Eliasaph son of Deuel. ⁴³ His offering was one silver plate weighing 130 shekels, one silver basin weighing 70 shekels according to the shekel of the Sanctuary, both filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering, ⁴⁴ one ladle of 10 shekels of gold filled with incense, ⁴⁵ one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering, ⁴⁶ one male goat for a sin offering, ⁴⁷ and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Eliasaph son of Deuel.

⁴⁸ On the seventh day was the prince of the sons of Ephraim, Elishama son of Ammihud. ⁴⁹ His offering was one silver plate weighing 130 shekels, one silver basin weighing 70 shekels according to the shekel of the Sanctuary, both filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering, ⁵⁰ one ladle of 10 shekels of gold filled with incense, ⁵¹ one young bull, one ram, one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering, ⁵² one male goat for a sin offering, ⁵³ and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Elishama son of Ammihud.

⁵⁴ On the eighth day was the prince of the sons of Manasseh, Gamaliel son of Pedahzur. ⁵⁵ His offering was one silver plate weighing 130 shekels, one silver basin weighing 70 shekels according to the shekel of the Sanctuary, both filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering, ⁵⁶ one ladle of 10 shekels of gold filled with incense, ⁵⁷ one young bull, one ram, one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering, ⁵⁸ one male goat for a sin offering, ⁵⁹ and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Gamaliel son of Pedahzur.

⁶⁰ On the ninth day was the prince of the sons of Benjamin, Abidan son of Gideoni. ⁶¹ His offering was one silver plate weighing 130 shekels, one silver basin weighing 70 shekels according to the shekel of the Sanctuary, both filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering, ⁶² one ladle of 10 shekels of gold filled with incense, ⁶³ one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering, ⁶⁴ one male goat for a sin offering, ⁶⁵ and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Abidan son of Gideoni.

⁶⁶ On the tenth day came the prince of the sons of Dan, Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai. ⁶⁷ His offering was one silver plate weighing 130 shekels, one silver basin weighing 70 shekels according to the shekel of the Sanctuary, both filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering, ⁶⁸ one ladle of 10 shekels of gold filled with incense, ⁶⁹ one young bull, one ram, one male lamb a year old as a burnt offering, ⁷⁰ one male goat for a sin offering, ⁷¹ and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai.

⁷² On the eleventh day came the prince of the sons of Asher, Pagiel son of Ochran. ⁷³ His offering was one silver plate weighing 130 shekels, one silver basin weighing 70 shekels according to the shekel of the Sanctuary, both filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering, ⁷⁴ one ladle of 10 shekels of gold filled with incense, ⁷⁵ one young bull, one ram, one male lamb a year old as a burnt offering, ⁷⁶ one male goat for a sin offering, ⁷⁷ and two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five male lambs a year old to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Pagiel son of Ochran.

⁷⁸ On the twelfth day came the prince of the sons of Naphtali, Ahira son of Enan. ⁷⁹ His offering was one silver plate weighing 130 shekels, one silver basin weighing 70 shekels, according to the shekel of the Sanctuary, both filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering, ⁸⁰ one ladle of 10 shekels of gold, filled with incense, ⁸¹ one young bull, one ram, one male lamb a year old for a burnt offering, ⁸² one male goat for a sin offering, ⁸³ and two young bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering. This was the offering of Ahira son of Enan.

⁸⁴ This was the dedication offering from the princes of Israel for the day when the altar was to be anointed: twelve silver plates, twelve silver basins, twelve gold ladles. ⁸⁵ Each silver plate was of 130 shekels, and each silver basin was of 70 shekels. Altogether, the silver utensils weighed 2,400 shekels according to the shekel of the Sanctuary.

⁸⁶ The ten gold ladles filled with incense each weighed 10 shekels, by the shekel of the Sanctuary. Altogether, the gold ladles totaled 120 shekels.

⁸⁷ The total of the livestock for the burnt offering was twelve young bulls, twelve rams, and twelve male lambs a year old, along with their grain offering. Twelve male goats were sin offerings. ⁸⁸ The total number of livestock used for sacrifice of fellowship offerings was 24 oxen, 60 rams, 60 male goats and 60 male lambs a year old. These were the dedicatory offerings for the altar after it was anointed.

