The Season after Pentecost

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!”

So then, brothers, we do not owe it to the sinful flesh to live in harmony with it. ¹³For if you live in harmony with the sinful flesh, you are going to die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the actions of the body, you will live.

¹⁴Indeed, those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. ¹⁵For you did not receive a spirit of slavery so that you are afraid again, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we call out, “Abba, Father!” ¹⁶The Spirit himself joins our spirit in testifying that we are God’s children.

¹⁷Now if we are children, we are also heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, since we suffer with him, so that we may also be glorified with him.

There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. ²He came to Jesus at night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one can do these miraculous signs you are doing unless God is with him.”

³Jesus replied, “Amen, Amen, I tell you: Unless someone is born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

⁴Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?”

⁵Jesus answered, “Amen, Amen, I tell you: Unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God! ⁶Whatever is born of the flesh is flesh. Whatever is born of the Spirit is spirit. ⁷Do not be surprised when I tell you that you must be born from above. ⁸The wind blows where it pleases. You hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

⁹“How can these things be?” asked Nicodemus.

¹⁰“You are the teacher of Israel,” Jesus answered, “and you do not know these things? ¹¹Amen, Amen, I tell you: We speak what we know, and we testify about what we have seen. But you people do not accept our testimony. ¹²If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? ¹³No one has ascended into heaven, except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man, who is in heaven.

¹⁴“Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, ¹⁵so that everyone who believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

¹⁶“For God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life. ¹⁷For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”

¹⁴But watch! I am going to court her.

I will bring her into the wilderness.

I will speak tenderly to her.

¹⁵There I will give her vineyards back to her.

The Valley of Achor will be a door of hope.

She will respond there as in the days of her youth,

as in the day she came up from the land of Egypt.

¹⁶In that day, declares the Lord, this is what will take place:

You will call me “my husband.”

You will no longer call me “my master.”

¹⁹I will pledge you to myself in marriage forever.

I will pledge you to myself in marriage—

with righteousness, justice, mercy, and compassion.

²⁰In faithfulness I will pledge you to myself in marriage,

and you will know the Lord.

And I heard what seemed to be the roar of a large crowd or the roar of many waters or the sound of loud rumblings of thunder, saying:

Alleluia!

For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.

⁷Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory,

because the wedding of the Lamb has come.

His bride has made herself ready,

⁸and she was given bright, clean, fine linen to wear.

(In fact, the fine linen is the “not guilty” verdicts pronounced on the saints.)

⁹The angel said to me, “Write: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb.” He also said to me, “These are the true words of God.”

John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. They came and asked Jesus, “Why is it that John’s disciples and the Pharisees’ disciples fast, but your disciples do not fast?”

¹⁹Jesus said to them, “The friends of the bridegroom cannot fast while the bridegroom is with them, can they? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. ²⁰But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then on that day they will fast. ²¹No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. Otherwise, the patch shrinks, the new tears away from the old, and a worse tear is made. ²²No one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will pour out, and the skins will be ruined. Instead, new wine is poured into new wineskins.”

Observe the Sabbath day by setting it apart as holy, just as the Lord your God commanded you. ¹³Six days you are to serve and perform all of your regular work, ¹⁴but the seventh day is a sabbath rest to the Lord your God. You are not to do any regular work, you or your son or your daughter or your male servant or your female servant or your ox or your donkey or any of your livestock or the alien who resides inside your gates, in order that your male servant and your female servant may rest like you. ¹⁵Remember that you were slaves in the land of Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out from there with a strong hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the day of rest.

Even when you were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ by forgiving us all our trespasses. ¹⁴God erased the record of our debt brought against us by his legal demands. This record stood against us, but he took it away by nailing it to the cross. ¹⁵After disarming the rulers and authorities, he made a public display of them by triumphing over them in Christ.

¹⁶Therefore, do not let anyone judge you in regard to food or drink, or in regard to a festival or a New Moon or a Sabbath day. ¹⁷These are a shadow of the things that were coming, but the body belongs to Christ.

Once on a Sabbath day, Jesus was passing through the grain fields, and his disciples began to pick heads of grain as they walked along. ²⁴The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath day?”

²⁵He replied to them, “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry (he and his companions)? ²⁶He entered the house of God in the time of Abiathar the high priest and ate the Bread of the Presence, which is not lawful for anyone to eat, except for the priests. He also gave some to his companions.”

²⁷Then Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. ²⁸So the Son of Man is the Lord even of the Sabbath.”

^3:1Jesus entered the synagogue again, and a man was there with a withered hand. ²They were watching Jesus closely to see if he would heal the man on the Sabbath day, so that they could accuse him. ³He said to the man with the withered hand, “Step forward!” ⁴Then he said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath day to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent. ⁵Then he looked around at them with anger, deeply grieved at the hardness of their hearts. He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” The man stretched it out, and his hand was restored. ⁶The Pharisees left and immediately began to conspire against Jesus with the Herodians, plotting how they might kill him.

They heard the voice of the Lord God, who was walking around in the garden during the cooler part of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.

⁹The Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”

¹⁰The man said, “I heard your voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, so I hid myself.”

¹¹God said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree from which I commanded you not to eat?”

¹²The man said, “The woman you gave to be with me—she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”

¹³The Lord God said to the woman, “What have you done?”

The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

¹⁴The Lord God said to the serpent:

Because you have done this,

you are cursed more than all the livestock,

and more than every wild animal.

You shall crawl on your belly,

and you shall eat dust all the days of your life.

¹⁵I will put hostility between you and the woman,

and between your seed and her seed.

He will crush your head,

and you will crush his heel.

Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven. He had the key to the abyss and a great chain in his hand. ²He seized the dragon, the ancient serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, bound him for a thousand years, ³threw him into the abyss, locked it, and set a seal on it, so that he could no longer deceive the nations until the thousand years come to an end. After this he must be released for a short time.

⁴Then I saw thrones, and those who were sitting on them were given the authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshipped the beast and his image, and they did not receive his mark on their forehead and on their hand. They lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. ⁵(The rest of the dead did not live until the thousand years came to an end.) This is the first resurrection.

⁶Blessed and holy is the one who has a share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them. Instead they will be priests of God and of Christ. And they will reign with him for a thousand years.

They went into a house. A crowd gathered again so that they were not even able to eat a meal. ²¹When his own people heard this, they went out to take control of him, because they were saying, “He is out of his mind.”

²²The experts in the law who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “He drives out demons by the ruler of demons.”

²³Jesus called them together and spoke to them in parables. “How can Satan drive out Satan? ²⁴If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. ²⁵And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. ²⁶And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand but is finished. ²⁷On the other hand, no one can enter a strong man’s house to steal his possessions unless he ties up the strong man first. Then he can plunder his house. ²⁸Amen I tell you: Everything will be forgiven people, their sins and whatever blasphemies they may speak. ²⁹But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin.” ³⁰Jesus said this because they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”

³¹Then his mother and his brothers arrived. While they were standing outside, they sent word to Jesus, calling for him. ³²A crowd was sitting around him. They began to tell him, “Look, your mother and your brothers are outside looking for you.”

³³He replied, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” ³⁴He looked at those who sat around him in a circle and he said, “Look, my mother and my brothers! ³⁵For whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”

This is what the Lord God says. I myself will take part of the tip of the cedar and plant it. From the topmost of its shoots I will pluck off a tender sprig, and I myself will plant it on a high and lofty mountain. ²³On the high mountain of Israel I will plant it. It will produce branches, bear fruit, and become a magnificent cedar. Flying birds of every kind will live under it. In the shelter of its branches they will nest. ²⁴Then all the trees in the countryside will know that I, the Lord, bring down the high tree and raise up the low tree, that I make the green tree dry up, and I make the dried-up tree blossom. I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will carry it out.

