Matthew 25 Cross References - LEB

¹ "Then the kingdom of heaven may be compared to ten virgins who took their lamps and* went out to meet the bridegroom. ² Now five of them were foolish and five were wise. ³ For when* the foolish ones took their lamps, they did not take olive oil with them. ⁴ But the wise ones took olive oil in flasks with their lamps. ⁵ And when* the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep.* ⁶ But in the middle of the night there was a shout, 'Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!' ⁷ Then all those virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. ⁸ And the foolish ones said to the wise ones, 'Give us some of your olive oil, because our lamps are going out!' ⁹ But the wise ones answered saying, "Certainly there will never be enough for us and for you! Go instead to those who sell olive oil* and buy some* for yourselves.' ¹⁰ But while* they had gone away to buy it* the bridegroom arrived, and those who were ready went inside with him to the wedding celebration, and the door was shut. ¹¹ And later the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, lord, open the door* for us!' ¹² But he answered and* said, 'Truly I say to you, I do not know you!' ¹³ Therefore be on the alert, because you do not know the day or the hour! ¹⁴ For it is like a man going on a journey. He summoned his own slaves and handed over his property to them. ¹⁵ And to one he gave five talents, and to another two, and to another one, to each one according to his own ability, and he went on a journey immediately. ¹⁶ The one who had received the five talents went out and* traded with them and gained five more. ¹⁷ In the same way the one who had the two gained two more. ¹⁸ But the one who had received the one went away and* dug up the ground and hid his master's money. ¹⁹ Now after a long time, the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. ²⁰ And the one who had received the five talents came up and* brought five more talents, saying, 'Master, you handed over to me five talents. See, I have gained five more talents!' ²¹ His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful slave! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge over many things. Enter into the joy of your master!' ²² And the one who had the two talents also came up and* said, 'Master, you handed over to me two talents. See, I have gained two talents more!' ²³ His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful slave! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge over many things. Enter into the joy of your master!' 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.* ²⁵ And because I* was afraid, I went away and* hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours!' ²⁶ But his master answered and* said to him, 'Evil and lazy slave! You knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather from where I did not scatter seed.* ²⁷ Then you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and when I* returned I would have gotten back what was mine with interest! ²⁸ Therefore take the talent from him and give it* to the one who has the ten talents. ²⁹ For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. ³⁰ And throw the worthless slave into the outer darkness—in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth!' ³¹ Now when the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. ³² And all the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate them from one another like a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³ And he will place the sheep on his right and the goats on the left. ³⁴ Then the king will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world! ³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me something* to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something* to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me as a guest, ³⁶ I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you cared for me, I was in prison and you came to me.' ³⁷ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you,* or thirsty and give you something* to drink? ³⁸ And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you* as a guest, or naked and clothe you?* ³⁹ And when did we see you sick or in prison and come to you?' ⁴⁰ And the king will answer and* say to them, 'Truly I say to you, in as much as you did it* to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it* to me.' ⁴¹ Then he will also say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you accursed ones, into the eternal fire that has been prepared for the devil and his angels! ⁴² For I was hungry and you did not give me anything* to eat, I was thirsty and you did not give me anything* to drink, ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not welcome me as a guest, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not care for me.' 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?' ⁴⁵ Then he will answer them, saying, 'Truly I say to you, in as much as you did not do it* to one of the least of these, you did not do it* to me.' ⁴⁶ And these will depart into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

⁹ Kings' daughters are among your noble ladies. The queen stands at your right hand in gold of Ophir. ¹⁰ Hear, O daughter, and _⌊discern_⌋* and incline your ear, and forget your people and your father's house. ¹¹ Let the king desire your beauty.* Because he is your lord, therefore* bow down to him.

¹⁴ She is brought to the king in colorful garments. The young women behind her, her attendants, are being brought to you.

³ As fragrance, _⌊your perfumes_⌋* are _⌊delightful_⌋;* your name is poured out _⌊perfume_⌋;* therefore young women love you.

⁸ I adjure you, _⌊O maidens of Jerusalem_⌋,* if you find my beloved, what will you tell him? Tell him that I am _⌊lovesick_⌋!*

¹⁶ _⌊His mouth_⌋* is sweet, and he is altogether desirable. This is my beloved; this is my friend, _⌊O young women of Jerusalem_⌋.*

⁸ Sixty queens there are, eighty concubines, and maidens beyond number. ⁹ My dove, _⌊she is the one_⌋;** my perfect, _⌊she is the only one_⌋;** she is _⌊the favorite of_⌋** her mother who bore her. Maidens see her and consider her fortunate;* queens and concubines praise her:

⁵ For your husband* is your maker,* his name is Yahweh of hosts; and your redeemer is the holy one of Israel, he is called the God of all of the earth.

⁴ It shall no longer be said of you, "Forsaken," and it shall no longer be said of your land, "Desolation!" but _⌊you will_⌋* be called "My Delight Is In Her," and your land, "Married," for Yahweh delights in you, and your land shall be married. ⁵ For as a young man marries a virgin, so shall your sons marry you, and as is the joy of the bridegroom over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.

⁴⁴ And _⌊in the day of those kings_⌋,* the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will _⌊never_⌋* be destroyed, and the kingdom will not be left for another nation,* and it will bring an end to all these kingdoms, but it will stand _⌊forever_⌋.*

² and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near!"

¹⁶ In the same way let your light shine before people, so that they can see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

¹⁵ And Jesus said to them, "_⌊The bridegroom's attendants_⌋* are not able to mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them. But days are coming when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.

²⁴ He put before them another parable, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field.

³¹ He put before them another parable, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a man took and* sowed in his field.

³⁸ and the field is the world. And the good seed—these are the sons of the kingdom, but the darnel are the sons of the evil one.

⁴⁴ "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, that a man found and* concealed, and in his joy he goes and sells everything that he has and buys that field. ⁴⁵ "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls.

⁴⁷ "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish* of every kind,

¹ "For the kingdom of heaven is like a man—the master of the house—who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.

² "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man—a king—who gave a wedding celebration for his son.

⁴² Therefore be on the alert, because you do not know what day your Lord is coming! ⁴³ But understand this: that if the master of the house had known what watch of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁴ For this reason you also must be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not think he will come.* ⁴⁵ "Who then is the faithful and wise slave whom the master has put in charge of his household slaves to give them their* food at the right time? ⁴⁶ Blessed is that slave whom his master will find so doing when he* comes back. ⁴⁷ Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions. ⁴⁸ But if that evil slave should say _⌊to himself_⌋,* 'My master is staying away for a long time,' ⁴⁹ and he begins to beat his fellow slaves and eats and drinks with drunkards, ⁵⁰ the master of that slave will come on a day that he does not expect and at an hour that he does not know, ⁵¹ and will cut him in two and assign his place with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth!

¹⁹ And Jesus said to them, "The _⌊bridegroom's attendants_⌋* are not able to fast while the bridegroom is with them, are they?* As long a time as they have the bridegroom with them, they are not able to fast. ²⁰ But days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day.

³⁴ So he* said* to them, "You are not able to make the _⌊bridegroom's attendants_⌋* fast as long as the bridegroom is with them, are you?* ³⁵ But days will come, and when the bridegroom is taken away from them, then they will fast in those days."

³⁵ "_⌊You must be prepared for action_⌋* and your* lamps burning. ³⁶ And you, be like people who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast,* so that when he* comes back and knocks, they can open the door* for him immediately.

³⁴ "But take care for yourselves, lest your hearts are weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of daily life, and that day come upon you suddenly ³⁵ like a trap. For it will come upon all who reside on the face of the whole earth. ³⁶ But be alert at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to happen, and to stand before the Son of Man."

²⁹ The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. But the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices _⌊greatly_⌋* because of the bridegroom's voice. So this joy of mine is complete.

⁸ Now there were quite a few lamps in the upstairs room where we were gathered.

² Now I praise you that you remember me in all things, and just as I handed over to you the traditions, you hold fast to them.

² For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy, because I promised you in marriage to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ.

²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for her; ²⁶ in order that he might sanctify her by cleansing her* with the washing of water by the word; ²⁷ in order that he might present to himself the church glorious, not having a spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she may be holy and blameless. ²⁸ Thus also husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies. The one who loves his own wife loves himself. ²⁹ For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as also Christ does the church, ³⁰ because we are members of his body. ³¹ "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh."* ³² (This mystery is great, but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church.) ³³ Only you also, each one of you, must thus love his own wife as himself, and the wife _⌊must respect_⌋* her husband.

¹⁵ in order that you may become blameless and innocent, children of God without fault* in the midst of a crooked and perverted generation, among whom you shine as stars in the world,* ¹⁶ holding fast to the word of life, for a source of pride* to me in the day of Christ, that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.

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.

¹³ looking forward to the blessed hope and the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,

¹³ But I consider it right, for as long as I am in this habitation, to stir you up by a reminder, ¹⁴ because I* know that the removal of my habitation is imminent, as indeed our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me. ¹⁵ And I will also make every effort that you are able at any time, after my departure, _⌊to recall these things to mind_⌋*.

¹² while* waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by* being burned up and the celestial bodies will melt as they* are consumed by heat! ¹³ But according to his promise, we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness resides.

⁵ And from the throne came out lightnings and sounds and thunders, and seven torches of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God.

⁴ These are those who have not been defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These were bought from humanity as first fruits to God and to the Lamb,

⁷ Let us rejoice and be glad and give him the glory, because the wedding celebration of the Lamb has come, and his bride has prepared herself.

² And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband.

⁹ And one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and spoke with me, saying, "Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb."

² The one basket had very good figs, like _⌊early figs_⌋,* and the other basket had very bad figs that could not be eaten because of their bad quality.

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."

¹⁹ When* anyone hears the word about the kingdom and does not understand it,* the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is what was sown on the side of the path. ²⁰ And what was sown on the rocky ground—this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy. ²¹ But he does not have a root in himself, but _⌊lasts only a little while_⌋,* and when* affliction or persecution happens because of the word, immediately he falls away. ²² And what was sown into the thorn plants—this is the one who hears the word, and the anxiety of this world* and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word and it becomes unproductive. ²³ But what was sown on the good soil—this is the one who hears the word and understands it,* who indeed bears fruit and produces, this one a hundred times as much, and this one sixty, and this one thirty."

³⁸ and the field is the world. And the good seed—these are the sons of the kingdom, but the darnel are the sons of the evil one. ³⁹ And the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. ⁴⁰ Thus just as the darnel is gathered and burned* with fire, so it will be at the end of the age. ⁴¹ The Son of Man will send out his angels and they will gather out of his kingdom all the causes of sin and those who do lawless deeds, ⁴² and throw them into the fiery furnace.* In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth! ⁴³ Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.* The one who has ears, let him hear!

⁴⁷ "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish* of every kind, ⁴⁸ which when it was filled they pulled to shore and sat down and* collected the good fish* into containers, but the bad they threw out.

¹⁰ And those slaves went out into the roads and* gathered everyone whom they found, both evil and good, and the wedding celebration was filled _⌊with dinner guests_⌋.* ¹¹ But when* the king came in to see the _⌊dinner guests_⌋,* he saw a man there not dressed in wedding clothes.

⁴⁵ "Who then is the faithful and wise slave whom the master has put in charge of his household slaves to give them their* food at the right time?

¹ For I do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all went through the sea, ² and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, ³ and all ate the same spiritual food, ⁴ and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ. ⁵ But God was not pleased with the majority of them, for they were struck down in the desert.

¹⁹ They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us. But they went out*, in order that it might be shown that all of them are not of us.

⁵ Now I want to remind you, although you know everything once and for all,* that Jesus,* having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, the second time destroyed those who did not believe.

¹ Hear this, house of Jacob, who are called by the name of Israel and came out from the waters of Judah, who swear by the name of Yahweh, and _⌊invoke_⌋* the God of Israel, but not in truth and not in righteousness. ² For they call themselves _⌊after the holy city_⌋,* and they lean on the God of Israel— Yahweh of hosts is his name.

² Yet* they seek me day by day, and they desire the knowledge of my ways like a nation that _⌊practiced_⌋* righteousness, and had not forsaken the judgment of its God; they ask me for _⌊righteous judgments_⌋,* they desire the closeness of God.

³ and he sees the sword coming against the land, and he blows on the horn and he warns the people,

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.

⁵ maintaining a form of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid these people.

¹⁵ Take care that no one falls short of the grace of God; that no one growing up like a root of bitterness causes trouble, and by it many become defiled;

¹ "And to the angel of the church in Sardis write:
"This is what the one who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars says: 'I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, and you are dead.

¹⁵ 'I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were cold or hot! ¹⁶ Thus, because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I am about to vomit you out of my mouth!

⁷ You love righteousness and hate wickedness. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you from among your companions with festive oil.

² And he said to me, "What do you see?" And I said, "I see, and look, _⌊a lampstand all of gold_⌋,* and a bowl was on its top, and its seven lamps on it, and seven lips on each of the lamps that are on its top. ³ And there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left."

¹⁵ John testified about him and cried out, saying, "This one was he about whom I said, 'The one who comes after me is ahead of me, because he existed before me.'" ¹⁶ For from his fullness we have all received, and grace after grace.

³⁴ For the one whom God sent speaks the words of God, for he does not give the Spirit by measure.

⁹ But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, this person _⌊does not belong to him_⌋*.

²² who also sealed us and gave the down payment of the Spirit in our hearts.

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.

²⁰ And you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know.

²⁷ And as for you, the anointing which you received from him remains in you, and you do not have need that anyone teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you reside* in him.

¹⁹ These are the ones who cause divisions, worldly, not having the Spirit.

¹ On my bed in the night, I sought* him whom my _⌊heart_⌋* loves. I sought him, but I did not find him.

² I was asleep but* my heart was awake. A sound! My beloved knocking!* "Open to me, my sister, my beloved, my dove, my perfect one! For my head is full of dew, _⌊my hair drenched from the moist night air_⌋."*

⁵ And the mariners were afraid, and each cried out to his god. And they threw the _⌊contents_⌋* that were in the merchant ship into the sea to lighten it for them. And meanwhile Jonah went down into the hold of the vessel and lay down and fell asleep. ⁶ And the captain* of the ship approached him and said to him, "Why are you _⌊sound asleep_⌋?* Get up! Call on your god! Perhaps your god* will take notice of us and we won't perish!"

³ For there is yet a vision for the appointed time; it will give witness to the end, and it will not lie. If it tarries, wait for it, for it will surely come and not delay.

⁴⁸ But if that evil slave should say _⌊to himself_⌋,* 'My master is staying away for a long time,'

¹⁹ Now after a long time, the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them.

⁴⁰ And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, "So, were you not able to stay awake with me one hour?

⁴³ And he came again and* found them sleeping, _⌊for they could not keep their eyes open_⌋.*

³⁷ And he came and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, "Simon, are you sleeping? Were you not able to stay awake one hour? ³⁸ Stay awake and pray that you will not enter into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak!"

⁴⁵ But if that slave should say _⌊to himself_⌋,* 'My master is taking a long time to return,' and he begins to beat the male slaves and the female slaves and to eat and drink and get drunk,

⁸ I tell you that _⌊he will see to it that justice is done_⌋* for them soon! Nevertheless, when* the Son of Man comes, then will he find faith on earth?"

