John Cross References - MSB

¹ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning. ³ Through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that has been made. ⁴ In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. ⁵ The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. ⁶ There came a man who was sent from God. His name was John. ⁷ He came as a witness to testify about the Light, so that through him everyone might believe. ⁸ He himself was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light. ⁹ The true Light who gives light to every man was coming into the world. ¹⁰ He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him. ¹¹ He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. ¹² But to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God— ¹³ children born not of blood, nor of the desire or will of man, but born of God. ¹⁴ The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. ¹⁵ John testified concerning Him. He cried out, saying, “This is He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because He was before me.’” ¹⁶ From His fullness we have all received grace upon grace. ¹⁷ For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. ¹⁸ No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is at the Father’s side, has made Him known. ¹⁹ And this was John’s testimony when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him, “Who are you?” ²⁰ He did not refuse to confess, but openly declared, “I am not the Christ.” ²¹ “Then who are you?” they inquired. “Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No.” ²² So they said to him, “Who are you? We need an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” ²³ John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet: “I am a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’” ²⁴ Then those whom the Pharisees had sent ²⁵ asked him, “Why then do you baptize, if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” ²⁶ “I baptize with water,” John replied, “but among you stands One you do not know. ²⁷ He is the One who comes after me, who is preferred before me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.” ²⁸ All this happened at Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing. ²⁹ The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! ³⁰ This is He of whom I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because He was before me.’ ³¹ I myself did not know Him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that He might be revealed to Israel.” ³² Then John testified, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove and resting on Him. ³³ I myself did not know Him, but the One who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is He who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ ³⁴ I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.” ³⁵ The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. ³⁶ When he saw Jesus walking by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” ³⁷ And when the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. ³⁸ Jesus turned and saw them following. “What do you want?” He asked. They said to Him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are You staying?” ³⁹ “Come and see,” He replied. So they went and saw where He was staying, and spent that day with Him. It was about the tenth hour. ⁴⁰ Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard John’s testimony and followed Jesus. ⁴¹ He first found his brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated as Christ). ⁴² Andrew brought him to Jesus, who looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of Jonah. You will be called Cephas” (which is translated as Peter). ⁴³ The next day Jesus decided to set out for Galilee. Finding Philip, He told him, “Follow Me.” ⁴⁴ Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the same town as Andrew and Peter. ⁴⁵ Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the One Moses wrote about in the Law, the One the prophets foretold—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” ⁴⁶ “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip. ⁴⁷ When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, He said of him, “Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is no deceit.” ⁴⁸ “How do You know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus replied, “Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.” ⁴⁹ “Rabbi,” Nathanael answered, “You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” ⁵⁰ Jesus said to him, “Do you believe just because I told you I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these.” ⁵¹ Then He declared, “Truly, truly, I tell you, from now on you will all see heaven open and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

¹ In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

⁶ Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever, and justice is the scepter of Your kingdom.

²² The LORD created me as His first course, before His works of old. ²³ From everlasting I was established, from the beginning, before the earth began. ²⁴ When there were no watery depths, I was brought forth, when no springs were overflowing with water. ²⁵ Before the mountains were settled, before the hills, I was brought forth, ²⁶ before He made the land or fields, or any of the dust of the earth. ²⁷ I was there when He established the heavens, when He inscribed a circle on the face of the deep, ²⁸ when He established the clouds above, when the fountains of the deep gushed forth, ²⁹ when He set a boundary for the sea, so that the waters would not surpass His command, when He marked out the foundations of the earth. ³⁰ Then I was a skilled craftsman at His side, and His delight day by day, rejoicing always in His presence. ³¹ I was rejoicing in His whole world, delighting together in the sons of men.

¹⁴ Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel.

⁶ For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

⁹ Go up on a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news. Raise your voice loudly, O Jerusalem, herald of good news. Lift it up, do not be afraid! Say to the cities of Judah, “Here is your God!” ¹⁰ Behold, the Lord GOD comes with might, and His arm establishes His rule. His reward is with Him, and His recompense accompanies Him. ¹¹ He tends His flock like a shepherd; He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart. He gently leads the nursing ewes.

²³ “Behold, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel” (which means, “God with us”).

² He was with God in the beginning.

¹⁴ The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

¹⁸ No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is at the Father’s side, has made Him known.

³⁰ I and the Father are one.” ³¹ At this, the Jews again picked up stones to stone Him. ³² But Jesus responded, “I have shown you many good works from My Father. For which of these do you stone Me?” ³³ “We are not stoning You for any good work,” said the Jews, “but for blasphemy, because You, who are a man, declare Yourself to be God.”

²⁸ I came from the Father and entered the world. In turn, I will leave the world and go to the Father.”

⁵ And now, Father, glorify Me in Your presence with the glory I had with You before the world existed.

²⁸ Thomas replied, “My Lord and my God!”

⁵ Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them proceeds the human descent of Christ, who is God over all, forever worthy of praise! Amen.

⁹ and to illuminate for everyone the stewardship of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things through Jesus Christ.

⁶ Who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,

¹⁷ He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

¹⁶ By common confession, the mystery of godliness is great: God appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was proclaimed among the nations, was believed in throughout the world, was taken up in glory.

¹³ as we await the blessed hope and glorious appearance of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.

⁸ But about the Son He says: “Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever, and justice is the scepter of Your kingdom. ⁹ You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You above Your companions with the oil of joy.” ¹⁰ And: “In the beginning, O Lord, You laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. ¹¹ They will perish, but You remain; they will all wear out like a garment. ¹² You will roll them up like a robe; they will be changed; but You remain the same, and Your years will never end.” ¹³ Yet to which of the angels did God ever say: “Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet”?

³ Without father or mother or genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, like the Son of God, he remains a priest for all time.

⁸ Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

¹ Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours:

¹ That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our own eyes, which we have gazed upon and touched with our own hands—this is the Word of life. ² And this is the life that was revealed; we have seen it and testified to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us.

⁷ For there are three that testify:

²⁰ And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true—in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

² who testifies to everything he saw. This is the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.

⁸ “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and was and is to come—the Almighty.

¹¹ saying, “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”

¹⁷ When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. But He placed His right hand on me and said, “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last,

⁸ To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of the First and the Last, who died and returned to life.

¹⁴ To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Originator of God’s creation.

¹³ He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and His name is The Word of God.

⁶ And He told me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give freely from the spring of the water of life.

¹³ I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”

²⁶ Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness, to rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, and over all the earth itself and every creature that crawls upon it.”

⁶ By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and all the stars by the breath of His mouth.

²⁵ In the beginning You laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands.

¹² It is I who made the earth and created man upon it. It was My hands that stretched out the heavens, and I ordained all their host.

¹⁸ For thus says the LORD, who created the heavens—He is God; He formed the earth and fashioned it; He established it; He did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited: “I am the LORD, and there is no other.

¹⁰ He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him.

¹⁷ But Jesus answered them, “To this very day My Father is at His work, and I too am working.” ¹⁸ Because of this, the Jews tried all the harder to kill Him. Not only was He breaking the Sabbath, but He was even calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God. ¹⁹ So Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing by Himself, unless He sees the Father doing it. For whatever the Father does, the Son also does.

⁶ yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we exist. And there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we exist.

¹⁶ For in Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through Him and for Him. ¹⁷ He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

² But in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the universe. ³ The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His nature, upholding all things by His powerful word. After He had provided purification for our sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.

¹⁰ And: “In the beginning, O Lord, You laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. ¹¹ They will perish, but You remain; they will all wear out like a garment. ¹² You will roll them up like a robe; they will be changed; but You remain the same, and Your years will never end.”

³ For Jesus has been counted worthy of greater glory than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself. ⁴ And every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything.

¹¹ “Worthy are You, our Lord and God, the Holy One, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things; by Your will they exist and came to be.”

⁶ They trust in their wealth and boast in their great riches.

¹ For the choirmaster. To the tune of “The Lily of the Covenant.” A Miktam of David for instruction. When he fought Aram-naharaim and Aram-zobah, and Joab returned and struck down 12,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt. You have rejected us, O God; You have broken us; You have been angry; restore us! ² You have shaken the land and torn it open. Heal its fractures, for it is quaking. ³ You have shown Your people hardship; we are staggered from the wine You made us drink.

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

⁴ Say to those with anxious hearts: “Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance. With divine retribution He will come to save you.” ⁵ Then the eyes of the blind will be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped.

⁶ “I, the LORD, have called you for a righteous purpose, and I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and appoint you to be a covenant for the people and a light to the nations, ⁷ to open the eyes of the blind, to bring prisoners out of the dungeon and those sitting in darkness out from the prison house.

¹⁶ I will lead the blind by a way they did not know; I will guide them on unfamiliar paths. I will turn darkness into light before them and rough places into level ground. These things I will do for them, and I will not forsake them.

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

¹⁶ the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned.”

⁷⁸ because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the Dawn has visited us from on high, ⁷⁹ to shine on those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”

³² a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to Your people Israel.”

⁸ He himself was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light. ⁹ The true Light who gives light to every man was coming into the world.

²¹ For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom He wishes.

²⁶ For as the Father has life in Himself, so also He has granted the Son to have life in Himself.

¹² Once again, Jesus spoke to the people and said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.”

⁵ While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

²⁵ Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me will live, even though he dies.

³⁵ Then Jesus told them, “For a little while longer, the Light will be among you. Walk while you have the Light, so that darkness will not overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going.

⁴⁶ I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in Me should remain in darkness.

⁶ Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

²³ that the Christ would suffer, and as the first to rise from the dead, would proclaim light to our people and to the Gentiles.”

⁴⁵ So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being;” the last Adam a life-giving spirit.

¹⁴ So it is said: “Wake up, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

⁴ When Christ, who is our life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.

² And this is the life that was revealed; we have seen it and testified to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us.

⁵ And this is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you: God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. ⁶ If we say we have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. ⁷ But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

¹¹ And this is that testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.

¹ Then the angel showed me a pure river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb

¹⁶ “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the bright Morning Star.”

¹³ Then there are those who rebel against the light, not knowing its ways or staying on its paths. ¹⁴ When daylight is gone, the murderer rises to kill the poor and needy; in the night he is like a thief. ¹⁵ The eye of the adulterer watches for twilight. Thinking, ‘No eye will see me,’ he covers his face. ¹⁶ In the dark they dig through houses; by day they shut themselves in, never to experience the light. ¹⁷ For to them, deep darkness is their morning; surely they are friends with the terrors of darkness!

²² “How long, O simple ones, will you love your simple ways? How long will scoffers delight in their scorn and fools hate knowledge?

²⁹ For they hated knowledge and chose not to fear the LORD. ³⁰ They accepted none of my counsel; they despised all my reproof.

¹⁹ And this is the verdict: The Light has come into the world, but men loved the darkness rather than the Light because their deeds were evil. ²⁰ Everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come into the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.

