Matthew 20 Cross References - ISV

¹ The Workers in the Vineyard “The kingdom from heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. ² After agreeing to pay the workers one denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. ³ When he went out about nine o’clock, he saw others standing in the marketplace without work. ⁴ He told them, ‘You go into the vineyard, too, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ ⁵ So off they went. He went out again about noon and about three o’clock and did the same thing. ⁶ About five o’clock he went out and found some others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why are you standing here all day long without work?’ ⁷ They told him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He told them, ‘You go into the vineyard as well.’
⁸ “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard told his manager, ‘Call the workers and give them their wages, beginning with the last and ending with the first.’ ⁹ Those who were hired at five o’clock came, and each received a denarius.
¹⁰ “When the first came, they thought they would receive more, but each received a denarius as well. ¹¹ When they received it, they began to complain to the landowner, ¹² ‘These last fellows worked only one hour, but you paid them the same as us, and we’ve been working all day, enduring the scorching heat!’
¹³ “But he told one of them, ‘Friend, I’m not treating you unfairly. You did agree with me for a denarius, didn’t you? ¹⁴ Take what is yours and go. I want to give this last man as much as I gave you. ¹⁵ I am allowed to do what I want with my own money, am I not? Or are you envious because I’m generous?’
¹⁶ “In the same way, the last will be first, and the first will be last, because many are called, but few are chosen.”
¹⁷ Jesus Predicts His Death and Resurrection a Third Time
When Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside and told them as they were walking along, ¹⁸ “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the high priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death. ¹⁹ Then they will hand him over to unbelievers to be mocked, whipped, and crucified, but on the third day he will be raised.”
²⁰ The Request of James and John
Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons. She bowed down in front of him to ask him for a favor. ²¹ He asked her, “What do you want?”
She told him, “Promise that in your kingdom these two sons of mine will sit on your right and on your left.”
²² Jesus replied, “You don’t realize what you’re asking. Can you drink from the cup that I’m going to drink from?”
They told him, “We can.”
²³ He told them, “You will indeed drink from my cup. But it’s not up to me to grant you a seat at my right hand or at my left. These positions have already been prepared for others by my Father.”
²⁴ When the ten heard this, they became furious with the two brothers. ²⁵ But Jesus called the disciples and said, “You know that the rulers of the unbelievers lord it over them and their superiors act like tyrants over them. ²⁶ That’s not the way it should be among you. Instead, whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, ²⁷ and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave. ²⁸ That’s the way it is with the Son of Man. He did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many people.”
²⁹ Jesus Heals Two Blind Men
As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Jesus. ³⁰ When two blind men who were sitting by the roadside heard that Jesus was passing by, they shouted, “Have mercy on us, Lord, Son of David!” ³¹ When the crowd told them harshly to be silent, they shouted even louder, “Have mercy on us, Lord, Son of David!”
³² Jesus stopped and called them, saying, “What do you want me to do for you?”
³³ They told him, “Lord, we want to be able to see!” ³⁴ Then Jesus, deeply moved with compassion, touched their eyes, and at once they could see again. So they followed him.

¹¹ Solomon has a vineyard in Baal-hamon. He entrusted the vineyard to caretakers— each one is to bring 1,000 pieces of silver in exchange for its fruit. ¹² My vineyard belongs to me and is at my disposal. The 1,000 are for you, Solomon, and 200 are for those who take care of its fruit.

¹ The LORD’s Vineyard I will sing for my beloved my love-song concerning his vineyard: “The one I love had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. ² He plowed its land and cleared it of stones. Then he planted it with the choicest vines, built a watchtower in the middle of it, and dug a wine vat in it; He expected it to produce good grapes, but it produced only wild ones.”

³ “From the thirteenth year of the reign of Ammon’s son Josiah, the king of Judah, until the present time, for 23 years this message from the LORD has come to me, and I’ve spoken to you again and again, but you haven’t listened. ⁴ Again and again, the LORD sent all his servants, the prophets, to you, but you wouldn’t listen or even turn your ears in my direction to hear.

² “Repent, because the kingdom from heaven is near!”

³⁷ Then he told his disciples, “The harvest is vast, but the workers are few. ³⁸ So ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest.”

²⁴ The Parable about the Weeds among the WheatHe presented another parable to them: “The kingdom from heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field.

³¹ The Parables about a Mustard Seed and Yeast
He presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom from heaven is like a mustard seed that a man took and planted in his field.

³³ He told them another parable: “The kingdom from heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.”

⁴⁴ The Parable about a Hidden Treasure“The kingdom from heaven is like treasure hidden in a field that a man found and hid. In his excitement he went and sold everything he had and bought that field.”
⁴⁵ The Parable about a Valuable Pearl“Again, the kingdom from heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls.

⁴⁷ The Parable about a Net“Again, the kingdom from heaven is like a large net thrown into the sea that gathered all kinds of fish.

²⁸ The Parable about Two Sons“But what do you think? A man had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’

³³ The Parable about the Tenant Farmers
“Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a wall around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenant farmers and went abroad. ³⁴ When harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenant farmers to collect his produce. ³⁵ But the farmers took his servants and beat one, killed another, and attacked another with stones. ³⁶ Again, he sent other servants to them, a greater number than the first, but the tenant farmers treated them the same way. ³⁷ Finally, he sent his son to them, thinking, ‘They will respect my son.’ ³⁸ But when the tenant farmers saw his son, they told one another, ‘This is the heir. Come on, let’s kill him and get his inheritance!’ ³⁹ So they grabbed him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. ⁴⁰ Now when the owner of the vineyard returns, what will he do to those farmers?”
⁴¹ They told him, “He will put those horrible men to a horrible death. Then he will lease the vineyard to other farmers who will give him his produce at harvest time.”
⁴² Jesus asked them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures, ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This was the Lord’s doing, and it is amazing in our eyes.’?
⁴³ That is why I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce fruit for it.

² “The kingdom from heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son.

³⁷ Jesus Rebukes Jerusalem
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones to death those who have been sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling!

¹ The Parable about the Ten Bridesmaids “At that time, the kingdom from heaven will be comparable to ten bridesmaids who took their oil lamps and went out to meet the groom.

¹⁴ The Parable about the Talents“Similarly, it is like a man going on a trip, who called his servants and turned his money over to them.

³⁴ It’s like a man who went on a trip. As he left home, he put his servants in charge, each with his own work, and he ordered the doorkeeper to be alert.

¹ Jesus the True Vine “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vintner.

⁵⁸ Therefore, my dear brothers, be steadfast, unmovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, because you know that the work that you do for the Lord isn’t wasted.

²¹ equip you with everything good to do his will, accomplishing in us what pleases him through Jesus, the Messiah. To him be glory forever and ever! Amen.

⁵ For this very reason, you must make every effort to supplement your faith with moral character, your moral character with knowledge, ⁶ your knowledge with self-control, your self-control with endurance, your endurance with godliness, ⁷ your godliness with brotherly kindness, and your brotherly kindness with love. ⁸ For if you possess these qualities, and if they continue to increase among you, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in attaining a full knowledge of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah. ⁹ For the person who lacks these qualities is blind and shortsighted, and has forgotten the cleansing that he has received from his past sins.
¹⁰ So then, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election certain, for if you keep on doing this you will never fail.

⁵ And now if you carefully obey me and keep my covenant, you are to be my special possession out of all the peoples, because the whole earth belongs to me, ⁶ but you are to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation to me.’ These are the words you are to declare to the Israelis.”

²⁷ As for you, go near and listen to everything that the LORD our God will say to you, then repeat it to us, and we’ll listen and obey.’
²⁸ “The LORD heard what you said. He told me: ‘I’ve heard what this people said. Everything they said was good. ²⁹ If only they would commit to fear me and keep all my commands, then it will go well with them and their children forever. ³⁰ Go and tell them to return to their tents,

¹⁸ Samuel at ShilohNow Samuel was ministering in the LORD’s presence, as a boy wearing a linen ephod.

²⁶ But the boy Samuel continued to grow both physically and in favor with the LORD and the people.

¹ The LORD Calls SamuelMeanwhile the boy Samuel was serving the LORD before Eli. A word from the LORD was rare in those days, and visions were infrequent.

²¹ The LORD continued to appear at Shiloh, because he revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh by means of messages from the LORD.

¹¹ Then Samuel told Jesse, “Are these all the young men?” He said, “There yet remains the youngest one, and right now he’s tending the sheep.” Samuel told Jesse, “Send someone to get him, for we won’t do anything else until he arrives here.” ¹² So he sent and brought him. He had a dark, healthy complexion, with beautiful eyes, and he was handsome. The LORD said, “Get up and anoint him, for this is the one.”

⁶ So Solomon said: “You have demonstrated abundant gracious love to your servant David, my father, as he lived in your presence truthfully, righteously, and uprightly in his heart. In addition, you have kept on showing this abundant gracious love by giving him a son to sit on his throne today. ⁷ Now, LORD my God, you have set me as king to replace my father David, but I’m still young. I don’t have any leadership skills. ⁸ Your servant lives in the midst of your people that you have chosen, a great people that is too numerous to be counted. ⁹ So give your servant an understanding mind to govern your people, so I can discern between good and evil. Otherwise, how will I be able to govern this great people of yours?”
¹⁰ The LORD was pleased that Solomon had asked for this, ¹¹ so God told him: “Because you asked for this, and you didn’t ask for a long life for yourself, and you didn’t ask for the lives of your enemies, but instead you’ve asked for discernment so you can understand how to govern,

¹² As soon as I’ve left you, the Spirit of the LORD will carry you off to I don’t know where! Then when I go tell Ahab and he can’t find you, he’ll kill me, even though I have been your servant and have feared the LORD since I was young!

³ In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his ancestor David. In the twelfth year of his reign, he began to remove the high places, Asherim, carved images, and cast images from Judah and Jerusalem.

¹ Remember Your Creator So remember your Creator during your youth! Otherwise, troublesome days will come and years will creep up on you when you’ll say, “I find no pleasure in them,”

²⁸ “But when that servant went away, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him, seized him by the throat, and said, ‘Pay what you owe!’

¹³ “But he told one of them, ‘Friend, I’m not treating you unfairly. You did agree with me for a denarius, didn’t you?

¹⁹ Show me the coin used for the tax.”
They brought him a denarius.

¹⁵ because he will be great in the Lord’s presence. He will never drink wine or any strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born.

³⁵ The next day, he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take good care of him. If you spend more than that, I’ll repay you when I come back.’

¹⁵ From infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures that are able to give you the wisdom you need for salvation through faith in the Messiah Jesus.

⁶ I heard what sounded like a voice from among the four living creatures, saying, “One day’s ration of wheat for a day’s wage, or three day’s ration of barley for a day’s wage! But don’t damage the olive oil or the wine!”

¹⁵ Laziness puts one to sleep, and an idle person will go hungry.

⁴⁹ Look! This was the sin of your sister Sodom and her daughters: Pride, too much food, undisturbed peace, and failure to help the poor and needy.

¹⁶ “To what can I compare the people living today? They’re like little children who sit in the marketplaces and shout to each other, ¹⁷ ‘A wedding song we played for you, the dance you all did scorn. A woeful dirge we chanted, too, but then you would not mourn.’

⁶ About five o’clock he went out and found some others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why are you standing here all day long without work?’ ⁷ They told him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He told them, ‘You go into the vineyard as well.’

²⁵ It was nine in the morning when they crucified him.

¹⁵ These men are not drunk as you suppose, for it’s only nine o’clock in the morning.

¹⁷ So he began holding discussions in the synagogue with the Jews and other worshipers, as well as every day in the public square with anyone who happened to be there. ¹⁸ Some Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also debated with him. Some asked, “What is this blabbermouth trying to say?” while others said, “He seems to be preaching about foreign gods.” This was because Paul was telling the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.
¹⁹ Then they took him, brought him before the Areopagus, and asked, “May we know what this new teaching of yours is? ²⁰ It sounds rather strange to our ears, and we would like to know what it means.” ²¹ Now all the Athenians and the foreigners living there used to spend their time doing nothing else other than listening to the latest ideas or repeating them.

¹³ At the same time, they also learn how to be lazy while going from house to house. Not only this, but they even become gossips and keep busy by interfering in other people’s lives, saying things they should not say.

¹² Then, instead of being lazy, you will imitate those who are inheriting the promises through faith and patience.

⁹ Jesus Calls Matthew
As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s desk and told him, “Follow me.” So he got up and followed him.