⁹ And he began to tell the people this parable: "A man* planted a vineyard, and leased it to tenant farmers, and went on a journey for a long time.

¹¹ And do this because you* know the time, that it is already the hour for you to wake up from sleep. For our salvation is nearer now than when we believed.

¹⁴ for everything made visible is light. Therefore it says,
Wake up, sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.*

⁶ So then, we must not sleep like the rest, but must be on the alert and be self-controlled. ⁷ For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. ⁸ But because* we are of the day, we must be sober, by* putting on the breastplate of faith and love and as a helmet the hope of salvation,

³⁶ For you have need of endurance, in order that after you* have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised. ³⁷ For yet
"a very, very little while, and the one who is coming will come and will not delay.

⁸ Be sober; be on the alert. Your adversary the devil walks around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.

⁴ and saying, "Where is the promise of his coming? For _⌊ever since_⌋* the fathers fell asleep, all things have continued just as they have been from the beginning of creation." ⁵ For when* they maintain this, it escapes their notice that the heavens existed long ago and the earth held together out of water and through water by the word of God, ⁶ by means of which things the world that existed at that time was destroyed by* being inundated with water. ⁷ But by the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly people. ⁸ Now, dear friends, do not let this one thing escape your notice, that one day with the Lord is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like one day. ⁹ The Lord is not delaying the promise, as some consider slowness, but is being patient toward you, because he* does not want any to perish, but all to come to repentance.

²⁵ Nevertheless, hold fast to what you have until I come.

³ Our God comes and he is not silent. Before him fire devours, and around him it is very tempestuous. ⁴ He summons the heavens above and the earth that he might judge his people: ⁵ "Gather to me my loyal ones, those who have made a covenant with me by sacrifice." ⁶ And the heavens declare his righteousness, because God himself is judge. Selah

¹³ before Yahweh, for he is coming; for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with his faithfulness.

⁹ before Yahweh, for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with equity.

⁹ And one will say, on that day,
"Look! This is our God! We have waited for him and he saved us! This is Yahweh; we waited for him! Let us be glad, and let us rejoice in his salvation."

¹² "Therefore, thus I will do to you, O Israel. Because I will do this to you, O Israel, prepare to meet your God!

¹ "Look! I am going to send my messenger,* and he will prepare* the way _⌊before me_⌋.* And the Lord whom you are seeking will come suddenly to his temple, and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you are taking pleasure—look!—he is about to come," says Yahweh of hosts. ² And who can endure the day of his coming? And who is the one who can stand _⌊when he appears_⌋?* For he is like a refiner's fire, like launderers' alkali.*

³¹ And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect together from the four winds, from one end of heaven* to the other end of it.

⁴⁴ For this reason you also must be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not think he will come.*

¹ "Then the kingdom of heaven may be compared to ten virgins who took their lamps and* went out to meet the bridegroom.

³¹ Now when the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.

³³ Watch out! Be alert, because you do not know when the time is! ³⁴ It is like a man away on a journey, who left his house and gave his slaves authority—to each one his work—and to the doorkeeper he gave orders that he should be on the alert. ³⁵ Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or early in the morning— ³⁶ lest he arrive suddenly and* find you sleeping. ³⁷ And what I say to you, I say to everyone: Be on the alert!"

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?'

³⁸ Even if he should come back in the second or in the third watch of the night and find them* like this, blessed are they! ³⁹ But understand this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief was coming, he would not have left his house to be broken into. ⁴⁰ You also must be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not think he will come."*

⁴⁶ the master of that slave will come on a day that he does not expect and at an hour that he does not know, and will cut him in two and assign his place with the unbelievers.

²⁸ "Do not be astonished at this, because an hour is coming in which all those in the tombs will hear his voice ²⁹ and they will come out—those who have done good things to a resurrection of life, but those who have practiced evil things to a resurrection of judgment.

¹⁶ For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout of command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.

¹ Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need of anything to be written to you, ² for you yourselves well know that the day of the Lord is coming in the same way as a thief in the night. 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.

⁷ and to you who are being afflicted, rest with us at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with his powerful angels, ⁸ with burning flame* giving punishment to those who do not know God and who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus, ⁹ who will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his strength, ¹⁰ whenever he should come to be glorified on that day by his saints and to be marveled at by all who believe, because our testimony was believed among you,

¹⁰ But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will disappear with a rushing noise, and the celestial bodies will be destroyed by* being burned up, and the earth and the deeds done on it will be disclosed.

¹⁴ And Enoch, the seventh from Adam, also prophesied about* these people, saying, "Behold, the Lord came with tens of thousands of his holy ones 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.

¹⁵ (Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who is on the alert and who keeps his clothing, so that he does not walk around naked and they see his shamefulness!)

⁷ Let us rejoice and be glad and give him the glory, because the wedding celebration of the Lamb has come, and his bride has prepared herself. ⁸ And it has been granted to her that she be dressed in bright, clean fine linen (for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints). ⁹ And he said to me, "Write: Blessed are those who are invited to the banquet of the wedding celebration of the Lamb!" And he said to me, "These are the true words of God."

³⁵ "_⌊You must be prepared for action_⌋* and your* lamps burning.

¹⁴ Therefore, dear friends, because you* are waiting for these things, make every effort to be found at peace, spotless and unblemished in him.

⁴ But I have this against you: that you have left your first love. ⁵ Remember therefore from where you have fallen, and repent and do _⌊the works you did at first_⌋*. But if you do not, I am coming to you, and I will remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.

² Be on the alert and strengthen the remaining things that are about to die, for I have not found your works completed before my God.

¹⁹ As many as I love, I reprove and discipline. Be zealous, therefore, and repent! ²⁰ Behold, I stand at the door and knock! If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, indeed I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with me.

¹³ So are the paths of all who forget God; and the hope of the godless will perish, ¹⁴ whose confidence is cut off and _⌊whose trust_⌋* is a spider's house.

⁵ Furthermore,* the light of the wicked is put out, and the flame of his fire will not shine.

¹⁷ "How often is the lamp of the wicked put out, and their disaster comes upon them? He* distributes pains in his anger.

¹⁸ But the path of the righteous ones is like the light of dawn, leading and shining until the day _⌊is full_⌋.* ¹⁹ The way of the wicked ones is like deep darkness; they do not know what they stumble over.

⁹ The light of the righteous will rejoice, but the lamp of the wicked will die out.

²⁰ He who curses his father and his mother, his lamp will be extinguished _⌊in the midst of darkness_⌋.*

⁹ And do not think to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as father.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up children for Abraham from these stones!

²⁰ And what was sown on the rocky ground—this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy. ²¹ But he does not have a root in himself, but _⌊lasts only a little while_⌋,* and when* affliction or persecution happens because of the word, immediately he falls away.

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."

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!'

²⁴ But Simon answered and* said, "You pray to the Lord for me so that nothing of what you have said will come upon me."

¹ Therefore let us fear, while there* remains a promise of entering into his rest, that none of you appear to fall short of it.

⁹ Behold, I am causing those of the synagogue of Satan, the ones who call themselves Jews and are not, but are lying—behold, I will make them _⌊come_⌋* and kneel down before your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you.

⁷ Surely a man cannot redeem a brother. He cannot give to God his ransom ⁸ (since* the redemption price for their life is costly and it always fails), ⁹ so that he may stay alive forever and not see the pit.

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. 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.

⁶ Seek Yahweh _⌊while he lets himself be found_⌋;* call him _⌊while he is_⌋* near. ⁷ Let the wicked forsake his way, and the man of sin his thoughts. And let him return to Yahweh, that* he may take pity on him, and to our God, for he will _⌊forgive manifold_⌋.*

¹ Then Yahweh said to me, "Even if Moses and Samuel stood _⌊before me_⌋,* my heart would not be to this people. Send them away from my _⌊sight_⌋,* and let them go out.

¹⁴ And if even the three of these men were in the midst of it—Noah, Daniel, and Job—they, through their righteousness, would save only _⌊themselves_⌋!"* _⌊declares_⌋* the Lord Yahweh. ¹⁵ "If a fierce animal I should let cross through the land, and it should make it childless and it will be a desolation, so that there will not be one crossing over the land _⌊due to_⌋* the presence of the animal, ¹⁶ even if these three men were in the midst of it, _⌊as surely as I live_⌋,"* _⌊declares_⌋* the Lord Yahweh, "surely they will not save sons and daughters; _⌊they themselves alone_⌋,* they will be saved, but the land will be a desolation.

²⁰ and if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in the midst of her, _⌊as surely as I live_⌋,"* _⌊declares_⌋* the Lord Yahweh, "surely not a son, surely not a daughter will they save by their righteousness; they would save _⌊themselves_⌋."*

²² Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and ask the Lord if perhaps the intent of your heart may be forgiven you!"

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.

¹⁶ And those that came, male and female, of every living thing, came as God had commanded him. And Yahweh shut the door behind him.

²⁸ Say to them, 'Surely as I live,' _⌊declares_⌋* Yahweh, 'just as you spoke _⌊in my hearing_⌋,* so I will do to you; ²⁹ in this desert your corpses will fall, and all your counted ones, according to all your number, from _⌊twenty years old_⌋* and above who grumbled against me. ³⁰ You yourselves will not come into the land that _⌊I swore by oath_⌋* to make you to dwell in it, but Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. ³¹ But your little children, whom you said would be plunder, I will bring them, and they will know the land that you rejected. ³² But for you, all your corpses will fall in this desert. ³³ And your children will be shepherds in the desert forty years,* and you will bear your unfaithfulness until _⌊all your corpses have fallen_⌋* in the desert. ³⁴ According to the number of the days* that you explored the land, forty days,* _⌊a day for each year_⌋,* you will bear your sins forty years,* and you will know my opposition.'

¹¹ Therefore I swore in my anger, 'They shall surely not enter into my rest.'"

¹² And they will wander from sea to sea and from the north and to the east. They will roam about to seek the word of Yahweh, but they will not find it! ¹³ In that day the beautiful young women and the young men will faint because of thirst.

⁶ But in the middle of the night there was a shout, 'Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!'

²⁰ And the one who had received the five talents came up and* brought five more talents, saying, 'Master, you handed over to me five talents. See, I have gained five more talents!' ²¹ His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful slave! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge over many things. Enter into the joy of your master!' ²² And the one who had the two talents also came up and* said, 'Master, you handed over to me two talents. See, I have gained two talents more!' ²³ His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful slave! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge over many things. Enter into the joy of your master!'

³⁶ And you, be like people who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast,* so that when he* comes back and knocks, they can open the door* for him immediately. ³⁷ Blessed are those slaves whom the master will find on the alert when he returns! Truly I say to you that he will dress himself for service and have them recline at the table and will come by and* serve them.

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!'

¹² giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you for a share of the inheritance of the saints in light,

¹⁸ And to whom did he swear they would not enter into his rest, except those who were disobedient? ¹⁹ And so we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief.

¹³ Therefore, _⌊when you have prepared your minds for action_⌋* by* being self-controlled, put your hope completely in the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

⁷ Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even every one who pierced him, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over him.
Yes, amen.

¹¹ The one who does evil, let him do evil still, and the defiled, let him be defiled still, and the righteous, let him practice righteousness still, and the holy, let him be holy still." ¹² "Behold, I am coming quickly, and my reward is with me, to repay each one according to what his deeds are!

²⁰ The one who testifies about these things says, "Yes, I am coming quickly!" Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!

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!'

¹⁶ that no one be a sexually immoral or totally worldly person like Esau, who for one meal traded his own birthright. ¹⁷ For you know that also afterwards, when he* wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, because he did not find an occasion for repentance, although he sought it with tears.

⁶ for Yahweh knows the way of the righteous,* but the way of the wicked will perish.

⁵ The boastful do not stand before* your eyes. You hate all evildoers.

¹³ Your eyes are too pure to see evil, and you are not able to look at wrongdoing.* Why do you look at the treacherous? Why are you silent when the wicked swallows up someone more righteous than him?

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_⌋!'* 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! ²⁹ And they will come from east and west, and from north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God. ³⁰ And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last."

³¹ We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if someone is devout and does his will, he listens to this one.

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

³ But if anyone loves God, this one is known by him.

⁹ But now, because you have come to know God, or rather have come to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and miserable elemental spirits? Do you want to be enslaved to them* all over again?

¹⁹ However, the solid foundation of God stands firm, having this seal: "The Lord knows those who are his,"* and "Everyone who names the name of the Lord must abstain from unrighteousness."

⁴² Therefore be on the alert, because you do not know what day your Lord is coming! ⁴³ But understand this: that if the master of the house had known what watch of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁴ For this reason you also must be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not think he will come.*

⁵⁰ the master of that slave will come on a day that he does not expect and at an hour that he does not know,

³⁶ But be alert at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to happen, and to stand before the Son of Man."

³¹ Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for three years I did not stop warning each one of you* with tears.

¹³ Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act courageously, be strong.

⁶ So then, we must not sleep like the rest, but must be on the alert and be self-controlled.

⁵ But you, be self-controlled in all things, bear hardship patiently, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

⁷ Now the end of all things draws near. Therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for your prayers.

³³ "Listen to another parable: There was a man—a master of a house—who planted a vineyard, and put a fence around it, and dug a winepress in it, and built a watchtower, and leased it to tenant farmers, and went on a journey.

¹⁴ For it is like a man going on a journey. He summoned his own slaves and handed over his property to them. ¹⁵ And to one he gave five talents, and to another two, and to another one, to each one according to his own ability, and he went on a journey immediately. ¹⁶ The one who had received the five talents went out and* traded with them and gained five more. ¹⁷ In the same way the one who had the two gained two more. ¹⁸ But the one who had received the one went away and* dug up the ground and hid his master's money. ¹⁹ Now after a long time, the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. ²⁰ And the one who had received the five talents came up and* brought five more talents, saying, 'Master, you handed over to me five talents. See, I have gained five more talents!' ²¹ His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful slave! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge over many things. Enter into the joy of your master!' ²² And the one who had the two talents also came up and* said, 'Master, you handed over to me two talents. See, I have gained two talents more!' ²³ His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful slave! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge over many things. Enter into the joy of your master!' 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.* ²⁵ And because I* was afraid, I went away and* hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours!' ²⁶ But his master answered and* said to him, 'Evil and lazy slave! You knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather from where I did not scatter seed.* ²⁷ Then you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and when I* returned I would have gotten back what was mine with interest! ²⁸ Therefore take the talent from him and give it* to the one who has the ten talents. ²⁹ For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. ³⁰ And throw the worthless slave into the outer darkness—in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth!'

³⁴ It is like a man away on a journey, who left his house and gave his slaves authority—to each one his work—and to the doorkeeper he gave orders that he should be on the alert.

