Luke 12 Cross References - BSB

¹ In the meantime, a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling one another. Jesus began to speak first to His disciples: “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. ² There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, and nothing hidden that will not be made known. ³ What you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the housetops. ⁴ I tell you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. ⁵ But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear the One who, after you have been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear Him! ⁶ Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. ⁷ And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. ⁸ I tell you, everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man will also confess him before the angels of God. ⁹ But whoever denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God. ¹⁰ And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. ¹¹ When you are brought before synagogues, rulers, and authorities, do not worry about how to defend yourselves or what to say. ¹² For at that time the Holy Spirit will teach you what you should say.” ¹³ Someone in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” ¹⁴ But Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed Me judge or executor between you?” ¹⁵ And He said to them, “Watch out! Guard yourselves against every form of greed, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” ¹⁶ Then He told them a parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced an abundance. ¹⁷ So he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, since I have nowhere to store my crops?’ ¹⁸ Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and will build bigger ones, and there I will store up all my grain and my goods. ¹⁹ Then I will say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take it easy. Eat, drink, and be merry!”’ ²⁰ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be required of you. Then who will own what you have accumulated?’ ²¹ This is how it will be for anyone who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich toward God.” ²² Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. ²³ For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. ²⁴ Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storehouse or barn; yet God feeds them. How much more valuable you are than the birds! ²⁵ Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? ²⁶ So if you cannot do such a small thing, why do you worry about the rest? ²⁷ Consider how the lilies grow: They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory was adorned like one of these. ²⁸ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith! ²⁹ And do not be concerned about what you will eat or drink. Do not worry about it. ³⁰ For the Gentiles of the world strive after all these things, and your Father knows that you need them. ³¹ But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added unto you. ³² Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom. ³³ Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide yourselves with purses that will not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. ³⁴ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. ³⁵ Be dressed for service and keep your lamps burning. ³⁶ Then you will be like servants waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks, they can open the door for him at once. ³⁷ Blessed are those servants whom the master finds on watch when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve and will have them recline at the table, and he himself will come and wait on them. ³⁸ Even if he comes in the second or third watch of the night and finds them alert, those servants will be blessed. ³⁹ But understand this: If the homeowner had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁰ You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour you do not expect.” ⁴¹ “Lord,” said Peter, “are You addressing this parable to us, or to everyone else as well?” ⁴² And the Lord answered, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their portion at the proper time? ⁴³ Blessed is that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. ⁴⁴ Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. ⁴⁵ But suppose that servant says in his heart, ‘My master will be a long time in coming,’ and he begins to beat the menservants and maidservants, and to eat and drink and get drunk. ⁴⁶ The master of that servant will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not anticipate. Then he will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers. ⁴⁷ That servant who knows his master’s will but does not get ready or follow his instructions will be beaten with many blows. ⁴⁸ But the one who unknowingly does things worthy of punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and from him who has been entrusted with much, even more will be demanded. ⁴⁹ I have come to ignite a fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! ⁵⁰ But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished! ⁵¹ Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but division. ⁵² From now on, five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three. ⁵³ They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.” ⁵⁴ Then Jesus said to the crowds, “As soon as you see a cloud rising in the west, you say, ‘A shower is coming,’ and that is what happens. ⁵⁵ And when the south wind blows, you say, ‘It will be hot,’ and it is. ⁵⁶ You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and sky. Why don’t you know how to interpret the present time? ⁵⁷ And why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right? ⁵⁸ Make every effort to reconcile with your adversary while you are on your way to the magistrate. Otherwise, he may drag you off to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and the officer may throw you into prison. ⁵⁹ I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the very last penny.”

¹⁷ Now the king had appointed the officer on whose arm he leaned to be in charge of the gate, but the people trampled him in the gateway, and he died, just as the man of God had foretold when the king had come to him.

⁵ the triumph of the wicked has been brief and the joy of the godless momentary?

⁸ For what is the hope of the godless when he is cut off, when God takes away his life?

¹³ The godless in heart harbor resentment; even when He binds them, they do not cry for help.

¹⁴ The sinners in Zion are afraid; trembling grips the ungodly: “Who of us can dwell with a consuming fire? Who of us can dwell with everlasting flames?”

⁶ “Watch out!” Jesus told them. “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” ⁷ They discussed this among themselves and concluded, “It is because we did not bring any bread.” ⁸ Aware of their conversation, Jesus said, “You of little faith, why are you debating among yourselves about having no bread? ⁹ Do you still not understand? Do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? ¹⁰ Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? ¹¹ How do you not understand that I was not telling you about bread? But beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” ¹² Then they understood that He was not telling them to beware of the leaven used in bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

¹⁵ “Watch out!” He cautioned them. “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod.” ¹⁶ So they began to discuss with one another the fact that they had no bread. ¹⁷ Aware of their conversation, Jesus asked them, “Why are you debating about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Do you have such hard hearts? ¹⁸ ‘Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear?’ And do you not remember? ¹⁹ When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of broken pieces did you collect?” “Twelve,” they answered. ²⁰ “And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of broken pieces did you collect?” “Seven,” they said. ²¹ Then He asked them, “Do you still not understand?”

¹ On one occasion, while Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret with the crowd pressing in on Him to hear the word of God,

¹⁵ But the news about Jesus spread all the more, and great crowds came to hear Him and to be healed of their sicknesses.

¹⁷ Then Jesus came down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of His disciples was there, along with a great number of people from all over Judea, Jerusalem, and the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon.

⁴⁴ Woe to you! For you are like unmarked graves, which men walk over without even noticing.”

⁵⁶ You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and sky. Why don’t you know how to interpret the present time?

²⁰ When they heard this, they glorified God. Then they said to Paul, “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the law.

⁷ Get rid of the old leaven, that you may be a new unleavened batch, as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. ⁸ Therefore let us keep the feast, not with the old bread, leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and of truth.

³ For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,

¹⁷ But the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peace-loving, gentle, accommodating, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and sincere.

¹ Rid yourselves, therefore, of all malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander.

¹⁴ For God will bring every deed into judgment, along with every hidden thing, whether good or evil.

²⁶ So do not be afraid of them. For there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, and nothing hidden that will not be made known. ²⁷ What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the housetops. ²⁸ Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead, fear the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. ²⁹ Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. ³⁰ And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. ³¹ So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. ³² Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father in heaven. ³³ But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father in heaven.

²² For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be brought to light.

¹⁷ For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be made known and brought to light.

¹⁶ on the day when God will judge men’s secrets through Christ Jesus, as proclaimed by my gospel.

⁵ Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.

¹⁰ For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive his due for the things done in the body, whether good or bad.

¹¹ Then I saw a great white throne and the One seated on it. Earth and heaven fled from His presence, and no place was found for them. ¹² And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne. And there were open books, and one of them was the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their deeds, as recorded in the books.

¹⁴ When daylight is gone, the murderer rises to kill the poor and needy; in the night he is like a thief. ¹⁵ The eye of the adulterer watches for twilight. Thinking, ‘No eye will see me,’ he covers his face.

¹² The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious, but the lips of a fool consume him. ¹³ The beginning of his talk is folly, and the end of his speech is evil madness.

²⁰ Do not curse the king even in your thoughts, or curse the rich even in your bedroom, for a bird of the air may carry your words, and a winged creature may report your speech.

²⁷ What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the housetops.

³⁶ But I tell you that men will give an account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.

¹⁴ Enoch, the seventh from Adam, also prophesied about them: “Behold, the Lord is coming with myriads of His holy ones ¹⁵ to execute judgment on everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of every ungodly act of wickedness and every harsh word spoken against Him by ungodly sinners.”

¹ I have come to my garden, my sister, my bride; I have gathered my myrrh with my spice. I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk. Eat, O friends, and drink; drink freely, O beloved.

¹⁶ His mouth is most sweet; he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.

⁸ “But you, O Israel, My servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, descendant of Abraham My friend—

⁷ Listen to Me, you who know what is right, you people with My law in your hearts: Do not fear the scorn of men; do not be broken by their insults. ⁸ For the moth will devour them like a garment, and the worm will eat them like wool. But My righteousness will last forever, My salvation through all generations.” ⁹ Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD. Wake up as in days past, as in generations of old. Was it not You who cut Rahab to pieces, who pierced through the dragon? ¹⁰ Was it not You who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep, who made a road in the depths of the sea for the redeemed to cross over? ¹¹ So the redeemed of the LORD will return and enter Zion with singing, crowned with everlasting joy. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee. ¹² “I, even I, am He who comforts you. Why should you be afraid of mortal man, of a son of man who withers like grass? ¹³ But you have forgotten the LORD, your Maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth. You live in terror all day long because of the fury of the oppressor who is bent on destruction. But where is the fury of the oppressor?

⁸ Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you,” declares the LORD.

¹⁷ Get yourself ready. Stand up and tell them everything that I command you. Do not be intimidated by them, or I will terrify you before them.

¹⁴ As for me, here I am in your hands; do to me what you think is good and right. ¹⁵ But know for certain that if you put me to death, you will bring innocent blood upon yourselves, upon this city, and upon its residents; for truly the LORD has sent me to speak all these words in your hearing.”

⁶ But you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words. Do not be afraid, though briers and thorns surround you, and you dwell among scorpions. Do not be afraid of their words or dismayed by their presence, though they are a rebellious house.

¹⁶ Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. ¹⁷ If the God whom we serve exists, then He is able to deliver us from the blazing fiery furnace and from your hand, O king.

²⁸ Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead, fear the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

¹⁴ You are My friends if you do what I command you. ¹⁵ No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not understand what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because everything I have learned from My Father I have made known to you.

¹³ When they saw the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they marveled and took note that these men had been with Jesus.

²⁴ But I consider my life of no value to me, if only I may finish my course and complete the ministry I have received from the Lord Jesus—the ministry of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.

²⁸ without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a clear sign of their destruction but of your salvation, and it is from God.

²³ And the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called a friend of God.

¹⁴ But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear what they fear; do not be shaken.”

¹⁰ Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Look, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison to test you, and you will suffer tribulation for ten days. Be faithful even unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.

¹⁷ The wicked will return to Sheol—all the nations who forget God.

²⁶ He who fears the LORD is secure in confidence, and his children shall have a place of refuge.

²² Do you not fear Me?” declares the LORD. “Do you not tremble before Me, the One who set the sand as the boundary for the sea, an enduring barrier it cannot cross? The waves surge, but they cannot prevail. They roar but cannot cross it.

⁷ Who would not fear You, O King of nations? This is Your due. For among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like You.

²² But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ will be subject to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be subject to the fire of hell.

⁴¹ Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

⁴⁶ And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

²³ So be on your guard; I have told you everything in advance.

⁶ and no one should ever violate or exploit his brother in this regard, because the Lord will avenge all such acts, as we have already told you and solemnly warned you.

³¹ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

⁴ For if God did not spare the angels when they sinned, but cast them deep into hell, placing them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment;

⁷ And he said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come. Worship the One who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and the springs of waters.”

⁴ Who will not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before You, for Your righteous acts have been revealed.”

¹⁴ Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death—the lake of fire.

¹⁰ for every beast of the forest is Mine—the cattle on a thousand hills. ¹¹ I know every bird in the mountains, and the creatures of the field are Mine.

⁵ Who is like the LORD our God, the One enthroned on high? ⁶ He humbles Himself to behold the heavens and the earth.

¹⁵ The eyes of all look to You, and You give them their food in season. ¹⁶ You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing.

⁹ He provides food for the animals, and for the young ravens when they call.

²⁹ Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father.

²⁴ Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storehouse or barn; yet God feeds them. How much more valuable you are than the birds!

²⁷ Consider how the lilies grow: They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory was adorned like one of these.

⁴⁵ But the people said to Saul, “Must Jonathan die—he who accomplished such a great deliverance for Israel? Never! As surely as the LORD lives, not a hair of his head will fall to the ground, for with God’s help he has accomplished this today.” So the people rescued Jonathan, and he did not die.

¹¹ “Please,” she replied, “may the king invoke the LORD your God to prevent the avenger of blood from increasing the devastation, so that my son may not be destroyed!” “As surely as the LORD lives,” he vowed, “not a hair of your son’s head will fall to the ground.”

¹¹ who teaches us more than the beasts of the earth and makes us wiser than the birds of the air?’

⁶ You made him ruler of the works of Your hands; You have placed everything under his feet:

³ For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I give Egypt for your ransom, Cush and Seba in your place. ⁴ Because you are precious and honored in My sight, and because I love you, I will give men in exchange for you and nations in place of your life.

