The Bread That Gives Life

John 6 ²²The people who had stayed on the east side of the lake knew that only one boat had been there. They also knew that Jesus had not left in it with his disciples. But the next day ²³some boats from Tiberias sailed near the place where the crowd had eaten the bread for which the Lord had given thanks. ²⁴They saw that Jesus and his disciples had left. Then they got into the boats and went to Capernaum to look for Jesus. ²⁵They found him on the west side of the lake and asked, "Rabbi, when did you get here?"
²⁶Jesus answered, "I tell you for certain that you are not looking for me because you saw the miracles, but because you ate all the food you wanted. ²⁷Don't work for food that spoils. Work for food that gives eternal life. The Son of Man will give you this food, because God the Father has given him the right to do so."
²⁸"What exactly does God want us to do?" the people asked.
²⁹Jesus answered, "God wants you to have faith in the one he sent."
³⁰They replied, "What miracle will you work, so that we can have faith in you? What will you do? ³¹For example, when our ancestors were in the desert, they were given manna to eat. It happened just as the Scriptures say, 'God gave them bread from heaven to eat.' "
³²Jesus then told them, "I tell you for certain that Moses wasn't the one who gave you bread from heaven. My Father is the one who gives you the true bread from heaven. ³³And the bread that God gives is the one who came down from heaven to give life to the world."
³⁴The people said, "Lord, give us this bread and don't ever stop!"
³⁵Jesus replied:

I am the bread that gives life! No one who comes to me will ever be hungry. No one who has faith in me will ever be thirsty. ³⁶I have told you already that you have seen me and still do not have faith in me. ³⁷Everything and everyone that the Father has given me will come to me, and I won't turn any of them away.

³⁸I didn't come from heaven to do what I want! I came to do what the Father wants me to do. He sent me, ³⁹and he wants to make certain that none of the ones he has given me will be lost. Instead, he wants me to raise them to life on the last day. ⁴⁰My Father wants everyone who sees the Son to have faith in him and to have eternal life. Then I will raise them to life on the last day.

⁴¹The people started grumbling because Jesus had said he was the bread that had come down from heaven. ⁴²They were asking each other, "Isn't he Jesus, the son of Joseph? Don't we know his father and mother? How can he say that he has come down from heaven?"
⁴³Jesus told them:

Stop grumbling! ⁴⁴No one can come to me, unless the Father who sent me makes them want to come. But if they do come, I will raise them to life on the last day. ⁴⁵One of the prophets wrote, "God will teach all of them." And so everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him will come to me.

⁴⁶The only one who has seen the Father is the one who has come from him. No one else has ever seen the Father. ⁴⁷I tell you for certain that everyone who has faith in me has eternal life.

⁴⁸I am the bread that gives life! ⁴⁹Your ancestors ate manna in the desert, and later they died. ⁵⁰But the bread from heaven has come down, so that no one who eats it will ever die. ⁵¹I am that bread from heaven! Everyone who eats it will live forever. My flesh is the life-giving bread that I give to the people of this world.

⁵²They started arguing with each other and asked, "How can he give us his flesh to eat?"
⁵³Jesus answered:

I tell you for certain that you won't live unless you eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of Man. ⁵⁴But if you do eat my flesh and drink my blood, you will have eternal life, and I will raise you to life on the last day. ⁵⁵My flesh is the true food, and my blood is the true drink. ⁵⁶If you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you are one with me, and I am one with you.

⁵⁷The living Father sent me, and I have life because of him. Now everyone who eats my flesh will live because of me. ⁵⁸The bread that comes down from heaven isn't like what your ancestors ate. They died, but whoever eats this bread will live forever.

⁵⁹Jesus was teaching in a Jewish place of worship in Capernaum when he said these things.

