Luke 6 Cross References - LEB

¹ Now it happened that on a Sabbath he went through the grain fields, and his disciples were picking and eating the heads of grain, rubbing them* in their* hands. ² But some of the Pharisees said, "Why are you doing what is not permitted on the Sabbath? ³ And Jesus answered and* said to them, "Have you not read this, what David did when he and those who were with him were hungry— ⁴ how he entered into the house of God and took the bread of the presentation, which it is not permitted to eat (except the priests alone), and* ate it* and gave it* to those with him?" ⁵ And he said to them, "The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath." ⁶ Now it happened that on another Sabbath he entered into the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there, and his right hand was withered. ⁷ So the scribes and the Pharisees were watching closely* to see if he would heal on the Sabbath, in order that they could find a reason* to accuse him. ⁸ But he knew their thoughts and said to the man who had the withered hand, "Get up and stand in the middle," and he got up and* stood there. ⁹ And Jesus said to them, "I ask you whether it is permitted on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save a life or to destroy it?"* ¹⁰ And after* looking around at them all, he said to him, "Stretch out your hand," and he did, and his hand was restored. ¹¹ But they were filled with fury, and began discussing* with one another what they might do to Jesus. ¹² Now it happened that in these days he went away to the mountain to pray, and was spending the whole night in prayer to God. ¹³ And when day came, he summoned his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he also named apostles: ¹⁴ Simon (whom he also named Peter) and his brother Andrew, and James, and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew, ¹⁵ and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot, ¹⁶ and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. ¹⁷ And he came down with them and* stood on a level place, and a large crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all of Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast district of Tyre and Sidon, ¹⁸ who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases, and those who were troubled by unclean spirits were cured. ¹⁹ And the whole crowd was seeking to touch him, because power was going out from him and healing them all. ²⁰ And he lifted up his eyes to his disciples and* said,
"Blessed are the poor, because yours is the kingdom of God. ²¹ Blessed are those who are hungry now, because you will be satisfied. Blessed are those who weep now, Because you will laugh. ²² Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil on account of the Son of Man. ²³ Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For their fathers used to do the same things to the prophets. ²⁴ "But woe to you who are rich, because you have received your comfort. ²⁵ Woe to you who are satisfied now, because you will be hungry. Woe, you who laugh now, because you will mourn and weep. ²⁶ Woe whenever all people speak well of you, for their fathers used to do the same things to the false prophets. ²⁷ "But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, ²⁸ bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. ²⁹ To the one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from the one who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic also. ³⁰ Give to everyone who asks you, and from the one who takes away your things, do not ask for them back.* ³¹ And just as you want people _⌊to do_⌋* to you, do _⌊the same_⌋* to them. ³² "And if you love those who love you, what kind of credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them! ³³ And if* you do good to those who do good to you, what kind of credit is that to you? Even the sinners do the same! ³⁴ And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive back, what kind of credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, so that they may get back an equal amount! ³⁵ But love your enemies, and do good, and lend expecting back nothing, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. ³⁶ Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful!* ³⁷ "And do not judge, and you will never be judged. And do not condemn, and you will never be condemned. Pardon, and you will be pardoned. ³⁸ Give, and it will be given to you, a good measure—pressed down, shaken, overflowing—they will pour out into your lap. For with the measure by which you measure out, it will be measured out to you in return." ³⁹ And he also told them a parable: "Surely a blind person cannot lead the blind, can he?* Will they not both fall into a pit? ⁴⁰ A disciple is not superior to his* teacher, but everyone, when he* is fully trained, will be like his teacher. ⁴¹ And why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the beam of wood that is in your own eye? ⁴² How are you able to say to your brother, "Brother, allow me to remove the speck that is in your eye," while* you yourself do not see the beam of wood in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the beam of wood from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother's eye! ⁴³ "For there is no good tree that produces bad fruit, nor on the other hand a bad tree that produces good fruit, ⁴⁴ for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thorn plants, nor are grapes harvested from thorn bushes. ⁴⁵ The good person out of the good treasury of his heart brings forth good, and the evil person out of his* evil treasury* brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. ⁴⁶ "And why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I tell you?* ⁴⁷ "Everyone who comes to me and listens to my words and does them—I will show you what he is like: ⁴⁸ he is like a man building a house, who dug and went down deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when* a flood came, the river burst against that house and was not able to shake it, because it had been built well. ⁴⁹ But the one who hears my words* and does not do them* is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation, which the river burst against, and immediately it collapsed—and the collapse of that house was great!"

¹⁵ You will eat unleavened bread for seven days. Surely on the first day you shall remove yeast from your houses, because anyone who eats food with yeast from the first day until the seventh day—that person will be cut off from Israel.

⁷ On the first day there shall be a holy assembly for you; you shall not do _⌊any regular work_⌋.*

¹⁰ "Speak to the _⌊Israelites_⌋,* and say to them, 'When you come to the land that I am about to give to you and you reap its harvest, then* you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruit of your harvest to the priest. ¹¹ And he shall wave the sheaf _⌊before_⌋* Yahweh for your acceptance; the priest shall wave it _⌊on the day after_⌋* the Sabbath.

¹⁵ " 'And you shall count for yourselves _⌊from the day after_⌋* the Sabbath, from the day of your bringing the wave offering's sheaf—there shall be seven full weeks.

⁹ "You shall count off seven weeks for you; _⌊from the time you begin to harvest the standing grain_⌋* you shall begin to count seven weeks.

²⁵ "When* you come into the standing grain of your neighbor, then you may pluck ears with your hand, but you may not _⌊swing_⌋* a sickle among the standing grain of your neighbor."

¹ At that time Jesus went through the grain fields on the Sabbath. And his disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck off heads of grain and eat them.* ² But when* the Pharisees saw it,* they said to him, "Behold, your disciples are doing what it is not permitted to do on the Sabbath!" ³ So he said to them, "Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those with him, ⁴ how he entered into the house of God and ate the bread of the presentation, which it was not permitted for him or for those with him to eat, but only for the priests? ⁵ Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple violate the sanctity of the Sabbath and are guiltless? ⁶ But I tell you that something greater than the temple is here! ⁷ And if you had known what _⌊it means_⌋,* 'I want mercy and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless. ⁸ For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath."

²³ And it happened that he was going through the grain fields on the Sabbath, and his disciples began to make their way while* plucking off the heads of grain. ²⁴ And the Pharisees began to say* to him, "Behold, why are they doing what is not permitted on the Sabbath?" ²⁵ And he said to them, "Have you never read what David did when he had need and he and those who were with him were hungry— ²⁶ how he entered into the house of God in the time of Abiathar the high priest and ate the bread of the presentation, which it is not permitted to eat (except the priests) and also gave it* to those who were with him?" ²⁷ And he said to them, "The Sabbath was established for people, and not people for the Sabbath. ²⁸ So then, the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath."

¹⁰ " 'If a man gives to his neighbor a donkey or an ox or small livestock or any beast to watch over and it dies or is injured or is captured when there is no one who sees,

¹⁵ On six days work can be done, and on the seventh _⌊is a Sabbath of complete rest_⌋,* _⌊a holy day_⌋* for Yahweh; anyone doing work on the Sabbath day will surely be put to death.

² On six days work can be done, and on the seventh there will be for you a holy day,* a _⌊Sabbath of complete rest_⌋,* for Yahweh; anyone doing work on it will be put to death.

³² When the _⌊Israelites_⌋* were in the desert, they found a man who was gathering wood on the day of the Sabbath. ³³ The ones who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses, Aaron, and to all the community. ³⁴ And they put him under watch because it was not made clear what should be done to him. ³⁵ And Yahweh said to Moses, "Surely the man must be put to death by stoning him; all the community must stone him with stones from outside the camp."

¹³ If you hold your foot back from the Sabbath, from doing your affairs on _⌊my holy day_⌋,* if* you call the Sabbath a pleasure, the holy day of Yahweh honorable, if* you honor him _⌊more than_⌋* doing your ways, than finding your affairs* and speaking a word,

² But when* the Pharisees saw it,* they said to him, "Behold, your disciples are doing what it is not permitted to do on the Sabbath!"

² "Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat _⌊a meal_⌋."*

²³ "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees—hypocrites!—because you pay a tenth of mint and dill and cumin, and neglect the more important matters of the law—justice and mercy and faithfulness! It was necessary* to do these things _⌊while not neglecting those_⌋.* ²⁴ Blind guides who filter out a gnat and swallow a camel!

²⁴ And the Pharisees began to say* to him, "Behold, why are they doing what is not permitted on the Sabbath?"

³³ And they said to him, "The disciples of John fast often and make prayers—likewise also the disciples* of the Pharisees—but yours are eating and drinking!"

⁷ So the scribes and the Pharisees were watching closely* to see if he would heal on the Sabbath, in order that they could find a reason* to accuse him. ⁸ But he knew their thoughts and said to the man who had the withered hand, "Get up and stand in the middle," and he got up and* stood there. ⁹ And Jesus said to them, "I ask you whether it is permitted on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save a life or to destroy it?"*

⁹ And immediately the man became well and picked up his mat and began to walk.* (Now it was the Sabbath on that day.) ¹⁰ So the Jews were saying to the one who had been healed, "It is the Sabbath, and it is not permitted for you to pick up the mat!"* ¹¹ But he answered them, "The one who made me well—that one said to me, 'Pick up your mat and walk!'"

¹⁶ And on account of this the Jews began to persecute* Jesus, because he was doing these things on the Sabbath.

¹⁴ (Now the day on which Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes was the Sabbath.) ¹⁵ So the Pharisees also were asking him again how he received sight. And he said to them, "He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and I see." ¹⁶ So some of the Pharisees were saying, "This man is not from God, because he does not observe the Sabbath!" Others* were saying, "How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?" And there was a division among them.

³ Now then, _⌊what do you have at hand_⌋?* Give me five loaves of bread or _⌊whatever is here_⌋."* ⁴ The priest answered David and said, "There is no ordinary bread _⌊here at hand_⌋;* there is only holy bread, but only if the young men have kept themselves from women." ⁵ David answered the priest and said to him, "Indeed, women were held back from us _⌊as it has been when I've gone out before_⌋.* And the things* of the young men are holy when* it is an ordinary journey. _⌊How much more_⌋* _⌊today_⌋* will the things* be holy?" ⁶ So the priest gave him the holy bread, for there was no bread there except the bread of the Presence, which was removed from before Yahweh, in order to set hot bread there on the day when it was taken away.

³ So he said to them, "Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those with him, ⁴ how he entered into the house of God and ate the bread of the presentation, which it was not permitted for him or for those with him to eat, but only for the priests? ⁵ Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple violate the sanctity of the Sabbath and are guiltless?

⁴ And he answered and* said, "Have you not read that the one who created them* from the beginning made them male and female

¹⁶ And they said to him, "Do you hear what these children* are saying?" So Jesus said to them, "Yes, have you never read, 'Out of the mouths of children and nursing babies you have prepared for yourself praise'?"*

⁴² Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the scriptures,
'The stone which the builders rejected, this has become _⌊the cornerstone_⌋.* This came about from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?*

³¹ Now concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, who said,

²⁵ And he said to them, "Have you never read what David did when he had need and he and those who were with him were hungry— ²⁶ how he entered into the house of God in the time of Abiathar the high priest and ate the bread of the presentation, which it is not permitted to eat (except the priests) and also gave it* to those who were with him?"

¹⁰ Have you not read this scripture:
'The stone which the builders rejected, this has become _⌊the cornerstone_⌋.*

²⁶ Now concerning the dead, that they are raised, have you not read in the book of Moses _⌊in the passage about the bush_⌋* how God spoke to him, saying, 'I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob'?*

⁵ "And you shall take finely milled flour, and you shall bake with it twelve ring-shaped bread cakes: each one shall be two-tenths of an ephah. ⁶ And you shall place them in two rows, six to the row, on the pure gold* table _⌊before_⌋* Yahweh. ⁷ And you shall put pure frankincense on each* row so that* it shall be for the bread as a memorial offering, an offering made by fire for Yahweh. ⁸ _⌊On every Sabbath_⌋* he shall arrange it in rows _⌊before_⌋* Yahweh continually; they are from the _⌊Israelites_⌋* as an everlasting* covenant. ⁹ And it shall be for Aaron and for his sons, and they shall eat it in a holy place, because it is _⌊a most holy thing_⌋* for him from Yahweh's offerings made by fire—a _⌊lasting rule_⌋."*

⁵ the blind receive sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised, and the poor have good news announced to them.* ⁶ And whoever is not offended by me is blessed." ⁷ Now as* these were going away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? ⁸ But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in the houses of kings.

²⁷ And he said to them, "The Sabbath was established for people, and not people for the Sabbath.

⁷ And a cloud came, overshadowing them, and a voice came from the cloud, "This is my beloved Son. Listen to him!"

¹⁰ I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a great sound like a trumpet

⁴ It happened at the moment the king heard the word of the man of God that he cried out against the altar in Bethel, Jeroboam stretched out his hand from the altar, saying, "Seize him!" But his hand which he stretched out to him was paralyzed, and he was not able to draw it back to himself.

¹⁷ "Woe, my worthless shepherd who deserts the flock!* May a sword fall on his arm and on _⌊his right eye_⌋!* May his arm wither completely and _⌊his right eye_⌋* be utterly blinded!"

²³ And he went around through all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and every sickness among the people.

⁹ And going on from there he came into their synagogue. ¹⁰ And behold, there was a man who had a withered hand, and they asked him, saying, "Is it permitted to heal on the Sabbath?" in order that they could accuse him. ¹¹ But he said to them, "What man will there be among you who will have one sheep and if this one fell into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it* out? ¹² Then to what degree is a man worth more than a sheep? So then, it is permitted to do good on the Sabbath." ¹³ Then he said to the man, "Stretch out your hand," and he stretched it* out, and it was restored as healthy as the other one. ¹⁴ But the Pharisees went out _⌊and plotted_⌋* against him in order that they could destroy him.

¹ And he entered into the synagogue again, and a man who had a withered hand was there. ² And they were watching him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath, in order that they could accuse him. ³ And he said to the man who had the withered hand, "Come into the middle." ⁴ And he said to them, "Is it permitted on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?" But they were silent. ⁵ And looking around at them with anger, grieved at the hardness of their hearts, he said to the man, "Stretch out your* hand." And he stretched it* out, and his hand was restored. ⁶ And the Pharisees went out immediately with the Herodians _⌊and began to conspire_⌋* against him with regard to how they could destroy him.

¹⁶ And he came to Nazareth, where _⌊he had been brought up_⌋,* and according to _⌊his custom_⌋* he entered into the synagogue on the day of the Sabbath and stood up to read.

³¹ And he came down to Capernaum, a town of Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbath.

¹ Now it happened that on a Sabbath he went through the grain fields, and his disciples were picking and eating the heads of grain, rubbing them* in their* hands.

¹⁰ Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath.

¹³ And he placed his* hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and glorified God. ¹⁴ But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, answered and* said to the crowd, "There are six days on which it is necessary to work. Therefore come and* be healed on them, and not on the day of the Sabbath!"

³ And Jesus answered and* said to the legal experts and Pharisees, saying, "Is it permitted to heal on the Sabbath, or not?"

³ In these were lying a large number of those who were sick, blind, lame, paralyzed.*

¹⁶ So some of the Pharisees were saying, "This man is not from God, because he does not observe the Sabbath!" Others* were saying, "How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?" And there was a division among them.

³² The wicked watches for the righteous and seeks to kill him. ³³ Yahweh will not abandon him into his hand, and he will not let him be condemned when he is judged.

¹² Those who seek my life lay snares as well, and those intent on my harm speak threats. They also plot deceit all day.

²¹ those who mislead a person into sin with a word and set a trap for the _⌊arbitrator_⌋* in the gate and guide away the righteous by emptiness.

¹⁰ For I hear the rumor of many, "Terror is from all around, denounce him,* yes, let us denounce him!" _⌊All my close friends_⌋* are watchers of my stumbling, saying, "perhaps he can be persuaded, and we can prevail over him, and we can take our revenge on him."

⁵⁹ Now the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false testimony against Jesus in order that they could put him to death. ⁶⁰ And they did not find it,* although* many false witnesses came forward. And finally two came forward

² And they were watching him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath, in order that they could accuse him.

⁵³ And when* he departed from there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to be terribly hostile, and to question him closely about many things, ⁵⁴ plotting to catch him with reference to something _⌊he might say_⌋.*

¹⁴ But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, answered and* said to the crowd, "There are six days on which it is necessary to work. Therefore come and* be healed on them, and not on the day of the Sabbath!"

