KI TISA (WHEN YOU ELEVATE)

Parashat Ki Tisa

Census and Ransom Money

¹¹ Then Adonai spoke to Moses saying, ¹² “When you tally the sum of Bnei-Yisrael by numbering them, then every man must pay a ransom for his soul to Adonai when you count them, so that no plague will fall on them. ¹³ Everyone among them who crosses over must give half a shekel according to the Sanctuary shekel (which is 20 gerahs): half a shekel as an offering to Adonai. ¹⁴ Everyone who crosses over among them who is counted, from 20 years old and upward, is to give the offering to Adonai. ¹⁵ The rich are not to give more and the poor are not to give less than the half shekel, when they present the offering of Adonai to make atonement for your souls. ¹⁶ You are to take the atonement money from Bnei-Yisrael and give it for the service of the Tent of Meeting, so that it may be a memorial for Bnei-Yisrael before Adonai, to make atonement for your souls.”

Basin for Washing

¹⁷ Adonai spoke to Moses saying, ¹⁸ “You will also make a basin of bronze with a bronze stand for washing. You are to place it between the Tent of Meeting and the altar and put water in it. ¹⁹ Aaron and his sons are to wash their hands and their feet there. ²⁰ Whenever they go into the Tent of Meeting or come near to the altar to minister, to present an offering made by fire in smoke to Adonai, they are to wash with water so that they do not die. ²¹ They are to wash their hands and their feet, so that they do not die. It is to be an eternal statute for them, to him and to his offspring throughout their generations.”

Holy Anointing Oil

²² Moreover Adonai spoke to Moses saying, ²³ “Now take for yourself the best spices: 500 shekels of flowing myrrh, half as much sweet cinnamon (250), also 250 shekels of sweet calamus, ²⁴ 500 of cassia, after the Sanctuary shekel, plus a hin^[a] of olive oil. ²⁵ You are to make holy anointing oil from it, a fragrant mixture, blended as the work of a perfumer. It will be holy anointing oil. ²⁶ You are to anoint the Tent of Meeting with it, the Ark of the Testimony, ²⁷ as well as the table and all its articles, the menorah and its articles, the altar of incense, ²⁸ the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the basin along with its stand. ²⁹ You are to consecrate them so that they will be most holy. Whatever touches them will become holy.

³⁰ “You are to anoint Aaron and his sons and consecrate them, so that they may minister to Me as kohanim. ³¹ Speak to Bnei-Yisrael saying, ‘This is to be a holy anointing oil to Me throughout your generations. ³² It must not be poured on human flesh, nor are you to make any like it, with its formula. It is holy and it must be holy to you. ³³ Whoever mixes any like it, or whoever puts any of it on anyone unauthorized, will be cut off from his people.’”

³⁴ Then Adonai said to Moses, “Take the sweet spices—stacte, onycha and galbanum. The spices and pure frankincense are to be in equal measures. ³⁵ Make a fragrant mixture from them, a blend like the work of the perfumer, seasoned with salt, pure and holy. ³⁶ You are to beat some of it into powder, and set it before the Testimony in the Tent of Meeting, where I will meet with you. It is to be most holy to you. ³⁷ But the incense which you make, with its formula, you are not to make for yourselves. It is to be holy to you, for Adonai. ³⁸ Whoever makes any like it, to breathe in its smell, will be cut off from his people.”

Ruach-filled Craftsmen

31 Then Adonai spoke to Moses saying, ² “See, I have called by name Bezalel son of Uri son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, ³ and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, understanding and knowledge in all kinds of craftsmanship, ⁴ to make ingenious designs, to forge with gold, silver and bronze, ⁵ as well as cutting stones for setting and carving wood, to work in all manner of craftsmanship. ⁶ Also look, I Myself have appointed with him Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. Within the hearts of all who are wise-hearted I have placed skill, so that they may make everything that I have commanded you: ⁷ the Tent of Meeting, the Ark of the Testimony, the atonement cover that is to be on it, all the furnishings of the Tabernacle, ⁸ the table and its utensils, the menorah of pure gold with all of its utensils, the altar of incense, ⁹ the altar of burnt offering with all of its utensils, the basin and its stand, ¹⁰ the woven garments, the holy garments for Aaron the kohen, the garments for his sons to minister as kohanim, ¹¹ the anointing oil, and the incense of sweet spices for the holy place. They are to make them just as how I commanded you.”

