Occasions

For you are a people that is holy to the Lord your God, because the Lord your God has chosen you to belong to him as a people that is his treasured possession, chosen from all the peoples that are on the face of the earth. ⁷The Lord became attached to you by love and has chosen you, not because you were more numerous than all the peoples. Actually you were the fewest of all the peoples. ⁸But because of the Lord’s love for you and because he was keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that is why the Lord brought you out by a strong hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

⁹He did this so that you would know that the Lord your God, yes, he is God, the faithful God who maintains both his covenant and his mercy for those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations.

To the messenger of the church in Philadelphia write:

The Holy One, the one who is true, the one who has the key of David, the one who opens and no one can shut, and who shuts and no one can open, says this:

⁸I know your works. Look, I have set before you an open door, which no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. ⁹Look, I will make those who are from the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not but are lying—look, I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and make them realize that I have loved you. ¹⁰Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will also keep you from the hour of testing, which is about to come over the whole inhabited world, to test those who dwell on the earth.

¹¹I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have so that no one takes your crown.

¹²The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he will never leave it again. I will also write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God—the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God—and my new name.

¹³Whoever has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

After Jesus had spoken these things, he looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son so that your Son may glorify you.

¹³“But now I am coming to you, and I am saying these things in the world, so that they may be filled with my joy. ¹⁴I have given them your word. The world hated them, because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. ¹⁵I am not asking that you take them out of the world, but that you protect them from the Evil One. ¹⁶They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

¹⁷“Sanctify them by the truth. Your word is truth. ¹⁸As you sent me into the world, I also sent them into the world. ¹⁹I sanctify myself for them, so they also may be sanctified by the truth.

²⁰“I am praying not only for them, but also for those who believe in me through their message. ²¹May they all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I am in you. May they also be one in us, so that the world may believe that you sent me. ²²I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one: ²³I in them, and you in me. May they become completely one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.

²⁴“Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am so that they may see my glory—the glory you gave me because you loved me before the world’s foundation. ²⁵Righteous Father, the world did not know you, but I knew you, and these men knew that you sent me. ²⁶I made your name known to them and will continue to make it known, so that the love you have for me may be in them and that I may be in them.”

Love the Lord your God and always carry out his requirements, his statutes, his ordinances, and his commandments.

²Know this today! I am not addressing your children, who have not known and seen all these things:

the discipline of the Lord your God;

his greatness, his strong hand, and his outstretched arm;

³his signs and his deeds that he performed in Egypt against Pharaoh king of Egypt and against all his land;

⁴what he did to the army of Egypt and its horses and chariots;

how he caused the water of the Red Sea to flow over their heads when they pursued you;

how the Lord has destroyed them to this day;

⁵what he did for you in the wilderness until you came to this place;

⁶what he did to Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab son of Reuben;

how the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them

with their households, their tents,

and every living thing that was at their feet,

in the middle of all Israel.

⁷Know today it is your own eyes that have seen every deed that the Lord your God performed.

¹⁶Be careful, or your heart will be deceived and you will turn away and serve other gods and bow down to them. ¹⁷Then the anger of the Lord will burn against you, and he will close up the heavens. There will be no rain, the ground will not produce crops, and you will perish quickly from the good land that the Lord is giving you.

¹⁸Put these words of mine in your hearts and in your soul, and tie them on your wrists as signs and as symbols on your forehead. ¹⁹Teach them to your children by talking about them when you sit in your house and when you travel on the road, when you lie down and when you get up. ²⁰Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates, ²¹so that your days and the days of your children may be many on the land that the Lord promised to your fathers with an oath, as many as the days that the heavens remain over the earth.

As for me, brothers, when I came to you, I did not come with superior speech or wisdom in order to proclaim to you the testimony of God. ²For I had no intention of knowing anything among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. ³I came to you in weakness, in fear, and with much trembling. ⁴My message and my preaching were not marked by persuasive words of human wisdom, but by a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, ⁵so that your faith would not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.

⁶Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature, but it is not a wisdom of this world or of the rulers of this world, who are being reduced to nothing. ⁷Instead we speak God’s wisdom that has been hidden in mystery—before the ages, God foreordained that this wisdom would result in our glory. ⁸None of the rulers of this world knew it. (If they had known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.) ⁹But as it is written:

What no eye has seen and no ear has heard

and no human mind has conceived—

that is what God has prepared for those who love him.

¹⁰But God revealed it to us through his Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.

“Everyone who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on bedrock. ²⁵The rain came down, the rivers rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house. But it did not fall, because it was founded on bedrock. ²⁶Everyone who hears these words of mine but does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. ²⁷The rain came down, the rivers rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—it was completely destroyed.”

Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God. The Lord is one! ⁵Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. ⁶These words that I am commanding you today are to be on your heart. ⁷Teach them diligently to your children, and speak about them when you sit in your house and when you walk on the road, when you lie down and when you get up. ⁸Tie them as a sign on your wrists, and they will serve as symbols on your forehead. ⁹Write them on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates.

As for you, continue in the things you have learned and about which you have become convinced. You know from whom you learned them ¹⁵and that from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. ¹⁶All Scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, and for training in righteousness, ¹⁷so that the man of God may be complete, well equipped for every good work.

At that time the disciples approached Jesus and asked, “Who then is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” ²Jesus called a little child, had him stand in the middle of them, ³and said, “Amen I tell you: Unless you are turned and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴Whoever humbles himself like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. ⁵And whoever receives a little child like this one in my name receives me.”

My son, if you accept my words,

if you store up my commands within you,

²by paying attention to wisdom with your ear,

by reaching out for understanding with your heart,

³if indeed you call out for intelligence,

if you raise your voice for understanding,

⁴if you search for it like silver,

if you hunt for it like hidden treasure,

⁵then you will understand the fear of the Lord,

then you will find the knowledge of God,

⁶because the Lord gives wisdom.

Knowledge and understanding come from his mouth.

Indeed, whatever was written in the past was written for our instruction, so that, through patient endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures, we would have hope. ⁵And may God, the source of patient endurance and encouragement, grant that you agree with one another in accordance with Christ Jesus, ⁶so that with one mind, in one voice, you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Some people began bringing little children to Jesus so that he would touch them. But the disciples rebuked them. ¹⁴When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said, “Let the little children come to me! Do not hinder them, because the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. ¹⁵Amen I tell you: Whoever will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” ¹⁶And he took the little children in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.

“Be strong and courageous, because you will divide this land among these people, this land which I swore to their fathers that I would give to this people. ⁷Just be strong and very courageous. Be careful to act according to the entire Law which my servant Moses commanded for you. Do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may succeed wherever you go. ⁸This Book of the Law must never depart from your mouth, and you are to meditate on it day and night, so that you will act faithfully according to everything written in it, because then you will prosper in everything you do, and you will succeed. ⁹Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified and do not be overwhelmed, because the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

But we are always obligated to thank God for you, brothers, loved by the Lord, because God chose you from the beginning for salvation by the sanctifying work of the Spirit and faith in the truth. ¹⁴For this reason he also called you through our gospel so that you would obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. ¹⁵So then, brothers, stand firm and hold on to the teachings that were passed along to you, either by word of mouth or by a letter from us. ¹⁶May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and in his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, ¹⁷encourage your hearts and establish you in every good work and word.

Large crowds were traveling with Jesus. He turned and said to them, ²⁶“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. ²⁷Whoever does not carry his own cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. ²⁸For which of you, if he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? ²⁹Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, everyone who sees it will begin to ridicule him, ³⁰saying, ‘This fellow began to build, but was not able to finish.’ ³¹Or what king, as he goes out to confront another king in war, will not first sit down and consider if he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand? ³²And if he is not able, he sends out a delegation and asks for terms of peace while his opponent is still far away. ³³So then, any one of you who does not say farewell to all his own possessions cannot be my disciple. ³⁴Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its flavor, how will it become salty again? ³⁵It is not fit for the soil or for the manure pile. It is thrown away. The one who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

Joshua said, “Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly and faithfully. Remove the gods that your fathers served in the region across the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. ¹⁵But if you see no benefit in serving the Lord, then choose for yourselves today whomever you will serve—whether the gods that your fathers served beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household—we will serve the Lord!”

¹⁶The people responded by saying, “Far be it from us to forsake the Lord in order to serve other gods! ¹⁷For the Lord our God, he is the one who brought us and our ancestors up from the land of Egypt, where we were slaves. He is the one who performed these great signs right before our eyes and protected us on the whole journey that we made and among all the peoples through whom we passed. ¹⁸The Lord drove out of our presence all the peoples and the Amorites who were living in the land. We too will serve the Lord, because he is our God!”