¹ And he also said to the disciples, "A certain man was rich, who had a manager. And charges were brought to him that this person was squandering his possessions. ² And he summoned him and* said to him, 'What is this I hear about you? Give the account of your management, because you can no longer manage.' ³ And the manager said to himself, 'What should I do, because my master is taking away the management from me? I am not strong enough to dig; I am ashamed to beg. ⁴ I know what I should do, so that when I am removed from the management they will welcome me into their homes!' ⁵ And he summoned each one of his own master's debtors and* said to the first, 'How much do you owe my master?' ⁶ And he said, 'A hundred measures of olive oil.' So he said to him, 'Take your promissory note and sit down quickly and* write fifty.' ⁷ Then he said to another, 'And how much do you owe?' And he said, 'A hundred measures of wheat.' He said to him, 'Take your promissory note and write eighty.' ⁸ And the master praised the dishonest manager, because he had acted shrewdly. For the sons of this age are shrewder than the sons of light with regard to their own generation.* ⁹ And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it runs out they will welcome you into the eternal dwellings. ¹⁰ "The one who is faithful in very little is also faithful in much, and the one who is dishonest in very little is also dishonest in much. ¹¹ If then you have not been faithful with unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?* ¹² And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to another, who will give you your own?

¹² Therefore he said, "A certain nobleman traveled to a distant country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return. ¹³ And summoning ten of his own slaves, he gave them ten minas* and said to them, 'Do business _⌊until I come back_⌋.'* ¹⁴ But his citizens hated him, and sent a delegation after him, saying, 'We do not want this man to be king over us!' ¹⁵ And it happened that when he returned after* receiving the kingdom, he ordered these slaves to whom he had given the money to be summoned to him, so that he could know what they had gained by trading. ¹⁶ So the first arrived, saying, 'Sir, your mina has made ten minas more!' ¹⁷ And he said to him, 'Well done, good slave! Because you have been faithful in a very small thing, _⌊have authority_⌋* over ten cities.' ¹⁸ And the second came, saying, 'Sir, your mina has made five minas.' ¹⁹ So he said to this one also, 'And you be over five cities.' ²⁰ And another came, saying, 'Sir, behold your mina, which I had put away for safekeeping in a piece of cloth. ²¹ For I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man—you withdraw what you did not deposit, and you reap what you did not sow!' ²² He said to him, '_⌊By your own words_⌋* I will judge you, wicked slave! You knew that I am a severe man, withdrawing what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow. ²³ And why did you not give my money to the bank, and I, when I* returned, would have collected it with interest?' ²⁴ And to the bystanders he said, 'Take away from him the mina and give it* to the one who has the ten minas!' ²⁵ And they said to him, 'Sir, he has ten minas.' ²⁶ 'I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given. But from the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. ²⁷ But these enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them—bring them* here and slaughter them in my presence!'"

⁶ but having different gifts according to the grace given to us: if it is prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; ⁷ if it is service, by service; if it is one who teaches, by teaching; ⁸ if it is one who exhorts, by exhortation; one who gives, with sincerity; one who leads, with diligence; one who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

⁵ Therefore, what is Apollos and what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, and to each as the Lord gave.

¹ Thus let a person consider us as servants of Christ and stewards of God's mysteries. ² In this case, moreover, it is sought in stewards that one be found faithful.

⁴ Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit,

⁷ But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for what is beneficial to all. ⁸ For to one is given a word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another a word of knowledge by the same Spirit, ⁹ to another faith by the same Spirit, to another* gifts of healing by the one Spirit, ¹⁰ to another* _⌊miraculous powers_⌋*, to another* prophecy, to another* distinguishing of spirits, to another kinds of tongues, to another* interpretation of tongues. ¹¹ But in all these things one and the same Spirit is at work, distributing to each one individually just as he wishes. ¹² For just as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of the body, although they* are many, are one body, thus also Christ. ¹³ For by* one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free persons, and all were made to drink one Spirit. ¹⁴ For the body is not one member, but many. ¹⁵ If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body," not because of this is it not a part of the body. ¹⁶ And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body, not because of this is it not a part of the body. ¹⁷ If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? ¹⁸ But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body just as he wanted. ¹⁹ And if they all were one member, where would the body be? ²⁰ But now there are many members, but one body. ²¹ Now the eye is not able to say to the hand, "I do not have need of you," or again, the head to the feet, "I do not have need of you." ²² But by much more the members of the body which are thought to be weaker are necessary, ²³ and the parts of the body which we think to be less honorable, these we clothe with more abundant honor, and our unpresentable parts come to have more abundant presentability, ²⁴ but our presentable parts do not have need of this. Yet God composed the body by giving more abundant honor to the part which lacked it, ²⁵ in order that there not be a division in the body, but the members would have the same concern for one another. ²⁶ And if one member suffers, all the members suffer together; if a member* is honored, all the members rejoice with it. ²⁷ Now you are the body of Christ, and members _⌊of it individually_⌋*, ²⁸ and whom God has appointed in the church: first, apostles, second, prophets, third, teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helps, administrations, kinds of tongues. ²⁹ Not all are apostles, are they?* Not all are prophets, are they?* Not all are teachers, are they?* Not all are workers of miracles, are they?*

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

⁹ Be hospitable to one another without complaining. ¹⁰ Just as each one has received a gift, use it for serving one another, as good stewards of the varied grace of God. ¹¹ If anyone speaks, let it be as the oracles of God; if anyone serves, let it be as by the strength that God provides, so that in all things God will be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom is the glory and the power _⌊forever and ever_⌋*. Amen.

²⁴ And when* he began to settle them,* someone was brought to him who owed ten thousand talents.

⁴⁸ But the one who did not know and did things deserving blows _⌊will be given a light beating_⌋.* And from everyone to whom much has been given, much will be demanded, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will ask him for even more.

¹³ And summoning ten of his own slaves, he gave them ten minas* and said to them, 'Do business _⌊until I come back_⌋.'* ¹⁴ But his citizens hated him, and sent a delegation after him, saying, 'We do not want this man to be king over us!'

¹ It happened that the king settled in his house. (Now Yahweh had given rest to him from all his enemies all around.) ² And the king said to Nathan the prophet, "Look, please, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God is staying in the middle of the tent." ³ Nathan said to the king, "Go and do all that is in your heart, for Yahweh is with you."

¹ And David consulted with the commanders of thousands and hundreds, with every leader. ² And David said to all the assembly of Israel, "_⌊If it seems good to you_⌋* and before Yahweh our God, _⌊let us send word abroad_⌋* to our brothers who remain in all the land of Israel and to the priests and Levites with them in the cities with their pasturelands that they might be gathered to us. ³ Then let us bring around the ark of our God to us, for we did not seek it in the days of Saul."

¹ Then David said, "This will be the house of Yahweh God, and this altar of burnt offering for Israel." ² And David commanded to assemble the resident aliens who were in the land of Israel and appointed stone craftsmen to cut dressed stones to build the house of God. ³ And David provided much iron for nails for the doors of the gates and for the seams, and abundant copper that could not be weighed, ⁴ and cedar timbers without number, for the Sidonians and Tyrians brought abundant cedars to David. ⁵ Then David said, "Solomon my son is a boy and inexperienced, and the house built for Yahweh must be exceedingly great in fame and splendor throughout every land. I will make preparations for him." So David provided abundant materials before he died. ⁶ Then he called to Solomon his son and commanded him to build a house for Yahweh, the God of Israel. ⁷ And David said to Solomon his son, "I myself had in my heart to build a house for the name of Yahweh my God, ⁸ but it happened that the word of Yahweh came over me, saying, 'You have shed much blood and have made much war; you shall not build a house for my name because you have shed much blood upon the ground before me. ⁹ Behold, a son shall be born to you; he himself will be a man of rest, and I will give rest to him from all his enemies all around, for his name will be Solomon, and peace and quietness I will give to Israel in his days. ¹⁰ He himself will build a house for my name, and he himself will be to me a son, and I will be to him as a father, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.' ¹¹ Now, my son, Yahweh will be with you, that you may succeed and build the house of Yahweh your God as he has spoken concerning you. ¹² Only may Yahweh give to you understanding and insight that he might give you charge over Israel and the keeping of the law of Yahweh your God. ¹³ Then you will prosper if you take care to do the statutes and judgments which Yahweh commanded Moses concerning Israel. Be strong and be courageous; fear not and do not be dismayed. ¹⁴ Now see, with great effort I have made provision for the house of Yahweh: 100,000 talents of gold, 1,000,000 talents of silver, and bronze and iron that cannot be weighed, for there is an abundance. Also timber and stone I have provided, but to these you should add. ¹⁵ And with you there is an abundance of craftsmen: stonecutters, masons, carpenters, and everyone skilled in every kind of craftsmanship ¹⁶ with gold, silver, bronze, and iron without number. Arise and work! Yahweh will be with you!" ¹⁷ And David commanded all the commanders of Israel to help Solomon his son, saying, ¹⁸ "Is not Yahweh your God with you? And has he not given you rest all around? For he has put in my hand the inhabitants of the land, and the land is subdued before Yahweh and before his people. ¹⁹ Now set your heart and mind to seek Yahweh your Go, and arise and build the sanctuary of Yahweh God, that the ark of the covenant of Yahweh and the holy vessels of God might be brought into the house built for the name of Yahweh.

² And King David rose to his feet and said, "Listen to me, my brothers and my people. _⌊I myself wanted_⌋* to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of Yahweh and the footstool of our God, and I prepared to build. ³ But God said to me, 'You may not build a house for my name because you are a man of war, and you have shed blood.' ⁴ But Yahweh the God of Israel chose me from all of the house of my father to be king over Israel forever, for he chose Judah as leader, and in the house of Judah, the house of my father, and among the sons of my father he took pleasure in me to reign over all Israel. ⁵ And from all my sons—for Yahweh has given many sons to me—he has chosen Solomon my son to sit on the throne of the kingdom of Yahweh over Israel. ⁶ And he said to me, 'Solomon your son, he himself shall build my house and my courts, for I have chosen him as a son to myself, and I myself will be as a father to him, ⁷ and I will establish his kingdom forever if _⌊he firmly performs_⌋* my commandments and my judgments as he has to this day.' ⁸ So now in the sight of all Israel, the assembly of Yahweh, and in the hearing of our God, observe and seek all the commandments of Yahweh your God so that you may take possession of this good land and bestow it as an inheritance to your children after you forever." 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. ¹⁰ Look now, for Yahweh has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary; be strong and do it!" ¹¹ Then David gave to Solomon his son the plan of the vestibule and of its houses, its treasuries, its upper rooms, its inner chambers, and of the house of the lid of the ark, ¹² and the plan of all _⌊that he had in mind_⌋* for the courtyards of the house of Yahweh and for all the surrounding storage rooms, the treasuries of the house of God, and the treasuries for sanctified objects, ¹³ and for the working groups of the priests and the Levites, and for all the work of the service of the house of Yahweh, and for all the vessels for the service of the house of Yahweh, ¹⁴ and for the gold, according to the weight of the gold for all the vessels of the service, and the service of all the vessels of silver according to the weight of all the vessels _⌊for every kind of service_⌋.* ¹⁵ And the weight of the golden lampstands and the golden lamps, _⌊the weight of each lampstand and each lamp_⌋,* and the silver according to the weight of a lampstand and its lamp, according to the use of _⌊each lampstand_⌋,* ¹⁶ and the weight of gold for the tables of the arranged bread, _⌊each table_⌋,* and silver for the tables of silver, ¹⁷ and pure gold for the three-pronged meat forks, and the bowls and the pitchers, and for the golden bowls, by weight for _⌊each bowl_⌋,* and for the silver bowls, by weight for _⌊each bowl_⌋,*

² So I have provided for the house of my God according to all my strength, the gold for the things of gold, the silver for the things of silver, the bronze for the things of bronze, the iron for the things of iron, and the wood for the things of wood, along with an abundance of onyx stones, stones for settings, stones of turquoise, and variegated stones, and all kinds of precious stones and alabaster stones. ³ And moreover, with respect to my provisions for the house of my God I have a treasure of gold and silver that I have given to the house of my God above all that I have provided for the holy house: ⁴ three thousand talents of gold from the gold of Ophir and seven thousand talents of refined silver to overlay the walls of the houses, ⁵ gold for the golden things and silver for the silver things, for all the work by the hand of skilled craftsmen. Now who will offer willingly, _⌊consecrating himself_⌋* today to Yahweh?" ⁶ Then the commanders of the _⌊families_⌋,* the commanders of the tribes of Israel, and the commanders of thousands and hundreds, and the commanders of the work of the king offered themselves willingly. ⁷ And they gave for the service of the house of God five thousand talents and ten thousand darics of gold, ten thousand talents of silver, eighteen thousand talents of bronze, and one hundred thousand talents of iron. ⁸ And whoever had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the house of Yahweh under the authority* of Jehiel the Gershonite. ⁹ And the people rejoiced over their freewill offering, for with a whole heart they had willingly offered to Yahweh, and King David also rejoiced with great joy. ¹⁰ Then David blessed Yahweh in the sight of all the assembly, and David said, "Blessed are you, O Yahweh, God of Israel, our father forever and ever! ¹¹ To you, O Yahweh, is the greatness and the power and the splendor and the glory and the strength, for everything in the heavens and in the earth. Yours, O Yahweh, is the kingdom and exaltation over all as head! ¹² And wealth and glory are from you, and you rule over all. And in your hand is power and might. And in your hand is power to make great and to give strength to all. ¹³ And now, our God, we give thanks to you and offer praise to the name of your splendor. ¹⁴ And indeed, who am I, and who are my people that we retain power to offer according to these offerings willingly? For everything is from you, and from your hand we have given to you. ¹⁵ For we are strangers before you and sojourners like all our ancestors.* Our days are like the shadow upon earth, and there is no hope of abiding. ¹⁶ O Yahweh our God, all this abundance that we have provided to build for you a house for your holy name is from your hand, and all of it is yours. 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.

⁹ Now, O Yahweh God, let your word to David my father be fulfilled, for you yourself have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth. ¹⁰ Now, give to me wisdom and knowledge that I may go out and come in before this people, for who can judge this, your great people?"

⁸ And when Asa heard these words, the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage and removed the vile idols from all the lands of Judah and Benjamin, and from the cities that he had taken in the hill country of Ephraim, and he repaired the altar of Yahweh that was in front of the portico of Yahweh. ⁹ And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin and those sojourning with them, from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon, for many had deserted to him from Israel when they saw that Yahweh his God was with him. ¹⁰ And they were gathered at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa. ¹¹ And they sacrificed to Yahweh on that day from the war booty they brought back: seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep. ¹² And they entered into a covenant to seek Yahweh, the God of their ancestors,* with all their heart and with all their inmost being,* ¹³ but all who will not seek Yahweh the God of Israel should be killed, from young to old, from men to women. ¹⁴ And they took an oath to Yahweh with a great voice, with shouting, with trumpets, and with horns. ¹⁵ And all Judah rejoiced over the oath, for they swore with all their heart. And they sought him with their whole desire, and he was found by them, and Yahweh gave rest to them all around.

³ And Yahweh was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the former ways of David his father and did not seek after the Baals, ⁴ but he sought after the God of his ancestors* and walked in his commandments and not according to the works of Israel. ⁵ So Yahweh established the kingdom in his hand. And all Judah gave tribute to Jehoshaphat, and he had much wealth and honor. ⁶ And his heart was courageous in the ways of Yahweh. Moreover, he removed the high places and the Asherahs from Judah. ⁷ In the third year of his reign he sent his officials, Ben-Hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah, to teach in the cities of Judah; ⁸ and with them the Levites Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tob-Adonijah; and with them the priests Elisham and Joram. ⁹ And they taught in Judah, and the scroll of the law of Yahweh was with them when they went around in all the cities of Judah, and they taught the people.