¹ And it happened that when he came to the house of a certain one of the leaders of the Pharisees on a Sabbath to eat _⌊a meal_⌋,* they were watching him closely. ² And behold, a certain man was in front of him, suffering from edema. ³ And Jesus answered and* said to the legal experts and Pharisees, saying, "Is it permitted to heal on the Sabbath, or not?" ⁴ But they remained silent. And he took hold of him* and* healed him, and sent him* away. ⁵ And he said to them, "Who among you, if your* son or your ox falls into a well* on the day of the Sabbath, will not immediately pull him out?" ⁶ And they were not able to make a reply to these things.

²⁰ And they watched him* closely and* sent spies who pretended they were upright, in order that they could catch him in a statement, so that they could hand him over to the authority and the jurisdiction of the governor.

¹⁰ So the Jews were saying to the one who had been healed, "It is the Sabbath, and it is not permitted for you to pick up the mat!"* ¹¹ But he answered them, "The one who made me well—that one said to me, 'Pick up your mat and walk!'" ¹² So they asked him,* "Who is the man who said to you, 'Pick up your mat* and walk?'" ¹³ But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn while* a crowd was in the place. ¹⁴ After these things Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, "Look, you have become well! Sin no longer, lest something worse happen to you." ¹⁵ The man went and reported to the Jews that Jesus was the one who made him well. ¹⁶ And on account of this the Jews began to persecute* Jesus, because he was doing these things on the Sabbath.

²⁶ So they said to him, "What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?" ²⁷ He replied to them, "I told you already and you did not listen! Why do you want to hear it* again? You do not want to become his disciples also, do you?"* ²⁸ They reviled* him and said, "You are his disciple! But we are disciples of Moses! ²⁹ We know that God has spoken to Moses, but we do not know where this man is from."

⁹ "And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and a willing mind, for Yahweh searches all hearts and understands every plan and all thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you abandon him, he will reject you forever.

¹⁷ And I know, my God, that you yourself test the heart and are pleased with uprightness. I, in the uprightness of my heart, have willingly offered all these things, and now I have seen your people who are found here willingly offer to you.

² "I know that you can do all things, and any scheme from you will not be thwarted.

²¹ would not God discover this, for he knows the secrets of the heart?

⁴ He will not grow faint, and he will not be broken until he has established justice in the earth. And the coastlands wait for his teaching.

⁴ And knowing* their thoughts, Jesus said, "Why do you think evil in your hearts?

²² But Jesus, perceiving their thoughts, answered and* said to them, "Why are you reasoning in your hearts?

²⁵ and because he did not _⌊need_⌋* anyone _⌊to testify_⌋* about man, for he himself knew what was in man.*

⁴ It is necessary for us to do the deeds of the one who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work!

¹⁷ He said to him a third time, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" Peter was distressed because he said to him a third time, "Do you love me?" and he said to him, "Lord, you know everything! You know that I love you!" Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep!

²⁴ But I consider my* life as worth _⌊nothing_⌋* to myself, in order to finish my mission and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.

²⁶ For the king knows about these things, to whom also I am speaking freely, for I am not convinced that these things in any way have escaped* his notice, because this _⌊was_⌋* not _⌊done_⌋* in a corner.

²⁸ and not letting yourselves be intimidated in anything by your opponents, which is a sign of destruction to them, but of your salvation, and this from God,

¹³ And no creature is hidden in the sight of him, but all things are naked and laid bare to the eyes of him to whom _⌊we must give our account_⌋*.

¹ Therefore, because* Christ suffered in the flesh, you also equip yourselves with the same way of thinking, because the one who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin,

²³ And I will kill her children with deadly disease, and all the churches will know that I am the one who searches minds and hearts, and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds.

¹² Then to what degree is a man worth more than a sheep? So then, it is permitted to do good on the Sabbath." ¹³ Then he said to the man, "Stretch out your hand," and he stretched it* out, and it was restored as healthy as the other one.

⁴ And he said to them, "Is it permitted on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?" But they were silent.

⁵⁶ and they proceeded to another village.

¹⁹ Has not Moses given you the law, and none of you carries out the law? Why do you seek to kill me?" ²⁰ The crowd replied, "You have a demon! Who is seeking to kill you?" ²¹ Jesus answered and said to them, "I performed one work, and you are all astonished. ²² Because of this Moses has given you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. ²³ If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses would not be broken, are you angry with me because I made a whole man well* on the Sabbath?

⁶ And Yahweh said to him again, "Put your hand into the fold of your garment." And he put his hand into the fold of his garment, and he took it out, and, _⌊to his surprise_⌋,* his hand was afflicted with a skin disease, like snow. ⁷ And he said, "Return your hand to the fold of your garment." And he returned his hand to the fold of his garment, and he took it out from the fold of his garment, and, _⌊to his surprise_⌋,* it was restored like the rest of his body.

⁶ Then the king responded and said to the man of God, "Please entreat the favor of Yahweh your God, and pray for me that my hand may return to me." So the man of God entreated the face of Yahweh, and the hand of the king returned to him, as it was in the beginning.

²⁰ He sent his word and healed them, and he delivered them from their pits.*

⁵ And looking around at them with anger, grieved at the hardness of their hearts, he said to the man, "Stretch out your* hand." And he stretched it* out, and his hand was restored.

⁸ Jesus said to him, "Get up! Pick up your mat and walk!"

¹ Why are nations in tumult, and countries plotting* in vain?* ² The kings of the earth establish themselves, and the rulers conspire* together against Yahweh and his anointed:

³ This is the _⌊injustice_⌋* that is done under the sun: the same fate comes to everyone. Also the hearts of _⌊humans_⌋* are full of evil; delusion is in their hearts during their lives, and then they die.

¹⁴ But the Pharisees went out _⌊and plotted_⌋* against him in order that they could destroy him. ¹⁵ Now Jesus, when he* learned of it,* withdrew from there, and many* followed him, and he healed them all.

⁴⁵ And when* the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they knew that he was speaking about them,

²⁸ And all those in the synagogue were filled with anger when they* heard these things.

¹ And after these things Jesus was going about in Galilee. For he did not want to go about in Judea, because the Jews were seeking to kill him.

⁴⁷ So the chief priests and the Pharisees called together the Sanhedrin and said, "What are we doing? For this man is performing many signs!

¹⁵ But after they* had ordered them to go outside the Sanhedrin,* they began to confer* with one another,

¹⁹ But Peter and John answered and* said to them, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than God, you decide!

³³ Now when* they heard this,* they were infuriated, and were wanting to execute them.

⁵⁴ Now when they* heard these things, they were infuriated in their hearts and gnashed their* teeth at him.

¹¹ And throughout all the synagogues I punished them often and* tried to force* them* to blaspheme, and because I* was enraged at them beyond measure, I was pursuing them* even as far as to foreign cities.

²⁴ And Jacob remained alone, and a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the dawn. ²⁵ And when he* saw that he could not prevail against him, he struck his hip socket, so that Jacob's hip socket was sprained as he wrestled with him. ²⁶ Then he* said, "Let me go, for dawn is breaking." But he answered, "I will not let you go unless you bless me."

² O my God, I call by day and you do not answer, and by night but I have no rest.*

¹⁵ Let death deceive them. May they descend to Sheol alive, because evil is in their home and _⌊heart_⌋.* ¹⁶ As for me, I will call to God, and Yahweh will save me. ¹⁷ _⌊Morning, noon and night_⌋* I will lament and groan loudly, and he will hear my voice.

³ They also surround me with words of hate, and fight me without cause. ⁴ In return for my love they accuse me, though I am in prayer.*

¹⁰ Now _⌊when_⌋* Daniel realized that the document was signed, he went to his house (_⌊now he had windows in his upper room that were open_⌋* toward Jerusalem), and three times _⌊daily_⌋* he knelt on his knees and prayed and gave praise before his God, _⌊just as_⌋* he had been doing _⌊previously_⌋.*

⁶ But whenever you pray, enter into your inner room and shut your door and* pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

²³ And after he* sent away the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. So when* evening came, he was there alone. ²⁴ But the boat was already many stadia distant from the land, being beaten by the waves, because the wind was against it. ²⁵ And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea.

³⁵ And getting up early in the morning while it was very dark, he departed and went to a deserted place, and there he was praying.

⁴⁶ And after he* had said farewell to them, he went away to the mountain to pray.

³⁴ And he said to them, "My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death. Remain here and stay awake." ³⁵ And going forward a little he fell to the ground and began to pray* that, if it were possible, the hour would pass from him. ³⁶ And he said, "Abba,* Father, all things are possible for you! Take away this cup from me! Yet not what I will, but what you will."*

² Be devoted to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving,

⁷ who in the days of his flesh offered up both prayers and supplications, with loud crying and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard as a result of his reverence.

³⁶ And when he* saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were weary and dejected, like sheep that did not have a shepherd.

²⁸ And Jesus said to them, "Truly I say to you that in the renewal of the world,* when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me—you also will sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

¹³ And he went up on the mountain and summoned those whom he wanted, and they came to him. ¹⁴ And he appointed twelve,* so that they would be with him and so that he could send them out to preach ¹⁵ and to have authority to expel demons. ¹⁶ And he appointed the twelve.* And to Simon he gave the name Peter, ¹⁷ and James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (and he gave to them the name Boanerges, that is, "Sons of Thunder"), ¹⁸ and Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot,* ¹⁹ and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.

⁷ And he summoned the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits.

³⁰ And the apostles regathered to Jesus and reported to him everything that they had done and that they had taught.

¹ And summoning the twelve, he gave them power and authority over all the demons and to cure diseases, ² and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.

⁴⁹ For this reason also the wisdom of God said, 'I will send to them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and persecute,'

³⁰ that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

¹³ And when they had entered, they went up to the upstairs room where they were staying—Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas son of James.

²⁰ built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,*

¹¹ And he himself gave some as apostles and some as prophets and some as evangelists and some as pastors and teachers

¹ Therefore, holy brothers, sharers in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, ² to remember the words proclaimed beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles,

¹ And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun and with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars,

²⁰ Rejoice over her, heaven and the saints and the apostles and the prophets, because God has pronounced your judgment on her!"

¹⁴ And the wall of the city has twelve foundations, and on them are twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

¹⁸ Now as he* was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew, throwing a casting net into the sea (for they were fishermen).

²¹ And going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them.

³ Philip, and Bartholomew, Thomas, and Matthew the tax collector, James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus,

¹⁹ And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and his brother John, and they were in the boat mending the nets.

²⁹ And so then he departed from the synagogue and* came into the house of Simon and Andrew with James and John.

³⁷ And he did not allow anyone to follow along with him except Peter and James and John, the brother of James.

² And after six days, Jesus took along Peter and James and John, and led them to a high mountain by themselves alone. And he was transfigured before them,

³³ And he took along Peter and James and John with him, and he began to be distressed and troubled.

⁸ And when he* saw it,* Simon Peter fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, Lord, because I am _⌊a sinful man_⌋!"*

¹⁰ and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were business partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid! From now on you will be catching people!"

⁴⁰ Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two who heard John and followed him. ⁴¹ This one first found his own brother Simon and said to him, "We have found the Messiah!" (which is translated "Christ"). ⁴² He brought him to Jesus. Looking at him, Jesus said, "You are Simon the son of John. You will be called Cephas" (which is interpreted "Peter").

⁴⁵ Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found the one whom Moses wrote about in the law, and the prophets wrote about—Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth!"

⁵ _⌊Then Jesus, when he looked up_⌋* * and saw that a large crowd was coming to him, said to Philip, "Where can we buy bread so that these people can eat?"

⁸ One of his disciples, Andrew the brother of Simon Peter, said to him,

⁸ Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us."

¹⁵ Now when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." He said to him, "Feed my lambs!" ¹⁶ He said to him again a second time, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." He said to him, "Shepherd my sheep!" ¹⁷ He said to him a third time, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" Peter was distressed because he said to him a third time, "Do you love me?" and he said to him, "Lord, you know everything! You know that I love you!" Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep! ¹⁸ Truly, truly I say to you, when you were young, you tied your clothes* around yourself and walked wherever you wanted. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will tie you up and carry you where you do not want to go.* ¹⁹ (Now he said this to indicate by what kind of death he would glorify God.) And after he* had said this, he said to him, "Follow me!" ²⁰ Peter turned and* saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them* (who also leaned back on his chest at the dinner and said, "Lord, who is the one betraying you?") ²¹ So when he* saw this one, Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, but what about this one?" ²² Jesus said to him, "If I want him to remain until I come, what is that* to you? You follow me!" ²³ So this saying went out to the brothers that that disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but "If I want him to remain until I come, what is that* to you?" ²⁴ This is the disciple who is testifying about these things, and who has written down these things. And we know that his testimony is true.

² So he executed James the brother of John with a sword.

¹ Simeon Peter, a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have obtained a faith equal in value to ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ.

⁹ And as* Jesus was going away from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth and said to him, "Follow me!" And he stood up and* followed him.

³ Philip, and Bartholomew, Thomas, and Matthew the tax collector, James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, ⁴ Simon the Zealot,* and Judas Iscariot—the one who also betrayed him.

¹⁴ And as he* was passing by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, "Follow me!" And he stood up and* followed him.

¹⁸ and Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot,*

²⁷ And after these things, he went out and saw a tax collector _⌊named_⌋* Levi sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, "Follow me!"

¹⁶ Then Thomas (the one who is called Didymus)* said to his fellow disciples, "Let us go also, so that we may die with him."

²⁴ Now Thomas, one of the twelve, who was called Didymus,* was not with them when Jesus came.

¹³ And after they had stopped speaking, James answered, saying, "Men and brothers, listen to me!

¹⁹ but I did not see any others of the apostles except James, the brother of the Lord.

⁹ and when James and Cephas and John—those thought to be pillars—acknowledged the grace given to me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, in order that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcision.

¹ James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes in the dispersion. Greetings!

¹⁴ Then one of the twelve, the one named Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests ¹⁵ and* said, "What are you willing to give me if I in turn deliver him to you?" So they set out for him thirty silver coins. ¹⁶ And from that time on, he began seeking a favorable opportunity in order that he could betray him.

³ Then when* Judas, the one who had betrayed him, saw that he had been condemned, he regretted what he had done* and* returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and elders, ⁴ saying, "I have sinned by* betraying innocent blood!" But they said, "What is that to us? You see to it!"* ⁵ And throwing the silver coins into the temple he departed. And he went away and* hanged himself.

⁷⁰ Jesus replied to them, "Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is the devil?" ⁷¹ (Now he was speaking about Judas son of Simon Iscariot, because this one—one of the twelve—was going to betray him.)

²² Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, "Lord, why* is it that you are going to reveal yourself to us and not to the world?"

¹⁶ "Men and brothers, it was necessary that the scripture be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit proclaimed beforehand through the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus, ¹⁷ because he was counted among us and received a share in this ministry." ¹⁸ (Now this man acquired a field for the wages of his wickedness, and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his intestines spilled out. ¹⁹ And it became known to all who live in Jerusalem, so that that field was called in their own language* "Akeldama," that is, "Field of Blood.") ²⁰ "For it is written in the book of Psalms,
'Let his residence become deserted, and let there be no one to live in it,'*
and,
'Let another person take his position.'*

²⁵ to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to depart to his own place."

¹ Jude,* a slave of Jesus Christ and brother of James, to those who are called, loved in God the Father and kept for* Jesus Christ.

³ who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases,

¹⁷ Fools, because of their rebellious way and their iniquities, were afflicted. ¹⁸ Their soul abhorred all food, and they approached the gates of death. ¹⁹ Then they called to Yahweh for help in their trouble. He saved them from their distresses. ²⁰ He sent his word and healed them, and he delivered them from their pits.*

²³ And he went around through all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and every sickness among the people. ²⁴ And a report about him went out _⌊throughout_⌋* Syria, and they brought to him all those _⌊who were sick_⌋* with various diseases and afflicted by torments, demon-possessed* and epileptics and paralytics, and he healed them. ²⁵ And large crowds followed him from Galilee, Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and from the other side of the Jordan.

²¹ "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

¹⁵ Now Jesus, when he* learned of it,* withdrew from there, and many* followed him, and he healed them all.

¹⁴ And as he* got out, he saw the large crowd and had compassion on them and healed their sick.

²¹ And departing from there, Jesus went away to the region of Tyre and Sidon.