We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, ⁴because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the saints ⁵because of the hope that is stored up for you in heaven. You have already heard about this in the word of truth, the gospel ⁶that is present with you now. The gospel is bearing fruit and growing in the entire world, just as it also has been doing among you from the day you heard it and came to know the grace of God in truth. ⁷You learned this from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf. ⁸He is the one who told us about your love in the Spirit.

He said, “The kingdom of God is like this: A man scatters seed on the ground, ²⁷and while he sleeps and rises, night and day the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. ²⁸The ground produces fruit on its own: first the blade, then the head, then the full grain in the head. ²⁹When the crop is ready, he swings the sickle without delay, because the harvest has come.”

³⁰Then he said, “To what should we compare the kingdom of God? Or with what parable may we picture it? ³¹It is like a mustard seed, which when sown on the ground is one of the smallest of all the seeds planted in the ground. ³²Yet when it is planted, it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches so that the birds of the sky can nest under its shade.”

³³With many similar parables he continued to speak the word to them, as much as they were able to hear. ³⁴He did not speak to them without a parable. But when he was alone with his disciples, he explained everything to them.

Then the Lord responded to Job out of a violent storm. He said:

²Who is this who spreads darkness over my plans with his ignorant words?

³Get ready for action like a man!

Then I will ask you questions,

and you will inform me.

⁴Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?

Tell me, if you understand anything about it.

⁵Who determined its dimensions?

I am sure you know.

Who stretched out the surveying line over it?

⁶What supports its foundation?

Who set its cornerstone in place,

⁷when the morning stars sang loud songs together,

and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

⁸Who locked up the sea behind doors

when it burst out of the womb?

⁹When I clothed the sea with clouds,

when I wrapped it with thick darkness as its swaddling cloths,

¹⁰when I broke its power with my decree,

when I locked it up behind barred, double doors,

¹¹I said, “You may come this far, but no farther.

Here is the barrier for your proud waves.”

When a gentle south wind began to blow, they thought they could carry out their plan. They raised the anchor and sailed close to the shore of Crete.

¹⁴But before long, a hurricane-like wind, called the “northeaster,” rushed down from the island. ¹⁵Since the ship was caught in it and could not head into the wind, we gave way to it and were driven along. ¹⁶As we sailed on the sheltered side of a small island called Cauda, we were barely able to secure the skiff. ¹⁷After hoisting it on board, the men tied ropes around the ship to reinforce it. Then, fearing that they would run aground on the sandbars of Syrtis, they lowered the sea anchor and in this way were driven along. ¹⁸Because we were tossed around so violently by the storm, the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard. ¹⁹On the third day, they threw the ship’s gear overboard with their own hands. ²⁰When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the violent storm kept pressing down on us, finally all hope that we would be saved was disappearing.

²¹After they had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up among them and said, “Men, you should have followed my advice and not set sail from Crete and avoided this damage and loss. ²²But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because there will be no loss of life among you. Only the ship will be lost. ²³In fact, last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me ²⁴and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand before Caesar. And surely God has graciously given you all those who are sailing with you.’ ²⁵So keep up your courage, men, because I believe God that it will be exactly the way I have been told. ²⁶However, we must run aground on some island.”

On that day, when evening came, Jesus said to them, “Let’s go over to the other side.” ³⁶After leaving the crowd behind, the disciples took him along in the boat, just as he was. Other small boats also followed him. ³⁷A great windstorm arose, and the waves were splashing into the boat, so that the boat was quickly filling up. ³⁸Jesus himself was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. They woke him and said, “Teacher, don’t you care that we are about to drown?”

³⁹Then he got up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” The wind stopped, and there was a great calm. ⁴⁰He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still lack faith?”

⁴¹They were filled with awe and said to one another, “Who then is this? Even the wind and the sea obey him!”

By the mercies of the Lord we are not consumed, for his compassions do not fail.

²³They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness.

²⁴My soul says, “The Lord is my portion. Therefore, I will hope in him.”

²⁵The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.

²⁶It is good to hope quietly for the salvation of the Lord.

²⁷It is good for a man that he bears a yoke early in his life.

²⁸Let him sit alone and be silent, because the Lord has laid this upon him.

²⁹Let him stick his face in the dust. Perhaps there still is hope.

³⁰Let him turn his cheek toward the one who strikes him. Let him be filled with disgrace.

³¹For the Lord will not push us away forever.

³²Even though he brings grief, he will show compassion on the basis of his great mercy.

³³Certainly, it is not what his heart desires when he causes affliction,

when he brings grief to the children of men.

We hold this treasure in clay jars to show that its extraordinary power is from God and not from us. ⁸We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; perplexed, yet not despairing; ⁹persecuted, yet not forsaken; struck down, yet not destroyed. ¹⁰We always carry around in our body the death of the Lord Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. ¹¹To be sure, while we are living we are continually being handed over to death because of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our mortal flesh. ¹²So then, death is working in us, but life is working in you.

¹³Since we have that same spirit of faith, which corresponds to what is written: “I believed; therefore, I have spoken,” we also believe, and therefore we speak. ¹⁴For we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will also raise us with Jesus and bring us (together with you) into his presence. ¹⁵In fact, all this is for your benefit, so that as grace increases, it will overflow to the glory of God, as more and more people give thanks.

When Jesus had again crossed over in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around him near the sea. ²²Then one of the synagogue rulers, named Jairus, came. When he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet ²³and repeatedly pleaded with him, “My little daughter is near death. Please come and place your hands on her so that she may be healed and live.”

²⁴Jesus went with him.

³⁵While he was still speaking, people from the synagogue ruler’s house arrived, saying, “Your daughter is dead. Why bother the Teacher anymore?”

³⁶But when Jesus heard this report, he told the synagogue ruler, “Don’t be afraid. Only believe.” ³⁷He did not allow anyone to follow him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James. ³⁸They went into the house of the synagogue ruler, and Jesus saw a commotion with people weeping and wailing loudly. ³⁹When he entered, he said to them, “Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but sleeping.”

⁴⁰They laughed at him. But after he put everyone out, he took the father of the child, her mother, and those who were with him and went in where the child was. ⁴¹Grasping the hand of the child, he said to her, “Talitha, koum!” (When translated, that means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise!”) ⁴²Immediately the little girl stood up and began to walk around. (She was twelve years old.) They were completely and utterly amazed. ⁴³Then he gave them strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and he told them to give her something to eat.

He said to me, “Son of man, stand up on your feet, and I will speak with you.” ²The Spirit entered into me as he spoke to me and brought me up to my feet. Then I heard him speaking to me.

³He said to me, “Son of man, I am sending you to the people of Israel, to disloyal nations, who have been disloyal to me. They and their fathers have rebelled against me to this very day. ⁴These children of mine are brazen-faced and hard-hearted. I am sending you to them, and you are to tell them that this is what the Lord God says. ⁵Then, whether they listen or do not listen—for they are a rebellious house—then they will know that a prophet has been among them.” ⁶But you, son of man, do not be afraid of them, and do not be afraid of their words. Even though briers and thorns surround you and you are living with scorpions, do not be afraid of their words, and do not be intimidated by the look on their faces, for they are a rebellious house. ⁷You are to speak my words to them whether they listen or they do not, for they are rebellious.

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.

³Share hardships as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. ⁴No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in the affairs of everyday life. If he does, he will not please the one who enlisted him. ⁵Also, if someone competes as an athlete, he does not receive a crown unless he competes according to the rules. ⁶The hardworking farmer should receive a share of the crops first. ⁷Think about what I am saying, because the Lord will give you understanding in everything.