⁴ And Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem and returned and went out among the people from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim and brought them back to Yahweh, the God of their ancestors.* ⁵ And he appointed judges in the land and in all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city. ⁶ And he said to the judges, "Consider what you are doing, for you are not judging for a man but for Yahweh. Now he is with you in speaking justice. ⁷ So now, let the fear of Yahweh be upon you all. _⌊Be careful what you do_⌋,* for there is neither wickedness nor _⌊showing partiality_⌋* and taking bribes with Yahweh our God." ⁸ Moreover, Jehoshaphat appointed in Jerusalem some of the Levites and the priests and heads of the _⌊families_⌋* of Israel as judges and to decide legal disputes for Yahweh. And they sat* in Jerusalem. ⁹ And he commanded them, saying, "Thus you must do in the fear of Yahweh in faithfulness and with a whole heart. ¹⁰ Any legal dispute that comes before you from your brothers who live in their cities concerning bloodguilt, law, commandment, statutes, and justice, you must warn them, so that they do not incur guilt before Yahweh, and that wrath may not come upon you and your brothers. Thus you must do that you do not incur guilt.

²⁰ And Hezekiah did according to this throughout all Judah. And he did what is good and what is right and what is faithful before Yahweh his God. ²¹ And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God or with respect to the law and the commandment to seek his God, he did with all his heart, and he prospered.

¹⁵ And he removed the foreign gods and the carved image from the house of Yahweh and all the altars which he built on the mountain of the house of Yahweh and in Jerusalem, and he threw them outside the city. ¹⁶ And he restored the altar of Yahweh and offered sacrifices of peace offerings and thank offerings upon it. And he commanded Judah to serve Yahweh, the God of Israel.

¹ Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. ² And he did what was right in the eyes of Yahweh, and he walked in the ways of David his ancestor* and did not deviate to the right or to the left. ³ In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still a boy, he began to seek the God of David his ancestor.* And in the twelfth year he began to cleanse Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the Asherahs, the idols, and the images. ⁴ And he destroyed before him the altars for the Baals, and he cut down the incense stands above them. And the Asherahs, the idols, and the images he smashed. And he ground them to powder and sprinkled the dust over the burial sites of those who sacrificed to them. ⁵ And he burned the bones of the priests on the altars and cleansed Judah and Jerusalem. ⁶ And in the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, Simeon, and as far as Naphtali, in their ruins all around, ⁷ he broke down the altars and the Asherahs and crushed the idols, grinding them to dust, and he cut down all the incense stands in all the land of Israel. Then he returned to Jerusalem. ⁸ Now in the eighteenth year of his reign after he purged the land and the house, he sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, Maaseiah the commander of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz, the recorder, to repair the house of Yahweh his God. ⁹ And they came to Hilkiah the high priest and gave the money that was brought for the house of God, which the Levites, the guardians of the threshold, had gathered from the hand of Manasseh, Ephraim, and from the whole remnant of Israel, and from all Judah and Benjamin and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. ¹⁰ And they delivered it into the hand of the workmen who were appointed in the house of Yahweh, and they in turn gave it to those doing the work who were at work in the house of Yahweh, to repair and restore the house. ¹¹ And they dispensed* it to the skilled craftsmen and the builders to buy stone for hewing and timber for the seams and for binding the houses that the kings of Judah had destroyed. ¹² And the men did the work faithfully. Over them as supervisors were appointed Jahath and Obadiah, the Levites from the Merarites, and Zechariah and Meshullam from the Kohathites. And other Levites, all who were skilled in instruments of song, ¹³ were over the porters and were directing all who worked _⌊on each task_⌋.* And some of the Levites were scribes, officials, and gatekeepers. ¹⁴ And when they brought out the money that had been brought to the house of Yahweh, Hilkiah the priest found a scroll of the law of Yahweh by the hand of Moses. ¹⁵ And Hilkiah answered and said to Shaphan the scribe, "I have found a scroll of the law in the house of Yahweh!" Then Hilkiah gave the scroll to Shaphan. ¹⁶ And Shaphan brought the scroll to the king and _⌊also informed_⌋* the king, saying, "All that was put into the hand of your servants they are doing. ¹⁷ They have dispensed* the money which was found in the house of Yahweh and have put it into the hand of the overseers and those doing the work." ¹⁸ Then Shaphan the scribe reported to the king, "Hilkiah the priest gave to me a scroll." Then Shaphan read from it before the king. ¹⁹ And when the king heard the words of the law, he tore his garments, ²⁰ and the king commanded Hilkiah, Ahikam the son of Shaphan, Abdon the son of Micah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the servant of the king, saying, ²¹ "Go! Seek Yahweh on my behalf and on behalf of those remaining in Israel and Judah concerning the words of the scroll that was found, for the anger of Yahweh that was poured out on us is great, because our ancestors* have not kept the word of Yahweh, to do all that is written in this scroll." ²² Then Hilkiah and those whom the king had sent went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum, son of Tikvath, son of Hasrah, keeper of the garments. (Now she was living in Jerusalem in the second district.) And they spoke to her concerning this. ²³ And she said to them, "Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel: 'Say to the man who sent you all to me: ²⁴ "Thus says Yahweh: 'Behold, I am bringing disaster upon this place and upon its inhabitants—all the curses written in the scroll that were read before the king of Judah— ²⁵ because they have abandoned me and burned incense to other gods so as to provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands. And my wrath will be poured out on this place and it will not be quenched.' ²⁶ But to the king of Judah who sent you to seek Yahweh, thus shall you say to him: 'Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel: As for the words which you heard, ²⁷ because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before God when you heard his words against this place and against its inhabitants and you humbled yourself before me and tore your garments and wept before me, now I also have heard,' _⌊declares_⌋* Yahweh. ²⁸ 'Behold, I will gather you to your ancestors,* and you will be gathered to your grave in peace. Your eyes will not see any of the disaster that I am bringing upon this place.'" '" ²⁹ Then they sent word to the king, and he gathered all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. ³⁰ And the king went up to the house of Yahweh with all the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, with the priests and the Levites—all the people from great to small—and they read in their ears all the words of the scroll of the covenant that was found in the house of Yahweh. ³¹ And the king stood at his position. And he made the covenant before Yahweh, to walk after Yahweh and to keep his commands and statutes and regulations with all his heart and with all his soul, to do the words of the covenant that were written on this scroll. ³² Then he obligated* all who were found in Jerusalem and in Benjamin, that the inhabitants of Jerusalem would do according to the covenant of God, the God of their ancestors.* ³³ And Josiah removed all the detestable things from the whole land that belonged to the _⌊Israelites_⌋* and obligated* all who were found in Israel to serve Yahweh their God. All his days they did not turn aside from following* Yahweh, the God of their ancestors.*

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.

¹⁸ And this shall happen:
her merchandise and her harlot's wages will be set apart for Yahweh;
it will not be stored up, and it will not be hoarded, but her merchandise will be for those who live before the _⌊presence_⌋* of Yahweh, for eating to satiation and for fine clothing.

²³ And kings shall be your _⌊guardians_⌋,* and their queens your nurses. They shall bow down, _⌊faces_⌋* to the ground, to you, and they will lick up the dust of your feet. Then* you will know that I am Yahweh; those who await me shall not be ashamed.

⁵ Then you shall see and you shall be radiant; and your heart shall tremble and open itself wide, because the abundance of the sea shall fall upon you; the wealth of the nations shall come to you. ⁶ A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young male camels of Midian and Ephah. All those from Sheba shall come; they shall bring gold and frankincense, and they shall proclaim the praise of Yahweh. ⁷ All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered to you; the rams of Nebaioth shall serve you. They shall present a sacrifice for favor on my altar, and I will glorify _⌊my honorable house_⌋.* ⁸ Who are these? They fly like a cloud, and like doves to their coops. ⁹ Because the coastlands wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish are first to bring your children from afar, their silver and gold with them, for the name of Yahweh your God, and for the holy one of Israel, because he has glorified you. ¹⁰ And _⌊foreigners_⌋* shall build your walls, and their kings shall serve you, for in my anger I struck you, but* in my favor I have taken pity on you. ¹¹ And your gates shall continually be open, day and night they shall not be shut, to bring you the wealth of nations, and their kings shall be led. ¹² For the nation and the kingdom that will not serve you shall perish, and the nations shall be utterly devastated. ¹³ The glory of Lebanon shall come to you; the cypress, the plane, and the pine together, to glorify the place of my sanctuary, and I will do honor to the place of my feet. ¹⁴ And the children of those who oppressed you shall come to you bending low, and all those who treated you disrespectfully shall bow down at the soles of your feet. And they shall call you the city of Yahweh, Zion of the holy one of Israel. ¹⁵ Instead of you being forsaken and hated _⌊with no one passing through,_⌋* I will _⌊make_⌋* you an everlasting _⌊object of pride_⌋,* a joy of _⌊coming generations_⌋.* ¹⁶ And you shall suck the milk of nations, and suck the breast of kings, and you shall know that I am Yahweh your Savior, and your Redeemer, the Strong One of Jacob.

³⁶ For David, after* serving the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and _⌊was buried with_⌋* his fathers, and experienced decay.

¹⁸ For I will not dare to speak about anything except that which Christ has accomplished through me, resulting in the obedience of the Gentiles by word and deed, ¹⁹ by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit,* so that from Jerusalem and traveling around as far as Illyricum I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ.

¹⁶ For if I proclaim the gospel, it is not to me a reason for boasting, for necessity is imposed on me. For woe is to me if I do not proclaim the gospel. ¹⁷ For if I do this voluntarily, I have a reward, but if I do so unwillingly, I have been entrusted with a stewardship. ¹⁸ What then is my reward? That when I* proclaim the gospel, I may offer the gospel free of charge, in order not to make full use of my right in the gospel. ¹⁹ For although I* am free from all people, I have enslaved myself to all, in order that I may gain more. ²⁰ I have become like a Jew to the Jews, in order that I may gain the Jews. To those under the law I became as under the law (although I* myself am not under the law) in order that I may gain those under the law. ²¹ To those outside the law I became as outside the law (although I* am not outside the law of God, but subject to the law of Christ) in order that I may gain those outside the law. ²² To the weak I became weak, in order that I may gain the weak. I have become all things to all people, in order that by all means I may save some. ²³ I do all this for the sake of the gospel, in order that I may become a participant with it.

¹⁰ But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me has not been in vain, but I labored even more than all of them, and not I, but the grace of God with me.

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, ¹⁸ to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, sharing freely,

⁶ The farmer who works hard must be the first to receive a share of the crops.

⁵ But you, be self-controlled in all things, bear hardship patiently, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. ⁶ For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is imminent. 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 I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective in the knowledge of every good thing that is in us for Christ. ⁷ For I have great joy and encouragement from your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.

⁵ Dear friend, you act faithfully* in whatever you do for the brothers, _⌊even though they are strangers_⌋*. ⁶ They have testified to your love before the church; you will do well to send them* on their way in a manner worthy of God. ⁷ For they have gone out on behalf of the name, accepting nothing from the pagans.* ⁸ Therefore we ought to support such people, so that we become fellow workers with the truth.

¹⁹ For I have chosen* him, that he will command his children and his household after him that they will keep the way of Yahweh, to do righteousness and justice, so that Yahweh may bring upon Abraham that which he said to him."

³² Now Barzillai was very old, _⌊eighty years old_⌋.* Now he had provided the king with food while he was staying at Mahanaim, for he was a very wealthy man.

³ Ahab summoned Obadiah who was over the house. (Now Obadiah was fearing Yahweh greatly. 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.)

⁸ It happened one day that Elisha passed through to Shunem where there was a wealthy woman, and she urged him to eat bread; so it happened each time he passed through, he would stop there to eat. ⁹ She said to her husband, "Please now, I know that he is a holy man of God who is passing _⌊our way_⌋* regularly; ¹⁰ let us make a small enclosed room upstairs and put a bed, table, chair, and lampstand there for him, so that when he comes to us, he can turn and stay there.

¹¹ "When the ear heard and commended me, and the eye saw and testified in support of me ¹² because I saved the needy who cried for help, and I saved* the orphan for whom there was no helper. ¹³ The blessing of the wretched came upon me, and I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy. ¹⁴ I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; my justice was like a robe and a headband. ¹⁵ "I was eyes to the blind, and I was feet to the lame. ¹⁶ I was a father to the poor, and I investigated _⌊the stranger's_⌋* legal dispute. ¹⁷ And I broke the evil one's jaw bones, and I made his prey drop from his teeth.

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, ²¹ if I have raised my hand against an orphan because I saw my supporters at the gate, ²² then let my shoulder blade fall from my shoulder, and let my arm be broken from its socket.

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.

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. ³ When the clouds are full, they empty rain on the earth. Whether a tree falls to the south or whether it falls to the north, the place where the tree falls—there it will be. ⁴ Whoever watches the wind will not sow; whoever watches the clouds will not reap. ⁵ Just as you do not know how the path of the wind* goes, nor how the bones of a fetus form in a mother's womb, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything. ⁶ Sow your seed in the morning, and do not let your hands rest in the evening, for you do not know what will prosper— whether this or that, or whether both of them alike will succeed.

³ And while* he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as* he was reclining for a meal, a woman came holding an alabaster flask of very costly perfumed oil of genuine nard. After* breaking the alabaster flask, she poured it* out on his head. ⁴ But some were expressing indignation to one another:* "Why has there been this waste of perfumed oil? ⁵ For this perfumed oil could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor!" And they began to scold* her. ⁶ But Jesus said, "Leave her alone. Why do you cause trouble for her? She has done a good deed to me. ⁷ For the poor you always have with you, and you can do good for them whenever you want, but you do not always have me. ⁸ She has done what she could; _⌊she has anointed my body beforehand_⌋* for burial.

³⁶ Now in Joppa there was a certain female disciple _⌊named_⌋* Tabitha (which translated means "Dorcas").* She was full of good deeds and charitable giving which she was constantly doing.* ³⁷ Now it happened that in those days after* becoming sick, she died. And after* washing her,* they placed her in an upstairs room. ³⁸ And because* Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, when they* heard that Peter was in _⌊Lydda_⌋,* sent two men to him, urging, "Do not delay to come to us!" ³⁹ So Peter got up and* accompanied them. When he* arrived, they brought him* up to the upstairs room, and all the widows came to him, weeping and showing him* tunics and other clothing that Dorcas used to make while she* was with them.

² devout and fearing God together with all his household, doing many charitable deeds for the people and praying to God _⌊continually_⌋.*

²⁹ So from the disciples, _⌊according to their ability to give_⌋,* each one of them determined to send financial aid* for support to the brothers who lived in Judea, ³⁰ which they also did, sending the aid* to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.

¹² For if the eagerness is present _⌊according to what one has_⌋*, it is acceptable not _⌊according to what one does not have_⌋*.

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.

⁹ And let us not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap, if we* do not give up. 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.

¹⁶ making the most of the time because the days are evil.

¹⁷ And tell Archippus, "Direct your attention to the ministry that you received in the Lord, in order that you may complete it."