⁷ And Jesus went away with his disciples to the sea,* and a great crowd from Galilee followed him.* And from Judea ⁸ and from Jerusalem and from Idumea and the other side of the Jordan and around Tyre and Sidon a great crowd came to him because they* heard all that he was doing. ⁹ And he told his disciples that a small boat should stand ready for him because of the crowd, so that they would not press upon him. ¹⁰ For he had healed many, so that all those who _⌊were suffering from diseases_⌋* pressed about him in order that they could touch him. ¹¹ And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw him, were falling down before him and crying out, saying, "You are the Son of God!" ¹² And he warned them strictly that they should not make him known.

²⁴ And from there he set out and* went to the region of Tyre. And when he* entered into a house, he wanted no one to know, and yet he was not able to escape notice. ²⁵ But immediately a woman whose young daughter was possessed by an unclean spirit, when she* heard about him, came and* fell down at his feet, ²⁶ Now the woman was a Greek—a Syrophoenician by nationality—and she was asking him that he would expel the demon from her daughter. ²⁷ And he said to her, "Let the children be satisfied first, for it is not right to take the children's bread and throw it* to the dogs!" ²⁸ But she answered and said to him, "Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs." ²⁹ And he said to her, "Because of this statement, go! The demon has gone out of your daughter." ³⁰ And when she* went to her home, she found the child lying on the bed and the demon gone. ³¹ And again he went away from the region of Tyre and* came through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, within the region of the Decapolis.

¹⁵ But the report about him spread even more, and large crowds were gathering to hear him* and to be healed of their illnesses.

¹² Now it happened that in these days he went away to the mountain to pray, and was spending the whole night in prayer to God.

²² And behold, a Canaanite woman from that district came and cried out, saying, "Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely possessed by a demon!"

¹⁵ and saying, "Lord, have mercy on my son, because he has seizures and suffers severely, for often he falls into the fire and often into the water.

¹⁶ And the people of the towns around Jerusalem also came together, bringing the sick and those tormented by unclean spirits, who were all being healed.

⁸ And Yahweh said to Moses, "Make for yourself a snake and place it on a pole. When* anyone is bitten and looks at it, that person will live." ⁹ So Moses made a snake of bronze, and he placed it on the pole; whenever* a snake bit someone, and that person looked at the snake of bronze, he lived.

²¹ And it happened that they were burying a man; suddenly they saw the marauding band, so they threw the man in the grave of Elisha. As he went in, the man touched the bones of Elisha, and became alive and got up on his feet!

²⁰ And behold, a woman who had been suffering with a hemorrhage twelve years approached from behind and* touched the edge* of his cloak, ²¹ for she said to herself, "If only I touch his cloak I will be healed."

³⁶ And they were imploring him that they might only touch the edge* of his cloak, and all those who touched it* were cured.

¹⁰ For he had healed many, so that all those who _⌊were suffering from diseases_⌋* pressed about him in order that they could touch him.

³⁰ And immediately Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from himself, turned around in the crowd and* said, "Who touched my clothing?"

⁵⁶ And wherever he would go, into villages or into towns or to farms, they would put those who were sick in the marketplaces and would implore him that if they could touch even the edge of his cloak. And all those who touched it were healed.

²² And they came to Bethsaida. And they brought to him a blind man and implored him that he would touch him.

¹⁷ And it happened that on one of the days as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there who _⌊had come_⌋* from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem, and the power of the Lord was there in order for him to heal.

⁴⁵ And Jesus said, "Who is the one who touched me?" And when they* all denied it,* Peter said, "Master, the crowds are pressing you hard and crowding you!"* ⁴⁶ But Jesus said, "Someone touched me, because I know power has gone out from me."

¹⁴ And just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness,* thus it is necessary that the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵ so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life."*

¹⁵ so that they even carried out the sick into the streets and put them* on cots and mats* so that when* Peter came by, at least his* shadow would fall on some of them. ¹⁶ And the people of the towns around Jerusalem also came together, bringing the sick and those tormented by unclean spirits, who were all being healed.

¹² so that even handkerchiefs or work aprons _⌊that had touched his skin_⌋* were carried away to those who were sick, and their* diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them.*

⁹ But you are a chosen race,* a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's possession, so that you may proclaim the virtues of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light,

⁸ He raises up the poor from the dust. From the ash heap he lifts up the needy, to cause them to sit with noble people and to cause them to inherit a seat of honor. For the pillars of the earth belong to Yahweh and he has set the inhabited world on them.

¹⁶ The little belonging to the righteous is better than the wealth of many wicked.

⁷ He raises the helpless from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap, ⁸ to seat them with princes, with the princes of his people.

¹⁹ Better a lowly spirit with the poor than dividing the spoil with the proud.

¹ Better a poor person walking in integrity than one who is perverse _⌊in his speech_⌋* and is a fool.

¹⁹ And the meek _⌊have joy after joy_⌋* in Yahweh, and the needy of the people shall rejoice in the holy one of Israel.

¹⁵ For thus says the high and lofty one who resides forever, and whose name is holy:
"I reside in a high and holy place, and with the _⌊contrite_⌋* and humble of spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the _⌊contrite_⌋.* ¹⁶ For I will not attack forever, and I will not be angry forever, for the spirit will grow faint before me, and the breaths that I myself I have made.

² And my hand has made all these things, and all these _⌊came to be_⌋,"*
_⌊declares_⌋* Yahweh, "but* I look to this one:
to the humble and the contrite of spirit and the one frightened at my word.

¹² And I will leave in your midst a people afflicted and poor, and they shall take refuge in the name of Yahweh.

¹¹ And it was broken on that day. Then the afflicted* of the flock,* the ones who were watching me, knew that it was the word of Yahweh.

² And opening his mouth he began to teach them, saying, ³ "Blessed are the poor in spirit, because theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ⁴ Blessed are the ones who mourn, because they will be comforted. ⁵ Blessed are the meek, because they will inherit the earth. ⁶ Blessed are the ones who hunger and thirst for righteousness, because they will be satisfied. ⁷ Blessed are the merciful, because they will be shown mercy. ⁸ Blessed are the pure in heart, because they will see God. ⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers, because they will be called sons of God. ¹⁰ Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, because theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ¹¹ Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and say all kinds of evil things against you, lying on account of me. ¹² Rejoice and be glad, because your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets before you.

⁵ the blind receive sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised, and the poor have good news announced to them.*

⁴⁹ And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, "Behold my mother and my brothers! ⁵⁰ For whoever does the will of my Father who is in heaven, he is my brother and sister and mother."

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

³⁴ And looking around at those who were sitting around him in a circle, he said, "Behold, my mother and my brothers! ³⁵ For whoever does the will of God, this person is my brother and sister and mother."

¹⁸ "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because of which he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to send out in freedom those who are oppressed,

²⁰ And he lifted up his eyes to his disciples and* said,
"Blessed are the poor, because yours is the kingdom of God. ²¹ Blessed are those who are hungry now, because you will be satisfied. Blessed are those who weep now, Because you will laugh. ²² Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil on account of the Son of Man. ²³ Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For their fathers used to do the same things to the prophets. ²⁴ "But woe to you who are rich, because you have received your comfort.

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

²⁸ In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves thrown outside!

¹⁵ Now when* one of those reclining at the table with him heard these things, he said to him, "Blessed is _⌊everyone who_⌋* will eat bread in the kingdom of God!"

²⁵ But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that you received your good things during your life, and Lazarus likewise bad things. But now he is comforted here, but you are suffering pain.

⁴⁸ _⌊None_⌋* of the rulers or of the Pharisees have believed in him, have they?* ⁴⁹ But this crowd who does not know the law is accursed!"

²² strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them* to continue in the faith and saying,* "Through many persecutions* it is necessary for us to enter into the kingdom of God."

²⁶ For consider your calling, brothers, that not many were wise according to human standards,* not many were powerful, not many were well born. ²⁷ But the foolish things of the world God chose in order that he might put to shame the wise, and the weak things of the world God chose in order that he might put to shame the strong, ²⁸ and the insignificant of the world, and the despised, God chose, the things that are not, in order that he might abolish the things that are, ²⁹ so that all flesh may not boast before God.

²¹ So then, let no one boast in people. For all things are yours, ²² whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come, all things are yours, ²³ and you are Christ's, and Christ is God's.

¹⁰ as grieving, but always rejoicing, as poor, but making many rich, as having nothing, and possessing everything.

² that with a great ordeal of affliction, the abundance of their joy and the extreme depth of their poverty have overflowed to the wealth of their generosity.

⁹ For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that although he* was rich, for your sake he became poor, in order that you, by his poverty, may become rich.

⁶ And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, receiving the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit,

⁵ a proof of the righteous judgment of God, so that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, on behalf of which also you are suffering,

⁹ Now let the brother of humble circumstances boast in his high position, ¹⁰ but the rich person in his humiliation, because he will pass away like a flower of the grass.

¹² Blessed is the person* who endures testing, because when he* is approved he will receive the crown of life that he* has promised to those who love him.

⁵ Listen, my dear brothers! Did not God choose the poor of the world to be rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him?

⁹ 'I know your affliction and poverty (but you are rich), and the slander of those _⌊who call themselves Jews_⌋* and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.

¹⁷ And Abraham fell upon his face and laughed. And he said in his heart, "_⌊Can a child be born to a man a hundred years old_⌋,* or _⌊can Sarah bear a child at ninety_⌋?"*

⁶ And Sarah said, "God has made laughter for me; all who hear will laugh for me."

⁶ I am weary with my groaning; _⌊I flood_⌋* my bed every night. With my tears _⌊I drench_⌋* my couch. ⁷ My eye wastes away because of vexation; it grows old because of all my oppressors. ⁸ Depart from me, all workers of evil, for Yahweh has heard the sound of my weeping.

¹⁵ By contrast, I in righteousness shall see your face. Upon awakening I will be satisfied seeing your form.

⁷ Yahweh is my strength and my shield. My heart trusts him and I am helped. So my heart rejoices, and with my song I will give thanks to him.

¹¹ You have turned my wailing into my dancing. You have removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy ¹² so that _⌊I_⌋* may sing praises to you and not be quiet. O Yahweh, my God, I will give thanks to you forever.

¹ For the music director. A maskil of the sons of Korah.*
As a deer longs for streams of water, so my soul longs for you, O God. ² My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?* ³ My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me all day long, "Where is your God?"

¹ A psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah.*
O God, you are my God; I will seek you diligently. My soul thirsts for you; my flesh longs for you as in a dry and weary land without water. ² Thus I have seen you in the sanctuary, beholding your strength and glory. ³ Because your loyal love is better than life, my lips will praise you. ⁴ So I will bless you while I live. I will lift up my _⌊hands_⌋* in your name. ⁵ My soul will be satisfied as with the best and richest food, and with joyful lips my mouth will praise.

⁴ Blessed is one whom you choose and bring near, that he may abide in your courts. We will be satisfied with the goodness of your house, your holy temple.

⁹ for he satisfies the longing soul,* and the hungry soul he fills with good.

¹³⁶ Streams of water flow down from my eyes, because people do not heed your law.

¹ A song of ascents.*
When Yahweh restored the fortunes* of Zion,* we were like dreamers. ² Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with rejoicing. Then they said among the nations, "Yahweh has done great things for these people."

⁵ Those who sow with tears shall reap with rejoicing. ⁶ He who diligently goes out with weeping, carrying the seed bag, shall certainly come in with rejoicing, carrying his sheaves.

⁶ I stretch out my hands to you; my soul longs for you like a dry land. Selah

² Better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for death is the end of every person, and the living should take it to his heart. ³ Sorrow is better than laughter, for by sadness of countenance the heart is made good.

¹ And you will say on that day, "I will give you thanks, Yahweh, for though you were angry with me, your anger turned away, and you comforted me. ² Look! God is my salvation; I will trust, and I will not be afraid, for my strength and might is Yah, Yahweh; and he has become salvation for me."

⁶ And on this mountain Yahweh of hosts will make for all peoples a _⌊rich feast_⌋,* a feast of aged wines, fat filled with marrow, filtered aged wine.

¹⁹ For people will live in Zion; in Jerusalem, you will surely not weep. Surely he will be gracious to you; when he hears the sound of your cry, he will answer you.

³ For I will pour out water on a thirsty land and streams on dry ground. I will pour my spirit out on your descendants* and my blessing on your offspring. ⁴ And they shall sprout _⌊among_⌋* the grass like willows by a watercourse of water.

⁹ saying to the _⌊prisoners_⌋,* "Come out!" to those who are in darkness, "Show yourselves!" they shall feed _⌊along_⌋* the ways, and their pasturage shall be on all the barren heights. ¹⁰ They shall not be hungry or thirsty, and heat and sun shall not strike them, for he who takes pity on them will lead them, and he will guide them to springs of water.

¹ "Ho! Everyone thirsty, come to the waters! And whoever has no money, come, buy and eat, and come, buy without money, wine and milk without price! ² Why do you weigh out money for what is not food, and your labor for _⌊what cannot satisfy_⌋?* Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and let your soul take pleasure in _⌊rich_⌋* food.

¹⁷ I was angry because of his sin of gain, and I struck him; I hid and I was angry, but* he walked apostate, in the ways* of his heart. ¹⁸ I have seen his ways, but* I will heal him; and I will lead him and give him and his mourners comfort as a recompense,

¹ The Spirit of the Lord Yahweh is upon me, because Yahweh has anointed me, he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up _⌊the brokenhearted_⌋,* to _⌊proclaim_⌋* release to the captives and liberation to those who are bound, ² to _⌊proclaim_⌋* the year of Yahweh's favor, and our God's day of vengeance, to comfort all those in mourning, ³ to _⌊give_⌋* for those in mourning in Zion, to give them a head wrap instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, a garment of praise instead of a faint spirit. And _⌊they will be called_⌋* oaks of righteousness, the planting of Yahweh, to show his glory.

¹³ Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh:
"Look! My servants shall eat but* you, you shall be hungry. Look! My servants shall drink but* you, you shall be thirsty. Look! My servants shall rejoice but* you, you shall be ashamed. ¹⁴ Look! My servants shall shout _⌊for joy_⌋,* but* you, you shall cry out _⌊for pain_⌋* and howl _⌊for sadness_⌋.*

¹⁰ "Rejoice with Jerusalem and shout in exultation with her, all those who love her! Rejoice with her in joy, all those who mourn over her,

¹ * _⌊Oh that my head were waters_⌋,* and my eyes a fountain of tears, so that I might weep day and night, for the slain of the daughter of my people.

¹⁷ But if you will not listen to it, my inner self* will weep in secret places, because of _⌊the presence of_⌋* your pride. And my eyes* will weep bitterly, and they will melt in tears, because the flock of Yahweh has been taken captive.

⁹ With weeping they will come, and with pleas for mercy I will bring them; I will let them walk by streams of water in a straight path. They will not stumble in it, for I have become to Israel a father, and Ephraim, he is my firstborn."

¹³ "Then the young woman will rejoice in the dancing in a ring, and the young men and the old men together. And I will turn their mourning to jubilation, and I will comfort them, and I will gladden them from their sorrow. ¹⁴ And I will saturate the appetite of the priests with fatness, and my people will be satisfied with my goodness," _⌊declares_⌋* Yahweh.

¹⁸ Indeed I heard Ephraim pitying themselves, 'You disciplined me, and I was disciplined, like a calf that is not trained. Bring me back and let me return, for you are Yahweh my God. ¹⁹ For after my turning back I repented, and after coming to understand I struck my thigh. I was ashamed and also humiliated, because I bore the disgrace of my youth.' ²⁰ Is Ephraim my dear son, or the child of my delight? For _⌊as often as_⌋* I have earnestly spoken against him, I still remember him. _⌊Therefore_⌋* my bowels are turbulent for him, surely I will have compassion on him," _⌊declares_⌋* Yahweh.

²⁵ For I will saturate the thirst of the weary, and every person who languishes I will replenish."

¹⁶ And if their survivors will escape, they will be on the mountains, like the doves of the valley, all of them groaning, each because of his guilt.

⁴ And Yahweh said to him, "Go through in the midst of the city, in the midst of Jerusalem, and you must place a mark on the foreheads of the men _⌊who are groaning and lamenting_⌋* about all of the detestable things _⌊that are being done_⌋* in the midst of her."

⁴ Blessed are the ones who mourn, because they will be comforted.

⁶ Blessed are the ones who hunger and thirst for righteousness, because they will be satisfied.

⁵³ He has filled those who are hungry with good things, and those who are rich he has sent away empty-handed.

²⁵ Woe to you who are satisfied now, because you will be hungry. Woe, you who laugh now, because you will mourn and weep.