²⁶ Look at the birds of the air: They do not sow or reap or gather into barns—and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

³⁰ And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. ³¹ So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

¹² How much more valuable is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”

¹⁸ Yet not even a hair of your head will perish.

³⁴ So for your own preservation, I urge you to eat something, because not a single hair of your head will be lost.”

³⁰ Therefore, the LORD, the God of Israel, declares: ‘I did indeed say that your house and the house of your father would walk before Me forever. But now the LORD declares: Far be it from Me! For I will honor those who honor Me, but those who despise Me will be disdained.

⁴⁶ I will speak of Your testimonies before kings, and I will not be ashamed.

³¹ When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His glorious throne. ³² All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³ He will place the sheep on His right and the goats on His left. ³⁴ Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

¹⁰ In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels over one sinner who repents.”

⁹ that if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For with your heart you believe and are justified, and with your mouth you confess and are saved.

¹² if we endure, we will also reign with Him; if we deny Him, He will also deny us;

²³ Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father, but whoever confesses the Son has the Father as well.

²⁴ Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you unblemished in His glorious presence, with great joy— ²⁵ to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority through Jesus Christ our Lord before all time, and now, and for all eternity. Amen.

¹³ I know where you live, where the throne of Satan sits. Yet you have held fast to My name and have not denied your faith in Me, even in the day when My faithful witness Antipas was killed among you, where Satan dwells.

⁴ But you do have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments, and because they are worthy, they will walk with Me in white. ⁵ Like them, he who overcomes will be dressed in white. And I will never blot out his name from the Book of Life, but I will confess his name before My Father and His angels.

²³ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’

³³ But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father in heaven.

¹² But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’

³¹ When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His glorious throne.

³⁸ If anyone is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in His Father’s glory with the holy angels.”

²⁶ If anyone is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.

²⁶ Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ ²⁷ And he will answer, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you are from. Depart from me, all you evildoers.’

¹³ The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His servant Jesus. You handed Him over and rejected Him before Pilate, even though he had decided to release Him. ¹⁴ You rejected the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you.

²⁸ And now, little children, remain in Christ, so that when He appears, we may be confident and unashamed before Him at His coming.

⁸ I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door, which no one can shut. For you have only a little strength, yet you have kept My word and have not denied My name.

³¹ Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. ³² Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the one to come.

²⁸ Truly I tell you, the sons of men will be forgiven all sins and blasphemies, as many as they utter. ²⁹ But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of eternal sin.” ³⁰ Jesus made this statement because they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”

³⁴ Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up His garments by casting lots.

¹³ I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a violent man; yet because I had acted in ignorance and unbelief, I was shown mercy.

⁴ It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, ⁵ who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age— ⁶ and then have fallen away—to be restored to repentance, because they themselves are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting Him to open shame. ⁷ For land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is tended receives the blessing of God. ⁸ But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless, and its curse is imminent. In the end it will be burned.

²⁶ If we deliberately go on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no further sacrifice for sins remains, ²⁷ but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume all adversaries. ²⁸ Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. ²⁹ How much more severely do you think one deserves to be punished who has trampled on the Son of God, profaned the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and insulted the Spirit of grace? ³⁰ For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge His people.” ³¹ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

¹⁶ If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he should ask God, who will give life to those who commit this kind of sin. There is a sin that leads to death; I am not saying he should ask regarding that sin.

¹⁷ But beware of men; for they will hand you over to their councils and flog you in their synagogues. ¹⁸ On My account, you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. ¹⁹ But when they hand you over, do not worry about how to respond or what to say. In that hour you will be given what to say. ²⁰ For it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

³⁴ Because of this, I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify, and others you will flog in your synagogues and persecute in town after town.

⁹ So be on your guard. You will be delivered over to the councils and beaten in the synagogues. On My account you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them. ¹⁰ And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all the nations. ¹¹ But when they arrest you and hand you over, do not worry beforehand what to say. Instead, speak whatever you are given at that time, for it will not be you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.

²² Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear.

¹² But before all this, they will seize you and persecute you. On account of My name they will deliver you to the synagogues and prisons, and they will bring you before kings and governors. ¹³ This will be your opportunity to serve as witnesses. ¹⁴ So make up your mind not to worry beforehand how to defend yourselves.

⁵ The next day the rulers, elders, and scribes assembled in Jerusalem, ⁶ along with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and many others from the high priest’s family. ⁷ They had Peter and John brought in and began to question them: “By what power or what name did you do this?”

²⁷ They brought them in and made them stand before the Sanhedrin, where the high priest interrogated them. ²⁸ “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us responsible for this man’s blood.” ²⁹ But Peter and the other apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than men. ³⁰ The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had killed by hanging Him on a tree. ³¹ God exalted Him to His right hand as Prince and Savior, in order to grant repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel. ³² We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.”

⁹ But resistance arose from what was called the Synagogue of the Freedmen, including Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and men from the provinces of Cilicia and Asia. They began to argue with Stephen, ¹⁰ but they could not stand up to his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke. ¹¹ Then they prompted some men to say, “We heard Stephen speak words of blasphemy against Moses and against God.” ¹² So they stirred up the people, elders, and scribes and confronted Stephen. They seized him and brought him before the Sanhedrin, ¹³ where they presented false witnesses who said, “This man never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. ¹⁴ For we have heard him say that Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs that Moses handed down to us.” ¹⁵ All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

¹¹ And the LORD said to him, “Who gave man his mouth? Or who makes the mute or the deaf, the sighted or the blind? Is it not I, the LORD?

²⁰ For it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

¹⁵ For I will give you speech and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.

⁸ Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and elders of the people!

¹⁰ but they could not stand up to his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke.

² And Stephen declared: “Brothers and fathers, listen to me! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, ³ and told him, ‘Leave your country and your kindred and go to the land I will show you.’ ⁴ So Abraham left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. After his father died, God brought him out of that place and into this land where you are now living. ⁵ He gave him no inheritance here, not even a foot of ground. But God promised to give possession of the land to Abraham and his descendants, even though he did not yet have a child. ⁶ God told him that his descendants would be foreigners in a strange land, and that they would be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. ⁷ ‘But I will punish the nation that enslaves them,’ God said, ‘and afterward they will come forth and worship Me in this place.’ ⁸ Then God gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision, and Abraham became the father of Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day. And Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs. ⁹ Because the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph, they sold him as a slave into Egypt. But God was with him ¹⁰ and rescued him from all his troubles. He granted Joseph favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt, who appointed him ruler over Egypt and all his household. ¹¹ Then famine and great suffering swept across Egypt and Canaan, and our fathers could not find food. ¹² When Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our fathers on their first visit. ¹³ On their second visit, Joseph revealed his identity to his brothers, and his family became known to Pharaoh. ¹⁴ Then Joseph sent for his father Jacob and all his relatives, seventy-five in all. ¹⁵ So Jacob went down to Egypt, where he and our fathers died. ¹⁶ Their bones were carried back to Shechem and placed in the tomb that Abraham had bought from the sons of Hamor at Shechem for a price he paid in silver. ¹⁷ As the time drew near for God to fulfill His promise to Abraham, our people in Egypt increased greatly in number. ¹⁸ Then another king, who knew nothing of Joseph, arose over Egypt. ¹⁹ He exploited our people and oppressed our fathers, forcing them to abandon their infants so they would die. ²⁰ At that time Moses was born, and he was beautiful in the sight of God. For three months he was nurtured in his father’s house. ²¹ When he was set outside, Pharaoh’s daughter took him and brought him up as her own son. ²² So Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action. ²³ When Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his brothers, the children of Israel. ²⁴ And when he saw one of them being mistreated, Moses went to his defense and avenged him by striking down the Egyptian who was oppressing him. ²⁵ He assumed his brothers would understand that God was using him to deliver them, but they did not. ²⁶ The next day he came upon two Israelites who were fighting, and he tried to reconcile them, saying, ‘Men, you are brothers. Why are you mistreating each other?’ ²⁷ But the man who was abusing his neighbor pushed Moses aside and said, ‘Who made you ruler and judge over us? ²⁸ Do you want to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’ ²⁹ At this remark, Moses fled to the land of Midian, where he lived as a foreigner and had two sons. ³⁰ After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai. ³¹ When Moses saw it, he marveled at the sight. As he approached to look more closely, the voice of the Lord came to him: ³² ‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’ Moses trembled with fear and did not dare to look. ³³ Then the Lord said to him, ‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground. ³⁴ I have indeed seen the oppression of My people in Egypt. I have heard their groaning and have come down to deliver them. Now come, I will send you back to Egypt.’ ³⁵ This Moses, whom they had rejected with the words, ‘Who made you ruler and judge?’ is the one whom God sent to be their ruler and redeemer through the angel who appeared to him in the bush. ³⁶ He led them out and performed wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, at the Red Sea, and for forty years in the wilderness. ³⁷ This is the same Moses who told the Israelites, ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers.’ ³⁸ He was in the assembly in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers. And he received living words to pass on to us. ³⁹ But our fathers refused to obey him. Instead, they rejected him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt. ⁴⁰ They said to Aaron, ‘Make us gods who will go before us! As for this Moses who led us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him.’ ⁴¹ At that time they made a calf and offered a sacrifice to the idol, rejoicing in the works of their hands. ⁴² But God turned away from them and gave them over to the worship of the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets: ‘Did you bring Me sacrifices and offerings forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel? ⁴³ You have taken along the tabernacle of Molech and the star of your god Rephan, the idols you made to worship. Therefore I will send you into exile beyond Babylon.’ ⁴⁴ Our fathers had the tabernacle of the Testimony with them in the wilderness. It was constructed exactly as God had directed Moses, according to the pattern he had seen. ⁴⁵ And our fathers who received it brought it in with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations God drove out before them. It remained until the time of David, ⁴⁶ who found favor in the sight of God and asked to provide a dwelling place for the God of Jacob. ⁴⁷ But it was Solomon who built the house for Him. ⁴⁸ However, the Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands. As the prophet says: ⁴⁹ ‘Heaven is My throne and the earth is My footstool. What kind of house will you build for Me, says the Lord, or where will My place of repose be? ⁵⁰ Has not My hand made all these things?’ ⁵¹ You stiff-necked people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit, just as your fathers did. ⁵² Which of the prophets did your fathers fail to persecute? They even killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One. And now you are His betrayers and murderers— ⁵³ you who received the law ordained by angels, yet have not kept it.”

⁵⁵ But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked intently into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.

¹ Agrippa said to Paul, “You have permission to speak for yourself.” Then Paul stretched out his hand and began his defense: ² “King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate to stand before you today to defend myself against all the accusations of the Jews, ³ especially since you are acquainted with all the Jewish customs and controversies. I beg you, therefore, to listen to me patiently. ⁴ Surely all the Jews know how I have lived from the earliest days of my youth, among my own people and in Jerusalem. ⁵ They have known me for a long time and can testify, if they are willing, that I lived as a Pharisee, adhering to the strictest sect of our religion. ⁶ And now I stand on trial because of my hope in the promise that God made to our fathers, ⁷ the promise our twelve tribes are hoping to realize as they earnestly serve God day and night. It is because of this hope, O king, that I am accused by the Jews. ⁸ Why would any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead? ⁹ So then, I too was convinced that I ought to do all I could to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth. ¹⁰ And that is what I did in Jerusalem. With authority from the chief priests I put many of the saints in prison, and when they were condemned to death, I cast my vote against them. ¹¹ I frequently had them punished in the synagogues, and I tried to make them blaspheme. In my raging fury against them, I even went to foreign cities to persecute them. ¹² In this pursuit I was on my way to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. ¹³ About noon, O king, as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and my companions. ¹⁴ We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice say to me in Hebrew, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ ¹⁵ ‘Who are You, Lord?’ I asked. ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ the Lord replied. ¹⁶ ‘But get up and stand on your feet. For I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen from Me and what I will show you. ¹⁷ I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them ¹⁸ to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those sanctified by faith in Me.’ ¹⁹ So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision. ²⁰ First to those in Damascus and Jerusalem, then to everyone in the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, I declared that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds worthy of their repentance. ²¹ For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple courts and tried to kill me. ²² But I have had God’s help to this day, and I stand here to testify to small and great alike. I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen: ²³ that the Christ would suffer, and as the first to rise from the dead, would proclaim light to our people and to the Gentiles.” ²⁴ At this stage of Paul’s defense, Festus exclaimed in a loud voice, “You are insane, Paul! Your great learning is driving you to madness!” ²⁵ But Paul answered, “I am not insane, most excellent Festus; I am speaking words of truth and sobriety. ²⁶ For the king knows about these matters, and I can speak freely to him. I am confident that none of this has escaped his notice, because it was not done in a corner. ²⁷ King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do.” ²⁸ Then Agrippa said to Paul, “Can you persuade me in such a short time to become a Christian?” ²⁹ “Short time or long,” Paul replied, “I wish to God that not only you but all who hear me this day may become what I am, except for these chains.” ³⁰ Then the king and the governor rose, along with Bernice and those seated with them. ³¹ On their way out, they said to one another, “This man has done nothing worthy of death or imprisonment.” ³² And Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been released if he had not appealed to Caesar.”