¹⁰ being well-attested by good works, if she has brought up children, if she has shown hospitality, if she has washed the feet of the saints, if she has helped those who are oppressed, if she has devoted herself to every good work.

¹⁶ May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he refreshed me many times, and was not ashamed of my imprisonment, ¹⁷ but when he* was in Rome, he diligently sought me and found me. ¹⁸ May the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord in that day! And how much he served me in Ephesus you know very well.

¹⁰ For God is not unjust, so as to forget your work and the love which you demonstrated for his name by* having served the saints, and continuing to serve them. ¹¹ And we desire each one of you to demonstrate the same diligence for the full assurance of your hope until the end,

¹⁰ Just as each one has received a gift, use it for serving one another, as good stewards of the varied grace of God.

⁹ Even he who is slack in his work, he is brother to a master* of destruction.

¹³ A lazy person says "A lion is in the road! A lion among the streets!" ¹⁴ The door turns on its hinge, and a lazy person on his bed. ¹⁵ A lazy person buries his hands in the dish; he is too tired to return it to his mouth. ¹⁶ A lazy person is wiser in his eyes than seven who answer discreetly.

² "Thus says Yahweh of hosts: 'This people says, "_⌊The time has not come to rebuild the temple of Yahweh_⌋.'" * ³ And the word of Yahweh came _⌊through_⌋* Haggai the prophet, saying, ⁴ "Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your houses that have been paneled while this house* is desolate?"

¹⁰ "Who also among you will shut the temple doors so that you will not kindle fire in vain on my altar? I take no pleasure in you," says Yahweh of hosts, "and _⌊I will not accept_⌋* an offering from your hand.

²⁰ And another came, saying, 'Sir, behold your mina, which I had put away for safekeeping in a piece of cloth.

¹² in order that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who inherit the promises through faith and patience.

⁸ For if* these things are yours and are increasing, this does not make you useless or unproductive in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

²³ "For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man—a king—who wanted to settle accounts with his slaves. ²⁴ And when* he began to settle them,* someone was brought to him who owed ten thousand talents.

⁵ And when* the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep.*

¹ And he also said to the disciples, "A certain man was rich, who had a manager. And charges were brought to him that this person was squandering his possessions. ² And he summoned him and* said to him, 'What is this I hear about you? Give the account of your management, because you can no longer manage.'

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. ²⁶ And in addition to all these things, a great chasm has been established between us and you, so that those who want to cross over from here to you are not able to do so,* nor can they cross over from there to us.' ²⁷ So he said, 'Then I ask you, father, that you send him to my father's house, ²⁸ for I have five brothers, so that he could warn them, in order that they also should not come to this place of torment!' ²⁹ But Abraham said, 'They have Moses and the prophets; they must listen to them.' ³⁰ And he said, 'No, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent!' ³¹ But he said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone rises from the dead.'"

⁷ For none of us lives for himself and none dies for himself. ⁸ For if we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord. Therefore whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. ⁹ For Christ died and became alive again for this reason, in order that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living. 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.*

¹² Now if anyone builds upon the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, grass, straw, ¹³ the work of each one will become evident. For the day will reveal it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the work of each one, of what sort it is. ¹⁴ If anyone's work that he has built upon it remains, he will receive a reward. ¹⁵ If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved, but so as through fire.

¹⁰ For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, in order that each one may receive back the things through the body according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

¹ Not many should become teachers, my brothers, because you* know that we will receive a greater judgment.*

¹⁶ So the first arrived, saying, 'Sir, your mina has made ten minas more!' ¹⁷ And he said to him, 'Well done, good slave! Because you have been faithful in a very small thing, _⌊have authority_⌋* over ten cities.'

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.

²⁹ for which purpose also I labor, striving according to his working which is at work powerfully in me.

¹ I solemnly charge you before God and Christ Jesus, who is going to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom, ² preach the word, be ready in season and out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all patience and instruction. ³ For there will be a time when they will not put up with sound teaching, but in accordance with their own desires, they will accumulate for themselves teachers, _⌊because they have an insatiable curiosity_⌋*, ⁴ and they will turn away from the hearing of the truth, but will turn to myths.

¹⁸ But someone will say, "You have faith and I have works."* Show me your faith apart from your* works, and I will show you my* faith by my works.

¹⁰ for you will not abandon my soul to Sheol; you will not give your faithful one to see the grave. ¹¹ You will make known to me the path of life. In your presence is fullness of joy. At your right hand are pleasures forever.

⁴⁰ "The one who receives you receives me, and the one who receives me receives the one who sent me. ⁴¹ The one who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and the one who receives a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive a righteous person's reward. 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."

⁴⁷ Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions.

²³ His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful slave! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge over many things. Enter into the joy of your master!'

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! ³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me something* to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something* to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me as a guest, ³⁶ I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you cared for me, I was in prison and you came to me.' ³⁷ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you,* or thirsty and give you something* to drink? ³⁸ And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you* as a guest, or naked and clothe you?* ³⁹ And when did we see you sick or in prison and come to you?' ⁴⁰ And the king will answer and* say to them, 'Truly I say to you, in as much as you did it* to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it* to me.'

⁴⁶ And these will depart into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

⁴⁴ Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions.

¹⁰ "The one who is faithful in very little is also faithful in much, and the one who is dishonest in very little is also dishonest in much.

²⁸ "And you are the ones who have remained* with me in my trials, ²⁹ and I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred on me, 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.

²⁶ If anyone serves me, he must follow me, and where I am, there my servant will be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.

³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself, so that where I am, you may be also.

²⁴ "Father, those whom you have given to me—I want that those also may be with me where I am, in order that they may see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.

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.

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.

⁹ Therefore indeed we have as our ambition, whether at home in the body or absent from the body, to be acceptable to him.

¹⁸ For it is not the one commending himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.

²³ But I am hard pressed _⌊between the two options_⌋*, having the desire to depart and to be with Christ, _⌊for this is very much better_⌋*.

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

² fixing our eyes on Jesus, the originator and perfecter of faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

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,

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.

²⁶ And the one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, I will give him authority over the nations, ²⁷ and "he will shepherd them with an iron rod; he will break them in pieces like jars made of clay,"* ²⁸ as I also have received from my Father, and I will give him the morning star.

²¹ The one who conquers, I will grant to him to sit down with me on my throne, as I also have conquered and have sat down with my Father on his throne.

¹⁷ because the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and will lead them to springs of living waters, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."*

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

¹⁸ And the second came, saying, 'Sir, your mina has made five minas.' ¹⁹ So he said to this one also, 'And you be over five cities.'

¹ Now we make known to you, brothers, the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, 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. ³ I testify that they gave* according to their ability, and beyond their ability, by their own choice,

⁷ But just as you excel in everything—in faith and in speaking and in knowledge and with all diligence and in the love from us that is in you—so may you excel in this grace also. ⁸ I am not saying this as a command, but proving the genuineness of your love by means of the diligence of others.

²¹ His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful slave! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge over many things. Enter into the joy of your master!'

⁴¹ And he sat down opposite the contribution box and* was observing how the crowd was putting coins into the contribution box. And many rich people were putting in many coins.* ⁴² And one poor widow came and* put in two small copper coins* (that is, a penny).* ⁴³ And summoning his disciples, he said to them, "Truly I say to you that this poor widow put in more than all those who put offerings* into the contribution box. ⁴⁴ For they all _⌊contributed_⌋* out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in everything she had, her whole means of subsistence."

⁸ She has done what she could; _⌊she has anointed my body beforehand_⌋* for burial. ⁹ And truly I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.

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?'

³ 'Why do we fast, and you do not see it? We humiliate our soul, and you do not notice it?' Look! You find delight on the day of your fast, and you oppress all your workers!

³¹ O generation, you see the word of Yahweh. Have I been a desert* to Israel? Or a land of great darkness? Why do my people say, 'We roam about freely, we will not come again to you'?

¹⁶ "Concerning the word that you have spoken to us in the name of Yahweh, we are not going to listen to you! ¹⁷ But certainly we will do _⌊everything_⌋* that went out from our mouths,* to make smoke offerings to the queen of heaven and to pour out to her libations just as we did, we, and our ancestors,* our kings, and our officials, in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, for then _⌊we had enough to eat_⌋,* and we were well-off, and we did not see disaster. ¹⁸ But _⌊since_⌋* we stopped making smoke offerings to the queen of heaven and pouring out libations to her, we have lacked everything, and by the sword and by the famine we have perished.

²⁵ "Yet* you say, 'The way of the Lord is not fair!' Listen, now, house of Israel, is my way not fair? Is it not your ways that are not fair? ²⁶ When the righteous turns from his righteousness, and he does injustice, then* he will die because of them; because of his injustice that he did he will die! ²⁷ And when the wicked turns from his wickedness that he did and he does justice and righteousness, _⌊he will preserve his life_⌋.* ²⁸ And if he sees and he returns from all of his transgressions that he did, surely he will live; he will not die! ²⁹ And yet they, the house of Israel, say, 'The way of the Lord is not fair!' Are not my ways fair, house of Israel? _⌊Are not your ways unfair?_⌋*

¹² "But you are profaning it by saying the table of the Lord is defiled, and its fruit—its food*—is despised! ¹³ And you say, 'Look! This is a weariness,' and you sniff with disdain at it," says Yahweh of hosts. "And you bring the stolen, the lame, and the one that is sick—this you bring as the offering! Should I _⌊accept it_⌋* from your hand?" says Yahweh.

¹⁴ You have said, 'It is useless* to serve God! What is the gain if we keep* his requirements, and if we walk as mourners _⌊before_⌋* Yahweh of hosts? ¹⁵ And now we are calling the arrogant blessed! Not only do those who do wickedness prosper; they also test God and they escape!'"

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.

¹² saying, 'These last people worked one hour and you made them equal to us who have endured the burden of the day and the burning heat!'

⁴⁶ "And why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I tell you?*

²⁹ But he answered and* said to his father, 'Behold, so many years I have served you, and have never disobeyed your command! And you never gave me a young goat so that I could celebrate with my friends!

²⁰ And another came, saying, 'Sir, behold your mina, which I had put away for safekeeping in a piece of cloth. ²¹ For I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man—you withdraw what you did not deposit, and you reap what you did not sow!' ²² He said to him, '_⌊By your own words_⌋* I will judge you, wicked slave! You knew that I am a severe man, withdrawing what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow.

⁷ because the mindset of the flesh is enmity toward God, for it is not subjected to the law of God, for it is not able to do so,

²⁰ On the contrary, O man, who are you who answers back to God? Will what is molded say to the one who molded it, "Why did you make me like this"?*

⁹ But David feared Yahweh on that day and said, "How can the ark of Yahweh come to me?" ¹⁰ However, David was not willing to bring the ark of Yahweh to himself, to the city of David, so David caused it to turn to the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite.

¹³ A lazy person says "A lion is in the road! A lion among the streets!"

¹¹ And of whom were you afraid and feared, that you deceived and did not remember me? Did you not place it on your heart? Have I not been silent, even from long ago, and so you do not fear me?

¹⁵ For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, "Abba!* Father!"

⁶ for which reason I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is in you through the laying on of my hands. ⁷ For God has not given us a spirit of cowardice, but of power and love and self-discipline.

⁸ But as for the cowards and unbelievers and detestable persons and murderers and sexually immoral people and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their share is in the lake that burns with fire and sulphur, which is the second death.

⁵ For your iniquity teaches your mouth, and you choose the tongue of the crafty. ⁶ Your mouth condemns you, and not I; and your lips testify against you.

³² Then his master summoned him and* said to him, 'Wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you implored me!

¹⁹ "_⌊You shall not charge your brother interest on money_⌋,* interest on* food, or interest on* anything that one could lend* on interest. ²⁰ You may lend on interest to the foreigner, but to your countryman* you may not lend on interest, so that Yahweh your God may bless you _⌊in all your undertakings_⌋* in _⌊the land where you are going_⌋,* _⌊in order to take possession of it_⌋.*

²² He said to him, '_⌊By your own words_⌋* I will judge you, wicked slave! You knew that I am a severe man, withdrawing what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow. ²³ And why did you not give my money to the bank, and I, when I* returned, would have collected it with interest?'

¹⁹ Now we know that whatever the law says, it speaks to those under the law, in order that every mouth may be closed and the whole world may become accountable to God.

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.

⁴² But few things are necessary, or only one thing,* for Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her."

²⁴ And to the bystanders he said, 'Take away from him the mina and give it* to the one who has the ten minas!'

⁶ He has broken down _⌊his dwelling_⌋* place like the garden; he has ruined his appointed feasts; Yahweh has made them forget in Zion _⌊festival_⌋* and Sabbath, and he has despised in his anger king and priest.

⁹ Therefore I will take again my grain in its time, and my wine in its season; and I will take away my wool and my flax, which were to cover her nakedness.

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

⁴¹ They said to him, "He will destroy those evil men completely and lease the vineyard to other tenant farmers who will give him the fruits in their season."

²⁵ For whoever has, more will be given to him, and whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him."

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!"

¹ And he also said to the disciples, "A certain man was rich, who had a manager. And charges were brought to him that this person was squandering his possessions. ² And he summoned him and* said to him, 'What is this I hear about you? Give the account of your management, because you can no longer manage.' ³ And the manager said to himself, 'What should I do, because my master is taking away the management from me? I am not strong enough to dig; I am ashamed to beg.

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.

²⁵ And they said to him, 'Sir, he has ten minas.' ²⁶ 'I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given. But from the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.

⁴⁸ If we allow him to go on in this way, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place* and our* nation."

² Every branch that does not bear fruit in me, he removes it, and every branch that bears fruit, he prunes it in order that it may bear more fruit.

⁵ Remember therefore from where you have fallen, and repent and do _⌊the works you did at first_⌋*. But if you do not, I am coming to you, and I will remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.

¹ Then Yahweh said to me, "Even if Moses and Samuel stood _⌊before me_⌋,* my heart would not be to this people. Send them away from my _⌊sight_⌋,* and let them go out. ² _⌊And then_⌋* if they say to you, 'Where shall we go?' Then you shall say to them, 'Thus says Yahweh,
"Those who are destined for the plague, to the plague, and those who are destined for the sword, to the sword, and those who are destined for the famine, to the famine, and those who are destined for the captivity, to the captivity." '

² "Son of man, how will the wood of the vine be _⌊better than_⌋* _⌊any of the wood of_⌋* the branch which is among the trees of the forest?* ³ Can wood be taken from it to make anything, or can they take a tent peg from it to hang on it any object?* ⁴ Look! It is given to the fire as fuel. The fire will consume two of its ends, and its middle will be charred. Is it useful for anything? ⁵ Look! _⌊When it is in perfect condition_⌋,* it will not be used for anything, _⌊how much less_⌋* _⌊when the fire has consumed it_⌋* and it is charred; and then can it be used again for anything?

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.

¹³ "You are the salt of the earth. But if salt becomes tasteless, by what will it be made salty? It is good for nothing any longer except to be thrown outside and* trampled under foot by people.

¹² But the sons of the kingdom will be thrown out into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth!"

⁴² and throw them into the fiery furnace.* In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth!

⁵⁰ and throw them into the fiery furnace.* In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth!

