Mark 4 Cross References - MSB

¹ Once again Jesus began to teach beside the sea, and such a large crowd gathered around Him that He got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people crowded along the shore. ² And He taught them many things in parables, and in His teaching He said, ³ “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. ⁴ And as he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. ⁵ Some fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly because the soil was shallow. ⁶ But when the sun rose, the seedlings were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. ⁷ Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the seedlings, and they yielded no crop. ⁸ Still other seed fell on good soil, where it sprouted, grew up, and produced a crop—one bearing thirtyfold, another sixtyfold, and another a hundredfold.” ⁹ Then Jesus said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” ¹⁰ As soon as Jesus was alone with the Twelve and those around Him, they asked Him about the parable. ¹¹ He replied, “To know the mystery of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to those on the outside everything is expressed in parables, ¹² so that, ‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven their sins.’” ¹³ Then Jesus said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? Then how will you understand any of the parables? ¹⁴ The farmer sows the word. ¹⁵ Some are like the seeds along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts. ¹⁶ Some are like the seeds sown on rocky ground. They hear the word and at once receive it with joy. ¹⁷ But they themselves have no root, and they remain for only a season. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. ¹⁸ Others are like the seeds sown among the thorns. They hear the word, ¹⁹ but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth, and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. ²⁰ Still others are like the seeds sown on good soil. They hear the word, receive it, and produce a crop—thirtyfold, sixtyfold, or a hundredfold.” ²¹ Jesus also said to them, “Does anyone bring in a lamp to put it under a basket or under a bed? Doesn’t he set it on a stand? ²² For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be brought to light. ²³ If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” ²⁴ He went on to say, “Pay attention to what you hear. With the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and even more will be added to you who hear. ²⁵ For whoever has will be given more. But whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.” ²⁶ Jesus also said, “The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seed on the ground. ²⁷ Night and day he sleeps and wakes, and the seed sprouts and grows, though he knows not how. ²⁸ For all by itself the earth produces a crop—first the stalk, then the head, then grain that ripens within. ²⁹ And as soon as the grain is ripe, he swings the sickle, because the harvest has come.” ³⁰ Then He asked, “To what can we compare the kingdom of God? With what parable shall we illustrate it? ³¹ It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds sown upon the earth. ³² But after it is planted, it grows to be the largest of all garden plants and puts forth great branches, so that the birds of the air nest in its shade.” ³³ With many such parables Jesus spoke the word to them, to the extent that they could understand. ³⁴ He did not tell them anything without using a parable. But privately He explained everything to His own disciples. ³⁵ When that evening came, He said to His disciples, “Let us cross to the other side.” ³⁶ After they had dismissed the crowd, they took Jesus with them, since He was already in the boat. And there were other little boats with Him. ³⁷ Soon a violent windstorm came up, and the waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was being swamped. ³⁸ But Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on the cushion. So they woke Him and said, “Teacher, don’t You care that we are perishing?” ³⁹ Then Jesus got up and rebuked the wind and the sea. “Silence!” He commanded. “Be still!” And the wind died down, and it was perfectly calm. ⁴⁰ “Why are you so afraid?” He asked. “How do you still have no faith?” ⁴¹ Overwhelmed with fear, they asked one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”

¹ That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea. ² Such large crowds gathered around Him that He got into the boat and sat down, while all the people stood on the shore. ³ And He told them many things in parables, saying, “A farmer went out to sow his seed. ⁴ And as he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. ⁵ Some fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly because the soil was shallow. ⁶ But when the sun rose, the seedlings were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. ⁷ Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the seedlings. ⁸ Still other seed fell on good soil and produced a crop—a hundredfold, sixtyfold, or thirtyfold. ⁹ He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” ¹⁰ Then the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Why do You speak to the people in parables?” ¹¹ He replied, “The knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. 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. ¹³ This is why I speak to them in parables: ‘Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.’ ¹⁴ In them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled: ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. ¹⁵ For this people’s heart has grown callous; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them.’

¹³ Once again Jesus went out beside the sea. All the people came to Him, and He taught them there.

⁷ So Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea, accompanied by a large crowd from Galilee, Judea,

¹ On one occasion, while Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret with the crowd pressing in on Him to hear the word of God, 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 While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, He told them this parable: ⁵ “A farmer went out to sow his seed. And as he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, where it was trampled, and the birds of the air devoured it. ⁶ Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the seedlings withered because they had no moisture. ⁷ Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the seedlings. ⁸ Still other seed fell on good soil, where it sprang up and produced a crop—a hundredfold.” As Jesus said this, He called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” ⁹ Then His disciples asked Him what this parable meant. ¹⁰ He replied, “The knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, ‘though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.’

⁴ I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will express my riddle with the harp:

² I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden from the beginning,

²⁸ When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astonished at His teaching,

³ And He told them many things in parables, saying, “A farmer went out to sow his seed.

¹⁰ Then the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Why do You speak to the people in parables?”

³⁴ Jesus spoke all these things to the crowds in parables. He did not tell them anything without using a parable. ³⁵ So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet: “I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden since the foundation of the world.”

²³ So Jesus called them together and began to speak to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan?

¹¹ He replied, “To know the mystery of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to those on the outside everything is expressed in parables,

³³ With many such parables Jesus spoke the word to them, to the extent that they could understand. ³⁴ He did not tell them anything without using a parable. But privately He explained everything to His own disciples.

³⁸ In His teaching Jesus also said to them, “Watch out for the scribes. They like to walk around in long robes, to receive greetings in the marketplaces,

¹⁶ “My teaching is not My own,” Jesus replied. “It comes from Him who sent Me. ¹⁷ If anyone desires to do His will, he will know whether My teaching is from God or whether I speak on My own.

¹⁹ Meanwhile, the high priest questioned Jesus about His disciples and His teaching.

¹ Hear now, O Israel, the statutes and ordinances I am teaching you to follow, so that you may live and may enter and take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you.

¹¹ Come, children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

¹⁰ Listen, O daughter! Consider and incline your ear: Forget your people and your father’s house,

²⁴ Now, my sons, listen to me, and attend to the words of my mouth.

³² Now therefore, my sons, listen to me, for blessed are those who keep my ways.

⁶ Sow your seed in the morning, and do not rest your hands in the evening, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or if both will equally prosper.

²³ Listen and hear my voice. Pay attention and hear what I say. ²⁴ Does the plowman plow for planting every day? Does he continuously loosen and harrow the soil? ²⁵ When he has leveled its surface, does he not sow caraway and scatter cumin? He plants wheat in rows and barley in plots, and rye within its border. ²⁶ For his God instructs and teaches him properly.

³ “Listen to Me, O house of Jacob, all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been sustained from the womb, carried along since birth.

¹² Listen to Me, you stubborn people, far removed from righteousness:

¹ “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you without money, come, buy, and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost! ² Why spend money on that which is not bread, and your labor on that which does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of foods.

²⁴ Jesus put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.

²⁶ When the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the weeds also appeared.

⁹ Then Jesus said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

¹⁴ The farmer sows the word.

