20. Tetzaveh

Parasha 20: Tetzaveh

Exodus 27:20–30:10 (LEB)

Instructions for Making Oil for the Lampstand

²⁰ “And you will command the _⌊Israelites_⌋, and they will bring to you pure, beaten olive oil for the light, to cause a lamp to burn continually. ²¹ In the tent of assembly outside the curtain that is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons will arrange it, from evening until morning, before Yahweh as a lasting statute throughout their generations from the _⌊Israelites_⌋.

Instructions for Making Garments for Priests

28 “And bring near to you Aaron, your brother, and his sons with him from the midst of the _⌊Israelites_⌋ to serve as priests for me—Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, the sons of Aaron. ² And you will make holy garments for Aaron, your brother, for glory and for splendor. ³ And you will speak to all the skilled of heart, whom I have given _⌊a gift of skill_⌋, and they will make the garments of Aaron to consecrate him for his serving as my priest. ⁴ And these are the garments that they will make: A breast piece and an ephod and a robe and a tunic of specially woven fabric, a turban and a sash. And they will make holy garments for Aaron your brother, and for his sons to serve as priests for me.

⁵ “And they will take the gold and the blue and the purple and the crimson yarns and the fine linen, ⁶ and they will make the ephod of gold, blue and purple, and crimson yarns, and finely twisted linen, the work of a skilled craftsman. ⁷ It will have two joining shoulder pieces at its two edges, so that it can be fastened. ⁸ And the waistband of his ephod, which is on it, will be of like work to it—gold, blue, and purple and crimson yarns and finely twisted linen.

⁹ “And you will take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the _⌊Israelites_⌋, ¹⁰ with six of their names on the one stone and the remaining six on the second, according to their genealogies. ¹¹ As the work of a skilled stone craftsman, with seal engravings you will engrave on the two stones the names of the _⌊Israelites_⌋; you will make them mounted in gold filigree settings. ¹² And you will set the two stones on the ephod’s shoulder pieces as stones of remembrance for the _⌊Israelites_⌋, and Aaron will bear their names before Yahweh on his two shoulder pieces for remembrance.

¹³ “And you will make gold filigree settings. ¹⁴ And you will make two braided chains of pure gold ornamental cord work, and you will put the chains of the ornamental cords on the filigree settings. ¹⁵ And you will make a breast piece of judgment, a work of a skilled craftsman; you will make it like the work of the ephod; you will make it of gold, blue and purple and crimson yarns, and finely twisted linen. ¹⁶ It will be squared, doubled, a span its length and a span its width. ¹⁷ And you will fill it with stone mounting, four rows of stone, a row of carnelian, topaz, and emerald is the first row; ¹⁸ and the second row is a malachite, a sapphire, and a moonstone; ¹⁹ and the third row is a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; ²⁰ and the fourth row is a turquoise and an onyx and a jasper. Their settings will be woven with gold. ²¹ The stones will be according to the names of the _⌊Israelites_⌋, twelve according to their names, with seal engravings, each according to its name they will be for the twelve tribes.

²² “And you will make on the breast piece braided chains, a work of pure gold ornamental cord. ²³ And you will make on the breast piece two gold rings, and you will put the two rings on the two edges of the breast piece. ²⁴ And you will put the two gold ornamental cords on the two rings on the edges of the breast piece. ²⁵ And you will put the two ends of the two ornamental cords on the two filigree settings, and you will put them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod at the front of it. ²⁶ And you will make two gold rings, and you will place them on the two ends of the breast piece, on its edge that is _⌊on the other side_⌋ of the ephod, _⌊to the inside_⌋. ²⁷ And you will make two rings and put them on the two shoulder pieces of the ephod below at its front near its seam above the waistband of the ephod. ²⁸ And they will tie the breast piece by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a blue cord to be on the waistband of the ephod, and the breast piece will not come loose from the ephod. ²⁹ And Aaron will bear the names of the _⌊Israelites_⌋ in the breast piece of judgment on his heart, when he comes to the sanctuary, for a remembrance before Yahweh continually. ³⁰ And you will put the Urim and the Thummim on the breast piece of judgment, and they will be on the heart of Aaron when he comes before Yahweh, and Aaron will bear the judgment of the _⌊Israelites_⌋ on his heart before Yahweh continually.