¹⁰ Jesus answered and said to her, "If you had known the gift of God and who it is who says to you, 'Give me water* to drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water."

³⁵ Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. The one who comes to me will never be hungry, and the one who believes in me will never be thirsty again.

³⁷ Now on the last day of the feast—the great day—Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me, and let him drink, ³⁸ the one who believes in me.* Just as the scripture said, 'Out of his belly will flow rivers of living water.'"*

³⁵ Jesus wept.

²⁰ Truly, truly I say to you, that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will become sorrowful, but your sorrow will change to joy. ²¹ A woman, when she gives birth, experiences pain because her hour has come. But when her* child is born, she no longer remembers the affliction, on account of the joy that a human being has been born into the world.

¹ I am telling the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears witness to me in the Holy Spirit— ² that my grief is great and there is constant distress in my heart. ³ For I could wish myself to be accursed from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my fellow countrymen according to the flesh,

¹¹ Until the present hour we are both hungry and thirsty and poorly clothed and roughly treated and homeless,

⁴ who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in all affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. ⁵ For just as the sufferings of Christ overflow to us, thus through Christ our comfort overflows also. ⁶ But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort that is at work in the patient endurance of the same sufferings that we also suffer.

¹⁰ For grief according to the will of God brings about a repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted, but worldly grief brings about death. ¹¹ For behold how much diligence this very thing, being grieved according to the will of God, has brought about in you: what defense of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what punishment! In everything you have demonstrated yourselves to be innocent in this matter.

²⁷ with toil and hardship, often in sleepless nights, with hunger and thirst, often going hungry, in cold and poorly clothed.

¹⁰ Therefore I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in calamities, in persecutions and difficulties for the sake of Christ, for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.

² Consider it all joy, my brothers, whenever you encounter various trials, ³ because you* know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. ⁴ And let endurance have its perfect effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.

⁶ in which you rejoice greatly, although* now for a short time, if necessary,* you are distressed by various trials, ⁷ so that the genuineness of your faith, more valuable than gold that is passing away, but is tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ, ⁸ whom, although you* have not seen, you love; in whom now you believe, although you* do not see him, and you rejoice greatly with joy inexpressible and full of glory,

¹⁶ They will not be hungry any longer or be thirsty any longer, nor will the sun ever beat down on them, nor any heat,*

³ And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,
"Behold, the dwelling of God is with humanity, and he will take up residence with them, and they will be his people and God himself will be with them.*

⁵ _⌊who say_⌋,* "_⌊Keep to yourself_⌋!* You must not come near me, for I am too holy for you!" These are a smoke in my _⌊nostrils_⌋,* a fire burning all day.

⁵ Hear the word of Yahweh, you who are frightened at his word:
Your brothers who hate you, who exclude you for my name's sake have said, "Let Yahweh be honored so that* we may see your joy!" But* they themselves shall be ashamed.

¹⁸ And you will be brought before both governors and kings because of me, for a witness to them and to the Gentiles.

²² and you will be hated by everyone because of my name. But the one who endures to the end—this one will be saved.

³⁹ The one who finds his life will lose it, and the one who loses his life because of me will find it.

⁹ "But you, watch out for yourselves! They will hand you over to councils and you will be beaten in the synagogues and will have to stand before governors and kings because of me, for a witness to them. ¹⁰ And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all the nations.* ¹¹ And when they arrest you and* hand you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you should say, but whatever is given to you at that hour, say this. For you are not the ones who are speaking, but the Holy Spirit. ¹² And brother will hand over brother to death, and a father his* child, and children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. ¹³ And you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end—this one will be saved.

¹⁵ And they threw him out of the vineyard and* killed him.* What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them?

¹⁷ And you will be hated by all because of my name.

⁷ The world cannot hate you, but it hates me, because I am testifying about it, that its deeds are evil.

²² (His parents said these things because they were afraid of the Jews, for the Jews had already decided that if anyone should confess him to be Christ, he would be expelled from the synagogue. ²³ Because of this his parents said, "_⌊He is a mature adult_⌋;* ask him.") ²⁴ So they summoned the man who had been blind for the second time and said to him, "Give glory to God! We know that this man is a sinner!" ²⁵ Then that man replied, "Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I know—that although I* was blind, now I see!" ²⁶ So they said to him, "What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?" ²⁷ He replied to them, "I told you already and you did not listen! Why do you want to hear it* again? You do not want to become his disciples also, do you?"* ²⁸ They reviled* him and said, "You are his disciple! But we are disciples of Moses!

³⁴ They answered and said to him, "You were born completely in sin, and are you attempting to teach* us?" And they threw him out.

⁴² Yet despite that, even many of the rulers believed in him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess it,* so that they would not be expelled from the synagogue.

¹⁸ If the world hates you, you know that it has hated me before it hated* you. ¹⁹ If you were of the world, the world would love its own. But because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, for this reason the world hates you. ²⁰ Remember the word that I said to you: 'A slave is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will keep yours also. ²¹ But they will do all these things to you on account of my name, because they do not know the one who sent me.

² _⌊They will expel you from the synagogue_⌋,* but an hour is coming that everyone who kills you will think they are offering service to God.

¹⁴ I have given them your word, and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world just as I am not of the world.

¹⁶ For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name."

²² Now they were listening to him until this word, and they raised their voices, saying, "Away with such a man from the earth! For it is not fitting for him to live!"

⁵ For we have found* this man to be a public menace and one who causes riots among all the Jews throughout the Roman Empire* and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes,

¹⁰ We are fools for the sake of Christ, but you are prudent in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, but we are dishonored! ¹¹ Until the present hour we are both hungry and thirsty and poorly clothed and roughly treated and homeless,

²³ Are they servants of Christ?—I am speaking as though I were beside myself—I am more so, with far greater labors, with far more imprisonments, with beatings to a much greater degree, in danger of death many times. ²⁴ Five times I received at the hands of the Jews forty lashes less one. ²⁵ Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I received a stoning. Three times I was shipwrecked. A day and a night I have spent in the deep water. ²⁶ I have been on journeys many times, in dangers from rivers, in dangers from robbers, in dangers from my own people, in dangers from the Gentiles, in dangers in the city, in dangers in the wilderness, in dangers at sea, in dangers because of false brothers,

²⁸ and not letting yourselves be intimidated in anything by your opponents, which is a sign of destruction to them, but of your salvation, and this from God, ²⁹ because to you has been graciously granted on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer on behalf of him, ³⁰ having the same struggle which you saw in me and now hear about in me.

¹⁴ For you became imitators, brothers, of the churches of God which are in Judea in Christ Jesus, because you also suffered the same things at the hands of your own people, just as they themselves did also at the hands of the Jews, ¹⁵ who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and who persecuted us, and who are not pleasing to God and are opposed to all people,

¹¹ persecutions, and sufferings that happened to me in Antioch, in Iconium, and in Lystra, what sort of persecutions I endured, and the Lord delivered me from all of them. ¹² And indeed, all those who want to live in a godly manner in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.

¹⁹ For this finds favor, if because of consciousness of God someone endures sorrows while* suffering unjustly. ²⁰ For what credit is it if, when you* sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if you endure when you* do good and suffer for it, this finds favor with God.

¹⁴ But even if you might suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. And do not be afraid of their intimidation or be disturbed,*

¹² Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, when it* takes place to test you, as if something strange were happening to you. ¹³ But to the degree that you share in the sufferings of Christ, rejoice, so that also at the revelation of his glory you may rejoice and be glad. ¹⁴ If you are reviled on account of the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. ¹⁵ By all means do not let anyone of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. ¹⁶ But if someone suffers as a Christian, he must not be ashamed, but must glorify God with this name.

¹⁶ It happened that when the ark of Yahweh came into the city of David, Michal the daughter of Saul looked down through the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before Yahweh, and she despised him in her heart.

⁴ It had happened that when Jezebel killed the prophets of Yahweh, Obadiah took a hundred prophets and hid them _⌊by fifties_⌋* in the cave and sustained them with food and water.)

² Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, "Thus may the gods do to me, and may they add to it, surely at this time tomorrow I will make your life as the life of one of them!"

¹⁰ Then he said, "I have been very zealous for Yahweh the God of hosts, for the _⌊Israelites_⌋* have forsaken your covenant. They have demolished your altars, and they have killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left over, and they seek to take my life.

¹⁴ He said, "I have been very zealous for Yahweh the God of Hosts, for the _⌊Israelites_⌋* have forsaken your covenant, demolished your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword; I alone am left, and they seek to take my life!"

²⁰ Then Ahab said to Elijah, "Have you found me, my enemy?" He said, "I have found you because you have sold yourself to do evil in the eyes of Yahweh.

⁸ Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "There is still one man to inquire from Yahweh, but I despise him, for he never prophesies anything good concerning me, but only bad: Micaiah the son of Imlah." Then Jehoshaphat said, "The king should not say so."

²⁷ and say, 'Thus says the king: "Put this fellow in the house of imprisonment and feed him reduced rations of food and water until I come in peace." '"

³¹ Then he said, "May God do to me and thus may he add, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat remains on him today!"

¹⁶ But they were mocking the messengers of God and despising his words and scoffing at his prophets until the wrath of Yahweh rose against his people until there was no remedy.

²⁶ "But they rebelled and were rebellious against you and cast your law* behind their back and killed your prophets, who had warned them to turn back to you, and they did great blasphemies.

⁶ Then the lame shall leap like the deer, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing for joy, for waters shall break forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert.

³⁰ "For _⌊in vain_⌋* I have struck your children. They accepted no discipline. Your sword devoured your prophets, like a ravening* lion.

¹² Rejoice and be glad, because your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets before you.

¹ "And take care not to practice your righteousness before people to be seen by them; _⌊otherwise_⌋* you have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. ² Therefore whenever you practice charitable giving, do not sound a trumpet in front of you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, in order that they may be praised by people. Truly I say to you, they have received their reward in full!

³⁵ And the tenant farmers seized his slaves, one of whom they beat, and one of whom they killed, and one of whom they stoned. ³⁶ Again, he sent other slaves, more than the first ones, and they did the same thing to them.

³¹ Thus you testify against yourselves that you are descendants of those who murdered the prophets! ³² And you—fill up the measure of your fathers! ³³ Serpents! Offspring of vipers! How will you escape from the condemnation to hell? ³⁴ For this reason, behold, I am sending to you prophets and wise men and scribes. Some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will flog in your synagogues and will pursue from town to town, ³⁵ so that upon you will come all the righteous blood shed on the earth from the blood of righteous Abel up to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. ³⁶ Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation! ³⁷ "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How many times I wanted to gather your children together _⌊the way_⌋* a hen gathers her young together under her* wings, and you were not willing!

⁴¹ And it happened that when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby in her womb leaped and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

⁴⁴ For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy!

³⁵ But love your enemies, and do good, and lend expecting back nothing, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.

⁸ And leaping up, he stood and began walking around* and entered into the temple courts* with them, walking and leaping and praising God.

⁴¹ So they went out from the presence of the Sanhedrin* rejoicing, because they had been considered worthy to be dishonored for the sake of the name.

⁵¹ "You stiff-necked people and uncircumcised in hearts and in your* ears! You constantly resist the Holy Spirit! As your fathers did, so also do you! ⁵² Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand about the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become,

¹⁰ said with a loud voice, "Stand upright on your feet!" And he leaped up and began walking.*

³ And not only this, but we also boast in our afflictions, because we* know that affliction produces patient endurance,

²⁴ Now I rejoice in my sufferings on behalf of you, and I fill up in my flesh what is lacking of the afflictions of Christ, on behalf of his body which is the church,

⁵ a proof of the righteous judgment of God, so that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, on behalf of which also you are suffering, ⁶ since it is righteous in the sight of God to pay back those who are afflicting you with affliction, ⁷ and to you who are being afflicted, rest with us at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with his powerful angels,

¹² if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us;

⁷ I have fought the good fight, I have completed the race, I have kept the faith. ⁸ Finally, the crown of righteousness is reserved for me, that the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but also to all who have loved his appearing.

⁶ Now without faith it is impossible to please him, for the one who approaches God must believe that he exists and is a rewarder of those who seek him.

²⁶ considering _⌊reproach endured for the sake of Christ_⌋* greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.

³² And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, and Samuel and the prophets, ³³ who through faith conquered kingdoms, accomplished justice, obtained what was promised, shut the mouths of lions, ³⁴ extinguished the effectiveness of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong from weakness, became mighty in battle, put to flight enemy battle lines. ³⁵ Women received back their dead by resurrection. But others were tortured, not accepting release, in order that they might gain a better resurrection. ³⁶ And others _⌊experienced mocking and flogging_⌋*, and in addition bonds and imprisonment. ³⁷ They were stoned, they were sawed in two, they died by murder with a sword, they wandered about in sheepskins, in goatskins, impoverished, afflicted, mistreated, ³⁸ of whom the world was not worthy, wandering about on deserts and mountains and in caves and in holes in the ground. ³⁹ And although they* all were approved* through their faith, they did not receive what was promised,

² Consider it all joy, my brothers, whenever you encounter various trials,

¹³ But to the degree that you share in the sufferings of Christ, rejoice, so that also at the revelation of his glory you may rejoice and be glad.

⁷ The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers, I will grant to him to eat from the tree of life which is in the paradise of God.'

¹⁰ Do not be afraid of the things which you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison so that you may be tested, and you will experience affliction ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. ¹¹ The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will never be harmed by the second death.'

¹⁷ The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers, I will give to him some of the hidden manna, and I will give to him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written, that no one knows except the one who receives it.'

²⁶ And the one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, I will give him authority over the nations,

⁵ The one who conquers in this way will be dressed in white clothing, and I will never erase his name from the book of life, and I will declare his name before my Father and before his angels.

¹² The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God, and he will never go outside again, and I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem that comes down from heaven from my God, and my new name.

⁷ The one who conquers will inherit these things, and I will be _⌊his God_⌋* and he will be _⌊my son_⌋*.

⁷ "Why do the wicked live, grow old, even grow mighty in power? ⁸ With them their offspring are established _⌊before them_⌋,* and their descendants before their eyes. ⁹ Their houses are safe without fear, and the rod of God is not upon them. ¹⁰ His bull breeds and does not fail; his cow calves and does not miscarry. ¹¹ They send out their little ones like the flock, and their children dance around. ¹² They _⌊sing_⌋* to the tambourine and lyre, and they rejoice to the sound of the long flute. ¹³ They spend their days in prosperity, and in peace they go down to Sheol. ¹⁴ And they say to God, 'Turn away from us, for* we do not desire to know your ways. ¹⁵ Who is Shaddai that we should serve him, or* what would we benefit when we plead with him?'

⁶ those who trust their wealth and boast about the abundance of their riches? ⁷ Surely a man cannot redeem a brother. He cannot give to God his ransom

¹⁶ Do not fear when a man becomes rich, when the wealth* of his house increases, ¹⁷ because when he dies he will not take away any of it. His wealth will not follow down after him. ¹⁸ Though he congratulated his soul while he was living —and people will praise you when you do well for yourself— ¹⁹ it* will go to the generation of his fathers. Never will they see light.

³ because I envied the boastful when I saw the well-being* of the wicked. ⁴ For there are no pains up to their death, and their bodies are _⌊healthy_⌋.* ⁵ They do not have _⌊ordinary trouble_⌋,* and they are not plagued as other people.* ⁶ Therefore pride is their necklace; an outfit of violence covers them. ⁷ Their eye bulges from fat.* Imaginings overflow their heart. ⁸ They mock and speak maliciously of oppression; they speak as though from on high. ⁹ They set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue roams the earth. ¹⁰ Therefore his people turn there,* and abundant waters are slurped up by them. ¹¹ And they say, "How does God know?" and, "Does the Most High have knowledge?" ¹² See, these are the wicked, and they increase wealth, ever carefree.

³² for the waywardness of the simple ones will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them.

⁴ Then I said, "They are just simple people, they are foolish, for they know not the way of Yahweh, the law* of their God. ⁵ Let me go to the great, and let me speak with them, for they know the way of Yahweh, the law* of their God." However, they together have broken the yoke, they have torn to pieces the bonds. ⁶ Therefore a lion from the forest will kill them, A wolf from the desert plains* will devastate them. A leopard is watching their cities, everyone who goes out from there will be torn, because their transgressions are many, their apostasies are numerous.

¹ Hear this word, you cows of Bashan who live on the mountain of Samaria, who oppress the powerless, who crush the poor, who say to their husbands, "Bring something so that we may drink!" ² My Lord Yahweh has sworn by his holiness that, "Behold, the days are coming upon you _⌊when they_⌋* will take you away with hooks, even the last of you with fishing hooks. ³ And you shall leave through breaches in the wall, each one in front of her. You will be dragged off toward Harmon,"* _⌊declares_⌋* Yahweh.