²³ If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”

²⁶ Jesus also said, “The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seed on the ground. ²⁷ Night and day he sleeps and wakes, and the seed sprouts and grows, though he knows not how. ²⁸ For all by itself the earth produces a crop—first the stalk, then the head, then grain that ripens within. ²⁹ And as soon as the grain is ripe, he swings the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

¹⁴ Once again Jesus called the whole crowd to Him and said, “All of you, listen to Me and understand: ¹⁵ Nothing that enters a man from the outside can defile him; but the things that come out of a man, these are what defile him.

⁵ “A farmer went out to sow his seed. And as he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, where it was trampled, and the birds of the air devoured it. ⁶ Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the seedlings withered because they had no moisture. ⁷ Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the seedlings. ⁸ Still other seed fell on good soil, where it sprang up and produced a crop—a hundredfold.” As Jesus said this, He called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

³⁵ Do you not say, ‘There are still four months until the harvest’? I tell you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are ripe for harvest. ³⁶ Already the reaper draws his wages and gathers a crop for eternal life, so that both the sower and the reaper may rejoice together. ³⁷ For in this case the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. ³⁸ I sent you to reap what you have not worked for; others have done the hard work, and now you have taken up their labor.”

¹⁴ Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, lifted up his voice, and addressed the crowd: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen carefully to my words.

⁶ I planted the seed and Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. ⁷ So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. ⁸ He who plants and he who waters are one in purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. ⁹ For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.

¹ We must pay closer attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. ² For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every transgression and disobedience received its just punishment, ³ how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? This salvation was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard Him,

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

⁷ He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who overcomes, I will grant the right to eat from the tree of life in the Paradise of God.

¹¹ He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who overcomes will not be harmed by the second death.

²⁹ He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

¹¹ And the birds of prey descended on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away.

⁴ And as he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it.

¹⁹ When anyone hears the message of the kingdom but does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path.

¹⁵ Some are like the seeds along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts.

⁵ “A farmer went out to sow his seed. And as he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, where it was trampled, and the birds of the air devoured it.

¹² The seeds along the path are those who hear, but the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.

¹⁹ And I will give them singleness of heart and put a new spirit within them; I will remove their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh,

²⁶ I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.

¹² Sow for yourselves righteousness and reap the fruit of loving devotion; break up your unplowed ground. For it is time to seek the LORD until He comes and sends righteousness upon you like rain.

¹² “Do horses gallop on the cliffs? Does one plow the sea with oxen? But you have turned justice into poison and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood—

⁵ Some fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly because the soil was shallow. ⁶ But when the sun rose, the seedlings were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.

²⁰ The seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word and at once receives it with joy.

¹⁶ Some are like the seeds sown on rocky ground. They hear the word and at once receive it with joy. ¹⁷ But they themselves have no root, and they remain for only a season. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.

⁶ Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the seedlings withered because they had no moisture.

¹³ The seeds on rocky ground are those who hear the word and receive it with joy, but they have no root. They believe for a season, but in the time of testing, they fall away.

³ He is like a tree planted by streams of water, yielding its fruit in season, whose leaf does not wither, and who prospers in all he does. ⁴ Not so the wicked! For they are like chaff driven off by the wind.

¹³ Planted in the house of the LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God. ¹⁴ In old age they will still bear fruit; healthy and green they will remain, ¹⁵ to proclaim, “The LORD is upright; He is my Rock, and in Him there is no unrighteousness.”

⁶ Do not stare because I am dark, for the sun has gazed upon me. My mother’s sons were angry with me; they made me a keeper of the vineyards, but my own vineyard I have neglected.

⁴ For You have been a refuge for the poor, a stronghold for the needy in distress, a refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat. For the breath of the ruthless is like rain against a wall,

⁵ This is what the LORD says: “Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind, who makes the flesh his strength and turns his heart from the LORD. ⁶ He will be like a shrub in the desert; he will not see when prosperity comes. He will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives. ⁷ But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in Him. ⁸ He is like a tree planted by the waters that sends out its roots toward the stream. It does not fear when the heat comes, and its leaves are always green. It does not worry in a year of drought, nor does it cease to produce fruit.

⁸ As the sun was rising, God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint and wished to die, saying, “It is better for me to die than to live.”

¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. Then you, being rooted and grounded in love,

⁷ rooted and built up in Him, established in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

¹⁰ and with every wicked deception directed against those who are perishing, because they refused the love of the truth that would have saved them.

¹¹ For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its flower falls and its beauty is lost. So too, the rich man will fade away in the midst of his pursuits. ¹² These men are hidden reefs in your love feasts, shamelessly feasting with you but shepherding only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried along by the wind; fruitless trees in autumn, twice dead after being uprooted.

¹⁶ ‘Never again will they hunger, and never will they thirst; nor will the sun beat down upon them, nor any scorching heat.’

¹⁷ And to Adam He said: “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat, cursed is the ground because of you; through toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. ¹⁸ Both thorns and thistles it will yield for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.

³ For this is what the LORD says to the men of Judah and Jerusalem: “Break up your unplowed ground, and do not sow among the thorns.

⁷ Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the seedlings.

²² The seed sown among the thorns is the one who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

¹⁸ Others are like the seeds sown among the thorns. They hear the word, ¹⁹ but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth, and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

⁷ Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the seedlings.

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

¹⁵ And He said to them, “Watch out! Guard yourselves against greed, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

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

⁹ Those who want to be rich, however, fall into temptation and become ensnared by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. ¹⁰ For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. By craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.

¹⁵ Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. ¹⁶ For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not from the Father but from the world.

¹² Now Isaac sowed seed in the land, and that very year he reaped a hundredfold. And the LORD blessed him,

¹ “Cry aloud, do not hold back! Raise your voice like a ram’s horn. Declare to My people their transgression and to the house of Jacob their sins.

²⁹ “Is not My word like fire,” declares the LORD, “and like a hammer that smashes a rock?”

⁸ Still other seed fell on good soil and produced a crop—a hundredfold, sixtyfold, or thirtyfold.

²³ But the seed sown on good soil is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and produces a crop—a hundredfold, sixtyfold, or thirtyfold.”

²⁰ Still others are like the seeds sown on good soil. They hear the word, receive it, and produce a crop—thirtyfold, sixtyfold, or a hundredfold.”

⁸ Still other seed fell on good soil, where it sprang up and produced a crop—a hundredfold.” As Jesus said this, He called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

¹⁵ But the seeds on good soil are those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, cling to it, and by persevering produce a crop.

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.

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. ²¹ But whoever practices the truth comes into the Light, so that it may be seen clearly that what he has done has been accomplished in God.”

¹⁷ If anyone desires to do His will, he will know whether My teaching is from God or whether I speak on My own.

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.

¹¹ Now the Bereans were more noble-minded than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if these teachings were true.

¹¹ filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

⁶ that has come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood the grace of God.

¹ Therefore, while the promise of entering His rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be deemed to have fallen short of it. ² For we also received the good news just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, since they did not share the faith of those who comprehended it.

¹⁹ So then, my beloved brothers, everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger, ²⁰ for man’s anger does not bring about the righteousness that God desires. ²¹ Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and every expression of evil, and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save your souls. ²² Be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves.

¹ Rid yourselves, therefore, of all malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander. ² Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow, ³ if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

¹⁵ He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

⁹ He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

¹⁰ Jesus called the crowd to Him and said, “Listen and understand.

³ “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed.

²³ If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” ²⁴ He went on to say, “Pay attention to what you hear. With the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and even more will be added to you who hear.