⁸Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, a descendant of David, in accordance with my gospel, ⁹for which I am suffering, even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But the word of God is not chained. ¹⁰For this reason I endure all things for the sake of the elect, so that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, along with eternal glory. ¹¹This saying is trustworthy:

Indeed, if we have died with him, we will also live with him;

¹²If we endure, we will also reign with him;

If we deny him, he will also deny us;

¹³If we are faithless, he remains faithful,

because he cannot deny himself.

Jesus left there and went to his hometown. His disciples followed him. ²When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue. Many who heard him were amazed. They asked, “Where did this man learn these things? What is this wisdom that has been given to this man? How is it that miracles such as these are performed by his hands? ³Isn’t this the carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.

⁴Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and among his own relatives and in his own house.” ⁵He could not do any miracles there except to lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. ⁶He was amazed at their unbelief. Then he went around the villages teaching.

Then Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent a message to Jeroboam king of Israel:

Amos has conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel. The land is not able to endure all of his words. ¹¹This is what Amos says: “Jeroboam will die by the sword, and Israel will certainly go into exile away from its own soil.”

¹²Then Amaziah said to Amos, “You seer, get out of here! Flee to the land of Judah. You may eat food and prophesy there. ¹³But you must never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the sanctuary of the king and the national temple.”

¹⁴Then Amos responded to Amaziah:

I was not a prophet, nor was I a son of a prophet. Rather, I was a sheep breeder and I took care of sycamore fig trees. ¹⁵But the Lord took me from tending flocks, and the Lord said to me, “Go, prophesy to my people Israel.”

The reason I left you in Crete was so that you would set in order the things that were left unfinished and appoint elders in every city, as I directed you. ⁶Such a man is to be blameless, the husband of only one wife, and to have believing children who are not open to a charge of wild living or disobedience. ⁷Indeed an overseer, since he is God’s steward, must be blameless, not arrogant, not quick-tempered, not a drunkard, not violent, not eager for dishonest gain. ⁸Instead, he must be hospitable, loving what is good, self-controlled, upright, devout, and disciplined. ⁹He must cling to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he will be able both to encourage people by the sound teaching and also to correct those who oppose him.

Jesus called the Twelve and began to send them out two by two. He gave them authority over the unclean spirits. ⁸He instructed them to take nothing for their journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their money belts. ⁹They were to put on sandals but not to wear two coats. ¹⁰He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that area. ¹¹Any place that will not receive you or listen to you, as you leave there, shake off the dust that is under your feet as a testimony against them.”

¹²They went out and preached that people should repent. ¹³They also drove out many demons. They anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.

Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! declares the Lord.

²Therefore, this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says about the shepherds who shepherd my people.

You have scattered my flock.

You have driven them away.

You have not taken care of them,

but I will certainly take care of you,

because of the evil things you have done,

declares the Lord.

³I will gather what is left of my flock

out of all the countries where I have driven them,

and I will bring them back to their pastures.

They will be fruitful and multiply.

⁴I will raise up shepherds over them

who will shepherd them.

They will no longer be afraid or terrified,

nor will any be missing, declares the Lord.

⁵Listen, the days are coming, declares the Lord,

when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch,

who will reign wisely as king

and establish justice and righteousness on earth.

⁶In his days Judah will be saved

and Israel will dwell securely.

This is his name by which he will be called:

The Lord Our Righteousness.

Remember 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.

¹⁷Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls as men who will give an account. Obey them, so that they may do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no benefit to you.

¹⁸Pray for us, because we are sure that we have a good conscience, and because in everything we want to conduct ourselves in an honorable way. ¹⁹I urge you to do this even more, so that I may be restored to you quickly.

²⁰Now may the God of peace—who brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, in connection with his blood, which established the eternal testament—²¹may he equip you with every good thing to do his will, as he works in us what is pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ. To him be glory forever and ever. Amen.

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.

On the fifteenth day of the second month after they had left the land of Egypt, the entire Israelite community set out from Elim and came to the Wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai. ²The entire Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. ³The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat around pots of meat and ate as much food as we wanted, but now you have brought us out into this wilderness to have this whole community die of hunger.”

⁴Then the Lord said to Moses, “Watch what I will do. I will rain down bread from heaven for you, and the people will go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test whether they will follow my instructions or not. ⁵On the sixth day they will prepare what they bring in, and it will be twice as much as they gather on the other days.”

⁶So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “At evening you will know that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, ⁷and in the morning you will see the Glory of the Lord, because he has heard your constant grumbling against the Lord. Who are we that you should grumble against us?”

⁸Moses said, “Now the Lord will give you meat to eat in the evening and as much bread as you want in the morning, because the Lord has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we? Your grumbling is not against us but against the Lord.”

⁹Then Moses said to Aaron, “Tell the entire Israelite community, ‘Come before the Lord, because he has heard your grumbling.’ ” ¹⁰As Aaron spoke to the entire Israelite community, they turned toward the wilderness, and suddenly the Glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud.

¹¹The Lord spoke to Moses: ¹²“I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Say to them, ‘At evening you will eat meat, and in the morning you will eat bread until you are full. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.’ ”

¹³So in the evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning a layer of dew surrounded the camp. ¹⁴When the layer of dew was gone, there were thin flakes on the surface of the wilderness, thin as frost on the ground. ¹⁵When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” because they did not know what it was.

Moses said to them, “This is the bread which the Lord has given to you as food to eat.”

God is able to make all grace overflow to you, so that in all things, at all times, having all that you need, you will overflow in every good work. ⁹As it is written:

He scattered; he gave to the poor.

His righteousness remains forever.

¹⁰And he who provides seed to the sower and bread for food will provide and multiply your seed for sowing, and will increase the harvest of your righteousness. ¹¹You will be made rich in every way so that you may be generous in every way, which produces thanksgiving to God through us.

It was already late in the day when his disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place and it is already very late. ³⁶Send them away so they can go into the surrounding country and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”

³⁷But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.”

They asked him, “Should we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give them something to eat?”

³⁸He said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go see.”

When they found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.”

³⁹He directed everyone to sit down in groups on the green grass. ⁴⁰They sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. ⁴¹Jesus took the five loaves and the two fish, looked up to heaven, and blessed the loaves and broke them. Then he kept giving pieces to his disciples to set in front of them. He also divided the two fish among them all. ⁴²They all ate and were satisfied. ⁴³Then they picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. ⁴⁴There were five thousand men who ate the loaves.

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.

You see, I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. ⁷I have fought the good fight; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith. ⁸From now on, there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness. The Lord, the righteous Judge, will give it to me on that day, and not only to me but also to everyone who loved his appearing.

¹⁶At my first hearing, no one came to my defense, but everyone deserted me. May it not be counted against them. ¹⁷But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message would be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles would hear it, and I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. ¹⁸The Lord will rescue me from every evil work and will bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go ahead to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he himself dismissed the crowd. ⁴⁶After he had sent them off, he went up the mountain to pray.

⁴⁷When it was evening, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and Jesus was alone on the land. ⁴⁸He saw them straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night, he went to them, walking on the sea. He was ready to pass by them. ⁴⁹When they saw him walking on the sea, they thought he was a ghost, and they cried out. ⁵⁰They all saw him and were terrified. Immediately he spoke with them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Do not be afraid.” ⁵¹Then he climbed up into the boat with them, and the wind stopped. They were completely amazed, ⁵²because they had not understood about the loaves. Instead, their hearts were hardened.

⁵³When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and anchored there. ⁵⁴As soon as they stepped out of the boat, people recognized Jesus. ⁵⁵They ran around that whole region and began to bring sick people on their stretchers to where they heard he was. ⁵⁶Wherever he entered villages, cities, or the countryside, they were laying sick people in the marketplaces and pleading with him that they might just touch the edge of his garment. And all who touched it were made well.