Shabbat: A Perpetual Covenant Sign

¹² Then Adonai spoke to Moses saying, ¹³ “Speak now to Bnei-Yisrael saying, ‘Surely you must keep My Shabbatot, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, so you may know that I am Adonai who sanctifies you. ¹⁴ Therefore you are to keep the Shabbat, because it is holy for you. Everyone who profanes it will die, for whoever does any work during Shabbat, that soul will be cut off from the midst of his people. ¹⁵ Work is to be done for six days, but on the seventh day is a Shabbat of complete rest, holy to Adonai. Whoever does any work on the Shabbat will surely be put to death. ¹⁶ So Bnei-Yisrael is to keep the Shabbat, to observe the Shabbat throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. ¹⁷ It is a sign between Me and Bnei-Yisrael forever, for in six days Adonai made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day He ceased from work and rested.’”

¹⁸ When He had finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, He gave the two tablets of the Testimony to Moses—tablets of stone, written by the finger of God.

Molten Calf and Smashing Tablets

32 Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said to him, “Get up, make us gods who will go before us. As for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what’s become of him!”

² So Aaron said to them, “Break off the golden rings that are in the ears of your wives, your sons and your daughters, and bring them to me.” ³ So all the people broke off the golden rings that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. ⁴ He received them from their hand, and made a molten calf, fashioned with a chiseling tool.

Then they said, “This is your god, Israel, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt!”

⁵ When Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it. Then Aaron made a proclamation saying, “Tomorrow will be a feast to Adonai.” ⁶ They rose up early the next morning, sacrificed burnt offerings and brought fellowship offerings. The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to make merry.

⁷ Then Adonai said to Moses, “Go down! For your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have become debased. ⁸ They quickly turned aside from the path that I commanded for them. They have made a molten calf, worshipped it, and sacrificed to it, and said, ‘This is your god, O Israel, that brought you up out of the land of Egypt.’”

⁹ Adonai said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people. ¹⁰ Now therefore, leave Me alone, so My wrath may burn hot against them, and so I may consume them—and make from you a great nation!”

¹¹ Then Moses sought Adonai his God and said, “Adonai, why should Your wrath burn hot against Your people, whom You have brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? ¹² Why should the Egyptians say, ‘He brought them out to do evil, to slay them in the mountains, and to annihilate them from the face of the earth?’ Turn from Your fierce wrath, and relent from this destruction against Your people. ¹³ Remember Abraham, Isaac and Israel, Your servants, to whom You swore by Your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of I will give to your offspring, and they will inherit it forever.’”

¹⁴ So Adonai relented from the destruction that He said He would do to His people.

¹⁵ Then Moses turned and went down from the mountain, with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hand, tablets that were written on both sides, on one and on the other. ¹⁶ The tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets.

¹⁷ When Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses, “There is the sound of war within the camp.” ¹⁸ But Moses said:

¹⁹ Then it happened, as soon as Moses came near the camp, he saw the calf and the dancing, and his anger burned hot. So he threw the tablets out of his hands, and smashed them at the foot of the mountain. ²⁰ Then he took the calf that they had made, burned it with fire, ground it to powder, scattered it on the surface of the water and made Bnei-Yisrael drink it.

²¹ Then Moses said to Aaron, “What did this people do to you, to make you bring such a great sin upon them?”

²² Aaron said, “Don’t be angry, my lord! You know these people yourself, and how they are set on evil. ²³ They said to me, ‘Make gods for us, to go before us! As for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we don’t know what happened to him.’ ²⁴ So I said to them, ‘Whoever has any gold, let them break it off.’ So they gave it to me and I threw it into the fire—and out came this calf!”

²⁵ When Moses saw that the people were unrestrained, because Aaron had let them run wild, to become a joke among their enemies, ²⁶ Moses stood at the gate of the camp and said, “Whoever is on Adonai’s side, let him come to me.” Then all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together to him.