¹⁸ Pay attention, therefore, to how you listen. Whoever has will be given more, but whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken away from him.”

⁶ He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

¹³ He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

²² He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

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

¹⁰ Then the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Why do You speak to the people in parables?” ¹¹ He replied, “The knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. 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. ¹³ This is why I speak to them in parables: ‘Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.’ ¹⁴ In them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled: ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. ¹⁵ For this people’s heart has grown callous; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them.’ ¹⁶ But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. ¹⁷ For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

³⁶ Then Jesus dismissed the crowds and went into the house. His disciples came to Him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.”

³⁴ He did not tell them anything without using a parable. But privately He explained everything to His own disciples.

¹⁷ After Jesus had left the crowd and gone into the house, His disciples inquired about the parable.

⁹ Then His disciples asked Him what this parable meant. ¹⁰ He replied, “The knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, ‘though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.’ ¹¹ Now this is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. ¹² The seeds along the path are those who hear, but the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. ¹³ The seeds on rocky ground are those who hear the word and receive it with joy, but they have no root. They believe for a season, but in the time of testing, they fall away. ¹⁴ The seeds that fell among the thorns are those who hear, but as they go on their way, they are choked by the worries, riches, and pleasures of this life, and their fruit does not mature. ¹⁵ But the seeds on good soil are those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, cling to it, and by persevering produce a crop.

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

¹¹ He replied, “The knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. 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. ¹³ This is why I speak to them in parables: ‘Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.’

¹⁶ But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.

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.

¹⁰ He replied, “The knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, ‘though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.’

²¹ At that time Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and declared, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was well-pleasing in Your sight.” 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.” ²³ Then Jesus turned to the disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. ²⁴ For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”

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

¹² What business of mine is it to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? ¹³ God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked man from among you.”

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 And He has made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ

⁴ But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 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.

⁵ Act wisely toward outsiders, redeeming the time.

¹² Then you will behave properly toward outsiders, without being dependent on anyone.

⁷ Furthermore, he must have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the snare of the devil.

³ For at one time we too were foolish, disobedient, misled, and enslaved to all sorts of desires and pleasures—living in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. ⁴ But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, 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, ⁷ so that, having been justified by His grace, we would become heirs with the hope of eternal life.

¹⁶ Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. ¹⁷ Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, with whom there is no change or shifting shadow. ¹⁸ He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we would be a kind of firstfruits of His creation.

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.

⁴ Yet to this day the LORD has not given you a mind to understand, eyes to see, or ears to hear.

⁹ And He replied: “Go and tell this people, ‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’ ¹⁰ Make the hearts of this people calloused; deafen their ears and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”

¹⁸ They do not comprehend or discern, for He has shut their eyes so they cannot see and closed their minds so they cannot understand.

²¹ “Hear this, O foolish and senseless people, who have eyes but do not see, who have ears but do not hear.

¹⁸ I have surely heard Ephraim’s moaning: ‘You disciplined me severely, like an untrained calf. Restore me, that I may return, for You are the LORD my God. ¹⁹ After I returned, I repented; and after I was instructed, I struck my thigh in grief. I was ashamed and humiliated because I bore the disgrace of my youth.’ ²⁰ Is not Ephraim a precious son to Me, a delightful child? Though I often speak against him, I still remember him. Therefore My heart yearns for him; I have great compassion for him,” declares the LORD.

² “Son of man, you are living in a rebellious house. They have eyes to see but do not see, and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious house.

²⁷ But if a wicked man turns from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he will save his life. ²⁸ Because he considered and turned from all the transgressions he had committed, he will surely live; he will not die. ²⁹ Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Are My ways unjust, O house of Israel? Is it not your ways that are unjust? ³⁰ Therefore, O house of Israel, I will judge you, each according to his ways, declares the Lord GOD. Repent and turn from all your transgressions, so that your iniquity will not become your downfall. ³¹ Cast away from yourselves all the transgressions you have committed, and fashion for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. Why should you die, O house of Israel? ³² For I take no pleasure in anyone’s death, declares the Lord GOD. So repent and live!

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

¹⁹ Repent, then, and turn back, so that your sins may be wiped away,

²⁵ They disagreed among themselves and began to leave after Paul had made this final statement: “The Holy Spirit was right when He spoke to our fathers through Isaiah the prophet: ²⁶ ‘Go to this people and say, “You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.” ²⁷ For this people’s heart has grown callous; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them.’

⁸ as it is written: “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that could not see, and ears that could not hear, to this very day.” ⁹ And David says: “May their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution to them. ¹⁰ May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see, and their backs be bent forever.”

²⁵ He must gently reprove those who oppose him, in the hope that God may grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth.

⁶ and then have fallen away—to be restored to repentance, because they themselves are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting Him to open shame.

¹⁸ Consider, then, the parable of the sower: ¹⁹ When anyone hears the message of the kingdom but does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. ²⁰ The seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. ²¹ But since he has no root, he remains for only a season. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. ²² The seed sown among the thorns is the one who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. ²³ But the seed sown on good soil is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and produces a crop—a hundredfold, sixtyfold, or thirtyfold.”

⁵¹ Have you understood all these things?” Jesus asked them. “Yes, Lord,” they answered. ⁵² Then He told them, “For this reason, every scribe who has been discipled in the kingdom of heaven is like a homeowner who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.”

¹⁵ Peter said to Him, “Explain this parable to us.” ¹⁶ “Do you still not understand?” Jesus asked. ¹⁷ “Do you not yet realize that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then is eliminated?

⁸ Aware of their conversation, Jesus said to them, “You of little faith, why are you debating among yourselves about having brought no bread? ⁹ Do you still not understand? Do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered?

¹⁷ After Jesus had left the crowd and gone into the house, His disciples inquired about the parable. ¹⁸ “Are you still so dull?” He asked. “Do you not understand? Nothing that enters a man from the outside can defile him,

²⁵ Then Jesus said to them, “O foolish ones, how slow are your hearts to believe all that the prophets have spoken!

¹ Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual, but as worldly—as infants in Christ. ² I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for solid food. In fact, you are still not ready,

¹¹ We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain, because you are dull of hearing. ¹² Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to reteach you the basic principles of God’s word. You need milk, not solid food! ¹³ For everyone who lives on milk is still an infant, inexperienced in the message of righteousness. ¹⁴ But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained their senses to distinguish good from evil.

¹⁹ Those I love, I rebuke and discipline. Therefore be earnest and repent.

²⁰ Blessed are those who sow beside abundant waters, who let the ox and donkey range freely.

³⁷ He replied, “The One who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.

² immediately they gathered in such large numbers that there was no more room, not even outside the door, as Jesus spoke the word to them.

² just as they were handed down to us by the initial eyewitnesses and servants of the word.

¹¹ Now this is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God.

⁴ Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.

⁵ the faith and love proceeding from the hope stored up for you in heaven, of which you have already heard in the word of truth, the gospel ⁶ that has come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood the grace of God.

²³ For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and forever enduring word of God. ²⁴ For, “All flesh is like grass, and all the glory of man like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, ²⁵ but the word of the Lord stands forever.” And this is the word that was proclaimed to you.

¹⁴ So Lot went out and spoke to the sons-in-law who were pledged in marriage to his daughters. “Get up,” he said. “Get out of this place, for the LORD is about to destroy the city!” But his sons-in-law thought he was joking.