⁸⁹ When Moses entered the Tent of Meeting to speak with Adonai, he heard the voice speaking to him from above the atonement cover^[e] atop the Ark of Testimony between the cheruvim. So he spoke with Him.

² Now there was a certain man from Zorah, from a Danite clan, whose name was Manoah. His wife was barren and bore no children. ³ Then the angel of Adonai appeared to the woman and said to her, “Behold now, you are barren and have not borne children, but you will conceive and bear a son. ^{[a] 4} Now therefore be careful not to drink wine or strong drink, or eat any unclean thing. ⁵ For behold, you will conceive and bear a son. Let no razor come upon his head, for the boy will be a Nazirite to God from the womb.^[b] He will begin to deliver Israel from the hand of the Philistines.”

⁶ Then the woman came and told her husband saying, “A man of God came to me and his appearance was like the appearance of the angel of God, very awesome! But I did not ask him where he was from, nor did he tell me his name. ⁷ He said to me, ‘Behold, you will conceive and bear a son. So, drink no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean, for the child will be a Nazirite to God from the womb to the day of his death.”

⁸ Then Manoah entreated Adonai and said, “My Lord, please let the man of God whom You have sent come to us again and teach us what we will do for the boy to be born.”

⁹ God listened to the voice of Manoah, and the angel of God came again to the woman as she was sitting in the field, but her husband Manoah was not with her. ¹⁰ So the woman ran quickly and told her husband, and said to him, “Look, the man that came to me the other day has appeared to me!”

¹¹ So Manoah got up and followed his wife. When he came to the man, he asked him, “Are you the one who spoke to the woman?”

“I am,” he said.

¹² Then Manoah said, “Now may your words come about! What will be the child’s rule and his mission?”

¹³ The angel of Adonai said to Manoah, “Let the woman abstain from all that I mentioned to her. ¹⁴ She should not eat anything that comes from the grapevine, or drink wine or strong drink, or eat any unclean thing. She must observe all that I commanded her.”

¹⁵ Then Manoah said to the angel of Adonai, “Please, let us detain you so that we may prepare a young goat for you.”

¹⁶ But the angel of Adonai said to Manoah, “If you could detain me, I would not eat your food. But if you present a burnt offering, then offer it to Adonai.” For Manoah did not realize that he was the angel of Adonai.

¹⁷ Then Manoah asked the angel of Adonai, “What is your name, so that when your words come to pass we may honor you?” ¹⁸ But the angel of Adonai said to him, “Why do you ask for my name? It is wonderful.”

¹⁹ Manoah took the young goat with the meal offering and offered them on the rock to Adonai, and He did something wonderful as Manoah and his wife were watching. ²⁰ For it came about when the flame went up from off the altar toward heaven that the angel of Adonai ascended in the flame of the altar. Manoah and his wife were looking on, then they fell on their faces to the ground. ²¹ But the angel of Adonai appeared no more to Manoah or to his wife.

Then Manoah realized that he was the angel of Adonai. ²² Manoah said to his wife, “We will surely die, because we have seen God.” ²³ But his wife said to him, “If Adonai had desired to kill us, He would not have accepted a burnt offering and a meal offering from our hand, nor would He have shown us all these things or let us hear such things as these at this time.”

²⁴ Then the woman bore a son, and called his name Samson. So the boy grew up and Adonai blessed him. ²⁵ The Ruach Adonai began to stir him in Mahaneh-dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.

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Fallen Seed Produces a Harvest

²⁰ Now there were some Greeks among those who were going up to worship at the feast. ²¹ These came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in the Galilee. “Sir,” they said, “we want to see Yeshua.” ²² Philip comes and tells Andrew; Andrew and Philip come and tell Yeshua.

²³ Yeshua answers them, saying, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified! ²⁴ Amen, amen I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies, it remains alone. But if it dies, it produces much fruit. ²⁵ He who loves his life will lose it, and the one who hates his life in this world will keep it forever. ²⁶ If any man serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there also will My servant be. If anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.

²⁷ “Now My soul is troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But it was for this reason I came to this hour. ²⁸ Father, glorify Your name!”

Then a voice came out of heaven, “I have glorified it, and again I will glorify it!”

²⁹ Therefore the crowd that was standing there and heard it was saying that it had thundered. Others were saying, “An angel has spoken to Him.”

³⁰ Yeshua responded, “This voice hasn’t come for My sake, but for yours. ³¹ Now is the judgment of this world! Now the prince of this world will be driven out! ³² And as I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all to Myself.” ³³ He said this to show the kind of death He was about to die.

³⁴ The crowd answered Him, “We’ve heard from Scripture^[a] that the Messiah remains forever. How can You say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this Son of Man?”

Choose Either the Light or the Darkness

³⁵ Therefore Yeshua said to them, “The light is with you for a little longer. Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness will not overtake you. The one who walks in darkness doesn’t know where he is going. ³⁶ While you have the light, believe in the light so that you may become sons of light.” Yeshua spoke these things, then left and hid Himself from them.

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A Pharisee Comes Seeking Truth

3 Now there was a man, a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jewish people. ² He came to Yeshua at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that You, a teacher, have come from God. For no one can perform these signs which You do unless God is with Him!”

³ Yeshua answered him, “Amen, amen I tell you, unless one is born from above,^[a] he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

⁴ “How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus said to Him. “He cannot enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born, can he?”

⁵ Yeshua answered, “Amen, amen I tell you, unless one is born of water and spirit,^[b] he cannot enter the kingdom of God. ⁶ What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. ⁷ Do not be surprised that I said to you, ‘You all must be born from above.’ ⁸ The wind blows where it wishes and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

The Father’s Love Revealed

⁹ “How can these things happen?” Nicodemus said.

¹⁰ Yeshua answered him, “You’re a teacher of Israel and you do not understand these things? ¹¹ Amen, amen I tell you, We speak about what We know and testify about what We have seen. Yet you all do not receive Our testimony! ¹² If you do not believe the earthly things I told you, how will you believe when I tell you about heavenly things? ¹³ No one has gone up into heaven except the One who came down from heaven—the Son of Man. ¹⁴ Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert,^[c] so the Son of Man must be lifted up, ¹⁵ so that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life!

¹⁶ “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him. ¹⁸ The one who believes in Him is not condemned; but whoever does not believe has been condemned already, because he has not put his trust in the name of the one and only Ben-Elohim.

¹⁹ “Now this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world and men loved the darkness instead of the light,^[d] because their deeds were evil. ²⁰ For everyone who does evil hates the light and does not come to the light, so that their deeds will not be exposed. ²¹ But whoever practices the truth comes to the light, so that it may be made known that his deeds have been accomplished in God.”

The Living Word, Source of Life

²² Afterwards, Yeshua and His disciples came to the land of Judea. There He was staying with them and immersing. ²³ Now John also was immersing at Aenon near Salim, because much water was there and many were coming and being immersed; ²⁴ for John had not yet been thrown into prison.

²⁵ Now an argument came up between John’s disciples and a Judean concerning purification. ²⁶ They came to John and said, “Rabbi, the One who was with you beyond the Jordan, the One you testified about—look, He is immersing, and all are coming to Him!”

²⁷ John answered, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. ²⁸ You yourselves testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah,’ but rather, ‘I am sent before Him.’ ²⁹ The one who has the bride is the bridegroom, but the best man rejoices when he stands and hears the bridegroom’s voice. So now my joy is complete! ³⁰ He must increase, while I must decrease.”

³¹ The One who comes from above is above all. The one who is from the earth is of the earth, and of the earth he speaks. The One who comes from heaven is above all. ³² And what He has seen and heard, He testifies to that; yet no one receives His testimony. ³³ Whoever receives His testimony has certified that God is true.

³⁴ The One whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Ruach without limit. ³⁵ The Father loves the Son and has given everything into His hand. ³⁶ He who trusts in the Son has eternal life. He who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

Yeshua Offers Living Water

4 Now Yeshua knew that the Pharisees heard that He was making and immersing more disciples than John. ² (Although Yeshua Himself was not immersing, His disciples were.) ³ So He left Judea and went back again to the Galilee.

⁴ But He needed to pass through Samaria. ⁵ So He comes to a Samaritan town called Shechem, near the plot of land that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. ^{[e] 6} Now Jacob’s well was there. So Yeshua, exhausted from the journey, was sitting by the well. It was midday.^[f]

⁷ A Samaritan woman comes to draw water. “Give me a drink,” Yeshua tells her, ⁸ for His disciples had gone away to the town to buy food.