¹ Alas for those being at ease in Zion, and those who feel secure on Mount Samaria, the notables of the best of the nations! The house of Israel resorts to them. ² Cross over to Calneh and see, and go from there to Hamath Rabbah and go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are you better than these kingdoms, or is their territory greater than your territory? ³ You that put off the day of disaster and bring near a reign of violence! ⁴ Alas for those who lie on beds of ivory and lounge on their couches, and those eating young rams from the sheep and goats, and bull-calves from the middle of the animal stall. ⁵ Alas for those who sing to the tune of the harp; like David they improvise on instruments of music. ⁶ Alas for those who drink from sprinkling bowls of wine and anoint themselves with the best of olive oils and are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph.

⁹ 'The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former,' says Yahweh of hosts, 'and in this place I will give peace' _⌊declares_⌋* Yahweh of hosts.'"

² Therefore whenever you practice charitable giving, do not sound a trumpet in front of you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, in order that they may be praised by people. Truly I say to you, they have received their reward in full!

⁵ And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, because they love to stand and* pray in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, in order that they may be seen by people. Truly I say to you, they have received their reward in full!

¹⁶ "Whenever you fast, do not be sullen like the hypocrites, for they make their faces unrecognizable in order that they may be seen fasting by people. Truly I say to you, they have received their reward in full!

¹⁵ And he said to them, "Watch out and guard yourselves from all greediness, because not even when someone has an abundance _⌊does_⌋* his life consist of his possessions." ¹⁶ And he told a parable to them, saying, "The land of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. ¹⁷ And he reasoned to himself, saying, 'What should I do? For I do not have anywhere I can gather in my crops.' ¹⁸ And he said, 'I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and I will gather in there all my grain and possessions. ¹⁹ And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many possessions stored up for many years. Relax, eat, drink, celebrate!" ' ²⁰ But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your life* is demanded from you, and the things which you have prepared—whose will they be?' ²¹ So is the one who stores up treasure for himself, and who is not rich toward God!"

¹⁹ "Now a certain man was rich, and dressed in purple cloth and fine linen, feasting sumptuously every day. ²⁰ And a certain poor man _⌊named_⌋* Lazarus, covered with sores, lay at his gate, ²¹ and was longing to be filled with what fell from the table of the rich man. But even the dogs came and* licked his sores. ²² Now it happened that the poor man died, and he was carried away by the angels to _⌊Abraham's side_⌋.* And the rich man also died and was buried. ²³ And in Hades he lifted up his eyes as he* was in torment and* saw Abraham from a distance, and Lazarus _⌊at his side_⌋.* ²⁴ And he called out and* said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he could dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am suffering pain in this flame!' ²⁵ But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that you received your good things during your life, and Lazarus likewise bad things. But now he is comforted here, but you are suffering pain.

²³ But when he* heard these things he became very sad, because he was extremely wealthy. ²⁴ And Jesus took notice of him* and* said, "How _⌊difficult it is for_⌋* those who possess wealth to enter into the kingdom of God! ²⁵ For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter into the kingdom of God.

¹⁷ Command those who are rich in this present age not to be proud and not to put their hope in the uncertainty of riches, but in God, who provides us all things richly for enjoyment,

⁶ But you have dishonored the poor! Are not the rich exploiting you and they themselves dragging you into the courts?

¹ Come now, you rich people, weep and cry aloud over the miseries that are coming upon you! ² Your wealth has rotted, and your clothing has become moth-eaten. ³ Your gold and silver have become corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you, and it will consume your flesh like fire. You have stored up treasure in the last days. ⁴ Behold, the wages that were held back by you from the workers who reap your fields cry out, and the cries of the reapers have come to the ears of the Lord of hosts. ⁵ You have lived self-indulgently on the earth* and have lived luxuriously. You have fattened your hearts in the day of slaughter. ⁶ You have condemned, you have murdered the righteous person; he does not resist you.

⁶ Pay back to her as she herself also paid out, and _⌊pay back double_⌋* according to her deeds; in the cup that she mixed, mix double for her. ⁷ As much as she glorified herself and lived in luxury, give to her so much torment and mourning, because in her heart she said, 'I sit as a queen, and am not a widow, and I will never see mourning!' ⁸ Because of this her plagues will come in one day— death and mourning and famine— and she will be burned up with fire, because the Lord God who passes judgment on her is powerful!"

¹¹ and houses full of all sorts of good things* that you did not fill, and hewn cisterns that you did not hew, vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant, and _⌊you have eaten your fill_⌋,* ¹² then take care for yourself, so that you do not forget Yahweh, who brought you out from the land of Egypt from the house of slavery.

⁵ Those who were full must hire themselves out for bread, but those who are hungry will become fat. As for the infertile, she will bear seven, but she who has many sons withers away.

⁵ that the rejoicing of the wicked is _⌊short_⌋,* and the joy of the godless _⌊lasts only a moment_⌋?* ⁶ Even though his stature mounts up to the heaven, and his head reaches to the clouds, ⁷ he will perish forever like his dung; those who have seen him will say, 'Where is he?'

¹¹ They send out their little ones like the flock, and their children dance around. ¹² They _⌊sing_⌋* to the tambourine and lyre, and they rejoice to the sound of the long flute. ¹³ They spend their days in prosperity, and in peace they go down to Sheol.

⁶ But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by humankind and despised by people. ⁷ All who see me mock me. They open wide their lips; they shake the head, saying:

¹⁹ it* will go to the generation of his fathers. Never will they see light.

¹³ Even in laughter, a heart may be sad, and the end of joy may be grief.

⁹ Or else I will be satisfied and will deny him and say "Who is Yahweh?" Or* I will be poor and will steal and profane the name of my God.

² I said of laughter, "It is folly!" and of pleasure, "_⌊What does it accomplish?_⌋"*

³ Sorrow is better than laughter, for by sadness of countenance the heart is made good.

⁶ Like the sound of thorns under a pot, so also the laughter of fools. This also is vanity!

²¹ And it* will pass through it* distressed and hungry, and this shall happen: when it is hungry, it will be enraged, and it will curse its king and its gods,* and it will face upwar

²⁰ They devoured on the right but still were hungry and devoured on the left but they were not satisfied. Each one devoured the flesh of his arm,

³ Therefore my loins are filled with anguish; pangs have seized me, like the pangs of a woman giving birth. I am _⌊too bent to hear_⌋,* I am _⌊too dismayed to see_⌋.* ⁴ My _⌊mind_⌋* staggers; fear terrifies me; the twilight _⌊I desired_⌋* _⌊brought_⌋* me fear.

⁷ The new wine dries up; the vine languishes. All the merry of heart sigh; ⁸ the joy of the tambourine has stopped. The noise of the jubilant has ceased; the joy of the lyre has stopped. ⁹ They do not drink wine with song; strong drink is bitter to those who drink it. ¹⁰ The city of emptiness is broken; every house is shut _⌊so that no one can enter_⌋;* ¹¹ there is an outcry over the wine in the streets. All joy turns into _⌊darkness_⌋;* the joy of the earth disappears. ¹² Desolation is left in the city; the gate is crushed into a state of ruin.

⁷ And these also stagger because of wine and stagger because of strong drink; priest and prophet stagger because of strong drink; they are confused* because of wine. They stagger because of strong drink; they err in vision. They stagger in the rendering of a decision,

¹³ Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh:
"Look! My servants shall eat but* you, you shall be hungry. Look! My servants shall drink but* you, you shall be thirsty. Look! My servants shall rejoice but* you, you shall be ashamed.

⁴ They drank the wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood and stone.* ⁵ _⌊Immediately_⌋* _⌊human fingers_⌋* appeared and they wrote _⌊opposite_⌋* the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the palace of the king, and the king was watching* the palm of the hand that was writing. ⁶ Then his face changed and his thoughts terrified him, and _⌊his hip joints gave way_⌋* and _⌊his knees knocked together_⌋.*

¹⁰ And I will turn your feasts into mourning and all of your songs into lament, and I will put sackcloth on all loins and baldness on every head. And I will make it like the mourning for an only child, and its end like a bitter day.

¹⁰ For like entangled thorns, and like their drink which is drunk, they will be consumed like fully dry chaff.

¹¹ But when* the king came in to see the _⌊dinner guests_⌋,* he saw a man there not dressed in wedding clothes. ¹² And he said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here, not having wedding clothes?' But _⌊he could say nothing_⌋.* ¹³ Then the king said to the servants, 'Tie him up _⌊hand and foot_⌋* and* throw him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth!'

⁵³ And they began laughing* at him, because they* knew that she was dead.

²⁰ But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your life* is demanded from you, and the things which you have prepared—whose will they be?'

¹⁴ Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him. ¹⁵ And he said to them, "You are the ones who justify themselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts! For what is considered exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.

⁴ and obscenity, and foolish talk, or coarse jesting (which are not proper), but rather thanksgiving.

¹² I know how both _⌊to make do with little_⌋* and I know how _⌊to have an abundance_⌋*. In everything and in all things I have learned the secret both to be filled and to be hungry, both _⌊to have an abundance_⌋* and to go without. ¹³ I am able to do all things by the one who strengthens me.

³ Whenever they say "Peace and security," then sudden destruction will overtake them like the birth pains of _⌊a pregnant woman_⌋*, and they will not possibly escape.

⁹ Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your* joy to gloominess.

¹⁷ Because you are saying, "I am rich, and have become rich, and I have need of nothing," and you do not know that you are wretched and pitiable and poor and blind and naked,

⁷ As much as she glorified herself and lived in luxury, give to her so much torment and mourning, because in her heart she said, 'I sit as a queen, and am not a widow, and I will never see mourning!' ⁸ Because of this her plagues will come in one day— death and mourning and famine— and she will be burned up with fire, because the Lord God who passes judgment on her is powerful!" ⁹ And the kings of the earth will weep and mourn over her, those who committed sexual immorality and lived sensually with her, when they see the smoke of her burning, ¹⁰ standing _⌊far off_⌋* because of the fear of her torment, saying,
"Woe, woe, the great city, Babylon the powerful city, because in one hour your judgment has come!" ¹¹ And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargo any more—

⁶ Then the king of Israel assembled the prophets, about four hundred men, and he said to them, "Shall I go against Ramoth-Gilead for the battle, or should I refrain?" Then they said, "Go up, for the Lord will give it into the hand of the king." ⁷ So Jehoshaphat said, "Is there no prophet of Yahweh here that we might still inquire from him?" ⁸ Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "There is still one man to inquire from Yahweh, but I despise him, for he never prophesies anything good concerning me, but only bad: Micaiah the son of Imlah." Then Jehoshaphat said, "The king should not say so."

¹³ Then the messenger who had gone to summon Micaiah said to him, "Please now, the words of the prophet are _⌊unanimously_⌋* favorable to the king. Please let your words be as one word with them, and speak favorably." ¹⁴ Then Micaiah said, "_⌊As Yahweh lives_⌋,* surely only as Yahweh speaks to me, that will I speak."

²⁴ Then Zedekiah son of Kenaanah came near and slapped Micaiah on the cheek and said, "When did the Spirit of Yahweh pass from me to speak with you?" ²⁵ Then Micaiah said, "Behold, you are about to see on that day when you go _⌊from room to room_⌋* to hide." ²⁶ The king of Israel said, "Take Micaiah and return him to Amon the commander of the city and to Jehoash the son of the king; ²⁷ and say, 'Thus says the king: "Put this fellow in the house of imprisonment and feed him reduced rations of food and water until I come in peace." '" ²⁸ Then Micaiah said, "If you indeed return in peace, then Yahweh has not spoken with me." Then he said, "Let all the peoples hear!"

¹⁰ who say to those who do see, "You must not see!" and to the seers, "You must not see truth for us; speak smooth things to us, see illusions,

³¹ The prophets prophesy _⌊falsely_⌋,* and the priests rule _⌊by their own authority_⌋,* and my people love it* so much. But what will you do _⌊when the end comes_⌋?*

¹¹ If a man walks about in a spirit of deception and lies, saying "I will preach to you of wine and strong drink," then he would be a preacher for this people!

¹⁵ "Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inside are ravenous wolves.

¹⁹ If you were of the world, the world would love its own. But because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, for this reason the world hates you.

¹⁸ For such people do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own stomach, and by smooth speech and flattery they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting.

⁸ and then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will slay with the breath of his mouth, and wipe out by the appearance of his coming, ⁹ whose coming is in accordance with the working of Satan, with all power and signs and lying wonders, ¹⁰ and with every unrighteous deception against those who are perishing, in place of which they did not accept the love of the truth, so that they would be saved. ¹¹ And because of this, God sends them _⌊a powerful delusion_⌋* so that they will believe the lie, ¹² in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth, but delighted in unrighteousness.

⁴ Adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

¹ But there were also false prophets among the people, as there will be false teachers among you also, who will bring in _⌊destructive heresies_⌋*, even denying the Master who bought them, thus* bringing on themselves swift destruction. ² And many will follow their licentious ways, because of whom the way of truth will be reviled. ³ And in greediness they will exploit you with false words, whose condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

¹⁸ _⌊For by speaking high-sounding but empty words_⌋*, they entice with desires of the flesh and with licentiousness those who are scarcely escaping from those who live in error, ¹⁹ promising them freedom although they* themselves are slaves of depravity. For to whatever someone succumbs, by this he is also* enslaved.

⁵ They are from the world; _⌊therefore_⌋* they speak from the world and the world listens to them. ⁶ We are from God. The one who knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of deceit.

³ And one of its heads appeared as though slaughtered to death, and its _⌊fatal wound_⌋* had been healed. And the whole earth was astonished and followed after the beast. ⁴ And they worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast, and who is able to make war with him?

⁴ " 'If you come upon the ox of your enemy or his donkey going astray, you will certainly bring it back to him. ⁵ If you see the donkey of your enemy lying down under its burden, you will refrain from abandoning him. You will surely arrange* it with him.

²⁹ "If I have rejoiced at the ruin of the one who hated me or* have exulted when evil overtook him— ³⁰ no,* I have not allowed my mouth to sin, to ask his life with a curse. ³¹ _⌊Have the people of my tent not said_⌋,* '_⌊O that_⌋* someone* had not been satisfied with his meat'?

⁴ if I have repaid _⌊my ally_⌋* with harm, or if I have plundered my enemy without cause,

¹⁷ While your enemies are falling, do not rejoice; when he trips himself, may your heart* not be glad

² The glory of God* conceals things, but the glory of kings searches out things.

²¹ If your enemy is hungry, feed him bread, and if thirsty, let him drink water. ²² For coals of fire you will heap upon his head, and Yahweh will reward you.

⁴³ "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor'* and 'Hate your enemy.'* ⁴⁴ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵ in order that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven, because he causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust.

²⁴ And he said to them, "Take care what you hear! With the measure by which you measure out, it will be measured out to you, and will be added to you.

²² Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil on account of the Son of Man.

⁸ And other seed fell on the good soil, and when it* came up, it produced a hundred times as much grain." As he* said these things, he called out, "The one who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

¹⁵ But the seed on the good soil—these are the ones who, after* hearing the word, hold fast to it* with a noble and good heart, and bear fruit with patient endurance.

¹⁸ Therefore consider how you listen, for whoever has, to him more will be given, and whoever does not have, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away from him."

³⁴ But Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."* And they cast lots to divide his clothes.

⁶⁰ And falling to his* knees, he cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them!" And after he* said this, he fell asleep.*

³⁸ Jesus of Nazareth—how God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, because God was with him.

¹⁷ Pay back no one evil for evil. Take thought for what is good in the sight of all people. ¹⁸ If it is possible on your part, be at peace with all people. ¹⁹ Do not take revenge yourselves, dear friends, but give place to God's wrath, for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay,"* says the Lord. ²⁰ But "if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by* doing this, you will heap up coals of fire upon his head."* ²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

¹⁰ So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who belong to the household of faith.

¹⁵ See to it that no one pays back evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue good toward* one another and toward all people.

¹¹ Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God.

¹⁵ Thus says the Lord Yahweh: "Because of the _⌊acting_⌋* of the Philistines in vengeance, so that they avenged themselves relentlessly with malice in themselves for destruction _⌊with everlasting hostility_⌋,*

⁵ Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: "_⌊Certainly_⌋* in the fire of my passion I spoke against the rest of the nations and against all* Edom, who made my land as a possession, because of* its pastureland for plunder, for themselves in all of the joy of their whole heart and in their inner disdain."*

⁴⁴ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

²⁷ "But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,

⁵ So when an inclination took place on the part of both the Gentiles and the Jews, together with their rulers, to mistreat them* and to stone them,

¹⁴ Bless those who persecute,* bless and do not curse them.

