23 In the seventh year Jehoiada showed his strength. He made a covenant with the commanders of units of a hundred: Azariah son of Jeroham, Ishmael son of Jehohanan, Azariah son of Obed, Maaseiah son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat son of Zikri. ² They went throughout Judah and gathered the Levites^(A) and the heads of Israelite families from all the towns. When they came to Jerusalem, ³ the whole assembly made a covenant^(B) with the king at the temple of God.

Jehoiada said to them, “The king’s son shall reign, as the Lord promised concerning the descendants of David.^{(C) 4} Now this is what you are to do: A third of you priests and Levites who are going on duty on the Sabbath are to keep watch at the doors, ⁵ a third of you at the royal palace and a third at the Foundation Gate, and all the others are to be in the courtyards of the temple of the Lord. ⁶ No one is to enter the temple of the Lord except the priests and Levites on duty; they may enter because they are consecrated, but all the others are to observe^(D) the Lord’s command not to enter.^{[a] 7} The Levites are to station themselves around the king, each with weapon in hand. Anyone who enters the temple is to be put to death. Stay close to the king wherever he goes.”

⁸ The Levites and all the men of Judah did just as Jehoiada the priest ordered.^(E) Each one took his men—those who were going on duty on the Sabbath and those who were going off duty—for Jehoiada the priest had not released any of the divisions.^{(F) 9} Then he gave the commanders of units of a hundred the spears and the large and small shields that had belonged to King David and that were in the temple of God. ¹⁰ He stationed all the men, each with his weapon in his hand, around the king—near the altar and the temple, from the south side to the north side of the temple.

¹¹ Jehoiada and his sons brought out the king’s son and put the crown on him; they presented him with a copy^(G) of the covenant and proclaimed him king. They anointed him and shouted, “Long live the king!”

¹² When Athaliah heard the noise of the people running and cheering the king, she went to them at the temple of the Lord. ¹³ She looked, and there was the king,^(H) standing by his pillar^(I) at the entrance. The officers and the trumpeters were beside the king, and all the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets, and musicians with their instruments were leading the praises. Then Athaliah tore her robes and shouted, “Treason! Treason!”

¹⁴ Jehoiada the priest sent out the commanders of units of a hundred, who were in charge of the troops, and said to them: “Bring her out between the ranks^[b] and put to the sword anyone who follows her.” For the priest had said, “Do not put her to death at the temple of the Lord.” ¹⁵ So they seized her as she reached the entrance of the Horse Gate^(J) on the palace grounds, and there they put her to death.

¹⁶ Jehoiada then made a covenant^(K) that he, the people and the king^[c] would be the Lord’s people. ¹⁷ All the people went to the temple of Baal and tore it down. They smashed the altars and idols and killed^(L) Mattan the priest of Baal in front of the altars.

¹⁸ Then Jehoiada placed the oversight of the temple of the Lord in the hands of the Levitical priests,^(M) to whom David had made assignments in the temple,^(N) to present the burnt offerings of the Lord as written in the Law of Moses, with rejoicing and singing, as David had ordered. ¹⁹ He also stationed gatekeepers^(O) at the gates of the Lord’s temple so that no one who was in any way unclean might enter.

²⁰ He took with him the commanders of hundreds, the nobles, the rulers of the people and all the people of the land and brought the king down from the temple of the Lord. They went into the palace through the Upper Gate^(P) and seated the king on the royal throne. ²¹ All the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was calm, because Athaliah had been slain with the sword.^(Q)

41 Then the man brought me to the main hall^(A) and measured the jambs; the width of the jambs was six cubits^[a] on each side.^{[b] 2} The entrance was ten cubits^[c] wide, and the projecting walls on each side of it were five cubits^[d] wide. He also measured the main hall; it was forty cubits long and twenty cubits wide.^[e](B)

³ Then he went into the inner sanctuary and measured the jambs of the entrance; each was two cubits^[f] wide. The entrance was six cubits wide, and the projecting walls on each side of it were seven cubits^[g] wide. ⁴ And he measured the length of the inner sanctuary; it was twenty cubits, and its width was twenty cubits across the end of the main hall.^(C) He said to me, “This is the Most Holy Place.^(D)”

⁵ Then he measured the wall of the temple; it was six cubits thick, and each side room around the temple was four cubits^[h] wide. ⁶ The side rooms were on three levels, one above another, thirty^(E) on each level. There were ledges all around the wall of the temple to serve as supports for the side rooms, so that the supports were not inserted into the wall of the temple.^{(F) 7} The side rooms all around the temple were wider at each successive level. The structure surrounding the temple was built in ascending stages, so that the rooms widened as one went upward. A stairway^(G) went up from the lowest floor to the top floor through the middle floor.

⁸ I saw that the temple had a raised base all around it, forming the foundation of the side rooms. It was the length of the rod, six long cubits. ⁹ The outer wall of the side rooms was five cubits thick. The open area between the side rooms of the temple ¹⁰ and the priests’ rooms was twenty cubits wide all around the temple. ¹¹ There were entrances to the side rooms from the open area, one on the north and another on the south; and the base adjoining the open area was five cubits wide all around.