³⁶ While you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of light.” After Jesus had spoken these things, He went away and was hidden from them. ³⁷ Although Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still did not believe in Him. ³⁸ This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet: “Lord, who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” ³⁹ For this reason they were unable to believe. For again, Isaiah says: ⁴⁰ “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so that they cannot see with their eyes, and understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them.”

²⁸ Furthermore, since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, He gave them up to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done.

¹⁴ The natural man does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.

³ A voice of one calling: “Prepare the way for the LORD in the wilderness; make a straight highway for our God in the desert. ⁴ Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill made low; the uneven ground will become smooth, and the rugged land a plain. ⁵ And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all humanity together will see it. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

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

⁵ Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and awesome Day of the LORD. ⁶ And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers. Otherwise, I will come and strike the land with a curse.”

¹ In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea ² and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” ³ This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him.’” ⁴ John wore a garment of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. ⁵ People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region around the Jordan. ⁶ Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan. ⁷ But when John saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his place of baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? ⁸ Produce fruit, then, in keeping with repentance. ⁹ And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. ¹⁰ The axe lies ready at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. ¹¹ I baptize you with water for repentance, but after me will come One more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.

¹⁰ For this is the one about whom it is written: ‘Behold, I will send My messenger ahead of You, who will prepare Your way before You.’

²⁵ What was the source of John’s baptism? Was it from heaven or from men?” They deliberated among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will ask, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’

¹ This is the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. ² As it is written in the prophets: “Behold, I will send My messenger ahead of You, who will prepare Your way before You.” ³ “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him.’” ⁴ John came baptizing in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. ⁵ People went out to him from all of Jerusalem and the countryside of Judea. Confessing their sins, they were all baptized by him in the Jordan River. ⁶ John was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. ⁷ And he began to proclaim: “After me will come One more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. ⁸ I indeed baptize you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

¹³ But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John.

¹⁵ for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He shall never take wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb. ¹⁶ Many of the sons of Israel he will turn back to the Lord their God. ¹⁷ And he will go on before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

⁶¹ They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who bears this name.” ⁶² So they made signs to his father to find out what he wanted to name the child. ⁶³ Zechariah asked for a tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they were all amazed.

⁷⁶ And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the presence of the Lord to prepare the way for Him,

² during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. ³ He went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, ⁴ as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him. ⁵ Every valley shall be filled in, and every mountain and hill made low. The crooked ways shall be made straight, and the rough ways smooth. ⁶ And all humanity will see God’s salvation.’” ⁷ Then John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? ⁸ Produce fruit, then, in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. ⁹ The axe lies ready at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” ¹⁰ The crowds asked him, “What then should we do?” ¹¹ John replied, “Whoever has two tunics should share with him who has none, and whoever has food should do the same.” ¹² Even tax collectors came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?” ¹³ “Collect no more than you are authorized,” he answered. ¹⁴ Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?” “Do not take money by force or false accusation,” he said. “Be content with your wages.” ¹⁵ The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John could be the Christ. ¹⁶ John answered all of them: “I baptize you with water, but One more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. ¹⁷ His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will clear His threshing floor and to gather the wheat into His barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” ¹⁸ With these and many other exhortations, John proclaimed the good news to the people. ¹⁹ But when he rebuked Herod the tetrarch regarding his brother’s wife Herodias and all the evils he had done, ²⁰ Herod added this to them all: He locked John up in prison.

³³ I myself did not know Him, but the One who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is He who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’

²⁸ You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but am sent ahead of Him.’

²⁴ Before the arrival of Jesus, John preached a baptism of repentance to Israel.

⁹ The true Light who gives light to every man was coming into the world.

¹² But to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God—

¹⁵ John testified concerning Him. He cried out, saying, “This is He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because He was before me.’”

¹⁹ And this was John’s testimony when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him, “Who are you?”

²⁶ “I baptize with water,” John replied, “but among you stands One you do not know. ²⁷ He is the One who comes after me, who is preferred before me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”

³² Then John testified, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove and resting on Him. ³³ I myself did not know Him, but the One who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is He who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ ³⁴ I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.”

³⁶ When he saw Jesus walking by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”

²⁶ So John’s disciples came to him and said, “Look, Rabbi, the One who was with you beyond the Jordan, the One you testified about—He is baptizing, and everyone is going to Him.” ²⁷ John replied, “A man can receive only what is given him from heaven. ²⁸ You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but am sent ahead of Him.’ ²⁹ The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom stands and listens for him, and is overjoyed to hear the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. ³⁰ He must increase; I must decrease. ³¹ The One who comes from above is above all. The one who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks as one from the earth. The One who comes from heaven is above all. ³² He testifies to what He has seen and heard, yet no one accepts His testimony. ³³ Whoever accepts His testimony has certified that God is truthful. ³⁴ For the One whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit. ³⁵ The Father loves the Son and has placed all things in His hands. ³⁶ Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. Whoever rejects the Son will not see life. Instead, the wrath of God remains on him.”

³³ You have sent to John, and he has testified to the truth. ³⁴ Even though I do not accept human testimony, I say these things so that you may be saved. ³⁵ John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you were willing for a season to bask in his light.

⁴ Paul explained: “John’s baptism was indeed a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the One coming after him, that is, in Christ” Jesus.

⁴ who wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

¹¹ For the saving grace of God has appeared to everyone.

⁹ The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise as some understand slowness, but is patient with us, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance.

²⁰ He did not refuse to confess, but openly declared, “I am not the Christ.”

²⁰ To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn.

⁶ He says: “It is not enough for You to be My Servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the protected ones of Israel. I will also make You a light for the nations, to bring My salvation to the ends of the earth.”

²³ But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

⁴ In Him was life, and that life was the light of men.

⁷ He came as a witness to testify about the Light, so that through him everyone might believe.

³² Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread from heaven.

¹² Many in the crowds were whispering about Him. Some said, “He is a good man.” But others replied, “No, He deceives the people.”

¹ “I am the true vine, and My Father is the keeper of the vineyard.

⁴ But you, brothers, are not in the darkness so that this day should overtake you like a thief. ⁵ You are all sons of the light and sons of the day; we do not belong to the night or to the darkness. ⁶ So then, let us not sleep as the others do, but let us remain awake and sober. ⁷ For those who sleep, sleep at night; and those who get drunk, get drunk at night.

⁸ If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

⁸ Then again, I am also writing to you a new commandment, which is true in Him and also in you. For the darkness is fading and the true light is already shining.

⁶ And the LORD said, “If they have begun to do this as one people speaking the same language, then nothing they devise will be beyond them. ⁷ Come, let Us go down and confuse their language, so that they will not understand one another’s speech.” ⁸ So the LORD scattered them from there over the face of all the earth, and they stopped building the city. ⁹ That is why it is called Babel, for there the LORD confused the language of the whole world, and from that place the LORD scattered them over the face of all the earth.

¹³ So Hagar gave this name to the LORD who had spoken to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “Here I have seen the One who sees me!”

¹ When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty. Walk before Me and be blameless.

³³ When the LORD had finished speaking with Abraham, He departed, and Abraham returned home.

⁴ When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called out to him from within the bush, “Moses, Moses!” “Here I am,” he answered. ⁵ “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” ⁶ Then He said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

¹¹ Thus you are to tell them: “These gods, who have made neither the heavens nor the earth, will perish from this earth and from under these heavens.” ¹² The LORD made the earth by His power; He established the world by His wisdom and stretched out the heavens by His understanding.

²⁷ All things have been entrusted to Me by My Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.

⁵ The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

¹⁷ But Jesus answered them, “To this very day My Father is at His work, and I too am working.”

²⁵ Righteous Father, although the world has not known You, I know You, and they know that You sent Me.

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

²⁴ The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples made by human hands. ²⁵ Nor is He served by the hands of men, as if He needed anything, because He Himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. ²⁶ From one blood He made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their lands. ²⁷ The Lord intended that they would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us.

²¹ For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know Him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.

⁸ None of the rulers of this age understood it. For if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

³ By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

¹ Behold what manner of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him.

² He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no stately form or majesty to attract us, no beauty that we should desire Him. ³ He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. Like one from whom men hide their faces, He was despised, and we esteemed Him not.

²⁴ He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

¹⁴ But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We do not want this man to rule over us.’

¹³ ‘What shall I do?’ asked the owner of the vineyard. ‘I will send my beloved son. Perhaps they will respect him when they see him.’ ¹⁴ But when the tenants saw the son, they discussed it among themselves and said, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ ¹⁵ So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them?

³² He testifies to what He has seen and heard, yet no one accepts His testimony.

²⁵ And you are sons of the prophets and of the covenant God made with our fathers when He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all the families of the earth will be blessed.’ ²⁶ When God raised up His Servant Jesus, He sent Him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.”

⁵¹ You stiff-necked people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit, just as your fathers did. ⁵² Which of the prophets did your fathers fail to persecute? They even killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One. And now you are His betrayers and murderers—

²⁶ Brothers, children of Abraham, and you Gentiles who fear God, it is to you that this message of salvation has been sent.

⁴⁶ Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: “It was necessary to speak the word of God to you first. But since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles.

¹ I speak the truth in Christ; I am not lying, as confirmed by my conscience in the Holy Spirit.

⁸ Now I tell you that Christ Jesus has become a servant of the circumcised on behalf of God’s truth, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs,

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

⁵ I will give them, in My house and within My walls, a memorial and a name better than that of sons and daughters. I will give them an everlasting name that will not be cut off.

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

¹⁰ Yet the number of the Israelites will be like the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or counted. And it will happen that in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not My people,’ they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’

⁴⁰ He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives the One who sent Me.

²¹ In His name the nations will put their hope.”

⁵ And whoever welcomes a little child like this in My name welcomes Me.

²³ While He was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw the signs He was doing and believed in His name.

¹⁸ Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

⁵² and not only for the nation, but also for the scattered children of God, to gather them together into one.

³¹ But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.

¹⁶ By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know has been made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through Him that has given him this complete healing in your presence.

¹⁴ For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

¹⁷ “Therefore come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.” ¹⁸ And: “I will be a Father to you, and you will be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”

²⁶ You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

⁶ And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!”

⁶ Therefore, just as you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to walk in Him,

⁴ Through these He has given us His precious and magnificent promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, now that you have escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

²³ And this is His commandment: that we should believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and we should love one another just as He commanded.

¹² Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. ¹³ I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life and that you may believe in the name of the Son of God.

²² But the children inside her struggled with each other, and she said, “Why is this happening to me?” So Rebekah went to inquire of the LORD,

²⁸ Because Isaac had a taste for wild game, he loved Esau; but Rebekah loved Jacob.

⁴ Then prepare a tasty dish that I love and bring it to me to eat, so that I may bless you before I die.”

³³ Isaac began to tremble violently and said, “Who was it, then, who hunted the game and brought it to me? Before you came in, I ate it all and blessed him—and indeed, he will be blessed!”