²⁷ He said to them, “This is what Adonai, the God of Israel says, ‘Every man put on his sword, and go to and fro, from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay his brother, his friend, and his neighbor.’” ²⁸ So the sons of Levi did as Moses said, and that day from among the people there fell about 3,000 men.

²⁹ Then Moses said, “Consecrate your hands today to Adonai so that He may give you a blessing today, for every man has been against his son and his brother.”

³⁰ So it happened the following day, Moses said to the people, “You have committed a horrendous sin. So now I will go up to Adonai—perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.”

³¹ Then Moses returned to Adonai and said, “Alas, these people have sinned greatly, and made gods of gold! ³² Yet now, please forgive their sin. But if not, please blot me out of Your book that You have written.”

³³ Adonai said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot out of My book. ³⁴ Now go, lead the people to the place that I told you about. My angel will go before you. Nevertheless, on the day when I take account, I will hold them accountable for their sin.”

³⁵ So Adonai struck the people because of what they did with the calf that Aaron had made.

33 Then Adonai said to Moses, “Leave, get out of this place, you and the people that you have brought out of the land of Egypt, into the land which I swore to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob saying, ‘I will give it to your seed.’ ² I will send an angel before you. I will drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and the Jebusites. ³ Head up into a land flowing with milk and honey, but I will not move within the midst of you, so that I do not destroy you along the way, for you are a stiff-necked people.”

⁴ When the people heard these dreadful words, they mourned, and no one put on any ornaments. ⁵ Adonai said to Moses, “Say to Bnei-Yisrael, ‘You are a stiff-necked people. If I were going up among you for one moment, I would consume you. Take off your ornaments, so that I may consider what to do to you.’” ⁶ So Bnei-Yisrael stripped themselves of their ornaments from Mount Horeb onward.

Show Me Your Glory!

⁷ Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, far off from the camp, and he called it the Tent of Meeting. So it happened, everyone who sought Adonai would go out to the Tent of Meeting, which was outside the camp. ⁸ Whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people would arise and stand, everyone at the door of his own tent, and look after Moses, until he had gone into the Tent. ⁹ After Moses entered, the pillar of cloud descended, stood at the door, and He would speak with Moses. ¹⁰ When all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the Tent, they all rose up and worshipped, every man at the entrance of his own tent. ¹¹ So Adonai spoke with Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend. Then he would return to the camp, but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, did not leave the Tent.

¹² So Moses said to Adonai “You say to me, ‘Bring up this people,’ but You have not let me know whom You will send with me. Yet You have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found grace in My eyes.’ ¹³ Now then, I pray, if I have found grace in Your eyes, show me Your ways, so that I may know You, so that I might find favor in Your sight. Consider also that this nation is Your people.”

¹⁴ “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest,” He answered.

¹⁵ But then he said to Him, “If Your presence does not go with me, don’t let us go up from here! ¹⁶ For how would it be known that I or your people have found favor in Your sight? Isn’t it because You go with us, that distinguishes us from all the people on the face of the earth?”

¹⁷ Adonai answered Moses, “I will also do what you have said, for you have found favor in My sight, and I know you by name.”

¹⁸ Then he said, “Please, show me Your glory!”

¹⁹ So He said, “I will cause all My goodness to pass before you, and call out the Name of Adonai before you. I will be gracious toward whom I will be gracious, and I will show mercy on whom I will be merciful.” ²⁰ But He also said, “You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live.”

²¹ Then Adonai said, “See, a place near Me—you will stand on the rock. ²² While My glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and cover you with My hand, until I have passed by. ²³ Then I will take away My hand, and you will see My back, but My face will not be seen.”

34 Adonai said to Moses, “Carve for yourself two tablets of stone like the first ones, and I will write upon them the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. ² Be ready by the morning, come up to Mount Sinai, and present yourself to Me there on the top of the mountain. ³ No one is to come up with you, and do not let anyone be seen throughout the entire mountain. Even the flocks and herds must not graze in front of that mountain.”

⁴ So he carved two tablets of stone like the first. Then Moses rose up early in the morning, went up onto Mount Sinai as Adonai had commanded him, and took in his hand the two tablets of stone. ⁵ Then Adonai descended in the cloud, stood with him there, as he called on the Name of Adonai.