²³ Jesus’ Authority is Challenged
Then Jesus went into the Temple. While he was teaching, the high priests and the elders of the people came to him and asked, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?”
²⁴ Jesus answered them, “I, too, will ask you one question. If you answer it for me, I will also tell you by what authority I am doing these things. ²⁵ Where did John’s authority to baptize come from? From heaven or from humans?”
They began discussing this among themselves: “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask us, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ ²⁶ But if we say, ‘From humans,’ we are afraid of the crowd, because everyone regards John as a prophet.” ²⁷ So they told Jesus, “We don’t know.”
He in turn told them, “Then I won’t tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”
²⁸ The Parable about Two Sons“But what do you think? A man had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ ²⁹ His son replied, ‘I don’t want to,’ but later he changed his mind and went. ³⁰ Then the father went to the other son and told him the same thing. He replied, ‘I will, sir,’ but he didn’t go. ³¹ Which of the two did the father’s will?”
They answered, “The first one.”
Jesus told them, “I tell all of you with certainty, tax collectors and prostitutes will get into God’s kingdom ahead of you!

⁷ But all the people who saw this began to complain: “Jesus is going to be the guest of a notorious sinner!”
⁸ Later, Zacchaeus stood up and announced to the Lord, “Look! I’m giving half of my possessions to the destitute, and if I have accused anyone falsely, I’m repaying four times as much as I owe.”
⁹ Then Jesus told him, “Today salvation has come to this home, because this man is also a descendant of Abraham, ¹⁰ and the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost.”

¹⁶ Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? ¹⁷ But thank God that, though you were once slaves of sin, you became obedient from your hearts to that form of teaching with which you were entrusted! ¹⁸ And since you have been freed from sin, you have become slaves of righteousness.
¹⁹ I am speaking in simple terms because of the frailty of your human nature. Just as you once offered the parts of your body as slaves to impurity and to greater and greater disobedience, so now, in the same way, you must offer the parts of your body as slaves to righteousness that leads to sanctification. ²⁰ For when you were slaves of sin, you were “free” as far as righteousness was concerned. ²¹ What benefit did you get from doing those things you are now ashamed of? For those things resulted in death. ²² But now that you have been freed from sin and have become God’s slaves, the benefit you reap is sanctification, and the result is eternal life.

¹¹ That is what some of you were! But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of our Lord Jesus the Messiah and by the Spirit of our God.

¹ Masters, treat your slaves justly and fairly, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven.

¹² I thank the Messiah Jesus, our Lord, who gives me strength, that he has considered me faithful and has appointed me to his service. ¹³ In the past I was a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a violent man. But I received mercy because I acted ignorantly in my unbelief,

⁸ This saying is trustworthy. I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have put their faith in God may devote themselves to good actions. These things are good and helpful to other people.

¹³ Be HolyTherefore, prepare your minds for action, keep a clear head, and set your hope completely on the grace to be given you when Jesus, the Messiah, is revealed.

² so that he can live the rest of his mortal life guided, not by human desires, but by the will of God. ³ For you spent enough time in the past doing what the gentiles like to do, living in sensuality, sinful desires, drunkenness, wild celebrations, drinking parties, and detestable idolatry.

¹ God Calls AbramThe LORD told Abram, “You are to leave your land, your relatives, and your father’s house and go to the land that I’m going to show you. ² I’ll make a great nation of your descendants, I’ll bless you, and I’ll make your reputation great, so that you will be a blessing. ³ I’ll bless those who bless you, but I’ll curse the one who curses you, and through you all the people of the earth will be blessed.”
⁴ So Abram left there, as the LORD had directed him, and Lot accompanied him. Abram was 75 years old when he left Haran.

² and Joshua told all of the people, “This is what the LORD God of Israel has to say: ‘Long ago your ancestors lived beyond the Euphrates River, including Terah, father of both Abraham and Nahor, where they served other gods. ³ Then I took your ancestor Abraham from the other side of the Euphrates River and led him through the entire land of Canaan. I multiplied his descendants, and gave him his son Isaac.

¹² But when he was in trouble, he sought the face of the LORD his God, humbled himself magnificently before the God of his ancestors, ¹³ and prayed to him. Moved by Manasseh’s entreaties, the LORD heard his supplications and brought him back to his kingdom in Jerusalem. That’s how Manasseh learned that the LORD is God.
¹⁴ Later on, Manasseh reinforced the outer wall to the City of David on the west side overlooking the Gihon Valley as far as the Fish Gate. He encircled the Ophel, raising it to a great height. ¹⁵ He also eliminated the foreign gods and idols from the LORD’s Temple, along with all of the altars that he had built in Jerusalem and on the mountain where the LORD’s Temple was located, and he discarded them outside the city. ¹⁶ He set up an altar to the LORD, sacrificed peace offerings on it, and ordered Judah to serve the LORD God of Israel. ¹⁷ Even so, the people continued to sacrifice in the high places, but only to the LORD their God.
¹⁸ The Death of Manasseh
Now as to the rest of Manasseh’s accomplishments, including his prayer to God and what the seers had to say to him in the name of the LORD God of Israel, they are included among the Acts of the Kings of Israel. ¹⁹ His prayer, how God was moved by him, all of his sin and unfaithfulness, and a record of the sites where he constructed high places, erected Asherim and carved images before he humbled himself are written in the Acts of the Seers.

⁴⁵ Jesus Dies on the Cross
From noon on, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon.

³³ Jesus Dies on the Cross
At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. ³⁴ At three o’clock, Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eloi, eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”)

⁴⁴ Jesus Dies on the Cross
It was already about noon, and the whole land became dark until three in the afternoon ⁴⁵ because the sun had stopped shining, and the curtain in the sanctuary was torn in two. ⁴⁶ Then Jesus cried out with a loud voice and said, “Father, into your hands I entrust my spirit.” After he said this, he breathed his last.

³⁹ He told them, “Come and see!” So they went and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon.

⁶ Jacob’s Well was also there, and Jesus, tired out by the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.

⁹ Jesus replied, “There are twelve hours in the day, aren’t there? If anyone walks during the day he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.

¹ A Crippled Man is HealedOne afternoon, Peter and John were on their way to the Temple for the three o’clock prayer time.

³ One day, about three in the afternoon, he had a vision and clearly saw an angel of God coming to him and saying to him, “Cornelius!”

⁹ Peter Has a VisionAround noon the next day, while they were on their way and coming close to the town, Peter went up on the roof to pray.

²⁴ By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called a son of Pharaoh’s daughter, ²⁵ because he preferred being mistreated with God’s people to enjoying the pleasures of sin for a short time. ²⁶ He thought that being insulted for the sake of the Messiah was of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.

¹⁰ Whatever the activity in which you engage, do it with all your ability, because there is no work, no planning, no learning, and no wisdom in the next world where you’re going.

⁴⁰ But the other criminal rebuked him, “Aren’t you afraid of God, since you are suffering the same penalty? ⁴¹ We have been condemned justly, because we are getting what we deserve for what we have done, but this man has done nothing wrong.” ⁴² Then he went on to plead, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom!”
⁴³ Jesus told him, “I tell you with certainty, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

⁴ I must do the work of the one who sent me while it is day. Night is approaching, when no one can work.

²¹ Now all the Athenians and the foreigners living there used to spend their time doing nothing else other than listening to the latest ideas or repeating them.

⁹ So go into the roads leading out of town and invite as many people as you can find to the wedding.’ ¹⁰ Those servants went out into the streets and brought in everyone they found, evil and good alike, and the wedding hall was packed with guests.

²¹ “So the servant went back and reported all this to his master. Then the master of the house became angry and told his servant, ‘Go quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring back the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’ ²² The servant said, ‘Sir, what you ordered has been done, and there is still room.’ ²³ Then the master told the servant, ‘Go out into the streets and the lanes and make the people come in, so that my house may be full.

¹⁶ They said, “What should we do with these men? For it’s obvious to everybody living in Jerusalem that an unmistakable sign has been done by them, and we cannot deny it.

³⁰ Though God has overlooked those times of ignorance, he now commands everyone everywhere to repent, ³¹ because he has set a day when he is going to judge the world with justice through a man whom he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”

¹⁴ How, then, can people call on someone they have not believed? And how can they believe in someone they have not heard about? And how can they hear without someone preaching? ¹⁵ And how can people preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are those who bring the good news!” ¹⁶ But not everyone has obeyed the gospel, for Isaiah asks, “Lord, who has believed our message?” ¹⁷ Consequently, faith results from listening, and listening results through the word of the Messiah.

²⁵ Final DoxologyNow to the one who is able to strengthen you with my gospel and the message that I preach about Jesus, the Messiah, by revealing the secret that was kept hidden from long ago

¹¹ All Believers are One in the MessiahSo then, remember that at one time you gentiles by birth were called “the uncircumcised” by those who called themselves “the circumcised.” They underwent physical circumcision done by human hands. ¹² At that time you were without the Messiah, excluded from citizenship in Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise. You had no hope and were in the world without God.

⁵ which in previous generations was not made known to human beings as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. This is that secret: ⁶ The gentiles are heirs-in-common, members-in-common of the body, and common participants in what was promised by the Messiah Jesus through the gospel.

⁸ because you know that everyone will receive a reward from the Lord for whatever good he has done, whether he is a slave or free.

²⁶ This secret was hidden throughout the ages and generations but has now been revealed to his saints,

¹⁰ For God is not so unjust as to forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have ministered to the saints and continue to minister to them.

² But Abram replied, “Lord GOD, what can you give me since I continue to be childless, and the heir of my household is Eliezer from Damascus?

⁴ That’s how Joseph pleased Potiphar as he served him. Eventually, Potiphar appointed Joseph as overseer of his entire household. Moreover, he entrusted everything that he owned into his care. ⁵ From the time he appointed Joseph to be overseer over his entire household and everything that he owned, the LORD blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The LORD’s blessing rested on Joseph, whether in Potiphar’s household or in Potiphar’s fields. ⁶ Everything that he owned, he entrusted into Joseph’s care. He never concerned himself about anything, except for the food he ate.
Potiphar’s Wife Accuses JosephNow Joseph was well built and good looking.

¹⁹ So they approached Joseph’s palace manager and talked with him at the palace entrance.

¹³ “You are not to oppress your neighbor or rob him.
“The wages of a hired laborer are not to remain in your possession until morning.

¹⁵ Pay his wages that same day before the sun sets, because he is poor and his livelihood depends on it. Otherwise, he may cry out to the LORD against you, and you will incur guilt.”

³⁹ The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. ⁴⁰ Just as weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so it will be at end of the age.

¹⁹ “After a long time, the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.

³¹ The Judgment of the Nations“When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels are with him, he will sit on his glorious throne.

³ Joanna, the wife of Herod’s household manager Chuza; Susanna; and many others. These women continued to support them out of their personal resources.

⁷ Stay with the same family, eating and drinking whatever they provide, because the worker deserves his pay. Don’t move from house to house.

⁴² The Lord said, “Who, then, is the faithful and careful servant manager whom his master will put in charge of giving all his other servants their share of food at the right time?

¹ The Parable about a Dishonest ManagerNow Jesus was saying to the disciples, “A rich man had a servant manager who was accused of wasting his assets. ² So he called for him and asked him, ‘What’s this I hear about you? You can’t be my manager any longer. Now give me a report about your management!’

⁶ For he will repay everyone according to what that person has done: ⁷ eternal life to those who strive for glory, honor, and immortality by patiently doing good; ⁸ but wrath and fury for those who in their selfish pride refuse to believe the truth and practice wickedness instead. ⁹ There will be suffering and anguish for every human being who practices doing evil, for Jews first and for Greeks as well. ¹⁰ But there will be glory, honor, and peace for everyone who practices doing good, initially for Jews but also for Greeks as well,

¹ Faithful Servants of the MessiahThink of us as servants of the Messiah and as servant managers entrusted with God’s secrets. ² Now it is required of servant managers that each one should prove to be trustworthy.

¹⁰ For all of us must appear before the judgment seat of the Messiah, so that each of us may receive what he deserves for what he has done in his body, whether good or worthless.

⁷ Because an overseer is God’s servant manager, he must be blameless. He must not be arrogant or irritable. He must not drink too much, be a violent person, or make money in shameful ways.

²⁸ so the Messiah was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people. And he will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to bring salvation to those who eagerly wait for him.

¹⁰ As good servant managers of God’s grace in its various forms, serve one another with the gift each of you has received.