¹⁴ from such men, O LORD, by Your hand—from men of the world whose portion is in this life. May You fill the bellies of Your treasured ones and satisfy their sons, so they leave their abundance to their children.

³¹ So My people come to you as usual, sit before you, and hear your words; but they do not put them into practice. Although they express love with their mouths, their hearts pursue dishonest gain.

⁴⁵ The good man brings good things out of the good treasure of his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil treasure of his heart. For out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.

¹⁸ When Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money. ¹⁹ “Give me this power as well,” he said, “so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”

⁵ and constant friction between men of depraved mind who are devoid of the truth. These men regard godliness as a means of gain.

¹⁴ But the man replied, “Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you planning to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid and thought, “This thing I have done has surely become known.”

⁸ He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?

²⁰ When Jesus saw their faith, He said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”

⁵⁸ A short time later, someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not.”

¹⁵ Then Jesus, realizing that they were about to come and make Him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by Himself.

¹¹ “No one, Lord,” she answered. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Now go and sin no more.”

³⁵ “Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed You over to me. What have You done?” ³⁶ Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world; if it were, My servants would fight to prevent My arrest by the Jews. But now My kingdom is not of this realm.”

¹ You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on another. For on whatever grounds you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.

³ So when you, O man, pass judgment on others, yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment?

²⁰ But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? Shall what is formed say to Him who formed it, “Why did You make me like this?”

²¹ When I saw among the spoils a beautiful cloak from Shinar, two hundred shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath.”

⁴ “Skin for skin!” Satan replied. “A man will give up all he owns in exchange for his life.

²⁴ If I have put my trust in gold or called pure gold my security, ²⁵ if I have rejoiced in my great wealth because my hand had gained so much,

³ For the wicked man boasts in the cravings of his heart; he blesses the greedy and reviles the LORD.

¹⁶ Better is the little of the righteous than the abundance of many who are wicked.

¹⁰ Place no trust in extortion, or false hope in stolen goods. If your riches increase, do not set your heart upon them.

³⁶ Turn my heart to Your testimonies and not to covetous gain. ³⁷ Turn my eyes away from worthless things; revive me with Your word.

¹⁶ Better a little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure with turmoil.

¹⁶ How much better to acquire wisdom than gold! To gain understanding is more desirable than silver.

⁴ Do not wear yourself out to get rich; be wise enough to restrain yourself. ⁵ When you glance at wealth, it disappears, for it makes wings for itself and flies like an eagle to the sky.

¹⁶ A leader who lacks judgment is also a great oppressor, but he who hates dishonest profit will prolong his days.

⁶ Better one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and pursuit of the wind. ⁷ Again, I saw futility under the sun. ⁸ There is a man all alone, without even a son or brother. And though there is no end to his labor, his eyes are still not content with his wealth: “For whom do I toil and bereave my soul of enjoyment?” This too is futile—a miserable task.

¹⁰ He who loves money is never satisfied by money, and he who loves wealth is never satisfied by income. This too is futile. ¹¹ When good things increase, so do those who consume them; what then is the profit to the owner, except to behold them with his eyes? ¹² The sleep of the worker is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of the rich man permits him no sleep. ¹³ There is a grievous evil I have seen under the sun: wealth hoarded to the harm of its owner, ¹⁴ or wealth lost in a failed venture, so when that man has a son there is nothing to pass on. ¹⁵ As a man came from his mother’s womb, so he will depart again, naked as he arrived. He takes nothing for his labor to carry in his hands. ¹⁶ This too is a grievous evil: Exactly as a man is born, so he will depart. What does he gain as he toils for the wind?

¹³ “For from the least of them to the greatest, all are greedy for gain; from prophet to priest, all practice deceit.

¹⁷ “But your eyes and heart are set on nothing except your own dishonest gain, on shedding innocent blood, on practicing extortion and oppression.” ¹⁸ Therefore this is what the LORD says concerning Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah: “They will not mourn for him: ‘Alas, my brother! Alas, my sister!’ They will not mourn for him: ‘Alas, my master! Alas, his splendor!’

² They covet fields and seize them; they take away houses. They deprive a man of his home, a fellow man of his inheritance.

⁹ Woe to him who builds his house by unjust gain, to place his nest on high and escape the hand of disaster!

²⁵ Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air: They do not sow or reap or gather into barns—and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

²² greed, wickedness, deceit, debauchery, envy, slander, arrogance, and foolishness.

¹⁴ The seeds that fell among the thorns are those who hear, but as they go on their way, they are choked by the worries, riches, and pleasures of this life, and their fruit does not mature.

¹⁴ The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all of this and were scoffing at Jesus.

³⁴ But watch yourselves, or your hearts will be weighed down by dissipation, drunkenness, and the worries of life—and that day will spring upon you suddenly like a snare.

¹⁰ I was not including the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. ¹¹ But now I am writing you not to associate with anyone who claims to be a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a verbal abuser, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.

¹⁰ nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.

³ But among you, as is proper among the saints, there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed. ⁴ Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk, or crude joking, which are out of character, but rather thanksgiving. ⁵ For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure, or greedy person (that is, an idolater), has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

⁵ Put to death, therefore, the components of your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry.

⁶ Of course, godliness with contentment is great gain. ⁷ For we brought nothing into the world, so we cannot carry anything out of it. ⁸ But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these. ⁹ Those who want to be rich, however, fall into temptation and become ensnared by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. ¹⁰ For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. By craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.

² For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,

⁵ Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, for God has said: “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.”

³ In their greed, these false teachers will exploit you with deceptive words. The longstanding verdict against them remains in force, and their destruction does not sleep.

¹⁴ Their eyes are full of adultery; their desire for sin is never satisfied; they seduce the unstable. They are accursed children with hearts trained in greed.

¹² Now Isaac sowed seed in the land, and that very year he reaped a hundredfold. And the LORD blessed him, ¹³ and he became richer and richer, until he was exceedingly wealthy. ¹⁴ He owned so many flocks and herds and servants that the Philistines envied him.

⁴⁷ During the seven years of abundance, the land brought forth bountifully. ⁴⁸ During those seven years, Joseph collected all the excess food in the land of Egypt and stored it in the cities. In every city he laid up the food from the fields around it. ⁴⁹ So Joseph stored up grain in such abundance, like the sand of the sea, that he stopped keeping track of it; for it was beyond measure.

⁶ The tents of robbers are safe, and those who provoke God are secure—those who carry their god in their hands.

³ For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

¹² Behold, these are the wicked—always carefree as they increase their wealth.

⁸ For she does not acknowledge that it was I who gave her grain, new wine, and oil, who lavished on her silver and gold—which they crafted for Baal.

⁴⁵ that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

¹⁷ Yet He has not left Himself without testimony to His goodness: He gives you rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling your hearts with food and gladness.”

² Divide your portion among seven, or even eight, for you do not know what disaster may befall the land.

⁷ Isn’t it to share your bread with the hungry, to bring the poor and homeless into your home, to clothe the naked when you see him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

⁴² Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

¹¹ John replied, “Whoever has two tunics should share with him who has none, and whoever has food should do the same.”

²⁵ One day an expert in the law stood up to test Him. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

⁴¹ But give as alms the things that are within you, and you will see that everything is clean for you.

²⁹ And do not be concerned about what you will eat or drink. Do not worry about it.

³³ Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide yourselves with purses that will not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys.

¹³ But when you host a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind, ¹⁴ and you will be blessed. Since they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

³ The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, now that my master is taking away my position? I am too weak to dig and too ashamed to beg.

⁹ I tell you, use worldly wealth to make friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, they will welcome you into eternal dwellings.

²² On hearing this, Jesus told him, “You still lack one thing: Sell everything you own and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.”

¹⁷ His master replied, ‘Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very small matter, you shall have authority over ten cities.’

³⁷ When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and asked Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”

³⁰ Then he brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

¹³ Share with the saints who are in need. Practice hospitality.

⁶ Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. ⁷ Each one should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not out of regret or compulsion. For God loves a cheerful giver. ⁸ And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things, at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. ⁹ As it is written: “He has scattered abroad His gifts to the poor; His righteousness endures forever.” ¹⁰ Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your store of seed and will increase the harvest of your righteousness. ¹¹ You will be enriched in every way to be generous on every occasion, so that through us your giving will produce thanksgiving to God. ¹² For this ministry of service is not only supplying the needs of the saints, but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanksgiving to God. ¹³ Because of the proof this ministry provides, the saints will glorify God for your obedient confession of the gospel of Christ, and for the generosity of your contribution to them and to all the others. ¹⁴ And their prayers for you will express their affection for you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. ¹⁵ Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!

¹⁷ Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be conceited and not to put their hope in the uncertainty of wealth, but in God, who richly provides all things for us to enjoy.

¹⁶ By this we know what love is: Jesus laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.

²¹ This is how it will be for anyone who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich toward God.”

⁴ For a while he refused, but later he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect men,

⁶ And the Lord said, “Listen to the words of the unjust judge.

¹⁵ Such wisdom does not come from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.

¹⁵ Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord is willing, we will live and do this or that.”

¹¹ with houses full of every good thing with which you did not fill them, with wells that you did not dig, and with vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant—and when you eat and are satisfied, ¹² be careful not to forget the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

¹² Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses in which to dwell, ¹³ and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all that you have is multiplied, ¹⁴ then your heart will become proud, and you will forget the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

¹ “Man, who is born of woman, is short of days and full of trouble.

¹¹ They send forth their little ones like a flock; their children skip about, ¹² singing to the tambourine and lyre and making merry at the sound of the flute. ¹³ They spend their days in prosperity and go down to Sheol in peace.

⁵ Why should I fear in times of trouble, when wicked usurpers surround me? ⁶ They trust in their wealth and boast in their great riches. ⁷ No man can possibly redeem his brother or pay his ransom to God. ⁸ For the redemption of his soul is costly, and never can payment suffice, ⁹ that he should live on forever and not see decay. ¹⁰ For it is clear that wise men die, and the foolish and the senseless both perish and leave their wealth to others. ¹¹ Their graves are their eternal homes—their dwellings for endless generations—even though their lands were their namesakes. ¹² But a man, despite his wealth, cannot endure; he is like the beasts that perish. ¹³ This is the fate of the self-confident and their followers who endorse their sayings. Selah

¹⁸ Though in his lifetime he blesses his soul—and men praise you when you prosper—

⁵ Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin; He will snatch you up and tear you away from your tent; He will uproot you from the land of the living. Selah ⁶ The righteous will see and fear; they will mock the evildoer, saying, ⁷ “Look at the man who did not make God his refuge, but trusted in the abundance of his wealth and strengthened himself by destruction.”

¹¹ A rich man’s wealth is his fortified city; it is like a high wall in his imagination.

⁵ When you glance at wealth, it disappears, for it makes wings for itself and flies like an eagle to the sky.

¹ Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.

⁹ Rejoice, O young man, while you are young, and let your heart be glad in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and in the sight of your eyes, but know that for all these things God will bring you to judgment.

⁸ Woe to you who add house to house and join field to field until no place is left and you live alone in the land.

¹¹ Woe to those who rise early in the morning in pursuit of strong drink, who linger into the evening, to be inflamed by wine.

¹³ But look, there is joy and gladness, butchering of cattle and slaughtering of sheep, eating of meat and drinking of wine: “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!”

⁸ And Ephraim boasts: “How rich I have become! I have found wealth for myself. In all my labors, they can find in me no iniquity that is sinful.”