When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” because they did not know what it was.

Moses said to them, “This is the bread which the Lord has given to you as food to eat. ¹⁶This is what the Lord has commanded: All of them are to gather as much of it as they need to eat. You are to take an omer per person based on the number of people each of you has in your tents.”

¹⁷The Israelites did this, and some gathered more, some less. ¹⁸When they measured it with an omer, the one who gathered more did not have too much, and the one who gathered less did not have too little. All of them gathered as much as they needed to eat. ¹⁹Moses said to them, “No one is to leave any of it until morning.” ²⁰However, they did not listen to Moses. Some of them left part of it until morning, and it became full of worms and stank. So Moses was angry with them.

²¹They gathered it each morning. All of them gathered as much as they needed to eat. When the sun grew hot, it melted away. ²²On the sixth day they gathered twice as much food, two omers for each person, and all the leaders of the community came and reported to Moses. ²³He said to them, “This is what the Lord has said: Tomorrow is a complete rest, a holy sabbath to the Lord. Bake what you want to bake, and boil what you want to boil, but set aside for yourselves all the rest of it to be kept until morning.”

²⁴So they set it aside until morning as Moses commanded, and it did not stink, and there were no worms in it. ²⁵Moses said, “Today eat whatever is left over, for today is a sabbath to the Lord. Today you will not find any around the camp. ²⁶Six days you will gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will not be any.”

²⁷On the seventh day some of the people went out to gather it, but they did not find any. ²⁸The Lord said to Moses, “How long will you people refuse to keep my commandments and my instructions? ²⁹Look, the Lord has given you the Sabbath. Therefore on the sixth day he will give you two days’ worth of bread. All of you are to stay where you are. None of you are to leave your places on the seventh day.” ³⁰So the people rested on the seventh day.

³¹The house of Israel called it manna. It looked like white coriander seed, and it tasted like wafers made with honey.

For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea, ²and they were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. ³They all ate the same spiritual food ⁴and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them—and that rock was Christ! ⁵Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them. He had them die in the wilderness.

¹¹All these things that were happening to them had meaning as examples, and they were written down to warn us, to whom the end of the ages has come.

¹²So let him who thinks he stands be careful that he does not fall. ¹³No testing has overtaken you except ordinary testing. But God is faithful. He will not allow you to be tested beyond your ability, but when he tests you, he will also bring about the outcome that you are able to bear it.

When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus. ²⁵When they found him on the other side of the sea, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”

²⁶Jesus answered them, “Amen, Amen, I tell you: You are not looking for me because you saw the miraculous signs, but because you ate the loaves and were filled. ²⁷Do not continue to work for the food that spoils, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”

²⁸So they said to him, “What should we do to carry out the works of God?”

²⁹Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God: that you believe in the one he sent.”

³⁰Then they asked him, “So what miraculous sign are you going to do, that we may see it and believe you? What miraculous sign are you going to perform? ³¹Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, just as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ”

³²Jesus said to them, “Amen, Amen, I tell you: Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the real bread from heaven. ³³For the bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

³⁴“Sir,” they said to him, “give us this bread all the time!”

³⁵“I am the Bread of Life,” Jesus told them. “The one who comes to me will never be hungry, and the one who believes in me will never be thirsty.

Wisdom has built her house.

She has carved out her seven pillars.

²She has prepared her meat.

She has mixed her wine.

She has already set her table.

³She has sent out her servant girls.

She calls from the highest point in the city,

⁴“Whoever is naïve, let him turn in here.”

To someone who lacks sense she says,

⁵“Come, eat my food,

and drink the wine that I have mixed.

⁶Abandon your naïve ways and live.

Travel the road to understanding.”

Yet 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. ¹¹Indeed, who among men knows a man’s thoughts except the man’s spirit within him? So also, no one else knows God’s thoughts except God’s Spirit.

¹²What we received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we might know the blessings freely given to us by God. ¹³We also speak about these things, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in words taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual truths with spiritual words. ¹⁴However, an unspiritual person does not accept the truths taught by God’s Spirit, because they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually evaluated. ¹⁵But the spiritual person evaluates all things, and he himself is evaluated by no one. ¹⁶Indeed, “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Who will instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

“I am the Bread of Life,” Jesus told them. “The one who comes to me will never be hungry, and the one who believes in me will never be thirsty. ³⁶But I said to you that you have also seen me, and you do not believe. ³⁷Everyone the Father gives me will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will never cast out. ³⁸For I have come down from heaven, not to do my will, but the will of him who sent me. ³⁹And this is the will of him who sent me: that I should lose none of those he has given me, but raise them up on the Last Day. ⁴⁰For this is the will of my Father: that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life. And I will raise him up on the Last Day.”

⁴¹So the Jews started grumbling about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” ⁴²They asked, “Isn’t this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? So how can he say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?”

⁴³Jesus answered them, “Stop grumbling among yourselves. ⁴⁴No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the Last Day. ⁴⁵It is written in the Prophets, ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. ⁴⁶I am not saying that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God. He is the one who has seen the Father. ⁴⁷Amen, Amen, I tell you: The one who believes in me has eternal life.

⁴⁸“I am the Bread of Life. ⁴⁹Your fathers ate manna in the wilderness, and they died. ⁵⁰This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that anyone may eat it and not die. ⁵¹I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats this bread, he will live forever. The bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel at Shechem, and he summoned the elders of Israel, its heads, its judges, and its officers, and they presented themselves before God.

²Then Joshua told all the people, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, has said.”

From ancient times your ancestors, including Terah, who was the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor, lived beyond the Euphrates River, and they served other gods.

¹⁴Joshua 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!”

By faith Moses refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter when he grew up. ²⁵He chose to be mistreated with God’s people rather than enjoy sin for a little while. ²⁶He considered disgrace for the sake of Christ as greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.

²⁷By faith he left Egypt without fearing the king’s wrath, because he persevered as one who sees him who is invisible.

²⁸By faith he celebrated the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not strike them down.

I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats this bread, he will live forever. The bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

⁵²At that, the Jews argued among themselves, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”

⁵³So Jesus said to them, “Amen, Amen, I tell you: Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life in yourselves. ⁵⁴The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the Last Day. ⁵⁵For my flesh is real food, and my blood is real drink. ⁵⁶The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. ⁵⁷Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. ⁵⁸This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like your fathers ate and died. The one who eats this bread will live forever.”

⁵⁹He said these things while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum. ⁶⁰When 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.”

So now, Israel, listen to the statutes and the ordinances that I am teaching you, and carry them out so that you may live and so that you may enter the land that the Lord, the God of your fathers, is giving to you and take possession of it. ²Do not add to the word that I am commanding you, and do not subtract from it, so that you keep the commandments of the Lord your God that I am commanding you.

⁶Keep them and put them into practice, because in this way your wisdom and your understanding will be recognized by all the people who hear about all these statutes; and they will say, “This great nation is certainly a wise and understanding people,” ⁷because what other great nation is there that has a god as close to it as the Lord our God is to us whenever we call on him? ⁸What other great nation is there that has statutes and ordinances as righteous as this entire law that I am presenting to you today?

⁹But guard yourselves and guard your whole being diligently, so that you do not forget the things that your eyes have seen and so that those things do not disappear from your heart all the rest of the days of your life. Make them known to your children and to your children’s children.

What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who were not pursuing righteousness, have obtained righteousness, a righteousness that is by faith. ³¹But Israel, while pursuing the law as a way of righteousness, did not reach it. ³²Why? Because they kept pursuing it not by faith, but as if it comes by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone. ³³Just as it is written:

Look, I am putting a stone in Zion over which they will stumble

and a rock over which they will fall.