³¹ “And you will make the robe of the ephod totally of blue yarn. ³² And the opening for his head will be in the middle of it; its opening will have an edge all around, the work of a weaver; it will be like the opening of a sturdy garment for it, so that it will not be torn. ³³ And you will make on its hem pomegranates of blue and purple and crimson yarns on its hem all around and bells of gold in the midst of them all around, ³⁴ a gold bell and a pomegranate, a gold bell and a pomegranate, on the hem of the robe all around. ³⁵ And it will be on Aaron for serving, and its sound will be heard at his coming into the sanctuary before Yahweh and at his going out, so that he will not die.

³⁶ “And you will make a pure gold rosette, and you will engrave on it with seal engravings: “A holy object for Yahweh.” ³⁷ And you will place it on a blue cord, and it will be on the turban, at the front of the turban it will be. ³⁸ And it will be on the forehead of Aaron, and Aaron will bear the guilt of the holy objects that the _⌊Israelites_⌋ will consecrate for all their holy gifts, and it will be on his forehead continually for acceptance for them before Yahweh.

³⁹ “And you will weave the tunic of fine linen, and you will make a turban of fine linen, and you will make a sash, the work of an embroiderer. ⁴⁰ And for the sons of Aaron you will make tunics, and you will make for them sashes and headdresses; you will make them for glory and for splendor. ⁴¹ And you will clothe them—Aaron, your brother, and his sons with him—and you will anoint them and _⌊ordain them_⌋ and consecrate them, and they will serve as priests for me. ⁴² And make for them undergarments of linen to cover naked flesh; they will be from loins to thigh. ⁴³ And they will be on Aaron and on his sons when they come to the tent of assembly or when they approach the altar to serve in the sanctuary, so that they will not bear guilt and die. It is a lasting statute for him and for his offspring after him.

Instructions for Consecrating Aaron and His Sons

29 “And this is the thing that you will do for them to consecrate them to serve as a priest for me: Take _⌊one young bull_⌋ and two rams without defect ² and unleavened bread and unleavened, ring-shaped bread cakes mixed with oil, and wafers of unleavened breads smeared with oil. You will make them with finely milled wheat flour, ³ and you will put them on one basket, and you will bring them on the basket and bring the bull and the two rams. ⁴ And you will bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent of assembly, and you will wash them with water. ⁵ And you will take the garments and clothe Aaron with the tunic and the robe of the ephod, and you will fasten to him the ephod and the breast piece with the waistband of the ephod. ⁶ And you will set the turban on his head, and you will put the holy diadem on the turban. ⁷ And you will take the anointing oil and pour it on his head and anoint him. ⁸ And you will bring his sons and clothe them with tunics. ⁹ And you will gird Aaron and his sons with sashes and wrap headdresses on them. And priesthood will be theirs as a lasting rule, and _⌊you will ordain Aaron and his sons._⌋

¹⁰ “And you will bring the bull before the tent of assembly, and Aaron and his sons will lay their hands on the head of the bull. ¹¹ And you will slaughter the bull before Yahweh at the entrance of the tent of assembly. ¹² And you will take some of the blood of the bull and with your finger put it on the horns of the altar, and you will pour out all the blood at the base of the altar. ¹³ And you will take and turn into smoke on the altar all the fat covering the inner parts and the lobe on the liver and the two kidneys and the fat that is on them. ¹⁴ And the flesh of the bull and its skin and its offal you will burn with fire outside the camp; it is a sin offering.

¹⁵ “And you will take the one ram, and Aaron and his sons will lay their hands on the head of the ram. ¹⁶ And you will slaughter the ram and take its blood and sprinkle it on the altar all around. ¹⁷ And you will cut the ram into pieces and wash its inner parts, and you will put its legs with its pieces and with its head. ¹⁸ And you will turn into smoke on the altar all of the ram; it is a burnt offering for Yahweh; it is a smell of appeasement, an offering by fire for Yahweh.

¹⁹ “And you will take the second ram, and Aaron and his sons will lay their hands on the head of the ram. ²⁰ And you will slaughter the ram and take some of its blood and put it on Aaron’s right earlobe and on the right earlobe of his sons and on the thumb of their right hand and on _⌊the big toe_⌋ of their right foot, and you will sprinkle the blood at the base of the altar all around. ²¹ And you will take some of the blood that is on the altar and some of the anointing oil, and you will spatter it on Aaron and on his garments and on his sons and on his sons’ garments with him, and he will be sacred, and his garments and his sons and his sons’ garments with him. ²² And you will take from the ram the fat and the fat tail and the fat covering the inner parts and the lobe of the liver and the two kidneys and the fat that is on them and the right thigh, because it is the ram of ordination.