¹¹ The Vision of the White Throne JudgmentThen I saw a large, white throne and the one who was sitting on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and no place was found for them. ¹² I saw the dead, both unimportant and important, standing in front of the throne, and books were open. Another book was opened—the Book of Life. The dead were judged according to their actions, as recorded in the books.

² After agreeing to pay the workers one denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.

³ For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”
⁴ Now to someone who works, wages are not considered a gift but an obligation. ⁵ However, to someone who does not work, but simply believes in the one who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness. ⁶ Likewise, David also speaks of the blessedness of the person whom God regards as righteous apart from actions:

²⁰ Now the Law crept in so that the offense would increase. But where sin increased, grace increased even more, ²¹ so that, just as sin ruled by bringing death, so also grace might rule by bringing justification that results in eternal life through Jesus the Messiah, our Lord.

⁶ so that we would praise his glorious grace that he gave us in the Beloved One. ⁷ In union with him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our offenses, according to the riches of God’s grace ⁸ that he lavished on us, along with all wisdom and understanding,

⁸ For by such grace you have been saved through faith. This does not come from you; it is the gift of God ⁹ and not the result of actions, to put a stop to all boasting. ¹⁰ For we are God’s masterpiece, created in the Messiah Jesus to perform good actions that God prepared long ago to be our way of life.

¹⁴ and the grace of our Lord overflowed toward me, along with the faith and love that are in the Messiah Jesus. ¹⁵ This is a trustworthy saying that deserves complete acceptance: To this world Messiah came, sinful people to reclaim. I am the worst of them. ¹⁶ But for that very reason I received mercy, so that in me, as the worst sinner, the Messiah Jesus might demonstrate all of his patience as an example for those who would believe in him for eternal life.

³⁰ The Pharisees and their scribes started complaining to Jesus’ disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”

² But the Pharisees and the scribes kept complaining, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

²⁸ “Then the older son became angry and wouldn’t go into the house. So his father came out and began to plead with him. ²⁹ But he answered his father, ‘Listen! All these years I’ve worked like a slave for you. I’ve never disobeyed a command of yours. Yet you’ve never given me so much as a young goat for a festival so I could celebrate with my friends. ³⁰ But this son of yours spent your money on prostitutes, and when he came back, you killed the fattened calf for him!’

⁷ But all the people who saw this began to complain: “Jesus is going to be the guest of a notorious sinner!”

² But when Peter went up to Jerusalem, those who emphasized circumcision disagreed with him. ³ They said, “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them!”

⁴⁵ But when the Jewish leaders saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to object to the statements made by Paul and even to abuse him.

²¹ “Then he told me, ‘Go, because I’ll send you far away to the gentiles.’”
²² Up to this point they listened to him, but then they began to shout, “Away with such a fellow from the earth! He’s not fit to go on living!”

¹⁶ as they try to keep us from telling the gentiles how they can be saved. As a result, they are constantly adding to the number of sins they have committed. However, wrath has overtaken them at last!

¹⁶ These people are complainers and faultfinders, following their own desires. They say arrogant things and flatter people in order to take advantage of them.

² They seek me day after day, and are eager to know my ways, as if they were a nation that practices righteousness and has not forsaken the justice of their God. “They ask me to reveal just decisions; they are eager to draw near to God. ³ ‘Why have we fasted,’ they ask, ‘but you do not see? ‘Why have we humbled ourselves,’ they ask, ‘but you take no notice?’”
Fasting that God Approves “Look! On your fast day you serve your own interest and oppress all your workers.

⁸ When the sun rose, God prepared a harsh east wind. The sun beat down on Jonah’s head, he became faint, and he begged to die. “It is better for me to die than to live!” he said.

³ and to speak to the priests assigned to the Temple of the LORD of the Heavenly Armies along with the prophets, asking, “Am I to go about mourning, denying myself throughout the fifth month, as I have these many years?”
⁴ Then this message from the LORD of the Heavenly Armies came to me: ⁵ “Talk to everyone in the land, as well as to the priests. Ask them, ‘When you were fasting and mourning during the fifth and seventh months for the past seventy years, were you really fasting for me?

¹³ “And you say, ‘What a burden!’ and sniff contemptuously at it,” says the LORD of the Heavenly Armies, “when you present maimed, crippled, and diseased animals, and when you bring the offering. Should I accept this from your hand?” asks the LORD.

¹⁴ You said, ‘It is futile to serve God,’ and, ‘What did we get out of it when we carried out his requirements and went about like mourners in the presence of the LORD of the Heavenly Armies?’

⁵⁵ When you see a south wind blowing, you say, ‘It’s going to be hot,’ and so it is.

¹⁰ But when you are invited, go and sit down at the place of least honor. Then, when your host comes, he will tell you, ‘Friend, move up higher,’ and you will be honored in the presence of everyone who eats with you. ¹¹ Because everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the person who humbles himself will be exalted.”

¹¹ The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed, ‘O God, I thank you that I’m not like other people—thieves, dishonest people, adulterers, or even this tax collector. ¹² I fast twice a week, and I give a tenth of my entire income.’

²² God’s righteousness through the faithfulness of Jesus the Messiah— for all who believe. For there is no distinction among people, ²³ since all have sinned and continue to fall short of God’s glory. ²⁴ By his grace they are justified freely through the redemption that is in the Messiah Jesus,

²⁷ What, then, is there to boast about? That has been eliminated. On what principle? On that of actions? No, but on the principle of faith.

³⁰ since there is only one God who will justify the circumcised on the basis of faith and the uncircumcised by that same faith.

³⁰ What can we say, then? Gentiles, who were not pursuing righteousness, have attained righteousness, a righteousness that comes through faith. ³¹ But Israel, who pursued righteousness based on the Law, did not achieve the Law. ³² Why not? Because they did not pursue it on the basis of faith, but as if it were based on achievements. They stumbled over the stone that causes people to stumble.

¹ The Person who Believes will be SavedBrothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God about the Jews is that they would be saved. ² For I can testify on their behalf that they have a zeal for God, but it is not in keeping with full knowledge. ³ For they are ignorant of the righteousness that comes from God while they try to establish their own, and they have not submitted to God’s means to attain righteousness.

⁵ So it is at the present time: there is a remnant, chosen by grace. ⁶ But if this is by grace, then it is no longer on the basis of actions. Otherwise, grace would no longer be grace.

¹¹ We are hungry, thirsty, dressed in rags, brutally treated, and homeless, right up to the present.

²³ Are they the Messiah’s servants? I am insane to talk like this, but I am a far better one! I have been involved in far greater efforts, far more imprisonments, countless beatings, and have faced death more than once. ²⁴ Five times I received from the Jews 40 lashes minus one. ²⁵ Three times I was beaten with a stick, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, and I drifted on the sea for a day and a night. ²⁶ I have traveled extensively and have been endangered from rivers, robbers, my own people, and gentiles. I’ve also been in danger in the city, in the open country, at sea, from false brothers, ²⁷ in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, through hunger, thirst, many periods of fasting, coldness, and nakedness. ²⁸ Besides everything else, I have a daily burden because of my anxiety about all the churches.

⁶ The gentiles are heirs-in-common, members-in-common of the body, and common participants in what was promised by the Messiah Jesus through the gospel.

¹¹ For the sun comes up with its scorching heat and dries up the grass. The flower in it drops off, and its beauty is gone. That is how the rich person will fade away in his pursuits.

²⁵ Far be it from you to do such a thing—to kill the righteous along with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike! The Judge of all the earth will do what is right, won’t he?”

⁸ traffics in those who practice evil, and walks with wicked people? ⁹ Because he says, ‘There’s no profit for a man to find joy with God.’”
¹⁰ God is Just“Therefore you men of understanding, listen to me! Far be it for God to practice wickedness, or the Almighty to do what is wrong, ¹¹ because he repays a person for his behavior; and according to a person’s conduct, he lets it happen to him. ¹² Truly, God doesn’t practice wickedness, and the Almighty doesn’t pervert justice.

¹⁷ Can one who hates justice really govern? And if God is righteous and mighty, can you condemn him? ¹⁸ Can one say to a king, ‘You’re vile!’ or to nobles, ‘You’re wicked!’?

² “Are you saying that it’s just for you to claim, ‘I’m more righteous than God?’

⁸ Indeed would you annul my justice and condemn me, just so you can claim that you’re righteous?

¹² He asked him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ But the man was speechless.

⁵⁰ Jesus asked him, “Friend, why are you here?” Then the other men surged forward, took hold of Jesus, and arrested him.

¹⁴ What can we say, then? God is not unrighteous, is he? Of course not! ¹⁵ For he says to Moses, “I will be merciful to the person I want to be merciful to, and I will be kind to the person I want to be kind to.”

²⁰ On the contrary, who are you—mere man that you are—to talk back to God? Can an object that was molded say to the one who molded it, “Why did you make me like this?”

¹⁶ He told him, “Come with me and see my enthusiasm for the LORD!” So Jehu had Jehonadab ride in his chariot.

³⁰ Israel Begins to Reduce in SizeNevertheless, the LORD told Jehu, “Because you have done well in carrying out what I saw as the right thing to do by completing everything I had in mind regarding Ahab’s dynasty, your sons will sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation.” ³¹ But Jehu did not remain careful to walk in the instruction of the LORD God of Israel with all his heart. He never abandoned the sins of Jeroboam that had caused Israel to sin.

¹⁸ “Son of Man, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon made his army work very hard to attack Tyre. They tore their hair out and rubbed their shoulders raw! Despite all of that work trying to capture Tyre, neither he nor his army got paid from Tyre for all that! ¹⁹ Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘I’m going to give the land of Egypt to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. He’s going to carry off her wealth, confiscate her war implements, and use it all to pay wages for his army! ²⁰ I’ve given him the land of Egypt as a reward for attacking Tyre for me,’ declares the Lord GOD.

² So whenever you give to the poor, don’t blow a trumpet before you like the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets so that they will be praised by people. I tell all of you with certainty, they have their full reward!

⁶ But whenever you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father who is hidden. And your Father who sees from the hidden place will reward you.

¹⁶ Teaching about Fasting“Whenever you fast, don’t be gloomy like the hypocrites, because they put on sad faces to show others they are fasting. I tell all of you with certainty, they have their full reward!

³¹ “His father told him, ‘My child, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.

²⁵ “But Abraham said, ‘My child, remember that during your lifetime you received blessings, while Lazarus received hardships. But now he is being comforted here, while you suffer.

² For you have given him authority over all humanity so that he might give eternal life to all those you gave him.

⁴ Of course not! God is true, even if everyone else is a liar. As it is written, “You are right when you speak, and win your case when you go into court.”

¹⁹ Now we know that whatever the Law says applies to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God.

¹⁹ God said, “I’ll cause all my goodness to pass before you, and I’ll proclaim the name ‘the LORD’ before you. I’ll be gracious to whom I’ll be gracious, and I’ll show compassion on whom I’ll show compassion.

⁶ because you are a holy people to the LORD your God. The LORD your God chose you to be his people, his treasured possession from all the peoples on the face of the earth.”
⁷ The LORD Keeps His Covenant“It wasn’t because you were more numerous than other people of the earth that the LORD committed himself to you and chose you. In fact, you were the least numerous of all the peoples. ⁸ But the LORD loved you and kept his oath that he made to your ancestors. The LORD brought you out with great power from slavery, from the control of Pharaoh, king of Egypt.

⁹ Be careful not to think this wicked thought to yourselves: ‘The seventh year, the year of remission, is drawing near,’ and you show ill will toward your poor relative and not give to him. He may then call to the LORD on account of you, and you will be guilty of sin.

⁵⁴ Even the compassionate man among you—the very sensitive one—will look with evil in his eyes toward his brother, his beloved wife, and his surviving sons, whom he spared.

⁴ Nevertheless, the LORD God of Israel chose me from my entire ancestral household to be king over Israel forever, since he had chosen Judah as Commander-in-Chief. In my ancestor Judah’s household, from my father’s household, and from among my father’s sons it pleased him to make me king over all of Israel.
⁵ “Now out of all of my sons (since the LORD has given me many of them), he has selected my son Solomon to sit on the throne of the kingdom of the LORD, ruling over Israel.

⁶ Don’t consume food provided by a miserly person, and don’t desire his delicacies,

²² The miser is in a hurry to get wealthy, but he isn’t aware that poverty will catch up with him.

⁵ “By my great power and outstretched arm I made the earth, mankind, and the animals that are on the face of the earth, and I give it to whomever I see fit. ⁶ Now I’ve given all these lands to my servant, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and I’ve even given him the wild animals to serve him. ⁷ All the nations will serve him, his son, and his grandson until his country’s time also comes, and then many nations and great kings will use him as a slave.