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!'

⁵¹ and will cut him in two and assign his place with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth!

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!

³⁴ "Now salt is good, but if salt becomes tasteless, with what will it be made salty? ³⁵ It is usable neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; they throw it out. The one who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

⁶ If anyone does not remain in me, he is thrown out as a branch, and dries up, and they gather them and throw them* into the fire, and they are burned.

¹⁴ But also our people must learn to engage in good deeds for necessary needs, so that they will not be unfruitful.

⁷ For ground that drinks the rain that comes often upon it, and brings forth vegetation usable to those people _⌊for whose sake_⌋* it is also cultivated, shares a blessing from God. ⁸ But if it* produces thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to a curse, whose end is for burning.

¹⁷ These people are waterless springs and mists driven by a hurricane, for whom the gloom of darkness has been reserved.

¹³ wild waves of the sea foaming up their own shameful deeds, wandering stars, for whom the deep gloom of darkness has been reserved for eternity.

⁷ But Yahweh sits enthroned forever. He has established his throne for judgment.

¹³ "_⌊I continued watching_⌋* in the visions of the night, and look, with the clouds of heaven one like a son of man* was coming, and he came to the Ancient of Days, and _⌊was presented_⌋* before him. ¹⁴ And to him was given dominion and glory and kingship that* all the peoples, the nations, and languages would serve him; his dominion is a dominion _⌊without end_⌋* that will not cease, and his kingdom is one that will not be destroyed.

⁵ And you will flee by the valley of my mountains, because the valley of the mountains will reach to Azal, and you will flee like you fled from the earthquake in the days of King Uzziah of Judah. And Yahweh my God will come, and all the holy ones with him.*

²⁷ For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and at that time he will reward each one according to _⌊what he has done_⌋.*

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.

⁶⁴ Jesus said to him, "You have said it.* But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power* and coming on the clouds of heaven."

³⁸ For whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."

⁶² And Jesus said, "I am, and you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power* and coming with the clouds of heaven."

²⁶ For whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of this person when he comes in his glory and the glory* of the Father and of the holy angels.

⁶⁹ But from now on the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God."

⁵¹ And he said to him, "Truly, truly I say to all of you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."

²⁷ And he has granted him authority to carry out judgment, because he is the Son of Man.

¹¹ who also said, "Men _⌊of Galilee_⌋,* why do you stand there looking* into the sky? This Jesus who was taken up from you into heaven like this will come back in the same way you saw him departing into heaven!"

⁷ and to you who are being afflicted, rest with us at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with his powerful angels, ⁸ with burning flame* giving punishment to those who do not know God and who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus,

⁸ but concerning the Son,
"Your throne, O God, is _⌊forever and ever_⌋*, and the scepter of righteous is the scepter of your kingdom.

¹⁴ And Enoch, the seventh from Adam, also prophesied about* these people, saying, "Behold, the Lord came with tens of thousands of his holy ones

¹¹ And I saw a great white throne and the one who was seated on it, _⌊from whose presence_⌋* earth and heaven fled, and a place was not found for them.

⁵ Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;

³ Our God comes and he is not silent. Before him fire devours, and around him it is very tempestuous. ⁴ He summons the heavens above and the earth that he might judge his people: ⁵ "Gather to me my loyal ones, those who have made a covenant with me by sacrifice."

⁵² Then he led out his people like sheep and guided them like a herd in the wilderness.

³⁸ And I will purge the rebels from among you and the ones transgressing against me; I will bring them out from the land _⌊where they are living as aliens_⌋,* but into the land of Israel they will not come, and then you will know that I am Yahweh.

¹⁷ " 'And you, my flock, thus says the Lord Yahweh: "Look! I am judging between _⌊one sheep and another_⌋,* between the rams and between the he-goats. ¹⁸ _⌊Is it not enough for you_⌋* that you feed on the good pasture? And still you must trample the remainder of your pasture with your feet, and _⌊clear water_⌋* you drink, and the _⌊leftover water_⌋* you must make muddy with your feet. ¹⁹ And my flock must graze the pasture treaded upon by* your feet, and must drink the mud puddle stirred up by* your feet." ²⁰ " 'Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh to them: "Look! I, even I will judge between fat sheep and between lean sheep, ²¹ because with your flank and with your shoulder you shoved, and with your horns you pushed all of the sick animals _⌊until_⌋* you scattered it* to the outside. ²² And so I will save my flock, and _⌊they will no longer be_⌋* for plunder, and I will judge between _⌊one sheep and another_⌋.*

¹⁸ You will return and see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between the one who serves God and the one who does not serve him.

¹² His winnowing shovel is in his hand, and he will clean out his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the storehouse, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."

⁴⁹ Thus it will be at the end of the age. The angels will go out and separate the evil from among the righteous

¹⁴ "I am the good shepherd, and I know my own, and my own know me,

³⁰ Therefore although* God has overlooked the times of ignorance, he now commands all people everywhere to repent, ³¹ because he has set a day on which he is going to judge the world in righteousness by the man who he has appointed, having provided proof to everyone by* raising him from the dead."

¹² For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned under the law will be judged by the law.

¹⁶ on the day when God judges the secret things of people, according to my gospel, through* Christ Jesus.

¹² And I saw the dead—the great and the small—standing before the throne, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to their deeds. ¹³ And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and each one was judged according to their deeds. ¹⁴ And Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death—the lake of fire. ¹⁵ And if anyone was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

¹³ And Joseph took the two of them, Ephraim at his right to the left of Israel, and Manasseh at his left to the right of Israel. And he brought them near to him. ¹⁴ And Israel stretched out his right hand and put it on the head of Ephraim (now he was the younger), and his left hand on the head of Manasseh, crossing his hands, for Manasseh was the firstborn.

¹⁷ When Joseph saw that his father put his right hand on the head of Ephraim, he was displeased. And he took hold of his father's hand to remove it from the head of Ephraim over to the head of Manasseh. ¹⁸ And Joseph said to his father, "Not so, my father; because this one is the firstborn. Put your right hand upon his head." ¹⁹ But his father refused and said, "I know, my son; I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great, but his younger brother shall be greater than him, and his offspring shall become a multitude of nations."

⁹ Kings' daughters are among your noble ladies. The queen stands at your right hand in gold of Ophir.

¹³ Then we, your people and the flock of your pasture, we will give thanks to you forever. _⌊Generation after generation_⌋* we will tell of your praise.

⁷ For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. _⌊Today_⌋* if you will hear his voice:*

³ Know that Yahweh, he is God; he made us and we are his.* We are his people and the sheep of his pasture.

¹ Of David. A psalm.*
A declaration of Yahweh to my lord, "Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool."

¹⁹ Then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.

²⁶ But you do not believe, because you are not of my sheep! ²⁷ My sheep listen to my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. ²⁸ And I give them eternal life, and they will never perish _⌊forever_⌋,* and no one will seize them out of my hand.

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!

³⁴ For David did not ascend into heaven, but he himself says,
'The Lord said to my Lord, "Sit at my right hand, ³⁵ until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet." '*

²⁰ which he has worked* in Christ, raising* him from the dead and seating him* at his right hand in the heavenly places,

³ who is the radiance of his glory and the representation of his essence, sustaining all things by the word of power.* When he* had made purification for sins through him, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

² And I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and I will make your name great. And you will be a blessing. ³ And I will bless those who bless you, and those who curse you I will curse. And all families of the earth will be blessed in you."

²³ then Yahweh will drive out all of these nations _⌊before you_⌋,* and you will dispossess nations larger and more numerous than you. ²⁴ Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, it shall be yours; your boundary shall be from the desert and Lebanon from the river, the river Euphrates, on up to the western sea.* ²⁵ No one can take a stand _⌊against you_⌋;* your dread and your fear Yahweh your God will put on the _⌊surface_⌋* of all the land _⌊where you tread_⌋,* just as he _⌊promised_⌋* to you. ²⁶ "See, I am setting _⌊before you_⌋* _⌊today_⌋* a blessing and a curse: ²⁷ the blessing, if you listen to the commandments of Yahweh your God that I am commanding you _⌊today_⌋,* ²⁸ and the curse, if you do not listen to the commandments of Yahweh your God, but rather you turn from the way that I am commanding you _⌊today_⌋* to go after other gods that you have not known.

⁶ "But as for me, I have set my king on Zion, my holy mountain."

⁷ Lift up your heads, O gates, and rise up, O ancient doorways, that the king of glory* may enter. ⁸ Who is the king of glory?* Yahweh, strong and mighty; Yahweh, mighty in war! ⁹ Lift up your heads, O gates, and lift up, O ancient doorways, that the king of glory* may enter. ¹⁰ Who is the king of glory?* Yahweh of hosts, He is the king of glory!* Selah

¹³ He will bless those who fear Yahweh, the small with the great. ¹⁴ May Yahweh give you increase, you and your children. ¹⁵ May you be blessed by Yahweh, who made heaven and earth.

⁵ And I said, "Woe to me! For I am destroyed!* For I am a man _⌊of unclean lips_⌋,* and I am living among* a people _⌊of unclean lips_⌋,* for my eyes have seen the king, Yahweh of hosts!"

⁷ _⌊His dominion will grow continually, and to peace there will be no end_⌋* on* the throne of David and over* his kingdom, to establish it* and sustain it with justice and righteousness now and forever. The zeal of Yahweh of hosts will do this.

¹ See, a king will rule according to righteousness, and princes will rule according to justice. ² And each one will be like a hiding place from the wind and a covering from the rainstorm, like streams of water in a dry region, like the shade of a large rock in a weary land.

²² For Yahweh is our judge; Yahweh is our lawgiver. Yahweh is our king; he is the one who will save us.

⁵ "Look, days are coming," _⌊declares_⌋* Yahweh, "when I will raise up for David a righteous branch, and he will reign as king, and he will achieve success, and he will do justice and righteousness in the land. ⁶ In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell _⌊in safety_⌋,* and this is his name by which he will be called: 'Yahweh is our righteousness.'

²⁴ " '"And my servant David will be king over them, and one shepherd will be for all of them, and in my regulations they will go, and my statutes they will observe, and they will do them. ²⁵ And they will dwell on the land that I gave to my servant, to Jacob, _⌊in which your ancestors dwelled_⌋,* and they will dwell on it, they and their children and the children of their children _⌊forever_⌋,* and my servant David will be a leader for them _⌊forever_⌋.*

²⁵ And you must know and you must understand* that from the time of the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem until an anointed* one—a leader—will be _⌊seven weeks and sixty-two weeks_⌋;* it will be restored and will be built with streets and a moat, but _⌊in a time of oppression_⌋.*

¹⁵ Yahweh has annulled your judgments; he has turned away your enemies. The king of Israel, Yahweh, is in your midst; you shall no longer fear misfortune.

⁹ Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Look! Your king comes to you; he is righteous and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey, and on a male donkey, _⌊the foal of_⌋* a female donkey! ¹⁰ And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem; the battle bow will be cut down, and he will announce peace to the nations. His dominion will be from sea to sea, and from the River* to the ends of the earth.

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.

¹⁹ Therefore whoever abolishes one of the least of these commandments and teaches people to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever keeps them and teaches them, this person will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

³⁵ in order that what was spoken through the prophet would be fulfilled, who said,
"I will open my mouth in parables; I will proclaim what has been hidden since the creation."**

²⁹ And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife* or children or fields on account of my name will receive a hundred times as much, and will inherit eternal life.

²³ He said to them, "You will indeed drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine* to grant, but is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father."

⁵ "Say to the daughter of Zion, 'Behold, your king is coming to you, humble and mounted on a donkey, and* on a colt, the foal of a pack animal.'"*

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!'

⁴¹ Then he will also say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you accursed ones, into the eternal fire that has been prepared for the devil and his angels!

³⁷ And they put above his head the charge against him _⌊in writing_⌋:* "This is Jesus, the king of the Jews."

⁴⁰ but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but is for those for whom it has been prepared."

³¹ And behold, you will conceive in the womb and will give birth to a son, and you will call his name Jesus. 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. ³³ And he will reign over the house of Jacob _⌊forever_⌋,* and of his kingdom there will be no end.

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

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

³⁸ saying,
"Blessed is the king, the one who comes in the name of the Lord!* Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"

⁴⁹ Nathanael answered him, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the king of Israel!"

¹³ took the branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, and began crying out,
"Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord,* even the king of Israel!"

² In my Father's house there are many dwelling places; but if not, I would have told you, because* I am going away to prepare a place for you. ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself, so that where I am, you may be also.

¹⁵ Then those shouted, "Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!" Pilate said to them, "Shall I crucify your king?" The chief priests replied, "We do not have a king except Caesar!"

¹⁹ And Pilate also wrote a notice and placed it* on the cross, and it was written: "Jesus the Nazarene, the king of the Jews." ²⁰ So many of the Jews read this notice, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city. And it was written in Aramaic, in Latin, and in Greek. ²¹ Then the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, "Do not write 'The king of the Jews,' but, 'He said, I am king of the Jews.'" ²² Pilate replied, "What I have written, I have written."

²⁶ God, after he* had raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning each of you back from your wickedness!"

¹⁸ known from of old.'*

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

⁹ But just as it is written,
"Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and have not entered into the heart of man, all that* God has prepared for those who love him."*

⁹ Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived! Neither sexually immoral people, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor passive homosexual partners, nor dominant homosexual partners,

⁵⁰ But I say this, brothers, that flesh and blood is not able to inherit the kingdom of God, nor can corruption inherit incorruptibility.

¹³ Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by* becoming a curse for us, because it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree,"* ¹⁴ in order that the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

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.

³ Blessed is* the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, ⁴ just as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him in love,* ⁵ having predestined us to adoption through Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of his will, ⁶ to the praise of the glory of his grace that he bestowed on us in the beloved,

⁵ For this you know _⌊for certain_⌋*, that every sexually immoral person, or unclean person, or greedy person (who is an idolater), does not have an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

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.

³ For we who have believed enter into rest,* just as he has said,
"As I swore in my anger, '_⌊They will never enter_⌋* into my rest.'"*
And yet these works have been accomplished from the foundation of the world.

²⁶ since it would have been necessary for him to suffer many times from the foundation of the world, but now he has appeared once at the end of the ages for the removal of sin by the sacrifice of himself.

¹⁶ But now they aspire to a better land, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed of them, to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.

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?

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ into an inheritance imperishable and undefiled and unfading, reserved in heaven for you ⁵ who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time,

⁹ obtaining the goal of your faith, the salvation of your* souls.

¹⁹ but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of an unblemished and spotless lamb ²⁰ who was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has been revealed in these last times for you

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.

¹⁰ and made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they will reign on the earth."

⁸ And all those who live on the earth will worship him, _⌊everyone whose name is not written_⌋* from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slaughtered.

⁸ The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is going to come up from the abyss, and he is going to destruction. And those who live on the earth, whose names are not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, will be astonished when they* see the beast that was, and is not, and will be present.

¹⁶ And he has a name written on his outer garment and on his thigh: "King of kings and Lord of lords."