²³ “And one loaf of bread and one ring-shaped bread cake of oiled bread and one wafer from the basket of unleavened bread that is before Yahweh— ²⁴ you will put them all on the palms of Aaron and on the palms of his sons, and you will wave them as a wave offering before Yahweh. ²⁵ And you will take them from their hand and turn them to smoke on the altar beside the burnt offering as a fragrance of appeasement before Yahweh; it is an offering made by fire before Yahweh.

²⁶ “And you will take the breast section from the ram of ordination that is for Aaron, and you will wave it as a wave offering before Yahweh. It will be your portion. ²⁷ And you will consecrate the wave offering breast section and the thigh of the contribution that was waved and that was presented from the ram of the ordination that is for Aaron and for his sons. ²⁸ And it will be for Aaron and for his sons as a lasting rule from the _⌊Israelites_⌋, because it is a contribution, and it will be a contribution from the _⌊Israelites_⌋ from their sacrifices of fellowship, their contribution to Yahweh.

²⁹ “And the holy garments that are for Aaron will be for his sons after him in which to anoint them and _⌊to ordain them_⌋. ³⁰ Seven days the priest who replaces him from among his sons will wear them, who comes to the tent of assembly to serve in the sanctuary. ³¹ And you will take the ram of ordination and boil its meat in a holy place. ³² And Aaron and his sons will eat the meat of the ram and the bread that is in the basket at the entrance of the tent of assembly. ³³ And they will eat them—the things by which atonement was made for them to ordain them to consecrate them—and a stranger will not eat them because they are holy objects. ³⁴ If any remains until morning from the ordination meat or from the bread, you will burn the remainder in fire; it will not be eaten, because it is a holy object. ³⁵ And you will do so for Aaron and for his sons, according to all that I have commanded you; seven days you will ordain them.

Instructions for Regular Offerings at the Tabernacle

³⁶ “And you will offer a bull for a sin offering every day for the atonement; and you will offer a sin offering on the altar when you make atonement for it, and you will anoint it to consecrate it. ³⁷ Seven days you will make atonement for the altar, and you will consecrate it, and the altar will be _⌊a most holy thing_⌋. _⌊Anyone who_⌋ touches the altar will be holy.

³⁸ “And this is what you shall offer on the altar: Two _⌊one-year-old_⌋ male lambs _⌊every day_⌋ continually. ³⁹ The first lamb you will offer in the morning, and the second lamb you will offer _⌊at twilight_⌋. ⁴⁰ And a tenth of finely milled flour mixed with a fourth of a hin of beaten oil, and a fourth of a hin of wine as a libation with the first lamb. ⁴¹ And the second lamb you will offer _⌊at twilight_⌋; you will offer a grain offering and its libation like that of the morning for a fragrance of appeasement, an offering made by fire for Yahweh. ⁴² It will be a burnt offering of continuity throughout your generations at the entrance of the tent of assembly before Yahweh, where I will meet with you to speak to you there.

⁴³ “And I will meet with the _⌊Israelites_⌋ there, and it will be consecrated by my glory. ⁴⁴ And I will consecrate the tent of assembly and the altar, and Aaron and his sons I will consecrate to serve as priests for me. ⁴⁵ And I will dwell in the midst of the _⌊Israelites_⌋, and I will be their God. ⁴⁶ And they will know that I am Yahweh, their God, who brought them out from the land of Egypt in order to dwell in their midst. I am Yahweh their God.

Instructions for Making the Incense Altar

30 “And you will make an altar for burning incense; you will make it of acacia wood, ² a cubit its length and a cubit its width—it will be square—and two cubits its height, its horns _⌊of one piece with it_⌋. ³ And you will overlay it with pure gold, its top and its sides all around and its horns, and you will make for it a gold molding all around. ⁴ And you will make two gold rings for it; under its molding _⌊on two opposite sides_⌋ you will make them as _⌊holders_⌋ for poles to carry it with them. ⁵ You will make the poles of acacia wood, and you will overlay them with gold. ⁶ And you will put it before the curtain that is upon the ark of the testimony, before the atonement cover, which is on the testimony, there where I will meet with you.