¹² and we toil, working with our own hands. When we are* reviled, we bless; when we are* persecuted, we endure;

¹⁰ From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so!

⁹ not repaying evil for evil or insult for insult, but on the other hand blessing others, because for this reason you were called, so that you could inherit a blessing.

³⁰ Then Mephibosheth said to the king, "Let him take the whole thing, since my lord the king has come _⌊safely_⌋* to his house."

²³ Then Zedekiah the son of Kenaanah came near and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, "_⌊Which way_⌋* did the Spirit of Yahweh come from me to speak to you?"

⁶ I gave my back to those who struck me, and my cheeks to those who pulled out my _⌊beard_⌋;* I did not hide my face from insults and spittle.

³⁰ Let him give a cheek to his smiter, let him be filled with disgrace.

¹ * Now muster troops, O daughter of troops; a siege he puts against us. They strike the ruler of Israel with a rod on the cheek.

³⁹ But I say to you, do not resist the evildoer, but whoever strikes you on the right cheek,* turn the other to him also. ⁴⁰ And the one who wants to go to court with you and take your tunic, _⌊let him have_⌋* your outer garment also. ⁴¹ And whoever forces you to go one mile,* go with him two. ⁴² Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

⁶⁷ Then they spat in his face and struck him with their fists, and they slapped him,*

⁶⁴ and after* blindfolding him they repeatedly asked* him,* saying, "Prophesy! Who is the one who struck you?"

²² Now when* he had said these things, one of the officers who was standing by gave a slap in the face to Jesus, saying, "Do you reply to the high priest in this way?"

² So the high priest Ananias ordered those standing near him to strike his mouth.

⁷ Therefore it is already completely a loss for you that you have lawsuits with one another. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded?

²⁰ For you put up with it if someone enslaves you, if someone devours you, if someone takes advantage of you, if someone is presumptious toward you, if someone strikes you in the face.

³⁴ For you both sympathized with the prisoners and put up with the seizure of your belongings with joy because you* knew that you yourselves had a better and permanent possession.

²⁶ If indeed you require the cloak of your neighbor as a pledge, you will return it to him at sundown, ²⁷ because it is his only garment; it is his cloak for his skin. In what will he sleep? _⌊And_⌋* when he cries out to me, I will hear, because I am gracious.

⁷ If there is a poor person among you from among one of your brothers in one of your _⌊towns_⌋* that Yahweh your God is giving to you, you shall not harden your heart, and you shall not shut your hand toward _⌊your brother who is poor_⌋.* ⁸ But you shall certainly open your hand for him, and _⌊you shall willingly lend_⌋* to him enough to meet his need, _⌊whatever it is_⌋.* ⁹ _⌊Take care_⌋* so that there* will not be _⌊a thought of wickedness_⌋* in your heart, _⌊saying_⌋,* 'The seventh year, the year of the remission of debt is near,' _⌊and you view your needy neighbor with hostility_⌋,* and so you do not give to him, and he might cry out against you to Yahweh, and _⌊you would incur guilt against yourself_⌋.* ¹⁰ By all means you must give to him, and _⌊you must not be discontented_⌋* at your giving to him, because on account of this very thing, Yahweh your God will bless you in all your work and _⌊in all that you undertake_⌋.*

¹ Now there was a great cry of distress of the people and of their wives against their Jewish brothers. ² There were those who were saying, "Our sons and daughters, we are many. We must get grain so that we may eat and live." ³ There were also those saying, "We have pledged our fields and our vineyards and our houses so that we can get grain in the famine." ⁴ And there were those who were saying, "We have borrowed money on our fields and our vineyards for the tax of the king. ⁵ Now our flesh is like the flesh of our brothers, our sons are like their sons. Look, we are subduing our sons and our daughters to be slaves, and there are some from our daughters being molested. _⌊We are powerless_⌋,* and our fields and vineyards belong to others." ⁶ I was very angry when I heard their shouts and these words. ⁷ I thought over this in my heart, and then I quarreled with the nobles and the prefects. I said to them, "You yourselves are taking interest from your own brother!" So I called the great assembly against them, ⁸ and I said to them: "We ourselves have bought back our brothers the Jews who were sold to the nations as we were able. But now you yourselves have sold your brothers so they may be sold to us!" They were silent and could not find a word to say. ⁹ So I said, "The thing that you are doing is not good. Should you not walk in the fear of our God to prevent the disgrace from the nations, our enemies? ¹⁰ Also, I and my brothers and my servants are lending them money and grain. Please stop taking this interest. ¹¹ Please restore to them this day their fields, their vineyards, their olive groves, their houses, and the interest on the money, the grain, the grape juice, and the olive oil that you have been taking from them." ¹² So they said, "We will restore it and will not request anything more. So we will do as you say." Then I called the priests and made them take an oath to do this promise. ¹³ I also shook out my garment and said, "This is how God will shake out everyone from his house who will not keep this promise. So this is how his possessions will be shaken out and emptied." And all the assembly said, "Amen!" And they praised Yahweh, and the people kept this promise. ¹⁴ Moreover, from the appointed day I was made their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year until the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes—twelve years. My brothers and I did not eat the food allowance of the governor. ¹⁵ The former governors who were before me laid burdens on the people, and they took food and wine from them, besides forty shekels. Also, their servants controlled the people, but I did not do so because of the fear of God. ¹⁶ I also devoted myself to the work of this wall, and we did not buy land. All of my servants were gathered for the work. ¹⁷ One hundred and fifty men, prefects and Jews, and those who came to us from the nations around us, were at my table. ¹⁸ Now what was prepared each day for me was one ox, six choice sheep, and birds. And every ten days all kinds of wine were made. But for this I did not demand the food allowance of the governor because the slavery was too heavy on this people. ¹⁹ Remember me for good, my God, all that I have done for this people.

¹ For the music director. A psalm of David.*
Blessed is the one who has regard for the poor; in the day of disaster, Yahweh delivers him.

⁹ _⌊He gives lavishly_⌋* to the needy; his righteousness endures forever. His horn rises high in honor.

²⁷ Do not withhold good from its owner* when it is in the power of your hand to do. ²⁸ Do not say to your neighbor, "Go and return and tomorrow I will give it," _⌊when it is with you_⌋.*

²⁴ There is one who gives yet _⌊grows richer_⌋,* but he who withholds _⌊what is right_⌋* only finds need. ²⁵ A person of blessing will be enriched, and he who gives water also will be refreshed.

¹⁷ He who lends to Yahweh is he who is kind to the poor, and his benefits he will repay to him.

²⁶ _⌊All day_⌋* he craves a craving, but the righteous will give and not hold back.

⁹ He who _⌊is generous_⌋* will be blessed, for he gives to the poor from his own bread.

¹⁶ I applied my mind to know wisdom and to understand the business that is done on earth—how neither day nor night one's eyes see sleep.

⁷ Is it not to break your bread for the hungry? You must bring _⌊home_⌋* the poor, the homeless. When you see the naked, you must cover him, and you must not hide yourself from your _⌊relatives_⌋.* ⁸ Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall grow quickly. And your salvation shall go before you; the glory of Yahweh will be your rear guard. ⁹ Then you shall call, and Yahweh himself will answer. You shall cry for help, and he will say, 'Here I am!' If you remove from among you the yoke, the _⌊finger-pointing_⌋* and _⌊evil speech_⌋,* ¹⁰ if* you offer your soul to the hungry, and you satisfy the appetite of the afflicted, then* your light shall rise in the darkness, and your darkness will be like noon.

¹ And the Spirit lifted me up, and it brought me to the eastern gate, the one facing east, of the temple* of Yahweh. And look, there were twenty-five men in the doorway of the gate, and I saw Jaazaniah the son of Azzur in the midst of them, and Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, the commanders of the people. ² And he said to me, "Son of man,* these are the men _⌊who devise mischief_⌋,* and who are offering bad counsel in this city,

⁴² Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. ⁴³ "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor'* and 'Hate your enemy.'* ⁴⁴ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵ in order that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven, because he causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust. ⁴⁶ For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not the tax collectors also do the same? ⁴⁷ And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing that is remarkable? Do not the Gentiles also do the same? ⁴⁸ Therefore you be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.

¹² and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

²⁷ So the master of that slave, because he* had compassion, released him and forgave him the loan. ²⁸ But that slave went out and* found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii, and taking hold of him, he began to choke him,* saying, 'Pay back everything that you owe!' ²⁹ Then his fellow slave threw himself to the ground and* began to implore* him, saying, 'Be patient with me and I will repay you!' ³⁰ But he did not want to, but rather he went and* threw him into prison until he would repay what was owed.

³⁵ So also my heavenly Father will do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from your hearts!"

³⁸ Give, and it will be given to you, a good measure—pressed down, shaken, overflowing—they will pour out into your lap. For with the measure by which you measure out, it will be measured out to you in return."

⁴¹ But give as charitable giving the things that are within, and behold, everything is clean for you.

³³ Sell your possessions and give charitable gifts. Make for yourselves money bags that do not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven* where thief does not approach or moth destroy.

²² And when he* heard this,* Jesus said to him, "_⌊You still lack one thing_⌋:* Sell all that you have, and distribute the proceeds* to the poor—and you will have treasure in heaven—and come, follow me."

³⁵ I have shown you with respect to all things that by* working hard in this way it is necessary to help those who are in need, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus that he himself said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive."*

⁶ Now the point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. ⁷ Each one should give as he has decided in his heart, not _⌊reluctantly_⌋* or from compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. ⁸ And God is able to cause all grace to abound to you, so that in everything at all times, because you* have enough of everything, you may overflow in every good work. ⁹ Just as it is written,
"He scattered widely, he gave to the poor; his righteousness remains _⌊forever_⌋*."* ¹⁰ Now the one who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will provide and multiply your seed, and will cause the harvest of your righteousness to grow, ¹¹ being made rich in every way for all generosity, which is producing through us thanksgiving to God, ¹² because the service of this ministry is not only supplying the needs of the saints, but also is overflowing through many expressions of thanksgiving to God. ¹³ Through the proven character of this service they will glorify God because of the submission of your confession to the gospel of Christ and the generosity of your participation toward them and toward everyone, ¹⁴ and they are longing for you in their prayers for you, because of the surpassing grace of God to you.

²⁸ The one who steals must steal no longer, but instead must labor, working with his own hands what is good, so that he may have something to share with the one who has need.

¹² Therefore in all things, whatever you want that people should do to you, thus also you do to them. For this is the law and the prophets.

³⁹ And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'*

¹⁴ For the whole law is fulfilled in one statement, namely, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."*

⁸ However, if you carry out the royal law according to the scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself,"* you are doing well. ⁹ But if you show partiality, you commit sin, and thus* are convicted by the law as transgressors. ¹⁰ For whoever keeps the whole law but stumbles in one point only has become guilty of all of it. ¹¹ For the one who said "Do not commit adultery"* also said "Do not murder."* Now if you do not commit adultery but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. ¹² Thus speak and thus act as those who are going to be judged by the law of liberty. ¹³ For judgment is merciless to the one who has not practiced mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. ¹⁴ What is the benefit, my brothers, if someone says that he has faith but does not have works? That faith is not able to save him, is it?* ¹⁵ If a brother or a sister is poorly clothed and lacking food for the day, ¹⁶ and one of you should say to them, "Go in peace, keep warm and _⌊eat well_⌋*," but does not give them what is necessary for the body, what is the benefit?

⁴⁶ For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not the tax collectors also do the same? ⁴⁷ And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing that is remarkable? Do not the Gentiles also do the same?

⁸ But you shall certainly open your hand for him, and _⌊you shall willingly lend_⌋* to him enough to meet his need, _⌊whatever it is_⌋.* ⁹ _⌊Take care_⌋* so that there* will not be _⌊a thought of wickedness_⌋* in your heart, _⌊saying_⌋,* 'The seventh year, the year of the remission of debt is near,' _⌊and you view your needy neighbor with hostility_⌋,* and so you do not give to him, and he might cry out against you to Yahweh, and _⌊you would incur guilt against yourself_⌋.* ¹⁰ By all means you must give to him, and _⌊you must not be discontented_⌋* at your giving to him, because on account of this very thing, Yahweh your God will bless you in all your work and _⌊in all that you undertake_⌋.* ¹¹ For the poor* will not cease to be _⌊among you_⌋* in the land; therefore I am commanding you, _⌊saying_⌋,* 'You shall willingly open your hand to your brother, to your needy and to your poor that are in your land.'

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

¹² And he also said to the one who had invited him, "When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or wealthy neighbors, lest they also invite you in return, and repayment come to you. ¹³ But whenever you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, ¹⁴ and you will be blessed, because they are not able to repay you. For it will be paid back to you at the resurrection of the righteous."

³⁵ " 'And if your* countryman* becomes poor and _⌊if he becomes dependent on you_⌋,* then* you shall support him like an alien and like a temporary resident, and he shall live with you. ³⁶ You* must not take interest or* usury from him, but* you shall revere your God, and your countryman* shall live with you. ³⁷ You* must not give your money to him with interest or* give your food for* profit.

²⁶ All the day he is gracious and lends, and his children are a blessing.

⁵ It goes well for a man who is gracious and lends, who conducts his _⌊business properly_⌋.*

⁹ Yahweh is good to all, and his mercies are over all his works.

⁷ And crying out with a loud voice he said, "_⌊What have I to do with you_⌋*, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore you by God, do not torment me!"

³² This one will be great, and he will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David.

²⁷ "But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, ²⁸ bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. ²⁹ To the one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from the one who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic also. ³⁰ Give to everyone who asks you, and from the one who takes away your things, do not ask for them back.* ³¹ And just as you want people _⌊to do_⌋* to you, do _⌊the same_⌋* to them.

³⁵ By this everyone will know that you are my disciples—if you have love for one another."

⁸ My Father is glorified by this: that you bear much fruit, and prove to be my disciples.

¹⁷ And yet he did not leave himself without witness by* doing good, giving you rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying you* with food and your hearts with gladness."

⁸ but God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while* we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ⁹ Therefore, by much more, because we* have been declared righteous now by his blood, we will be saved through him from the wrath. ¹⁰ For if, while we* were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, by much more, having been reconciled, we will be saved by his life.

¹⁰ By this the children of God and the children of the devil are evident: everyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, namely, the one who does not love his brother. ¹¹ For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning: that we should love one another, ¹² not as Cain, who was of the evil one and violently murdered his brother. And _⌊for what reason_⌋* did he violently murder him? Because his deeds were evil and the deeds of his brother were righteous. ¹³ Do not marvel,* brothers, if the world hates you. ¹⁴ We know that we have passed over from death to life because we love the brothers. The one who does not love remains in death.

⁷ Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been fathered by God and knows God. ⁸ The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love. ⁹ By this the love of God is revealed in us: that God sent his one and only Son into the world in order that we may live through him. ¹⁰ In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation* for our sins. ¹¹ Dear friends, if God loved us in this way, we also ought to love one another.

⁴⁸ Therefore you be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.

³¹ All bitterness, and rage, and wrath, and clamor, and abusive speech, must be removed from you, together with all wickedness.

¹ Therefore become imitators of God, as beloved children, ² and live in love, just as also Christ loved us, and gave himself for us an offering and sacrifice to God for a fragrant smell.*

¹⁵ but as the one who called you is holy, you yourselves be holy in all your conduct, ¹⁶ for it is written, "You will be holy, because I am* holy."**

⁷ Blessed are the merciful, because they will be shown mercy.

¹⁴ For if you forgive people their sins, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵ But if you do not forgive people, neither will your Father forgive your sins.

¹ "Do not judge, so that you will not be judged. ² For by what judgment you judge, you will be judged, and by what measure you measure out, it will be measured out to you. ³ And why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the beam of wood in your own eye? ⁴ Or how will you say to your brother, 'Allow me to remove the speck from your eye,' and behold, the beam of wood is in your own eye? ⁵ Hypocrite! First remove the beam of wood from your own eye and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye!

³⁰ But he did not want to, but rather he went and* threw him into prison until he would repay what was owed.

³⁴ And because he* was angry, his master handed him over to the merciless jailers* until he would repay everything that was owed. ³⁵ So also my heavenly Father will do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from your hearts!"