³ Your people shall be willing on Your day of battle. Arrayed in holy splendor, from the womb of the dawn, to You belongs the dew of Your youth.

⁹ And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.

³ Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”

⁵ Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. ⁶ Flesh is born of flesh, but spirit is born of the Spirit. ⁷ Do not be amazed that I said, ‘You must be born again.’ ⁸ The wind blows where it wishes. You hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

³³ “We are Abraham’s descendants,” they answered. “We have never been slaves to anyone. How can You say we will be set free?” ³⁴ Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. ³⁵ A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son belongs to it forever. ³⁶ So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. ³⁷ I know you are Abraham’s descendants, but you are trying to kill Me because My word has no place within you. ³⁸ I speak of what I have seen in the presence of My Father, and you do what you have seen from your father.” ³⁹ “Abraham is our father,” they replied. “If you were children of Abraham,” said Jesus, “you would do the works of Abraham. ⁴⁰ But now you are trying to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham never did such a thing. ⁴¹ You are doing the works of your father.” “We are not illegitimate children,” they declared. “Our only Father is God Himself.”

¹ I speak the truth in Christ; I am not lying, as confirmed by my conscience in the Holy Spirit. ² I have deep sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. ³ For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my own flesh and blood, ⁴ the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory and the covenants; theirs the giving of the law, the temple worship, and the promises. ⁵ Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them proceeds the human descent of Christ, who is God over all, forever worthy of praise! Amen.

⁷ Nor because they are Abraham’s descendants are they all his children. On the contrary, “Through Isaac your offspring will be reckoned.” ⁸ So it is not the children of the flesh who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as offspring. ⁹ For this is what the promise stated: “At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son.” ¹⁰ Not only that, but Rebecca’s children were conceived by one man, our father Isaac. ¹¹ Yet before the twins were born or had done anything good or evil, in order that God’s plan of election might stand, ¹² not by works but by Him who calls, she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” ¹³ So it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” ¹⁴ What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Certainly not! ¹⁵ For He says to Moses: “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” ¹⁶ So then, it does not depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.

¹ Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is for their salvation. ² For I testify about them that they are zealous for God, but not on the basis of knowledge. ³ Because they were ignorant of God’s righteousness and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.

⁶ I planted the seed and Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.

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

⁵ He saved us, not by the righteous deeds we had done, but according to His mercy, through the washing of new birth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.

¹⁸ He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we would be a kind of firstfruits of His creation.

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

²³ For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and forever enduring word of God.

² Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow,

²⁸ And now, little children, remain in Christ, so that when He appears, we may be confident and unashamed before Him at His coming. ²⁹ If you know that He is righteous, you also know that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of Him.

⁹ Anyone born of God refuses to practice sin, because God’s seed abides in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.

⁷ Beloved, let us love one another, because love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.

¹ Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father also loves those born of Him.

⁴ because everyone born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world: our faith.

¹⁸ We know that anyone born of God does not keep on sinning; the One who was born of God protects Himself, and the evil one cannot touch him.

⁷ I will proclaim the decree spoken to Me by the LORD: “You are My Son; today I have become Your Father.

² You are the most handsome of men; grace has anointed your lips, since God has blessed you forever.

⁵ And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all humanity together will see it. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

² He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no stately form or majesty to attract us, no beauty that we should desire Him.

¹ Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. ² For behold, darkness covers the earth, and thick darkness is over the peoples; but the LORD will rise upon you, and His glory will appear over you.

¹⁶ and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.

²⁰ But after he had pondered these things, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to embrace Mary as your wife, for the One conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹ She will give birth to a Son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.” ²² All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ²³ “Behold, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel” (which means, “God with us”).

¹ After six days Jesus took with Him Peter, James, and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. ² There He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. ³ Suddenly Moses and Elijah appeared before them, talking with Jesus. ⁴ Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If You wish, we will put up three shelters—one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” ⁵ While Peter was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him!”

³¹ Behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus. ³² He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, ³³ and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever. His kingdom will never end!” ³⁴ “How can this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” ³⁵ The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God.

⁷ And she gave birth to her firstborn, a Son. She wrapped Him in swaddling cloths and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

¹¹ Today in the city of David a Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord!

³² Meanwhile Peter and his companions were overcome by sleep, but when they awoke, they saw Jesus’ glory and the two men standing with Him.

¹ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

¹⁶ From His fullness we have all received grace upon grace. ¹⁷ For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. ¹⁸ No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is at the Father’s side, has made Him known.

¹¹ Jesus performed this, the first of His signs, at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.

¹⁶ For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.

⁵¹ I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And this bread, which I will give for the life of the world, is My flesh.”

⁴⁰ Jesus replied, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”

⁴⁰ “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so that they cannot see with their eyes, and understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them.” ⁴¹ Isaiah said these things when he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about Him.

⁹ Jesus replied, “Philip, I have been with you all this time, and still you do not know Me? Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

²² I have given them the glory You gave Me, so that they may be one as We are one—

³³ He has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus. As it is written in the second Psalm: ‘You are My Son; today I have become Your Father.’

³ regarding His Son, who was a descendant of David according to the flesh, ⁴ and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by His resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.

³ For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful man, as an offering for sin. He thus condemned sin in the flesh,

⁴⁷ The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second man is the Lord from heaven.

⁴ The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. ⁵ For we do not proclaim ourselves, but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. ⁶ For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

⁹ But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest on me.

⁸ Though I am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given me: to preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,

¹⁸ will have power, together with all the saints, to comprehend the length and width and depth and height ¹⁹ of the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

⁶ Who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, ⁷ but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in human likeness. ⁸ And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross.

¹⁹ For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him,

³ in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

⁹ For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity dwells in bodily form.

¹⁴ And the grace of our Lord overflowed to me, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. ¹⁵ This is a trustworthy saying, worthy of full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the worst. ¹⁶ But for this very reason I was shown mercy, so that in me, the worst of sinners, Jesus Christ might display all His patience as an example to those who would believe in Him for eternal life.

³ The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His nature, upholding all things by His powerful word. After He had provided purification for our sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.

⁵ For to which of the angels did God ever say: “You are My Son; today I have become Your Father”? Or again: “I will be His Father, and He will be My Son”?

¹¹ For both the One who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers.

¹⁴ Now since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity, so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death, that is, the devil, ¹⁵ and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. ¹⁶ For surely it is not the angels He helps, but the descendants of Abraham. ¹⁷ For this reason He had to be made like His brothers in every way, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, in order to make atonement for the sins of the people.

⁵ So also Christ did not take upon Himself the glory of becoming a high priest, but He was called by the One who said to Him: “You are My Son; today I have become Your Father.”

⁵ Therefore, when Christ came into the world, He said: “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You prepared for Me.

⁴ As you come to Him, the living stone, rejected by men but chosen and precious in God’s sight, ⁵ you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ⁶ For it stands in Scripture: “See, I lay in Zion a stone, a chosen and precious cornerstone; and the one who believes in Him will never be put to shame.” ⁷ To you who believe, then, this stone is precious. But to those who are disobedient, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,”

¹⁶ For we did not follow cleverly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. ¹⁷ For He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to Him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

² By this you will know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, ³ and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and which is already in the world at this time.

⁹ This is how God’s love was revealed among us: God sent His one and only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him.

¹⁴ And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent His Son to be the Savior of the world.

⁷ For many deceivers have entered into the world, refusing to confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist.

³ And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying: “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man, and He will dwell with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them.

²² The LORD created me as His first course, before His works of old.

² But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come forth for Me One to be ruler over Israel—One whose origins are of old, from the days of eternity.

¹¹ I baptize you with water for repentance, but after me will come One more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.

¹³ At that time Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. ¹⁴ But John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?” ¹⁵ “Let it be so now,” Jesus replied. “It is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness in this way.” Then John permitted Him. ¹⁶ As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water. Suddenly the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and resting on Him. ¹⁷ And a voice from heaven said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased!”

⁷ And he began to proclaim: “After me will come One more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.

¹⁶ John answered all of them: “I baptize you with water, but One more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

¹ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning.

⁷ He came as a witness to testify about the Light, so that through him everyone might believe. ⁸ He himself was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light.

²⁷ He is the One who comes after me, who is preferred before me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”

²⁹ The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! ³⁰ This is He of whom I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because He was before me.’ ³¹ I myself did not know Him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that He might be revealed to Israel.”

³³ You have sent to John, and he has testified to the truth. ³⁴ Even though I do not accept human testimony, I say these things so that you may be saved. ³⁵ John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you were willing for a season to bask in his light. ³⁶ But I have testimony more substantial than that of John. For the works that the Father has given Me to accomplish—the very works I am doing—testify about Me that the Father has sent Me.

⁵⁸ “Truly, truly, I tell you,” Jesus declared, “before Abraham was born, I am!”

⁶ Who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, ⁷ but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in human likeness.

¹⁷ When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. But He placed His right hand on me and said, “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last, ¹⁸ the Living One. I was dead, and behold, now I am alive forever and ever. Amen. And I hold the keys of Death and of Hades.

⁷ What are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become a plain. Then he will bring forth the capstone accompanied by shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’”

¹⁴ But John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?”

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

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

³⁴ For the One whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit.

¹ “I am the true vine, and My Father is the keeper of the vineyard. ² He cuts off every branch in Me that bears no fruit, and every branch that does bear fruit, He prunes to make it even more fruitful. ³ You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. ⁴ Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. Just as no branch can bear fruit by itself unless it remains in the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me. ⁵ I am the vine and you are the branches. The one who remains in Me, and I in him, will bear much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing.

¹² And when Peter saw this, he addressed the people: “Men of Israel, why are you surprised by this? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? ¹³ The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His servant Jesus. You handed Him over and rejected Him before Pilate, even though he had decided to release Him. ¹⁴ You rejected the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. ¹⁵ You killed the Author of life, but God raised Him from the dead, and we are witnesses of the fact. ¹⁶ By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know has been made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through Him that has given him this complete healing in your presence.

² through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.

¹⁷ For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive an abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!

²⁰ The law came in so that the trespass would increase; but where sin increased, grace increased all the more,

⁹ You, however, are controlled not by the flesh, but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.

⁴ I always thank my God for you because of the grace He has given you in Christ Jesus. ⁵ For in Him you have been enriched in every way, in all speech and all knowledge, ⁶ to the praise of His glorious grace, by which he has bestowed favor upon us in the Beloved One. ⁷ In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace ⁸ that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.

²³ which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

⁵ made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our trespasses. It is by grace you have been saved! ⁶ And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, ⁷ in order that in the coming ages He might display the surpassing riches of His grace, demonstrated by His kindness to us in Christ Jesus. ⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast. ¹⁰ For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life.