⁷ “And on it Aaron will turn fragrant incense into smoke; _⌊each morning_⌋ when he tends the lamps, he will turn it into smoke. ⁸ And when Aaron sets up the lamps _⌊at twilight_⌋, he will turn it into smoke—incense of continuity—before Yahweh throughout your generations. ⁹ You will not offer on it strange incense or a burnt offering or a grain offering, and you will not pour a libation on it. ¹⁰ And Aaron will make atonement on its horns one time in the year from the blood of the sin offering of the atonement; one time in the year he will make atonement on it throughout your generations; it is a most holy thing for Yahweh.”

PROPHETS

1 Samuel 15:1–9 (LEB)

Israel Defeats the Amalekites

15 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Yahweh sent me to anoint you as king over his people Israel. So then, _⌊listen to the words_⌋ of Yahweh! ² Thus says Yahweh of hosts: ‘I have observed what Amalek did to Israel, _⌊how he opposed him_⌋ when he went up from Egypt. ³ So then, go and attack Amalek and utterly destroy all that is his! You must not spare him, but kill both man and woman, both child and nursing infant, both ox and sheep, both camel and donkey.’ ”

⁴ Saul summoned the army and mustered them at Telaim; two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand men of Judah. ⁵ Then Saul came up to the city of Amalek and set an ambush in the wadi. ⁶ Saul said to the Kenites, “Go, leave! Withdraw from among the Amalekites so that I do not destroy you with them. You have shown loyal love to all the _⌊Israelites_⌋ when they came up from Egypt.” So the Kenites left from among the Amalekites. ⁷ Then Saul defeated the Amalekites from Havilah as one goes to Shur which is _⌊east of_⌋ Egypt. ⁸ He captured Agag the king of Amalek alive, but all the people he utterly destroyed with the _⌊edge_⌋ of the sword. ⁹ However, Saul and the army spared Agag and the best of the sheep and the cattle and the second best of the young fatlings and _⌊all that was valuable_⌋; they were not willing to utterly destroy them. But all the possessions that were despised or worthless, they utterly destroyed.

1 Samuel 15:10–34 (LEB)

Samuel Announces the Downfall of Saul

¹⁰ Then the word of Yahweh came to Samuel, saying, ¹¹ “I regret that I made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me and has not kept my word.” _⌊Samuel became angry_⌋, and he cried out to Yahweh all night. ¹² Then Samuel got up early in the morning to meet Saul. Samuel was told, “Saul has gone to Carmel, and look, he is setting up a monument for himself.” Then he turned around and crossed over and went down to Gilgal.

¹³ When Samuel came to Saul, Saul said to him, “May you be blessed by Yahweh! I have kept the word of Yahweh.” ¹⁴ But Samuel said, “Then what is this bleating of the sheep that I hear in my ears and the lowing of the cattle that I am hearing?” ¹⁵ Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites; the troops spared the best of the sheep and the cattle in order to sacrifice them to Yahweh your God. But the rest we have utterly destroyed.” ¹⁶ Then Samuel said to Saul, “Stop and let me tell you what Yahweh said to me last night.” So he said to him, “Speak.”

¹⁷ Samuel said, “Even though you are small in your own eyes, are you not the head of the tribes of Israel? Yahweh has anointed you as king over Israel. ¹⁸ When Yahweh sent you on your way, he said to you: ‘Go! You must utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and you must fight against them until you have destroyed them.’ ¹⁹ Why did you not listen to the voice of Yahweh and fall with shouting on the plunder? You have done evil in the sight of Yahweh!” ²⁰ Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have listened to the voice of Yahweh, and I have gone on the way that Yahweh sent me! I brought Agag the king of Amalek, and the Amalekites I have utterly destroyed. ²¹ The troops took from the plunder, sheep and cattle, the best of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to Yahweh your God at Gilgal.”

²² Then Samuel said,

“Is there as much delight for Yahweh in burnt offerings and sacrifices

as there is in _⌊obeying_⌋ Yahweh?

Look! _⌊To obey_⌋ is better than sacrifice;

to give heed than the fat of rams.

²³ For rebellion is like the sin of divination;

arrogance is like iniquity and idolatry.

Because you have rejected the word of Yahweh,

he has rejected you from being king!”

²⁴ Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned because I have transgressed _⌊the commandment of Yahweh_⌋ and your words, for I feared the troops and I listened to their voice. ²⁵ So then, please pardon my sin and return with me _⌊so that I can worship_⌋ Yahweh.” ²⁶ But Samuel said to Saul, “I will not return with you, for you have rejected the word of Yahweh, and he has rejected you from being king over Israel!”