That is why I intend always to keep reminding you of these things, even though you already know them and are established in the truth you now have. ¹³I think it is right, as long as I am in this tent, to keep you wide awake by reminding you, ¹⁴because I know that the putting off of my tent is going to happen soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. ¹⁵I will also make every effort so that after my departure you always have a reminder of these things.

When they heard it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching! Who can listen to it?”

⁶¹But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, asked them, “Does this cause you to stumble in your faith? ⁶²What if you would see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? ⁶³The Spirit is the one who gives life. The flesh does not help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. ⁶⁴But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning those who would not believe and the one who would betray him. ⁶⁵He said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is given to him by my Father.”

⁶⁶After this, many of his disciples turned back and were not walking with him anymore. ⁶⁷So Jesus asked the Twelve, “You do not want to leave too, do you?”

⁶⁸Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom will we go? You have the words of eternal life. ⁶⁹We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

and do not rely on your own understanding.

⁶In all your ways acknowledge him,

and he will make your paths straight.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹Put on the full armor of God, so that you can stand against the schemes of the Devil. ¹²For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. ¹³For this reason, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to take a stand on the evil day and, after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴Stand, then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness fastened in place, ¹⁵and with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace tied to your feet like sandals. ¹⁶At all times hold up the shield of faith, with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the Evil One. ¹⁷Also take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

¹⁸At every opportunity, pray in the Spirit with every kind of prayer and petition. Stay alert for the same reason, always persevering in your intercession for all the saints.

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you remain in my word, you are really my disciples. ³²You will also know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

When Solomon finished offering all these prayers and pleas for mercy to the Lord, he got up from the altar of the Lord, where he had been kneeling with his hands spread out toward heaven. ⁵⁵Then he stood and blessed the whole congregation of Israel with a loud voice:

⁵⁶Blessed be the Lord, who has given rest to his people Israel, just as he said he would. Not one word has failed from all his good words which he spoke through Moses his servant. ⁵⁷May the Lord our God be with us, just as he was with our fathers. May he never leave us or abandon us. ⁵⁸May he turn our hearts to him, to walk in all his ways and to listen to his commands, regulations, and ordinances, which he commanded to our fathers. ⁵⁹May these words which I have prayed before the Lord be near the Lord our God day and night so that he provides justice for his servant and for his people Israel forever, ⁶⁰so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God. There is no other. ⁶¹May your hearts be fully committed to the Lord our God, in order to walk in his regulations and to keep his commands, just as is the case today.

⁶²Then the king and all Israel with him offered sacrifices before the Lord. ⁶³Solomon sacrificed fellowship offerings to the Lord: twenty-two thousand cattle and one hundred twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the people of Israel dedicated the House of the Lord.

Indeed, it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—⁹not by works, so that no one can boast.

¹⁰For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared in advance so that we would walk in them.

¹⁹So then, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household. ²⁰You have been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the Cornerstone. ²¹In him the whole building is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord. ²²In him you too are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

¹⁴They said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

¹⁵He said to them, “But you, who do you say that I am?”

¹⁶Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

¹⁷Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. ¹⁸And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not overpower it. ¹⁹I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord. They said:

I will sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted.

The horse and its rider he has thrown into the sea.

²The Lord is my strength and song.

He has become my salvation.

This is my God, and I will praise him;

my father’s God, and I will exalt him.

³The Lord is a warrior.

The Lord is his name.

⁴He has cast Pharaoh’s chariots and his army into the sea.

His elite officers are drowned in the Red Sea.

⁵The deep waters covered them.

They sank down to the depths like a stone.

⁶Lord, your right hand is glorious in power.

Lord, your right hand has shattered the enemy.

⁷In your great majesty you overthrew those who opposed you.

You sent out your burning anger.

It consumed them like stubble.

⁸At the blast from your nostrils the waters piled up.

The flowing waters stood up like a dam.

The deep waters became solid in the heart of the sea.

⁹The enemy said, “I will pursue.

I will overtake. I will divide the plunder.

I will do whatever I want with them.

I will draw my sword,

and my hand will destroy them.”

¹⁰But you blew with your breath,

and the sea covered them.

They sank like lead in the mighty waters.

¹¹Lord, who is like you among the gods?

Who is like you, glorious in holiness,

awesome in praise, working wonders?

¹²You stretched out your right hand,

and the earth swallowed them.

¹³In your mercy you will lead the people

that you have redeemed.

In your strength you will guide them

to your holy pastureland.

And I saw a Lamb standing in the center, near the throne, surrounded by the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders. The Lamb seemed to have been slain, and he had seven horns and seven eyes (these are the seven spirits of God that have been sent into all the world). ⁷The Lamb came and took the scroll out of the right hand of him who sat on the throne. ⁸And when the Lamb took the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders bowed down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and gold bowls full of incense (these are the prayers of the saints). ⁹And they sang a new song, saying:

You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals,

because you were slain,

and you bought us for God with your blood

out of every tribe and language and people and nation.

¹⁰You made them to be a kingdom and priests for our God,

and they will reign on the earth.

¹¹And I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels who were around the throne and around the living creatures and the elders. Their number was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands upon thousands. ¹²With a loud voice they were saying:

Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive

power and riches and

wisdom and strength and

honor and glory and blessing.

¹³I also heard every creature that is in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying:

To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb

be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever.

¹⁴The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders bowed down and worshipped.

As he was approaching the slope of the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began to praise God joyfully, with a loud voice, for all the miracles they had seen, ³⁸saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

³⁹Some of the Pharisees from the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”

⁴⁰He replied, “I tell you, if these people would be silent, the stones would cry out.”

Moses spoke as follows:

Now this is the body of commands, and these are the statutes and the ordinances that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you, so you may carry them out in the land to which you are crossing over to receive as a possession, ²so that you may fear the Lord your God by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I am commanding to you, as well as to your children and grandchildren, all the days of your life, and so that your days may be long.

³Listen, O Israel, and be conscientious about doing those things, so it may go well for you and so you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your fathers, promised you. ⁴Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God. The Lord is one! ⁵Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. ⁶These words that I am commanding you today are to be on your heart. ⁷Teach them diligently to your children, and speak about them when you sit in your house and when you walk on the road, when you lie down and when you get up. ⁸Tie them as a sign on your wrists, and they will serve as symbols on your forehead. ⁹Write them on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates.

But to each one of us grace was given, according to the measure of the gift from Christ. ⁸That is why it says, “When he ascended on high, he took captivity captive and gave gifts to his people.” ⁹Now what does it mean when it says “he ascended,” other than that he also had descended to the lower parts, namely, the earth? ¹⁰He who descended is the same one who ascended far above all the heavens, so that he might fill all things. ¹¹He himself gave the apostles, as well as the prophets, as well as the evangelists, as well as the pastors and teachers, ¹²for the purpose of training the saints for the work of serving, in order to build up the body of Christ. ¹³This is to continue until we all reach unity in the faith and knowledge of the Son of God, resulting in a mature man with a stature reaching to the measure of the fullness of Christ. ¹⁴The goal is that we would no longer be little children, tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching, when people use tricks and invent clever ways to lead us astray. ¹⁵Instead, speaking the truth in love, we would in all things grow up into Christ, who is the head. ¹⁶From him the whole body, being joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows in accordance with Christ’s activity when he measured out each individual part. He causes the growth of the body so that it builds itself up in love.

Some people began bringing little children to Jesus so that he would touch them. But the disciples rebuked them. ¹⁴When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said, “Let the little children come to me! Do not hinder them, because the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. ¹⁵Amen I tell you: Whoever will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” ¹⁶And he took the little children in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.

God said, “Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the sky, and over the livestock, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that crawls on the earth.”

²⁷God created the man in his own image.

In the image of God he created him.

Male and female he created them.

²⁸God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” ²⁹God said, “Look, I have given you every plant that produces seed on the face of the whole earth, and every tree that bears fruit that produces seed. It will be your food. ³⁰To every animal of the earth, and to every bird of the sky, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.

³¹God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. There was evening and there was morning—the sixth day.

For I conclude that our sufferings at the present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us. ¹⁹In fact, creation is waiting with eager longing for the sons of God to be revealed. ²⁰For creation was subjected to futility, not by its own will, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in the hope ²¹that even creation itself will be set free from slavery to corruption, in order to share in the glorious freedom of the children of God.

²²For we know that all of creation is groaning with birth pains right up to the present time. ²³And not only creation, but also we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we eagerly await our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.

“For this reason I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? ²⁶Look at the birds of the air. They do not sow or reap or gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?

²⁷“Which of you can add a single moment to his lifespan by worrying? ²⁸Why do you worry about clothing? Consider how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin, ²⁹but I tell you that not even Solomon in all his glory was dressed like one of these. ³⁰If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will he not clothe you even more, you of little faith?

