a thread opens
Take a census of all the congregation of the children of Israel, from twenty years old and upward, throughout their fathers’ house, all that are able to go to war in Israel.
The Vigil
Today’s scroll, one verse at a time — each linked to the last by the cross-references rather than by any model of you. The same vigil for everyone, and a different one tomorrow.
Take a census of all the congregation of the children of Israel, after their families, by the house of their fathers, with the number of their names, every male by their heads;
from Numbers 26:2
When you take a census of the children of Israel after their number, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul to the LORD, when you number them; that there be no plague among them, when you number them.
from Numbers 1:2
Even as the Son of man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.
from Exodus 30:12
Though he were a Son, yet he learned obedience by the things which he suffered;
from Matthew 20:28 · a strong link
a thread opens
Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
Then Peter said to them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
from Acts 20:21 · a strong link
And as they went on their way, they came to a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what does hinder me to be baptized?
from Acts 2:38 · a strong link
Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Spirit as well as we?
from Acts 8:36
And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them, as on us at the beginning.
from Acts 10:47
And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them; and they spoke with tongues, and prophesied.
from Acts 11:15
a thread opens
Be it known to you therefore, men and brothers, that through this man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins:
And all things are of God, who has reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
from Acts 13:38
Namely, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, not imputing their trespasses to them; and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
from II Corinthians 5:18
Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption in Christ Jesus:
from II Corinthians 5:19
Therefore it is of faith, so that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,
from Romans 3:24 · a strong link
But the Scripture has concluded all under sin, so that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
from Romans 4:16
What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin;
from Galatians 3:22
a thread opens
Because he has appointed a day, in which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he has ordained; of which he has given assurance to all men, in that he has raised him from the dead.
When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
from Acts 17:31
And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Look, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his saints,
from Matthew 25:31
I saw till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.
from Jude 1:14
a thread opens
For truly against your holy child Jesus, whom you have anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together,
And when they had bound him, they led him away, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor.
from Acts 4:27 · a strong link
The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his Son Jesus; whom you delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go.
from Matthew 27:2 · a strong link
But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate said to them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar.
from Acts 3:13
For the multitude of the people followed after, crying, Away with him.
from John 19:15
a thread opens
You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, you do always resist the Holy Spirit: as your fathers did, so do you.
But he that did his neighbor wrong thrust him away, saying, Who made you a ruler and a judge over us?
from Acts 7:51
And he said to him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you?
from Acts 7:27
Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are that judge: for in which you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you that judge do the same things.
from Luke 12:14
But to the wicked God says, What have you to do to declare my statutes, or that you should take my covenant in your mouth?
from Romans 2:1
Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied to him with their tongues.
from Psalms 50:16
a thread opens
And he said to me, Depart: for I will send you far hence to the Gentiles.
But the Lord said to him, Go your way: for he is a chosen vessel to me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:
from Acts 22:21 · a strong link
By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name:
from Acts 9:15
And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.
from Romans 1:5 · a strong link
Which has come to you, as it is in all the world; and brings forth fruit, as it does also in you, since the day you heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth:
from Acts 6:7 · a strong link
If you continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which you have heard, and which was preached to every creature under heaven; of which I Paul am made a minister;
from Colossians 1:6
And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.
from Colossians 1:23 · a strong link
That is the whole thread.
Every verse the cross-references reach from Numbers 26:2 along this chain. Today’s own vigil is laid separately.
Each verse follows the one before it along the chain a study Bible draws — a century old, public, and compiled by people arguing about Scripture rather than about how long you stay. Every card says which verse it came from and opens the chapter it belongs to. Today’s vigil is the same for every reader and is worked out from the date alone, so there is no account, no counter, and nothing stored in your browser or ours.
The text is the Lantern Modern Standard. The links are openbible.info’s cross-reference set (CC BY), the same apparatus behind the reader’s Echoes drawer. Read a whole book · Today’s table