“Set apart ¹  to me every firstborn male – the first offspring of every womb ²  among the Israelites, whether human or animal; it is mine.” ³ 

A person of illegitimate birth ¹  may not enter the assembly of the Lord; to the tenth generation no one related to him may do so. ² 

He had two wives; the name of the first was Hannah and the name of the second was Peninnah. Now Peninnah had children, but Hannah was childless.

Later David defeated the Philistines and subdued them. David took Metheg Ammah ¹  from the Philistines. ² 

But Absalom fled and went to King Talmai son of Ammihud of Geshur. And David ¹  grieved over his son every day.

Elisha ¹  called to Gehazi and said, “Get the Shunammite woman.” So he did so ²  and she came to him. He said to her, “Take your son.”

Jehu approached Jezreel. When Jezebel heard the news, she put on some eye liner, ¹  fixed up her hair, and leaned out the window.

The sons to whom Keturah, Abraham’s concubine, ¹  gave birth: Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, Shuah. The sons of Jokshan: Sheba and Dedan.

Rehoboam married ¹  Mahalath the daughter of David’s son Jerimoth and of ²  Abihail, the daughter of Jesse’s son Eliab.

He took him away from following the mother sheep, ¹  and made him the shepherd of Jacob, his people, and of Israel, his chosen nation. ² 

The Beloved’s Brothers: We have a little sister, and as yet she has no breasts. What shall we do for our sister on the day when she is spoken for? ¹ 

Who is the Lord ¹  trying to teach? To whom is he explaining a message? ²  Those just weaned from milk! Those just taken from their mother’s breast! ³ 

For ¹  you will nurse from her satisfying breasts and be nourished; ²  you will feed with joy from her milk-filled breasts. ³ 

She reared one of her cubs; he became a young lion. He learned to tear prey; he devoured people. ¹ 

“‘When she realized that she waited in vain, her hope was lost. She took another of her cubs ¹  and made him a young lion.

“And look, ¹  your relative ²  Elizabeth has also become pregnant with ³  a son in her old age – although she was called barren, she is now in her sixth month! ⁴ 

Now ¹  when the time came for their ²  purification according to the law of Moses, Joseph and Mary ³  brought Jesus ⁴  up to Jerusalem ⁵  to present him to the Lord

(just as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male ¹  will be set apart to the Lord” ² ),

His disciples asked him, ¹  “Rabbi, who committed the sin that caused him to be born blind, this man ²  or his parents?” ³ 

Jesus answered, “Neither this man ¹  nor his parents sinned, but he was born blind so that ²  the acts ³  of God may be revealed ⁴  through what happens to him. ⁵