Thirteen Attributes of God

⁶ Then Adonai passed before him, and proclaimed, “Adonai, Adonai, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness and truth, ⁷ showing mercy to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, yet by no means leaving the guilty unpunished, but bringing the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, to the third and fourth generation.”

⁸ Then Moses quickly bowed his head down to the earth and worshipped. ⁹ He said, “If now I have found grace in Your eyes, my Lord, let my Lord please go within our midst, even though this is a stiff-necked people. Pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for Your own inheritance.”

Exclusive Covenant

¹⁰ Then He said, “I am cutting a covenant. Before all your people I will do wonders, such as have not been done in all the earth, or in any nation. All the people you are among will see the work of Adonai—for what I am going to do with you will be awesome! ¹¹ Obey what I am commanding you today. Behold, I am going to drive out the Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites before you. ¹² Watch yourself, and make no covenant with the inhabitants of the land where you are going, or they will become a snare among you. ¹³ Instead you must break down their altars, smash their pillars and cut down their Asherah poles. ¹⁴ For you are to bow down to no other god, because Adonai is jealous for His Name—He is a jealous God.

¹⁵ “See that you do not make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land. Otherwise when they prostitute themselves with their gods and sacrifice to their gods, someone will invite you, and you will eat from their sacrifice. ¹⁶ Do not take their daughters for your sons, for their daughters will prostitute themselves with their own gods, and cause your sons to prostitute themselves with their gods.

¹⁷ “You are not to make for yourselves metal gods.

¹⁸ “You are to keep the Feast of Matzot. For seven days you are eat matzot, as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month Aviv, for in the month Aviv you came out from Egypt.

¹⁹ “Every firstborn of the womb is Mine, and from all your cattle you are to sanctify the males, the firstborn of the ox and sheep. ²⁰ A firstborn donkey you are to redeem with a lamb, but if you do not redeem it, then you are to break its neck. You must redeem all your firstborn sons. No one should appear before Me empty-handed.

²¹ “For six days you will work, but on the seventh day you will rest. During plowing time and harvest you must rest.

²² “You are to observe the Feast of Shavuot, which is the firstfruits of the wheat harvest, as well as the Feast of Ingathering at the turn of the year. ²³ Three times during the year all your males are to appear before Adonai Elohim, God of Israel. ²⁴ For I am going to cast out nations before you, then enlarge your territory. So no one will covet your land when you go up to appear before Adonai your God three times in the year.

²⁵ “You are not to offer the blood of My sacrifice with hametz, nor should the sacrifice of the Passover Festival remain until morning.

²⁶ “You are to bring the choicest firstfruits of your land to the House of Adonai your God.

“You must not boil a kid in its mother’s milk.”

²⁷ Then Adonai said to Moses, “Write these words, for based on these words I have cut a covenant with you and with Israel.” ²⁸ So he stayed there with Adonai for 40 days and 40 nights, and he did not eat bread or drink water. He wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant: the Ten Words.^[b]

²⁹ Now it happened, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hand when he came down from the mountain, that Moses did not know that the skin of his face was radiant, because God had spoken with him. ³⁰ When Aaron and all Bnei-Yisrael saw Moses, the skin of his face shone in rays, so they were afraid to come near him. ³¹ But Moses called out to them, so Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned to him, and Moses spoke to them. ³² Afterward all Bnei-Yisrael came near, and he gave them all the mitzvot that Adonai had spoken to him in Mount Sinai.

³³ When Moses was done speaking with them, he put a veil over his face. ³⁴ But when Moses went before Adonai, so that He could speak with him, he took the veil off until he came out. When he came out and spoke to Bnei-Yisrael what he was commanded, ³⁵ Bnei-Yisrael saw the face of Moses and that the skin of his face glistened. So Moses put the veil back over his face until he went in to speak with Him.

Elijah Confronts Ahab

18 Now it was after many days that the word of Adonai came to Elijah in the third year saying, “Go, show yourself to Ahab; then I will send rain on the land. ² So Elijah went to show himself to Ahab.