¹⁹ of the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

⁷ Now to each one of us grace has been given according to the measure of the gift of Christ. ⁸ This is why it says: “When He ascended on high, He led captives away, and gave gifts to men.” ⁹ What does “He ascended” mean, except that He also descended first to the lower parts of the earth? ¹⁰ He who descended is the very One who ascended above all the heavens, in order to fill all things. ¹¹ And it was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, ¹² to equip the saints for works of ministry and to build up the body of Christ, ¹³ until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, as we mature to the full measure of the stature of Christ.

⁹ For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity dwells in bodily form. ¹⁰ And you have been made complete in Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.

² according to the foreknowledge of God the Father and sanctified by the Spirit for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by His blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.

¹¹ trying to determine the time and setting to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow.

¹⁵ And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”

¹⁸ And through your offspring all nations of the earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”

¹ And God spoke all these words: ² “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. ³ You shall have no other gods before Me. ⁴ You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in the heavens above, on the earth below, or in the waters beneath. ⁵ You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on their children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, ⁶ but showing loving devotion to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments. ⁷ You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave anyone unpunished who takes His name in vain. ⁸ Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. ⁹ Six days you shall labor and do all your work, ¹⁰ but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God, on which you must not do any work—neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant or livestock, nor the foreigner within your gates. ¹¹ For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth and the sea and all that is in them, but on the seventh day He rested. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy. ¹² Honor your father and mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you. ¹³ You shall not murder. ¹⁴ You shall not commit adultery. ¹⁵ You shall not steal. ¹⁶ You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. ¹⁷ You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, or his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

⁴⁴ This is the law that Moses set before the Israelites.

¹ Then Moses summoned all Israel and said to them: Hear, O Israel, the statutes and ordinances that I declare in your hearing this day. Learn them and observe them carefully.

⁴ the law that Moses gave us, the possession of the assembly of Jacob.

¹⁰ Loving devotion and faithfulness have joined together; righteousness and peace have kissed.

¹ A Maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite. I will sing of the loving devotion of the LORD forever; with my mouth I will proclaim Your faithfulness to all generations. ² For I have said, “Loving devotion is built up forever; in the heavens You establish Your faithfulness.”

³ He has remembered His love and faithfulness to the house of Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

²⁰ You will show faithfulness to Jacob and loving devotion to Abraham, as You swore to our fathers from the days of old.

⁵⁴ He has helped His servant Israel, remembering to be merciful, ⁵⁵ as He promised to our fathers, to Abraham and his descendants forever.”

⁶⁸ “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, because He has visited and redeemed His people. ⁶⁹ He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David, ⁷⁰ as He spoke through His holy prophets, those of ages past, ⁷¹ salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us, ⁷² to show mercy to our fathers and to remember His holy covenant, ⁷³ the oath He swore to our father Abraham, to grant us ⁷⁴ deliverance from the hands of our enemies, that we may serve Him without fear, ⁷⁵ in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our lives. ⁷⁶ And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the presence of the Lord to prepare the way for Him, ⁷⁷ to give to His people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins,

⁴⁵ Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, in whom you have put your hope.

¹⁹ Has not Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps it. Why are you trying to kill Me?”

³² Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

²⁹ We know that God spoke to Moses, but we do not know where this man is from.”

³⁸ He was in the assembly in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers. And he received living words to pass on to us.

³⁴ In fact, God raised Him from the dead, never to see decay. As He has said: ‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings promised to David.’ ³⁵ So also, He says in another Psalm: ‘You will not let Your Holy One see decay.’ ³⁶ For when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep. His body was buried with his fathers and saw decay. ³⁷ But the One whom God raised from the dead did not see decay. ³⁸ Therefore let it be known to you, brothers, that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. ³⁹ Through Him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses.

²³ So they set a day to meet with Paul, and many people came to the place he was staying. He expounded to them from morning to evening, testifying about the kingdom of God and persuading them about Jesus from the Law of Moses and the Prophets.

¹⁹ Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. ²⁰ Therefore no one will be justified in His sight by works of the law. For the law merely brings awareness of sin. ²¹ But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been revealed, as attested by the Law and the Prophets. ²² And this righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all and upon all who believe. There is no distinction, ²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴ and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. ²⁵ God presented Him as the atoning sacrifice through faith in His blood, in order to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance He had passed over the sins committed beforehand. ²⁶ He did this to demonstrate His righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and to justify the one who has faith in Jesus.

²⁰ The law came in so that the trespass would increase; but where sin increased, grace increased all the more, ²¹ so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

¹⁴ For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.

⁸ Now I tell you that Christ Jesus has become a servant of the circumcised on behalf of God’s truth, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs, ⁹ so that the Gentiles may glorify God for His mercy. As it is written: “Therefore I will praise You among the Gentiles; I will sing hymns to Your name.” ¹⁰ Again, it says: “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people.” ¹¹ And again: “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and extol Him, all you peoples.” ¹² And once more, Isaiah says: “The Root of Jesse will appear, One who will arise to rule over the Gentiles; in Him the Gentiles will put their hope.”

²⁰ For all the promises of God are “Yes” in Christ. And so in Him, our “Amen” is spoken to the glory of God.

⁷ Now if the ministry of death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at the face of Moses because of its fleeting glory, ⁸ will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? ⁹ For if the ministry of condemnation was glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry of righteousness! ¹⁰ Indeed, what was once glorious has no glory now in comparison to the glory that surpasses it.

¹⁰ All who rely on works of the law are under a curse. For it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.” ¹¹ Now it is clear that no one is justified before God by the law, because, “The righteous will live by faith.” ¹² The law, however, is not based on faith; on the contrary, “The man who does these things will live by them.” ¹³ Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. For it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”

¹⁷ What I mean is this: The law that came 430 years later does not revoke the covenant previously established by God in Christ, so as to nullify the promise.

⁵ Now Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s house, testifying to what would be spoken later. ⁶ But Christ is faithful as the Son over God’s house. And we are His house, if we hold firmly to the end our confidence and the hope of which we boast.

⁸ But God found fault with the people and said: “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. ⁹ It will not be like the covenant I made with their fathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, because they did not abide by My covenant, and I disregarded them, declares the Lord. ¹⁰ For this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord. I will put My laws in their minds and inscribe them on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they will be My people. ¹¹ No longer will each one teach his neighbor or his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest. ¹² For I will forgive their iniquities and will remember their sins and lawless acts no more.”

²² According to the law, in fact, nearly everything must be purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

⁴ because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. ⁵ Therefore, when Christ came into the world, He said: “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You prepared for Me. ⁶ In burnt offerings and sin offerings You took no delight. ⁷ Then I said, ‘Here I am, it is written about Me in the scroll: I have come to do Your will, O God.’” ⁸ In the passage above He says, “Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings and sin offerings You did not desire, nor did You delight in them” (although they are offered according to the law). ⁹ Then He adds, “Here I am, I have come to do Your will, O God.” He takes away the first to establish the second. ¹⁰ And by that will, we have been sanctified through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

³⁹ These were all commended for their faith, yet they did not receive what was promised. ⁴⁰ God had planned something better for us, so that together with us they would be made perfect.

⁸ When He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp, and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. ⁹ And they sang a new song: “Worthy are You to take the scroll and open its seals, because You were slain, and by Your blood You purchased us for God from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. ¹⁰ You have made them to be kings and priests to serve our God, and they will reign upon the earth.”

⁹ After this I looked and saw a multitude too large to count, from every nation and tribe and people and tongue, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands. ¹⁰ And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” ¹¹ And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. And they fell facedown before the throne and worshiped God, ¹² saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God forever and ever! Amen.” ¹³ Then one of the elders addressed me: “These in white robes,” he asked, “who are they, and where have they come from?” ¹⁴ “Sir,” I answered, “you know.” So he replied, “These are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. ¹⁵ For this reason, they are before the throne of God and serve Him day and night in His temple; and the One seated on the throne will spread His tabernacle over them. ¹⁶ ‘Never again will they hunger, and never will they thirst; nor will the sun beat down upon them, nor any scorching heat.’ ¹⁷ For the Lamb in the center of the throne shepherds them. ‘He will lead them to springs of living water,’ and ‘God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’”

²⁸ Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men, and you have prevailed.” ²⁹ And Jacob requested, “Please tell me your name.” But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed Jacob there. ³⁰ So Jacob named the place Peniel, saying, “Indeed, I have seen God face to face, and yet my life was spared.”

¹⁵ Then he blessed Joseph and said: “May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day, ¹⁶ the angel who has redeemed me from all harm—may He bless these boys. And may they be called by my name and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac, and may they grow into a multitude upon the earth.”

²¹ Pay attention to him and listen to his voice; do not defy him, for he will not forgive rebellion, since My Name is in him.

¹⁸ Then Moses said, “Please show me Your glory.” ¹⁹ “I will cause all My goodness to pass before you,” the LORD replied, “and I will proclaim My name—the LORD—in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” ²⁰ But He added, “You cannot see My face, for no one can see Me and live.” ²¹ The LORD continued, “There is a place near Me where you are to stand upon a rock, ²² and when My glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by. ²³ Then I will take My hand away, and you will see My back; but My face must not be seen.”

⁵ And the LORD descended in a cloud, stood with him there, and proclaimed His name, the LORD. ⁶ Then the LORD passed in front of Moses and called out: “The LORD, the LORD God, is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion and faithfulness, ⁷ maintaining loving devotion to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin. Yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished; He will visit the iniquity of the fathers on their children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.”

⁸ I speak with him face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the LORD. Why then were you unafraid to speak against My servant Moses?”

¹² And the LORD spoke to you out of the fire. You heard the sound of the words, but saw no form; there was only a voice.

¹³ Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in His hand. Joshua approached Him and asked, “Are You for us or for our enemies?”

¹² And the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon and said, “The LORD is with you, O mighty man of valor.” ¹³ “Please, my Lord,” Gideon replied, “if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all His wonders of which our fathers told us, saying, ‘Has not the LORD brought us up out of Egypt?’ But now the LORD has forsaken us and delivered us into the hand of Midian.” ¹⁴ The LORD turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel from the hand of Midian. Am I not sending you?” ¹⁵ “Please, my Lord,” Gideon replied, “how can I save Israel? Indeed, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s house.” ¹⁶ “Surely I will be with you,” the LORD replied, “and you will strike down all the Midianites as one man.” ¹⁷ Gideon answered, “If I have found favor in Your sight, give me a sign that it is You speaking with me. ¹⁸ Please do not depart from this place until I return to You. Let me bring my offering and set it before You.” And the LORD said, “I will stay until you return.” ¹⁹ So Gideon went in and prepared a young goat and unleavened bread and an ephah of flour. He placed the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot and brought them out to present to Him under the oak. ²⁰ And the angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened bread, lay them on this rock, and pour out the broth.” And Gideon did so. ²¹ Then the angel of the LORD extended the tip of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened bread. And fire flared from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. Then the angel of the LORD vanished from his sight. ²² When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the LORD, he said, “Oh no, Lord GOD! I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face!” ²³ But the LORD said to him, “Peace be with you. Do not be afraid, for you will not die.” ²⁴ So Gideon built an altar to the LORD there and called it The LORD Is Peace. To this day it stands in Ophrah of the Abiezrites. ²⁵ On that very night the LORD said to Gideon, “Take your father’s young bull and a second bull seven years old, tear down your father’s altar to Baal, and cut down the Asherah pole beside it. ²⁶ Then build a proper altar to the LORD your God on the top of this stronghold. And with the wood of the Asherah pole you cut down, take the second bull and offer it as a burnt offering.”