³ You dismiss the day of calamity and bring near a reign of violence. ⁴ You lie on beds inlaid with ivory, and lounge upon your couches. You dine on lambs from the flock and calves from the stall. ⁵ You improvise songs on the harp like David and invent your own musical instruments. ⁶ You drink wine by the bowlful and anoint yourselves with the finest oils, but you fail to grieve over the ruin of Joseph.

¹⁶ Therefore he sacrifices to his dragnet and burns incense to his fishing net, for by these things his portion is sumptuous and his food is rich.

¹⁹ Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰ But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

¹⁹ Now there was a rich man dressed in purple and fine linen, who lived each day in joyous splendor.

³² If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus for human motives, what did I gain? If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.”

¹⁹ Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and their glory is in their shame. Their minds are set on earthly things.

⁶ But she who lives for pleasure is dead even while she is still alive.

⁴ traitorous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,

¹³ Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business, and make a profit.” ¹⁴ You do not even know what will happen tomorrow! What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. ¹⁵ Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord is willing, we will live and do this or that.”

¹ Come now, you who are rich, weep and wail over the misery to come upon you. ² Your riches have rotted and moths have eaten your clothes. ³ Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and consume your flesh like fire. You have hoarded treasure in the last days.

⁵ You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in the day of slaughter.

³ For you have spent enough time in the past carrying out the same desires as the Gentiles: living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing, and detestable idolatry.

⁷ As much as she has glorified herself and lived in luxury, give her the same measure of torment and grief. In her heart she says, ‘I sit as queen; I am not a widow and will never see grief.’

⁹ Then Moses said to Aaron, “Tell the whole congregation of Israel, ‘Come before the LORD, for He has heard your grumbling.’” ¹⁰ And as Aaron was speaking to the whole congregation of Israel, they looked toward the desert, and there in a cloud the glory of the LORD appeared.

³⁶ When Abigail returned to Nabal, there he was in the house, holding a feast fit for a king, in high spirits and very drunk. So she told him nothing until morning light. ³⁷ In the morning when Nabal was sober, his wife told him about these events, and his heart failed within him and he became like a stone. ³⁸ About ten days later, the LORD struck Nabal dead.

²⁸ Now Absalom had ordered his young men, “Watch Amnon until his heart is merry with wine, and when I order you to strike Amnon down, you are to kill him. Do not be afraid. Have I not commanded you? Be courageous and valiant!” ²⁹ So Absalom’s young men did to Amnon just as Absalom had ordered. Then all the other sons of the king got up, and each one fled on his mule.

⁹ However, while Elah was in Tirzah getting drunk in the house of Arza the steward of his household there, Elah’s servant Zimri, the commander of half his chariots, conspired against him. ¹⁰ So in the twenty-seventh year of Asa’s reign over Judah, Zimri went in, struck Elah down, and killed him. And Zimri reigned in his place.

¹¹ Haman recounted to them his glorious wealth, his many sons, and all the ways the king had honored and promoted him over the other officials and servants.

¹ That same day King Xerxes awarded Queen Esther the estate of Haman, the enemy of the Jews. And Mordecai entered the king’s presence because Esther had revealed his relation to her. ² The king removed the signet ring he had recovered from Haman and presented it to Mordecai. And Esther appointed Mordecai over the estate of Haman.

²⁰ Because his appetite is never satisfied, he cannot escape with his treasure. ²¹ Nothing is left for him to consume; thus his prosperity will not endure. ²² In the midst of his plenty, he will be distressed; the full force of misery will come upon him. ²³ When he has filled his stomach, God will vent His fury upon him, raining it down on him as he eats.

¹⁶ Though he heaps up silver like dust and piles up a wardrobe like clay, ¹⁷ what he lays up, the righteous will wear, and his silver will be divided by the innocent.

⁶ Surely every man goes about like a phantom; surely he bustles in vain; he heaps up riches not knowing who will haul them away.

¹⁷ For when he dies, he will carry nothing away; his abundance will not follow him down. ¹⁸ Though in his lifetime he blesses his soul—and men praise you when you prosper— ¹⁹ he will join the generation of his fathers, who will never see the light of day.

¹⁹ How suddenly they are laid waste, completely swept away by terrors!

³⁰ Yet before they had filled their desire, with the food still in their mouths,

⁴ Riches are worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness brings deliverance from death.

⁸ He who increases his wealth by interest and usury lays it up for one who is kind to the poor.

¹⁸ I hated all for which I had toiled under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who comes after me. ¹⁹ And who knows whether that man will be wise or foolish? Yet he will take over all the labor at which I have worked skillfully under the sun. This too is futile. ²⁰ So my heart began to despair over all the labor that I had done under the sun. ²¹ When there is a man who has labored with wisdom, knowledge, and skill, and he must give his portion to a man who has not worked for it, this too is futile and a great evil. ²² For what does a man get for all the toil and striving with which he labors under the sun?

¹¹ Like a partridge hatching eggs it did not lay is the man who makes a fortune unjustly. In the middle of his days his riches will desert him, and in the end he will be the fool.”

¹ Later, King Belshazzar held a great feast for a thousand of his nobles, and he drank wine with them. ² Under the influence of the wine, Belshazzar gave orders to bring in the gold and silver vessels that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king could drink from them, along with his nobles, his wives, and his concubines. ³ Thus they brought in the gold vessels that had been taken from the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king drank from them, along with his nobles, his wives, and his concubines. ⁴ As they drank the wine, they praised their gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and stone. ⁵ At that moment the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. As the king watched the hand that was writing, ⁶ his face grew pale and his thoughts so alarmed him that his hips gave way and his knees knocked together.

²⁵ Now this is the inscription that was written: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN. ²⁶ And this is the interpretation of the message: MENE means that God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end. ²⁷ TEKEL means that you have been weighed on the scales and found deficient. ²⁸ PERES means that your kingdom has been divided and given over to the Medes and Persians.” ²⁹ Then Belshazzar gave the command, and they clothed Daniel in purple, placed a gold chain around his neck, and proclaimed him the third highest ruler in the kingdom. ³⁰ That very night Belshazzar king of the Chaldeans was slain,

¹⁰ For they will be entangled as with thorns and consumed like the drink of a drunkard—like stubble that is fully dry.

⁴⁸ But suppose that servant is wicked and says in his heart, ‘My master will be away a long time.’ ⁴⁹ And he begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. ⁵⁰ The master of that servant will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not anticipate. ⁵¹ Then he will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

⁴⁰ You fools! Did not the One who made the outside make the inside as well?

²² One day the beggar died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. And the rich man also died and was buried. ²³ In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham from afar, with Lazarus by his side.

³ While people are saying, “Peace and security,” destruction will come upon them suddenly, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

⁷ For we brought nothing into the world, so we cannot carry anything out of it.

¹⁴ You do not even know what will happen tomorrow! What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

¹ Israel was a luxuriant vine, yielding fruit for himself. The more his fruit increased, the more he increased the altars. The better his land produced, the better he made the sacred pillars.

¹⁹ Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰ But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.

²⁴ But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort.

¹¹ So if you have not been faithful with worldly wealth, who will entrust you with true riches?

⁵ But because of your hard and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.

¹⁰ sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

¹⁸ Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, and to be generous and ready to share, ¹⁹ treasuring up for themselves a firm foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.

⁵ Listen, my beloved brothers: Has not God chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom He promised those who love Him?

⁹ I know your affliction and your poverty—though you are rich! And I am aware of the slander of those who falsely claim to be Jews, but are in fact a synagogue of Satan.

²⁵ Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air: They do not sow or reap or gather into barns—and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? ²⁸ And why do you worry about clothes? Consider how the lilies of the field grow: They do not labor or spin. ²⁹ Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his glory was adorned like one of these. ³⁰ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? ³¹ Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the Gentiles strive after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of its own.

³² I want you to be free from concern. The unmarried man is concerned about the work of the Lord, how he can please the Lord.

⁶ Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

¹⁷ As soon as the men had brought them out, one of them said, “Run for your lives! Do not look back, and do not stop anywhere on the plain! Flee to the mountains, or you will be swept away!”

¹² “Very well,” said the LORD to Satan. “Everything he has is in your hands, but you must not lay a hand on the man himself.” Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.

⁶ “Very well,” said the LORD to Satan. “He is in your hands, but you must spare his life.”

⁸ Riches may ransom a man’s life, but a poor man hears no threat.

¹⁸ We were tossed so violently that the next day the men began to jettison the cargo. ¹⁹ On the third day, they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands.

³⁸ After the men had eaten their fill, they lightened the ship by throwing the grain into the sea.

¹ Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was among the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As surely as the LORD lives—the God of Israel before whom I stand—there will be neither dew nor rain in these years except at my word!” ² Then a revelation from the LORD came to Elijah: ³ “Leave here, turn eastward, and hide yourself by the Brook of Cherith, east of the Jordan. ⁴ And you are to drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.” ⁵ So Elijah did what the LORD had told him, and he went and lived by the Brook of Cherith, east of the Jordan. ⁶ The ravens would bring him bread and meat in the morning and evening, and he would drink from the brook.

⁴¹ Who provides food for the raven when its young cry out to God as they wander about for lack of food?

³¹ So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

²⁶ The king was consumed with sorrow, but because of his oaths and his guests, he did not want to refuse her.

⁷ And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

³⁰ For the Gentiles of the world strive after all these things, and your Father knows that you need them. ³¹ But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added unto you. ³² Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom.

³⁶ Nor should you swear by your head, for you cannot make a single hair white or black.

²⁷ Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

³ He was trying to see who Jesus was, but could not see over the crowd because he was small in stature.

¹³ Consider the work of God: Who can straighten what He has bent?

⁷ Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.

¹ Now when the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to test him with difficult questions. ² She arrived in Jerusalem with a very large caravan—with camels bearing spices, gold in great abundance, and precious stones. So she came to Solomon and spoke to him all that was on her mind. ³ And Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too difficult for the king to explain. ⁴ When the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon, the palace he had built, ⁵ the food at his table, the seating of his servants, the service and attire of his attendants and cupbearers, and the burnt offerings he presented at the house of the LORD, it took her breath away. ⁶ She said to the king, “The report I heard in my own country about your words and wisdom is true. ⁷ But I did not believe these things until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half was told to me. Your wisdom and prosperity have far exceeded the report I heard. ⁸ How blessed are your men! How blessed are these servants of yours who stand continually before you and hear your wisdom! ⁹ Blessed be the LORD your God, who has delighted in you to set you on the throne of Israel. Because of the LORD’s eternal love for Israel, He has made you king to carry out justice and righteousness.” ¹⁰ Then she gave the king 120 talents of gold, a great quantity of spices, and precious stones. Never again was such an abundance of spices brought in as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon. ¹¹ (The fleet of Hiram that brought gold from Ophir also brought from Ophir a great cargo of almug wood and precious stones. ¹² The king made the almug wood into steps for the house of the LORD and for the king’s palace, and into lyres and harps for the singers. Never before had such almug wood been brought in, nor has such been seen to this day.) ¹³ King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she desired—whatever she asked—besides what he had given her out of his royal bounty. Then she left and returned to her own country, along with her servants.

¹ Now when the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon, she came to test him with difficult questions. She arrived in Jerusalem with a very large caravan—with camels bearing spices, gold in abundance, and precious stones. So she came to Solomon and spoke with him about all that was on her mind. ² And Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too difficult for him to explain. ³ When the queen of Sheba saw the wisdom of Solomon, the palace he had built, ⁴ the food at his table, the seating of his servants, the service and attire of his attendants and cupbearers, and the burnt offerings he presented at the house of the LORD, it took her breath away. ⁵ She said to the king, “The report I heard in my own country about your words and wisdom is true. ⁶ But I did not believe the reports until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not half of the greatness of your wisdom was told to me. You have far exceeded the report I heard. ⁷ How blessed are your men! How blessed are these servants of yours who stand continually before you and hear your wisdom! ⁸ Blessed be the LORD your God, who has delighted in you to set you on His throne to be king for the LORD your God. Because your God loved Israel enough to establish them forever, He has made you king over them to carry out justice and righteousness.” ⁹ Then she gave the king 120 talents of gold, a great quantity of spices, and precious stones. There had never been such spices as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon. ¹⁰ (The servants of Hiram and of Solomon who brought gold from Ophir also brought algum wood and precious stones. ¹¹ The king made the algum wood into steps for the house of the LORD and for the king’s palace, and into lyres and harps for the singers. Never before had anything like them been seen in the land of Judah.) ¹² King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she desired—whatever she asked—far more than she had brought the king. Then she left and returned to her own country, along with her servants.

²⁸ And why do you worry about clothes? Consider how the lilies of the field grow: They do not labor or spin. ²⁹ Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his glory was adorned like one of these. ³⁰ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

¹⁰ But the one who is rich should exult in his low position, because he will pass away like a flower of the field. ¹¹ For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its flower falls and its beauty is lost. So too, the rich man will fade away in the midst of his pursuits.

⁶ A voice says, “Cry out!” And I asked, “What should I cry out?” “All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flowers of the field.

³⁰ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

²⁶ “You of little faith,” Jesus replied, “why are you so afraid?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it was perfectly calm.

³¹ Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and took hold of Peter. “You of little faith,” He said, “why did you doubt?”

⁸ Aware of their conversation, Jesus said, “You of little faith, why are you debating among yourselves about having no bread?

¹⁷ “O unbelieving and perverse generation!” Jesus replied. “How long must I remain with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy here to Me.”

²⁰ “Because you have so little faith,” He answered. “For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

²⁵ “Where is your faith?” He asked. Frightened and amazed, they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him!”

²⁴ For, “All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall,

³¹ Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’

⁷ Stay at the same house, eating and drinking whatever you are offered. For the worker is worthy of his wages. Do not move around from house to house. ⁸ If you enter a town and they welcome you, eat whatever is set before you.

³⁵ Then Jesus asked them, “When I sent you out without purse or bag or sandals, did you lack anything?” “Nothing,” they answered.

⁴⁷ And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even Gentiles do the same?

¹ “Be careful not to perform your righteous acts before men to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

⁸ Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.

³² For the Gentiles strive after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.

¹⁴ In the same way, your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.

³² Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom.

¹⁷ “Do not cling to Me,” Jesus said, “for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go and tell My brothers, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God.’”

¹⁷ So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.

⁵ not in lustful passion like the Gentiles who do not know God;

² Consequently, he does not live out his remaining time on earth for human passions, but for the will of God. ³ For you have spent enough time in the past carrying out the same desires as the Gentiles: living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing, and detestable idolatry. ⁴ Because of this, they consider it strange of you not to plunge with them into the same flood of reckless indiscretion, and they heap abuse on you.

¹¹ So God said to him, “Since you have asked for this instead of requesting long life or wealth for yourself or death for your enemies—but you have asked for discernment to administer justice— ¹² behold, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there has never been nor will ever be another like you. ¹³ Moreover, I will give you what you did not request—both riches and honor—so that during all your days no man in any kingdom will be your equal.

⁹ Fear the LORD, you His saints, for those who fear Him lack nothing.

³ Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.

¹⁹ In the time of evil they will not be ashamed, and in the days of famine they will be satisfied.

²⁵ I once was young and now am old, yet never have I seen the righteous abandoned or their children begging for bread.

¹¹ For the LORD God is a sun and a shield; the LORD gives grace and glory; He withholds no good thing from those who walk with integrity.

¹⁶ he will dwell on the heights; the mountain fortress will be his refuge; his food will be provided and his water assured.

³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.

⁴² But only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, and it will not be taken away from her.”

²⁷ Do not work for food that perishes, but for 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.”

³¹ What then shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

⁸ For physical exercise is of limited value, but godliness is valuable in every way, holding promise for the present life and for the one to come.

⁷ Tell me, O one I love, where do you pasture your sheep? Where do you rest them at midday? Why should I be like a veiled woman beside the flocks of your companions? ⁸ If you do not know, O fairest of women, follow the tracks of the flock, and graze your young goats near the tents of the shepherds.

¹¹ He tends His flock like a shepherd; He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart. He gently leads the nursing ewes.

¹⁴ Do not fear, O worm of Jacob, O few men of Israel. I will help you,” declares the LORD. “Your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.

⁶ We all like sheep have gone astray, each one has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid upon Him the iniquity of us all.

¹⁹ Then I said, ‘How I long to make you My sons and give you a desirable land, the most beautiful inheritance of all the nations!’ I thought you would call Me ‘Father’ and never turn away from following Me.

¹⁵ Beware of false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.

²⁵ At that time Jesus declared, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. ²⁶ Yes, Father, for this was well-pleasing in Your sight. ²⁷ All things have been entrusted to Me by My Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.

²⁷ But Jesus spoke up at once: “Take courage! It is I. Do not be afraid.”

¹² What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost? ¹³ And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices more over that one sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. ¹⁴ In the same way, your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.

¹⁶ So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

³⁴ Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

²¹ At that time Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and declared, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was well-pleasing in Your sight.

²⁶ But because you are not My sheep, you refuse to believe. ²⁷ My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me. ²⁸ I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them out of My hand. ²⁹ My Father who has given them to Me is greater than all. No one can snatch them out of My Father’s hand. ³⁰ I and the Father are one.”

³⁶ Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world; if it were, My servants would fight to prevent My arrest by the Jews. But now My kingdom is not of this realm.”

¹⁵ When they had finished eating, Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love Me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he answered, “You know I love You.” Jesus replied, “Feed My lambs.” ¹⁶ Jesus asked a second time, “Simon son of John, do you love Me?” “Yes, Lord,” he answered, “You know I love You.” Jesus told him, “Shepherd My sheep.” ¹⁷ Jesus asked a third time, “Simon son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was deeply hurt that Jesus had asked him a third time, “Do you love Me?” “Lord, You know all things,” he replied. “You know I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep.

²³ For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

²⁸ And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose. ²⁹ For those God foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers. ³⁰ And those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; those He justified, He also glorified. ³¹ What then shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³² He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also, along with Him, freely give us all things?

⁵ He predestined us for adoption as His sons through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will, ⁶ to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the Beloved One. ⁷ In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace ⁸ that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. ⁹ And He has made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ

¹³ For it is God who works in you to will and to act on behalf of His good purpose.

⁵ All this is clear evidence of God’s righteous judgment. And so you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering.

¹¹ To this end, we always pray for you, that our God will count you worthy of His calling, and that He will powerfully fulfill your every good desire and work of faith,

²⁸ Therefore, since we are receiving an unshakable kingdom, let us be filled with gratitude, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe.

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, reserved in heaven for you, ⁵ who through faith are shielded by God’s power for the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

¹¹ and you will receive a lavish reception into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

⁶ who has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father—to Him be the glory and power forever and ever! Amen.

⁵ There will be no more night in the city, and they will have no need for the light of a lamp or of the sun. For the Lord God will shine on them, and they will reign forever and ever.

⁶ You have planted much but harvested little. You eat but never have enough. You drink but never have your fill. You put on clothes but never get warm. You earn wages to put into a bag pierced through.”

²¹ Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.”

⁶ Judas did not say this because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief. As keeper of the money bag, he used to take from what was put into it.

⁴⁵ Selling their possessions and goods, they shared with anyone who was in need.

³⁴ There were no needy ones among them, because those who owned lands or houses would sell their property, bring the proceeds from the sales, ³⁵ and lay them at the apostles’ feet for distribution to anyone as he had need.

² In the terrible ordeal they suffered, their abundant joy and deep poverty overflowed into rich generosity.

¹⁷ Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be conceited and not to put their hope in the uncertainty of wealth, but in God, who richly provides all things for us to enjoy.

²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

²⁰ But our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,

¹ Therefore, since you have been raised with Christ, strive for the things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. ² Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. ³ For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

⁴⁶ And the hand of the LORD came upon Elijah, and he tucked his cloak into his belt and ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.

¹⁷ She girds herself with strength and shows that her arms are strong.

²⁷ None of them grows weary or stumbles; no one slumbers or sleeps. No belt is loose and no sandal strap is broken.

⁵ Righteousness will be the belt around His hips, and faithfulness the sash around His waist.

¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

¹ “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.

⁴ But the wise ones took oil in flasks along with their lamps. ⁵ When the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. ⁶ At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ ⁷ Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. ⁸ The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’ ⁹ ‘No,’ said the wise ones, ‘or there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ ¹⁰ But while they were on their way to buy it, the bridegroom arrived. Those who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet, and the door was shut.

¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness arrayed,

¹⁵ so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine as lights in the world

¹³ Therefore prepare your minds for action. Be sober-minded. Set your hope fully on the grace to be given you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

¹⁸ I await Your salvation, O LORD.

⁵ I rose up to open for my beloved. My hands dripped with myrrh, my fingers with flowing myrrh on the handles of the bolt. ⁶ I opened for my beloved, but he had turned and gone. My heart sank at his departure. I sought him, but did not find him. I called, but he did not answer.

⁴ From ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides You, who acts on behalf of those who wait for Him.

²⁵ The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. ²⁶ It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.

¹ Once again, Jesus spoke to them in parables: ² “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. ³ He sent his servants to call those he had invited to the banquet, but they refused to come. ⁴ Again, he sent other servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner. My oxen and fattened cattle have been killed, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’ ⁵ But they paid no attention and went away, one to his field, another to his business. ⁶ The rest seized his servants, mistreated them, and killed them. ⁷ The king was enraged, and he sent his troops to destroy those murderers and burn their city. ⁸ Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited were not worthy. ⁹ Go therefore to the crossroads and invite to the banquet as many as you can find.’ ¹⁰ So the servants went out into the streets and gathered everyone they could find, both evil and good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. ¹¹ But when the king came in to see the guests, he spotted a man who was not dressed in wedding clothes. ¹² ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ But the man was speechless. ¹³ Then the king told the servants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ ¹⁴ For many are called, but few are chosen.”

⁴² Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day on which your Lord will come. ⁴³ But understand this: If the homeowner had known in which watch of the night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁴ For this reason, you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour you do not expect.

¹ “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. ² Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. ³ The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take along any extra oil. ⁴ But the wise ones took oil in flasks along with their lamps. ⁵ When the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. ⁶ At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ ⁷ Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. ⁸ The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’ ⁹ ‘No,’ said the wise ones, ‘or there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ ¹⁰ But while they were on their way to buy it, the bridegroom arrived. Those who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet, and the door was shut. ¹¹ Later the other virgins arrived and said, ‘Lord, lord, open the door for us!’ ¹² But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’ ¹³ Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

³⁴ It is like a man going on a journey who left his house, put each servant in charge of his own task, and instructed the doorkeeper to keep watch. ³⁵ Therefore keep watch, because you do not know when the master of the house will return—whether in the evening, at midnight, when the rooster crows, or in the morning. ³⁶ Otherwise, he may arrive without notice and find you sleeping. ³⁷ And what I say to you, I say to everyone: Keep watch!”

²⁵ Now there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. ²⁶ The Holy Spirit had revealed to him that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. ²⁷ Led by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. And when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for Him what was customary under the Law, ²⁸ Simeon took Him in his arms and blessed God, saying: ²⁹ “Sovereign Lord, as You have promised, You now dismiss Your servant in peace. ³⁰ For my eyes have seen Your salvation,

⁷ Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer awaits the precious fruit of the soil—how patient he is for the fall and spring rains. ⁸ You, too, be patient and strengthen your hearts, because the Lord’s coming is near.

¹³ I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of my body, ¹⁴ because I know that this tent will soon be laid aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. ¹⁵ And I will make every effort to ensure that after my departure, you will be able to recall these things at all times.

²⁰ But you, beloved, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, ²¹ keep yourselves in the love of God as you await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you eternal life.

²⁰ Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and dine with him, and he with Me.

⁵ For as a young man marries a young woman, so your sons will marry you; and as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so your God will rejoice over you.

⁴¹ Yes, I will rejoice in doing them good, and I will faithfully plant them in this land with all My heart and with all My soul.

¹⁷ The LORD your God is among you; He is mighty to save. He will rejoice over you with gladness; He will quiet you with His love; He will rejoice over you with singing.”

⁴² Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day on which your Lord will come.

⁴⁵ Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of his household, to give the others their food at the proper time? ⁴⁶ Blessed is that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. ⁴⁷ Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.

²⁰ The servant who had received the five talents came and presented five more. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’ ²¹ His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master!’ ²² The servant who had received the two talents also came and said, ‘Master, you entrusted me with two talents. See, I have gained two more.’ ²³ His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master!’

⁴³ Blessed is that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns.

⁸ Instead, won’t he tell him, ‘Prepare my meal and dress yourself to serve me while I eat and drink; and afterward you may eat and drink’?

³⁶ So keep watch at all times, and pray that you may have the strength to escape all that is about to happen and to stand before the Son of Man.”

²⁶ If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, My servant will be as well. If anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.