² And he lifted up his eyes and saw, and behold, three men were standing near* him. And he saw them and ran from the doorway of the tent to meet them. And he bowed down to the ground. ³ And he said, "My lord, if I have found favor in your eyes do not pass by your servant. ⁴ Let a little water be brought and wash your feet, and rest under the tree. ⁵ And let me bring a piece of bread, then* refresh _⌊yourselves_⌋.* Afterward you can pass on, _⌊once_⌋* you have passed by with your servant." Then they said, "Do so as you have said." ⁶ Then* Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah, and he said, "Quickly—make three seahs of fine flour for kneading and make bread cakes!" ⁷ And Abraham ran to the cattle and took a _⌊calf_⌋,* tender and good, and gave it to the servant, and he made haste to prepare it. ⁸ Then he took curds and milk, and the calf which he prepared, and set it before them. And he was standing by them under the tree while* they ate.

¹ And the two angels came to Sodom in the evening. And Lot was sitting in the gateway of Sodom. Then Lot saw them and stood up to meet them. And he bowed down with his face to the ground. ² And he said, "Behold, my lords, please turn aside into the house of your servant and spend the night and wash your feet. Then you can rise early and go on your way." And they said, "No, but we will spend the night in the square." ³ But _⌊he urged them strongly_⌋,* and they turned aside with him and came into his house. And he made a meal for them and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.

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_⌋.* 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.'

¹³ The blessing of the wretched came upon me, and I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy. ¹⁴ I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; my justice was like a robe and a headband. ¹⁵ "I was eyes to the blind, and I was feet to the lame. ¹⁶ I was a father to the poor, and I investigated _⌊the stranger's_⌋* legal dispute.

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, ²¹ if I have raised my hand against an orphan because I saw my supporters at the gate,

³² An alien has not lodged in the street; I have opened my door to the traveler.

⁵ It goes well for a man who is gracious and lends, who conducts his _⌊business properly_⌋.* ⁶ For he will not be shaken forever; the righteous _⌊will be remembered forever_⌋.* ⁷ He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is steadfast, secure* in Yahweh. ⁸ His heart is sustained; he will not be afraid, until he looks in triumph on his enemies. ⁹ _⌊He gives lavishly_⌋* to the needy; his righteousness endures forever. His horn rises high in honor. ¹⁰ The wicked* sees it and is vexed. He gnashes his teeth and _⌊becomes weak_⌋.* The desire of the wicked* perishes.

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.

²¹ He who despises his neighbor is a sinner, but he who has mercy on the poor blesses him.

³¹ He who oppresses the poor insults him who made him, but he who has mercy on the poor honors him.

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

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

²¹ If your enemy is hungry, feed him bread, and if thirsty, let him drink water.

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.

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. ¹¹ And Yahweh will lead you continually, and satisfy your soul in a barren land, and he will strengthen your bones, and you shall be like a well-watered garden, and like a spring of water whose water does not fail.

⁷ and he oppresses _⌊no one_⌋* and he returns a pledge for his loan _⌊and he commits no robbery_⌋* and he gives* his bread to the hungry and he covers a naked person with a garment,

¹⁶ And he oppresses no one; he requires no pledge for a loan, and _⌊he does not commit robbery_⌋;* he gives his bread to the hungry, and he covers the naked person with a garment.

²⁷ Therefore, O king, let my advice be acceptable to you and your sin remove* with righteousness and your iniquity with having mercy on the oppressed, _⌊in case there might be a prolongation of your prosperity_⌋.'"*

⁸ He has told you, O mortal, what is good, and what does Yahweh ask from you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

⁴⁰ And the king will answer and* say to them, 'Truly I say to you, in as much as you did it* to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it* to me.'

⁴² For I was hungry and you did not give me anything* to eat, I was thirsty and you did not give me anything* to drink, ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not welcome me as a guest, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not care for me.'

¹¹ For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.

⁷ For the poor you always have with you, and you can do good for them whenever you want, but you do not always have me.

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

²⁹ For some were thinking because Judas had the money box, Jesus was telling him, "Purchase _⌊what we need_⌋* for the feast," or that he should give something to the poor.)

³² Now the group of those who believed were one heart and soul, and no one said anything of what belonged to him was his own, but all things were theirs in common.

³¹ and said, 'Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your charitable deeds have been remembered before God.

²⁹ So from the disciples, _⌊according to their ability to give_⌋,* each one of them determined to send financial aid* for support to the brothers who lived in Judea,

¹⁵ And after she was baptized, and her household, she urged us,* saying, "If you consider me to be a believer in the Lord, come to my house and* stay." And she prevailed upon us.

¹³ contributing to the needs of the saints, pursuing hospitality.

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."*

²³ Gaius, my host and the host of the whole church, greets you. Erastus the city treasurer greets you, and Quartus the brother.

¹ Now we make known to you, brothers, the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, 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. ³ I testify that they gave* according to their ability, and beyond their ability, by their own choice, ⁴ requesting of us with much exhortation the favor and the fellowship of the ministry to the saints,

⁷ But just as you excel in everything—in faith and in speaking and in knowledge and with all diligence and in the love from us that is in you—so may you excel in this grace also. ⁸ I am not saying this as a command, but proving the genuineness of your love by means of the diligence of others. 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.

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,

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.

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, ¹⁸ to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, sharing freely, ¹⁹ storing up for themselves a good foundation for the future, in order that they may take hold of what is truly life.

⁷ For I have great joy and encouragement from your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.

¹⁰ For God is not unjust, so as to forget your work and the love which you demonstrated for his name by* having served the saints, and continuing to serve them.

¹ Brotherly love must continue. ² Do not neglect hospitality, because through this some have received angels as guests without knowing it. ³ Remember the prisoners, as though you were fellow-prisoners; remember* the mistreated, as though you yourselves also are being mistreated* in the body.

¹⁶ And do not neglect doing good and generosity, for God is pleased with such sacrifices.

²⁷ Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our* God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

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?

⁹ Be hospitable to one another without complaining. ¹⁰ Just as each one has received a gift, use it for serving one another, as good stewards of the varied grace of God.

¹⁶ We have come to know love by this: that _⌊he_⌋* laid down his life on behalf of us, and we ought to lay down our lives on behalf of the brothers. ¹⁷ But whoever has the world's material possessions and observes his brother _⌊in need_⌋* and shuts his heart against him, how does the love of God reside in him? ¹⁸ Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth. ¹⁹ By this* we know that we are of the truth and will convince our heart before him,

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,

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_⌋.*

⁴ The weak you have not strengthened, and the sick you have not healed, and _⌊with respect to_⌋* the hurt* you have not bound them up, and you have not brought back the scattered, and you have not sought the lost, but rather you ruled over them with force* and with ruthlessness.

⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not welcome me as a guest, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not care for me.'

¹¹ And he answered and* said to them, "The one who has two tunics must share with the one who does not have one,* and the one who has food must do likewise."

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."*

⁸ And it happened that the father of Publius was lying down, afflicted with fever and dysentery. Paul went* to _⌊him_⌋* and after* praying, he placed his* hands on him and* healed him. ⁹ And after* this had taken place, the rest of those on the island who had diseases were coming and being healed also.

¹⁰ But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last _⌊you have renewed your concern for me_⌋*, for whom also you were thinking, but you had no opportunity to express it. ¹¹ Not that I speak from need, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. 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. ¹⁴ Nevertheless you have done well by sharing* with me in my affliction.

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.

³ Remember the prisoners, as though you were fellow-prisoners; remember* the mistreated, as though you yourselves also are being mistreated* in the body.

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?*

¹⁴ Is anyone among you sick? He should summon the elders of the church and they should pray over him, anointing him with olive oil in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵ And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins _⌊he will be forgiven_⌋*.

¹⁴ And indeed, who am I, and who are my people that we retain power to offer according to these offerings willingly? For everything is from you, and from your hand we have given to you.

³³ Fear of Yahweh is the instruction of the wise, and before honor comes humility.

⁶ And we all have become like the unclean, and all our deeds of justice like a menstrual cloth, And we all wither like a leaf, and our iniquities take us away like the wind.

³ But you, when you* practice charitable giving, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,

⁵ In the same way, younger men, be subject to the elders, and all of you clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. ⁶ Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you at the right time,

¹ Then David said, "Is there still anyone who is left for the house of Saul that I may show loyal love to him for the sake of Jonathan?"

⁷ Then David said to him, "Don't be afraid, for _⌊I will certainly show_⌋* loyal love to you for the sake of Jonathan your father, and I will restore to you all the lands of Saul your father. And you shall always eat food at my table."

⁶ Do not promote yourself before the king, and in the place of the great ones do not stand. ⁷ For it is better that he say to you, "Ascend here," than he humble you before a noble. What your eyes have seen,

⁴⁰ "The one who receives you receives me, and the one who receives me receives the one who sent me.

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."

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."

⁵ and whoever welcomes one child such as this in my name welcomes me. ⁶ But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him that _⌊a large millstone_⌋* be hung on* his neck and he be drowned in the depths of the sea.

¹⁰ "See to it that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I tell you that their angels in heaven constantly see the face of my Father who is in heaven.*

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

¹⁰ Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid! Go tell my brothers that they should go to Galilee, and there they will see me."

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."

⁴¹ For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in my name because you are Christ's, truly I say to you that he will never lose his reward.

²⁶ So Jesus, seeing his* mother and the disciple whom he loved standing there, said to his* mother, "Woman, behold your son!" ²⁷ Then he said to the disciple, "Behold your mother!" And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.

¹⁷ Jesus said to her, "Do not touch me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, and my God and your God.'"

⁴ And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" ⁵ So he said, "Who are you, Lord?" And he said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting!

²⁹ because those whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he should be the firstborn among many brothers.

²¹ The greeting is by my hand—Paul's. ²² If anyone does not love the Lord, let him be accursed. O Lord, come!*

⁵ For we do not proclaim ourselves, but Christ Jesus* as Lord, and ourselves as your slaves for the sake of Jesus.

¹⁴ For the love of Christ controls us, because we* have concluded this: that one died for all; as a result all died. ¹⁵ And he died for all, in order that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for the one who died for them and was raised.

⁶ For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but faith working through love.

¹³ For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not let your freedom become an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

³⁰ because we are members of his body.

⁹ But concerning brotherly love, I do not have need to write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another, ¹⁰ for indeed you are practicing it toward all the brothers in all of Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to progress even more,

¹¹ For both the one who sanctifies and the ones who are sanctified are all from one, for which reason he is not ashamed to call them brothers, ¹² saying,
"I will proclaim your name to my brothers; in the midst of the assembly I will sing in praise of you."* ¹³ And again,
"I will trust in him."*
And again,
"Behold, I and the children God has given me."* ¹⁴ Therefore, since the children share in blood and flesh, he also in like manner shared in these same things, in order that through death he could destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, ¹⁵ and could set free these who through fear of death were subject to slavery throughout all their lives.

²² Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for sincere brotherly love, love one another fervently from the heart,*

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. ¹⁵ Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that every murderer does not have eternal life residing in him.

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. ¹² No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God resides in us and his love is perfected in us.

²⁰ If anyone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar, for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen is not able to love God whom he has not seen.

¹⁵ 'Cursed be the man that makes a divine image or a cast image, which is a detestable thing for Yahweh, the work of the hand of a skilled craftsman, and then sets it in a hiding place.'* And _⌊all the people shall respond_⌋,* 'Amen.' ¹⁶ 'Cursed be the one who dishonors his father or his mother.' And all of the people shall say, 'Amen.' ¹⁷ 'Cursed be the one who moves the boundary marker of his neighbor.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen.' ¹⁸ 'Cursed be the one who misleads a blind person on the road.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen.' ¹⁹ 'Cursed be the one who deprives the alien, the orphan, and the widow of justice.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen.' ²⁰ 'Cursed be the one who lies with the wife of his father, because _⌊he has dishonored his father's bed_⌋.'* And all the people shall say, 'Amen.' ²¹ 'Cursed be the one who lies with any kind of animal.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen.' ²² 'Cursed be the one who lies with his sister, the daughter of his father or the daughter of his mother.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen.' ²³ 'Cursed be the one who lies with his mother-in-law.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen.' ²⁴ 'Cursed be the one who strikes down his neighbor in secret.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen.' ²⁵ 'Cursed be the one who takes a bribe _⌊to murder an innocent person_⌋.'* And all the people shall say, 'Amen.' ²⁶ 'Cursed be the one _⌊who does not keep_⌋* the words of this law, to observe them.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen.'"