Now the famine was severe in Samaria. ³ Ahab summoned Obadiah who was the steward of the palace. Now Obadiah feared Adonai greatly— ⁴ for when Jezebel was cutting off the prophets of Adonai, Obadiah took 100 prophets, hid them 50 to a cave, and provided them with bread and water. ⁵ Then Ahab said to Obadiah, “Go through the land to all the springs of water and to all the wadis. Perhaps we may find grass and so keep the horses and mules alive and not lose all the animals.” ⁶ So they divided the land between them to explore it—Ahab went one way by himself while Obadiah went another way by himself.

⁷ As Obadiah was on the road, all of a sudden, Elijah met him. When he recognized him, he fell on his face and said, “Is it you, my lord Elijah?”

⁸ “It is I,” he answered him. Go tell your lord, ‘Look, Elijah is here!”

⁹ “How have I sinned,” he replied, “that you are giving your servant into the hand of Ahab, to put me to death? ¹⁰ As Adonai your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my master has not sent to search for you; and when they said, ‘He is not here,’ he made that kingdom or nation swear that they could not find you.

¹¹ “Now you’re saying, ‘Go tell your lord, “Look, Elijah is here!”’ ¹² But as soon as I leave you, the Ruach Adonai may carry you off where I wouldn’t know. Then, when I come and tell Ahab and he can’t find you, he’ll kill me! Now I, your servant, have feared Adonai since my youth. ¹³ Wasn’t my lord told what I did when Jezebel slaughtered the prophets of Adonai—how I hid 100 of Adonai’s prophets, 50 to a cave and provided them with bread and water? ¹⁴ So now you say, ‘Go tell your lord, “Look, Elijah is here!’” He’ll kill me!”

¹⁵ Then Elijah said, “As Adonai-Tzva’ot lives, before whom I stand, I will surely show myself to him today.”

¹⁶ So Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him; then, Ahab went to meet Elijah. ¹⁷ Now when Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is it you, the one who causes trouble for Israel?”

¹⁸ But he answered, “I have not troubled Israel. Rather, it is you and your father’s house—by forsaking the mitzvot of Adonai and going after the Baalim. ¹⁹ Now then, send and gather to me all Israel at Mount Carmel, together with the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah who eat at Jezebel’s table.”

Triumph on Mount Carmel

²⁰ So Ahab sent word to all the children of Israel and gathered the prophets together at Mount Carmel. ²¹ Then Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If Adonai is God, follow Him; but if Baal is, follow him.” But the people did not answer him, not even a word.

²² Then Elijah said to the people, “I am the only prophet of Adonai left, but Baal’s prophets are 450 men. ²³ Now let them give us two young bulls. Let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it into pieces, lay it on the wood, and put no fire underneath, while I prepare the other bull, lay it on the wood, and put no fire underneath. ²⁴ Then you will call on the name of your god, and then, I will call on the Name of Adonai. The God who answers with fire, He is God.”

All the people responded and said, “It’s a good thing.”

²⁵ Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one bull for yourselves and prepare it first—since you are so many. Then call on the name of your god, but put no fire underneath.”

²⁶ So they took the bull that he gave them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning till noon, crying, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no voice—no one was answering. They also danced leaping around the altar that was made.

²⁷ Now when it was about noon, Elijah mocked them and said, “Shout louder! After all, he is a god! Maybe he’s deep in thought, or he’s relieving himself, or he’s off on a journey, or perhaps he’s asleep and must wake up!” ²⁸ So they shouted even louder and cut themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until the blood gushed over them. ²⁹ When midday was past, they kept prophesying ecstatically until the time of offering up the evening sacrifice. But there was no voice, no one answering, no one paying attention.

³⁰ Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” So all the people came closer to him. Then he repaired the damaged altar of Adonai. ³¹ Elijah took twelve stones—like the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of Adonai had come saying, “Israel shall be your name”— ³² and with the stones he built an altar in the Name of Adonai. Then he made a trench around the altar, large enough to contain two measures of seed. ³³ Then he put the wood in order, cut the bull in pieces and laid it on the wood.

³⁴ Then he said, “Fill four jars with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood.” Then he said, “A second time!” and they did it a second time. Then he said, “A third time!” and they did it a third time. ³⁵ So the water ran around the altar and he also filled the trench with water.