²⁰ When the flame went up from the altar to the sky, the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame. When Manoah and his wife saw this, they fell facedown to the ground. ²¹ And when the angel of the LORD did not appear again to Manoah and his wife, Manoah realized that it had been the angel of the LORD. ²² “We are going to die,” he said to his wife, “for we have seen God!” ²³ But his wife replied, “If the LORD had intended to kill us, He would not have accepted the burnt offering and the grain offering from our hands, nor would He have shown us all these things or spoken to us this way.”

³⁰ Then I was a skilled craftsman at His side, and His delight day by day, rejoicing always in His presence.

¹ In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted; and the train of His robe filled the temple. ² Above Him stood seraphim, each having six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. ³ And they were calling out to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Hosts; all the earth is full of His glory.”

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

¹² They cry out to their mothers: “Where is the grain and wine?” as they faint like the wounded in the streets of the city, as their lives fade away in the arms of their mothers.

²⁶ Above the expanse over their heads was the likeness of a throne with the appearance of sapphire, and on the throne high above was a figure like that of a man. ²⁷ From what seemed to be His waist up, I saw a gleam like amber, with what looked like fire within it all around. And from what seemed to be His waist down, I saw what looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded Him. ²⁸ The appearance of the brilliant light all around Him was like that of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell facedown and heard a voice speaking.

³ In the womb he grasped his brother’s heel, and in his vigor he wrestled with God. ⁴ Yes, he struggled with the angel and prevailed; he wept and sought His favor; he found Him at Bethel and spoke with Him there— ⁵ the LORD is the God of Hosts—the LORD is His name of renown.

²² And turning to the disciples, He said, “All things have been entrusted to Me by My Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.”

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

¹⁶ For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. ¹⁸ Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

⁴⁶ not that anyone has seen the Father except the One who is from God; only He has seen the Father.

⁴¹ Isaiah said these things when he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about Him.

²³ One of His disciples, the one whom Jesus loved, was reclining at His side.

⁶ I have revealed Your name to those You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours; You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word.

²⁶ And I have made Your name known to them and will continue to make it known, so that the love You have for Me may be in them, and I in them.”

¹⁵ The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.

¹⁷ Now to the King eternal, immortal, and invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

¹⁶ He alone is immortal and dwells in unapproachable light. No one has ever seen Him, nor can anyone see Him. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.

¹² No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God remains in us, and His love is perfected in us.

²⁰ If anyone says, “I love God,” but hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, how can he love God, whom he has not seen?

⁹ You are to go to the Levitical priests and to the judge who presides at that time. Inquire of them, and they will give you a verdict in the case. ¹⁰ You must abide by the verdict they give you at the place the LORD will choose. Be careful to do everything they instruct you, ¹¹ according to the terms of law they give and the verdict they proclaim. Do not turn aside to the right or to the left from the decision they declare to you.

⁸ In cases of infectious skin diseases, be careful to diligently follow everything the Levitical priests instruct you. Be careful to do as I have commanded them.

²³ When Jesus returned to the temple courts and began to teach, the chief priests and elders of the people came up to Him. “By what authority are You doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave You this authority?” ²⁴ “I will also ask you one question,” Jesus replied, “and if you answer Me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. ²⁵ What was the source of John’s baptism? Was it from heaven or from men?” They deliberated among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will ask, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ ²⁶ But if we say, ‘From men,’ we are afraid of the people, for they all regard John as a prophet.” ²⁷ So they answered, “We do not know.” And Jesus replied, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things. ²⁸ But what do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first one and said, ‘Son, go and work today in my vineyard.’ ²⁹ ‘I will not,’ he replied. But later he changed his mind and went. ³⁰ Then the man went to the second son and told him the same thing. ‘I will, sir,’ he said. But he did not go. ³¹ Which of the two did the will of his father?” “The first,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you. ³² For John came to you in a righteous way and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.

¹⁵ The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John could be the Christ. ¹⁶ John answered all of them: “I baptize you with water, but One more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. ¹⁷ His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will clear His threshing floor and to gather the wheat into His barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” ¹⁸ With these and many other exhortations, John proclaimed the good news to the people.

¹⁸ On account of this, the Jews demanded, “What sign can You show us to prove Your authority to do these things?”

¹⁰ so the Jews said to the man who had been healed, “This is the Sabbath! It is unlawful for you to carry your mat.”

⁴¹ At this, the Jews began to grumble about Jesus because He had said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.”

⁵² At this, the Jews began to argue among themselves, “How can this man give us His flesh to eat?”

²⁴ So the Jews gathered around Him and demanded, “How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.”

²⁵ As John was completing his course, he said, ‘Who do you suppose I am? I am not that One. But He is coming after me whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.’

¹¹ I baptize you with water for repentance, but after me will come One more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit. ¹² His winnowing fork is in His hand to clear His threshing floor and to gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

¹⁵ The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John could be the Christ. ¹⁶ John answered all of them: “I baptize you with water, but One more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. ¹⁷ His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will clear His threshing floor and to gather the wheat into His barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

¹⁵ The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. You must listen to him. ¹⁶ This is what you asked of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, “Let us not hear the voice of the LORD our God or see this great fire anymore, so that we will not die!” ¹⁷ Then the LORD said to me, “They have spoken well. ¹⁸ I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. I will put My words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him.

⁵ Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and awesome Day of the LORD.

⁹ What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. ¹⁰ For this is the one about whom it is written: ‘Behold, I will send My messenger ahead of You, who will prepare Your way before You.’ ¹¹ Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has risen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet even the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

¹⁴ And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come.

¹⁴ They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

¹⁰ His disciples asked Him, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” ¹¹ Jesus replied, “Elijah does indeed come first, and he will restore all things. ¹² But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him whatever they wished. In the same way, the Son of Man will suffer at their hands.”

¹⁷ And he will go on before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

²⁵ asked him, “Why then do you baptize, if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”

⁴⁰ On hearing these words, many of the people therefore said, “This is truly the Prophet.”

¹³ So Gad went and said to David, “Do you choose to endure three years of famine in your land, three months of fleeing the pursuit of your enemies, or three days of plague upon your land? Now then, think it over and decide how I should reply to Him who sent me.”

³ This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him.’”

³ “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him.’”

⁴ as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him. ⁵ Every valley shall be filled in, and every mountain and hill made low. The crooked ways shall be made straight, and the rough ways smooth. ⁶ And all humanity will see God’s salvation.’”

¹³ Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You defraud widows of their houses, and for a show make lengthy prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation. ¹⁴ Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let in those who wish to enter. ¹⁵ Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You traverse land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.

²⁶ Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, so that the outside may become clean as well.

³⁰ But the Pharisees and experts in the law rejected God’s purpose for themselves, because they had not been baptized by John.

³⁹ “Now then,” said the Lord, “you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. ⁴⁰ You fools! Did not the One who made the outside make the inside as well? ⁴¹ But give as alms the things that are within you, and you will see that everything is clean for you. ⁴² Woe to you Pharisees! You pay tithes of mint, rue, and every herb, but you disregard justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without neglecting the former. ⁴³ Woe to you Pharisees! You love the chief seats in the synagogues and the greetings in the marketplaces. ⁴⁴ Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! For you are like unmarked graves, which men walk over without even noticing.”

⁵³ As Jesus said these things to them, the scribes and Pharisees began to oppose Him bitterly and to ply Him with questions about many things,

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

¹ Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. ² He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs You are doing if God were not with him.”

⁴⁷ “Have you also been deceived?” replied the Pharisees. ⁴⁸ “Have any of the rulers or Pharisees believed in Him? ⁴⁹ But this crowd that does not know the law, they are under a curse.”

⁸ For the Sadducees say that there is neither a resurrection, nor angels, nor spirits, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.

⁵ They have known me for a long time and can testify, if they are willing, that I lived as a Pharisee, adhering to the strictest sect of our religion.

⁵ circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin; a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; ⁶ as to zeal, persecuting the church; as to righteousness in the law, faultless.

¹⁵ The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. You must listen to him.

¹⁸ I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. I will put My words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him.

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

²³ When Jesus returned to the temple courts and began to teach, the chief priests and elders of the people came up to Him. “By what authority are You doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave You this authority?”

²⁰ He did not refuse to confess, but openly declared, “I am not the Christ.” ²¹ “Then who are you?” they inquired. “Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No.” ²² So they said to him, “Who are you? We need an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”

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

²⁸ “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us responsible for this man’s blood.”

¹ “Behold, I will send My messenger, who will prepare the way before Me. Then the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to His temple—the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight—see, He is coming,” says the LORD of Hosts. ² But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He will be like a refiner’s fire, like a launderer’s soap.

⁸ I indeed baptize you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

¹⁰ He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him. ¹¹ He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.

¹⁹ “Where is Your Father?” they asked Him. “You do not know Me or My Father,” Jesus answered. “If you knew Me, you would know My Father as well.”

³ They will do these things because they have not known the Father or Me.

³ Now this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.

⁵ For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

¹⁶ Then I remembered the word of the Lord, as He used to say, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’

³⁰ This is He of whom I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because He was before me.’

²⁴ Gideon sent messengers throughout the hill country of Ephraim to say, “Come down against the Midianites and seize the waters of the Jordan ahead of them as far as Beth-barah.” So all the men of Ephraim were called out, and they captured the waters of the Jordan as far as Beth-barah.

²³ Now John was also baptizing at Aenon near Salem, because the water was plentiful there, and people kept coming to be baptized.

²⁶ So John’s disciples came to him and said, “Look, Rabbi, the One who was with you beyond the Jordan, the One you testified about—He is baptizing, and everyone is going to Him.”

⁴⁰ Then Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had first been baptizing, and He stayed there.

⁵ “Why wasn’t this perfume sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?”

⁷ Then Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” “Here I am, my son,” he replied. “The fire and the wood are here,” said Isaac, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” ⁸ Abraham answered, “God Himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two walked on together.