²⁵ And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him,* so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your sins."*

³ "Be concerned about yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. ⁴ And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times he returns to you saying, 'I repent,' you must forgive him."

¹ Therefore you are without excuse, O man, every one of you who passes judgment. For in that which you pass judgment on someone else, you condemn yourself, for you who are passing judgment are doing the same things. ² Now we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who do such things.

³ The one who eats must not despise the one who does not eat, and the one who does not eat must not judge the one who eats, because God has accepted him. ⁴ Who are you, who passes judgment on the domestic slave belonging to someone else? To his own master he stands or falls, and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

¹⁰ But why do you judge your brother? Or also, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. ¹¹ For it is written,
"As I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow to me, and every tongue will praise God."* ¹² So* each one of us will give an account concerning himself.* ¹³ Therefore, let us no longer pass judgment on one another, but rather decide this: not to place a cause for stumbling or a temptation before a brother. ¹⁴ I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean of itself, except to the one who considers something to be unclean; to that person it is unclean. ¹⁵ For if because of food, your brother is grieved, you are no longer living according to love. Do not destroy by your food that person for whom Christ died. ¹⁶ Therefore do not let your good be slandered.

³ But to me it is a very little matter that I be judged by you or by a human court,* but I do not even judge myself. ⁴ For I am conscious of nothing against myself, but not by this am I vindicated. But the one who judges me is the Lord. ⁵ Therefore do not judge anything before the time, until the Lord should come, who will both enlighten the hidden things of darkness and will reveal the counsels of hearts, and then praise will come to each one from God.

⁴ Love is patient, love is kind, love is not jealous, it does not boast, it does not become conceited, ⁵ it does not behave dishonorably, it _⌊is not selfish_⌋*, it does not become angry, it does not keep a record of wrongs, ⁶ it does not rejoice at unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth, ⁷ bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

³² Become* kind toward one another, compassionate, forgiving one another, just as also God in Christ has forgiven you.

¹³ putting up with one another and forgiving one another. If anyone should have a complaint against anyone, just as also the Lord forgave you, thus also you do the same.

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

⁹ Brothers, do not complain against one another, in order that you may not be judged. Behold, the judge stands before the doors!

¹⁰ By all means you must give to him, and _⌊you must not be discontented_⌋* at your giving to him, because on account of this very thing, Yahweh your God will bless you in all your work and _⌊in all that you undertake_⌋.*

¹⁶ If _⌊a malicious witness_⌋* gets up _⌊to accuse_⌋* anyone to testify against him falsely, ¹⁷ then the two men _⌊to whom the legal dispute pertains_⌋* shall stand _⌊before_⌋* Yahweh, _⌊before_⌋* the priests and the judges who are in office in those days. ¹⁸ Then judges shall make a thorough inquiry, and if it turns out* that the witness is a false witness and he testified falsely against his brother, ¹⁹ then you shall do to him as he meant* to do to his brother, and so you shall purge the evil from your midst. ²⁰ _⌊And the rest_⌋* shall hear and shall fear, and _⌊they shall not continue to do such a thing again_⌋* as this evil thing in your midst. ²¹ _⌊You must show no pity_⌋:* life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot."

⁷ Adoni-bezek said, "Seventy kings with _⌊their thumbs and big toes_⌋* cut off used to pick up scraps under my table; just as I have done, so God has repaid to me. And they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there.

²⁷ Blessed be Yahweh the God of our ancestors,* who put this in the heart of the king to glorify the house of Yahweh in Jerusalem ²⁸ and who extended to me loyal love before the king and his counselors, and before all of the mighty officials of the king. I took courage, for the hand of Yahweh my God was upon me, and I gathered leaders from Israel to go up with me.

¹⁰ And they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai, and the anger of the king was abated.

²⁵ But when it came* _⌊to the attention of_⌋* the king, he _⌊gave orders in writing_⌋* that his evil plot that he had devised against the Jews should return on his head, and they hung him and his sons on the gallows.

¹⁶ "If I have withheld the desire of the poor from them, or* I have caused the widow's eyes to fail, ¹⁷ or I have eaten my morsel _⌊alone_⌋,* and the orphan has not eaten from it ¹⁸ (for from my childhood he* _⌊grew up with_⌋* me like a father, and from my mother's womb I guided her*), ¹⁹ if I have seen the one who perishes because of no clothing or* that there is no covering for the poor, ²⁰ if his loins have not blessed me, or* by means of my sheep's fleece he has warmed himself,

¹¹ So* all his brothers and all his sisters and all those who had known him _⌊before_⌋* came to him, and they ate bread* with him in his house and showed sympathy to him and comforted him for all the disaster* that Yahweh had brought upon him. Then* each one gave to him one piece of money, and each one gave to him one ornamental ring of gold.

²⁵ To the loyal you show yourself loyal. To the blameless you show yourself blameless. ²⁶ To the pure you show yourself pure. but to the wicked you show yourself shrewd.

¹ For the music director. A psalm of David.*
Blessed is the one who has regard for the poor; in the day of disaster, Yahweh delivers him. ² Yahweh protects him and keeps him alive; he is blessed in the land, and you do not give him into the will* of his enemies.

¹² And return to our neighbors sevenfold _⌊upon them_⌋* their taunts with which they taunted you, O Lord.

⁹ Honor Yahweh from your substance,* and from the firstfruits of all that will come to you, ¹⁰ and your barns shall be full of plenty, and your vats shall burst with new wine.

²² The blessing of Yahweh makes one rich, and he does not increase sorrow with it.

¹ Send out your bread on the water, for in many days you will find it. ² Divide your share in seven or in eight, for you do not know what disaster will happen on the earth.

⁶ Look! It is written before me: I will not be silent, but I will repay; and I will repay in* the fold of their garment ⁷ your iniquities and the iniquities of your ancestors* together, says Yahweh, because they made smoke offerings on the mountains and they taunted me on the hills, I will measure their punishment from the beginning into the fold of their garment."

² For by what judgment you judge, you will be judged, and by what measure you measure out, it will be measured out to you.

⁴² And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water to drink in the name of a disciple, truly I say to you, he will never lose his reward."

³⁰ Give to everyone who asks you, and from the one who takes away your things, do not ask for them back.*

¹⁴ At the present time your abundance will be for their need, in order that their abundance may also be for your need, so that there may be equality, ¹⁵ just as it is written, "The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little."*

⁶ Now the point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. ⁷ Each one should give as he has decided in his heart, not _⌊reluctantly_⌋* or from compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. ⁸ And God is able to cause all grace to abound to you, so that in everything at all times, because you* have enough of everything, you may overflow in every good work.

¹⁷ Not that I seek the gift, but I seek for the profit that increases to your account. ¹⁸ But I have received everything in full and have an abundance; _⌊I am well supplied_⌋* because* I received from Epaphroditus _⌊what you had sent_⌋*, a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God. ¹⁹ And my God will fulfill your every need according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

¹³ For judgment is merciless to the one who has not practiced mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

⁵ And I heard the angel of the waters saying,
"You are righteous, the one who is and the one who was, the Holy One, because you have judged these things, ⁶ because they have poured out the blood of the saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink; they are deserving!"

¹⁶ And the leaders of this people were misleading them, and those who were led were confused.

¹⁰ His watchmen are blind, none of them know. They are all dumb dogs; they are unable to bark, panting, lying down, loving to slumber.

¹⁵ Have they acted ashamed, for they have committed a detestable thing? Not at all, nor were they ashamed; they did not know to feel humiliated. _⌊Therefore_⌋* they will fall among those who fall at the time I punish them, they will stumble," says Yahweh.

¹² Were they ashamed, for they had committed a detestable thing? What's worse,* they were not ashamed at all, and they did not know to feel humiliated. _⌊Therefore_⌋* they will fall among those who fall; at the time of their punishment they will stumble," says Yahweh.

¹⁵ _⌊Therefore_⌋* thus says Yahweh concerning the prophets who prophecy in my name though I have not sent them, yet they are saying, "Sword and famine will not be in this land." "By the sword and by the famine those prophets will perish. ¹⁶ And the people to whom they are prophesying will be cast out into the streets of Jerusalem _⌊because of_⌋* the famine and the sword. And there will be no one who buries them, their wives, or their sons, or their daughters. And I will pour out on them their wickedness.

⁶ Therefore it will be as night to you, without vision, and darkness to you, without divination. And the sun will set on the prophets, and the day will grow dark over them. ⁷ Then the seers will be disgraced, and those practicing divination will be put to shame. All of them will cover their lips, for there is no reply from God.

¹⁵ And Yahweh said to me, "Take again the implements* of a foolish shepherd. ¹⁶ For look, I am raising up a shepherd in the land who will not attend to the ones that are perishing; he will not seek the young man,* he will not heal the ones that are crushed and he will not sustain the healthy ones; he will devour the flesh of the _⌊fattened ones_⌋* and tear apart even their hoofs. ¹⁷ "Woe, my worthless shepherd who deserts the flock!* May a sword fall on his arm and on _⌊his right eye_⌋!* May his arm wither completely and _⌊his right eye_⌋* be utterly blinded!"

¹⁴ Let* them! They are blind guides of the blind. And if the blind guide the blind, both will fall into a pit."

¹⁶ "Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing! But whoever swears by the gold of the temple is bound by his oath.'* ¹⁷ Fools and blind people! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that makes the gold holy? ¹⁸ And, 'Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing! But whoever swears by the gift that is on it is bound by his oath.'* ¹⁹ Blind people! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift holy? ²⁰ Therefore the one who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything that is on it. ²¹ And the one who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it. ²² And the one who swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by the one who sits on it. ²³ "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees—hypocrites!—because you pay a tenth of mint and dill and cumin, and neglect the more important matters of the law—justice and mercy and faithfulness! It was necessary* to do these things _⌊while not neglecting those_⌋.* ²⁴ Blind guides who filter out a gnat and swallow a camel! ²⁵ "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees—hypocrites!—because you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence! ²⁶ Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the dish,* so that the outside of it may become clean also.

³³ Serpents! Offspring of vipers! How will you escape from the condemnation to hell?

¹⁹ and are confident that you yourself are a guide of the blind, a light of those in darkness,

³ If anyone teaches other doctrine and does not devote himself to the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that is in accordance with godliness, ⁴ he is conceited, understanding nothing, but having a morbid interest concerning controversies and disputes about words, from which come envy, strife, slanders, evil suspicions, ⁵ constant wrangling by people of depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who consider godliness to be a means of gain.

¹³ But evil people and imposters will progress to the worse, deceiving and being deceived.

²⁴ "A disciple is not superior to his teacher, nor a slave superior to his master. ²⁵ It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household?

¹⁵ "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees—hypocrites!—because you travel around the sea and the dry land to make one convert, and when he becomes one,* you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are!

¹⁶ Truly, truly I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor a messenger greater than the one who sent him.

²⁰ Remember the word that I said to you: 'A slave is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will keep yours also.

⁵ Then _⌊the anger of David was kindled_⌋* against the man, and he said to Nathan, "_⌊As Yahweh lives_⌋,* the man who has done this _⌊deserves to die_⌋!* ⁶ He shall restore the ewe lamb fourfold because he has done this thing, and because he had no pity." ⁷ Then Nathan said to him, "You are the man! Thus says Yahweh the God of Israel: 'I anointed you as king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul.

⁹ Then Joab said to Amasa, "Is it peace, O you my brother?" Then the right hand of Joab took hold of the beard of Amasa as if to kiss him. ¹⁰ Now Amasa was not on his guard against the sword that was in Joab's hand, and he struck him with it into the stomach, and his entrails poured out to the ground. He did not strike him again, and he died. Then Joab and Abishai his brother pursued after Sheba the son of Bicri.

²⁰ Then Joab answered and said, "Far be it, far be it from me that I should swallow or I should destroy. ²¹ That is not the matter. But a man from the mountains of Ephraim, whose name is Sheba the son Bicri, has lifted up his hand against the king, against David. Give only him to us, and I will depart from the city." The woman said to Joab, "Look, his head is being thrown down to you over the wall."

³² Yahweh will return his blood on his head, because he fell upon two men, more righteous and better than he, and he killed them with the sword, even though my father did not know it; namely Abner son of Ner, commander of the army of Israel, and Amasa son of Jether, commander of the army of Judah.

⁶ But he did not count Levi and Benjamin among them, for the word of the king was repulsive to Joab.

² For he flatters himself in his eyes, hating to detect his iniquity.*

⁹ The heart is deceitful more than anything else, and it is disastrous. Who can understand it?

²⁸ And if he sees and he returns from all of his transgressions that he did, surely he will live; he will not die!

⁷ And when they persisted in asking him, straightening up he said* to them, "The one of you without sin, let him throw the first stone at her!"

⁴⁰ But now you are seeking to kill me, a man who spoke to you the truth which I heard from God. This Abraham did not do. ⁴¹ You are doing the deeds of your father!"
They said* to him, "We were not born from sexual immorality! We have one father, God!" ⁴² Jesus said to them, "If God were your father, you would love me, for I have come forth from God and have come. For I have not come from myself, but that one sent me. ⁴³ _⌊Why_⌋* do you not understand my way of speaking? Because you are not able to listen to my message. ⁴⁴ You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father! That one was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand firm in the truth, because truth is not in him. Whenever he speaks the lie, he speaks from his own nature,* because he is a liar and the father _⌊of lies_⌋.*

¹ Therefore you are without excuse, O man, every one of you who passes judgment. For in that which you pass judgment on someone else, you condemn yourself, for you who are passing judgment are doing the same things.

²¹ Therefore, the one who teaches someone else, do you not teach yourself? The one who preaches not to steal, do you steal? ²² The one who says not to commit adultery, do you commit adultery? The one who abhors idols, do you rob temples? ²³ Who boast in the law, by the transgression of the law you dishonor God!* ²⁴ For just as it is written, "The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you."*

²⁴ for he looks at himself and goes away and immediately forgets what sort of person he was.

¹⁶ But to the wicked God says, "What right have you to recite my statutes and _⌊mention my covenant with your mouth_⌋,* ¹⁷ while you yourself hate discipline, and cast my words behind you? ¹⁸ When you see a thief, then you are pleased with him, and your association is with adulterers. ¹⁹ You give your mouth free rein for evil, and you harness your tongue to deceit. ²⁰ You sit and speak against your brother; you slander your mother's son. ²¹ These things you have done, and I have been silent; You imagined that I was just like you. I will rebuke you and present an argument before your eyes.

⁹ Hide your face from my sins, and all my iniquities blot out. ¹⁰ Create a clean heart for me, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit _⌊within me_⌋.* ¹¹ Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your Holy Spirit from me. ¹² Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and with a willing spirit sustain me. ¹³ Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you.

¹⁷ The first in his dispute is deemed righteous, but his neighbor will come and examine him.

²² "The eye is the lamp of the body. Therefore if your eye is sincere, your whole body will be full of light. ²³ But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be dark. Therefore if the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

¹³ "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees—hypocrites!—because you shut the kingdom of heaven before people! For you do not enter, nor permit those wanting to go in* to enter.*

¹⁵ "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees—hypocrites!—because you travel around the sea and the dry land to make one convert, and when he becomes one,* you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are!

⁷⁵ And Peter remembered the statement Jesus had said, "Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times," and he went outside and* wept bitterly.

¹⁵ But the Lord answered and said to him, "Hypocrites! Does not each one of you untie his ox or his* donkey from the feeding trough on the Sabbath and lead it* away to water it?*

³² but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail. And you, when* once you have turned back,* strengthen your brothers."

³⁸ And Peter said* to them, "Repent and be baptized, each one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

²¹ _⌊You have no_⌋* part or share in this matter, because your heart is not right before God.

⁹ And he was _⌊unable to see_⌋* for three days, and he did not eat or drink. ¹⁰ Now there was a certain disciple in Damascus _⌊named_⌋* Ananias, and the Lord said to him in a vision, "Ananias!" And he said, "Behold, here I am, Lord!" ¹¹ And the Lord said to him, "Get up, go to the street called 'Straight' and in the house of Judas look for _⌊a man named Saul from Tarsus_⌋.* For behold, he is praying, ¹² and he has seen in a vision a man _⌊named_⌋* Ananias coming in and placing hands* on him so that he may regain his sight." ¹³ But Ananias replied, "Lord, I have heard from many people about this man, how much harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem, ¹⁴ and here he has authority from the chief priests to tie up* all who call upon your name!" ¹⁵ But the Lord said to him, "Go, because this man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before Gentiles* and kings and the sons of Israel. ¹⁶ For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name." ¹⁷ So Ananias departed and entered into the house, and placing his* hands on him, he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you came, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit." ¹⁸ And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes and he regained his sight and got up and* was baptized, ¹⁹ and after* taking food, he regained his strength. And he was with the disciples in Damascus several days. ²⁰ And immediately he began proclaiming* Jesus in the synagogues: "This one is the Son of God!"