The one who believes in him will not be put to shame.

^10:1Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God on behalf of the Israelites is that they may be saved. ²Indeed, I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but it is not consistent with knowledge. ³Since they were ignorant of the righteousness from God and sought to establish their own righteousness, they did not submit to the righteousness from God. ⁴For to everyone who believes, Christ is the end of the law, resulting in righteousness.

The Pharisees and some of the experts in the law came from Jerusalem and gathered around Jesus. ²They saw some of his disciples eating bread with unclean (that is, unwashed) hands. ³In fact, the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they scrub their hands with a fist, holding to the tradition of the elders. ⁴When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other traditions they adhere to, such as the washing of cups, pitchers, kettles, and dining couches. ⁵The Pharisees and the experts in the law asked Jesus, “Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders? Instead they eat bread with unclean hands.”

⁶He answered them, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites. As it is written:

These people honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

⁷They worship me in vain, teaching human rules as if they were doctrines.

⁸“You abandon God’s commandment but hold to human tradition like the washing of pitchers and cups, and you do many other such things.”

¹⁴He called the crowd to him again and said, “Everyone, listen to me and understand. ¹⁵There is nothing outside of a man that can make him unclean by going into him. But the things that come out of a man are what make a man unclean.

²¹In fact, from within, out of people’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual sins, theft, murder, ²²adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, unrestrained immorality, envy, slander, arrogance, and foolishness. ²³All these evil things proceed from within and make a person unclean.”

Tell those who have a fearful heart:

Be strong.

Do not be afraid.

Look! Your God will come with vengeance.

With God’s own retribution, he will come and save you.

⁵Then the eyes of the blind will be opened,

and the ears of the deaf will be unplugged.

⁶The crippled will leap like a deer,

and the tongue of the mute will sing for joy.

Waters will flow in the wilderness,

and streams in the wasteland.

⁷The burning sand will become a pool,

and in the thirsty ground there will be springs of water.

Peter and John were going up to the temple at the ninth hour, an hour of prayer. ²A certain man who was lame from birth was carried there every day and placed at the temple gate, which is called Beautiful, so that he could beg for donations from those entering the temple. ³When he saw Peter and John about to enter the temple, he asked them for a donation.

⁴Peter looked directly at him, as did John. Peter said, “Look at us.” ⁵So the man paid close attention to them, expecting to receive something from them.

⁶But Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I have I will give you. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!” ⁷Peter took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately the man’s feet and ankles were made strong. ⁸Jumping up, he stood and began to walk. He entered the temple courts with them, walking, jumping, and praising God.

⁹All the people saw him walking and praising God. ¹⁰They recognized him as the one who used to sit begging for money at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

Jesus left the region of Tyre again and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, within the region of the Decapolis.

³²They brought a man to him who was deaf and had a speech impediment. They pleaded with Jesus to place his hand on him. ³³Jesus took him aside in private, away from the crowd. He put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue. ³⁴After he looked up to heaven, he sighed and said, “Ephphatha!” (which means “Be opened!”) ³⁵Immediately the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was set free, and he began to speak plainly. ³⁶Jesus gave the people strict orders to tell no one, but the more he did so, the more they kept proclaiming it. ³⁷They were amazed beyond measure and said, “He has done everything well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak!”

Then Elijah said to all the people, “How long will you stagger around on two crutches? If the Lord is God, follow him. If Baal is God, follow him.” But the people did not answer him a single word.

²²Then Elijah said to the people, “I am the only one left of the Lord’s prophets, but the prophets of Baal total four hundred fifty men. ²³Provide two bulls for us. Let them choose one bull for themselves and cut it up and place it on the firewood, but they are not to light the fire. I will prepare the other bull and place it on the firewood, but I will not light the fire. ²⁴Then you will call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord. The god who answers with fire, he is God.”

All the people said, “This proposal is good.”

²⁵Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose for yourselves one bull, and you go first because there are so many of you. Call on the name of your god. But do not light the fire.”

²⁶So they took the bull which had been given to them and prepared it. Then they called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, “Baal! Answer us!” But there was not a sound. No one answered. So they staggered around the altar which they had made.

²⁷When noon came, Elijah mocked them: “Shout louder! He is a god, isn’t he? He may be deep in thought or busy or on a journey. Perhaps he is asleep and will wake up!” ²⁸So they cried out with a loud voice, and according to their practice they cut themselves with daggers and spears until their blood flowed. ²⁹After noon, they kept up a prophetic frenzy until the time of the evening sacrifice, but there was no sound. No one answered. There was no response.

³⁰Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come here to me.” So they came to him, and he repaired the altar of the Lord, which had been torn down. ³¹Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come and had proclaimed, “Your name shall be Israel.” ³²He built the stones into an altar in the name of the Lord. Around it he made a trench big enough to hold about twenty-five pounds of seed. ³³He arranged the wood, cut up the bull, and placed it on the wood.

Then he said, “Fill four jars with water and pour it on the sacrifice and on the wood.” ³⁴Then he said, “Do it again.” So they did it again. Then he said, “Do it a third time.” So they did it a third time. ³⁵The water flowed all around the altar. It even filled the trench.

³⁶When the time of the evening sacrifice had arrived, Elijah the prophet stood up and said, “O Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and that I have done all these things by your word. ³⁷Answer me, Lord! Answer me so that this people will know that you, O Lord, are God and that you are turning their hearts back to you.”

³⁸Fire from the Lord fell on the sacrifice and on the wood, the stones, and the dirt. It even licked up the water in the trench. ³⁹When all the people saw this, they fell on their knees and said, “The Lord, he is God! The Lord, he is God!”

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.

¹⁴When 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. Proper 20 (September 18-24)

Christian Worship: Hymnal (2021) 3-Year Lectionary, Year B

Evangelical Heritage Version^®

Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman he had married (for he had married a Cushite woman). ²They said, “Has the Lord really spoken only through Moses? Hasn’t he also spoken through us?” The Lord heard this.

³(Now the man Moses was very humble, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.)

⁴Right then the Lord spoke suddenly to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, “You three come out to the Tent of Meeting!”

The three of them came out. ⁵The Lord came down in a pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance to the tent. He called Aaron and Miriam, and they both came forward. ⁶He said, “Now listen to my words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, will make myself known to him in a vision. In a dream I will speak with him. ⁷Not so, however, with my servant Moses. He is faithful in my whole household. ⁸With him I speak face-to-face, clearly, and not in riddles. He sees the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant, against Moses?” ⁹The Lord’s anger burned against them, and he left.

¹⁰The cloud went up from above the tent, and immediately Miriam was leprous, as white as snow. Aaron turned to Miriam and saw that she was leprous.

¹¹Aaron said to Moses, “My lord, please do not hold this sin against us. We have acted foolishly. We have sinned. ¹²Please do not let her be like a stillborn infant that comes out of its mother’s womb with its flesh half-eaten away.”

¹³Moses cried out to the Lord, “God, please heal her, please!”

¹⁴The Lord said to Moses, “If her father had merely spit in her face, would she not be disgraced for seven days? Have her confined outside of the camp for seven days, and after that she can be brought back in.”

¹⁵Miriam was confined outside of the camp for seven days, and the people did not set out until Miriam was brought back in.

¹³Who among you is wise and intelligent? Let him by his good way of living show that he does things in wise humility. ¹⁴But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not boast and lie, contrary to the truth. ¹⁵This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but it is worldly, unspiritual, and demonic. ¹⁶In fact, where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and every bad practice. ¹⁷But the wisdom that comes from above is first pure, then also peaceful, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial, and sincere. ¹⁸And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who practice peace.

They went on from there and passed through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know this, ³¹because he was teaching his disciples. He told them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill him. But three days after he is killed, he will rise.”