³¹“So do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ ³²For the unbelievers chase after all these things. Certainly your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. ³³But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

My son, keep your father’s commands,

and do not forsake your mother’s teachings.

²¹Fasten them permanently to your heart,

and tie them around your neck.

²²When you walk around, they will lead you.

When you lie down, they will stand guard over you.

When you wake up, they will converse with you,

²³because a command is a lamp, teaching is a light,

and the warnings given by discipline are a road to life.

Endure suffering as discipline. God is dealing with you as sons. Is there a son whose father does not discipline him? ⁸If you are not disciplined (and all of us have received it), then you are illegitimate children and not sons. ⁹In addition, we have earthly fathers who disciplined us, and we respected them. Should we not submit even more to the Father of the spirits and live? ¹⁰They disciplined us for a little while, according to what seemed best to them, but God disciplines us for our good, so that we may have a share in his holiness. ¹¹No discipline seems pleasant when it is happening, but painful, yet later it yields a peaceful harvest of righteousness for those who have been trained by it.

¹²Therefore strengthen your weak hands and feeble knees, ¹³and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated but rather healed.

After the Wise Men were gone, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to Joseph in a dream. He said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, because Herod will search for the child in order to kill him.”

¹⁴Joseph got up, took the child and his mother during the night, and left for Egypt. ¹⁵He stayed there until the death of Herod. This happened to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

Some time later God tested Abraham. He called to him, “Abraham!” Abraham answered, “I am here.”

²God said, “Now take your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah. Offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains there, the one to which I direct you.”

³Abraham got up early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, along with Isaac his son. Abraham split the wood for the burnt offering. Then he set out to go to the place that God had told him about. ⁴On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance.

⁵Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will go on over there. We will worship, and then we will come back to you.” ⁶Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and loaded it on Isaac his son. He took the firepot and the knife in his hand. The two of them went on together.

⁷Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father?”

He said, “I am here, my son.”

He said, “Here are the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?”

⁸Abraham said, “God himself will provide the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So the two of them went on together. ⁹They came to the place that God had told him about. Abraham built the altar there. He arranged the wood, tied up Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar on top of the wood. ¹⁰Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son.

¹¹The Angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, “Abraham, Abraham!”

Abraham said, “I am here.”

¹²He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy. Do not do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.”

¹³Abraham looked around and saw that behind him there was a ram caught in the thicket by its horns. Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. ¹⁴Abraham called the name of that place “The Lord Will Provide.” So it is said to this day, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”

¹⁵The Angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven ¹⁶and said, “I have sworn by myself, declares the Lord, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son, ¹⁷I will bless you greatly, and I will multiply your descendants greatly, like the stars of the sky and like the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the city gates of their enemies. ¹⁸In your seed all the nations of the earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”

The Elder,

To dear Gaius, whom I love in the truth:

²Dear friend, I pray that you are doing well in every way and have good health, just as your soul is doing well. ³Indeed, I was overjoyed when brothers came and testified to your truthfulness because you are walking in the truth. ⁴I have no greater joy than when I hear that my children are walking in the truth.

When they returned to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them, and some experts in the law were arguing with them. ¹⁵As soon as all the people in the crowd saw Jesus, they were very excited and ran to greet him. ¹⁶He asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?”

¹⁷One man from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who has a spirit that makes him unable to speak. ¹⁸Wherever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive it out, but they could not.”

¹⁹“O unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied. “How long will I be with you? How long will I put up with you? Bring him to me.”

²⁰They brought the boy to Jesus. As soon as the spirit saw him, it threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell on the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.

²¹Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has this been happening to him?”

“From childhood,” he said. ²²“It has often thrown him into the fire and into the water to kill him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”

²³“If you can?” Jesus said to him. “All things are possible for the one who believes.”

²⁴The child’s father immediately cried out and said with tears, “I do believe. Help me with my unbelief!”

²⁵When Jesus saw that a crowd was quickly gathering, he rebuked the unclean spirit. “You mute and deaf spirit,” he said, “I command you to come out of him and never enter him again!”

²⁶The spirit screamed, shook the boy violently, and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many of them said, “He’s dead!” ²⁷But Jesus took him by the hand, raised him up, and he stood up.

The Lord visited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as he had promised. ²Sarah conceived and gave birth to a son for Abraham in his old age, at the set time which God had announced to him. ³Abraham named the son who was born to him—the son whom Sarah had borne to him—Isaac. ⁴Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. ⁵Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.

⁶Sarah said, “God has made me laugh. Everyone who hears will laugh with me.” ⁷She said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne a son for him in his old age.”

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ²“Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with a promise: ³“that it may go well with you and that you may live a long life on the earth.” ⁴Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

“I tell you, keep asking, and it will be given to you. Keep seeking, and you will find. Keep knocking, and it will be opened to you. ¹⁰For everyone who asks receives. The one who seeks finds. And to the one who knocks, it will be opened.

¹¹“What father among you, if your son asks for bread, would give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, would give him a snake instead of a fish? ¹²Or if he asks for an egg, would give him a scorpion? ¹³If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?”

This is what happened after the death of Moses, the servant of the Lord.

The Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, the attendant of Moses, ²“Moses my servant is dead. So prepare to cross the Jordan River that lies in front of you. You and all this people, prepare to go into the land that I am about to give to the people of Israel. ³I have given you every place where the sole of your foot has stepped, just as I promised Moses. ⁴From the Wilderness and from Lebanon to the Great River, the Euphrates River—all the land of the Hittites—as far as the Mediterranean Sea, where the sun sets, this will be your territory. ⁵No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, I will be with you. I will not abandon you, and I will not forsake you.

⁶“Be strong and courageous, because you will divide this land among these people, this land which I swore to their fathers that I would give to this people. ⁷Just be strong and very courageous. Be careful to act according to the entire Law which my servant Moses commanded for you. Do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may succeed wherever you go. ⁸This Book of the Law must never depart from your mouth, and you are to meditate on it day and night, so that you will act faithfully according to everything written in it, because then you will prosper in everything you do, and you will succeed. ⁹Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified and do not be overwhelmed, because the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Therefore, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and as one who also shares in the glory that is about to be revealed, I appeal to the elders among you: ²Shepherd God’s flock that is among you, serving as overseers, not grudgingly but willingly, as God desires, not because you are greedy for money but because you are eager to do it. ³Do not lord it over those entrusted to your care, but be examples for the flock. ⁴And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive an unfading crown of glory.

⁵Likewise, young men, be submissive to those who are older. And all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another. For “God opposes the proud, but he gives grace to the humble.”

⁶Therefore humble yourselves under God’s powerful hand so that he may lift you up at the appointed time. ⁷Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.

Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness.

³⁶When he saw the crowds, he was moved with compassion for them, because they were troubled and downcast, like sheep without a shepherd. ³⁷Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. ³⁸Therefore pray that the Lord of the harvest will send out workers into his harvest.”

^10:1Jesus called his twelve disciples to himself and gave them authority to drive out unclean spirits and to heal every disease and every sickness. ²These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James the son of Zebedee and his brother John; ³Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; ⁴Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is a suitable partner for him.” ¹⁹Out of the soil the Lord God had formed every wild animal and every bird of the sky, and he brought them to the man to see what he would call them. Whatever the man called every living creature, that became its name. ²⁰The man gave names to all the livestock, and to the birds of the sky, and to every wild animal, but for Adam no helper was found who was a suitable partner for him. ²¹The Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep. As the man slept, the Lord God took a rib and closed up the flesh where it had been. ²²The Lord God built a woman from the rib that he had taken from the man and brought her to the man.

²³The man said,

Now this one is bone of my bones

and flesh of my flesh.

She will be called “woman,”

because she was taken out of man.

²⁴For this reason a man will leave his father and his mother

and will remain united with his wife,

and they will become one flesh.

²⁵They were both naked, the man and his wife, and they were not ashamed.

Therefore, as God’s elect, holy and loved, clothe yourselves with heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. ¹³Bear with one another and forgive each other if anyone has a complaint against anyone else. Forgive, just as Christ forgave you. ¹⁴And, in addition to all these things, put on love, which ties things together in perfect unity. ¹⁵Let the peace of Christ control your hearts, to which you were also called, in one body. And be thankful.

¹⁶Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, with gratitude in your hearts to God. ¹⁷And everything you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

¹⁸Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. ¹⁹Husbands, love your wives and do not treat them harshly.

²⁰Children, obey your parents in everything, for this is pleasing in the Lord. ²¹Fathers, do not embitter your children, so that they do not become discouraged.

Some Pharisees came to test him and asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?”

³He replied, “What did Moses command you?”

⁴They said, “Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away.”