⁹ Then the Samaritan woman tells Him, “How is it that You, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?” (For Jewish people don’t deal with Samaritans.)

¹⁰ Yeshua replied to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who is saying to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”

¹¹ “Sir,” the woman tells Him, “You don’t have a bucket, and the well is deep. Then from where do You get this living water? ¹² You’re not greater than our father Jacob, are You? He gave us this well. He drank out of it himself, with his sons and his cattle.”

¹³ Yeshua replied to her, “Everyone who drinks from this water will get thirsty again. ¹⁴ But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never be thirsty. The water that I give him will become a fountain of water within him, springing up to eternal life!”

¹⁵ “Sir,” the woman tells Him, “give me this water, so I won’t get thirsty or have to come all the way here to draw water!”

¹⁶ He tells her, “Go call your husband, and then come back here.”

¹⁷ “I don’t have a husband,” the woman replied.

Yeshua tells her, “You’ve said it right, ‘I have no husband.’ ¹⁸ For you’ve had five husbands, and the man you have now isn’t your husband. This you’ve spoken truthfully!”

¹⁹ “Sir,” the woman tells Him, “I see that You are a prophet! ²⁰ Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you all say that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”

²¹ Yeshua tells her, “Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. ²² You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. ²³ But an hour is coming—it is here now—when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people as His worshipers. ²⁴ God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

²⁵ The woman tells Him, “I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called the Anointed One.)^[g] When He comes, He will explain everything to us.”

²⁶ Yeshua tells her, “I—the One speaking to you—I am.”

Ready for Harvest

²⁷ At this moment, His disciples came back. They were amazed that He was speaking with a woman. Yet no one said, “What do You want?” or “Why are You speaking with her?”

²⁸ So the woman left her water jar and went back to the town. She tells the people, ²⁹ “Come see a man who told me everything I ever did! He couldn’t be the Messiah, could He?” ³⁰ The people left the town and began coming to Him.

³¹ Meanwhile, the disciples were pressing Him, “Rabbi, eat!”

³² But He said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.”

³³ So the disciples were saying to each other, “No one brought Him food to eat, did they?”

³⁴ Yeshua tells them, “My food is to do the will of the One who sent Me and to accomplish His work. ³⁵ Don’t you say, ‘Four more months, and then comes the harvest’? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields! They are white and ready for harvest.

³⁶ “The reaper receives a reward and gathers fruit for eternal life, so that the sower and reaper may rejoice together. ³⁷ For the saying is true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ ³⁸ I sent you to reap what you haven’t worked for. Others have worked hard, and you have joined in their work.”

³⁹ Many of the Samaritans from that town put their trust in Him because of the word of the woman testifying, “He told me everything I ever did!” ⁴⁰ So when the Samaritans came to Him, they kept asking Him to stay with them. He stayed there two days, ⁴¹ and many more believed because of His word. ⁴² They kept telling the woman, “It’s no longer because of your words that we believe. We’ve heard for ourselves! Now we know that this really is the Savior of the world!”

Life for a Dying Son

⁴³ After the two days, He went on from there into the Galilee. ⁴⁴ Now Yeshua Himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country. ⁴⁵ But when He came into the Galilee, they welcomed Him. For they had seen all He had done at the feast in Jerusalem, since they also had gone up to celebrate.

⁴⁶ So He went again to Cana of the Galilee, where He had turned the water into wine. Now there was a nobleman whose son was sick in Capernaum. ⁴⁷ When he heard that Yeshua had come from Judea to the Galilee, he went to Him and begged Him to come down and heal his son; for he was about to die.

⁴⁸ Then Yeshua said to him, “Unless you all see signs and wonders, you’ll never believe!”

⁴⁹ The nobleman said to Him, “Sir, come down before my child dies!”

⁵⁰ Yeshua tells him, “Go! Your son lives!”

The man believed the word that Yeshua said to him and started off. ⁵¹ While on his way down, his servants met him, saying that his son was living. ⁵² So he asked them the hour when the boy began to get better. They said, “The fever left him yesterday at about the seventh hour.”^[h]

⁵³ Then the father realized that it was the same hour Yeshua said to him, “Your son lives!” Now he himself believed, along with his whole household. ⁵⁴ Yeshua did this as the second sign, after He had come again from Judea into the Galilee.