³⁶ Now it was at the time of offering up the evening sacrifice that Elijah the prophet came near and said, “Adonai, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel,^[a] let it be known today that You are God in Israel, that I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word. ³⁷ Answer me, Adonai, answer me, so that these people may know that You, Adonai, are God, and that You have turned their heart back again.”

³⁸ Then the fire of Adonai fell and consumed the burnt offering—and the wood, the stones and the dust—and licked up the water that was in the trench. ³⁹ When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces, and they said, “Adonai, He is God! Adonai, He is God!”

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A New Covenant on Hearts of Flesh

3 Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some do, letters of recommendation to you or from you? ² You are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone. ³ It is clear that you are a letter from Messiah delivered by us—written not with ink but with the Ruach of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.^[a]

⁴ Such is the confidence we have through Messiah toward God— ⁵ not that we are competent in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our competence is from God. ⁶ He also made us competent as servants of a new covenant^[b]—not of the letter, but of the Ruach. For the letter kills, but the Ruach gives life.

⁷ Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that Bnei-Yisrael could not look intently upon Moses’ face because of its glory^[c]—although it was passing away— ⁸ how will the ministry of the Ruach not be even more glorious? ⁹ For if there is glory in the ministry of condemnation,^[d] the ministry of righteousness overflows even more in glory. ¹⁰ For even what was glorious is not glorious in comparison to the glory that surpasses it. ¹¹ For if what is passing away is glorious, much more what remains is glorious.

¹² Therefore, having such a hope, we act with great boldness. ¹³ We are not like Moses, who used to put a veil over his face in order for Bnei-Yisrael not to look intently upon the end of what was passing away. ¹⁴ But their minds were hardened. For up to this very day the same veil remains unlifted at the reading of the ancient covenant, since in Messiah it is passing away. ¹⁵ But to this day, whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart. ¹⁶ But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. ^{[e] 17} Now the Lord is the Spirit and where the Ruach Adonai is, there is freedom. ^{[f] 18} But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory—just as from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

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Handed Over to the Romans

15 Right at daybreak, the ruling kohanim held a meeting to consult with the elders and Torah scholars and the whole Sanhedrin. They tied up Yeshua, led Him away, and handed Him over to Pilate. ² Pilate interrogated Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?”

Yeshua answers him, “As you say.”

³ The ruling kohanim began to accuse Him of many things. ⁴ Again, Pilate asked Him, “Aren’t you going to answer? Look how many charges they’re bringing against You!” ⁵ But Yeshua did not answer, so Pilate was amazed.

⁶ Now during the feast, he used to release to them one prisoner, anyone they were asking for. ⁷ Now a man named Bar-Abba^[a] had been in jail with the rebels who had committed murder during the rebellion. ⁸ The crowd came up and began to request what he was accustomed to do for them. ⁹ But Pilate answered them, saying, “Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” ¹⁰ For he knew that out of envy the ruling kohanim had handed Him over. ¹¹ But the ruling kohanim stirred up the crowd, so he would release Bar-Abba to them instead.

¹² Then answering again, Pilate said to them, “So what do you want me to do with the One you call the King of the Jews?”

¹³ They shouted back, “Execute Him!”

¹⁴ Pilate responded, “Why? What evil has He done?”

But they shouted all the more, “Execute Him!”

¹⁵ Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Bar-Abba for them. And after he had Yeshua scourged, he handed Him over to be crucified.

¹⁶ The soldiers took Him away, into the palace, the governor’s mansion called the Praetorium. And they call together the cohort^[b] of soldiers. ¹⁷ They dress Him up in purple. After braiding a crown of thorns, they put it on Him. ¹⁸ And they began to salute Him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” ¹⁹ Over and over, they kept hitting Him on the head with a staff and spitting on Him; and kneeling down, they worshiped Him. ²⁰ When they finished mocking Him, they stripped the purple off Him and put His own clothes back on Him. And they led Him out to crucify Him.

Crucified as King of the Jews

²¹ Now Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was coming in from the countryside. The soldiers force this passerby to carry Yeshua’s cross-beam. ^{[c] 22} They bring Yeshua to the place called Golgotha (which is translated, Place of a Skull). ²³ They were offering Him wine mixed with myrrh, but He didn’t take it. ²⁴ Then they crucify Him and divide up His clothing among themselves, casting lots for them^[d] to see who should take what.