⁵But Jesus told them, “He wrote this command for you because of your hard hearts. ⁶But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. ⁷For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, ⁸and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two but one flesh. ⁹Therefore, what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

¹⁰In the house his disciples asked him about this again. ¹¹He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her. ¹²If she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”

¹³Some people began bringing little children to Jesus so that he would touch them. But the disciples rebuked them. ¹⁴When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said, “Let the little children come to me! Do not hinder them, because the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. ¹⁵Amen I tell you: Whoever will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” ¹⁶And he took the little children in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.

Now when the king of Aram was waging war against Israel, he would make plans with his officials, saying, “My camp will be at such and such a place.”

⁹But the man of God would send a message to the king of Israel, saying, “Be careful when you pass this place because the Arameans are going down there.” ¹⁰So the king of Israel would send scouts to the place that the man of God had pointed out. So the man of God warned him, and he was kept safe—and not just once or twice.

¹¹The king of Aram was enraged because of this. He summoned his officials and said to them, “Won’t you tell me who of us is for the king of Israel?”

¹²One of his officials said, “No, my lord the king. It is Elisha, the prophet in Israel, who tells the king of Israel the words which you speak in your bedroom.”

¹³Then he said, “Go and see where he is. Then I’ll send men and capture him.”

He was told, “Dothan is where he is.”

¹⁴So he sent horses and chariots and a strong force there. They came at night and surrounded the city. ¹⁵When the man of God’s servant got up early and went out, there were soldiers, horses, and chariots surrounding the city. So his attendant said to Elisha, “Oh no, my lord! What will we do?”

¹⁶He answered, “Don’t be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

¹⁷Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, open his eyes so that he can see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he saw that the hills were full of horses and chariots of fire, all around Elisha.

What then will we say about these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³²Indeed, he who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also graciously give us all things along with him?

³³Who will bring an accusation against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies! ³⁴Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus, who died and, more than that, was raised to life, is the one who is at God’s right hand and who is also interceding for us! ³⁵What will separate us from the love of Christ? Will trouble or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? ³⁶Just as it is written:

For your sake we are being put to death all day long.

We are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.

³⁷No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

³⁸For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor rulers, neither things present nor things to come, nor powerful forces, ³⁹neither height nor depth, nor anything else in creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

When he entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him and pleaded with him, ⁶“Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed and suffering terribly.”

⁷Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.”

⁸The centurion answered, “Lord, I am not worthy for you to come under my roof. But only say the word, and my servant will be healed. ⁹For I am also a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

¹⁰When Jesus heard this, he marveled. He said to those who were following him, “Amen I tell you: I have not found such great faith in anyone in Israel. ¹¹I tell you that many will come from the east and the west and will recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. ¹²But the children of the kingdom will be thrown out into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

¹³Jesus said to the centurion, “Go. Let it be done for you as you have believed.” And his servant was healed at that very hour.

He came to a cave and spent the night there.

Then the word of the Lord suddenly came to him, saying, “Why are you here, Elijah?”

¹⁰He said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of Armies, but the people of Israel have abandoned your covenant. They have torn down your altars and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking to take my life.”

¹¹Then the Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is passing by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains and shattered rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind.

After the wind came an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.

¹²After the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire.

After the fire there was a soft, whispering voice.

¹³When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak, and he went out and stood at the entrance to the cave. Then a voice came to him and said, “Why are you here, Elijah?”

¹⁴He said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of Armies, but the people of Israel have abandoned your covenant. They have torn down your altars and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking to take my life.”

¹⁵Then the Lord said to him, “Go back the way you came and go to the Wilderness of Damascus. When you get there, you are to anoint Hazael as king over Aram. ¹⁶You will also anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king over Israel and Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah as prophet in your place. ¹⁷Whoever escapes the sword of Hazael, Jehu will kill, and whoever escapes the sword of Jehu, Elisha will kill. ¹⁸But I have preserved in Israel seven thousand whose knees have not bent to Baal and whose lips have not kissed him.”

¹⁹So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. Elisha was doing the plowing with twelve teams of oxen in front of him, and he himself was driving the twelfth team. Elijah crossed over to him and threw his cloak over him. ²⁰Then Elisha left the oxen and ran after Elijah. He said, “Let me kiss my father and my mother good-bye! Then I will follow you.”

Then Elijah said, “Go back! For what have I done to you?”

²¹So Elisha turned back from following him. Then he took the team of oxen and slaughtered them. Using the equipment from the oxen as fuel, he cooked the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he got up, followed Elijah, and served him.

You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. ²Entrust the things you heard from me, in the presence of many witnesses, to faithful men who will also be able to teach others.

The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all that they had done and taught. ³¹He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a while.” For there were so many people coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat. ³²They went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. ³³But many people saw them leave and knew where they were going. They ran there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. ³⁴When Jesus stepped out of the boat, he saw a large crowd. His heart went out to them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. He began to teach them many things.

Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: ²“Get up. Go to Nineveh, the great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you.”

³So Jonah set out and went to Nineveh just as the word of the Lord had commanded. Now Nineveh was a great city to God. It required a three-day walk. ⁴Jonah walked through the city for a day, and he called out, “Forty more days and Nineveh is going to be overthrown!”

⁵The men of Nineveh believed God. They proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least. ⁶When word reached the king of Nineveh, he got up from his throne, took off his royal robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. ⁷Then he issued a proclamation in Nineveh.

By the decree of the king and his leading officials:

Do not let people or animals, herds or flocks, taste anything. Do not let them eat food or drink water. ⁸Instead, let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call fervently to God. Let them turn from their evil way and from the violence that is in their hands. ⁹Who knows? God may turn and relent. He may turn from his burning anger so that we will not perish.

¹⁰When God saw their actions, that they had turned from their evil way, God relented from the disaster which he said he would bring on them, and he did not carry it out.

But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith that we are proclaiming. ⁹Certainly, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰For it is with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and it is with the mouth that a person confesses, resulting in salvation. ¹¹For Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”

¹²So there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, because the same Lord is Lord of all, who gives generously to all who call on him. ¹³Yes, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

¹⁴So then, how can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one about whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without a preacher? ¹⁵And how can they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news of peace, who preach the gospel of good things!”

Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness.

³⁶When he saw the crowds, he was moved with compassion for them, because they were troubled and downcast, like sheep without a shepherd. ³⁷Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. ³⁸Therefore pray that the Lord of the harvest will send out workers into his harvest.”

Arise, shine, for your light has come,

and the glory of the Lord is dawning upon you.

²Look, darkness covers the earth,

and deep darkness covers the peoples,

but the Lord will dawn upon you,

and his glory will be seen over you.

³Nations will walk to your light,

and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

⁴Look up. Look all around and see!

All of them have been gathered. They are coming to you.

Your sons will come from far away,

and people will carry your daughters on their side.

⁵Then you will look and be radiant.

Your heart will race with excitement and burst with joy.

For great riches from the sea will be delivered to you.

The wealth of the nations will come to you.

⁶Caravans of camels will cover your land,

young camels from Midian and Ephah.

All those from Sheba will come.

They will carry gold and incense,

and they will announce the good news of the praise of the Lord.

But now I no longer have a place to work in these regions, and I have longed for many years to come to you. ²⁴So when I go to Spain, I hope to visit you on my way. After I have enjoyed being with you for a while, I hope that you will help me on my journey there.

²⁵Right now I am going to Jerusalem bringing assistance to the saints. ²⁶For Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a certain contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem. ²⁷Indeed, they were pleased to do this and, to be sure, they are indebted to them. For if the Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual things, then the Gentiles owe it to them to serve them with material things.

²⁸So, after I complete this project by delivering this fruit safely to them, I will set out for Spain and visit you on the way. ²⁹And I know that when I come to you, I will arrive with the full blessing of Christ.

³⁰Now I urge you, brothers, through our Lord Jesus Christ and through the love of the Spirit, to struggle with me in prayers to God on my behalf. ³¹Pray that I may be rescued from those in Judea who are disobedient and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, ³²so that by God’s will I may come to you in joy and be refreshed in your company.

³³May the God of peace be with you all. Amen.

Jesus approached and spoke to them saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹Therefore go and gather disciples from all nations by baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰and by teaching them to keep all the instructions I have given you. And surely I am with you always until the end of the age.”

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. ²Above him stood the seraphim. Each one had six wings. With two they covered their faces. With two they covered their feet. With two they flew. ³One called to another and said,

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Armies!

The whole earth is full of his glory!

⁴The foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of the one who called, and the temple was filled with smoke.

⁵Then I said, “I am doomed! I am ruined, because I am a man with unclean lips, and I dwell among a people with unclean lips, and because my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Armies!”

⁶Then one of the seraphim flew to me, carrying a glowing coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs. ⁷He touched my mouth with the coal and said, “Look, this has touched your lips, so your guilt is taken away, and your sin is forgiven.”

⁸Then I heard the Lord’s voice, saying, “Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?”