⁴ So He got up from the supper, laid aside His outer garments, and wrapped a towel around His waist. ⁵ After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and dry them with the towel that was around Him.

⁹ Rather, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no heart has imagined, what God has prepared for those who love Him.”

²¹ For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

²³ I am torn between the two. I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better indeed.

⁷ I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. ⁸ From now on there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but to all who crave His appearing.

¹ As a fellow elder, a witness of Christ’s sufferings, and a partaker of the glory to be revealed, I appeal to the elders among you: ² Be shepherds of God’s flock that is among you, watching over them not out of compulsion, but because it is God’s will; not out of greed, but out of eagerness; ³ not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. ⁴ And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.

¹⁴ Therefore, beloved, as you anticipate these things, make every effort to be found at peace—spotless and blameless in His sight.

²¹ To the one who overcomes, I will grant the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as I overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.

¹⁷ For the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd. ‘He will lead them to springs of living water,’ and ‘God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’”

³ And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. And no one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. ⁴ These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they are virgins. They follow the Lamb wherever He goes. They have been redeemed from among men as firstfruits to God and to the Lamb.

¹³ And I heard a voice from heaven telling me to write, “Blessed are the dead—those who die in the Lord from this moment on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labors, for their deeds will follow them.”

⁶ At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’

⁴ But you, brothers, are not in the darkness so that this day should overtake you like a thief. ⁵ For you are all sons of the light and sons of the day; we do not belong to the night or to the darkness.

¹⁹ Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.

² For you are fully aware that the Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. ³ While people are saying, “Peace and security,” destruction will come upon them suddenly, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

¹⁰ But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar, the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and its works will be laid bare.

³ Remember, then, what you have received and heard. Keep it and repent. If you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know the hour when I will come upon you.

¹⁵ “Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who remains awake and clothed, so that he will not go naked and let his shame be exposed.”

⁴⁴ For this reason, you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour you do not expect.

¹³ Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

³³ Be on your guard and stay alert! For you do not know when the appointed time will come. ³⁴ It is like a man going on a journey who left his house, put each servant in charge of his own task, and instructed the doorkeeper to keep watch. ³⁵ Therefore keep watch, because you do not know when the master of the house will return—whether in the evening, at midnight, when the rooster crows, or in the morning. ³⁶ Otherwise, he may arrive without notice and find you sleeping.

³⁴ But watch yourselves, or your hearts will be weighed down by dissipation, drunkenness, and the worries of life—and that day will spring upon you suddenly like a snare. ³⁵ For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of all the earth. ³⁶ So keep watch at all times, and pray that you may have the strength to escape all that is about to happen and to stand before the Son of Man.”

¹¹ And do this, understanding the occasion. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.

¹⁴ Instead, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the desires of the flesh.

⁶ So then, let us not sleep as the others do, but let us remain awake and sober.

¹² as you anticipate and hasten the coming of the day of God, when the heavens will be destroyed by fire and the elements will melt in the heat. ¹³ But in keeping with God’s promise, we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells. ¹⁴ Therefore, beloved, as you anticipate these things, make every effort to be found at peace—spotless and blameless in His sight.

⁷ Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him the glory. For the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready.

³⁷ And what I say to you, I say to everyone: Keep watch!”

³⁷ Then Jesus returned and found them sleeping. “Simon, are you asleep?” He asked. “Were you not able to keep watch for one hour?

⁷ The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear-minded and sober, so that you can pray.

⁸ Be sober-minded and alert. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

²³ A man takes joy in a fitting reply—and how good is a timely word!

⁴ The Lord GOD has given Me the tongue of discipleship, to sustain the weary with a word. He awakens Me morning by morning; He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple.

⁴ I will raise up shepherds over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid or dismayed, nor will any go missing, declares the LORD.

³ You eat the fat, wear the wool, and butcher the fattened sheep, but you do not feed the flock.

⁵² Then He told them, “For this reason, every scribe who has been discipled in the kingdom of heaven is like a homeowner who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.”

⁸ When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, starting with the last ones hired and moving on to the first.’

⁴⁵ Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of his household, to give the others their food at the proper time? ⁴⁶ Blessed is that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns.

¹³ When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said, “Do not weep.”

¹ Jesus also said to His disciples, “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. ² So he called him in to ask, ‘What is this I hear about you? Turn in an account of your management, for you cannot be manager any longer.’ ³ The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, now that my master is taking away my position? I am too weak to dig and too ashamed to beg. ⁴ I know what I will do, so that after my removal from management, people will welcome me into their homes.’ ⁵ And he called in each one of his master’s debtors. ‘How much do you owe my master?’ he asked the first. ⁶ ‘A hundred measures of olive oil,’ he answered. ‘Take your bill,’ said the manager. ‘Sit down quickly, and write fifty.’ ⁷ Then he asked another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ ‘A hundred measures of wheat,’ he replied. ‘Take your bill and write eighty,’ he told him. ⁸ The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the sons of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the sons of light. ⁹ I tell you, use worldly wealth to make friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, they will welcome you into eternal dwellings. ¹⁰ Whoever is faithful with very little will also be faithful with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. ¹¹ So if you have not been faithful with worldly wealth, who will entrust you with true riches? ¹² And if you have not been faithful with the belongings of another, who will give you belongings of your own? ¹³ No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” ¹⁴ The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all of this and were scoffing at Jesus. ¹⁵ So He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is prized among men is detestable before God. ¹⁶ The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the gospel of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it. ¹⁷ But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for a single stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law. ¹⁸ Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and he who marries a divorced woman commits adultery. ¹⁹ Now there was a rich man dressed in purple and fine linen, who lived each day in joyous splendor. ²⁰ And a beggar named Lazarus lay at his gate, covered with sores ²¹ and longing to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. ²² One day the beggar died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. And the rich man also died and was buried. ²³ In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham from afar, with Lazarus by his side. ²⁴ So he cried out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. For I am in agony in this fire.’ ²⁵ But Abraham answered, ‘Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things. But now he is comforted here, while you are in agony. ²⁶ And besides all this, a great chasm has been fixed between us and you, so that even those who wish cannot cross from here to you, nor can anyone cross from there to us.’ ²⁷ ‘Then I beg you, father,’ he said, ‘send Lazarus to my father’s house, ²⁸ for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also end up in this place of torment.’ ²⁹ But Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let your brothers listen to them.’ ³⁰ ‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone is sent to them from the dead, they will repent.’ ³¹ Then Abraham said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’”

¹⁵ When he returned from procuring his kingship, he summoned the servants to whom he had given the money, to find out what each one had earned. ¹⁶ The first servant came forward and said, ‘Master, your mina has produced ten more minas.’ ¹⁷ His master replied, ‘Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very small matter, you shall have authority over ten cities.’ ¹⁸ The second servant came and said, ‘Master, your mina has made five minas.’ ¹⁹ And to this one he said, ‘You shall have authority over five cities.’

²⁸ Keep watch over yourselves and the entire flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which He purchased with His own blood.

¹ So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. ² Now it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.

¹⁵ in case I am delayed, so that you will know how each one must conduct himself in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.

¹⁷ Elders who lead effectively are worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching.

² Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and encourage with every form of patient instruction.

⁷ As God’s steward, an overseer must be above reproach—not self-absorbed, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not greedy for money.

⁵ Now Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s house, testifying to what would be spoken later.

⁷ Remember your leaders who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.

¹⁷ Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they watch over your souls as those who must give an account. To this end, allow them to lead with joy and not with grief, for that would be of no advantage to you.

¹⁰ As good stewards of the manifold grace of God, each of you should use whatever gift he has received to serve one another.

² And many who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake, some to everlasting life, but others to shame and everlasting contempt. ³ Then the wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever and ever.

⁴⁷ Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.

²⁹ And I bestow on you a kingdom, just as My Father has bestowed one on Me, ³⁰ so that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

¹⁸ I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, white garments so that you may be clothed and your shameful nakedness not exposed, and salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.

¹⁰ Israel’s watchmen are blind, they are all oblivious; they are all mute dogs, they cannot bark; they are dreamers lying around, loving to slumber. ¹¹ Like ravenous dogs, they are never satisfied. They are shepherds with no discernment; they all turn to their own way, each one seeking his own gain: ¹² “Come, let me get the wine, let us imbibe the strong drink, and tomorrow will be like today, only far better!”

⁶ Behold, it is written before Me: I will not keep silent, but I will repay; I will pay it back into their laps,

² he had Jeremiah the prophet beaten and put in the stocks at the Upper Gate of Benjamin, which was by the house of the LORD.

²² “Son of man, what is this proverb that you have in the land of Israel: ‘The days go by, and every vision fails’?

²⁷ “Son of man, take note that the house of Israel is saying, ‘The vision that he sees is for many years from now; he prophesies about the distant future.’ ²⁸ Therefore tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘None of My words will be delayed any longer. The message I speak will be fulfilled, declares the Lord GOD.’”

³ You eat the fat, wear the wool, and butcher the fattened sheep, but you do not feed the flock. ⁴ You have not strengthened the weak, healed the sick, bound up the injured, brought back the strays, or searched for the lost. Instead, you have ruled them with violence and cruelty.

⁸ ‘As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, because My flock lacks a shepherd and has become prey and food for every wild beast, and because My shepherds did not search for My flock but fed themselves instead,

⁶ The rest seized his servants, mistreated them, and killed them.

⁴⁸ But suppose that servant is wicked and says in his heart, ‘My master will be away a long time.’ ⁴⁹ And he begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. ⁵⁰ The master of that servant will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not anticipate.

¹⁸ For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.

²⁰ In fact, you even put up with anyone who enslaves you or exploits you or takes advantage of you or exalts himself or strikes you in the face.

¹⁸ For as I have often told you before, and now say again even with tears: Many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. ¹⁹ Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and their glory is in their shame. Their minds are set on earthly things.

⁷ For those who sleep, sleep at night; and those who get drunk, get drunk at night.

³ In their greed, these false teachers will exploit you with deceptive words. The longstanding verdict against them remains in force, and their destruction does not sleep. ⁴ For if God did not spare the angels when they sinned, but cast them deep into hell, placing them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment;

¹³ The harm they will suffer is the wages of their wickedness. They consider it a pleasure to carouse in broad daylight. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deception as they feast with you.

¹⁹ They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves to depravity. For a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him.

⁹ I have written to the church about this, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will not accept our instruction. ¹⁰ So if I come, I will call attention to his malicious slander against us. And unsatisfied with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers and forbids those who want to do so, even putting them out of the church.

¹² These men are hidden reefs in your love feasts, shamelessly feasting with you but shepherding only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried along by the wind; fruitless trees in autumn, twice dead after being uprooted. ¹³ They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever.

⁷ Then the beast was permitted to wage war against the saints and to conquer them, and it was given authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation. ⁸ And all who dwell on the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written from the foundation of the world in the Book of Life belonging to the Lamb who was slain. ⁹ He who has an ear, let him hear: ¹⁰ “If anyone is destined for captivity, into captivity he will go; if anyone is to die by the sword, by the sword he must be killed.” Here is a call for the perseverance and faith of the saints.

¹⁵ The second beast was permitted to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship it to be killed. ¹⁶ And the second beast required all people small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, ¹⁷ so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark—the name of the beast or the number of its name.

⁶ For they have spilled the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink, as they deserve.”

⁵ And on her forehead a mysterious name was written: BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. ⁶ I could see that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints and witnesses for Jesus. And I was utterly amazed at the sight of her.

⁷ As much as she has glorified herself and lived in luxury, give her the same measure of torment and grief. In her heart she says, ‘I sit as queen; I am not a widow and will never see grief.’ ⁸ Therefore her plagues will come in one day—death and grief and famine—and she will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.”

²⁴ And there was found in her the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who had been slain on the earth.

²⁹ This is the wicked man’s portion from God, the inheritance God has appointed him.”

⁵ The LORD tests the righteous and the wicked; His soul hates the lover of violence.

⁹ For the evildoers will be cut off, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.

¹⁴ For the LORD will not forsake His people; He will never abandon His heritage.

²² Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ ²³ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’

⁴¹ The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will weed out of His kingdom every cause of sin and all who practice lawlessness. ⁴² And they will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

⁴⁹ So will it be at the end of the age: The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous, ⁵⁰ and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

⁵¹ Then he will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

¹⁹ Then I will say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take it easy. Eat, drink, and be merry!”’ ²⁰ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be required of you. Then who will own what you have accumulated?’