³²But they did not understand the statement and were afraid to ask him about it.

³³They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” ³⁴But they remained silent, because on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. ³⁵Jesus sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them, “If anyone wants to be first, he will be the last of all and the servant of all.” ³⁶Then he took a little child and placed him in their midst. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, ³⁷“Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me. And whoever welcomes me, welcomes not just me but also him who sent me.”

The foreign rabble who were among the Israelites were overcome by their craving. The Israelites also wept once again and said, “Who is going to give us meat to eat? ⁵We remember the fish we ate in Egypt free of charge, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. ⁶But now our lives are wasting away. We have nothing at all to look at except this manna.”

¹⁰Moses heard people from all the clans weeping, each one at the entrance to his own tent. At the same time, the Lord’s anger burned fiercely, and Moses was displeased. ¹¹Moses said to the Lord, “Why have you treated your servant so badly? Why have I not found favor in your eyes? Why do you put the burden of all these people on me? ¹²Did I conceive all these people by myself? Am I the one who gave birth to them so that you say to me, ‘Carry them in your arms to the land which you swore to their fathers, just as a woman who is nursing carries a baby’? ¹³Where is there meat for me to give to all these people? Listen, they are weeping to me and saying, ‘Give us meat so that we can eat.’ ¹⁴I am not able to carry all these people by myself, because that is too much for me. ¹⁵If you are going to treat me this way, please kill me right now. If I have found favor in your eyes, do not let me see my own ruin.”

¹⁶So the Lord said to Moses, “Gather seventy men from the elders of Israel for me, men whom you know to be elders and officers for the people. Take them to the Tent of Meeting and make them stand there with you.”

²⁴Moses went out and told the people the Lord’s words. He gathered seventy men from the elders of the people and had them stand all around the tent. ²⁵The Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him. He took from the Spirit that was on Moses and put it on the seventy elders. When the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied, but they did not do it again.

²⁶Two men, however, remained in the camp. The name of one was Eldad, and the name of the other was Medad. They were listed among the elders, but they had not gone out to the tent. The Spirit rested on them, and they prophesied back in the camp. ²⁷A young man ran and reported this to Moses. He said, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp!”

²⁸Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide from his youth, answered, “My lord Moses, stop them!”

²⁹Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? If only all of the Lord’s people were prophets so that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!”

So, submit yourselves to God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you. ⁸Come near to God, and he will come near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded people. ⁹Lament, mourn, and weep. Let your laughter be changed into mourning and your joy into gloom. ¹⁰Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he will lift you up.

¹¹Do not speak against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother is speaking against the law and judging the law. But if you judge the law, you are not one who does the law, but a judge. ¹²There is one lawgiver and judge. He is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?

John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name. We tried to stop him, because he was not following us.”

³⁹But Jesus said, “Do not try to stop him, because no one who does a miracle in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil about me. ⁴⁰Whoever is not against us is for us. ⁴¹Amen I tell you: Whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in my name, because you belong to Christ, will certainly not lose his reward.

⁴²“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to fall into sin, it would be better for him if he were thrown into the sea with a large millstone hung around his neck. ⁴³If your hand causes you to fall into sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed, than to have two hands and go into hell, into the unquenchable fire, ⁴⁴‘where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.’ ⁴⁵If your foot causes you to fall into sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame, than to have two feet and be thrown into hell, ⁴⁶‘where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.’ ⁴⁷If your eye causes you to fall into sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, ⁴⁸‘where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.’ ⁴⁹For everyone will be salted with fire. ⁵⁰Salt is good. But if the salt loses its flavor, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”

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.

… and by submitting to one another in reverence for Christ.

²²Wives, submit to your own husbands as to the Lord. ²³For the husband is the head of the wife, just as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he himself is the Savior. ²⁴Moreover, as the church submits to Christ, so also wives are to submit to their husbands in everything.

²⁵Husbands, love your wives, in the same way as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her ²⁶to make her holy, by cleansing her with the washing of water in connection with the Word. ²⁷He did this so that he could present her to himself as a glorious church, having no stain or wrinkle or any such thing, but so that she would be holy and blameless. ²⁸In the same way, husbands have an obligation to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. ²⁹To be sure, no one has ever hated his own body, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, ³⁰because we are members of his body, of his flesh and of his bones. ³¹“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will be one flesh.” ³²This is a great mystery, but I am talking about Christ and the church. ³³In any case, each one of you also is to love his wife as himself, and each wife is to respect her husband.

^6:1Children, 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.

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.

So he went down and dipped in the Jordan seven times, just as the man of God had said. Then his flesh was restored like the flesh of a small child, and he was clean. ¹⁵Then he and his whole escort went back to the man of God. He stood in front of Elisha and said, “To be sure, now I know that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel. Now accept a gift from your servant.”

¹⁶But Elisha said, “As surely as the Lord lives, in whose presence I stand, I will not take anything.” Even though Na’aman urged him to accept something, he refused.

¹⁷Then Na’aman said, “If you do not want anything, please give me, your servant, as much dirt as two donkeys can carry, for your servant will never again burn incense or sacrifice to other gods, but only to the Lord. ¹⁸But may the Lord forgive your servant this one thing: When my master goes into the house of Rimmon to bow down there and he supports himself on my arm, then I too have to bow down in the house of Rimmon. When I bow down in the house of Rimmon, may the Lord forgive your servant this one thing.”

¹⁹Then Elisha said to him, “Go in peace.”

When Na’aman had gone some distance from him, ²⁰Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, “My master was too easy on this Aramean, Na’aman, when he did not accept anything that he brought. As surely as the Lord lives, I will run after him and get something from him.”

²¹So Gehazi chased after Na’aman. When Na’aman saw him running after him, he got down from his chariot to meet him. He said, “Is everything all right?”

²²Then Gehazi said, “Yes, everything is all right. My master sent me to say, ‘Look, just now two young men from the hill country of Ephraim, from the sons of the prophets, have come to me. Please give them a talent of silver and two sets of clothing.”

²³Na’aman said, “Certainly! Take two talents!” He urged Gehazi and tied up the two talents of silver in two bags with the two sets of clothing. Then Na’aman gave them to his two servants, and they carried them ahead of Gehazi. ²⁴When he came to the hill, he took the gifts from them. Then he hid them in the house and sent the men back, so they left. ²⁵Then he went in and attended his master.

Elisha said to him, “Where were you, Gehazi?”

Gehazi said, “Your servant didn’t go anywhere.”

²⁶Then Elisha said to him, “Didn’t my heart go along when the man got down from his chariot to meet you? Is this the time to take silver, or to accept clothing or olive groves or vineyards or sheep or cattle or male and female servants? ²⁷Na’aman’s leprosy will cling to you and to your descendants forever.” Then Gehazi went out from his presence, leprous like snow.

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword. It penetrates even to the point of dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow, even being able to judge the ideas and thoughts of the heart. ¹³And there is no creature hidden from him, but everything is uncovered and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we will give an account.

As Jesus was setting out on a journey, one man ran up to him and knelt in front of him. He asked, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

¹⁸Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except one—God. ¹⁹You know the commandments. ‘You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not give false testimony. You shall not defraud. Honor your father and mother.’”

²⁰The man replied, “Teacher, I have kept all these since I was a child.”

²¹Jesus looked at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack. Go, sell whatever you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

²²When he heard this, he looked sad and went away grieving, because he had great wealth. ²³Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it will be for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!”

²⁴The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus told them again, “Children, how hard it is for those who trust in their riches to enter the kingdom of God! ²⁵It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

²⁶They were even more astonished and said to one another, “Who then can be saved?”

²⁷Jesus looked at them and said, “For people, it is impossible, but not for God, because all things are possible for God.”

Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him

and to allow him to suffer.

Because you made his life a guilt offering, he will see offspring.

He will prolong his days,

and the Lord’s gracious plan will succeed in his hand.

¹¹After his soul experiences anguish, he will see the light of life.

He will provide satisfaction.

Through their knowledge of him, my just servant will justify the many,

for he himself carried their guilt.

¹²Therefore I will give him an allotment among the great,

and with the strong he will share plunder,

because he poured out his life to death,

and he let himself be counted with rebellious sinners.

He himself carried the sin of many,

and he intercedes for the rebels.

What soldier ever serves at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat some of its fruit? Or who takes care of a flock and does not drink milk from the flock? ⁸Am I saying this just from a human point of view? Doesn’t the law also say this? ⁹Yes, it is written in the Law of Moses, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it is treading out grain.” Is God really concerned about oxen, ¹⁰or does he say this entirely for our sake? Yes, it was written for our sake, because the plowman ought to plow in hope, and the thresher ought to thresh in hope of getting a share. ¹¹If we sowed spiritual seed for your good, is it too much if we reap material benefits from you? ¹²If others have some right to make this claim on you, don’t we even more? But we did not use this right. Instead, we endure everything so as not to cause any hindrance for the gospel of Christ.

¹⁹In fact, although I am free from all, I enslaved myself to all so that I might gain many more. ²⁰To the Jews, I became like a Jew so that I might gain Jews. To those who are under the law, I became like a person under the law (though I myself am not under the law) so that I might gain those who are under the law. ²¹To those who are without the law, I became like a person without the law (though I am not without God’s law but am within the law of Christ) so that I might gain those who are without the law. ²²To the weak, I became weak so that I might gain the weak. I have become all things to all people so that I may save at least some. ²³And I do everything for the sake of the gospel so that I may share in it along with others.

They were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was leading them. The disciples were amazed, and the others who followed were afraid. He took the Twelve aside again and began to tell them what was going to happen to him. ³³“Look, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the experts in the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles. ³⁴They will mock him, spit on him, flog him, and kill him. On the third day he will rise again.”

³⁵James and John, the sons of Zebedee, approached him and said, “Teacher, we wish that you would do for us whatever we ask.”

³⁶He said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?”

³⁷They said to him, “Promise that we may sit, one at your right and one at your left, in your glory.”

³⁸But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink or be baptized with the baptism that I am going to be baptized with?”

³⁹“We can,” they replied.

Jesus told them, “You will drink the cup that I am going to drink and be baptized with the baptism that I am going to be baptized with. ⁴⁰But to sit at my right or at my left is not for me to give; rather, these places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.”

⁴¹When the ten heard this, they were angry with James and John.

⁴²Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. ⁴³But that is not the way it is to be among you. Instead, whoever wants to be great among you will be your servant, ⁴⁴and whoever wants to be first among you will be a slave of all. ⁴⁵For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

This is what the Lord says.

Sing with joy for Jacob,

and shout for the greatest of the nations.

Make your praises heard and say,

“Lord, save your people,

the remnant of Israel!”

⁸Watch, I will bring them from a land in the north

and gather them from the ends of the earth.

The blind and the lame will be there,

the pregnant woman together with the woman in labor.

They will return as a huge community.

⁹They will come weeping.

They will pray as I bring them back.

I will lead them beside streams of water,

on a level path where they will not stumble.

For I am a father to Israel.

Ephraim is my firstborn.

To the messenger of the church in Laodicea write:

The Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation, says this: ¹⁵I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. If only you were cold or hot! ¹⁶So, because you are lukewarm and not hot or cold, I am about to spit you out of my mouth. ¹⁷You say, “I am rich. I have become very wealthy and need nothing.” But you do not know that you are miserable, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. ¹⁸I advise you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments, so that you may be clothed and the shame of your nakedness may not become public, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.

¹⁹I rebuke and discipline those whom I love. So take this seriously and repent.

²⁰Look, I stand at the door and I am knocking. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will go in with him and dine with him, and he with me. ²¹To the one who is victorious I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne.

²²Whoever has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

They came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, a blind man, Bartimaeus the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the road begging. ⁴⁷When he heard that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” ⁴⁸Many told him to be quiet, but he kept shouting all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

⁴⁹Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”

They called the blind man, saying, “Cheer up! Get up. He is calling you!”

⁵⁰He tossed aside his outer garment, jumped up, and went to Jesus.

⁵¹“What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him.

The blind man replied, “Rabboni, I want to see again.”

⁵²Jesus told him, “Go. Your faith has made you well.” Immediately he received his sight and began following Jesus on the road.

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 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 house and on your gates.

Do not owe anyone anything except to love one another, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. ⁹For the commandments—do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not covet (and if there is any other commandment)—are summed up in this statement: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” ¹⁰Love does no harm to a neighbor, so love is the fulfillment of the law.

¹¹And do this since you understand the present time. It is already the hour for you to wake up from sleep, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. ¹²The night is almost over, and the day is drawing near. So let us put away the deeds of darkness and put on the weapons of light. ¹³Let us walk decently as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual sin and wild living, not in strife and jealousy. ¹⁴Instead, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not give any thought to satisfying the desires of your sinful flesh.

One of the experts in the law approached after he heard their discussion. When he saw that Jesus had answered them well, he asked Jesus, “Which commandment is the greatest of all?”

²⁹Jesus answered, “The most important is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord, our God, the Lord is one. ³⁰You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ ³¹The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

³²The expert in the law said to him, “Well said, teacher. You have spoken correctly on the basis of the truth that he is one, and there is no other besides him. ³³To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself, is more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

³⁴When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” After that, no one dared to ask him any more questions.

Then the word of the Lord came to him: ⁹“Get up! Go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and live there. I have commanded a woman there, a widow, to provide for you.”

¹⁰So he got up and went to Zarephath. He came to the city gate, and there he saw a widow gathering sticks. He called to her and said, “Please give me a little water in a jar, so that I can have something to drink.”

¹¹When she went to get it, he called to her, “Please bring me a piece of bread.”

¹²She said, “As surely as the Lord your God lives, I have no food except a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a pitcher. See, I am gathering a couple of sticks so that I can go and prepare it for myself and my son, so that we can eat it and then die.”

¹³Elijah said to her, “Do not be afraid. Go and do just as you said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from the flour and bring it out to me. Then go and make another for you and your son. ¹⁴For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says. The jar of flour will not run out and the pitcher of oil will not become empty until the day the Lord sends rain to water the surface of the ground.”

¹⁵So she went and did exactly as Elijah said. He and she, as well as her household, were able to eat for many days. ¹⁶The jar of flour did not run out, and the pitcher of oil did not become empty, just as the Lord had said through Elijah.

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.

He also said to them in his teaching, “Beware of the experts in the law who like to walk around in long robes and receive greetings in the marketplaces. ³⁹They love the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. ⁴⁰They devour widows’ houses and offer long prayers to look good. These men will receive greater condemnation.”

⁴¹Jesus sat down opposite the offering box and was watching how the crowd put money into it. Many rich people put in large amounts. ⁴²One poor widow came and put in two small bronze coins, worth less than a penny. ⁴³He called his disciples together and said to them, “Amen I tell you: This poor widow put more into the offering box than all the others. ⁴⁴For they all gave out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all that she had to live on.”

Then at that time, Michael, the great prince who stands over your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress that has not happened from the first time that there was a nation until that time.

At that time your people will be delivered, everyone who is found written in the book. ²Many who are sleeping in the dusty ground will awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame, to everlasting contempt. ³Those who have insight will shine like the brightness of the sky, and those who bring many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever and ever.