³ Tell the whole congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man must select a lamb for his family, one per household. ⁴ If the household is too small for a whole lamb, they are to share with the nearest neighbor based on the number of people, and apportion the lamb accordingly. ⁵ Your lamb must be an unblemished year-old male, and you may take it from the sheep or the goats. ⁶ You must keep it until the fourteenth day of the month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel will slaughter the animals at twilight. ⁷ They are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs. ⁸ They are to eat the meat that night, roasted over the fire, along with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. ⁹ Do not eat any of the meat raw or cooked in boiling water, but only roasted over the fire—its head and legs and inner parts. ¹⁰ Do not leave any of it until morning; before the morning you must burn up any part that is left over. ¹¹ This is how you are to eat it: You must be fully dressed for travel, with your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. You are to eat in haste; it is the LORD’s Passover. ¹² On that night I will pass through the land of Egypt and strike down every firstborn male, both man and beast, and I will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD. ¹³ The blood on the houses where you are staying will distinguish them; when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No plague will fall on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.

³⁸ And it will be worn on Aaron’s forehead, so that he may bear the iniquity of the holy things that the sons of Israel consecrate with regard to all their holy gifts. It shall always be on his forehead, so that they may be acceptable before the LORD.

¹⁷ “Why didn’t you eat the sin offering in the holy place? For it is most holy; it was given to you to take away the guilt of the congregation by making atonement for them before the LORD.

²¹ Then he is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the iniquities and rebellious acts of the Israelites in regard to all their sins. He is to put them on the goat’s head and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man appointed for the task. ²² The goat will carry on itself all their iniquities into a solitary place, and the man will release it into the wilderness.

¹ So the LORD said to Aaron, “You and your sons and your father’s house must bear the iniquity involving the sanctuary. And you and your sons alone must bear the iniquity involving your priesthood.

²³ The Levites are to perform the work of the Tent of Meeting, and they must bear their iniquity. This is a permanent statute for the generations to come. The Levites will not receive an inheritance among the Israelites.

³ And tell them that this is the offering made by fire you are to present to the LORD as a regular burnt offering each day: two unblemished year-old male lambs. ⁴ Offer one lamb in the morning and the other at twilight, ⁵ along with a tenth of an ephah of fine flour as a grain offering, mixed with a quarter hin of oil from pressed olives. ⁶ This is a regular burnt offering established at Mount Sinai as a pleasing aroma, an offering made by fire to the LORD. ⁷ The drink offering accompanying each lamb shall be a quarter hin. Pour out the offering of fermented drink to the LORD in the sanctuary area. ⁸ And offer the second lamb at twilight, with the same grain offering and drink offering as in the morning. It is an offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma to the LORD. ⁹ On the Sabbath day, present two unblemished year-old male lambs, accompanied by a grain offering of two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, as well as a drink offering. ¹⁰ This is the burnt offering for every Sabbath, in addition to the regular burnt offering and its drink offering.

⁷ He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth.

¹¹ After the anguish of His soul, He will see the light of life and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant will justify many, and He will bear their iniquities.

² Bring your confessions and return to the LORD. Say to Him: “Take away all our iniquity and receive us graciously, that we may present the fruit of our lips.

²¹ She will give birth to a Son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.”

²⁸ just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”

³² The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture: “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so He did not open His mouth.

³⁹ Through Him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses.

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

²¹ For God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.

⁴ who gave Himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,

¹³ Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. For it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”

⁶ who gave Himself as a ransom for all—the testimony that was given at just the right time.

¹⁴ He gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.

¹⁷ For this reason He had to be made like His brothers in every way, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, in order to make atonement for the sins of the people.

²⁸ so also Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many; and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await Him.

¹⁹ but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or spot.

²⁴ He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. “By His stripes you are healed.”

¹⁸ For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit,

² He Himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.

⁵ But you know that Christ appeared to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin.

¹⁰ And love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins.

⁵ and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and has washed us from our sins by His blood,

⁶ Then I saw a Lamb who appeared to have been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which represent the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth.

⁸ When He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp, and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.

¹² In a loud voice they were saying: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing!” ¹³ And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying: “To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power forever and ever. Amen!”

¹ Then I watched as the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say in a thunderous voice, “Come and see!”

¹⁶ And they said to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the One seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb.

⁹ After this I looked and saw a multitude too large to count, from every nation and tribe and people and tongue, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands. ¹⁰ And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

¹⁴ “Sir,” I answered, “you know.” So he replied, “These are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

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

¹¹ They have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony. And they did not love their lives so as to shy away from death.

⁸ And all who dwell on the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written from the foundation of the world in the Book of Life belonging to the Lamb who was slain.

¹ Then I looked and saw the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him 144,000 who had His name and His Father’s name written on their foreheads.

⁴ These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they are virgins. They follow the Lamb wherever He goes. They have been redeemed by Jesus from among men as firstfruits to God and to the Lamb.

¹⁰ he too will drink the wine of God’s anger, poured undiluted into the cup of His wrath. And he will be tormented in fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb.

³ and they sang the song of God’s servant Moses and of the Lamb: “Great and wonderful are Your works, O Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the nations!

¹⁴ They will make war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will triumph over them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and He will be accompanied by His called and chosen and faithful ones.”

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

⁹ Then the angel told me to write, “Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”

⁹ Then one of the seven angels with the seven bowls full of the seven final plagues came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.”

¹⁴ The wall of the city had twelve foundations bearing the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

²² But I saw no temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. ²³ And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, because the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its lamp.

²⁷ But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who practices an abomination or a lie, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

² “But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings, and you will go out and leap like calves from the stall. ³ Then you will trample the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day I am preparing,” says the LORD of Hosts. ⁴ “Remember the law of My servant Moses, the statutes and ordinances I commanded him for all Israel at Horeb. ⁵ Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and awesome Day of the LORD.

⁶ Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan.

³ “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him.’” ⁴ John came baptizing in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. ⁵ People went out to him from all of Jerusalem and the countryside of Judea. Confessing their sins, they were all baptized by him in the Jordan River.

⁷⁶ And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the presence of the Lord to prepare the way for Him, ⁷⁷ to give to His people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, ⁷⁸ because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the Dawn has visited us from on high, ⁷⁹ to shine on those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.” ⁸⁰ And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the wilderness until the time of his public appearance to Israel.

³⁹ When Jesus’ parents had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. ⁴⁰ And the Child grew and became strong in spirit. He was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon Him. ⁴¹ Every year His parents went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover. ⁴² And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the Feast.

³ He went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, ⁴ as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him.

¹⁶ As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water. Suddenly the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and resting on Him.

¹⁰ As soon as Jesus came up out of the water, He saw the heavens breaking open and the Spirit descending on Him like a dove.

²² and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in a bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, saying, “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.”

³² There is another who testifies about Me, and I know that His testimony about Me is valid.

¹³ At that time Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. ¹⁴ But John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?” ¹⁵ “Let it be so now,” Jesus replied. “It is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness in this way.” Then John permitted Him.

³¹ I myself did not know Him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that He might be revealed to Israel.”

⁵ Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.

⁴ And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

⁴⁴ While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard his message. ⁴⁵ All the circumcised believers who had accompanied Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. ⁴⁶ For they heard them speaking in tongues and exalting God. Then Peter said, ⁴⁷ “Can anyone withhold the water to baptize these people? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have!”

¹⁵ As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, just as He had fallen upon us at the beginning. ¹⁶ Then I remembered the word of the Lord, as He used to say, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’

² and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?” “No,” they answered, “we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” ³ “Into what, then, were you baptized?” Paul asked. “The baptism of John,” they replied. ⁴ Paul explained: “John’s baptism was indeed a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the One coming after him, that is, in Christ” Jesus. ⁵ On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. ⁶ And when Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.

¹³ For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free, and we were all given into one Spirit to drink.

⁵ He saved us, not by the righteous deeds we had done, but according to His mercy, through the washing of new birth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. ⁶ This is the Spirit He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior,

²⁶ He will call to Me, ‘You are my Father, my God, the Rock of my salvation.’ ²⁷ I will indeed appoint him as My firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth.

¹⁷ And a voice from heaven said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased!”

³ The tempter came to Him and said, “If You are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

⁶ “If You are the Son of God,” he said, “throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He will command His angels concerning You, and they will lift You up in their hands, so that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’”

²⁹ “What do You want with us, Jesus, Son of God?” they shouted. “Have You come here to torture us before the appointed time?”

¹⁶ Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

⁵ While Peter was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him!”

⁶³ But Jesus remained silent. Then the high priest said to Him, “I charge You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God.”

⁴⁰ and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross!”

⁴³ He trusts in God. Let God deliver Him now if He wants Him. For He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”

⁵⁴ When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified and said, “Truly this was the Son of God.”

¹ This is the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

¹¹ And a voice came from heaven: “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

³⁵ The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God.

⁴⁹ “Rabbi,” Nathanael answered, “You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”

²³ so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. ²⁴ Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not come under judgment. Indeed, he has crossed over from death to life. ²⁵ Truly, truly, I tell you, the hour is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. ²⁶ For as the Father has life in Himself, so also He has granted the Son to have life in Himself. ²⁷ And He has given Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man.

⁶⁹ We believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

³⁰ I and the Father are one.”

³⁶ then what about the One whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world? How then can you accuse Me of blasphemy for stating that I am the Son of God?

²⁷ “Yes, Lord,” she answered, “I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.”

⁷ “We have a law,” answered the Jews, “and according to our law He must die, because He declared Himself to be the Son of God.”

⁴ and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by His resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.

¹⁹ For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was proclaimed among you by me and Silvanus and Timothy, was not “Yes” and “No,” but in Him it has always been “Yes.”

¹ On many past occasions and in many different ways, God spoke to our fathers through the prophets. ² But in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the universe.

⁵ For to which of the angels did God ever say: “You are My Son; today I have become Your Father”? Or again: “I will be His Father, and He will be My Son”? ⁶ And again, when God brings His firstborn into the world, He says: “Let all God’s angels worship Him.”

²³ Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father.

⁸ The one who practices sin is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the very start. This is why the Son of God was revealed, to destroy the works of the devil.

¹⁴ And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent His Son to be the Savior of the world. ¹⁵ If anyone confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.

⁹ Even if we accept human testimony, the testimony of God is greater. For this is the testimony that God has given about His Son. ¹⁰ Whoever believes in the Son of God has this testimony within him; whoever does not believe God has made Him out to be a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given about His Son. ¹¹ And this is that testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.

⁹ Anyone who transgresses without remaining in the teaching of Christ does not have God. Whoever remains in the teaching of Christ has both the Father and the Son.

¹⁸ To the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like a blazing fire and whose feet are like polished bronze.

¹⁶ At that time those who feared the LORD spoke with one another, and the LORD listened and heard them. So a scroll of remembrance was written before Him regarding those who feared the LORD and honored His name.

²⁵ Then a dispute arose between John’s disciples and a certain Jew over the issue of ceremonial washing. ²⁶ So John’s disciples came to him and said, “Look, Rabbi, the One who was with you beyond the Jordan, the One you testified about—He is baptizing, and everyone is going to Him.”

²² Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.