⁶ One day the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them. ⁷ “Where have you come from?” said the LORD to Satan. “From roaming through the earth,” he replied, “and walking back and forth in it.” ⁸ Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one on earth like him, a man who is blameless and upright, who fears God and shuns evil.” ⁹ Satan answered the LORD, “Does Job fear God for nothing? ¹⁰ Have You not placed a hedge on every side around him and his household and all that he owns? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. ¹¹ But stretch out Your hand and strike all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face.” ¹² “Very well,” said the LORD to Satan. “Everything he has is in your hands, but you must not lay a hand on the man himself.” Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.

¹ Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

¹ Then the angel showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, with Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him.

¹⁰ “Get behind Me, Satan!” Jesus declared. “For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’”

⁵ But they paid no attention and went away, one to his field, another to his business.

⁴ And as he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it.

¹⁸ But one after another they all began to make excuses. The first one said, ‘I have bought a field, and I need to go and see it. Please excuse me.’ ¹⁹ Another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out. Please excuse me.’

³ Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and withhold some of the proceeds from the land?

¹⁸ Some Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also began to debate with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others said, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was proclaiming the good news of Jesus and the resurrection. ¹⁹ So they took Paul and brought him to the Areopagus, where they asked him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? ²⁰ For you are bringing some strange notions to our ears, and we want to know what they mean.”

³² When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some began to mock him, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this topic.”

¹⁴ But just as Paul was about to speak, Gallio told the Jews, “If this matter involved a wrongdoing or vicious crime, O Jews, it would be reasonable for me to hear your complaint. ¹⁵ But since it is a dispute about words and names and your own law, settle it yourselves. I refuse to be a judge of such things.” ¹⁶ And he drove them away from the judgment seat. ¹⁷ At this, all the Greeks seized Sosthenes the synagogue leader and beat him in front of the judgment seat. But none of this was of concern to Gallio.

¹⁹ They only had some contentions with him regarding their own religion and a certain Jesus who had died, but whom Paul affirmed to be alive. ²⁰ Since I was at a loss as to how to investigate this matter, I asked if he was willing to go to Jerusalem and be tried there on these charges.

³¹ On their way out, they said to one another, “This man has done nothing worthy of death or imprisonment.” ³² And Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been released if he had not appealed to Caesar.”

¹¹ in order that Satan should not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.

³ And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 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.

⁹ The coming of the lawless one will be accompanied by the working of Satan, with every kind of power, sign, and false wonder,

¹ We must pay closer attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.

¹⁶ See to it that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his birthright.

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

⁹ And the great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.

² He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent who is the devil and Satan, he who deceives the whole world, and bound him for a thousand years. ³ And he threw him into the Abyss, shut it, and sealed it over him, so that he could not deceive the nations until the thousand years were complete. And after that, he must be released for a brief period of time.

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

¹⁰ And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, into which the beast and the false prophet had already been thrown. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

³¹ So My people come to you as usual, sit before you, and hear your words; but they do not put them into practice. Although they express love with their mouths, their hearts pursue dishonest gain. ³² Indeed, you are to them like a singer of love songs with a beautiful voice, who skillfully plays an instrument. They hear your words but do not put them into practice.

¹⁹ And one of the scribes came to Him and said, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.” 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.”

²⁰ The seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. ²¹ But since he has no root, he remains for only a season. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.

²⁰ because Herod feared John and protected him, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man. When he heard John’s words, he did many things, and he listened to him gladly.

¹⁷ As Jesus started on His way, a man ran up and knelt before Him. “Good Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” ¹⁸ “Why do you call Me good?” Jesus replied. “No one is good except God alone. ¹⁹ You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not bear false witness, do not cheat others, honor your father and mother.’” ²⁰ “Teacher,” he replied, “all these I have kept from my youth.” ²¹ Jesus looked at him, loved him, and said to him, “There is one thing you lack: Go, sell everything you own and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, take up the cross, and follow Me.” ²² But the man was saddened by these words and went away in sorrow, because he had great wealth.

³⁵ John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you were willing for a season to bask in his light.

¹³ Even Simon himself believed and was baptized. He followed Philip closely and was astounded by the miracles and signs he observed.

¹⁸ When Simon saw that the Holy Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money. ¹⁹ “Give me this power as well,” he said, “so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” ²⁰ But Peter replied, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! ²¹ You have no part or share in our ministry, because your heart is not right before God.

²⁵ As Paul expounded on righteousness, self-control, and the coming judgment, Felix became frightened and said, “You may go for now. When I find the time, I will call for you.” ²⁶ At the same time, he was hoping that Paul would offer him a bribe to release him. So he sent for Paul frequently and talked with him.

²⁸ Then Agrippa said to Paul, “Can you persuade me in such a short time to become a Christian?”

²⁸ If you say, ‘Let us persecute him, since the root of the matter lies with him,’

⁸ For what is the hope of the godless when he is cut off, when God takes away his life? ⁹ Will God hear his cry when distress comes upon him? ¹⁰ Will he delight in the Almighty? Will he call upon God at all times?

⁶ Blessed is the one who does not fall away on account of Me.”

³¹ Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.

²¹ But since he has no root, he remains for only a season. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.

⁹ Then they will deliver you over to be persecuted and killed, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. ¹⁰ At that time many will fall away and will betray and hate one another,

⁵ Some fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly because the soil was shallow. ⁶ But when the sun rose, the seedlings were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.

¹⁰ And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.

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

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. ⁶ If anyone does not remain in Me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers. Such branches are gathered up, thrown into the fire, and burned. ⁷ If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, then you will ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

¹² So the one who thinks he is standing firm should be careful not to fall. ¹³ No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide an escape, so that you can stand up under it.

¹² Those who want to make a good impression outwardly are trying to compel you to be circumcised. They only do this to avoid persecution for the cross of Christ.

³ so that none of you would be shaken by these trials. For you know that we are destined for this. ⁴ Indeed, when we were with you, we kept warning you that we would suffer persecution; and as you know, it has come to pass. ⁵ For this reason, when I could bear it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith, for fear that the tempter had somehow tempted you and caused our labor to be in vain.

¹⁵ You know that everyone in the Province of Asia has deserted me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes.

¹⁷ and the talk of such men will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, ¹⁸ who have deviated from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already occurred, and they undermine the faith of some.

¹⁰ because Demas, in his love of this world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia.

¹⁶ At my first defense, no one stood with me, but everyone deserted me. May it not be charged against them.

²⁹ How much more severely do you think one deserves to be punished who has trampled on the Son of God, profaned the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and insulted the Spirit of grace?

¹⁹ They went out from us, but they did not belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. But their departure made it clear that none of them belonged to us.

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

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

⁷ Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the seedlings, and they yielded no crop.

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

⁸ There is a man all alone, without even a son or brother. And though there is no end to his labor, his eyes are still not content with his wealth: “For whom do I toil and bereave my soul of enjoyment?” This too is futile—a miserable task.

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

² He dug it up and cleared the stones and planted the finest vines. He built a watchtower in the middle and dug out a winepress as well. He waited for the vineyard to yield good grapes, but the fruit it produced was sour!

⁴ What more could I have done for My vineyard than I already did for it? Why, when I expected sweet grapes, did it bring forth sour fruit?

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.

²³ Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.