Then I said, “Here I am. Send me!”

Be persistent in prayer, and as you pray, be alert and thankful. ³At the same time, pray for us too, that God might open a door for our message, so that we can tell the mystery about Christ, for which I am in prison. ⁴Pray that I may make it known clearly, as it is necessary for me to speak. ⁵Walk in wisdom in the way you act toward those on the outside, making the most of your opportunity. ⁶Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you know how you are to answer each person.

Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. ⁴⁶He said to them, “This is what is written and so it must be: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, ⁴⁷and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. ⁴⁸You are witnesses of these things.”

Who can find a wife with strong character?

Her value is greater than that of gems.

¹¹Her husband’s heart trusts her,

and he never lacks wealth.

¹²She does good for him and not evil

all the days of her life.

²⁶She opens her mouth with wisdom,

and kind instruction is on her tongue.

²⁷She keeps a close eye on the conduct of her household,

and she does not eat bread that she did not work for.

²⁸Her children rise up and bless her.

Her husband rises up and praises her:

²⁹“Many daughters show strong character,

but you have surpassed all of them.”

³⁰Charm is deceptive, and beauty is vapor that vanishes,

but a woman who fears the Lord should be praised.

³¹Give her credit for the fruit of her hands,

and let her accomplishments praise her in the city gates.

Wives, in the same way, be submissive to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they might be won over without a word by the behavior of their wives, ²as they observe your respectful and holy behavior. ³Do not let your beauty be something outward, such as braided hair or wearing gold jewelry or fine clothes. ⁴Rather let your beauty be the hidden person of your heart—the lasting beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in God’s sight. ⁵In fact, this is also how the holy women of the past who put their hope in God made themselves beautiful. They were submissive to their own husbands, ⁶just as Sarah obeyed Abraham and called him lord. You are her daughters if you do what is good and do not fear anything that is intimidating.

⁷Husbands, in the same way, continue to live with your wives with the knowledge that, as the wife, she is the weaker vessel. Also continue to accord them honor as fellow heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.

⁸Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another. Show sympathy, brotherly love, compassion, and humility. ⁹Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. Instead, speak a blessing, because you were called for the purpose of inheriting a blessing.

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up onto a mountain. When he sat down, his disciples came to him. ²He opened his mouth and began to teach them. He said these things:

³“Blessed are the poor in spirit,

because theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

⁴Blessed are those who mourn,

because they will be comforted.

⁵Blessed are the gentle,

because they will inherit the earth.

⁶Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

because they will be filled.

⁷Blessed are the merciful,

because they will receive mercy.

⁸Blessed are the pure in heart,

because they will see God.

⁹Blessed are the peacemakers,

because they will be called sons of God.

¹⁰Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,

because theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

¹¹“Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. ¹²Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven. In fact, that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

So Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel because she said, “I asked for him from the Lord.”

²¹When this man Elkanah and his entire household went up to offer the annual sacrifice to the Lord and to fulfill his vow, ²²Hannah did not go up with them, because she said to her husband, “Not until the child is weaned. Then I will bring him, so that he can appear before the Lord and remain there permanently.”

²³Her husband Elkanah said to her, “Do whatever you think is best. Wait until you have weaned him. Yes, then the Lord will establish his word.”

So the woman stayed at home, and she nursed her son until she was ready to wean him. ²⁴When she had weaned him, she took him up with her. She also took a three-year-old bull, twenty-five pounds of flour, and a container of wine, and she brought him to the House of the Lord in Shiloh. The boy was ˻with them. And they brought him before the Lord, and his father killed the sacrifice as he regularly did before the Lord, and he brought˼ the boy. ²⁵When they had killed the bull, they presented the child to Eli. ²⁶She said, “Excuse me, my lord. As your soul lives, my lord, I am the woman who stood here next to you, praying to the Lord. ²⁷I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked for. ²⁸So now I have also dedicated him to the Lord. As long as he lives, he is dedicated to the Lord.” So he worshipped the Lord there.

Likewise, encourage older women to be reverent in their behavior, not slanderers, not enslaved to much wine, but teachers of what is good, ⁴so that they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, ⁵to be self-controlled, pure, busy at home, kind, and submitting to their own husbands, that the word of God might not be slandered.

Jesus left that place and withdrew into the region of Tyre and Sidon. ²²There a Canaanite woman from that territory came and kept crying out, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David! A demon is severely tormenting my daughter!”

²³But he did not answer her a word.

His disciples came and pleaded, “Send her away, because she keeps crying out after us.”

²⁴He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

²⁵But she came and knelt in front of him, saying, “Lord, help me.”

²⁶He answered her, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to their little dogs.”

²⁷“Yes, Lord,” she said, “yet their little dogs also eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.”

²⁸Then Jesus answered her, “Woman, your faith is great! It will be done for you, just as you desire.” And her daughter was healed at that very hour.

Now a man from the house of Levi went and took a Levite woman as a wife. ²The woman became pregnant and bore a son. When she saw that he was a special child, she hid him for three months. ³When she was no longer able to hide him, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. She put the child into it and placed it in the reeds along the bank of the Nile. ⁴His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him.

⁵Pharaoh’s daughter came down to bathe in the Nile, and her attendants were walking along the bank of the Nile. Pharaoh’s daughter saw the basket among the reeds and sent her servant girl to get it. ⁶She opened it and saw the child. It was a boy, and he was crying. She felt sorry for him and said, “This is one of the Hebrew boys.”

⁷Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Should I go and call a wet nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?”

⁸Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Yes, go.”

So the young woman went and called the child’s mother to come. ⁹Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child and nurse him for me, and I will pay you for doing it.”

So the woman took the child and nursed him. ¹⁰When the child grew up, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, with the explanation, “Because I drew him up out of the water.”

I thank God, whom I serve with a clean conscience as my ancestors did, as I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day. ⁴When I remember your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. ⁵I remember your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am convinced that it also lives in you.

⁶For this reason I am reminding you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. ⁷For God did not give us a timid spirit, but a spirit of power and love and sound judgment.

Jesus’ mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene were standing near the cross.

²⁶When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son!” ²⁷Then he said to the disciple, “Here is your mother!” And from that time this disciple took her into his own home.

Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God. The Lord is one! ⁵Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. ⁶These words that I am commanding you today are to be on your heart. ⁷Teach them diligently to your children, and speak about them when you sit in your house and when you walk on the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

¹⁷Be very conscientious about keeping the commandments of the Lord your God and his testimonies and his statutes, which he commanded you.

Everyone must submit to the governing authorities. For no authority exists except by God, and the authorities that do exist have been established by God. ²Therefore the one who rebels against the authority is opposing God’s institution, and those who oppose will bring judgment on themselves.

³For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to evil. Would you like to have no fear of the one in authority? Do what is good, and you will receive praise from him, ⁴because he is God’s servant for your benefit. But if you do wrong, be afraid, because he does not carry the sword without reason. He is God’s servant, a punisher to bring wrath on the wrongdoer. ⁵Therefore it is necessary to submit, not only because of wrath, but also because of conscience.

⁶For this reason you also pay taxes, because the authorities are God’s ministers, who are employed to do this very thing. ⁷Pay what you owe to all of them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, and honor to whom honor is owed.

Then the Pharisees went out and plotted together how to trap him in his words. ¹⁶They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you are truthful and teach the way of God in accord with the truth. You are not concerned about gaining anyone’s approval because you are not swayed by appearances. ¹⁷So tell us, what do you think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

¹⁸But Jesus knew their evil purpose and said, “Why are you testing me, hypocrites? ¹⁹Show me the coin used for the tax.”

They brought him a denarius.

²⁰He asked them, “Whose image and inscription is this?”

²¹“Caesar’s,” they replied to him.

Then he said to them, “Therefore give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

²²When they heard this, they were amazed. Then they left him and went away.

For everything there is an appointed time.

There is an appropriate time for every activity under heaven:

²a time to give birth and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot plants,

³a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to tear down and a time to build,

⁴a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance,

⁵a time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones,

a time to embrace and a time not to embrace,

⁶a time to search and a time to stop searching,

a time to keep and a time to throw away,

⁷a time to rip and a time to sew,

a time to be silent and a time to speak,

⁸a time to love and a time to hate,

a time for war and a time for peace.

Keep your life free from the love of money, and be content with what you have. For God has said:

I will never leave you,

and I will never forsake you.

⁶So then we say with confidence:

The Lord is my helper, and I will not be afraid.

What will man do to me?

⁷Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Carefully consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. ⁸Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

¹⁴For we do not have a permanent city here, but we are looking for the city that is coming.