¹ Jonah’s Anger at God’s KindnessGreatly displeased, Jonah flew into a rage. ² So he prayed to the LORD, “LORD, isn’t this what I said while I was still in my home country? That’s why I fled previously to Tarshish, because I knew you’re a compassionate God, slow to anger, overflowing with gracious love, and reluctant to send trouble. ³ Therefore, LORD, please kill me, because it’s better for me to die than to live!”
⁴ The LORD replied, “Does being angry make you right?”

²³ But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be full of darkness. Therefore, if the light within you has turned into darkness, how great is that darkness!”

²⁵ Jesus Praises the Father and Invites the Disciples to Come to Him
At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from wise and intelligent people and have revealed them to infants.

²² adultery, greed, wickedness, cheating, shameless lust, envy, slander, arrogance, and foolishness.

¹⁵ For he says to Moses, “I will be merciful to the person I want to be merciful to, and I will be kind to the person I want to be kind to.” ¹⁶ Therefore, God’s choice does not depend on a person’s will or effort, but on God himself, who shows mercy. ¹⁷ For the Scripture says about Pharaoh, “I have raised you up for this very purpose, to demonstrate my power through you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”
¹⁸ Therefore, God has mercy on whomever he chooses, and he hardens the heart of whomever he chooses.
¹⁹ God Chose People who are Not JewishYou may ask me, “Then why does God still find fault with anybody? For who can resist his will?” ²⁰ On the contrary, who are you—mere man that you are—to talk back to God? Can an object that was molded say to the one who molded it, “Why did you make me like this?” ²¹ A potter has the right to do what he wants to with his clay, doesn’t he? He can make something for a special occasion or something for ordinary use from the same lump of clay.
²² Now if God wants to demonstrate his wrath and reveal his power, can’t he be extremely patient with the objects of his wrath that are made for destruction? ²³ Can’t he also reveal his glorious riches to the objects of his mercy that he has prepared ahead of time for glory— ²⁴ including us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but from the gentiles as well?

⁷ For who makes you superior? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not receive it?

¹¹ In the Messiah we were also chosen when we were predestined according to the purpose of the one who does everything that he wills to do,

¹ God Has Brought Us from Death to LifeYou used to be dead because of your offenses and sins

⁵ even when we were dead because of our offenses, made us alive together with the Messiah (by grace you have been saved),

¹⁸ In accordance with his will he made us his children by the word of truth, so that we might become the most important of his creatures.

⁹ Do not complain about each other, brothers, or you will be condemned. Look! The Judge is standing at the door!

¹³ The Narrow Gate
“Go in through the narrow gate, because the gate is wide and the road is spacious that leads to destruction, and many people are entering by it.

¹¹ I tell all of you, many will come from east and west and will feast with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom from heaven. ¹² But the unfaithful heirs of that kingdom will be thrown into the darkness outside. In that place there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”

³⁰ But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”

³¹ Which of the two did the father’s will?”
They answered, “The first one.”
Jesus told them, “I tell all of you with certainty, tax collectors and prostitutes will get into God’s kingdom ahead of you!

¹⁴ because many are invited, but few are chosen.”

³¹ But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”

⁴⁷ So I’m telling you that her sins, as many as they are, have been forgiven, and that’s why she has shown such great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven loves little.”

²⁸ In that place there will be crying and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves being driven away on the outside. ²⁹ People will come from east and west, and from north and south, and will eat in the kingdom of God. ³⁰ You see, some who are last will be first, and some who are first will be last.

²⁴ Because I tell all of you, none of those men who were invited will taste anything at my banquet.’”

⁷ In the same way, I tell you that there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous people who don’t need to repent.”

¹⁷ Jesus asked, “Ten men were made clean, weren’t they? Where are the other nine? ¹⁸ Except for this foreigner, were any of them found to return and give praise to God?”

¹⁹ Then the Pharisees told one another, “You see, there is nothing you can do. Look, the world has gone after him!”
²⁰ Some Greeks Ask to See JesusNow some Greeks were among those who had come up to worship at the festival. ²¹ They went to Philip (who was from Bethsaida in Galilee) and told him, “Sir, we would like to see Jesus.”
²² Philip went and told Andrew, and Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus.

²⁰ Now the Law crept in so that the offense would increase. But where sin increased, grace increased even more,

³⁰ And those whom he predestined, he also called; and those whom he called, he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified.

³⁰ What can we say, then? Gentiles, who were not pursuing righteousness, have attained righteousness, a righteousness that comes through faith.

¹³ How the Thessalonians Welcomed the GospelHere is another reason why we constantly give thanks to God: When you received God’s word, which you heard from us, you did not accept it as the word of humans but for what it really is—the word of God, which is at work in you who believe.

¹³ At all times we are obligated to thank God for you, brothers who are loved by the Lord, because God chose you to be the first fruits for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and through faith in the truth. ¹⁴ With this purpose in mind, he called you through our proclamation of the gospel so that you would obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah.

²³ For if anyone hears the word but is not obedient to it, he is like a man who looks at himself in a mirror ²⁴ and studies himself carefully, and then goes off and immediately forgets what he looks like. ²⁵ But the one who looks at the perfect law of freedom and remains committed to it—thereby demonstrating that he is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of what that law requires—will be blessed in what he does.

¹⁷ “Should I hide from Abraham what I’m about to do,” the LORD asked,

¹¹ He answered them, “You have been given knowledge about the secrets of the kingdom from heaven, but it hasn’t been given to them,

¹³ Peter Declares His Faith in Jesus
When Jesus had come to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

³² Now Jesus and his disciples had been on the road going up to Jerusalem, with Jesus walking ahead of them. They were astonished, and the others who followed were afraid.
Jesus Predicts His Death and Resurrection a Third Time
Once again, Jesus took the Twelve aside and began to tell them what was going to happen to him. ³³ “Pay attention! We’re going up to Jerusalem. The Son of Man will be handed over to the high priests and the scribes, and they’ll condemn him to death. Then they’ll hand him over to the unbelievers, ³⁴ and they’ll make fun of him, spit on him, whip him, and kill him. But after three days he’ll be raised.”

³¹ Jesus Predicts His Death and Resurrection a Third Time
Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, “Pay attention! We’re going up to Jerusalem. Everything written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled, ³² because he’ll be handed over to the unbelievers, and will be mocked, insulted, and spit on. ³³ After they have whipped him, they’ll kill him, but on the third day he’ll rise again.” ³⁴ But they didn’t understand any of this. What he said was hidden from them, and they didn’t know what he meant.

¹² The King Enters Jerusalem
The next day, the large crowd that had come to the festival heard that Jesus was coming into Jerusalem.

¹⁵ I don’t call you servants anymore, because a servant doesn’t know what his master is doing. But I’ve called you friends, because I’ve made known to you everything that I’ve heard from my Father.

⁴¹ not to all the people, but to us who were chosen by God to be witnesses and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.

¹ The Nations and God’s Anointed Why are the nations in an uproar, and their people involved in a vain plot? ² As the kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers conspire together against the LORD and his anointed one, they say, ³ “Let us tear off their shackles from us, and cast off their chains.”

¹ To the Director: To the tune of “Doe of the Dawn”.
A Davidic Psalm.
God Delivers His Suffering Servant My God! My God! Why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far from delivering me— from my groaning words? ² My God, I cry out to you throughout the day, but you do not answer; and throughout the night, but I have no rest. ³ You are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. ⁴ Our ancestors trusted in you; they trusted and you delivered them. ⁵ They cried out to you and escaped; they trusted in you and were not put to shame. ⁶ But as for me, I am only a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by people. ⁷ Everyone who sees me mocks me; they gape at me with open mouths and shake their heads at me. ⁸ They say, “Commit yourself to the LORD; perhaps the LORD will deliver him, perhaps he will cause him to escape, since he delights in him.” ⁹ Yet, you are the one who took me from the womb, and kept me safe on my mother’s breasts. ¹⁰ I was dependent on you from birth; from my mother’s womb you have been my God. ¹¹ Do not be so distant from me, for trouble is at hand; indeed, there is no deliverer. ¹² Many bulls have surrounded me; the vicious bulls of Bashan have encircled me. ¹³ Their mouths are opened wide toward me, like roaring and attacking lions. ¹⁴ I am poured out like water; all my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax, melting within me. ¹⁵ My strength is dried up like broken pottery; my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth, and you have brought me down to the dust of death. ¹⁶ For dogs have surrounded me; a gang of those who practice of evil has encircled me. They gouged my hands and my feet. ¹⁷ I can count all my bones. They look at me; they stare at me. ¹⁸ They divide my clothing among themselves; they cast lots for my clothing! ¹⁹ But as for you, LORD, do not be far away from me; My Strength, come quickly to help me. ²⁰ Deliver me from the sword; my precious life from the power of the dog. ²¹ Deliver me from the mouth of the lion, from the horns of the wild oxen. You have answered me. ²² I will declare your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation, I will praise you, saying, ²³ “All who fear the LORD, praise him! All the seed of Jacob, glorify him! All the seed of Israel, fear him! ²⁴ For he does not despise nor detest the afflicted person; he does not hide his face from him, but he hears him when he cries out to him.” ²⁵ My praise in the great congregation is because of you; I will pay my vows before those who fear you. ²⁶ The afflicted will eat and be satisfied; those who seek the LORD will praise him, “May you live forever!” ²⁷ All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD; all the families of the nations will bow in submission to the LORD. ²⁸ Indeed, the kingdom belongs to the LORD; he rules over the nations. ²⁹ All the prosperous people will eat and bow down in submission. All those who are about to go down to the grave will bow down in submission, along with the one who can no longer keep himself alive. ³⁰ Our descendants will serve him, and that generation will be told about the Lord. ³¹ They will come and declare his righteousness to a people yet to be born; indeed, he has accomplished it!

¹ To the Director: To the tune of “The Lilies”. Davidic.
When God Seems Distant Deliver me, God, because the waters are up to my neck. ² I am sinking in deep mire, and there is no solid ground. I have come into deep water, and the flood overwhelms me. ³ I am exhausted from calling for help. My throat is parched. My eyes are strained from looking for God. ⁴ Those who hate me without cause are more than the hairs of my head. My persecutors are mighty, and they want to destroy me. Must I be forced to return what I did not steal? ⁵ God, you know my sins, and my guilt is not hidden from you. ⁶ Do not let those who look up to you be ashamed because of me, Lord God of the Heavenly Armies. Let not those who seek you be humiliated because of me, God of Israel. ⁷ I am being mocked because of you. Dishonor overwhelms me. ⁸ I am a stranger to my brothers, a foreigner to my mother’s sons. ⁹ Zeal for your house consumes me, and the mockeries of those who insult you fall on me. ¹⁰ I weep and fast, and I am mocked for it. ¹¹ When I dressed in sackcloth, I became an object of gossip among them. ¹² The prominent people mock me, composing drinking songs.
¹³ Seeking God for DeliveranceAs for me, LORD, may my prayer to you come at a favorable time. God, in the abundance of your gracious love, answer me with your sure deliverance. ¹⁴ Rescue me from the mud and do not let me sink. Rescue me from those who hate me, and from the deep waters. ¹⁵ Let neither the floodwaters overwhelm me nor let the deep swallow me up, nor the mouth of the well close over me. ¹⁶ Answer me, LORD, for your gracious love is good; Turn to me in keeping with your great compassion, ¹⁷ and do not ignore your servant, because I am in distress. Hurry to answer me! ¹⁸ Draw near and redeem me; ransom me because of my enemies. ¹⁹ Truly you know my reproach, shame, and disgrace. All my enemies are known to you. ²⁰ Insults broke my heart. I despaired and looked for sympathy; but there was none, for comforters, but I found none. ²¹ They put poison in my food, in my thirst they forced me to drink vinegar. ²² May their dining tables entrap them, and become a snare for their allies. ²³ May their eyes be blinded and may their bodies tremble continuously. ²⁴ May you pour out your fury on them. May your burning anger overtake them. ²⁵ May their camp become desolate and their tents remain unoccupied. ²⁶ For they persecute those whom you have struck, and they brag about the pain of those you have wounded. ²⁷ May you punish them for their crimes; may they receive no verdict of innocence from you. ²⁸ May they be erased from the Book of Life, and their names not be written with the righteous. ²⁹ As for me, I am afflicted and hurting; may your deliverance, God, establish me on high. ³⁰ Let me praise the name of God with a song that I may magnify him with thanksgiving. ³¹ That will please the LORD more than oxen and bulls with horns and hooves. ³² The afflicted will watch and rejoice. May you who seek God take courage. ³³ For the LORD listens to the needy and doesn’t despise those in bondage. ³⁴ Let the heavens and earth praise him, along with the sea and its swarming creatures. ³⁵ For God will deliver Zion and will rebuild the cities of Judah so they may live there and possess them. ³⁶ The descendants of his servants will inherit it, and those who cherish his name will live there.