¹⁶ "You shall* be cursed in the city, and you shall be cursed in the field. ¹⁷ "Your basket shall be cursed and your kneading trough. ¹⁸ "The fruit of your womb shall be cursed and the fruit of you ground, the calves of your cattle and the lambs of your flock. ¹⁹ "You shall be cursed _⌊when you come in_⌋,* and you shall be cursed _⌊when you go out_⌋.* ²⁰ "Yahweh will send upon you* the curse,* the panic,* and the threat* _⌊in everything that you undertake_⌋,* _⌊until you are destroyed and until you perish quickly_⌋* _⌊because of_⌋* the evil of your deeds in that* you have forsaken me. ²¹ Yahweh will cause the plague to cling to you _⌊until it consumes you_⌋* from the land that you are going to,* to take possession of it. ²² Yahweh will afflict you with the wasting diseases and with the fever and with the inflammation and with the scorching heat and with the sword* and with the blight and with the mildew, and they shall pursue you _⌊until you perish_⌋.* ²³ And your heavens that are over your heads shall be like bronze, and the earth that is under you shall be like iron. ²⁴ Yahweh will change the rain of your land to fine dust and to sand; from the heaven it shall come down upon you _⌊until you are destroyed_⌋.* ²⁵ "Yahweh shall cause you to be defeated _⌊before_⌋* your enemies; on one road you shall go _⌊against_⌋* them,* but you will flee on seven roads _⌊before_⌋* them,* and you shall become a thing of horror to all of the kingdoms of the earth. ²⁶ And your dead bodies shall be as food for all of the birds of the heaven and to the animals of the earth, and there shall not be _⌊anyone to frighten them away_⌋.* ²⁷ "Yahweh shall afflict you with the boils of Egypt and with tumors and with the scurvy and with _⌊the skin rash that cannot be healed_⌋.* ²⁸ Yahweh shall afflict you with madness and with blindness and with confusion of heart. ²⁹ And you shall be groping at noon just as the blind person gropes in the dark, and you shall not succeed in finding your way, and you shall only be abused and robbed _⌊all the time_⌋,* and there will not be _⌊anyone who will rescue you_⌋. * ³⁰ You shall become engaged to a woman, but another man shall sleep* with her; you shall build a house, but you shall not live in it; a vineyard you shall plant, but you shall not enjoy it. ³¹ Your ox shall be slaughtered before your eyes, and you shall not eat it; your donkey shall be stolen right _⌊before you_⌋,* and it shall not be returned to you; your sheep and your goats shall be given to your enemies, and _⌊there shall not be anyone who rescues you_⌋.* ³² Your sons and your daughters shall be given to other people, and _⌊you will be looking on_⌋* _⌊longingly_⌋* for* them all day, _⌊but you will be powerless to do anything_⌋.* ³³ A people that you do not know shall consume the harvest of your land and all your labor, and you will be only oppressed and crushed _⌊for the rest of your lives_⌋.* ³⁴ You shall become mad _⌊because of what your eyes shall see_⌋.* ³⁵ Yahweh shall strike you with grievous boils on the knees and on the upper thighs from which _⌊you will not be able to be healed_⌋,* from the sole of your foot and up to your crown. ³⁶ Yahweh will bring you and your king whom you set up over you to a nation that you or your ancestors* have not known, and there you will serve other gods of wood and stone. ³⁷ And you will become a horror and a proverb and ridicule among all the peoples where Yahweh drives you there. ³⁸ "You shall carry out much seed to the field, but you shall gather little produce, for the locust shall devour it. ³⁹ You shall plant vineyards and you shall dress* them, but you shall not drink wine and you shall not gather grapes, for the worm shall eat it.* ⁴⁰ There shall be olive trees for you in all of your territory, but you shall not anoint yourself, for your olives* shall drop off. ⁴¹ You shall bear sons and daughters, but they shall not be _⌊yours_⌋,* for they shall go into captivity. ⁴² The cricket shall take possession of all your trees and the fruit of your ground. ⁴³ The alien that is in your midst shall ascend over you, higher and higher, but you shall go down lower and lower. ⁴⁴ He shall lend to you, but you shall not lend to him; he shall be the head, but you shall be the tail. ⁴⁵ "And all of these curses shall come over you, and they shall pursue you, and they shall overtake you _⌊until you are destroyed_⌋,* because _⌊you did not listen_⌋* to the voice of Yahweh your God, _⌊by observing_⌋* his commandments and his statutes that he commanded you. ⁴⁶ And they shall be among you as a sign and as a wonder and among your offspring _⌊forever_⌋.* ⁴⁷ "_⌊Because_⌋* of the fact that you did not serve Yahweh your God with joy and with gladness of heart for the abundance of everything, ⁴⁸ then you shall serve your enemies, whom Yahweh will send against you under conditions of famine, in thirst, in nakedness, and in a lack of everything; and he shall place* a yoke of iron on your neck _⌊until he has destroyed you_⌋.* ⁴⁹ Yahweh will raise up against you a nation from far off, from the end of the earth, attacking as the eagle swoops down, _⌊a nation whose language you will not understand_⌋,* ⁵⁰ _⌊a grim-faced nation_⌋* _⌊who does not show respect_⌋* to the old and the young and does not show pity. ⁵¹ And it* shall consume the fruit of your livestock and the fruit of your ground _⌊until you are destroyed_⌋,* and who will not leave for you any grain, wine, and olive oil, _⌊calves of your herds_⌋,* and _⌊lambs of_⌋* your flock _⌊until it has destroyed you_⌋.* ⁵² And it shall besiege you in all your towns _⌊until your high and fortified walls fall_⌋,* which you are trusting in* _⌊throughout your land_⌋;* and it shall besiege you in all of your towns in all of your land that Yahweh your God has given to you. ⁵³ And you shall eat the fruit of your womb, the flesh of your sons and your daughters, whom Yahweh your God gave to you, _⌊during the siege and during the distress_⌋* your enemy inflicts upon you. ⁵⁴ The most refined and the very sensitive* man among you _⌊shall be mean with his brother_⌋* and _⌊against his beloved wife_⌋* and against the rest* of his children that he has left over, ⁵⁵ _⌊by refraining from giving_⌋* to even one of them any of the meat of his children that he eats, because there is not anything that is left over for him _⌊during the siege and distress_⌋* that your enemy inflicts upon you. ⁵⁶ The most refined and the most delicate woman among you, who shall* not venture to put the sole of her foot on the ground from being so delicate and from such gentleness, _⌊shall be mean to her beloved husband_⌋* and against her son and against her daughter, ⁵⁷ and even concerning her afterbirth _⌊that goes out_⌋* from between her feet and also concerning her children that she bears, because she eats them for lack of anything in secret _⌊during the siege and during the distress_⌋* that your enemy inflicts upon her in your _⌊towns_⌋.* ⁵⁸ "If _⌊you do not diligently observe_⌋* all the words of this law written in this scroll by revering this glorious and awesome name, Yahweh your God, ⁵⁹ then Yahweh shall overwhelm you with your plagues and the plagues of your offspring, severe plagues and lasting illnesses, grievous and enduring. ⁶⁰ And he shall bring back upon you all the diseases of Egypt concerning which _⌊you were in dread_⌋* _⌊because of them_⌋.* ⁶¹ Also any illness and any plague* that is not written in the scroll of this law, he shall bring them, Yahweh, upon you until you are destroyed. ⁶² And you shall remain _⌊only a few people_⌋* in place of the fact you were formerly as the stars of heaven as far as number is concerned, because you did not listen to the voice of Yahweh your God. ⁶³ _⌊And then_⌋* as Yahweh delighted over you _⌊to make you prosperous_⌋* to make you numerous, so Yahweh shall delight over you to exterminate you* and to destroy you, and so you shall be plucked from the land that you are going there to take possession of it. ⁶⁴ And Yahweh shall scatter you among all the nations from one end of the earth up to the other end of the earth, and there you shall serve other gods that you have not known nor* your ancestors,* gods of wood and stone. ⁶⁵ And among these nations you shall not find rest, and there shall not be a resting place for the sole of your foot, and Yahweh shall give you there an anxious heart and a weakening of eyes* and a languishing of your inner self.* ⁶⁶ And _⌊your life shall hang in doubt before you_⌋,* and you shall be startled* night and day, and you shall not be confident of your life. ⁶⁷ In the morning you shall say, '_⌊If only it was evening_⌋!'* and in the evening you shall say '_⌊If only it was morning_⌋!'* because of the dread of your heart that you shall feel, and because of the sight of your eyes that you shall see. ⁶⁸ And Yahweh shall bring you back to Egypt in ships by the route that I _⌊promised_⌋* to you that '_⌊You shall not see it again_⌋!'* And you shall sell yourself there to your enemies as slaves and as female slaves, but there will not be a buyer."

⁸ Depart from me, all workers of evil, for Yahweh has heard the sound of my weeping.

²¹ You rebuke the arrogant, the accursed, who stray from your commands.

¹¹⁵ Turn aside from me, you evildoers, for I will keep the commands of my God.

¹⁹ If only you would kill the wicked, O God— so get away from me, you _⌊bloodthirsty men_⌋—*

²⁴ "And they shall go out and look at the corpses of the people* _⌊who have rebelled_⌋* against me,
for their worm shall not die, and their fire shall not be quenched, and they shall be an abhorrence to all flesh."

⁵ Thus says Yahweh,
"Cursed is the person who trusts in humankind and makes flesh his _⌊strength_⌋,* and turns aside his heart from Yahweh.

²² But I say to you that everyone who is angry at his brother will be subject to judgment, and whoever says to his brother, 'Stupid fool!'* will be subject to the council, and whoever says, 'Obstinate fool!'* will be subject to fiery hell.

²³ And then _⌊I will say to them plainly_⌋,* 'I never knew you. Depart from me, you who practice lawlessness!'

⁴⁰ Thus just as the darnel is gathered and burned* with fire, so it will be at the end of the age.

⁸ And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it* from you! It is better for you to enter into life crippled or lame than, having two hands or two feet, to be thrown into the eternal fire!

⁴³ And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off! It is better for you to enter into life crippled than, having two hands, to go into hell—into the unquenchable fire!*

⁴⁵ And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off! It is better for you to enter into life lame than, having two feet, to be thrown into hell!*

⁴⁷ And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out! It is better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye than, having two eyes, to be thrown into hell, ⁴⁸ 'where their worm does not die and the fire is not extinguished.'*

²⁷ And he will reply, saying to you, 'I do not know where you are from! Go away from me, all you _⌊evildoers_⌋!'*

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_⌋.*

²² And what if God, wanting to demonstrate his wrath and to make known his power, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? ²³ And he did so* in order that he could make known the riches of his glory upon vessels of mercy that he prepared beforehand for glory,

¹⁰ For as many as are of the works of the law are under a curse, for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all the things that are written in the book of the law to do them."* ¹¹ Now it is clear that no one is justified in the sight of God by the law, because "the one who is righteous will live by faith."* ¹² But the law is not from faith, but "the one who does these things will live by them."* ¹³ Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by* becoming a curse for us, because it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree,"*

⁹ who will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his strength,

⁸ But if it* produces thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to a curse, whose end is for burning.

⁴ For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but held them captive in Tartarus with chains of darkness and handed them over to be kept for judgment,

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.

⁶ And the angels who did not keep to their own domain but deserted their proper dwelling place, he has kept in eternal bonds under deep gloom for the judgment of the great day, ⁷ as Sodom and Gomorrah and the towns around them indulged in sexual immorality and _⌊pursued unnatural desire_⌋* in the same way as these, are exhibited as an example by* undergoing the punishment of eternal fire.

⁷ And there was war in heaven; Michael and his angels _⌊fought against_⌋* the dragon, and the dragon and his angels _⌊fought back_⌋*. ⁸ And they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them any longer in heaven. ⁹ And the great dragon was thrown down, the ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world. He was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

¹⁰ he himself also will drink of the wine of the anger of God that has been mixed full strength in the cup of his wrath, and will be tortured with fire and sulphur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. ¹¹ And the smoke of their torture went up _⌊forever and ever_⌋*, and those who worshiped the beast and his image did not have rest day and night, _⌊along with anyone who received_⌋* the mark of his name.

¹⁰ And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulphur, where the beast and the false prophet also are, and they will be tormented day and night _⌊forever and ever_⌋*. ¹¹ And I saw a great white throne and the one who was seated on it, _⌊from whose presence_⌋* earth and heaven fled, and a place was not found for them.

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.

³⁷ The one who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and the one who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. ³⁸ And whoever does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.

³⁰ The one who is not with me is against me, and the one who does not gather with me scatters.

³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me something* to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something* to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me as a guest,

²³ in order that all people* will honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. The one who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.

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_⌋.*

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 If anyone does not love the Lord, let him be accursed. O Lord, come!*

⁸ with burning flame* giving punishment to those who do not know God and who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus,

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? ¹⁷ Thus also faith, if it does not have works, is dead by itself. ¹⁸ But someone will say, "You have faith and I have works."* Show me your faith apart from your* works, and I will show you my* faith by my works. ¹⁹ You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe, and shudder! ²⁰ But do you want to know, O foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? ²¹ Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he* offered up his son Isaac on the altar? ²² You see that faith was working together with his works, and by the works the faith was perfected. ²³ And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "And Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness,"* and he was called God's friend. ²⁴ You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.

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. ¹⁵ Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that every murderer does not have eternal life residing in him. ¹⁶ We have come to know love by this: that _⌊he_⌋* laid down his life on behalf of us, and we ought to lay down our lives on behalf of the brothers. ¹⁷ But whoever has the world's material possessions and observes his brother _⌊in need_⌋* and shuts his heart against him, how does the love of God reside in him?

²⁰ If anyone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar, for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen is not able to love God whom he has not seen.

¹³ When Samuel came to Saul, Saul said to him, "May you be blessed by Yahweh! I have kept the word of Yahweh." ¹⁴ But Samuel said, "Then what is this bleating of the sheep that I hear in my ears and the lowing of the cattle that I am hearing?" ¹⁵ Saul said, "They have brought them from the Amalekites; the troops spared the best of the sheep and the cattle in order to sacrifice them to Yahweh your God. But the rest we have utterly destroyed."

²⁰ Then Saul said to Samuel, "I have listened to the voice of Yahweh, and I have gone on the way that Yahweh sent me! I brought Agag the king of Amalek, and the Amalekites I have utterly destroyed. ²¹ The troops took from the plunder, sheep and cattle, the best of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to Yahweh your God at Gilgal."

²³ "How can you say, 'I have not defiled myself, I have not gone after the Baals?' Look at your way in the valley, know what you have done. You are a young she-camel, interweaving her ways.

³⁵ yet you say, 'But I am innocent, surely his anger has turned away from me.' Look, I am entering into judgment with you because of your saying, 'I have not sinned.'

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?'

¹⁷ You have wearied Yahweh with your words, but you ask, "With what have we wearied him?" You have done so _⌊when you say_⌋,* "Everyone who does evil is good in the _⌊sight_⌋* of Yahweh, and in them he delights," or "Where is the God of justice?"

¹³ "Your words have been harsh* against me," says Yahweh. "But you say, 'How have we spoken together against you?'

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?'

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.* ²⁵ And because I* was afraid, I went away and* hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours!' ²⁶ But his master answered and* said to him, 'Evil and lazy slave! You knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather from where I did not scatter seed.* ²⁷ Then you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and when I* returned I would have gotten back what was mine with interest!

²⁹ But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"

³ And I will bless those who bless you, and those who curse you I will curse. And all families of the earth will be blessed in you."

⁹ He crouches, he lies down like a lion, and like a lioness, who will rouse him? They who bless you will be blessed, and they who curse you will be cursed."

¹⁵ "Do not touch my anointed ones, nor harm my prophets."

⁵ He who mocks the poor insults him who made him; he who rejoices at calamity will not go unpunished.

¹³ He who closes his ear from the cry of the poor, he also will cry out and not be heard.

⁸ For thus said Yahweh of hosts, after glory* he sent me against the nations plundering you: Truly, the one touching you is touching the apple* of his eye.

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.

⁵ So he said, "Who are you, Lord?" And he said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting!

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. ¹⁵ Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that every murderer does not have eternal life residing in him. ¹⁶ We have come to know love by this: that _⌊he_⌋* laid down his life on behalf of us, and we ought to lay down our lives on behalf of the brothers. ¹⁷ But whoever has the world's material possessions and observes his brother _⌊in need_⌋* and shuts his heart against him, how does the love of God reside in him? ¹⁸ Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth. ¹⁹ By this* we know that we are of the truth and will convince our heart before him, ²⁰ that* if our heart condemns us, that God is greater than our heart and knows all things.

¹ Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been fathered by God, and everyone who loves _⌊the father_⌋* also loves the child fathered by him. ² By this we know that we love the children of God: whenever we love God and keep his commandments. ³ For this is the love of God: that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome,

² And many from those sleeping _⌊in the dusty ground_⌋* will awake, some to _⌊everlasting life_⌋* and some to disgrace and _⌊everlasting contempt_⌋.*

⁴³ Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.* The one who has ears, let him hear!

⁴³ And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off! It is better for you to enter into life crippled than, having two hands, to go into hell—into the unquenchable fire!*

⁴⁵ And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off! It is better for you to enter into life lame than, having two feet, to be thrown into hell!*

⁴⁸ 'where their worm does not die and the fire is not extinguished.'* ⁴⁹ For everyone will be salted with fire.

²⁶ And in addition to all these things, a great chasm has been established between us and you, so that those who want to cross over from here to you are not able to do so,* nor can they cross over from there to us.'

¹⁵ so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life."* ¹⁶ For in this way God loved the world, so that he gave his one and only Son, in order that everyone who believes in him will not perish, but will have eternal life.

³⁶ The one who believes in the Son has eternal life, but the one who disobeys the Son will not see life—but the wrath of God remains on him.*

²⁹ and they will come out—those who have done good things to a resurrection of life, but those who have practiced evil things to a resurrection of judgment.

² just as you have given him authority over all flesh, in order that he would give eternal life to them—everyone whom you have given him.

¹⁵ having a hope in God which these men also themselves await: that there is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous.