Taking Care of the Lamps
(Exodus 27.20Exodus 21)1 The Lord told Moses 2 to give the following orders to the people of Israel: Bring pure olive oil of the finest quality for the lamps in the Tent, so that a light might be kept burning regularly. 3 Each evening Aaron shall light them and keep them burning until morning, there in the Lord's presence outside the curtain in front of the Covenant Box, which is in the Most Holy Place. This regulation is to be observed for all time to come. 4 Aaron shall take care of the lamps on the lampstand of pure gold and must see that they burn regularly in the Lord's presence.
The Bread Offered to God
5 Take twenty-four pounds of flour and bake twelve loaves of bread. 6 Put the loaves in two rows, six in each row, on the table covered with pure gold, which is in the Lord's presence. 7 Put some pure incense on each row, as a token food offering to the Lord to take the place of the bread. 8 Every Sabbath, for all time to come, the bread must be placed in the presence of the Lord. This is Israel's duty forever. 9 The bread belongs to Aaron and his descendants, and they shall eat it in a holy place, because this is a very holy part of the food offered to the Lord for the priests.
An Example of Just and Fair Punishment
10-11 There was a man whose father was an Egyptian and whose mother was an Israelite named Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri from the tribe of Dan. There in the camp this man quarreled with an Israelite. During the quarrel he cursed the Lord, so they took him to Moses, 12 put him under guard, and waited for the Lord to tell them what to do with him.
13 The Lord said to Moses, 14 “Take that man out of the camp. Everyone who heard him curse shall put his hands on the man's head to testify that he is guilty, and then the whole community shall stone him to death. 15 Then tell the people of Israel that anyone who curses God must suffer the consequences 16 and be put to death. Any Israelite or any foreigner living in Israel who curses the Lord shall be stoned to death by the whole community.
17 “Any who commit murder shall be put to death, 18 and any who kill an animal belonging to someone else must replace it. The principle is a life for a life.
19 “If any of you injure another person, whatever you have done shall be done to you. 20 If you break a bone, one of your bones shall be broken; if you put out an eye, one of your eyes shall be put out; if you knock out a tooth, one of your teeth shall be knocked out. Whatever injury you cause another person shall be done to you in return. 21 Whoever kills an animal shall replace it, but whoever kills a human being shall be put to death. 22 This law applies to all of you, to Israelites and to foreigners living among you, because I am the Lord your God.”
23 When Moses had said this to the people of Israel, they took the man outside the camp and stoned him to death. In this way the people of Israel did what the Lord had commanded Moses.
العناية بالسرج
1 وكلَّمَ الرّبُّ موسى فقالَ: 2 «مُرْ بَني إِسرائيلَ أنْ يُقدِّموا إليكَ زيتَ زيتونٍ مَرضوضٍ نقيٍّ للإنارةِ، تُوقِدُ بهِ السُّرُجَ دائما. 3 في خارجِ حِجابِ تابوتِ العَهدِ، في خَيمةِ الاجتِماعِ، يُداوِمُ هرونُ على ترتيـبِ السُّرُجِ أمامَ الرّبِّ مِنَ المساءِ إلى الصَّباحِ. هذِهِ فريضةٌ أبديَّةٌ مدَى أجيالِكُم. 4 على المَنارةِ الطَّاهرةِ يُرتِّبُ هرونُ السُّرُجَ أمامَ الرّبِّ دائما.
5 «وخُذْ دقيقا واخْبُزهُ اثني عشَرَ قُرْصا، كُلُّ قُرْصٍ عُشْرا قُفَّةٍ، 6 واجعلْها صَفَّينِ، كُلُّ صَفٍ سِتَّةُ أقراصٍ مُرتَّبةٍ على المائدةِ الطَّاهرةِ أمامَ الرّبِّ. 7 واجعلْ على كلِّ صَفٍّ بَخورا صافيا، فيكونَ معَ الخُبزِ عَيّنةً لوَقيدةٍ للرّبِّ. 8 في كُلِّ يومِ سَبْتٍ تُرتِّبُ الأقراصَ أمامَ الرّبِّ دائما عَنْ بَني إِسرائيلَ. هذا عَهدٌ علَيهِم إلى الأبدِ. 9 فتكونُ الأقراصُ لهرونَ وبَنيه يأكُلونَها في موضِعٍ مُقدَّسٍ، لأنَّها مُقدَّسةٌ كُلَّ التَّقديسِ لَه مِنْ وقائدِ الرّبِّ. هذِهِ فريضةٌ أبديَّةٌ».
مثل على العقاب العادل
10 وكانَ رَجُلٌ أُمُّه إِسرائيليَّةٌ وأبوهُ مِصْريٌّ ويُقيمُ فيما بَينَ بَني إِسرائيلَ، فخرَجَ وخاصمَ في المَحلَّةِ رَجُلا إِسرائيليًّا 11 وجدَّفَ على اسْمِ الرّبِّ ولعنَهُ، فقادُوه إلى موسى. وكانَ اسْمُ أمِّهِ شلوميةَ بنتَ ديـبري مِنْ عَشيرةِ دانَ. 12 فألقَوهُ في السِّجنِ حتّى يتبـيَّنَ لهُم ما يُريدُ الرّبُّ. 13 فكلَّمَ الرّبُّ موسى فقالَ: 14 «يُخرَجُ اللاَّعِنُ إلى خارجِ المَحلَّةِ، ويضَعُ كُلُّ مَنْ سَمِعَه أيديَهُم على رأسِه ويَرجُمُه كُلُّ الجماعةِ. 15 وقُلْ لِبَني إِسرائيلَ: مَنْ لَعَنَ إلهَهُ تَحمَّلَ عاقبةَ خطيئتِهِ، 16 ومَنْ جدَّفَ على اسْمِ الرّبِّ، يُقتَلْ قَتلا. تَرجُمُهُ كُلُّ الجماعةِ، دَخيلا كانَ أم أصيلا.
17 «مَنْ قَتلَ إنسانا، يُقتَلْ قَتلا، 18 ومَنْ قتَلَ بَهيمةً، يُعوِّضْ مِثلَها رأسا بَدلَ رأسٍ.
19 «مَنْ أضرَّ بآخَرَ، يُفعَلْ بهِ كما فعَلَ: 20 الكَسْرُ بالكَسْرِ والعَينُ بالعَينِ، والسِّنُّ بالسِّنِّ، كالضَّررِ الّذي يُنزِلُه بهِ. وكذلكَ كُلُّ ضَررٍ يُنزِلُهُ الإنسانُ بالإنسانِ ينزِلُ بهِ مِثلُهُ.
21 «مَنْ قتَلَ بَهيمَةً يُعَوِّضْها، ومَنْ قتَلَ إنسانا يُقتَلْ. 22 حُكْمٌ واحدٌ يكونُ لكُم جميعا، للدَّخيلِ كما للأصيلِ. أنا الرّبُّ إلهُكُم».
23 فلمَّا أخبرَ موسى بَني إِسرائيلَ بهذا الكلامِ أخرجوا اللاَّعِنَ إلى خارجِ المحَلَّةِ ورجمُوهُ بالحجارةِ، كما أمرَ الرّبُّ موسى.