¹ “Who has believed our message, and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? ² For he grew up before him like a tender plant, and like a root out of a dry ground; he had no form and he had no majesty that we should look at him, and there is no attractiveness that we should desire him. ³ “He was despised and rejected by others, and a man of sorrows, intimately familiar with suffering; and like one from whom people hide their faces; and we despised him and did not value him. ⁴ “Surely he has borne our sufferings and carried our sorrows; yet we considered him stricken, and struck down by God, and afflicted. ⁵ But he was wounded for our transgressions, and he was crushed for our iniquities, and the punishment that made us whole was upon him, and by his bruises we are healed. ⁶ All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned, each of us, to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. ⁷ He was oppressed and he was afflicted, yet he didn’t open his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, as a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. ⁸ “From detention and judgment he was taken away— and who can even think about his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living, he was stricken for the transgression of my people. ⁹ Then they made his grave with the wicked, and with rich people in his death, although he had committed no violence, nor was there any deceit in his mouth.”
¹⁰ The Exaltation of the Servant“Yet the LORD was willing to crush him, and he made him suffer. Although you make his soul an offering for sin, he will see his offspring, and he will prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will triumph in his hand. ¹¹ Out of the suffering of his soul he will see light and find satisfaction. And through his knowledge his servant, the righteous one, will make many righteous, and he will bear their iniquities. ¹² Therefore I will allot him a portion with the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong; because he poured out his life to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he carried the sins of many, and made intercession for their transgressions.”

²⁴ Seventy weeks have been decreed concerning your people and your holy city: to restrain transgression, to put an end to sin, to make atonement for lawlessness, to establish everlasting righteousness, to conclude vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy Place. ²⁵ So be informed and discern that seven weeks and 62 weeks will elapse from the issuance of the command to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed Commander. The plaza and moat will be rebuilt, though in troubled times. ²⁶ Then after the 62 weeks, the anointed one will be cut down (but not for himself). Then the people of the Coming Commander will destroy both the city and the Sanctuary. Its ending will come like a flood, and until the end there will be war, with desolations having been decreed. ²⁷ He will make a binding covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he will suspend both the sacrifice and grain offerings. Destructive people will cause desolation on the pinnacle until it is complete and what has been decreed is poured out on the desolator.’”

²¹ Jesus Predicts His Death and Resurrection
From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he would have to go to Jerusalem and suffer a great deal because of the elders, the high priests, and the scribes. Then he would be killed, but on the third day he would be raised.

²² Jesus Again Predicts His Death and Resurrection
While they were gathering together in Galilee, Jesus told them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into human hands. ²³ They will kill him, but he will be raised on the third day.” Then they were filled with grief.

² “You know that the Passover will take place in two days, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”

⁶⁶ What is your verdict?”
They replied, “He deserves to die!”

¹ Jesus is Taken to Pilate
When morning came, all the high priests and elders of the people conspired against Jesus to put him to death.

⁶⁴ “You have heard his blasphemy! What is your verdict?” All of them condemned him as deserving death.
⁶⁵ Some of them began to spit on him. They blindfolded him and kept hitting him with their fists and telling him, “Prophesy!” Even the servants took him and slapped him around.

⁷¹ “Why do we need any more testimony?” they asked. “We have heard it ourselves from his own mouth!”

²³ After he was arrested according to the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified this very man and killed him using the hands of lawless men.

²⁷ For in this city both Herod and Pontius Pilate actually met together with unbelievers and the people of Israel to oppose your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, ²⁸ to carry out everything that your hand and will had predetermined to take place.

⁷ Everyone who sees me mocks me; they gape at me with open mouths and shake their heads at me. ⁸ They say, “Commit yourself to the LORD; perhaps the LORD will deliver him, perhaps he will cause him to escape, since he delights in him.”

¹⁶ Malicious mockers— they gnashed their teeth against me.

¹⁹ The Resurrection of the Dead“But your dead will live; their bodies will rise. Those who live in the dust will wake up and shout for joy! For your dew is like the dew of dawn, and the earth will give birth to the dead.

³ “He was despised and rejected by others, and a man of sorrows, intimately familiar with suffering; and like one from whom people hide their faces; and we despised him and did not value him.

² After two days, he will restore us to life, on the third day he will raise us up, and we will live in his presence.

⁴⁰ because just as Jonah was in the stomach of the sea creature for three days and three nights, so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.

⁶⁷ Then they spit in his face and hit him. Some slapped him, ⁶⁸ saying, “Prophesy to us, you Messiah! Who hit you?”

² They bound him with chains, led him away, and handed him over to Pontius Pilate, the governor.
³ The Death of Judas
Then Judas, who had betrayed him, regretted what had happened when he saw that Jesus was condemned. He brought the 30 pieces of silver back to the high priests and elders, ⁴ saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.”
But they replied, “What do we care? Attend to that yourself.” ⁵ Then he flung the pieces of silver into the sanctuary, went outside, ran away, and hanged himself.
⁶ The high priests picked up the pieces of silver and said, “It is not lawful to put this into the Temple treasury, because it is blood money.” ⁷ So they decided to use the money to buy the Potter’s Field as a burial ground for foreigners. ⁸ That is why that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. ⁹ Then what had been declared through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled when he said, “They took the 30 pieces of silver, the value of the man on whom a price had been set by the Israelis, ¹⁰ and they gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord commanded me.”

²⁷ The Soldiers Make Fun of Jesus
Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the imperial headquarters and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. ²⁸ They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him. ²⁹ Twisting some thorns into a victor’s crown, they placed it on his head and put a stick in his right hand. They knelt down in front of him and began making fun of him, saying, “Long live the king of the Jews!” ³⁰ Then they spit on him and took the stick and hit him repeatedly on his head. ³¹ When they had finished making fun of him, they stripped him of the robe, put his own clothes back on him, and led him away to crucify him.

⁶⁵ Some of them began to spit on him. They blindfolded him and kept hitting him with their fists and telling him, “Prophesy!” Even the servants took him and slapped him around.

¹ Jesus is Taken to Pilate
As soon as it was morning, the high priests convened a meeting with the elders and scribes and the whole Council. They bound Jesus with chains, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate.

¹⁶ The Soldiers Make Fun of Jesus
The soldiers led Jesus into the courtyard of the palace (that is, the governor’s headquarters) and called out the whole guard. ¹⁷ They dressed him in a purple robe, twisted some thorns into a victor’s crown, and placed it on his head. ¹⁸ They began to greet him, “Long live the king of the Jews!” ¹⁹ They kept hitting him on the head with a stick, spitting on him, kneeling in front of him, and worshiping him. ²⁰ When they had finished making fun of him, they stripped him of the purple robe, put his own clothes back on him, and led him away to crucify him.

²⁹ Those who passed by kept insulting him, shaking their heads, and saying, “Ha! You who were going to destroy the sanctuary and rebuild it in three days— ³⁰ save yourself and come down from the cross!”
³¹ In the same way, the high priests, along with the scribes, were also making fun of him among themselves. They kept saying, “He saved others, but can’t save himself!

¹ Jesus is Taken to Pilate
Then the whole crowd got up and took him to Pilate. ² They began to accuse him, “We found this man corrupting our nation, forbidding us to pay taxes to Caesar, and saying that he is the Messiah, a king.”
³ Then Pilate asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
He answered, “You say so.”
⁴ Then Pilate told the high priests and crowds, “I do not find anything chargeable in this man.”
⁵ But they kept insisting, “He is stirring up the people with what he teaches all over Judea, from where he started in Galilee to this place.”

¹¹ Even Herod and his soldiers treated him with contempt and made fun of him. He put a magnificent robe on Jesus and sent him back to Pilate.

⁴⁶ He told them, “This is how it is written: the Messiah was to suffer and rise from the dead on the third day,

²⁸ Pilate Questions Jesus
Then Jesus was led from Caiaphas to the governor’s headquarters early in the morning. The Jews did not go into the headquarters, to avoid becoming unclean and unable to eat the Passover meal. ²⁹ So Pilate came out to them and asked, “What accusation are you bringing against this man?”
³⁰ They answered him, “If he weren’t a criminal, we wouldn’t have handed him over to you.”
³¹ Pilate told them, “You take him and try him according to your Law.”
The Jewish leaders told him, “It is not legal for us to put anyone to death.” ³² This was to fulfill what Jesus had said when he indicated the kind of death he was to die.
³³ So Pilate went back into the governor’s headquarters, summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
³⁴ Jesus replied, “Are you asking this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about me?”
³⁵ Pilate replied, “I am not a Jew, am I? It is your own nation and high priests who have handed you over to me. What have you done?”
³⁶ Jesus answered, “My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom belonged to this world, my servants would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders. But for now my kingdom is not from here.”
³⁷ Pilate asked him, “So you are a king?”
Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. I was born for this, and I came into the world for this: to testify to the truth. Everyone who is committed to the truth listens to my voice.”
³⁸ Pilate asked him, “What is ‘truth’?” and then he went out to the Jewish leaders again and told them, “I find no basis for a charge against him.

¹ Jesus is Sentenced to Death
Then Pilate had Jesus taken away and whipped. ² The soldiers twisted some thorns into a victor’s crown, put it on his head, and threw a purple robe on him. ³ They kept coming up to him and saying, “Long live the king of the Jews!” Then they began to slap him on the face.
⁴ Pilate went outside again and told the Jews, “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him.”

¹³ The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—the God of our ancestors—has glorified his servant Jesus, whom you betrayed and rejected in the presence of Pilate, even though he had decided to let him go. ¹⁴ You rejected the Holy and Righteous One and asked to have a murderer released to you, ¹⁵ and you killed the source of life, whom God raised from the dead. We are witnesses to that. ¹⁶ It is his name—that is, by faith in his name—that has healed this man whom you see and know. Yes, the faith that comes through Jesus has given him this perfect health in the presence of all of you.

²⁷ For in this city both Herod and Pontius Pilate actually met together with unbelievers and the people of Israel to oppose your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed,

¹¹ He came to us, took Paul’s belt, and tied his own feet and hands with it. Then he said, “The Holy Spirit says, ‘This is how the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will tie up the man who owns this belt. Then they will hand him over to the gentiles.’”

³ For I passed on to you the most important points that I received: The Messiah died for our sins according to the Scriptures, ⁴ he was buried, he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures—and is still alive!— ⁵ and he was seen by Cephas, and then by the Twelve. ⁶ After that, he was seen by more than 500 brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. ⁷ Next he was seen by James, then by all the apostles,

¹¹ After they went into the house and saw the child with his mother Mary, they fell down and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasure sacks and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

²¹ Going on from there he saw two other brothers—James, son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee repairing their nets. When he called them,

² Suddenly, a leper came up to him, fell down before him, and said, “Sir, if you want to, you can make me clean.”

³³ Then the men in the boat began to worship Jesus, saying, “You certainly are the Son of God!”

²⁵ Then she came and fell down before him, saying, “Lord, help me!”

⁵⁶ Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.

¹⁷ When they saw him, they worshipped him, though some had doubts.

³⁵ The Request of James and John
James and John, the sons of Zebedee, went to Jesus and told him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask you.”
³⁶ He asked them, “What do you want me to do for you?”
³⁷ They asked him, “Let us sit in your glory, one on your right and one on your left.”
³⁸ But Jesus told them, “You don’t realize what you’re asking. Can you drink from the cup that I’m going to drink from or be baptized with the baptism with which I’m going to be baptized?”
³⁹ They told him, “We can.”
Jesus told them, “You will drink from the cup that I’m going to drink and be baptized with the baptism with which I’m going to be baptized. ⁴⁰ But it’s not up to me to grant you a seat at my right or my left. Those positions have already been prepared for others.”
⁴¹ When the ten other disciples heard this, they began to be furious with James and John. ⁴² Jesus called his disciples and told them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers among the unbelievers lord it over them, and their superiors act like tyrants over them. ⁴³ That’s not the way it should be among you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, ⁴⁴ and whoever wants to be first among you must be a slave to everyone, ⁴⁵ because even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many people.”