¹ “I revealed Myself to those who did not ask for Me; I was found by those who did not seek Me. To a nation that did not call My name, I said, ‘Here I am! Here I am!’ ² All day long I have held out My hands to an obstinate people who walk in the wrong path, who follow their own imaginations,

²⁹ The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

² Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

¹⁹ but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or spot. ²⁰ He was known before the foundation of the world, but was revealed in the last times for your sake.

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

²¹ and the residents of one city will go to another, saying: ‘Let us go at once to plead before the LORD and to seek the LORD of Hosts. I myself am going.’

⁴³ The next day Jesus decided to set out for Galilee. Finding Philip, He told him, “Follow Me.”

³⁹ Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in Jesus because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” ⁴⁰ So when the Samaritans came to Him, they asked Him to stay with them, and He stayed two days. ⁴¹ And many more believed because of His message. ⁴² They said to the woman, “We now believe not only because of your words; we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man truly is the Christ, the Savior of the world.”

¹⁷ Consequently, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

²⁹ Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building up the one in need and bringing grace to those who listen.

¹⁷ The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” Let the one who hears say, “Come!” And let the one who is thirsty come, and the one who desires the water of life drink freely.

¹⁶ But Ruth replied: “Do not urge me to leave you or to turn from following you. For wherever you go, I will go, and wherever you live, I will live; your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.

⁸ How blessed are your men! How blessed are these servants of yours who stand continually before you and hear your wisdom!

⁴ One thing I have asked of the LORD; this is what I desire: to dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and seek Him in His temple.

¹⁸ She is a tree of life to those who embrace her, and those who lay hold of her are blessed.

³⁴ Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at the posts of my doorway.

²⁰ He who walks with the wise will become wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed.

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

⁷ the greetings in the marketplaces, and the title of ‘Rabbi, Rabbi’ by which they are addressed. ⁸ But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brothers.

²⁴ After John’s messengers had left, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swaying in the wind? ²⁵ Otherwise, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? Look, those who wear elegant clothing and live in luxury are found in palaces. ²⁶ What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. ²⁷ This is the one about whom it is written: ‘Behold, I will send My messenger ahead of You, who will prepare Your way before You.’

³⁸ The man whom the demons had left begged to go with Jesus. But Jesus sent him away, saying,

³⁹ She had a sister named Mary, who sat at Jesus’ feet listening to His message.

²⁵ Large crowds were now traveling with Jesus, and He turned and said to them,

²⁰ So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still in the distance, his father saw him and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him.

⁴⁰ Jesus stopped and directed that the man be brought to Him. When he had been brought near, Jesus asked him, ⁴¹ “What do you want Me to do for you?” “Lord,” he said, “let me see again.”

⁵ When Jesus came to that place, He looked up and saw him and said, “Zacchaeus, hurry down, for I must stay at your house today.”

⁶¹ And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word that the Lord had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.”

² He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs You are doing if God were not with him.”

²⁵ When they found Him on the other side of the sea, they asked Him, “Rabbi, when did You get here?”

²¹ They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and requested of him, “Sir, we want to see Jesus.”

⁴ Jesus, knowing all that was coming upon Him, stepped forward and asked them, “Whom are you seeking?”

⁷ So He asked them again, “Whom are you seeking?” “Jesus of Nazareth,” they answered.

¹⁵ “Woman, why are you weeping?” Jesus asked. “Whom are you seeking?” Thinking He was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried Him off, tell me where you have put Him, and I will get Him.” ¹⁶ Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to Him, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).

²¹ So Peter went down to the men and said, “Here am I, the one you are looking for. Why have you come?”

²⁹ So when I was invited, I came without objection. I ask, then, why have you sent for me?”

¹⁷ I love those who love me, and those who seek me early shall find me.

²⁸ Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

²⁹ But they pleaded with Him, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.” So He went in to stay with them.

⁴⁶ “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip.

⁴⁰ So when the Samaritans came to Him, they asked Him to stay with them, and He stayed two days.

³⁷ Everyone the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will never drive away.

²² Judas (not Iscariot) asked Him, “Lord, why are You going to reveal Yourself to us and not to the world?” ²³ Jesus replied, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.

³⁰ Paul stayed there two full years in his own rented house, welcoming all who came to visit him. ³¹ Boldly and freely he proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.

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

¹⁸ As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. ¹⁹ “Come, follow Me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” ²⁰ And at once they left their nets and followed Him. ²¹ Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. Jesus called them, ²² and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed Him.

² These are the names of the twelve apostles: first Simon, called Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John;

¹⁶ As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. ¹⁷ “Come, follow Me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” ¹⁸ And at once they left their nets and followed Him. ¹⁹ Going on a little farther from there, He saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat, mending their nets. ²⁰ Immediately Jesus called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed Him.

² He saw two boats at the edge of the lake. The fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. ³ Jesus got into the boat belonging to Simon and asked him to put out a little from shore. And sitting down, He taught the people from the boat. ⁴ When Jesus had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” ⁵ “Master,” Simon replied, “we have worked hard all night without catching anything. But because You say so, I will let down the net.” ⁶ When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their net began to tear. ⁷ So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. ⁸ When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees. “Go away from me, Lord,” he said, “for I am a sinful man.” ⁹ For he and his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, ¹⁰ and so were his partners James and John, the sons of Zebedee. “Do not be afraid,” Jesus said to Simon. “From now on you will catch men.” ¹¹ And when they had brought their boats ashore, they left everything and followed Him.

⁴⁰ Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard John’s testimony and followed Jesus. ⁴¹ He first found his brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated as Christ). ⁴² Andrew brought him to Jesus, who looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of Jonah. You will be called Cephas” (which is translated as Peter).

⁸ One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him,

¹³ When they arrived, they went to the upper room where they were staying: Peter and James, John and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James.

⁹ Finally, they said to one another, “We are not doing what is right. Today is a day of good news. If we are silent and wait until morning light, our sin will overtake us. Now, therefore, let us go and tell the king’s household.”

² The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together, against the LORD and against His Anointed One:

⁷ You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you above your companions with the oil of joy.

²⁰ I have found My servant David; with My sacred oil I have anointed him.

³ And many peoples will come and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us His ways so that we may walk in His paths.” For the law will go forth from Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. ⁴ Then He will judge between the nations and arbitrate for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will no longer take up the sword against nation, nor train anymore for war. ⁵ Come, O house of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the LORD.

² The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him—the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and strength, the Spirit of knowledge and fear of the LORD.

¹ The Spirit of the Lord GOD is on Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners,

¹⁷ After they had seen the Child, they spread widely the message they had received about Him.

³⁸ Coming forward at that moment, she gave thanks to the Lord and spoke about the Child to all who were waiting for redemption in Jerusalem.

¹⁸ “The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to release the oppressed, ¹⁹ to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” ²⁰ Then He rolled up the scroll, returned it to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on Him, ²¹ and He began by saying, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

³⁶ When he saw Jesus walking by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” ³⁷ And when the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus.

⁴⁵ Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the One Moses wrote about in the Law, the One the prophets foretold—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

²⁵ The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When He comes, He will explain everything to us.”

²⁸ Then the woman left her water jar, went back into the town, and said to the people, ²⁹ “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?”

²⁷ In fact, Herod and Pontius Pilate conspired with the Gentiles and the people of Israel against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed.

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

³² And now we proclaim to you the good news: What God promised our fathers ³³ He has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus. As it is written in the second Psalm: ‘You are My Son; today I have become Your Father.’

⁸ But about the Son He says: “Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever, and justice is the scepter of Your kingdom. ⁹ You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You above Your companions with the oil of joy.”

³ We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And this fellowship of ours is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ.

¹⁷ Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by My Father in heaven. ¹⁸ And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.

¹⁶ Simon (whom He named Peter),

⁸ When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees. “Go away from me, Lord,” he said, “for I am a sinful man.”

¹⁴ Simon, whom He named Peter, and his brother Andrew; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew;

⁴⁷ When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, He said of him, “Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is no deceit.” ⁴⁸ “How do You know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus replied, “Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.”

²⁴ But Jesus did not entrust Himself to them, for He knew them all. ²⁵ He did not need any testimony about man, for He knew what was in a man.

⁷⁰ Jesus answered them, “Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!” ⁷¹ He was speaking about Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. For although Judas was one of the Twelve, he was later to betray Jesus.

¹⁸ I am not speaking about all of you; I know whom I have chosen. But this is to fulfill the Scripture: ‘The one who shares bread with Me has lifted up his heel against Me.’

² Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus, Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together.

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

¹² What I mean is this: Individuals among you are saying, “I follow Paul,” “I follow Apollos,” “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.”

²² whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future. All of them belong to you,

⁵ Have we no right to take along a believing wife, as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas?

⁵ and that He appeared to Cephas and then to the Twelve.

⁹ And recognizing the grace that I had been given, James, Cephas, and John—those reputed to be pillars—gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, so that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcised.

¹ “I revealed Myself to those who did not ask for Me; I was found by those who did not seek Me. To a nation that did not call My name, I said, ‘Here I am! Here I am!’

¹⁸ As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. ¹⁹ “Come, follow Me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” ²⁰ And at once they left their nets and followed Him. ²¹ Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. Jesus called them,

⁹ As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax booth. “Follow Me,” He told him, and Matthew got up and followed Him.

³ Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus called Thaddaeus.

¹⁰ For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

²⁸ All this happened at Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

³⁵ The next day John was there again with two of his disciples.

⁵ When Jesus looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward Him, He said to Philip, “Where can we buy bread for these people to eat?”

⁷ Philip answered, “Two hundred denarii would not buy enough bread for each of them to have a small piece.”

⁸ Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.”

¹² Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.

¹⁹ We love Him because He first loved us.

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

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

⁴⁵ Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of Him to Bethsaida, while He dismissed the crowd.

²² When they arrived at Bethsaida, some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him.

¹⁰ Then the apostles returned and reported to Jesus all that they had done. Taking them away privately, He withdrew to a deserted place of the city called Bethsaida.

¹³ Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.

⁸ Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.” ⁹ Jesus replied, “Philip, I have been with you all this time, and still you do not know Me? Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

¹⁰ The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes and the allegiance of the nations is his.

¹⁸ I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. I will put My words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him. ¹⁹ And I will hold accountable anyone who does not listen to My words that the prophet speaks in My name. ²⁰ But if any prophet dares to speak a message in My name that I have not commanded him to speak, or to speak in the name of other gods, that prophet must be put to death.” ²¹ You may ask in your heart, “How can we recognize a message that the LORD has not spoken?” ²² When a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD and the message does not come to pass or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. The prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him.

² On that day the Branch of the LORD will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of Israel’s survivors.

¹² And you are to tell him that this is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘Here is a man whose name is the Branch, and He will branch out from His place and build the temple of the LORD.

⁹ Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your King comes to you, righteous and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

²³ and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophets: “He will be called a Nazarene.”

