45 and was beloved by God and people,
Moses, whose memory is blessed.(A)
2 He made him equal in glory to the holy ones
and made him great, to the terror of his enemies.
3 By his words he performed swift miracles;[a]
the Lord[b] glorified him in the presence of kings.
He gave him commandments for his people
and revealed to him his glory.(B)
4 For his faithfulness and meekness he consecrated him,
choosing him out of all humankind.(C)
5 He allowed him to hear his voice
and led him into the dark cloud
and gave him the commandments face to face,
the law of life and knowledge,
so that he might teach Jacob the covenant
and Israel his decrees.(D)
Aaron
6 He exalted Aaron, a holy man like Moses,[c]
who was his brother, of the tribe of Levi.(E)
7 He made an everlasting covenant with him
and gave him the priesthood of the people.
He blessed him with stateliness
and put a glorious robe on him.(F)
8 He clothed him in perfect splendor[d]
and strengthened him with the apparel of authority,
the linen undergarments, the long robe, and the ephod.(G)
9 And he encircled him with pomegranates,
with many golden bells all around,
to send forth a sound as he walked,
to make their ringing heard in the temple
as a reminder to his people;(H)
10 with the sacred vestment, of gold and violet
and purple, the work of an embroiderer;
with the oracle of judgment, the manifestations of truth;(I)
11 with twisted crimson, the work of an artisan;
with precious stones engraved like seals,
in a setting of gold, the work of a jeweler,
to commemorate in engraved letters
each of the tribes of Israel;(J)
12 with a gold crown upon his turban,
inscribed like a holy seal,
majestic and glorious, a work of power,
a delight to the eyes, richly adorned.(K)
13 Before him such beautiful things did not exist.
No outsider ever put them on,
but only his sons
and his descendants in perpetuity.(L)
14 His sacrifices shall be wholly burned
twice every day continually.(M)
15 Moses ordained him
and anointed him with holy oil;
it was an everlasting covenant for him
and for his descendants as long as the heavens endure,
to minister to the Lord[e] and serve as priest
and bless his people in his name.(N)
16 He chose him out of all the living
to offer sacrifice to the Lord,
incense and a pleasing odor as a memorial,
to make atonement for the[f] people.(O)
17 In his commandments he gave him
authority, by means of a decree, and[g] judgments,
to teach Jacob the testimonies
and to enlighten Israel with his law.(P)
18 Outsiders conspired against him
and envied him in the wilderness,
Dathan and Abiram and their followers
and the company of Korah, in wrath and anger.(Q)
19 The Lord saw it and was not pleased,
and in the heat of his anger they were destroyed;
he performed wonders against them
to consume them in flaming fire.(R)
20 He added glory to Aaron
and gave him a heritage;
he allotted to him the best of the first fruits
and prepared bread of first fruits in abundance,(S)
21 for they eat the sacrifices of the Lord,
which he gave to him and his descendants.(T)
22 But in the land of the people he has no inheritance,
and he has no portion among the people,
for the Lord[h] himself is his[i] portion and inheritance.(U)
Phinehas
23 Phinehas son of Eleazar ranks third in glory
for being zealous in the fear of the Lord
and standing firm, when the people turned away,
in the noble courage of his soul,
and he made atonement for Israel.(V)
24 Therefore a covenant of peace was established with him,
that he should be leader of the sanctuary and of his people,
that he and his descendants should have
the dignity of the priesthood forever.
25 Just as a covenant was established with David
son of Jesse of the tribe of Judah,
that the king’s heritage passes only from son to son,
so the heritage of Aaron is for his descendants alone.(W)
26 And now bless the Lord
who has crowned you with glory.[j]
May the Lord[k] grant you wisdom of mind
to judge his people with justice,
so that their prosperity may not vanish
and that their glory may endure through all their generations.
Footnotes
- 45.3Heb: Gk caused signs to cease
- 45.3Gk he
- 45.6Gk him
- 45.8Heb: Gk boasting
- 45.15Gk him
- 45.16Other ancient authorities read his or your
- 45.17Heb: Gk authority in covenants of
- 45.22Gk he
- 45.22Other ancient authorities read your
- 45.26Heb: Gk lacks And . . . glory
- 45.26Gk he
Cross references
- 45.1 : Ex 11.3; Sir 46.11; 1 Macc 3.7
- 45.3 : Ex 8.13, 31; 10.19; 19.3; 33.22, 23; 34.6; Deut 6.1–9
- 45.4 : Num 12.3
- 45.5 : Ex 24.18; 33.11
- 45.6 : Ex 4.14–16
- 45.7 : Ex 28.1–3; Wis 18.24
- 45.8 : Ex 28.4, 42
- 45.9 : Ex 28.33, 35
- 45.10 : Ex 28.30; Sir 33.3
- 45.11 : Ex 28.17–21; Wis 18.24
- 45.12 : Ex 28.36–38; Zech 14.20; Wis 18.24
- 45.13 : Ex 28.4
- 45.14 : Num 28.3, 4
- 45.15 : Lev 8.1–30; Num 6.23–27
- 45.16 : Num 17.5; 1 Sam 2.28
- 45.17 : Lev 10.11; Deut 17.9–11; 19.17; 21.5; 33.10
- 45.18 : Num 16.1
- 45.19 : Num 16.23–25
- 45.20 : Num 17.8; 18.12, 13
- 45.21 : 1 Cor 9.13
- 45.22 : Num 18.20
- 45.23 : Num 25.11–13; 1 Macc 2.54
- 45.25 : 2 Sam 7.12–16