David Assigns the Priests Their Duties

1 Chronicles 24 Aaron's descendants were then divided into work groups. Aaron had four sons: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. ²But Nadab and Abihu died long before their father, without having any sons. That's why Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests.
³David divided Aaron's descendants into groups, according to their assigned work. Zadok, one of Eleazar's descendants, and Ahimelech, one of Ithamar's descendants, helped David.
⁴Eleazar's descendants were divided into sixteen groups, and Ithamar's were divided into eight groups, because Eleazar's family included more family leaders. ⁵However, both families included temple officials and priests, and so to make sure the work was divided fairly, David asked God what to do.
⁶As each group was assigned their duties, Shemaiah the son of Nethanel the Levite wrote down the name of the family leader in charge of that group. The witnesses were David and his officials, as well as Zadok the priest, Ahimelech the son of Abiathar, and the family leaders from the clans of the priests and the Levites.
^7-18Each group of priests went by the name of its family leader, and they were assigned their duties in the following order: Jehoiarib, Jedaiah, Harim, Seorim, Malchijah, Mijamin, Hakkoz, Abijah, Jeshua, Shecaniah, Eliashib, Jakim, Huppah, Jeshebeab, Bilgah, Immer, Hezir, Happizzez, Pethahiah, Jehezkel, Jachin, Gamul, Delaiah, Maaziah. ¹⁹These men were assigned their duties at the temple, just as the LORD God of Israel had commanded their ancestor Aaron.

The Rest of the Levites Are Assigned Their Duties

²⁰Here is a list of the other descendants of Levi:
Amram was the ancestor of Shubael and Jehdeiah.
²¹Rehabiah was the ancestor of Isshiah, the oldest son in his family.
²²Izhar was the father of Shelomoth and the grandfather of Jahath.
²³Hebron had four sons, in the following order: Jeriah, Amariah, Jahaziel, and Jekameam.
²⁴Uzziel was the father of Micah and the grandfather of Shamir.
²⁵Isshiah, Micah's brother, was the father of Zechariah.
²⁶Merari was the father of Mahli, Mushi, and Jaaziah.
²⁷Jaaziah had three sons: Shoham, Zaccur, and Ibri. ^28-29Mahli was the father of Eleazar and Kish. Eleazar had no sons, but Kish was the father of Jerahmeel. ³⁰Mushi had three sons: Mahli, Eder, and Jerimoth.
These were the descendants of Levi, according to their clans. ³¹Each one was assigned his duties in the same way that their relatives the priests had been assigned their duties. David, Zadok, Ahimelech, and the family leaders of the priests and Levites were the witnesses.

A Bright Future for Judah and Israel

Zechariah 10 I, the LORD, am the one who sends storm clouds
and showers of rain to make fields produce.
So when the crops need rain, you should pray to me.

²You can't believe idols and fortunetellers,
or depend on the hope you receive from witchcraft
and interpreters of dreams.
But you have tried all of these,
and now you are like sheep without a shepherd.

³I, the LORD All-Powerful,
am fiercely angry with you leaders,
and I will punish you.
I care for my people, the nation of Judah,
and I will change this flock of sheep
into charging war horses.

⁴From this flock will come leaders who will be strong
like cornerstones and tent pegs and weapons of war.
⁵They will join in the fighting,
and together they will trample their enemies like mud.
They will fight, because I, the LORD,
will be on their side.
And they will crush the enemy cavalry.

⁶I will strengthen the kingdoms of Judah and Israel.
And I will show mercy
because I am the LORD, their God.
I will answer their prayers and bring them home.
Then it will seem as though I had never rejected them.
⁷Israel will be like a tribe of warriors
celebrating with wine.
When their children see this, they will also be happy
because of me, the LORD.

⁸I will give a signal for them to come together
because I have rescued them.
And there will be as many as ever before.
⁹Although I scattered my people in distant countries,
they won't forget me.
Once their children are raised, they will return--
¹⁰I will bring them home from Egypt and Assyria,
then let them settle as far as Gilead and Lebanon,
until the land overflows with them.
¹¹My people will go through an ocean of troubles,
but I will overcome the waves
and dry up the deepest part of the Nile.
Assyria's great pride will be put down,
and the power of Egypt will disappear.
¹²I'll strengthen my people because of who I am,
and they will follow me.
I, the LORD, have spoken!