²⁷ As Samuel turned around to go, he caught hold of the hem of his robe, and it tore. ²⁸ Then Samuel said to him, “Yahweh has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to your neighbor _⌊who is better than you_⌋. ²⁹ Moreover, the Glory of Israel will not break faith and will not regret, for he is not a human that he should regret.” ³⁰ Then he said, “I have sinned! Now please honor me before the elders of my people and before Israel, and return with me _⌊so that I can worship_⌋ Yahweh your God.” ³¹ So Samuel returned after Saul, and Saul _⌊worshiped_⌋ Yahweh.

³² Then Samuel said, “Bring Agag the king of Amalek out to me!” Agag came to him confidently, for Agag thought, “Surely the bitterness of death _⌊is over_⌋.”

³³ Samuel said,

“Just as your sword bereaved women,

so will your mother be bereaved among women!”

Then Samuel hacked Agag to pieces in the presence of Yahweh at Gilgal.

³⁴ Then Samuel went to Ramah and Saul went up to his house in Gibeah of Saul.

Ezekiel 43:1–27 (LEB)

Return of the Lord’s Glory and Description of Sacrifices and Worship

43 And he brought me to the gate which was _⌊facing east_⌋. ² And, look! The glory of the God of Israel, it came from the way of the east, and its sound was like the sound of many waters and the land radiated due to his glory! ³ And the appearance of the vision which I saw was as the vision which I saw at his coming to destroy the city, and these visions were also as the vision which I saw by the _⌊Kebar River_⌋, and I fell on my face.

⁴ And then the glory of Yahweh came to the temple _⌊by the way of the gate facing east_⌋. ⁵ And the Spirit lifted me and it brought me to the inner courtyard and, look! The glory of Yahweh filled the temple! ⁶ And I heard someone speaking to me from the house, and a man was standing beside me. ⁷ And he said to me, “Son of man, this is the place of my throne and the place for the soles of my feet _⌊where I will dwell_⌋ in the midst of the _⌊Israelites_⌋ to eternity, and they, the house of Israel, they and their kings, will not again defile _⌊my holy name_⌋ with their fornication and with their offerings for the dead of their kings on their high places. ⁸ _⌊When they placed their threshold_⌋ with my threshold, their doorframe beside my doorframe and the wall was between me and between them, then they defiled _⌊my holy name_⌋, with their detestable things that they did, and so I consumed them in my anger. ⁹ Now let them send their fornication far away and the offerings for the dead of their kings away from me, and I will dwell in the midst of them _⌊forever_⌋.

¹⁰ You, son of man, describe to the house of Israel the temple and let them be ashamed of their iniquities and let them measure the pattern. ¹¹ And if they are ashamed of all that they did, then the plan of the temple and its arrangement and its exits and its entrances and all of its plans and all of its statutes. And all of its plans and all of its laws make known to them and write them before their eyes, so that they may remember all of its plans and all of its statutes, so that they do them! ¹² This is the law of the temple: On the top of the mountain, all of its territory, _⌊all the way around it_⌋, _⌊will be most holy_⌋. Look, this is the law of the temple.

¹³ And these are the measurements of the altar in the cubits (a cubit is a cubit and a handbreadth): now its gutter _⌊is a cubit in depth by a cubit in width_⌋ and its rim along its edge all around is one span, and this is also the height of the altar. ¹⁴ And from the gutter at the ground up to the lower ledge is two cubits, and its width is one cubit, and from the small ledge up to the large ledge is four cubits, and its width is one cubit. ¹⁵ And the altar hearth was four cubits, and from the altar hearth and _⌊upwards_⌋ were the four horns of the altar. ¹⁶ And the altar hearth was _⌊twelve_⌋ cubits in length and _⌊twelve_⌋ cubits in width; it was _⌊squared on its four sides_⌋. ¹⁷ And the ledge was _⌊fourteen_⌋ cubits in length with _⌊fourteen_⌋ cubits its width to all four of its sides, and a rim was all around it of one-half cubit. And the gutter for it was a cubit all around, and its steps were facing east.”

¹⁸ And he said to me, “Son of man, thus says the Lord Yahweh: ‘These are the statutes of the altar on the day _⌊when it is made_⌋, to sacrifice a burnt offering on it and to sprinkle blood on it. ¹⁹ And you must give to the Levitical priests who are from the offspring of Zadok, the ones coming near me,” _⌊declares_⌋ the Lord Yahweh, “to serve me, a bull, _⌊a calf_⌋ as a sin offering.