⁴¹ “Martha, Martha,” Jesus replied, “you are worried and troubled about many things.

¹⁷ So he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, since I have nowhere to store my crops?’ ¹⁸ Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and will build bigger ones, and there I will store up all my crops and my goods. ¹⁹ Then I will say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take it easy. Eat, drink, and be merry!”’ ²⁰ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be required of you. Then who will own what you have accumulated?’ ²¹ This is how it will be for anyone who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich toward God.”

²⁹ And do not be concerned about what you will eat or drink. Do not worry about it. ³⁰ For the Gentiles of the world strive after all these things, and your Father knows that you need them.

¹⁸ But one after another they all began to make excuses. The first one said, ‘I have bought a field, and I need to go and see it. Please excuse me.’ ¹⁹ Another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out. Please excuse me.’ ²⁰ Still another said, ‘I have married a wife, so I cannot come.’

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.

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

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

⁷ For land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is tended receives the blessing of God. ⁸ But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless, and its curse is imminent. In the end it will be burned.

² Consequently, he does not live out his remaining time on earth for human passions, but for the will of God. ³ For we have spent enough of our past lifetime carrying out the same desires as the Gentiles: living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing, and detestable idolatry.

⁸ For if you possess these qualities and continue to grow in them, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

¹⁵ Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. ¹⁶ For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not from the Father but from the world. ¹⁷ The world is passing away, along with its desires; but whoever does the will of God remains forever.

⁸ Still other seed fell on good soil, where it sprouted, grew up, and produced a crop—one bearing thirtyfold, another sixtyfold, and another a hundredfold.”

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.

¹⁶ You did not choose Me, but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will remain—so that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you.

⁴ Therefore, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God.

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

¹⁰ so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,

¹ Finally, brothers, we ask and encourage you in the Lord Jesus to live in a way that is pleasing to God, just as you have received from us. So you should do so all the more.

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. ³ Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

¹⁵ Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a basket. Instead, they set it on a stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.

¹⁶ No one lights a lamp and covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, he sets it on a stand, so those who enter can see the light.

³³ No one lights a lamp and puts it in a cellar or under a basket. Instead, he sets it on a stand, so those who enter can see the light.

⁷ Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.

³ But among you, as is proper among the saints, there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed. ⁴ Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk, or crude joking, which are out of character, but rather thanksgiving. ⁵ For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure, or greedy person (that is, an idolater), has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. ⁶ Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things the wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience. ⁷ Therefore do not be partakers with them. ⁸ For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light, ⁹ for the fruit of the Spirit consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth. ¹⁰ Test and prove what pleases the Lord. ¹¹ Have no fellowship with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. ¹² For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. ¹³ But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for everything that is illuminated becomes a light itself. ¹⁴ So it is said: “Wake up, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” ¹⁵ Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk, not as unwise but as wise,

¹⁵ so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine as lights in the world ¹⁶ as you hold forth the word of life, in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain.

⁹ I proclaim righteousness in the great assembly; behold, I do not seal my lips, as You, O LORD, do know. ¹⁰ I have not covered up Your righteousness in my heart; I have declared Your faithfulness and salvation; I have not concealed Your loving devotion and faithfulness from the great assembly.

² I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden from the beginning, ³ that we have heard and known and our fathers have relayed to us. ⁴ We will not hide them from their children, but will declare to the next generation the praises of the LORD and His might, and the wonders He has performed.

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

²⁶ So do not be afraid of them. For there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, and nothing hidden that will not be made known. ²⁷ What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the housetops.

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

² There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, and nothing hidden that will not be made known. ³ What you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the housetops.

²⁰ For we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

²⁷ For I did not shrink back from declaring to you the whole will of God.

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.

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. 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 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who overcomes, I will give the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone inscribed with a new name, known only to the one who receives it.

²⁷ If you cease to hear instruction, my son, you will stray from the words of knowledge.

³ Incline your ear and come to Me; listen, so that your soul may live. I will make with you an everlasting covenant—My loving devotion promised to David.

² For with the same judgment you pronounce, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

⁷ Then a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is My beloved Son. Listen to Him!”

³⁷ Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. ³⁸ Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be poured into your lap. For with the same measure you use, it will be measured back to you.”

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.

¹⁶ I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them in as well, and they will listen to My voice. Then there will be one flock and one shepherd.

²⁷ My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me.

⁶ Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.

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

¹ Now there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. ² Many will follow in their depravity, and because of them the way of truth will be defamed. ³ In their greed, these false teachers will exploit you with deceptive words. The longstanding verdict against them remains in force, and their destruction will not sleep.

¹ Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. For many false prophets have gone out into the world.

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.

²⁸ Therefore take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten talents. ²⁹ For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. But the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.

⁹ I tell you, use worldly wealth to make friends for yourselves, so that when you fail, they will welcome you into eternal dwellings. ¹⁰ Whoever is faithful with very little will also be faithful with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. ¹¹ So if you have not been faithful with worldly wealth, who will entrust you with true riches? ¹² And if you have not been faithful with the belongings of another, who will give you belongings of your own?

²⁴ Then he told those standing by, ‘Take the mina from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.’ ²⁵ ‘Master,’ they said, ‘he already has ten!’ ²⁶ He replied, ‘I tell you that everyone who has will be given more; but the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.

¹⁸ The wicked man earns an empty wage, but he who sows righteousness reaps a true reward.

⁴ He who watches the wind will fail to sow, and he who observes the clouds will fail to reap.

² and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”

¹⁷ From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”

¹¹ He replied, “The knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.

³¹ He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a man planted in his field.

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

³ “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. ⁴ And as he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it.

¹⁴ The farmer sows the word. ¹⁵ Some are like the seeds along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts. ¹⁶ Some are like the seeds sown on rocky ground. They hear the word and at once receive it with joy. ¹⁷ But they themselves have no root, and they remain for only a season. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. ¹⁸ Others are like the seeds sown among the thorns. They hear the word, ¹⁹ but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth, and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. ²⁰ Still others are like the seeds sown on good soil. They hear the word, receive it, and produce a crop—thirtyfold, sixtyfold, or a hundredfold.”

¹⁸ Then Jesus asked, “What is the kingdom of God like? To what can I compare it?

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.

¹⁸ Peacemakers who sow in peace reap the fruit of righteousness.

¹⁷ I saw every work of God, and that a man is unable to comprehend the work that is done under the sun. Despite his efforts to search it out, he cannot find its meaning; even if the wise man claims to know, he is unable to comprehend.

⁵ As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the bones are formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things.

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.”

³⁷ And what you sow is not the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or something else. ³⁸ But God gives it a body as He has designed, and to each kind of seed He gives its own body.

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

¹⁸ But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

¹¹ Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth vegetation: seed-bearing plants and fruit trees, each bearing fruit with seed according to its kind.” And it was so. ¹² The earth produced vegetation: seed-bearing plants according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

⁴ This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made them. ⁵ Now no shrub of the field had yet appeared on the earth, nor had any plant of the field sprouted; for the LORD God had not yet sent rain upon the earth, and there was no man to cultivate the ground.

⁹ Out of the ground the LORD God gave growth to every tree that is pleasing to the eye and good for food. And in the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

¹¹ Now you are cursed and banished from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. ¹² When you till the ground, it will no longer yield its produce to you. You will be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.”

