and you shall be to Me a kingdomof priestsand a holynation.'Theseare the wordsthat you shall speakto the sonsof Israel."
"Your servantis in the midstof Your peoplewhichYou have chosen,a greatpeoplewhoare toomanyto be numberedor counted.
"For You have separatedthem from allthe peoplesof the earthas Your inheritance,as You spokethroughMosesYour servant,when You broughtour fathersforthfrom Egypt,O LordGOD."
"For Your peopleIsraelYou madeYour own peopleforever,and You, O LORD,becametheir God.
JudahbecameHis sanctuary,Israel,His dominion.
And He said,"Ifyou will giveearnestheedto the voiceof the LORDyour God,and dowhat is rightin His sight,and giveearto His commandments,and keepallHis statutes,I will putnoneof the diseaseson you whichI have puton the Egyptians;for I, the LORD,am your healer."
"You shall be holymento Me, therefore you shall not eat[any] fleshtornto pieces in the field;you shall throwit to the dogs.
"You shall also makea plateof puregoldand shall engraveon it, like the engravingsof a seal,Holyto the LORD.'
"Sinceyou are preciousin My sight,[Since] you are honoredand I loveyou, I will give[other] menin your placeand [other] peoplesin exchangefor your life.
But you will be calledthe priestsof the LORD;You will be spokenof [as] ministersof our God.You will eatthe wealthof nations,And in their richesyou will boast.
And they will callthem, "The holypeople,The redeemedof the LORD";And you will be called,"Soughtout, a citynot forsaken."
"I will alsotakesomeof them for priests[and] for Levites,"saysthe LORD.
For as the waistbandclingsto the waistof a man,soI made the wholehouseholdof Israeland the wholehouseholdof Judahclingto Me,' declaresthe LORD,'that they might be for Me a people,for renown,for praiseand for glory;but they did not listen.'
"Israelwas holyto the LORD,The firstof His harvest.Allwho ateof it becameguilty;Evilcameupon them," declaresthe LORD.'"
"But thisis whatI commandedthem, saying,ObeyMy voice,and I will be your God,and you will be My people;and you will walkin allthe waywhichI commandyou, that it may be wellwith you.'
"Speakto allthe congregationof the sonsof Israeland sayto them, 'You shall be holy,for I the LORDyour Godam holy.
Hence I have saidto you, "You are to possesstheir land,and I Myselfwill giveit to you to possessit, a landflowingwith milkand honey."I am the LORDyour God,whohas separatedyou from the peoples.
Thus you are to be holyto Me, for I the LORDam holy;and I have setyou apartfrom the peoplesto be Mine.
onlyhe shall not goin to the veilor comenearthe altarbecausehe has a defect,so that he will not profaneMy sanctuaries.For I am the LORDwho sanctifiesthem.'"
"You onlyhave I chosenamongallthe familiesof the earth;ThereforeI will punishyou for allyour iniquities."
As for the promisewhichI madeyou when you cameout of Egypt,My Spiritis abidingin your midst;do not fear!'
They assembledtogether againstMosesand Aaron,and saidto them, "You have gone farenough,for allthe congregationare holy,everyoneof them, and the LORDis in their midst;so whydo you exaltyourselves abovethe assemblyof the LORD?"
ThereforeI urgeyou, brethren,by the merciesof God,to presentyour bodiesa livingand holysacrifice,acceptableto God,[which is] your spiritualservice of worship.
Ifany mandestroysthe templeof God,Godwill destroyhim, for the templeof Godis holy,and that is whatyou are.
"You shall not eatanythingwhichdies[of itself]. You may giveit to the alienwhois in your town,so that he may eatit, oryou may sellit to a foreigner,for you are a holypeopleto the LORDyour God.You shall not boila younggoatin its mother'smilk.
and that He will setyou highaboveallnationswhichHe has made,for praise,fame,and honor;and that you shall be a consecratedpeopleto the LORDyour God,as He has spoken."
"The LORDwill establishyou as a holypeopleto Himself, as He sworeto you, ifyou keepthe commandmentsof the LORDyour Godand walkin His ways.
"For you are a holypeopleto the LORDyour God;the LORDyour Godhas chosenyou to be a peoplefor His own possessionout of allthe peopleswhoare on the faceof the earth.
I adjureyou by the Lordto have thisletterreadto allthe brethren.
you also,as livingstones,are being builtup as a spiritualhousefor a holypriesthood,to offerup spiritualsacrificesacceptableto GodthroughJesusChrist.
But you are A CHOSENRACE,A royalPRIESTHOOD,A HOLYNATION,A PEOPLEFOR [God's] OWN POSSESSION,sothat you may proclaimthe excellenciesof Him who has calledyou out of darknessinto His marvelouslight;
and He has madeus [to be] a kingdom,prieststo His Godand Father--to Him [be] the gloryand the dominionforever and ever.Amen.
Blessedand holyis the one who hasa partin the firstresurrection;overthesethe seconddeathhasnopower,but they will be priestsof Godand of Christand will reignwith Him for a thousandyears.
"You have madethem [to be] a kingdomand prieststo our God;and they will reignupon the earth."
