The Father's Lamp Burns Continually
24 1 Our Father spoke to Moses:
2 "Command the Israelites to bring you pure oil of beaten olives for the light, to keep a lamp burning continually. 3 Outside the curtain of the testimony, in the tent of meeting, Aaron must tend it from evening to morning before me continually. This is a lasting law for all your generations. 1 1 v3 The 'testimony' refers to the stone tablets of the covenant housed in the Ark of the Covenant. 4 On the pure lampstand he must tend the lamps before me continually.
Bread Set Before the Father
5 Take fine flour and bake twelve loaves, each made with about four and a half pounds of flour. 6 Arrange them in two rows, six to a row, on the pure table before me. 7 Put pure frankincense on each row as a memorial portion for the bread, a food offering to me. 8 Every Sabbath day he must arrange it before me continually, on behalf of the Israelites as a lasting covenant. 9 It belongs to Aaron and his sons, and they must eat it in a holy place, for it is a most holy portion for him from my food offerings, their permanent share.
The Father's Name Defended
10 Now the son of an Israelite woman, whose father was an Egyptian, went out among the Israelites, and he fought with a man of Israel in the camp. 11 The son of the Israelite woman blasphemed the Name with a curse, and they brought him to Moses. His mother's name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan. 12 They put him in custody until our Father made his will clear to them. 13 Then our Father spoke to Moses:
14 "Bring the one who cursed outside the camp, and let all who heard him lay their hands on his head; then let the whole congregation stone him. 2 2 v14 Witnesses laid hands on the blasphemer's head to transfer back the guilt of having heard the curse. 15 Tell the Israelites: Whoever curses our Father will bear their sin. 16 Whoever blasphemes my name must be put to death; the whole congregation must stone them. The foreigner as well as the native-born, when they blaspheme the Name, must be put to death.
Life for Life, Eye for Eye
17 Whoever kills any person must be put to death. 18 Whoever kills an animal must make restitution for it, life for life. 19 If anyone injures their neighbor, the same must be done to them: 20 fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; whatever injury they have inflicted on a person must be inflicted on them. 21 Whoever kills an animal must make restitution for it, but whoever kills a person must be put to death. 22 The same law applies to the foreigner and to the native-born alike, for I am your Father.
23 So Moses spoke to the Israelites, and they brought the one who had cursed outside the camp and stoned him. The Israelites did just as our Father had commanded Moses.