³ He is like a tree planted by streams of water, yielding its fruit in season, whose leaf does not wither, and who prospers in all he does.

¹³ Planted in the house of the LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God. ¹⁴ In old age they will still bear fruit; healthy and green they will remain,

¹⁸ The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining brighter and brighter until midday.

¹ To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven:

¹¹ He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men, yet they cannot fathom the work that God has done from beginning to end.

¹¹ For as the earth brings forth its growth, and as a garden enables seed to spring up, so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations.

³ So let us know—let us press on to know the LORD. As surely as the sun rises, He will appear; He will come to us like the rain, like the spring showers that water the earth.

³¹ It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds sown upon the earth. ³² But after it is planted, it grows to be the largest of all garden plants and puts forth great branches, so that the birds of the air nest in its shade.”

⁶ being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

⁹ And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, ¹⁰ so that you may be able to test and prove what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, ¹¹ filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

¹² And may the Lord cause you to increase and overflow with love for one another and for everyone else, just as our love for you overflows, ¹³ so that He may establish your hearts in blamelessness and holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.

²⁶ You will come to the grave in full vigor, like a sheaf of grain gathered in season.

¹ The righteous perish, and no one takes it to heart; devout men are swept away, while no one considers that the righteous are guided from the presence of evil. ² Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest, lying down in death.

¹³ Swing the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, trample the grapes, for the winepress is full; the wine vats overflow because their wickedness is great.

³⁰ Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat into my barn.’”

⁴⁰ As the weeds are collected and burned in the fire, so will it be at the end of this age. ⁴¹ The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will weed out of His kingdom every cause of sin and all who practice lawlessness. ⁴² And they will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. ⁴³ Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

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

¹³ And I heard a voice from heaven telling me to write, “Blessed are the dead—those who die in the Lord from this moment on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labors, and their deeds will follow them.” ¹⁴ And I looked and saw a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was One like the Son of Man, with a golden crown on His head and a sharp sickle in His hand. ¹⁵ Then another angel came out of the temple, crying out in a loud voice to the One seated on the cloud, “Swing Your sickle and reap, because the time has come to harvest; for the crop of the earth is ripe.” ¹⁶ So the One seated on the cloud swung His sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested. ¹⁷ Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle.

¹³ What can I say for you? To what can I compare you, O Daughter of Jerusalem? To what can I liken you, that I may console you, O Virgin Daughter of Zion? For your wound is as deep as the sea. Who can ever heal you?

¹⁶ To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to one another:

³¹ He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a man planted in his field. ³² Although it is the smallest of all seeds, yet it grows into the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.”

¹⁸ Then Jesus asked, “What is the kingdom of God like? To what can I compare it? ¹⁹ It is like a mustard seed that a man tossed into his garden. It grew and became a great tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches.” ²⁰ Again He asked, “To what can I compare the kingdom of God? ²¹ It is like leaven that a woman took and mixed into three measures of flour, until all of it was leavened.”

¹⁷ I will surely bless you, and I will multiply your descendants like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will possess the gates of their enemies. ¹⁸ And through your offspring all nations of the earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”

¹⁶ May there be an abundance of grain in the land; may it sway atop the hills. May its fruit trees flourish like the forests of Lebanon, and its people like the grass of the field. ¹⁷ May his name endure forever; may his name continue as long as the sun shines. In him may all nations be blessed; may they call him blessed. ¹⁸ Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds. ¹⁹ And blessed be His glorious name forever; may all the earth be filled with His glory. Amen and amen.

² In the last days the mountain of the house of the LORD will be established as the chief of the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. 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.

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.

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.” ⁷ Thus says the LORD, the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel, to Him who was despised and abhorred by the nation, to the Servant of rulers: “Kings will see You and rise, and princes will bow down, because of the LORD, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen You.”

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.

¹² Therefore I will allot Him a portion with the great, and He will divide the spoils with the strong, because He has poured out His life unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors. Yet He bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors.

²² The least of you will become a thousand, and the smallest a mighty nation. I am the LORD; in its time I will accomplish it quickly.

²² This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘I will take a shoot from the lofty top of the cedar, and I will set it out. I will pluck a tender sprig from its topmost shoots, and I will plant it on a high and lofty mountain. ²³ I will plant it on the mountain heights of Israel so that it will bear branches; it will yield fruit and become a majestic cedar. Birds of every kind will nest under it, taking shelter in the shade of its branches. ²⁴ Then all the trees of the field will know that I am the LORD. I bring the tall tree down and make the low tree tall. I dry up the green tree and make the withered tree flourish. I, the LORD, have spoken, and I have done it.’”

³⁴ As you watched, a stone was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay, and crushed them. ³⁵ Then the iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold were shattered and became like chaff on the threshing floor in summer. The wind carried them away, and not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that had struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.

⁴⁴ In the days of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will shatter all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, but will itself stand forever. ⁴⁵ And just as you saw a stone being cut out of the mountain without human hands, and it shattered the iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold, so the great God has told the king what will happen in the future. The dream is true, and its interpretation is trustworthy.”

¹¹ “In that day I will restore the fallen tent of David. I will repair its gaps, restore its ruins, and rebuild it as in the days of old, ¹² that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations that bear My name,” declares the LORD, who will do this. ¹³ “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when the plowman will overtake the reaper and the treader of grapes, the sower of seed. The mountains will drip with sweet wine, with which all the hills will flow. ¹⁴ I will restore My people Israel from captivity; they will rebuild and inhabit the ruined cities. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit. ¹⁵ I will firmly plant them in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land that I have given them,” says the LORD your God.

¹ In the last days the mountain of the house of the LORD will be established as the chief of the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and the peoples will stream to it. ² And many nations 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.

¹¹ “On that day many nations will join themselves to the LORD, and they will become My people. I will dwell among you, and you will know that the LORD of Hosts has sent Me to you.

²⁰ This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Peoples will yet come—the residents of many cities— 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.’ ²² And many peoples and strong nations will come to seek the LORD of Hosts in Jerusalem and to plead before the LORD.” ²³ This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “In those days ten men from the nations of every tongue will tightly grasp the robe of a Jew, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’”

⁸ On that day the LORD will defend the people of Jerusalem, so that the weakest among them will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the angel of the LORD going before them.

⁶ On that day there will be no light, no cold or frost. ⁷ It will be a day known only to the LORD, without day or night; but when evening comes, there will be light. ⁸ And on that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half of it toward the Eastern Sea and the other half toward the Western Sea, in summer and winter alike. ⁹ On that day the LORD will become King over all the earth—the LORD alone, and His name alone.

¹¹ For My name will be great among the nations, from where the sun rises to where it sets. In every place, incense and pure offerings will be presented in My name, because My name will be great among the nations,” says the LORD of Hosts.

³¹ He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a man planted in his field. ³² Although it is the smallest of all seeds, yet it grows into the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.” ³³ He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and mixed into three measures of flour, until all of it was leavened.”

¹⁸ Then Jesus asked, “What is the kingdom of God like? To what can I compare it? ¹⁹ It is like a mustard seed that a man tossed into his garden. It grew and became a great tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches.”

⁴¹ Those who gladly embraced his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to the believers that day.

⁴ But many who heard the message believed, and the number of men grew to about five thousand.

¹⁴ Yet more and more believers were brought to the Lord—large numbers of both men and women.