⁴⁰ You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour you do not expect.”

³⁰ But the person who sins defiantly, whether a native or foreigner, blasphemes the LORD. That person shall be cut off from among his people. ³¹ He shall certainly be cut off, because he has despised the word of the LORD and broken His commandment; his guilt remains on him.”

² If the guilty man deserves to be beaten, the judge shall have him lie down and be flogged in his presence with the number of lashes his crime warrants. ³ He may receive no more than forty lashes, lest your brother be beaten any more than that and be degraded in your sight.

²² But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. ²³ And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. ²⁴ But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”

¹² I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town. ¹³ Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. ¹⁴ But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. ¹⁵ And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades!

⁴¹ “If you were blind,” Jesus replied, “you would not be guilty of sin. But since you claim you can see, your guilt remains.”

⁴⁸ There is a judge for the one who rejects Me and does not receive My words: The word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day.

²² If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin. ²³ Whoever hates Me hates My Father as well. ²⁴ If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have seen and hated both Me and My Father.

¹¹ Jesus answered, “You would have no authority over Me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed Me over to you is guilty of greater sin.”

³⁰ Although God overlooked the ignorance of earlier times, He now commands all people everywhere to repent.

¹⁵ For we are to God the sweet aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. ¹⁶ To the one, we are an odor of death and demise; to the other, a fragrance that brings life. And who is qualified for such a task?

¹⁷ Anyone, then, who knows the right thing to do, yet fails to do it, is guilty of sin.

⁸ But he refused. “Look,” he said to his master’s wife, “with me here, my master does not concern himself with anything in his house, and he has entrusted everything he owns to my care. ⁹ No one in this house is greater than I am. He has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. So how could I do such a great evil and sin against God?” ¹⁰ Although Potiphar’s wife spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be near her. ¹¹ One day, however, Joseph went into the house to attend to his work, and not a single household servant was inside. ¹² She grabbed Joseph by his cloak and said, “Sleep with me!” But leaving his cloak in her hand, he escaped and ran outside. ¹³ When she saw that he had left his cloak in her hand and had run out of the house, ¹⁴ she called her household servants. “Look,” she said, “this Hebrew has been brought to us to make sport of us. He came to me so he could sleep with me, but I screamed as loud as I could. ¹⁵ When he heard me scream for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.” ¹⁶ So Potiphar’s wife kept Joseph’s cloak beside her until his master came home. ¹⁷ Then she told him the same story: “The Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to make sport of me, ¹⁸ but when I screamed for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.” ¹⁹ When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, “This is what your slave did to me,” he burned with anger. ²⁰ So Joseph’s master took him and had him thrown into the prison where the king’s prisoners were confined. While Joseph was there in the prison, ²¹ the LORD was with him and extended kindness to him, granting him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. ²² And the warden put all the prisoners under Joseph’s care, so that he was responsible for all that was done in the prison. ²³ The warden did not concern himself with anything under Joseph’s care, because the LORD was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.

¹⁷ If someone sins and violates any of the LORD’s commandments even though he was unaware, he is guilty and shall bear his punishment.

²⁹ You shall have the same law for the one who acts in error, whether he is a native-born Israelite or a foreigner residing among you. ³⁰ But the person who sins defiantly, whether a native or foreigner, blasphemes the LORD. That person shall be cut off from among his people.

¹² Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.

¹⁴ For it is just like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted them with his possessions. ¹⁵ To one he gave five talents, to another two talents, and to another one talent—each according to his own ability. And he went on his journey. ¹⁶ The servant who had received the five talents went at once and put them to work and gained five more. ¹⁷ Likewise, the one with the two talents gained two more. ¹⁸ But the servant who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master’s money. ¹⁹ After a long time the master of those servants returned to settle accounts with them. ²⁰ The servant who had received the five talents came and presented five more. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’ ²¹ His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master!’ ²² The servant who had received the two talents also came and said, ‘Master, you entrusted me with two talents. See, I have gained two more.’ ²³ His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master!’ ²⁴ Finally, the servant who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Master, I knew that you are a hard man, reaping where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. ²⁵ So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what belongs to you.’ ²⁶ ‘You wicked, lazy servant!’ replied his master. ‘You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed. ²⁷ Then you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received it back with interest. ²⁸ Therefore take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten talents. ²⁹ For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. But the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.

² So he called him in to ask, ‘What is this I hear about you? Turn in an account of your management, for you cannot be manager any longer.’

¹⁰ Whoever is faithful with very little will also be faithful with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. ¹¹ So if you have not been faithful with worldly wealth, who will entrust you with true riches? ¹² And if you have not been faithful with the belongings of another, who will give you belongings of your own?

²² If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin.

¹² All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. ¹³ For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but it is the doers of the law who will be declared righteous. ¹⁴ Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. ¹⁵ So they show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts either accusing or defending them ¹⁶ on the day when God will judge men’s secrets through Christ Jesus, as proclaimed by my gospel.

¹⁷ If my preaching is voluntary, I have a reward. But if it is not voluntary, I am still entrusted with a responsibility. ¹⁸ What then is my reward? That in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not use up my rights in preaching it.

¹¹ that agrees with the glorious gospel of the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted.

²⁰ O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you. Avoid irreverent, empty chatter and the opposing arguments of so-called “knowledge,”

³ In His own time He has made His word evident in the proclamation entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior.

¹ Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.

⁴ but with righteousness He will judge the poor, and with equity He will decide for the lowly of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth and slay the wicked with the breath of His lips.

³⁰ I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. ³¹ The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and awesome Day of the LORD.

² But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He will be like a refiner’s fire, like a launderer’s soap. ³ And He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver. Then they will present offerings to the LORD in righteousness.

¹ “For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace, when all the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble; the day is coming when I will set them ablaze,” says the LORD of Hosts. “Not a root or branch will be left to them.”

¹⁰ The axe lies ready at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. ¹¹ I baptize you with water for repentance, but after me will come One more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. ¹² His winnowing fork is in His hand to clear His threshing floor and to gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

⁵³ As Jesus went on from there, the scribes and Pharisees began to oppose Him bitterly and to ply Him with questions about many things, ⁵⁴ waiting to catch Him in something He might say.

⁵¹ Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but division. ⁵² From now on, five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three.

³¹ At that very hour, some Pharisees came to Jesus and told Him, “Leave this place and get away, because Herod wants to kill You.” ³² But Jesus replied, “Go tell that fox, ‘Look, I will keep driving out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach My goal.’ ³³ Nevertheless, I must keep going today and tomorrow and the next day, for it is not admissible for a prophet to perish outside of Jerusalem.

³⁹ But some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples!” ⁴⁰ “I tell you,” He answered, “if they remain silent, the very stones will cry out.”

⁴ While it is daytime, we must do the works of Him who sent Me. Night is coming, when no one can work.

⁸ “Rabbi,” they replied, “the Jews just tried to stone You, and You are going back there?” ⁹ Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? If anyone walks in the daytime, he will not stumble, because he sees by the light of this world. ¹⁰ But if anyone walks at night, he will stumble, because he has no light.”

¹⁷ Meanwhile, many people continued to testify that they had been with Jesus when He called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead. ¹⁸ That is also why the crowd went out to meet Him, because they heard that He had performed this sign. ¹⁹ Then the Pharisees said to one another, “You can see that this is doing you no good. Look how the whole world has gone after Him!”

⁸ I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your law is within my heart.”

¹⁷ As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, He took the twelve disciples aside and said, ¹⁸ “Look, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes. They will condemn Him to death ¹⁹ and will deliver Him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. And on the third day He will be raised to life.” ²⁰ Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and knelt down to make a request of Him. ²¹ “What do you want?” He inquired. She answered, “Declare that in Your kingdom one of these two sons of mine may sit at Your right hand, and the other at Your left.” ²² “You do not know what you are asking,” Jesus replied. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?” “We can,” the brothers answered.

³² As they were going up the road to Jerusalem, Jesus was walking ahead of them. The disciples were amazed, but those who followed were afraid. Again Jesus took the Twelve aside 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 delivered over to the chief priests and scribes. They will condemn Him to death and will deliver Him over to the Gentiles, ³⁴ who will mock Him and spit on Him and flog Him and kill Him. And after three days He will rise again.” ³⁵ Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus and declared, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask.” ³⁶ “What do you want Me to do for you?” He inquired. ³⁷ They answered, “Grant that one of us may sit at Your right hand and the other at Your left in Your glory.” ³⁸ “You do not know what you are asking,” Jesus replied. “Can you drink the cup I will drink, or be baptized with the baptism I will undergo?”

³⁴ Jesus explained, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work.

⁶ Therefore Jesus told them, “Although your time is always at hand, My time has not yet come. ⁷ The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me, because I testify that its works are evil. ⁸ Go up to the feast on your own. I am not going up to this feast, because My time has not yet come.”

¹⁰ But after His brothers had gone up to the feast, He also went—not publicly, but in secret.

³⁹ At this, they tried again to seize Him, but He escaped their grasp. ⁴⁰ Then Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had first been baptizing, and He stayed there. ⁴¹ Many came to Him and said, “Although John never performed a sign, everything he said about this man was true.”

²⁷ Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? No, it is for this purpose that I have come to this hour. ²⁸ Father, glorify Your name!” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.”

¹¹ “Put your sword back in its sheath!” Jesus said to Peter. “Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given Me?”

³⁰ When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished.” And bowing His head, He yielded up His spirit.

²² And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there.

⁷ So I pastured the flock marked for slaughter, especially the afflicted of the flock. Then I took for myself two staffs, calling one Favor and the other Union, and I pastured the flock. ⁸ And in one month I dismissed three shepherds. My soul grew impatient with the flock, and their souls also detested me.

¹⁰ Next I took my staff called Favor and cut it in two, revoking the covenant I had made with all the nations. ¹¹ It was revoked on that day, and so the afflicted of the flock who were watching me knew that it was the word of the LORD.

¹⁴ Then I cut in two my second staff called Union, breaking the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.

³⁴ Do not assume that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. ³⁵ For I have come to turn ‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. ³⁶ A man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’

⁷ Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. ⁸ All these are the beginning of birth pains. ⁹ Then they will deliver you over to be persecuted and killed, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. ¹⁰ At that time many will fall away and will betray and hate one another,

⁴⁹ I have come to ignite a fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!

⁹ Even my close friend whom I trusted, the one who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.

⁵ Do not rely on a friend; do not trust in a companion. Seal the doors of your mouth from her who lies in your arms. ⁶ For a son dishonors his father, a daughter rises against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. A man’s enemies are the members of his own household.

⁴¹ Others declared, “This is the Christ.” But still others asked, “How can the Christ come from Galilee? ⁴² Doesn’t the Scripture say that the Christ will come from the line of David and from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?” ⁴³ So there was division in the crowd because of Jesus.

¹⁶ Because of this, some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for He does not keep the Sabbath.” But others said, “How can a sinful man perform such signs?” And there was division among them.

¹⁹ Again there was division among the Jews because of Jesus’ message. ²⁰ Many of them said, “He is demon-possessed and insane. Why would you listen to Him?” ²¹ But others replied, “These are not the words of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

¹⁸ If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me first. ¹⁹ If you were of the world, it would love you as its own. Instead, the world hates you, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. ²⁰ Remember the word that I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you as well; if they kept My word, they will keep yours as well. ²¹ But they will treat you like this because of My name, since they do not know the One who sent Me.

² They will put you out of the synagogues. In fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God.

⁴³ After the synagogue was dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who spoke to them and urged them to continue in the grace of God. ⁴⁴ On the following Sabbath, nearly the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. ⁴⁵ But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy, and they blasphemously contradicted what Paul was saying. ⁴⁶ Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: “It was necessary to speak the word of God to you first. But since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles.

¹ At Iconium, Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue, where they spoke so well that a great number of Jews and Greeks believed. ² But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. ³ So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who affirmed the message of His grace by enabling them to perform signs and wonders. ⁴ The people of the city were divided. Some sided with the Jews, and others with the apostles.

²⁴ Some of them were convinced by what he said, but others refused to believe.

⁶ For a son dishonors his father, a daughter rises against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. A man’s enemies are the members of his own household.