“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. ²Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. ³When the foolish ones took their lamps, they did not take any oil with them; ⁴but the wise took oil in their containers with their lamps. ⁵While the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. ⁶But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ ⁷Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. ⁸The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil because our lamps are going out.’ ⁹But the wise answered, ‘No, there may not be enough for us and for you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ ¹⁰But while they were away buying oil, the bridegroom came. Those who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet, and the door was shut. ¹¹Later, the other virgins also came and said, ‘Lord, Lord, let us in.’ ¹²But he answered, ‘Amen I tell you: I do not know you.’ ¹³Therefore, keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.”

Listen to me, you people who pursue righteousness,

you people who seek the Lord!

Look confidently to the rock from which you were hewn

and to the quarry from which you were cut.

²Look confidently to Abraham your father,

and to Sarah, who gave birth to you.

Yes, when I called him, Abraham was only one person,

but I blessed him and multiplied him.

³The Lord is certain to comfort Zion.

He will comfort all her ruins.

Certainly he will make her wilderness like Eden

and her wasteland like the garden of the Lord.

Joy and gladness will be found in her,

thanksgiving and the sound of music.

⁴Pay attention to me, O my people.

My nation, listen to me!

For the law will go out from me,

and I will establish my justice as a light to the peoples.

⁵My righteousness is near.

My salvation goes forth,

and my arms will bring justice to the peoples.

The seacoasts will wait for me.

They will have confidence in my arm.

⁶Lift up your eyes to the heavens.

Look closely at the earth beneath,

because the heavens will vanish like smoke,

and the earth will wear out like a garment,

and its inhabitants will die like gnats.

But my salvation will remain forever,

and my righteousness will never be abolished.

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into this or that city, spend a year there, do business, and make a profit.” ¹⁴You do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? Indeed, it is a mist that appears for a little while and then disappears. ¹⁵Instead, it is better for you to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live, and we will do this or that.” ¹⁶But right now you are boasting in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. ¹⁷So, for the one who knows the right thing to do and doesn’t do it, this is a sin.

Someone from the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” ¹⁴But Jesus said to him, “Man, who appointed me to be a judge or an arbitrator over you?”

¹⁵Then he said to them, “Watch out and be on guard against all greed, because a man’s life is not measured by how many possessions he has.”

¹⁶He told them a parable: “The land of a certain rich man produced very well. ¹⁷He was thinking to himself, ‘What will I do, because I do not have anywhere to store my crops?’ ¹⁸He said, ‘This is what I will do. I will pull down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and goods. ¹⁹And I will tell my soul, “Soul, you have many goods stored up for many years. Take it easy. Eat, drink, and be merry.” ’

²⁰“But God said to him, ‘You fool, this night your soul will be demanded from you. Now who will get what you have prepared?’

²¹“That is how it will be for anyone who stores up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”

So remember your Creator in the days of your youth,

before the bad days come and the years arrive when you will say,

“I have no delight in them,”

²before the sun and the light of the moon and the stars are darkened,

before the clouds return after the rain,

³before the day when the watchmen of the house tremble,

and the strong men are bent over,

and the women who grind grain cease because they are few,

and those watching through the windows can barely see.

⁴Then the double doors to the street are shut,

as the grinding of the mill grows quiet.

A person wakes up at the sound of a bird,

but all the sounds of music are muffled.

⁵Then they fear heights and terrors along the road.

The almond blossoms become white.

The grasshopper drags himself along,

and the caperberry has no effect.

Why? Because the man is heading to his eternal home.

Then the wailing mourners will go around in the street.

⁶Remember your Creator

before the silver cord is snapped,

and the golden bowl is broken,

before the jar is shattered by the spring,

and the waterwheel is broken by the well,

⁷and the dust goes back into the ground—just as it was before,

and the spirit goes back to God who gave it.

Since you have purified your souls by obeying the truth, resulting in sincere brotherly love, love one another constantly from a pure heart. ²³For you have been born again, not from perishable seed but from imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. ²⁴For:

All flesh is like grass,

and all its glory is like a flower of the field.

The grass withers,

and the flower falls,

²⁵but the word of the Lord endures forever.

And this is the word that was preached to you.

He told them this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard. He came looking for fruit on it, but he did not find any. ⁷So he said to the gardener, ‘Look, for three years now I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and I have found none. Cut it down. Why even let it use up the soil?’ ⁸But the gardener replied to him, ‘Sir, leave it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put fertilizer on it. ⁹If it produces fruit next year, fine. But if not, then cut it down.’ ”

Speak up for those who cannot speak.

Speak for the rights of all those who are defenseless.

⁹Speak up, judge fairly,

and defend the oppressed and needy.

I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me, so that I would not become arrogant. ⁸Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that he would take it away from me. ⁹And he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, because my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will be glad to boast all the more in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may shelter me.

¹⁰That is why I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties, for the sake of Christ. For whenever I am weak, then am I strong.

In those days Mary got up and hurried to the hill country, to a town of Judah. ⁴⁰She entered the home of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹Just as Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. ⁴²She called out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! ⁴³But why am I so favored that the mother of my Lord should come to me? ⁴⁴In fact, just now, as soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy! ⁴⁵Blessed is she who believed, because the promises spoken to her from the Lord will be fulfilled!”

When you reap the harvest from your land, you are not to finish reaping all the way to the edge of the field. Do not gather up the gleanings of your harvest. ¹⁰Do not strip your vineyard clean, and do not pick up the fallen grapes from your vineyard, but leave them for the poor and the alien who live with you. I am the Lord your God.

¹¹You shall not steal. You shall not swindle. You shall not lie to one another. ¹²You shall not swear falsely by my name so that you do not profane the name of your God. I am the Lord.

¹³You shall not exploit your neighbor. You shall not rob him. You shall not keep the wages of a day laborer with you overnight until morning.

¹⁴You shall not curse a deaf person, nor shall you put an obstacle in front of a blind person, but you must fear your God. I am the Lord.

¹⁵You shall not act unjustly in court cases. Do not show favoritism to a poor person, and do not show undue honor to an important person. You must judge your fellow citizens with justice.

¹⁶You shall not go around spreading slander among your people. You shall not testify falsely against your neighbor in a capital case. I am the Lord.

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says that he has faith but has no works? Such “faith” cannot save him, can it? ¹⁵If a brother or sister needs clothes and lacks daily food ¹⁶and one of you tells them, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,” but does not give them what their body needs, what good is it? ¹⁷So also, such “faith,” if it is alone and has no works, is dead. ¹⁸But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without works, and I will show you my faith by my works.

¹⁹You believe that God is one. Good for you! Even the demons believe that—and shudder! ²⁰But do you want proof, you mindless person, that such “faith” without works is dead? ²¹Wasn’t Abraham our father shown to be righteous by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? ²²You see that his faith was working together with his works, and by his works his faith was shown to be complete. ²³And the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” He was also called God’s friend. ²⁴You see that a person is shown to be righteous by works and not by faith alone.

²⁵In the same way also, wasn’t Rahab the prostitute shown to be righteous by works when she welcomed the spies and sent them out another way? ²⁶For just as the body without breath is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

He lifted up his eyes to his disciples and said:

Blessed are you who are poor,

because yours is the kingdom of God.

²¹Blessed are you who hunger now,

because you will be satisfied.

Blessed are you who weep now,

because you will laugh.

²²Blessed are you whenever people hate you,

and whenever they exclude and insult you

and reject your name as evil because of the Son of Man.

²³“Rejoice in that day and leap for joy because of this: Your reward is great in heaven! The fact is, their fathers constantly did the same things to the prophets.”

²⁴But woe to you who are rich,

because you are receiving your comfort now.

²⁵Woe to you who are well fed now,

because you will be hungry.

Woe to you who laugh now,

because you will be mourning and weeping.

²⁶Woe to you when all people speak well of you,

because that is how their fathers constantly treated the false prophets.

²⁷“But I say to you who are listening: Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. ²⁸Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who mistreat you. ²⁹If someone strikes you on one cheek, offer the other too. If someone takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt. ³⁰Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes away your things, do not demand them back.

³¹“Treat others just as you would want them to treat you. ³²If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? To be sure, even the sinners love those who love them. ³³And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even the sinners do the same thing. ³⁴If you lend to those from whom you expect to be repaid, what credit is that to you? Even the sinners lend to sinners in order to be paid back in full. ³⁵Instead, love your enemies, do good and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the unthankful and the evil. ³⁶Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”

So the word of the Lord came through Haggai the prophet.

⁴Is it time for you to live in your paneled houses while this house lies in ruins? ⁵Now this is what the Lord of Armies says. Consider your ways carefully. ⁶You sow much seed but you harvest little. You eat but you are never satisfied. You drink but you never become drunk. You get dressed, but no one is warm. The one who makes money puts that money into a bag with a hole in it.

Therefore I urge you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice—holy and pleasing to God—which is your appropriate worship. ²Also, do not continue to conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, so that you test and approve what is the will of God—what is good, pleasing, and perfect.

