9th March

¹ And the LORD spake unto Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they offered before the LORD, and died;² And the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the vail before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark; that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat.³ Thus shall Aaron come into the holy place: with a young bullock for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering.⁴ He shall put on the holy linen coat, and he shall have the linen breeches upon his flesh, and shall be girded with a linen girdle, and with the linen mitre shall he be attired: these are holy garments; therefore shall he wash his flesh in water, and so put them on.⁵ And he shall take of the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of the goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering.⁶ And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make an atonement for himself, and for his house.⁷ And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.⁸ And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat.⁹ And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD's lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering.¹⁰ But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness.¹¹ And Aaron shall bring the bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and shall make an atonement for himself, and for his house, and shall kill the bullock of the sin offering which is for himself:¹² And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the LORD, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the vail:¹³ And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not:¹⁴ And he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward; and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times.¹⁵ Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat:¹⁶ And he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins: and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness.¹⁷ And there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goeth in to make an atonement in the holy place, until he come out, and have made an atonement for himself, and for his household, and for all the congregation of Israel.¹⁸ And he shall go out unto the altar that is before the LORD, and make an atonement for it; and shall take of the blood of the bullock, and of the blood of the goat, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about.¹⁹ And he shall sprinkle of the blood upon it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it, and hallow it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel.²⁰ And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat:²¹ And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness:²² And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.²³ And Aaron shall come into the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall put off the linen garments, which he put on when he went into the holy place, and shall leave them there:²⁴ And he shall wash his flesh with water in the holy place, and put on his garments, and come forth, and offer his burnt offering, and the burnt offering of the people, and make an atonement for himself, and for the people.²⁵ And the fat of the sin offering shall he burn upon the altar.²⁶ And he that let go the goat for the scapegoat shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward come into the camp.²⁷ And the bullock for the sin offering, and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the holy place, shall one carry forth without the camp; and they shall burn in the fire their skins, and their flesh, and their dung.²⁸ And he that burneth them shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp.²⁹ And this shall be a statute for ever unto you: that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourneth among you:³⁰ For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the LORD.³¹ It shall be a sabbath of rest unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls, by a statute for ever.³² And the priest, whom he shall anoint, and whom he shall consecrate to minister in the priest's office in his father's stead, shall make the atonement, and shall put on the linen clothes, even the holy garments:³³ And he shall make an atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make an atonement for the tabernacle of the congregation, and for the altar, and he shall make an atonement for the priests, and for all the people of the congregation.³⁴ And this shall be an everlasting statute unto you, to make an atonement for the children of Israel for all their sins once a year. And he did as the LORD commanded Moses.

¹ Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD.² Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.³ They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways.⁴ Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently.⁵ O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes!⁶ Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments.⁷ I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments.⁸ I will keep thy statutes: O forsake me not utterly.⁹ Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.¹⁰ With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.¹¹ Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.¹² Blessed art thou, O LORD: teach me thy statutes.¹³ With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth.¹⁴ I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches.¹⁵ I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways.¹⁶ I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.¹⁷ Deal bountifully with thy servant, that I may live, and keep thy word.¹⁸ Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.¹⁹ I am a stranger in the earth: hide not thy commandments from me.²⁰ My soul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto thy judgments at all times.²¹ Thou hast rebuked the proud that are cursed, which do err from thy commandments.²² Remove from me reproach and contempt; for I have kept thy testimonies.²³ Princes also did sit and speak against me: but thy servant did meditate in thy statutes.²⁴ Thy testimonies also are my delight and my counsellors.leth.²⁵ My soul cleaveth unto the dust: quicken thou me according to thy word.²⁶ I have declared my ways, and thou heardest me: teach me thy statutes.²⁷ Make me to understand the way of thy precepts: so shall I talk of thy wondrous works.²⁸ My soul melteth for heaviness: strengthen thou me according unto thy word.²⁹ Remove from me the way of lying: and grant me thy law graciously.³⁰ I have chosen the way of truth: thy judgments have I laid before me.³¹ I have stuck unto thy testimonies: O LORD, put me not to shame.³² I will run the way of thy commandments, when thou shalt enlarge my heart.³³ Teach me, O LORD, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end.³⁴ Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart.³⁵ Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; for therein do I delight.³⁶ Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness.³⁷ Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken thou me in thy way.³⁸ Stablish thy word unto thy servant, who is devoted to thy fear.³⁹ Turn away my reproach which I fear: for thy judgments are good.⁴⁰ Behold, I have longed after thy precepts: quicken me in thy righteousness.

¹ It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord.² I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven.³ And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;)⁴ How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.⁵ Of such an one will I glory: yet of myself I will not glory, but in mine infirmities.⁶ For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool; for I will say the truth: but now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me.⁷ And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.⁸ For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.⁹ And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.¹⁰ Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.¹¹ I am become a fool in glorying; ye have compelled me: for I ought to have been commended of you: for in nothing am I behind the very chiefest apostles, though I be nothing.¹² Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds.¹³ For what is it wherein ye were inferior to other churches, except it be that I myself was not burdensome to you? forgive me this wrong.¹⁴ Behold, the third time I am ready to come to you; and I will not be burdensome to you: for I seek not your's but you: for the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children.¹⁵ And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved.¹⁶ But be it so, I did not burden you: nevertheless, being crafty, I caught you with guile.¹⁷ Did I make a gain of you by any of them whom I sent unto you?¹⁸ I desired Titus, and with him I sent a brother. Did Titus make a gain of you? walked we not in the same spirit? walked we not in the same steps?¹⁹ Again, think ye that we excuse ourselves unto you? we speak before God in Christ: but we do all things, dearly beloved, for your edifying.²⁰ For I fear, lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I would, and that I shall be found unto you such as ye would not: lest there be debates, envyings, wraths, strifes, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults:²¹ And lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and that I shall bewail many which have sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed.

¹ This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.² I told you before, and foretell you, as if I were present, the second time; and being absent now I write to them which heretofore have sinned, and to all other, that, if I come again, I will not spare:³ Since ye seek a proof of Christ speaking in me, which to you-ward is not weak, but is mighty in you.⁴ For though he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but we shall live with him by the power of God toward you.⁵ Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?⁶ But I trust that ye shall know that we are not reprobates.⁷ Now I pray to God that ye do no evil; not that we should appear approved, but that ye should do that which is honest, though we be as reprobates.⁸ For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth.⁹ For we are glad, when we are weak, and ye are strong: and this also we wish, even your perfection.¹⁰ Therefore I write these things being absent, lest being present I should use sharpness, according to the power which the Lord hath given me to edification, and not to destruction.¹¹ Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.¹² Greet one another with an holy kiss.¹³ All the saints salute you.¹⁴ The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.