⁴⁰ Now there were women watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of young James and Joseph, and Salome.

¹⁹ So Bathsheba went to talk to King Solomon for Adonijah. The king rose to meet her, bowed to her, and sat down on his throne. He ordered a throne be set in place for his mother. She sat on a throne to his right

⁵ The LORD appeared to Solomon one night in a dream and told him, “Ask me for whatever you want and I’ll give it to you.”

³ The king asked her, “What do you want, Queen Esther? What is your request? Even if it’s half of the kingdom, it will be given to you.”

⁹ The king’s daughters are among your honorable women; the queen, dressed in gold from Ophir, has taken her place at your right hand.”

¹ A Davidic psalm
A Priestly Ruler A declaration from the LORD to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.”

⁵ Are you seeking great things for yourself? Don’t seek them. Indeed, I’m about to bring disaster on all flesh,’ declares the LORD, ‘but your life will be spared wherever you go.’”

¹ True Greatness
At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom from heaven?”

²⁸ Jesus told them, “I tell all of you with certainty, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne in the renewed creation, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, governing the twelve tribes of Israel.

³² Jesus stopped and called them, saying, “What do you want me to do for you?”

²² When the daughter of Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests. So the king told the girl, “Ask me for anything you want, and I’ll give it to you.”

³⁶ He asked them, “What do you want me to do for you?”
³⁷ They asked him, “Let us sit in your glory, one on your right and one on your left.”

⁵¹ Then Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?”
The blind man told him, “Rabbouni, I want to see again.”

¹⁹ Jesus is Taken Up to Heaven
So the Lord Jesus, after talking with his disciples, was taken up to heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.

²⁰ The Coming of the Kingdom
Once Jesus was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come. He answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming with a visible display. ²¹ People won’t be saying, ‘Look! Here it is!’ or ‘There it is!’ because now the kingdom of God is among you.”

⁴¹ “What do you want me to do for you?”
He said, “Lord, I want to see again!”

¹¹ The Parable about the CoinsAs they were listening to this, Jesus went on to tell a parable because he was near Jerusalem and because the people thought that the kingdom of God would appear immediately.

²⁴ An Argument about GreatnessNow an argument sprang up among them as to which one of them was to be regarded as the greatest.

⁷ “If you abide in me and my words abide in you, you can ask for anything you want, and you’ll receive it.

⁶ Now those who had gathered together began to ask Jesus, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?”

³⁴ Who is the one to condemn? It is the Messiah Jesus who is interceding on our behalf. He died, and more importantly, has been raised and is seated at the right hand of God.

¹⁰ Be devoted to each other with mutual affection. Excel at showing respect for each other.

¹ Keep Focusing on the MessiahTherefore, if you have been raised with the Messiah, keep focusing on the things that are above, where the Messiah is seated at the right hand of God.

² to Apphia our sister, to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house.
³ May grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, be yours!

³ While the earth and all its inhabitants melt away, it is I who keep its pillars firm.” Interlude

¹⁸ Pride precedes destruction; an arrogant spirit appears before a fall.

¹⁷ “Awake, Awake! Stand up, Jerusalem, you who have drunk from the LORD’s hand from the cup that is his anger. You have drunk to the dregs the cup that makes you stagger, and have drained it.

²² This is what your Lord, the LORD, says, your God, who defends his people’s cause: “See, I have taken from your hand the cup that made you stagger. And you will never again drink to the dregs the cup that is my anger.

¹⁵ Judgment on the NationsFor this is what the LORD God of Israel says to me, “Take this cup of the wine of burning anger from my hand and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it. ¹⁶ They’ll drink, stagger, and act like madmen because of the sword I’m sending among them.” ¹⁷ So I took the cup from the LORD’s hand, and I made all the nations to whom the LORD sent me drink it: ¹⁸ Jerusalem, the cities of Judah, its kings and officials to make them into a ruin, an object of horror and scorn, and a curse, as it is this day; ¹⁹ Pharaoh, king of Egypt, his officials, his princes, and all his people; ²⁰ all the various people; all the kings of the land of Uz, all the kings of the land of the Philistines, Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and what remains of Ashdod; ²¹ Edom, Moab, and the people of Ammon; ²² all the kings of Tyre, all the kings of Sidon, and all the kings of the coast lands that are beyond the sea; ²³ Dedan, Tema, Buz, and those who shave the corners of their beards; ²⁴ all the kings of Arabia and all the kings of the various people who live in the desert; ²⁵ all the kings of Zimri, all the kings of Elam, and all the kings of Media; ²⁶ all the kings of the north near and far, one after another, and all the kingdoms of the world on the face of the earth. The king of Sheshak will drink after all the others.
²⁷ “You are to say to them, ‘This is what the LORD of the Heavenly Armies, the God of Israel, says: “Drink, get drunk, and vomit! Fall down and don’t get up because of the sword I’m sending among you.”’ ²⁸ And if they refuse to take the cup from your hand to drink it, say to them, ‘This is what the LORD of the Heavenly Armies says: “You will surely drink it! ²⁹ Look, I’m beginning to bring disaster on the city that is called by my name, and do you actually think you will avoid punishment? You won’t avoid punishment because I’m summoning the sword against all those who live in the land,” declares the LORD of the Heavenly Armies.’”
³⁰ The LORD will Judge the Nations“You are to prophesy all these things against them, and you are to say to them, ‘The LORD roars from his high place, from his holy dwelling he lifts his voice. He roars loudly against his flock, and against all who live on the earth; he shouts like those treading grapes. ³¹ A tumult reaches to the ends of the earth because the LORD is bringing an indictment against the nations. He judges all flesh. He has given the wicked over to the sword,’ declares the LORD. ³² ‘This is what the LORD of the Heavenly Armies says: “Look, disaster is going from nation to nation, a great storm is being stirred up from the most distant parts of the earth.
³³ “Those slain by the LORD on that day will extend from one end of the earth to the other. They won’t be mourned for or gathered up or buried. They’ll be like dung on the surface of the ground. ³⁴ “Scream, you shepherds! Cry out! Roll in the dust, you leaders of the flock! Indeed, the time for your slaughter and your dispersion has arrived, and you will break like a choice vessel. ³⁵ Flight will be impossible for the shepherds, as will be escape for the leaders of the flock. ³⁶ A sound—it’s the cry of the shepherds and the scream of the leaders of the flock— because the LORD is destroying their pastures. ³⁷ The peaceful meadows are silent because of the LORD’s fierce anger. ³⁸ Like a lion, he has left his den. Indeed, their land has become a waste because of the anger of the oppressor and because of the LORD’s fierce anger.”

¹² For this is what the LORD says: “Look, those who don’t deserve to drink the cup will surely drink it, and will you actually go unpunished? You won’t go unpunished! You will certainly drink it!

³⁵ Peter told him, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you!” And all the disciples said the same thing.

³⁹ Going on a little farther, he fell on his face and prayed, “O my Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. Yet not what I want but what you want.”

⁴² He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if this cup cannot go away unless I drink it, let your will be done.”

⁵⁶ But all of this has happened so that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled.”
Then all the disciples deserted Jesus and ran away.

³⁸ But Jesus told them, “You don’t realize what you’re asking. Can you drink from the cup that I’m going to drink from or be baptized with the baptism with which I’m going to be baptized?”
³⁹ They told him, “We can.”
Jesus told them, “You will drink from the cup that I’m going to drink and be baptized with the baptism with which I’m going to be baptized.

³⁶ He kept repeating, “Abba! Father! All things are possible for you. Take this cup away from me. Yet not what I want but what you want.”

⁵⁰ I have a baptism to be baptized with, and what stress I am under until it’s completed!

⁴² “Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me. Yet not my will but yours be done.”

¹¹ Jesus told Peter, “Put your sword back into its sheath. Shouldn’t I drink the cup that the Father has given me?”

²⁶ In the same way, the Spirit also helps us in our weakness, since we do not know how to pray as we should. But the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans too deep for words,

³ You ask for something but do not get it because you ask for it for the wrong reason—for your own pleasure.

³⁴ “Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who have been blessed by my Father! Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world,

⁴⁰ But it’s not up to me to grant you a seat at my right or my left. Those positions have already been prepared for others.”

² He even had James, the brother of John, killed with a sword.

¹⁷ Now if we are children, we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with the Messiah—if, in fact, we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

⁹ But as it is written, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined the things that God has prepared for those who love him.”

⁷ Our hope for you is unshaken, because we know that as you share our sufferings, you also share our comfort.

²⁴ Paul’s Service in the ChurchNow I am rejoicing while suffering for you as I complete in my flesh whatever remains of the Messiah’s sufferings on behalf of his body, which is the church.

¹¹ This saying is trustworthy: In dying with the Messiah, true life we gain. ¹² Enduring, we with him will reign. Who him denies, he will disclaim.

¹⁶ Instead, they were longing for a better country, that is, a heavenly one. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, because he has prepared a city for them.

⁹ John’s Vision of the MessiahI am John, your brother and partner in the oppression, kingdom, and patience that comes because of Jesus. I was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony about Jesus.

¹⁰ Arrogance only brings quarreling, but those receiving advice are wise.

⁴¹ When the ten other disciples heard this, they began to be furious with James and John.

²³ Then they began to discuss among themselves which one of them was going to do this.
²⁴ An Argument about GreatnessNow an argument sprang up among them as to which one of them was to be regarded as the greatest. ²⁵ But he told them, “The kings of the unbelievers lord it over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called benefactors.

⁴ Love is always patient; love is always kind; love is never envious or arrogant with pride. Nor is she conceited,

³ Do not act out of selfish ambition or conceit, but with humility think of others as being better than yourselves.

¹⁴ But if you have bitter jealousy and rivalry in your hearts, stop boasting and slandering the truth.

⁵ Or do you think the Scripture means nothing when it says that the Spirit that God caused to live in us jealously yearns for us? ⁶ But he gives all the more grace. And so he says, “God opposes the arrogant but gives grace to the humble.”

⁵ Be Humble and AlertIn a similar way, you young people must submit to the elders. All of you must clothe yourselves with humility for the sake of each other, because: “God opposes the arrogant, but gives grace to the humble.”

¹² At this point, the king flew into a rage and issued an order to destroy all the advisors of Babylon. ¹³ When the order went out to kill the advisors, they searched for Daniel and his friends to kill them, too.

³⁷ You, your majesty, king of kings—to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, the strength, and the glory, ³⁸ so that wherever people, wild animals, or birds of the sky live, he has placed them under your control, giving you dominion over them all—you’re that head of gold. ³⁹ “After you, another kingdom will arise that is inferior to yours, and then a third kingdom of bronze will arise to rule all the earth. ⁴⁰ Then there will be a fourth kingdom, as strong as iron. Just as all things are broken to pieces and shattered by iron, so it will shatter and crush everything. ⁴¹ “The feet and toes that you saw, made partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, represent a divided kingdom. It will still have the strength of iron, in that you saw iron mixed with clay. ⁴² Just as their toes and feet are part iron and part clay, so will the kingdom be both strong and brittle. ⁴³ Just as you saw iron mixed with clay, so they will mix themselves with human offspring. Furthermore, they won’t remain together, just as iron doesn’t mix with clay. ⁴⁴ “During the reigns of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor its sovereignty left in the hands of another people. It will shatter and crush all of these kingdoms, and it will stand forever. ⁴⁵ Now, just as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without human hands—and that it crushed the iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold to pieces—so also the great God has revealed to the king what will take place after this. Your dream will come true, and its meaning will prove trustworthy.”

² Then King Nebuchadnezzar summoned the regional authorities, governors, deputy governors, advisors, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all of the other administrators of the provinces, ordering them to come to the dedication of the statue that he had erected.
³ So the regional authorities, governors, deputy governors, advisors, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all of the other administrators of the provinces assembled to dedicate the statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had erected. They took their places in front of the statue that he had erected. ⁴ Then a herald proclaimed aloud: “People of all nations, and languages are commanded: ⁵ Whenever you hear the sound of the trumpet, the flute, the lyre, the four-stringed lyre, and the harp, playing together along with various instruments, you are to fall down and worship the golden statue that was set up by King Nebuchadnezzar. ⁶ Anyone who does not fall down and worship is immediately to be thrown into the blazing fire furnace.”
⁷ Therefore, when all of the people “heard the sound of the trumpet, the flute, the lyre, the four-stringed lyre, and the harp, playing together along with various other instruments,” all the “people, nations, and languages” began to fall down and worship the golden statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

¹⁵ Now, if you are ready at this very moment to obey ‘the sound of the trumpet, the flute, the lyre, the four-stringed lyre, and the harp,’ and worship the image that I have made… If you do not so worship, you will immediately have cast yourselves into the middle of the blazing fire, and what god is there who can deliver you from my power?”