³So by the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought, but think in a way that results in sound judgment, as God distributed a measure of faith to each of you. ⁴For we have many members in one body, and not all the members have the same function. ⁵In the same way, though we are many, we are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.

⁶We have different gifts, according to the grace God has given us. If the gift is prophecy, do it in complete agreement with the faith. ⁷If it is serving, then serve. If it is teaching, then teach. ⁸If it is encouraging, then encourage. If it is contributing, be generous. If it is leadership, be diligent. If it is showing mercy, do it cheerfully.

“You see, the kingdom of heaven is like a man going on a journey. He called his servants and entrusted his possessions to them. ¹⁵To one he gave five talents, to another two talents, and to still another one talent, each according to his own ability. Then he went on his journey. ¹⁶The servant who had received the five talents immediately put them to work and gained five more talents. ¹⁷In the same way, the servant who had received the two talents gained two more. ¹⁸But the servant who had received one talent went away, dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master’s money.

¹⁹“After a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. ²⁰The servant who received the five talents came and brought five more talents. He said, ‘Master, you entrusted five talents to me. See, I have gained five more talents.’

²¹“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You were faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master.’

²²“The servant who received the two talents came and said, ‘Master, you entrusted me with two talents. See, I have gained two more talents.’

²³“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You were faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master.’

²⁴“Then the servant who received one talent came and said, ‘Master, I knew that you are a hard man, reaping where you did not plant and gathering where you did not scatter seed. ²⁵Since I was afraid, I went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’

²⁶“His master answered him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! You knew that I reap where I did not plant and gather where I did not scatter seed? ²⁷Well then, you should have deposited my money with the bankers so that when I came I would get my money back with interest. ²⁸Take the talent away from him and give it to the servant who has the ten talents. ²⁹Because everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. But the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. ³⁰Throw that worthless servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ ”

My son, do not forget my teaching.

Let your heart keep my commands,

²because they will add long days and many years to your life,

and peace and prosperity will come to you.

³Do not allow mercy and truth to leave you.

Fasten them around your neck.

Write them on the tablet of your heart.

⁴Then you will find favor and approval

in the eyes of God and man.

⁵Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

and do not rely on your own understanding.

⁶In all your ways acknowledge him,

and he will make your paths straight.

⁷Do not consider yourself wise.

Fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.

⁸Then your body will be healed,

and your bones will be refreshed.

⁹Honor the Lord with your wealth,

with the firstfruits from your entire harvest.

¹⁰Then your barns will be filled to capacity,

and your wine vats will overflow with fresh wine.

The end of all things is near. So have sound judgment and be self-controlled for the sake of your prayers. ⁸Above all, love each other constantly, because love covers a multitude of sins. ⁹Be hospitable to one another without complaining.

¹⁰Serve one another, each according to the gift he has received, as good stewards of the many forms of God’s grace. ¹¹If anyone speaks, let him do it as one speaking the messages of God. If anyone serves, let him do it as one serving with the strength God supplies so that God may be glorified in every way through Jesus Christ. To him belong the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.

While Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at the table, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made from pure nard. She broke the alabaster jar and poured it over his head. ⁴But there were some who were indignant and said to one another, “Why has this perfume been wasted? ⁵Certainly this perfume could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor!” And they began to scold her.

⁶But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing for me. ⁷In fact, you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you are not always going to have me. ⁸She did what she could. She anointed my body beforehand for burial. ⁹Amen I tell you: Wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman did will also be told in memory of her.”

Will a man rob God? You are robbing me!

You say, “How have we robbed you?”

In regard to the tithe and the special offering. ⁹You are being cursed since all of you, the whole nation, are robbing me. ¹⁰Bring the complete tithe to the storehouse so that there may be food in my house. Just test me in this, says the Lord of Armies. See whether I do not open for you the windows of heaven and pour down blessing on you, until there is more than enough. ¹¹I will restrain the devouring swarm so that it will not destroy your produce from your soil. Your vine in the field will not be without fruit, says the Lord of Armies. ¹²All the nations will call you blessed, because you will be a delightful land, says the Lord of Armies.

Now brothers, we want you to know about the grace of God that was given in the churches of Macedonia: ²In a severe test of trouble, their overflowing joy and their deep poverty overflowed into an abundance of their generosity. ³I testify that of their own free will they gave according to their ability, and even beyond their ability, ⁴pleading with us with an urgent request for the gracious privilege of joining in this service to the saints. ⁵And they did this not as we had expected, but in keeping with God’s will they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us. ⁶As a result we urged Titus, since he had already made a beginning, to bring to completion this gracious gift on your part. ⁷But just as you overflow in every way—in faith, in word, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us—see that you also overflow in this gracious gift.

⁸I do not say this as a command, but to test how genuine your love is, by comparing it with the eagerness of others. ⁹For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that although he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that through his poverty you might become rich.

Jesus looked up and saw rich people putting their gifts into the offering box. ²He saw a poor widow there putting in two small coins. ³He said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow put in more than everyone, ⁴for all these put in some of their leftovers as gifts to God, but she, out of her poverty, put in all that she had to live on.”

Listen to me, you coastlands.

Pay attention, you faraway peoples!

The Lord called me from the womb.

When I was inside my mother, he mentioned my name.

²He made my mouth like a sharpened sword.

He hid me in the shadow of his hand.

He made me a polished arrow.

He concealed me in his quiver.

³He said to me, “You are my servant Israel,

in whom I will display my glory.”

⁴But I said to myself, “I have labored in vain.

I spent my strength and came up empty, with nothing.

Yet a just verdict for me rests with the Lord,

and my reward is with my God.”

⁵But now the Lord,

who formed me from the womb to be his servant,

to turn Jacob back to him,

so that Israel might be gathered to him,

so that I will be honored in the eyes of the Lord,

because my God has been my strength—

⁶the Lord said:

It is too small a thing that you should just be my servant

to raise up only the tribes of Jacob

and to restore the ones I have preserved in Israel,

so I will appoint you to be a light for the nations,

so that my salvation will be known to the end of the earth.

I thank my God every time I remember you. ⁴Every time I pray for all of you, I always pray with joy, ⁵because of your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now. ⁶I am convinced of this very thing: that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. ⁷I am equally convinced that it is right for me to think this way about all of you, because I have you in my heart, for both in my chains and in my defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all share in this grace with me. ⁸Yes, God is my witness of how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

⁹And I pray that your love may still increase more and more in knowledge and every insight. ¹⁰This will result in your approval of the things that really matter, so that you will be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, ¹¹filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

“But now I am coming to you, and I am saying these things in the world, so that they may be filled with my joy. ¹⁴I have given them your word. The world hated them, because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. ¹⁵I am not asking that you take them out of the world, but that you protect them from the Evil One. ¹⁶They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

¹⁷“Sanctify them by the truth. Your word is truth. ¹⁸As you sent me into the world, I also sent them into the world. ¹⁹I sanctify myself for them, so they also may be sanctified by the truth.

²⁰“I am praying not only for them, but also for those who believe in me through their message. ²¹May they all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I am in you. May they also be one in us, so that the world may believe that you sent me.”

Then King David went and sat before the Lord and said:

Who am I, Lord God? And what is my house that you have brought me to this point? ¹⁹Yet this was a small thing in your eyes, Lord God. You have also spoken about the house of your servant for a long time into the future. Is this the law for the man, Lord God?

²⁰What more can David say to you? You know your servant, Lord God. ²¹Because of your word and according to the plan of your heart, you have carried out this great thing in order to make your servant aware of it. ²²Therefore, you are great, Lord God, because there is none like you. There is no God except you, in keeping with everything we have heard with our ears.

Rejoice in the Lord always! I will say it again: Rejoice! ⁵Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. ⁶Do not worry about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. ⁷And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

⁸Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if anything is excellent, and if anything is praiseworthy, think about these things. ⁹The things that you learned, received, heard, and saw in me: Keep doing these things. And the God of peace will be with you.

A certain one of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him. Jesus entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. ³⁷Just then a sinful woman from that town learned that he was reclining in the Pharisee’s house. She brought an alabaster jar of perfume, ³⁸stood behind him near his feet weeping, and began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she began to wipe them with her hair while also kissing his feet and anointing them with the perfume. ³⁹When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would realize who is touching him and what kind of woman she is, because she is a sinner.”

⁴⁰Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”

He said, “Teacher, say it.”

⁴¹“A certain moneylender had two debtors. The one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. ⁴²When they could not pay, he forgave them both. So, which of them will love him more?”

⁴³Simon answered, “I suppose the one who had the larger debt forgiven.”