For Christ did not enter a handmade sanctuary, a representation of the true sanctuary. Instead, he entered into heaven itself, now to appear before God on our behalf. ²⁵And he did not enter to offer himself many times, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place year after year with blood that is not his own. ²⁶Otherwise he would have needed to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now he has appeared once and for all, at the climax of the ages, in order to take away sin by the sacrifice of himself. ²⁷And, just as it is appointed for people to die only once and after this comes the judgment, ²⁸so also Christ was offered only once to take away the sins of many, and he will appear a second time—without sin—to bring salvation to those who are eagerly waiting for him.

“Amen, Amen, I tell you: A time is coming and is here now when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who listen will live. ²⁶For just as the Father has life in himself, so also he has granted the Son to have life in himself. ²⁷And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man.

²⁸“Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice ²⁹and will come out. Those who have done good will rise to live, but those who have practiced evil will rise to be condemned.”

Pay 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.

I kept watching the night visions, and there, in the clouds of heaven, I saw one like a son of man coming. He came to the Ancient of Days, and he was brought before him. ¹⁴To him was given dominion, honor, and a kingdom. All peoples, nations, and languages will worship him. His dominion is an eternal dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will not be destroyed.

²⁰But you, dear friends, continue to build yourselves up in your most holy faith as you keep praying in the Holy Spirit. ²¹Keep yourselves in God’s love as you continue to wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, which results in eternal life. ²²Show mercy to those who are wavering. ²³Save others by snatching them out of the fire. Show mercy to still others with fear, hating even the clothing that is stained by the flesh.

²⁴Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you faultless in the presence of his glory with great joy, ²⁵to the only God, our Savior, be glory, majesty, power, and authority through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all time, now, and to all eternity. Amen.

Grace to you and peace from him who is, who was, and who is coming, and from the seven spirits that are before his throne, ⁵and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his own blood ⁶and made us a kingdom and priests to God his Father—to him be the glory and the power forever. Amen.

⁷Look, he is coming with clouds,

and every eye will see him,

including those who pierced him.

And all the nations of the earth will mourn because of him.

Yes. Amen.

⁸“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, the one who is, and who was, and who is coming, the Almighty.

“Then you will see the Son of Man coming on clouds with great power and glory. ²⁷At that time he will send out his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of the sky.

²⁸“Learn from this illustration of the fig tree: Whenever its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near. ²⁹So also when you see these things happening, you will know that he is near—at the doors! ³⁰Amen I tell you: This generation will certainly not pass away until all these things happen. ³¹Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

³²“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. ³³Watch! Be alert and pray, because you do not know when the time will come. ³⁴It is like a man going away on a journey. When he left his home, he put his servants in charge and assigned what each one was to do. He also commanded the doorkeeper to keep watch. ³⁵Therefore keep watch, because you do not know when the owner of the house is coming: whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or early in the morning. ³⁶If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. ³⁷What I say to you, I say to everyone: Keep watch!”

Pilate went back into the Praetorium and summoned Jesus. He asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?”

³⁴Jesus answered, “Are you saying this on your own, or did others tell you about me?”

³⁵Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What have you done?”

³⁶Jesus replied, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would fight so that I would not be handed over to the Jews. But now my kingdom is not from here.”

³⁷“You are a king then?” Pilate asked.

Jesus answered, “I am, as you say, a king. For this reason I was born, and for this reason I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”

Shadrak, Meshak, and Abednego answered King Nebuchadnezzar, “We have no need to answer you about this matter. ¹⁷Since our God, whom we serve, does exist, he is able to save us from the blazing fiery furnace. So, he may save us from your hand, Your Majesty. ¹⁸But if he does not, you should know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods, and we will not worship the golden statue that you set up.”

¹⁹Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with rage, and the expression on his face changed against Shadrak, Meshak, and Abednego. He said to heat the furnace seven times hotter than it was usually heated. ²⁰He ordered some men, who were soldiers from his army, to bind Shadrak, Meshak, and Abednego in order to throw them into the blazing fiery furnace. ²¹So these men were bound in their coats, their pants, their turbans, and their other clothing, and they were thrown into the middle of the blazing fiery furnace. ²²Because the king’s order was urgent and the furnace was extremely hot, those men who carried Shadrak, Meshak, and Abednego were killed by the intense heat of the fire. ²³But these three men, Shadrak, Meshak, and Abednego, who had been tied up, fell into the blazing fiery furnace.

²⁴Then King Nebuchadnezzar was startled and immediately stood up. He said to his advisors, “Didn’t we throw three men, who had been tied up, into the middle of the fire?”

They answered the king, “Certainly, Your Majesty.”

²⁵He said, “Look! I see four men, who are untied and walking around in the middle of the fire, unharmed. What is more, the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.”

²⁶Then Nebuchadnezzar approached the door of the blazing fiery furnace. He said, “Shadrak, Meshak, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out!” Then Shadrak, Meshak, and Abednego came out from the middle of the furnace. ²⁷The satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the royal advisors gathered together and looked at these men. The fire had no power over their bodies. Not a hair on their head was singed, their robes were not damaged, and the smell of fire had not stuck to them.

²⁸Nebuchadnezzar said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrak, Meshak, and Abednego, who sent his angel and saved his servants, who trusted in God and ignored the king’s command. They gave up their bodies and did not pay homage or worship any god except their God.

Then I saw another angel flying in the middle of the sky. He had the everlasting gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth, to every nation, tribe, language, and people. ⁷He said with a loud voice:

Fear God and give him glory,

because the hour of his judgment has come.

Worship him who made the sky, the earth, the sea, and the springs of water.

Jesus began by telling them, “Be careful that no one deceives you. ⁶Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many.

⁷“Whenever you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled. Such things must happen, but the end is not yet. ⁸In fact, nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places. There will be famines. These are the beginning of birth pains. ⁹But be on your guard! People will hand you over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues. You will stand in the presence of rulers and kings for my sake as a witness to them. ¹⁰And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations. ¹¹Whenever they arrest you and hand you over, do not worry beforehand what you should say. Say whatever is given to you in that hour, because you will not be the ones speaking; instead it will be the Holy Spirit.”All Saints’ Day

Christian Worship: Hymnal (2021) 3-Year Lectionary, Year C

Evangelical Heritage Version^®

On this mountain

the Lord of Armies will prepare for all peoples

a banquet of rich food,

a banquet of aged wines,

with the best cuts of meat,

and with the finest wines.

⁷On this mountain

he will destroy the shroud that covers all peoples,

the burial cloth stretched over all nations.

⁸He has swallowed up death forever!

The Lord God will wipe away the tears from every face.

He will take away the shame of his people throughout the earth.

For the Lord has spoken.

⁹On that day it will be said,

“Look, here is our God!

We waited for him, and he saved us!

This is the Lord!

We waited for him.

Let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation!”

Then I saw thrones, and those who were sitting on them were given the authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshipped the beast and his image, and they did not receive his mark on their forehead and on their hand. They lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. ⁵(The rest of the dead did not live until the thousand years came to an end.) This is the first resurrection.

⁶Blessed and holy is the one who has a share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them. Instead they will be priests of God and of Christ. And they will reign with him for a thousand years.

When Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

³³When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and troubled.

³⁴He asked, “Where have you laid him?”

They told him, “Lord, come and see.”

³⁵Jesus wept.

³⁶Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” ³⁷But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”

³⁸Jesus was deeply moved again as he came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. ³⁹“Take away the stone,” he said.

Martha, the dead man’s sister, told him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, because it has been four days.”

⁴⁰Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” ⁴¹So they took away the stone.

Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you heard me. ⁴²I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.” ⁴³After he said this, he shouted with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”

⁴⁴The man who had died came out with his feet and his hands bound with strips of linen and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus told them, “Loose him and let him go.”