²⁰ So the word of the Lord powerfully continued to spread and prevail.

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

¹⁵ Then the seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and loud voices called out in heaven: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign forever and ever.”

¹ Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven with the key to the Abyss, holding in his hand a great chain. ² He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent who is the devil and Satan, he who deceives the whole world, and bound him for a thousand years. ³ And he threw him into the Abyss, shut it, and sealed it over him, so that he could not deceive the nations until the thousand years were complete. And after that, he must be released for a brief period of time. ⁴ Then I saw the thrones, and those seated on them had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image, and had not received its mark on their foreheads or hands. And they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. ⁵ The rest of the dead did not come back to life until the thousand years were complete. This is the first resurrection. ⁶ Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection! The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and will reign with Him for a thousand years.

⁹ You cleared the ground for it, and it took root and filled the land. ¹⁰ The mountains were covered by its shade, and the mighty cedars with its branches. ¹¹ It sent out its branches to the Sea, and its shoots toward the River.

¹ He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

³ Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest is my beloved among the young men. I delight to sit in his shade, and his fruit is sweet to my taste.

⁹ They will neither harm nor destroy on all My holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the sea is full of water.

² Each will be like a shelter from the wind, a refuge from the storm, like streams of water in a dry land, like the shadow of a great rock in an arid land.

²⁰ The LORD’s anointed, the breath of our life, was captured in their pits. We had said of him, “Under his shadow we will live among the nations.”

³ Look at Assyria, a cedar in Lebanon, with beautiful branches that shaded the forest. It towered on high; its top was among the clouds. ⁴ The waters made it grow; the deep springs made it tall, directing their streams all around its base and sending their channels to all the trees of the field. ⁵ Therefore it towered higher than all the trees of the field. Its branches multiplied, and its boughs grew long as it spread them out because of the abundant waters. ⁶ All the birds of the air nested in its branches, and all the beasts of the field gave birth beneath its boughs; all the great nations lived in its shade. ⁷ It was beautiful in its greatness, in the length of its limbs, for its roots extended to abundant waters. ⁸ The cedars in the garden of God could not rival it; the cypresses could not compare with its branches, nor the plane trees match its boughs. No tree in the garden of God could compare with its beauty. ⁹ I made it beautiful with its many branches, the envy of all the trees of Eden, which were in the garden of God.’ ¹⁰ Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Since it became great in height and set its top among the clouds, and it grew proud on account of its height,

¹⁰ In these visions of my mind as I was lying in bed, I saw this come to pass: There was a tree in the midst of the land, and its height was great. ¹¹ The tree grew large and strong; its top reached the sky, and it was visible to the ends of the earth. ¹² Its leaves were beautiful, its fruit was abundant, and upon it was food for all. Under it the beasts of the field found shelter, in its branches the birds of the air nested, and from it every creature was fed. ¹³ As I lay on my bed, I also saw in the visions of my mind a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven. ¹⁴ He called out in a loud voice: ‘Cut down the tree and chop off its branches; strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the beasts flee from under it, and the birds from its branches.

²⁰ The tree you saw that grew large and strong, whose top reached the sky and was visible to all the earth, ²¹ whose foliage was beautiful and whose fruit was abundant, providing food for all, under which the beasts of the field lived, and in whose branches the birds of the air nested— ²² you, O king, are that tree! For you have become great and strong; your greatness has grown to reach the sky, and your dominion extends to the ends of the earth.

¹² I still have much to tell you, but you cannot yet bear to hear it.

³⁶ Then Jesus dismissed the crowds and went into the house. His disciples came to Him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” ³⁷ He replied, “The One who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. ³⁸ The field is the world, and the good seed represents the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, ³⁹ and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.

¹⁵ Peter said to Him, “Explain this parable to us.” ¹⁶ “Do you still not understand?” Jesus asked. ¹⁷ “Do you not yet realize that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then is eliminated? ¹⁸ But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these things defile a man. ¹⁹ For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander. ²⁰ These are what defile a man, but eating with unwashed hands does not defile him.”

¹⁰ As soon as Jesus was alone with the Twelve and those around Him, they asked Him about the parable.

¹⁷ After Jesus had left the crowd and gone into the house, His disciples inquired about the parable. ¹⁸ “Are you still so dull?” He asked. “Do you not understand? Nothing that enters a man from the outside can defile him, ¹⁹ because it does not enter his heart, but it goes into the stomach and then is eliminated.” (Thus all foods are clean.) ²⁰ He continued: “What comes out of a man, that is what defiles him. ²¹ For from within the hearts of men come evil thoughts, adultery, sexual immorality, murder, theft, ²² greed, wickedness, deceit, debauchery, envy, slander, arrogance, and foolishness. ²³ All these evils come from within, and these are what defile a man.”

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.” ⁴⁵ Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. ⁴⁶ And He told them, “This is what is written: And thus it is necessary that the Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day,

²⁵ I have spoken these things to you in figures of speech. But an hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you this way, but will tell you plainly about the Father.

¹⁸ When Jesus saw large crowds around Him, He gave orders to cross to the other side of the sea.

²³ When He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him. ²⁴ Suddenly a violent storm came up on the sea, so that the boat was engulfed by the waves; but Jesus was sleeping. ²⁵ Then the disciples went and woke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” ²⁶ “You of little faith,” Jesus replied, “why are you so afraid?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it was perfectly calm. ²⁷ The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the sea obey Him!”

²² Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of Him to the other side, while He dismissed the crowds.

²¹ When Jesus had again crossed by boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around Him beside the sea.

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

¹³ And He left them, got back into the boat, and crossed to the other side.

²² One day Jesus said to His disciples, “Let us cross to the other side of the lake.” So He got into a boat with them and set out.

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

¹ After this, Jesus crossed to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias).

¹⁷ got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was already dark, and Jesus had not gone out to them.

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

⁹ Jesus asked His disciples to have a boat ready for Him so that the crowd would not crush Him.

¹ Once again Jesus began to teach beside the sea, and such a large crowd gathered around Him that He got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people crowded along the shore.

² As soon as Jesus got out of the boat, He was met by a man with an unclean spirit, who was coming from the tombs.

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

¹⁹ when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on the young people and they are dead, and I alone have escaped to tell you!”

²³ Others went out to sea in ships, conducting trade on the mighty waters. ²⁴ They saw the works of the LORD, and His wonders in the deep. ²⁵ For He spoke and raised a tempest that lifted the waves of the sea. ²⁶ They mounted up to the heavens, then sunk to the depths; their courage melted in their anguish. ²⁷ They reeled and staggered like drunkards, and all their skill was useless. ²⁸ Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and He brought them out of their distress. ²⁹ He calmed the storm to a whisper, and the waves of the sea were hushed. ³⁰ They rejoiced in the silence, and He guided them to the harbor they desired. ³¹ Let them give thanks to the LORD for His loving devotion and His wonders to the sons of men.

⁴ Then the LORD hurled a great wind upon the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship was in danger of breaking apart.

²³ When He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him. ²⁴ Suddenly a violent storm came up on the sea, so that the boat was engulfed by the waves; but Jesus was sleeping.

²² One day Jesus said to His disciples, “Let us cross to the other side of the lake.” So He got into a boat with them and set out. ²³ As they sailed, He fell asleep, and a windstorm came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger.