Then he told him, “You have judged correctly.” ⁴⁴Turning toward the woman, he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house, but you did not give me water for my feet. Yet she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. ⁴⁵You did not give me a kiss, but she, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. ⁴⁶You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with perfume. ⁴⁷Therefore I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven; that is why she loved so much. But the one who is forgiven little loves little.” ⁴⁸Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins have been forgiven.”

⁴⁹Those reclining at the table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”

⁵⁰He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”

Then you will eat, and you will be filled, and you will praise the Lord your God for the good land that he has given you. ¹¹Be very careful so that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping his commandments and ordinances and his statutes that I am commanding you today. ¹²When you eat and are satisfied, and you build nice houses and move into them, ¹³and your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and gold increase, and everything that you have prospers, ¹⁴watch out so that your heart does not become arrogant and forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, where you were slaves. ¹⁵Do not forget the Lord, who led you in the great and terrifying wilderness, where there were venomous snakes and scorpions, where the thirsty ground had no water, but the Lord made water come out of a flint rock for you. ¹⁶Do not forget the Lord, who in the wilderness fed you manna, which your fathers had not known before, to humble you and to test you so that it would be good for you later on.

¹⁷You might say in your heart, “My ability and the power of my hand have earned this wealth for me.” ¹⁸But then you are to remember that the Lord your God is the one who gives you the ability to produce wealth, to confirm his covenant that he promised to your fathers with an oath, as he does to this day.

I rejoice greatly in the Lord now that you have revived your concern for me once again. Actually, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. ¹¹I am not saying this because I lack anything; in fact, I have learned to be content in any circumstances in which I find myself. ¹²I know what it is to live in humble circumstances, and I know what it is to have more than enough. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, while being full or hungry, while having plenty or not enough. ¹³I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me. ¹⁴Nevertheless, you did well by becoming partners with me in my affliction.

¹⁵You Philippians know that in the beginning of your experience with the gospel, when I left Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you alone. ¹⁶Even while I was in Thessalonica, you sent help more than once for my needs. ¹⁷Not that I am seeking a gift, but I am seeking the fruit that adds to your account. ¹⁸I have been paid in full, and I have more than enough. I am fully supplied since I’ve received from Epaphroditus the things that came from you, a sweet-smelling fragrance, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God. ¹⁹And my God will fully supply your every need, according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. ²⁰Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever! Amen.

On another occasion, as Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem, he was passing along the border between Samaria and Galilee. ¹²When he entered a certain village, ten men with leprosy met him. Standing at a distance, ¹³they called out loudly, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”

¹⁴When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” As they went away they were cleansed.

¹⁵One of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice. ¹⁶He fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, thanking him. And he was a Samaritan. ¹⁷Jesus responded, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? ¹⁸Was no one found to return and give glory to God except this foreigner?” ¹⁹Then he said to him, “Get up and go your way. Your faith has saved you.”

Noah went out with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives along with him. ¹⁹Every animal, every creeping thing, every bird, and whatever swarms on the earth went out of the ship, species by species.

²⁰Noah built an altar to the Lord and took from every clean animal and every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. ²¹The Lord smelled the pleasant aroma. The Lord said in his heart, “I will never again curse the soil anymore because of man, for the thoughts he forms in his heart are evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike every living thing, as I have done. ²²While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.”

Do not be deceived, my dear brothers. ¹⁷Every good act of giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the lights, who does not change or shift like a shadow. ¹⁸Just as he planned, he gave us birth by the word of truth so that we would be a kind of firstfruits of his creations.

Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. ²A man named Zacchaeus was there. He was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. ³He was trying to see who Jesus was, but since he was short, he could not see because of the crowd. ⁴He ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Jesus, because he was about to pass by that way. ⁵When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” ⁶He came down quickly and welcomed Jesus joyfully. ⁷When the people saw it, they were all grumbling because he went to be a guest of a sinful man.

⁸Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I am going to give half of my possessions to the poor. And if I have cheated anyone out of anything, I will pay back four times as much.”

⁹Jesus said to him, “Today, salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. ¹⁰For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

When I heard about these things, I sat down and wept. I mourned for days, fasting and praying before the God of Heaven. ⁵I said:

Please, Lord, the God of Heaven, the great and awe-inspiring God, who preserves the covenant and faithfulness for those who love him and keep his commands: ⁶Let your ear be attentive and your eyes be open as you hear the prayer of your servant today, which I am now praying before you day and night, concerning the Israelites, who are your servants. I am also confessing the sins of the people of Israel that we committed against you. I and my father’s house have also sinned. ⁷We have acted very corruptly against you, and we have not kept the commands, nor the statutes, nor the ordinances that you commanded Moses your servant.

⁸Please remember the command you gave to Moses your servant when you said, “If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples. ⁹But when you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, even if you have been scattered to the end of heaven, from there I will gather them, and I will bring them to the place where I have chosen to make my name dwell.” ¹⁰They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed with your great power and your mighty hand.

¹¹Please, my Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant and to the prayers of your servants who are delighted to revere your name. Make your servant successful today, and give him mercy in this man’s presence.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, ⁴who comforts us in all our trouble, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the same comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. ⁵For just as the sufferings of Christ overflow to us, so through Christ our comfort also overflows. ⁶If we are troubled, it is for your comfort and salvation. If we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you the ability to endure the same sufferings that we are also suffering. ⁷Our hope for you is sure, since we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so you also share in our comfort.

Jesus said to his disciples, “For that reason I tell you, stop worrying about your life, about what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. ²³Certainly life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. ²⁴Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap; they have no warehouse or barn; and yet God feeds them. How much more valuable are you than birds! ²⁵And who of you by worrying can add a single moment to his lifespan? ²⁶Since you are not able to do this little thing, why do you worry about the rest? ²⁷Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. But I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory was dressed like one of these. ²⁸If this is how God clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will he clothe you, you of little faith? ²⁹Do not constantly chase after what you will eat or what you will drink. Do not be worried about it. ³⁰To be sure, the nations of the world chase after all of these things, but your Father knows that you need them. ³¹Instead, continue to seek the kingdom of God, and all these things will be added to you. ³²Do not be afraid, little flock, because your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom. ³³Sell your possessions and give to the needy. Provide money bags for yourselves that do not become old, a treasure in the heavens that will not fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. ³⁴For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get up and go south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is an isolated area.) ²⁷So he got up and went. And there was a man, an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of Candace, Queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasury. He had come to Jerusalem to worship. ²⁸He was on his way home, sitting in his chariot and reading the prophet Isaiah.

²⁹The Spirit told Philip, “Go over there and stay close to that chariot.” ³⁰Philip ran up to it and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet.

Philip asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?”

³¹The man replied, “How can I unless someone explains it to me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

³²Now the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading was this:

He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,

and as a lamb before its shearer is silent,

so he does not open his mouth.

³³In his humiliation justice was denied him.

Who will talk about his generation?

For his life is taken from the earth.

³⁴The eunuch said to Philip, “I ask you, who is the prophet talking about—himself or someone else?” ³⁵Then Philip began to speak. Starting with that very passage of Scripture, he told him the good news about Jesus. ³⁶As they were traveling along the road, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What is there to prevent me from being baptized?”

³⁸He ordered the chariot to stop. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. ³⁹When they stepped up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away. The eunuch did not see him anymore, but went on his way rejoicing.

Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another. Show sympathy, brotherly love, compassion, and humility. ⁹Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. Instead, speak a blessing, because you were called for the purpose of inheriting a blessing. ¹⁰Indeed:

Let the one who wants to love life

and to see good days

keep his tongue from evil

and his lips from saying anything deceitful.

¹¹Let him turn from evil and do what is good.

Let him seek peace and pursue it.

¹²For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,

and his ears are open to their requests.

But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.

¹³Who will harm you if you are eager to do what is good? ¹⁴But even if you should happen to suffer because of righteousness, you are blessed. Do not be afraid of what they fear, and do not be troubled. ¹⁵But regard the Lord, the Christ, as holy in your hearts. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that is in you. ¹⁶But speak with gentleness and respect, while maintaining a clear conscience, so that those who attack your good way of life in Christ may be put to shame because they slandered you as evildoers.

¹⁷Indeed, it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil, ¹⁸because Christ also suffered once for sins in our place, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.

The next day, John was standing there again with two of his disciples. ³⁶When John saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look! The Lamb of God!” ³⁷The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.

³⁸When Jesus turned around and saw them following him, he asked, “What are you looking for?”

They said to him, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”

³⁹He told them, “Come, and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying. They stayed with him that day. It was about the tenth hour.

⁴⁰Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard John and followed Jesus. ⁴¹The first thing Andrew did was to find his own brother Simon and say to him, “We have found the Messiah!” (which is translated “the Christ”). ⁴²He brought him to Jesus.

Looking at him, Jesus said, “You are Simon, son of Jonah. You will be called Cephas” (which means “Peter”).