¹⁰ and* said, "O you who are full of all deceit and of all unscrupulousness, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness! Will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord!

²¹ Therefore, the one who teaches someone else, do you not teach yourself? The one who preaches not to steal, do you steal? ²² The one who says not to commit adultery, do you commit adultery? The one who abhors idols, do you rob temples? ²³ Who boast in the law, by the transgression of the law you dishonor God!* ²⁴ For just as it is written, "The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you."* ²⁵ For circumcision is of value if you do the law, but if you should be a transgressor of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. ²⁶ Therefore, if the uncircumcised person follows the requirements of the law, will not his uncircumcision be credited for circumcision? ²⁷ And the uncircumcised person by nature who carries out the law will judge you who, though provided with _⌊the precise written code_⌋* and circumcision are a transgressor of the law. ²⁸ For the Jew is not _⌊one outwardly_⌋*, nor is circumcision _⌊outwardly_⌋*, in the flesh. ²⁹ But the Jew _⌊is one inwardly_⌋*, and circumcision is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter, whose praise is not from people but from God.

¹⁸ And all these things are from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ, and who has given us the ministry of reconciliation,

¹⁰ You are witnesses, and so is God, how devoutly and righteously and blamelessly we became to you who believe, ¹¹ just as you know how we treated each one of you, like a father his own children, ¹² exhorting and consoling you and insisting that you live in a manner worthy of God, who calls you to his own kingdom and glory.

²¹ Therefore, if someone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.

¹⁰ I am appealing to you concerning my child whom I became the father of during my imprisonment, Onesimus. ¹¹ Once he was useless to you, but now he is useful to you* and to me,

⁹ For the one for whom these things are not present is blind, being nearsighted, _⌊having forgotten the cleansing_⌋* of his former sins.

¹⁷ Because you are saying, "I am rich, and have become rich, and I have need of nothing," and you do not know that you are wretched and pitiable and poor and blind and naked, ¹⁸ I advise you to buy from me gold refined by fire, in order that you may become rich, and white clothing, in order that you may be clothed and the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed, and eye salve to smear on your eyes, in order that you may see.

¹² The righteous* will flourish like the date palm. They will grow like a cedar in Lebanon. ¹³ Planted in the house* of Yahweh, they will flourish in the courts of our God. ¹⁴ They will still prosper in old age. They will be fat and luxuriant,*

⁴ What more was there to do for my vineyard that I have not done in it? Why did I hope for it to yield grapes, and it yielded wild grapes?

³ to _⌊give_⌋* for those in mourning in Zion, to give them a head wrap instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, a garment of praise instead of a faint spirit. And _⌊they will be called_⌋* oaks of righteousness, the planting of Yahweh, to show his glory.

²¹ Yet I planted you as a choice vine, all of it a seed of trustworthiness. How then have you altered before me into something that is degenerate, the foreign vine?

¹⁰ Already now the ax is positioned at the root of the trees; therefore every tree not producing good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

¹⁶ You will recognize them by their fruits: they do not gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles, do they?* ¹⁷ In the same way, every good tree produces good fruit, but a bad tree produces bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree is not able to produce bad fruit, nor a bad tree to produce good fruit. ¹⁹ Every tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ As a result, you will recognize them by their fruits.

³³ "Either make the tree good and its fruit is good, or make the tree bad and its fruit is bad, for the tree is known by its fruit.

¹⁹ Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are sexual immorality, impurity, licentiousness, ²⁰ idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, factions, ²¹ envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, things which I am telling you in advance, just as I said before, that the ones who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. ²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self control. Against such things there is no law.

¹¹ For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people, ¹² training us in order that, denying impiety and worldly desires, we may live self-controlled and righteously and godly in the present age, ¹³ looking forward to the blessed hope and the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,

¹² A fig tree is not able, my brothers, to produce olives, or a grapevine figs. Neither can a saltwater spring produce fresh water.

¹² These are the ones feasting together without reverence, hidden reefs at your love feasts, caring for themselves, waterless clouds carried away by winds, late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, uprooted,

² They speak falseness _⌊to each other_⌋.* With flattering lips, with _⌊a double heart_⌋* they speak. ³ May Yahweh cut off all flattering lips, the tongue speaking great boasts— ⁴ those who say, "With our tongue we will prevail. Our lips are on our side. Who is master over us?"

³⁰ The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice. ³¹ The law of his God is in his heart. His steps will not slip.

⁸ 'I delight to do your will, O my God, and your law is _⌊deep within me_⌋.'"* ⁹ I have brought good tidings of righteousness in the great congregation. Look, I have not shut my lips. O Yahweh, _⌊you surely know that_⌋.* ¹⁰ Your righteousness I have not hidden in the midst of my heart. I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation. I have not concealed your loyal love or your faithfulness from the great congregation.

⁶ And when one comes to see me, he speaks falsely; his heart gathers disaster for itself. He goes out to the street; he speaks. ⁷ All who hate me speak together against me. Against me they assume the _⌊worst_⌋* for me:

² Your tongue plans destruction, like a sharp razor, working deceit. ³ You love evil more than good, a lie more than speaking _⌊what is right_⌋.* Selah ⁴ You love all devouring words, O deceitful tongue,

⁷ Look, they pour out talk with their mouth. Swords are on their lips, for they say, "Who hears?"

¹² By the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips, even in their pride, let them be trapped, and for the curses* and lies* they proclaim.

³ who sharpen their tongue like a sword. They bend their bow to shoot their arrows—bitter words, ⁴ to shoot from* their* hiding places at the blameless. Suddenly they shoot at him and do not fear. ⁵ They encourage themselves in the evil matter. They talk of secretly laying snares. They say, "Who will see them?" ⁶ _⌊They carefully plot_⌋* injustices saying, "We have perfected _⌊the perfect plot_⌋!"* Both the _⌊inner thought_⌋* and heart of a man are deep. ⁷ But God will shoot them; with an arrow they will suddenly be wounded. ⁸ * And they who would cause him* to stumble, their own tongue will be against them. All who gaze on them will shake.*

¹⁵ My mouth will tell of your righteousness, your salvation _⌊all day long_⌋,* though I do not know the full sum of them. ¹⁶ I will come in to tell the mighty deeds of Lord Yahweh. I will _⌊make known_⌋* your righteousness, yours only. ¹⁷ O God, you have taught me from my youth, and up to now I have proclaimed your wonderful deeds. ¹⁸ And even when I am old and gray, O God, do not abandon me until I proclaim your _⌊strength_⌋* to this generation, your power to every one that comes after.

⁵ The proud have hidden a trap for me, and cords. They have spread out a net along the _⌊side_⌋* of the path. They have set snares for me. Selah

²³ With all vigilance, keep your heart, for from it comes the source* of life.

²⁰ Choice silver is a tongue of righteousness, a heart* of wickedness is _⌊of little worth_⌋.* ²¹ Lips of righteousness feed many, but fools _⌊die for lack of sense_⌋.*

¹⁸ There is one who speaks rashly, like the thrust of a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

²³ Joy belongs to a man with answers in his mouth, and a word in its time, how good it is!

¹⁷ Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise; you shall apply your heart* to my teaching. ¹⁸ For it is pleasant if you guard them _⌊within you_⌋;* together they will be ready upon your lips.

² _⌊Oh that I had_⌋* in the desert a place of overnight lodging for travelers, that I may leave my people and go from them, for all of them are adulterers, a band of traitors. ³ And they bend their tongue like their bow, for falsehood and not truth is superior in the land, for they go forth* from evil to evil, and they do not know me," _⌊declares_⌋* Yahweh. ⁴ "Let everyone be on your guard against his neighbor, and you must not trust in any brother, for everyone surely betrays, and every neighbor goes about with slander. ⁵ And everyone deceives his neighbor, and they do not speak the truth, they have taught their tongues* to speak lies,* they are tired from going astray.

³⁴ Offspring of vipers! How are you able to say good things when you* are evil? For from the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. ³⁵ The good person from his* good treasury brings out good things, and the evil person from his* evil treasury brings out evil things. ³⁶ But I tell you that every worthless word that they speak, people will give an account for it on the day of judgment! ³⁷ For by your words you will be vindicated, and by your words you will be condemned."

³⁸ the one who believes in me.* Just as the scripture said, 'Out of his belly will flow rivers of living water.'"*

³ But Peter said, "Ananias, for what reason has Satan filled your heart, that you lied to the Holy Spirit and kept back for yourself some of the proceeds of the piece of land?

¹⁹ saying, "Give to me also this power, so that whomever I place my* hands on may receive the Holy Spirit!" ²⁰ But Peter said to him, "May your silver _⌊be destroyed along with you_⌋,* because you thought _⌊you could acquire_⌋* the gift of God by means of money! ²¹ _⌊You have no_⌋* part or share in this matter, because your heart is not right before God. ²² Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and ask the Lord if perhaps the intent of your heart may be forgiven you!" ²³ For I see you are in _⌊a state of bitter envy_⌋* and _⌊bound by unrighteousness_⌋."*

¹³ Their throat is an opened grave; they deceive with their tongues; the venom of asps is under their lips,* ¹⁴ whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.*

⁶ For God who said, "Light will shine out of darkness,"* is the one who has shined in our hearts for the enlightenment of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.* ⁷ But we have this treasure in earthenware jars, in order that the extraordinary degree of the power may be from God and not from us.

⁸ To me, the least of all the saints, was given this grace: to proclaim the good news of the fathomless riches of Christ to the Gentiles,

²⁹ _⌊No rotten word must proceed_⌋* from your mouth, but only something good for the building up of the need, in order that it may give grace to those who hear,

³ But sexual immorality, and all uncleanness, or greediness, must not even be named among you (as is fitting for saints), ⁴ and obscenity, and foolish talk, or coarse jesting (which are not proper), but rather thanksgiving.

¹⁹ speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and singing praise in your heart to the Lord,

¹⁶ Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another with all wisdom, with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God,

⁶ Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how it is necessary for you to answer each one.

¹⁰ For this is the covenant that I will decree with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I am putting my laws in their minds and I will write them on their hearts, and I will be _⌊their_⌋* God and they will be _⌊my_⌋* people.

⁵ So also the tongue is a small member of the body* and boasts great things. Behold how small a fire sets ablaze how great a forest! ⁶ And the tongue is a fire! The world of unrighteousness,* the tongue, is set among our members, defiling the whole body and setting on fire _⌊the course of human existence_⌋*, being set on fire by hell. ⁷ For every species of animals and birds, of reptiles and sea creatures, is being tamed and has been tamed by the human species, ⁸ but no human being is able to tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

¹⁵ to execute judgment against all, and to convict all the ungodly* concerning all their ungodly deeds that they have committed in an ungodly way, and concerning all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.

⁶ "A son honors his father, and a slave his master;* but if I am a father, where is my honor, and if I am a master,* where is my reverence?" says Yahweh of hosts to you, O priests, _⌊who despise_⌋* my name. "But you say, 'How have we despised your name?'

²¹ "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter into the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ²² On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and expel demons in your name, and perform many miracles in your name?' ²³ And then _⌊I will say to them plainly_⌋,* 'I never knew you. Depart from me, you who practice lawlessness!'

¹¹ And later the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, lord, open the door* for us!'

²⁴ And the one who had received the one talent came up also and* said, 'Master, because I* knew you, that you are a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering from where you did not scatter seed.*

⁴⁴ Then they will also answer, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and not serve you?'

²⁵ when once the master of the house has gotten up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door, saying, 'Lord, open the door* for us!' And he will answer and* say to you, 'I do not know where you are from!' ²⁶ Then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets!' ²⁷ And he will reply, saying to you, 'I do not know where you are from! Go away from me, all you _⌊evildoers_⌋!'*

¹³ You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and you speak correctly, for I am. ¹⁴ If then I—your* Lord and Teacher—wash your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. ¹⁵ For I have given you an example, that just as I have done for you, you also do. ¹⁶ Truly, truly I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor a messenger greater than the one who sent him. ¹⁷ If you understand these things, you are blessed if you do them.

⁷ Do not be deceived: God is not to be mocked, for whatever a person sows, this he will also reap,

³ Extend your ear, and come to me! Listen so that* your soul may live, and I will _⌊make_⌋* an everlasting covenant with* you, the enduring proofs of _⌊the mercies shown to_⌋* David.

²⁴ "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ And the rain came down and the rivers came and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it did not collapse, because its foundation was laid on the rock. ²⁶ And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. ²⁷ And the rain came down and the rivers came and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it collapsed, and its fall was great."

²⁸ Come to me, all of you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke on you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

⁵⁰ For whoever does the will of my Father who is in heaven, he is my brother and sister and mother."

⁵ While* he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice from the cloud said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. Listen to him!"

¹³ And those on the rock are those who receive the word with joy when they hear it,* and these do not have enough root, who believe for a time and in a time of testing fall away.

²⁸ But he said, "On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God and follow it!"*

²⁶ "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, and furthermore, even his own life, _⌊he cannot be_⌋* my disciple.

⁴⁰ And you are not willing to come to me so that you may have life.

³⁷ Everyone whom the Father gives to me will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will never throw out,

⁴⁴ No one is able to come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up on the last day. ⁴⁵ It is written in the prophets, 'And they will all be taught by God.'* Everyone who hears from the Father and learns comes to me.

⁵² The Jews* said to him, "Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham and the prophets died, and you say, 'If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death _⌊forever_⌋.'*

²⁷ My sheep listen to my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.

¹⁷ If you understand these things, you are blessed if you do them.

¹⁵ "If you love me, you will keep my commandments.

²¹ The one who has my commandments and keeps them—that one is the one who loves me. And the one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and will reveal myself to him." ²² Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, "Lord, why* is it that you are going to reveal yourself to us and not to the world?" ²³ Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves me he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and _⌊will take up residence with him_⌋.* ²⁴ The one who does not love me does not keep my words, and the word that you hear is not mine, but the Father's who sent me.

⁹ "Just as the Father has loved me, I also have loved you. Remain in my love. ¹⁰ If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and remain in his love. ¹¹ I have spoken these things to you in order that my joy may be in you, and your joy may be made complete. ¹² This is my commandment: that you love one another just as I have loved you. ¹³ No one has greater love than this: that someone lay down his life for his friends. ¹⁴ You are my friends if you do what I command you.

⁷ to those who, by perseverance in good work, seek glory and honor and immortality, eternal life, ⁸ but to those who act from selfish ambition and who disobey the truth, but who obey unrighteousness, wrath and anger. ⁹ There will be affliction and distress for every _⌊human being_⌋* who does evil, of the Jew first and of the Greek, ¹⁰ but glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and to the Greek.

⁹ and being perfected, he became the source of eternal salvation to all those who obey him,

²² But be doers of the message and not hearers only,* deceiving yourselves, ²³ because if anyone is a hearer of the message and not a doer, this one is like someone* staring at _⌊his own face_⌋* in a mirror, ²⁴ for he looks at himself and goes away and immediately forgets what sort of person he was. ²⁵ But the one who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues to do it, not being a forgetful hearer but a doer who acts, this one will be blessed _⌊in what he does_⌋*.

¹⁷ Therefore, to the one who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.

⁴ to whom you are drawing near, a living stone rejected by men but chosen and precious in the sight of God.

¹⁰ Therefore, brothers, be zealous even more to make your calling and election secure, because if you* do these things, you will never ever stumble.

²⁹ If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone* who practices righteousness has been fathered by him.

⁷ Little children, let no one deceive you: the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as that one is righteous.

¹⁴ Blessed are the ones who wash their robes, so that their authority will be over the tree of life and they may enter into the city through the gates.

¹⁵ And Jeshurun grew fat, and he kicked; you grew fat, you bloated, and you became obstinate; and he abandoned God, his maker, and he scoffed at the rock of his salvation.

¹⁸ The rock who* bore you, you neglected, and you forgot God, the one giving you birth.

³¹ For the fact of the matter is, their rock is not like our Rock, and our enemies recognize* this.

² There is no one holy like Yahweh, for there is no one besides you, and there is no rock like our God.

² And he said: "Yahweh is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer.

⁵ For the breaker waves of death engulfed me; the currents of chaos overwhelmed me.

³² For who is God apart from Yahweh? And who is a rock apart from our God?