⁵⁵ “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t His mother’s name Mary, and aren’t His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas?

¹¹ The crowds replied, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

³ Isn’t this the carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? Aren’t His sisters here with us as well?” And they took offense at Him.

⁶⁷ and saw him warming himself there. She looked at Peter and said, “You also were with Jesus the Nazarene.”

⁴ So Joseph also went up from Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, since he was from the house and line of David.

²³ Jesus Himself was about thirty years old when He began His ministry. He was regarded as the son of Joseph, the son of Heli,

²² All spoke well of Him and marveled at the gracious words that came from His lips. “Isn’t this the son of Joseph?” they asked.

²⁷ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was written in all the Scriptures about Himself.

⁴⁴ Jesus said to them, “These are the words I spoke to you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about Me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms.”

⁴⁶ “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip.

⁴⁵ Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, in whom you have put your hope. ⁴⁶ If you had believed Moses, you would believe Me, because he wrote about Me.

⁴² They were asking, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How then can He say, ‘I have come down from heaven?’”

⁵ “Jesus of Nazareth,” they answered. Jesus said, “I am He.” And Judas His betrayer was standing there with them.

¹⁹ Pilate also had a notice posted on the cross. It read: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.

²² Men of Israel, listen to this message: Jesus of Nazareth was a man certified by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs, which God did among you through Him, as you yourselves know.

⁶ But Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!”

⁸ ‘Who are You, Lord?’ I asked. ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting,’ He replied.

⁹ So then, I too was convinced that I ought to do all I could to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth.

²⁸ On hearing this, all the people in the synagogue were enraged. ²⁹ They got up, drove Him out of the town, and led Him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw Him over the cliff.

⁵⁷ And why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right?

²⁹ “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?”

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

⁵² “Aren’t you also from Galilee?” they replied. “Look into it, and you will see that no prophet comes out of Galilee.”

²¹ but test all things. Hold fast to what is good.

² Blessed is the man whose iniquity the LORD does not count against him, in whose spirit there is no deceit.

¹ A Psalm of Asaph. Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.

³¹ So He said to the Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, you are truly My disciples.

³⁹ “Abraham is our father,” they replied. “If you were children of Abraham,” said Jesus, “you would do the works of Abraham.

²⁸ A man is not a Jew because he is one outwardly, nor is circumcision only outward and physical. ²⁹ No, a man is a Jew because he is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man’s praise does not come from men, but from God.

⁴ the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory and the covenants; theirs the giving of the law, the temple worship, and the promises.

⁶ It is not as though God’s word has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.

³ For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh—

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

²² “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth.”

⁵ And no lie was found in their mouths, for they are blameless.

²⁴ So Jacob was left all alone, and there a man wrestled with him until daybreak. ²⁵ When the man saw that he could not overpower Jacob, he struck the socket of Jacob’s hip and dislocated it as they wrestled. ²⁶ Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” ²⁷ “What is your name?” the man asked. “Jacob,” he replied.

¹ For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. O LORD, You have searched me and known me. ² You know when I sit and when I rise; You understand my thoughts from afar.

²⁴ Even before they call, I will answer, and while they are still speaking, I will hear.

⁶ But when you pray, go into your inner room, shut your door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you openly.

²⁵ He did not need any testimony about man, for He knew what was in a man.

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

²⁵ and so the secrets of his heart will be made known. So he will fall facedown and worship God, proclaiming, “God is truly among you!”

¹⁸ To the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like a blazing fire and whose feet are like polished bronze. ¹⁹ I know your deeds—your love, your faith, your service, your perseverance—and your latter deeds are greater than your first.

⁶ “I have installed My King on Zion, upon My holy mountain.”

¹ A Psalm of David. The LORD said to my Lord: “Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.”

⁷ Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from that time and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of Hosts will accomplish this.

⁵ Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and He will reign wisely as King and will administer justice and righteousness in the land. ⁶ In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is His name by which He will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness.

²¹ you are to tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘I will take the Israelites out of the nations to which they have gone, and I will gather them from all around and bring them into their own land. ²² I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel, and one king will rule over all of them. Then they will no longer be two nations and will never again be divided into two kingdoms. ²³ They will no longer defile themselves with their idols or detestable images, or with any of their transgressions. I will save them from all their apostasies by which they sinned, and I will cleanse them. Then they will be My people, and I will be their God. ²⁴ My servant David will be king over them, and there will be one shepherd for all of them. They will follow My ordinances and keep and observe My statutes. ²⁵ They will live in the land that I gave to My servant Jacob, where your fathers lived. They will live there forever with their children and grandchildren, and My servant David will be their prince forever.

²⁵ Know and understand this: From the issuance of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem, until the Messiah, the Prince, there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks. It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of distress.

⁵ Afterward, the people of Israel will return and seek the LORD their God and David their king. They will come trembling to the LORD and to His goodness in the last days.

¹⁵ The LORD has taken away your punishment; He has turned back your enemy. Israel’s King, the LORD, is among you; no longer will you fear any harm.

¹² And you are to tell him that this is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘Here is a man whose name is the Branch, and He will branch out from His place and build the temple of the LORD. ¹³ Yes, He will build the temple of the LORD; He will be clothed in splendor and will sit on His throne and rule. And He will be a priest on His throne, and there will be peaceful counsel between the two.’

² asking, “Where is the One who has been born King of the Jews? We saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”

³³ Then those who were in the boat came and worshipped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God!”

⁵ “Say to the Daughter of Zion, ‘See, your King comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”

¹¹ Meanwhile Jesus stood before the governor, who questioned Him: “Are You the King of the Jews?” “You have said so,” Jesus replied.

⁴² “He saved others, but He cannot save Himself. If He is the King of Israel, let Him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in Him.

³⁸ “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

³⁴ I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.”

³⁸ Jesus turned and saw them following. “What do you want?” He asked. They said to Him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are You staying?”

¹³ They took palm branches and went out to meet Him, crying out: “Hosanna!” “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Blessed is the King of Israel!” ¹⁴ Finding a young donkey, Jesus sat on it, as it is written: ¹⁵ “Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion. See, your King is coming, seated on the colt of a donkey.”

³⁷ “Then You are a king!” Pilate said. “You say that I am a king,” Jesus answered. “For this reason I was born and have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to My voice.”

¹⁹ Pilate also had a notice posted on the cross. It read: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. ²⁰ Many of the Jews read this sign, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. ²¹ So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but only that He said, ‘I am the King of the Jews.’” ²² Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”

²⁸ Thomas replied, “My Lord and my God!” ²⁹ Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

²⁹ For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. But the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.

⁴⁵ Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord’s word to her will be fulfilled.”

⁹ When Jesus heard this, He marveled at the centurion. Turning to the crowd following Him, He said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith.”

²⁹ Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

¹² And Jacob had a dream about a ladder that rested on the earth with its top reaching up to heaven, and God’s angels were going up and down the ladder.

¹ In the thirtieth year, on the fifth day of the fourth month, while I was among the exiles by the River Kebar, the heavens opened and I saw visions of God.

⁹ As I continued to watch, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took His seat. His clothing was white as snow, and the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze. ¹⁰ A river of fire was flowing, coming out from His presence. Thousands upon thousands attended Him, and myriads upon myriads stood before Him. The court was convened, and the books were opened.

¹³ In my vision in the night I continued to watch, and I saw One like the Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into His presence. ¹⁴ And He was given dominion, glory, and kingship, that the people of every nation and language should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and His kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.

⁷ Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, against the man who is My Companion, declares the LORD of Hosts. Strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered, and I will turn My hand against the little ones.

¹¹ Then the devil left Him, and angels came and ministered to Him.

²⁰ Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.”

⁶ But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins...” Then He said to the paralytic, “Get up, pick up your mat, and go home.”

¹³ When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, He questioned His disciples: “Who do people pronounce Me, the Son of Man, to be?” ¹⁴ They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” ¹⁵ “But what about you?” Jesus asked. “Who do you say I am?” ¹⁶ Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

²⁷ For the Son of Man will come in His Father’s glory with His angels, and then He will repay each one according to what he has done. ²⁸ Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”

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

²⁴ The Son of Man will go just as it is written about Him, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed. It would be better for him if he had not been born.”

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

⁹ Just then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.

¹³ And suddenly there appeared with the angel a great multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying:

²¹ When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as He was praying, heaven was opened,

⁴³ Then an angel from heaven appeared to Him and strengthened Him.

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

⁴ While they were puzzling over this, suddenly two men in radiant apparel stood beside them.

¹³ No one has ascended into heaven except the One who descended from heaven—the Son of Man, who is in heaven. ¹⁴ Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,

¹⁹ So Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing by Himself, unless He sees the Father doing it. For whatever the Father does, the Son also does.

²⁴ Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not come under judgment. Indeed, he has crossed over from death to life. ²⁵ Truly, truly, I tell you, the hour is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.

²⁷ And He has given Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man.

²⁶ Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, it is not because you saw these signs that you are looking for Me, but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.

⁴⁷ Truly, truly, I tell you, he who believes in Me has eternal life.

⁵³ So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of Man, you have no life in you.

³⁴ Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.

⁵¹ Truly, truly, I tell you, if anyone keeps My word, he will never see death.”

¹ “Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever does not enter the sheepfold by the gate, but climbs in some other way, is a thief and a robber.

⁷ So He said to them again, “Truly, truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep.

²³ But Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. ²⁴ Truly, truly, I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a seed; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.

¹⁶ Truly, truly, I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.

²⁰ Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever receives the one I send receives Me, and whoever receives Me receives the One who sent Me.” ²¹ After Jesus had said this, He became troubled in spirit and testified, “Truly, truly, I tell you, one of you will betray Me.”

³⁸ “Will you lay down your life for Me?” Jesus replied. “Truly, truly, I tell you, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.

¹² Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever believes in Me will also do the works that I am doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to My Father.

²⁰ Truly, truly, I tell you, you will weep and wail while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.

²³ In that day you will no longer ask Me anything. Truly, truly, I tell you, whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you.

¹⁸ Truly, truly, I tell you, when you were young, you dressed yourself and walked where you wanted; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.”

¹⁰ They were looking intently into the sky as He was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. ¹¹ “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen Him go into heaven.”

⁵⁶ “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

¹¹ He saw heaven open and something like a large sheet being let down to earth to him, bound at its four corners.

⁷ and to grant relief to you who are oppressed and to us as well. This will take place when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels

⁹ They will suffer the penalty of eternal destruction, separated from the presence of the Lord and the glory of His might,

¹⁴ Are not the angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?

¹⁴ Enoch, the seventh from Adam, also prophesied about them: “Behold, the Lord is coming with myriads of His holy ones

¹ After this I looked and saw a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had previously heard speak to me like a trumpet was saying, “Come up here, and I will show you what must happen after these things.”

¹¹ Then I saw heaven standing open, and there before me was a white horse. And its rider is called Faithful and True. With righteousness He judges and wages war.