²⁰ You must take some of its blood and put it on _⌊the four horns of the altar_⌋, and the four corners of the ledge, and on the rim all around; thus you must purify it and make atonement for it. ²¹ And you must take the bull, the sin offering, and you must burn it in the designated place of the temple outside of the holy place. ²² And on the second day you must offer a he-goat without defect as a sin offering, and they must purify the altar _⌊like_⌋ they purified with the bull. ²³ _⌊When you are finished_⌋ from purifying, you must offer a bull, _⌊a calf_⌋, without defect, and a ram from the flock without defect. ²⁴ And you must bring them near _⌊before_⌋ Yahweh, and the priests must throw salt on them, and they must offer them as a burnt offering to Yahweh. ²⁵ For seven days you must provide a goat of sin offering for the day and a bull, _⌊a calf_⌋, and a ram from the flock without defect; you must provide them. ²⁶ Seven days they must purify the altar and they must cleanse it and so _⌊they will consecrate it_⌋. ²⁷ And they will finish the days, _⌊and then_⌋ on the eighth day and beyond that the priests will offer on the altar your burnt offerings and your fellowship offerings, and then I will be pleased with you,” _⌊declares_⌋ the Lord Yahweh.

GOSPELS

Mark 6:1–29 (LEB)

Rejected at Nazareth

6 And he went out from there and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. ² And when* the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him* were amazed, saying, “Where did this man get these things? And what is this wisdom that has been granted to this man, and the miracles such as these performed through his hands? ³ Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they were offended by him. ⁴ And Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown, and among his relatives, and in his own household.” ⁵ And he was not able to do any miracle in that place except to lay his hands on a few sick people and* heal them.* ⁶ And he was astonished because of their unbelief.

The Twelve Commissioned and Sent Out

And he was going around among the villages teaching. ⁷ And he summoned the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. ⁸ And he commanded them that they take along nothing for the journey except only a staff—no bread, no traveler’s bag, no money in their belts—⁹ but to put on sandals and not to wear two tunics. ¹⁰ And he said to them, “Whenever you enter into a house, stay there until you depart from there. ¹¹ And whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you, as you* go out from there, shake off the dust that is on your feet for a testimony against them.” ¹² And they went out and* proclaimed that people* should repent. ¹³ And they were expelling many demons and anointing many sick people with olive oil and healing them.*

Herod Kills John the Baptist

¹⁴ And King Herod heard it,* because his name had become known. And they were saying, “John, the one who baptizes, has been raised from the dead, and because of this these miraculous powers are at work in him.” ¹⁵ But others were saying, “He is Elijah,” and others were saying, “He is a prophet like one of the prophets.” ¹⁶ But when* Herod heard it,* he said, “John whom I beheaded—this one has been raised!” ¹⁷ For Herod himself had sent and* arrested John and bound him in prison because of Herodias, the wife of Philip his brother, because he had married her. ¹⁸ For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not permitted for you to have your brother’s wife.” ¹⁹ So Herodias held a grudge against him and was wanting to kill him, and was not able to do so. ²⁰ For Herod was afraid of John, because he* knew him to be a righteous and holy man and protected him. And when he* listened to him, he was greatly perplexed, and yet he listened to him gladly. ²¹ And a suitable day came when Herod, on his birthday, gave a banquet for his courtiers and military tribunes and the most prominent men of Galilee. ²² And when the daughter of Herodias herself came in and danced and pleased Herod and _⌊his dinner guests_⌋, the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you want, and I will give it* to you.” ²³ And he swore to her, “Anything whatever you ask me for I will give you, up to half my kingdom!” ²⁴ And she went out and* said to her mother, “What should I ask for?” And she said, “The head of John the baptizer.” ²⁵ And she came in immediately with haste to the king and* asked, saying, “I want you to give me the head of John the Baptist on a platter immediately.” ²⁶ And although he* was deeply grieved, the king, because of his oaths and _⌊dinner guests_⌋, did not want to refuse her. ²⁷ And immediately the king sent an executioner and* ordered him* to bring his head. And he went and* beheaded him in the prison. ²⁸ And he brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother. ²⁹ And when* his disciples heard this,* they came and took away his corpse and placed it in a tomb.