² And on that day, declares the LORD of Hosts, I will erase the names of the idols from the land, and they will no longer be remembered. I will also remove the prophets and the spirit of impurity from the land. ³ And if anyone still prophesies, his father and mother who bore him will say to him, ‘You shall not remain alive, because you have spoken falsely in the name of the LORD.’ When he prophesies, his father and mother who bore him will pierce him through. ⁴ And on that day every prophet who prophesies will be ashamed of his vision, and he will not put on a hairy cloak in order to deceive. ⁵ He will say, ‘I am not a prophet; I work the land, for I was purchased as a servant in my youth.’ ⁶ If someone asks him, ‘What are these wounds on your chest?’ he will answer, ‘These are the wounds I received in the house of my friends.’

²¹ Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rise against their parents and have them put to death. ²² You will be hated by everyone because of My name, but the one who perseveres to the end will be saved.

¹⁰ At that time many will fall away and will betray and hate one another,

⁴⁴ On the seventh time the servant reported, “There is a cloud as small as a man’s hand rising from the sea.” And Elijah replied, “Go and tell Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.’” ⁴⁵ Meanwhile, the sky grew dark with clouds and wind, and a heavy rain began to fall. So Ahab rode away and went to Jezreel.

² But He replied, “When evening comes, you say, ‘The weather will be fair, for the sky is red,’ ³ and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but not the signs of the times. ⁴ A wicked and adulterous generation demands a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.” Then He left them and went away.

¹⁷ You whose clothes get hot when the land lies hushed under the south wind,

¹² ‘These men who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the scorching heat of the day.’

³² From Issachar, men who understood the times and knew what Israel should do: 200 chiefs with all their kinsmen at their command.

²⁴ Seventy weeks are decreed for your people and your holy city to stop their transgression, to put an end to sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy Place. ²⁵ Know and understand this: From the issuance of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem, until the Messiah, the Prince, there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks. It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of distress. ²⁶ Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and will have nothing. Then the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood, and until the end there will be war; desolations have been decreed.

⁷ I will shake all the nations, and they will come with all their treasures, and I will fill this house with glory, says the LORD of Hosts.

¹ “Behold, I will send My messenger, who will prepare the way before Me. Then the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to His temple—the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight—see, He is coming,” says the LORD of Hosts.

² “But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings, and you will go out and leap like calves from the stall.

²⁵ At that time Jesus declared, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.

³ and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but not the signs of the times.

³² Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its branches become tender and sprout leaves, you know that summer is near. ³³ So also, when you see all these things, you will know that He is near, right at the door.

⁴² and said, “If only you had known on this day what would bring you peace! But now it is hidden from your eyes. ⁴³ For the days will come upon you when your enemies will barricade you and surround you and hem you in on every side. ⁴⁴ They will level you to the ground—you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation from God.”

²⁴ Indeed, all the prophets from Samuel on, as many as have spoken, have proclaimed these days. ²⁵ And you are sons of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers when He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all the families of the earth will be blessed.’ ²⁶ When God raised up His Servant, He sent Him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.”

⁴ But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law,

²⁹ If only they were wise, they would understand it; they would comprehend their fate.

¹⁰ Jesus called the crowd to Him and said, “Listen and understand. ¹¹ A man is not defiled by what enters his mouth, but by what comes out of it.” ¹² Then the disciples came to Him and said, “Are You aware that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?” ¹³ But Jesus replied, “Every plant that My heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by its roots. ¹⁴ Disregard them! They are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”

²¹ “Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “if you have faith and do not doubt, not only will you do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen.

³² For John came to you in a righteous way and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.

³⁰ When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near.

²⁴ Stop judging by outward appearances, and start judging justly.”

⁴⁰ With many other words he testified, and he urged them, “Be saved from this corrupt generation.”

²⁶ Brothers, children of Abraham, and you Gentiles who fear God, it is to us that this message of salvation has been sent. ²⁷ The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus, yet in condemning Him they fulfilled the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath. ²⁸ And though they found no ground for a death sentence, they asked Pilate to have Him executed. ²⁹ When they had carried out all that was written about Him, they took Him down from the tree and laid Him in a tomb. ³⁰ But God raised Him from the dead, ³¹ and for many days He was seen by those who had accompanied Him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now His witnesses to our people. ³² And now we proclaim to you the good news: What God promised our fathers ³³ He has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus. As it is written in the second Psalm: ‘You are My Son; today I have become Your Father.’ ³⁴ In fact, God raised Him from the dead, never to see decay. As He has said: ‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings promised to David.’ ³⁵ So also, He says in another Psalm: ‘You will not let Your Holy One see decay.’ ³⁶ For when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep. His body was buried with his fathers and saw decay. ³⁷ But the One whom God raised from the dead did not see decay. ³⁸ Therefore let it be known to you, brothers, that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you.

¹⁴ Doesn’t nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him,

³ Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the country of Edom. ⁴ He instructed them, “You are to say to my master Esau, ‘Your servant Jacob says: I have been staying with Laban and have remained there until now. ⁵ I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, menservants, and maidservants. I have sent this message to inform my master, so that I may find favor in your sight.’” ⁶ When the messengers returned to Jacob, they said, “We went to your brother Esau, and now he is coming to meet you—he and four hundred men with him.” ⁷ In great fear and distress, Jacob divided his people into two camps, as well as the flocks and herds and camels. ⁸ He thought, “If Esau comes and attacks one camp, then the other camp can escape.” ⁹ Then Jacob declared, “O God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, the LORD who told me, ‘Go back to your country and to your kindred, and I will make you prosper,’ ¹⁰ I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness You have shown Your servant. Indeed, with only my staff I came across the Jordan, but now I have become two camps. ¹¹ Please deliver me from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am afraid that he may come and attack me and the mothers and children with me. ¹² But You have said, ‘I will surely make you prosper, and I will make your offspring like the sand of the sea, too numerous to count.’” ¹³ Jacob spent the night there, and from what he had brought with him, he selected a gift for his brother Esau: ¹⁴ 200 female goats, 20 male goats, 200 ewes, 20 rams, ¹⁵ 30 milk camels with their young, 40 cows, 10 bulls, 20 female donkeys, and 10 male donkeys. ¹⁶ He entrusted them to his servants in separate herds and told them, “Go on ahead of me, and keep some distance between the herds.” ¹⁷ He instructed the one in the lead, “When my brother Esau meets you and asks, ‘To whom do you belong, where are you going, and whose animals are these before you?’ ¹⁸ then you are to say, ‘They belong to your servant Jacob. They are a gift, sent to my lord Esau. And behold, Jacob is behind us.’” ¹⁹ He also instructed the second, the third, and all those following behind the herds: “When you meet Esau, you are to say the same thing to him. ²⁰ You are also to say, ‘Look, your servant Jacob is right behind us.’” For he thought, “I will appease Esau with the gift that is going before me. After that I can face him, and perhaps he will accept me.” ²¹ So Jacob’s gifts went on before him, while he spent the night in the camp. ²² During the night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two maidservants, and his eleven sons, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. ²³ He took them and sent them across the stream, along with all his possessions. ²⁴ So Jacob was left all alone, and there a man wrestled with him until daybreak. ²⁵ When the man saw that he could not overpower Jacob, he struck the socket of Jacob’s hip and dislocated it as they wrestled. ²⁶ Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” ²⁷ “What is your name?” the man asked. “Jacob,” he replied. ²⁸ Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men, and you have prevailed.”

¹⁸ Then Abigail hurried and took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five butchered sheep, five seahs of roasted grain, a hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs. She loaded them on donkeys ¹⁹ and said to her young men, “Go ahead of me. I will be right behind you.” But she did not tell her husband Nabal. ²⁰ As Abigail came riding her donkey into a mountain ravine, she saw David and his men coming down toward her, and she met them. ²¹ Now David had just finished saying, “In vain I have protected all that belonged to this man in the wilderness. Nothing that belongs to him has gone missing, yet he has paid me back evil for good. ²² May God punish David, and ever so severely, if I let one of Nabal’s men survive until morning.” ²³ When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off the donkey, fell facedown, and bowed before him. ²⁴ She fell at his feet and said, “My lord, may the blame be on me alone, but please let your servant speak to you; hear the words of your servant. ²⁵ My lord should pay no attention to this scoundrel Nabal, for he lives up to his name: His name means Fool, and folly accompanies him. I, your servant, did not see my lord’s young men whom you sent. ²⁶ Now, my lord, as surely as the LORD lives and you yourself live, the LORD has held you back from coming to bloodshed and avenging yourself with your own hand. May your enemies and those who seek harm for my lord be like Nabal. ²⁷ Now let this gift your servant has brought to my lord be given to the young men who follow you. ²⁸ Please forgive your servant’s offense, for the LORD will surely make a lasting dynasty for my lord, because he fights the LORD’s battles. May no evil be found in you as long as you live. ²⁹ And should someone pursue you and seek your life, then the life of my lord will be bound securely by the LORD your God in the bundle of the living. But He shall fling away the lives of your enemies like stones from a sling. ³⁰ When the LORD has done for my lord all the good He promised, and when He has appointed you ruler over Israel, ³¹ then my lord will have no remorse or guilt of conscience over needless bloodshed and revenge. And when the LORD has dealt well with my lord, may you remember your maidservant.” ³² Then David said to Abigail, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who sent you to meet me this day! ³³ Blessed is your discernment, and blessed are you, because today you kept me from bloodshed and from avenging myself by my own hand. ³⁴ Otherwise, as surely as the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, who has restrained me from harming you, if you had not come quickly to meet me, then surely no male belonging to Nabal would have been left alive by morning light.” ³⁵ Then David accepted from her hand what she had brought him, and he said to her, “Go home in peace. See, I have heeded your voice and granted your request.”

²¹ Reconcile now and be at peace with Him; thereby good will come to you.

⁷ Then an upright man could reason with Him, and I would be delivered forever from my Judge.

¹⁷ But now you are laden with the judgment due the wicked; judgment and justice have seized you. ¹⁸ Be careful that no one lures you with riches; do not let a large bribe lead you astray.

⁶ Therefore let all the godly pray to You while You may be found. Surely when great waters rise, they will not come near.

²² Now consider this, you who forget God, lest I tear you to pieces, with no one to rescue you:

¹ My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor, if you have struck hands in pledge with a stranger, ² if you have been trapped by the words of your lips, ensnared by the words of your mouth, ³ then do this, my son, to free yourself, for you have fallen into your neighbor’s hands: Go, humble yourself, and press your plea with your neighbor. ⁴ Allow no sleep to your eyes or slumber to your eyelids. ⁵ Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the snare of the fowler.

⁸ do not bring hastily to court. Otherwise, what will you do in the end when your neighbor puts you to shame? ⁹ Argue your case with your neighbor without betraying another’s confidence,

⁶ Seek the LORD while He may be found; call on Him while He is near.

²³ So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, ²⁴ leave your gift there before the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. ²⁵ Reconcile quickly with your adversary, while you are still on the way to court. Otherwise, he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. ²⁶ Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.

³⁰ But he refused. Instead, he went and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay his debt.

²⁴ “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able. ²⁵ After the master of the house gets up and shuts the door, you will stand outside knocking and saying, ‘Lord, open the door for us.’ But he will reply, ‘I do not know where you are from.’ ²⁶ Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ ²⁷ And he will answer, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you are from. Depart from me, all you evildoers.’ ²⁸ There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves are thrown out.

³¹ Or what king on his way to war with another king will not first sit down and consider whether he can engage with ten thousand men the one coming against him with twenty thousand? ³² And if he is unable, he will send a delegation while the other king is still far off, to ask for terms of peace.

² For He says: “In the time of favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” Behold, now is the time of favor; now is the day of salvation!

⁷ Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you hear His voice, ⁸ do not harden your hearts, as you did in the rebellion, in the day of testing in the wilderness, ⁹ where your fathers tested and tried Me, and for forty years saw My works. ¹⁰ Therefore I was angry with that generation, and I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known My ways.’ ¹¹ So I swore on oath in My anger, ‘They shall never enter My rest.’” ¹² See to it, brothers, that none of you has a wicked heart of unbelief that turns away from the living God. ¹³ But exhort one another daily, as long as it is called today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.

¹⁹ in whom He also went and preached to the spirits in prison

⁷ When the thousand years are complete, Satan will be released from his prison,

³⁴ In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should repay all that he owed.

⁴² Then one poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amounted to a small fraction of a denarius.

²⁶ And besides all this, a great chasm has been fixed between us and you, so that even those who wish cannot cross from here to you, nor can anyone cross from there to us.’

³ We are obligated to thank God for you all the time, brothers, as is fitting, because your faith is growing more and more, and your love for one another is increasing.