¹² The building facing the temple courtyard on the west side was seventy cubits^[i] wide. The wall of the building was five cubits thick all around, and its length was ninety cubits.^[j]

¹³ Then he measured the temple; it was a hundred cubits^[k] long, and the temple courtyard and the building with its walls were also a hundred cubits long. ¹⁴ The width of the temple courtyard on the east, including the front of the temple, was a hundred cubits.^(H)

¹⁵ Then he measured the length of the building facing the courtyard at the rear of the temple, including its galleries^(I) on each side; it was a hundred cubits.

The main hall, the inner sanctuary and the portico facing the court, ¹⁶ as well as the thresholds and the narrow windows^(J) and galleries around the three of them—everything beyond and including the threshold was covered with wood. The floor, the wall up to the windows, and the windows were covered.^{(K) 17} In the space above the outside of the entrance to the inner sanctuary and on the walls at regular intervals all around the inner and outer sanctuary ¹⁸ were carved^(L) cherubim^(M) and palm trees.^(N) Palm trees alternated with cherubim. Each cherub had two faces:^{(O) 19} the face of a human being toward the palm tree on one side and the face of a lion toward the palm tree on the other. They were carved all around the whole temple.^{(P) 20} From the floor to the area above the entrance, cherubim and palm trees were carved on the wall of the main hall.

²¹ The main hall^(Q) had a rectangular doorframe, and the one at the front of the Most Holy Place was similar. ²² There was a wooden altar^(R) three cubits^[l] high and two cubits square^[m]; its corners, its base^[n] and its sides were of wood. The man said to me, “This is the table^(S) that is before the Lord.” ²³ Both the main hall^(T) and the Most Holy Place had double doors.^{(U) 24} Each door had two leaves—two hinged leaves^(V) for each door. ²⁵ And on the doors of the main hall were carved cherubim and palm trees like those carved on the walls, and there was a wooden overhang on the front of the portico. ²⁶ On the sidewalls of the portico were narrow windows with palm trees carved on each side. The side rooms of the temple also had overhangs.^(W)

The Rooms for the Priests

42 Then the man led me northward into the outer court and brought me to the rooms^(X) opposite the temple courtyard^(Y) and opposite the outer wall on the north side.^{(Z) 2} The building whose door faced north was a hundred cubits long and fifty cubits wide.^{[o] 3} Both in the section twenty cubits^[p] from the inner court and in the section opposite the pavement of the outer court, gallery^(AA) faced gallery at the three levels.^{(AB) 4} In front of the rooms was an inner passageway ten cubits wide and a hundred cubits^[q] long.^[r] Their doors were on the north.^{(AC) 5} Now the upper rooms were narrower, for the galleries took more space from them than from the rooms on the lower and middle floors of the building. ⁶ The rooms on the top floor had no pillars, as the courts had; so they were smaller in floor space than those on the lower and middle floors. ⁷ There was an outer wall parallel to the rooms and the outer court; it extended in front of the rooms for fifty cubits. ⁸ While the row of rooms on the side next to the outer court was fifty cubits long, the row on the side nearest the sanctuary was a hundred cubits long. ⁹ The lower rooms had an entrance^(AD) on the east side as one enters them from the outer court.

¹⁰ On the south side^[s] along the length of the wall of the outer court, adjoining the temple courtyard^(AE) and opposite the outer wall, were rooms^{(AF) 11} with a passageway in front of them. These were like the rooms on the north; they had the same length and width, with similar exits and dimensions. Similar to the doorways on the north ¹² were the doorways of the rooms on the south. There was a doorway at the beginning of the passageway that was parallel to the corresponding wall extending eastward, by which one enters the rooms.

¹³ Then he said to me, “The north^(AG) and south rooms^(AH) facing the temple courtyard^(AI) are the priests’ rooms, where the priests who approach the Lord will eat the most holy offerings. There they will put the most holy offerings—the grain offerings,^(AJ) the sin offerings^[t](AK) and the guilt offerings^(AL)—for the place is holy.^{(AM) 14} Once the priests enter the holy precincts, they are not to go into the outer court until they leave behind the garments^(AN) in which they minister, for these are holy. They are to put on other clothes before they go near the places that are for the people.^(AO)”

¹⁵ When he had finished measuring what was inside the temple area, he led me out by the east gate^(AP) and measured the area all around: ¹⁶ He measured the east side with the measuring rod; it was five hundred cubits.^{[u][v] 17} He measured the north side; it was five hundred cubits^[w] by the measuring rod. ¹⁸ He measured the south side; it was five hundred cubits by the measuring rod. ¹⁹ Then he turned to the west side and measured; it was five hundred cubits by the measuring rod. ²⁰ So he measured^(AQ) the area^(AR) on all four sides. It had a wall around it,^(AS) five hundred cubits long and five hundred cubits wide,^(AT) to separate the holy from the common.^(AU)

13 ¹ Now in the church at Antioch^(A) there were prophets^(B) and teachers:^(C) Barnabas,^(D) Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene,^(E) Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod^(F) the tetrarch) and Saul. ² While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said,^(G) “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work^(H) to which I have called them.”^{(I) 3} So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them^(J) and sent them off.^(K)

On Cyprus

⁴ The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit,^(L) went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus.^{(M) 5} When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God^(N) in the Jewish synagogues.^(O) John^(P) was with them as their helper.