²⁵ Now it was the third hour^[e] when they nailed Him on the stake. ²⁶ And the inscription of the charge against Him was written above: “THE KING OF THE JEWS.” ²⁷ And with Him they execute two outlaws, one on His right and one on His left. (²⁸ )^[f]

²⁹ Those passing by were jeering at Him, shaking their heads and saying, “Ha! You who are going to destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days, ³⁰ save Yourself by coming down from the stake!”

³¹ Likewise the ruling kohanim, along with the Torah scholars, were also mocking Him among themselves. “He saved others,” they were saying, “but He can’t save Himself? ³² Let the Messiah, the King of Israel, come down now from the stake, so we may see and believe!” Even those executed with Him were ridiculing Him.

Death and Burial

³³ When the sixth hour had come, darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour. ^{[g] 34} At the ninth hour Yeshua cried out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?”^[h] which is translated, “My God, My God, why have You abandoned Me?”^[i]

³⁵ When some of the bystanders heard it, they began saying, “Look, He’s calling for Elijah.” ³⁶ Then someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine. He put it on a stick and was offering it to Yeshua to drink, saying, “Wait, let’s see if Elijah comes to take Him down.” ³⁷ But letting out a loud cry, Yeshua breathed His last.

³⁸ Then the curtain^[j] of the Temple was split in two, from top to bottom. ³⁹ When the centurion, who was standing in front of Him, saw the way Yeshua breathed His last, he said, “This Man really was the Son of God!”

⁴⁰ There were also women watching from a distance. Among them were Miriam from Magdala, Miriam the mother of Jacob the younger and of Joses,^[k] and Salome. ⁴¹ They would follow Him and serve Him when He was in the Galilee. Many other women who had gone up together with Him to Jerusalem were there also.

⁴² Now evening had already come. Since it was the Day of Preparation, that is, the day before Shabbat, ⁴³ Joseph of Arimathea, a respected council member who himself was waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Yeshua’s body.

⁴⁴ Pilate was surprised that He was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him whether Yeshua had been dead for long. ⁴⁵ When Pilate learned this from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph. ⁴⁶ Joseph bought a linen cloth, took Him down, wrapped Him in the linen, and laid Him in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock. Then he rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. ⁴⁷ Miriam from Magdala and Miriam the mother of Joses were watching where Yeshua’s body was placed.

The Empty Tomb

16 When Shabbat was over, Miriam of Magdala, Miriam the mother of Jacob, and Salome bought spices, so that they might come and anoint Yeshua’s body. ² Very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they come to the tomb. ³ They were saying to each other, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?”

⁴ Looking up, they see that the stone (it was really huge) had been rolled away. ⁵ As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe; and they were startled. ⁶ But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You are looking for Yeshua of Natzeret, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here! See the place where they put Him. ⁷ But go, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He is going before you to the Galilee. There you will see Him, just as He told you.’”

⁸ And going outside, they fled from the tomb, gripped by trembling and amazement. They didn’t say anything to anybody, for they were afraid.

He Is Risen^[l]

⁹ After He had risen early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Miriam of Magdala, from whom He had driven out seven demons. ¹⁰ She went and brought word to those who had been with Him, while they were mourning and weeping. ¹¹ When they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they refused to believe.

¹² After that, He appeared in a different form to two of them as they were walking on their way to the country. ¹³ They went and reported it to the rest, but they did not believe them either. ¹⁴ Later He appeared to them, the eleven, as they were reclining at the table. He rebuked them for their unbelief and hardheartedness, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had been raised.

Tell the World!

¹⁵ He told them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the Good News to every creature. ¹⁶ He who believes and is immersed shall be saved, but he who does not believe shall be condemned. ¹⁷ These signs will accompany those who believe: in My name they will drive out demons; they will speak new languages; ¹⁸ they will handle snakes; and if they drink anything deadly, it will not harm them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will get well.”

¹⁹ Then the Lord Yeshua, after He had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. ²⁰ And they went out and proclaimed everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word by the signs that follow.