¹⁴ But it was not long before a cyclone called the Northeaster swept down across the island. ¹⁵ Unable to head into the wind, the ship was caught up. So we gave way and let ourselves be driven along. ¹⁶ Passing to the lee of a small island called Clauda, we barely managed to secure the lifeboat. ¹⁷ After hoisting it up, the crew used ropes to undergird the ship. And fearing that they would run aground on the sandbars of Syrtis, they lowered the sea anchor and were driven along. ¹⁸ We were tossed so violently that the next day the men began to jettison the cargo. ¹⁹ On the third day, we threw the ship’s tackle overboard with our own hands. ²⁰ When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the great storm continued to batter us, we abandoned all hope of being saved.

⁴¹ But the vessel struck a sandbar and ran aground. The bow stuck fast and would not move, and the stern was being broken up by the pounding of the waves.

²⁵ Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked. I spent a night and a day in the open sea.

²⁷ At noon Elijah began to taunt them, saying, “Shout louder, for he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or occupied, or on a journey. Perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened!” ²⁸ So they shouted louder and cut themselves with knives and lances, as was their custom, until the blood gushed over them. ²⁹ Midday passed, and they kept on raving until the time of the evening sacrifice. But there was no response; no one answered, no one paid attention.

⁵ But if you would earnestly seek God and ask the Almighty for mercy, ⁶ if you are pure and upright, even now He will rouse Himself on your behalf and restore your righteous estate.

¹ Why, O LORD, do You stand far off? Why do You hide in times of trouble? ² In pride the wicked pursue the needy; let them be caught in the schemes they devise.

¹ For the choirmaster. To the tune of “The Doe of the Dawn.” A Psalm of David. My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Why are You so far from saving me, so far from my words of groaning? ² I cry out by day, O my God, but You do not answer, and by night, but I have no rest.

²³ Wake up, O Lord! Why are You sleeping? Arise! Do not reject us forever. ²⁴ Why do You hide Your face and forget our affliction and oppression?

⁷ “Will the Lord spurn us forever and never show His favor again? ⁸ Is His loving devotion gone forever? Has His promise failed for all time? ⁹ Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has His anger shut off His compassion?” Selah ¹⁰ So I said, “I am grieved that the right hand of the Most High has changed.”

²⁷ Why do you say, O Jacob, and why do you assert, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the LORD, and my claim is ignored by my God”? ²⁸ Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary; His understanding is beyond searching out.

¹⁴ But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me; the Lord has forgotten me!” ¹⁵ “Can a woman forget her nursing child, or lack compassion for the son of her womb? Even if she could forget, I will not forget you! ¹⁶ Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; your walls are ever before Me.

⁹ Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD. Wake up as in days past, as in generations of old. Was it not You who cut Rahab to pieces, who pierced through the dragon? ¹⁰ Was it not You who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep, who made a road in the depths of the sea for the redeemed to cross over?

⁶ For the LORD has called you back, like a wife deserted and wounded in spirit, like the rejected wife of one’s youth,” says your God. ⁷ “For a brief moment I forsook you, but with great compassion I will bring you back. ⁸ In a surge of anger I hid My face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you,” says the LORD your Redeemer.

¹⁵ Look down from heaven and see, from Your holy and glorious habitation. Where are Your zeal and might? Your yearning and compassion for me are restrained.

¹² After all this, O LORD, will You restrain Yourself? Will You keep silent and afflict us beyond measure?

⁸ Even when I cry out and plead for help, He shuts out my prayer.

²⁵ Then the disciples went and woke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!”

²⁴ The disciples went and woke Him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” Then Jesus arose and rebuked the wind and the raging waters, and they subsided, and all was calm.

⁶ Since Jacob’s well was there, Jesus, weary from His journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour.

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.

¹⁵ For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who was tempted in every way that we are, yet was without sin.

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

¹⁶ And as for you, lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground.

²² and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on their right and on their left.

²⁸ The waters flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen—the entire army of Pharaoh that had chased the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived. ²⁹ But the Israelites had walked through the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on their right and on their left.

¹¹ and I declared: ‘You may come this far, but no farther; here your proud waves must stop’?

¹⁰ The LORD sits enthroned over the flood; the LORD is enthroned as King forever.

⁷ You stilled the roaring of the seas, the pounding of their waves, and the tumult of the nations.

⁹ You rule the raging sea; when its waves mount up, You still them.

³ The floodwaters have risen, O LORD; the rivers have raised their voice; the seas lift up their pounding waves. ⁴ Above the roar of many waters—the mighty breakers of the sea—the LORD on high is majestic.

⁷ At Your rebuke the waters fled; at the sound of Your thunder they hurried away— ⁸ the mountains rose and the valleys sank to the place You assigned for them— ⁹ You set a boundary they cannot cross, that they may never again cover the earth.

²⁹ He calmed the storm to a whisper, and the waves of the sea were hushed.

⁸ lightning and hail, snow and clouds, powerful wind fulfilling His word,

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.

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

³¹ For the Lord will not cast us off forever.

⁴ He rebukes the sea and dries it up; He makes all the rivers run dry. Bashan and Carmel wither, and the flower of Lebanon wilts.

²⁵ When Jesus saw that a crowd had come running, He rebuked the unclean spirit. “You mute and deaf spirit,” He said, “I command you to come out and never enter him again.”

³⁹ and He stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. And she got up at once and began to serve them.

¹ For the choirmaster. Of the sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. A song. God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble. ² Therefore we will not fear, though the earth is transformed and the mountains are toppled into the depths of the seas, ³ though their waters roar and foam and the mountains quake in the surge. Selah

³ A bruised reed He will not break and a smoldering wick He will not extinguish; He will faithfully bring forth justice.

² When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you go through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched; the flames will not set you ablaze.

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

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

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

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

¹⁹ When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the sea—and they were terrified. ²⁰ But Jesus spoke up: “It is I; do not be afraid.”

¹⁸ So Samuel called to the LORD, and on that day the LORD sent thunder and rain. As a result, all the people greatly feared the LORD and Samuel. ¹⁹ They pleaded with Samuel, “Pray to the LORD your God for your servants so that we will not die! For we have added to all our sins the evil of asking for a king.” ²⁰ “Do not be afraid,” Samuel replied. “Even though you have committed all this evil, do not turn aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart.

²⁴ Above all, fear the LORD and serve Him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things He has done for you.

⁷ In the council of the holy ones, God is greatly feared, and awesome above all who surround Him.

⁹ “I am a Hebrew,” replied Jonah. “I worship the LORD, the God of the heavens, who made the sea and the dry land.” ¹⁰ Then the men were even more afraid and said to him, “What have you done?” The men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them.

¹⁵ At this, they picked up Jonah and cast him into the sea, and the raging sea grew calm. ¹⁶ Then the men feared the LORD greatly, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows to Him.

⁵ “My covenant with him was one of life and peace, which I gave to him; it called for reverence, and he revered Me and stood in awe of My name.

²⁷ The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the sea obey Him!”

³² And when they had climbed back into the boat, the wind died down.

³³ Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him trembling in fear, and she told Him the whole truth.

³⁷ The people were utterly astonished and said, “He has done all things well! He makes even the deaf hear and the mute speak!”

³⁶ All the people were overcome with amazement and asked one another, “What is this message? With authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!”

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

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