⁶ They traveled through the whole island until they came to Paphos. There they met a Jewish sorcerer^(Q) and false prophet^(R) named Bar-Jesus, ⁷ who was an attendant of the proconsul,^(S) Sergius Paulus. The proconsul, an intelligent man, sent for Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God. ⁸ But Elymas the sorcerer^(T) (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul^(U) from the faith.^{(V) 9} Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit,^(W) looked straight at Elymas and said, ¹⁰ “You are a child of the devil^(X) and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord?^{(Y) 11} Now the hand of the Lord is against you.^(Z) You are going to be blind for a time, not even able to see the light of the sun.”^(AA)

Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand. ¹² When the proconsul^(AB) saw what had happened, he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord.

In Pisidian Antioch

¹³ From Paphos,^(AC) Paul and his companions sailed to Perga in Pamphylia,^(AD) where John^(AE) left them to return to Jerusalem. ¹⁴ From Perga they went on to Pisidian Antioch.^(AF) On the Sabbath^(AG) they entered the synagogue^(AH) and sat down. ¹⁵ After the reading from the Law^(AI) and the Prophets, the leaders of the synagogue sent word to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have a word of exhortation for the people, please speak.”

¹⁶ Standing up, Paul motioned with his hand^(AJ) and said: “Fellow Israelites and you Gentiles who worship God, listen to me! ¹⁷ The God of the people of Israel chose our ancestors; he made the people prosper during their stay in Egypt; with mighty power he led them out of that country;^{(AK) 18} for about forty years he endured their conduct^[a](AL) in the wilderness;^{(AM) 19} and he overthrew seven nations in Canaan,^(AN) giving their land to his people^(AO) as their inheritance.^{(AP) 20} All this took about 450 years.

“After this, God gave them judges^(AQ) until the time of Samuel the prophet.^{(AR) 21} Then the people asked for a king,^(AS) and he gave them Saul^(AT) son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin,^(AU) who ruled forty years. ²² After removing Saul,^(AV) he made David their king.^(AW) God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart;^(AX) he will do everything I want him to do.’^(AY)

²³ “From this man’s descendants^(AZ) God has brought to Israel the Savior^(BA) Jesus,^(BB) as he promised.^{(BC) 24} Before the coming of Jesus, John preached repentance and baptism to all the people of Israel.^{(BD) 25} As John was completing his work,^(BE) he said: ‘Who do you suppose I am? I am not the one you are looking for.^(BF) But there is one coming after me whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.’^(BG)

²⁶ “Fellow children of Abraham^(BH) and you God-fearing Gentiles, it is to us that this message of salvation^(BI) has been sent. ²⁷ The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus,^(BJ) yet in condemning him they fulfilled the words of the prophets^(BK) that are read every Sabbath. ²⁸ Though they found no proper ground for a death sentence, they asked Pilate to have him executed.^{(BL) 29} When they had carried out all that was written about him,^(BM) they took him down from the cross^(BN) and laid him in a tomb.^{(BO) 30} But God raised him from the dead,^{(BP) 31} and for many days he was seen by those who had traveled with him from Galilee to Jerusalem.^(BQ) They are now his witnesses^(BR) to our people.

³² “We tell you the good news:^(BS) What God promised our ancestors^{(BT) 33} he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus.^(BU) As it is written in the second Psalm:

³⁴ God raised him from the dead so that he will never be subject to decay. As God has said,

³⁵ So it is also stated elsewhere:

³⁶ “Now when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep;^(BY) he was buried with his ancestors^(BZ) and his body decayed. ³⁷ But the one whom God raised from the dead^(CA) did not see decay.

³⁸ “Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you.^{(CB) 39} Through him everyone who believes^(CC) is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses.^{(CD) 40} Take care that what the prophets have said does not happen to you:

⁴² As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue,^(CF) the people invited them to speak further about these things on the next Sabbath. ⁴³ When the congregation was dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who talked with them and urged them to continue in the grace of God.^(CG)

⁴⁴ On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. ⁴⁵ When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy. They began to contradict what Paul was saying^(CH) and heaped abuse^(CI) on him.

⁴⁶ Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: “We had to speak the word of God to you first.^(CJ) Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles.^{(CK) 47} For this is what the Lord has commanded us:

⁴⁸ When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord;^(CN) and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.

⁴⁹ The word of the Lord^(CO) spread through the whole region. ⁵⁰ But the Jewish leaders incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region.^{(CP) 51} So they shook the dust off their feet^(CQ) as a warning to them and went to Iconium.^{(CR) 52} And the disciples^(CS) were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.^(CT)