¹⁹ The King Orders an ExecutionOut of control with rage, Nebuchadnezzar’s facial expression changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and he ordered that the furnace be heated seven times hotter than usual. ²⁰ Then he issued orders to his elite guard to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego with ropes and throw them into the blazing fire furnace. ²¹ So the elite guard tied them up fully clothed, still wearing their robes, tunics, and turbans, and threw them into the blazing fire furnace, ²² because the king’s command was so drastic. Since the furnace was blazing hot, its flames killed those who threw Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego into the blazing fire.

¹⁹ And because of the greatness that he gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages revered and feared him. He executed those whom he desired to execute, he spared those whom he wished to spare, he promoted those whom he desired to promote, and he humbled those whom he wished to humble.

²⁹ Place my yoke on you and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble, and you will find rest for your souls,

³ Then he said, “I tell all of you with certainty, unless you change and become like little children, you will never get into the kingdom from heaven. ⁴ Therefore, whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom from heaven,

²⁵ But Jesus called the disciples and said, “You know that the rulers of the unbelievers lord it over them and their superiors act like tyrants over them. ²⁶ That’s not the way it should be among you. Instead, whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, ²⁷ and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave. ²⁸ That’s the way it is with the Son of Man. He did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many people.”

⁴² Jesus called his disciples and told them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers among the unbelievers lord it over them, and their superiors act like tyrants over them.

²⁵ But he told them, “The kings of the unbelievers lord it over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called benefactors. ²⁶ But you are not to do so. On the contrary, the greatest among you should become like the youngest, and the one who leads should become like the one who serves. ²⁷ Because who is greater, the one who sits at the table, or the one who serves? It is the one at the table, isn’t it? But I’m among you as one who serves.

¹² When Jesus had washed their feet and put on his outer robe, he sat down again and told them, “Do you realize what I’ve done to you? ¹³ You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right because that is what I am. ¹⁴ So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you must also wash one another’s feet. ¹⁵ I’ve set an example for you, so that you may do as I have done to you. ¹⁶ Truly, I tell all of you emphatically, a servant isn’t greater than his master, and a messenger isn’t greater than the one who sent him. ¹⁷ If you understand these things, how blessed you are if you put them into practice!

¹³ There is wickedness in your obscene conduct. Even though I’ve cleansed you, your uncleanness cannot be washed away. You cannot be cleansed again until my rage against you has subsided.’

⁸ “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ because you have only one teacher, and all of you are brothers. ⁹ And don’t call anyone on earth ‘Father,’ because you have only one Father, the one in heaven. ¹⁰ Nor are you to be called ‘Teachers,’ because you have only one teacher, the Messiah! ¹¹ The person who is greatest among you must be your servant. ¹² Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

⁴⁴ “Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or as a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and didn’t help you?’

⁵⁵ Now many women were also there, watching from a distance. They had accompanied Jesus from Galilee and had ministered to him.

³⁵ So he sat down, called the Twelve, and told them, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.”

⁴³ That’s not the way it should be among you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,

⁴⁵ because even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many people.”

⁷ A Lesson about GuestsWhen Jesus noticed how the guests were choosing the places of honor, he told them a parable. ⁸ “When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, don’t sit down at the place of honor in case someone more important than you was invited by the host. ⁹ Then the host who invited both of you would come to you and say, ‘Give this person your place.’ In disgrace, you would have to take the place of least honor.

¹⁴ I tell you, this man, rather than the other one, went down to his home justified, because everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the person who humbles himself will be exalted.”

³⁶ Jesus answered, “My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom belonged to this world, my servants would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders. But for now my kingdom is not from here.”

⁵ Arriving in Salamis, they began to preach God’s word in the Jewish synagogues. They also had John to help them.

²⁴ It is not that we are trying to rule over your faith, but rather to work with you for your joy, because you have been standing firm in the faith.

⁴ For the weapons of our warfare are not those of the world. Instead, they have the power of God to demolish fortresses. We tear down arguments ⁵ and every proud obstacle that is raised against the knowledge of God, taking every thought captive in order to obey the Messiah. ⁶ Once your obedience is complete, we will be ready to reprimand every type of disobedience.
⁷ Look at the plain facts! If anyone is confident that he belongs to the Messiah, he should remind himself of this: Just as he belongs to the Messiah, so do we. ⁸ So if I boast a little too much about our authority, which the Lord gave us to build you up and not to tear you down, I will not be ashamed of it.
⁹ I do not want you to think that I am trying to frighten you with my letters. ¹⁰ For someone is saying, “His letters are impressive and forceful, but his bodily presence is weak and his speech contemptible.”

¹⁸ May the Lord grant that he finds mercy on the day he comes again. You know very well how much he assisted me in Ephesus.

¹³ I wanted to keep him with me so that he could serve me in your place during my imprisonment for the gospel. ¹⁴ All of them are spirits on a divine mission, sent to serve those who are about to inherit salvation, aren’t they?

¹¹ Whoever speaks must speak God’s words. Whoever serves must serve with the strength that God supplies, so that in every way God may be glorified through Jesus, the Messiah. Glory and power belong to him forever and ever! Amen.

³ Do not lord it over the people entrusted to you, but be examples to the flock.

⁹ Criticism of DiotrephesI wrote a letter to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be in charge, will not recognize our authority. ¹⁰ For this reason, when I come I will call attention to what he is doing in spreading false charges against us. And not content with that, he refuses to receive the brothers. He even tries to stop those who want to accept them and throws them out of the church.

¹¹ I saw another beast coming up out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb and it talked like a dragon. ¹² It uses all the authority of the first beast on its behalf, and it makes the earth and those living on it worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed. ¹³ It performs spectacular signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in front of people. ¹⁴ It deceives those living on earth with the signs that it is allowed to do on behalf of the first beast, telling them to make an image for the beast who was wounded by a sword and yet lived. ¹⁵ The second beast was allowed to impart life to the image of the first beast so that the image of the beast could talk and order the execution of those who would not worship the image of the beast. ¹⁶ The second beast forces all people—important and unimportant, rich and poor, free and slaves—to be marked on their right hands or on their foreheads, ¹⁷ so that no one may buy or sell unless he has the mark, which is the beast’s name or the number of its name.

⁶ I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints and the blood of the witnesses to Jesus. I was very surprised when I saw her.

⁴ Therefore, whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom from heaven,

³³ True Greatness
Then they came to Capernaum. While Jesus was at home, he asked the disciples, “What were you arguing about on the road?” ³⁴ But they kept silent, because they had argued on the road with one another about who was the greatest.
³⁵ So he sat down, called the Twelve, and told them, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.”

²⁶ But you are not to do so. On the contrary, the greatest among you should become like the youngest, and the one who leads should become like the one who serves.

³⁴ You yourselves know that I worked with my own hands to support myself and those who were with me. ³⁵ In every way I showed you that by working hard like this we should help the weak and remember the words that the Lord Jesus himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

¹⁴ Both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to foolish people, I am a debtor.

¹⁹ Although I am free from everyone’s expectations, I have made myself a servant to all of them to win more people. ²⁰ To the Jews I became like a Jew in order to win Jews. To those under the Law I became like a man under the Law, in order to win those under the Law (although I myself am not under the Law). ²¹ To those who do not have the Law, I became like a man who does not have the Law in order to win those who do not have the Law. However, I am not free from God’s Law, but I’m subject to the Messiah’s law. ²² To the weak I became weak in order to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some of them. ²³ I do all this for the sake of the gospel in order to have a share in its blessings.

⁵ For we do not preach ourselves, but rather Jesus the Messiah as Lord, and ourselves as merely your servants for Jesus’ sake.

⁵ I do not think I’m inferior in any way to those “super-apostles.”

²³ Are they the Messiah’s servants? I am insane to talk like this, but I am a far better one! I have been involved in far greater efforts, far more imprisonments, countless beatings, and have faced death more than once. ²⁴ Five times I received from the Jews 40 lashes minus one. ²⁵ Three times I was beaten with a stick, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, and I drifted on the sea for a day and a night. ²⁶ I have traveled extensively and have been endangered from rivers, robbers, my own people, and gentiles. I’ve also been in danger in the city, in the open country, at sea, from false brothers, ²⁷ in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, through hunger, thirst, many periods of fasting, coldness, and nakedness.

¹⁵ I will be very glad to spend my money and myself for you. Do you love me less because I love you so much?

²⁴ to show favor to him and to plead, ‘Deliver him from having to go down to the Pit— I know where his ransom is!’

⁷ No man can redeem the life of another, nor can he give to God a sufficient payment for him—

⁵ But he was wounded for our transgressions, and he was crushed for our iniquities, and the punishment that made us whole was upon him, and by his bruises we are healed.

⁸ “From detention and judgment he was taken away— and who can even think about his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living, he was stricken for the transgression of my people.

¹⁰ The Exaltation of the Servant“Yet the LORD was willing to crush him, and he made him suffer. Although you make his soul an offering for sin, he will see his offspring, and he will prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will triumph in his hand. ¹¹ Out of the suffering of his soul he will see light and find satisfaction. And through his knowledge his servant, the righteous one, will make many righteous, and he will bear their iniquities.

²⁴ Seventy weeks have been decreed concerning your people and your holy city: to restrain transgression, to put an end to sin, to make atonement for lawlessness, to establish everlasting righteousness, to conclude vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy Place. ²⁵ So be informed and discern that seven weeks and 62 weeks will elapse from the issuance of the command to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed Commander. The plaza and moat will be rebuilt, though in troubled times. ²⁶ Then after the 62 weeks, the anointed one will be cut down (but not for himself). Then the people of the Coming Commander will destroy both the city and the Sanctuary. Its ending will come like a flood, and until the end there will be war, with desolations having been decreed.

²⁰ Jesus told him, “Foxes have holes and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to rest.”

²⁸ because this is my blood of the new covenant that is being poured out for many people for the forgiveness of sins.

²⁴ He told them, “This is my blood of the covenant that is being poured out for many people.

²⁷ Because who is greater, the one who sits at the table, or the one who serves? It is the one at the table, isn’t it? But I’m among you as one who serves.

¹⁵ just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep.

⁵⁰ You don’t realize that it is better for you to have one man die for the people than to have the whole nation destroyed.” ⁵¹ Now he did not say this on his own initiative. As high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, ⁵² and not only for the nation, but that he would also gather into one the children of God who were scattered abroad.

⁴ therefore he got up from the table, removed his outer robe, and took a towel and fastened it around his waist. ⁵ Then he poured some water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to dry them with the towel that was tied around his waist.
⁶ Then he came to Simon Peter, who asked him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
⁷ Jesus answered him, “You don’t realize now what I’m doing, but later on you’ll understand.”
⁸ Peter told him, “You must never wash my feet!”
Jesus answered him, “Unless I wash you, you cannot be involved with me.”
⁹ Simon Peter told him, “Lord, not just my feet, but my hands and my head as well!”
¹⁰ Jesus told him, “Whoever has bathed is entirely clean. He doesn’t need to wash himself further, except for his feet. And you men are clean, though not all of you.” ¹¹ For he knew who was going to betray him. That’s why he said, “Not all of you are clean.”

²⁴ By his grace they are justified freely through the redemption that is in the Messiah Jesus, ²⁵ whom God offered as a place where atonement by the Messiah’s blood would occur through faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because he had waited patiently to deal with sins committed in the past. ²⁶ He wanted to demonstrate at the present time that he himself is righteous and that he justifies anyone who has the faithfulness of Jesus.

²⁵ He was sentenced to death because of our sins and raised to life to justify us.

¹⁵ But God’s free gift is not like Adam’s offense. For if many people died as the result of one man’s offense, how much more have God’s grace and the free gift given through the kindness of one man, Jesus the Messiah, been showered on many people! ¹⁶ Nor can the free gift be compared to what came through the man who sinned. For the sentence that followed one man’s offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift brought justification, even after many offenses. ¹⁷ For if, through one man, death ruled because of that man’s offense, how much more will those who receive such overflowing grace and the gift of righteousness rule in life because of one man, Jesus the Messiah!
¹⁸ Consequently, just as one offense resulted in condemnation for everyone, so one act of righteousness results in justification and life for everyone. ¹⁹ For just as through one man’s disobedience many people were made sinners, so also through one man’s obedience many people will be made righteous.

⁹ For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah. Although he was rich, for your sakes he became poor, so that you, through his poverty, might become rich.

¹³ The Messiah redeemed us from the curse of the Law by becoming a curse for us. For it is written, “A curse on everyone who is hung on a tree!”

⁷ In union with him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our offenses, according to the riches of God’s grace

² Live lovingly, just as the Messiah also loved us and gave himself for us as an offering and sacrifice, a fragrant aroma to God.

⁴ Do not be concerned about your own interests, but also be concerned about the interests of others. ⁵ Have the same attitude among yourselves that was also in the Messiah Jesus: ⁶ In God’s own form existed he, and shared with God equality, deemed nothing needed grasping. ⁷ Instead, poured out in emptiness, a servant’s form did he possess, a mortal man becoming. In human form he chose to be, ⁸ and lived in all humility, death on a cross obeying.

⁶ He gave himself as a ransom for everyone, the testimony at the proper time.

¹⁴ He gave himself for us to set us free from every wrong and to cleanse us so that we could be his special people who are enthusiastic about doing good deeds.

¹⁰ It was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through suffering as part of his plan to glorify many children,

⁸ Son though he was, he learned obedience through his sufferings

¹⁸ For you know that it was not with perishable things like silver or gold that you have been ransomed from the worthless way of life handed down to you by your ancestors, ¹⁹ but with the precious blood of the Messiah, like that of a lamb without blemish or defect.

²⁴ “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the tree, so that we might die to those sins and live righteously. “By his wounds you have been healed.”

¹⁸ For the Messiah also suffered for sins once for all, an innocent person for the guilty, so that he could bring you to God. He was put to death in a mortal body but was brought to life by the Spirit,

² It is he who is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the whole world’s.

⁵ and from Jesus the Messiah, the witness, the faithful one, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To the one who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood

⁸ When the lamb had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders bowed down in front of him. Each held a harp and a gold bowl full of incense, the prayers of the saints. ⁹ They sang a new song: “You are worthy to take the scroll and open its seals, because you were slaughtered. With your blood you purchased people for God from every tribe, language, people, and nation.

²⁷ Jesus Heals Two Blind MenAs Jesus was traveling on from there, two blind men followed him, shouting, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” ²⁸ When he had gone into the house, the blind men came to him.
Jesus asked them, “Do you believe I can do this?”
They told him, “Yes, Lord!”
²⁹ Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith, let it be done for you!” ³⁰ And their eyes were opened. Then Jesus sternly told them, “See to it that nobody knows about this.” ³¹ But they went out and spread the news about him throughout that region.

⁴⁶ Jesus Heals Blind Bartimaeus
Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus, his disciples, and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus (that is, the son of Timaeus) was sitting by the road. ⁴⁷ When he heard that Jesus of Nazareth was there, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” ⁴⁸ Many people sternly told him to be quiet, but he started shouting even louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
⁴⁹ So Jesus stopped and said, “Call him!”
So they called the blind man and told him, “Have courage! Get up. He’s calling you.” ⁵⁰ He threw off his coat, jumped up, and went to Jesus.
⁵¹ Then Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?”
The blind man told him, “Rabbouni, I want to see again.”
⁵² Jesus told him, “Go. Your faith has made you well.” At once the man could see again, and he began to follow Jesus down the road.

³⁵ Jesus Heals a Blind Man
As Jesus was approaching Jericho, there was a blind man sitting by the road begging. ³⁶ When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. ³⁷ They told him that Jesus from Nazareth was coming by. ³⁸ So he shouted, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” ³⁹ The people at the front of the crowd sternly told him to be quiet, but he started shouting even louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
⁴⁰ Then Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, ⁴¹ “What do you want me to do for you?”
He said, “Lord, I want to see again!”
⁴² So Jesus told him, “See again! Your faith has made you well.” ⁴³ Immediately the man could see again and began to follow Jesus, glorifying God. All the people saw this and gave praise to God.

⁸ the LORD gives sight to the blind. The LORD lifts up those who are weighed down. The LORD loves the righteous.

¹⁸ On that day the deaf will hear the words of a scroll, and out of gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see.

⁵ “Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf unblocked; ⁶ then the lame will leap like deer, and the tongues of speechless people will sing for joy. Yes, waters will gush forth in the wilderness, and streams will run through the desert;

¹⁶ I’ll help the blind walk, even on a road they do not know; I’ll guide them in directions they do not know. I’ll turn the dark places into light in front of them, and the rough places into level ground. These are the things I will do, and I won’t abandon them.

¹⁸ God Rebukes Israel“Listen, you deaf people, and look up, you blind people, so you may see!

¹⁰ Let’s grope along the wall like the blind; let us grope like those who have no eyes. We stumble at midday as if it were twilight, in desolate places like dead people.

¹ Good News of Deliverance “The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed and to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives, and release from darkness for the prisoners; ² to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor, the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn;

²² Jesus is Accused of Working with Beelzebul
Then a demon-possessed man who was blind and unable to talk was brought to him. Jesus healed him so that the man could speak and see. ²³ All the crowds were amazed and kept saying, “This man isn’t the Son of David, is he?”

²² Suddenly, a Canaanite woman from that territory came near and began to shout, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed!”

⁹ Both the crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed him kept shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! How blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

¹⁴ Blind and lame people came to him in the Temple, and he healed them.

⁴² “What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?”
They told him, “David’s.”

⁴⁶ Jesus Heals Blind Bartimaeus
Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus, his disciples, and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus (that is, the son of Timaeus) was sitting by the road.

¹⁸ “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; he has anointed me to tell the good news to the poor. He has sent me to announce release to the prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, to set oppressed people free,

²¹ At that time Jesus had healed many people of diseases, plagues, and evil spirits, and had given sight to many who were blind.

¹ Jesus Heals a Blind ManAs he was walking along, he observed a man who had been blind from birth. ² His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that caused him to be born blind?”
³ Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned. This happened so that God’s work might be revealed in him. ⁴ I must do the work of the one who sent me while it is day. Night is approaching, when no one can work. ⁵ As long as I’m in the world, I’m the light of the world.” ⁶ After saying this, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he spread the mud on the man’s eyes ⁷ and told him, “Go and wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated “Sent One”). So he went off, washed, and came back seeing.
⁸ Then the neighbors and those who had previously seen him as a beggar said, “This is the man who used to sit and beg, isn’t it?”
⁹ Some were saying, “It’s him,” while others were saying, “No, but it’s someone like him.”
But he himself kept saying, “It’s me!”
¹⁰ So they asked him, “How, then, did you gain your eyesight?”
¹¹ He said, “The man named Jesus made some mud, spread it on my eyes, and told me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So off I went and washed, and I received my sight.”
¹² They asked him, “Where is that man?”
He said, “I don’t know!”

³⁰ Therefore, since he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him with an oath to put one of his descendants on his throne,

³ regarding his Son. He was a descendant of David with respect to his humanity ⁴ and was declared by the resurrection from the dead to be the powerful Son of God according to the spirit of holiness—Jesus the Messiah, our Lord.

²⁵ When the man realized that he hadn’t yet won the struggle, he injured the socket of Jacob’s thigh, dislocating it as he wrestled with him, ²⁶ and said, “Let me go, because the dawn has come.”
“I won’t let you go,” Jacob replied, “unless you bless me.”
²⁷ Then the man asked him, “What’s your name?”
“Jacob,” he responded
²⁸ “Your name won’t be Jacob anymore,” the man replied, “but Israel, because you exerted yourself against both God and men, and you’ve emerged victorious.”
²⁹ “Please,” Jacob inquired, “Tell me your name.”
But he asked, “Why are you asking about my name?” And he blessed Jacob there.

⁷ Ask, Search, Knock
“Keep asking, and it will be given to you. Keep searching, and you will find. Keep knocking, and the door will be opened for you. ⁸ Because everyone who keeps asking will receive, and the person who keeps searching will find, and the person who keeps knocking will have the door opened.

²³ But he didn’t answer her at all.
Then his disciples came up and kept urging him, “Send her away, because she keeps on screaming as she follows us.”

¹³ Jesus Blesses the Little Children
Then some little children were brought to him so that he might lay his hands on them and pray. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them.

⁸ I tell you, even though that man doesn’t want to get up and give him anything because he is his friend, he will get up and give him whatever he needs because of his persistence.
⁹ Ask, Search, Knock
So I say to you: Keep asking, and it will be given you. Keep searching, and you will find. Keep knocking, and the door will be opened for you, ¹⁰ because everyone who keeps asking will receive, and the person who keeps searching will find, and the person who keeps knocking will have the door opened.

¹ The Parable about the Judge and the WidowJesus told his disciples a parable about their need to pray all the time and never give up. ² He said, “In a city there was a judge who didn’t fear God or respect people. ³ In that city there was also a widow who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’ ⁴ For a while the judge refused. But later, he told himself, ‘I don’t fear God or respect people, ⁵ yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice. Otherwise, she will keep coming and wear me out.’”
⁶ Then the Lord added, “Listen to what the unrighteous judge says. ⁷ Won’t God grant his chosen people justice when they cry out to him day and night? Is he slow to help them? ⁸ I tell you, he will give them justice quickly. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

³⁹ The people at the front of the crowd sternly told him to be quiet, but he started shouting even louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

² Closing ExhortationsDevote yourselves to prayer. Be alert and thankful when you pray.

¹⁷ Continually be prayerful.

³⁷ “This is what the Lord GOD has to say: ‘I’m going to allow the house of Israel to ask anything they want from me, including this: I’m going to increase their population as a shepherd increases his flock.

²¹ He asked her, “What do you want?”
She told him, “Promise that in your kingdom these two sons of mine will sit on your right and on your left.”

²⁹ and that is why I didn’t hesitate when I was sent for. Now may I ask why you sent for me?”

⁶ Never worry about anything. Instead, in every situation let your petitions be made known to God through prayers and requests, with thanksgiving.

¹⁸ Open my eyes so that I will observe amazing things from your instruction.

¹⁷ I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah, the most glorious Father, would give you a wise spirit, along with revelation that comes through knowing the Messiah fully. ¹⁸ Then, with the eyes of your hearts enlightened, you will know the confidence that is produced by God having called you, the rich glory that is his inheritance among the saints, ¹⁹ and the unlimited greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his mighty strength,

⁶⁷ Before I was humbled, I wandered away, but now I observe your words.

⁷¹ It was for my good that I was humbled; so that I would learn your statutes.

⁸ Gracious and merciful is the LORD, slow to become angry, and overflowing with gracious love.

¹⁵ He touched her hand, and the fever left her. Then she got up and began serving him.

²⁹ Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith, let it be done for you!”

³⁶ When he saw the crowds, he was deeply moved with compassion for them, because they were troubled and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

¹⁴ When he got out of the boat, he saw a large crowd. He had compassion for them and healed their sick.

³² Jesus Feeds More than Four Thousand People
Then Jesus called his disciples and said, “I have compassion for the crowd because they have already been with me for three days and have nothing to eat. I don’t want to send them away without food, or they may faint on the road.”

³³ Jesus took him away from the crowd to be alone with him. Putting his fingers into the man’s ears, he touched the man’s tongue with saliva.

¹³ When the Lord saw her, he felt compassion for her. He told her, “You can stop crying.”

⁴³ Immediately the man could see again and began to follow Jesus, glorifying God. All the people saw this and gave praise to God.

⁵¹ But Jesus said, “No more of this!” So he touched the wounded man’s ear and healed him.

⁶ After saying this, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he spread the mud on the man’s eyes ⁷ and told him, “Go and wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated “Sent One”). So he went off, washed, and came back seeing.

³³ When Jesus saw her crying, and the Jews who had come with her crying, he was greatly troubled in spirit and deeply moved. ³⁴ He asked, “Where have you put him?”
They told him, “Lord, come and see.”
³⁵ Jesus burst into tears.

¹⁸ You will help them understand and turn them from darkness to light and from Satan’s control to God, so that their sins will be forgiven and they will receive a share among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

¹⁷ thereby becoming like his brothers in every way, so that he could be a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God and could atone for the people’s sins.

¹⁵ For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses. Instead, we have one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet he never sinned. ¹⁶ So let us keep on coming boldly to the throne of grace, so that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

⁸ When You are WrongedFinally, all of you must live in harmony, be sympathetic, love as brothers, and be compassionate and humble.